Jakob Monroe

University of Wisconsin – Madison (Wisconsin School of Business)

“Lifelong learner who is persistently curious, crafts genuine connections, and remains devoted to lifting others.”

Hometown: Denver, Colorado

Fun fact about yourself: I enjoy sports and activities that are as mentally demanding as they are physical; Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, mountain biking, and skiing have been the ones keeping me honest as of late.

Undergraduate School and Degree: Bachelor’s in Integrative Physiology from the University of Colorado Boulder

Where was the last place you worked before enrolling in business school? Before business school I was a Performance Specialist and Team Lead at Elite Performance Center, a small business focused on athletic performance and late-stage orthopedic rehab.

Where did you intern during the summer of 2025? American Family Insurance in Madison, WI

Where will you be working after graduation? Undecided

Community Work and Leadership Roles in Business School:

Career Services Student Advisory Group Representative

Wisconsin School of Business Student Ambassador

ACG Wisconsin Case Competition Team Lead

Nicholas Center Incoming Student Mentor

Nicholas Center Alumni Scholarship recipient

Weinert Center Enterprise Development Fellow

Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? Throughout my time at the University of Wisconsin, I’ve had the opportunity to participate in several experiential learning projects, but one stands above the rest. This project was sponsored by a UW MBA alumnus, requiring a comprehensive evaluation of top medical technology companies. The project had two goals: developing a robust framework for evaluating value-creating activities and generating real insights that could be incorporated into portfolio construction decisions. What made this project both different and more meaningful was that success wasn’t measured by winning a trophy; the only metric that mattered was whether our sponsor found our work credible enough to act on.

This project became something of a full-circle moment for me. I came into my program with a skillset far more suited to physical therapy than finance; I was a true career switcher. However, after my time at UW, I’ve found myself leveraging my new skills with genuine confidence, building financial models, sifting through mountains of data, and tackling problems I never thought I’d be capable of solving. When we heard our sponsor chose to share the final deliverables with the executives of the very companies we’d evaluated, it felt like more than just validation of the work we’d done; to me it was also confirmation that I’d completely transformed my skillset, which was the greatest achievement I could imagine.

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? The professional achievement I’m most proud of is winning the 2023 Impact Award at Elite Performance Center, which was given to the team member with the greatest combined impact in serving clients, driving business results, and supporting teammates’ development. To me, this recognition exemplifies everything I strive for: being a positive force for the people we serve, contributing meaningfully to the needs of the business, and being the person my teammates could rely on for help. While this was a big accomplishment for me, I feel it was doing the little things that made that impact possible, like spending time nurturing client relationships, setting aside time to help teammates improve, and proving worthy of being trusted with additional responsibilities.

Why did you choose this business school? Whenever prospective students visit the Wisconsin School of Business, I always tell them that the defining characteristic here is the people. Whether it’s peers, professors, or alumni, everyone in this program genuinely cares about your success. When I was initially weighing my options, I knew that attending an institution that places as much emphasis on collaboration and connection as it does job outcomes and academic excellence was important to me. From my pre-admissions weekend on campus to chatting with existing students, this quality was the most impressive; looking back now, I can also confidently say that my first impression was true. Our professors would give up the shirts off their backs to help someone in a job search, and our alumni turn up in droves to participate in events and sponsor experiential learning opportunities. It truly is a program centered around the human element of business, which is exactly what drew me in and exactly why it remains the perfect fit for me.

Who was your favorite MBA professor? My favorite MBA professor has been Kenneth Kavajecz, with whom I’ve taken Introduction to Financial Management and Derivative Securities. Professor Kavajecz is someone who not only has mastery of the technical details of finance but also an uncanny ability to present complicated topics in grounded terms. More importantly though, he also has an incredibly deep and inspired passion for the University of Wisconsin and the success of our MBA students. Whether it’s been prepping for technical interviews, picking his brain on career opportunities, or nerding out on the esoteric, technical details of finance, Professor Kavajecz has been endlessly generous with his time and has shown immense personal investment in student outcomes.

What was your favorite course as an MBA? My favorite MBA course was Mergers and Acquisitions. The M&A class here at the Wisconsin School of Business is taught by a former investment banking MD with an extensive background in banking, law, and academia. The class, while challenging, provides a nuanced view on the topic, encouraging as much mastery of the strategic and legal considerations of M&A as it does the financial modeling and analysis. This class clicked for me in a way few others did. The material itself is fascinating, and the instructor’s ability to blend theoretical frameworks with real-world deal experience really made it come alive.

What was your favorite MBA event or tradition at your business school? My favorite tradition was Thursday After Professional Studies, or TAPS, which was a weekly happy hour for MBA students. TAPS was a wonderful opportunity to get to know my peers better, release some stress, and witness the Wisconsin School of Business culture in action. TAPS allowed everyone to bond beyond just shared experiences in the classroom, and it undoubtedly paved the way for some of the most meaningful and lasting friendships I’ve made since moving to Wisconsin.

Looking back over your MBA experience, what is the one thing you’d do differently and why? I’d have sought out even more experiential learning opportunities. Whether it was the ACG case competition, applied corporate finance projects, or part-time consulting work, the intense, all-in learning experiences have often taught me the most. As a career switcher, I’d welcome additional opportunities to stress test my new skills, make mistakes, and build confidence, as that’s been the real catalyst for my development.

What was the most impactful case study you had in business school and what was the biggest lesson you learned from it?The most impactful case study I encountered was in my Introduction to Financial Management class, which was an analysis of the divestiture of DuPont Performance Coatings. The case required understanding of valuation methodologies like DCFs, comparable companies, precedent transactions, and leveraged buyouts – ambitious topics for the first finance course most UW MBAs take.

Personally though, the case ended up being an invaluable learning experience, teaching me two lasting lessons. First, as the resident finance person on my team, I had to teach myself the underlying mechanics of an LBO model from scratch, as it was something I’d never had exposure to prior; this was a strong reminder that sometimes it’s necessary to take the initiative to fill knowledge gaps, especially when others are relying on you. Then, once the modeling and analysis was complete, I also had to communicate those results to my teammates, which showed me that technical fluency means little without the ability to communicate things clearly. Ultimately, these two lessons, self-sufficiency and communication, have shaped how I approach complex problems ever since.

What business leader do you admire most? I’ve always been inspired by people who can make hard decisions in creative ways, and I think no one fits this description better than Bob Chapman, the former CEO of Barry-Wehmiller. He is best known for his actions during the financial crisis of 2008, where he was faced with the decision of company-wide layoffs or insolvency. By being bold enough to question assumptions about viable solutions, Chapman was able to conceive of an unlikely third option: a company-wide furlough program that spread the pain equally. It’s a striking reminder of the sacrifices that are required to uphold an organization’s values during times of struggle, when it would be far easier to cast them aside. His choice to adhere to those values, to measure his organization’s success by how they impacted the lives of others, is something that I greatly respect.

What is one way that your business school has integrated AI into your programming? What insights did you gain from using AI? Throughout the MBA, many of our instructors have encouraged the use of AI as a thought partner, a way to augment understanding of topics and cut through surface-level analysis to reach deeper insights. One notable example was a project sponsor who told us to use AI as much as we possibly could, while also acknowledging that it wasn’t going to be capable of producing the depth of insight he was looking for on its own; he saw AI as a tool to help us push deeper into the material, not a replacement for the thinking itself. I think this perspective aligns well with how I’ve come to view the role of AI in my own work. It has been an invaluable resource, functioning as a tutor, thought partner, and assistant throughout the program, but the responsibility to synthesize, extract, and question the most meaningful insights has always been mine.

Which MBA classmate do you most admire? I most admire my classmate, Brandon Muganga. Brandon is the kind of person you gravitate toward naturally, someone who moves through the world with a level of grace and optimism that’s genuinely rare. No matter the struggle or setback, he always seems to be unfazed, and somehow always finds the energy to show up for the people around him. He remembers every interview, every exam, and every milestone that matters to his peers, cheering people on without fail. He truly represents the people-first culture that Wisconsin is synonymous with, and he’s been integral to our MBA finance community.

What are the top two items on your professional bucket list? First, I hope to one day start my own business. Entrepreneurship and small businesses are in my DNA; I grew up in a home built on it, and I spent my early career learning the craft firsthand. Applying everything I’ve been building the last few years to something of my own feels like a natural destination for me. Second, and perhaps more immediately, I’m genuinely excited to settle into my next role. After making such a complete career pivot, there’s nothing I want more than to prove that the transformation was real and to continue growing from there.

What made Jacob such an invaluable addition to the Class of 2026?

“Jake Monroe stands out as the kind of MBA who elevates everyone around him. Entering the Nicholas Center’s Corporate Finance and Investment Banking specialization without a business background, he approached the program with exceptional discipline and intellectual curiosity. He built a strong analytical foundation before classes began—an early signal of the drive that would shape his MBA experience.

Within months, Jake became a central resource for his classmates. His rapid command of valuation and financial analysis made him the cohort’s go-to peer mentor, and he even created a tutorial video to support students new to finance. His academic results reflect that same mastery: he holds a 3.96 GPA and earned top marks in an investment banking course taken alongside both undergraduate and graduate students.

Jake’s leadership is equally compelling. I have worked with him in two courses that included both a consulting project and a case competition, where he consistently demonstrated analytical rigor, thoughtful leadership, and a calm, collaborative presence. His involvement extends across the Wisconsin School of Business: he contributes actively to the Weinert Center, represents the Enterprise Development Fellowship as a spokesperson, mentors alumni exploring entrepreneurial ventures, and ensures student voices are heard through his work on the Student Advisory Council.

What distinguishes Jake most—and what aligns him so closely with the ethos of the Best & Brightest—is his character. He is the student who puts others first, whether offering academic support, helping classmates navigate recruiting, or celebrating their successes. He embodies the Wisconsin Idea by ensuring his impact stretches beyond coursework and into the broader community.

As a career switcher, Jake is redefining what’s possible through determination, focus, and ambition. He is not only one of the program’s top performers—he is the kind of future leader whose trajectory reflects exactly what this honor seeks to recognize.”

Barb Bolens
Director of the Nicholas Center for Corporate Finance and Investment Banking

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