Danielle Chatman-Moore

Eli Broad College of Business, Michigan State University

“An ethical, hard-working, extremely polished, ideating, ambitious, skillful, conflict resolution pursuant, thrill seeking leader.”

“An ambitious innovator using every opportunity to build others through determination, intellect, creativity, relationships.”

Hometown: Houston, TX

Fun fact about yourself: I’ve only been once, but I love jet skiing.

Undergraduate School and Degree: Houston Baptist University, Bachelor of Business Administration, International Business

Where was the last place you worked before enrolling in business school? Deltek, Inc. – Associate Consultant

Where did you intern during the summer of 2020? The Dow Chemical Company, Midland (remote)

Where will you be working after graduation? The Dow Chemical Company, TBD

Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? I’m proud of winning placing first with my team during Broad vs. Broad. It was my first case competition at the time and being able to collaborate with my team, work to our strengths, and present our best work was very rewarding.

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career?

I’m proud of taking a chance. In my previous role, I was saw an opportunity for additional revenue and devised an innovative engagement strategy using webinar and workshop channels. The experience showed me what a good manager is like – she gave me the freedom I needed to get the work done, showed me how to access the resources necessary for success, and removed obstacles. This initiative helped to improve technology implementation experience for Deltek customers.

Why did you choose this business school? The small class size stood out to me. Being able to have a relationship with my fellow candidates and my professors was very important to me.

Who was your favorite MBA professor? That is SO hard because I can name at least five, but I will say Dr. Yemisi Bolumole. She made such an effort to get to know me outside of class. She was a tough professor, but she made sure you weren’t left behind.

What was your favorite MBA event or tradition at your business school? Secret Santa between the 2020 and 2021 classes. It showed the camaraderie and strong community with the Broad community.

Looking back over your MBA experience, what is the one thing you’d do differently and why? I would go to more events. You never know when a pandemic will hit and you’ll want nothing more to hang out with your classmates on a Thursday night.

What is the biggest myth about your school? The biggest myths about the Broad MBA are that recruiting opportunities are more limited, it’s harder to work outside of Michigan, and graduating salaries are lower than other schools. My experience and many of my colleagues dispels all those myths. A Broad MBA is exposed to all the best opportunities and companies, the work comes from the MBA candidate and how much effort they put into their professional recruiting journey.

What surprised you the most about business school? The transformation.

What is one thing you did during the application process that gave you an edge at the school you chose? The virtual interview. I’m a solid interviewer. In high school, I placed in a state-wide academic decathlon for the Interviewing category.

Which MBA classmate do you most admire? All of my classmates are pretty admirable people, but I will say my core teammate Zhijun ( Cindy ) Dong is remarkable. Coming from Shenyang, China, she traveled almost 7K miles to come to school here. Getting to know her, she’s an extremely competent and hard-working professional and she knows the meaning of sacrifice.

How disruptive was it to shift to an online or hybrid environment after COVID hit? Very. It was an adjustment we all had to make whether we wanted to or not. Through this experience, I’ve learned to be flexible, more human, and how to integrate the many parts of my life. I’ve enjoyed watching people rise to the occasion in an online/hybrid environment.

Who most influenced your decision to pursue business in college? Future Me. Future Me knows the legacy she wants to leave and she inspires me to pursue my dreams daily.

What are the top two items on your professional bucket list?

CEO of a Fortune 500 company

Board of Directors position of a Fortune 500 Company

What made Danielle such an invaluable addition to the Class of 2021?

“From day one, Danielle has been a change agent in the FTMBA program. We selected her to be a graduate assistant on the MBA program staff because of her proven track record of professional excellence. She made her presence felt immediately by single-handedly creating a new qualitative assessment process for current students, given every seven weeks, which would assist program administration in gauging student satisfaction in the program. This survey tool is now standard practice, providing formidable data streams for faculty and administrators. As a student leader, Danielle has transformed the MBA Association President role, the most visible student leadership position. Historically, the MBA Association has built student community through social and interpersonal connections, linked to other student organizations for professional development content. Under Danielle’s leadership, the MBA Association now serves as the key organization to crowdsource student activities and engagement from all 14 student organizations. They then share these perspectives with MBA senior leadership, providing a clear feedback path from each student to the Associate Dean. This model best positions the MBA program to grow while still preserving its small-community feel.

In her student academic experiences, Danielle has shined brightly, both in the classroom, and in co-curricular academic activities. She is a multiple-time case/business competition finalist and winner. As a student leader, in addition to the impact she has made as MBA Association President, Danielle is building an increased commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion that will resonate long after her departure. She has partnered with the MBA Admissions Team to revitalize outreach efforts to build a class that is truly representative of our global community and the 21st century business space. She is also the keynote speaker of the first-ever Broad, Inc., DEI Week, a series of events that will showcase the diverse and underrepresented groups within our program.

Notably, the strain and stress of the pandemic have not diminished Danielle’s ability to impact the MBA program. Her efforts are truly appreciated by students, faculty, and staff alike. Her impact will resonate with many graduating classes to come.”

Wayne R. Hutchison, Ph.D.
Managing Director, Full-Time MBA

DON’T MISS: THE FULL LIST OF MBAS TO WATCH IN 2021

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