Reviewed by: Elizabeth Hobbs
Why this Huntsville project manager is thriving in a male-dominated field
Reading time: 4 minutes
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Abigail never dreamed of rocking a hard hat, but now she’s showing the guys how it’s done.
Read on to learn why this Huntsville resident decided to break into a male-dominated field and the key that got her there.
Excelling in construction — “more than just a little girl playing in the sand”
Meet Abigail
Originally from Louisiana, Abigail moved around a lot with her family while growing up. She even lived in Germany for a bit and finished her senior year of high school there.
She’s been in Madison since 2008 though, so she does claim the Huntsville area as her hometown.
In her free time, you can find her playing tennis in a competitive league with her fiancé and planning for their upcoming wedding in June.
Finding her place in construction
Abigail never thought she’d go into construction but has found herself pleasantly surprised by how much she likes the field. After graduating with her bachelor’s degree, she knew she wanted to get her master’s but decided to take a break from school and start working.
She launched her career in special events before deciding to take a job at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, working in sales. While she was there, COVID-19 hit, and everyone went remote.
After getting over the initial shock of COVID, Abigail began to think the time was finally right to start her MBA.
“During the shutdown, I started looking into MBA programs and came across a lot of them that were geared toward hospitality.
I wanted something that fit the Huntsville market better, so I started searching for project management concentrations, and The University of North Alabama came up.
I saw that it was one of the top online MBA programs in the nation. I thought, ‘That’s literally in my backyard; why would I go anywhere else?'”
Abigail Peterson
Plus, Abigail was able to get a 20% discount on tuition since The Space & Rocket Center is one of UNA’s many partners, and she didn’t have to drive to campus since the classes are 100% online.
Gaining the necessary management skills
Her MBA in Project Management coursework equipped her and inspired her to pursue the Associate Project Manager position at GTEC—a geotechnical environmental engineering firm offering construction material testing.
“At GTEC, I’m the scheduler for six field techs, two lab techs, the other associate project manager and myself—10 people total. It can be challenging to maneuver senior project managers’ meeting times or schedule people for different jobs based on their unique talents. The management skills I gained during my MBA in Project Management truly come into play every single day.
Plus, being a female in a very male-dominated industry, it’s been an advantage to have those letters after my name as a testimony to my knowledge and skill set.”
Abigail Peterson
Level up your leadership through UNA’s MBA in Project Management.
UNA’s MBA in Project Management—the key to leadership in engineering, defense + more
Abigail encourages anyone who is wanting to grow their leadership in Huntsville to consider UNA’s Project Management MBA.
“When I was deciding my MBA concentration, there was a point where my focus shifted, and it hit me: we’re in the Rocket City—this is an engineer metropolis.
The MBA in Project Management is good for anyone—from engineers to business majors. It opens you up to leadership jobs in defense, engineering and more. If you’ve been doing something different than what you want to get into, this is a great next step in education to to bridge that gap.”
Abigail Peterson
Apply for the MBA in Project Management today
If you’re ready to open yourself up to incredible leadership opportunities in Huntsville, check out UNA’s MBA in Project Management:
- Cost: $495 per credit hour + fees
- Time to complete:
- Full time: 12-18 months
- Part time: 18-24 months
- Format: 100% online
- AACSB accredited, making UNA in the top 5% of business schools worldwide.
- No GMAT required.
- The next semester start date is October 11 + UNA is still accepting applications—apply now.
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