Alumna Says Smith Part-Time MBA Was the Right Program at the Right Time
Jeanelle Johnson, MBA ’04, wanted to be where “something was happening,” and she didn’t mean sunbathing or clubbing in her hometown of Miami. It’s why she left for Washington, D.C., after high school to pursue a successful career in finance, lured by the appeal of “something happens here”.
Having worked in investment banking and a decade at another professional services firm before joining PwC nine years ago, Johnson was recently promoted to Managing Partner of the D.C. office. In this role, she leads 2,500 PwC professionals in addition to continuing her roles as a Lead Client Partner for key clients in the region and as a partner in PwC’s Deals practice. For Johnson, this new role provides a welcome spontaneity that enables her to connect with PwC professionals in the D.C. office, the D.C. community and to have a seat at the table during important local conversations impacting PwC’s clients broadly.
“It’s organized chaos, and I love it,” she says.
Johnson pursued an MBA to help hone her leadership skills and support her aspirations of ascending through the ranks of the corporate landscape. She chose the Robert H. Smith School of Business's part-time MBA program because of its reputation and quality programming that fit within her schedule. The result not only impacted her career trajectory but also allowed her to form relationships with classmates who have become lifelong friends.
“It was the right program for me at the right time in terms of what I needed for what I was hoping to accomplish,” she says.
Raised by a single mother after her parents immigrated from Jamaica, Johnson was the youngest but the first in her family to graduate college. She says financially, getting through undergrad at George Washington University was a “pretty significant accomplishment.”
Johnson says her path was one she had to figure out on her own. It’s part of what inspired her to serve on the board of Higher Achievement, an organization that works to provide mentorship for children during the middle school years in the DC, Baltimore and Richmond, VA communities.
“The reason Higher Achievement really spoke to me as an organization is because I think the middle school years are probably the most pivotal years, especially for students who don’t have access to means,” Johnson says.
Looking back on her experiences, her advice to current students is to “be curious.” It’s something she lives by daily and the mantra has helped her create a life where she can provide opportunities for her two children, the reason she says she does what she does. She forged her own path to success and says she wants her kids “to know I’m living proof that you can do anything.”
Media Contact
Greg Muraski
Media Relations Manager
301-405-5283
301-892-0973 Mobile
gmuraski@umd.edu
About the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business
The Robert H. Smith School of Business is an internationally recognized leader in management education and research. One of 12 colleges and schools at the University of Maryland, College Park, the Smith School offers undergraduate, full-time and flex MBA, executive MBA, online MBA, business master’s, PhD and executive education programs, as well as outreach services to the corporate community. The school offers its degree, custom and certification programs in learning locations in North America and Asia.