Brianna Franks
'07, Chemical Engineering
As an undergraduate, Brianna was an active member of the Society of Women Engineers, Tau Beta Pi, Alpha Lamda Delta, treasurer of AIChE, and a graduate of Lee Honors College. Brianna interned with Alticor (now Amway) during her sophomore year as well as with the Kellogg Company in her sophomore, junior and senior years. One month prior to graduation, Brianna was in a severe car accident. Bedridden, she finished her senior design project and final exams from home with the help of dedicated Western faculty.
Following graduation, Brianna started full time with the Kellogg Company as an Associate Process Engineer in the Snacks division. In 2009, Brianna moved to North Carolina to work in a Kellogg plant as an Operation Supervisor and Operations Specialist. In these roles, she helped lead the plant to its most profitable year in two decades.
Brianna earned her MBA online from Strayer University through the Jack Welch Management Institute and graduated at the top of her class.
Brianna was promoted to Senior Packaging Engineer and moved back to Battle Creek. In her new role, Brianna scoped the packaging equipment needs to consolidate several manufacturing plants as part of a global network optimization project. This paved the way to her current role as Group Engineering Manager. She now manages a team of engineers whom she coaches and leads to execute innovation, expansion, and consolidation projects globally. As of June 2016 she is also a new mother and looking forward to the future challenges in both her professional and personal life.