Lisa Park

University of North Carolina, Kenan-Flagler Business School

“Equal parts dreamer and bulldozer, relentlessly curious how to turn science fiction into patient reality.”

Age: 35

Hometown: Cupertino, California

Fun fact about yourself: I was supposed to be a pianist.

Undergraduate School and Degree: I got both my BS (Biochemistry) and MS (Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics) at UCLA.

Where are you currently working? I just got recruited by Bristol Myers Squibb into their Global Product Development and Supply (GPS) Emerging Leaders Program. I will start the first of my four eight-month rotations across the GPS organization and business units in July.

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? My proudest achievement was first believing I belonged outside the lab, then intentionally pivoting from “just a scientist” to a leader who bridges research and operations. Countless coffee chats, where I stumbled through business jargon, taught me humility and humbled me. But I gradually discovered my scientific mindset – that relentless “how does this work?” curiosity wasn’t a weakness in business, but my greatest asset for tackling biopharma’s toughest challenges.

Why did you choose this school’s online MBA program? I chose MBA@UNC because it was the #1 ranked online MBA for a reason: a robust curriculum that balanced hard skills (like operations and strategy) with UNC’s core values of integrity, inclusion, innovation, and impact. The collaborative culture stood out, as I was inspired and challenged by peers from diverse industries.

What was your favorite part of being in an online MBA program? The people. Despite being online, MBA@UNC fostered a highly supportive community. The program’s structure (like synchronous classes, lots of teamwork on simulations and case studies) created authentic connections, and my peers became friends. Plus, faculty went above-and-beyond to mentor students, even outside “classroom” hours.

How did your online experience compare with your in-the-classroom experience as an undergraduate student? Undergrad was about mastering foundational knowledge, and grad school was beyond that. In addition to quickly building my business acumen and finance toolkit, I needed to learn how to influence and lead. During undergrad, I absorbed information through lectures. At UNC Kenan-Flagler, I learned by doing and practicing, like negotiating mock mergers with classmates across time zones and running team simulation projects.

How has your online education helped you in your current job? The program rewired how I operate daily. Beyond the frameworks (like decision-analysis tools or communication strategies), it gave me the discipline to immediately apply lessons, whether restructuring team workflows or assessing risk in personal investments. One day I’d study stakeholder management and the next I’d be practicing it with my study group or even in personal relationships. The online format forced me to be disciplined and that discipline became second nature. Now, whether I’m looking at a team challenge or a personal decision, I naturally balance the analytical side (what do the numbers say?) with the human side (how do I bring people along?). Most tangibly, I can now carry these skills into my next chapter at BMS and beyond.

Did you earn a promotion while in the program or immediately after graduation? While I didn’t receive a traditional promotion, my MBA journey coincided with an unexpected career pivot. After a layoff near the program’s end, I used the moment to intentionally redirect my path from research to biopharma operations, a transition I’d already begun preparing for through UNC Kenan-Flagler’s curriculum. The “promotion” in hindsight, was gaining the confidence and skills to pursue roles where I can create bigger and more meaningful impact.

Why did you pursue an online MBA program instead of a full-time residential or executive MBA program? I chose the online MBA to transform my career without losing momentum in biopharma. A residential program would’ve required stepping away and becoming detached from industry, while an EMBA required prior experiences I didn’t yet have. Online MBA gave me the perfect path. I could immediately test operations frameworks in real-world contexts while maintaining my day job. I practiced daily to balance coursework with networking and skill-building.

What is one way that your business school has integrated AI into your programming? What insights did you gain from using AI? I jumped at the chance to take UNC Kenan-Flagler’s innovative live seminar, The Democratization of AI. It was one of the first MBA courses to critically examine AI’s business and societal impacts. The debates and talks during this class challenged us to explore both the potential and ethical boundaries of AI tools. And I carried this foundation through my entire MBA experience, as professors across disciplines encouraged us to be first adopters of AI tools, but always with responsibility and integrity. Whether using natural language processing to analyze case studies or predictive modeling in operations courses, we learned to ask the hard questions: Where does this data come from? What assumptions are built in? How do we maintain human oversight? I believe that leaders must be both AI-literate and critically minded.

Number of Hours Per Week Spent on an Online MBA: On average 20-25 hours, some weeks demanded 30+ hours.

What is your ultimate long-term professional goal? I want to be the leader who refuses to let operational inertia veto brilliant science. The one who asks early and often: “What will it take to actually deliver this?” not just “Does it work?” My career pivot wasn’t to leave research; it was to shorten the distance between the “eureka” moments in research and patient reach. In the long term, I’d like to become a senior leader in the rooms where resources are committed, not just to the flashy breakthroughs, but to the unglamorous work of making therapies accessible.

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