Jerai Robins

At MODEX 2026 in Atlanta, Scott Luton sat down with Dr. Stephanie Thomas, Associate Professor of Practice at the University of Arkansas and Founder & Executive Director of WISE, for a wide-ranging conversation about supply chain talent, AI, and the future of workforce development. One thing becomes immediately clear from the discussion: while technology may dominate the headlines, the future of supply chain still depends on people. Of course, that makes the ability for organizations to more effectively engage the new generations entering the workforce all that more critical.   The Industry’s Biggest Question Mark: AI and Talent When asked about the biggest priorities facing supply chain leaders today, Thomas doesn’t hesitate: AI is at the top of nearly every conversation. “Everybody’s trying to unpack what is it going to do? How is it going to change things?” she explains. Organizations are wrestling not only with how to adopt emerging technologies, but also with how to prepare their workforce for the transformation ahead. From upskilling current employees to redesigning workflows, the talent implications of AI are massive. At the same time, the broader business environment remains highly dynamic. Geopolitical shifts, ongoing disruption, and rapid technological change are forcing organizations to…

Stay up to date on all the latest conversations, interviews, and episodes we released this week here at Supply Chain Now! On Monday we started the week off with an episode of Supply Chain Now with Scott Luton and TEKTOK host Karin Bursa! The two welcomed COO of SAPICS, Jenny Froome, and the Business Development Executive at SAPICS, Tonya Lamb. On Tuesday, we published a new episode of This Week In Business History with host Kelly Barner. On Tuesday, Scott reflects on the 2021 global summit with Lora Cecere, Kelly Barner, and Kevin L. Jackson. These four talk about some of the most impactful conversations that happened during the event, including effective leadership and how it goes hand in hand with supply chain planning, and more. On Wednesday we released an episode of Logistics With Purpose. This episode features Henok Berhanu, Founder & CEO of Carry 117, and Ashley Bohinc, Executive Director of Carry 117. On Thursday we published a new episode of the Freight Insider with host Page Siplon. Page welcomed Christian Fischer, President and CEO of Georgia Pacific, to the show. On Friday, we published the podcast version of our Monday Supply Chain Buzz livestream, with special guest,…