Joe Martzel

University of Washington, Foster School of Business

“Organized and driven manager, focused on growth and supporting others, while always remaining approachable.”

Age: 37

Hometown: Homer Glen, IL

Fun fact about yourself: I’ve written two novels – just for fun, not published.

Undergraduate School and Degree: Bachelor of Arts from North Central College: Double Major in Finance and Economics, with a Minor in Accounting

Where are you currently working? Liberty Mutual Insurance – Commercial Lines Underwriting Manager

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? I am incredibly proud of all the direct reports I have had the opportunity to promote. Being a people leader revolves around growth and coaching. There is nothing quite like the satisfaction of nominating someone for a promotion and then sharing the great news that their hard work has truly paid off. Helping someone improve in areas that enhance their effectiveness can be challenging, but seeing their progress is also so rewarding.

Why did you choose this school’s online MBA program? The University of Washington was the only MBA program that I applied for. The Foster School’s reputation spoke for itself, and with dreams of relocating to the Pacific Northwest, the University of Washington was an obvious choice that met every one of my wish list items.

What was your favorite part of being in an online MBA program? I enjoyed the challenge that my program provided. It had been a while since I’d been challenged in this type of way, needing to use my brain to think critically about many topics where I didn’t have any expertise. Not only did this bring a sense of accomplishment, but it also opened my eyes to new interests. Also, everyone at Foster is fantastic. We’ve got a wonderfully helpful and motivating program staff, excellent faculty, an engaged career development group, and inspiring classmates. My cohort is incredibly talented, intelligent, and fun. Somehow, I got matched with the best five teammates I could have hoped for; I couldn’t have made it through this program without them.

How did your online experience compare with your in-the-classroom experience as an undergraduate student? Being on camera made asking questions easier and getting vulnerable during class sessions. If I needed to ask a professor to repeat or rephrase something, a certain amount of embarrassment was removed, making it a better learning environment.

What is your best piece of advice to an applicant for thriving in an online MBA program? Get involved. You are about to embark on a challenging journey with a cohort of other students who are highly motivated, knowledgeable, and wonderful people. Get to know as many of them as possible; there’s no better way than getting involved with the program. My life is forever changed for the better because I know so many of my classmates. They aren’t just networking points and contacts; they’re beautiful people who can enrich your life with friendship.

How has your online education helped you in your current job? Some lessons have been directly applicable to my role, specifically some work done in Excel/Solver from Issariya Sirichakwal’s Decision Modeling course, which helped me assign training topics for a summer intern based on employee expertise. Lessons learned in my Leading Organizational Change elective, taught by Greg Bigley, were extremely helpful as my work group underwent a large reorganization in Q1 2025. Holistically, this program has taught me how to maximize all 24 hours of a day!

Did you earn a promotion while in the program or immediately after graduation? No, not yet.

Why did you pursue an online MBA program instead of a full-time residential or executive MBA program? I was drawn to the University of Washington, but as a resident of Illinois, the Hybrid program, which is about 95% online, was the only reasonable way for me to attend my dream school. The flexibility this program offered was a great bonus. It allowed me to keep my normal work and family schedule while getting a top-tier graduate-level education.

What is one way that your business school has integrated AI into your programming? What insights did you gain from using AI? A few courses have leaned into the use of AI, calling out tasks that AI can perform with reasonable accuracy. These professors were all aligned on the idea that AI is a tool that can be used, but our human brains are still needed to verify that the answers generated make sense, instead of blindly trusting them.

Number of Hours Per Week Spent on an Online MBA: 30 – 40

What is your ultimate long-term professional goal? A previous manager of mine once told me that once you become a leader of leaders on the org chart, that’s when things really start to get fun. I’d like to experience that firsthand. To paraphrase Liberty Mutual’s former CEO, David H. Long, I want to be known as someone who does the right thing and treats people with dignity and respect. I’d also love to leverage my career to relocate to the Pacific Northwest.

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