Martha Dreiling ’10 chose Shenandoah University for the School of Business Master of Business Administration program (MBA) because it allowed her the flexibility to continue working a full-time job while completing her degree. Even though she didn’t spend a lot of time on campus she still felt like a part of the community.
“There is a clear sense of community at Shenandoah that permeates every part of the campus,” said Dreiling.
Some of her fondest memories at Shenandoah were the camaraderie forged during the all-day Saturday afternoon marathon classes as part of the MBA program, where she bonded with her cohort over shared challenges and triumphs.
“Shenandoah was a place where I grew into my own as a strategic thinker and business leader,” said Dreiling. “I learned foundational skills as well as multidisciplinary thinking.”
Dreiling is a co-founder and chief operating officer at Reserv, a venture capital-backed insurance technology company, revolutionizing the property and casualty claims process. She oversees the business’ day-to-day operations, leveraging generative AI, data analytics and strategic thinking to enhance customer experience. Before her role at Reserv, she served as the senior vice president of operations at OnDeck, a Fintech company. She also held executive positions at Attune Insurance and Rhino.
Dreiling’s most rewarding experiences in her career include her pivotal role in taking OnDeck public and witnessing the company’s growth from a Series A business to an Initial Public Offering (IPO) business. “The day I was able to stand on the balcony of the New York Stock Exchange with the rest of the executive team from OnDeck to help take the company public will always be one of the best-treasured life experiences I have ever had,” said Dreiling.
Dreiling’s Shenandoah education prepared her for her career by giving her the foundational skills and multidisciplinary thinking to become a successful business leader. “Connecting the dots between concepts is one of the most critical capabilities of any leader and my time at Shenandoah reinforced and nurtured that kind of thinking,” said Dreiling.
Dreiling’s advice to current and future students is to: “Be an analytical thinker who can connect the dots between problems. You must build the muscle and capability of zooming into a problem and then being able to zoom out to make sure you have a handle on the macro landscape.”