LEADING BUSINESS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
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LEADING BUSINESS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
IT companies dominate the business landscape
Indeed, the stereotype of an IT worker as a behindthe-scenes introvert no longer holds much weight. Apple, Samsung, and Google define the next trends not only in technology but in business as well. IT has made itself known as a pillar of global business What p g comes next? Eric Jones (MS, Information Systems ’08) is helping define just that— the business of IT.
Jones started his career as a system engineer at Lockheed Martin. But he started inquiring about the business side of the house: How were contracts decided on and built? How were other teams managed? He saw an opportunity to work closely with management to streamline resources and save lives.
“From a mission perspective, being innovative and streamlining processes, the outcome and result kept the war-fighter alive,” said Jones. “If resources weren’t aligned, it could cost a life. I wanted to be upstream in that decision-making process.”
While his IT technical prowess provides a foundation and language for him to guide clients, he was ready to move to a business executive role and drive decision making.
Jones added that he’s not out to be the best software developer or network engineer. He wants to help his clients realize their mission and business outcomes through innovative IT solutions and mitigating IT risks.
“As a consultant, I was my client’s partner to manage risks, make decisions, and strategize things to come. Especially in defense, keeping them ahead of the game is my job. Without my master’s, I wouldn’t have been able to do that as e ectively.”
— Eric Jones, ‘08
His success is easy to see. In his two years working as a senior account executive at Gartner, a leading research and advisory company, he doubled the value of his clients’ accounts. And Jones was recently hired at AT&T as director of government business development— his fourth major promotion since graduating from Johns Hopkins Carey Business School in 2008. Jones will lead AT&T’s e orts to support the defense and national security segment in providing unclassified and classified technology delivery and help defense and intelligence customers innovate their technology and communication systems.
ERIC JONES, MS, INFORMATION SYSTEMS, ‘08
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FROM A JOHNS HOPKINS
MBA TO A CAREER AT CIGNA
MORGAN WALLACE, MBA, ‘20
Morgan Wallace (MBA ‘20) knew she wanted to work in preventive care and wellness. She used her MBA and experience at Johns Hopkins Carey Business School to launch a career at Cigna, ranked number 13 on the 2020 Fortune 500 list
Wallace joined the company as part of Cigna’s Managed Care Rotational Program. Now on her second rotation, serving as a program management senior analyst, Wallace will move to a permanent role at Cigna after her two years in the program.
Managing data aggregation to look at trends and gaps in coverage, Wallace says her work will help Cigna deliver on its commitment to better health outcomes. And she credits her Johns Hopkins Carey Business School MBA with giving her the skills to get the job done.
“During the MBA, we learned to ask a lot of ‘why’ questions. That type of thinking is what you need to be even more successful in corporate America. Before you roll out a project, you need to know how it adds value and who it adds values to.”
— Morgan Wallace, ‘20
“During the MBA program, we learned to ask a lot of ‘why’ questions,” Wallace says. “That type of thinking is what you need to be even more successful in corporate America Before you roll out a project, you need to know how it adds value and who it adds values to.” to.
This “why” mindset she gained at Johns Hopkins Carey Business School helps Wallace tackle new challenges, especially in her role at Cigna. “Senior leaders want people who are asking questions. You might be new, but if you are asking the right questions, you bring a viewpoint they may not have thought of.”
But Wallace says her current role wasn’t always the obvious option. Before coming to Johns Hopkins Carey Business School, she envisioned herself working on the provider side of health care. Through her coursework, the Career Development O ce, and the Johns Hopkins alumni network, she gained exposure to all sides of the business of health.
“There are so many roles that you can obtain as an MBA. Don’t be afraid to explore them for yourself. Your career journey is going to look di erent for you from your colleagues and the rest of your MBA cohort. That’s OK,” Wallace says. “You learn from one another, learn about yourself along the way, and ultimately you are set up to choose a career that is the exact right path for you.”
