When students feel nervous about going into the workforce, Zach Wright, an assistant professor in the global supply chain management (GSCM) program, says he knows exactly how they feel. Drawing on his own experiences, he advises BYU Marriott School of Business students to stay open to opportunities as they work toward their career goals.
“Teaching wasn’t the plan for my career, but I always loved watching professors here. Going through school and seeing what they did had a lot of influence on me,” Wright says. “I wanted to go and try to have that same impact on other students.”
After graduating from BYU Marriott with a bachelor’s degree in supply chain and a minor in statistics, Wright decided his dream of teaching could wait. He dove headfirst into the supply chain industry. At Whirlpool Corporation, he entered a rotational training program which gave him the opportunity to work in several different areas of Whirlpool’s supply chain. Even so, getting a PhD—and teaching—remained in the back of his mind.
“I decided to do the best I can wherever I am at the time,” Wright says. “Whether it’s teaching adjunct later on, or if the PhD thing works out, I want to make sure that I’m prepared to take what I’ve learned and apply it there.”
As part of that resolution, he reached out to some of his professors from BYU Marriott with whom he’d maintained contact. He offered to work as a research assistant (RA) so he could see what research in a PhD program would look like.
His offer was accepted and he began volunteering as an RA in 2019, where he quickly realized that his minor in statistics had prepared him well for his new role. “Research is really just applied statistics, and I found out that I love research,” he says.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Wright said it felt like a sign: “Society is going to shut down for a few years, so I have the time to do a PhD,” he decided.
Wright earned his PhD in operations management from The Ohio State University and applied to BYU Marriott, where he began working in January 2025. Since becoming a faculty member, Wright says he enjoys the opportunity to work with students both inside and outside the classroom.
“I meet with my RAs and my TAs, and I see the quality and caliber of students here and the potential that they have in the workforce or in future academic careers,” Wright says. “I feel like anything I can do to help guide them is exciting.”
His desire to guide students extended beyond the classroom when recruiters came to BYU Marriott for a career fair and Wright says that he felt prompted to walk around. “I found a few students—ones who look very nervous—and talked to them,” Wright recalls. “Then, once they were confident, I let them do their thing and talk to recruiters.”
Wright says speaking with those students reminded him of the same uncertainty he once faced. “It has made a world of difference for me personally,” he reflects. “It’s just nice to talk with them and hopefully pass on some advice and share some lessons learned—what not to do, and also some things to do.”