Big bang!

At just 32 years-old, Andrew Barkett has already made a big bang in the worlds of high-tech and politics, and at UC Davis.

Barkett, who is a UC Davis bay area MBA ’09 alumnus, worked for a decade as a senior technologist for companies like Facebook and Google where he became an expert in large-scale computer systems and web strategies.

He recently made waves in mainstream media when left the Silicon Valley and took a post in Washington, D.C., as the first Chief Technology Officer of the Republican National Committee. Barkett credits some of his success in high profile, strategic engineering roles to his time spent in UC Davis’ MBA program.

“I believe that success comes from learning about a subject, thinking creatively about how to improve things, and then working very hard to realize that improvement,” Barkett said. “The Graduate School of Management helped me to learn about business and thinking about turning my ideas into action.”

Barkett’s newest idea benefits UC Davis. He has pledged $50,000 to GSM’s Big Bang! Business Competition, created to help entrepreneurs establish successful businesses. His generous donation creates an endowment to provide long-term support and stability for the student competition.  

“I want to help the Big Bang! competition become the premier vehicle through which all members of the UC Davis community can take an idea, refine it, find collaborators, and ultimately get the help needed to realize their idea in the form of a successful business,” Barkett said.