Meet Vanderbilt Owen’s MBA Class Of 2026

HELPING MBAs REALIZE THEIR POTENTIAL AS LEADERS

Another Owen differentiator is class size – or what Owen calls “Personal Scale.” Think of 175 students – or 335 total – as big enough to gain exposure to a wide range of industries, functions, and geographies. By the same token, it is small enough where MBAs get to know each other far deeper than just by name. With MBAs being the program’s bread-and-butter, they receive plenty of attention from faculty and career services alike. That means they learn each student’s backgrounds, strengths, and goals – and can more easily connect them to opportunities that accelerate their growth.

“The close-knit community also enables students to tailor their learning through various opportunities such as independent studies with faculty,” explains ’25 grad Robert Rickard. “In recruiting, while the alumni network may be smaller, it is remarkably engaged. I personally heard back from every alumnus that I reached out to during my recruiting process, and many continued providing guidance even after my recruiting process ended. Similarly, in extracurriculars, there are numerous clubs, but if something does not exist, Owen’s supportive culture makes it easy to start one. Ultimately, the small class size does not limit opportunities, but rather it enhances them by making learning, recruiting, and leadership experiences more personalized and accessible.”

Rickard goes on to explain that the program’s smaller size requires students to take ownership and embrace leadership for the program to function. This may be one reason why 90% of the class enroll in Owen’s vaunted Leadership Development Program (LDP) each year. LDP kicks off with students completing the Hogan Leadership Assessment before classes even start. These exams are used by many Fortune 500 companies in their hiring and training decisions. Designed to measure areas like interpersonal skills and problem-solving approaches, they reveal potential as much as gaps.

After arriving on campus, LDP participants are assigned a certified executive coach, who provide personalized guidance in the strengths and weaknesses identified by the Hogan assessment. During the first year of LDP, professional coaching is supplemented by group exercises and reflections to enhance students’ skill sets in areas ranging from handling criticism to managing stress. During the second year, MBAs develop a leadership blueprint. That way, they can measure their growth and hold themselves accountable for building on their first year.

In the end, the LDP is predicated on helping students gain awareness of the experiences and viewpoints that govern how they act towards people – and channel their best virtues towards an authentic leadership style.

“A huge part of what led me to Vanderbilt was the resources surrounding the academic experience,” admits Jon Bergamo. “The Leadership Development Program and Executive Coaching has already had a huge impact on helping me dive deeper into how I want to grow as a leader and define my personal brand in a team and in an organization.”

A HEALTHCARE LEADER

Along with leadership training, Owen is renowned for its Healthcare concentration. Call it capitalizing on their surroundings. After all, healthcare employs nearly 330,000 people in the Nashville region. It also boasts over 900 healthcare firms, including behemoths like HCA Healthcare and Community Health Systems. In fact, the Nashville Chamber estimates that over half of for-profit hospital beds are managed out of Middle Tennessee. Even more, the Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) – one of America’s largest teaching and research hospitals – is just a 10-minute walk from the Owen School.

Last year, 14% of Owen MBAs entered the healthcare field. Overall, Owen’s Healthcare concentration encompasses nearly two dozen core and elective courses. One of the most invaluable courses, says Mengyang He, is the Healthcare Immersion, which is conducted in partnership with the VUMC. Lasting five days, the immersion makes industry issues real for students by putting them in the shoes of everyone from nurses to insurers.

“Through this faculty-led program, I observed operating rooms and emergency rooms, toured a LifeFlight helicopter, and engaged with industry leaders, including the CEOs of an orthopedic clinic, a health insurance company, and local hospitals,” He writes. “I also participated in a nursing simulation, gaining hands-on insights into the daily challenges healthcare professionals face, such as navigating medical ethics during decision-making. Additionally, I visited various stages of pharmaceutical labs, from molecular research to drug commercialization, and attended a healthcare AI conference, where I discovered cutting-edge innovations shaping the future of healthcare.”

LOVING LIFE IN NASHVILLE

Owen has also structured its curriculum to better respond to such innovations. Unlike most business schools, which operate in a semester format, Owen applies a modular-based system – or “mod” for short. During the year, students take courses in four mods, each lasting seven weeks. As a result, students can take more electives and be exposed to more subjects. In other words, mods empower Owen MBAs to explore more industries and roles. In the process, they become more well-rounded while stretching their tuition dollars further than other business schools.

“This style of coursework has given me exposure to twice as many business concepts in a short amount of time,” adds Melissa Ortiz-Feliciano. “This has been very helpful in my skill development for my post-MBA goals and as I go through the internship recruitment season.”

Of course, there is bustling Nashville, home to the Grand Old Opry and Studio B, Broadway bars and the Batman Building, hot chicken and boozy bridesmaids. Amazon continues to grow its Nashville Yards footprint, employing over 8,000 people in the region. Nissan North America is headquartered in nearby Franklin and boasts 10,000 employees. And let’s not forget big names like Bridgestone, Cracker Barrel, Dollar General, and iHeart Media that call Middle Tennessee home. Even In-and-Out Burger is moving their headquarters to Music City (or the ‘Buckle of the Bible Belt if you’re religious).

That’s just the start. Mengyang points to the area’s thriving entrepreneurial and tech ecosystem. Johnny Leara emphasizes that “live local country music never gets old.” The Great Smoky Mountains are just a short drive away, adds Shreyoshi Hossain. And the quality of life can’t be beat, adds Rosie Kim, a product manager from South Korea.

“Nashville is the perfect mix of excitement and peace. I love relaxing at Centennial Park enjoying its wide-open green spaces, and then heading to The Gulch or Broadway for live music, trendy vibes, and the Nashville Predators games. Everyone here seems to be smiling and soaking up the good energy!”

And the food is great too, adds alum Robert Rickard. “Nashville has an outstanding culinary scene. For example, Husk offers an elevated take on Southern cuisine that never disappoints. Additionally, just a short walk from Owen, H&S Bagels serves the best bagels that I have had outside of New York, and Cocorico’s almond croissants have become an essential part of my weekly routine.”

AN INTERVIEW WITH THE DIRECTOR OF MBA ADMISSIONS

Wondering what to expect next with the Owen MBA? Earlier this year, P&Q reached out to Bailey McChesney, director of MBA admissions. Here are her thoughts on areas like new developments, international business programming, and career services.

P&Q: What have been the two most important developments in your MBA program over the past year? What type of impact will they have on current and future MBAs?

McChesney: “At Owen, we recently underwent a comprehensive process to establish and unveil our updated mission statement: Creating opportunities to discover, grow and thrive in business and beyond. With collaborative involvement from faculty, staff, alumni, and current students, the revitalized mission statement encapsulates the spirit of curiosity and comprehensive development and a focus on enabling students to reach their full potential. For current and future MBAs, this refreshed mission statement embodies who we are and where we are going – it weaves together our past, our emphasis on helping our students and alums thrive well beyond our classroom walls, and our focus on the innovation and opportunities that will enable that.

Our MBA program recently joined our Master of Science in Finance and Master of Marketing programs as a STEM designated degree. This designation reinforces our commitment to preparing students with the tools they need to be successful in an ever-changing business environment. We are especially pleased about the doors this designation can open for our international students as they seek to pursue careers in the United States. We are committed to providing top-tier education for our students and this STEM designation proves that our students are receiving the education they need to innovate and navigate the complexities of today’s business landscape.”

P&Q: Every January, P&Q publishes a “10 Business Schools to Watch” feature that highlights how schools are raising the bar and enhancing the student experience through innovation or expansion in programming or resources. What is one innovation that sets your school apart from your peer programs and makes you a business school to watch? Why is it so groundbreaking?

McChesney: “Vanderbilt is thrilled to be hosting the first ever Convoy Conference, a three-day program spearheaded by the Owen Center for Entrepreneurship. With a tagline of “SXSW meets Davos but with a healthy dose of Anchor Down,” the conference provides a forum for Vanderbilt alumni, supporters, and students in entrepreneurship, venture capital, and private equity to network, learn, and engage. The conference offers two tracks with a dedicated track just to healthcare startups because of Nashville and Vanderbilt’s prominence in the field.  Main session tracks blend keynotes (Mark Cuban, Jeff Rothschild) with main stage panels (The Unicorn Lessons, Accelerating Growth, Developing Talent, and Legends & Parables) with industry (AI, Deeptech, Crypto, Fintech, RealTech, Cybersecurity, CleanTech, Food/AgTech, Consumer Tech, Supply Chain Tech, Creative Economy, Aerospace) and topic breakouts. The event is groundbreaking in its multi-day format, breadth of topics covered, opportunities to advance the university startup ecosystem, awards ceremony and concert, and alumni engagement (over 100+ alumni on the speaker panel alone).”

P&Q: What types of programs do you offer to sharpen your students’ soft skills? What areas do you emphasize and how do you instill these skills in your students.

McChesney: “Our Leadership Development Program is unparalleled and is layered onto coursework.  The program is designed to deliver personalized outcomes based on each student’s unique needs. Through collaboration with our Leadership Development Program (LDP) Team and an executive coach, students identify key areas for growth and develop actionable strategies for improvement. The program helps students find their unique voice and develop deeper confidence, learn how to manage conflict more effectively, and hone their strategic decision-marking skills.

Additionally, all MBA students participate in Communication Academy, a communication program aimed at helping students leverage their communication skills to effectively present ideas to multiple stakeholders. Communication Academy is conducted through coursework, coaching and workshops.”

P&Q: What types of programming – through classroom instruction, extracurriculars, and treks – does your school offer to expose students to country-specific and global business practices? What have students told you were the most educational and fun aspects of these activities?

McChesney: “With students from 31 countries and a strong global focus, the Vanderbilt MBA program fosters a truly international business mindset. Through immersive international experiences, diverse cultural perspectives, and hands-on learning opportunities, students gain deep insights into global business practices and strategies, preparing them to excel in an interconnected world.

As an example of a unique global opportunity, Owen offers an annual trek to India designed to give students an opportunity to learn about the cultural and economic aspects, visit key cultural landmarks and meet business leaders. The trip exposes students to the economics of doing business in a new country and culture.

To capitalize on the wealth of global perspectives at Owen, we host the annual Cosmo Week, short for Cosmopolitan Week, which celebrates cultural diversity by bringing together domestic and international students through various activities, including sharing global cuisines, performances, and storytelling. This tradition fosters a deeper understanding of different cultures and strengthens the sense of community within the school.

Our students also have the opportunity to participate in exchange programs at ESSEC in Cergy-Pontoise, France and WHU – Otto Beisheim School Of Management in Vallendar, Germany, while each year we welcome exchange students to Owen.”

P&Q: What are the most exciting new courses that your school is offering to MBAs this school year? What makes them so unique and valuable?

McChesney: “With significant research around workplaces more inclusive of neurodiversity, Tim Vogus, Owen’s Brownlee O. Currey, Jr., Professor of Management and the Deputy Director of the Frist Center for Autism and Innovation created a timely and impactful course, Neurodiversity and Work: Fostering Inclusion and Innovation. This course focuses on how organizations can achieve organizational excellence by harnessing the strengths of workplace neurodiversity and walks students through a series of practical, application-driven sessions. It equips them with workplace-ready strategies to foster inclusive cultures, attract and support neurodiverse talent, and design and manage neurodiverse teams and organizations.

As knowledge and skills with AI are becoming essential for business leaders, Owen Professor Xi Kang’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Business has become a top course for many students. While providing an overview of AI and its role in business transformation from a managerial perspective, the course aims to improve understanding of AI, discuss its business applications across sectors, explore ways to harness the competitive advantage it offers for individuals and organizations, and consider the legal and ethical challenges associated with deploying AI in management.”

Next Page: Profiles of 12 Members of the MBA Class of 2026.

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