Two UMGC graduates put their research into practice
For many working professionals, doctoral research offers an opportunity to investigate workplace challenges and develop solutions that can be applied in real-world settings. Two recent University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC) graduates did exactly that through research focused on leadership development and artificial intelligence (AI) adoption.
Research with real-world impact
Kiosha F. Mitchell, DBA ’12, ’19, ’26 chose to pursue a doctorate because she saw an opportunity to address issues in her workplace. Mitchell enrolled at UMGC because she was already comfortable with the learning environment, having received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in cybersecurity from the university.
Mitchell noticed a retention gap in her former workplace where high-performing junior employees were leaving the organization due to burnout instead of pursuing leadership opportunities. This left less experienced employees to advance into these positions. She explained this can create what are known as fragile organizations that lack enough experienced and confident leaders. Mitchell researched human-centric leadership to help organizations become anti-fragile.
She currently serves as a chief master sergeant and was recently assigned to Scott Air Force base, where she is using findings from her dissertation to address training challenges and empower regional leaders to thrive in complex environments.
Anna Harutyunyan, DBA ’26 chose to pursue a doctorate to help her address organizational management issues she saw around her. She was looking for a DBA program that balanced academic rigor with affordability and accessibility; she found it at UMGC. Harutyunyan has a background in public policy and is chief executive at Nashville After Zone Alliance, a youth services organization within the local government. There she drives operational improvements, oversees the budget, ensures better alignment of organizational resources, and manages relationships at many levels.
Harutyunyan’s dissertation focused on the alignment between AI adoption and organizational goals. She studied whether organizations assess and invest adequately in infrastructure and employee training to deliver a return on investment after adopting AI. Now, based on the models she developed in her research, Harutyunyan plans to offer management consulting services to organizations looking to assess institutional capacity before adopting AI at scale.
Overcoming challenges along the way
While Mitchell and Harutyunyan both characterized their DBA journeys as rewarding, each encountered challenges that tested both their resolve and the program’s flexibility. Mitchell had to relocate from Texas to Illinois a few weeks before her scheduled dissertation defense, when a career promotion resulted in permanent change of station orders. Harutyunyan struggled to recruit participant organizations while conducting primary research in a condensed timeframe and revising her dissertation two weeks before her defense.
For those considering UMGC’s DBA program, Harutyunyan recommends assessing the overall workload to ensure it fits with your job and other commitments. Mitchell suggests determining what type of learner you are to make sure the program will suit you. She shared that knowing whether you prefer self-directed vs. guided curriculum or online vs. in-person instruction can help you determine if UMGC would work well for you.
“If you’re looking for structure, UMGC is the right fit,” said Mitchell.
A redesigned path for working professionals
UMGC’s DBA program is designed to prepare senior-level working professionals to be strategic thinkers and leaders who can solve complex problems by combining scholarly theory with organizational practice.
Consistent with its commitment to offering programs that align with learner and workforce needs, UMGC paused DBA program enrollments in 2025 while it incorporated changes that provide learners with greater flexibility in how they complete the program while maintaining a focus on applied research and professional practice.
While Mitchell and Harutyunyan conducted primary research for their dissertations, in the redesigned program, learners now have more options: writing a traditional dissertation, writing a publishable peer-reviewed research article, or executing a work-based applied research project with real-world outcomes.
Other program changes include coursework and workshops being fully online with optional in-person sessions, as well as opportunities to engage with emerging AI-enabled tools and practices.
The relaunched DBA program is accepting applications through December 16, 2026, for the Spring 2027 cohort.
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