Poole Pack Profiles: Meet Marcus Rountree
A first-generation college graduate, Marcus Rountree taught middle school science and coached basketball for two years before deciding to pursue his dream: getting a master’s degree. After one visit to NC State, Rountree was sold.
“Around the time I started researching different programs, my younger cousin was trying to decide which college to go to and said, ‘Hey Marcus, can you take me to NC State for their career day?’ So I took her, and while they were welcoming everyone to the event, the director said, ‘We also have a wonderful MBA program,’” he remembers.
And the rest is history.
Today, Rountree is a senior manager of product management for transformation at McDonalds. An apt title for someone who’s made quite a transformation himself.
Why the Jenkins MBA?
“The thing that really grabbed me about the Jenkins MBA program was the hands-on experience,” he says. “Other MBA programs focus a lot on theory, but the Jenkins MBA program provided opportunities to work with local businesses and do case studies and projects with industry and community partners.”
He also appreciated the program’s opportunities to grow as a leader, such as study abroad.
“Being in Prague was a pivotal moment for me, and now that I’m in a global role at McDonald’s, I see how it’s helped me take my leadership to the next level. Because I lived abroad for a brief period of time, I’m more sensitive to some of the different needs and challenges in specific markets.”
Most important of all, Rountree says, taking advantage of career coaching in the Poole Career Center helped him communicate his personal value proposition.
“… it’s all because of how many doors the Jenkins MBA program opened. And the ROI of the program just keeps going up.”
“As a career switcher, it was really important for me to learn how to present myself and tell my career story – that I wasn’t just a teacher, but a business leader with strong skills in communication, collaboration and coaching,” Rountree says. “The resources at the Jenkins MBA program helped me make that pivot and break into the technology industry.”
Blazing a New Path
After graduating with his MBA, Rountree landed a job at Lowe’s as a product marketing specialist. From there, his career took off — taking him to Amazon, Nordstrom and now McDonald’s. In his role, Rountree identifies opportunities to integrate technology to improve the owner-operator and crew experiences, and position the restaurant chain for long-term success.
“It’s all about looking at technology as the lever to pull to take this global company into the future and doing something even bigger than what we’ve already done,” he says.
“Whenever someone asks me how my job’s going, I always say, ‘I’m Lovin It.’ It’s the cheesiest line ever, but I’m so sincere about it.”
The Journey of a Lifetime
“When I think about this journey I’ve been on – from that small middle school gym in Raleigh to the biggest fast-food restaurant company in the world – I realize just how transformative the Jenkins MBA program has been for me,” Rountree says.
“My income is 10 times what it was when I was a teacher, and it’s all because of how many doors the Jenkins MBA program opened. And the ROI of the program just keeps going up.”
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