Skip to content Skip to main navigation Report an accessibility issue

International Career Day | Monday, November 16, 2020

International Entrepreneur Session

Watch the recording
Cohosted with Haslam College of Business, International Business Club
International Entrepreneur Session: 11:15 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Welcome Remarks from

Gretchen Neisler
Vice Provost for International Affairs
Director, Center for Global Engagement


Panelists

Traci Snowden, Founder and CEO of Apto Global. A bicultural polygot who started travelling the globe at 14, Traci founded Apto to create the culture and language platform that her years of teaching immersive ESL told her learners everywhere want and need. Apto is a social learning platform for guiding those who need to cross-culturally interact, travel or relocate, so they can feel at home no matter where they are, who they are with or what they are doing.


Alex Wang, Co-founder of Tekmovila multinational company and a full-service distributor of mobile technology that delivers mobile and IoT devices and applications from leading manufacturers into Latin America’s largest carriers. Tekmovil reported more than 104 million in gross revenue in FY 2019. Prior to founding Tekmovil, Wang served as the Director of Lenovo Mobile for Latin America and manager for Huawei.   


Nancy Youssef, Founder and President of Curves with Purpose, a women’s e-commerce marketplace.  and Chief Business Development Officer of Soles 4 Souls, a not for profit organization based in Nashville, TN. Along with being an adjunct professor of Fashion Entrepreneurship and Retail Management at Belmont University, Youssef served as senior vice president, international business development for Canton, MA-based Destination XL group, the largest omni-channel specialty retailer of big and tall men’s apparel. Prior to joining Destination XL, Youssef was vice president, international business development for NYSE-listed Genesco, Inc. where she pioneered the Fortune 1000 footwear and apparel retailer’s portfolio of brands outside the U.S. In this role she successfully directed the entry of the Fortune 1000 company into more than two dozen countries around the world and was pivotal in acquisitions, partnerships and licensing relationships.


Moderated by Lucy Buck and Lauren Gately, International Business Club members

Lauren Gately, a junior Haslam Scholar from Missouri majoring in Economics, with a concentration in International Business and a minor in Hispanic Studies. Lauren currently serves as President of International Business Club and is conducting undergraduate research on university policies related to international students. She has traveled to 14 different countries, including a study abroad experience in Costa Rica with the Haslam College of Business, and she hope to pursue a career in international higher education.

Lucy Buck, a third-year student at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville studying supply chain management with a concentration in international business. She serves on the executive board in both the International Business Club and the Management Society, and she is a member of the Haslam Scholars Program. Having spent her childhood living in Singapore and Bangalore, India, Lucy is fascinated by foreign affairs and is working toward having an international career in her future.

Back to Top

International Industry Session

Watch the recording
Cohosted with Modern Foreign Literature and Languages
International Industry Session: 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. 

Panelists

Alex Allamong, Sr. Analyst – Systems and Strategy for Nissan Group of North America. Alex is a Supply Chain Strategy professional with experience in supply chain analytics, transportation, SCM systems, and people development. Alex joined Nissan North America’s Supply
Chain Management organization in January 2017. He has held various positions in SCM including: Logistics Network Engineer, Inbound Transportation Strategist, and SCM Analytics Senior Analyst. Currently, Alex is working with a small team to design and implement a Supply Chain Analytics Program, which will shape the future of Nissan North America’s SCM data and analytical landscape.

Loren Jones, District Sales Leader at PepsiCo Frito Lay. Originally from Louisville, Kentucky, Loren graduated with honors from the University of Tennessee with a major in Language World Business and a minor in Food and Agricultural business. During her college years Loren studied abroad for a full semester in Mendoza, Argentina where she advanced her Spanish language proficiency and immersed herself in the local culture. She went on to pursue a career in one of the largest international food companies, PepsiCo. Specifically the Frito-Lay segment of the PepsiCo family. Starting as a sales associate, Loren quickly received her certification to become a district sales leader. She now works out of Knoxville, TN leading a team of 13 individuals to drive sales of the various snacks Frito-Lay produces.

Scottie McCormick,Southern Middle TN Regional Business Development Consultant at the State of TN Department of Economic and Community Development. Scottie started her career with TN ECD, first as a summer intern, then as a full-time business development specialist until her promotion to her current role. Scottie is a 2018 graduate of the University of Tennessee, earning her degree in Language and World Business/Hispanic Studies. When she’s not working, Scottie enjoys travelling with her fiancé, Graham (UTK, B.S. Finance 2018) and spending time with her two-year-old niece Margot, her dog Barney and her cat Sybil.

Erica Greene Smith, Senior Recruiter at Denso with more than 10 years of successful experience in human resources and full life cycle Recruiting, has a proven ability to foster relationships with C-Suite, senior executives, I.T. and engineering professionals.  She currently works for DENSO, a global automotive components manufacturer headquartered inKariya City, Japan.  DENSO has facilities in 35 different countries with a total of 171,000 employees.  Mrs. Smith holds a master’s degree in Human Resource Development and a bachelor’s degree in Business and Organization Management.  Erica has a passion for helping people grow professionally and workforce development.

 

Clifford Brown, Client Experience Operations Lead at Accenture. The Knoxville Intelligent Operations Center is focused on Innovation, Communication, and Engagement. Brown’s skills include, project management, client relations, solution development, and operations delivery with a strong focus on business excellence and automation opportunities. He has 38+ years of experience in the hospitality industry as well as in Finance & Accounting, leading large teams in the PTP, OTC, and RTR towers. Over his career, Brown has a track record of developing others into positions of greater responsibility and leadership. He also serves as the Executive Advisor for the Knoxville Intelligent Operations Center Employee Resource Groups.

Moderated by Dr. Lisa Parker, Asst. Director, Language and World Business Program

Dr. Lisa Y.F. Parker, Assistant Director of the Language and World Business Program in the Modern Foreign Languages and Literatures Department and Senior Lecturer for Hispanic Studies, has been leading the UTK Service-Learning Course in Costa Rica since 2017, and in 2019, was able to include Chile and Costa Rica simultaneously. Prior to joining academia, Dr. Parker worked in the medical industry as part of upper management for over 19 years.
Dr. Parker has been awarded the UT College of Arts and Sciences Advising Award, the Experience Learning College-Level & Academic Department Fellowship Grant, the Modern Foreign Languages and Literatures, Non-Tenure Track Faculty Excellence in Teaching Award, and the Chancellor’s Teaching Excellence Award. She is also a U.S. Army Veteran Officer.

Back to Top

Career Beyond Industry

Watch the recording

Mini Session Schedule and Speakers

JET Program – Teaching in Japan 2:00 – 2:30 p.m. 

Tye  Ebel, JET Program and MEXT Scholarship Coordinator. A native of Chattanooga, Tye  earned his BA in International Studies from Elon University in North Carolina before moving to southern Japan to teach English for three years on the JET Program. Upon returning to North America, he received a Master of Asia  Policy from the University of British Columbia. His research included a practicum in Ulaanbaatar with the Mongolian Ministry of Nature, Environment and Tourism.  Tye  has served in his current post at the Consulate-General of Japan in Nashville since 2015. A key component of his position involves recruiting and preparing American students and young professionals for government run scholarship and work opportunities in Japan.  Tye  is also a keen traveler, having worked, studied, volunteered and traveled in over 100 countries spanning 6 continents. Back to Top

Diplomatic Career: 2:30 – 3:00 p.m.

Allen O DuBose, Diplomat in Residence – South. DuBose joined the Foreign Service as a Management Generalist, already with extensive experience in private industry. Besides being the Finance Director at Everglades Direct Inc., a business consultant, and entrepreneur, DuBose rose to the level of Director of Global Gateway Management for North America at satellite communications company, Iridium, LLC. It was there that he was responsible for the establishment of the service provider networks in Canada, the U.S., and Mexico. Serving in the U.S. Foreign Service has given DuBose the opportunity to receive career-long training, develop his skills, and offer his family an international lifestyle. Back to Top

Peace Corps: 3:00 – 3:30 

Adam Willcox, UT Peace Corps Prep Coordinator. Willcox works with PC Prep students to map out how they can develop four core competencies—sector-specific technical skills, foreign language proficiency, intercultural competence, and professional savvy and leadership. The competencies students develop during the program give them a competitive edge when applying for Peace Corps service. Back to Top
Fulbright: 3:30 – 4:00 p.m.
Andrew Seidler, Director of UT’s Office of National Scholarships & Fellowships (ONSF) since January 2016. During his tenure as ONSF’s director, UT has emerged nationally as a Fulbright Student top-producing research university. Andrew received the Chancellor’s Ready for the World Citation in 2016, in part for developing and leading UT’s first-ever study abroad program to Cuba.