Paul Millerd '03

Paul is currently a part of the Leaders for Global Operations program at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, working towards an MBA and a Masters in Systems Engineering.

Paul has followed a very diverse and challenging path through the fields of corporate marketing, operations, and engineering since graduating from Windham High School in 2003 and the University of Connecticut (2007) with degrees in engineering and business.  "I didn't really know what I wanted to do when I went to college - but knew I wanted something 'hard,' so I chose engineering."  UConn's engineering program exposed Paul to several other areas of study, including the business school (Management and Engineering for Manufacturing) which turned out to be a perfect fit.

He has always had an interest in "learning things he knew nothing about."  Numerous internships including work with Pratt & Whitney's Engineering and Operations Department, and the GE Consumer & Industrial marketing department led Paul to GE's Financial Management Program.  After one year with GE, Paul realized he wasn't cut out for corporate accounting, however he believes his experiences were invaluable.  "Accounting is really the language of any large company, and if you can't speak it you will be left behind."

Paul found his way back into operations with a job at McKinsey & Company, a strategy consulting firm.  His role there included work in the areas of service operations, manufacturing, and supply chain working on various projects including lean transformation, customer experience, call center strategy, and footprint optimization.  "Working with different clients in different industries from different countries every day was an incredible learning experience."

Paul truly values his DECA experiences at Windham High.  "I learned a great deal from the in-classroom experience, learning about business and different functional topics such as marketing and finance. On top of this, I served as the DECA treasurer, which meant I acted as the "CFO" of the school store.  I came to understand how a company runs and what type of decisions need to be made at a leadership level. Bringing these experiences with me to college prepared me to think about what I wanted to do after college and helped me obtain a summer internship at aircraft engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney as only a Freshman. When I think back now to what the entire DECA experience meant to me, one word comes to mind: learning. DECA was one of the first times in my life where I was able to learn about a completely new topic area, something outside my comfort zone. After that, I was hooked. Through college and my career, I have always wanted to learn more by exposing myself to things I knew little about or topics that I knew would be valuable for me down the road."

If you have any questions for Paul he could be contacted at paul.millerd@sloan.mit.edu

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