Herbert College of Agriculture alumna Jourdan Jones received Subway’s Culture Champion CEO Award for “living out Subway’s core values while also demonstrating dedication and passion towards building the brand.”
At the end of every year, Subway holds a ceremony to award employees whose efforts have demonstrated going above and beyond to help push the brand forward. With several categories, about twenty-five to thirty people globally win each year. Employees are nominated by their peers and a committee of senior leadership reviews all nominations and selects the winners—Jones being one of them for 2024.
Jones graduated from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, with her bachelor’s degree in food science in 2017 and her master’s in food science in 2019. She served as president of the Food Science Club and also worked in the Sensory Lab. She now works for Subway as a senior analyst on the Product Insights Team at the company headquarters in Miami, Florida.
Jones transferred to UT Knoxville from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in the fall of her junior year. Her major at UT Chattanooga, food and nutrition, was unfortunately dissolved, but she continued to chase her dreams and decided to study food science at UT Knoxville. She said, “It was just a bonus to me that I eventually grew to truly believe that there is no greater place than the ag campus at UT.”
It’s been quite the journey for Jones from starting college to her successful career at Subway. As a senior analyst, she works closely with internal teams such as Culinary, Marketing, and Operations to help bring products to life—from concept to launching nationally.
A pride point for Jones is her development of Subway EATS (Employee Aided Tasting Squad)—an internal program that collects product feedback from employees for lower risk products or products where insights are needed quickly. This allows her team to receive product feedback to inform the Culinary Team of necessary optimizations prior to testing in restaurants.
When asked about her favorite aspect of her role, she said, “My favorite part of my job is when I see a product that I’ve conducted consumer research on available in restaurants or in a commercial on TV. It shows the impact of the work that I do every day, especially for such an iconic brand like Subway.”
Winning the Culture Champion CEO Award clearly reflects Jones’ passion for her work. She said, “Winning this award was like the cherry on top to the great year that 2024 was for me professionally. I was able to find a freedom that makes work not feel like work, and that is something to most definitely be proud of.”
Jones credits UT Knoxville and Herbert for helping her find her voice. From delivering the commencement speech at her undergraduate graduation to presenting in seminars to obtain her master’s degree, the foundation for Jones’ presentation skills was laid on the ag campus and later cultivated in her career. As a member of the Insights Team at Subway, she acts as a storyteller by helping stakeholders understand the story behind the data.
Jones also named specific individuals at Herbert who made a lasting impact. Sensory Lab manager Sara Burns hired her to work in the Sensory Lab from a mock interview for another course, thus giving her a glimpse into the world of sensory. Additionally, she appreciates Molly West, lecturer in the Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communications, for “being a great sounding board and giving the best advice.”
Looking back, Jones remembers always wanting to attend UT Knoxville, but her fear of not getting in prevented her from completing the application. “It seems I was destined to go there all along, and transferring there remains to be one of the best decisions I have ever made.” She continued, “I’m always proud to say I graduated from the University of Tennessee.”
