Brenton Kaminski makes a professional and personal investment with the Executive MBA

The Executive MBA at ASU's W. P. Carey School of Business offered Brenton Kaminski (Executive MBA '26) the opportunity to pursue his professional development goals while still dedicating time to his career and his family.

Recent graduate Brenton Kaminski (Executive MBA '26) had more than one motivating factor driving him to pursue the Executive MBA program at ASU's W. P. Carey School of Business.

He has worked his way up the ladder at Discount Tire over the past 25 years, from a part-time tire technician role to assistant vice president of the Dallas region. Kaminski knew that having an advanced business degree, such as an MBA, would help him be a better leader within his organization.

"Going back and getting my MBA here is the best thing I've ever done for myself,” he says. “I know it's going to be rewarding for those around me and myself for a lifetime.”

On a personal note, earning an Executive MBA was a chance for Kaminski to prove to himself and his family that growth never stops and that achieving your goals is always possible. The W. P. Carey EMBA offered him the opportunity to pursue his goals while still dedicating time to his career and his family.

The perfect program fit

The Executive MBA program at W. P. Carey features an integrated curriculum designed to build well-rounded leaders who can balance interests across different business units. Students take courses in subjects such as accounting, statistics, marketing, and ethics, and they learn to use cutting-edge technology like artificial intelligence.

A highlight of the program is the Business Strategy and Public Policy trip, where students visit both the Arizona state capitol and Washington, D.C., to see firsthand how the two areas intersect.

Kaminski found this experience to be incredibly informative and rewarding. "We went to class during the day, and we heard from previous and current senators, as well as advocacy departments and programs," he says. "We got a deeper understanding and immersed ourselves in how the government, laws, and regulations absolutely influence the outcomes of your business."

Executive MBA classes meet on ASU's Tempe campus for one in-residence weekend per month. The intensive weekend includes Friday and Saturday, with Friday overnight lodging provided. Additional class content during the month is delivered virtually.

For Kaminski, travelling from the Dallas area to Tempe once a month was actually part of the program's appeal. "I really wanted to remove distractions whenever I was here," he says. "It's easy to get sucked into baseball or dance or just everyday life. I knew if I just removed myself for 48 hours and came in once a month for the hybrid schedule, that it would be special."

Recognizing the national reach of the program, W. P. Carey offers exclusive travel scholarships for EMBA students who reside outside of the Phoenix metro area. Awards are automatically applied without needing a separate application, so leaders nationwide have access to this transformative degree.

Learning from other leaders

The design of the EMBA program encourages students to build strong relationships with their peers. Classes — both during in-residence weekends and online — are meant to be collaborative and foster discussions, where students share their personal perspectives and expertise.

When describing the experience, Kaminski says, "In the Executive MBA program, others are relying on you to also learn. Classmates want to learn from your experiences. The professors are learning from you, too, and you're learning from the professors."

The program has reinforced how important teamwork is. Kaminski recalls a classmate who was happy to share his expertise with the rest of the cohort during finance and accounting classes.

"He was eager to help, not because he had to, but because he loved it," he says. "He was passionate, and he wanted to make sure everyone was successful, and that was a direct correlation to our culture at Discount Tire. It's genuine people helping others, like our brand promises."

Rather than hitting any specific metrics, Kaminski looks to take these lessons and become a stronger, more trustworthy leader for his team. "I want my team to be able to run through a wall together without doubt, if we have to, and I want them to know that I will do the same for them," he says.

Impact beyond the workplace

He also sees how the Executive MBA is making a lasting impact on him as a person and on his relationship with his family. He speaks highly of how supportive his wife and two children have been during this journey.

"Balancing the schoolwork, work, and family life. It can be a challenge if you don't have the right support system, right?" says Kaminski. "My beautiful wife understood, and it was a joint decision on my coming back."

He adds, "She's supporting me from not only the business side, because she's been immersed in the Discount Tire culture for 24 years, and she understands how important that is. On the personal side, I wanted to retell my story, and she wanted to be super supportive of that."

Ultimately, Kaminski hopes that his pursuit of the Executive MBA shows his family the benefits of investing in yourself and dedicating the time to the things that are most important to you.

"I wanted to prove to my children, to my wife, to my coworkers, to my friends, and to my dad that you can really lean in and do anything if you really put your mind to it and if you really care," he says. "I wanted to show them it can be done and model what it takes."