Career Tracks
Business and Nonprofit Careers
UT English majors who have worked in the business and non-profit worlds talk about how important writing and storytelling are to their success. They draw on a range of literature classes, like Women in American Literature (332), Shakespeare’s Early and Late Plays (404 and 405), The International Novel (454), and writing classes like Creative Non-Fiction Writing (369), or Technical and Professional Writing (360) to put together a range of strategies that help them tell their stories to customers and clients.. Scroll down to explore this exciting career and see who has gone before you in our Alumni and News sections.
Careers in
Business & Nonprofits
Many of our English majors go into business after earning their degrees. Whether it’s as an entrepreneur or as an executive at a Fortune 500 company, our alumni discuss how they use their skills in communication, marketing, and leadership to excel the world of business.
Interviews with Alumni in Business and Nonprofit Careers
- Open to Opportunities: An Interview with Elizabeth Nother
English alumna Elizabeth Nother (ʼ02) sits down with Meghan Pinkston (Class of 2027) to discuss her career in business, and how her time at UT… Read more: Open to Opportunities: An Interview with Elizabeth Nother - UT English to Hold Roundtable on Careers in Business
University of Tennessee English alumni Amanda Henneghan, Mal Alder, and Kara Orellana joined Dr. Erin Elizabeth Smith for a roundtable discussion on how their English… Read more: UT English to Hold Roundtable on Careers in Business - From Rhetoric to the Halls of Power: Houston Holdren’s Career Path
From Capitol Hill to the skies, English helped Houston Holdren soar. English alumna Houston Holdren (’19) is a Senior Executive Assistant for Government Operations (Defense,… Read more: From Rhetoric to the Halls of Power: Houston Holdren’s Career Path - English Majors Don’t Have Limits: Ashley Barker and ORNL
Former English Major Flourishes as Section Head for Operations at the Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility Ashley Barker (’96) is the Section Head for Operations… Read more: English Majors Don’t Have Limits: Ashley Barker and ORNL - English Major to Business: Sarah Rainey’s Career Path
Sarah Rainey uses skills she learned in her English courses to thrive in different business sectors. It was a chance meeting in her Technical and… Read more: English Major to Business: Sarah Rainey’s Career Path - English Alum Camille Renshaw’s Path from Literature to Real Estate
A background in English has been a key to this CEO’s competitive edge. Camille Renshaw, UT English ’94, is CEO of B+E Real Estate, the first… Read more: English Alum Camille Renshaw’s Path from Literature to Real Estate
What Alumni Say
What Erin Pounders, Multiple Sectors says about being an English major
“You learn to communicate well in class discussion; that comes with being an English major. You also get to do something that you love. Some of my best times are spent with a book, just reading. My first creative writing class caused me to go and get a masters in fine arts and fiction, so I also write along with whatever day job I have. I’ve worked in non-profits, I’ve worked in the legal sector, and I’ve also taught. It’s opened a lot of doors for me. Writing is my passion. I’m able to do that as well as being a mom, going to work, being a wife, and having fun.”
—Erin Pounders, Multiple Sectors
What businesswoman Camille Renshaw says about being an English major
“It’s all about telling stories. I was fundamentally drawn to English Literature because of the storytelling. I tell stories every day . . . If I need to say “go in that direction,” I can only say that so many times before it falls on deaf ears. People want to know why their work matters. And using story gives their lives, gives my life meaning.”
—from an article highlighting business woman and English Major Camille Renshaw (’94)
News from the Business and Nonprofit Sectors
- Academy of American Poets names Erin Elizabeth Smith Poet Laureate Fellow
Please join the UT English department in congratulating Erin Elizabeth Smith, Distinguished Lecturer in English, selected as a Poet Laureate Fellow by the Academy of… Read more: Academy of American Poets names Erin Elizabeth Smith Poet Laureate Fellow