Yak Access
Vice President of Transformation
Education
University of Michigan, BSE Chemical Engineering, 2006
University of Michigan, MSE Chemical Engineering, 2007
Career summary
I began my career focused on plant operations. I was responsible for production, safety, and all related operations at several chemical plants in my first 6 years of employment. I made a career switch into management consulting to broaden my exposure to all aspects of operations (e.g., supply chain, procurement, product development, operations strategy). I then made a second career switch from consulting into portfolio company management within private equity. Here, I’ve been able to use my full scale of skills to drive operational and financial performance within portfolio companies as part of their executive team.
How does your Master’s degree differentiate you from others?
My master’s degree was definitely a differentiator when securing my first job post school and has continued to be a source of credibility in both management consulting and beyond.
Reflection on time spent at U-M
I really enjoyed my time at the University. I participated in chemical engineering honor societies and fraternities. I also volunteered time to the Detroit Project. I took an interest in philosophy outside my engineering studies. I would encourage students to invest time in practical problem-solving classes, one example is Professor Fogler’s ChE 405 course” Problem Solving, Troubleshooting, Entrepreneurship, and Making the Transition to the Workplace. It is extremely important to be able to translate the problem-solving skills we learned in an engineering context to any and every problem that comes up within a business
