First Master of Business For Veterans Class Graduates From Marshall

The first Master of Business for Veterans (MBV) graduating class has made the transition from military leaders to business professionals thanks to an accelerated one-year business program developed by the USC Marshall School of Business.

“There’s a recognition that leadership in the military is quite different culturally from leadership and management in the business world,” said James Bogle, who spent 23 years in the Army and is now MBV program director.

Professor and MBV Faculty Director Robert Turrill taught the MBV leadership class to identify and build on skills the students had already acquired from the military. The students also learned both professional and personal development, from quantitative finance skills to the nuances of networking, with a cohort of fellow veterans.

“My time at USC in the MBV has been, what I call, transition 2.0,” MBV graduate Mike Hall said. “Making the transition from military to civilian life can be challenging. I certainly experienced some setbacks. When I started the program, I knew this was going to be my shot to do the transition over again and do it with the support of the Marshall School and USC.”

The MBV program offers out-of-classroom support services, including career guidance, networking, getting students involved in professional organizations and USC Marshall activities.

Frankie Lugo, who is currently serving in the Air Force, said that the program opened his eyes to post-military career opportunities he hadn’t considered. After an in-class presentation from the Disney Co. that focused on their initiative to hire veterans, he reached out to them.

“I want to pursue a career at the Walt Disney Co.,” Lugo said. “I’ve got some mentors over there, and they’re hooking me up with all of the divisions trying to see where I could fit and where my skills could work.”

regions: Los Angeles

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