Ron Evans: A Sound Investment
Ron Evans
Vice President of IT Operations, InPhonic
M.S. in MIT ’04
“I'm thinking far more strategically than I did when I entered the program—and that is leadership."
When he entered the M.S. in MIT Program in the spring of 2003, Ron Evans (M.S. in MIT ’04) sought to learn some of the IT industry’s best practices, which he could then go on to leverage at work. “At that point in my career, I had 15 years of experience and a pretty solid feel for what was a good idea and what was not,” Evans says. “But I kept witnessing professionals making decisions out of thin air, with no structure or reasoning behind them. I just knew that there had to be a place where I could go and learn the industry’s best practices.”
Evans found exactly what he was looking for in McIntire’s M.S. in MIT Program. In addition to teaching him how to integrate technology into the mission of his work, the program also offered critical skills such as effective communication and leadership. “Now,” Evans says, “I look at an IT investment and figure out what kind of investment it is. Is it a people, technology, or process investment? Why are we investing in it? How can I provide value?” In short, says Evans, “I’m thinking far more strategically than I did when I entered the program—and that’s leadership.”
Not surprisingly, graduates of the M.S. in MIT Program routinely report that their participation in the program is an investment that delivers significant returns. Evans, for instance, says he was promoted from director to senior director while in the program’s second module; he then moved to another company to take the position of vice president of operations. “It was a very good return on investment,” Evans says, “and I’m not just talking about financially. Compensation is compensation, but being able to be in a better place and knowing you can really add value to a company is a fantastic feeling.”
So, did the M.S. in MIT Program meet Ron’s expectations? “I think I got more out of it than I expected,” Evans says. “I certainly thought I was going to learn about how to run IT well, but the knowledge I gained in other areas—BI, data warehousing, and other subjects with which I had no familiarity prior to the program—really paid dividends for me professionally. I learned about where I was in my career, what side of IT I was on, and what side I wanted to be on. The program really helped shape my career direction.”
Evans says that the program had another set of unexpected benefits, too: “I really grew to care about the people I met in the program,” he says, “and I’ve benefited from a greatly expanded network both within and beyond the DC area.” With his new network, Evans says, “there’s always someone there to help you out when you need it.”