- Trusting the Detours: Lindsey Brooks ’24 and Her Path to Operations Leadership
When you meet Lindsey Brooks, you immediately sense someone who is both grounded and in motion – a person who thrives by doing, learning, stretching, and stepping into whatever the moment demands.
Lindsey graduated with a degree in Entrepreneurship and Innovation from the Lacy School of Business in May 2023, and today, she’s the Operations Associate at King Lou Pets, a fast-growing, real-life-inspired pet nutrition company that makes super treats for dogs and cats. The Butler alum oversees warehouse flow, fulfillment, inventory, packaging, and anything else that keeps a young, nimble business running.
- Excel-ling! Seth Raymond’s Unexpected Journey to the Microsoft Excel National Championship
Becoming the state champion of anything doesn’t just fall into someone’s lap – but for Seth Raymond, becoming the Indiana State Champion in Microsoft Excel wasn’t the goal. Instead, it
was the byproduct of hours of hard work spent watching tutorials and taking practice exams in pursuit of his Excel certification. As a result, Seth ended up getting slightly more than he bargained for.
- A Day That Changes How Students See Their Future: Inside the Lacy Business Scholars Experience
The Lacy School of Business prides itself on creating moments where students can see their potential more clearly than ever before. Each year, the Lacy Business Scholars Program becomes one of those moments – a day when high‑achieving prospective students step onto campus and, often for the first time, begin to picture what their future could look like here.
There’s a noticeable shift in the air when Scholars arrive. Some walk in with quiet confidence; others carry the kind of nervous excitement that comes with being recognized for something big. But quickly, a sense of connection forms – students realizing they’re surrounded by peers who worked just as hard to earn this recognition, families recognizing that they’re entering a community that sees their student’s potential.
What begins as a campus visit soon becomes something far more meaningful.
- Inspiring Conversations: Lacy School of Business Introduces the Spring 2026 Research Speaker Series
The Lacy School of Business is pleased to kick off the Spring 2026 Research Speaker Series – an ongoing celebration of the scholarship, curiosity, and intellectual leadership that drive our community forward.
This spring lineup brings together faculty researchers who are exploring some of the most relevant questions in business today, offering students and colleagues a chance to engage with emerging insights that shape the way organizations and industries evolve.
We invite you to join us throughout the semester to learn, connect, and be part of the ongoing exchange of ideas shaping the future.
- When Data Gets Real: The NCAA Final Four Analytics Challenge
It doesn’t start with a lecture or a textbook.
It starts with a question – one without a clear answer – and a dataset big enough to feel intimidating. Students aren’t told exactly what to do or how to get there. Instead, they’re asked to figure it out, together, under real deadlines and real expectations.
That’s the premise of the NCAA Final Four Analytics Challenge, where analytics move beyond the classroom and into a professional arena. Using real NCAA data, students step into the role of analysts, strategists, and storytellers – applying technical skills while learning how to communicate insights that matter.
Originally launched as a regional analytics competition, the challenge has grown into a statewide experience that mirrors Indianapolis’s role as both a basketball capital and an innovation hub. Now co-hosted by Butler University and the NCAA, the Final Four Analytics Challenge invites students from across Indiana to step into the kind of analytical work happening behind the scenes of major sporting events – and far beyond them.
- Learning By Doing: Dr. Chi Zhang’s Approach to Marketing Education
Dr. Chi Zhang didn’t set out to become a marketing professor. In fact, when she started college in central China, she wasn’t even sure what business was. As a first-generation college student trying to make pragmatic choices, she picked computer science because it felt safe. “I knew it would get me a job, but I also knew pretty quickly that coding all day wasn’t where I wanted to stay.”
So, she added an English major – another practical decision at the time, when English proficiency was rare and highly valued in East Asia. But it wasn’t until she joined an international consulting project led by a business faculty member that something clicked. “That experience opened my eyes,” Dr. Zhang said. “I realized I wanted to be in the business world. I wanted to understand how organizations worked – and I wanted to create impact.” There was just one problem: she’d never studied business.
- Dr. Matthew Lanham Elected to Leadership Role in INFORMS Analytics Society
Dr. Matthew Lanham, Assistant Professor of Business Technology & Analytics in Butler University’s Lacy School of Business, has been elected Vice President / President-Elect of the INFORMS Analytics Society, the largest society within INFORMS and a premier global community for analytics and decision-science professionals.
The INFORMS Analytics Society brings together leaders in analytics, operations research, optimization, data science, machine learning, and artificial intelligence to advance data-driven decision-making across industries.
- The Power of “Let’s Go”: Jenna Burd’s Path to Launching Yalla Solutions
Jenna Burd didn’t just grow up around business – she lived it.
From her earliest memories, she watched her mother build an advertising agency from scratch while caring for her as a newborn. “I grew up absorbing everything my mom was doing – her drive, creativity, and resilience,” Jenna recalled. “That entrepreneurial spirit stuck with me.”
By the time she was 10, her father had started his own business as well. Watching both parents juggle professional ambition and family life gave Jenna a vision of the kind of future she wanted: one where she could chase her passions, build her own path, and still maintain balance and flexibility. “They told me entrepreneurship was an option,” she said. “It’s not something only certain people can do. Why not me?”
