INTEGRITY LEADING WITH

By Tara Erwin

If Medaille University’s Master of Arts in organizational leadership (MAOL) program could be personified, it would come in the form of Department of Business, Management & Leadership Assistant Professor of the Practice and MAOL Program Director Kristy F. Tyson, MBA. Tyson, a Buffalo native who started with Medaille in August 2020, has quickly established herself as an advocate for people and culture — not only in the workplace, but in the community, as well.

“I love sharing my knowledge with my students and helping them become confident and meaningful leaders,” says Tyson, noting that when she was looking for teaching opportunities, she sought schools with solid undergraduate and graduate programs and small class sizes, where she could help her students succeed.

“Medaille fit the bill,” she says. “The business, management and leadership programs here are top-notch.”

Simply put, organizational leadership is the process of guiding a business toward its goals, using its two greatest assets: people and culture. It involves setting the tone for an organization and implementing policies and procedures that motivate, respect, support and develop employees to achieve common objectives. It also involves leaders who serve as agents for corporate social responsibility, or the concern businesses have for the welfare of society.

Medaille’s MAOL program received national recognition when it was chosen as part of the 2022 and 2023 U.S. News & World Report list for best online business programs across the country, due to its excellence of entering students, graduation rates and instructor credentials. Medaille’s Master of Business Administration (MBA) program also made the lists, but there are some distinct differences between the programs, even though they share some overlapping areas of study, such as finance, ethics and organizational behavior.

“MAOL degrees focus on the conceptual, behavioral and practical side of business,” says Tyson. “Graduates are able to apply the theories learned in class to real-world scenarios involving relationship building, organizational culture, mentoring, team leadership, diversity and change management.”

The typical candidate for the degree is a working professional who is balancing work, life and school, and is someone interested in developing essential skills in communication, problem solving, team building and critical thinking. This person wants to drive positive change within an organization and in the community.

According to Tyson, MAOL graduates are highly sought after by employers across the country. “Through coursework, experiential learning opportunities and networking with professionals in the field, our program provides students with the skills and knowledge they need to be influential civic leaders and social entrepreneurs,” she says. “Our graduates are ready to take on any challenge, whether it is managing diverse teams and projects, understanding complex organizational culture and behaviors, or developing authentic and effective communication strategies.”

Tyson teaches many courses in Medaille’s MAOL program, including Leading Successful Organizational Change, Leadership & Management Perspectives and Organizational Behavior & Development, and she has developed curriculum for several others. However, she said the Leadership Capstone course, which allows students to develop a plan of change that improves an organization’s process or solves a complex, business-oriented problem, is her favorite to administer.

“This capstone provides a unique opportunity to see how students have grown and developed throughout the program,” she says. “It is their opportunity to apply what they have learned in previous coursework to practical projects and real organizations. It is truly a blessing to see what they are capable of and help guide them, as they work toward making a difference and making their goals a reality.”

Tyson’s dedication to empowering others spills outside of Medaille’s classrooms, as well. She serves as a community liaison, advocate or board member for many nonprofit and community organizations, and has worked with organizations like the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the National Urban League and AmeriCorps. She is currently the vice president of chapter services for the Buffalo Niagara Chapter of the Association for Talent Development. She is also a Racial Healing Circle facilitator and diversity trainer for the National Federation for Just Communities of Western New York, and serves as a volunteer through Junior Achievement.

In addition to her teaching and administrative duties at Medaille, she is the primary faculty advisor for the University’s chapter of Enactus, an international student organization that engages the next generation of entrepreneurial leaders to use innovation and business principles to improve the world.

As someone who is always looking to grow and find new ways to impact her students and surrounding community, Tyson is currently a doctoral candidate in the doctor of management, organizational leadership program at the University of Phoenix. She looks forward to continuing her teaching journey at Medaille post-graduation, citing the expertise of her fellow faculty members as one of the many benefits of the University’s MAOL Program.

“Our professors are some of the most experienced and knowledgeable leaders in the business world, and they are passionate about helping students reach their full potential,” she says. “When looking for a reputable, high-quality master’s program in organizational leadership, there is no better option than Medaille.”

Aimed at developing transformative leaders for the real times we live in, several assignments throughout the program are dedicated to identifying and solving social justice and civic issues. The effectiveness of such preparation can be seen in the real-world impact of the graduates produced. Many of Medaille’s MAOL alumni have gone on to hold leadership positions in nonprofit, public or community organizations, and many have achieved recognition as volunteers or community activists. Tyson says these outcomes reinforce why she chose to become an educator in the first place.

“I teach business to help foster the imminent ethical change that is needed in the next generation of supervisors, managers, CEOs and leaders,” she says. “The most impactful leaders understand that a business should be managed ethically and should promote social and civil justice. I am humbled to be able to do whatever I can to inspire such leaders of tomorrow.”

Learn more about Medaille’s Department of Business, Management & Leadership programs, including its MAOL degree.