As Kent Malwitz ’92, information systems, moved up through the world of technology leadership, he kept wondering if an MBA was in the cards. But what he found ultimately most useful and fulfilling, as someone already steeped in the CEO-world, was pursuing an M.F.A. in creative writing. Malwitz, who is the director of strategic partnerships at UMBC Training Centers—a nonprofit providing private workforce training in technology, cybersecurity, project management, and leadership development—nurtured this early creative emphasis as an IS student who wanted to explore the empowering and vulnerable world of writing workshops. Now, he corrals his curiosity and storyteller-instincts to become a more empathetic teammate and leader.
While I knew from a very young age that I loved technology, it wasn’t until my junior year at UMBC that I discovered that I also love to write. Working and playing with technology was natural to me as a kid, and since personal computers, modems, and bulletin boards were all fairly new to the public in the late ’80s, I was drawn to technology for exactly that reason—it was new. There was an element of discovery and creativity in trying to figure out how to do certain things with computers, leading me to pursue a degree in information systems at UMBC and a career in technology.
While at UMBC, I worked at a co-op with IBM, which allowed me to gain technical and business experience. I would drive to Gaithersburg daily from UMBC to provide technical support to IBM’s sales teams, and at certain times, I would take night classes alongside my 40-hour-a-week job at IBM, which gave me a heavy dose of the “real world,” as I tried to balance work, school, a social life, and a lengthy commute. The grind did not leave a lot of space for creativity.
After completing the required technical writing courses for my major, I felt a creative pull in me and acknowledged that my best chance of exploring that would be through writing, as I had shown no promise in the visual arts. I took a creative writing class and fell in love. It felt amazing to be doing something creative alongside my very technical work, and what I loved the most was sharing work with my fellow students and seeing and hearing their work—their thoughts and ideas, their fears. It made me feel extremely vulnerable, as well, but hearing my peers’ feedback was empowering, and I felt inspired by their talent.
Working to extend the university’s mission
Back then, IBM was known for having an unofficial dress code—blue suit, white shirt, red tie. I conformed. The people were very nice, and it was a great introduction into the work world, but I knew that I wanted to work in an environment with a different kind of energy.
I found myself drawn to smaller, entrepreneurial companies where you got to—and had to—do many things based on the limited resources available. I found these environments to be conducive to learning, problem solving, and creativity. Where there were many challenges, there were equal opportunities to think critically and creatively and to lead through them. I found great joy in creating elegant technical solutions to address our customers’ business needs. I loved trying to figure things out that had not yet been figured out, and as my career grew, I took on bigger and bigger projects and teams.
After 10 years of technology consulting, I learned about a non-profit that UMBC founded focused on the delivery of technical training—the UMBC Computer Certification and Training Center (UMBC CCTC—way too many Cs!). I was recruited by the president of CCTC at the time, Doug Kenzierski, my former instructor who connected me to IBM for my co-op. I got involved in 2003 to help lead business development efforts with organizations and government agencies to train their employees. We renamed UMBC CCTC to UMBC Training Centers and started winning contracts with regional businesses and key agencies in the intelligence community, the military, and civilian government.
In true grit fashion, UMBC was very early to grasp the concept of a research university that provides workforce development programs as well as having a related business entity that extends the mission of the university to new audiences. Today, UMBC Training Centers is a significant provider of workforce training in technology, cybersecurity, project management, and leadership development, serving many individuals and employers in the region through our private training programs and our robust open enrollment schedule that reaches more than 10,000 learners a year.
Nurturing curiosity
Throughout my career, I often thought about pursuing an MBA, and while I know I would have learned a lot, I already had significant hands-on experience from leading business development at UMBC Training Centers and then later becoming the CEO. Instead, I realized what I really needed was to nurture my curiosity and interest in creativity. I thought that tapping into my own personal beliefs and values and becoming a better storyteller would help me become a more empathetic and more effective teammate and leader.
After hearing from other UMBC staff who had gone this route, including Jenny O’Grady, the editor of this magazine, I applied for the Master’s of Fine Arts creative writing program at the University of Baltimore. In many ways, I was a fish out of water in the program, but I loved it. I was much older than most of the students, and I was working full-time as the CEO of UMBC Training Centers. I was the only one who would show up in a suit on many nights, but my classmates welcomed me. I delved into writing workshop after workshop.
“I thought that tapping into my own personal beliefs and values and becoming a better storyteller would help me become a more empathetic and more effective teammate and leader.
Just like when I was an undergrad, sharing my work with others and having their work shared with me was my favorite part of the program. I loved the feedback and the support—both giving and receiving. While I haven’t completed the M.F.A. program, I intend to and feel that I have already benefited from it greatly as a business person and as a leader. Thinking critically and creatively and being open minded and unafraid of the unknown has been a key factor in the growth of my career.
Full-circle all the way home
After 17 years at UMBC Training Centers, I was recruited to go work again for IBM, despite my concerns from my earlier experience working there as a student. I worried about how I would feel working for such a large, corporate organization after having been in a small, entrepreneurial environment for my entire career. I was there for 4 years and learned a lot—about corporate culture, about scale, and about leadership, and I was reminded about the critical nature of strategic partnerships.
In August of this year I had the opportunity to return to my beloved UMBC and UMBC Training Centers in the capacity of director of strategic partnerships. Here, I intend to work collaboratively—and creatively—with our partners, UMBC being our most strategic partner, to scale up the impact we have on the communities we serve, including finding ways to allow UMBC students to more directly benefit from our offerings, and to make UMBC Training Centers no longer the best kept secret at UMBC.
Tags: Alumni Essay, COEIT, Fall 2024, IS
