Global Supply Chain Institute

Welcome to the Spring 2026 Supply Chain Forum. Partners may check in with volunteers at the desk. Registration is required to attend the day’s two student networking events. Space is limited, so make sure to sign up early!

A structured opportunity for talent specialists with corporate partner organizations to meet students currently enrolled in Haslam’s highly ranked graduate supply chain management (SCM) programs: Full-Time MBA (SCM concentration), M.S. in Supply Chain Management Online and M.S. in Supply Chain Management (Global).

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A dynamic and interactive networking session with UT’s Scholars of Distinction, a select group of rising second-, third-, and fourth-year SCM students eager to meet industry leaders across supply chain functions and gain firsthand knowledge of job opportunities and career paths.

Join us at the Opening Reception for hors d’oeuvres, drinks, and brief remarks from GSCI Co-Executive Director Ted Stank. This casual networking event is a great opportunity to connect with other supply chain professionals and UT faculty and staff.

Stop by the registration table and enjoy a delicious breakfast buffet before a day of Main and Breakout sessions.

Kenco Logistics President and CEO Denis Reilly, a longtime member of the GSCI Advisory Board, will be honored, followed by a brief welcome and update from GSCI Managing Director Scott DeGroot and Co-Executive Director Ted Stank.

Worlds collide on the forum mainstage. Stuart Sandlin, president and CEO of Hapag-Lloyd North America, leads one of the world’s premier ocean carriers, navigating global capacity, trade lanes, and network resilience. Jennifer McKeehan, COO at Fanatics, drives supply chain strategy for a digital-native commerce platform built on real-time demand and event-driven fulfillment. Together, they unpack what it takes to align vessel strategy with instant consumer expectation and what that alignment means for the future of global supply chains.

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An interactive episode of the Tennessee on Supply Chain Management podcast with Tom Johnson, VP of procurement for HF Sinclair, moderated by GSCI Co-Executive Directors Ted Stank and Tom Goldsby. Explore procurement leadership and category strategy in an energy firm context.

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The Tennessee Association of Supply Chain, a student organization in the Haslam College of Business, will honor Caterpillar’s Wendi Gentry-Stuenkel, SVP of product support and logistics, for her sustained impact on supply chain logistics innovation and leadership.

Operational excellence at Caterpillar isn’t theoretical. It’s executed across one of the most complex industrial supply chains in the world. Wendi Gentry-Stuenkel, SVP of product support and logistics, shares how disciplined logistics strategy, global parts networks, and customer-centric service models drive performance at scale. From synchronizing aftermarket support across continents to aligning supply chain capability with enterprise strategy, Gentry-Stuenkel offers a candid perspective on what it takes to lead through volatility while sustaining reliability, cost discipline, and growth. This is leadership in motion—where logistics is not a back-office function, but a strategic lever shaping competitive advantage.

Lunch

Three teams of top undergraduate supply chain management students—coached by MBA mentors concentrating in supply chain—have advanced through a highly competitive process to earn their place in this case study championship round. Led by Professor Lance Saunders, these students have taken on one of the most complex and time-sensitive supply chains in global sport: Formula 1 racing. Along the way, teams have worked with Cole Burns, director of student development and career management, to sharpen their executive-level thinking and presentation skills. Presented with GSCI partner PwC, the challenge is real: design a logistics strategy for a 24-race global calendar—moving race-critical equipment across continents with tight turnarounds, ocean-versus-air tradeoffs, and zero tolerance for disruption. These finalists must think like operators, balancing cost, speed, and resilience at a championship level. GSCI partners will serve as judges, casting live votes to determine the winning strategy. The champion will be announced later that evening at our Neyland Stadium reception.

Enjoy a 30-minute networking break with snacks in the atrium, sponsored by the UT Supply Chain Management Graduate and Executive Education programs. Learn about UT’s master’s and executive offerings while connecting with students at the reverse career fair in the hallway outside The Assembly. Student-interest tables will feature representatives from the Tennessee Association of Supply Chain (TASC), Supply Chain Analytics & Reporting Club (SCAR), SCM Career Ready, SCM Veterans, Diverse Organization Propelling Excellence (DOPE), MS SCM Global, MS SCM Online, and Women’s Organization of MBAs (WOMBA), offering a great opportunity to meet emerging supply chain talent and engage with the next generation of professionals.

• Breakout #1—Geopolitical Risk & the Global Supply Chain, Wiley 
  Geopolitical risk is no longer abstract. Active conflicts and regional instability. including current tensions with Iran, are influencing trade flows, energy markets, sanctions regimes, and cross-border operations in real time. Inside companies, conversations about this exposure are often quiet by necessity. This is about vulnerabilities—network dependencies, regulatory exposure, supplier concentration, and cross-border fragility. In this candid breakout, Robert Chamberlain of BRG brings a practitioner’s lens shaped by work with boards and executive teams assessing trade compliance risk, sanctions exposure, third-party relationships, and geopolitical dependencies. For GSCI partners operating global networks, this session asks: how should companies structure geopolitical supply chain risk? Where should it live? And how do leaders build disciplined visibility into vulnerabilities before they become disruptions?
• Breakout #2—TBD, Hope 
  Session description coming soon.
• Breakout #3—Thirty Years of 3PL Evolution: Building the Next Study, Milani 
  Three decades ago, third-party logistics was a cost play. Today, it is a strategic lever shaping resilience and competitive advantage. John Langley, professor emeritus and founder of the Annual 3PL Study, reflects on three decades of change, from transactional outsourcing to strategic partnership, from limited visibility to digital ecosystems, from stability to structural volatility. As work begins on the 31st edition, help shape the next study by identifying emerging risks, redefining value, and challenging the assumptions that will guide the next chapter of 3PL leadership.
• Breakout #4—Love to Hate the Forecast, Fulton 
  In this two-part session, former P&G executive Mike Burnette and professor Lance Saunders will introduce research conducted with the Advanced Supply Chain Collaborative on segmenting planning demand triggers to drive total value. The session coincides with the release of the newest GSCI white paper.
• Breakout #5—From Forecast to Foresight: AI-Enabled Demand Planning at Scale, Clark 
  Clorox has redesigned its demand forecasting process as part of a broader AI transformation, delivering measurable gains in accuracy and responsiveness. In this session, Jon Nichols, associate director of Clorox’s Business Planning Center of Excellence, will outline the process, governance, and change mechanisms behind the improvement. Moderated by former UPS executive and UT professor Alan Amling, the discussion will connect tactical execution with insights on scaling AI across supply chain operations.

Break time between events

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Join us for a vibrant evening of networking at the Transcard Premier Club in Neyland Stadium. Enjoy drinks, hors d’oeuvres, and great conversation with fellow industry leaders. Don’t miss this chance to connect, unwind, and explore the home of Tennessee Volunteers Football.

Stop by the registration table and enjoy a delicious breakfast buffet.

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College athletics has entered a period of structural transformation shaped by NIL, revenue sharing, and rising financial complexity. In this candid conversation, Tennessee Athletics CFO Brad Briggs will examine how these forces are redefining strategy, capital allocation and organizational risk. From navigating stakeholder expectations to building disciplined financial operations in a high-visibility environment, Briggs will share lessons from leading a modern athletics enterprise. He will also reflect on his leadership journey and offer practical guidance for professionals preparing to take on greater responsibility in dynamic, performance-driven organizations. 

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Sarah Haffer, VP of North America supply chain digital transformation for Kimberly-Clark, breaks down how digital enablement, automation, and analytics are reshaping supply chain operations and building future capabilities. Moderated by GSCI Managing Director and former Kimberly-Clark executive Scott DeGroot.

Enjoy lunch as we wrap up the Spring 2026 Supply Chain Forum with important announcements, key takeaways, and a look ahead to future events.