Meet Ray Nagel: Combining Experience, Education and Interest

Raymond Nagel got his MBA from AIU to give himself options outside of the healthcare industry, where he has worked in management level positions for over 20 years. And, within a year of graduating, he did move on from the healthcare management position he had held as a CEO in Miami, Florida...but he moved on to another healthcare-related position.

"I wanted an MBA to be more marketable and to be able to work in any kind of business management position, not just healthcare or non-profit. Even though I wanted to have the option of diversifying, I wasn't going to pass up this new opportunity."

Ray's new position is Chief Executive Officer of Maine Veterans' Homes. He oversees 1,000 employees spread over six different locations. His previous CEO position had him in charge of 150 people. "It's a huge leap."

"An MBA wasn't a requirement for this new position, although it was a preferred alternative. I think that it is a bit of a shield too when making a leap from 150 employees to 1,000 employees like I did. An MBA is a symbol that tells other people you know what you're doing."

Ray took over as Maine Veterans' Homes' CEO in early July and has been settling in nicely. He has already hired a COO and worked with the non-profit's board and present employees to select a Human Resources Manager.

Ray's past experience in the healthcare industry isn't the only thing making him perfect for this new position. Ray himself is a lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserves and a Gulf War veteran. In an interview with a Maine newspaper, the Chairman of the Board that hired Ray said, "Ray Nagel has impressive leadership and administrative skills and an extensive healthcare background. We are very pleased to have him as our new Chief Executive Officer."

Although Ray didn't need an MBA for this new position, he is glad he has it—and not only because it lets others know he has a certain level of knowledge and expertise. He had actually tried several times to get his MBA before enrolling at AIU Online. "Before I found AIU Online, I did a few traditional MBA programs, but each time I found I couldn't dedicate the time necessary to do the work required. My MBA kept taking a backseat because my job and family came first. I didn't want to quit work, and I couldn't have afforded to quit work, so it didn't seem it was meant to be."

Then, through his military acquaintances and connections, he heard about online MBA programs. "I was skeptical though. Very, very skeptical. I thought it would be something like, 'You pay the fee; you get a degree.'" Then one of Ray's fellow officers told him about the online degree she had just earned.and the fact the Army didn't hesitate in recognizing it. She got a promotion as soon as she had graduated.

Ray googled the school this fellow officer had graduated from and it, along with several others popped up. Over the next two months, Ray researched each school and interviewed admission advisors extensively. "The accreditation source was very important to me."

Because Ray had so much prior experience in management, he was already familiar with the subjects of many of his classes; he was weak in marketing though. "I was happy to pick up new skills in those classes and I have to say I really, really enjoyed doing all the research projects the instructors assigned. Surprisingly, it was really fun."

Ray appreciated the dedication of his fellow students as well. "In every single class, more than 80% of the people were highly motivated and had ideas and experience to contribute. You could tell the remaining 20% were hoping that AIU Online was one of those falsely-accredited degree mills and that they wouldn't have to do any work to get their grades and degree. They quickly learned AIU Online did require lots of work though and eventually they would slough off."

Ray certainly made the most of his time at AIU Online!

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