{"id":515909,"date":"2026-05-04T21:35:16","date_gmt":"2026-05-05T01:35:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/poole.ncsu.edu\/magazine\/?p=515909"},"modified":"2026-07-01T15:06:30","modified_gmt":"2026-07-01T19:06:30","slug":"from-classroom-to-boardroom-jenkins-mba-students-help-shape-a-companys-ai-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/poole.ncsu.edu\/magazine\/from-classroom-to-boardroom-jenkins-mba-students-help-shape-a-companys-ai-future\/","title":{"rendered":"From Classroom to Boardroom: Jenkins MBA Students Help Shape a Company\u2019s AI Future"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n

Artificial Intelligence in Management (ITAO 558) has only been a three-credit class for two semesters, but the course already has notched real world success: Work produced by students in the class will help build a marketing agency\u2019s AI strategy and roadmap, and may also be referenced in future thought leadership and business development content for the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat’s the level of knowledge and hands-on practical experience we are giving students in this evolving field to create value from day one,\u201d says Haroon Abbu<\/a>, a professor of practice in marketing and analytics who teaches the class.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The work was produced by a team led by Vicente Martinez, a student with the Jenkins Online MBA program<\/a> at Poole College. Abbu says he is impressed by the initiative of his students. And the company, Site-Seeker \u2013 a long-established B2B digital marketing agency \u2013 saw the project as a valuable outside lens to sharpen its AI approach as it expands AI-driven client solutions, with support from NC State.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Vicente Martinez, a Jenkins Online MBA student at Poole College, led the student team. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Seven Dimensions of AI<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Martinez\u2019s previous career required a significant amount of travel. After getting married, having children and moving to North Carolina, he decided to change industries and find work that kept him local. He was quickly drawn to the Jenkins Online MBA Program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere was a lot of material available within that MBA because it was a STEM MBA \u2013 not just a traditional finance, accounting and leadership program \u2013 that allowed me to get access and exposure to a lot of tools that I hadn’t used previously that I felt were vital for this area being a tech and research hub,\u201d Martinez notes. ITAO 558 proved an excellent example of how technology and business interact, in a way that only NC State can offer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the Fall 2025 semester, Martinez enrolled in Artificial Intelligence in Management.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\n

“There was a lot of material available within that MBA because it was a STEM MBA … that allowed me to get access and exposure to a lot of tools that I hadn’t used previously.”<\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

One of the loci of the class is the Seven Dimensions of AI (from Gartner), which are defined as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. AI Ambitions<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. AI Value<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. AI Organization<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. AI People and Culture<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. AI Governance<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  6. AI Engineering<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  7. AI-Ready Data<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    The course\u2019s big project required student teams to apply the Seven Dimensions of AI to a company. Abbu says that students \u201cgo through what is needed for developing an AI roadmap,\u201d a step-by-step process where they account for the Dimensions concept and learn how to apply it to improve AI usage and value at a company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    First, the team picked an industry in which they had interest. Within that industry, they had to find a leader and a lagger in using AI. The leader had successfully integrated AI into their services, while the lagger was, per its name, lagging behind and had a clear opportunity for value creation via AI. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The group then applied the Seven Dimensions and identified ways the lagger could implement AI to reach the success of the leader. Once they were done with that phase, the team applied their findings to a focus company, whether that was the lagger or a third party, and showed them how to improve using their own AI roadmap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    At the conclusion of the project, the team gave a presentation to the class. Martinez\u2019s team went one step further and presented their work to the focus company. The company he chose was a quarter-century old, well established in their field and still close to home. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Site-Seeker<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    During a family gathering, Martinez had a conversation about his class with Brian Bluff, his wife\u2019s uncle and the CEO and co-founder of Site-Seeker. That conversation revealed that what Martinez was learning in class was in sync with what Site-Seeker was working toward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Site-Seeker is a B2B digital marketing agency<\/a> focused on material handling, supply chain and logistics. They build websites, implement HubSpot, and create account-based marketing and digital advertising campaigns. Bluff says the agency\u2019s client base gives it a front-row seat to fast-moving competition, and that pushes the team to test and deploy new approaches early.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cWe\u2019re fortunate to work with companies that want to innovate,\u201d he says, \u201cbecause it lets us develop and implement advanced marketing strategies that actually perform.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"Brian
    Brian Bluff photo courtesy of Site-Seeker<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    They\u2019ve long provided search engine optimization (SEO) guidance, and they\u2019ve also started offering support for two emerging fields \u2013 answer engine optimization (AEO) and generative engine optimization (GEO). The change in search engine technology means it\u2019s no longer sufficient to be on the first page of a Google search: You need to be cited in Google\u2019s AI-generated answer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cWe’re working very fast to get our clients greater exposure in the answer and generative engines,\u201d says Bluff. He\u2019s also in charge of the company\u2019s pivot strategy, and says that the MBA student team’s project aligned perfectly with his work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Site-Seeker is also building and deploying custom AI agents for manufacturing, supply chain, logistics and material-handling organizations, automating workflows like lead intake, RFQ discovery and faster access to critical information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The Presentation and Result<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Martinez served as group leader and the point of contact for Site-Seeker, but he\u2019s quick to credit his entire team of fellow Jenkins MBA students: Carol Anne Colone, Curt Rask, Eliya Sider and George Green. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cFrom a research and material generation perspective, everybody contributed equally,\u201d he says. Bluff was impressed with the whole team, noting that he only knew Martinez, \u201cbut I could just imagine looking through this project that they were pretty sharp folks.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Once the class was over, the findings were presented to Site-Seeker. The deliverable functioned as an AI roadmap and maturity assessment, including phased-use cases, budgets and governance, designed to guide execution rather than serve as outward-facing marketing collateral.<\/p>\n\n\n

    \n
    \n

    \u201cAI is not an abstract concept. It\u2019s practical. It\u2019s applicable. Experiment with it, learn it, and apply it.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

    Not long after the presentation, Site-Seeker reached out to Martinez and expressed its intent to use elements of the presentation internally as strategic guidance, and requested permission to use selective portions of the work in external communications as proof of its proactive AI posture. The request worked its way up the chain, with each party impressed by the outcome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The Site-Seeker team has not yet finalized how they\u2019ll integrate the material into marketing, but Bluff says they\u2019ll be \u201cletting people know that we’re not just sitting back and letting AI happen. We’re taking a proactive role and engaging with smart folks with outside exposure\u2026our goal then is to promote the fact that we do have this credible organization, NC State, out there helping us pressure-test and sharpen our direction. And I think that will help us build our credibility or support people’s perception of our credibility.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Real-World Impact<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    A class project evolving into real-world implementation is something that excites Abbu. While he is pleased when student work extends beyond the classroom, he is not surprised. The outcomes align directly with the course\u2019s mission. \u201cOne of my key takeaways in this class is to \u2018embrace artificial intelligence,\u2019\u201d Abbu says. \u201cAI is not an abstract concept. It\u2019s practical. It\u2019s applicable. Experiment with it, learn it, and apply it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"Haroon
    Haroon Abbu, professor of practice in marketing and analytics at Poole College, teaches ITAO 558.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    He encourages students to bring their projects back to their organizations and share their roadmaps with colleagues and leadership teams. In several cases, that\u2019s exactly what has happened. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cI know of at least three or four students who presented their class projects internally and watched them get implemented at their companies,\u201d he says. \u201cIt makes them heroes. Everybody talks about AI. But if you\u2019ve already built something, validated it and pressure-tested it in class, you can take that version to your colleagues and managers. You\u2019re not just talking about AI \u2014 you\u2019re leading it. In many ways, we\u2019re making superheroes out of them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

    \n

    More from Poole Business: Spring 2026<\/h2>\n

    At Poole College, we create impact by preparing students for meaningful careers, generating knowledge that informs practice, and engaging with organizations and communities in ways that make a difference.<\/p>\n \n

    \n \n \n
    \n
    \n "Poole\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n
    \n \n

    Poole Pack Makes Its Mark on Day of Giving<\/h3>\n \n\n \n\t \t

    From near and far, our Poole College community came together to raise $3.8 million through more than 1,000 gifts, driving the college’s biggest Day of Giving yet.<\/span>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/svg><\/span><\/p>\n\t \t \n <\/div>\n\n <\/a>\n\n \n

    \n
    \n "Rodney\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n
    \n \n

    Redefining Accounting Careers<\/h3>\n \n\n \n\t \t

    Jenkins MAC alumni are breaking stereotypes, turning accounting expertise into careers that drive innovation, leadership and social impact.<\/span>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/svg><\/span><\/p>\n\t \t \n <\/div>\n\n <\/a>\n\n \n

    \n
    \n "Poole\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n
    \n \n

    From the Dean: Impact in Action<\/h3>\n \n\n \n\t \t

    At Poole College, we create impact by preparing students for meaningful careers, generating knowledge that informs practice, and engaging with organizations and communities in ways that make a difference.<\/span>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/svg><\/span><\/p>\n\t \t \n <\/div>\n\n <\/a>\n\n <\/div>\n\n \n See all in current issue<\/span>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/svg><\/span>\n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n","protected":false,"raw":"\n\n\n\n\n

    Artificial Intelligence in Management (ITAO 558) has only been a three-credit class for two semesters, but the course already has notched real world success: Work produced by students in the class will help build a marketing agency\u2019s AI strategy and roadmap, and may also be referenced in future thought leadership and business development content for the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cThat's the level of knowledge and hands-on practical experience we are giving students in this evolving field to create value from day one,\u201d says Haroon Abbu<\/a>, a professor of practice in marketing and analytics who teaches the class.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The work was produced by a team led by Vicente Martinez, a student with the Jenkins Online MBA program<\/a> at Poole College. Abbu says he is impressed by the initiative of his students. And the company, Site-Seeker \u2013 a long-established B2B digital marketing agency \u2013 saw the project as a valuable outside lens to sharpen its AI approach as it expands AI-driven client solutions, with support from NC State.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"\"
    Vicente Martinez, a Jenkins Online MBA student at Poole College, led the student team. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    The Seven Dimensions of AI<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Martinez\u2019s previous career required a significant amount of travel. After getting married, having children and moving to North Carolina, he decided to change industries and find work that kept him local. He was quickly drawn to the Jenkins Online MBA Program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cThere was a lot of material available within that MBA because it was a STEM MBA \u2013 not just a traditional finance, accounting and leadership program \u2013 that allowed me to get access and exposure to a lot of tools that I hadn't used previously that I felt were vital for this area being a tech and research hub,\u201d Martinez notes. ITAO 558 proved an excellent example of how technology and business interact, in a way that only NC State can offer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    For the Fall 2025 semester, Martinez enrolled in Artificial Intelligence in Management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

    One of the loci of the class is the Seven Dimensions of AI (from Gartner), which are defined as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    1. AI Ambitions<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    2. AI Value<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    3. AI Organization<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    4. AI People and Culture<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    5. AI Governance<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    6. AI Engineering<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    7. AI-Ready Data<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

      The course\u2019s big project required student teams to apply the Seven Dimensions of AI to a company. Abbu says that students \u201cgo through what is needed for developing an AI roadmap,\u201d a step-by-step process where they account for the Dimensions concept and learn how to apply it to improve AI usage and value at a company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      First, the team picked an industry in which they had interest. Within that industry, they had to find a leader and a lagger in using AI. The leader had successfully integrated AI into their services, while the lagger was, per its name, lagging behind and had a clear opportunity for value creation via AI. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      The group then applied the Seven Dimensions and identified ways the lagger could implement AI to reach the success of the leader. Once they were done with that phase, the team applied their findings to a focus company, whether that was the lagger or a third party, and showed them how to improve using their own AI roadmap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      At the conclusion of the project, the team gave a presentation to the class. Martinez\u2019s team went one step further and presented their work to the focus company. The company he chose was a quarter-century old, well established in their field and still close to home. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Site-Seeker<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      During a family gathering, Martinez had a conversation about his class with Brian Bluff, his wife\u2019s uncle and the CEO and co-founder of Site-Seeker. That conversation revealed that what Martinez was learning in class was in sync with what Site-Seeker was working toward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Site-Seeker is a B2B digital marketing agency<\/a> focused on material handling, supply chain and logistics. They build websites, implement HubSpot, and create account-based marketing and digital advertising campaigns. Bluff says the agency\u2019s client base gives it a front-row seat to fast-moving competition, and that pushes the team to test and deploy new approaches early.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \u201cWe\u2019re fortunate to work with companies that want to innovate,\u201d he says, \u201cbecause it lets us develop and implement advanced marketing strategies that actually perform.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \"Brian
      Brian Bluff photo courtesy of Site-Seeker<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

      They\u2019ve long provided search engine optimization (SEO) guidance, and they\u2019ve also started offering support for two emerging fields \u2013 answer engine optimization (AEO) and generative engine optimization (GEO). The change in search engine technology means it\u2019s no longer sufficient to be on the first page of a Google search: You need to be cited in Google\u2019s AI-generated answer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \u201cWe're working very fast to get our clients greater exposure in the answer and generative engines,\u201d says Bluff. He\u2019s also in charge of the company\u2019s pivot strategy, and says that the MBA student team's project aligned perfectly with his work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Site-Seeker is also building and deploying custom AI agents for manufacturing, supply chain, logistics and material-handling organizations, automating workflows like lead intake, RFQ discovery and faster access to critical information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      The Presentation and Result<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      Martinez served as group leader and the point of contact for Site-Seeker, but he\u2019s quick to credit his entire team of fellow Jenkins MBA students: Carol Anne Colone, Curt Rask, Eliya Sider and George Green. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \u201cFrom a research and material generation perspective, everybody contributed equally,\u201d he says. Bluff was impressed with the whole team, noting that he only knew Martinez, \u201cbut I could just imagine looking through this project that they were pretty sharp folks.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Once the class was over, the findings were presented to Site-Seeker. The deliverable functioned as an AI roadmap and maturity assessment, including phased-use cases, budgets and governance, designed to guide execution rather than serve as outward-facing marketing collateral.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

      Not long after the presentation, Site-Seeker reached out to Martinez and expressed its intent to use elements of the presentation internally as strategic guidance, and requested permission to use selective portions of the work in external communications as proof of its proactive AI posture. The request worked its way up the chain, with each party impressed by the outcome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      The Site-Seeker team has not yet finalized how they\u2019ll integrate the material into marketing, but Bluff says they\u2019ll be \u201cletting people know that we're not just sitting back and letting AI happen. We're taking a proactive role and engaging with smart folks with outside exposure\u2026our goal then is to promote the fact that we do have this credible organization, NC State, out there helping us pressure-test and sharpen our direction. And I think that will help us build our credibility or support people's perception of our credibility.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Real-World Impact<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      A class project evolving into real-world implementation is something that excites Abbu. While he is pleased when student work extends beyond the classroom, he is not surprised. The outcomes align directly with the course\u2019s mission. \u201cOne of my key takeaways in this class is to \u2018embrace artificial intelligence,\u2019\u201d Abbu says. \u201cAI is not an abstract concept. It\u2019s practical. It\u2019s applicable. Experiment with it, learn it, and apply it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \"Haroon
      Haroon Abbu, professor of practice in marketing and analytics at Poole College, teaches ITAO 558.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

      He encourages students to bring their projects back to their organizations and share their roadmaps with colleagues and leadership teams. In several cases, that\u2019s exactly what has happened. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \u201cI know of at least three or four students who presented their class projects internally and watched them get implemented at their companies,\u201d he says. \u201cIt makes them heroes. Everybody talks about AI. But if you\u2019ve already built something, validated it and pressure-tested it in class, you can take that version to your colleagues and managers. You\u2019re not just talking about AI \u2014 you\u2019re leading it. In many ways, we\u2019re making superheroes out of them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n"},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      What started as a class assignment became a real-world strategy when Jenkins MBA students built an AI roadmap now guiding a digital marketing agency\u2019s next move.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":39405,"featured_media":515918,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"source":"","ncst_custom_author":"","ncst_show_custom_author":false,"ncst_dynamicHeaderBlockName":"ncst\/default-post-header","ncst_dynamicHeaderData":"{\"displayCategoryID\":46,\"showAuthor\":true,\"showDate\":true,\"showFeaturedVideo\":false,\"subtitle\":\"What started as a class assignment became a real-world strategy when Jenkins MBA students built an AI roadmap now guiding a digital marketing agency\u2019s next move.\"}","ncst_content_audit_freq":"","ncst_content_audit_date":"","ncst_content_audit_display":false,"ncst_backToTopFlag":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[23,46,26,5],"tags":[],"_ncst_magazine_issue":[84],"class_list":["post-515909","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-academics","category-high-impact-experiences","category-newswire","category-student-alumni"],"displayCategory":{"term_id":46,"name":"High-Impact Experiences","slug":"high-impact-experiences","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":46,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":11,"filter":"raw"},"acf":{"ncst_posts_meta_modified_date":null},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/poole.ncsu.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/515909","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/poole.ncsu.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/poole.ncsu.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/poole.ncsu.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/39405"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/poole.ncsu.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=515909"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/poole.ncsu.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/515909\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":515966,"href":"https:\/\/poole.ncsu.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/515909\/revisions\/515966"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/poole.ncsu.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/515918"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/poole.ncsu.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=515909"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/poole.ncsu.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=515909"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/poole.ncsu.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=515909"},{"taxonomy":"_ncst_magazine_issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/poole.ncsu.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/_ncst_magazine_issue?post=515909"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}