Graduate of Operations Management Program Honored at Dean's Alumni Banquet

The prestigious University of Arkansas College of Engineering 2011 Young Alumni Award was presented to Mr. Charles D. Jeffers on April 16, 2011 at the annual banquet.

Photo of Charles D. JeffersMr. Jeffers has four degrees from the University of Arkansas: in addition to a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering and a master’s degree in operations management, he has also earned an MBA and a Master of Information Systems. In 2003, he was hired by the Hershey Company, and he quickly established himself as the technical lead for their Walmart and Sam’s Club accounts. His success applying technology to business has led to measurable improvements in Hershey’s sales volume and efficiency. His problem-solving skills helped Hershey win recognition as Walmart’s Vendor of the Quarter, and his commitment to sustainability has led him to spearhead a company-wide power-conservation project that is saving 278,000 kilowatt-hours of energy annually. He has also founded a recycling team at the company’s Bentonville office and coordinated his office’s participation in Habitat for Humanity.

Charles remains committed to the University of Arkansas. He has established corporate sponsorships of graduate assistantships for both the MBA and MIS programs, and has helped with curriculum development in the MIS program. He has also appeared as guest speaker for the U of A chapters of the Association of Computer Machinery and the Association of Information Technology Professionals.

Charles plans to pursue a doctor of medicine degree at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences beginning this fall, after which he plans to use his education from the University of Arkansas to bring a unique skill set to tackling today’s medical problems.

The largest graduate program at the University of Arkansas, the Master of Science in Operations Management is a live and distance program geared toward the working student who typically holds a professional or management position in an organizational setting.


Release date: 5/25/2011