Michael Horton, ’20

Military, engineering, business intelligence, data analytics, government: Michael Horton brought an impressive and diverse range of experience with him to Drexel LeBow’s Doctorate in Business Administration (DBA) program.

As the only member of the inaugural DBA cohort working in government – he’s an analyst in the Office of Financial Research in the U.S. Department of the Treasury that supports the Financial Stability Oversight Council – Horton sees his goals and the impact he can have in his industry somewhat differently. “We have to be good stewards of taxpayer money,” he says.

To that end, he’s digging into research on team organization, with a focus on building effective, high-performance teams – particularly for data stewards working in the emerging field of data analytics.

Because of his background in engineering, Horton was drawn to Drexel as an institution due to its long standing and an approach to problem-solving that’s rooted in engineering. “Drexel has that mentality engrained in the way that they teach,” he says. “A lot of businesspeople don’t think in the same way that engineers do.”

LeBow’s DBA program was designed for professionals who want to accomplish something big in their careers. “This is a degree that says, ‘I know what I need to know in order to do this’,” Horton says. “I really strive to be a thought leader within my field and to push the envelope, especially in a field that’s new and that we’re just starting to get our arms around.”

He has found that the DBA program faculty, with their experience in industry outside of the academic realm, remain engaged with the needs of the business world. “They know what’s out there, know what’s works and know how to get things done.”

Between the program’s faculty and the members of his cohort, Horton sees a unique and consistent level of ambition throughout the program: Everyone “is looking to advance the world.”