A joint program for mid-career professionals that integrates engineering and systems thinking. Earn your master’s degree in engineering and management.
Jocelyn Foulke, SFMBA ’24, pivoted to pursue an MIT Sloan Fellows MBA because the one-year program appealed to the former math teacher’s quantitative and analytical sides. But, Foulke was impressed when she discovered the school’s focus on management as a way to improve the world.
“When I arrived on campus and learned more about the Sloan philosophy and met my amazing-yet-humble peers, I felt so lucky and I felt like I had somehow found my way home,” Foulke said.
Foulke started her career as a math teacher at a startup public charter school in Boston. She stayed for 17 years as she moved up to building principal and then eventually became managing director of operations for the network of schools.
Now, Foulke is not only enjoying management classes, but she said she is thrilled to have access to classes across the Institute, such as Energy Systems for Climate Change Mitigation, with Professor Jessika Trancik. After graduation, Foulke’s goal is to work in climate technology.
“I am an operator and a problem-solver and a leader of people. I'm hoping to bring those skills to a small-ish company and help them scale up their impact,” Foulke said.
A Day with Jocelyn
8:30 a.m.
At home, each day starts early at about 6:15 a.m., so my husband and I can tag-team getting our two school-aged children out the door. Then, I head out from my home in Dorchester to the MBTA red line train to arrive at Sloan at 8:20 a.m. As a long-time Boston resident, I'm so lucky to have MIT right here! Here in E62, I’ve got my espresso, and I’m preparing for the day, including a presentation I need to give in my 11 a.m. energy systems class.
9:00 a.m.
At this drop-in advising session in E52-233, Andie Liebel, assistant director for EMBA, advised me on some of my options for January. During this month, known as Independent Activities Period, or IAP, Sloan Fellows can take Executive Elective courses which are intensive dives into a range of topics offered by Sloan professors. Andie helped me understand my options and how to "bid" or request these courses.
10:00 a.m.
In Energy Systems for Climate Change Mitigation, we work in teams on a research project. My team modeled the cost of carbon capture applied to existing coal-fired power plants, with the goal of understanding if (and under what conditions) it is affordable under the available U.S. tax credits. Here, I’m working with my team member Daria Ekimova, visiting researcher at MIT CEEPR.
11:00 a.m.
Right before my presentation in my Energy Systems class, I was chatting with Tom Hoyt (SDM ’25). We have a couple classes together. It's nice to have a group of people that overlap in different places ... MIT is a big place but that makes it feel smaller! Professor Jessika Trancik knows so much about this field, and from this course I've gained a broad understanding of anthropogenic warming of the planet, the potential of various technologies to help us combat climate change, and policy choices that can help bring about change, as well as how to evaluate the future trajectory of climate-related technologies.
11:30 a.m.
My presentation partner, Naveed Arsalan, SDM ’25, and I presented on a paper in which the authors created a generalized model for the pace of a technology's improvement based on the complexity of the design. It was a fairly abstract paper and I think Naveed and I each had to read it five times before we could discuss it! Ultimately, I think we were successful in explaining the concepts. The discussion enriched our understanding of why certain technologies, such as solar panels with their (relatively) simple and modular design, have been able to improve so incredibly rapidly over the last few decades.
12:30 p.m.
Daria Ekimova and I chatted for a few minutes. I really like working with students from a range of programs across the university, including graduate students, and visiting fellows, and others.
12:45 p.m.
On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I have a tight transition between my Energy Systems class, which ends at 12:30, and my 1 p.m. Financial Management class. While on other days I might have a slightly more leisurely lunch, on these days I heat up food I bring from home, and eat lunch with whichever Fellows are hanging out in the Sloan Fellows lounge. That’s me with Nasiru Braimah, SFMBA ’24, and Matt Howard, SFMBA ’24, is in the background. These impromptu conversations are nice moments to connect with my classmates.
1:00 p.m.
My Financial Management class with Professor Emil Verner. Financial Management is a required core course for Sloan Fellows. This class section is all Sloan Fellows, which makes every Tuesday and Thursday a bit of a reunion! As much as Fellows follow different paths at MIT, we still get together for our core courses. On this day, we were debriefing a case about Apple's approach to managing its cash and which mechanisms Apple could use to return value to its shareholders.
2:30 p.m.
In the case (which is based on real events), one party argued that Apple could essentially increase its value by issuing a novel kind of equity, and the most important part of the lecture was when Professor Verner clarified why it’s not possible to “wave a wand” and create more value. While I’ve worked on many projects and budgets, this is the first time I am formally studying finance, so this course is quite helpful in broadening my understanding. Here I’m with classmates (l-r): Taísa Maciel, Biven Huang, and Hyewon Im. We are asking questions of Prof. Verner at the end of class.
3:00 p.m.
In the New Enterprises course offered at MIT Sloan through the Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship, I am working with a team on a business plan to commercialize a technology developed at MIT. This has been a really interesting project because, through doing market research, I've ended up on the phone with many people in the industry. This project has also given me a new appreciation for how difficult it is to find your way from a great idea or a great technology to something that is an actual business. I'm glad to be learning the Disciplined Entrepreneurship process, on which the New Enterprises course is built, to provide me with a structure and skills to effectively build businesses in the future.
4:00 p.m.
I never leave the Trust Center empty-handed!
4:10 p.m.
Heading home! I try to use the 45 minutes or so that I have on the train to read. I'm often reading case studies for Financial Management or papers for the Energy Systems class. Usually, I've printed these because I'm kind of old-school when it comes to reading, and I prefer to read on paper and take notes in the margins. Then, I’m off to do my other important job – my kids! Depending on the day,
I pick up my kids (ages 5 and 8) from school, go home and make dinner, read to my them, and put them to bed. After, I often catch up on reading or other assignments. Some days, I may stay on campus to attend events or have dinner with friends. I try to find a balance of some evenings at home and some evenings taking advantage of the many events on campus.
