15th Annual Alumni Awards
Haslam's 15th annual Alumni Awards Gala brought together students, staff, faculty, and alumni at the Knoxville Convention Center on Friday, November 1, 2024.
The evening recognized three alumni and one corporate partner for outstanding contributions to the college and to business in the state. The event, benefitting the College Fund for the Haslam College of Business, honored Nikhil Morar (Outstanding Young Alum), Jock Weaver (Outstanding Entrepreneur), Amazon (Outstanding Corporate Partner), and Scott Roe (Distinguished Alum).
15th Annual Alumni Award Recipients.
Outstanding Young Alum
Nikhil Morar (HCB, ’19), the manager of business analytics and strategy for the Los Angeles Lakers, has the job of his dreams. In this high-level, fast-paced role, he works with the Lakers’ business analytics team on pre-game preparation and post-game data analysis for all 82 regular-season games. His team collaborates with revenue-generating departments on large-scale data analyses, optimizing processes, and providing objective recommendations that inform critical business decisions for the organization.
“Our team invests so much time and effort into supporting the health of the business and helping the team win a championship,” Morar says. “What excites me is waking up every day to do a cool job with people who are just as passionate about what they do.”
Morar began his undergraduate journey at UT as a pre-dental student but switched to business, graduating with a degree in business analytics. Later, while pursuing a Master of Science in applied data science at Indiana University, he attended the 2020 MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference and competed in ESPN’s coding event. His team won, sparking his interest in combining his lifelong love for sports with his analytics expertise.
After securing an internship with Nashville Soccer Club, Morar accepted a full-time role as a senior data analyst for Chicago Fire Football Club. Two years later, he interviewed with the Lakers and became their manager of business analytics and strategy in 2022.
Though still early in his career, Morar is already giving back to his alma mater through service on the Haslam Young Alumni Board. He has also served as a teaching assistant for three Haslam courses and mentored several students. “Interacting with students keeps me energized,” Morar says. “It’s a growth opportunity for me, and I love being the link that introduces them to opportunities in sports analytics.”
Outstanding Entrepreneur
A native of west Tennessee, entrepreneur Jock Weaver (HCB, ’80) spent the past 35 years working in private equity. He founded and serves as chairman of Heritage Trust Company, a private equity firm that focuses on emerging growth opportunities. In addition, he serves as chairman of Heritage Plantation Company, a private, family-owned land holding company established in 1826, as well as chairman of Heritage Plantation Foundation, a private not-for-profit charitable trust.
After graduating from Haslam with a degree in finance, Weaver pursued a career that highlights a lifelong love for entrepreneurship. At age 29, he became the youngest person in history to list a company—Hard Rock Café International, where he served as president at the time—on both the London Stock Exchange and the American Stock Exchange. Weaver later founded and served as chairman of TBA Entertainment Corporation, one of the U.S.’s larger live event companies. “My whole career has been focused on growth opportunities, and it’s all about new ideas, new companies, and new management teams,” says Weaver. “The most rewarding aspect of work for me is the opportunity to interact with others.”
Weaver is active with community organizations and enjoys staying involved with Haslam, returning to campus to speak with students about his experiences. “I have always viewed the college environment as the fertile ground upon which the seeds of the future are grown,” he says. “It’s an incredible learning ground and safe haven for students, where they can experiment, experience failure and success, then go into the real world and take on the challenges of life. After a lifetime of experiences, I am more aware than ever of what a wonderful process this is.”
Outstanding Corporate Partner
Multinational technology giant Amazon has fostered a long-time connection to the Haslam College of Business.
After Amazon opened its first Tennessee fulfillment center in 2010, company representatives met with higher education leaders from around the state. Connections forged with Haslam eventually prompted Amazon to commit $750,000 for an endowed professorship in 2021, enabling academics to work with Amazon in applying research methods to complex technical challenges while they continue their university work. Michel Ballings, assistant professor in the college’s Department of Business Analytics and Statistics, was appointed as an Amazon Visiting Academic in 2022 and was promoted to Amazon Scholar in 2024.
Holly Sullivan (UT A+D ’94, ’98), vice president of worldwide economic development at Amazon, says the company’s culture is a good match for UT. “The university’s [message] ‘Big Orange, Big Ideas’ meshes well with ‘Think Big,’ one of our leadership principles at Amazon. The students and alumni we see from Haslam and UT are well prepared to dive deep on problem solving.”
Amazon has brought on Haslam students as interns and hired several alumni, particularly from the business analytics and statistics programs. Company leaders appreciate the college’s emphasis on hands-on experience and understanding industry challenges. “Haslam’s intentional connection with industry benefits Haslam students,” Sullivan says. “They get real-world application that puts them in a better position to innovate.”
Sullivan, who serves on the Dean’s Advisory Board and participates in the executives-in-residence program, also appreciates the college’s interest in two-way relationships with industry leaders. “I can’t say enough about how Dean [Steve] Mangum partners with companies, keeping us informed about new initiatives and technology they are bringing into the university and giving us opportunity to provide guidance and feedback,” she says. “I always walk away with ideas I can take back to my company.”
Distinguished Alum
Scott Roe (HCB, ’87) started his career with entrepreneurship in mind. With encouragement from mentors, he pursued a degree from Haslam’s Department of Accounting and Information Management, thinking he’d work with a Big Eight firm for a few years before starting his own business venture.
But Roe’s career took some unexpected turns and landed him at VF Corporation, the global apparel and footwear company that owns Vans, Timberland, and The North Face. After more than 25 years with VF, he joined Tapestry, Inc., a New York-based corporation that owns luxury brands Coach, Kate Spade New York, and Stuart Weitzman, where he now serves as the company’s chief financial officer and chief operating officer.
“My career has not been what I thought it would be, but it’s been very rewarding,” Roe says. “I’ve discovered many opportunities to apply my interest in entrepreneurship even at large companies.”
After earning his degree and CPA certification, Roe went to work at Arthur Young & Co., now EY, in Atlanta. He later co-founded a paper recycling business and worked for several industrial companies before landing at VF Corporation. During his tenure at the company, Roe spent six years living and working in Switzerland and traveled extensively throughout Europe and Asia. He was a key leader within a team that drove significant revenue and profit growth ultimately accounting for more than half of total company earnings.
In his current role at Tapestry, Roe is instrumental in crafting the company’s strategic focus, including potential portfolio expansion, driving financial discipline, and building digital technology and supply chain capabilities. He is an ardent supporter of innovative initiatives for environmental sustainability, such as leather recycling. He’s also a proponent of using data analytics for sales forecasting, supply chain management, and decision-making.
Roe brings his leadership skills to Haslam’s Anderson Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, serving as a judge for Vol Court and the Graves Business Plan Competition and funding the Roe Prize, an entry-level competition at the Anderson Center. “Developing future talent and investing in people is very important to me,” Roe says. “My time at Haslam laid the foundation for my career, and I feel it’s my duty and responsibility to give back.”
