Supply Chain Management Students Represent Smith at Networking and Case Competition Events

The 2023-24 school year gave Smith supply chain management (SCM) students the opportunity to attend events where they could network and put learning into practice.

The first, Women Impacting Supply Chain Excellence (WISE) at the University of Arkansas, gave students the opportunity to network and develop professional leadership skills while learning about career opportunities in the field. Niratcha “Grace” Tungtisanont, associate clinical professor in the Department of Logistics, Business & Public Policy, accompanied four undergraduate students to the event. “This is a student symposium filled with activities for SCM students to network with other students and organizations, and learn more about the SCM field,” she said.

At the National Women’s Case Competition, hosted by the University of Texas (UT) at Austin, students from across the country prepared a case centered around an environmental focus, the theme of this year’s event. This was the first year students from the University of Maryland (UMD) participated in the event and there were four students who made up a team representing the Smith School. 

Jen Braud ’04, MBA ’09, Americas Logistics Supply Chain and Business Analytics Manager at Apple in Austin and also a member of the Smith SCM Advisory Council, started getting involved with the competition in 2021. She has volunteered each year since. “UT Austin and Apple partner together to create a case competition that challenges students to think critically and solve real-world industry opportunities,” Braud said.

Braud helped with the networking events at the case competition and had the opportunity to meet and converse with students about their college experiences while also sharing advice and more about her work in SCM with them.

Nina-Netanya Enwesi ’23, who was part of the UMD team, said in a LinkedIn post it “was an honor to be part of the first group from the University of Maryland to ever represent our school at this prestigious event.”

Tungtisanont said both opportunities were “amazing” for students. “Even though the events are short, the students are able to gain experience that the classroom cannot provide them,” she added. “I believe that this experience will stay with them as they navigate toward their future careers.”