Mark Hammond

Rady School of Management at UC San Diego

“A leader who thrives in adversity, inspires teams, and finds solutions with optimism and grit.”

Hometown: New Lenox, IL

Fun fact about yourself: I’m an avid audiobook listener. I listen to about 50 books a year, ranging from mysteries to history and everything in between. Somehow, it took me until 2024 to read The Hunger Games, and not surprisingly, those were all great. I also read The Lumumba Plot, which was an eye-opening book on the history of US foreign policy in Africa.

Undergraduate School and Degree: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Global Studies, Minor in German

Where was the last place you worked before enrolling in business school? United States Marine Corps, UH-1Y Helicopter Pilot

Where did you intern during the summer of 2024? Program Management Intern, Cubic Defense Applications, San Diego, CA

Where will you be working after graduation? Deputy Program Manager, Cubic Defense Applications

Community Work and Leadership Roles in Business School: Team Lead on Rady Action Project – Our capstone consulting project for Intel

Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? The academic achievement I’m most proud of is leading my Rady Action Project, the capstone of my MBA. As a team of six, we acted as consultants for Intel, conducting hundreds of hours of research on AI and holding weekly client meetings. My team’s dedication and collaboration were exceptional, and our final research presentation impressed both Intel and Rady faculty with its depth, insights, and professionalism. It was a demanding but rewarding experience that showcased our ability to tackle complex challenges and deliver real value. It was also super interesting to research the technology of the moment and our future.

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? I’m most proud of becoming a Marine Aviator. I first started thinking about it in high school, and from that point, it took nine years to get my Wings of Gold. It’s a marathon to go through school and all of the training involved just to become a Marine Officer. Then, once I was commissioned, it was still another three years of school to become a Marine Aviator. Throughout the ups-and-downs, I always kept my eyes on the eventual payoff. It’s something I will always use when I think of setting a goal and following through with it. To cap it all off, I received my Wings of Gold on my 26th Birthday in front of all of my family.

Why did you choose this business school? Location, Location, Location. Who wouldn’t want to go to school in San Diego? In addition to excellent weather and beautiful scenery, it has a strong biotech industry and is a hub for defense industries as well. San Diego is what initially drew me to Rady, but when I really thought of it, it was the youth of the school. The program is just over 20 years old, so it never felt that the school was stuck in its ways. I thought it would be nice to have a say as a student in determining how to best develop a top business school. That has been the case. All of the Rady staff are constantly trying to get better, and they seek student input to provide the best education and experience for their students.

The Rady community of military and veterans has also been super supportive and very accepting from the very first event I attended. It has made the transition process out of the military so much easier. Rady veterans and alumni have provided me with the best networking opportunities. They are always willing to talk, share their experiences, and help with whatever you need.

Who was your favorite MBA professor? Professor Krisztina Büti’s teaching style is really unique, and I have been lucky to have her teach two of my finance classes. Having grown up under communism and learning that financial system, she provides a unique perspective on finance. She can speak on so many different topics in history, finance, and business, and she always has a great story to tell. Plus, she’s a great teacher who truly cares about her students learning the concepts.

What was your favorite course as an MBA? Maybe not as popular with my classmates, but I loved Quantitative Analysis – our Business Analytics class. Learning how to test hypotheses through statistical analysis and developing models was an extremely rewarding and useful skill to learn. We learned by working through cases to tackle real-world problems and develop data-backed solutions. It was brilliant. We really learned the power of data.

What was your favorite MBA event or tradition at your business school? I really enjoyed our cohort event on the beach. It was a great place to talk with my classmates and get to meet their significant others and families (and their pups). They were about five minutes away from Rady at a beautiful beach near La Jolla Cove. It can’t be beat. Plus, Rady paid for the event, which shows how much they care for us and our cohesion as a cohort.

Looking back over your MBA experience, what is the one thing you’d do differently and why? I would be more active in the clubs at Rady and work a little bit less during the school year. I think I could have benefited more from the guest speakers and talks put on by the clubs, and it would have been better to increase my network amongst a broader audience.

What is the biggest myth about your school? Some people had told me that it really served entrepreneurs because that is a major part of the school’s founding. While entrepreneurship is in the school’s spirit, it’s a great school for anyone in business or looking to go into the corporate world. I’ve learned so much and already used so much of that knowledge in the workplace. Rady’s strength in entrepreneurship pushes students to be creative and driven and to be leaders who will redefine the business world for the better.

What movie or television show best reflects the realities of business and what did you learn from it? I think The Office reflects the realities of business quite well. The show is all about relationships, and I’ve learned that it’s nearly impossible to get anything done without making those relationships at work. The key to any good team is each member not wanting to let the team down and doing what it takes to get the mission done. That takes trust and belief in one another which can only come from a good working relationship with your boss, peers, and those that work for you. And when work and life get crazy, sometimes a little humor will make all the difference for morale (like a good meme from The Office during a presentation).

What is one way that your business school has integrated AI into your programming? What insights did you gain from using AI? We use it extensively within the job search and resume-building process. I have worked with my Career Coach to create strategies to use ChatGPT to iterate on bullet points to better tailor my resume for each individual job post. It has drastically cut down on the time required to tailor a resume, which not only frees up time for further searching, but allows you to ensure you apply in time before a job post is taken down. It is also great at providing feedback on what you can change to better fit the job description.

Which MBA classmate do you most admire? I really admire Jessica Hernandez because she always volunteers, always takes leadership positions, and always pulls her weight in group work. She’s the teammate you want on your team. She’s our Cohort Rep, and it takes a lot of motivation and patience to wrangle all of us into making decisions and giving feedback. Her commitment to our experience has been unrivaled amongst our peers.

What are the top two items on your professional bucket list?

Become a VP

Be the boss that everybody wants to work for

What made Mark such an invaluable addition to the Class of 2025?

“Mark is the epitome of quiet power: he listens and thinks before he speaks. He takes note of important details, then forms solid, intelligent views. He works well in team settings and knows how to build a consensus across varying viewpoints. He performed consistently at the top of my Corporate Finance classes. He looks beyond the surface and has a deep interest in understanding how the entire system works. At the same time, Mark has a kind and gracious personality and I respect his dedication to service. He is a perfect candidate for roles in responsible leadership, and I am highly confident of his future success. He will be an asset to any firm.”

Krisztina Büti
Assistant Teaching Professor of Finance and Accounting

DON’T MISS: MBAS TO WATCH: CLASS OF 2025

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