Marie Judd, Student – Graduate Certificate in Dispute Resolution
Director of Operations Improvement and Patient Experience, Columbia St. Mary’s
In addition to her MBA, Marie wanted to enhance her education with a layer of knowledge and skills in the area of dispute resolution because she has a passion for dissecting issues and resolving conflicts that arise in her professional and personal life. “I selected the graduate program in dispute resolution based on the reputation of Marquette University as well as the program and the professors,” says Marie.
The dispute resolution skills are applicable to Marie’s current professional role as she collaborates with leadership and teams across the system to ensure that patients have an exceptional experience along with the highest quality of care. “My coursework completely enhanced my job through the readings we were assigned and the topics we would cover,” says Marie. “I was able to tailor my school research to something that was applicable and beneficial to Columbia St. Mary’s as well.”
Attending class on Friday nights and a few Saturday mornings worked well for Marie. “I would leave work, go to school from 4:00 to 7:30 p.m. and still have time to catch a late dinner and home movie with my kids and my husband after class,” she says. The class schedule allowed Marie to balance her time and continue to attend her children’s sports events, lead her daughter’s Daisy troop, teach Junior Achievement in the Mequon-Thiensville School district, serve as Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors at Portal, Inc. in Grafton, and actively participate in the American College of Healthcare Executives – Wisconsin Chapter.
“I am certain that my graduate certificate in dispute resolution is enhancing my ability to help individuals reach better outcomes for patients, collaborate with others better, and help resolve conflict with a focus on teamwork, creativity and continuous improvement,” says Marie.
Brian Wroblewski, BS ’98, MBA ’04, Student – Master in Dispute Resolution, Director of Provider Management, Assurant Health
After Brian completed his undergraduate degree and MBA at Marquette University, he started the part-time law studies program and realized it was not a good fit. In 2008, Brian came back to Marquette University to submit a plan for the MU business plan competition and won! He created a plan for Golf Pipeline, an online tee-time and social network. During the competition, Brian met folks from Marquette University who recommended the graduate program in dispute resolution because it offers skills in negotiation, mediation, and arbitration, with a focus on health care. “Within my job, contract negotiations, negotiation and mediation are part of my everyday tasks, and I thought the dispute resolution program would offer an opportunity to leverage and complement my skills,” he says.
“I have found the program to be very manageable with Friday evening and Saturday classes including a great deal of classroom interaction and hands-on work,” Brian remarks. Using a good calendar, he is able to schedule time for work, school, family, serving on the board of directors for Big Brothers/Big Sisters and serving as a Big Brother, as well as working as an adjunct instructor at Ottawa University.
The graduate program in dispute resolution gives Brian a greater understanding of the industry, helping him both personally and professionally. “I can use the knowledge and skills I am gaining from the program in all of my negotiations and interactions with people throughout my lifetime,” he comments.
Julie O’Halloran, Dispute Resolution Graduate Certificate '10, Master's Student - Dispute Resolution
Attorney, Gagne & O'Halloran
After earning her law degree from Marquette University in 1989, Julie enjoyed working as an attorney for a firm that specialized in family law issues. In 2001, Julie created her own law firm with a close professional colleague in order to continue her work in family law as her own boss and incorporate some new opportunities into her practice.
"As I began to observe how changes in the world were giving people less hope and more despair about the future, I decided that I needed to find a way to make my work more about creating solutions and less about placing Band-Aids over gapping wounds," says Julie. "The graduate program in Dispute Resolution seemed like a logical fit for me because of my practice style and desire to find other options for my clients."
Julie earned a graduate certificate in Dispute Resolution and was energized to continue taking classes and work toward a master’s degree in Dispute Resolution. “The dispute resolution courses have provided more perspective about interpersonal relationships than all of the continuing legal education courses I have taken during my 22 years of practice," remarks Julie. "The program's approach is practical, multi-disciplinary and global. I have learned to be more patient, open-minded and understanding in order to deal with conflict in a way that will create solutions and add value."
