Savannah Brown

University of Tennessee, Haslam College of Business

“I am an ambitious, community-driven leader who’s passionate about helping the next person be successful.”

Hometown: Mckinney, TX

Fun fact about yourself: I ride motorcycles!

Undergraduate School and Degree: University of Tennessee, Knoxville, B.A. in Sociology, English, Africana Studies

Where was the last place you worked before enrolling in business school? Shora Foundation- Youth Service Coordinator

Where did you intern during the summer of 2024? Shora Foundation, Knoxville, TN

Where will you be working after graduation? I am excited to be pursuing an opportunity in educational non-profits!

Community Work and Leadership Roles in Business School: During my time in the MBA Program, I served as a Graduate Research Assistant in our Office of Multicultural Student life, helping with programming to help support cultural awareness and entice engagement. I also founded Diverse Organization Propelling Excellence, supporting underrepresented MBA students in different realms. The program also gave us the opportunity to have different service-learning projects, where we got to work with industries within the Knoxville community with different business strategies.

I was honored to receive the MBA Program Service Award, which acknowledges the contributions to the strength of the MBA program through service to classmates, the program, as well as the University. I also was part of the National Black MBA Association Career Crash Course Scholarship Cohort, a six-week workshop which prepared a small group of individuals in career prep while funding us to go to the National Black MBA Conference. I had a lot of opportunities to really grow and excel while obtaining my MBA, which I can transfer as I move forward in my career.

Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? An extracurricular achievement I am most proud of is establishing the first diverse organization within our graduate business school. It is called Diverse Organization Propelling Excellence, or D.O.P.E. There was a need to connect students from various master’s programs, with the intent of providing space for professional development, mentorships with industry leaders, and a sense of belonging with one another. Through this organization, we had so many meaningful discussions. We even had the opportunity to take eight of our members to the 2024 National Black MBA Conference, where our members secured six interviews, three job offers, one scholarship finalist, two HBCU Cohort Scholarship members, and three case competition winners. Providing them with such an opportunity was incredibly rewarding, and I loved seeing the impact of this organization. Right now, we are actively working on a scholarship for the organization, providing $1,000 each to five graduate business students!

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? One of my proudest professional achievements would be initiating a food pantry at the nonprofit (Shora Foundation) where I worked. Within our East Knoxville community, there is a severe food desert, so being able to address food insecurity within the community was extremely rewarding. I was able to secure partnerships with different colleges and departments within the University of Tennessee to help secure these resources but also build connections that can continue to lead to long-term partnerships. This initial launch of our pantry was smaller, designed to help the families of the students we served within Shora. However, plans to expand it to the whole East Knoxville community are in the works. This was a task I was so eager to take on, and seeing it strengthen community resources is such a fulfilling aspect of my career.

Why did you choose this business school? The biggest selling point for Haslam’s College of Business was its faculty and staff. As part of the application process, you have one, maybe two, interviews with some of the staff members within the college. I immediately felt heard and cared for. It didn’t feel like any average interview—it felt like two friends catching up over coffee. By the way they were engaged and the questions they asked, I felt like they were really getting to know me in order to establish how they would support me in the program—which is exactly what they did. Yes, the success you accomplish in a program is personal, but it is naïve to think that a strong support system doesn’t play a drastic role. That is exactly what this program provided. I felt that from the beginning, and they stood true to it during and after my time in the program.

Who was your favorite MBA professor? My favorite MBA professor is Lance Saunders, who taught one of our supply chain classes. He just had a way of making complex topics feel approachable. He was extremely funny and had casual conversations with interactive lessons to keep us engaged. I appreciated his teaching style, which made class fun for me. He was really able to connect with students and was approachable when it came to completing the work or getting help.

What was your favorite course as an MBA? My favorite course was my Leadership in Non-Profits course. It was a service-learning-based course, where we got to work with a nonprofit and help support their needs in obtaining grant funding. As someone who wants to continue working within the nonprofit field, being able to see the ins-and-outs of multiple nonprofits was amazing. Not only that, but we were also able to secure grant funding for at least four nonprofits to help fill their needs as organizations. Using my background experience in nonprofits, as well as my newfound business education, it was fun piecing everything together.

What was your favorite MBA event or tradition at your business school? My absolute favorite MBA event was our Winter study abroad trip to Argentina and Chile. We were able to immerse ourselves in the wine business on a 10-day trip, getting some firsthand business experience. It reflected a lot of what Haslam does. Not only does the Haslam College have a huge focus on hands-on experience, they also highlight the importance of connections and networking. This trip gave us that experience to talk to industry professionals, ask questions, and truly immerse ourselves in the culture and experience. But it also brought our whole cohort together, building inseparable connections. After that trip, our cohort got together often, whether it was professionally, academically or socially. These connections are what’s important once you graduate, and it is truly a blessing to still be able to maintain connected with such incredible individuals.

Looking back over your MBA experience, what is the one thing you’d do differently and why? I don’t usually have many regrets. However, if there was one thing I would have done differently, it would have been taking the Advanced Critical Thinking and Experiential Learning in Business course. I love public speaking and could do it all day in front of any crowd. However, this specific class really worked through the ins-and-outs of consulting, presenting, answering questions, and more. I did have the privilege of sitting in on a few classes, and even got to see firsthand how many of my classmates improved their skills from this course alone. Dr. Randy Bradley was the professor of the course, and he is phenomenal. It is truly a privilege to learn from his knowledge. He has such an eagerness to see these students thrive and be successful in the work they want to do. So absolutely if I could go back, I would have taken the class to fully immerse myself in such talent and observation!

What is the biggest myth about your school? One of the biggest myths about the Haslam College of Business is that it’s solely focused on supply chain management since it ranks among the top five public institutions for the field. While supply chain is a strong program, many students, including myself, have found great success in other areas like finance, business analytics, and entrepreneurship. We receive the same amount of focus and guidance as our supply chain counterparts!

On the more fun side, there’s a myth that has been around for decades. If you step on the giant seal outside Haslam before you graduate, you won’t graduate on time. Personally, I never tested it, so I am not sure if it is a myth or if it’s true.

What did you love most about your business school’s town? I am not much of an outdoorsy person, but I will say one of the best things about Knoxville is the mountains. The Smoky Mountains are just a short drive away, and being able to see them in the sunrises, sunsets, or through hiking trails is truly phenomenal. The mountains are an experience on their own, so that tied with other city life things gave me the best of both worlds.

What is one way that your business school has integrated AI into your programming? What insights did you gain from using AI? One of the keyways Haslam integrated AI was through resume checks, which helped make sure our resumes could pass through applicant tracking system scans. AI does impact the job application process, but also tells us how we need to tailor our materials accordingly. While this would not be formal integration, a lot of our MBA professors did embrace having AI as a support tool when it came to class research or assignments. I appreciated that many professors are aware that in the real world, we do have unlimited access to resources and allowed us to start using those resources now. Not only that, but they also emphasized recognizing the limitations or possible biases when using it. It helped us all understand how to leverage AI but also notice how our own judgement is just as important.

Which MBA classmate do you most admire? Kiara Robinson-Milloy, or Kiki. Coming into the program I did not know her personally. However, I did know her as one of the best softball players the University of Tennessee has ever had. I mean, her softball stats are crazy. How many people can say their cohort member held the Tennessee program record of home runs, was an All-American more times than I can count, played with Team USA, and was a Torchbearer (the highest honor at the university)? Luckily, I am a person who can say that. But how many people can say they have found a lifelong friend in their cohort, who also just happens to hold all the awards that were just mentioned? Luckily, I am a person who can say that as well.

Despite what people see through her stats, I know her now as the most humble, straightforward, caring person I have ever met. She navigated me through this program with grace, being such a strong support system for me in times where I was struggling or just needed an extra hand. But she also reminded me to take accountability, to step up, to make more of an effort. Whether that was making sure we finished our homework assignments, or taking the stairs instead of the elevator to get our steps in. Not only that, but she was also my partner in crime when it came to establishing our organization, Diverse Organization Propelling Excellence.

Beyond the awards and accolades, she’s a person who leads by example. She pushes herself to work hard, but she also pushes those around her to be better. She celebrates your wins as if they were her own and shows up for those she cares about. Kiki has been my rock in this program. I admire her for more than her accomplishments. I admire her for the person she is. She is the definition of being unapologetically you. Yeah, Haslam helped me obtain my MBA, but it also gave me a lifelong friend. I will always admire Kiara Robinson-Milloy, or Kiki.

What are the top two items on your professional bucket list? The top item on my professional bucket list would have to be opening my own nonprofit, where I can continue to make an impact in communities that need it most. The second? It would probably be every single goal between now and then. Getting there isn’t just one big leap, but I wouldn’t directly know which items are needed on my bucket list just yet to get there. Whether it’s gaining experience, building connections, or figuring out how to keep the lights on without losing my mind, every milestone matters on my bucket list. So, in a way, my whole career is just a very long, well-planned plot twist leading up to that ultimate goal.

What made Savannah such an invaluable addition to the Class of 2025?

“I am writing this recommendation letter on behalf of Savannah Brown, a former student in my BUAD 515 course whom I counseled as a Professional Development Manager at Haslam College of Business during her MBA program.

Savannah is more than just the standard MBA student you see in the classroom, and from the start of her time here in Haslam, she was determined to make a lasting impact on our program that would benefit future students. As a visionary, Savannah conceptualized an organization for diverse graduate business students where they can collectively come together to support their professional growth. During the first semester of her program, she wrote a professional proposal for the organization and its board structure. Working across departments, Savannah began to partner with the Office of Access and Community Engagement and MBA Student Services to source funding and identify opportunities for collaboration with business professionals so that the student members could connect and be mentored. By the end of her first year, Savannah had successfully launched the Diverse Organization Propelling Excellence (D.O.P.E.) student organization. This accomplishment was not an easy one, as our MBA program is an accelerated 16-month MBA, and to have balanced both her studies inside the classroom while creating this organization is not one most students can accomplish. As a result of her hard efforts, the student organization was able to provide scholarships for nine MBA first and second-year students to attend the National Black MBA Conference at little to no expense. Ultimately, by doing this, Savannah succeeded at helping students who, without this funding, would not have been able to attend during their time in the program.

While most students would find it hard to balance their studies with all the effort she put into forming D.O.P.E., Savannah thrived in the classroom. She participated as an active contributor to classroom discussions and succeeded in the studies she pursued. Outside of the classroom, Savannah worked part-time with a local non-profit organization, the Shora Foundation, where her impact once again was felt greatly. During her time with this non-profit, Savannah helped with grant submissions and acquiring funding for educational and community initiatives, including creating a student food pantry.

All this to say, Savannah is an outstanding MBA whose accomplishments, both inside and outside of the classroom, left a lasting impact on the Haslam College of Business community. I cannot begin to think of someone else who deserves Poet and Quants Best & Brightest recognition, as she is a shining star amongst her esteemed classmates. I do not doubt that anywhere and everywhere Savannah goes next, she will leave it better than she found it.”

Michelle Cepynsky
Associate Director of Graduate Career Services and BUAD 515 Lecturer
Graduate Business Programs

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