Jesse Walker has been deliberate about taking steps in his career that will not only allow him to learn and grow but will set him on the path towards blending his technical skills with his life passions. Originally from Provo, Utah, the first year Warsaw MBA earned his BS in public health from Brigham Young University with a concentration in health promotion and minor in business management.
Walker realized that he was most interested in pursuing a career that emphasized the “promotion" aspect of his undergraduate degree, which led him to a digital marketing manager position with IT software company SolarWinds. While at SolarWinds Walker worked on digital campaign development and program management.
An MBA was always in Walker's plans, but it wasn't until he came across a Warsaw Sports Marketing Center blog post that he discovered the Oregon MBA and realized he could earn an MBA with a concentration in sports business. Passionate about the business of the outdoor and sports product industry, Walker quickly learned that the Oregon MBA was meant to be the next step in his career: “No other university was better connected or better suited for blending my digital marketing skills with my passions and career aspirations in sport."
The people Walker has encountered over the past year through the Warsaw Center have been key to his personal and professional development.
“I was really struck by the connectedness of Warsaw. Alumni are not only incredibly successful but are also willing to connect and engage with current students. There's also great camaraderie within our cohort. There's not a sense of competition among our group, but there's a common drive to succeed that is really motivating to be a part of."
Walker will be interning at Wilson Sporting Goods for a digital team that includes Warsaw alumni Aviva Jorstad, MBA '06 and James Stewart, MBA '16.
“While I am not changing fields, I am moving into an industry that I am deeply passionate about and am excited for the opportunity to continue to learn and develop my digital marketing skills. The Wilson brand is highly relevant in the sporting landscape today and I am grateful for the opportunity to learn and contribute to the company's growing momentum this summer."
In the little spare time he does have as a full time MBA student, Walker loves spending time outdoors with his wife Jessica and two-year-old daughter Lillian, who loves the Oregon coast on a sunny day. He is also an avid fly fisherman. After a period of adjusting to the depth and speed of Oregon rivers, which are very different from those of Utah, he proudly proclaimed, “I am no longer fishless in Oregon!"