Co-founder, Air Force Gaming
Zach Baumann has been a gamer since he was a kid bouncing around the country with his four siblings during his father鈥檚 military career.
Baumann is now an Air Force captain鈥攁 personnel officer and expert in human resources and business administration鈥攕o it鈥檚 hard to get under his skin. But one way to do it is to suggest that gamers are a collection of introverts who shun the outside.听
鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 trade all the time I鈥檝e spent gaming for anything,鈥� Baumann said. 鈥淭he friends I made, the things we did together, it鈥檚 all been so valuable to me.鈥�
That value isn鈥檛 just unlocking achievements in Call of Duty鈥擝aumann is a co-founder of Air Force Gaming, a digital platform that connects airmen with fellow players in the service.
鈥淭he Leeds MBA gave me the confidence and strategic mindset to push forward.鈥�
Zach Baumann (MBA鈥�21)
A lot of the insights he鈥檚 brought to the table come from the Leeds MBA he completed while on active duty. Many of his responsibilities focused on marketing strategy, 鈥渁nd the tools I was using were so fresh, they still had tags on them,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 was able to get insights on all the challenges we faced鈥攆rom creating a social media presence, to building pitch decks, to refining our strategy鈥攆rom my MBA classes.鈥澨�
In fact, the platform has become so successful that last fall, the military effectively acquired it, bringing in a startup called Rally Cry to help take the program global.听
鈥淭he Leeds MBA gave me the confidence and strategic mindset to push forward,鈥� Baumann said.
In the short term, alongside running Air Force Gaming with co-founders Oliver Parsons and Mike Sullivan, Baumann is headed to the Air Force Personnel Center at Randolph Air Force Base, in Texas. He鈥檒l be a talent management analyst, using analytics to assess the personnel programs the Air Force uses in the selection and development of all career fields. 鈥淚鈥檓 really excited to join the team, and I feel well equipped to do so thanks to my Leeds education,鈥� he said.
Longer term, Baumann isn鈥檛 sure whether he鈥檒l stay with the Air Force or transition to a civilian career. Either way, he expects the combination of military experience and his MBA to open new doors.听
鈥淚t would be cool to hit one more rank, to major鈥攖he same as my dad when he retired,鈥� Baumann said. 鈥淗e also had an MBA. When I talked to him at graduation, I said, 鈥楬ey pops鈥擨鈥檓 coming for you.鈥欌�澨�