AWESOME Scholarship for women in supply chain awarded to Broad Spartan

Ashley Yearwood, rising supply chain management senior

Broad student and rising senior Ashley Yearwood is expanding her network of female supply chain leaders as one of the newest recipients of the 2022 AWESOME Excellence in Education Scholarship.

She actually heard about the opportunity from fellow Broad student and previous AWESOME Scholarship recipient Courtney Palkowski. Yearwood said that expanding her professional network to meet fellow female supply chain leaders was the motivation behind applying for the national award.

AWESOME stands for Achieving Women’s Excellence in Supply chain Operations, Management and Education, and the award has been given out for the past decade. Yearwood is the fifth recipient from Michigan State University.

“I truly have a passion to learn, and the financial award from this scholarship helps me significantly so I can continue saving for my future academic goals,” Yearwood said. “Receiving the AWESOME Scholarship means so much to me. In addition to the financial benefit, being in a group of similar-minded female supply chain leaders is empowering and exciting. I cannot wait to grow and learn with these fantastic individuals.”

She is one of 20 recipients selected for her high leadership potential to receive the award this year. Attending AWESOME events comes with gaining firsthand advice and guidance from top female supply chain management leaders in the field.

Yearwood, a member of the Honors College, has been active in her academic pursuits. She’s currently a consulting summer analyst at Accenture. She also has experience with the Department of Supply Chain Management at MSU as a marketing intern, and she worked with Martinrea International Inc. last summer.

She is the current president of the Supply Chain Management Association at MSU after serving as the public relations director last year.

Yearwood credited Judy Whipple, Simone Peinkofer and Kelly Lynch for their support throughout the application process. Lynch is director of corporate and student relations.

“I cannot thank them enough,” Yearwood said.

Since 2018, Peinkofer, an assistant professor of supply chain management, has helped select and nominate Spartans for the AWESOME Scholarship, alongside Judy Whipple, Bowersox-Thull Professor in Logistics and Supply Chain Management.

“It is great to see Ashley, an exceptional and bright young woman, joining the AWESOME community and being recognized with the AWESOME Scholarship,” Peinkofer said. “I am excited to see her further grow into a top female supply chain management leader in the future.”

Yearwood said that after graduation in 2023, she plans to pursue the consulting field and later earn her Master’s in Business Administration after some work experience.

“The field of supply chain is ever-changing, and I want my education to reflect that,” she said.