John Boettcher doesn’t have a degree from TCU Neeley, but that hasn’t stopped him from being one of the school’s biggest fans and an avid supporter.
June 19, 2019
By Elaine Cole
John Boettcher joined the advisory board for the Center for Supply Chain Innovation in 2004 to strengthen the relationship between TCU Neeley and his employer at the time, American Airlines. From the beginning, he reaped benefits.
“I was given the opportunity to be a guest lecturer and become involved in class projects, and American Airlines developed a strong recruiting pipeline for MBAs and undergraduates,” he said.
He also developed great relationships with supply chain professors who provided current research and took the time to walk him through the subject matter.
“This helped my team build leading-edge, dynamic supply chain mapping and save a considerable amount of money for American Airlines,” he said.
As he moved out of supply chain, Boettcher, now vice president of commercial and membership strategy for oneworld, moved to the more prevailing Neeley International Board. At this higher level, several of his ideas were put into practice, such as the Microsoft certification requirement for every TCU business major.
“When my daughter, Savannah, told me during her freshman year at TCU that she had to become an expert in Excel and other Microsoft packages to get into the business school, I laughed because I knew it was from my suggestion,” he recalled. “She wasn’t very happy with me at the time, but now she is glad she has those skills.”
Savannah Boettcher graduated with her Master of Accounting degree in 2014 and is now an assurance associate with PricewaterhouseCoopers, thanks to advice she received from a professor her sophomore year.
“The director of Business Information Systems reached out to me about double majoring in BIS and Accounting. Because I followed that advice, I wound up accepting an internship with PwC Risk Assurance the summer after my junior year. This simple decision, encouraged by my TCU professors who really cared, has led to my entire career.”
Her dad can’t say enough about the quality of a TCU Neeley education.
“I built my supply chain team years ago by working with professors. I’ve met and hired many TCU students. My daughter got a fantastic education here and now she is at a Big 4 accounting firm and loving it. TCU Neeley continues to get even better. It’s fun to be a part of it.”
