A few weeks ago, I let folks know that I would be sharing some succinct success stories of our UAlbany Weekend MBA students and alums in a series that is very appropriately named Smart Moves. These short vignettes will spell out the value they derived from the program, whether it be a new job, a promotion, more money, or more knowledge. Truth be told, aren’t you looking for one or more of those?

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Smart Moves – Joe DeConno
A few weeks ago, I let you know that I would be sharing some succinct success stories of
our UAlbany Weekend MBA students and alums in a series that is very appropriately
named Smart Moves. These short vignettes will spell out the value they derived from
the program, whether it be a new job, a promotion, more money, or more knowledge.
Truth be told, aren’t you looking for one or more of those?
Joe DeConno was …
Hip deep into a project to integrate all the U.S. business units for his company into one
employee benefit system, Joe was struck by a thought: his degree from UAlbany’s Weekend MBA Program was
hard at work.
“The biggest thing is being able to talk to the various functions. The program gave me the confidence,” he says.
“You need the buy-in of payroll, finance and other areas. Just being able to speak the language of the other
disciplines really helps me.”
Joe, a 2010 graduate, is leader of human resource operations and initiatives for GE Transportation in Chicago.
He says his MBA broadened his comfort zone into areas outside his specialty. A project management course
showed him how to lead on projects that involve a number of functional areas. And in a new-business venture
elective, he learned how to sell his ideas.
Joe analyzes HR data to find ways to improve business processes across all functional areas. Workforce
planning, an emerging area of human resources, is a big part of his job.
“If you don’t have enough people or you don’t have the right people, that’s a huge issue. When 30 percent of
your manufacturing employees will become eligible for retirement in a five-year window, that’s a production
issue,” Joe says.
“This is making sure we have the right people in the right places with the right skill sets at the right time for the
right costs. It’s having a real strategy for HR.”
While earning his MBA, he worked as a benefits manager and then an HR process improvement leader. In
almost every case, he was able to apply things he learned in class, Joe says.
“Looking back, it’s certainly panned out from a competition standpoint and an advancement standpoint. It’s
opened new doors,” he says.
It can for you, too! Our next info session is Tuesday, August 13, 6:00 p.m. at our Albany-Colonie Executive
Education Center. This will be the last one before classes start August 23!