30 at 30: Keith Woody

Executive MBA – Strategic Leadership Class of 2002

SVP, Chief Procurement and Real Estate Officer: Fulton Bank

When asked how he got his start in the supply chain industry, Keith Woody, or “Woody” to his friends, threw back his head and laughed. He explained that he worked in a sales role at Ericsson GE Mobile Communications shortly after college and saw a job posting for a buyer within the company. Without hesitation, he grabbed the job posting and headed straight for the hiring executive.

“I marched right past his assistant, dropped my resume on his desk, and said, ‘I can do this,’” Woody said. “I violated all the standard formalities of the hiring process, but that’s how I got involved, and I had some great mentors while I was starting out.”

Taking a Seat at the Table

Woody’s confident beginning laid the foundation for what would become an executive career in supply chain, and he would discover a passion for mentoring other up-and-coming leaders along the way.

In his early career with Ericsson GE, Woody spent most of his summers in Sweden, learning from seasoned industry professionals. He embraced the challenge wholeheartedly and built skills that would serve him through the rest of his career.

“I was definitely the younger kid in the room, dealing with very smart and capable negotiators in the supply chain space,” Woody said. “I learned a lot, and that’s where I got my start.”

Moving to the Music City

Woody continued to be promoted in his career and eventually accepted a director role at Dell in Texas. The company supported him in furthering his business education, and he began an MBA program shortly before learning that a new opportunity at Dell would take him to Nashville, Tennessee.

Having already made progress on his MBA, Woody got to work looking for another program that would allow him to maintain momentum without setting back his graduation timeline. When he found UT’s Executive MBA, later called the Executive MBA – Strategic Leadership, he was excited by its leadership content and one-year timeline.

“I loved the one-year format,” Woody said. “I had a two- and four-year-old at the time, so I was looking to dive in and get it done.”

The EMBA Experience: Learning and Laughter

Woody quickly embraced Tennessee Orange and connected with his classmates. On his first day of class, he made an impression by explaining, “If you call me by my first name, you can expect a hug or kiss because only my mom and my wife call me Keith.”

This became a running joke among his classmates when a professor received a bear hug mid-class, after calling on “Keith” to answer a question.

In addition to the camaraderie he developed with fellow EMBA students, Woody was amazed at how, even across different industries and functions, the cohort faced similar challenges and learned from each other.

“It was extremely rewarding,” Woody said. “All of us had the same career aspirations. All of us wanted to be at the top of whatever vertical we were in, so it was a good learning environment.”

He also explained that the faculty was an integral part of the EMBA experience, supporting the students every step of the way.

“It was lightning,” Woody said. “We all had a good time, and we worked hard. I can’t think of a single professor that wasn’t truly invested in helping us learn.”

“Banking” on Leadership: Building a Winning Team

Today, as senior vice president, chief procurement and real estate officer at Fulton Bank in Austin, Texas, Woody continues to use his EMBA knowledge to further company goals.

In addition to building executive financial skills, which support his sourcing perspective in building business cases, Woody explained that the program’s leadership component helped him to become a more knowledgeable and self-aware leader. At the bank, he uses that skill in building and leading teams that leverage each person’s strengths.

 “Wherever you go, you’ve got to create winning teams all around you,” Woody said. “You never accomplish anything on your own – you accomplish it through stakeholder engagement.”

His view of a winning team also extends to the broader community that the bank serves. One of his focuses is establishing a diverse supply chain by building relationships with local companies, which meet the bank’s needs while expanding the regional business landscape.

“Banking is an industry that’s a little bit less mature from a supply chain perspective, so this is an area that we’re looking to highlight and drive,” said Woody.

From building winning teams to investing in economic development, the tools Woody gained from his EMBA experience enable him to push the supply chain envelope and lead his organization to success.

The Power of Mentorship

Throughout his career, Woody learned from exceptional mentors who invested in his professional development. Even now, as a seasoned executive, he values connections with the mentors who helped him grow.

“I continue to stay connected with my mentors,” Woody said. “In fact, I still meet monthly with the gentleman who originally hired me at Dell. I’m always bouncing ideas, and he’s someone I trust, and someone to bounce back. There’s a lot of value in that.”

In his career, Woody also seeks opportunities to elevate other rising leaders.

“Some of the people I’ve mentored are now leading organizations themselves,” Woody said. “It’s cool to see them come along in their careers, and in some cases, they’ve even surpassed me in their careers. There’s a lot of joy in seeing people grow.”

EMBA Words of Wisdom

In closing, Woody shared that incoming students should prepare to grow both academically and personally. In fact, for him, the leadership aspect of the program was one of his most memorable EMBA takeaways.

“In addition to traditional classes, you learn a lot about yourself, and who you want to be as a leader,” Woody said. “That piece is probably the most rewarding.”