Mays Business School’s Engineering MBA Program Receives Significant Gift from Anthony Bahr ’91

Anthony Bahr ’91, the chief executive officer of WildFire Energy, has made a generous gift to Texas A&M University’s Mays Business School to establish the Anthony Bahr ’91 Engineering MBA program.

This gift will support the groundbreaking work of the new 12-month Engineering MBA program at Mays, which is specifically designed to serve Aggie engineers who have just completed their bachelor’s degree. The program has been named in Bahr’s honor. “This accelerated MBA program will help these students develop a business mindset before they leave campus and will serve them well throughout their careers,” said Mays Business School Dean Dr. Nate Y. Sharp. “It is an honor to have Anthony Bahr, a notable Aggie engineer who has enjoyed tremendous business success, decide to make this gift to support future generations of Aggie engineers so they, too, are prepared to move into management roles and lead businesses. His life serves as an example of what’s possible through combining engineering and business expertise.”

Bahr’s gift was prompted by his desire to enhance career opportunities for recently graduated Aggie engineers by giving them the business knowledge and skills that will position them for early career advancement. “My giving is designed to accomplish something, as opposed to giving because I feel like I should,” said Bahr, who serves on Mays’ Dean’s Advisory Board and, along with his wife, Gina, previously funded the Petroleum Ventures Program at Texas A&M University, an unprecedented collaboration between Mays and the Harold Vance Department of Petroleum Engineering in 2016. “I’m a businessman and an investor — and I want to invest my money in something that will generate a return.”

The Houston, Texas, resident’s latest gift establishes the Anthony Bahr ’91 Engineering MBA Fellows Fund, which will provide scholarships to 10 students annually, and the Anthony Bahr ’91 Engineering MBA Program Excellence Fund, which will be used for student enrichment purposes, such as leadership development, travel, and workshops. “Mr. Bahr’s support of the Engineering MBA program showcases a profound commitment to bridging the gap between business and engineering, allowing students in the program to capitalize on both degrees and ultimately build a better future by making a positive impact on their communities,” said Dr. Sarah Jaks ’11, ’20, director of Mays Full-Time MBA program who currently is overseeing the Bahr Engineering MBA program. “This scholarship fund will be instrumental in creating opportunities for more students to pursue their MBA by lowering the financial barrier to graduate school.”

The Engineering MBA program was born from conversations between leaders at Mays Business School and the College of Engineering in 2023. They realized that many Aggie engineers successfully step into the engineering roles that they’ve prepared for during college, but then their career trajectory stalls when they decide they want to move into a management position and discover they’re not qualified. At that point, these individuals often decide to return to graduate school to earn their MBA.

The Anthony Bahr ’91 Engineering MBA will change that equation by giving new engineering graduates the business knowledge and skills that they will need to advance throughout their career. Seven recent College of Engineering graduates are currently enrolled in a pilot version of the Engineering MBA program. Applications are open through June for the first full Bahr Engineering MBA cohort to start this fall.

The program will include rigorous MBA courses that will introduce recently graduated Aggie engineers to business and leadership fundamentals. “I’ve learned a lot with this program and it’s more of a challenge than I anticipated,” said Emily Collier, who earned her degree in chemical engineering in 2024. “We’re challenged in different ways, because when you come from an engineering undergraduate background, a lot of the stuff you’re learning is theoretical and how you can apply it to real world scenarios. When you’re getting an MBA, it’s more personal and includes communication skills along with courses like finance and accounting.”

The Bahr Engineering MBA is structured to create an individualized education that emphasizes hands-on experiences and a focus on leadership development. Students refine their leadership skills, develop a strong foundation of core business knowledge, and practice teamwork, communication and problem solving in scenarios where they can apply what they are learning. “We have opportunities to present and work with groups in a lot of our assignments,” said Riley Anson, who completed her biomedical engineering degree in 2024. “I am learning how to navigate working with different types of individuals and overcoming barriers. I feel like I’ve grown a lot and been able to come out of my shell.”

Additionally, Mays Career Management Center, which offers support for all graduate programs at Mays, will provide services and support specifically for the Bahr Engineering MBA students. “The experience has been very personalized,” Anson said. “In addition to bringing in employers for us to speak to, we have events where we get to practice speaking to employers and learn about different occupations that we can potentially go into. I feel like we’ve learned a lot more about occupations that are available, which helps me better understand what my goals are in the future and how to address those goals.”

The Bahr Engineering MBA program exemplifies the innovation and collaboration of both Mays Business School and the College of Engineering, and leaders believe as the program grows, it will also serve as a recruiting incentive for prospective students to come to Texas A&M’s College of Engineering. “Ultimately, this program is a win-win for both colleges,” said Sharp. “Creating these types of innovative programs that meet industry needs will help Mays further its commitment to building a better future through business and will strengthen our position as one of the preeminent public business schools in the nation.”