Clint Stapleton is a numbers man. He optimizes the casinos on Carnival Corporation’s cruise lines from marketing initiatives to onboard operations. He is one man on Carnival’s worldwide fleet of more than 100 vessels across 10 brands that you definitely don’t want to bet against.

Clint has been in the casino business since obtaining his MBA from Haslam in 2010. Prior to Carnival, he held various roles in eCommerce, digital media and marketing analytics with Caesars Entertainment in Las Vegas, Nevada. He launched marketing campaigns for the LINQ Hotel & Casino, the High Roller, the Cromwell boutique hotel and multiple restaurants and entertainment acts.

Before the bright lights of the Entertainment Capital of the World, he was still a number cruncher. Clint began his career with KPMG in Atlanta after majoring in accounting at Haslam.

“Dr. Jack Kiger was instrumental in shaping my early career in accounting,” Clint says. “He seemed to notice something special in me and was willing to open doors for me professionally.”

Clint opened the next door for himself by obtaining the Alma and Hal Reagan Fellowship along with a Graduate Teaching Assistantship to attend Haslam for his MBA.

“I began to take notice of the commitment that the University of Tennessee was putting into the business school and knew that I had to be a part of the change,” Clint recalls.

While living in Las Vegas, Clint and his wife Allison pursued their love of skiing in Park City and the Grand Tetons. Now they take advantage of the beaches and offshore fishing near their home in Florida. Photography has always been an interest of Clint’s; he was the photography editor for the Daily Beacon while an undergrad, as well as a student-photographer for UTsports.com when he returned for his MBA.