Nicole Martin

UCLA, Anderson School of Management

“Community builder who strengthens organizations through people first leadership and the intentional development of others.”

Hometown: Houston, TX and Chicago, IL

Fun fact about yourself: I once catered an entire wedding for 40 guests, which taught me more about logistics, crisis management, and leadership than any operations class.

Undergraduate School and Degree: DePaul University – Business Management Major, Finance Minor

Where was the last place you worked before enrolling in business school? Accenture as a Management Consultant

Where did you intern during the summer of 2025? Amazon Web Services, Seattle, WA

Where will you be working after graduation? Citibank, Human Resources Development Associate

Community Work and Leadership Roles in Business School

Co-President, Black Business Students Association
Consortium Fellow and Study for Management Liaison
Peer Advisor, Parker Career Management Center
Vice President of Inclusive Excellence, Admissions Ambassador Committee
Vice President of Women’s Hoops, Anderson Basketball Club
Riordan Mentor and Class Lead
Alfred E. Osborne, Jr. Fellow

Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? And why? Leading the revival of the Black Business Student Association (BBSA) Legacy Conference is my proudest MBA achievement. As Co-President, I led the effort to bring the conference back and reestablish it as a signature community event. Our team united nearly 100 students, alumni, and industry leaders for a full day of leadership conversations, career insights, and networking.

What made it especially meaningful was watching multiple generations reconnect in one space. Alumni returned to share their journeys, current students stepped into visible leadership roles, and first-years built executive presence by moderating conversations.

I have always believed that leadership means leaving spaces stronger than you found them. Helping revive this conference and create something that will continue long after I graduate felt like a meaningful way to contribute to the Anderson community.

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? And why? While working at Allstate, I led undergraduate recruiting efforts that doubled the ethnic diversity of the new grad hires. In addition to improving recruiting outcomes, I mentored and coached more than fifty students through the recruiting process, helping them prepare for interviews/the workplace and navigate career decisions.

Helping them recognize their strengths and explore new possibilities reinforced my belief that leadership is about opening doors for others. That experience ultimately inspired my pivot into Human Resources after business school, where I hope to focus on developing talent and building stronger organizations through people.

Why did you choose this business school? I chose UCLA Anderson because it offered the flexibility to explore new paths while building strong business fundamentals. As someone pivoting into Human Resources, I wanted a program that encouraged interdisciplinary learning and experimentation. Anderson made it possible to explore courses across UCLA, engage in global experiences, and take on meaningful student leadership roles.

Just as important, the collaborative culture stood out immediately. People genuinely invest in each other’s growth here, making it an ideal environment to develop both as a professional and as a leader.

Who was your favorite MBA professor? Gayle Northrop had a profound impact on my MBA experience. Her classes pushed me to step forward as a leader in group settings and confidently share my perspective. She challenged us to think about how business skills can address complex social challenges, particularly in the nonprofit and social impact sectors.

Her teaching helped me see that leadership is not only about strategy and execution, but also about responsibility to the communities we serve.

What was your favorite course as an MBA? Cases in Urban Real Estate, with Professor Eric Sussman, was my favorite course at Anderson. As someone not specializing in real estate, I appreciated how he made the subject approachable for everyone. We started with the fundamentals of home buying and gradually worked our way up to commercial real estate and development, which made the material relevant regardless of career path.

Professor Sussman brought decades of experience as a real estate investor and academic into every discussion. He openly shared stories from his career, both successes and challenges, which made the class incredibly engaging and helped connect the concepts to real world decision making.

The course sparked a new interest in real estate investing for me and pushed me to think more critically about how development decisions shape the communities where people live and work.

What was your favorite MBA event or tradition at your business school? Traveling to East Africa (Rwanda and Ethiopia) for my Capstone project was one of the most meaningful parts of my MBA experience. Working alongside local organizations and communities pushed me to think differently about leadership, development, and partnership.

It reflected one of Anderson’s greatest strengths, combining rigorous business thinking with real world impact.

Looking back over your MBA experience, what is the one thing you would do differently and why? I wish I had participated in a case competition during my MBA. It is something I had never done before, and I believe it would have been a great opportunity to challenge myself in a different problem-solving environment. Case competitions bring together strategy, teamwork, and quick thinking, and the experience would have stretched my analytical and presentation skills in new ways.

What was the most impactful case study you had in business school and what was the biggest lesson you learned from it? One of the most impactful case discussions for me focused on how organizations balance profitability with long term social responsibility. The biggest lesson I took away was that leadership often involves navigating complex tradeoffs rather than choosing between clearly right or wrong options.

Strong leaders must consider financial sustainability, employee well-being, and community impact at the same time.

What did you love most about your business school’s town? What I loved most about Los Angeles was how much the city expanded my MBA experience beyond campus. Whether connecting with alumni across industries, exploring different neighborhoods, or building community through Anderson events, LA constantly offered opportunities to meet people doing fascinating work.

The city’s energy and diversity made it feel like every week brought a new perspective or experience.

What business leader do you admire most and why? Indra Nooyi is a leader I greatly admire. During her time as CEO of PepsiCo, she demonstrated that strong business performance and people centered leadership can go hand-in-hand. Through her concept of Performance with Purpose, she pushed the company to deliver financial results while prioritizing sustainability, healthier products, and employee development.

What resonates most with me is her authenticity and willingness to speak candidly about leadership, responsibility, and the role companies play in society. She combines deep business expertise with integrity and empathy, a balance I hope to carry into my own career as I focus on developing talent and helping people realize their potential.

What is one way that your business school has integrated AI into your programming? What insights did you gain? In the course AI for Managers, we learned how to design and build AI agents. As someone without a technical background, the class showed me that AI is far more accessible than many people assume. The biggest insight I gained was that AI becomes most powerful when paired with thoughtful human judgment.

Leaders who understand both the potential and the limitations of these tools will be best positioned to use them responsibly and effectively.

Which MBA classmate do you most admire? Kelly Young is someone I deeply admire. As my Co President of the Black Business Students Association, she brought incredible energy, creativity, and dedication to everything we did. Kelly consistently centered our members in every decision and pushed our leadership team to think bigger about what was possible for the community.

She also has a unique ability to brighten any room with her passion for music, entertainment, and the many fun facts she loves to share about Houston. What makes Kelly especially remarkable is that she is incredibly accomplished yet refreshingly unaware of just how awesome she truly is.

What are the top two items on your professional bucket list? One goal on my professional bucket list is to deliver a keynote at a professional development conference focused on leadership, mentorship, and career growth.

Another goal is to design lead or sponsor leadership development programs that allow people to recognize their strengths and realize their potential. The most meaningful moments in my career have come from mentoring others, and I hope to build environments where more people feel supported to grow and thrive.

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

“In my role as Assistant Dean of MBA Admissions and Financial Aid at UCLA Anderson, I have had the opportunity to work closely with Nicole and to observe firsthand her exceptional leadership, integrity, and unwavering commitment to building people-centered organizations.

Nicole is the kind of leader who strengthens every community she joins. A former management consultant at Accenture, she arrived at Anderson with a strong professional foundation and a clear sense of purpose: to develop talent, open doors for others, and build organizations where people can thrive. Throughout her MBA experience, she has consistently translated that purpose into action, leaving a lasting impact on her peers and the broader Anderson community.

On campus, Nicole has distinguished herself through an extraordinary level of service and leadership. As Co-President of the Black Business Students Association, she played a central role in reviving the BBSA Legacy Conference, reestablishing it as a signature community event. Under her leadership, the conference brought together nearly 100 students, alumni, and industry leaders for a full day of meaningful dialogue, professional development, and intergenerational connection. Watching alumni reconnect with current students—and first-year MBAs step confidently into leadership roles—was a testament to Nicole’s belief that leadership means creating spaces that endure beyond one’s own tenure.

Nicole’s influence extends well beyond BBSA. She has served as a Peer Advisor with the Parker Career Management Center, the Consortium Graduate Study for Management Liaison for UCLA Anderson, a Vice President of Inclusive Excellence on the Admissions Ambassador Committee, and a Riordan Mentor and Class Lead. In each of these roles, Nicole has demonstrated rare consistency: she shows up prepared, leads with empathy, and prioritizes the growth of others. Her peers trust her judgment, seek out her guidance, and benefit from her ability to combine candor with encouragement.

What sets Nicole apart is her people-first leadership philosophy, shaped by her professional experiences and reinforced during her MBA. Earlier in her career, she led undergraduate recruiting efforts that significantly increased the diversity of incoming classes, mentoring dozens of candidates through pivotal career decisions. That same commitment to mentorship continues today, as Nicole invests time and energy in supporting pre-MBA students, first-year MBAs, and classmates navigating both professional and personal challenges.

Academically, Nicole brings intellectual curiosity and thoughtfulness to the classroom. She engages deeply with questions of leadership, social responsibility, and organizational impact, and she challenges those around her to think more expansively about the role business leaders play in society. Whether discussing ethical tradeoffs, community impact, or the responsible use of emerging technologies, Nicole consistently elevates the conversation.

Nicole’s path forward reflects both ambition and purpose. Following her summer internship with Amazon Web Services, she will join Citi as a Human Resources Development Associate, where she plans to focus on leadership development and talent strategy. I have no doubt that she will quickly emerge as a trusted leader—someone who not only drives results, but also builds inclusive, resilient teams.

In summary, Nicole Martin exemplifies the values Poets & Quants seeks to highlight – principled leadership, meaningful impact, and a clear vision for how business can be a force for good. She has already made UCLA Anderson a stronger community, and I am confident her influence will continue to grow throughout her career.”

Alex Lawrence 
Asst Dean and Director – MBA Admissions and Financial Aid 

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