Mary Howe

Mary Howe’s career journey exemplifies the power of education to enable meaningful transitions. A Santa Rosa native and graduate of UC Santa Barbara with a B.A. in Economics and Accounting, Mary pursued Cal Poly’s MSQE program in 2019 to build the quantitative skills needed to shift from accounting to finance.

“I chose the MSQE program because it allowed me to return to school without stepping away from my career for too long. The accelerated 10-month timeline fit perfectly into my plans,” Mary explained.

The program equipped Mary with the tools to thrive in finance. “I learned to transition manual reporting processes into automated dashboards and incorporate advanced econometric methods like time series analysis into my work. These skills have expanded the insights we can provide,” she shared.

Mary’s favorite project involved replicating a published economic study using real-world data and applying additional econometric analysis. “It was a great way to solidify classroom learning and develop presentation skills,” she noted.

Outside of the classroom, Mary was a TA in the accounting program and a regular at the recreation center’s spin classes. She also found joy in personal accomplishments, including running. Last year, she completed her first marathon race!

Currently, Mary is a Senior Financial Analyst at Visa, following successful roles at Oracle and Ernst & Young. Professionally, she is proud of leading a multi-year sales pipeline analysis that provided predictive insights for deal closures. Personally, she credits her marathon experience with inspiring continued goal setting and perseverance.

Her advice to incoming MSQE students? “Engage fully in the small class sizes and participate as much as possible. The interaction will deepen your understanding and enhance your experience.”

Looking ahead, Mary plans to continue introducing analytical methods into finance roles to expand traditional insights while maintaining her focus on innovation and efficiency.

This profile was published in the Winter of 2024.