Smeal alumna invests in herself through graduate programs

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — When Lauri Accardi is interested in a topic, she dives head-first into learning everything she can, she said.
She first earned three undergraduate degrees in the liberal arts. Then, when her professional path evolved toward project management and business, she sought business skills and knowledge through an MBA, enrolling in the Penn State Online MBA program.

Accardi said that was the beginning of her professional and personal journey: She learned about business and project management, and  gained the leadership skills she wanted in the online MBA. Accardi said that she even parents her children differently because of the leadership skills she developed.

“I went into the program thinking this is going to help me in my career, not really thinking about how profoundly it was going to impact me — the way I think, the way I interact with other people, the way I understand everything,” she said. “It just has exponentially added value for me as a people leader, as a businesswoman, and as a communicator.”

While her experience in the Penn State Online MBA filled the gap Accardi felt in her education, she said, its course work sparked more interest in how she could be an even more effective leader. Before finishing her MBA, Accardi dove into education again — another master’s degree, in strategic leadership.

Deciding to go back to school

Like many people, she found herself working remotely following the COVID-19 pandemic. She wanted to do more with the time she saved from not commuting.

Accardi decided to pursue an MBA, a degree she felt would continue her professional development. She had previously earned undergraduate degrees in photography, French, and art history.

“They were not aligned with what I was doing from a growth and trajectory perspective for my career,” she said. “I knew having that deficit in all of the understandings from a business perspective would eventually stall my growth.”

As a working mother of four, Accardi needed the flexibility of online education but didn’t want to compromise quality. She researched graduate MBA programs with strong networking opportunities and found her top prospects.

Accardi picked the Penn State Online MBA and enrolled in 2022. The program is led by the internationally recognized Penn State Smeal College of Business, which gave her the quality she was looking for. It is offered online through Penn State World Campus, which gave her the flexibility to go back to school while working and raising her family.

“Penn State definitely was the one I was actively excited about,” she said. “And I’ve absolutely loved every second of it since I started.”

Applying what she’s learning

Accardi said her experience in the Penn State Online MBA has shown her the importance of deeply connecting with others and how to motivate teammates and make decisions with both an analytical and empathetic perspective.

“The course work puts things into a very different perspective,” she said. “You really see the interconnectedness of all of your decisions and how your interactions with people can make such a lasting impact.”

Accardi said she experienced this first-hand at the residency that kicked off her cohort of the Penn State Online MBA program. She engaged in conversations with her peers. Students in the program hail from a variety of professions — not exclusively the business world.

“That’s what makes World Campus so beautiful,” Accardi said. “It gives you that ability and the flexibility to do it in your own time and on your own schedule but to also collaborate with peers, build your network, and join the Penn State Alumni Association.”

Connecting with other Penn Staters

For Accardi, she said, her Penn State degree is more than her academic program — it’s the entire experience of being a Penn Stater. She has taken advantage of the numerous ways to get involved in the World Campus community.

Accardi said she is grateful for the opportunity to continue to learn and engage with like-minded peers. She is an active member of the Penn State World Campus community and serves as secretary of the World Campus Student Government Association.

Accardi has traveled to University Park multiple times for Student Government Association events and the annual Penn State World Campus Student Leadership Conference to network with undergraduate and graduate students. Penn State World Campus Student Affairs recognized Accardi in 2023 with the Overall Leadership Award.

“My connection to Penn State is so much deeper than any other experience I’ve had, and I feel like I have made lifelong connections that are going to exponentially increase my network and my understanding of the world,” she said.

A second Penn State graduate degree

A year into the Penn State Online MBA, Accardi said, her course work sparked new interests. The idea of a second graduate degree specializing in management and leadership intrigued Accardi. Her passion for continuous learning and the ability to pursue concurrent graduate degrees through Penn State made that idea a reality.

“I wanted to continue the program to further my education in other applications that I thought could also be of benefit from a career perspective,” she said. “I am so grateful that I decided to go and move forward with it because it allowed me the flexibility to continue to work full-time while I was pursuing my MBA.”

Accardi started her concurrent Master of Management in Strategic Management and Executive Leadership (SMExL) program. This graduate program expanded on topics like strategy implementation and organizational change that were introduced to Accardi in the Penn State Online MBA.

She is hopeful the skills and knowledge she’s gained will help her earn a position in a C-suite as a permanent employee or consultant.

“I can really have that background and understanding of all of those strategic pieces, and I can have more of the vernacular so that I can be seen as more of a resource to be able to push things further and to really look at the long-term goals for business and not just focus on the immediacy,” she said.

One down, one to go

Accardi currently runs her own consulting business where she helps individuals and businesses with certifications, program management, leadership training and agile coaching.

With her family cheering her on, Accardi donned a black graduation cap and gown and crossed the stage during the commencement ceremony for the J. Jeffrey and Ann Marie Fox Graduate School for her Penn State Online MBA in December 2024. She plans to don the regalia again later this year, when she will graduate with the master’s degree in strategic management and executive leadership. 

Accardi said she will always be a lifelong learner, whether enrolled in an academic program or through her family life, volunteerism, or profession. She hopes to make an impact on others with the leadership skills she developed at Penn State.

Accardi said her husband’s dream of earning an MBA inspired her to apply, but witnessing her transformation inspired him to join the program, too. He started in spring 2025.

“I want to help make better business decisions that are really focused on people and the benefit that people can bring to you as a business,” Accardi said. “Ultimately, it’s the people, because businesses can’t run without people.”

A Penn State degree online

Penn State World Campus has been offering a Penn State degree online for more than 25 years and has a comprehensive selection of more than 200 degrees and certificates now available.

The Penn State Online MBA and the Master of Management in Strategic Management and Executive Leadership degree program are among the graduate business degrees available online.

Visit the Penn State World Campus website to learn more about the graduate degrees offered online and led by the Penn State Smeal College of Business.