Meet Christina Tamayo, MBA '22

What was your pre-MBA Industry and function?

• Military, US Army Military
• Police Officer

What will be your post-MBA Industry?

• Energy transition, renewables, cleantech, innovation, sustainability

Why did you want to pursue your MBA?

The Army gave me a broad operational and leadership experience, so in the next chapter of my life, I wanted to marry my experiences with equally potent quantitative skills. I knew I wanted to move into something sustainability focused, so an MBA was a way for me to explore what my next career looks like. I became passionate about the idea of how to commercialize technology or ideas that decreases environmental impact, while generating profit for all stakeholders. I wanted an MBA to see what it takes to form, run and maintain successful businesses. An MBA is a platform for transformation, to enhance my network and personal exploration. I wanted the opportunity to let my intellectual curiosity roam free while meeting peers who are equally or more driven than me to make an impact with their MBA.  

Why did you choose Rice Business?

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The community aspect of Rice is what attracted me. My husband and I recently transitioned out of the Army, and at the same time had our first child. We were both looking to do our MBA. We knew we wanted a supportive community because we were in such a transformative time in our lives. The access to professors, resources and spirit of collaboration were much like I experienced during my time at West Point. I craved an intimate learning experience among a like-spirited, yet diverse group of peers. You can feel from every student that it’s about collaborating and learning, not competition at all costs. 

As far as exploring a new career in sustainability — I knew Houston as the Energy Capital of the World, as I’m a native Houstonian, born and raised. However, I left when I was 18 to start a life and career in the military. When I returned 12 years later, I wondered how Houston was adapting to a growing demand for cleaner energy and a more circular economy. I came to Rice Business to explore how sustainability, energy, and business can grow together. The backdrop of Houston and its growing innovation corridor was another attraction that brought me to Rice

What are you most proud of from your time at Rice Business?

I’m most proud of my peer leaders in the Cleantech and Energy Associations putting their faith in me to create a national case competition from scratch. I had no idea I was capable of this when I started my MBA. I call this my start-up experience. I served as the executive chair. I drove group goals, planning framework and fundraised from our collective network. We recruited first year students and soon enough we had a full development team! The competition is called the Rice Business Energy and Cleantech Case Competition (RBEC3). We had a huge number of alumni and industry partners volunteer for the coffee chat portion of our event. Professor Linda Capuano was invaluable in helping mentor us as she on-boarded for her inaugural year of teaching at Rice Business and advisor to the dean on energy initiatives. Our Executive MBAs also reached out to their networks and helped judge. In our first year, we had 9 teams from across the country compete — more than some other well-established energy case competitions! I am proud and humbled that my classmates believed in the vision and helped create and execute this fantastic event, which was held in concert with the Rice Energy Finance Summit. 

What are you most proud of in your career?

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There’s a Poets and Quants profile of me out there, that talks about my accomplishments as a lead planner for emergency response plans while deployed in Korea. While I’m still proud of that as a singular accomplishment, my career continued to grow outside of the classroom. In August 2021, the U.S. military evacuated its presence out of Afghanistan. Though I didn’t deploy there, many of my friends did, including my husband. I could not stand by with the thought that their friends and allies were in danger, with nowhere to turn. These allies were the ones who risked their lives to make sure my friends and family could come back home.

I started by trying to help evacuate an Afghan Army officer I went to school with early in my career. I then joined a group of West Point graduates who were using our collective network and tech savvy to guide hundreds of Afghan allies and their families to safety. I helped scale and formalize the assistance process at Allied Airlift 21. At one point, I had two U.S. Ambassadors calling me, to see how they could help — the whole situation was wild. I used every skill from my Army career, like delegation and transparent communication, plus my MBA lessons, like the importance of governance, operations principles of optimization, and seeking experienced directors to grow and guide ‘startup’ strategy. Allied Airlift 21 still serves thousands of allies through its secure database product and case manager service, all in concert with the U.S. Government, and collaboration with partner organizations. The family I originally set out to help made it to the U.S. and are currently settled in Chicago. I am now engaged in providing financial support and guidance for them alongside another veteran. 
 

How has the Rice MBA helped you in your career?

The MBA gave me the confidence and platform to build a new network of professionals and mentors from which I can learn from and contribute. I now have the base skills in the language of business to start a conversation at an educated foundation with even the most senior of managers. I understand how complex models are built and the strategic choices common among big corporations or small startups. I’m appreciative of the academic rigor of the program that helped me become familiar with the language of business. The supportive network of professors, alumni and students pushed me to re-think what’s possible for my own career. 

What does it mean to you to be a woman in business?

Being a woman in business is letting people know that my diversity, whether it be biological or cultural, is my strength. Before my MBA, I worked in a male-dominated career field. I want other women to know that it’s ok to be the only one of you in the room, because that’s exactly how it is for everyone else. We are all special for our unique experiences, skills and attributes. The highest-performing teams I’ve been on have one thing in common: They appreciate each other’s unique mix of skills, attributes and experiences and leverage that to create innovative and resilient solutions. 

What advice would you give prospective students who are considering an MBA?

Education is a worthwhile investment. Institutional learning is your opportunity to take risks. You get the chance to fail fast and often, while learning from it. All the while you’re surrounded by guides, mentors, and cheerleaders, too. Yes, you are forgoing two years where you could be earning a full salary, but you are honing your edge in a way that is not possible in the workforce. It will burn you out, make you laugh and cry (maybe at the same time). An MBA will challenge you and reaffirm the core attributes that make you strong. An MBA is not for the faint of heart. It’s for those who want to make big impacts and understand the value of growing through challenge. Know that you can have a plan coming into the MBA and that it’s ok to change directions. You don’t know what’s out there if you haven’t been exposed to it.  

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More about me:

I’m a proud member of the following organizations: 

• Cleantech Association, co-president
• Strategy Association
• Women in Business
• Veterans in Business
• Rice Business Energy and Cleantech Case Competition, Executive Chair

I’m a mom of a two-year-old and a cat, and married to a Rice MBA (husband Alex Stodola, class of 2022 PMBA). The fun in both of us going through the program at the same time, is that we have such divergent intellectual curiosities and take completely different classes. It’s really shown me how Rice Business is designed to allow everyone to explore and make their own best path and version of the MBA experience