CSCMP Notebook

Roundtables recognize future leaders

By Sherrie A. Nauden, CSCMP Roundtable Manager

One of CSCMP's goals is to promote the supply chain management profession to students around the world. CSCMP's roundtables are vitally important to realizing this goal because they continuously build collaborative relationships with universities, colleges, and academia. As part of that effort, many roundtables offer scholarships to students who are rising supply chain stars. Here are a few examples.

The Arizona Roundtable proudly awarded its first annual supply chain scholarships in 2007 to Naomi Amparo, a student at Arizona State University (ASU), and Manish Sawlani, a student at the Thunderbird Global School of Management. Each received a scholarship of US $1,250. The roundtable also recently awarded a US $2,500 scholarship to Amanda Schmidt, a supply chain student at ASU who has been involved in sending medical supplies to various regions of Africa.

To fund these awards, the Arizona Roundtable contributes 75 percent of the net proceeds from its events to the scholarship fund. In addition to raising scholarship funds, this practice aids in event promotion and helps justify the expense for attendees. It also allows the roundtable to build a strong line of communication with the local education community.

The Columbus Roundtable, through its Bernard J. LaLonde Transportation and Logistics Scholarship program, awarded Steven Miko, a student at The Ohio State University, Fisher College of Business, a US $3,270 scholarship.

The New England Roundtable (NERT) awarded five US $1,000 scholarships to students at partner schools. Through its scholarship program, the Education Committee of NERT works with professors at area colleges and universities to recognize students who are interested in supply chain management and who excel both in the classroom and in extracurricular activities.

This year's recipients are:

• Chris Chesebro will receive an MBA in management of operations and technology from Bentley College in 2009. He plans to focus his studies on textile supply chain management, which will allow him to be a fourth-generation contributor to Wigwam Mills, a well-known hosiery manufacturer.
• Jarred Sternbergh is a 2010 candidate for a bachelor of science degree with a concentration in international business and logistics at Maine Maritime Academy. Sternbergh has been an officer in the Regiment of Midshipmen and has received the Rear Admiral Warren C. Hamm Jr. Leadership Award.
• Erik Caldwell is a student in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) master of engineering in logistics (MLOG) program. His research has focused on exploring how transportation pricing is correlated to other factors such as tender lead time and business policies. Before entering the MLOG program, Erik attended West Point, served in the U.S. Army, and worked in third-party logistics.
• Marcia Muñoz Robles will receive a bachelor of science degree in international business with a concentration in supply chain management at Northeastern University. Robles, who is fluent in English, Spanish, and Italian, will also earn a dual degree with Universidad de Las Americas in Mexico. She is a research assistant to one of her professors, a position usually reserved for MBA students.
• Helen Zhang is a 2009 candidate for a bachelor of science degree with a double major in supply chain management and management information systems at the University of Rhode Island. Zhang, who speaks Shanghai-dialect Chinese and is studying Mandarin, is an active member of the Supply Chain Management Club and assists faculty with various research projects.

Repeat performance

Student Showcase returns to CSCMP's Annual Conference

"Don't mess with success." That's a motto CSCMP takes to heart, especially when it comes to something as successful as CSCMP's Student Showcase! The showcase premiered at CSCMP's Annual Global Conference 2007 and featured students' case studies, projects, white papers, and résumés, all of which highlighted their unique talents and experience.

CSCMP developed the program last year after asking members if they would be interested in interviewing future supply chain leaders. Based on their enthusiastic response, we created the Student Showcase as a way to connect practitioners with supply chain students.

The 2007 Student Showcase in Philadelphia was overwhelmingly popular, and this year's event promises to be equally exciting. Companies will be able to schedule interviews with the best and the brightest graduate and undergraduate students at CSCMP's Annual Global Conference, October 5-8, 2008, in Denver, Colorado, USA.

The Student Showcase will be open Sunday, October 5, through Tuesday, October 7. Conference attendees will be able to view students' résumés, projects, and papers, as well as network with them. Students will be available for interviews on Tuesday, October 7, between 7:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.

While the showcase is a new addition to the conference, student participation is a long-standing tradition. For more than 20 years, CSCMP's roundtables have been sponsoring college students so they can attend the annual global conference as part of CSCMP's extended staff. Students are selected by the roundtables based on their scholastic performance and passion for the profession. Each year, CSCMP's Annual Global Conference benefits from the participation of these outstanding young people, and the students benefit from the event's educational content and the opportunity to meet potential employers.

For more information about the Student Showcase, or if you, a colleague, or your human resources staff are interested in participating, please contact Sherrie A. Nauden, CSCMP Manager of Roundtables, at +1.630.645.3466 or

Global risk, crisis and leadership: An insider's view

Few people know as much about global risk, crisis preparation, and leadership as Frances Fragos Townsend. Townsend, who will be the keynote speaker at CSCMP's Annual Conference October 5-8, 2008, served as assistant to President George W. Bush for homeland security and counterterrorism and chaired the Homeland Security Council from May 2004 until January 2008. During that time, Townsend was known for having the ear and respect of the president, advising him almost daily on matters of global security.

Since resigning from her post, Townsend has been bringing that expertise to the corporate world. She currently provides consulting services on global strategic risk and contingency planning to companies worldwide. Her keynote address, "Global Strategic Risk: Anticipate, Prepare, and Mitigate," promises to expand attendees' view of global risk, showing how it can affect them no matter the size, location, or other characteristics of the markets their companies serve. She will then address what they can do to mitigate those risks.

Other major sessions include "Curved Thinking in a Flat World: How to Capitalize on Future Uncertainty" by Dr. Mahender Singh, head of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Supply Chain 2020 research project, and "Faster, Better, Smaller: Leading in an Era of Exponential Change" by noted futurist and best-selling author Jack Uldrich.

Powered by supply chain professionals

Intel becomes first corporate partner in CSCMP's Supply Chain Management Professional Recognition Program

The "Intel Inside" brand awareness campaign made sure consumers knew that their personal computers were powered by Intel microprocessors. Now, with a little help from CSCMP, the company's supply chain professionals are doing a little awareness raising of their own. Through the Supply Chain Management Professional Recognition Program, the company is making sure its employees know that supply chain professionals inside Intel are powering the company's success.

Intel Corporation is the first corporate partner of CSCMP's Supply Chain Management Professional Recognition Program, a collaborative effort between CSCMP and global businesses to formally recognize top-performing supply chain talent. Under the program, partner companies honor their outstanding supply chain practitioners with two designations, Supply Chain Management Professional (SCMP) and Senior Supply Chain Management Professional (Senior SCMP).

The program does not award an academic or training certification. Instead, supply chain practitioners are evaluated based on their companies' specific criteria, which typically include the level of execution expertise and the professional's influence within both the company and industry. Supply chain professionals who earn these designations are recognized by the organizations they work for, under the auspices of CSCMP. The individuals receive recognition on CSCMP's web site and in various association publications.

Intel Corporation's senior supply chain master and SCMP program chair, James R. Kellso, was recognized with the Senior SCMP designation. The following Intel Corporation employees received the SCMP designation: Simon Barrett, Nikhil Chhabra, German Ham, Isaac Hooper, Scott Kornak, Pallas Kwok, Shelly Lafree, Kenneth Loop, Chris Philippi, K.C. Quah, and Michael Virani.

"We commend these practitioners on their commitment to professional excellence," said Rick Blasgen, CSCMP's president and CEO. "Earning one of these designations is a noteworthy achievement. It increases the profile of the individual receiving the recognition as well as that of the profession by creating company- and industrywide awareness of the supply chain professional's significant role in the global marketplace."

CSCMP's Supply Chain Management Professional Recognition Program benefits both individual firms and the industry as a whole by recognizing and utilizing the expertise and knowledge base within a company. Any organization that employs supply chain professionals, regardless of its mission, size, or location, may participate in the program. There is no cost to participate.

More information about CSCMP's Supply Chain Management Professional Recognition Program and a downloadable starter kit are available online.

Register now for CSCMP's Annual Global Conference

If you haven't already signed up to join Denver, Colorado, USA, now is the October 5-8, 2008, in Global thousands of your peers from around the world at CSCMP's Annual Conference, time to register and make your hotel reservation. Save US $280.00 if you register by July 31, 2008. Conference fees cover all program events, meal functions, and materials.

Information about the conference agenda, track topics, accommodations, activities in Denver, and more is available here.

To register online, go here and click on "Register Now."