November 05, 2019 • By Christine Byrd
Valerie Hoff was working as an intelligence analyst for the U.S. Army Reserve in 2014, watching money flow into war torn parts of Syria, when she became fascinated with threat finance.
Right then, she decided to change her civilian career, a choice that would lead her to the Executive MBA program at The Paul Merage School of Business and ultimately, her dream job at Chase.
Road to the EMBA
As a marketing professional in Silicon Valley early in her career, Hoff rode the wild rollercoaster of the Dot Com and Dot Bomb era. Bruised but unbroken, she repositioned her marketing and business development career in the construction industry in Sacramento, California—until that market crashed in 2009. Determined to reshape her skillset to be more resilient and in-demand in the global economy, Hoff joined the Army Reserves.
“I walked in the doorway of the recruiting center at the age of 36, and the recruiter asked if I was there for my son or daughter,” Hoff laughs. “No, I was there for myself.”
For the next decade, Hoff served as an intelligence analyst in various parts of the world including Qatar, South Korea, the United Arab Emirates and Iraq. While stationed overseas in 2014, she began her quest for an MBA, and was immediately impressed by UCI.
“The Merage School stood out head and shoulders above the other schools in the area in terms of the personal contact I received,” she says. “I was accepted to other schools, but Merage made it just so attractive. It was like when you’re standing on a subway platform and the train is coming, and you realize better get on.”
In her cohort of about 35 Executive MBA students, Hoff noticed that their very first group assignment was intentionally organized to include members with backgrounds from operations, finance, IT and marketing.
“Everything is incredibly thoughtful and personalized,” she says.
One of her most memorable experiences in the 21-month EMBA program was the international residency in India, where the students visited ten companies and saw first-hand how technological innovations are revolutionizing their emerging markets. The trip was exhilarating, Hoff says.
“With so many of these courses, you feel like you’re at the edge of a cliff where you’re comfortable thinking, but the professors challenge you to step beyond your comfort,” she says. “And lo and behold, the cliff moved out a little further for us, and we could take those next steps with confidence.”
The Merage School also provided specific support for Hoff and the other veterans in her cohort, seamlessly integrating with UCI’s Veterans Services Center, which completes necessary paperwork to ensure students receive their GI Benefits. When Hoff had to leave UCI to attend Army training one quarter, the school arranged for her to work remotely with a faculty member on a special project so she could stay with her class and graduate on time. For Hoff, this reinforced that the Merage School works alongside the Veterans Services Center to advocate for veterans, even when duty calls.
Hoff also took advantage of the school’s Career Center to help her with something many veterans struggle with: translating her military experience to the business world. The staff helped Hoff clearly and concisely describe her hard skills and especially her soft skills, since she aimed to transition into threat finance, which would rely on her analytical and critical thinking skills, as well as her grasp of digital technology.
Polish and Professionalism
The job Hoff landed as a “Know Your Customer” Officer at Chase allows her to put all her hard-earned skills together.
“When working with customers, I constantly use my ‘pleasantly persistent’ approach from my days in marketing,” says Hoff. “But I also dive into databases, do research, and use critical thinking to analyze the customer’s behavior and activities, while also understanding the policy and procedures that drive so much of what we do in the intelligence world and in banking.”
As Hoff continues her work with the military, she says the Executive MBA program has boosted her confidence and polish—two factors that were especially important on her recent deployment to the U.S. Embassy in the United Arab Emirates.
“It’s been such a confidence boost to be able to present more effectively and powerfully,” Hoff says, “and to have the polish and professionalism to work and interact with people who are regulars in DC.”
Since graduating, Hoff remains active with the Merage School. Her EMBA cohort still gets together monthly, and each month she also attends an alumni association luncheon, held within walking distance from her office.
“It’s great hearing from alumni as far back as the 1990s, that even today they feel the impact of their experience at the Merage School and want to stay engaged,” she says.
Hoff also joined the Dean’s Leadership Circle, which brings together alumni, faculty, staff, and the community to work together to advance the Merage School through targeted initiatives, such as completing a new, 300-seat auditorium, securing world-renowned faculty, improving classroom technology for students.
“We celebrate U.S veterans for their leadership both on and off campus,” says Tory Benoit, Executive Director of Development for the Merage School.
“Valerie’s leadership transcends her presence, because she works to represent the Dean’s Leadership Circle even when she’s stationed on the other side of the world,” she continued. “Her commitment to our community sets an example of how all alumni can make a meaningful impact.”
Returning to California from her most recent deployment, Hoff reflected on how far she’s come and how much she’s grown thanks to her experiences in the army and at the Merage School. She feels like she’s a better mentor for her soldiers now, and she encourages them to think about their life both in and out of the military and to focus on the quality of their education.
“There’s never a perfect time to go back to school, but if you’re serious about education, you’ll make the time,” she says. “Those who are achievers, absolutely make it happen.”
Those looking for an example of how it’s done, need look no further than her.
Veterans who wish to join the Dean’s Leadership Circle receive a special “pay as you wish” membership rate for the first five years, thanks to an initiative by Dean Eric Spangenberg. For more information, contact Matt O'Connor at 949.824.7311 or m.oconnor@uci.edu.
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