Christopher Boone has been one of the primary catalysts for developing Mississippi State’s supply chain logistics degree program, which first started with just two students in an emphasis concentration and has grown to nearly 150 enrolled in the major.

An associate professor in the College of Business’s Department of Marketing, Quantitative Analysis, and Supply Chain Logistics and the university’s Mary Jo and Paul Karre Fellow in Business, Boone’s career stretches long before he joined Mississippi State.

During his high school English class, two military recruiters showed up with an offer too good to pass up—the opportunity to go to college for free.

He attended the University of Tennessee at Martin, but by the end of his first year, his ROTC leaders encouraged him to rethink his commitment to academics.

“I hadn’t taken my college career seriously,” Boone said. “I went home, got married and worked in a factory. It was a printing plant, so literally all I did was stand at the end of a line that printed magazines.”

Boone quickly realized that school was a missed opportunity. Driven to provide something better for his family, he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force. Over more than two decades in the Air Force, Boone was deployed three times and was assigned several jobs. One responsibility changed the course of his career—supply chain management.

“That’s what put me on the path for supply chain logistics,” he explained. “It wasn’t even intentional. It was the Air Force saying, ‘Here’s your job.’ I ended up loving it.”

Boone’s education wasn’t linear either. He attended school at night and on weekends to earn his bachelor’s degree from Alabama’s Faulkner University, then his master’s in logistics management, and eventually his doctorate in supply chain management from Auburn University, completing the program a full year ahead of schedule.

After completing his military service, Boone wanted to teach. Since joining the MSU faculty, he has taken his military and real-world experiences into the classroom to show students the importance of preparedness. The final project for Boone’s transportation class requires students to solve complex problems for a fictional company, BlueStar Transportation, using industry-leading technology before presenting solutions to a board of industry leaders from leading companies in the industry such as C.A.T. Global, PS Solutions and J.B. Hunt.

Boone also takes select participants to case study competitions. Last year, the MSU student team took home first place in their debut at the 2025 Intermodal Association of North America case study competition.

Boone said as industries expand and evolve, demand continues to grow for professionals who are well versed and prepared to solve the challenges of the future, and he aims to help his students become those future professionals.