Haworth College of Business

Proud to honor the 2025-2026 Department of Business Information Systems scholarship and award recipients! 🏆️

These students are building careers across business analytics, computer information systems and cybersecurity—fields where demand is growing faster than companies can hire. Their academic excellence and drive to solve real-world problems earned them this recognition.

Congratulations to our honorees, and thank you to the donors and supporters investing in the next generation of tech-forward business leaders!

Jeannine Shafer once wrote a paper describing her dream job. After 15 years in the WMU Department of Finance and Commercial Law, she can say WMU Haworth matched it perfectly.

As administrative assistant II, Jeannine supported the launch of the Greenleaf Trust Trading Room, the Sanford Center for Financial Planning and Wellness and the Dollars and Sense financial literacy camps. But what she valued most was the students. "Getting to know the students and watching them grow in their academic knowledge and maturity is very rewarding," she says. "After all, helping them is my job!"

In retirement, Jeannine plans to spend time with family, visit her daughter in North Carolina and explore more of the U.S. She'll also continue investing in her community through volunteering.

We're grateful for 15 years of dedication, care and impact!

Read Jeannine's story:

Jeannine Shafer: A career adding up to big impact | Haworth College of Business | Western Michigan University standard

The business leaders of tomorrow! The 2025-2026 Department of Management scholarship and award recipients are shaping careers in human resources, integrated business administration and leadership and business strategy.

Each of these students has demonstrated the skills that matter most: interpersonal excellence, strategic thinking and the ability to lead with purpose. Their achievements reflect dedication to their craft and commitment to making an impact.

Congratulations to our honorees, and thank you to the donors and supporters investing in the next generation!

Daniela Padilla interned at TikTok, working on the Disney account with focus on Hulu. Her background? Kalamazoo Valley Community College to WMU Haworth, double majoring in marketing and leadership and business strategy.

During her internship, Padilla analyzed campaign briefs and developed media plans for major titles including The Kardashians Season 7, Murdaugh Murders and Reasonable Doubt. She led a workshop with Hulu and created the first "TikTok Entertainment Product Menu" for internal sales teams. Before that, she led analyst teams on a consulting project for Sleeping Giant Capital.

"What you put in is what you'll get out," says Padilla. "Aim high, and life will connect you to the right people, standards and opportunities."

Discover her full story:

Daniela Padilla is expanding creative horizons with TikTok, Disney and Hulu | Haworth College of Business | Western Michigan University standard

What happens when theory meets practice? 204 WMU Haworth students found out this spring through Experience-Driven Learning at scale.

Instead of exams, they delivered real projects to real organizations. Housing insecurity campaigns. Feasibility studies on electric equipment. Driver education programs. Transportation barriers research. The work was specific, the deadlines were real and the people waiting on the other side mattered.

Communities In Schools of Kalamazoo got solutions they'd been sitting on. The City of Kalamazoo got research its sustainability planner didn't have time for. Switch4Good got authentic college student perspectives. Douglas Community Association got operational recommendations. Housing Resources, Inc. Inc got multiple teams tackling their challenges.

And students? They learned something fundamental. "Good intentions alone don't create change," says supply chain management major Kenan Tungkoye. "You need strategy behind them. If you can't show how something creates value or reduces risk, it usually stays an idea."

See what happened when 11 partners and 204 students collided:

Good for the community. Good for business. | Haworth College of Business | Western Michigan University standard

Recognition from the Sales Education Foundation just came in again—for the 19th consecutive year!

WMU Haworth's sales and business marketing program has earned this honor consistently because of what happens in the classroom and beyond. Experience-Driven Learning. Faculty mentorship from day one. A curriculum that evolves with how selling actually works today. The Kaiser Sales Lab integrates AI to help students record, review and improve their pitches. SBMA connects students to each other and the profession.

The outcomes speak for themselves: 100% of sales graduates had instructors who excited them about learning, and 98% landed jobs related to their degree.

"Our top-tier curriculum is the key to the program's success," says Dr. Jim Eckert, Robert S. Kaiser professor of sales. "What we teach and how we teach it benefits our students—and the employers that hire them."

Read the full story:

WMU sales program recognized as a leading program for nearly two decades | Haworth College of Business | Western Michigan University standard

Job offers are in! Business Broncos landed positions across industries and are stepping into their careers.

From finance to marketing to supply chain—these students are ready to make an impact. 📸✨

Recent WMU Haworth graduates Jenna Hayes (finance) and Megha Vallabhaneni (sales and business marketing) earned Academic All-MAC honors for balancing rigorous coursework with competitive athletics. Vallabhaneni set new program records this season, averaging 74.6 strokes for the lowest single-season average in Bronco history.

Discover their story:

Four Broncos earn Academic All-MAC honors - Western Michigan University Athletics CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Four members of the Western Michigan women's golf team have been recognized by the Mid-American Conference for their work in the classroom.

Dr. Brittani Shantel Jackson was recently named a 2026 "20 Under 40" Accounting Influencer by CPA Practice Advisor. Her impact at WMU is undeniable.

As faculty advisor for NABA at WMU, she mentors 55+ students, secured full sponsorships for 21 to attend the NABA Link Regional Conference and created the NABA Experiential Activities Donor Fund. She was named Faculty Advisor of the Year, with NABA at WMU earning RSO of the Year and Most Improved RSO.

She advances diversity and inclusion in accounting by connecting emerging professionals to opportunities at every level. We're so grateful for her leadership at WMU Haworth!

Dr. Jennifer Bott is taking the helm of WMU Haworth's Department of Marketing this July, and she's ready to amplify what's already working.

After serving as WMU's provost and leading business colleges, Bott brings strategic vision and a clear mission: remove roadblocks for faculty and students, grow donor engagement and build on a department that already sees 97 percent of graduates working or continuing their education right after earning their degree.

"The positive energy here is real," says Bott. "I'm enthusiastic about getting to work."

Meet the new marketing chair:

Dr. Jennifer P. Bott named chair of WMU’s Department of Marketing | Haworth College of Business | Western Michigan University standard