UMW MBA Student Connects Classroom to Career and Community Service
With a demanding role in community service, University of Mary Washington MBA student Marty Bywaters-Baldwin is focused on helping others find their own meaningful work. And he’s using the latest technology to do it.
Chief mission officer at Rappahannock Goodwill Industries, he helped launch the CareerPath Accelerator, a tool that uses evidence-based practices and artificial intelligence to identify users’ skills and match them with suitable career paths.
“We’ve designed an interactive, scenario-based tryout where people can practice doing a job,” he said. “We then combine AI insights with support from Goodwill staff to provide career coaching or help create a plan for further training.”
As part of his MBA program at UMW, Bywaters-Baldwin is refining the CareerPath Accelerator through an independent study overseen by Associate Professor of Management Alexandra Dunn. While he combines emerging technology with a commitment to helping community members find sustainable, long-term careers, Dunn connects his work to theoretically grounded research and current developments in organizational behavior.
At a time when concerns about AI disrupting the job market are growing, the project highlights how the technology can expand opportunities. Dunn said this approach adds an “innovative dimension” and demonstrates how an MBA can address real-world challenges – particularly for professionals who remain active in the workforce while completing their studies.
“That ability to apply what you are learning and see its impact in real time is powerful,” Dunn said. “The curriculum becomes more tangible, and students can bring added value to their organizations in ways that would be difficult without an academic foundation.”
Bywaters-Baldwin is already seeing that impact in his own work. He participates in daily briefings with department heads and has begun to recognize how his coursework aligns with different areas of the organization – including human resources, IT, marketing and finance – and how those systems function together.
But pursuing an MBA wasn’t always part of his plan. He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 24 years ago and didn’t consider returning to school until attending a Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce event in May 2024. There, he connected with College of Business Dean Filiz Tabak, who encouraged him to enroll.
“She told me the university has strong community ties, accomplished faculty and a focus on applying business knowledge to real-world projects,” he said. “There wasn’t a reason to say no.”
Just over a year later, he was in Dunn’s Leadership and Organizational Behavior course and became interested in connecting his professional experience to broader conversations in the field. He later approached her about developing an independent study. And just a semester after that, he presented his work, “Beyond the Résumé: Skills-Based Hiring in the Age of AI,” at the statewide Virginia Workforce Symposium in April.
“I hope my presentation got people excited,” he said. “I also hope it encourages organizations to think about how tools like our CareerPath Accelerator can give job seekers better data and skill assessments to help them find the best careers in their region.”
Bywaters-Baldwin now serves on UMW’s Career Center Business Advisory Board and values the opportunity to collaborate with both undergraduate and graduate students. His independent study reflects a commitment to lifelong learning – a journey that continues to shape his professional path.
“Marty is highly professional, communicates consistently and thoughtfully, and approaches his work with both intellectual curiosity and strong initiative,” Dunn said. “The CareerPath Accelerator he has helped build is particularly impressive, and I’m eager to see how job seekers respond to this work.”
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