Meet the MBA Class of 2025: Joseph Simmons, TCU Neeley

Joseph Simmons

“I am a factotum who enjoys the simple pleasures of life”

Hometown: Midland, Texas

Fun Fact About Yourself: I have spoken to Buzz Aldrin on the phone and I am colorblind.

Undergraduate School and Major: Texas A&M University, BS in Agribusiness.

Most Recent Employer and Job Title:
1) Strider Real Estate – Real Estate Sales Agent (I was self-employed here)
2) PepsiCo – Procurement Supply Manager

Prior to the MBA, I was a licensed Real Estate Sales Agent for Strider Real Estate. I got involved in real estate following three years of sales and procurement experience with PepsiCo.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far:
In January 2020, I started a brand-new role in a new function, shifting my career from sales to a supply chain procurement role. While I knew it would be a challenge to learn a new side of the business, I wasn’t expecting the world to come crashing down just a few months after starting, forcing me to work from my dining room table. Although I had learned a lot about the role, my onboarding process was incomplete and I had no choice but to adapt and continue to learn remotely. The pandemic brought supply challenges to most businesses, and I was facing a unique problem in the world of materials purchasing. I was responsible for finding solutions to mitigate risks from the supply challenges in my specific category. Looking back, I am proud of what I was able to accomplish and get done during that period. It forced me to learn a lot of the aspects of the role and function on my own by working in my make-shift dining room office versus having a team of experienced individuals surrounding me.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career?
I am pursuing my MBA to bridge all of my past experiences together into a holistic and well-rounded skillset. Although I have always been interested in the subject, I realized that finance was a key part of business that I needed more experience and knowledge in. The more time I spent in my past roles, the more I understood how critical finance was to driving business decisions. I knew the MBA from TCU Neeley would not only teach me the hard skills required in finance, but would provide me the opportunity to actively apply my learnings with my past experiences and education. This will ultimately set me up to progress and drive strategic financial decision making with respect to all sides of the business.

What word best describes the TCU MBA students and alumni you’ve met so far?
Multifaceted. Everyone I have met up to this point has a different story, and it is encouraging to hear how everyone has worked hard to get to where they are now. I have learned so much from my interactions and think it is one of the most important aspects of the MBA program.

Aside from classmates, what was the key part of TCU’s MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you?
The key part of TCU’s MBA programming that led me to decide to move forward was the personal attention the faculty gives to each student to lean into their success. I saw this for the first time when I had an introductory meeting with David Stein, Director of Graduate Recruiting and Admissions. Rather than simply sizing me up for business school fitness and aptitude, I felt that David was interested in getting to know me as a person and making my first impression of TCU Neeley inviting. After several similar interactions with other faculty members, students and alumni, it was clear that the culture at TCU was one of a kind, and it was exactly what I was looking for in a business school. Having this culture as the foundation of business school truly drives me to explore and embrace challenging experiences with confidence.

What is your favorite course as an MBA and/or favorite professor and why?
I can’t single out one professor as they have all been incredible up to this point. If I had to pick, my favorite course is Financial Management II with Dr. Mihov. As an analytical and strategic-minded person, it brings both of those attributes together and challenges me in a refreshing way that reinforces my understanding of the concepts. I love that the assignments require us to leverage learnings and skills that we have gained from our other classes and apply them to real scenarios in the world of finance. Dr. Mihov’s class provides the opportunity to critically think about the best approach we can all take to solving challenging problems and questions that arise in finance. The semester will culminate in a one-week business simulation requiring application of our learnings across all classes.

What club or activity have you enjoyed the most so far at TCU?
The Capital Markets Club has been enjoyable in that they have provided so many out of the classroom learning events and activities to enhance my development in the MBA. They have brought forth several speakers that have shared experiences and wisdom and have set up workshops that give members an extracurricular opportunity to sharpen their skills and knowledge. This has been very beneficial to my overall learning experience at TCU so far.

Describe your biggest accomplishment as an MBA student so far?
While it feels that I have accomplished quite a few things as an MBA student, one that I am most proud of is the orientation case study competition that everyone participated in before classes started. The class was still getting to know each other, and we were expected to present solutions to Dell executives just a few days later. My team was composed of a range of impressive backgrounds; however, no one had tech industry experience. We were perplexed at the start, but rallied around our curiosity to learn and our collective standards to deliver quality work. We presented our solutions and recommendations to Dell leadership and ultimately won the case competition. Winning represented not only our ability to read a case and provide actionable solutions, but it showed that each person on our team was capable of adapting, contributing individual strengths to deliver the best outcome.

What surprised you the most about business school?
Compared to my undergraduate education, the MBA is much more applied and requires deep critical thinking, which has surprised me. I came in thinking it would be more technical. For example, learning the 101s of finance and accounting, but it requires applying technical skills to strategic decision making.

What are the top two items on your professional bucket list post your MBA?
I would like to be in a role that I can drive strategy and organizational decisions. I would also like to take my adaptive skill set to solve challenges that inevitably impact all businesses. Coupled with my past experiences, I have no doubt the MBA from TCU Neeley will be valuable in helping me reach those goals.

DON’T MISS MEET TCU NEELEY’S MBA CLASS OF 2025