Andrew MacNeil

Andrew MacNeil, who graduated with a BA in Economics in 2008, is chief of staff for product and technology at WeWork.  At WeWork Andrew is “building enterprise software for physical space that uses data and technology at each point in the building process, to make better sourcing decisions, improve designs, build faster and smarter, and ultimately improve the lives of the people working there,” according to his LinkedIn page.

Andrew is also a product management coach at the University of California, Berkeley.  He “mentors working professional students in the Berkeley ExecEd online ProductManagement Studio,” according to his LinkedIn page.

Before entering Chico State in 2004, Andrew enlisted in the US Army(opens in new window) following high school graduation. While at Chico State from 2004 to 2008, Andrew continued to serve as a reservist in the US Army, deploying to Iraq from 2004 to 2006. After graduation at Chico, Andrew commissioned as a Second Lieutenant and served as an Intelligence Officer from 2009 through 2012 deploying to Southeast Asia to assist in the region’s counterinsurgency mission. In 2012, he was selected for US Army Special Forces(opens in new window) training, which he subsequently completed in 2014, earning the coveted Green Beret(opens in new window). As a Captain, Andrew deployed to Afghanistan in 2015, where he served as a Special Forces Detachment Commander until 2016.

In 2016 Andrew accepted a position as Business Development Manager at Amazon in Seattle, Washington.  While working for Amazon, Andrew began working on his Executive MBA in Management(opens in new window) with the University of California, Berkeley, Haas School of Business. 

“Personally, I believe the value of my Econ degree is that it provided such a solid foundation for a number of career options,” Andrew stated in a recent email. “The material you learn in the Econ program gives you a broad understanding of finance, capital markets, consumption, resource allocation, government, general business and much more. My study of Economics has helped me provide me with the tools to unravel, analyze, understand, and solve for real life problems across both my military and technology careers. Studying Economics provides a level of versatility and real world application that no other degree can provide.”  (Last Updated 3/29/19)