Jelani Headley

WORK HISTORY

EDUCATION

ABOUT JELANI HEADLEY

I couldn’t believe my eyes. There it was in front of me, an acceptance offer from Rutgers University. What’s more, they had offered additional money as I had qualified for the James Dickson-Carr Academic scholarship. Elated I ran around the house and showed my parents still panting from the exercise. There was a problem, however, I had applied for the School of Arts and Sciences for psychology and this scholarship was from the business school. After speaking to my parents it was obvious I needed to go to the business school, but upon arriving I felt unsure. I liked the concepts we talked about in the prerequisite courses, but something felt… lacking. That was until I took my Intro to Supply Chain course. Taking that class I felt a love for schooling that I hadn’t felt before. The idea that people could be so forward-thinking and constantly evolving their practices to help the underlying base of major businesses was fascinating. From that point on the supply chain became an integral part of how I thought about business. At my time in Sanofi, I was able to take supply chain concepts such as evaluating suppliers and consolidating resources into real life. Looking at the procurement division and seeing any possible room for more efficiencies, excited me on a day to day basis. Getting to work within the organization on a cross-functional level and understanding how demand, logistics, procurement, and sales must all function as one. At OFS, I was there as a marketing intern. This did not stop my brain from taking a logical supply-chain based approach. Understanding key concepts in terms of raw materials procured or the manufacturing processes involved. It was a very challenging experience but allowed me once again to see the marketing/sales perspective and the specific problems they face on day-to-day. Including my time at UPS where I served as a holiday hire, getting to understand the last yard in the supply chain better. Nowadays packages practically need to come practically when we order them! I have learned a lot of interpersonal communication skills and presentation abilities, as well as honing my skills in Microsoft Office. My hunger for learning isn’t limited to just the supply chain, I also have an interest in films, television, books, and sports. For sports specifically, I have had a growing interest in the statistical analysis of players. I find it fascinating what the numbers can speak to and am frequently visiting fivethirtyeight.com. If I were to summarize myself in a few words it would be ever-curious, diligent and empathetic.