M.B.A. Degree Allows Alumnus to Advance in Career at Pittsburgh Mercy Health System Monday, December 15, 2014
Meet Kevin Beckovich
Job title: Prevention/Intervention Supervisor
Employer: Pittsburgh Mercy Health System
Degrees earned: M.B.A., management concentration, Point Park University, 2007 and B.S. in music education, Duquesne University, 2000
Hometown and current residence: Clairton, Pa.
High School: Serra Catholic High School
Hobbies/interests: Working out, reading and astronomy
How has your M.B.A. degree helped you advance professionally at Pittsburgh Mercy Health System?
Completing my M.B.A. degree truly allowed me to transition into management. My undergraduate degree trained me to be a teacher, and I had plenty of experience in that field, but I lacked the skills and knowledge of how to think like a manager in order to move my career forward. My M.B.A. classes helped me to understand organizational culture, learn how to create strategic plans, manage data and to develop and market new services.
What factors made you select Point Park for graduate school?
I did not want to have to relocate for graduate school and I knew that I would have to maintain full-time employment while going back to school. Point Park's accelerated M.B.A. format allowed me to keep my full-time job, attend classes on Saturdays and finish my degree in one year. It was a lot of work, but well worth it.
What are your favorite Point Park memories?
I loved the M.B.A. program's cohort model. You really got to know your classmates. I met some great people with very diverse skill sets and work experience. Also, I really enjoyed the team assignments in both Dr. Michael Haley's managerial economics class and in Dr. Mohammed Sidky's systems thinking class. I always looked forward to my Saturday classes.
Describe the project you will be working on with Point Park's business students.
The department I work in focuses on school-based prevention services. We provide on-site, classroom and group presentations on a variety of topics for grades K-12. Schools may request presentations on topics such as team building, social skills or even grief and loss.
This upcoming project collaborating with Point Park students meets what I feel is an unmet need in the community. Children need to learn financial literacy and media literacy to round out their education, and some schools don't have the resources to provide class work on these topics.
The idea is for our PMHS staff to partner with interested Point Park business students to develop and implement a curriculum/workshop that teaches core knowledge (financial and media literacy) but also helps students develop general skills such as good decision making, responsibility and team work to name a few. The initial audience will probably be middle school students but could expand to other grades and possibly to adults as well. The goal is to not only offer support to our young people in the community but also to give Point Park's business students the opportunity to see they have the power to be leaders of change and that they are needed by the community.
What are your career goals?
Originally, I planned to attend law school after earning my M.B.A. and pursue a new career in the private sector. I did work briefly at a large financial institution but I missed the culture and mission of the nonprofit world.
My work at Pittsburgh Mercy Health System is very rewarding. Since graduating with my M.B.A., I have worked in various roles including quality manager, project manager and supervisor. PMHS has a great culture where I continuously get to develop myself through training, mentoring and stretch assignments. My goal is to continue to grow within my organization by being a good steward of our resources, having the courage to solve problems with innovative thinking and by helping to develop future leaders to carry on our mission.
More About: M.B.A., alumni, Serra Catholic High School, Rowland School of Business, success story, graduate programs