Tamara Nelson, Vice President and Lead Operational Risk Officer at Wells Fargo

According to Tamara Nelson, the MRA program’s one-of-a-kind, real-world curriculum has made an immediate impact on her career – and the flexible format allows her to pursue her career goals without pressing pause on her professional and family responsibilities.

Get to know Tamara

Program: Master of Management, Risk and Analytics (MRA)
Start date: August 2023
Anticipated graduation date: December 2025
Current location: Mint Hill, North Carolina

Life before Jenkins

Career goals

After working as an accountant for several years, Nelson transitioned to a career in risk management – leveraging her love for data and numbers to quantify risk exposure for Wells Fargo. Looking toward graduation, she hopes to move into a risk reporting role where she can utilize analytics to develop key metrics and manage organizational risk. Later, she hopes to transition to a consultant or senior management role where she manages an enterprise risk management (ERM) program.

The MRA program, she says, will help her learn advanced analytics techniques to position herself for leadership in the risk management space – and give her a robust understanding of ERM to create more value for organizations. “The program will broaden my knowledge about ERM to understand the entire cycle and equip me to apply my skills across multiple industries.”

Why Jenkins?

Choosing the MRA program at NC State was easy, Nelson says – there simply wasn’t another program like it. “It was always a goal to get my master’s; I just hadn’t found a program that interested me enough to pursue. I came upon the MRA program by chance when I saw an ad for it online. It was the first graduate program I came across that would allow me to dive deeper into risk management while expanding my analytics skills,” she says. “At the time, I was not even thinking about going back to school, but once I read about the program, all of that changed. I realized I could concentrate on these specific topics that really interest me and are beneficial for my career growth. A month later, I was submitting my application – and another month later, I received my acceptance and became a part of the Wolfpack.”

At the time, I was not even thinking about going back to school, but once I read about the program, all of that changed.

Along with the opportunity to specialize in risk and learn cutting-edge skills, the MRA program offered significant flexibility – and came with a great reputation. “Being able to complete the entire program online was key for me being able to go back to school at this time in my life. It allows me to continue to work full-time and be present with my family and kids’ activities. I can work my class schedule around these things,” she says. “Because I’m a full-time working professional in the Charlotte area, being able to complete the program online also allowed me to attend NC State. Being familiar with NC State’s ERM Initiative, I felt confident that the MRA program was led by competent, thought-provoking risk professionals and that it would provide a solid foundation in risk management while introducing advanced strategies and current analytical processes to manage enterprise risk.”

Daily life

In her current role, Nelson supports strategy, methodology and ongoing enhancement for Wells Fargo’s risk and control self-assessment (RCSA) program. In addition to working full-time and completing her MRA coursework, Nelson spends time with her husband and two sons. “Both sons play basketball – one in college and the other in high school – so I spend a lot of my free time attending basketball games and tournaments. I also enjoy working out and watching football,” she says. “My family has been super supportive since classes started – respecting my study and class time by not interrupting me and bringing me snacks and drinks to keep me going.”

What makes it great

While the online format provides the flexibility Nelson needs to advance her career while balancing her personal and professional responsibilities, she says it doesn’t sacrifice the supportive environment of an on-campus program. “The professors have been wonderful. Even though classes are online, they are very accessible and willing to provide any assistance you need to be successful in class,” she says.

Not only that, she says, but the faculty are also intentional about weaving real-world examples into every class. “This is key because it helps me grasp the applicability of the concepts I am learning. It’s not just about learning new concepts but about actually applying those concepts.”

The professors have been wonderful. Even though classes are online, they are very accessible and willing to provide any assistance you need to be successful in class.

Career impact 

Nelson has found the MRA program curriculum to be extremely practical and relevant to her current role – noting that it has given her a broader, more strategic understanding of her daily activities and functions. “Through my risk management courses, I’ve learned how the risk management activities I’m involved in tie into the overall risk management program of the company – as well as how the results of these activities drive the strategic plan and impact board-level reporting. I now look beyond the immediate task to think through how my actions and responses may impact the program on a larger scale.”

Additionally, Nelson has leveraged the data analytics techniques she’s learning in the classroom to enhance reporting at Wells Fargo. “Although I do not create reporting in my role, I have been able to collaborate with the reporting team to update existing reports. Specifically, I’ve used the data visualization skills learned using Power BI and Tableau to highlight key data. Getting to speak with them technically about report creation in Tableau has been very helpful.”   

Final thoughts

While attending a risk event conference where Allison Anthony, associate director of the Master of Management program, was promoting the MRA program, Nelson had the opportunity to share a bit with others about her personal experience as a student. “While chatting with Allison, I was able to speak to a couple of individuals who stopped by the table for more information. As I told them, there’s not another program out there that I’ve come across that is specific to risk and analytics – two hot topics in today’s business world,” she says. “Plus, the program provides hands-on experience that allows students to practice newly-acquired skills and knowledge.” 

Get in touchConnect with Tamara on LinkedIn or at tnelson3@ncsu.edu.

To learn more about the Master of Management, Risk and Analytics (MRA) program at NC State’s Poole College of Management, click here.