John Dannehl

University of Georgia, Terry College of Business

“Empathetic, passionate, dedicated, exuberant, curious, sociable, and aspiring polyglot.”

Hometown: Atlanta, Georgia

Fun fact about yourself: I taught English for three years in La Rioja, Spain, as a Fulbright Scholar.

Undergraduate School and Degree: Washington and Lee University, Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Geosciences and Spanish

Where was the last place you worked before enrolling in business school? Development Manager at CORE (Community Organized Relief Effort)

Where did you intern during the summer of 2024? Strategy and Management Associate Program at Bank of America in Charlotte, N.C.

Where will you be working after graduation? Strategy and Management Associate Program at Bank of America in Charlotte, N.C.

Community Work and Leadership Roles in Business School:

• President – Graduate Business Association
• ROMBA Fellow
• MBA Career Mentor
• MBA Ambassador
• Terry Leadership Fellow

Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? Being elected President of the Graduate Business Association (GBA) is my proudest achievement.  Before my MBA, I had never run for an elected position, but I wanted to challenge myself. I initially joined GBA in my first year to understand how students shape the MBA experience outside the classroom. I loved the role and saw an opportunity to lead in a meaningful way, so I ran for President. Working with my fellow GBA members to create impactful events and enhance student life has been an incredibly rewarding experience.

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? Without a doubt, I was most proud to work as a Site Development Manager at CORE, where our non-profit organization worked with the City of Atlanta, the Georgia Department of Public Health, FEMA, and other stakeholders to quickly launch a COVID-19 testing and vaccination operation across Georgia. I worked with some incredible folks to expand access to lifesaving vaccines in rural and lower socioeconomic areas of the state, where healthcare barriers were very high. Being a part of an operation that helped vaccinate millions of Americans against COVID-19 and get the country up and running again was a huge accomplishment in my mind.

Why did you choose this business school? I chose the University of Georgia for several reasons. I loved smaller class sizes in my undergraduate program, where I could get to know classmates and faculty more personally. There was a sense of teamwork and interest in what I hoped to get out of the MBA experience from the very beginning. This was important to me, as I was trying to pivot into a different career path. I also thought it was great that Terry emphasized the teamwork aspect of coursework, which mirrors real-world business dynamics. It was clear to me that Terry was committed to helping me achieve my career goals and were going to put me in the best position during school to be successful once I graduated. This, plus the personal aspect of my interactions with faculty and staff throughout the process, helped confirm that Terry was the right fit.

Who was your favorite MBA professor? Dr. Jason Matthews, our Accounting professor, completely reshaped my understanding of business. Coming from a non-traditional background, I heard that Accounting was a notoriously difficult and boring subject to grasp. It was tough, but never boring, thanks to Dr. Matthews’ approach to teaching. I was fascinated by how he taught us to interpret financial statements and other accounting principles as a gateway to understand how businesses work from the ground up. I had never heard someone describe business operations through the lens of accounting, and it was the first step in allowing me to think in ways that would make me a better MBA student.

What was your favorite MBA event or tradition at your business school? Every February, the Blacks in Business Graduate Association hosts their annual Cultural Night, where representatives from the club put together a program of learning, food, and dance related to the Black experience in the U.S. and abroad. I was blown away by the effort and detail that went into putting the event together, from the Black History Month presentation to the Nigerian cultural dances that were presented. Additionally, anyone in the MBA program could participate in the dance as long as they learned and rehearsed it with the group. I think it’s a testament to the fellowship and closeness of our program that so many people look forward to this event and participate in it every year.

Looking back over your MBA experience, what is the one thing you’d do differently and why? I don’t regret anything about the way I approached my MBA experience. Having more professional experience allowed me to serve as a mentor to others with less work experience. There were times that I was worried about sacrificing my full-time job, my salary, and moving to a new city that I wasn’t familiar with, but I tried to approach every day as a new challenge to accomplish. If I had to go back and do it again though, I would try to explore more of the lesser-known parts of Athens and go to more arts and music events that the city offers.

What is one way that your business school has integrated AI into your programming? What insights did you gain from using AI? I worked on a final project in one of my marketing courses, Consumer Behavior and Journey Mapping, with Dr. Marcus da Cunha. We were tasked with conducting three interviews to gather insights into the customer journey for a designated product category of our choosing (for example, automobiles, electronics, or skincare products) focusing on the emotions, pain points, and opportunities for improvement at each stage of the customer journey. Two of the interviews were conducted with humans and one of the interviews we fed the questions to ChatGPT to see if there were noticeable differences in responses to the questions. Surprisingly, most people had a hard time guessing which character persona was the AI generated one!

Which MBA classmate do you most admire? Will Taylor is the classmate I most admire. Will was the very first person I met when I arrived in Athens before we started our MBA. I had a feeling after meeting him that we would be fast friends because of his kindness and relaxed and easygoing nature. He has since become one of my best friends in the program and has always stood by me through difficult days when I wasn’t able to give it my all. Will is a brilliant student and a finance wizard, and he was always willing to take time out of his day to help explain concepts from our harder courses. Will is the first person I would go to if I were having a crisis because he is so calm, collected, and thoughtful. It is really a blessing to have a friend like him.

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

1. Expanding financial access for underserved communities. At Bank of America, I hope to work on projects that empower individuals from underserved backgrounds to achieve financial independence, whether through better financial education or small business lending initiatives.

2. International experience in Latin America. I’d love the opportunity to work with clients in Latin America to deepen my understanding of global financial markets while improving my Spanish. Gaining firsthand experience in an international business environment would be both professionally enriching and personally rewarding.

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

“John has been an invaluable member of the Terry MBA Class of 2025, demonstrating a rare combination of leadership, intellectual curiosity, and unwavering commitment to his peers. As a student in my Economics for Business Leaders course, John stood out for his ability to think critically about complex economic principles and apply them to real-world business challenges. His final project on the Economics of Online Sports Gambling showcased his analytical depth and ability to synthesize behavioral economics into strategic decision-making—one of the many reasons he emerged as a top performer in the class.

Beyond the classroom, John’s impact as President of the Graduate Business Association has been truly transformative. His leadership fostered a stronger sense of community within the program, enhancing the student experience through meaningful initiatives and events. His ability to bring people together, advocate for his peers, and lead with both empathy and vision has left a lasting mark on our MBA program.

John’s professional and academic journey reflects his deep commitment to making a difference, whether through his work expanding access to healthcare resources at CORE or his dedication to driving financial empowerment in his next chapter at Bank of America. He is a leader in every sense of the word, and I have no doubt he will continue to make a meaningful impact in his career and beyond.”

Dr. Santanu Chatterjee
Associate Dean for Inclusive Excellence, International and Master’s Programs
Director, Full-Time MBA, Master of Science in Business Analytics
University of Georgia Terry College of Business

DON’T MISS: MBAS TO WATCH: CLASS OF 2025

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