Dan Herzberg

Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan

“A compassionate leader striving to bring people together to create positive change in our communities.”

Age: 36

Hometown: Royal Oak, MI

Fun fact about yourself: When I lived in Italy, I was able to complete Ironman Italy and ride most of the iconic climbs of the Giro d’Italia and Tour de France.

Undergraduate School and Degree:
BS, Exercise Science – Western Michigan University
Master of Healthcare Administration – The University of Scranton

Where are you currently working? Honor Community Health – Director, Clinical Quality

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? While I was stationed in Italy as an active-duty member of the Navy, I led a project at US Naval Hospital Naples to replace radiology capital equipment valued at over $4 million – the first capital project of its kind since the hospital had opened 20-years prior. There were multiple challenges including navigating the Department of Defense RFQ process, building partnerships with local hospitals to ensure uninterrupted patient care, significant language barriers, and the model of MRI selected being the first installation of its kind in Italy. Within one month of starting the project, the COVID-19 pandemic began, and Italy became an early epicenter for the outbreak. Because of this, all work was halted for almost two months. Despite these challenges the project was completed on budget and on time.

This was a pivotal accomplishment early in my administrative career that gave me the confidence to pursue an MBA at the Ross School of Business.

Why did you choose this school’s online MBA program? When I was evaluating programs, a key criterion was a strong alumni network. Michigan Ross, with a world-renown reputation and a vast network of 58,000 alumni across 107 countries, was an easy choice.

Another major factor for my decision is the program structure with three residencies and the Multidisciplinary Action Projects (MAP). While I required the flexibility of an online program, it was important to me that I had opportunities to be on campus connecting with classmates, professors, and program administrators. The Michigan Ross OMBA gave the perfect balance between flexibility and opportunities to build meaningful relationships.

What was your favorite part of being in an online MBA program? The best part of being in the Michigan Ross OMBA program was interacting with my talented classmates. The program is made up of a diverse group of students coming from a wide range of industries, career backgrounds, and experiences, which brings a rich learning environment to classes. I found this especially beneficial given that my career up to that point had been solely in healthcare. The healthcare sector has a lot to learn from other industries when it comes to areas like quality and safety, consumer experience, and operational efficiency, among others. Listening to and discussing the different points of view and decision-making approaches of my classmates helped to elevate my own critical thinking skills and development of innovative approaches to long-standing challenges in healthcare.

How did your online experience compare with your in-the-classroom experience as an undergraduate student? My experience with the Michigan Ross OMBA was very similar to my traditional undergrad experience, which was due to the residency requirements. The mix of live classes and residencies helped me to build meaningful connections with my classmates. This was a crucial missing element for my first masters, which was 100% online with no on-campus opportunities.

What is your best piece of advice to an applicant for thriving in an online MBA program?  Time management is key to success. Most OMBA students are also juggling full-time jobs and hobbies. Many of my classmates also had young families. For programs like Michigan Ross, live online classes and residency sessions build on the asynchronous material, so if you want to be successful you must stay on top of the work. Aim to identify blocks of time each week for your responsibilities and protect that schedule as much as possible.

How has your online education helped you in your current job? I was able to take concepts and lessons learned from modules and live sessions and immediately apply them to my job the next day. When I had challenges adapting concepts to the needs of my organization, my professors were available to meet and talk through the challenges and give recommendations. Being able to test and refine concepts in real time was beneficial not only to my job, but also to my learning experience.

Did you earn a promotion while in the program or immediately after graduation? Yes – shortly before graduation, I moved into my current role as Director of Clinical Quality. My experience at Michigan Ross played a significant role in my promotion.

Why did you pursue an online MBA program instead of a full-time residential or executive MBA program?

I was not interested in putting my career on hold, so a full-time program was out of the question. I considered an executive MBA, but opted for the increased flexibility of the online program given the demands of my job at the time.

What is one way that your business school has integrated AI into your programming? What insights did you gain from using AI? The Michigan Ross Business+Tech Initiative offers multiple forums and competitions on the use of AI in business. These sessions offer great insight into using AI for everything from aiding a job search to building custom solutions for a range of business needs. I use these insights in my current role as I look for viable solutions for AI-assisted documentation and charting of patient visits.

Number of Hours Per Week Spent on an Online MBA: 12-15

What is your ultimate long-term professional goal? My goal is to lead a mission-driven organization and bring positive changes to my community. I aim to build an environment where staff are empowered to use their creativity to innovate and improve lives.

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