Caroline Campbell

Carnegie Mellon University, Tepper School of Business

“People person, optimist, voracious reader of blogs, iced latte enthusiast.”

Hometown: Zionsville, IN

Fun fact about yourself: I spent a summer managing a farmstand selling artisanal cheeses.

Undergraduate School and Degree: Purdue University, B.S. in Psychological Sciences

Where was the last place you worked before enrolling in business school? Lev (A Cognizant Company), Client Success Partner

Where did you intern during the summer of 2024? Deloitte Strategy & Analytics, Chicago Office

Where will you be working after graduation? Deloitte Strategy & Analytics, Senior Consultant

Community Work and Leadership Roles in Business School: Tepper McGowan Fellow; President – Tepper Consulting Club; VP of Allyship – Out & Allied; VP of Professional Development – Tepper Women in Business; Accelerate Leadership Center Peer Communications Coach; Office Fellow – Admissions

Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? I am very proud to have been elected by my peers to serve as the President of the Tepper Consulting Club. The TCC is one of the largest clubs on campus and its main mission is to prepare first year Tepper School MBAs for the consulting recruiting process and involves organizing hundreds of events, workshops, and cases. I learned so much about peer leadership, grew in my emotional intelligence, and had a lot of fun working with my fellow board members throughout the year.

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? While working at Lev, I was able to lead one of the first product implementations of its kind. The work was relatively ambiguous and high visibility, and there were many twists-and-turns for our team. Through months of constant and candid communication and a lot of late nights, we were able to launch the product slightly ahead of schedule. It was gratifying to see the hard work of our team come to life, to help pave a path for similar work in the future, and to grow immensely in our client relationship as we celebrated the dual win.

Why did you choose this business school? The alumni. I felt so supported by the alumni base at the Tepper School. With the Tepper School’s smaller class size, I found that alumni were incredibly engaged and willing to chat about their paths, advice, or just grab coffee. It was so helpful as I navigated the first year of the MBA in particular!

Who was your favorite MBA professor? This is a difficult choice, but I would say Meredith Grelli is my favorite MBA Professor. After successfully exiting her beverage company, she has made an incredible impact on the Tepper School entrepreneurship community. I felt as if I learned something new from her in every class, and especially loved taking Family Business.

What was your favorite course as an MBA? Acting for Business, taught by David Goyette. I had never acted or done theatre before, but this course was quite simply a blast, and Professor Goyette is so adept at getting students out of their comfort zone. He gives excellent feedback and makes the class both constructive and fun.

What was your favorite MBA event or tradition at your business school? B**rs! Every Friday, the Tepper School brings great food and drink to the Commons and everyone gathers together for a happy hour. I look forward to it every week and it is a wonderful example of the power of the Tepper School community.

Looking back over your MBA experience, what is the one thing you’d do differently and why? I would take more classes outside of the Tepper School! There are so many amazing opportunities to learn from faculty across Carnegie Mellon – the Computer Science school is top in the world, and the Drama school is widely renowned for sending graduates to Broadway and Hollywood every year. I wish I had expanded my horizons and prioritized learning outside of the Tepper School building to take full advantage.

What is the biggest myth about your school? I think the biggest myth about the Tepper School is that the cohort is largely former engineers! While the program is analytically-focused, I love that our cohort consists of everyone from former concert pianists to consultants to entrepreneurs. I find that diversity of background energizing and inspiring.

What did you love most about your business school’s town? I love how proud Yinzers are to be from Pittsburgh! I knew nothing about the region before moving here and have loved the city pride, the sports culture, and the distinct neighborhood identities. Everyone in Pittsburgh is friendly, down to earth, and genuinely.

What movie or television show (e.g. The Big Short, The Founder, Mad Men, House of Lies) best reflects the realities of business and what did you learn from it? Air was a phenomenal movie centered around Nike’s signing of Michael Jordan – I liked how it captured the power of relationship building and calculated risks, and of course branding genius.

What is one way that your business school has integrated AI into your programming? The Tepper School launched an AI concentration incorporating classes from all over campus, including Human Computer Interaction and the School of Computer Science, which is number one in the world. It’s an awesome opportunity to gain the cutting-edge knowledge from people that are true leaders in the field. Additionally, AI is built into many of the other classes at the Tepper School, especially those around Product and Tech.

What insights did you gain from using AI?I feel that AI has helped with creativity and planning by allowing for rapid prototyping of ideas or outcomes, which led to greater preparedness and roundedness in projects. I know I will only build on this foundation in the future.

Which MBA classmate do you most admire? Maressa Guynn. Maressa is incredibly hard-working, grounded, and fun. We served on Out&Allied board together and she was always candid, fun, and great to work with. She has had an awesome journey from the Navy to the Tepper School and I can’t wait to see all the amazing things she does in the future.

What are the top two items on your professional bucket list? I’d love to serve on the board of a company later in my career and contribute to another organization’s success in that way. Additionally, I enjoy writing and would love to become a regular contributor to a publication someday!

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

“When you first meet Caroline, one of the first things you’ll notice is her ability to lead. Not in a brash way, but with grace, confidence, and kindness. She tackles problems in a systematic and thoughtful way and always considers everyone in the room. She was an obvious choice to be the president of the Tepper Consulting Club and was later selected to be the Tepper representative for the McGowan Fellowship. She is always looking for ways to improve processes around her for the good of others. She proposed some changes to the way we onboard incoming students and connected us with the Orr Fellowship program in her home state of Indiana as a way to recruit high quality students. We are fortunate to have Caroline as a student and future alumnae of Tepper. She will change the world in so many positive ways.”

Tad Brinkerhoff
Assistant Dean, Tepper Masters Programs

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

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