Holand P. Lujan, Associate Brand Manager

"Do your homework to ensure you're not sacrificing quality for convenience."

Education

• MBA, University of Tulsa, 2006
• Bachelor of Science in Economics, United States Military Academy at West Point, 1997

What I Do
Associate Brand Manager for a large consumer packaged goods company
East Hanover, New Jersey, USA

I manage the day-to-day activities of two products in the snack cracker industry. This includes forecasting, budgeting, production, and all associated marketing requirements. Marketing is the central hub for all business functions in my company; therefore, the marketers are required to work closely with numerous cross-functional elements such as finance, operations, R&D, consumer promotions, etc.

Words of Advice for This Career…
To be a successful marketer one must first and foremost be a “people person.” Daily responsibilities require interaction with numerous individuals on a very close level. Second, one must be able to use both the “right” and the “left” brain. Marketing is a combination of both art and science, so well-rounded people are more likely to be successful.

… And on Choosing an MBA Program
For me, flexibility was key because I was still working. I had to choose a school that offered a distance program. There are more and more online programs being created; therefore, the prospective student needs to do his/her homework to ensure the school offering the program has not sacrificed quality for convenience. The University of Tulsa's Online MBA courses were instructed by the same professors who teach in the classroom, and that was important to me.