Jenkins MBA’s Tech Focus Resonates as Key Differentiator for Alumna Kendyle Woodard

Back in 2002, Kendyle Woodard decided to make a career shift; for that, she decided that she needed to go back to school to build on her existing marketing skills. Woodard chose the graduate management program at NC State University’s College of Management, now the Poole College of Management.

In late January 2012, she established the global headquarters office for her employer, Madan Global, in Raleigh, N.C. Woodard (left in photo above, with Jayne Hrabec, director of operations), reflected in an email interview with Poole College Communications on how her decision a decade ago set her on her career path.

It was the program’s focus on technology as it related to business that attracted her, Woodard said. “That was a real differentiator, as the other programs in North Carolina were very general or mainly focused on finance.”

At the same time, Poole College was making a bit of a change itself. That summer, it was converting its Master of Science in Management (MSM) program to the Master of Business Administration (MBA) program, now one of the college’s Jenkins Graduate Programs.

Jenkins MBA’s Tech Focus: A Competitive Advantage

Asked about her thoughts as a student entering the program in this time of transition, Woodard said, “We thought we had a competitive advantage over the other programs as the NC State MSM degree integrated technology into every concentration from the beginning. Especially in our technology centric RTP business area, this was a major selling point for those of us who thought the NC State degree would set us apart from the competing degrees that offered only general academic programs.”

Once classes began, she said, “we quickly saw that NC State still offered us that competitive advantage of technology integrated into every course and concentration, plus the MBA degree designation that was more readily acceptable to the business community. Now we see that companies desire this combination of skills and education even more, so they seek out NC State MBA graduates.”

For her, the NC State Jenkins MBA program helped round out skills in research and marketing “with business acumen, strategy, and project management experience.”

Woodard started the program in 2002 and graduated in 2004. It was a busy two years. She received an assistantship to help cover tuition costs that led to her working in the MBA office. She also was active in student organizations, establishing the Net Impact chapter for Poole College in 2004, and helping to restart the MBA Student Association and serving as its vice president.

Life after graduation has been just as full, if not more so. She has continued her involvement with the program, serving two three-year terms on the Jenkins MBA Alumni Board of Directors and speaking in classes on career topics. She also frequently turns to the college when needing interns or new hires.

Professionally, Woodard’s career has included roles with the Coastal Conservation Association, Nomaco, FMI, the North Carolina Biotechnology Center, and now, Madan Global.

“I have definitely progressed in my career since graduating from the NC State MBA program; it has provided the necessary framework and foundation for the growth necessary to provide value at each stage of my career,” she said.

“At this point in my life, I have the ability to help create a global umbrella business entity – Madan Global – for my employer’s 12 current companies, and also guide the early stage companies we fund and support,” she said. “These support services – management, accounting, admin, HR, marketing, business development, software development, IT, legal – are for start-ups and established companies that can’t afford or don’t need to have full-time staff in all these areas,” she said.

“At iBiotech and iCool Technologies – part of Madan Global – I am uniquely positioned to help these companies grow through my knowledge and expertise in strategy, management, marketing and business development,” Woodard said. “In our day and age, executives must be multi-functioning, so the ability to manage across many business areas is highly desirable,” she said.

Her expertise, she said, “comes from a foundation in marketing, market research, business, sales, strategy, project management, forecasting, business development, social media and analytics. This is not something you can learn just in business or in academia – it’s a combination of education and experience. NC State realizes this and works to combine the experience and the business strategy to produce well-rounded individuals who can make an immediate impact on a business’s bottom line.”

Since joining Madan Group in September 2012, Kendyle has:

• Helped with starting SpendMD, which is software for compliance with the federal Sunshine Act.
• Worked on business analytics and marketing software for the automotive industry with iCool Technologies.
• Discovered new international markets for companies with established products so they can extend their market penetration through iBiotech.

• Created a framework for Madan Global’s shared services model.

Developing a new corporate identity and branding, along with websites and marketing materials, will be next on Woodard’s list for Madan Global and its companies.

“Flexibility is key in my roles at iBiotech and iCool; it also will help me in a leadership role when Madan Global is fully established,” she said. “Strategy, business management and marketing are all skills that are transferable across industries, so my experiences are applicable to any industries in which we operate.”

Professional and Personal Impact

“My NC State MBA has helped me not just professionally, but personally,” she said.

“My husband and I started Fishing-NC.com after meeting through a mutual love of coastal fishing while I was working at the CCA NC,” she said. They both have been working from separate offices in their home, which has worked well for them. “Getting to brainstorm with Scott and run ideas by each other is really helpful,” she said.

“Scott is a business entrepreneur and search marketing expert – some of his companies include Artisan Interactive Consulting, Fishing-NC.com, Magic Murals – and working with him is a lot of fun because our skills are so complementary.” She likely will be spending more time out at meetings now, though, since Madan Global opened its main office in Raleigh in January 2013.

By the way, their mutual love of coastal fishing led not only to marriage but also, indirectly, to her enrolling in the NC State MBA program. It was her future mother-in-law who “cut out an ad in the N&O for the NC State MSM program and sent it to me in early 2002, as she knew I was applying to business schools,” Woodard said.

“I was accepted for the program’s fall 2002 class and then it was changed to the MBA program before I began. Scott and I were married in 2005 and began Fishing-NC.com to continue our dedication to providing NC coastal fishing information and marketing home grown products and services.”