For Chamber CEO, UTA Fort Worth offered the education he needed
Steve Montgomery needed some help.
Back in the early 2000s, the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce president and chief executive officer was a vice president at OZ Systems, an Arlington software firm.
“I realized that I always volunteered to take on tasks and learn as I went along,” Montgomery said. “I was doing business development, human resources, management, finance, accounting. I finally decided to acquire some of those skills.”
Montgomery opted to enroll at The University of Texas at Arlington’s Fort Worth (FW) campus because of location, ease of travel and the program itself.
“The degree program featured learning cohorts, and I still keep in touch with some of the people from mine,” said Montgomery, who earned his MBA from UTA FW in 2010. “We did projects as a team. That teaches you so much about the real business world. Everything I worked on at UTA FW I could apply to the company I was working for at the time. I loved it because what was taught was directly applicable to business.”
Perhaps the biggest advantage in choosing UTA FW was being able to take a trip with the class to China.
“There is so much you can learn in business when traveling abroad,” Montgomery said.
After OZ, he served in various capacities in the health care and public affairs sectors, along with a stint as a legislative aide to state Sen. Mike Moncrief.
Then, the Fort Worth Chamber position became available.
“I thought, here’s an organization that represents small businesses. I worked at a small business. I could look that person in the eye and say I had some of the same experiences,” said Montgomery, who has been at the chamber job since July. “In addition to my business background, I had a public policy background, so I jumped at the chance.”
Now, after just being on the job three-and-a-half months, he says the Fort Worth Chamber job feels like home.
“I truly believe that all of the experiences I’ve accumulated—including UTA Fort Worth—have prepared me for this specific job,” he said.