Brittany Pitlik

University of Wisconsin MBA Consortium

“A strategic leader who aims to create environments that make people’s lives better at work.”

Age: 37

Hometown: Urbana, Illinois

Fun fact about yourself: I have technically completed two triathlons, yet due to storms, water current speeds, lightning, and snakes in the water (yep, snakes), I was not able to complete all three segments of the swim, bike, and run at either of them.

Undergraduate School and Degree:  

• Master of Business Administration
  • University of Wisconsin MBA Consortium | GPA 4.0 | Beta Gamma Sigma International Business Honor Society | 2023-2024 & 2024-2025 Student Advisory Group
• Bachelor of Science in Political Science and Kinesiology
  • Houston Christian University | Summa Cum Laude | GPA 3.9 | Alpha Chi National Honor Society

Where are you currently working? Chief of Staff at Gold H2, an energy biotech startup

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? I accepted the Chief of Staff position at my current company about a year ago. Though I had worked at large and small companies before, the startup environment is so different and honestly very exciting. I have also been in the last year of my MBA program with the UW MBA Consortium during this time. To see the culmination of my work experiences and my educational experiences come together to allow me to do a job that I absolutely love has been the pride of my professional career thus far. Leadership and strategy are woven throughout the MBA program. To see success professionally due to my choice to enter into the University of Wisconsin MBA Consortium program is a proud moment.

Why did you choose this school’s online MBA program? When I began my search for an online MBA program, I had three factors I considered most important: level of excellence, focus on leadership, and asynchronous learning. The University of Wisconsin MBA Consortium program is one of the top-ranked online programs in the country, and it immediately caught my attention. It became clear as I spoke with the admissions team that they were not only knowledgeable, patient, and kind, but proud of their program and prided themselves on the student experience. To see excellence not just in ratings but in the behaviors of staff was exciting. Spoiler alert: The teaching and instructional design teams also show pride and excellence in their work and the student experience.

MBA programs are designed to give professionals a broad range of knowledge in many crucial business aspects such as finance, marketing, and strategy. However, I wanted a program that taught students all of these skills through the lens of leadership. Seeing the course names, reading their descriptions, and speaking with the admissions team confirmed that I would learn about these concepts and how I could be a better leader, not just a better team manager.

The asynchronous learning format was crucial for me as I continued building my career yet still allowed for relationships to be built among my peers. Going back to school for a graduate degree is a commitment, and I was incredibly excited to start the University of Wisconsin MBA Consortium program.

How did your online experience compare with your in-the-classroom experience as an undergraduate student?

While my experience as an undergraduate gave me exposure to a wide range of student opinions with the full class in person, my online experience has given me a deeper understanding and professional relationship with my peers due to the small discussion groups and group projects throughout the program. There were discussions posted that I likely would never have asked or responded to in-person that I spoke about with openness to my online peers and vice versa. As a result, I was able to learn from others’ experiences.

What is your best piece of advice to an applicant for thriving in an online MBA program?

A graduate degree is hard work and a major accomplishment. I would encourage applicants to first be proud that you are taking this step; it is no small decision. You can never finish if you never start – so, congrats! To thrive, be kind to yourself. There is a lot of material to learn, boundaries to set, time to manage, and structures to define. Throughout it all, be your own biggest fan and understand what support you need, especially from yourself.

How has your online education helped you in your current job? My current executive role at a startup company has been very demanding. I simply do not know how I would have been able to accept the incredible opportunity to work at my company if I had not been in an online program.

Additionally, the material taught in the UW MBA Consortium program has been invaluable to my professional growth. I can honestly say I have used material from each course I have taken during my time in the program. It has made me a more thoughtful and strategic leader, and I hope made me more successful in my aim to make people’s lives better while at work.

Did you earn a promotion while in the program or immediately after graduation? Knowing that I was earning my MBA through the University of Wisconsin MBA Consortium was a factor in my being brought on as Chief of Staff in my current company. While my undergraduate and professional experiences were helpful, the knowledge and skills I was developing in my MBA program were vital when talking through what would be needed for this executive role.

Why did you pursue an online MBA program instead of a full-time residential or executive MBA program? While there are excellent full-time residential and executive MBA programs out there, I knew when I began my search for an MBA program that I wanted one that could adapt to me and not the other way around. I was not sure where my role at that time would take me, and I wanted the ability to say yes to opportunities.

There is something I would encourage prospective students to think about – life changes a lot and quickly. What makes sense now might not work for your life in one or three years. Online education can then be an asset to the life you want as opposed to the liability it could be when you look at certain opportunities over a program that spans several years.

What is one way that your business school has integrated AI into your programming? What insights did you gain from using AI? The integration of AI came about during my time in the UW MBA Consortium program. Therefore, I was able to see how the program administrators, instructional designers, and professors adapted AI policies and uses in real-time. It was impressive to see the growth from “Let’s hold off on using it” to “Use it for brainstorming, project photo generation, idea generation, and critique and revision suggestions of your work.” As such, I was able to learn how to incorporate AI strategically beyond helping with menial tasks, as sometimes occurs in the workforce. As a member of the program’s 2024-25 Student Advisory Group, I can say that AI integration is a topic this program’s leaders and decision-makers are continuing to discuss and evaluate for upcoming semesters. To see the forward-thinking nature of their goals is another form of excellence I have seen from this program and is also encouraging for future students.

Number of Hours Per Week Spent on an Online MBA: I spent about 3-4 hours per course credit hour per week. The time varied by course and even by week depending on the reading material, discussions, assignments, and my prior understanding of certain concepts. Since much of the material was immediately applicable to my professional environment, I was able to spend my time also thinking about its application to my projects and conversations for that week as well.

What is your ultimate long-term professional goal? My experience in the University of Wisconsin MBA Consortium program has provided me with the knowledge and confidence to aim higher in my career. Although I had dreams of running a company one day, this program gave me the foundation I needed to not just close my eyes and hope but open my eyes and see the CEO position as an achievable goal for me.

My vision is to have a positive impact on the people and environments around me to make lives better. I have seen in my current role how impactful executives are to this vision and in this program how impactful I can be to this vision. Knowing that the skills I have acquired through my MBA can help improve the lives of those around me makes me wonder what else I could do. One of my high school coaches told me something I’ll never forget: Leave a place better than you found it. The University of Wisconsin MBA Consortium program left me better off, and I hope to do the same for those around me for the rest of my career.

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