Kevin Haley (MBA'20)
Senior Director, Clean Energy Buyers Association (CEBA)
Why did you decide to come to Leeds?
Living and working in babyÖ±²¥app, Leeds offered a great regional network and access to a compelling two-year part time MBA program. Leeds also had a strong reputation for integrating sustainability issues into its MBA curriculum which matched up with my career goals perfectly.
What is one thing you learned at Leeds that you will never forget?
Our entrepreneurship professor, Jeff York, introduced us to effectual reasoning–using the knowledge/skills/motivations/etc. you already have at your disposal as a starting point for innovation, rather than beginning with a well-defined future goal. This flipped a lot of my personal assumptions about how to achieve success on its head, and hashelped me approach my work in a new, creative and actionable way.
Tell us about a particular professor or mentor that influenced you while you were at Leeds.
Gregg Macaluso taught an elective course on supply chain management that turned out to be one of my favorite classes–despite my complete lack of prior experience with supply chain issues. Professor Macaluso brought the subject matter to life with exciting class exercises that challenged assumptions and taught real-world collaboration. He also shared highly relevant examples from his own career and challenged us to step outside our comfort zones to be higher performers in his class and in our careers.
Where has life taken you since you graduated Leeds?
Since graduating, I received a promotion and significant raise at my job and after reaching several career milestones, I am now using my CU and broader business network to pursue new job opportunities in global sustainability consulting.
What is one piece of advice/best practice that has struck with you throughout your career?
When things aren’t going well, use that time as a learning opportunity rather than a setback. Almost every failure or challenge we face can teach us something we’ll use again in our careers–but only if we take the time to recognize it the first time.
What advice would you give to anyone interested in pursuing a career in your professional field?
Working in clean energy and corporate sustainability, I’d recommend pursuing a strong business background. The business of environmental sustainability and ESG is growing extremely quickly and is producing tangible benefits to industry and the corporate world. A good grasp of business issues–especially transactions and change management–will set anyone up for success no matter their role.
What do you miss most about Boulder?
Meeting with driven peers and friends every week in the cohort model. It was lots of fun to build those connections, learn together, and work toward a common goal.
To nominate yourself or a fellow Leeds alumnus or alumna to be in an upcoming alumni newsletter,
April 2022