Kelechi Okoronkwo ’26

Over the past decade, my role as a geologist has involved locating and safely delivering oil and gas, as well as identifying subsurface conditions favorable for carbon sequestration. But the global energy industry is constantly evolving, and we’ve seen regulators, customers, and capital providers increasingly prioritize the transition to a low-carbon future with renewable energy sources. I knew I needed to broaden my expertise, and SOM was my best opportunity. The EMBA program’s sustainability focus addresses carbon reduction issues and techniques head-on.

The courses with the most impact on me so far have been Accounting, Game Theory, Customer, and Negotiation. They’ve fundamentally changed the way I understand business operations. I’m also using practical knowledge and learnings from courses like Probability and Statistics and Modeling Managerial Decisions in my day-to-day role. The topics covered have been especially useful in helping me analyze potential risks in decision-making: for example, I’m now better equipped to quantify the likelihood of a drilling event occurring when selecting well locations.

At SOM, I’ve learned that leadership is about prioritizing people first and outcomes second. I’ve realized that while I need to support my team, sometimes it’s more beneficial to allow them to face challenges and learn from failure. That’s how we all grow. At the same time, it’s crucial to manage failures in a way that prevents them from impacting our operations or reputation. That’s where real leadership skills come in.