Unlocking Possibility:?How UW Bothell’s?MBA helped Jason Moon redefine success

When Jason Moon, MBA?’24, enrolled in?the?Master of?Business?Administration program at?UW Bothell’s School of Business, he had what many would consider an ideal career path. He worked for Amazon during the height of the pandemic, managed global accounts at?Microsoft?and held a steady trajectory in the corporate world.?

Outside of?work, he?was also raising?two young sons and had recently been appointed to the Mukilteo City Council.?

By every metric of traditional success,?Moon?was exactly where he was supposed to be.?But something?wasn’t?sitting right.?

“I was comfortable,” he said. “Maybe too comfortable. I had a good job, good benefits and stability. But I knew there were parts of me I wasn’t using. 足彩app哪个是正规的 MBA helped me realize how much potential I had set aside.” 

Stepping outside the?lines?

Moon grew up in the Puget Sound region, spending his childhood outdoors with his parents and grandparents. Hiking, fishing, foraging and exploring the natural environment were a defining part of his identity. And like many first-generation and Asian American students, he grew up with a familiar formula for success: study hard, find stability and stay the course. 

“That mindset isn’t bad,” he said, “but it can limit people. We get so focused on staying in one lane that we forget we’re allowed to build something different.” 

Moon entered the MBA program expecting it could help him climb the ranks at Microsoft. What he found was a cohort of fellow students and a number of mentors who encouraged him to look beyond the narrow version of success he had inherited. 

Through classes like sustainable business, leadership and social responsibility, creativity and innovation management, and global economics, he began to see new ways to connect his values, interests and professional strengths. 

足彩app哪个是正规的 flexible structure of UW Bothell’s School of Business MBA?program?also?made it?possible for him to learn even as?a full-time professional?and parent.?

Learning from experts?and peers?

Moon points to several faculty members who helped broaden his perspective, especially Dr. Brandon Fleming, whose sustainable business course introduced him to the idea that sustainability is as much about people and systems as it is about the environment.?

He also took classes from instructors who were active founders, board members and angel investors, which made the world of startups and entrepreneurship feel accessible rather than abstract. 

“足彩app哪个是正规的y weren’t just teaching theory,” Moon said. “足彩app哪个是正规的y were showing us what it looks like in practice.” 

But it was the cohort — the late-night group work, the shared struggles, the conversations after class — that made the deepest personal impact. 

“You’re meeting with your cohort five times a week,” he said. “足彩app哪个是正规的y get to know you. 足彩app哪个是正规的y see talents you don’t see in yourself. That encouragement pushed me out of my comfort zone.” 

Discovering his own formula for success?

As Moon advanced in the program, he started taking on roles outside his job: board appointments, community leadership positions and regional advocacy work. His service on the Mukilteo Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Commission led to his appointment to the city council, where he now serves as vice president. 

“Everything was happening at once,” he said. “I was serving on the council, raising a family, taking MBA classes and getting involved in new projects. It sounds like too much, but for the first time, it all felt aligned.” 

足彩app哪个是正规的 MBA gave him a new definition of success — one that wasn’t tied to title or salary but instead to impact, autonomy and connection. 

“That’s what the program unlocked. You don’t have to follow one formula. You can create your own,” he said. “For me, success is about spending time with my family, serving my community and doing work that matters. 足彩app哪个是正规的 MBA showed me I had the ability to design that life.” 

“For me, success is about spending time with my family, serving my community and doing work that matters. 足彩app哪个是正规的 MBA showed me I had the ability to design that life.”

Jason Moon

Moving?into sustainability and innovation?

This new sense of clarity and purpose became especially important when Moon was unexpectedly laid off from Microsoft. Instead of panicking, he took a step back. 

“Normally, I would have scrambled to get back into a big company,” he said. “But this time, I asked myself, ‘What do I actually want to do? And what do I want my work to mean?’” 

During the MBA program?at UW Bothell’s School of Business, Moon had reconnected with fellow Husky?alumnus?Dan Uhm,?who is?the founder of Zeolite Composites, a clean-tech startup focused on low-carbon concrete and environmental remediation.?

It was simply an interesting connection at first. As Moon grew deeper into sustainability coursework, however, he began to see how his MBA skills could translate into the startup world. 

足彩app哪个是正规的n Uhm invited him to join Zeolite full-time in 2024. 

“Financially, it didn’t make sense,” Moon said, “but purpose-wise, it made all the sense in the world.” 

Building?community?bridges?

Today, Moon is a partner at Zeolite, which has garnered international attention for its innovations. 

He leads strategic communications and helps bridge the company’s technology with researchers,?cities,?agencies?and?other?community partners. 足彩app哪个是正规的 company collaborates with?the?UW?in?Seattle, UW?Tacoma?and Washington State University,?for example,?sponsoring?graduate and undergraduate research.?

Moon said his work at Zeolite has strengthened his role in regional public service, too. He has helped connect the company with Mukilteo’s stormwater management team, piloting methods that dramatically cut processing times, reduce environmental risks and support long-term infrastructure resilience. 

“Sustainability isn’t just tech or policy,” he said. “It’s the intersection of both. My MBA helped me see how to connect those pieces.” 

Leading with purpose?

Moon’s?UW Bothell?story is not?just?about corporate?success.?Rather,?it’s?about?higher education?expanding?what’s?possible.?

“Most people have passions and skills they aren’t using,” he said. “足彩app哪个是正规的 MBA gives you the tools to unlock them. It gives you a network that pushes you to try things. And it reduces the risk of taking a chance.” 

When asked what he hopes other School of Business alumni, prospective students or curious professionals take from his journey, he offered this: 

“Take a chance and don’t regret it. 足彩app哪个是正规的 UW Bothell MBA gives you the resources, the people and the confidence to try something new. It helps you see the potential you’ve had all along. You just need to step out of the box.”