FMA Magazine 2021 - 2023

MASTERS OF THE FUTURE
JOHN TAPP
COLUMBIA BUSINESS SCHOOL
In January 2023, John Tapp (FMA ’18)
entered the MBA program at Columbia
Business School. Prior to CBS, John
spent four years at Regions Business
Capital (the leveraged finance platform
of Regions Bank) where he rose the ranks
to Associate Vice President. Six months
prior to starting his MBA, John joined KT
Capital, a boutique private equity firm in
Atlanta.
When choosing a school to further his
education, Columbia appealed to John for
a variety of reasons. “CBS is known for
their value investing program and finance
focus. Also, New York is the financial
capital of the world and CBS’ proximity
to so many firms and companies is a big
differentiator when compared to other
programs.” So far in his time at CBS, John
has enjoyed “taking advantage of living in
NYC, hanging out with fellow FMA alum
William Cole, and getting to know and
travel with some amazing people with
diverse backgrounds.
Post graduation, the Atlanta native plans
on pursuing a career in private credit
or private equity at firms that focus on
lower middle market businesses. Looking
forward to seeing where this new chapter
takes you, John!
LAUREN
BRADFORD
VANDERBILT
“My journey to Finance is non-linear,” says 2021 grad Lauren Bradford. “I knew
that I wanted to pay entirely for my degree at Auburn through scholarship.
Therefore, I sacrificed my college summers to compete for Miss Alabama, the
state preliminary to Miss America – the nation’s leading scholarship provider for
women.” After graduating from Auburn, Lauren went on to win Miss Alabama and
place as 1st runner up to the 100th anniversary Miss America.
Lauren graduated in three years from Auburn and spent a year traveling the
state as Miss Alabama. She then went to grad school at Vanderbilt in the Fall of
2022 - her Miss America scholarships paying entirely for her graduate degree.
“Since I had used my summers to compete for the title, I didn’t have as much
finance experience – which influenced my decision to pursue graduate school.”
While at Vandy, Lauren worked with the associate dean to create and lead an
organization called “Own It: Empowering the Women of Vanderbilt Owen,” which
provided programming and education to women in specialized masters programs.
“Continuing to seek out leadership opportunities and learning how to be an
example to younger women within business continues to be a passion of mine.”
Lauren now works in Nashville as an associate at Berkeley Research Group,
a global management consulting firm, where she specializes in Healthcare
Transaction Advisory. “I’m incredibly thankful for my time in FMA because it was
one of the first times I was truly exposed to careers in high-finance. I continue
to realize that no one’s path to their goals should look identical. Each differing
background brings a sense of innovation to teams and is necessary for growth.
While imposter syndrome is real, the influence and knowledge you gain from
putting yourself in uncomfortable situations is even more tangible. I hope to
continue sharing this message throughout my career and am excited for all that’s
to come. P.S. – finance rocks!”
Congratulations on all your accomplishments, Lauren. We know these are few of
many more to come!
FMA 2021-2023 MAGAZINE 63