Maggie Dunson Uses One-Year MBA to Begin New Career at Mercy
Maggie Dunson turned her passion for educating and helping others into a successful second career in business after graduating from the Chaifetz School’s One-Year MBA Program.
Working in schools throughout the St. Louis area, Dunson taught English and helped incoming teachers learn about their new environment and technology. After almost five years of working in education, Dunson felt called in a different professional direction.
Once the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Dunson followed her calling. She began applying for different jobs but realized that after years of teaching others, it was time for her to become a student again.
“I was looking to fill in the holes I needed in transitioning from more of an education background to the business world,” Dunson said.
The One-Year MBA program at the Richard A. Chaifetz School of Business was the perfect fit for Dunson, who was looking to receive an effective and efficient education in order to rejoin the workforce and begin pursuing her newfound passion.
As Dunson advanced and excelled through the program, she took an interest in the idea of organizational development as it pertains to running businesses. She learned about this aspect of the business from Dr. Tricia Bagsby, Medart Clinical Professor in Family Business at the Chaifetz School.
Dr. Bagsby quickly became a mentor figure to Dunson, who worked as her student and graduate assistant. Her handwork and determination were undeniable.
“[Maggie] is an incredibly confident and kind person,” Dr. Bagsby said. “She’s like this perfect combination of somebody who is going to drive to get things done but with such a high level of empathy and understanding of people.”
Organizational development within a business allows for training on protocols and technology. It also uses data to analyze trends among company employees. Dunson, now working as an organizational effectiveness manager for Mercy, is well suited for the position.
“She’s got this understanding of how people receive information and learn because of her background as an educator,” Dr. Bagsby said.
In her new role, Dunson is working to provide the best possible resources and programming to the nearly 60,000 employees at Mercy hospitals. After four months of working in the position, Dunson feels that the aspects she learned about organizational development from Dr. Bagsby as well as the One-Year Program’s data-focused education are helping her succeed.
“I do a lot of data analysis, which helps inform many of the decisions we make on our current projects,” Dunson said. “And Tricia's classes were focused around organizational development and leadership, both skills that I use every day in my work.”
The program’s holistic approach to business education helped Dunson turn her passion for helping others and natural ability as an educator into a successful career in organizational effectiveness.
Founded in 1910, the Richard A. Chaifetz School of Business at Saint Louis University has shaped the future of industry for more than a century as one of the oldest business schools west of the Mississippi. Today, SLU's business school continues to build on its reputation as a leader in business education through its commitment to inclusion, innovation and impact. The Chaifetz School’s undergraduate and graduate programs have been nationally recognized by U.S. News & World Report, Poets&Quants and The Princeton Review.