Following the Gong, a Podcast of the Schreyer Honors College at Penn State
Schreyer Honors College
78 episodes
1 month ago
Are you a Schreyer Scholar looking to connect with Scholar Alumni for career and life advice? Or perhaps you are a recent graduate looking to take the next step in your career, or are a prospective Scholar looking to learn more about the College. When our Scholars submit their honors thesis, they ring a ceremonial gong to mark the completion of their honors experience. #FollowingTheGong is a show that features conversations with Scholar Alumni and friends with stories and advice on how to maximize your Scholar experience, prepare for your career and further education, and make new connections with a strong network of Scholar Alumni that blazed the trail before you. Episodes are released bi-weekly on Tuesdays when Penn State classes are in session and are available on major platforms.
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Are you a Schreyer Scholar looking to connect with Scholar Alumni for career and life advice? Or perhaps you are a recent graduate looking to take the next step in your career, or are a prospective Scholar looking to learn more about the College. When our Scholars submit their honors thesis, they ring a ceremonial gong to mark the completion of their honors experience. #FollowingTheGong is a show that features conversations with Scholar Alumni and friends with stories and advice on how to maximize your Scholar experience, prepare for your career and further education, and make new connections with a strong network of Scholar Alumni that blazed the trail before you. Episodes are released bi-weekly on Tuesdays when Penn State classes are in session and are available on major platforms.
FTG 0069 – Unravel the Supply the Chain with Executive Kristyn Harkins ’02
Following the Gong, a Podcast of the Schreyer Honors College at Penn State
1 hour 16 minutes 12 seconds
1 year ago
FTG 0069 – Unravel the Supply the Chain with Executive Kristyn Harkins ’02
Overview:
Scholar Alumna and seasoned supply chain management executive Kristyn Harkins ’02 Bus joins FTG to discuss her career. Kristyn shares how her time at Penn State, from classes to clubs to her Honors Thesis, influenced her career and helped her rise through the ranks as a woman in supply chain at Johnson & Johnson. Kristyn now leads teams of thousands with responsibility for J&J’s entire supply chain in their North American med tech operations. This episode is great for any Scholar to enjoy, and especially those in business or STEM disciplines. Kristyn’s bio is available below along with chapter markers detailing the topics discussed.
Guest Bio:
Kristyn Harkins ’02 Bus is currently the Vice President, MedTech Deliver Americas at Johnson & Johnson (J&J), leading an organization that is responsible for operations that include Distribution, Transportation, Last Mile Logistics, Customer Services & Capabilities, and several Business Excellence functions. Her team drives the Customer Experience, ensuring that Commercial go-to-market strategies & MedTech franchise requirements can be flawlessly executed. Across her more than 20 year at J&J, Kristyn has worked across the Supply Chain pillars of Plan, Source, Make & Deliver and in multiple business sectors, including Consumer Products and MedTech. She has held leadership roles in Customer Logistics, Transportation, Analytics, Planning, Sourcing, External Manufacturing, Strategy Deployment & Supply Chain Customer Solutions.
Kristyn holds a BS with Honors in Business Logistics (now Supply Chain Management) from the Penn State College of Business and a University and an MBA from Rutgers University. She is a certified Six Sigma Black Belt and was recognized in 2019 with a TWIN (Tribute to Women in Industry) Award. Throughout her career, Kristyn has fostered a passion for developing future talent and increasing representation of women in the Supply Chain field. She served as the liaison for J&J with the Penn State Center for Supply Chain Research for three years, and she is currently on the Advisory Board for the University of Tennessee Global Supply Chain Institute. Kristyn also serves as the Youth Pillar Sponsor for the J&J WiSTEM2D initiative. Kristyn lives in Flemington, NJ with her husband Tim, two sons (Aidan & Ryan), and dog (Miles). She is an avid Peloton rider and spends much of her free time cheering from the sidelines for her kids’ sporting events.
Episode Topics & Chapters:
00:05 Introduction and why Kristyn chose Penn State
01:36 Selecting supply chain as a major
03:06 Current state of supply chain jobs for grads
04:13 Using teaching experience in the workplace
06:11 The value of being involved on campus
08:13 Planning events is like small business ownership
10:52 THON
12:51 The Honors Thesis!
15:29 Co-ops and first jobs after college
17:27 Advice for current Scholars and new grads
20:24 Entry-level supply chain roles
23:18 Continuing curiosity and education while working full time
26:22 Moving up while staying at one firm
29:44 Transitioning from leading one team to the next
32:10 Building relationships with outside partners, vendors, etc.
35:25 Rising to overseeing continental level division
37:45 Kristyn explains her job title and responsibilities
39:42 Addressing "last mile" challenges
42:19 Thinking like an executive
44:53 Navigating the pandemic
48:15 Dealing with sales and divestitures
50:47 Balancing work and family
57:50 Getting involved in your industry
00:17 One company careers
01:03:34 ...
Following the Gong, a Podcast of the Schreyer Honors College at Penn State
Are you a Schreyer Scholar looking to connect with Scholar Alumni for career and life advice? Or perhaps you are a recent graduate looking to take the next step in your career, or are a prospective Scholar looking to learn more about the College. When our Scholars submit their honors thesis, they ring a ceremonial gong to mark the completion of their honors experience. #FollowingTheGong is a show that features conversations with Scholar Alumni and friends with stories and advice on how to maximize your Scholar experience, prepare for your career and further education, and make new connections with a strong network of Scholar Alumni that blazed the trail before you. Episodes are released bi-weekly on Tuesdays when Penn State classes are in session and are available on major platforms.
