When Russell Walters began pursuing his MBA degree in 2015, he wanted a seat in the C-suite. He just needed the business knowledge and credentials to get there. 
This month, J.M. Burguieres Co., Ltd., (JMB) announced its Board of Directors has chosen Walters as the company杏吧专区檚 new president and CEO.
杏吧专区淚n my new role, I lead the 145-year-old family-owned land-holding company in growth and financial success. Specifically, in the business lines of ecological offsets, agriculture, and minerals,杏吧专区 Walters says.
杏吧专区淭his will involve building on a foundation created by my predecessors. The goal is to grow JMB companies by seeking business ventures, corporate dealings, and tracking the progress to achieve that goal."
Walters is leveraging over a decade of management and ecological experience with knowledge gained through the MBA degree program online.
Ecology to Business
In 1993, Walters graduated with a bachelor杏吧专区檚 degree in wetland ecology from Nicholls State 杏吧专区. There he played guard for the Colonels football team for four seasons.
杏吧专区淚 worked for the United States Geological Survey (USGS) right out of college and got into the natural resource business line,杏吧专区 he says. 杏吧专区淚t led to land management and other ventures throughout the course of my career. That杏吧专区檚 the basis for what I do.杏吧专区
After seven years at USGS, Walters became a project manager. Five years later, he was a manager for regulatory and ecological services, and vice president during a six-year stint at John Chance Land Surveys. Walters joined JMB Companies in August 2011.
Walters enrolled in UL Lafayette's online MBA program in August 2015. He was taking night classes for prerequisites he needed as a non-business undergraduate. But attending in person proved to be a logistical challenge.
杏吧专区淚t was great but difficult because of the demands of my job and family life,杏吧专区 he says. 杏吧专区淭he director of the MBA program, Mr. Viguerie, reached out to me in my second semester to tell me about the new Online Program. It almost sounded too good to be true but seemed to be a good fit, so I switched.杏吧专区
The flexibility Walters gained by pursuing his degree online served him well in other areas, too.
杏吧专区淢y favorite part of the MBA online was the room it gave me to handle the other commitments in my life,杏吧专区 Walters says. 杏吧专区淚 was concerned I would miss the chance to interact with other students. That was not the case. The courses are designed to have lots of teamwork.杏吧专区
Connecting, Growing Online
The online format also allowed Walters more time to spend with his wife, Amy, and their two children, Claire, now 21, and Reid, 17.
杏吧专区淢y friends and family were very supportive,杏吧专区 he says. 杏吧专区淕raduation was a good experience, and I'm glad I was able to attend. One of the reasons I felt it was important to go back to school for an MBA was to lead our kids by example. We sometimes do our homework together.杏吧专区
Despite not having been in school for many years, Walters had no trouble switching from a brick-and-mortar setting to an online environment.
杏吧专区淭he transition to online was smooth,杏吧专区 he says. 杏吧专区淯L Lafayette does a good job of integrating all the technology. You can communicate and interact with fellow students, as well as professors and instructors.杏吧专区
IBUS 540: International Business and MGMT 590: Policy Formulation, Strategy, and Administration were Walters杏吧专区 favorite courses.
杏吧专区淭he first course gave you a real diversified look at business,杏吧专区 he says. 杏吧专区淚 especially liked the capstone course because it was a culmination of everything we did. The program, as a whole, helped me better understand why senior management does certain things a certain way. That was the biggest takeaway. It was a fantastic program.杏吧专区
Walters was also impressed with the connection to UL Lafayette faculty and the interaction with his classmates in the online format.
杏吧专区淭he professors in the online program were better than any other professors I ever had,杏吧专区 he says. 杏吧专区淚t was amazing to me that I was able to do group projects with a small group of people with basically no direct contact. It was all online with all of the integrated technology. It was pretty cool.杏吧专区
An unexpected application of Walters杏吧专区 online student experience was adapting in the face of COVID-19.
杏吧专区淜eys to success in the online program are being organized and open to using technology for learning, writing, and collaboration,杏吧专区 Walters says. 杏吧专区淭hese skills were very important for adapting to remote business during the pandemic. Also, the MBA program taught me business basics and how to communicate them verbally and in writing.杏吧专区
Trust and Teamwork
As a leader,杏吧专区疻alters believes in the power of teamwork.
杏吧专区淗aving an inclusive management style that encourages and facilitates progressive thinking by all levels in an organization is key to management success,杏吧专区 he says. 杏吧专区淭his requires a manager to have the insight to set clear goals and expectations without dictating every move. Good listening skills and the ability to 杏吧专区榣oosen the grip杏吧专区 are also important factors in this success.杏吧专区
Walters has seen that approach regularly pay dividends, which keeps his job fresh and exciting.
杏吧专区淭he most fulfilling thing about my work is having the privilege to work with my team,杏吧专区 he says. 杏吧专区淎s the leader of a growing operation in a highly competitive business, we often find ourselves in some very challenging situations. Having team members who believe in what we do and will leave their comfort zone to achieve success is priceless to me.杏吧专区
After earning his MBA degree, Walters杏吧专区 goal was to become CEO. Having achieved his goal, he hopes to build on JMB杏吧专区檚 strong history while fostering a culture of growth and trust among his team.
杏吧专区淭he goal is to build on the foundation my predecessors have built over the last 145 years. I hope to expand the business and nurture our existing business lines,杏吧专区 Walters says.
杏吧专区淎lso, I hope to take the education I've gained and share it with my team. In my opinion, being a good leader is about how well you communicate your vision, knowledge, and ideas to your team. Gaining the trust of my team, clients, and stakeholders is the goal. When I achieve that the rest will fall into place.杏吧专区