Mari W. Buche has served her country, her community, and her college with distinction. The associate dean of the College of Business and professor of management information systems has forged a career that embodies the spirit of Michigan Tech: rigorous, collaborative, and dedicated to excellence.
Over a remarkable 22-year career at Tech, Buche has acted as a guide, mentor, and visionary administrator. Perhaps the most important lesson the newly named professor emerita has impressed on students is that reaching the heights of success is made all the more possible when the dreams you set for yourself are grounded in a sense of belonging and service to others. She has taught thousands of Huskies to push technological boundaries while never losing sight of the people and communities those advancements support.
To understand Buche’s immense and enduring impact, one need look no further than the generations of students she’s launched into the world. Her mentees go on to establish fulfilling careers at the forefront of game-changing industries. Take graduate student Amanda Jaycox, who is literally reaching for the stars as an engineer for SpaceX’s Starship program. Or consider Adam Mitteer, a graduate of Buche’s first data science cohort, who now balances a corporate executive role with teaching at Tech and leading the Michigan Tech Alumni Board of Directors. Both credit Buche with providing the foundational confidence to succeed in fast-moving, high-stakes environments.
A Foundation Built on Service
Long before she came to Tech, Buche was habituated to high levels of responsibility and discipline. She served her country as a missile launch officer in the U.S. Air Force. The role instilled in her a deep understanding of complex operational systems, high-pressure decision-making, and the critical importance of human-centric leadership.
When she joined the Michigan Tech faculty in what was then the School of Business and Economics in 2003, she brought that ethos with her. For Buche, academia isn’t an ivory tower; it’s an active mission to empower others. Over more than two decades, she demonstrated an exceptional commitment to her College and University’s core vision through applied research, inspirational teaching, and continuous institutional service.
Dr. Mari W. Buche’s Legacy By the Numbers:
- 22 Years of dedicated employment and leadership at Michigan Technological University.
- 33 Peer-Reviewed journal articles published across major business and information systems publications.
- 9 Scholarly book chapters authored on technology adaptation and organizational behavior.
- $2.5 Million in collaborative external grant funding proposals secured for university initiatives.
- 4 Teaching Awards earned through student and faculty votes, culminating in her 2008 induction into the Academy of Teaching Excellence.
- 4 Graduate Programs continuously directed, ensuring the excellence of the Tech MBA® and Master’s in Engineering Management (both online and on-campus formats).
- 6 Graduate Students mentored through complex master’s theses and doctoral defense committees.
Beyond the metrics, Buche was a primary architect of modern academic structures at Tech. As part of the campus-wide Tech Forward Initiative, she was instrumental in helping to establish the new College of Computing. She recognized early on that data systems and business operations were converging. She served as the inaugural director of both the Master’s in Data Science and the Master’s in Engineering Management degree programs, and the graduate certificate program in artificial intelligence for business information systems. Promoted to full professor and appointed College of Business associate dean in 2018, Buche spent years intentionally cultivating an environment where faculty, staff, and students can thrive.
Pioneering the Frontiers of Data and Leadership
When Buche arrived in the Copper Country in 2003, she was looking for a specific harmony in her professional and personal life. She wanted a collegial environment, a small and safe college town to raise her children, and a healthy equilibrium between high-level research and hands-on teaching. Her first impression was that Tech possessed exactly that kind of tight-knit academic ecosystem. “Bottom line, I thought it would be a great adventure for my family,” she said. “And I wasn’t wrong.”
Her research was always applied. “I studied how professionals adapt to changing technology within business settings,” she said, noting that her most recent scholarship investigated the concept of “job crafting”—the practice of intentionally changing your own job characteristics can renew your professional enthusiasm and engagement.
This interest in organizational adaptability proved vital when post-Y2K Management Information Systems (MIS) programs across the nation began struggling with sharp enrollment drops. In that era, tech-minded students frequently left college prematurely to chase volatile internet startups and get-rich-quick opportunities. Buche viewed the industry-wide dip as an opportunity to revitalize the University’s curriculum, weaving in practical, skills-development content that slowly brought the numbers back.
“It’s very difficult to grow programs without sufficient resources; and it’s hard to justify resource expansion without increasing demand,” Dr. Buche explains. “Sometimes, it takes a leap of faith to invest in growth opportunities.”
When data science began emerging as a major industrial force, Buche was ready for another leap of faith. Long before the College of Computing was even a blueprint on campus, MIS was pioneering technological integration at Tech. Data Science at Michigan Tech started out as an energetic brainstorming session with researchers and professors pulling together from across the entire university footprint. “Interdisciplinary by design,” said Buche. “With the encouragement of Dr. Jackie Huntoon, then dean of the Graduate School, I agreed to serve as the first director of the master’s in data science and its accompanying certificate program. Backed by the financial support of alumnus Dave House—who provided three student scholarships and two faculty fellowships in computer science and mathematical sciences—the enrollment growth was profound from the start,” Buche said. The initiative also affirmed her status as a permanent player and proponent on the cutting edge of tech.
Launching Huskies to the Cosmos: Amanda Jaycox
For graduate student Amanda Jaycox, Buche’s legacy of programmatic innovation and proactive mentorship was life-changing. Jaycox graduated from the University of Akron in 2022 with a bachelor’s degree in corrosion engineering. While equipped with technical expertise, she realized her long-term professional ambitions leaned more heavily toward leadership.
“I consider myself a people person,” Jaycox said. “In my professional career, I enjoy the hands-on technical aspects of engineering, but I see my long-term path moving toward a technical management role. Pursuing a master’s in engineering management allows me to complement my technical expertise with a stronger understanding of business operations, leadership, and decision-making.”
Jaycox chose Michigan Tech for her graduate studies because of the university’s unmatched reputation in engineering and the robust support framework built into the online graduate programs. Her first interaction with the university was a one-on-one session with Buche to structure her Fall 2024 courses.
“During that conversation, she walked me through what the next few years of my program would look like, including my required workload,” Jaycox said. “From the very beginning, she was incredibly helpful, patient, and understanding. Her guidance made the transition into graduate school much smoother.”
Buche quickly became an inspirational model for Jaycox. “Mari has been a consistent source of encouragement. Her own career is incredibly inspiring, particularly her service as a former missile launch officer in the U.S. Air Force. Seeing someone with such a distinguished and diverse professional background mentor students has been truly motivating,” she said.
Buche’s mentorship catalyzed an astonishing career leap. In mid-2025, Jaycox received a direct message on LinkedIn from a SpaceX recruiter regarding an open position.
“At first, I assumed the message was spam, since I receive quite a few of those on LinkedIn, so I ignored it,” Jaycox said. “When the recruiter followed up again about scheduling an interview, I realized the opportunity was legitimate.”
What followed was an intensive, multi-stage evaluation process consisting of phone screenings, an intensive on-site visit, a comprehensive technical presentation, and panel interviews. Jaycox excelled, received an official offer, and relocated from Michigan to Texas. In September 2025, she officially assumed the role of Materials and Corrosion Engineer for the Starship program at SpaceX.
The demanding schedule of the Starship program required Jaycox to make the difficult decision to temporarily pause her graduate coursework to focus on her new role. However, she plans to return to Michigan Tech in the Fall 2026 semester to finish her remaining classes online while working full-time.
“I’ve truly been enjoying the experience,” Jaycox said. “The level of drive, motivation, and passion among the people here is unlike anywhere I’ve worked before. Everyone is focused on a shared goal, and it’s an incredible feeling to contribute to a company working on something as ambitious as advancing human spaceflight. One day I know I’ll look back and still be amazed that I had the opportunity to contribute, even in a small way, to efforts aimed at reaching Mars and beyond.”
“My education at Tech has helped me in several ways, particularly in developing strong communication and time-management skills,” Jaycox said. “The coursework is focused on highly relevant topics, and many of the professors bring real-world experience and share the same commitment to innovation that you see in industry. The support I’ve received throughout my journey at Tech has been exceptional.”
Remembering how daunting the prospect of higher education felt at first, Jaycox points to Buche as the reason she pushed forward. She said knowing Buche was cheering her on made the entire process feel manageable and deeply rewarding.
As Buche enters retirement, Jaycox looks back at her advisor’s accomplishments with deep respect. She has a personal message for her mentor:
“Mari, after meeting you and working alongside you, I realized that higher education didn’t have to feel overwhelming. You helped me see that with effort and persistence, the process could be both manageable and rewarding.”
“As you enter this next chapter of life, I imagine it may feel both exciting and a little daunting, but it is also incredibly well deserved. Your remarkable career, strong work ethic, and professional accomplishments have earned you this moment. I am truly excited for you as you begin to enjoy the rewards of retirement and everything that comes next. Congratulations, and thank you for the positive impact you’ve had on so many students.”
– Amanda Jaycox, SpaceX engineer
Building Husky Nation and Local Landscapes: Adam Mitteer
While Jaycox works on the leading edge of space travel, Adam Mitteer ’03 ’17 exemplifies how Buche’s influence anchors professionals to their local and regional communities. Mitteer’s connection to Buche dates back to her 2003 arrival in Houghton. At the time, Mitteer was completing his final undergraduate semester and serving as president of the Association of Information Technology Professionals (AITP), a student group for which Buche served as faculty advisor.
“In Spring 2004, Mari took the AITP group on the infamous ‘Toronto trip’ where she really got the full experience of traveling with Michigan Tech students to a foreign country,” Mitteer said. “It’s a story that has certainly stuck with her over the years—even repeated when I was sitting in a class she was teaching during my master’s! While I was not on that trip, I certainly remember the details.”
Buche’s recollection of that trip remains just as vivid and full of joy: “We visited Emphasys in Petoskey, Labatt’s brewery, Pink Elephant ITIL, the Toronto Stock Exchange, and some other firms. We even stopped at Niagara Falls on the way home,” she said.
Mitteer graduated in December 2003 with dual bachelor of science degrees in management information systems and operations and systems management. He stepped immediately into industry at Revenue Management Solutions (RMS). He started as a young specialist alongside an office full of Ivy League alumni, but his applied Michigan Tech training propelled his career forward. Over the next three decades, as RMS expanded from a 30-employee pricing consultancy to an agile, technology-driven global partner leveraging econometric data and AI, Mitteer rose through the ranks to become the company’s Chief Technology Officer (CTO).
“Our company has always been an econometric-based company, so data, data science, and AI were always on our minds,” Mitteer said. “The advancement of AI, especially since 2025, has helped our company advance as an agile technology-powered partner that can help our clients with a myriad of challenging business problems even faster. What I have always been most proud of regarding my education at Michigan Tech is the problem-solving mentality that has been driven into me through the years.”
In 2015, when Mitteer felt the pull to expand his technical horizons, he discovered that Buche was standing up Tech’s inaugural master’s in data science cohort. He immediately enrolled, moving back to Houghton while balancing his full-time executive corporate responsibilities.
“Mari made it easy to jump from work back to school, and I started the degree with Mari as my advisor,” Mitteer says. “Having Mari as my mentor for this program was the cherry on top!”
The student-advisor dynamic was a new chapter in what was already an enduring professional partnership. In 2011-12, Mitteer began collaborating with Buche to build a structured pipeline between Tech’s MIS courses and RMS, providing students with direct access to real-world data challenges. The successful initiative opened the door for Mitteer to step into the classroom himself as a College of Business instructor, a position he has held for six years. And Mitteer’s deep affinity for his College and University led him to take the lead role as president of the Michigan Tech Alumni Board of Directors. He completes his term as president in June 2026, while continuing to serve on the board through 2028.
“Teaching in the College of Business has truly been the highlight of my post-academic career,” Mitteer says. “The faculty that cared so much for our success as students and continue to engage with us as alumni truly inspire how I approach teaching today. The most inspirational thing I can take away from Mari is that she always cares for all students and truly would do anything to help. I only hope that I am inspiring my students even half as much as she inspired hers.”
Mitteer said Buche has become a friend and confidant over the years, serving as a sounding board whenever he ran into work challenges. He hopes that whatever comes next for Buche will include the community she’s built. “The most important thing to say is that I look forward to seeing her around! Mari seems to always have paws into a little bit of everything, so I expect we will cross paths many times as she enters her ‘new chapter of life.’ While it is not guaranteed, I suspect she will be active with the College and swing by from time to time. That said, I expect her grandbabies will certainly get a lot of attention with the sudden burst of free time, too!”
The Core of Leadership: Listening Through the Storms
For Buche, the true joy of teaching, leading, and innovating has always been found in the human details: understanding her students’ distinct goals, personal challenges, and long-term dreams. She aimed to demystify complex subjects, breaking down dense analytical concepts into accessible ideas while actively linking current students with Tech’s vast alumni network to land jobs and internships.
Similarly, her path as an administrator was defined by advocacy. “I feel comfortable leading others,” Buche said. “What I love about leading is knowing what’s going on in the organization, having an impact on its direction, and looking out for the best interests of all stakeholders. Leadership is primarily about actively listening and hearing what people have to say.”
This belief in collaborative leadership was put to its ultimate test during the spring and summer of 2020. As the newly appointed Associate Dean, Buche had to guide the college through the logistical and emotional upheaval of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“By far, the COVID-19 experience was the most challenging of my career,” she said. “I was still new in my role, still learning my responsibilities. I had to recreate the teaching schedule multiple times, answer hundreds of questions with very limited information, and help faculty, staff, and students navigate a stressful period. Working from home was awful for me because I need human interaction and personal contact.”
Yet, through the challenge, her anchoring principle remained simple empathy. She has always modeled her leadership on a lesson she learned long ago in the Girl Scouts: leave each place better than you found it.
This perspective on structural improvement is something she hopes to see extended to the college’s physical layout. As the College of Business prepares to welcome a new dean in July, Buche notes that the department is blessed with immense talent and experience, expressing complete confidence that the team will continue to excel as they pull together. However, she also passes along a candid, long-held hope for the university’s future infrastructure: a new building. That wish, for a modern physical space for the College befitting its professional quality and expertise, is taking more time than she would like to materialize. But in October 2024, the Michigan Tech Board of Trustees approved a $30 million capital funding request to the State of Michigan to support construction of the Center for Convergence and Innovation (CCI)—a $56 million project that will co-house the College of Business and the College of Computing as part of the University’s master plan.
Grief, Legacy, and the Next Great Adventure
True community means sharing heavy burdens as well as celebrating milestones. When Buche looks back at the memories that will stay with her permanently, she speaks of the collective loss that shook the college to its core: the sudden death of her colleague and close friend, Joel Tuoriniemi, on September 19, 2023.
“Sharing that devastating information with the faculty was emotionally draining,” Dr. Buche said. “We often don’t truly realize the value of a person until they are gone.”
Her drive to give back is a family trait that helps Buche carry herself—and others—through tough times. Raised by an Air Force veteran father and a mother who volunteered across churches, public schools, and Girl Scout troops, she learned early to approach life with the heart of a servant. “Giving back brings me joy,” she said.
As she looks toward her new horizon, Buche is looking forward to a long-awaited list of simple pleasures alongside her husband, Dann: reading, scrapbooking, sewing, cooking, writing for pleasure, and traveling. “leisure and relaxation—guilt-free” is the gift she’ll give to herself. But true to form, she remains open to where her servant’s heart might call her next, hinting at future volunteer work, perhaps with the Veteran’s Administration, church leadership, or adult literacy programs.
Mitteer said that while the campus community is thrilled to see her cross the finish line into retirement, her daily presence will be deeply missed.
“With Mari retiring, there will certainly be a large hole to fill in the MIS program and the College of Business in general,” he said. “Mari continues to be a lighthouse to so many alumni who she has inspired through her years at Michigan Tech.”
A lighthouse doesn’t stop being valuable because its keeper concludes a shift—the light Buche has cast over 22 years shines on in the business enterprises, in classroom lecture halls where her students now teach, and in aerospace engineering bays where Huskies reach out into the vast unknown.
“It’s exciting, thrilling, and frightening to embark on a new life chapter,” Buche said. “But like all adventures, it can only be the first day once.”
Her mission at Michigan Tech complete, her legacy secured, the next great adventure is beginning with the best wishes of all the Huskies whose lives she has touched.
About the College of Business
The Michigan Tech College of Business prepares tomorrow’s business professionals through STEM-infused, AACSB-accredited degree programs and minors. The college offers nine bachelor of science programs in accounting, business analytics, construction management, economics, engineering management, finance, management, management information systems, and marketing; and four master of science programs in accounting and analytics, applied natural resource economics, engineering management, and the TechMBA®.
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