University of Kentucky MBA alumni, executives and current students representing Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky (TMMK), Lexmark, UK Healthcare and 3M lead a stellar panel of speakers at the Professional MBA Open House event on Wednesday, April 17th at 5:30 PM at UK's Gatton College of Business and Economics building on campus.
This professional panel will include Nick Potocki, Assistant Manager of Production Engineering Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky; Tari Young, Engineering Manager, Software and Firmware Development at Lexmark; Phillip Chang, MD, Chief Medical Officer at UK Healthcare and Joe Laco, Team Advisor at 3M. These business leaders will discuss their graduate school experiences in the MBA program at UK’s Gatton College, as well as their own experiences navigating today’s business climate.
This discussion is hosted by the Gatton College Professional MBA program, as part of Gatton’s Professional MBA Open House. This event is open to all working professionals, executives and HR managers in Central Kentucky along with UK employees interested in learning more UK's professional MBA program options. In addition, there will be a special announcement and introduction of the new Real-Time, Online MBA option which will launch in Fall of 2019. There will be limited seating and registration is required at Gatton.uky.edu/MBA-RSVP.
Tari Young is currently the Engineering Manager of Software and Firmware Development at Lexmark International here in Lexington, KY. Tari has held several managerial and leadership positions at Lexmark over the past 17 years. She is a graduate of Transylvania University's with a degree in Computer Science and an MBA from the University of Kentucky's Gatton College of Business and Economics.
"My initial motivation in pursuing my MBA had everything to do with wanting to be informed," says Tari. "As an engineer at Lexmark, I wanted to understand our business environment, how I played a role in our bottom line and why/how we mattered to the company. The MBA program has provided me a foundation in business practices and management. One of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned is as I’m navigating through all of the corporate metrics, financial statements and business initiatives, I should always remember to lead from the heart and connect with my people."
Dr. Phillip Chang is the current Chief Medical Officer at UK Healthcare and was one of the first graduates of the Professional MBA (For Leaders in Healthcare) program at Gatton which is designed for current healthcare professionals such as physicians, residents, nurses, pharmacists, professional administrators and academia. This tailored program provides the business knowledge to meet today's healthcare management challenges. While learning from experienced professors in healthcare-specific class sections, candidates also take core business classes and electives with other working professionals from various industries and education, professional backgrounds.
"I wanted to make sure I had the tools necessary to be the best physician leader," says Dr. Chang. "The Gatton MBA program met my goals through stimulating course work, engaging professors and like-minded peers. The program helped me better understand the non-clinical side of healthcare, and it helped me develop additional management and leadership skills."
Nick Potocki is the Assistant Manager of Production Engineering at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky (TMMK) and has been a leader at TMMK for almost 13 years. Nick's team leads the production preparation for Toyota's newest four cylinder engine, which is an execution of the Toyota New Global Architecture (TNGA) strategy. Nick received his BS in Mechanical Engineering from Michigan State University in 2006 and then received his MBA from the University of Kentucky in 2013 while working full-time at TMMK.
“If you want to make yourself more marketable in today's competitive job market, or if you are seeking advancement into different leadership and managerial positions, then earning your UK MBA may be an attractive option for you,” Potocki said.
Joe Laco is a Technical and Production Group Supervisor at 3M Cynthiana. In this role, Joe supervises process engineers and production supervisors in the Post-it® Focus Factory. Joe has over 15 years of service at 3M and is a current student in the Professional MBA program at Gatton.
Regarding his decision to pursue an MBA, Joe said, “3M has a great culture of innovation, teamwork and personal development. I decided to return to school and pursue an MBA as an opportunity to broaden my understanding of how the business works. I found the experience to be very valuable and I have a greater appreciation for how decisions are made that impact the entire business.”
Gatton's Professional MBA Open House event will provide the opportunity for community members to find out more about Gatton’s Professional MBA, Professional MBA (For Leaders in Healthcare), applicable Dual Degree programs and the new Real-Time, Online MBA option. The Professional MBA program brings together a diverse network of working professionals from various work experiences, companies, and industries such as engineering, law, healthcare, agriculture, transportation, manufacturing, technology, banking/finance, government and military from all over Kentucky and beyond.