Meet The Washington Foster MBA Class Of 2027

A Q&A WITH ERIN TOWN, FOSTER’S ASSISTANT DEAN OF FULL-TIME, EVENING, AND GLOBAL MBA PROGRAMS & ASSISTANT DEAN KAY DAWSON

Poets&Quants: What have been the two most important developments in your MBA program over the past year? Answered by Erin Town and Kay Dawson

Town and Dawson: Over the past year, Foster’s most significant developments in its MBA program have been driven by a common goal: ensuring that our curriculum remains aligned with the realities of today’s business environment and the skills our graduates need to succeed.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a defining, school-wide priority for Foster. Over the past year, Foster MBA programs have taken a deliberate and integrated approach to AI, embedding it across teaching, research, operations, and industry engagement (rather than treating it as a standalone topic). This work reflects a broader shift in how we prepare students for a rapidly changing business landscape, grounded in Seattle’s position as a global hub for AI and technology.

By aligning curriculum design, faculty expertise, and ethical frameworks around AI, Foster ensures that innovation is woven into the core of the MBA experience and into how the school operates, partners, and evolves.

Recognizing that technology is driving significant change, we have expanded alumni focus groups, organized by function, to identify curricular changes that better align with the needs of today’s employers. The Foster Alumni Network and our Employer Advisory Boards provide vital input into the development of academic and career curricula. We also leverage feedback from more than 55,000 Foster alumni in the Seattle area and throughout our U.S. and global network to ensure that our teaching remains at the forefront of business innovation.

Poets&Quants: What distinguishes your MBA program from others? 

Town: The Foster MBA combines a small, intentionally designed program with the advantage of being located in Seattle, one of the world’s most influential ecosystems for global business and innovation. Our small class size allows for deep relationships with faculty, meaningful peer collaboration, and leadership opportunities that help students launch their careers.

The curriculum emphasizes hands-on, experiential learning—through consulting projects, entrepreneurship, and close engagement with industry—so students are constantly applying what they learn to real problems.

Just as important is the culture that defines the Foster MBA experience. Foster is a close-knit, collaborative community rooted in inclusion, curiosity, and a shared commitment to making a positive impact. Students are selected not only for their professional accomplishments but for what they contribute to the learning environment: bringing diverse perspectives, experiences, and aspirations into the classroom. Alumni and industry partners remain deeply engaged, mentoring students, opening doors, and reinforcing a network that is both generous and accessible.

Combined with Seattle and the Pacific Northwest’s emphasis on balance, purpose, nature, and exploration, Foster offers an MBA experience where students are challenged to work hard, lead authentically, and define success on their own terms.

Poets&Quants: How do you support first-year MBAs as they transition into the program? 

Dawson: Our Foster Career Management team starts working with incoming students from the moment they accept their offer to Foster, long before they arrive on campus. We focus on pathways to consulting, finance, and tech, to align with early recruiting cycles for Seattle’s top employers. Our Consortium fellows receive intensive preparation ahead of the annual OP Conference. All incoming students are invited to attend briefing webinars over the summer, which cover market updates for target MBA industries. We also offer specific, tailored preparation advice for incoming international students.

Poets&Quants: How do you support international students before and during business school? 

Town and Dawson: Foster is intentional about creating an MBA experience where international students are fully engaged in the life of the program from day one. Our small class size and classroom model ensure that every student is an active contributor, bringing their personal, professional, and cultural perspectives into daily discussions. We thoughtfully form study teams to reflect a wide range of backgrounds, creating powerful peer-to-peer learning opportunities and ensuring no student gets lost in the shuffle. Student leadership roles and organizations, such as the Global Business Association, also provide additional opportunities for students to share their experiences, build community, grow their networks, and deepen global awareness across the program, reinforcing Foster’s commitment to inclusion and international engagement.

From a career perspective, international students begin working with Career Management the summer before Orientation (before they arrive on campus). We partner with our local international alumni to provide support and perspectives, as well as create pathways to organizations outside of the global companies based in Seattle. By also leveraging campus resources and immigration attorney briefings, our international students can build connections within their target industries and functions.

Poets&Quants: How do you integrate other disciplines (liberal arts, STEM, etc.) into the MBA curriculum? 

Town: Foster integrates other disciplines into the MBA curriculum by intentionally broadening the academic and professional backgrounds of the faculty who design and deliver the learning experience. The school has long included faculty with liberal arts foundations—particularly in management, leadership, and organizational behavior—to strengthen students’ communication and negotiation skills, ethical reasoning, and ability to lead diverse teams.

More recently, Foster has made a deliberate push to expand its STEM footprint by hiring faculty with deep training in computer science and related fields. Faculty expertise in areas such as AI, large language models (LLMs), and algorithm development informs coursework, research, and applied projects throughout the MBA program. As technology becomes increasingly central to managerial decision-making, Foster MBA students are learning to bridge business judgment with technical understanding.

Poets&Quants: How is your program incorporating Artificial Intelligence to prepare students for the future of work? 

Town and Dawson: Foster has integrated AI into MBA programs with a focus on practical fluency and responsible use. MBA students develop fluency in core AI concepts relevant to managerial decision-making, utilize AI-powered tools to enhance productivity and judgment, and apply these tools to real-world business challenges through coursework and experiential learning.

 Equally important, students examine AI’s strategic and ethical implications, from organizational impact to leadership and change management. As a result, Foster graduates are prepared not only to use emerging technologies but also to lead teams, shape strategy, and adapt as the nature of work evolves.

Poets&Quants: What ongoing career or educational support do you provide alumni after graduation? 

Dawson: Foster grads have access to career management coaches and support long after graduation, and the team continues to work with alums as they move forward in their careers. As alumni of the Foster School of Business, they join an international network of more than 55,000 Foster graduates and 560,000 University of Washington graduates, which they can leverage via a wide range of networking opportunities in cities ranging from Seattle to Singapore and San Francisco.

Next page: The profiles of 12 Washington Foster MBA students.  

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