For Georgia Tech Scheller College of Business Executive MBA (EMBA) graduate Jonathan Colbert, life has always been an adventure. It is all too fitting that following his graduation, Colbert accepted a position at Rivian, whose mission statement is to keep the world adventurous forever. Rivian is located in Silicon Valley, presenting another adventure for Colbert and his newlywed wife (they married in January of this year) to move across the country for his new role as the Senior Product Manager for AC Charging.
“I’m definitely an adventurer by heart,” Colbert said. “I come from a mixed background. My mom’s side of the family is West Indian so my grandfather is from Trinidad and my grandmother is from Costa Rica. My dad was in the Army. With us moving around and seeing the world, it molded the way I look at the world. I’m constantly trying to plan my next trip and now I’m working for a company whose mission is to keep the world adventurous forever. I’ll be close to the mountains, close to wine country and every weekend we plan to take the truck and just go and explore the Bay area.”
Prior to accepting the position at Rivian, Colbert worked at Mercedes-Benz, starting off as a Senior Campaign Specialist and most recently holding the position of Connected, Autonomous, Shared & Services, Electric (CASE) - Charging & Infrastructure Lead for North America. It’s when he went back to school that his perspective on his career shifted.
“I was focused on big brands and big companies that offered a lot of opportunities that smaller companies might not,” Colbert said. “The perspective that I gained through the EMBA program is that there are so many opportunities to shape an industry when you can get in with a company from the ground up. I was not only able to go full steam after the opportunity with Rivian, but also position myself well within the company.”
Another part of the program that hit home for Colbert was the class’ trip to Panama. EMBA students have the opportunity to visit the Panama Canal and Georgia Tech’s Logistics Innovation and Research Center during their program.
“I love to travel. I was able to keep traveling through the EMBA program through trips to China and the Panama. I lived in the Panama Canal as a kid for six years, so I was able to come back to where I grew up. The stars aligned for me with this program,” Colbert said.
For Colbert, the program has been a transformational experience, providing the education and network he needed to catapult him into his next adventure.
“I’m super excited about it all. I’ve always dreamed of living in the Bay area and working for a tech company. I never thought it was going to happen, especially not like this. This is one of those lightning strike opportunities for me. The way I look at it, I’m on borrowed time as it is in life. When I get out there, I want to soak it up and be as active and involved as I can.”
Learn more about the Scheller Executive MBA Program.