Bailey Harrison

University of Notre Dame, Mendoza School of Business

“Highly motivated student and business-minded professional with experience leveraging data to gain actionable insights.”

Hometown: Burbank, California

Fun fact about yourself: A wild llama tried to eat my sweater while I was visiting Machu Picchu, but my sweater was made from llama fleece!

Undergraduate School and Degree: University of California, Berkeley; graduated 2019 with Bachelor of Science in Economics

Where was the last place you worked before enrolling in business school? Camden Capital

Where did you intern during the summer of 2023? Kellogg Company; Experience Planning Intern for the Eggo team

Where will you be working after graduation? Kellanova (formerly Kellogg’s); Brand Manager

Community Work and Leadership Roles in Business School:

Awards/Fellowships:

Brogan Fellowship (Acknowledging the top 5 GPA-earning women in the program); Forte Fellow; Kenneth R. Meyer Fellow

Leadership:

MBA Association – First Year Representative (1st year), MBA Association – VP of Clubs (2nd year), MBA Marketing Club – VP of Career Development (2nd year), MBA Sports Business Club – Board Member (2nd year)

Miscellaneous:

Teacher’s Assistant for 4 courses: Introduction to Business Analytics (Kevin Hartman), Marketing Research (Kevin Hartman), Competitive Growth Strategy (Joe Urbany), Automation & AI in Marketing (Kevin Hartman)

Volunteer Work: St. Margaret’s House, Cultivate Food Rescue, South Bend Center for the Homeless, Community Food Pantry of St. Joseph County

Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? I’m most proud of challenging myself for achieving one of the highest GPAs of all the women in my program to earn the Brogan Fellowship.

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? I’m most proud of myself for deciding to go back to school to pursue an entirely different career path. I had limited exposure to marketing, but I wanted a new challenge and found it in business school.

Why did you choose this business school? I chose Notre Dame because of its strong and supportive alumni network. Before I even started classes, I had current students reach out to give me recommendations, recent graduates tell me about their favorite classes, and school administrators help me with navigating my new environment. I wanted to be in a supportive yet challenging environment, and I felt Notre Dame was that perfect match. Notre Dame alumni are so willing, excited, and eager to help another Domer: I have yet to be turned down for a coffee chat to discuss their role or their time on campus. In fact, this is consistent across the entire Notre Dame campus, not just other Mendoza graduate students. I have yet to experience that strength in support from alumni elsewhere.

Who was your favorite MBA professor? Professor Frank Germann in his Marketing Research course. Professor Germann is incredibly kind, patient, and helpful. He consistently brought new and interesting material to this challenging course and always took the time to walk through course concepts slowly. He encouraged me and my other classmates to conduct research for the sake of better insights with new methods. I was always excited to come to class and to learn more, but Professor Germann made this course even better!

What was your favorite course as an MBA? Competitive Growth Strategy, taught by Professor Joe Urbany. This is the class I consistently come back to when thinking about the strategy behind different choices and has helped me in countless other courses, my internship, and in conversations with other students. Urbany’s frameworks start at a high-level approach and eventually narrow scope to strategic initiatives and tactical executions aimed at achieving a particular business goal. I have been fortunate to be a teacher’s assistant for Urbany and gained even greater insight and exposure to this style of thinking. It has been incredibly useful and I highly recommend the course to anyone interested in expanding their strategic thinking skills!

Looking back over your MBA experience, what is the one thing you’d do differently and why? Looking back on my experience, I wish I had taken more advantage of my professors’ wealth of knowledge and developed relationships beyond my major pathway. Mendoza is fortunate to have some of the best professors, conducting the most cutting-edge research or coming with highly valuable corporate experience. That’s why I wish that I had developed stronger relationships with more professors outside of my chosen pathway. While I feel I was fortunate enough to create many relationships with professors within the Marketing department, I feel I could have extended these efforts across other departments, such as Finance, Strategy, and Analytics.

What is the biggest myth about your school? There is a myth that there’s nothing to do in South Bend when it’s not football season. However, I found plenty of things to do! The MBA curriculum, social outings, and networking opportunities take up a decent amount of time, but I still found time to grab drinks with friends, check out a local park, volunteer at local nonprofits, or explore different food options. Notre Dame also puts on several events, such as $5 movie screenings for students, cultural events, or crafts fairs, for students looking for activities on campus. Notre Dame has such a beautiful campus; it was always nice to just take a walk around the lakes or through various buildings!

What surprised you the most about business school? I was most surprised at how many opportunities there were to get involved! During orientation, I remember faculty telling us to not forget JOMO: the joy of missing out. While initially I thought this was just a funny remark, I soon discovered that it was meant sincerely. My classmates and I were soon flooded with opportunities to get involved socially, professionally, and academically. This experience forced me to evaluate my priorities and to more fully consider how I wished to spend my time. I am incredibly grateful for all the opportunities that have been offered to me through Mendoza and the community, but I know there are so many more that I was unable to take advantage of!

Which MBA classmate do you most admire? I most admire my fellow classmate Amber May (2024 MBA Candidate). She has worked tirelessly to serve the MBA community through her official leadership roles as well through her behind-the-scenes efforts. She is an intelligent, kind, and ambitious student that I feel is a truly servant leader who prioritizes the growth, well-being, and empowerment of others around her.

What are the top two items on your professional bucket list? As a career switcher, I hope to expand my skills as a marketer more fully. Therefore, for my professional bucket list, I would like to work on a small brand as a brand manager (focusing on the P&L and strategy for the brand) and then to work on a large brand as an innovation brand manager (focusing on innovative new products or packaging based on market research to enable creative solutions for market needs).

What made Bailey Harrison such an invaluable addition to the Class of 2024?

“As a faculty member at the Mendoza College of Business at the University of Notre Dame, I have had the privilege of teaching and mentoring countless talented students. However, one in particular has left an indelible mark: Bailey Harrison. It comes as no surprise that Bailey has been nominated for Poets & Quants’ prestigious list of “Best & Brightest MBAs,” as her tireless efforts and remarkable achievements truly embody the values of leadership, academic excellence, and community service within the Class of 2024.

Bailey’s exceptional academic abilities are demonstrated through her impressive accomplishments, including the prestigious Brogan Fellowship for attaining one of the top GPAs in our program. Her drive for excellence is matched by a strong enthusiasm for expanding her knowledge, making her an exemplary role model for fellow students. By enrolling in challenging courses and serving as a Teaching Assistant for six sections of marketing classes during this academic year alone (my Marketing Research, Introduction to Business Analytics, and Automation & AI classes), Bailey has not only improved her own personal development but also enhanced the learning experiences of her peers. Her commitment and dedication can be seen through her additional Teaching Assistant position in a fourth class this academic year, Competitive Growth Strategy, taught by one of my colleagues.

Bailey stands out for her exceptional skill in applying her business knowledge beyond the classroom. From her internship as an Experience Planning Intern at Kellogg Company to her current role as a Brand Manager at Kellanova, she consistently demonstrates the ability to utilize academic concepts in real-world situations. This combination of rigorous academics and practical application aligns perfectly with our goals at Mendoza, and Bailey is a prime example of this.

Bailey’s contributions to our community are rooted in her strong leadership and dedication to service. As the Vice President of Clubs for the MBA Association and a board member of the MBA Marketing Club, she has exemplified exceptional leadership qualities, fostering collaboration and promoting growth within our organization. Her involvement in organizing the “Grow the Good Gala” showcases her commitment to serving the community and making a difference through raising significant funds for local nonprofit initiatives. This initiative not only brought our community together but also emphasized the importance of giving back, a core value ingrained in Notre Dame’s values.

Bailey’s ability to motivate others, along with her strong commitment to academic excellence, leadership, and giving back to the community, make her an invaluable member of the Class of 2024. Her personal and professional journey demonstrates a genuine dedication to growth, and her impact on our community will continue long after she graduates. I am proud and wholeheartedly endorse Bailey Harrison’s nomination for Poets & Quants’ “Best & Brightest MBAs.” Bailey embodies not only trailblazing and servant leadership, but also the core values we cherish at Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business.”

Kevin Hartman
Associate Teaching Professor of Marketing
University of Notre Dame Mendoza School of Business

DON’T MISS: THE 100 BEST & BRIGHTEST MBAs: CLASS OF 2024