NaNeeishia Barnes

Haslam College of Business – University of Tennessee, Knoxville

“Young black woman business professional from humble-beginnings; with a knack for supply chain management and a passion to learn.”

Hometown: Knoxville, TN

Fun fact about yourself: I am an avid baker – these something very soothing about taking simple ingredients and formulating them in a way to make masterful creations. My specialty is cheesecakes!

Undergraduate School and Degree:

Haslam College of Business – University of Tennessee – B.S. in Business Administration, Supply Chain Management and Marketing (Dec 2016)

Haslam College of Business – University of Tennessee – M.B.A in Business Administration, Supply Chain Management (Dec 2021)

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

Eastman Chemical Company – Supply Analyst, Integrated Planner & Scheduler

Where did you intern during the summer of 2021? EY – Parthenon – Atlanta, GA

Where will you be working after graduation? EY – Parthenon, Senior Consultant

Community Work and Leadership Roles in Business School: VP of Communications for Big Orange Consulting, Jan R. Williams – MBA Dean’s Award recipient, National Black MBA Association case team participant

Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? The achievement that I am the proudest of is being the recipient of the Jan R. Williams – MBA Dean’s Award. This award is the highest honor bestowed upon an MBA graduate and is voted by the graduating class. For myself, it meant a lot that my class thought so highly of me during our time together and that I was able to make a large impact on our cohort.

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? For myself, I have two achievements that I am the proudest of in my professional career. The first one is receiving my offer letter for b-school and the second one is receiving my offer letter for a full-time position as a senior consultant. These two achievements not only have put my career on a trajectory unimaginable; but have afforded me the opportunity to be able to support and care for my family and support-system. I do not think that either one would have been achievable without their support and sacrifice.

Why did you choose this business school? As an undergraduate Haslam Alum, I thoroughly enjoyed the education and, career opportunities I was afforded and the faculty and staff that I became close to. I knew that as a graduate student that these opportunities would be enhanced even more. As a result, when it came to applying for b-school, Haslam was my top choice. Additionally, I wanted to extend and enhance my knowledge of Supply Chain Management (SCM). Haslam is #3 in the country for their SCM program and has a Supply Chain Institute that is dedicated on SCM research, teaching, and learning. Lastly, as a Knoxville native it was a no brainer to return to Big Orange Country.

Who was your favorite MBA professor? Wendy Tate – She is a powerhouse in the spaces of Procurement, ESG, and Sustainability. As a professor, she is very down-to-earth and her lectures are structured in a way that allows for the entire class to get involved in the discussion. It is also very much a safe place for those are not as versed with Procurement. She also had one of my favorite assignments from the program, which was a sourcing project where we were looking into sourcing a commodity for a mock business (my group did alcoholic beverages for a restaurant). It was nice to have a project where it mimics a real business process, and we were able to have full creative freedom.

What was your favorite MBA event or tradition at your business school? As silly as it sounds, my favorite MBA event was when our professional development organization club, TOMBA, organized a roller-skating event at the local rink. As MBA candidates, we are always so focused on exams, assignments, and projects and sometimes take ourselves too seriously; this was a fun way to “let loose” and enjoy one another.

Looking back over your MBA experience, what is the one thing you’d do differently and why? I personally wouldn’t do a thing differently; I believe that everything happens for a reason.

What is the biggest myth about your school? There aren’t too many myths about Haslam, but the one I kept hearing was about the number of fellowship and assistantship opportunities available. I was surprised about how true it was; as someone who does not come from a very affluent family, the fellowships were crucial in my ability to afford school.

What is one thing you did during the application process that gave you an edge at the school you chose? I think that my “edge” was that I was my authentic self, which is in all honestly the only way that I know how to be. I did not try to oversell myself and give off a grandiose persona. I voiced my concerns with going to school during a pandemic and my ability to pay for it. I even mentioned how I would be moving in with my Yaya (grandmother) and going back to bartending part-time if I were to be accepted. I believe most people would have shied away from while interviewing.

Which MBA classmate do you most admire? I know it said one, but I must choose two because they have both supported me throughout my journey so much. Sahra Abdi Nur and Melvin Cedric Hampton, Jr. are the two peers whom I admired the most because they both taught me a valuable lesson in building deep bonds with people, how to think beyond just obtaining a degree and getting a career, and that everything in life is not a competition. The two of them both encouraged me to get out of my comfort zone and were there for me when I went through a very personal matter.

Who most influenced your decision to pursue business in college? My father was the biggest push in my decision to pursue my MBA. As a child he always taught me the importance of an education and how it can open the doors to more opportunity and prevent compliancy in a person’s chosen career. As someone who was not able to finish their own undergraduate degree due to having to provide for me, he was my main motivation for achieving my undergraduate degree. Once I began my post-undergraduate career, he would often candidly ask me when I was going to get my MBA, to which for several months I thought was a huge ask (especially given that I had just recently graduated). Eventually, after seeing the benefit of a graduate degree in the workforce, I told him that after about two-and-a-half years of working that I would start the application process; shortly after this conversation my father unexpectantly passed. Since his passing, it became my personal goal and mission to obtain my MBA for him, since it was the last promise that I made. I like to think that I’ve exceeded his expectations with the given career I’ve decided to pursue post-MBA; just wish that he was here to enjoy the moment with me.

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

1. Become an adjunct lecturer – I would love the ability to teach and influence young professionals.
2. Become a small business owner – I would love to start a bakery and share a piece of joy with everyone.

How has the pandemic changed your view of a career? I still believe that a career is important, but the Pandemic has really shown me that a career is nothing if you are not able to enjoy the people and teams that you are working with and be your authentic self. I think that pre-pandemic many people had developed their “work-persona” and had built up a wall in-between their personal life and their work-life. I love that post-pandemic people are comfortable with being themselves, as someone who’s very authentic themselves this has created more of a sense of belonging.

What made NaNeeishia such an invaluable member of the Class of 2022?

“NaNeeishia Barnes was an MBA student of mine at the University of Tennessee, Department of Supply Chain Management in 2021. However, she was also in my undergraduate class in the Fall of 2016.  She graduated and gained some excellent work experience, utilizing what she learned as a supply chain management major. In both cases, the course that I taught was Procurement and Strategic Sourcing which is one of the core classes for a supply chain management concentration both in the full time MBA program and the undergraduate program. In this class, we discuss and learn about two key strengths needed particularly in the evolving field of supply chain management: operational and relational. These two broad skill areas are applicable to many areas of study and also set the foundation for a successful SCM career.

In the MBA program, NaNeeishia excelled and was well respected by her peers. In the classroom she brought with her much knowledge from her work experiences. From an operational perspective, NaNeeishia performed extremely well on all assignments in a timely and highly accurate manner. Her assignments were also highly creative and often challenged the ideas that were presented.  The class that I teach has a strong focus on analytics, particularly financial analytics. NaNeeishia showed that she is very adept at analyzing and solving purchasing and supply chain related problems. She would work through problems until she completely understood them and would ask questions about application.  She was able to assess case material and determine the appropriate course of action. NaNeeishia is amazing, she was always prepared and always ready to make a contribution to the class discussion.

The second strength required for success in supply chain and an MBA is having strong relational and leadership skills. NaNeeishia performed exceptionally well in all group activities. She was perceived as an equal contributor to the group discussion, often acted as the group leader and kept the group on task and performing at a high level of excellence. She was well liked by her peers and was awarded top honors in the program. She is a natural leader and has highly refined relational skills.

NaNeeishia was a pleasure to have in class. She has high energy and a professional attitude and demeanor. She is dependable, a self-starter, and very hard working. She always identifies opportunities and takes responsibility for the assigned workload. Her work experiences helped her to improve her analytical, administrative, communication, and teamwork skills and she has been praised by many for her work ethic. NaNeeishia is very inquisitive and enjoys discussing many different topics and the inter-relationships between different concepts She really likes to challenge existing ideas and discuss current issues while looking for opportunities for improvement. NaNeeishia is one of the best and brightest MBAs that I have had the opportunity to have in my classroom and is well deserving of the Poets & Quants recognition.

NaNeeishia has already been highly successful in her career, the MBA will help her to further her goals.   NaNeeishia has an extremely optimistic attitude. She is decisive, responsible, and action oriented. She is not afraid to share her perspectives or ask questions. She is self-confident without being over-bearing.  Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or need additional information to help make your award decision.”

Wendy L. Tate, Ph.D.
William J. Taylor Professor of Business
Ray and Joan Myatt Faculty Research Fellow
Department of Supply Chain Management
University of Tennessee

DON’T MISS: MBAS TO WATCH: CLASS OF 2022