Online MBA Student Matt Conti Named Among ‘Best and Brightest’ by Poets & Quants

Poets & Quants released their 2025 Best and Brightest Online MBA list which included NC State’s online MBA student Joseph Pinkney.

Age: 35
Hometown: Raleigh, NC
Fun fact about yourself: I am an avid Carolina Hurricanes fan! Go Canes.

Undergraduate School and Degree:

UNC-CH Bachelor of Science in Biology, Minor in Chemistry and History

Campbell University Jerry M Wallace School of Osteopathic Medicine, Doctorate of Osteopathy (DO)

Where are you currently working?

UNC Physician’s Network- I work as a hospitalist at Wayne UNC Healthcare in Goldsboro, NC

Medical Director of Hospitalist Program at UNC Rockingham in Eden, NC

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? Getting through medical school and residency. It was years of dedicated work and putting my life on hold so I could better serve others. This career is very rewarding and I enjoy taking care of people and helping them.

Why did you choose this school’s online MBA program? I grew up in the Raleigh area and knew about N.C. State and its top programs. I had friends do business school and get their Master of Accounting at N.C. State, so knew they had a good program. I also liked the proximity to where I lived. The asynchronous learning style also allowed me more flexibility with my work.

What was your favorite part of being in an online MBA program? My favorite experience was the group work. While we were all in different parts of the country or state, we were able to come together and meet via Zoom or Google Meet to get the work done.

How did your online experience compare with your in-the-classroom experience as an undergraduate student? I enjoyed the online experience better. It allowed for more flexibility when learning the material. If you had time today, you could watch all the lectures for the week in a small amount of time rather than having it spread out over the week and having to show up there for the lectures.

What is your best piece of advice to an applicant for thriving in an online MBA program? Do not wait to do your work. It is easy for it to pile up. With the asynchronous learning style. it is easy to postpone projects and homework, but make sure you prioritize time throughout the week to get it done.

How has your online education helped you in your current job? The education with finance, data analytics, and leadership has helped tremendously. I did not have much finance experience prior to this MBA. Also. the data analytics certificate has helped me understand the data that electronic medical records collect and the systems needed for it.

Did you earn a promotion while in the program or immediately after graduation? In my last semester, I was promoted to be the Medical Director of the Hospitalist program at UNC Rockingham. My boss told me it was because of my MBA experience.

Why did you pursue an online MBA program instead of a full-time residential or executive MBA program? The finances did not make sense for me to stop working and do a full time MBA program. Also, an executive MBA program is not asynchronous, and could be difficult to do with my schedule.

What is one way that your business school has integrated AI into your programming? What insights did you gain from using AI? They routinely had students use AI for research and finding information. They were very up front and honest with wanting us to use AI to help us, and for us to become familiar with using it. They did not allow us to use AI to complete assignments however.

Number of Hours Per Week Spent on an Online MBA: 15-20 hours per week

What is your ultimate long-term professional goal? I would like to continue my pursuit of healthcare leadership and be in a position to transform healthcare for the better.

Read more on Poets & Quants.