Kathryn Caudell

Rice University, Jones Graduate School of Business

“Data-driven sustainability advocate turning insights into scalable, measurable impact.”

Hometown: Houston, Texas

Fun Fact About Yourself: I love cooking and regularly challenge myself with complex new recipes. One highlight: confit an entire turkey for Thanksgiving.

Undergraduate School and Major: Southwestern University, B.A. in Environmental Studies

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Houston Food Bank, Data Steward

What has been your favorite part of Houston so far? Why? Houston’s incredible cultural diversity, especially how it shows up through food. As a native Houstonian, I’ve always appreciated the city as a melting pot of cultures and cuisines. It has shaped how I cook, explore and connect with people, and it’s something I know I’ll carry with me wherever I go next.

Aside from your classmates and location, what was the one key part of the Rice Jones MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? The Global Field Experience was a key factor in my decision to choose Rice Business. The opportunity to gain hands-on experience working across cultures and markets was especially compelling in an increasingly globalized business environment. I was drawn to a curriculum that moves beyond theory and challenges students to apply classroom learning to real-world, international contexts — an experience that feels essential for building thoughtful, globally minded leadership.

What course, club or activity have you enjoyed the most so far at Rice Jones? I’ve enjoyed serving as a first-year representative for the Rice Business Student Association (RBSA). In this role, I’ve focused on building strong relationships within my section to ensure their voices are represented, while also helping foster a broader sense of community across the class. By supporting events like weekly Partios and the Winter Party around final exams, I’ve had the chance to connect with first-year students across sections and contribute to the collaborative culture that makes Rice special.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: One of my biggest career accomplishments was my work on the data team at the Houston Food Bank, where I used geospatial analysis to better understand food insecurity and social determinants of health (SDOH) across Houston neighborhoods. By translating these insights into actionable strategy, I helped reshape how the organization evaluates and prioritizes new partnerships, with a deliberate focus on underserved areas lacking active partners. This work supported the food bank’s long-term vision of a world without food banks by enabling more equitable, culturally competent service to our neighbors.

Describe your biggest accomplishment as an MBA student so far? My biggest accomplishment as an MBA student so far has been winning the Leadership ILE competition with my team. We developed a clear strategy early in the simulation and made the deliberate choice to stay disciplined, even during periods of uncertainty when short-term results tested our confidence. By trusting our analysis and maintaining strategic alignment, we ultimately achieved record profits and secured the win.

What has been your best memory as an MBA so far? One of my favorite MBA memories so far has been the friendships formed within my core team. We intentionally spent time together outside of class and became genuinely close. This culminated in a “friendsgiving,” where we introduced our international teammates to American holiday traditions. It was a night that perfectly captured Rice’s collaborative, inclusive and community-driven culture.

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