When Chris Williams (M.S. in Business Analytics ’19) decided to take his career in a new direction, he realized it would take a lot of effort, and possibly a lot of time he didn’t have.
A husband, father of two young girls, and military veteran, he was working a full-time consulting role at Deloitte, and as such, Williams didn’t have the luxury of putting his responsibilities on hold to pursue a two-year MBA. What he did have was curiosity about the growing role of data in business, taking on a career pivot, and the drive to make it work. That determination led him to the University of Virginia’s Master of Science in Business Analytics (MSBA), a joint program between UVA’s Darden School of Business and McIntire School of Commerce.
Today, Williams is thriving at Databricks, a $100 billion tech company revolutionizing how organizations use artificial intelligence to manage their data. Looking back, he says the overlap between Databricks’ mission and the lessons he learned through the MSBA program couldn’t be clearer. “It was just a perfect marriage of what I was looking for on the business side, but still increasing the technical competencies,” he says. “I could not have written it to play out any better.”
Finding a Fit, Data for Decisions
In 2018, Williams was working in tech delivery at Deloitte when he realized he still had 13 months of GI Bill benefits available. He began searching for a one-year graduate program that would let him deepen his analytical expertise without putting his career—and important things like paying his mortgage—on hold. Georgetown, George Mason, and George Washington were on his radar, but UVA’s MSBA program caught his eye. “It was very exciting and very close, right down the street from Deloitte.” The timing was perfect, so he jumped at the chance to use his benefits to apply as part of the then newly launched grad program’s first cohort.
Williams had already been “technically, a data scientist” at Deloitte, building models and supporting senior managers. But what he really wanted was to bridge the gap between technical detail and executive strategy, and to move from coding to communicating impact. He explains, “It was taking hard data problems and then turning it into solutions that resonated with executive leaders. In consulting, answering questions is great, but senior executives didn’t want to think tactically, they wanted to think strategically. How does this help them accomplish their goals?”
The communication acumen required to refine complex data into clear, persuasive storytelling became one of his most valuable lessons. “Taking that skill and thinking about what’s really important to tell my leadership at Databricks or my customers is something I still do weekly, if not daily,” he says.
Peers, Professors, and Work-Life Balance
Williams thrived in the MSBA program’s collaborative environment. With classmates from a wide range of professional backgrounds, classes quickly offered a real-world laboratory for leadership, collaboration, and problem-solving.
He notes how the diversity of his classmates’ industry experiences strengthened his skill set, while crediting the faculty for their accessibility and commitment to student growth. “There was no question too small or no idea too big where they wouldn’t sit down and help you either flesh it out or address the root cause of struggling to understand a concept,” Williams says. “I reached out to multiple faculty for one-on-one career guidance, and they were always available. It was a really, really good experience.”
For all its rewards, the MSBA program wasn’t easy. Williams juggled work commitments, family life, and a demanding academic load. “It was a lot,” he admits. “But I had support from my company and my wife, which was critical. It was still a team sport. Late nights, missing dinners, weekend residencies—it was a challenge, but worth it.” That ability to balance competing priorities and to operate in ambiguity would prove crucial as he prepared for the next stage of his career.
A Career Pivot to a Perfect Match
After several years in consulting, Williams began exploring roles in technology sales. It was a move he describes as “a career pivot, but definitely an exciting one.” With help from Darden Career Services, he refined his approach and identified Databricks as his ideal landing spot. “They helped me focus my search, come up with a strategy, and define what I was looking for,” he says. “Databricks checked all of the boxes: a pre-IPO company, sticky adoption, tech future-proofing, and a way for me to get involved in that world.”
At Databricks, Williams helps clients, many in the U.S. Department of Defense, leverage AI to address complex challenges, from supply chain logistics to data governance. “I’m working on the ideation phase, that art of the possible,” he says. “It’s been a lot of fun, and I feel very lucky to be where I am.”
The parallels between his MSBA experience and Databricks’ mission are clear. Both emphasize much more than data science, including the business value of data and the human judgment needed to make sense of it. “We’re seeing the shift away from just using [basic AI like] ChatGPT to solving true logistical and supply chain issues, all natively on the platform and letting AI do a lot of the work,” he says. “But there’s still a human in the loop. That’s where the business understanding comes in.”
For professionals considering the MSBA, especially those looking to switch up their careers, Williams has simple advice: Talk to alumni. “I wish we had that, but being cohort one, there were no alums yet,” he says with a laugh. “Now, you have folks from all different paths that most likely align with where you want to be. That’s a very valuable resource.”
He also recommends attending one of the many information sessions to connect with program leaders and better understand the structure and expectations. “They answered a lot of my questions,” he notes. “That really helped me make a very informed decision.”
For Williams, the MSBA program took him where he wanted to be. “It prepared me to adapt and pivot,” he says, “to think about solving not only today’s problems, but tomorrow’s problems, too.”
