Jay Wendt
Baylor EMBA, Healthcare Concentration, 2014
Chief Executive Officer, Martin Bionics
"Reaching the Healthcare C-Suite with a Baylor EMBA"
Jay Wendt has a busy life. He is the CEO at Martin Bionics and married with two children. But Wendt knew, back in 2012, that in order to get to the next step in his career, he needed to shore up some gaps in his business knowledge as well as stretch himself personally and professionally. He said: “It stretched me to get to get back into the classroom setting. Re-establishing study habits, engaging my brain back into concepts that I had not thought of for quite some time, and managing a very busy professional schedule challenged me to a great degree.”
Why the Healthcare Concentration?
Wendt also knew that completing the Healthcare specialization that Baylor offers would also best fit his business needs. “The Baylor EMBA Healthcare Concentration gave me the opportunity to apply healthcare specific concepts that I learned in the program to the healthcare profession that I operate in daily. The healthcare industry is a very different business, with different business models, in many respects.”
He continued: “For example, how many industries can you identify where the end user is not necessarily the payor? In an industry where most of the industry drivers are clinical rather than businesspeople, it creates a different set of challenges and opportunities that requires a different skill set. While much of the content and course material of the regular EMBA can be applied in general, the Healthcare specific focus brought added value to learn how to be successful in this very different industry.”
Wendt looked at several programs in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, but ultimately felt like the Baylor Executive MBA with the Healthcare Concentration fit his goals best. “I chose the Baylor EMBA Program for several reasons. First, I liked the Christian environment and atmosphere that the program offered, as it was in line with my personal mission and life outlook. Secondly, the program is nationally recognized as one of the top EMBA programs, and it was important for me to receive my MBA from a university with a high level of recognition and credibility. Last, the class schedule worked well for me. I am very proud and honored to be an alumnus of this program.”
Looking Back on Baylor
Now, a decade after enrolling in the EMBA program, Wendt still talks about the value of his degree and the skills he learned in his time at Baylor. One vital value-add for him was focusing on servant leadership. He said “As CEO, my main role is interacting with my team. Motivating and getting the most out of the people in the organization is critical to success. I set the strategy, the direction, and the pace, while driving a positive level of accountability to achieve success. I have a consistent communication cadence throughout all levels of the organization and subscribe firmly to servant leadership. I want my success to come through the success of my team.”
To fellow C-suite members/executives who are questioning the ROI of an MBA, Wendt said, “I had a good experience in the Baylor EMBA program. I met good people, furthered my network, and learned some basic concepts from a business perspective that I was able to apply quickly and make me a better executive.”
The Baylor network is one of the most valuable aspects to the program, Wendt says, as he has former classmates who he considers close friends. "Our families have gone to games together, and we stay in touch.” Additionally, being a Baylor MBA graduate also helped open the door for Wendt's current role as the CEO of Martin Bionics, of which a former Baylor business school graduate, Scott McLain, is the Board Chair.
What stands out to Wendt as the most important takeaway from his experience? “The most important takeaway for me is the sense of pride and accomplishment that I feel as a successful Baylor MBA graduate. With all that I learned and developed while in the program that has been helpful and applicable in my career, there is value in the achievement, and the feeling of accomplishment that comes from graduating from the program.””
What's Next
Are you interested in finding out if an Executive MBA degree could be the next step in your career? Baylor University offers the Executive Master of Business Administration at the Hankamer School of Business in Dallas, one of Texas' key business and cultural hubs. Reach out for a one-on-one consultation with our admissions advisers. Complete the form below, and our team will contact you directly.
