Careers

Where Tepper and the BBA Can Take You

Kevin Bethune, BBA ex-president, Tepper class of 2005

My name is Kevin G. Bethune, Tepper MBA Class of 2005. I am currently a senior business analyst within Nike, Inc.'s Global Business Planning organization. Our group delivers objective financial analyses and insights to optimize the financial and operating performance of the Nike, Inc. portfolio. I specifically provide Corporate interface responsibility for the Nike Subsidiaries and the Americas Region (e.g. Canada, Mexico and Latin America).

Prior to Tepper, I worked as a senior mechanical engineer and project manager with Westinghouse Electric Company LLC, based near Pittsburgh, PA. Over the course of my 5 years there, I evolved as an engineering leader and project manager. The project management experience exposed me to some facets of business (e.g. costing), but I felt I lacked the 'business knowledge/breadth' to understand both technical and commercial ramifications behind each business decision. My arising curiosity for business drove me to consider getting an MBA.

That said, I looked at a few schools and found a nice match in Tepper. After attending Connections Weekend, meeting current Tepper students, BBA members and faculty, I was convinced Tepper was the right place for me. The program offered flexibility, an innovative curriculum and the rigor necessary for my successful development in business. As a 'career-changer' (e.g. engineering to business), these factors were very important to me.

Now that I am at Nike, I hold tremendous opportunities to use these new skills within this fast pace dynamic business. Tepper has given me the skills to break down new problems, find new meaning and communicate those findings to senior management. The BBA, and all the activities it offered during my time at Tepper, helped to develop my networking skills to reach out to new stakeholders, build meaningful relationships and push ideas through to fruition. Transitioning from engineering to the shoe business has been quite challenging, but I feel I have the tools to navigate successfully one day at a time.