Tom Kraeutler

I was born and raised outside of Asbury Park, NJ, but prior to coming to Ross I lived and worked in small towns across the South and Midwest as an Environmental Engineer at a handful of different Pulp & Paper Manufacturing sites (as well as a brief stint working with lumber mills). While in those positions, I was an Environmental Engineer mainly dealing with environmental "compliance" – that is, making sure we met all the legal requirements to manufacture our paper products. Dissatisfied with the impact (or lack thereof) with my work, I decided to apply to business school knowing that I wanted to focus on sustainability. From my outsider perspective, I knew that "business" was the vehicle through which I could catalyze positive environmental change in this world, but I had no experience in the business world. I didn't have any resources in my network for how or where to pursue an MBA, so I cast a wide net and searched the country for programs that could mix my passion for sustainability with a strong academic reputation. I wanted a place where I could be my true, authentic, and occasionally weird self and interact with others who were just as passionate about their career interests as I was with mine. Ross checked off all the boxes for me from the day I started researching to the minute I stepped on campus for interview day and fell in love. My dog, Kenny, and I moved to Ann Arbor in August 2020 and I'm validated every day that I made the right decision to come here. Currently I'm a third year dual degree candidate (MBA/MS) with the Erb Intitute and Tauber Institute, and ready for one more year of excitement!