Bryan Munoz (MBA ’24) makes Poets & Quants list of MBAs to watch

Bryan Munoz describes himself as a curious, data-driven, dynamic leader who leverages his military expertise and is passionate about analytical innovations. Poets & Quants describes him as one of 2024’s MBAs to Watch.

What makes Munoz stand out? According to former Full-time MBA Academic Program Director and Professor of Practice Stacey Lee, “From day one, Bryan Munoz has been a leader in his cohort and encouraging others. People in the MBA class and at Carey Business School can rely on Bryan for steadfast determination.”

Veteran advocacy

Leadership and steadfast determination go hand-in-hand with Munoz’s six years in the United States Air Force, during which he quickly rose in rank, earned an associate’s degree, and inspired his subordinates. The leadership skills he developed during his military police role have helped Munoz succeed at Johns Hopkins Carey Business School and driven him to champion his fellow veterans and find creative ways to demonstrate their unique skills.

As part of the veteran community at Carey, Munoz helped create several Veterans Day events to celebrate and showcase veterans’ unique skills.

“One event featured a ropes obstacle course to expose non-veterans to key military leadership traits,” said Munoz. “Our goal was to help them see the value of military experience in transitioning to civilian work culture. When our fellow graduates become hiring managers, they can understand the value military or ex-military members can bring to their organizations.”

Leadership development

The next step after graduation is the merchandising leadership development program at Walmart’s headquarters in Arkansas. This relocation will thrust him into a new challenge and a new environment. But Munoz is no stranger to that either. He has participated in two Leadership Development Expeditions while at Carey – one to Belize and one to Norway.

“These two experiences alone were amazing for me because they were very much hands-on,” Munoz said. “They pushed me out of my comfort zone to a point where I feel more prepared to go out there and do some real work in a real-stakes environment.”

Hands-on work and real-world application appeal to the “doer” in Munoz. He says his favorite MBA course was the Big Data Consulting Project, where he and his team analyzed a large data set from McCormick & Company to find trends and make recommendations to corporate leadership.

“The course was a very analytical and technical experience and involved group work as if we were in an actual business environment. It was very practical knowledge that I definitely needed coming out of the military.”

As Munoz prepares to launch his civilian career, he has his eye on being in a senior leadership role someday. To advance his goals, Munoz plans to stay closely connected to the Carey alumni network, which he describes as vibrant and far-reaching.

“I don't think I've found a single company that I'm interested in where there hasn't been someone who either worked there or has a connection to someone who works there. Our network is pretty big.”