After the COVID-19 pandemic shut the world down, Amy Woodard saw an opportunity to make the most of her extra time outside of working from home. “Every once in a while, I get kind of itchy for growth and something different,” she said. “I wanted to add to my skill set, refine my knowledge and see what gaps I had, so I decided to get a master’s degree and add to my background. My employer at the time also had a tuition assistance program.” Woodard graduated from Boise State University’s Online Master of Business Administration in Construction Management with a 4.0 GPA in May 2024.
“I worked eight years in construction financing and lending,” she said. “I was a portfolio manager, so I underwrote a lot of construction and commercial real estate loans. I currently work at a commercial real estate development and private equity firm, so there were a lot of construction-related elements of the job.”
Woodard, who is now Director of Finance at Ball Ventures in Idaho Falls, Idaho, especially needed the flexibility of the online format because she and her husband, Josh, have two young daughters.
“With the fast track, you could go for seven weeks, then take a break in between,” she said. “I could super crunch for a little while and have some downtime in between tracks. Plus, Boise State is an accredited college. In researching the MBA program, it fit exactly what I wanted to do. The online format was perfect.”
Eyes on finance
The daughter of a Mexican immigrant mother and potato farmer father, Woodard grew up in Lewisville, Idaho. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in finance from Idaho State University in 2011.
Woodard worked mostly for banks early in her career before landing in the business management organization at Idaho National Laboratory in 2019, where she supported the business operations for the Center for Advanced Energy Studies.
“I always had it in my head that I was going to do finance,” she said. “As a child, I did bake sales and had this entrepreneurial thing going on from helping my father at his potato produce business. I always followed that path.
“I finished my undergraduate degree during the downturn when people weren’t hiring for a lot of entry-level jobs. This finance job came up for a commercial real estate portfolio manager. I always loved numbers and working with people, so I jumped on the opportunity. Finance has always made sense to me.”
People and Organizations and Leadership in Architecture, Engineering and Construction were Woodard’s two favorite courses in the online MBA in Construction Management curriculum.
“I especially liked the people management part of the coursework,” she said. “I don’t have a lot of that experience. I enjoyed all of my classes. A lot of the courses applied to leadership, the soft skills and refinement.
“Having been in my career for a while and going back to complete the master’s degree, I had a lot more relatable experience to use for it. It made it easier to come up with case studies and real-world experience, and have something to build them on.”
Woodard also enjoyed the way the master’s degree program changed how she looks at her career and herself individually, giving her extra return on investment.
“I liked how short the terms were and that the amount of workload per week was manageable and typically led up to the final project,” she said. “It gave me a different perspective on how to lead and become a more polished individual.”
Shining bright
Another reason Woodard wanted to earn a master’s degree was to show her daughters that they can also attend college in an online program while working full-time if that’s the route they choose.
“I normally probably wouldn’t have walked at commencement, but I wanted them to see that, ‘Mom works and takes care of us, but she can get her master’s while she’s doing it,’” she said. “That was one of my biggest motivators. I was going to do it anyway, but the timing was also great.
“My family stepped in by taking care of the house and providing lots of emotional support. I wouldn’t have been able to do it without them, including my in-laws and friends. They were super supportive. Boise State’s MBA staff also provided expertise, wisdom and support in teaching valuable, lifelong skills.”
Now that she has the master’s degree, Woodard looks forward to enjoying fly-fishing, golfing, snowboarding and cooking when she’s away from work.
“I will have a lot more time now to have many amazing adventures,” she said. “I want to focus on my family and career.
“I have been fortunate to have amazing mentors and opportunities to grow. I am happy where I am now. My career goal has always been to grow and make a difference. I want to be a little bit better than I was yesterday. I have always done that.”
Woodard is already seeing the fruits of her labor in the additional career options that have popped up since graduation day. She believes that trend will continue.
“Getting my MBA has opened many opportunities, boosted my confidence to know that I am capable of achieving what I put my mind to and being an example to my girls,” she said. “It gives me a little bit of a leg up if I was in a position to need it.
“It sets me apart a bit, but it’s more for the learning. I am a continually lifelong learner. Because it’s very applicable to what I do, it has been that extra polishing and refinement to my existing skill-set.”
Learn more about construction management at Boise State
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