University of South Florida Muma College of Business    April 2020
FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S DESK 
Elaine Singleton
Greetings everyone. 

A day is like a week, a week is like a month! Here we are all together in a virtual experience like we've never seen before.

Wishing you good health and safe days ahead. If you're concerned about how COVID-19 is affecting supply chains in your grocery stores (toilet paper, cleaning products), please click here.

Please, stay safe and healthy,
 
Elaine Singleton
Executive Director
Monica Wooden Center for Supply Chain Management & Sustainability
APRIL NEWSLETTER TABLE OF CONTENTS  
* From the Executive Director's Desk
* Important Dates
* Faculty on Radio about Covid-19
* Faculty Spotlight
* Alumni Spotlight
* Student Spotlight
* Intern Spotlight
* CSCMP Scholarship Recipients
 
* April 9, 5-9 p.m., Virtual  Employer Networking Event, with 34 marketing/sales and supply chain students and 17 employers looking to fill summer internships and full-time positions.

* April 30, 8 a.m. until noon, Virtual Monica Wooden Center Business Partners Meeting,  a Microsoft Teams event.

* Sept. 20-23, CSCMP EDGE Supply Chain Conference & Exhibition, in Orlando. To register, click here.

* Fall 2020 Grand Opening of the Monica Wooden Center for Supply Chain Management & Sustainability,   located in Muma College of Business. Times and details to be announced.

* Feb. 2021,  Bi-Annual Florida Supply Chain Summit , location, times and details to be announced.
FACULTY TAKE TO THE MEDIA TO DISCUSS THE COVID-19 CRISIS

Dr. Robert Hooker
Robert Hooker

Radio talk show host Ryan Gorman of PM Tampa Bay interviewed Rob Hooker, associate professor of marketing, about the impact COVID-19 is having on the supply chain, market volatility and the health of the global supply chains during the pandemic. To access the interview, click here.


Sechkin Ozkul
Dr. Sechkin Ozkul, 

Shoppers were a bit shocked to find shelves usually filled with toilet paper empty for weeks at a time over the past month. But Sechkin Ozkul, an instructor in the Marketing Department and supply chain expert reveals in a WFLA.com interview that toilet paper and other supplies should return to stores once the COVID-19 panic buying ends. To access the interview, click here.


Dr. Donna Davis
Donna Davis

With COVID-19 fears causing Tampa Bay area stores to run low on supplies, Donna Davis gave assurances in a number of media interviews that the supply chain will respond to this emergency. Davis is a professor of marketing, former chair of the Marketing Department and academic director of the Monica Wooden Center for Supply Chain Management & Sustainability. To see what she told WFLA News Channel 8, click here.
SPOTL IGHTS
Our Faculty
Alison Watkins
 
  • What brought you to be a professor at the University of South Florida?
I have been at USF St. Petersburg since 2001 as a professor of information systems and before that I taught in the United Kingdom and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The St. Petersburg campus has a small, hometown feel which I really enjoy and because it is small and it is easy to get to know your students.
  • What academic courses have you taught in the past and what will you teach now that campus consolidation is underway and you have joined the marketing/supply chain team?
I have taught many programming/coding courses over the years, but I have also consistently taught operation management to MBA students.  It was a natural fit to also include the new undergraduate core course in operations management. I am excited about the new undergraduate course and to continue teaching in the master's program.
  • What do you most enjoy about teaching and what are you looking forward to in this new chapter in your life?
I enjoy getting to know my students and seeing that spark of excitement when they see something in real-life that they have studied in the classroom. I am excited about being a part of the Monica Wooden Center for Supply Chain Management & Sustainability, working with my new colleagues and students.


Our Alumni
Zachery Kundinger

Name : Zachery Kindinger
USF Degree: BS in Marketing, with a concentration in supply chain management
Graduation Year: December 2015
Employer: Masonite International
Job Title: Senior Integrated Business Planning Analyst
Key Responsbility: Facilitate the creation of a rolling 24-month forecast that includes product, sales and operational opportunities and constraints 

While at USF, what were some of the key points that helped you prepare for your role with the company?
There are two things that I took from college into my job: First was the group work experience and second was real world planning. Group work helped me develop the skills necessary to work with all different types of personalities, achieve a common goal and know what I needed to do independently to add value to my work. Using the MercuryGate planning software in the class, I was able to apply my skills towards demand and supply planning at Masonite.

What were some key transition hurdles and how did you overcome these challenges?
The biggest challenge: CHANGE! Not everyone wants to change; either they are comfortable with what they are doing or they just don't undestand the dynamics of change.

What advice do you have for current USF supply chain students?
Become a technical expert. You will learn a lot from the professors at USF, but you need to futher your technical skills independently. As an example, Business Intelligence tools are critical on the job and one of the largest learning curves I've had to ovecome.

Describe your key contributions/successes since joining Masonite.
The largest contribution I made was delivering a new software program in our ERP called Available-to-Promise, which enhanced customer experience by giving accurate dates on order entries. I have also implemented Integrated Business Planning across multiple business units, which led to long-range planning and data-driven decision making. The opportunity to train 22 employees to gain formal APICS certification was also a highlight. This supported a $1.7 million inventory reduction project.

ALUMNI ON THE MOVE

Alex Birtwell: Newly hired as category manager in indirect sourcing with ARCOP. Birtwell graduated in 2018 with a bachelor's degree in marketing with a concentration in supply chain management.

Congratulations all our alumni!
 

Our Students
Ammar Saify

Name: Ammar Saify
USF Degree: BS in marketing with a concentration in supply chain management
Graduation Year: May 2020
Connect to Ammar on LinkedIn  

Why did you chose to study supply chain management?
Supply chain is the third fastest growing business field with tons of opportunities to grow and USF is the only state university to offer supply chain as a complete major. The professional organization in the Moncia Wooden Center--the USF CSCMP Student Roundtable--played a huge role in motivating me to follow my passion for supply chain management.

What did you achieve through the program?
I had opportunities to lead and serve our supply chain student community as president of the USF CSCMP Student Roundtable. This made for me lasting connections with faculty, staff and students.


Our Interns
Nia Parker

Name: Nia Parker
USF Degree: BS marketing with a concentration in supply chain management
Graduation Year: May 2020
Employer: Johnson & Johnson Global Services
Job Title: Global Sourcing Co-op
Key Responsibilities: As a co-op, I was given a project for the duration of the internship. My project was to assist in the launch of an internal online store and spearhead the hyper care after launch.

Why did you chose to do an internship at Johnson & Johnson?

The company culture of Johnson & Johnson is collaboratative and uncompromising in terms of a high-quality brand presentation. The company was a good fit due to shared ethical standards, community service and mission to present every household product needs along with valued research for the medical community.
How did you prepare yourself to have an internship at Johnson & Johnson?
I consulted with past co-ops and learned the basics of business practices through my mentor. I also fine tuned my business etiquette skills.


What do you want to achieve through this internship?

I want to learn how the real business world works outside of the classroom and develop transferrable industry skills.
STUDENT SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS GRANTED TO THREE STUDENTS
Sponsored by the CSCMP Central Florida Roundtable, scholarships were awarded to three students of USF CSCMP Student Roundtable, led by Associate Professor Robert Hooker at Monica Wooden Center for Supply Chain Management & Sustainability. Join us to celebrate our scholarship recipients!

Chunyu "Sally" Yao
Name: Chunyu "Sally" Yao
USF Degree: MBA
Position: Community Engagement Chair at the USF CSCMP Student Roundtable
Connect on LinkedIn





Charles Berry
Name: Charles Berry
USF Degree: MBA with a concentration in supply chain management
Position: Active member of USF CSCMP Student Roundtable
Connect on LinkedIn
 




Ammar Saify
Name: Ammar Saify
USF Degree: MBA with a concentration in supply chain management
Position: President of the USF CSCMP Student Roundtable
Connect on LinkedIn   






This scholarship is awarded every year in January. Applicants must be enrolled students pursuing a degree or certification at a CSCMP Central Florida Roundtable area college or university and show an interest in supply chain management. Contact vpofmembership.usfcscmp@gmail.com for USF CSCMP Student Roundtable membership information.
University of South Florida Muma College of Business
(813) 974-4281