Elizabeth Rose Valade: From Major to MBA 

Elizabeth Rose Valade ’26 MBA began her career in the U.S. Army, where she enlisted as a private first class and rose through the ranks to retire as a major. Over 18 years and nine months of service, including 13 combat tours, she built a reputation for leadership and resilience while working on special programs for special operations units.  

When her time in uniform came to an end, Valade knew she wanted to keep leading but in a new way. “I was starting my own business, and the government only taught me so much about doing so,” she says. “The entrepreneurial track allowed me to learn a little about the things I needed to know so that I could find my network.”  

Valade found the perfect fit at Syracuse University’s Whitman School of Management. She is completing her online MBA with a specialization in entrepreneurship and will finish her courses in December 2025 before walking in the May 2026 commencement ceremony.  

Choosing Whitman was both personal and practical. “I am from upstate New York near Syracuse; I bleed orange and blue,” she says. “Syracuse is a well-renowned school, and the networking alone makes it phenomenal.”  

Her transition from the battlefield to the classroom has not always been simple, but Whitman provided the support she needed. “Whitman and even my interactions with other schools have been amazing with helping me succeed along the way,” she says.  

Faculty members played an important role in keeping her on track. Professor of Entrepreneurial Practice John Torrens was the reason she chose the entrepreneurial track. Dimitri Madouros, adjunct faculty, offered a timely push when she considered withdrawing from a course  

“He talked me into not withdrawing one term when I was feeling overwhelmed,” Valade says. “He gave me the speech that the generals would give us when heading into combat, and it was very influential for me personally.”  

Today, Valade is already putting her MBA studies to work. She has launched a baseball agency and is rediscovering the joy of professional life despite the challenges of combat-related post-traumatic stress.  

“I have already started my baseball agency and am having fun and enjoying working again, which was previously unattainable with my combat-related post-traumatic stress syndrome,” she says. “My MBA will help me with the long-term planning efforts so that we can keep money in the bank and the lights on while dealing with the unique challenges of the job.”  

For Valade, Whitman is more than a business school. It is the bridge between a decorated military career and a new chapter of entrepreneurship.  

“Whitman gave me the support I needed to succeed, but it was the discipline and time management I learned in the Army that helped me balance everything,” she says. 

 By Bo BenYehuda