Moore School Professional MBA program student Tiffany Crumpton (’02 marketing and human resources management) chose to get her MBA because she wanted to enhance her leadership skills and allow for more opportunities for advancement. While working on her degree, she has been promoted twice since May 2020.
Scheduled to graduate with her MBA in May 2021, Crumpton is currently the senior director of marketing for the U.S. Market Group at Blackbaud, one of the world’s leading cloud software companies. She has held many different positions with Blackbaud, from senior technical support and implementation analyst to director of vertical marketing for the higher education business unit.
“The Professional MBA program has played a key role in getting me ready to take on larger roles at work,” Crumpton said. “When I started the Professional MBA program, I oversaw marketing for one of our vertical businesses. Halfway through the program, I expanded to oversee marketing for three vertical businesses. Now I have the role of overseeing marketing for eight vertical businesses across our entire U.S. Market Group.”
Crumpton credits her MBA coursework with providing the skills she needed to take on more supervisory responsibilities and a more prominent position with Blackbaud.
After more than 15 years in the workforce, she decided in 2019 that it was time to go back to school to get her MBA. The stellar reputation of the Moore School’s Professional MBA program, world-class faculty and convenience of the Charleston-based classroom made it an easy decision for Crumpton. She said that coming back to the Moore School felt a little bit like coming back full circle with her career.
“Since [undergraduate] graduation, I have traveled millions of miles, taken on many roles at work with increasing responsibility, and learned a lot of lessons along the way,” Crumpton said. “I truly felt it was time to push myself further with this next challenge.”
Crumpton not only has more experience under her belt since she obtained her bachelor’s degrees at USC but also has differing priorities.
“I have many different roles in my life — mom [to an almost five year old], wife, manager, mentor, vice chair and board member of the Lowcountry Food Bank- the list goes on. We all wear a lot of hats in our everyday lives,” Crumpton said. “Being a full-time working professional in the PMBA program has taught me to ruthlessly prioritize and begin with the end in mind.”
Juggling all of these roles can prove to be challenging at times; however, Crumpton said that students who work full time have to take things one day at a time and realize that this is a season in their life. Each night, she sketches out her main goals and duties for the next day so that she has a routine to follow. Carving out time for daycare drop off, work, homework, etc., is difficult, but Crumpton said she figures out a way to get it all done, even if she has to multitask by doing things like fitting in class reading while exercising.
Crumpton added it is important to utilize a support system while earning a degree part time while balancing a full-time job and family. She credits her classmates as some of her main sources of support.
“I also cannot underscore enough how your PMBA classmates are one of your best sources of support and inspiration during your PMBA journey,” she said. “I have worked with incredible group members in different classes, and I have Charleston-based classmates who I regularly team up with on group projects and study sessions. Drawing from their experience and viewpoints has made me a stronger leader.”
Crumpton is able to immediately apply what she and her classmates learn from their group projects and class time to her day-to-day work life. She said that she has grown in learning about management skill building, cross-industry expertise and knowledge and rapidly iterating leadership styles to address the ever-changing dynamics of business today.
“The Professional MBA program has accelerated learning and knowledge in my industry and business and allowed me to take on a newly expanded role at work with a larger team,” she said. “Taking on the challenge of completing this program has really pushed me to new levels. It has been an incredible experience.”
The Moore School has taught Crumpton invaluable lessons and has allowed her to excel in her career path.
With graduation around the corner this semester, Crumpton said she is excited to conclude her “season of reason” come graduation day and complete her goal of obtaining her MBA.
-Claire McGrath