Adash Lutchman

William & Mary Mason School of Business Online MBA

“Perpetually curious, energized by complexity, obsessed with solutions, triggered by the word impossible.”

Age: 43

Hometown: Richmond, VA

Fun fact about yourself: I’m afraid of heights, but my greatest thrill is piloting Cessna airplanes.

Undergraduate School and Degree: Pennsylvania State University, B.S. Business

Where are you currently working? Managing Partner – 7th Street Realty, Managing Partner – XIPE Networks

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? Being able to provide a home to someone who would otherwise be on the streets. It’s the human impact. Knowing someone sleeps safe and comfortably tonight because of what I built.

Why did you choose this school’s online MBA program? Watching what William & Mary’s OMBA program did for my wife is what convinced me it was something special. I saw her genuinely have fun learning, and I heard about all the experiences where the faculty and handpicked students made it feel like a family environment. I still think I had more fun than she did though.

What was your favorite part of being in an online MBA program? While the flexibility of the online MBA program was a given, what I didn’t expect was how it opened the door to students from across the country and around the world. My favorite part was meeting and learning from people with such diverse backgrounds and perspectives.

How did your online MBA experience compare with your in-the-classroom experience as an undergraduate student? It was the format of the program and the efforts of the faculty led to a near on-campus experience. I developed genuinely close connections with peers and professors that didn’t feel any different when I finally met them in person. The professors even shared their cell numbers and never minded responding to texts and emails on weekend nights.

What is your best piece of advice to an applicant for thriving in an online MBA program? Be open-minded and have fun. Set high expectations for yourself and don’t be the quiet one in the room. The professors aren’t just there to run the course; they’re there to work with you and create the best possible learning experience.

Did you earn a promotion while in the program or immediately after graduation? As a managing partner there’s really nothing higher. We don’t carry executive titles because we see no value in them. However, I have become much more valuable to the organization because I can more effectively articulate solutions that grow the company.

How has your online MBA education helped you in your current job? I like to say I’m now a listener: not someone who listens to respond, but someone who listens to learn. The MBA widened my aperture, the perspectives and lenses through which I see problems are sharper and broader at the same time. This makes me significantly more effective at developing solutions as I now have the confidence and validation that the path I’m on is more likely to produce real results.

Why did you pursue an online MBA program instead of a full-time residential or executive MBA program? Flexibility was the biggest factor and relocating wasn’t an option. Watching my wife navigate the program gave me a realistic preview of what the time commitment actually looked like. The online format and syllabus made it possible to achieve something meaningful without putting everything else on hold.

What is one way that your business school has integrated AI into your programming? What insights did you gain from using AI? For the most part, AI was encouraged for brainstorming while students were encouraged to use their own creativity and critical thinking skills in developing artifacts. AI was particularly great when I hit writer’s block or when I wanted to dive deeper into a topic. Keeping up with this technology puts us ahead of the curve when compared to schools that don’t embrace the technology.

Number of Hours Per Week Spent on an Online MBA: On average I spent about twenty hours per week per course. However, this varied greatly as I often chose to dive deeper into topics that interested me more.

What is your ultimate long-term professional goal? My long-term goal is to work with partners and organizations that have a genuine vision for changing something that matters. I’ve already seen what’s possible when business decisions have real human impact, and I want to keep building in that direction.

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