Inspired to Make a Career Change

Matissa Koubonou was first encouraged by her director to enroll in the Certified Professional Project Manager program at St. Thomas. When she started the program, she was a Financial Analyst for the City of Minneapolis. Her daily work functions resembled a project coordinator/manager role, so she thought the CPPM program would add value to her professional career.

The CPPM program has given Koubonou common ground with her fellow project management team members. It’s also improved communication with her project stakeholders. “Learning and understanding terms like scope, risk, and feasibility analysis have allowed me to make informed decisions, offer better advice and opinions on projects, and made me a value-adding resource to my organization,” she said.

Instructor Ernest Owens was instrumental in Koubonou’s learning experience at St. Thomas. He brought his technical background to the class, emphasized the importance of soft skills and used real-world examples applicable in today’s workplace. Even though she already had an MBA, Koubonou found that the program challenged her leadership and project management skills in a new way. With this newfound knowledge, she decided to make a career change, and accepted an Investment Operations Analyst role for a private equity firm.