Chase Holland

Rice University, Jones Graduate School of Business

“Engineer by training, traveler by habit, Giants fan by curse.”

Hometown: Austin, TX

Fun Fact About Yourself: I’ve been to more than 40 countries.

Undergraduate School and Major: University of Houston, B.S. in Civil Engineering; University of Houston, M.S. in Civil Engineering

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: U.S. Government, Civil Engineer

What has been your favorite part of Houston so far? Why? By far the food. Houston has the best food out of every place I’ve visited or lived. Any taste or flavor you desire, Houston has it.

Aside from your classmates and location, what was the one key part of the Rice Jones MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? It was Rice’s relationships within Houston’s energy ecosystem. The ability to reach out and easily connect with energy professionals has been a tremendous asset to have. While there’s plenty of discussion around how AI will reshape energy demand, Rice’s proximity to the industry means those conversations are grounded in reality. Access to this network has accelerated my understanding and transition from engineering into energy finance; it has turned classroom learning into immediate action. It’s usually hard to get cutting-edge decisions and insight on a hot topic, but Rice Business has provided this and more.

What course, club or activity have you enjoyed the most so far at Rice Jones? Without a doubt, my favorite course has been Core Finance. Professor Alan Crane has brought financial theory to life. Really understanding the “why” has reinforced my interest and desire to pivot from engineering into energy finance.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: The biggest accomplishment in my career was balancing my time while working in engineering consulting, studying for my engineering license, and pursuing my master’s degree in civil engineering. Being thrown into the deep end of the pool to learn efficient time management has continued to pay dividends.

Describe your biggest accomplishment as an MBA student so far? While this may not be a traditional accomplishment most MBA students have, I would say figuring out exactly what I want to pursue as a long-term career. Rice Business has provided such a foundation and breadth of knowledge about so many career choices. This gave me the opportunity to explore multiple career directions. Without this knowledge and experience, I wouldn’t know what I know now — and I’m tremendously grateful for the structure Rice Business provided.

What has been your best memory as an MBA so far? I’ve really enjoyed the ILE’s Rice Business put together for us. Competing against your classmates to develop the most profitable company taught me how difficult product placement actually is. Working with my classmates in such an intense but fun environment was incredibly rewarding. These immersive experiences that Rice has provided me with have been both humbling and memorable.

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