To say Major General (Retired) Matt Smith 01MBA is accomplished is an understatement. In November 2024, Emory Business profiled Smith’s impressive career, which included almost 32 years in the Army, serving as a member of the National Guard, and even a few years in retail investment and marketing before and after his time as a student in Goizueta Business School’s two-year MBA program.
Smith officially retired from the military in February, but before he could get too comfortable, he was already accepting an offer to become Emory University’s inaugural executive director of Veteran Initiatives and program lead for Goizueta’s Master in Business for Veterans. His first day was March 31.
“Matt is an accomplished senior executive who has expertly brought active duty, National Guard, and private sector experience to bear in senior Army and joint leadership roles,” says Jesse Bockstedt, senior associate dean of graduate programs and professor of Information Systems and Operations Management.
“Matt is also an alum of our MBA program with strong connections to Goizueta Business School. We are proud to have him back leading our Master in Business for Veterans program and veterans initiatives across the university.”
A New Leadership Position
When Dean Gareth James joined Goizueta, he asked Lt. General (Retired) Ken Keen, then associate dean for Leadership and Veterans Initiatives, to create the Master in Business for Veterans. The first cohort began in May 2024, and Keen assumed responsibility for the program.
As Keen prepared to retire from Goizueta this year—while planning to remain active in supporting the veteran community and teaching leadership courses—Smith accepted the offer to fill this new position.
While Smith oversees the administrative side of the the new masters program, as Keen did, this new role has an additional twist: As executive director of veteran initiatives, Smith also acts as a liaison to Emory University, ensuring that all veterans and military-affiliated individuals have the resources, support, and opportunities needed to succeed.
Creating this new position highlights Emory’s commitment to our veteran students across the university. It creates opportunities for Goizueta Business School and all other colleges and schools at Emory to grow and better support our veterans.
Ken Keen, Associate Professor in the Practice of Organization & Management; Associate Dean for Leadership; Lieutenant General, USA (Retired)
Smith and Keen have known each other for years, and Smith is quick to honor Keen and all he has done to create a solid foundation for both the program and the veteran community at Emory.
In fact, since launching the Master in Business for Veterans program, Goizueta has seen an increase in veteran enrollment across several other graduate programs—the new program serves as a signal to the military community that both Goizueta and Emory University are committed to supporting servicemembers. Smith comments on the significant portion of former enlisted people who have become Goizueta students.
“The Master in Business for Veterans program might be one of the very few, perhaps only, large-scale, transformative higher education opportunities for officer and senior enlisted veterans,” says Smith, who was and remains a member of the new program’s advisory board.
A Blended Background Makes for a Unique Leader
What makes Smith particularly well-suited to his new role is his unique and exemplary combination of military and business backgrounds, his vast experience as a leader—particularly those in high-stress, combat situations—and the fact that he holds a Goizueta degree.
Like Keen, Smith is committed to never steering a veteran wrong. One of the first questions he asks prospective students is what they hope to gain from a graduate business degree. Smith will not shy away from pointing them to a different program if it is a better fit than the Master in Business for Veterans.
The Master in Business for Veterans program calls to a specific subset of veterans, those who have a bit more work and life experience and are looking for the gravitas that comes with a rigorous business foundation.
Matt Smith, Executive Director of Veteran Initiatives
Multiple students have already approached him about how much they appreciate the fact that they can learn something in class on Friday and apply it at work on Monday.
“It’s a world-class business education,” says Smith.
Smith is proud of the reception the first cohort received upon their graduation, even if he only overlapped with their time at Goizueta for a few months. Several students, who work at different companies, received promotions mere days after graduation.
“These promotions show the broad based of goodness that comes out of this degree,” says Smith.
One thing Smith is particularly excited about bringing to the Goizueta veteran community is the combined network that he and his wife, Laura Balser 94BBA 01MBA, can offer.
My favorite part of the job is the ability to keep giving, to create a return for others based on my just-over three decades of service. It’s very satisfying.
Matt Smith
“I’m still providing benefit to people,” says Smith. “I wasn’t fully prepared for how much that would mean to me.”
Looking Toward the Future
Georgia has the fastest growing veteran population in the country, shares Smith. Of that population, women make up the fastest growing subset. Smith hopes to see a rise in women applicants to the Master in Business for Veterans program.
Smith jokes that the position is both a breeze, as he’s surrounded by fellow veterans, and an incredible challenge, because he’s constantly trying to think of new and better ways to support both the program and the greater veteran community of Emory.
Smith refers to the university-affiliated part of his job as an “un-scoped opportunity.”
“In my first 90 days, I have found that there is a tremendous population of citizens in our state and America who want to help veterans achieve whatever their academic goals are. It’s both humbling and tremendously encouraging to be a part of that,” says Smith.
Learn how Goizueta supports Emory veterans on campus and beyond. Explore the Master in Business for Veterans program.
