Global planning, project management and global supplier management at Cisco. Global supply chain operations at Northrop Grumman. Founder of Waves of Change, a non-profit focused on driving racial equity through sustainability. You might be picturing a 30-year supply chain veteran at this point, but these credentials are just the beginning of what Rachel Clark is bringing to the profession. A senior at Howard University, Rachel joins us to trace her path from a rural Massachusetts upbringing to leading the Howard University Supply Chain Student Association – and the lessons she’s learned along the way. Find out why supply chain is an inherently human industry full of ethical responsibilities and opportunities, what it takes to be an effective leader, how organizations can create more diversity throughout the industry and much more.

Intro/Outro (00:03):

Welcome to supply chain. Now the voice of global supply chain supply chain now focuses on the best in the business for our worldwide audience, the people, the technologies, the best practices, and today’s critical issues. The challenges and opportunities stay tuned to hear from those making global business happen right here on supply chain now,

Scott Luton (00:32):

And everybody Scott Luton with supply chain now welcome to today’s episode. Hey, I’m really excited about this conversation. We’re gonna be having with a supply chain leader on the move with some new, big ideas for industry. So, uh, stay tuned. You’re going to hear the passion for leadership in droves. A quick programming note before we get started here. Hey, if you like what you hear today, make sure you go find supply chain and wherever you get your podcasts from and click subscribe. So you don’t miss a single thing like this interview right here. So let’s tee up our guests here. I had to really call this down from about 18 pages of accomplishments and leadership roles and positions. So our feature guests is a senior supply chain management student at Howard university. She also serves as president of the school’s supply chain management student association. Our guests has completed four successful internships with the world renown Cisco systems organization. She’s also been recognized as a 20, 20 young futurist by the route magazine. She served as president and CEO of her own nonprofit organization that she founded waves of change HBC U Inc. And if that doesn’t keep her busy enough in whatever free time she’s got remaining, our guests enjoys volunteering and giving back, especially at her local salvation army facility. Join me in welcoming Rachel Clark, Rachel, how you doing?

Rachel Clark (01:56):

Hey, I’m doing good. Thank you so much for that introduction where you bet

Scott Luton (01:59):

I had to add, uh, exercise, just so I could get it all in there. I tell ya I really admire, you know, deeds, not words is something we talk around a lot about here at supply chain now, and you’ve got that in spades and I admire that already about you.

Rachel Clark (02:14):

Thank you so much. I really appreciate that. So

Scott Luton (02:17):

We’re going to, we’ve got the opportunity over the next 45 minutes, 60 minutes, however long it takes us to dive into your story. And, and beyond that, hearing your take on, on industry on supply chain and a lot of different topics. So are you buckled up and ready to go? All right. So I like to ask, I like to start a conversation, you know, kind of just getting a better feel for Rachel Clark, the person, and one of those universal questions. I think a lot of folks bond around is, is where are you from? Where’d you grow up? So fill in the gaps, let us know where you grew up and you gotta give us some anecdotes on your upbringing.

Rachel Clark (02:55):

Yeah, for sure. So a little bit about my back. I’m actually from a small town in Massachusetts, uh, so on the south shore for context, pretty rural, my uncle is actually a cattle farmer. So if that gives you any context to kind of the area that I’m from, it was very interesting. I think being from where I’m from, uh, so my mom’s actually immigrant from Haiti and my dad’s of Irish American Indian ancestry. And so growing up, having those experiences, being from a town where my dad’s from this town, his dad’s from his town, his dad’s from his town and apparently his dad’s from Ireland. But, you know, we’ll see, you know, gotta get on ancestry to double-check that, but that’s as the legend goes. And so I have this legacy, uh, from where I come from. And then on the flip side, my mom’s side of the family, she knows she’s new to the United States.

Rachel Clark (03:41):

And seeing that perspective from the immigrant side of things versus a truly homegrown American, I think gave me a really, really unique experience. And then being from such a small town where, you know, it’s not a huge population, a lot of people are also from that area. I think it taught me to get comfortable at an early age with standing out just from how I looked, how I spoke. And again, from my background and as a child, that’s like terrifying, right? Like we brought in, like, we don’t want that. But as an adult, as a young adult, you realize that that’s actually like your super power, because the biggest thing that holds people back is they’re afraid to stand out. They’re afraid to be successful. They’re afraid that their friends are going to look at her blessed think with having that upbringing where you have no choice, but to stand out from the day when you get very, very comfortable being in your own greatness and not holding yourself back to make other people feel comfortable. And so something I’ve grown to be really, really grateful for. And I wouldn’t change it.

Scott Luton (04:39):

No, I think I share it with you. Appreciate you have got this business maturity and savviness about you. That you’re really, I mean, you communicate these things that it takes some people, you know, decades and decades and decades to learn, but I completely agree with you. I think standing out is your superpower when we’re young and it hasn’t dawned on us. That is a good thing, stick out. Right. And stand out and differentiate yourself. But once you, once you have that Eureka moment, which we’re gonna talk more about soon and, and you embrace it, it’s a beautiful thing and it

Rachel Clark (05:11):

Kind of set it better. So, all right.

Scott Luton (05:13):

So a cattle farmer in Massachusetts, your uncle was, is

Rachel Clark (05:16):

That right? Yeah. I gotta tell

Scott Luton (05:19):

Ya. I don’t think I’ve met or heard about 80 cattle farming in Massachusetts, so, uh, that’s really cool. Did you get a chance to spend some time on the farm as a kid?

Rachel Clark (05:28):

Yes. So, uh, growing up it’s been, I definitely had a more, a hands-on kind of always was playing outside. That was always like my things. You can usually find me a nine years old, probably climbing a tree or getting muddy. So plenty of scars across my body from, uh, growing up in that kind of environment. But it was good. I think having that background, even my grandfather actually recently passed away, but he had his own business. He was an electrician. And so he had six kids and what my dad’s, every one of those kids, it was like child labor laws, which would have been like going off, cause at a young age, they were like on ladders, like screwing in like bulbs and doing all that stuff. So my dad grew up with that same kind of work ethic, you know, standard middle-class, but really that hard working, you know, you pull yourself up, you do the best you can and you get that work, something so unique to that specific, uh, people. And so he passed that onto me. So I was definitely mowing the lawn. I would do the front yard cause there were no Hills. Uh, and so I was always treated kind of in that way, but it gives you one heck of a work ethic. It’s been a pretty interesting childhood for sure. Yeah. Yes.

Scott Luton (06:38):

Lots of appreciation for hard work ethic. So let’s talk about your first formal job. Where was that?

Rachel Clark (06:44):

Yeah, so my first job is arguably still actually my favorite job that I’ve ever worked. I was 14 years old and I was working at Dunkin donuts and it was pretty much the best way I think I could have started my career. And I’m very open to that because it’s not very luxurious and a lot of my peers didn’t have to work, but I did. And I think the best thing about working at Dunkin donuts specifically was the people that you met. And I think at a pivotal age, at 14, I was exposed to a very wide variety of like life paths all at once. Because when you work in fast food, you have some people that are like something that are working that are, you know, have multiple kids and they’re just trying to make ends meet. And then you have some coworkers that are retirement age, like four to finished retiring.

Rachel Clark (07:31):

And so they’re working there. Then you have some other like knuckleheads that are like, you just put up money to save up for your first car. Like they don’t care about the world. And you have some people that chose not to go to college that are people that we would have never met any in any other context, like totally different. And we’re all just packed into a coffee shop, trying to make like a caramel latte and before the line and people get mad at us. And I think having that being forced to work with people in such close quarters and you would have like nothing in common with it teaches you so much, I think. And especially age, do one, not to judge anybody because if you take the time to really hear people’s stories, you realize it’s very easy. I think to say, don’t go to college or don’t and when you actually meet them and you hear your story, you guys that that’s never this. And I think society as a whole, we put labels on people so easily, but having that experience at a young age, meeting those people I learned early on, we’re not all that different. And so having that, Jen having that understanding was something that I was able to have in me. And I think even now as a leader, being in corporate America, doing these things, it’s still something that I look back on and I still use those values that I learned from that very first job in my everyday, so much

Scott Luton (08:44):

Good stuff there. We could spend the next couple of hours, just, just diving deeper in what you just shared. But you know, it reminds me several things you shared there. Um, as I waited tables, my college career and you know, that’s a hard job, that’s a hard job. And unfortunately, a big reason why it’s hard is some of the people you have to wait on. Right. Um, but after, after the end of those double shifts or after the end of that really challenging lunch where you might’ve made 17 bucks in tips, but worked, you know, your rear end off it, it always, uh, I had this one moment of clarity where, you know, bless her. Those that really work hard and bust her knuckles, you know, putting in a full day’s work and, and there’s few things as rewarding and, and, and as grateful that we should be of, of, of those people that, that fuel the services industries or fuel, whatever it is. Right. Um, and it sounds like I also liked how you met people kind of across the, from all walks of life and, and all stages of their journey. So I can only imagine some of the stories Rachel, that you could write from your time at Dunkin donuts. She could probably write a book here today.

Rachel Clark (09:51):

Oh definitely. And even, I don’t want to get too off topic, but even one person, uh, I just want to shout out because I actually was assigned, I had to write a MC hero essay. It was like my sophomore year high school. And I actually wrote it about this person because when I was at Dunkin donuts pizza shop, that was next to us. It was like one of those two in one type buildings and name was John. And he would always come in and do, would always order, uh, iced. Machiatto like all the time. So we knew him as like that guy that always got it. And one day we just decided to talk to him. And by the way, he was probably early thirties, like working at a pizza shop, you know, it’s not the most glamorous role to mom. And we were just talking about our lives and he told me, he was like, yeah, honestly, between you and me, I used to sell drugs.

Rachel Clark (10:32):

I should do this. I had the cars, I had the girls, I had all this. And one day I was so deep into my addiction that I was like, I was either going to make a change or I was going to die. And he told me, he was like, that’s why I got this pizza shop gig. And he was like, everyone looks at me like, I’m a nobody, but they have no idea that I on the outside. And it spoke to me because that’s true here. It was like, when you can have everything and you turn it, not only are you putting it away, like it’s easy to be a hero, like a fire. Well, it’s not easy. But you know, we look at heroes like firefighters, nurses. It has that aspect of like, wow, like, they’re this like do good or citizen, but we look at people or we look past people and fast food and things like that, where it’s like that job could be them choosing drug, dealing for them, choosing crime, nothing with like no from society, just because it’s the right thing to do. I thought he definitely changed my life. That was someone I had to shut him out. Cause I still talk about him to this day. I don’t know where he is now, but hearing his story in his perspective changed my life for sure. Wow.

Scott Luton (11:31):

So speaking of folks that may be consumers, all of us are consumers. All of us may, may have looked past some point in our own journey. Folks that make up global supply chains, right. Folks that drive the trucks that pick and pack the items that, that weighed on us, uh, in retail locations, you name it, all the folks that make up global industry. So with that said, when did kind of have that moment of clarity where you, you kind of dawned on you, there’s this supply chain behind everything? When, when was that for you?

Rachel Clark (12:00):

Yeah, I think it was what I actually probably got involved with the supply chain students association, because a big part of our role is we do recruitment just because a lot of the students that are coming in, they’ve never heard of supply chain. They don’t know like they’re coming in as like marketing or finance. Right. Those are usually the two most popular majors because just people know them. And we had to find a way to break it down to actually explain supply chain and kind of the way that I do it is supply chain is the chain of events. It takes to create a product and get it to the customer. Right. Like add it’s very, very basic. Right. And I think when you break down like that, I think the pieces of a supply chain become a lot clearer because it’s like, what are those chain of events that almost like dominoes right? Then we need to have happen. And it really made me look at it from a different perspective. Cause you look at like a cotton t-shirt right. You have from like cotton fields to the people who are going to process the raw materials and you know, so on and so forth. And so that was kind of the first time I really broke it down and deeply understood it probably that are later than I should have. I was like a junior in college, you know, the first time it clicked,

Scott Luton (13:02):

We all don’t know what we don’t know. Right. And you know, I never toured a manufacturing facility until after I was out of college. And even though my grandad retired as a machine operator from Kimberly-Clark and I miss that opportunity to sit down and learn firsthand from all of his experiences. But you know, you just don’t know what we don’t know. And the most important thing though is you had that Eureka moment and gosh, it was clicking and, and now we’re which we’re about to walk through how important it was and, and the impact has had on your life and your journey thus far, including what’s next. So with that said, so you’re a senior at Howard university, iconic Howard university set to graduate in the spring.

Rachel Clark (13:40):

Right. I guess. So, uh,

Scott Luton (13:43):

I’ll give you, we’ll knock on wood early, early, you know, high five. Congrats. That is awesome. And you’re gonna, you’re majoring in supply chain manager, right? Yes. Okay. So we’re gonna talk about the student association in a moment and, and some of the things, but why, w why did you choose supply chain management?

Rachel Clark (14:02):

Yeah. Uh, so I mentioned earlier a lot of those students that just have no idea what it is, and that was actually me. My mom tried to tell me about it early on. I kind of brushed her off. You know, when you’re in high school, you think you, you know, everything, you know, I didn’t really take her serious. So, um, actually when I got to college, I didn’t even want to be in business. I actually thought I wanted to be in engineering. So I have nine years robotics experience. So I was competing in a Lego league. And then I moved on in high school. I competed in first robotics league. Uh, so I’ve competed. My team’s actually been to nationals two times, uh, during my high school, which was really great experience. So, uh, I personally, I worked on the electronics team and, uh, everyone on my team was going into engineering.

Rachel Clark (14:41):

It was kind of, you know, if you’re a robotics nerd, you’re gonna, you’re going to go. It’s like the natural next step. Uh, you know, it’s just kind of the expectation. And it wasn’t until maybe my junior, senior year, we had to do like this like aptitude tests, you know, in high school where they basically say, you know, these are the majors we think would be a good fit for you based on X, Y, and Z do the quiz. And, oh gosh. Yeah, I scored terribly. They were like, do not go into engineering. You’re bad at math. You don’t like science, it’s not going to work for you. It was like, I think one of the last things, I think like law enforcement was under it and like legal, and then it was like engineering. Like you’re like, just stay away from those things. It’s not for you probably because of my like intense ADHD. Maybe

Scott Luton (15:20):

You think, do you think that is just a bad test? Do you look back on that, that advice you got was that accurate or was it, you know, ’cause, I, I got, I got to tell you when I, when I first went to college, my first couple of visors had a big impact on my, on my collegiate time and really where I ended up doing early in early years, I look back on that they didn’t really know me and we never sat down and talked about, you know, what I liked to do and where my skill sets were and my gifts and my non gifts. So I’ve always tried to be careful when I’m in, certainly with my three kids, you know, do you look back on that and was all that accurate? Was all that good? Honestly.

Rachel Clark (15:57):

So I’m an engineer right now. I’m not an engineer on my job title. I’m not an engineer on my major, but I think like an engineer, my background is an engineer because I build things. I fix things, I solve problems, but if I had majored in engineering, I was not going to pass calculus. I’m just like, oh, I just know myself. And I think the test I see, I see what you’re going. And I agree. I think some of those tests mean limiting. I think in my case, it did save my GPA because I think if I had actually majored in it, it would have been a problem, but I don’t think engineering itself left me. If that makes sense. Thinking like here stays with you. For sure.

Scott Luton (16:34):

I love that. Uh, and secondly, that calculus is no joke I’m with you. It was not meant I was not meant to be a mathematician. So

Rachel Clark (16:43):

I’m with you. Yeah, for sure. But, um, but yeah, so when I, when I got to that point, I wasn’t sure what I was going to major in. So I just decided to do management, uh, cause it’s basically, it’s like undecided of business, right? Like it’s not too specific, but I don’t want to be undecided and fall behind in credits. And, uh, it was then our first week we have like the summit where each of the majors, it’s almost like a major fair, but it’s like a presentation. So the department heads will speak about it. And you know, I heard about finance and I thought the same thing, I was afraid of the math and the technical side, same thing with accounting. Didn’t really speak to me. I was kind of interested in marketing, but I was a little bit worried about the job stability and I’m not the most artistic person.

Rachel Clark (17:23):

And I kind of was like, you know, not sure about like that side. And so they kind of went one by one, but when they got to supply chain, it caught my eye because the department head referred to it as the engineering of business. So immediately I was like, oh, this could be something I’m interested in. And they talked about, you get to work with the engineering teams, you get to work on a lot of those projects. You guys are like this, but you don’t have to do any of the hard stuff, which I was yes. And you can make a lot more money. So that was something that I was just like immediately very intrigued by. But what really sold me was the opportunity that not the department had didn’t speak about it, but that I was able to identify, which was the opportunity to make the world a better place on an ethical level.

Rachel Clark (18:07):

And I felt that supply chain was the area of business that I can make the biggest ethical impact in our world and in corporate America out of any other major. And that’s something we’ll probably get into later, but that’s something that’s very important to me that what I’m doing is changing the world for good. And it’s not just filling my pockets, but it’s filling the world’s that positivity, uh, that we need. And so that was what really sold me, was the opportunity to make a positive change, make some good money doing it and have some good job security. I think those were my three biggest selling points and I still got to be a nerd with none of the math classes.

Scott Luton (18:41):

Oh gosh. All right. Where to start. So I love what you just shared. And I would just say the engineering of business. I love that phrase. I love the calling that you’ve identified. And also, you know, we’re talking about just earlier today on a live stream, you know, because of supply chain in the profession and the industry, to your point, they are in a unique position to address some of the greatest challenges, new and old. And one of the cool things that I love about supply chain is it’s, it is full of doers, right? So naturally we don’t want to talk about the problems big or small, you know, we want to, we want to address them. And, and I, I, can I get a sense from some of your answers already that you love solving problems? So let’s look so, um, gosh, there’s so much to talk about. So little time with you, Rachel, so far, what’s been your favorite experience as part of the, uh, your, your time with the, uh, within the supply chain management program?

Rachel Clark (19:37):

I think the best experience that I’ve had is really getting to work within the supply chain student association. So this year I’m actually getting service president, but I also served as president last year, uh, which is I’m very grateful and thankful that I was voted twice. I think that’s, you know, it means a lot to me, but I think getting to work on the recruitment side and helping people find a passion between what they do, I think that’s has to be the most rewarding. Like I think if I wasn’t in supply chain, I’d probably be in recruitment just because that’s a foremost service in itself because you can get anybody prepared for a job, right? Like there’s tons of certifications online. Like you can get hired with a strong work ethic it’s possible, but can you love what you do? Can you be passionate about what you do? And can you go home at the end of the day at work and feel proud of who you are and what you’ve done and giving able to give that gift to someone or help them find that within themselves? That’s something that I think has been the most rewarding, I think, is helping people find their calling and their passion. And it just happens to be supply chain.

Scott Luton (20:42):

Love it. Okay. So let’s go back for a second and let’s just let’s level set a bit so that the supply chain management student association S C M S a, which fits in perfectly because we love our acronyms. And so tell us, tell us, so you’re, you’re a two-term president, which is a feat and accomplishment, right? You said you weren’t good at the marketing side. Come on, tell us what, what does it do? What does the group do?

Rachel Clark (21:05):

Definitely. So pretty much we have a lot of, we focus mostly on job placement, um, and getting students paired with also scholarships. So we do a lot on helping companies actually come into Howard university. How do they recruit, how do we actually get them paired and getting students paired with not just a job, but a passion, a career goal? Um, so that’s a huge role, but we also recruit students for the major, just because unfortunately for us, it being in supply chain, not a lot of people are coming in supply chain majors. So we’re actually mostly transitional. So most of our students started with something else and transitioned over. So we get a lot of students to do that. And then also we don’t just leave them hanging. Right. We assist them, uh, getting them adjusted, getting their coursework and newly, we actually just launched an Instagram page.

Rachel Clark (21:49):

So we’re focusing more on that, uh, getting those resources out during different channels. Um, and also focusing on general body meetings. So like we have a meeting, for example, coming up with Deloitte, they’re going to be able to help come in and teach our students about how to get prepared for the upcoming recruitment season. So we host a lot of those types of workshops, textile events as well. So really just focusing on getting students in, getting them placed with jobs, but in the, in the in-between making sure they’re actually qualified. How do we get those skills in them? Um, and also getting them introduced to networking wise to all those amazing companies that love our supply chain students that have,

Scott Luton (22:21):

Wow, it’s like the ultimate connecting organization with a bend toward the supply chain management profession, which is a wonderful thing. Okay. So two, two last questions I’ll own this, uh, your time as president. Uh, the first question is, is there one, clearly you have a passion for helping others find their passion, but also helping others find resources and opportunity and whatnot. Is there one that comes to mind? And during your time as part of S C, M S a, you know, that you were able to connect, you know, an opportunity or a resource with a particular colleague or student, or you name it, that that really said, Hey, this is why I do this.

Rachel Clark (23:02):

Definitely that’s a hard one because I feel not to toot my own horn, but I feel like very proud. Like, I feel like I’ve been able to help a lot of people. So it’s hard to pick just one, just one, because I think it’s, I guess, okay. I do, I can pick one, cause he’s my mentee. I have a mentee. His name is Cameron and I actually switched him over. He was international business, got him converted his freshman year over to supply chain. Oh man,

Scott Luton (23:25):

I’ll make a note business school happy.

Rachel Clark (23:28):

Yeah, for sure. I’m very competitive. I like to win, but, uh, we were able to get him over and he actually was working for Cisco this summer. So we were working in a same company this past summer. And I think that was a really unique experience because I was able to see not only him come through as a student, but actually working him. So seeing him fall in love and getting to see that, and it was really good. I was able to mentor him throughout his internship and getting him excited and he wants to work more on the people side of things. He’s definitely more of a people person. And I think sometimes in supply chain, we forget that before we’re numbers, before we’re products and move forward parts, we are actually a human industry. And if you lose the human part, there is no strength in your supply chain.

Rachel Clark (24:09):

And I think for him, we’re able to get him tailored. Uh, so he was actually able to work under one of my mentors when Cisco. So not only was I getting paired with the job he’s working under somebody that I know was going to feed into him and lead into him. Uh, and he actually just made his final LinkedIn posts saying about, oh, my internship ended. I love my experience on these looking forward to his upcoming. I think seeing him grow through it was really, really positive for me, especially really up close, getting to actually work with him this summer. So that was

Scott Luton (24:35):

A really powerful, wow. So Cameron, if you’re listing congratulations also beyond all the opportunities to be able to be mentored by you, Rachel, that’s gotta be quiet and opportunity based on the homework we’ve done. So second question to that, that kind of tees up perfectly because my hunch is that you’re very aware and deliberate about the legacy you leave on anything you touch or lead or are part of. So when, when, after you graduate from Howard this spring and you look back on the, the imprint you’ve made on the organization and the legacy you’re leaving behind, what’s one aspect of that that you’ll be most proud of.

Rachel Clark (25:16):

Hmm. That’s a good question. I think one of the things I’ve had to learn, like, I feel like my art experience is divided up into like two parts. Like I feel like in the beginning of my journey, I’m going to learn just how to be a leader within myself and like, trying to understand, like, what does that even mean? Like I was not in high school. I was, even though I was a robotics nerd, I wasn’t a four point of student. Right. I was not president of anything. I was just there to have a good time to do the things I like to do now. And, uh, coming into college, I never came in thinking, oh yeah, I want to be like the supply chain person. Or I want to be this leader and lead this light. Like I came in, I had a 2.5 my freshman year, which I’m very open about talking about, because my major GPA is almost a 4.0, but coming in, I really struggled.

Rachel Clark (26:00):

I didn’t know what I was doing. And I had to kind of learn, okay, I know I’m passionate about these things. I know I want to make an impact, but I know how to do it. So my first half was just figuring out what the heck, like, what does it mean to be a leader to me, what do I actually want to do? But what I learned was none of what I did was going to matter if I didn’t leave leaders behind me to continue on the work. It doesn’t matter how good a leader you are and that’s in business and clubs and, and anything because if your organization can’t function without you, if it depends on you, you’ve actually failed as a leader because a real leader creates leaders in their wake and they need to be able to function without you. And that’s where I am starting my senior year, but also my junior year with my nonprofit, with a supply student association, like even being able to serve as president this year, I’m like, well, I can’t serve a third term.

Rachel Clark (26:47):

So how do I train the people around me? How do I get them inspired? Because if I graduate and there’s no other Rachel Clarks, granted, they’re going to make their own legacy. Hopefully they’re even better than me, but if I don’t leave them in my path, everything I’ve done has been for nothing. And that was a really big, um, change in my mindset. And it’s something that I’m completely focused on my senior year is I feel like I’ve made good ways in my career. I’m very proud of the things I’ve done, but I’m going to be most proud if when I leave, it’s able to continue onto the same quality if not better. And if it doesn’t do that well, I don’t think, I think I did something wrong. So that’s where I’m at right now.

Scott Luton (27:23):

Love it. Okay. Gosh wise, beyond your years. Okay. Let’s talk about your nonprofit that you formed. You mentioned a second ago, waves of change, HBC, U Inc. So what does it do?

Rachel Clark (27:35):

Yeah, so, uh, so ways to change is a non-profit organization and it’s dedicated to engaging the black community and the environmental sustainability movement. So we do that through education, advocacy, and service, and it’s really been a passion project of mine, but it’s turned into something I think a lot more. So we actually just opened up a third chapter now. So we have a chapter at Howard university, a chapter in North Carolina and T we’ve actually just expanded to Prairie view a and M down in Texas. And it’s kind of at the point where it’s like leaving my hands. It gets becoming its own thing. But really, even though it’s an organization, we do a lot of community service work at its heart. And ironically, I was talking about how I didn’t really like marketing, but maybe I do because it’s really a marketing a function more than anything because it’s our goal is to redefine the image and the brand of when you think of sustainability.

Rachel Clark (28:27):

Because usually if these just think of environment sustainability, and there’s nothing wrong with this, but you’re probably gonna think of saving the turtles. Don’t use straws, go vegan. Like you’re probably gonna think about animals. That’s like usually the first thing that comes to mind and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. I’m all about, I mean, I don’t really like turtles, but I’m all about saving the animals. Right. But what my organization seeks to do is redefine that in turn environmental sustainability, as a people issue, and specifically as a minority issue, because the thing is, especially in the black community, this is something that’s barely talked about if at all, but when you look at issues like red lining, or you look at issues like how black children are more likely to not only have asthma, but die from asthma than any other race. When you look at, for example, you know, tying it back to supply chain, but you look at access to fresh fruits, fresh vegetables.

Rachel Clark (29:16):

Why is it more expensive, harder to access in certain areas? When you look at quality of life, there’s so many issues in the black community that stem from environmental sustainability. It’s just not given that name. And when you don’t put a name to it and people don’t know that they’re victims of something, you can’t fight it. And so that’s something that we seek to do is redefining kind of what sustainability looks like, changing, how it’s viewed. It’s more than an animal issue. It’s a people issue. It’s a race, it’s a minority issue. It’s a class issue. Um, and bringing in those terms and pushing that to the forefront. And then every student that we interact with volunteers with us granted, yes, the volunteering we do is important, right? We’re picking up trash, we’re doing cleanups. That’s great. And it helps for the day. But the real impact is if I’m able to turn that one, volunteer, turn that one, day’s work into a lifetime of advocacy, into a lifetime, a passion that goes a lot further than a couple pounds of trash will pick up. And so that’s our goal is that everyone we interact with becomes aware of this opportunity or whatever they’re doing with us with a newfound sense of understanding education and a passion that they can take into their own careers, into their own communities and into their own lives and families

Scott Luton (30:24):

Wonderful. That is abs is so needed. It’s so needed in many communities, but I love how you tie it back to some of the unique challenges, um, that certain aspects of our, of our, uh, of our country and of our society are experiencing. So waves of change and congrats on the expansion. Third, your third chapter, I’ve also seen some many media coverage of the cool things you are doing. Um, but I love, I love your why as you very distinctly, uh, laid out there. So let’s, we’re going to kind of use this as a segue. Can I use what you just shared as a springboard fill in the blank here? So global supply chain would be better if

Rachel Clark (31:01):

Yeah, I think global supply chain would be better if it was seen as a human industry than a product in part industry. And I say that, and we’ve kind of brushed on that earlier, but, uh, it kind of ties into everything we’ve talked about and the opportunity that global supply chain has for humanity rather than just looking at part numbers and things like that. So even a great example, um, for the human side of supply chain is just thinking about supply chain and sales, right? You can have the best sales person of all time, but if our supply chain, if we don’t have a good relationship with our customer and we’re constantly being delays and we’re not getting their product on time, it doesn’t matter how good of a sales mark, our supply chain. Doesn’t also have that emphasis on report. Does it also have that emphasis on relationship building that lack of trust doesn’t matter how good you sell.

Rachel Clark (31:51):

It’s going to fall apart. You’re going to lose the customer. And I think sometimes we forget that just as we train our salespeople and our sales staff, to be able to build a report, to be able to build those relationships, how we’re able to communicate. We have to make sure that in our supply chain, as we train those people, we’re instilling exactly the same values, the same emphasis, the same trainings, if not even more so, because you can have a lackluster salesperson, but if they have a great relationship with supply chain that can override that as well, supply chain is really the background sales can’t do anything without us. I just want to say that you can sell anybody, anything they’ll actually get you the product. I mean, you’re out of luck.

Scott Luton (32:29):

So it’s gotta be about the human factor in, in supply chain. I love that. And it’s so true. You know, even in 2021 here, the age, the digital age, digital transformation is still, it is still with all the latest technology immersion. It’s still people that make it happen. People that solve the problems, people that get stuff moved, where they needed to be own time at a certain price. And as we’ve already spoken to that are addressing some of the biggest issues of our day. And including some that have been, have been largely ignored for, for quite some time. So clearly your passion, like I told her about it on the front end, the passion and the ideas and innovation and the sheer leadership, you know, it just, it uses out of your Rachel. So let’s talk about two. We’ve already touched on sustainability that clearly that’s something you’re very, uh, so really important to you and its growing importance, not only the industry, but also consumers, which is a good thing, right? Because that gets us, that draws more change, right. And draws more sustainable change in sustainability, which is kind of funny to say it like that. But it’s true. Let’s talk about diversity in supply chain for a second. So talk about your passion for the topic and talk about, just give us some observations on, on some of the challenges you see some of the, maybe some of the progress that’s been made and then some of the areas maybe were, we’d like to see more change.

Rachel Clark (33:54):

Definitely. Um, I think one of the biggest challenges when it comes to diversity and supply chain is just a lack of exposure. Um, I think that’s something that you could say for a lot of different areas, but actually having an understanding of what is supply chain and then also our access within specifically historically black colleges and universities, just to having accredited programs and programs that are resilient and robust. And also making sure that some of these top supply chain companies are coming back, uh, to invest because if you really want to focus on specifically, I mean, my area of expertise I’m going to be biased is going to be African-American recruitment just because that’s what my experience is in. But really when you look at any type of diversity in any of the numbers, you have to make sure that we’re making an intentional effort to one, be able to recruit, but also to retain.

Rachel Clark (34:43):

And then the next step is once we have them they’re avoiding and breaking those glass ceilings, because you can have, for example, a big thing that, uh, we talked about Howard, but just amongst ourselves is a really big red flag. When you look at a company for recruiting is if you only have diversity at the associate level, because what that tells me is that there’s a glass ceiling that I can’t push past. And so that diversity, I think it has to go all the way from associate, but all the way up into those C-suite because we’re going to hit ceiling and what’s going to happen is those are going to struggle with retention because they’re going to company where we can have those investments or even worse, you get people pigeonholed. And what happens is when you get into that rut, you’re not going to invest in your own personal development.

Rachel Clark (35:29):

It’s going to make it harder. If you know, you’re not going to get the promotion, you’re not going to be putting in a hundred percent of your work. That’s human nature. That’s just in general. So to get the out of your employees, to get the best out of diversity and recruitment and have to make sure that there is a clear pathway that you have access to goals past that glass ceiling and that diversity doesn’t just end at the associate level. Um, so that’s a really big one when I just think of it and that I know that we need to work on being to expand and challenge and grow within ourselves

Scott Luton (35:59):

Sidebar. Uh, cause I want to follow up on a lot, what you just shared. We’ve got a, quite a storm coming through and when that happens, sometimes I lose internet connectivity. So we’ll keep, so if you, if I disappear, well, we’ll reconnect it on the side, but going back to what you shared there, I think I love how you said it. It’s a huge red flag when there’s only diversity at the associate level, you know, because we all know you look at any study, whether it’s public private, you name it. You know, there’s not enough diversity in the boardrooms, right? There’s not enough, uh, all voices from all walks of life in the boardroom. And, and I love, you know, we got to acknowledge that any problem before we can, we can get to work on it. Right. And so clearly I love kind of the conversations you are having, um, when it comes to diversity, uh, from a thought leadership standpoint from, from, you know, what you’ve identified are some of the greater challenges so that we can put, uh, an effective action plan, right. And drive real change. Right. That’s what it’s gotta come down to. Right.

Rachel Clark (37:01):

That’s true. Yeah. No, I couldn’t agree more.

Scott Luton (37:04):

All right. So Eureka moments, you’ve already kind of shared a couple of things that sounds like Eureka moments, but what else comes to mind, especially, and we haven’t touched on a whole bunch of this, um, this pandemic environment that we’re all fighting through. Right. You know, some places better than others, but we’ve got to get a whole globe, you know, the whole global society into the true post pandemic environment. But whether it’s a Eureka moment, Todd, to the pandemic or something prior or a business, a moment of clarity, what would be one that you haven’t shared yet?

Rachel Clark (37:34):

I think Carol will walk with me because it’s a little weird, but a really cool Rika moment, easy go. And I promise I have a life, I think, outside of business, but it just happened to, uh, related. But in my head I was like, wow, the best training for sales or for building rapport in business span, Uber driver, if you want to talk about having an elevator pitch or being able to make connections right. Within a short amount of time. And being able to think of Uber is like the perfect trainer, because I was, I was in this particular ride and I’m guys awesome. Like he’s, we’re having a great conversation. Like I feel like I’ve known him for a thousand years. Like, oh my gosh, like I had to check myself like, okay, don’t trust strangers, but it was so easy to feel comfortable, uh, with this person.

Rachel Clark (38:24):

And it made me realize I’m like, wow, this is such an amazing training. Like if you really want to get good at building report, drive Uber for a couple months and challenge yourself to have conversations with strangers. And also think about the skillset it takes to read the room without turning around. Because as an Uber driver, you have to be able to tell if somebody wants to talk, if they don’t want to talk and trust that if they’re not, and all you have is your rear view mirror and you can’t really look into it cause you don’t want to crash. Right. So the skillset of being able to read a room, read energy with literally basically being blindfold, being able to actually connect person and then also having engaged in conversation, knowing nothing about them and knowing you would never see them again, get making sure they have a good time.

Rachel Clark (39:05):

That is like ultimate business training. And I feel like nobody talks about like how amazing that is. So I was thinking to myself, I’m like, wow, when I get a car, like I should do this. Like I should practice this. I feel like I would get real if I just did this just for a few months. So if anyone is listening and they try it out, definitely reach out to me. I’d love to hear how it goes. Cause I was just thinking like, wow, that is like the best sales training program of all time driving Uber.

Scott Luton (39:29):

I love it. You know, we’re going to have to relearn how to be human after we get through this, uh, this period. Right. And we’re around each other more and, and we can get back to establishing and developing rapport in person because it is, I agree with you. It’s a really, regardless if you ever go into or don’t go into sales or is this important when it comes to leadership, right. Just getting the buy-in of what of your vision and, and what you believe needs to be done and getting buy-in on your, on your plan and you name it. So I love that. I think, I think much like I think waiting tables maybe for that same timeframe, four months would be good for everybody. I think being an Uber driver would be good for everybody too. So if anyone takes Rachel’s advice up and that gives us, it gives us a shout.

Scott Luton (40:15):

Okay. So one of the final things I want to talk to you about before we make sure folks we’d let folks know how to connect with you, Rachel. So your fourth internship at Cisco, a world renowned company, always, you know, usually I think it’s either fortune or Forbes, whoever puts out the most admired companies globally, Cisco is always top five. They’ve been, they’ve hit number one ranking. And that’s just one of their many different attributes and awards. So you’ve been there though. You’ve been in the mix, you’ve been part of the team. So what’s special about Cisco and what have you enjoyed most about your, uh, your internships?

Rachel Clark (40:50):

Definitely. Yeah. I’m super grateful for the experiences that have habits, Cisco. I mean their Gardner one supply chain in the world, I think for the second year in a row now. And they’ve been number one place to work, I think two years in a row or one week. I know they’re very high up. Yeah. I think getting that I think is really good because you kind of what to do. Right. And I think that’s valuable is getting to the, kind of how the masters do it, like what’s going on behind the scenes. And so to learn a lot, I think one of the things that I’m happy that I did, which, um, I know a lot of people have different opinions on it, but even though I’ve had internships, I’m my fourth right now with Cisco, I’ve been in a different role every single time.

Rachel Clark (41:35):

I’ve mixed. Think you should just, you know, get four years experience in the same thing. Uh, that way you can come out, you can get into like a higher level position. But for me, it was very important that I was able to gain my own personal professional development, that I was able to see things from that perspective and understand the supply chain. So I moved around a lot. I’ve worked in planning where I’m working on the customer things and that’s the supply chain I’ve moved on the other side, I’ve worked in global supplier management where I’m not dealing with any customers. I’m dealing with suppliers, we’re dealing with the Silicon shortage. How do we balance that I’ve worked in project management now I’m working at a new role. Again, I’ve been able to dance around. But one of the things they liked about Cisco was that I even had the ability to do that in the first place.

Rachel Clark (42:17):

They were very accommodating with me being able to try something completely new the spaces, every single Cisco inter pad and something that I started out bad at things that I’m bad at me, the chance to overcome that weakness and gained some strength in it. And they could have easily been like, you know, we would prefer if you stayed, you did a great job planning. We would love to keep in planning, but they’re always very supportive, very open from her point in catering to my needs, for what I want professional growth. And I think as a company, that’s something that businesses can learn from is how you invest in your staff, your growth brew, dreams, their goals. You’re going to build that emotional kind of equity with them. I think you get a lot, a lot of respect for a long way to do those things.

Rachel Clark (43:02):

Um, and I feel very grateful and then also you’ll let people like, they always forget people do a better job when they do something they want to do. Right. That so much like when you just let people do what they want to do, you’re fine though. Wow. They’ll do a great job. And I would do of course, no matter what, that’s just my work, you know? But, um, that was something that I was excited to come to work because I knew I was going to something that I was weak with. I received the mentorship on training to gain the skills that I needed. And now when I go into my career, whether, you know, whether my Cisco, where there was somewhere else where I’m working for myself, all the great thing that I gained

Scott Luton (43:39):

The rotational and, and how you, you know, you’re doing different things throughout the four different internships and all the different areas. You become a much more, well-rounded not just leader, but also a practitioner. So you’ve got such a, um, I mean, between your background and your leadership capacity and, and, uh, capabilities, and then the experiences you’ve gained via, uh, Howard university and the program, and S C M S a and Cisco, you’re going to be a dangerous leader. You’re going to be like a secret weapon for some organization, maybe a not so secret weapon, hopefully, you know, I’m really, I’m blown away because I think back when I was a senior in college, it was beer and pizza, you know, but you’re, you’re set a new standard and at a time when we needed a new standard in so many different ways, so Rachel let’s make sure we get you connected with any of our listeners. So what’s the easiest for folks to reach out and connect with you. Rachel

Rachel Clark (44:33):

Is so probably the best way to get in touch with me is LinkedIn. I know Rachel Clark is pretty common names. If you search Rachel Clark Howard, a university, uh, you shouldn’t be able to find me and I’ll be very happy to connect. If you want to stay in touch, just shoot me a message over LinkedIn. That’s probably the best mode of contact.

Scott Luton (44:49):

Wonderful. We’re gonna make it easy. You’re one click away. So if you go to the show notes for this episode, you’ll be able to connect, uh, be the hyperlink right there, connect with Rachel Clark. You’ll be able to, uh, not just compare notes with her, maybe check out waves of change, where she’s, gosh, you’re also an entrepreneur already, what are you not doing? Right. So that’d be the shorter interview, but admire that really appreciate them. I’m so glad we got connected and hours not, you know, we’re just scraping the surface here, but we’ll have to have you back, especially maybe after you graduate and, and, uh, keep our finger on the pulse of all the cool things you’re up to.

Rachel Clark (45:21):

Definitely. Thanks.

Scott Luton (45:23):

You bet. Rachel Clark, thanks for your time. Really enjoyed this discussion. And again, Rachel serves as president of Howard university’s supply chain management, student association, uh, founder of waves of change, and much, much more. So I have enjoyed our time. So thanks so much, Rachel, Hey to our listeners, hopefully you’ve enjoyed this inspirational, informative, intriguing conversation, as much as I have to be sure to check out more conversations like this at supply chain. Now, wherever you get your podcasts from, or you can learn more VR lab library@supplychainnow.com. Now one of my favorite parts, Hey, got a challenge. You like we challenge our team every single day. Do good, give forward, be the change that’s needed to be just like Rachel Clark and the world would be a lot better place on behalf of our entire team here, Scotland and signing off for now. Have a wonderful rest of your afternoon. And we’ll see you right back here on supply chain now real soon. Thanks. Bye-bye

Intro/Outro (46:21):

Thanks for being a part of our supply chain. Now, community check out all of our programming@supplychainnow.com and make sure you subscribe to supply chain. Now anywhere you listen to podcasts and follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram. See you next time on supply chain. Now.