Jessica Tabb

Washington University, Olin Business School in St. Louis

“Veteran, mom, runner, loves people, celebrates the divine, wants to change the world.”

Hometown: Lebanon, Missouri

Fun Fact About Yourself: I was a snowboard instructor as an undergrad.

Undergraduate School and Major: West Point, United States Military Academy, BS in Economics

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: JPMorgan Chase, Private Client Banker

What has been your favorite part of St. Louis so far? What makes St. Louis such a great place to earn an MBA? The parks here are quite beautiful and engaging! There is always an event happening at Forest Park or Tower Grove Park, and the people I’ve met there are always so kind and interesting. There are a lot of unique ways to engage with the business world in St Louis. There is a great ecosystem and support for entrepreneurs and those interested in more traditional post-MBA opportunities like finance, marketing or consulting. You can take advantage of many resources to grow your education and experiences to be successful. St Louis and WashU also heavily value diversity. It’s amazing to see people from so many different backgrounds come together and achieve their dreams.

You completed your global immersion earlier this year? What was the best part of the immersion experience for you? What was the biggest takeaway you gained? I really appreciated getting to know my classmates in a deeper way. Barcelona was the highlight for me—it was a unique city, and we made fun memories with our classmates. The case we worked on during the trip brought us to parts of Barcelona that made us think about the city in ways we might have otherwise overlooked. It forced us to work with our teammates and rely upon one another. My team’s pitch at the end of the trip was a lot of fun to showcase in front of the rest of our class.

Aside from your immersion and classmates, what was the key part of WashU Olin’s MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? The entrepreneurial mindset of Olin’s MBA set it apart from other schools. The school emphasizes the idea of using both data and values when making decisions in business. For entrepreneurs (or any business leader), balancing the art and science of leadership as you’re finding your way forward can make a difference in success. We had a phrase in the Army— “Mission first, people always”—that reminds me of the dual leadership principle that the “data and values” idea at Olin dictates. Of course, we want to be successful and as high-performing as possible, but let’s also think about the values we embody and cultivate in the pursuit of that success. When we are successful, those values will be pillars of the business ecosystem we create and take part in.

What course, club or activity have you enjoyed the most so far at Washington Olin? I’ve most deeply been involved with the Impact Investing Symposium this year. I’ve also been able to engage with other groups and members of clubs that I’m personally interested in (Forté, ROMBA, Net Impact, Finance Club), which has opened my eyes to the world of impact investing. Our club has worked hard to put a speaker series and symposium together—I know a lot of great ideas will be shared and relationships built to reinforce the effect that impact investing has on our world and region.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: I’m most proud of the people I have worked with and served with throughout my career so far. Particularly in my time as an Army officer and as a banker, I’ve been blessed to help grow and develop the talents of those on the teams I’ve led. It’s been amazing to see some go on to become officers themselves or transition into higher tiers of their chosen careers. I feel grateful to have been a part of their journeys.

Describe your biggest achievement in the MBA program so far: My biggest accomplishment was being asked by my classmate to help with the Impact Investing Symposium.

What has been your best memory as an MBA so far? There are so many memories, but the best ones are probably the weekends or evenings at classmates’ homes and apartments at casual parties. It’s been fun to get to know people outside of class and share memories with them!