EMBA Grad Soars to Business Success

Beau Crowley loves to build things, whether it’s a new division at work, a new team, or the success of others in his field. His drive to build upon his own achievements as a director at an engineering firm servicing biopharma led him to GGU’s Executive MBA program. He wanted to gain knowledge about finance, strategy, and data to reach the next level in his career. At GGU, Beau’s passion and dedication led to huge results as he took what he learned from his professors and applied it directly to his business.

“Early on, I figured out that if I took the course work seriously, I would get a lot out of it,” said Beau. “I saw that in the quality of the instructors and the stories they would tell. You walked out of class thinking, I could really implement that.”

From Business Theory to Practice

In a marketing course taught by Professor Thea Bellos, Beau had the idea of developing a marketing study based around a potential new business area for his company. Beau conducted the research, secured the data, and wrote up the study under Professor Bellos’ guidance. Professor Bellos helped him work out the kinks in his write-up, and then Beau pitched his idea for new business to executives at his company. Two months later, his executives decided to create a new division built around Beau’s marketing study findings and put him in charge of it.

“I found myself spinning ideas in the boardroom and knocking their socks off,” explained Beau. “It wasn’t anything I did. I just sat in classes and listened and absorbed and went to work every day and applied it.”

Winning Strategy

In another instance, Beau leveraged tools he gained from a strategy course and international business course taught by professor Dana Waldman. Beau developed a strategic action plan he could use to move his business into a new geographic region. Using what he learned in classes, he dissected data to help develop services in a new geographic area that would afford the most profitability.  With the help of Professor Waldman, he implemented his action plan and successfully expanded business into a new region. Today, anytime his business buys a new company they use these same practices  based on what Beau learned in his classes.

“My work at GGU has been enlightening,” reflected Beau. “What I found out is that the GGU program works for me. It’s challenging, but if you have the commitment, the stuff you can take away from your course work will change your career trajectory.”

The Network Effect

In addition to excelling academically and building a robust professional network, Beau also shared his GGU experience with other students. During his Master’s program, Beau reached out to the cohort behind his cohort to build relationships and share with newer students what he had learned about navigating work/life balance while in school and leveraging tools he learned to change his career. When a student in the new cohort suggested starting a club for women in business, Beau saw an opportunity to help create something that could have a lasting impact. Serving as the VP of Communications, Beau helped launch the club and expand its platform using his professional relationships forged at GGU.

“Women in business from a professional standpoint is not where it should be. I felt like I could help connect new students with an opportunity to build something that will far outlast our legacy at GGU,” said Beau.

What led you to choose GGU? After being a director at an engineering firm servicing Biopharma for nearly ten years, I realized that I had hit a plateau professionally and if I want a seat in the C suite, I would need to attend an EMBA program that would up my game. I looked at several programs in the Bay Area and chose GGU because the program is taught by world-class practitioners and industry leaders of their perspective fields.

Please describe your accomplishments at GGU. The three major accomplishments I am most proud are the relationships and network I have developed while attending the executive MBA program, successfully extrapolating the course materials I learned and immediately applying them in my professional role as a director, and becoming a more insightful professional and influential business leader.

What courses have proven to be the most beneficial? The professional leadership courses (EMBA 303, 305) were transformational courses and provided insight into what type of leader I am and the leader I aspire to become. The data analytics course (EMBA 304) taught me how to make data-driven decisions in today’s economic climate and proved immediately useful in my current professional role. In Formulating and Implementing Business Strategy (EMBA 312), I gained another critical skill for successful business leaders and we had a world-class practitioner teaching the course.

Did you participate in clubs or other activities at GGU that enhanced your experience? I attended several Veterans Club meetings and provided a keynote speech for the Veterans Day Reception in Nov 2019.  Additionally, in my last semester in the program, I co-founded a new student club committed to empowering women to achieve success in the business setting (GGU: Women in Business Club). I currently serve as the clubs’ Vice President of Communications.

How do you think GGU will help you succeed in your career? GGU has already made a significant impact. In our last trimester of the executive program, I was promoted and given my own division focusing specifically on decommissioning of laboratory facilities in the life science industry. I’ve been able to take the lessons I’ve learned from GGU’s industry experts and apply it directly to my business from day one. Seeing that success unfold is really gratifying. Additionally, the work that I was able to accomplish in the graduate program gave way to my acceptance to the Doctoral program at GGU.

What are your career ambitions for the future? To develop the skills to be a driven thought leader in the life sciences industry and successfully manage at the executive level. I would also like to start a non-profit training and influence scientists on making sound business decisions. Additionally, I would like to give back and teach at the college level to help others achieve success.