If you work in global travel at a company like Expedia Group, you learn to beat jet lag. Shiyi Pickrell (MBA 2011), Expedia Group’s Senior Vice President of Data and AI, has a go-to strategy.

“When you get to your destination, try to be active,” she says. “Don’t just lock yourself in the hotel. Get out and walk around. The more you stay awake during the day, the better!”

Pickrell, who earned a Full-Time MBA from the Foster School of Business, has taken that same energetic approach to her career: stay curious, stay in motion, and stay open.

Today, Pickrell leads a large engineering organization with global reach. Expedia Group is where she thinks about AI and travel all day long. She knows which airport has the best noodle restaurants, which corners of every lounge have the best Wi-Fi, and why the right notification at the right time can mean everything to a stressed-out traveler.

Seeing ROI in a new direction

Pre-MBA, Pickrell earned a PhD in neuroscience from the University of Southern California and launched a successful career in the biotech industry. But something didn’t sit right.

“I’m very driven by the ROI of my work,” she says. “I want my products to benefit customers in a year or two, not decades later.”

She learned that, sometimes, the most significant business decisions were not made by scientists but by product managers.

“In biotech, I realized that as a scientist, you’re often in the kitchen, doing the hands-on work,” she explains. “It’s the product managers who see the whole picture: strategy, launch, financials. I wanted to be more like them.”

So she took a step back, reevaluated her goals, and applied to business school.

Why the Foster MBA

Pickrell chose the Foster School of Business Full-time MBA not only for the strength of its faculty and the depth of its community but also for the location in Seattle. 

Seattle is built on invention and reinvention. The greater Seattle area is also home to 4.1 million people. Foster’s deep local connections to companies like Amazon, Phillips, TikTok, Deloitte, Accenture, Boeing, EY, Starbucks, Blue Origin, and newer players in AI, fintech, and climate tech made it the right place to transition into something new.

In the MBA program, she gained knowledge, confidence, clarity, and a broader sense of what she could offer.

“One of my classmates said, ‘You have a quantum background: have you thought about becoming a machine learning scientist?’” she recalls. “At the time, I was determined to be a product manager. But later, I realized he had a point. That’s one of the real benefits of the MBA. You learn from your professors, but your peers also see things in you that you might not see yourself.”

“Here’s a different example of how the MBA helps you gain insights into topics that benefit you later in your career”, she continues. “Surprisingly, I learned a great deal from my brand marketing class. Even though I don’t work in brand marketing, I now strongly believe it’s important to be hyper-aware of branding. You build a brand for yourself. You build a brand for your team at work. Now, when others at Expedia Group think of my team, they think: that team is strong in execution and cohesion. We’ve built a successful internal team brand, resulting from one MBA course.”

Balancing family and career goals

Looking back, Pickrell shares that her MBA trajectory may not have been as smooth as it appeared to others. Her carefully mapped plan shifted in her second year of the program. She was expecting a baby, and her due date was after graduation. But then, her son arrived prematurely.

“The MBA program was very supportive,” she recalls. She worked with Foster to complete the final stretch of her degree through evening classes. The logistics were intense, but the goal never changed.

“I didn’t feel like I had to choose between family and my goals,” she says.

That experience of balancing intense academics, new motherhood, and launching a new career shaped the kind of leader she is today. It proved she could handle complexity, ambiguity, and pressure. It also proved that she didn’t have to go it alone.

A career built on learning

After earning her MBA, Pickrell accepted a role at Amazon as a technical product manager. This pivotal move allowed her to combine her scientific discipline and MBA skills. She later moved to Microsoft, where she rose from individual contributor to director.

Each step taught her something new: building, leading, and seeing around corners. Eventually, she was recruited to Expedia Group, where her passions for technology, travel, and impact converged.

Making travel smarter with AI

At Expedia Group, Pickrell is helping redefine the travel experience through data and AI.

“Imagine a travel experience that’s fully personalized and immersive,” she says. “We already know your preferences and trip type, even if it’s your annual family ski vacation. If there’s a disruption, like a flight delay or hotel issue, we proactively handle it. Your next leg is rebooked, the hotel knows you’ll check in late, and your luggage is automatically rerouted. You don’t have to lift a finger.”

She’s building technology that feels invisible but makes a meaningful and helpful difference in people’s lives. Expedia Group’s platform touches millions of travelers, and her team is helping shape its next chapter.

Travel may never be completely stress-free, but if Pickrell has her way, Expedia Group will make it feel close. She knows that people remember the things that go wrong on a trip, and they also remember the little things that make it easier. A timely status update. An automatic rebooking. A hotel room waiting for you in the middle of the night. The peace of mind of knowing someone’s already fixed the problem.

Opening doors with an MBA

For Pickrell, the ROI of the Foster MBA didn’t show up in a single job title. It showed up in every step that came afterward.

“When you make a choice in your life, such as pursuing an MBA, think not just about the immediate benefit, title, or salary, but what other doors it will open years down the road,” she advises.

And, she’s quick to push back on the idea of measuring yourself against others.

“My advice for MBA students is that it’s not a competition,” she says. “It’s human nature to benchmark. We see a peer make director in three years and feel pressure to keep up. But I think it’s more important to find your happiness and figure out where your unique kind of shine is.”

Pickrell’s shine? It’s clear. She’s a builder who sees the whole picture, a leader who blends logic and empathy, and a technologist who never forgets the human at the center of the experience.

For those navigating a career pivot, life change, or unexpected trip interruption, she has one more reminder: stay active and curious, and venture out of your hotel room.

Learn more about the Full-Time MBA here.

After 17 years at Nike, Raminder Chadha could have stayed in his lane. He was thriving as a software engineering lead, delivering global rollouts and helping Nike forecast inventory at scale. But even top performers hit a ceiling, and he wanted to break through it.

“I kept asking, ‘What do I need to get to the next level?’” he recalls. “My leaders told me I had strong skills but needed to think more strategically. I didn’t even know what that meant at the time.”

That question launched his search for something more. Raminder found it in the Executive MBA program at the University of Washington Foster School of Business.

“A mentor advised me, ‘To move forward, you need to round out your leadership style.’ That struck a chord. I realized I was missing something, and it wasn’t technical skills; it was perspective. I began asking myself: What kind of educational experience could challenge and shape me at this stage in my career? That’s what led me to the Executive MBA. I didn’t want theory; I wanted to learn alongside experienced professionals who could elevate my thinking just as much as the curriculum would.”

An investment for leaders who want more

For seasoned professionals, the Foster Executive MBA isn’t about learning the basics. It’s about transforming how you think and lead.

“If you already know your industry and want to scale your impact, this is the program,” he says. “It’s not for beginners. It’s for people who want to lead with intent. I knew that if I went to the University of Washington, I’d be surrounded by like-minded people and I could learn from them. That was key for me, not just the content, but the people.”

In pursuing the Executive MBA, he wasn’t after a credential. He was after growth. “I didn’t just want to lead more; I wanted to lead differently,” he recalls. “And that’s exactly what happened.”

The power of monthly immersion

With a full-time job, two children, and a busy family calendar, he needed an MBA that fit his reality. Foster’s monthly immersion model offered exactly that. Each month, he commuted from Portland to Seattle for a four-day session, staying in the same hotel as his peers and classmates.

“Those four days each month were the best part of the experience,” he says. “It gave me time away from work and routines, and time to focus on learning, development, and fun. When we work 40, 50, or even 60 hours a week, week after week, we don’t dedicate enough time to ourselves.”

For Raminder, the monthly format wasn’t just convenient; it was energizing. “You’re staying in a hotel. You’re not cleaning dishes. You’re not cooking,” he says, laughing. “You can stop everything else and focus specifically on this. It gives you space to learn and reflect. That’s rare. Time for personal development is something most professionals never get.”

Learning across industries

From the first immersion, he recalls the biggest surprise about the Executive MBA wasn’t the curriculum but the cohort.

“I almost learned more from my classmates than from textbooks,” he says. “Our cohort included people from shipping, real estate, manufacturing, technology, and medical; everyone brought a different perspective. That was phenomenal.”

After nearly two decades at one company, Raminder realized how easy it is to get boxed into one way of thinking. “I only knew how Nike does things, I only ‘spoke’ Nike,” he shares. “But there are a hundred ways to solve a problem and improve a process or product. Hearing how other industries approach challenges was a game changer.”

Even casual conversations became moments of insight. “We’d hang out in the hotel lobby, grab drinks, and share challenges from work. One problem, five different solutions; it was incredible.”

From the Executive MBA classroom to the real world

Raminder didn’t expect how quickly his learning would translate to impact.

He pointed to a statistics class—something he thought would be irrelevant. “At first, I thought, ‘Why are we learning this?’ But it was exactly what I needed at work,” he says.

At Nike, he applied his knowledge to build more advanced forecasting tools. “We improved our reporting and made our data more powerful, thanks to many of the learnings from that class,” he said. “It wasn’t just a classroom lesson. It applied directly to work. I found it profoundly useful. If you don’t apply what you’re learning immediately, it fades. But when you take those lessons and talk through them with your team—even just the conversation—it adds value.”

By the end of his first year in the program, Raminder was promoted to engineering manager. Six months later, he received a raise, offering immediate ROI for investing in the Executive MBA. Most recently, Nike promoted him to senior engineering manager.

Support that goes beyond the classroom

Raminder believes that one of the program’s most important aspects is the support and guidance that students receive from Foster staff. 

“There was a point when I was ready to quit,” he recalls. “And Randell Hernandez, the director of admissions, helped me get through it. His support wasn’t just academic, but also coaching and emotional support. He offered insights and perspectives that I couldn’t get anywhere else. That’s hard to describe, but it made all the difference.”

He emphasizes that kind of personal connection is one of the program’s most overlooked strengths. “The staff doesn’t just manage logistics. They walk with you, every step of the way.”

Finding joy in the journey

Raminder also found plenty to enjoy outside the classroom. A dedicated fitness enthusiast, he wakes up at 4:30 a.m. every morning to hit the gym. He’s a self-proclaimed Nike loyalist with an Air Force 1 collection and a love for Jordan apparel.

He also loved staying in the heart of Seattle. “Being in the University District and on the University of Washington campus made me feel younger,” he says. “There’s energy everywhere: students, restaurants, late-night conversations. It was refreshing.”

He made time to study, connect, and explore while building the mindset and skills to take on whatever came next.

Planning for the future

In the final months of the program, Raminder and his team won the business plan competition. It sparked something unexpected in him.

“I’d always planned to retire at Nike,” he says. “But that experience made me think about taking on a different role or even building something of my own one day. It gave me the confidence to dream bigger.”

While he has no immediate plans to make the leap to entrepreneurship, he credits the program with expanding his vision. “The Executive MBA isn’t about becoming a better employee,” he says. “It’s about becoming a better leader.”

“The Foster Executive MBA didn’t just sharpen my business acumen, it transformed how I lead, think, and deliver impact,” Raminder concludes. “I returned to Nike with a broader strategic lens, stronger cross-functional insight, and the confidence to challenge the status quo. I’ve already applied these learnings to drive meaningful improvements in our supply chain platforms and team performance. But this is just the beginning. I’m more energized than ever to lead Nike into what’s next, with a mindset built for scale and a drive to deliver lasting value.”

Learn more about the Executive MBA here.