Victoria Alleman spends her days helping shape one of Lafayette’s most beloved community spaces: Moncus Park.
Before it became the hub it is today, the land was known as the “Horse Farm,” a place with deep ties to the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, where Alleman earned her marketing degree in 2014.
“Back in the day, when the University was called USL, the milk for the cafeteria came from the cows right here on the Horse Farm,” Alleman says. “All of them were kept on this property.”
The site has since been transformed into a 100-acre urban park that welcomes nearly half a million annual visitors. As part of the team behind its growth, Alleman helps secure the funding and partnerships that keep the park thriving.
“We raised right at $2.3 million last year from different leaders in the community,” she says. “A lot of those are repeat supporters who just want to make our community the very best it can be.”
But her work isn’t just about raising money; it’s about building something with long-term impact. As she navigates nonprofit development and strategic planning, Alleman draws on the knowledge she gained in UL Lafayette’s online MBA program.
“A huge focus right now is making sure the park plays a role in advancing Lafayette’s quality of life and helping companies recruit and retain talent from UL Lafayette, SoLAcc, and our other higher education institutions. We see this mass exodus of young people after graduation — and if the park can be part of what makes them want to stay, then we want to do our part.”
Seeing the Bigger Picture
Before stepping into her role at Moncus Park, Alleman built her career across fast-paced industries. But it was her role as investor relations director at One Acadiana, an economic development organization for the nine-parish Acadiana region, that reshaped her perspective.
“Being surrounded by the leaders in our community shows you how much they value determination,” she says. “Yes, you learn different subjects and do your research in school, but at the end of the day, what school really teaches you is grit — and I think that’s needed in the business world.”
It was these conversations and observations that pushed Alleman to consider graduate school. As she evaluated her options, she and her husband were also growing their family, and she had recently stepped into her role as development director at Moncus Park.
Flexibility was non-negotiable.
“I needed something online,” says Alleman. “Going every Tuesday and Thursday night just wasn’t realistic for me.”
So, she returned to where her academic journey began, enrolling in UL Lafayette’s MBA online program.
Putting MBA Knowledge to Work
Going back to school after nearly a decade away was an adjustment.
“I hadn't taken online courses before so I would have to ask my younger coworkers how to use Moodle,” Alleman laughs. “It was a learning curve at first, but it was worth it.”
The transition didn’t take long. She quickly found the MBA online program aligned perfectly with her work.
As Development Director for Moncus Park, Alleman touches every part of the organization from fundraising and strategic planning to community engagement.
And with courses like MGMT525: Organizational Behavior and Leadership, the real-world application was immediate.
“We had just gone through a whole strategic plan and leadership change at Moncus Park when I took that class,” she says. “It was interesting to be able to relate real-life examples to what we were learning in class.”
Every assignment became an opportunity to reflect on the work she was already doing.
“It felt like my research had some meat and potatoes to it,” she says. “With my professional experience, I could apply exactly how it happened in the real world.”
That real-time application gave her work more depth and more confidence in her leadership.
Her advice for others considering graduate school? Use your experience to fuel your success.
“If you have real life scenarios to apply to the business schoolwork, you get so much out of it,” she says. "I was working full time, having a baby, taking a final two days out of the hospital. It’s not easy, but it's totally doable.”
Ready to level up your business knowledge? Learn more about the MBA online program.
