The R. Gene Richter Scholarship is awarded to select undergraduates across the country each year and in 2019, just six received the honor. Kathie Lee, a supply chain management major from the Broad College of Business, is the only Michigan State University student selected as a Richter Scholarship recipient.
Lee is the president of Delta Sigma Pi, a 130-member professional business fraternity, as well as a member of Spectrum Consulting Group and Consulting Academy @ MSU, which grooms students for potential careers in consulting.
The R. Gene Richter Scholarship Program identifies future leaders of supply management and fast-tracks them into the profession through tuition assistance, executive mentoring, junior mentoring and networking.
“As a member of the Consulting Academy @ MSU, Kathie is dedicated to preparation,” said Helen Dashney, director of the Financial Markets Institute. “Last summer, she attended McKinsey's Undergraduate Women's Summit in Chicago as her initial exposure to the industry. Kathie is leaving nothing to chance as she prepares herself for a highly competitive field with tough entry standards.”
To Kathie, the honor is a culmination of all the people and experiences that have fostered her growth into the individual she’s become today, as well as a testament to her hard-work throughout college.
“I am honored to be recognized as one of the top supply chain students in the country and am thankful for the opportunities the Richter Foundation and Institute of Supply Management are providing me with,” Lee said.
Lee attended the Institute for Supply Management 2019 Annual Conference in Houston, Texas to receive the scholarship. In addition to the scholarship, she is connected with an executive mentor and a junior mentor who were a recent scholarship winner and college graduate.
“Kathie has the smarts, the energy, the confidence and the will to make a big impact in her life and she’s making that impact now,” said Mike Thibideau, fixed-term faculty in the department of supply chain management at MSU. “Her accomplishments tell the story of someone who reaches for excellence and often achieves it.”