Never Stop Growing: Enhancing a Longstanding Career in Leadership with an MS MSL from MSU
Last Updated March 27, 2024
Jill Maiorano has never been one to rest on her laurels. While juggling raising her children – now grown – and volunteering for organizations like the Michigan Council of Women in Technology Foundation (MCWT), Maiorano has spent more than 30 years building an impressive track record of success in sales leadership.
Balancing these demands on her time required care, she has always given her all in everything she does.
That is why she chose to wait to pursue an advanced degree. “I’m going to retire in sales leadership. I’m not going to wake up tomorrow and make some dramatic career change,” she said. “So, when my kids went away to college, I decided I wanted to get an advanced degree, something I’ve wanted to do for a very long time.”
Meticulous as always, Maiorano did her research before selecting a program. For her, the completely remote Master of Science in Management, Strategy & Leadership at Michigan State University was the perfect fit.
Applying Skills With a Passion
Maiorano’s experience with sales began during her undergraduate degree at Eastern Michigan University. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Organization Communications and a minor in Marketing. Early in her career, she recognized the importance of communication skills for business – and life.
She started out in technology sales and has seen a ton of change over the last 30 years but feels extremely blessed to be in such an amazing and dynamic field.
Currently, Maiorano works for Microsoft as the Managing Director of the US Healthcare Strategic Providers and Health Plans organization. Her prior experience includes sales leadership roles at Qwest, Sprint and Cisco, among others.
Maiorano has used her knowledge of communication and technology to pay it forward and help other women enter similar fields. Not surprisingly, she joined the MCWT shortly after learning of the organization’s existence and has remained heavily involved since.
The MCWT is dedicated to inspiring and supporting women in technology. According to Maiorano, its goal “is to make Michigan the number-one state for women and girls in technology.” The MCWT accomplishes this by providing mentoring, networking and leadership development opportunities.
“We raise about $2 million a year of funding,” Maiorano said, “Then we turn around, and we give it to scholarships, after-school clubs, robotics programs, web design competitions, professional networking, leadership clinics and more. It’s all about supporting girls from elementary school to retirement.”
Maiorano’s dedication has been recognized by the MCWT. The board nominated her to serve in the role of Vice President in 2022, which would then grant her the position of President of the MCWT in 2023. Maiorano explained, “I said yes because it’s really the only two roles I’ve never held. [I’m] very passionate about the organization and the impact we have.”
Her work has not gone without notice by the professional world. Her work with the MCWT and her career accomplishments put her on the radar – Maiorano was named one of Crain’s Detroit Business’s 2021 100 Most Influential Women. This award is granted to Michigan women who use their power to make a measurable difference in their communities.
Choosing Growth Over Stagnation
One of Maiorano’s quotes to live by is by management executive Jack Welch: ‘If the rate of change on the outside is faster than the rate of change on the inside, the end is near.’ “If you’re not growing as fast or faster than the environment around you, the end is near. You must continue to grow and evolve,” stated Maiorano. Despite her professional accomplishments, Maiorano still felt she had more to learn and room to grow.
The trick? Finding a program that fits both her career and personal goals as well as her already demanding life. She initially explored executive MBA programs but found they required her to appear on campus and they were often focused on finance. “I’m never going to need the finance side of an MBA. … I know what I need to know to run a sales organization,” she explained.
Her search stopped at MSU’s Management, Strategy & Leadership (MSL) master’s degree.
The 100% online program allowed her to work around her home and job responsibilities while receiving an outstanding education.
MSL Program Value
Making the most of the program, Maiorano has thrived with both the content and the format of her courses. The common theme among her favorite classes has been collaboration.
“I’m not a fan of classes where it’s pure monologue lecture, pure broadcast to listen to the recording. It’s not as rich as when we’re talking to one another, or when we get into a small group and work together… There was a lot of individual sharing and a lot of actual dialogue.”
Beyond the curriculum, the MSL program provided an appreciated personal touch through support by Maiorano’s student success coach at Bisk – an online learning management provider partnered with Michigan State University. “[The Bisk representatives] check in about the upcoming semester and the classes, and then they check in every time I’m finishing a class, and then when a new class starts. I rarely need to call them back, but it’s a nice long voicemail that says, ‘Here’s where we’re at,’ and ‘Do you have any questions? Call me if you need me.'”
With a pause and a chuckle, Maiorano recalled a time her success coach reached out to her, “It’s funny. I get these check-ins. I was actually with my kids one time, and I’m like, ‘They’re checking in, making sure I’m going to class.'”
Maiorano’s roles at Microsoft and the MCWT put her in a position of leadership and mentorship, and she summed up the immediate value the program has provided: “These classes are giving me language and structure to turn around and coach many of the people that work for me. This curriculum has been absolutely relevant in what I bring to work every day.”
