Building Supply Chain Futures
Empowering community resilience through smarter global networks
Changing Futures by building supply chains that transform society
Supply chains are vital networks, connecting people to the essentials of a healthy, fulfilling life
From ancient trade routes to today’s global networks, supply chains have shaped civilizations. They have changed the way people live, connecting distant communities and opening new opportunities for growth and understanding. Their arteries move not just goods, but ideas, innovation and possibility.
When supply chains work, communities thrive. When they falter, lives are disrupted. That’s why we’re reimagining what supply chains can be. Not just efficient, but equitable. Not just global, but human-centered.
Today’s supply chains are under strain. As climate conditions grow more volatile and technology reshapes industries, supply chains are struggling to keep pace with widening gaps in society. Add to that rising geopolitical tensions, shifting consumer demands and lingering effects of global health crises — and the need for transformation becomes urgent.
The W. P. Carey School of Business and its NASPO Department of Supply Chain Management at Arizona State University are driving the future of supply chains.
With deep expertise and a commitment to community impact, we are creating models that are ethical and built to last.
We envision a world where every community has reliable access to goods, services and opportunity. To make this vision a reality, we are building supply chain futures and positioning responsible, innovative and technologically advanced supply chain management as a cornerstone of modern business.
Through Changing Futures™, we’re creating a world where supply chains are engines of opportunity — bringing the essentials of a good life within reach for all.
Your generosity fuels this transformation, helping us build systems that improve communities and drive smarter, more resilient business performance across industries. Together, we can create supply chains that deliver both positive social impact and economic strength, ensuring a better future for all.
Employees from Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings sit in a cab of a Knight Transportation truck at the company’s operations terminal in Phoenix. Engaged industry partnerships like these provide hands-on, immersive learning and training experiences for W. P. Carey students.
A rapidly deployable, turnkey, off-grid, solarpowered medical clinic is prepped for loading to shipment to the Ayilo II Refugee Settlement in northern Uganda, which serves more than 12,000 Sudanese refugees. The medical clinic was developed by a team in the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering and funded by the Office of Naval Research Defense University Research-to-Adoption Program. Changing Futures will ensure ASU can continue to collaborate with partners to co-create supply chain solutions that improve lives and strengthen infrastructures.
Supply chains have become essential we’re not only advancing supply chain with a deep sense of responsibility and the planet we share. This is about building systems that deliver efficiency,
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Kadan Dean, Charles J. Robel Dean’s Chair, W. P. Carey Distinguished Chair
and Professor
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to the communities we serve about safeguarding our future and efficiency, resilience and impact.
The W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University is home to the NASPO Department of Supply Chain Management and offers the No. 2-ranked undergraduate and No. 3-ranked graduate degrees for supply chain management and logistics, according to U. S. News & World Report, 2026.
Why ASU?
Across industries and institutions, experts are working to build more agile and sustainable supply chains. Yet too often, these efforts remain fragmented. Creative ideas and promising models are developed in isolation, disconnected from one another and from the communities they aim to serve.
ASU is ready to change that. Guided by the values in the ASU Charter — access, excellence and community impact — and driven by our commitment to Principled Innovation®, we are uniquely positioned to unify and accelerate this work with a focus on both clarity and character. We know how to translate bold thinking into real-world change, starting right here in Arizona.
Located in metropolitan Phoenix — a major hub for manufacturing, logistics and distribution — the W. P. Carey School of Business and its NASPO Department of Supply Chain Management at ASU are leading the charge to build supply chain futures.
As one of the largest and most globally engaged business schools in the country, W. P. Carey is home to top-ranked programs, world-renowned faculty and more than 24,000 students. Our interdisciplinary culture makes ASU a natural convener for complex, cross-sector challenges like those common to supply chain management. These resources will be focused and enhanced through the NASPO Department of Supply Chain Management, a visionary hub driving
transformation locally and shaping scalable solutions for global impact.
Our faculty bring lived experience from business, engineering, industry and research, driven by a shared belief that supply chains touch every aspect of life. Their connections and our institutional strength enable us to bring together a powerful network of collaborators — from industry leaders and government agencies to global nonprofits and other academic institutions. Through these relationships, we turn shared insights into scalable solutions that improve lives and strengthen economies.
We are starting with what we know best and building toward what the world needs most. Through world-class education, collaborative research and deep engagement with partners across ASU and beyond, we are advancing sustainable and socially responsible practices across the global supply chain landscape.
This is a bold undertaking that requires both inventive thinking and long-term commitment. With donor support, ASU will lead the way in building supply chains that improve lives, contribute to our national security, safeguard nature and power progress across industries and communities alike.
This is the moment to act. ASU is the place to lead.
Innovative education
Equipping the next generation of supply chain leaders to drive innovation and impact
To build supply chains that are future-ready, we must invest in the people who will lead them. ASU’s W. P. Carey School of Business and the NASPO Department of Supply Chain Management are expanding access to world-class education in supply chain management — advancing its vision to become the world’s supply chain university. By preparing learners at every level to meet the challenges of a rapidly evolving global economy, ASU is shaping the future of the field.
This work builds on a strong foundation. W. P. Carey already offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in supply chain management ranked among the very best in the nation — currently ranked #2 by U.S. News & World Report and consistently placed in the top programs nationwide — with new courses in procurement, sustainability, AI and supply chain technology underway.
W. P. Carey is continuously updating and expanding its leading programs in procurement, sustainability, AI and supply chain technology to reach more students through new degrees, certifications, immersive technologies and accessible formats. This effort will be led by the renowned faculty of the NASPO Department of Supply Chain Management and supported by ASU’s global learning infrastructure.
The newly named NASPO Department of Supply Chain Management demonstrates procurement’s critical role as the starting point of every supply chain. Lindle Hatton, NASPO’s chief executive officer, is shown here welcoming attendees at NASPO’s 2025 Exchange Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Mahyar Eftekhar, Harold E. Fearon Fellow of Purchasing Management and associate professor in the NASPO Department of Supply Chain Management, engages with master’s degree students at the ASU West Valley campus. Eftekhar’s research focuses on sustainable development and economic resilience by exploring practical, scalable solutions to challenges in international development and humanitarian responses.
Increasing degree and credential pathways in supply chain futures
ASU is building a comprehensive educational ecosystem to prepare learners to lead in responsible and innovative supply chain management. This includes the development of a new undergraduate degree in Applied Supply Chains with concentrations in procurement and global logistics, launching in fall 2026, to prepare new leaders to design and manage the supply chains of the future. There will also be new certifications and executive education offerings focused on public procurement and AI, responsible supply chain management, AI in supply chain management, resiliency, and health care and emerging technologies.
These programs will serve both degreeseeking students and millions of workers across the global supply chain — including those working outside traditional employment systems — who need flexible, accessible learning opportunities. By expanding online and immersion formats, ASU will increase global access and accelerate the adoption of tech-enabled supply chain practices supporting a wider span of communities and industries.
Expanding access through scholarships and immersive learning
To build supply chain futures that serve the world, we must ensure learners from all backgrounds can access the education that makes it possible while addressing the growing gap between supply chain talent demand and supply. ASU will offer targeted scholarship support for students from lowerand middle-income families, as well as online learners around the globe, helping to remove financial barriers that prevent talented students from pursuing degrees in supply chain management.
We will also launch a NASPO Scholars Program to support high-performing undergraduate and graduate students and create a Global Experiences Fund to provide study-abroad opportunities that build crosscultural fluency and global perspectives.
In parallel, ASU will expand its innovative immersive learning tools and invest in curricula that bring supply chain education to life. This includes a gamified mobile learning incubator, building on the success of health care supply chain management application Shipshape, to deliver low-cost, smartphonebased education to learners in underserved communities. It also includes expanding our use of virtual reality in the classroom, giving students hands-on experiences in supply chain decision-making through interactive, scenario-based learning.
Students from the W. P. Carey School of Business Supply Chain Management Association test their driving skills in a tractor simulator at the Knight-Swift Transportation training facility. Through Changing Futures, Arizona State University is investing in immersive learning tools like these to bring supply chain education to life and to give students hands-on experiences in supply chain decision making through scenario-based learning.
Chelsea Dickson, Associate Director of Strategy, Engagement and Impact at ASU’s Decision Theater, presents transportation research to the Pinal County Board of Supervisors in Florence, Arizona. With active labs focused on urban mobility and infrastructure, ASU connects research to policymaking and real world impact.
Actionable research
Advancing knowledge that strengthens supply chains and improves lives — locally, globally and across sectors
ASU’s W. P. Carey School of Business is home to a dynamic research ecosystem. Through interdisciplinary collaboration with teams from the Rob Walton College of Global Futures, ASU Health and more, as well as our strong ties with government, industry and The Sustainability Consortium, we are generating insights that fuel economic vitality and community resilience.
Our faculty are already leading innovative work across behavioral science, sustainability, logistics and technology. With active labs focused on frontier economies logistics, AI in supply chain management, urban mobility and infrastructure, semiconductors and manufacturing, and procurement and innovation, ASU is uniquely positioned to connect research to real-world impact.
Funding is required to establish a research and development center to secure and optimize supply chains in vital sectors: critical minerals, semiconductors, space systems and cybersecurity. These sectors underpin U.S. defense, economic competitiveness and technological leadership; thus, disruptions pose existential risks. Such a center will enable resilient, secure and adaptive supply chains through innovation, collaboration and strategic foresight. Taking an interdisciplinary approach involving different schools, the key mission of the proposed center will be to research, develop and deploy advanced technologies and strategies that protect and enhance supply chains across the key strategic sectors including mapping vulnerabilities and dependencies in each sector, developing mitigation strategies, accelerating innovation through public-private partnerships and informing national policy and workforce development.
Over the next few years, we will expand this work through additional initiatives that unite faculty research with the insights of industry and the needs of communities. These efforts will help shape the next generation of supply chain strategies — ones that are informed by data, grounded in ethics, and built to support thriving societies and sustainable ecosystems.
Center for Responsible Supply Chain Management
This new center will serve as a hub for advancing ethical and sustainable supply chain practices through interdisciplinary research, education and community engagement. It will bring together existing labs and initiatives within the W. P. Carey School of Business and collaborate closely with key ASU units, including the Rob Walton College of Global Futures, ASU Health and the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering.
The center will bring together ASU faculty and students with external partners to explore how supply chains can better serve people and the planet, and it will leverage our research interest and expertise in critical minerals.
The Supply Chain Innovation, Technology and Infrastructure Initiative
This initiative advances supply chain innovation by integrating research, education and collaboration with industry and public-sector partners. It will examine how emerging technologies and infrastructure systems can transform supply chains across industries while preparing the next generation of supply chain leaders.
Through applied research, hands-on learning and stakeholder engagement, the initiative will explore digital tools such as artificial intelligence, blockchain and the internet of things, alongside advanced manufacturing methods and regional production networks. Faculty, students and partners will work together to translate insights into real-world solutions.
With Arizona’s expanding role in semiconductor manufacturing, the initiative will address how supply chains can adapt to shifting global dynamics and support resilient, efficient delivery of goods and services. It will also examine key questions, such as how automation can improve traceability and how data can drive greater performance.
Zhengshan Yu is an assistant research professor in the School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering at Arizona State University. His work focuses on new materials and device designs and solar cells. As Arizona continues to lead in advanced microelectronics manufacturing, the W. P. Carey School of Business is exploring how new technologies can improve supply chain resilience.
Chelsi Tryon, ’12 BA in business, ’14 Master of Sustainable Solutions, and director of environmental, social and governance at Toppan Merrill, a financial reporting and regulatory compliance company, enjoys a moment with Tim Torres, director of programs at Stardust Building Supplies Inc. Stardust is a nonprofit that operates two reuse centers for home improvement which sell gently-used, salvaged and surplus building materials at affordable prices. The proposed Center for Responsible Supply Chain Management at W. P. Carey will serve as a hub for advancing ethical and sustainable supply chain practices.
ASU’s research is both prolific and practical. Faculty here aren’t just publishing papers. They’re solving real problems, partnering with companies and translating theory into action. This is research with purpose, making a tangible difference in people’s lives.
Karen Donohue W. P. Carey Distinguished Chair and Professor, NASPO Department of Supply Chain Management
Engaged partnerships
Mobilizing people, partnerships and ideas to shape supply chain futures for the public good
Transforming supply chains requires more than research and education — it demands deep engagement with the people and organizations who shape how systems work in the real world. ASU is committed to collaborating with partners in the community to co-create solutions that improve lives and strengthen infrastructures.
This work builds on a strong history of collaboration. From forums on sustainable cities and health care resilience to cross-border innovation and small-business development, ASU has long served as a trusted convener and catalyst. Over the next few years, we will expand these efforts by building new partnerships and elevating community voices so that the future of supply chains reflects the needs and aspirations of those they are meant to serve.
Through public events, experiential learning opportunities and advisory groups — including the Supply Chain Executive Consortium, ASU’s industry advisory board composed of leading supply chain executives — the university will connect intellectual capital with social insight, turning ideas into action and fostering shared ownership of supply chain transformation.
ASU Engagement Fund
This fund will support the expansion of Building Supply Chain Futures activities across ASU’s campuses and communities. It will help convene stakeholders around shared goals, support interdisciplinary programming and create new opportunities for collaboration across university units. Potential activities include an annual convening on Building Supply Chain Futures at ASU. From speaker series to student-led initiatives, the fund will ensure that engagement is woven into the fabric of W. P. Carey’s supply chain work.
External Engagement Fund
This fund will extend W. P. Carey’s reach beyond campus — supporting student-focused experiential learning and the potential creation of regional advisory groups and public forums that bring together stakeholders across sectors. Activities may range from smalland medium-business forums to policy-shaping initiatives and strategic engagements with global and national partners like the United Nations and Department of Homeland Security. These efforts will help translate academic insight into practical change, while enhancing collaboration across sectors.
Vincent Fasso, ’10 BS in global business, co-founded Forrest Logistics out of a guest house using funds from his and his business partner’s 401(k)s. Today, Forrest Logistics works with many of the top 10 retailers in the U.S. providing flexible capacity solutions in the most complex sector of America’s supply chain.
Our vision is to be the chain university — engaging right people locally, regionally
We’re creating innovation academics, industry leaders collaborate on real problems.
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Adegoke Oke
NASPO Endowed Department Chair of the NASPO Department of Supply Chain Management, Harold E. Fearon Fellow Committee Chair and Professor
Changing Futures: Investing in tomorrow’s supply chains
We invite you to be part of this transformation. Your support will help shape systems that expand access to opportunity, strengthen economies and deliver lasting impact across industries and borders.
From cargo ships to trains to long-haul trucks, transportation may be the most visible link in the nation’s supply chain, but procurement, manufacturing and logistics play critical roles in ensuring that goods, ideas and innovations move across the globe.
Building Supply Chain Futures
Reshape our relationship with the planet
Supply chains are deeply intertwined with the health of our environment. Through responsible practices and cutting-edge research, we are reimagining how goods and services move through the world — minimizing harm and maximizing sustainability.
The Center for Responsible Supply Chain Management will champion ethical, sustainable practices across industries, convening partners from ASU Health, the Rob Walton College of Global Futures and the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering. The Supply Chain Innovation, Technology and Infrastructure Initiative will explore how digital transformation, AI and advanced manufacturing can create more transparent and efficient systems.
These organizations will serve as intellectual innovation hubs — connecting ASU faculty and students with industry leaders to co-create solutions. They will be supported by initiatives like the Business Resiliency Initiative, which examines best practices and metrics for organizational resilience, and the Procurement and Behavioral Lab, which studies real-world behavioral phenomena in procurement contexts.
Transform global education
To build a future where every learner can thrive, we must expand access to world-class education in supply chain management. W. P. Carey is developing new degree pathways, immersive learning experiences and scholarship support to reach more students domestically and internationally.
The NASPO Scholars Program will support high-performing undergraduate and graduate students with scholarships and experiential learning opportunities.
The Global Experiences Supply Chain Management Fund will provide study-abroad support to foster global perspectives, while the LMIC Scholarship Fund will remove financial barriers for students from lower- and middle-income communities — ensuring that those most impacted by global supply chain challenges can be part of the solution.
We are also investing in innovative delivery models. The Gamification Lab will develop mobile applications that offer low-cost, holistic education for learners without access to traditional classrooms. And through augmented and virtual reality course development, students will engage in immersive, virtual environments that bring supply chain concepts to life.
ASU’s commitment
Build the future of health
Supply chains are critical to health outcomes — from the delivery of medical supplies to the resilience of health care systems. W. P. Carey is advancing supply chain strategies that promote access to care and improve public health.
The Gamification Lab will develop mobile applications focused on health care supply chain management, helping frontline workers make informed decisions and improve service delivery. These tools will be especially impactful in underserved regions, where access to traditional education and infrastructure is limited.
Empower community resilience
Strong communities depend on strong systems. By embedding supply chain innovation into local and global contexts, we are helping communities become more resilient, inclusive and prepared for the future.
The ASU Engagement Fund will support annual convenings and activities that bring together students, faculty and partners to explore supply chain futures. The External Engagement Fund will expand forums and partnerships with a wide range of institutions and enterprises across sectors and borders — ensuring that supply chain solutions are informed by and responsive to community needs.
The Global Student Research Fund will support ASU students conducting supply chain research in lowerand middle-income countries, fostering reciprocal relationships and shared learning.
Establishing a research and development center on Supply Chain for National Security will optimize supply chains in vital sectors including critical minerals, semiconductors, space systems and cybersecurity that underpin U.S. defense, economic competitiveness and technological leadership.
Building Supply Chain Futures
Inspire tomorrow’s game changers
The next generation of supply chain leaders will shape our world. We are preparing them to lead with innovation, integrity and impact.
Through certifications and executive education in areas like AI, resiliency and health care, we will equip learners with the skills to navigate complex challenges. These offerings will expand access to high-impact learning and prepare students to lead in a rapidly changing world.
Endowed faculty positions will support visionary educators and researchers, while scholarship programs will ensure that talent — not financial means — determines who gets to lead.
Advance technology for good
Technology has the power to transform supply chains — and society. At W. P. Carey, we are harnessing that power to create systems that are transparent, efficient and equitable.
The Supply Chain Innovation, Technology and Infrastructure Initiative will explore how digital tools can improve traceability, optimize inventory and reduce environmental impact. This work will be especially critical as Arizona emerges as a hub for semiconductor manufacturing and smart infrastructure.
ASU’s commitment
Dhanraj Singh, NASPO ValuePoint Executive Council member and chief procurement officer for the State of New York, participates in NASPO’s 2025 Annual Conference in Chicago, Illinois. Through Changing Futures, ASU will continue to pursue deep engagement with the people and organizations who shape how supply chain systems work in the real world.
Together, we are designing smarter systems for a stronger future
ASU is ready to lead with the expertise, partnerships and bold vision to make meaningful change. With your partnership, we’ll turn more ideas into action and momentum into measurable outcomes.
We’ll see success in more streamlined access to goods and services, in learners empowered to lead and in communities strengthened by sustainable growth. As new leaders emerge and new solutions take hold, the W. P. Carey School of Business and NASPO Department of Supply Chain Management at ASU will help shape the global conversation on ethical business and resilient infrastructure.
This work depends on a community of supporters who believe in the power of systems to serve society — and who are ready to help bring this future to life.
Through Changing Futures, we will reimagine what supply chains make possible. Join us.
ASU students converse with supply chain professionals at the Knight-Swift Transportation operations center in Phoenix, Arizona. Changing Futures will ensure ASU continues to provide immersive, hands-on learning experiences that enrich students’ academic studies.
ASU is a comprehensive public research university, measured not by whom it excludes, but by whom it includes and how they succeed; advancing research and discovery of public value; and assuming fundamental responsibility for the economic, social, cultural and overall health of the communities it serves.
