The Constant Learner: Staying Challenged in Consulting

Mark Hursh BS’05, MSIS’07

Associate, Diamond Management and Technology Consultants

Living in Indianapolis, Working in Texas

Every day holds a new challenge for Mark Hursh, an associate at Diamond Management and Technology Consultants in Texas, and that's what he likes best.

“From week to week I may be working on things that are entirely new to me,” he says. “I'm the type of person who gets frustrated when I start repeating tasks. That has never been a problem in my current position. On a daily basis, I meet new people and am exposed to new challenges. I appreciate that I have a job that keeps my mind busy on new and creative topics on a daily basis.”

Currently, Hursh is developing a new e-commerce platform for a major airline, helping the airline identify better ways to up—sell and cross—sell air, cars, hotels, and vacations. “Over the course of the project I've helped define high-level strategies around mobile access to the airline's myriad of services, selling tickets to groups, and rolling out community functionality to let customers share details of their travel,” he says.

The fun part of a project for Hursh is the execution. “That's where all the magic happens—when we flesh out what the impact will be once we decide to implement these capabilities.”

Whether Hursh is working in an advisory, analytical, or tactical role-identifying strategies for improving an organization's marketing capabilities, discussing how to execute these strategies, or researching “some fine-grain subject area”—he uses the skills he obtained at Kelley.

“Kelley blends first-class academics and facilities with individuals from an array of backgrounds and interests,” he says. “To add to the package, Kelley is nestled in one of the largest research universities with one of the most beautiful campuses. To me, there's not much more to ask for.”

Although his undergraduate degree was in biology (he minored in information systems), he worked in Technology Services at Kelley his senior year, where he had the opportunity to solve problems for Kelley's faculty and staff. “I've found that providing support to individuals allows you to see them in their most authentic light,” he says.

Hursh discovered that Kelley was full of what he calls “SWANS”—“smart, work-hard, analytical, nice people”—who shared a deep enthusiasm for tackling problems faced in business. “Naturally, I was a quick convert to the MSIS program [a graduate program in information systems],” he says. “It was a no-brainer—the program simply offered the best blend of enthusiastic faculty and staff with a great curriculum.”

As an MSIS student, he interned for PriceWaterhouseCooper's Systems and Process Assurance group. He credits his experience to the guidance he received at Graduate Career Service as well as the MSIS program's strong ties to companies such as PriceWaterhouseCoopers.

“The Graduate Career Services group at Kelley helped groom and prepare us for the rigors of finding an internship from day one,” Hursh says. “They offered assistance in resume preparation and interview techniques as well as one-on-one discussions about ways to improve throughout the year. They simply blew away my perception of a recruiting office through their candor.”

“Top those capabilities off with ties to companies that firmly believed in the MSIS program and you have the ideal trifecta—great professors, great curriculum, and great path to employment.”

In Brief

The MSIS advantage:

“The MSIS program infused me with a passion for creative thinking, teamwork, and producing quality deliverables.”

What he misses most about Bloomington:

“Being able to walk anywhere.”

Favorite Bloomington restaurants:

“Nick's, to play Sink the Biz; Janko's Little Zagreb, which is great when parents come to town or when you're back for recruiting; and Bucceto's. I used to work at their Indy-based parent company, Puccini's, for eight years. Even after making everything on the menu, bussing the tables, and washing the dishes, I still love their pizza.”