Tyler Bryant

Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management, Cornell SC Johnson College of Business, Cornell University

“Hospitality-driven brand builder creating culture, community, and global impact through food, marketing, and storytelling.”

Hometown: Houston, TX

Fun fact about yourself: I’m a chef! Before business school, I once ran a multi-city catering business and still believe the best strategy conversations happen around food.

Undergraduate School and Degree: Agnes Scott College, BA Economics and Organizational Management

Where was the last place you worked before enrolling in business school? Booz Allen Hamilton, Marketing Lead Booz Allen’s Helix, Center for Innovation

Where did you intern during the summer of 2025? Mars Wrigley, Brand Management Intern, NYC

Where will you be working after graduation? General Mills, Associate Brand Manager

Community Work and Leadership Roles in Business School:

Founder, In the Lead Series – a fireside chat platform connecting Cornell alumni in nontraditional careers with students exploring unconventional paths.

Vice President of Marketing & Events, Johnson Hospitality Club

Vice President of Marketing & Events, Johnson Wine & Spirits Club

Teaching Assistant, Core Business Strategy Course

Student Mentor, Cornell Undergraduate Latin America Law Association (ALPFA)

Events Associate – Cornell Center for Regional Economic Advancement

Member, Omicron Nu Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

Awards & Honors:
• Forte Fellow
• Consortium Fellow
• Robert D. Shultz and Luisa M. Velasquez Memorial Scholarship Recipient
• Battle of the Brands 2025 – Winning Team

Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? One achievement I’m most proud of during my time at Cornell was building the Sisters at Cornell community platform. I created the initiative to connect women across Cornell’s graduate programs—many of whom rarely had opportunities to interact despite sharing similar experiences navigating rigorous academic and professional environments. What started as a small gathering grew into a supportive network of more than 100 women across multiple graduate schools. Through monthly events and informal mentorship, the platform created space for connection, encouragement, and honest conversations about career, leadership, and life. For me, it reflected the kind of leadership I care about most: building community and making sure people feel seen, supported, and empowered to succeed.

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? I’m most proud of helping bring Booz Allen’s Helix Center for Innovation to life, while simultaneously building my own venture, Eat Noire. I first served as the project manager overseeing the design and build of the 10,000-square-foot innovation space, coordinating across teams to launch the center. I later became the first marketing lead, developing its programming strategy and digital presence while hosting executives and policymakers exploring emerging technologies like AI and cyber. During this time, Helix received multiple awards for innovation and marketing excellence. Balancing the launch of a national innovation hub while growing a culinary platform taught me how to lead ambitious ideas from concept to impact.

Why did you choose this business school? I chose Cornell because it offered something uniquely powerful: the intersection of business and hospitality. Through access to both the Johnson School and Cornell’s Nolan Hotel School, I was able to design an MBA experience that combined brand management, experiential design, and hospitality strategy. For someone passionate about building global food, beverage, and hospitality brands, Cornell gave me the ability to study business not just as transactions, but as experiences. Also, when I came to welcome weekend in 2024, I was admittedly torn between another top MBA program, but the people at Cornell felt like family after just knowing them for days, that was the deciding factor.

Who was your favorite MBA professor? My favorite professor was Elizabeth McClean, who taught the Women in the Workplace course. Professor McClean created a space where we could openly discuss power, bias, leadership, and the structural realities that shape career conversations that are often avoided in traditional business settings. What I appreciated most was how she combined rigorous research with honest dialogue about how society has been built in terms of women’s autonomy in our careers, family life, and overall experience in navigating it all. Outside of that, she is just an overall powerhouse and inspiration of what is possible for me after an MBA.

What was your favorite course as an MBA? Women in the Workplace. The course pushed me to think more intentionally about the kind of leader I want to be and how I can help build organizations where talented people—especially women and underrepresented professionals—can truly thrive.

Looking back over your MBA experience, what is the one thing you’d do differently and why? If I could do one thing differently, I would have trusted my instincts earlier about the kinds of opportunities that truly energize me. Early in the program, it’s easy to feel pressure to follow traditional MBA paths or check every box. Over time, I realized my greatest impact comes from combining brand strategy, hospitality, and community-building. Once I leaned fully into that intersection—through ventures like Eat Noire and building communities across campus—I felt more aligned and energized. I would have embraced that clarity sooner.

What was the most impactful case study you had in business school and what was the biggest lesson you learned from it? While not a traditional written case, one of the most impactful learning experiences in my MBA was the Harvard Everest Leadership Simulation, which functions as a live case study on team dynamics and decision-making under pressure. I had the opportunity to complete the simulation twice—once at Cornell and again abroad at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. This allowed me to experience it through both a domestic and global lens while working with very different teams. The exercise highlighted how easily communication breakdowns, hidden information, and competing incentives can undermine even the most talented groups. The biggest lesson I took away was that effective leadership isn’t about having the best individual insights about fostering transparency, trust, and collaboration so that the team’s collective intelligence can emerge. Experiencing the same “case” in two different cultural contexts reinforced how critical those leadership skills are in global business environments.

What did you love most about your business school’s town? Ithaca is the kind of place that forces you to slow down and appreciate nature. Between the waterfalls, hiking trails, lake views, and the weekly farmer’s market, it’s a town that constantly reminds you to step away from the noise and reconnect with what matters. Even being a big city girl, any time I’m away from Ithaca too long, I actually miss it: The walkability, seeing deer walking on my lawn in the mornings, and the beautiful Finger Lakes wine region right in our backyard.

What business leader do you admire most? One business leader I admire is Bozoma Saint John. Throughout her career at companies like Apple Music, Uber, and Netflix, she has consistently shown how powerful brand storytelling can be when it is bold, culturally relevant, and authentic. As someone who hopes to one day become aCMO of a global brand, ideally one that sits at the intersection of hospitality, food, culture, and lifestyle, I find her leadership incredibly inspiring. What resonates with me most is that she has built an extraordinary career while also embracing her identity beyond work—as a mother, a wife, and a fully multidimensional leader. Seeing someone lead at the highest levels of brand and marketing while living a full life reminds me that it’s possible to pursue big ambitions without sacrificing the things that matter most.

What is one way that your business school has integrated AI into your programming? What insights did you gain from using AI? AI became a powerful tool in several of my classes, particularly in Analytics and Strategy. We used AI to synthesize large datasets, test marketing ideas, and accelerate research. What stood out most was how AI can enhance creativity when used thoughtfully—it frees leaders to focus less on gathering information and more on asking better questions.

Which MBA classmate do you most admire? It’s difficult for me to choose just one classmate because I am inspired by many people in my program. If I had to highlight a group that has deeply moved me, it would be the first-generation students in our class. Many of them have navigated extraordinary challenges—language barriers, financial constraints, racism, and systems that were never designed with them in mind—to arrive at this Ivy League institution. What I admire most is not just their resilience, but their determination to open doors for those who will come after them. Their presence in our classrooms is a reminder that talent is everywhere, even when opportunity is not. Watching them succeed, lead, and support others has been one of the most inspiring parts of my MBA experience.

What are the top two items on your professional bucket list? First, I want to become a Marketing Executive of a global brand—one that sits at the intersection of hospitality, luxury, culture, and lifestyle. I’m passionate about building brands that do more than sell products; they create experiences, tell stories, and bring people together. Maybe even working abroad!

Second, I want to build and scale my own portfolio of hospitality concepts, restaurants, cafes, hotels, culinary experiences, and platforms that celebrate culture and elevate underrepresented chefs and entrepreneurs around the world. My goal is to create spaces where food, storytelling, and community intersect.

What made Tyler such an invaluable addition to the Class of 2026?  

“I got to know Tyler during my 7-week course, Women in the Workplace. In the course, we examine gender expectations and discuss topics such as bias, ideal worker norms, work–life “balance,” and how individuals can create change within their own sphere of influence. These topics can sometimes feel challenging, and it is not always easy to get students to speak openly. My efforts to cultivate a psychologically safe classroom environment depend not only on me, but also on the students themselves.

Tyler was a leader in the classroom, sharing her perspective with honesty and grace and often demonstrating deep reflection. I recall one conversation that turned into a debate between her and several other students. They interpreted the case differently, and Tyler was able to assert her perspective, disagree thoughtfully, and inquire into others’ viewpoints while still upholding our norms of psychological safety in the classroom. She also demonstrated intellectual humility and a genuine openness to others’ experiences and ideas, showing a willingness to reconsider and refine her own views.

In many ways, Tyler represents the ideal student: someone who can both advocate and inquire, critically reflect, and thoughtfully integrate course readings, discussions, and experiences. She consistently modeled skills that are essential for constructive dialogue and leadership—skills that, frankly, the world could use much more of.”

Elizabeth McClean, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Management & Organizations
Sameul Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management
Cornell SC Johnson College of Business

DON’T MISS: MBAS TO WATCH: CLASS OF 2026

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