Elizabeth Papa, MBA

When Elizabeth Papa started her career in the manufacturing department at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, she was able to gain the base knowledge of how industrial operations and product supply functioned. Before long, she realized if she wanted to drive change at a higher level in the company, gaining an MBA would fulfill one of her missing puzzle pieces.

That’s when Elizabeth attended an open house at Sage’s School of Management and made a connection with Dean and Associate Professor Kimberly Fredericks, Ph.D. She learned the program checked the boxes she needed: small classes, a collaborative environment and an atmosphere where everyone shared the common goal of achieving success.

Today, with her MBA from Sage completed, Elizabeth is Manager of Automation in the Engineering Automation Department at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals.

“Having the letters after my name didn’t get me promoted,” she says. “I always had the drive and the desire to grow. But Sage gave me the education to know the how and why of what I’m doing in my management role.”

Elizabeth currently leads a team of 18 employees ,which includes four associate managers reporting to her, as well as managing a multimillion-dollar support contract. 

“Every day I apply concepts learned from the classes that I took at Sage,” she says.

Taking on graduate school while working full time, Elizabeth says, is a big commitment. “In the long run it pays off … if you use it,” she says. “It’s important to have a goal going in. I didn’t always want to be in management or a manager, I just knew I wanted to make a difference and help people.”

Elizabeth uses her education in many ways, she says, because the Sage MBA program is comprehensive, touching on everything from social entrepreneurship, to human resource management to contract negotiations in business law.

“All the classes introduce real life examples,” she says. “You get a good education that is easy to apply.”