Alum Spotlight: Thao Minh Ta
Thao Minh Ta originally from Hanoi, Vietnam is a ’18 alum of the Northwestern MEM program. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from The University of New Mexico and is currently the Lab Manager for Citgo Petroleum Corporation. She loves exploring new places and trying different cuisines with her family. Consequently she loves quite a few places in Chicago. Meson Sabika (for Tapas) and Mitsuwa (Japanese) are a couple from her list.
We asked Thao a few questions about her MEM experience and the journey thus far, to which her responses were as follows:
Can you give a short description of your role and job responsibility?
As the refinery lab manager, I am responsible for Lab’s overall safe operations, timely production and data accuracy to meet customer needs. This includes but not limited to management of test schedules, workforce, budget, and final approval of analytical and administrative procedures. Our lab constantly works with various external customers (regulators, marketers, distributors, etc.) and internal departments to provide data that ensures products comply with regulations, specifications and refinery obligations.
What’s your favorite class or teacher in MEM, Why?
My 3 most favorite MEM classes are Negotiation, Leadership (both with professor Berger) and Strategic Management (with professor McNeeley). Last year highlighted a big switch in my career: from an individual contributor to managing a group of 26 union, salaried and contract workers. With minimum prior leadership experience, these courses have been my primary guides since day one.
How has your MEM experience contributed to your career path and your current job role (your progression into senior management from an engineering background)?
In my experience, although our program is small, it truly provides a great selection of relevant courses that instantly apply to our jobs. For example, Decision Tools lays a strong foundation in optimization, by providing lots of tools to make sound decisions. Operation Excellence teaches fundamental concepts in auto manufacturing that are relevant to refinery operation but I wasn’t aware of, before. This, I believe, provided an immediate impact, contributing directly to my own progression.
Luck is a combination of preparation and opportunity and MEM program does a wonderful job in preparing its students for whatever next opportunity that will come their way.
What unique aspect of the program did you experience that you felt was unique to Northwestern’s program?
I thought it is neat that Northwestern allows their students to take classes from other master programs. I was able to take 2 Kellogg classes and learnt a lot from those 2 classes as well. Expanding your network is also great.
How did the program structure help to make earning this degree a possibility for you?
One of the reasons why I love MEM program is its flexibility. As a full-time working mom, a program with strict time requirement and class progression wouldn’t have worked for me. Steve Tilley (the Associate Director of MEM) as well as MEM staffs and faculties are so wonderful and easy to work with. They help me get back and return to class routine right away after each of my breaks (6 quarters total)
What connections were you able to make with classmates, faculty or industry and how?
I love the great mix of MEM students. By getting to know and work with others from various background and industries, I gain new perspective and even solutions to problems that we deal at our own workplace. I made many lifetime friends at the program.
Word of advice to future students:
Take advantage of all the program has to offer. This is one thing that I have always wished to do more but couldn’t. There are so many unique and great experience outside of the classrooms that Northwestern provides. There are shadow days with an alumni, dinner with 12, and many competitions that will help hone your skills or launch a potential new business.
