Ken Rhone Finds Balance Between Boeing and MBA

Kenneth Rhone December ‘20, Jenkins MBA Program

When Ken Rhone entered the Jenkins MBA Program in 2017, he brought with him the experience that can only come with more than 20 years in the workforce. 

“I had a 22-year career at various employers, including the International Truck and Engine Corporation in Chicago, Rockwell Automation in Milwaukee, Emerson Electric in Austin, GlaxoSmithKline in Durham and The Boeing Company in Seattle,” Rhone says. “The Jenkins MBA Program offered the convenience of online study, without sacrificing the quality of the program. I wanted to brighten my horizons on the business aspect of corporations, not just the technical.”

Rhone, who grew up in Fayetteville, N.C., received his bachelor’s degree in industrial technology and electronics from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in Greensboro in 1994. Immediately after, he pursued his master’s degree in electronics and computer systems technology from Indiana State University.

The Jenkins MBA Program offered the convenience of online study, without sacrificing the quality of the program.

As a current employee for The Boeing Company, Rhone helps develop the business case and justification for implementing present and future technologies in the factory that will help the company improve quality and reduce the time it takes to manufacture aircraft.

With all his technical knowledge and industry experience, he wanted to dive deeper into various aspects of business management – while also needing a quality program that provides flexibility to work around his busy schedule. The Jenkins Online MBA program, Rhones says, provided all that – and more.

When he graduated in December ‘20 with his MBA, he walked away with new tools and knowledge he immediately applied to his career – such as the use of statistics and data analytics to make business and financial decisions and how to market products and services digitally to ensure success and growth. But above all, he remembers the commitment and support of the Jenkins MBA faculty and staff.

“Their expertise has given me insight on how I can achieve my professional and business goals moving forward,” Rhone says. “The staff and advisors, who in addition to my professors, made my MBA experience exhilarating.” 

This post was originally published in Poole College of Management News.