Meghan Ormsby, ’24 MS in Supply Chain Management: Growing Through Collaboration and Strategy
Monday, June 16, 2025
Meet the Carlson School community and learn about the experiences and career connections we offer.
What was your initial reason or motivation for pursuing a Master of Science in Supply Chain Management?
During the COVID-19 pandemic, I supported the laundry business on our merchandising teams. The opportunity to buy inventory for a high-revenue category during a volatile time was where I discovered I really enjoyed the problem-solving of business management. My interest was piqued by how critical it is to have inventory in the right place at the right time; I applied for an opportunity that Best Buy offers and was accepted into the 2023–2024 Master of Science in Supply Chain Management cohort, driven by this interest.
Why did you choose the Carlson School?
My dad is a very proud Gopher! He thoroughly enjoyed his time at the University of Minnesota and brought me back to the Homecoming games as a kid. When I first started asking questions about the opportunity at the Carlson School of Management, I thought about how highly my dad had spoken about his experience and the accolades he had received from many others during my initial research conversations. I’ll never forget where I was standing when I called my dad to tell him I was going to be a Gopher too!
What was your most valuable Carlson School experience?
While I was eager to dig further into supply chain, one of the most valuable courses for me was the leadership course that spanned the entire program. It was incredibly valuable to receive feedback from the groups I was working with, conduct a 360-degree review at work, and gain a deeper understanding of my strengths as a leader. One of the goals I set for myself at the beginning of this course was to form meaningful relationships with my peers and to appreciate the diversity of experiences everyone brought to the table. I knew I had accomplished this goal when the program director called me to share that my peers had nominated me to deliver the commencement speech at graduation. For me, it was the biggest compliment I have ever received!
Program
’24 Master of Science in Supply Chain Management
Undergraduate School and Major
College of Saint Benedict, Global Business & Psychology
Current Job Title and Employer
Best Buy, Associate Category Lead - Audio
Fun Fact
I am scuba certified!
Alternatively, I was featured in the 1998 Best Buy circular with my baby photo in the camera.
The Carlson School helped me understand I am a collaborative, curious, and energized person. Building that self-awareness gave me the understanding of the unique role I would play on a team, which led to a promotion within 1 year of the program.
How did being part of the Carlson School’s broader business ecosystem—spanning the Twin Cities community, local industries, and global partners—shape your experience in the MS in Supply Chain Management program?
One of the main reasons I joined the program was the opportunity to learn from others in the metro and the experience they bring from Fortune 500 companies, the military, various countries, and more. We have a lot of talent within the greater metro area, and I thought the format of working on the same team across every class in a given quarter was exciting! I work on a similarly structured business team, which allowed me to collaborate with five different groups with diverse mindsets and opportunities for constructive feedback. The ultimate group project was the capstone project, which concluded our year together. My team was assigned a sustainability project with a local Fortune 500 company in the area. The win for me with this team was watching how everyone’s strengths came to life as we executed a project we were proud to present to Ecolab.
How has your Carlson School experience helped you change your career path and get to where you are?
I was recently promoted to the Associate Category Lead role at Best Buy, and in preparation for this interview process, the most significant change that helped me secure the role was building confidence in understanding my strengths as a leader. The Carlson School helped me understand I am a collaborative, curious, and energized person. Leaning into these strengths helped me articulate my story in what I would bring to a team!
What advice would you give to help potential applicants gain admission into Carlson’s MS in Supply Chain Management program?
My greatest advice when applying for the program is to know that everyone has something valuable to bring to the program. I was the youngest person in my cohort, and while that was slightly intimidating for me at first, I quickly learned that everyone brought a different perspective, and that’s what made those group projects so valuable—the ability to learn from different people.
