Colette Spriggs

Duke University, Fuqua School of Business

“Loyal, optimistic, witty, and tenacious; half-Filipino, half-Irish; devout believer in servant leadership.”

Hometown: Kennesaw, Georgia

Fun fact about yourself: My husband and I have 4 big dogs, all rescues from the local animal shelter.

Undergraduate School and Degree: Georgia Institute of Technology, BSBA – Finance

Where was the last place you worked before enrolling in business school? Project Manager, Georgia Aquarium

Where did you intern during the summer of 2024? Boston Consulting Group, Raleigh-Durham

Where will you be working after graduation? Boston Consulting Group – Consultant

Community Work and Leadership Roles in Business School: Co-President – MBA Association (MBAA), Head Tailgate Planner, Case Parent – Duke MBA Consulting Club, Mentor – Association of Women In Business

Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? My brother and I had always talked about doing a search fund together, so for the final project of my Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition course, I built out our partnership structure and roll-up strategy of physical therapy clinics thesis. I got the opportunity to present this to a panel of real investors, and they shared great feedback, especially liking the idea of a sibling partnership.

I felt proud that a career path my brother and I want to pursue together was strongly encouraged by investors. I am so grateful that business school afforded me the ability to pressure test ideas in the classroom before implementing them in the real world.

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? While I was an Investment Analyst on the Corporate Venture Capital team at Stanley Black & Decker (SBD), the CTO had begun a task force to investigate revolutionary technologies and how they could impact SBD. He initially couldn’t find any takers for quantum computing, so my boss volunteered me for the position.

After a couple months, the CTO was so impressed with my findings and my depth of understanding that he encouraged me to host a “Quantum Day” internal conference to educate C-Suite and other executives on quantum computing to culminate my work. I will always be deeply grateful for my boss signing me up for that opportunity. He always had unwavering faith in my abilities to tackle difficult subject matters and make them palatable for stakeholders throughout the business.

Why did you choose this business school? I had a wide breadth of work experience in finance, commercialization, and project management, but I felt I had hit a ceiling both in terms of my leadership skills and the ability to see, set, and execute strategy. Thus, I wanted to pursue my MBA at an institution that focuses on leadership development and strategy from both an academic and experiential standpoint. Fuqua was the perfect fit.    

Who was your favorite MBA professor? Professor Henry Eyring has an incredible ability to discuss the concepts in ways that inspire you as an individual to believe you can enter this industry and find solutions toward value-based care. I have never had a professor who seemed so encouraged by the potential of his students to go out into the world and make it a better place. He also does a wonderful job weaving life wisdom into his lectures, adding a level of personal vulnerability that increases the buy-in from and admiration of his students. Both in and out of the classroom, Professor Eyring is deeply invested in his students’ development as professionals and, more importantly, as people.

What was your favorite course as an MBA? As I mentioned above, Professor Eyring is an excellent professor, but his Healthcare Markets course is also one of my favorites. The course is an exploration of all the players in the healthcare industry and what opportunities exist to transform current business models into value-based care models. Professor Eyring uses his novel “value triangle” to examine if stakeholders have the right incentives, autonomy, and access to information to drive value in both their own vertical and across the healthcare industry. Professor Eyring also does a great job encouraging his students to go out into the world, take up the helm, and be a driving force for good both in their professional lives and in their personal lives.

What was your favorite MBA event or tradition at your business school? I absolutely loved Fuqua Friday. It was a great way to come together at the end of every week and spend time with my peers outside of the classroom. Fuqua Fridays are organized by the MBA Association (MBAA). We often partnered with various clubs to offer themed Fuqua Fridays, which emphasized our diverse community, fostered inclusion, and enriched the student experience. For example, to celebrate the upcoming Diwali holiday, MBAA partnered with INDUS to offer traditional Indian food and a performance of traditional Indian dances.

Looking back over your MBA experience, what is the one thing you’d do differently and why? This wasn’t in alignment with our financial plan for the MBA or our needs as a family, but I wish I had gone on one of the treks or trips organized by students during breaks. Everyone seemed to have such an amazing time bonding with classmates while experiencing new cultures. I didn’t realize how much travel was an integral part of the MBA experience, and I wish I had included it in our budget when we were saving for school!

What did you love most about your business school’s town? Durham is a perfect blend of city amenities and small-town charm. Durham prides itself in its variety of locally-owned businesses, restaurants that emphasize locally sourced agriculture, the Durham Performing Arts Center which boasts frequent A-list artists, and that the Raleigh-Durham airport can take you anywhere in the world!

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? Lovingly, sometimes business and business school sounds like any time Jack Dorsey speaks in 30 Rock. (Check out this example!) We unintentionally use so much jargon, it really is like we are speaking a whole other language! I can see the value in people coming to business school who do not have a business background, there are so many concepts that you otherwise wouldn’t have exposure to.

What is one way that your business school has integrated AI into your programming? What insights did you gain from using AI? Professors allow us to use AI, but state that they’ve put the assignment prompts into ChatGPT and, in order to receive full credit, responses will need to provide analysis beyond what ChatGPT outputs. This has pushed me academically, as it is nice to know the minimum expectation and the ChatGPT responses provide a floor upon which I can build my assignments.

Which MBA classmate do you most admire? Tanner Morgan – Tanner is my co-president and he has an unyielding drive toward absolute excellence in everything he does. He gets all SPs (which is an ‘A’ at Fuqua) in his classes and is the lead teaching assistant in many classes. He constantly advocates for his fellow students to administration, tirelessly works on initiatives to improve the student experience, and leads our cabinet with humility and grace. He is also an adoring husband to his lovely wife, Ana. It has truly been a blessing to have had my life brightened by Tanner’s light.      

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

1. I have a goal of being a C-suite executive, probably achieved through the aforementioned search fund with my brother.

2. I would love my professional life to positively impact society, either by supporting organizations that contribute to the greater good financially or helping them solve complex problems that limit their ability to serve those in their charge.

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

“Colette exemplifies the triple-threat leadership capability that we pride ourselves on at Fuqua. She is truly off the charts with her IQ (intelligence), EQ (emotional intelligence), and DQ (decency quotient) as she is incredibly smart in-and-out of the classroom, understands her strengths and surroundings, and leads with decency in all her endeavors.

It’s been inspiring to see Colette’s values-driven leadership in action as she served as MBA Association (MBAA) co-president. From the start, she helped assemble a diverse all-star cabinet of peers tasked with shaping the student experience for the Daytime MBA Class of 2025. This includes large-scale events like Fuqua Friday attended by all students as well as the never-ending daily interactions that happen in the hallways, in classrooms, and at off-campus events.

As co-president, Colette’s ability to create a shared vision, while maintaining focus on the diverse needs and goals of the Fuqua community, has been transformational. Restoring incredible traditions at Fuqua and being present seemingly everywhere (and all the time), she has not only guided her peers but also set a high standard for future leaders, embodying the values of teamwork, innovation, and service that define the Fuqua experience. Under Colette’s Leadership, I know the MBA Association’s legacy will be felt for years to come!”

Steve Misuraca
Associate Dean for the Daytime MBA and MMS Programs

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