DC Velocity - December 2016

of industry associations and mentoring programs, and the ongoing fight between her left brain and right brain.

QI understand you graduated with a degree in industrial engineering from North Carolina State. How did you first become involved in supply chain management, and what attracted you to the field?

AProbably like many people, I just happened into the field. I had the good fortune of being steered into getting a degree in industrial engineering by my father, who was himself an engineer. But my heart as a young person was in the nonprofit world. I really wanted to make my mark in helping people, and I was passionate about volunteer work. Once I got into engineering, I found I really liked the people and process work. I found out I had a little more of an engineer in me than I had realized.

After undergrad, I went directly into the M.B.A. program at [the University of North] Carolina and did my summer work with Jim Tompkins [founder of the supply chain consulting company Tompkins International (Tompkins)]. Once on board with Tompkins, I had the good fortune to work in areas beyond the scope of traditional engineering work, like helping Jim publish his books and market his brand. Then, I had the chance to support Tompkins’ expansion internationally. Because of that, I gained broad industry experience, and my career was born.

Jim used to say he loved watching my left brain fight with my right brain, and I guess that’s me in a nutshell. I always was an engineer at heart, ever since I was a kid. My dad worked in the space program in Melbourne, Fla. He would come home from Cape Canaveral with these giant nuts and bolts, and I would play with them as a toddler. I guess I was an engineer from the start, but I had to find myself, and I found myself in supply chain.

QI love the idea of your left brain fighting with your right brain. Can you explain what that’s about?

AI think it’s about really loving the people side of things but also having a very analytical approach to life and
problem solving. Supply chain allows you to be very ana-
lytical while taking into account real-life challenges that
people face every day. That’s definitely where I function
best, where the two intersect.

QWhat continues to attract you to the field today?

AOne of the things I love best about being in supply chain today is working as an entrepreneur [with the warehouse software company Optricity]. I have the opportunity to be a leader and be at the forefront of technology. Many people outside of supply chain don’t understand that this is very much a technology field.

Upon returning to the industry 11 years ago [after a hiatus working in another field], my partners [Dan Basmajian and Chuck Grissom] and I recognized that slotting optimization had not kept up with the pace of change. Instead, other technologies had taken a front seat in terms of what was driving the market. Our software initiatives sparked the slotting market space to come alive again. That was exciting. It’s a great industry if you want to be a market creator, a market maker, and a technology driver. If you want to make a difference in the world, you really can find that space in supply chain.

QOver the years, you have been heav- ily involved in the Warehousing Education and Research Council (WERC), including serving as the group’s president. Why do you feel it is important to become involved in industry associations?

AIndustry associations provide a platform to serve our professional communities. Associations support our professional development and provide mentorship opportunities to people who are just starting out or making a career change. That’s critical if we are going to develop the resources needed in the future. From an economic standpoint, we have to grow human capital resources or the industry will be shorthanded in the future. From a social standpoint, [mentoring and helping young professionals develop their careers] is a fundamental responsibility, in my opinion.