Supply Chain Management Alum Lands Job in New York

Is there a connection between psychology and supply chain management? Ask Charlotte Sparkes ’25, who is currently in Canandaigua, New York, working at Gallo, the largest, family-owned wine producer in the world, in its Operations Management Development Program. Gallo’s operations management oversees a massive, integrated supply chain producing over 95 million cases of wine and spirits annually including brands such as Barefoot, High Noon and New Amsterdam Vodka.

In this highly competitive management training program, Sparkes will go through three to four job rotations over the course of three years. It’s aimed to develop leadership, management and technical skills in a fast-paced and innovative environment.

In her first rotation as a harvest team lead, she managed 12 temporary workers while supervising the crush operations that turned grapes into juice for different wine blends. She also led improvement projects and worked with multiple departments to streamline processes. “It was incredibly hands-on,” Sparkes says.

Sparkes began her academic journey at the College as a psychology major but changed over to supply chain management after conducting research. “It’s a very high-demand, versatile field,” says Sparkes. She kept the psychology minor because the combination, while unusual, was insightful. “Understanding the mind helps explain workplace dynamics and why people make certain business decisions, whether on a small or large scale,” she says.  

Sparkes is grateful for her College of Charleston experience in the halls of the School of Business. “The Excel and data analysis skills I learned at CofC are things I use every day for reporting and turning raw data into action. My Lean Six Sigma training gave me a practical way to approach problems, such as defining issues and investigating root causes,” she says. 

She also credits Rafael Teixeira, associate professor of supply chain and information management, for bringing real-world experience and teaching those skills in the classroom. “In college, you think you’ll never use half the stuff you learn, and then suddenly you are back in class using the same tools at work. That made me appreciate my supply chain degree even more because it gave me practical skills I use,” she says.

While at the College, her involvement with the School of Business Student Ambassador Program (thanks to the encouragement of alumna Makenna Stone) was the catalyst that pushed Sparkes out of her comfort zone. “I spent my first year and a half of college terrified of public speaking and anything that required me to step outside my safety zone. I didn’t realize how much that fear was holding me back until I decided that enough was enough,” she says. 

When she was accepted into the ambassador program, she began to look at life differently. “This role forced me to take the lead and talk to prospective students and families on the spot. Funny enough, these are things that would’ve made me go red in the face before. It taught me to take risks and showed me that there is nothing to lose and so much to gain,” she says. 

What’s lined up next for Sparkes at Gallo? Sales in New Jersey, where she will learn a completely different side of the business. “It’ll be more product-specific knowledge, how Gallo distribution works, and how production experience translates to dealing with different accounts. The beverage industry has unique processes and it’s fascinating to see the cross-department collaboration required to bring new products to the market. The chance to apply what I learn from one rotation to the next is what keeps me learning and motivated,” she says.