Molly Otto, EMBA '24
Having graduated with her Master of Professional Accounting degree from Michigan State University in 2003, Molly Otto, EMBA ’24, never planned to go back to school for her MBA. And yet, 20 years later, Molly found herself doing just that.
After graduating, Molly moved to Chicago, where she held various financial accounting and leadership positions with companies including Ernst & Young and CDW Corp. before moving back to her hometown of Brighton, Michigan in 2019 with her family and started working with RealTruck, a manufacturer and seller of automotive after-market accessories for trucks and Jeeps in Ann Arbor.
At the time, Molly’s team leader was enrolled in the Ross School of Business Executive MBA Program. Hearing about her boss’ experience made Molly want to learn more and reconsider the benefits of going back to school.
Molly realized she had some gaps in her experience and felt that the EMBA program could help her round those out, especially with regard to the financial valuations of a company and acquisitions. She said it was a no-brainer to apply.
Building Connections Through ExecMAP
One thing that Molly says sets the EMBA program apart from others is the Executive Multidisciplinary Action Project. Since she currently works with a large company in a corporate role, Molly was happy to get some insight into entrepreneurship through her ExecMAP project. As part of her project, she and her team built a business plan for an ed-tech start-up.
Throughout that project, Molly says she became really close with her teammates and the client, and she intends to carry on those connections outside of Ross.
“We got to travel together, really build a bond, and were able to deliver a business plan to help launch the client’s app — it was a great team,” Molly said. And we’re still connected. We’re not a part of the project anymore, but we still want to be involved, believe in it, and be a resource.”
Creating a Network at Michigan Ross and Beyond
When she started at Ross, Molly was excited to learn more about company valuation and acquisitions. However, she says she ended up gaining so much more.
Molly found that one of the most intriguing aspects of the EMBA Program was the network that she could establish through the program and how much she had to learn from her classmates.
When I walked into class, I felt smarter just from being in the room with these amazing people. This is an elite program, and we all brought our uniqueness and were here to learn from each other. You learn from the professors, as expected, but you learn a lot from each other, too.
Out of the Comfort Zone
Reflecting on her Michigan Ross experience, Molly is thankful for the connections she made at Ross and for the support of her family and employer while she went back to school. While she says it was nerve-wracking to go back to school, she is proud that she stepped out of her comfort zone and is excited to continue leveraging her skillset at work.
Looking to the future, Molly is excited to apply what she has learned in the classroom at RealTruck. She also would like to give back to the community through volunteering with a local non-profit organization where she can bring her EMBA learnings to help others.
For others who are considering an EMBA degree from Michigan Ross, Molly offers this simple advice: “Just jump. Don’t be afraid. You’re going to learn more than you ever thought.”