Shelly Soupir

University of Minnesota Twin Cities – Carlson School of Management

“Lifelong learner, inspired by family, passionate about connection, continuous growth, and empowering others to thrive.”

Age: 54

Hometown: Omaha, Nebraska

Fun fact about yourself: My daughter, Samantha, and I qualified for, ran, and finished the 2022 Boston Marathon. Our next goal was to receive our MBAs. My daughter and I will complete our MBAs and will be graduating together on May 19, 2025!

Undergraduate School and Degree: Minnesota State University Moorhead, BS Mass Communication/Advertising

Where are you currently working? AblePay Health, SVP (Provider Markets)

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? Throughout my career, I have had the chance to be part of large corporations and privately-held companies. Most recently, I was part of a start-up organization focusing on creating a win-win-win for the providers, their patients, and my organization. What I am most proud of is that throughout my professional career, I’ve been committed to creating connections, trust, and belief in the mission. This has allowed the teams I have been part of to accomplish goals that they never thought possible.

Why did you choose this school’s online MBA program? I had put off getting my MBA because I could not do a program that required me to be in-person on a regular basis due to work travel. The online MBA provided the perfect option for me to receive my MBA from a program that I respect that fit into my work schedule.

What was your favorite part of being in an online MBA program? The diversity of the students I was able to work with from across different professional, educational, and cultural backgrounds. 

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

The level of technology and resources we have access to vs. when I graduated with my undergrad in 1992 has created an immensely different experience. Even though I am online and not in-person, the access to contact professors directly through virtual meetings allowed me to feel connected, even though I was many times in a different state.

What is your best piece of advice to an applicant for thriving in an online MBA program? You will find that you did have classes with some of the same students going through the program at the same time. Creating connections and trusting relationships allowed you to build on your experiences as a team from class-to-class. Take time to make connections and leverage LinkedIn and other resources to stay connected outside of the MBA program. Also challenge yourself to take electives that expose you to new areas. For example, in the Spring 2025, the Carlson School offered AI classes as part of the online course for the first time. With the growth of AI, I took the chance to branch into this area and have found the growth in being exposed to a new area exciting.

How has your online education helped you in your current job? The value of education helps you to think differently and to see different ways to approach tasks or challenges that you have always handled in one way. It has also helped me improve my time management and use technological resources that I had not been leveraging to their full capacity. It has expanded the scope of professional opportunities and industries I see myself being able to pursue based on my online educational experience.

Did you earn a promotion while in the program or immediately after graduation? I currently work for a startup. The benefit of completing my MBA is being able to expand the impact of how I can help my organization achieve its growth and impact goals. I see my MBA leading me to additional career opportunities either within my current organization or potentially in an entirely different industry.

Why did you pursue an online MBA program instead of a full-time residential or executive MBA program? A limitation for me was that I didn’t have a predictable schedule due to my extensive work travel. The online MBA program was a great fit. It allowed me to gain exposure to a number of different areas and build a program that focused on building specific skill sets and expand my understanding of business development, strategy, finance, and sales while also gaining a better understanding of business from an international view.

What is one way that your business school has integrated AI into your programming? What insights did you gain from using AI? I am currently completing an AI course and gaining a foundation of understanding AI and how it is leveraged across all industries. Having the chance to use Dab.bot as a tool to complete projects has been eye-opening in the capabilities of the resources that are available to help with routine and complex tasks.

Number of Hours Per Week Spent on an Online MBA: 10-15 hours week depending on course load

What is your ultimate long-term professional goal? I want to continue to advance in my current role and contribute to the success of the start-up organization I am currently a part. I also want to prepare myself to pursue leadership roles in areas of interest that allow me to leverage my enhanced skill sets. I believe in the importance of being a lifelong learner and intend to take advantage of the resources that are available to me through the Carlson School of Management’s MBA program.

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