Nate Kelly

Nate is a senior director and GM for hospital operations at Cerner Corporation in Kansas City, Missouri.  As a Mizzou alumnus, Nate is passionate about the students and the work being done in our program.  After completing his Bachelor of Science in kinesiology at the University of Minnesota in the Twin Cities, Nate visited Columbia and fell in love with the campus and the members of the MBA program that he met with.  It was a big change to go from the city life to a college town, but he would not change this decision.

During his time in the Crosby MBA program, Nate worked at the Missouri Innovation Center where he was able to focus on research and his love for entrepreneurship.  Post-graduation, Nate went into business development management at Cerner.  He has held several positions within the company, including business strategists, director of population health, manager of workforce and capacity management, and now the GM of hospital operations.  He has also kept his entrepreneurial spirit alive by working on and running other businesses within the healthcare industry.

In terms of advice for current MBA students, Nate focused on the importance of networking.  This is something that needs to be done regularly because you never know who is going to help you reach your next step in your career.  It is all about who you know.  He also recommends joining organizations that focus on your area of interest.  For example, if you are interested in healthcare, you can consider joining ACHE.  This is a great way to gain information on the industry, learn about industry trends and innovations, and connect with people with the same interests.