Management
Contact Information
Biography
I am Kelly Johnson, a business student at the University of Tennessee Knoxville, studying management in the Haslam College of Business. I strive to solve real-world problems and I particularly enjoy working at the intersection of business, analytics, and engineering. Through my extra-curricular experiences, I’ve been able to get familiar with leadership, mass communication, project management, implementing data, and problem solving. I particularly value learning through hands-on encounters and believe that some of the most meaningful growth comes from taking on challenges, and being willing to learn from both successes and failures.
My involvement in Formula SAE has been a particularly influential part of my development. As the business manager of the Pellissippi State Motorsports Team, I’ve gained valuable experience in business operations, cost analysis, and sponsorship proposals, while working alongside a technical team to build a formula-style racecar. It has proven to me the importance of interdisciplinary respect and really broadened my perspective. Outside of Formula SAE, I have actively participated in the Boy Scouts since 2019, and have been exposed to many different leadership styles through that program. Today, I am a member on the Board of Directors for the local Scouting council in East Tennessee. The opportunities and challenged presented give growing, young, citizens a safe place to fail, and I certainly had my share of failures before learning what successfully motivated people into action.
I joined the Heath Integrated Business and Engineering Program because I wanted to further develop my connection between business and engineering perspectives. I’m drawn to the strong focus on interdisciplinary collaboration, hands-on experience, and working directly with industry partners in the field. Through IBEP, I hope to gain a deeper understanding to make meaningful solutions in business challenges.
After graduation in 2029, I hope to go into a field where I can make a difference. I can see myself working with hospital administration, manufacturing, or automotive industries where business and technical teams work closely together. For the immediate future, I hope to gain additional experience in these fields through internships working with companies that do just that. Motorsports, business, design, and scouting all have a common thread: I value enjoy hands-on projects where I can learn a skill, create something, and continuously improve it over time.
