Libby Crowe

Vanderbilt University, Owen Graduate School of Management

“Most likely to always have at least 3 snacks on her.”

Hometown: Jacksonville, FL

Fun Fact About Yourself: During college football season, I have an open-door policy for University of Florida games. Both of my parents are UF alums and have instilled a great sense of Gator pride in me. Each week, the food spread has a different theme – think jambalaya for when they play LSU and hot brown sandwiches when they play Kentucky. The only rule is if you want to eat, you must root for the Gators.

Undergraduate School and Major: Princeton University, Psychology Major

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Bloomberg, Bloomberg New Economy Strategist

What has been your favorite part of Nashville so far? Why? The people. First, the people who live here are incredibly kind and generous with their time. If you need a recommendation or help with anything, people will drop whatever they’re doing, help you, then tell you an amazing story. Second, there is the people watching. Loads of tourists come to Nashville. While they don’t always stray this far off Broadway, when they do it’s a memorable time.

Aside from your classmates and location, what was the key part of Vanderbilt Owen’s MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? Owen operates on the Mod system, which means that students take four different rounds of classes each year. This means that our core classes don’t take over your entire schedule, and we have freedom to choose our elective courses earlier. Some programs don’t allow you to choose your classes until late in your first year or not until your second year – that was a deal-breaker for me.

What course, club or activity have you enjoyed the most so far at Vanderbilt Owen? I love Closing Bell, Owen’s Thursday night tradition. Each Thursday after classes end, we gather in the courtyard for a happy hour sponsored by a different club or organization on campus. It’s a great time to bond with your classmates, talk to your professors outside of the classroom, and learn about everyone’s interests. Even before I got to Owen, people were gearing up for the International Food Festival Closing Bell, and it certainly did not disappoint. Speaking to my classmates about the dishes they made (and of course eating them) gave me such an appreciation of the community here at Owen.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: Helping to launch and grow Bloomberg New Economy, an institution aimed at bridging the gaps between the East and West, through public-private collaboration.

Describe your biggest accomplishment as an MBA student so far? My biggest accomplishment as an MBA student so far has been being on two winning case competition teams. The first competition with the Turner Family Center for Social Ventures tasked teams to build a business which would bring 500 jobs to Nashville by 2024. Working with fellow MBA Candidate Alyssa Patel and Ph.D Candidate Parker Willmon, we developed a business which used recycled plastic to develop 3D printer filament. The second competition was sponsored by Mars Petcare and asked how we would adjust Dentastix e-commerce footprint to gain market share. My team was made up of all MBA students with different backgrounds and target industries which made for a winning combination: Megan Andereck, Emmy Banks, Dan Slavin, and AJ Greenway. It’s easy to say that winning was the best part, but in all honesty, it’s the lessons I’ve learned from all my teammates and fellow competitors in addition to the many inside jokes you make from being locked inside a team room for hours on end.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point and what do you hope to do after graduation? While at Bloomberg, we worked with so many large companies and industries facing dramatic challenges. I became fascinated with trying to prove what was good for their bottom line could also be good for people and the planet. I leveraged my background in behavioral economics, but knew that I could be even more effective if I had a background in finance. An MBA was a natural progression for me. After graduation, I hope to work in management consulting to help companies make sustainable energy transitions.

What advice would you give to help potential applicants gain admission into Vanderbilt Owen’s MBA program? Be yourself and know that schools are looking for reasons to admit you, not the other way around. Owen prides itself on recruiting well-rounded individuals looking to learn from one another. If that’s you, then you’ll fit in well!

DON’T MISS: MEET VANDERBILT OWEN’S MBA CLASS OF 2023