Advanced Education | MBA

Why should I get my MBA? How can I prepare for an MBA? What are some tips for getting accepted to top-tier MBA programs? What doors will an MBA open for me?

Join us Wednesday, August 31st at 1600 MT to hear from USAFA graduates who chose to pursue a Masters in Business Administration as part of advancing their respective careers. If you are considering going for your MBA, please tune in to gain some insight and knowledge into the process, and the potential career prospects that follow. Submit any questions you have for the panel to address!

The Panelists

Host - Lt Col (Ret) Robert "Bobby" Wolfe '99

Mr. Wolfe is a Director in the Houlihan Lokey Technology Investment Banking Group. As an Investment Banker, Bobby advises leading technology companies on all aspects of corporate finance including more than $17 billion in transaction value throughout his career. His efforts have garnered industry accolades, including multiple "Deal of the Year Awards" from the industry's most discerning professional organizations. Mr. Wolfe began his investment banking career with Morgan Stanley in Silicon Valley. Following his graduation from USAFA in 1999, Bobby began his military service as a strategic airlift pilot where he accumulated over 2,300 flying hours, including 189 combat hours throughout his Air Force career. Mr. Wolfe has an M.A. from the University of Oklahoma and an MBA from Harvard Business School. Since separating from active duty, Bobby has mentored dozens of transitioning veterans since 2009 and is proud to have helped many Alumni matriculate into top-tier MBA programs. He retired as a Lt Col in the Air Force Reserves in 2019.

Vai Schierholtz '11

Vai Schierholtz, USAFA Class of 2011, is the Director of Marketing and an Admissions Board Member at Harvard Business School. Before transitioning to the private sector, Vai was an acquisitions officer at Los Angeles Air Force Base and later an aircraft maintenance officer at Holloman Air Force Base. After receiving his MBA from Harvard Business School in 2019, Vai worked in investment banking on the west coast and in business development and strategy at a defense technology start-up in Washington DC before returning to Harvard for his current role.

Royd Lim '13

Royd Lim, Class of 2013, is currently an Associate at McKinsey & Company. After serving as an Artillery Officer in the Marine Corps, he went on to attend Columbia Business School and subsequently worked at Apple as an Operations Program Manager. 

Loyd Bradley '14

Loyd Bradley, Jr. is an MBA Candidate at The University of Pennsylvania - The Wharton School. Loyd is a veteran who served as a Finance Officer in the United States Air Force in Alaska, Ohio, and at the Pentagon where he gained experience in leading teams and executing large budgets. As a finance officer, he has worked across public and private industries to successfully complete the mission of the Air Force. Loyd has conducted cost analysis on billion-dollar programs resulting in bringing the Air Force the newest technology. He is also the Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer for Diversity Capital Partners (DCP), a private commercial real estate holding group that has successfully completed the acquisition of multiple small businesses. Loyd holds a B.S. from the United States Air Forces Academy in Management and an M.S. degree from the Air Force Institute of Technology in Cost Analysis.

Jennifer LaBarge '14

Jennifer is in her first year of a business leadership development program at Raytheon Intelligence & Space as part of the Requirements & Capabilities organization. In this position, she works for Global Capabilities & Solutions as part of the Air & Space dominance team. Before starting at Raytheon, she graduated from the University of Chicago Booth in June 2022 with her MBA, concentrations in finance, accounting, and entrepreneurship. During business school, she served as the Booth Armed Forces Group CoChair and was a member of multiple professional affinity groups. Prior to Booth she served in the Air Force for 6 years as a contracting officer, executing federal contracts and conducting price negotiations in support of both the 56th Fighter Wing and special operations in South and Central America. Jennifer is from Lincoln, California and graduated from USAFA in 2014 with a BS in Economics.