Jack May

University of Michigan, Ross School of Business

“I am a people-centric leader who serves, learns from, and elevates others.”

Hometown: St. Louis, Missouri

Fun fact about yourself: As a kid, my best friend was our family’s black lab, Red Dog. My older sister, who was four at the time, named him, thankfully. My suggestions at the age of two were Car Wash, French Fry, and Uncle Brian, so Red Dog was a major upgrade.

Undergraduate School and Degree: Texas Christian University – Major in Finance and Minor in Accounting with a Leadership Emphasis

Where was the last place you worked before enrolling in business school? Learfield – Corporate Strategy Senior Associate

Where did you intern during the summer of 2025? PepsiCo in Chicago, Illinois

Where will you be working after graduation? PepsiCo as an Associate Marketing Manager

Community Work and Leadership Roles in Business School: Vice President of the Michigan Marketing Club and Lead for the Ross Connect Conference; Vice President of Alumni and Corporate Relations for the Entertainment Media and Sports Association; Career Development Office Career Coach; and FACT (Functional Accountability Career Team) Group Leader for Marketing

Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? My proudest business school achievement was leading a FACT Group for marketing students, supporting six first-year students through the fall and winter internship recruitment cycles. Given the challenging macroeconomic climate across many industries, I knew this would be a nerve-wracking process for them. I put all my effort into supporting my group and any other students who asked for my help. From the beginning, I pushed them to be their best while making myself available to talk through any fears or anxieties that came up. In the end, all of my FACT Group members received an internship offer, but more importantly grew as members of the Michigan marketing community. A few are returning the favor and leading FACT Groups next year. I felt immense pride seeing their hard work pay off and being a part of the process. This experience ultimately reinforced my passion for mentorship.

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? During my time at Learfield, I had the opportunity to lead the strategy for a significant reorganization of the content department, a team of roughly 40 people spread across the country. Working closely with the Head of Content and a broader cross-functional leadership team, I spent the better part of nine months embedded in the work. I met with content professionals nationwide, facilitated internal working groups, analyzed the various business cases, and built out a plan designed to activate content teams on high-revenue deals at a national scale. What made this project meaningful was not just the strategy, it was the people. The leadership team brought a genuine commitment to getting it right, and together we deployed a new content model that improved revenue and, more importantly, employee retention within the first year. We built an organization model that supported its employees to create and thrive.

Why did you choose this business school? I chose the Ross School of Business because of its culture of reciprocity. As I navigated the MBA application process, I connected with an old friend who went to Ross. He went above-and-beyond helping me with the application. Afterward, when I asked for his address to send a thank-you note, he replied, “Don’t bother; just do it for the next person.” The school’s culture is predicated on how its students formally and informally support each other. As a people-centric leader, I recognized that this culture was the perfect environment for my growth. I couldn’t be more thankful for the experience and look forward to paying it forward.

Who was your favorite MBA professor? My favorite professor is Marcus Collins, who teaches Strategic Brand Management. Professor Collins is incredible not just for his real-world experience and robust network, but for his unique ability to engage every student and foster complex dialogue. Professor Collins made every student feel heard and met them where they were. We discussed how culture shapes brand perception and meaning, and he had a rare ability to facilitate genuine conversation across different viewpoints. His class taught me how to be a brand manager in today’s world and how to connect with people across a wide range of perspectives. Additionally, Professor Collins is a savant as it pertains to marketing theory, frameworks, and techniques and relates them to real world brands and moments. I am so grateful to have experienced his class and even more grateful for his continued guidance and support as I leave Ross.

What was your favorite course as an MBA? My favorite course here at Ross is Leading a Good Life with Professor Dave Mayer. Throughout the course, we learned science-based techniques for living the best life possible. I expected analytical and strategic rigor at Ross, but I was also pleased to be pushed to become the best version of myself. This class taught me tangible ways to be a better business leader, as well as a friend, son, brother, and partner. I am extremely grateful for this experience. Life is about people and relationships, and this class pushed me to invest even more into my peers and connections here at Ross.

What was your favorite MBA event or tradition at your business school? There were so many amazing events and traditions at Ross, but one of my favorites was the Diwali Dance Night. Diwali is the Hindu festival of lights, celebrating the victory of good over evil. Each fall the Indian Subcontinent Business Association puts on a full-scale choreographed dance competition that brings the entire MBA community together to celebrate. During my first year, friends convinced my partner and me to join a group. It was thoroughly outside my comfort zone, but I had no choice but to dive straight in. After countless hours of practice (the night before), we gave a nerve-wracking but exhilarating performance. What I love most about this tradition is what it says about the Ross community. People here are genuinely curious about each other. With over 15 groups participating and countless classmates in attendance cheering everyone on, it felt like the whole Ross community coming together to learn, have fun, and celebrate. Through the event and other Ross activities (shout out The Bus), my classmate who organized our group became one of my closest friends, and when I traveled to Mumbai for our Multidisciplinary Action Project, I got to meet her family at her childhood home.

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 said “yes” more often. I came into the MBA program with strict priorities: find a fulfilling career, invest in academics, and develop meaningful relationships. Early on, I often said “no” to things if I thought it would clash with academic or career preparation. Now, looking back, my favorite memories come from the moments I said “yes.” I said “yes” to dancing at Diwali Dance Night; I said “yes” to working for a fashion retail company in India for the Multidisciplinary Action Project; I said “yes” to two no-electronics retreats in the Michigan wilderness; I said “yes” to going to the Upper Peninsula with a new class friend to visit his cabin and experience a real Michigan winter. Saying “yes” led to my favorite experiences, and I wish I had that knowledge going in, so I could have maximized this very finite time.

What was the most impactful case study you had in business school and what was the biggest lesson you learned from it?The most impactful case study for me was Greening Walmart by Henderson and Weber. It explored how Walmart, inspired by the actions of its store managers during Hurricane Katrina, recognized that its scale could be used as a force for good. What struck me most was not any one initiative in this case study, it was its culture that enabled action. Walmart leaned into its authentic roots as a company, and that authenticity drove employee buy-in at large. I feel like we constantly hear about organizations needing to be nimble and how size can inhibit change and growth, but this case highlighted the strength of size. At scale, even the smallest shifts in supply chain, manufacturing, packaging, or even brand messaging can drive significant impact. What does it mean to steward a brand that millions of people interact with every day? What responsibilities come with leading a large organization? As I head to PepsiCo, those questions are very top of mind.

What did you love most about your business school’s town? I would be remiss not to mention the Ann Arbor community, which supports its neighbors and celebrates the school’s accomplishments with immense pride. Beyond its vibrant community, I love the access to nature. My partner and I spend every minute we can outside, provided it isn’t zero degrees and snowing. The University of Michigan Nichols Arboretum (The Arb) is an idyllic natural escape just minutes from campus that I discovered during my first finals week. Since that moment, we have had countless hikes, walks, floats, and picnics in or around The Arb. There is nowhere else on earth where you can be surrounded by 100,000 screaming Michigan fans one moment and later that afternoon walk to The Arb and be surrounded by chirping birds and running groundhogs.

What business leader do you admire most? I admire Paul Polman, former CEO of Unilever, because he championed the company’s efforts to do good and perform well. With a background in finance and accounting in the CPG world, he took charge of Unilever and challenged the conventional wisdom about how large companies create value. He made the case, through results, that sustainable long-term strategy was better for his business. He proved the case for the long game. As I enter the CPG world, I hope to be the kind of leader who builds brands, teams, and cultures that last and create real value for people.

What is one way that your business school has integrated AI into your programming? What insights did you gain from using AI? Ross has been very proactive with AI. Most of my classes have, at the very least, featured a dedicated session or two on using AI to support and expand upon the course material. There are also many electives specifically focused on AI. I am currently in a class called Generative AI in Business, where I am learning about Agentic AI and how to safely build AI agents to accomplish business tasks and influence decision-making. I have learned the importance of understanding the power of AI and how to harness it, but I also learned that human decision-making, emotional intelligence, and relationship building are going to be increasingly important in business going forward. While a lot of busy work may become automated, leading, developing, and understanding people are going to be the hallmarks of good leaders in the future.

Which MBA classmate do you most admire? I have a ton of admiration for Diane Jen. To say she has committed herself to business school would be an understatement. Diane holds leadership positions in multiple clubs and is not someone who does it just for the resume. She puts her all into everything, all the while excelling in academics and making more friends than anyone I know. This past semester, she even opened a restaurant concept in her own home, on top of leading multiple clubs and taking a heavy courseload. I am blessed to be her friend and someone whom she often includes in her supper club, as she is the best cook in Ann Arbor. I admire Diane because she is selfless, dedicated, and kind.

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

First, I want to lead the brand strategy behind a defining cultural moment. Whether that be through a Super Bowl campaign or a global sport or cultural partnership, I want to lead a strategy that does not just show up in culture but authentically shapes and contributes to it.

Second, I want to give back to my alma maters by lending my marketing and strategic brand experience in an advisory capacity to the athletic departments at Michigan or TCU. College athletics is going through one of the most transformative stretches in its history, and I would love to have the ability and expertise to help.

Brands, teams, and institutions have the power to bring people together, and I hope my career can help do just that.

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

“During Jack’s time at Michigan Ross, he not only finished at the very top of his classes, but his classmates regularly identified him as one of the best collaborators in the program. Jack’s performance clearly demonstrated an ability to do great individual work, but it’s rare to find students who also excel so noticeably and comfortably in a team environment. When Jack was on a team, that team consistently performed at a higher level.”

Mike Barger
Clinical Assistant Professor of Business Administration

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

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