SCN Best of 2025: From Classroom to Boardroom – Preparing the NOW Generation of Supply Chain Leaders

Podcast: Supply Chain Now
Episode Date: January 2, 2026
Host: Scott Luton
Guests: Dr. Stephanie Thomas & Dr. Rod Thomas, Associate Professors, Sam M. Walton College of Business, University of Arkansas

Overview

This episode dives deep into the evolving landscape of supply chain leadership and higher education, outlining the challenges and innovations shaping the industry’s future. Host Scott Luton talks with Dr. Stephanie Thomas and Dr. Rod Thomas—two industry-seasoned educators (and a married couple!)—to discuss talent development, education trends, adapting to continual disruption, supply chain awareness, and the intersection of technology with retail and logistics.

Introductions & Setting the Stage

• [00:37–04:03] Host’s Introduction
  Scott Luton welcomes both guests, highlighting their academic and industry backgrounds. Notably, this is the podcast’s first time hosting a married pair of “supply chain dynamos” for a dynamic discussion.

  • Memorable quote:
    “For the first time in supply chain our history, we have a married couple supply chain dynamos here on the same show.” — Scott Luton [03:41]

• Guest Backgrounds

  • Dr. Stephanie Thomas: Executive Director of Women Impacting Supply Chain Excellence (WISE), founder of the Wise Future Leaders Symposium, and former industry leader (Lowe’s, IBM, Stanley Tools).
  • Dr. Rod Thomas: Chair of Undergrad Programs & Assessment Committee; Co-editor for Journal of Business Logistics; held roles at Michelin, IBM, Lowe’s.

Personal Notes & Human Side

• [04:34–06:42] Getting to Know the Guests
  • Rod and Stephanie discuss becoming empty nesters, adopting kittens Smokey and Sui, and their love for the outdoors (e.g., hiking at Tanyard Creek and Devil’s Den State Park).

Leadership Lessons: Early Career Shaping Experiences

• [07:22–08:42] Stephanie’s Pivotal Experience

  • Stephanie credits her summer internship at a Stanley Tools distribution center for cementing her passion for supply chain—a blend of real-world problem-solving and academic theory.

    • Quote:
      “That was where… being in the operating environment and really seeing how the pieces all fit together, the connectivity. There’s something about being on the plant floor… and seeing the flow and how things move. And then… seeing the products you just put on a truck out on the shelf, that really starts to connect it together.” — Stephanie Thomas [07:33]

• [09:23–10:35] Rod’s Influential Role at Lowe’s

  • Rod describes a boundary-spanning logistics specialist role requiring influence without authority, honing critical soft skills alongside technical expertise.

    • Quote:
      “…you learned very early on, I had accountability for a lot of things and a lot of interfaces with absolutely no authority… you had to learn how to influence and make things happen… that’s the foundation of good supply chains.” — Rod Thomas [09:54]

Hard Skills & Soft Skills: The Supply Chain “Art and Science”

• [11:36–12:50] Blending Technical and People Skills

  • Both guests emphasize the need for analytical ability (e.g., understanding total landed cost) and relationship-building.

    • Quote:
      “There’s a people side to it. It’s those interlinkages between different groups, those relationships that matter.” — Rod Thomas [11:44]
    • Stephanie’s supply chain definition: “The art and science of doing all the things in, in the supply chain.”

Debating Disruption: Tariffs, Trends, and Resilience

• [14:07–18:02] Navigating Uncertainty and Tariffs

  • Rod outlines the “two extremes” of industry reaction: total redesign vs. paralysis. Advocates for risk hedging, responsiveness, and agility—matching strategy to perceived threat.

    • Quote:
      “If you think you’re going to have supply uncertainty because of tariffs, then you need to move from effective supply chain strategies to more risk hedging strategies... The right answer’s somewhere in the middle.” — Rod Thomas [14:30]

  • Stephanie adds a teaching perspective:
    “Supply chain professionals figure it out... this is part of the job, this is what we do… We’re going to dig in and figure out, okay, how do we make it through.” [16:38]

• [19:27–20:33] The Irreducible Need for Human Decision-Makers

  • Rod on constant disruption:
    “Murphy’s law always applies… as much as we like to use all of our systems… to eliminate or predict uncertainty, it always creeps back in. And that’s why we’re always going to have a job.” [19:28]
  • Reference to HBR article: AI won’t replace supply chain pros because the real world is never perfectly predictable.

The Talent Challenge: Attracting, Developing, and Retaining

• [21:55–28:40] Internship Programs and University Partnerships

  • Companies should treat sourcing talent like sourcing suppliers: Focused, strategic partnerships yield the best results.

  • Value of robust internship programs: Extended evaluation, better hiring outcomes, word-of-mouth brand elevation, and overall talent pool improvement.

  • Early, meaningful interaction (“FaceTime”), not just box-checking.

    • Notable quote:
      “It’s a supplier selection decision. Universities are suppliers of human capital and talent for you. …You need to build deeper relationships with fewer universities after you realize who is a good fit.” — Rod Thomas [23:13]

    • On internships:
      “I got to the point in industry, I wouldn’t hire somebody unless they had interned for me.” — Rod Thomas [24:17]

• [26:45–28:40] Strategic Engagement

  • Stephanie stresses strategic selection of company representatives at campus events. Poor recruiter encounters can permanently damage a company’s brand among future talent.

• [28:40–30:58] Elevating Campus Recruiting

  • More companies are hiring freshmen and sophomores, leading to students with multiple internships and deeper experience.

Supply Chain Education: Evolution & End-to-End Focus

• [31:35–36:54] Educational Trends and Student Evolution

  • Growing student awareness: COVID increased visibility, more high-performing students drawn to the field.

  • Elevated classroom dynamics due to diverse, motivated students.

  • Essential balance in curriculums: breadth (end-to-end understanding) versus depth (specialization/electives).

    • Quote:
      “We’re starting to see more students coming in, aware of it. Covid had something to do with that... And we’re starting to see more students that are on scholarship, our honor students or whatever, are choosing this, and it used to not be that way.” — Stephanie Thomas [31:44]

• [36:08–38:32] Curriculum Adaptation Challenge

  • Rod: Transferable skills (problem-solving, analytics, leadership) are always core; tools will change (e.g., AI is the “new Excel”).
  • Stephanie: Programs are evolving from focusing on one area (manufacturing, transportation) to comprehensive end-to-end journeys and creative problem-solving.

Spreading the Word: Building Early Awareness

• [38:32–45:56] Reaching Middle/High School Students

  • Rod: “The pandemic was the best thing that ever happened to supply chain recruiting because it was constantly in the news and people realized how it impacted them.” [39:43]

  • Stephanie: Teacher education matters for demystifying the field. Classroom games, relatable analogies (e.g., “where did your shoes come from?”) help students grasp the real-world impact.

    • Local success: Benton County added an “Intro to Supply Chain” course for high school students.
    • Parental engagement: Encourages parents in supply chain roles to visit classes and make it fun and relatable.

Industry–Education Intersection: Retail Media Networks & Supply Chain

• [46:58–52:42] The Future of Demand Shaping

  • Rod explains Amazon’s pioneering role using retail media networks—close the loop between consumer advertising exposure and purchase.

  • Huge potential for supply chain: pairing precise consumer data with point-of-sale and inventory data enables micro-targeted promotions, less waste, better sustainability.

    • Quote:
      “If we match that up with POS, you can balance supply and demand in real time at the individual SKU by location, by person level. We have the computing power to do it, we have the data to do it. It’s getting those two diverse sides of the business to talk to Stephanie’s point.” — Rod Thomas [52:07]

  • Stephanie: Many companies still view retail media networks only as a marketing tool—collaboration with supply chain unlocks broader value.

Special Initiatives & Opportunities

• [54:18–56:07] Wise Future Leaders Symposium

  • Annual event in Fayetteville, Arkansas (September 18–19, 2026): National student networking, professional development, career exploration, and industry partnership.
  • Designed to maximize retention and ensure graduates find the right fit within supply chain careers.

• [57:01–58:34] Journal of Business Logistics

  • Rod’s new role as co-editor: Emphasizes industry-relevant, actionable research; strong ties to real-world business challenges.

    • Quote:
      “Research should not be something that’s just an ivory tower for professors to read. It should eventually filter back down to business… and that’s our laboratory.” — Rod Thomas [58:17]

Contact Information / Connect Further

• LinkedIn: Both Dr. Stephanie Thomas and Dr. Rod Thomas are highly accessible via LinkedIn.
• University of Arkansas Directory: Online profiles, email addresses available via the University’s Supply Chain Directory.

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• “The art and science of doing all the things in the supply chain… we need artists and creative types in global supply chain.” — Stephanie Thomas [12:13]
• “Hiring good people is the most important thing we do as managers. You hire good people, everything else seems to take care of itself.” — Rod Thomas [30:00]
• “We are the only functional area of business where people die if we don’t do our jobs well. We will starve. We will not have medicine. We will not have energy. We will not have shelter.” — Rod Thomas [40:55]
• “It’s a field that without having the degree, you can start getting experience in making a good living, maybe helping your family… while you’re still getting your degree.” — Stephanie Thomas [44:28]
• “If you have robust internship programs… you’re not just developing that one person you might hire, you’re developing dozens of others with a halo effect.” — Rod Thomas [25:13]

Key Takeaways for Listeners

• Well-rounded education is essential: Blend technical and people skills, foster adaptable problem-solvers.
• Strategic hiring: Treat universities like critical suppliers—fewer, deeper partnerships and robust internship pipelines deliver stronger results.
• Early exposure and awareness—from high school up—are crucial to nurturing diverse, skilled talent.
• Cross-functional collaboration (e.g., marketing and supply chain) unlocks powerful new business models and operational efficiency.
• Practical optimism is the supply chain pro’s mindset: Disruption is constant, but so is innovation and people-powered resilience.

For Further Information

• Connect with Stephanie and Rod via LinkedIn or the University of Arkansas Supply Chain Directory.
• To get involved with the Wise Future Leaders Symposium or learn about cutting-edge research, reach out to the guests or visit the University’s resources.