Congratulations to the winners of the 2022 Speaker’s Edge competition.
Speaker’s Edge 2022 Overall CHAMPION
Elizabeth Tettleton Mason
MBA Candidate
School of Business Administration
After two days of competition, Elizabeth Tettleton Mason, an MBA candidate from Oxford, was declared the overall winner and was awarded a check for $1,000.
“The Speaker’s Edge program is one of the most unique aspects of the Ole Miss MBA program,” said Mason, who earned her bachelor’s degree in hospitality management from UM. “I am honored to be named the overall champion this year and want to thank Katherine Anderson for her generous gift as my award.
“Public speaking has been a longtime passion of mine, largely influenced by my experience in undergrad while traveling in competitive forensics competitions. Our new speech center director, Dr. Ellie Moore, has done a remarkable job bringing Speaker’s Edge into a new era, even in the midst of the challenges of the pandemic.”
Marketplace Pitch Champion
Caitlin Marie Moak
MBA Candidate
School of Business Administration
In the Marketplace Pitch category, Caitlin Marie Moak, an MBA candidate from Canton, Georgia, took first place. She was followed by Mason and Borgen.
“I was honored to participate in the Speaker’s Edge competition,” said Moak, who earned a bachelor’s degree in economics and marketing from Ole Miss. “It helped me develop my speaking skills and overcome my fear of speaking in public.”
Moak’s pitch proposed a three-step plan to Amazon’s board of directors to improve the company’s business model to be a better employer.
Ethical Dilemma Champion
Aldyn Ewing
M.Accy Candidate
Patterson School of Accountancy
In the Ethical Dilemmas category, Aldyn Ewing, a master’s student in accountancy from Corpus Christi, Texas, took first place, followed by Mason. In third place was Anna Michele Borgen, an MBA candidate from Heath, Texas, who received her bachelor’s degree from UM in accountancy.
“The Ethical Dilemmas portion of Speaker’s Edge was challenging yet very rewarding,” said Ewing, who earned her bachelor’s degree in accountancy from UM. “I know that competing in this event helped to prepare me for many situations I will encounter during my career as an accountant.”
Team Pitch Champions
Team Olay
Kelly Moran, J.R. Kellen, Walker Cottrell, Trey Sankey, Logan Gage
M.Accy Candidates
Patterson School of Accountancy
In the Team Pitch category, participating students randomly selected companies and applied the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, or SWOT, analysis to evaluate them. The goal was to determine and address points of vulnerability or opportunity and how best to present a solution or highlight a strength.
The winning pitch was from Team Olay, which involved the marketing of a new cruelty-free skin product line targeted to people in their 20s and 30s and using social media influencers to promote it.
Members of the winning team were all master’s students from the School of Accountancy. They are Walker Cottrell, from Columbus, Georgia, who received his bachelor’s in accountancy from Ole Miss; Logan Gage, of Ridgeland, who received his bachelor’s degree in accountancy from Ole Miss; J.R. Kellen, from Lexington, Kentucky, who received his bachelor’s in accountancy from Ole Miss; Kelly Moran, from Martinez, California, who received her bachelor’s degree in business administration from California Polytechnic State University, and Trey Sankey, of Tallahassee, Florida, who received his bachelor’s degree in accountancy from Ole Miss.
