Haslam College of Business - Spotlights

Matt Allum is pursuing a music career and higher education.

Rachel’s Dessert Bar is a small Knoxville, student-owned business from Haslam marketing major Rachel Stewart.

Paul and Pat Green came to the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in 1977 from Bristol, Tennessee, to pursue their college degrees together. “We were dating at the time,” says Paul. “Pat majored in industrial engineering, where she was one of only two or three female students in the program.” Paul chose to study finance at…

Images communicate in ways that words cannot. Anne Smith, head of the Department of Management at the Haslam College of Business, sees photography as a way to observe management styles. “I’m very interested in how to use images in the field, getting organizational members to take pictures and talk about them,” says Smith. “For three…

Is nature truly priceless? Perhaps so, but you can put a monetary value on it. Food, fuel, shelter and myriad other commodities are sourced from the natural world, and some economists, including one at the Haslam College of Business, are attempting to measure this natural capital in concrete, capitalistic terms. A study published by Nature…

Tracie Woidtke was on the faculty at Texas A&M University when the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, opened the Neel Corporate Governance Center in 2003. Jim Wansley, head of the Department of Finance, reached out to Woidtke to see if she’d be interested in a new faculty position they were creating. “I agreed to meet with…

An avid soccer player, biker, swimmer and gardener, Ernie Cadotte spends much of his free time enjoying the great outdoors of Tennessee. His wife, Bonnie, shares his passion for nature, especially the mountains. The Cadottes came to Knoxville in the 1970s when Ernie joined the faculty at the Haslam College of Business. Today, Ernie studies…

Kayla Moran, a UT College of Law alumna, founded an influencer law firm to meet a growing need in the creator economy.

Nick DiMeglio (MBA, ’24) and his sister Cait created a fashion line focused on giving back.

UT alumni Derrick Furlow Jr. and Kim Quigley are making a difference in athlete mental health.

Rocky Top Customs – a business from a University of Tennessee, Knoxville, student – specializes in crafting unique, hand-painted custom shoes. Addison Yelton, a sophomore from Johnson City, Tennessee, founded the business while pursuing a B.A. in art and competing as a goalkeeper for the Lady Vol’s soccer team. Yelton started painting as a child…

Rachel Ramsey (College of Nursing, ’05) is the founder of Nashville-based The Newborn Nurse, LLC. The company provides in-person and online newborn education, as well as day and night in-home newborn nurse care as families transition from the hospital to their homes.

Joseph Harrison, an associate professor in Department of Management and Entrepreneurship at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Haslam College of Business believes that truly understanding business leaders and firm strategy requires going beyond traditional research methods.

Luke Cornelius is a senior at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Haslam College of Business, majoring in management with a collateral in supply chain management and a minor in environmental studies.

Two University of Tennessee, Knoxville alumni, Pierce LaMacchia (HCB, ’12) and Joe Seiber (’07), have partnered with the university and Vol Dining to introduce their local coffee and doughnut businesses to campus.

After a generous financial gift from Knoxville entrepreneur Randy Boyd this spring, the Center for Business and Economic Research bears a new name – the Boyd Center for Business and Economic Research. President and CEO of Knoxville-based Radio Systems, Boyd attended the Haslam College of Business from 1975-1979. “Some of my favorite courses were in…

Marengo appreciates the opportunity to work on real-world business problems the MSBA program offers.

Major: Marketing Collateral/Concentration: International Business Minor: Leadership Studies Year: Junior (Class of 2025) Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina

Major: Finance Collateral/Concentration: Business Analytics Year: Junior Hometown: Memphis, TN

Major: Marketing Collateral/Concentration: International Business Year: Junior Hometown: Bristol, TN

As Haslam’s doctoral programs coordinator and assistant director for the Master of Science in Business Analytics program, Vossler enjoys the diverse challenges she takes on as part of her work.

“Most of what I’m working on is just improving class materials to enhance learning or to try and make learning the tough stuff more fun.”

Member of the UT Cheer Team, senior marketing major Jack Cupit combines his love of music and the Vols with his plans to enter the music industry.

Gibson, Haslam’s director of advancement, has a passion for building relationships.

Hayden, a senior in marketing, found a sense of belonging in Haslam’s scholars and ambassadors programs and beyond.

Weissmueller, the economics department’s office manager won the 2023 Haslam Staff Award for Innovation and Creativity.

Geron is the new director of operations for the Anderson Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the Haslam College of Business.

I am in my last semester at the Haslam College of Business, pursuing a bachelor’s degree with a major in human resource management and a collateral in entrepreneurship. Throughout my four years at UT, I have maintained an overall GPA of 4.0, which I attribute to remarkable professors.

Fleming took an unusual path to becoming a medical doctor, first earning her bachelor’s in finance.

As the new director of the Heath Integrated Business and Engineering Program, Bob Buckner brings an understanding and passion for both disciplines.

Thatcher, an expert in the area of team faultlines and conflict, has been a trailblazer in educating young scholars on how to write conceptual manuscripts.

I am a third-year student in the Haslam College of Business, pursuing a bachelor’s degree with a double major in business management and sustainability.

Long credits skills and knowledge gained in the Haslam MBA program for his success in the supply chain industry.

Cowell was presented Haslam’s 2022 Diversity & Inclusion Award, recognizing her advocacy for diverse and underrepresented students.

Ladd credits Haslam with teaching her leadership skills she applies in her job as a sales district leader with PepsiCo.

Cauble, who plays the mellophone in the Pride of the Southland band, is majoring in supply chain management and accounting.

As assistant director of the Haslam Office of International Programs & Study Abroad, Jacobs assists students considering study abroad options.

Marsh credits Haslam for providing the education that led him to a successful career.

Rolfe used degrees in finance and law from UT to build a successful career, leading to her becoming the first chief operating officer of HCA Healthcare’s Galen College of Nursing.

While at Haslam, Chen has spent a semester studying in France, earned his real estate license, started a niche realty firm, won funding for it in the college’s Graves Business Plan Competition and more.

As the new director of the Boyd Center for Business and Economic Research, Bruce strives to put pertinent economic research in the hands of decision makers.

After retiring from the NFL, Maggitt earned his MBA from Haslam and used the skills he gained there to found the EDGE (Education, Development, Guidance, Empowerment) Foundation to create opportunities for inner city youth.

Magill, who is retiring from Haslam after a successful 40-year career in event operations, will return during Graduate and Executive Education’s busiest seasons to lend a hand.

Lester credits her success in business and academia to her training at Haslam.

Lipcius says Haslam’s MBA program has helped him balance his time between academics and sports.

Embodying the Volunteer Spirit, alumnus Greg Curtin traveled to Poland and threw himself into relief work for Ukraine.

Scott draws on his experience in industry to instill his supply chain management students with practical, applicable knowledge.

As director of career management for Haslam’s Graduate & Executive Education, O’Dell helps students navigate their career path.

Love says she found support, involvement and inspiration at the Haslam College of Business.

Carruthers recently was named the inaugural William F. Fox Distinguished Professor of Labor Economics.

Delgadillo, a dual economics and finance major is a community volunteer and a DAP Advocate with the Office of Access and Community Connections.

Turgeon has created a fellowship endowment to fund graduate fellowships in Haslam’s marketing department.

Mashinski says her experiences while earning her accounting degree at the University of Tennessee was the foundation of her successful 30-year career.

Working with community organizations and educators, Jackson connects high school students with programs that expose them to the possibilities Haslam and UT offer.

As president of the Women of Haslam, Dierks seeks to offer empowerment opportunities to the women.

As a high school junior, Nhu Bui attended Haslam’s Business Education for Talented Students (BETS) program, which made the University of Tennessee her top school choice after graduating high school.

With a background in commercial real estate, Roark is building a real estate education program at Haslam.

Mikaiel assisted the Big Orange Pantry by optimizing its supply chain to deliver emergency food assistance to students, faculty and staff.

Alexander credits lessons learned at Haslam as keys to her success, especially the importance of building relationships.

The accounting alumnus credits Haslam for his solid financial understanding, which has supported his successful business career.

“We welcome students during freshmen orientation and give them hugs at graduation,” Basehart says.

Melerine says her experience as an intern in the U.K. will help build important skills that she will apply in future careers.

Summers, a senior business analytics major, says what he learns in classes in Haslam has very real applications.

Beginning her first semester at UT, Bolumole is most excited about meeting the students and teaching supply chain decision analytics this fall.

Sanchez, coordinator of TakeOff, Haslam’s yearlong program for first-generation students, was a first-generation student, too.

Lobel is the 2021 Distinguished Alumnus for the Haslam College of Business Department of Accounting and Information Management.

Heatherly credits Haslam with helping her learn to balance her schedule of rigorous accounting classes, internships and philanthropy.

Worsham says one of his motivations is helping people connect with others.

An internship opportunity in a Haslam College of Business finance class changed Pratt’s life, leading him into a career in real estate.

O’Steen is a current student in the Master of Science in Supply Chain Management Tri-continent program.

The MSHRM program at the University of Tennessee gave me something much more valuable than credentials and a piece of paper to hang on the wall. The professors and staff associated with this program went to great lengths to provide us with current valuable information, techniques and relatability to the current work force.

“My experience in the MSBA program, especially the capstone course, fostered my ability to interact well with clients and team members.”

Studying abroad in Barcelona was more than a learning experience. The opportunity to live and study abroad as well as travel around to other countries for the first time enlightened me to so many aspects of life and the real world. Independence, problem solving, adaptivity, and resilience were skills that I really needed to improve…

Australia was a legendary destination that I would recommend without reservation to anyone seeking a development experience abroad. The emphasis Aussies place on appreciation of wildlife and the world’s natural beauty was inspiring every day – some of the greatest sunsets and the most stars you will likely ever see. In a business sense, Australians…

The opportunity to study abroad in Dublin, Ireland, for the mini-term this year was by far one of the most beneficial that I’ve had in my three years at UT. Academically and professionally, I benefitted from the hands-on nature of our learning experiences; I believe that they even surpassed what I could have learned from…

Through immersing myself in the cultural melting pot of London, learning first-hand of the experiences of others from Tennessee who have made their careers overseas and in the international marketplace, and experiencing the societal and market differences between Britain and the United States, I can fervently say that I feel not only more confident in…

Though of course this class can be easily be taken at UT, taking it in Ireland had other perks as an undergrad that one would not receive in a traditional classroom setting. I loved that we could interact with Irish businesses because I am intrigued with international business and how other countries are similar or…

While I was in Germany I learned to live like a local. Picking out a favorite coffee shop in town, learning to use public transportation, and having a favorite meal such as schnitzel are some of the many things I miss now that I’m back in the States. Getting to know the waiters at our…

GP offered me the unique experience to leverage my business education with the international business knowledge I had learned within the GLS program and throughout my study abroad experience. During my internship, I was assigned to assist GP Harmon (the recycling leg of GP) to perform a quantitative and qualitative analysis on entering into foreign…

The experience of traveling to Germany on my own helped me to grow as a person in charge of my own choices. Traveling semi-independently has sparked in me a whole new excitement of seeing the world. Walking around the busy streets in Munich, hearing words in a foreign language, smelling the aromas of German cuisine,…

Going to Argentina and Uruguay opened my eyes to new people, food, friends, and a world I could never find or experience through a typical class lecture. From visiting automobile manufacturing plants to seeing how wine was made, I do not know how I could have done this on my own. I had the privilege…

The summer after my junior year I worked for Ernst & Young in New York City. The office is in Times Square, so there is always something going on outside. As a tax technology Intern, I worked with visual basic programming in Microsoft Excel and Access. I also became the install specialist for a demo…

In my three weeks abroad, I learned to adopt some of the cultural practices of Italy. It was hard to wrap my head around some things, like shops randomly closing during the middle of the day so employees could go home, eat lunch, and take a nap before returning back to work. While eating in…

I had an amazing time abroad in Argentina and Uruguay. This trip allowed me to acquire a personal experience on how global businesses operate outside of the US and how they overcome barriers we would not encounter locally. Thank you, Haslam, for making this trip possible!

My internship with Procter & Gamble was full of learning experiences. I was working in the fabric care category, which encompasses Tide, Downy, Gain and other big brand name products. My job as an intern was made up of four projects, all related to inventory. One project was to develop a tool to identify overage…

This past summer after my second-year at UT, I had the great privilege to intern for McCormick & Company in Maryland as their distribution intern. For the duration of my internship, I focused on my main project which was to create and implement a new manual activity sheet for 117 distribution technicians to record their…

I am so thankful I had the opportunity to experience the beauty of Cuba. We live in a country polluted by consumerism and materialism. In Cuba, people truly care about their family their friends and live a happier way of life. I learned that wealth does not mean happiness and since coming back I have…

Throughout the entirety of my trip, everywhere I looked there were opportunities to soak up the richest history and culture. While all of Europe is overflowing with historical significance, London leads the world in terms of innovation in business and education but also holds on tight to its roots.

During the fall 2015 semester, I had the incredible opportunity to intern with Georgia‐Pacific, LLC in Atlanta, Georgia. While at GP, I worked as a strategic sourcing and procurement analyst supporting the MRO and capital group. Essentially, this group is responsible for purchasing maintenance and operating supplies for the multiple GP facilities as well as…

Through hands-on Excel training, analytical thinking techniques, customer relationship development strategies and the first-hand experiences and knowledge of the various marketing/business professors at Haslam, I was able to come to my internship at Marathon Petroleum Company with a strong backbone of intellectual capability. The various Excel projects I created during the course of my internship…

I was fortunate enough the summer after my junior year to intern at Cessna Aircraft Company in their procurement division. Although I had never been to Kansas and didn’t know a soul there before my internship, it ended up being an amazing opportunity for me both personally and professionally. I not only made lifelong friends…

Equipped. That is the best word to describe how I feel after arriving home from my trip to Panama. I feel so much more ready for the world’s challenges, more devoted to a career in supply chain, and more knowledgeable about the trends, inner workings, and overall methodologies of the field. On top of all…

I was able to learn a completely new side of business that I had not been exposed to yet. I had the opportunity to experience and witness how corporate social enterprises work. I felt like Dr. Gras genuinely wanted our input in real life problems that people and businesses face in South Africa. While this…

I can’t think of any better place to study abroad for business than Hong Kong. With its unique economic system and foreign interaction, Hong Kong is one of the best places to learn about international business. Since Hong Kong was part of Britain for a long time, the majority of residents speak English, which was…

Working with a small specialist HR team at the corporate office, I assisted with HR compliance strategies that spanned across the entire business and affected GP’s 50,000 employees. During my internship, I examined and interpreted laws, regulations and policies as part of EEO and HR compliance programs and projects. I also got the unique opportunity…

I spent 6 months at International Paper as the CTE Exports intern. During my time there, I had the daily task of using SAP software to plan all of the ocean shipments going from ports to overseas customers, along with sending out updates to carriers on late and upcoming shipments. I shadowed over 30 people…

My time in South Africa was the most impactful experience I’ve ever had in my life. Not only did the study abroad trip increase my awareness of South Africa on a business level, the trip also allowed me to learn and digest the social and governmental climate that citizens are currently living in. Landing in…

Over the duration of the trip I felt myself becoming a more independent person. I had never been so far away from home for such a long time with individuals I barely knew. Upon arrival to Australia I was nervous to have left home, but on pre-departure back to America I did not want to…

I had the incredible opportunity of interning for PepsiCo the summer after my junior year. I was a supply chain intern supporting the warehouse logistics integration function. I would not have been able to secure this internship without the help of the Haslam College of Business. The incredible reputation and caliber of the supply chain…

“Absolutely phenomenal”, are the words that come to mind when I think of my study abroad experience in Panama. From visiting amazing companies, traveling through jungles, and exploring dense rain forests, I’d say that I’ve been impacted academically, professionally, and personally quite heavily. I loved every bit of my time abroad. The people of Panama…