A Runway for Success
Rachel Badali BS ’17, MBA ’22, Marketing & Communications
When MaryBeth Capell BS ’13 finishes her workday maintaining instruments used in planes like the C-130 and F-16 at Hill Air Force Base, her school day starts.
Capell is pursuing a Master of Business Administration from Weber State. Last spring, she was among the first students to take a WSU graduate class offered on-site at Hill Air Force Base.
“Having class so close to work helps me keep my forward momentum,” Capell said. “It helps me stay in work-mode instead of getting off work, going home, and then dragging myself back out.”
In 2024, the university and base partnered to bring education opportunities to military personnel, their families, and civilian employees.
Capell is an electronic integrated systems mechanic. She works on flight instruments like the liquid oxygen fuel indicator, gas temperature indicator, and pressure transmitter. She has been a civilian employee of the 309th Electronics Maintenance Group since early 2022.
“I like the end product of my job; I’m getting planes back up in the air,” Capell said. “And I like the camaraderie. Somebody who has a more high-risk job than I do is dependent on me to do my job correctly to protect us as a nation.”
She’s also worked for Northrop Grumman and was previously a contract employee on Hill Air Force Base. Though she finds her work fulfilling, she’s ready for the next step. Getting an MBA will unlock new job opportunities in areas like finance or analytics, which Capell is interested in.
Building Opportunities
Weber State’s MBA program is designed for working professionals, offering evening classes so employees can develop skills applicable across fields and excel in their careers. François Carrier, program director, said this makes it a great fit for anyone wanting to advance, including Hill Air Force Base employees like Capell.
“We admit people who are going to be great leaders,” Carrier said. “Anyone who has a leadership mindset, a good heart, integrity, and wants to better themselves so they can lead and serve.”
Carrier said the base is an important community partner, and he’s always looking for ways to connect with and meet the needs of the state’s most vital employers.
In 2015, the MBA program introduced two new certificates: aerospace program management and contract management. These certificates are open to all students but created specifically with base employees in mind.
Previously, if a team member wanted to pursue a management track, they’d likely enroll in an aerospace MBA program outside of Utah. WSU created a comparable pathway with more convenience, affordability, and in-person support.
“We want to establish relationships where we understand employers,” Carrier said, “so they can tap into the quality education of a Weber State degree and develop professionals.”
Hundreds of MBA program alumni work in the aerospace or defense industry. Right now, Capell is one of close to 30 students sponsored by Hill Air Force Base earning their MBA.
For her, advancing her education means becoming a better leader. It also means career growth, potentially a higher salary, and the chance to pivot to what she calls “bigger picture” roles that impact an entire squadron.
To reach her goals, she’s taken MBA classes at the Education & Training Office building on the base and online. Other classes are held at WSU Davis, which is just minutes from the base.
WSU plans to offer more on-site degrees at the base, focusing on high-demand fields for both enlisted and civilian employees, including a Master of Health Administration, Master of Science in Electrical Engineering, Master of Science in Systems Engineering, and a Master of Education.
These graduate courses are open to anyone with access to the base, which includes active duty military personnel, dependents, retirees, and approximately 20,000 civilian employees.
While the MBA program is synchronous — so students log in at a set time for real-time engagement — some other programs, like the Master of Health Administration and Master of Science in Nursing, offer delivery methods with no required meeting times. That means even active duty personnel could earn a master’s degree while working or being deployed.
A Wingman for Every Step
Capell, along with anyone else on the base, has easy access to on-site support and graduate studies advising.
Chris Hatch, WSU’s Military-Affiliated Student Center peer mentoring program manager, spends the majority of his time on the base, connecting students with information and services.
He brings years of professional experience and personal perspective to his role. Hatch spent more than a decade working in public affairs while serving active duty in the U.S. Air Force. Now, he’s in the Reserve.
His mission is to help students earn their degrees, whether that means working with his team to ensure benefits are dispersed correctly, providing moral support, or sharing ideas on how to successfully juggle work and class.
In 2024, about 950 students at WSU used GI Bill benefits, which helps qualifying military members, veterans, and family members pay for school. Hundreds more not included in that number are serving or have military affiliations.
Each of those Wildcats can visit Hatch or others at the Military-Affiliated Student Center for help.
“The biggest challenge for students serving is the unpredictable nature of the military itself,” Hatch said. “If you know you could be deployed in three days, that is very hard and weighing on students.”
He emphasizes the importance of flexibility — something he said WSU professors are excellent at offering.
Hatch recalled working with a student who was deployed in the middle of the semester but didn’t have to drop his class because the professor offered accommodations to keep him going.
He notes that helping students achieve their academic goals is about more than fulfilling potential; it’s also about economic growth and national security.
According to the University of Utah Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, Utah’s military and defense industry directly and indirectly supports more than 173,000 jobs. James Taylor, WSU’s Office of Sponsored Projects executive director, said that creates an “insatiable need” for skilled employees.
“We have to be supplying enough students graduating with relevant degrees to make sure they have people to actually do the work,” Taylor said. “It becomes mission critical.”
Serving All Who Serve
All who contribute to defending the country — whether military personnel, family members, civilian employees, contractors, or others — play an essential role. That’s why Taylor highlights the importance of meeting the educational needs of all those populations.
The Rosie Project is another way WSU supports military families and bolsters the workforce. This free information technology course helps military spouses learn and get plugged into well-paying tech jobs.
The university also offers prior learning credit for military training and has pathways to help veterans transition to civilian careers.
Whatever the route, Taylor said the goal is to provide more opportunities to take off toward a successful future.
Capell is studying finance, accounting, supply chain, and economics — all meant to help her become fluent in the language of business and learn what goes into great management.
As she approaches graduation, she’s more frequently connecting classroom knowledge to work. In her organizational behavior class, she was reminded of a leader’s ability to impact culture and company outcomes.
“Your mentality can make or break a whole system,” she said. “On Hill Air Force Base, it goes back to what we call ‘AOP.’ It’s the art of the possible. It’s never just, ‘What can I do for myself?’”
That principle has stuck with her as a Wildcat and a government employee.
“Instead of being self-serving, it’s understanding how to work for everyone as a whole,” she said. “That’s what makes everybody’s experience better. That’s a leader.”