James Smart

Mendoza College of Business at the University of Notre Dame

“Ambitious, funny, the third oldest of nine, I have a passion for data, strategic thinking, and social impact.”

Hometown: Morristown, NJ

Fun Fact About Yourself: I am the third oldest of nine children.

Undergraduate School and Major: University of Notre Dame – Mendoza College of Business; Major: Marketing

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: 84.51° (Data Analytics/Internal Consulting Firm Owned by Kroger), Senior Customer Strategy and Insights Executive Consultant

When you think of Notre Dame, what are the first things that come to mind? How have your experiences with the Mendoza program thus far reinforced or upended these early impressions? The first thing that comes to mind when I think of Notre Dame is culture. I am amazed by Notre Dame’s ability to create a graduate community that embraces diversity and authenticity while rallying around the single goal of “growing the good in business”. This shared intentionality and the recognition that we are each developing business skills to give back to our communities creates a common thread on which we build our community. This culture of service fosters a truly supportive community, where members of the Mendoza program go to lengths to help others. This includes students hosting their own informal office hours to review statistics before the exam or casing with one another for upcoming interviews.

Aside from your classmates, what was the one key part of the Mendoza MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? Notre Dame’s focus on experiential learning influenced my decision to enroll in the MBA program. Twice a year, we have dedicated weeks called “Grow Irish Week” where we can upskill on certain in-demand skill (such as Financial Modeling, Strategic Communication, etc.) or participate in a week-long consulting project for company nationally or internationally.  In addition, the schools interdisciplinary Meyer Business on the Frontlines Program offers two courses where students get to put their business skills to work by partnering with social impact organizations to solve a problem. The opportunities to get out of the classroom and practice the skills and perspectives we developed in the classroom allows us to develop a better understanding of how the material comes to life in a real business setting.

What course, club or activity have you enjoyed the most so far at Mendoza? I have enjoyed being part of the “Grow the Good” Gala Committee. The committee is made up of a small group of Mendoza graduate students that help organize a gala complete with an auction to raise funds for a local nonprofit. It has been one of my favorite activities because it has been a great way to break up the stress of jumping back into the student routine and the recruiting process. It was also a great way to meet some of the second years and students from other Mendoza graduate programs while helping bring Mendoza’s promise of “growing the good” to life.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: My biggest accomplishment in my career so far was becoming the strategic lead for customers on government benefits (SNAP) at Kroger. When inflation started to pick up at the beginning of 2022, leaders at Kroger had a lot of questions about how inflation would impact these customers’ shopping behavior and what strategies and activations Kroger could invest in to better serve their needs.

When attempting to answer leaders’ questions I noticed that there was no singular story or point-of-view on the SNAP customer due to a lack of consistent data measurement and cross-functional collaboration. As a result, I created and led the SNAP Customer Connect, a committee of leaders across both Kroger and 84.51° whose work directly impacted SNAP customers. The committee met quarterly to discuss changes to government benefits and align on a consistent SNAP customer story for the quarter. As a result, responses to Kroger executives were streamlined and we were able to more effectively advise them on how to invest in strategies and activations that were truly meaningful to the SNAP customer.

Describe your biggest accomplishment as an MBA student so far? My biggest accomplishment as an MBA student so far is getting accepted into the Meyer Business on the Frontlines program. In the program, teams of MBA and law students develop solutions to address challenges social enterprises face using business skills. I am excited to be a part of the program and to have the opportunity to witness how the business skills I have learned in class intersect with social impact. My team and I are going to be working on a project for an impact investor in Kyrgyzstan this winter/spring.

Mendoza is known as a purpose-driven MBA program that asks students to “Grow the good in business.” What is your mission and how has Mendoza been helping you realize it? When I came to Notre Dame for my undergrad the business school’s slogan at that time was “Ask More from Business”. This motto was one of the many reasons I decided to come to Notre Dame the first time and has come to represent my own personal mission. I want to build a career that leverages the business skills (that I have learned both times at Notre Dame) to impact the communities around me in a positive way. Mendoza has helped me develop the skills necessary to achieve this mission in a variety of ways such as having Business Ethics as a first term class. This has allowed me to view subsequent classes through an ethical lens, creating an environment where students are encouraged to ask questions and challenge assumptions and offering opportunities to help practice business skills while bringing Mendoza’s mission of “growing the good” in business to life.

What has been your best memory as an MBA so far? One of my favorite memories so far from the MBA program was early on into the program when the school rented out the Potawatomi Zoo, a local zoo in South Bend, for the evening. During the evening, we had dinner and drinks while walking around zoo and feeding some of the animals. It is one of my favorite memories because it was a great way to break the ice with my fellow classmates during the first week of classes. (My other favorite memories are the Notre Dame football games! It is hard not love being back in the student section cheering for the Irish!).

DON’T MISS: MEET NOTRE DAME MENDOZA’S MBA CLASS OF 2026

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