Hometown: Southington, Connecticut
Degree: MBA
Concentrations: Supply Chain Management and Business Analytics

James Coleman graduated from Syracuse University in 2016 from the College of Visual and Performing Arts Bandier Program with minors in entrepreneurship and emerging enterprises from the Whitman School and public communications from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. As an undergraduate, Coleman was the editor-in-chief of 20 Watts Magazine and worked as a student consultant for the New York State Technology Commercialization Center at the College of Law through a partnership with the Whitman School.

Upon graduation, Coleman went to work at BASF Corporation, a chemical manufacturing company, where he held roles in marketing, sales and product management. He then moved to Clarus Commerce, a software and e-commerce company, and served as a product manager.

FROM THE MOMENT I FIRST STEPPED ON THE HILL AS A SENIOR IN HIGH SCHOOL, I KNEW THIS WAS WHERE I WANTED TO BE." —James Coleman

Coleman decided to make his return to Syracuse as a Whitman MBA student in the fall of 2019 because he bleeds Orange.

“From the moment I first stepped on the Hill as a senior in high school, I knew this was where I wanted to be,” he says.

For Coleman, Syracuse is synonymous with opportunity, and his experience at the Whitman School solidified that. He is grateful for the breadth of opportunity that was available to him through Whitman as an undergraduate student, and his experience was the primary reason he chose to return. In his second semester as an MBA student, he is reaping those same benefits on a larger scale.

Currently, Coleman is a graduate assistant in the Whitman Master’s Programs Office and a research assistant in the Department of Entrepreneurship and Emerging Enterprises. He is also involved in the APICS Club and is an English language conversation partner through the Graduate School, assisting international students with their English skills.

“It is no coincidence I was able to lock in a competitive summer MBA internship within one month of returning to Whitman,” Coleman says. “Our dedicated faculty, rigorous coursework, technological resources and vast alumni network sets the stage for the achievement of every student.”

After he completes his MBA program, Coleman hopes to combine the skills he has acquired through his dual concentrations in supply chain management and business analytics in an operations-oriented role. His primary interests are in transportation logistics, inventory management, supply and demand forecasting and planning and product management. His long-term career goal is to lead a global organization, whether that means being at the helm of a company or running a global operating division or business unit.