Adam Kurth

Iowa’s Online MBA Program At Tippie College of Business

“Mission-driven leader blending finance, tech, and policy to improve public education and empower future generations.”

Age: 42

Hometown: Iowa City, Iowa

Fun fact about yourself: I’ve ridden RAGBRAI – a summer bike ride across Iowa – more than 25 times, the first time when I was 12 years old.

Undergraduate School and Degree: B.A., Philosophy & Religious Studies from Beloit College

Where are you currently working? Chief Financial Officer, Iowa City Community School District

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? When I stepped into my first executive role, I uncovered an unexpected multimillion-dollar budget shortfall in my first month on the job. Rather than resorting to reduction in force or cuts to student programming, I collaborated with our executive team to lead a full financial restructuring that protected classroom experiences, restored stability, rebuilt trust, and improved our financial health, with no staff layoffs. This was simultaneously one of the most challenging and stressful periods in my career, as well as one of the situations I can look back on with the most pride. I’m proud of how our team demonstrated strategic leadership under pressure, maintained our focus on our people – students and staff – and ultimately had a real and lasting operational impact.

Why did you choose this school’s online MBA program? As a public sector executive with two young kids, I needed to find a program that was both doable with my schedule, as well as one that would challenge my thinking and help me to grow in my effectiveness within and beyond my current role. Tippie’s online MBA program offered a combination of rigorous coursework and faculty members who care about and understand the challenges faced by the professionals in their classes. While the program was largely online, it was still connected, engaging, and designed for busy professionals like me. I was able to develop connections with professors and classmates – both online and in person – that I’m confident will last a lifetime. I believe that this program has made me a more effective leader.

What was your favorite part of being in an online MBA program? This program allowed me to learn alongside professionals from diverse industries – from the public sector to small startups and Fortune 500 companies – and each of them brought real, current challenges into every class, representing a diversity of viewpoints that I don’t think would likely be replicated in a site-based program. My classmates and I were not in a position to have to put our careers on pause; we integrated what we learned in real time, and our discussions were driven by lived experience. As a dad who coaches kids’ basketball teams and spends time at swim meets and band concerts, I appreciated that I was able to engage in an exceptional program without giving up my ability to devote time to my family as well. Even though this was an online program, it wasn’t uncommon for me to run into a classmate and have a great conversation even at those concerts and swim meets; I truly feel that I didn’t have to compromise anything in choosing Iowa’s Online MBA program.

How did your online experience compare with your in-the-classroom experience as an undergraduate student? As an undergraduate student, I really viewed myself as learning how to learn; I haven’t used my undergraduate major directly for any job I’ve held, but the experience was still invaluable in terms of learning how to learn, how to communicate my ideas, and how to engage. That said, my courses at the undergraduate level often felt abstract. In the Iowa MBA program, literally every course felt like it connected directly to challenges I was facing as a CFO and a public education leader. The online format allowed for rich discussion with classmates who brought diverse viewpoints and experience. It was similar to the discussions I had as an undergrad, but with a heightened level of relevance. In my online MBA program, I wasn’t just working for a grade, I was actively applying what I learned to solve problems that mattered.

How has your online education helped you in your current job? The Iowa Online MBA program gave me the tools to lead more strategically, to communicate more effectively, and to leverage ideas and approaches that are novel in the public education sector. In my role, I navigate finance, technology, data, and policy in a high-stakes, highly visible environment. My coursework contributed to improvements in technical skills related to financial modeling and project management, along with providing exposure to frameworks for addressing organizational change, improving cross-functional alignment, and making data-informed decisions. I have explicitly applied lessons from throughout my program within my work, and these skills and resources have made me more effective as I work to serve our organization and community.

Did you earn a promotion while in the program or immediately after graduation? I did not earn a promotion during the program, but that wasn’t my goal. I wasn’t looking to move up; I was looking to grow within my current role. I pursued the Iowa Online MBA to strengthen my skills and expand my capacity as a public-sector executive. That said, I’m confident that, over the coming decades, the degree will continue to open doors and create new opportunities as my career evolves.

Why did you pursue an online MBA program instead of a full-time residential or executive MBA program? I needed a program that would align with my life and career, not one that would require pausing it. As a full-time executive and dad, stepping away from work or relocating for a residential MBA wasn’t realistic, and with Iowa’s Online MBA program, nor was it necessary. I wanted a program that would allow me to apply what I learned in real time, and the Iowa Online MBA program offered the rigor, flexibility, relevance, and community that I needed to grow as a leader without putting my career or family on hold.

What is one way that your business school has integrated AI into your programming? What insights did you gain from using AI? AI was integrated in my courses as a topic, but we also used it, critiqued it, and helped shape how it gets leveraged within the program. From the start of my program, which aligned with the explosion of ChatGPT and other generative AI, AI was positioned as both an opportunity and a challenge within our class discussions and materials. From a utilization standpoint, several of my courses integrated AI tools thoughtfully, and instructors actively sought feedback on how these tools supported learning. This reflective approach not only improved the student experience and exposure to an important technology, but also deepened my understanding of how to evaluate and apply emerging technologies in a strategic, ethical way. It made clear that leaders in roles like mine don’t just need to use AI, they need to help their teams navigate it wisely. To that end, I’ve begun to incorporate some of my AI-related takeaways from my Iowa Online MBA program in my work with the teams I lead.

Number of Hours Per Week Spent on an Online MBA: I spent about 12-20 hours per week on my Iowa Online MBA coursework. That said, the online format – with transparent syllabi and well-structured assignments and expectations – allowed me to flex my work from week to week so that I could effectively align the demands of my courses with my professional and family responsibilities.

What is your ultimate long-term professional goal? My long-term goal is to lead transformational, important work at the intersection of public systems and innovation. Whether in education, government, or a mission-driven enterprise setting, I want to build healthier organizations that use data wisely, treat people well, and make a tangible difference for those they serve. I don’t have a particular job or title in mind, but I’m drawn to roles where I can combine strategic leadership, operational excellence, and creative, big-picture thinking to support an important mission.

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