Graduate Profile
Jo Stembler
Alexandria, Virginia
BA, International Relations, University of Colorado at Boulder, 1993
MBA, Negotiation and Conflict Management, Jones International University, 2006
Age: 35
Marital status: Single
Children: None
Current Profession: Chief, Transformation Management Unit
Current Employer: Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
Jo, what does your job at FEMA involve?
I am one of two leads in the Strategy and Innovation Office, which reports to the Office of the Director at FEMA. This office facilitates an agency-wide focus on the future direction of FEMA and the execution of those strategies. My group is specifically responsible for creating an Enterprise Program Management Office, a framework of standards, practices, and procedures based on industry best practices in project management, so the Agency can more effectively manage the programs designed to transform how FEMA operates in the future. It was an outgrowth of the challenges we faced during the extraordinary 2005 hurricane season.
What was life at FEMA like when Katrina, Rita and Wilma hit?
It is hard to describe to anyone that has not experienced it. I say that because people tried to explain what hurricane season was like to me before I lived through it. And you think you understand until you are in the middle of it.
All FEMA employees were either deployed directly to the disaster sites in Louisiana, Mississippi, or Texas or detailed to support the disasters at headquarters or one of our other facilities, working 6-7 days per week, 15-18 hours per day. I was detailed as an operations manager to our Mapping and Analysis Center. This group was responsible for providing GIS (geographic information system) map products: hurricane storm tracking, disaster impact assessments and predictive models, so we could pre-position supplies and teams for response. We mapped almost everything you could conceive of — damage, flood levels, population in the affected areas, transportation information, shelter locations, power outages, team locations, etc. The demands for the maps were intense, from individuals, local and state governments, our internal response groups, our federal partners, the media, the White House, FEMA management and others.
I don’t recall ever being as exhausted as I was from the end of August through November. I lived on Starbuck’s and sugar. The FEMA employees on the ground, working to help those impacted by the hurricanes, were amazing. The people at FEMA love their work and the mission of our organization. There were a lot of people giving 200 percent to try to get through what was the worst natural disaster in recent history. The scope and magnitude was incredible.
And you were attending JIU at the time.
Yes, in fact, I was scheduled to take two courses when Katrina hit. I did end up taking one of the two courses I was registered for, one of the toughest I have taken while at JIU. I was able to drop the second course. Luckily for me, within days of Katrina, JIU put a policy in place waiving standard financial and attendance policies, recognizing the importance of the effort and its impact to many JIU students. I cannot say enough about this, what it meant and what it told me about the values of the leadership at the school. It is one thing to teach leadership and another to live it. To me, this demonstrated true leadership by example.
How did you get into your line of work?
I have been involved in project, program and operations management my entire career. I began my career in the government through the Outstanding Scholars Program and was lucky enough to have an amazing supervisor and mentor in that first position in project management. I had a unique experience in that we were setting up a new organization at a small, self-supporting agency and I was able to learn and do things I likely would not have had a chance to do for years if I had been in a more traditional environment. It was an amazing jump start to my career.
So, your background is in project management, yet you chose to pursue an MBA in Negotiation and Conflict Management. Why this particular specialization?
The primary reason that I chose to specialize in Negotiation and Conflict Management, beyond the interesting nature of the courses, is because my goal is to be at the upper levels of the organization, and the skill sets I need appeared to be contained within this specialization.
And why JIU?
I liked the flexibility that an online program allows. I chose JIU specifically because of the specialty programs. In my research, they appeared unique.
Has your work at FEMA changed as a result of your education?
I was promoted to my current position toward the end of my MBA program. And I have changed in the ways I approach and manage situations. The knowledge I gained through my coursework has given me a new perspective on how I handle my relationships with colleagues, with employees and with supervisors and other stakeholders. I also believe it has given me a clearer perception of the big picture and how I can not only fit into it, but perhaps influence it as well.
There’s nothing like a promotion for validating all your hard work! Have you had any additional feedback from your employer about your increased skills and knowledge?
I have actually. My previous supervisor was a huge proponent of education and training, and was very supportive throughout the completion of my program. He made specific mention of my increased skills, especially as I often used what I was doing at work and the situations I was in as part of my studies. What I learned helped me grow as both an employee and a manager. Additionally, I believe that what I gained through my studies was part of my recent promotion to the Office of the Director. I now work on a regular basis with the leaders of my agency and am in a position to influence change.
So you were obviously able to apply what you were learning, while you were learning it, to your workplace.
I used so much of what I learned every day in my professional life. So often, there is a perception that graduate management programs teach theory and what is taught is not relatable to the reality of business today. That was not my experience. I was able to relate and implement concepts I learned in leadership, negotiation, decision making, strategic thinking and conflict management quite directly in my everyday life, both professionally and personally.
What did you most enjoy about your experiences as a JIU student?
The interaction with my classmates. One of the best things about education, beyond the obvious, is the opportunity to learn and exchange knowledge with others who are in similar positions to yours and have been dealing with similar problems. That was my only concern with an online program; I was afraid I would not get that interaction without a classroom environment. However, the structure of the courses and the Forum discussions provided the environment I was looking for.
Would you recommend JIU to family, friends or colleagues? If so, why?
Yes, I would highly recommend JIU. It was a great experience for me. The instructors are top notch, the work is challenging but delivers what it promises and I learned so much from the students I worked with during my program. Despite being an online program, JIU provides really good mechanisms, both technologically and through the class process, to ensure interaction among students that is worth your time.
Any words of encouragement or advice for current JIU students?
Going through the program is tough. Trying to work full-time, have a social life/family life and go to classes is really hard. But stick it out. The end result is worth it and you will be glad you did.