Josh Grant

Texas Christian University Neeley School of Business

“Fueled by my faith in Jesus Christ, I constantly strive to positively impact the lives around me.”

Hometown: Birmingham, Alabama

Fun Fact About Yourself: I’m capable of baking a pretty good French macaron.

Undergraduate School and Major: Auburn University, Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, Electronics Engineer Sr.

Aside from your classmates, what was the key part of TCU Neeley’s MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? For me, it was the culture TCU Neeley had of developing a close-knit group in the class, with the faculty, and with the alumni. This is what drove me to choose their business school. Everyone I know who attended TCU loved it and never looked back. To facilitate this culture, the small size of the program allows me to get to know everyone in our cohort, get facetime and guidance from phenomenal faculty, and access to an extremely supportive alumni base. With this culture and subsequent format, TCU Neeley provides everything I would need not just to get an MBA but to excel in my career. As a result, I was convinced that if my time at TCU Neeley was a failure, it was going to be because of me.

What course, club or activity excites you the most at TCU Neeley? Neeley & Associates Consultants excites me the most. It is real-world experience in an academic environment. One of the most fruitful classes in undergrad was my senior design project. It was more representative of the real world, not an idealized academic scenario. When I entered into the working world, this class allowed me to be more effective in my role. I learned not to be concerned with finding the perfect answer, but to find the best answer that fit the need, and to drive to a good solution rather than a perfect solution. Neeley & Associates Consultants will give me this same opportunity to take part in a real-world activity in a consulting context with unique problems where a resolution can add real value to a company instead of simply adding points towards a letter grade. In addition, I will gain insightful experience into what business consulting looks like, which will help me refine my approach to business problems. The nature of Neeley & Associates Consultants will prepare me in a unique way to become a consultant.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: To date, my biggest accomplishment has been the opportunity to work on both the F-35 and F-22 fighter jet programs. I have had the privilege of getting to work on the leading-edge fighter aircraft of the world and play a part in supporting our military through these programs. In various positions with both aircraft, I had the opportunity to perform root cause analysis on unique issues, in the simulation labs, on aircraft stealth coatings, and with supplier provided hardware. From there, I got to work with different teams to develop effective solutions to be implemented to improve aircraft performance, satisfying our customer’s needs. The opportunity to work on such unique and complex problems, with extremely capable teams, in support of our military, has been my biggest career accomplishment.

What is one thing you have recently read, watched, or listened to that you would highly recommend to prospective MBAs? Why? In December, while I was working on my application, I listened to an audio book called “Every Good Endeavor” by Timothy Keller. This book helped me contextualize work in my personal life and the purpose of work. Developing this understanding helped me put in perspective the implications of getting an MBA, since most people don’t get an MBA for fun but pursue the degree to facilitate adding value to their workplace. This book went to the root of work, and how to approach it and helped me understand my “why” of an MBA.

What advice would you give to help potential applicants gain admission into TCU Neeley’s MBA program? Understand your “why.” That was the best advice given to me as I worked to apply to the TCU Neeley MBA program. When you understand your why, it will help focus you and drive you to successfully approach the application process and ensure you don’t regret it when you’re on the other side.

DON’T MISS MEET THE TCU NEELEY MBA CLASS OF 2024