The talented faculty of the Wisconsin School of Business’ MS in Business Analytics program uphold its core pillars and bring value to the students each day. We are proud to recognize their contributions and share their unique journeys. This month we highlight Katie Gaertner for our first MSBA Faculty Feature! Katie is a business analytics lecturer at WSB and teaches a course focused on cloud technology for MSBA students.
Unconventional Career Journey
“I love making sense of something that looks like nonsense,” says Katie, reflecting on the root of her passion for statistics and analyzing data, which dates back to her childhood. With a clear vision for her future, she received a bachelor’s degree in business statistics at BYU and a master’s in public administration from the University of Arizona shortly after. She entered the industry working in politics, spending the initial years of her career as a budget analyst for three Utah governors. She then chose to leave the industry, prioritizing her role as a full-time parent for 10 years.
When she was able to re-enter the workforce, she knew the industry had evolved tremendously with new technologies since her last experience. Following her career break, she received a master’s degree from Northwestern University in data science to further develop her skills and remain competitive as a candidate in the job market. This opened the door to an opportunity to work as a cloud data analyst and a machine learning engineer for a financial institution. During this experience, Katie explains how she found herself volunteering to share her knowledge and skillset with others at company professional development workshops and events. “I think I really love teaching,” she says, recalling the discovery of her next career objective.
Teaching Philosophy
Since joining WSB, Katie has taught multiple courses, one of which is focused on using cloud technology in business for the MSBA program. She attributes her passion for the material she teaches to witnessing first-hand the demand for these skills in the industry. She is inspired by equipping students with relevant knowledge that has the potential to make them competitive job candidates in the future.
When asked about her general teaching philosophy, Katie shares the importance of effort. “Every person should be given opportunities to succeed, and their success should be based on whether or not they take advantage of those opportunities.” In her courses, this is reflected in the emphasis on experiential learning and business case analyses, which provide students with hands-on experiences working with data to apply skills taught in lectures. Students attest to the effectiveness of this structure; one noted, “the cloud project has helped me a ton with my interviews when asked to explain the data pipeline.”
Goals and Advice
Seizing opportunities for growth in both her personal and professional life, Katie shares the goals towards which she is currently working. One thing her students and colleagues might not know is that her 2024 New Year’s resolution was to pet one hundred dogs. She chose this heartwarming goal as an exciting way to step out of her comfort zone, meeting new people and dogs along the way.
A professional goal Katie is excited about working on for the next academic year is developing and delivering an introductory AI course for new WSB students. “I think to be a successful adult in today’s society you really do need to understand the technologies you’re interacting with,” Katie explains. The course will launch in the spring, aiming at teaching students how to use AI tools effectively and responsibly.
To current and future students, Katie advises: “It’s important to embrace all sorts of different journeys and paths and it’s ok if yours doesn’t look like everyone else’s.” She knew taking a career break meant there was a possibility she would not be able to reenter the industry. Deciding to stay true to what was right for her and leaning on her passion for analytics helped open even more doors for her following the break. Katie leaves us with the reminder that “there is nothing wrong with taking a path that is perfect for just you.” Embracing all opportunities is what gives you a unique competitive advantage.
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