Raven Byars, a graduating MBA student from the University of Pittsburgh School of Business, home of the Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business, is among the Top 100 Best and Brightest MBAs from Poets&Quants. The list celebrates graduating students who are leaders inside and outside the classroom.
Byars, a Louisville, Kentucky native, pursued both an MBA and a Master of Health Administration degree. She will be joining Bristol Meyers Squibb as a commercial leadership development program associate this summer.
Byars began her career teaching English in Málaga, Spain, drawn there by her undergraduate studies in Spanish, Pan African Studies, and Latin American and Latino Studies. Returning to the U.S., she took an entry-level patient registration role to use her Spanish skills and discovered a calling.
Leadership, That’s so Raven
Inspired by the work of Bob Chapman, CEO of the multi-billion dollar company Barry-Wehmiller, Byars understands that for a business to be successful, there must be good leadership. “While it shouldn’t be revolutionary to see employees as people instead of disposable resources, it is a mindset that too often forgotten in business,” she says. “Chapman’s people-first approach is admirable and what I strive to emulate in my own leadership journey.”
Leadership is no foreign concept for Byars who has served as Pitt Business’s inaugural Ankur Goel Fellow through the Berg Center for Ethics and Leadership, has been a guest speaker, moderated panels, and served as team captain for the National Black MBA Case Competition.
“Later in my career, I would love to give back by teaching business and/or health administration students. I would want to share my industry knowledge and mentor the next generation of leaders,” she says.
Associate Director of Career Development, Jennifer O’Toole, and Assistant Director of Career Development, Renee Schiffhauer, both recognized Byars’s true colors. “What may be hardest to capture on paper is her impact on the people immediately around her,” the say. “In December 2024, she received the Wilma F. Tabisz Memorial Award to recognize a student who best exemplifies helpfulness to others, and models of equanimity and productivity in times of stress and difficulty. It is the most fitting recognition for her, because her generosity is structural, not occasional.”
The Katz Effect
Byars thoroughly enjoyed her time spent at the Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business.
“I chose Katz for its established dual MHA/MBA program, which blends business acumen with healthcare system knowledge and understanding,” she says. “I knew that because of Pittsburgh’s strong health sector ties, I would be surrounded by ample academic and professional opportunity. My experience in these programs has extensively prepared me for post-graduate work and future health industry leadership.”
At Katz, real-world learning opportunities are around every corner, and most of them involve solving real problems for local organizations. For her Lean Six Sigma course, her team focused on assisting a surgery center client, which “perfectly blended my interests in both business and health administration.”
Byars, who attended the University of Pittsburgh School of Business’s 2026 Impact Conference on AI and Health, says that many of her Pitt Business professors are integrating AI into class concepts to explore its uses and risks. “One of my key takeaways is how useful AI tools are for idea generation, yet we should be abundantly cautious due to the lack of regulation and unclear impacts,” she says.
The future of business is bright for students like Byars, who strive to make positive changes in the world.