PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas (July 21, 2021) – For those seeking to take their careers to the next level, Prairie View A&M University’s (PVAMU) Executive MBA (EMBA) Program within the College of Business (COB) unlocks unlimited potential and opportunities for ambitious and experienced professionals, with or without a business background.
TaShauna McCray ‘18, DNP, RN, MBA, NEA-BC
A unique business leadership program offered in the Northwest Houston Center, PVAMU’s EMBA is the only self-supporting program on campus. The two-year program allows students to fast track their career goals by learning specific skills and competencies in leadership, communications, statistical data analysis, research methods and decision making to become highly successful managers, entrepreneurs and leaders.
TaShauna McCray ‘18, DNP, RN, MBA, NEA-BC, is one of those leaders. Now, the chief nursing officer (CNO) of HCA Houston Healthcare West, McCray oversees the clinical, operational, strategic and financial performance of the hospital’s nursing service line. As CNO, her primary focus is leading all aspects of nursing practice to ensure the quality, safety, efficiency and successful execution of strategic initiatives across HCA Houston Healthcare West, which has more than 1,200 members on its care team.
McCray was motivated to pursue an EMBA to better understand the financial side of the health care industry when she transitioned to her current role as CNO. She already had the medical expertise necessary for the role, given her doctoral degree in nursing. “I knew gaining a strong foundation of the financial side of the industry would give me the skills and confidence to succeed in this role,” she said.
McCray chose to pursue her EMBA at PVAMU for a number of reasons, including the program’s flexibility, proximity and easy access from her home. As a mother of two young children, she was looking for a program that would allow her to thrive professionally, personally and educationally. The program’s weekend classes allowed her to work throughout the week and juggle motherhood.
“Studies have shown that for working women, a weekend option works much better for advanced education,” said COB Dean Munir Quddus, Ph.D. “The EMBA program was designed with the working adult in mind. The 8-week classes are delivered in the hybrid model, with students attending in-person classes on alternate Saturdays.”
“The EMBA program was a challenging yet eye-opening experience,” McCray said. “I thought I was an objective thinker before, but the program enhanced my thinking and inspired me to address challenges from a variety of perspectives.”
For McCray, these particular attributes proved especially invaluable in navigating the COVID-19 pandemic. “The foundation I gained at PVAMU allowed me to quickly anticipate the needs for adding beds to expand services, extend available staffing resources, and leading a nursing team during a time of uncertainty,” she said.
PVAMU’s EMBA Program also includes a global business component. McCray and her cohort traveled to China in 2018, where they visited businesses, participated in case studies and observed local companies solve real-world business problems.
“While on the international field trip, students were given the opportunity to visit various local homegrown firms and conglomerates to network with the hosts and apply their work experiences and what they have learned in the classroom in identifying business solutions in a challenging business and geopolitical setting,” said Gin Chong, Ph.D., professor and director of the EMBA program.
“We were able to visit a hospital system there, which was incredible to witness,” McCray said. “The trip to China was something I would have never done on my own, and it was invaluable to see how business is done in another country. Particularly, as a nursing executive, I was eager to learn how technology was leveraged in the health care sector. It has also inspired my family and me to make international travel a priority.”
“This is what experiential learning is all about,” Quddus said.
In addition to the knowledge and skills gained in the program, McCray said the friendships she developed with professionals in a spectrum of industries within her cohort are now lasting relationships she can count on.
“The connections I made from the program helped me expand my network, and I know I can always rely on them for help,” she said. “I also enjoyed the program’s speakers, projects and conversations.”
Since its establishment in 2012, PVAMU’s EMBA Program has graduated more than 100 professionals. Ranked high among similar programs in Texas based on the quality, cost and impact, Quddus says graduates, like McCray, are more than satisfied with their investment.
“A number of students and alumni work for large companies in Houston. Others travel from San Antonio, Dallas and even California,” he said. “The EMBA Program at PVAMU aims to affordably transform the trajectory of busy and ambitious professionals’ careers while allowing them the ability to continue working. The kind of professional and executives the program attracts is a testament to the value it imparts on future leaders and executives.”
To learn more about the EMBA Program at PVAMU, visit www.pvamu.edu/business/emba.
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