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MBV Education Helps Veteran Transition From Military into Defense Career at Anduril

MBV Education Helps Veteran Transition From Military into Defense Career at Anduril

With the backing of his degree and the support of the Trojan Network, Randall Parkes MBV ’21 seized an opportunity in cutting-edge defense technology.

by: Alexander Bernard
11.04.25
Randall Parkes

Randall Parkes MBV ’21 

[Photo courtesy of Parkes]

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  • James E. Bogle

    James E. Bogle
    • Program Director, Masters of Business for Veterans
    • Advisor on Military and Veteran Initiatives to the Vice Provost for Academic Operations
    • Adjunct Professor of Management and Organization

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Company First Sergeant Randall Parkes served over 20 years in the Marines, deploying multiple times to the Middle East, training thousands of recruits, and supervising over 5,000 parachute jumps. For half of his service, Parkes also worked toward his undergraduate degree, taking classes in between training and deployments. As an exhausted Parkes considered life after the military, he had one thought: No more school.

Yet, when Parkes’ captain recommended USC’s Master of Business for Veterans (MBV) program, the company sergeant soon after attended an info session with James Bogle, the program director. Parkes was sold on the program’s challenging curriculum and support for veterans’ transitioning to civilian life.

“I drove home that night and started my application,” said Parkes, who graduated in 2021.

Parkes’ serendipitous professional journey has led him to a program manager role at Anduril, an American defense technology company specializing in the manufacturing of cutting-edge technology and autonomous systems.

Despite his vast military experience, Parkes never imagined he’d work in defense, much less a disruptor like Anduril. In fact, he didn’t know where the master’s degree would take him.

“I really didn’t have a clue what I wanted to do post-military service besides being a California state lifeguard,” Parkes said. “The only job I’d ever had was in the Marine Corps, so I was really open for opportunities.”

Having finished his undergraduate degree online, Parkes also looked forward to forming class bonds like those he cherished in the Marine Corps.

Unfortunately, campus closures from the COVID-19 pandemic erased any opportunity for in-person learning among Parkes’ class, Cohort VIII. Undaunted, Parkes and a small group of MBV students met at the American Legion in Orange County and eventually secured an office suite thanks to one of the veterans’ connections. In no time, they were replicating the camaraderie of a typical MBV cohort.

“We do what veterans do, which is figure it out,” Parked said.

Over time, more MBV students joined, with some cohort members even flying in to meet their classmates. Parkes says their bonds remain strong to this day.

“Because of the hardship and the camaraderie that we built, there’s probably not a day that goes by that I don’t speak to somebody from this program or my cohort,” Parkes said.

Parkes saw how their community impacted his fellow veterans, many of whom hadn’t experienced military fellowship since their service ended years prior.

Getting accepted to MBV and going to USC for a master’s program was everything to me.

— Randall Parkes MBV ’21 

Program Manager, Anduril

“When you’re in service, you’ve got a built-in tribe around you all the time. When you get out, for a large majority of veterans, it goes away. You move back to your hometown or you get another job, it’s just not the same,” Parkes said. “The common bond that all the MBVers share together is that we were all in service, and that camaraderie and tribe that holds you together in service now is translated into the outside, into the MBV program.”

Parkes’ MBV and USC friendships also served as a thriving professional network. Although he and his wife had founded their own real estate company, Parkes sought a position with more stability. Using his USC connections, he was hired at Hewlett Packard. After a few months, however, Parkes searched for a better fit and noticed an opportunity at Anduril. Inspired by the company’s mission, he utilized the Trojan Network to learn more about the company and get his foot in the door.

“I really wanted to make sure that this move would be the right move and it was going to be a good fit for me, so I probably had 20 conversations between USC alumni and veterans before I even applied for my first position,” Parkes said.

Today, Parkes views his job at Anduril as an opportunity to give back to soldiers like him who are often saddled with increasingly outdated gear. After production, validation, and shipping, it takes five to ten years for equipment to arrive in a soldier’s lap. Parkes hopes to streamline that process.

“[Anduril’s] premise was, ‘Our nation's warfighter should have today’s technology, if not today, tomorrow — not five years from now,” Parkes said.

Parkes’ position requires him to wear multiple hats. In addition to finance and account management, he works in mission operations and customer interaction, all while offering his military expertise to the company’s young team of engineers.

“You pair that engineer who’s super smart, very savvy at their craft, and then you pair them with someone like me who had four combat deployments and 20 years of service, and that’s a team that you wouldn’t think would work well together. But man, we crush together,” Parkes said.

Now looking back, Parkes can’t overstate what the MBV program has meant to him, professionally and personally. After two decades of clear direction in the military, he was uncertain what civilian life had in store for him, but now, with the support of the MBV community, Parkes has found a new purpose and new bonds.

“Getting accepted to MBV and going to USC for a master’s program was everything to me,” Parkes said. “It gave me the confidence that when I get out of the military, when I graduate from the program, that I am going to be just fine. I’m going to make it in the civilian world. I’m going to do well as long as I put forth the same effort I’ve been putting in my whole adult life.”

To those considering MBV or those who are currently enrolled, Parkes urges them to listen, learn, and use the Trojan Network like he did.

“Soak up as much of the education as you can. I used the [MBV] education to start a successful real estate business and then stay in touch with the MBV network,” Parkes said, adding, “Make new connections to the broader USC network because you just never know when or where that may benefit you in the future. It’s led me from exiting service into the real estate game and then here at Anduril. The USC network was very instrumental in getting me to this spot.”

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