Saint Mary's College hosts fall 2018 Shannon Scholar

November 6, 2018 (Notre Dame, Ind.) — Saint Mary’s College welcomed back alumna Lynn Van Hersett Hemans ’90 as the fall 2018 Shannon Scholar. She was on campus October 21-23, participating in professionally-related classes and meeting with students, faculty, and administrators.  

Hemans graduated from Saint Mary’s in 1990 with bachelor of arts in business administration and economics. After graduating from Saint Mary’s, she received her MBA from University of California – Irvine in 1998.

As Vice President of Customer Data and Business Intelligence for Taco Bell Corp., Hemans oversees data analytics for the company.  In an organization announcement about Hemans’s position, Marisa Thalberg, chief brand officer stated, “Lynn has been a uniquely expert voice on many aspects of Taco Bell business across her 26-year tenure with the brand – from sales forecasting, to business analysis, to macroeconomic and consumer insights. She has been a visionary in bringing initiatives like the Social Media Fishbowl, pricing strategy, and most recently, data-driven consumer segmentation to life.”

Hemans has received numerous awards for her department’s work and works cross-functionally with other divisions of YUM! Brands throughout the world. She has also been asked by different companies and universities to speak about data analytics and how she has created the successful systems within the organization.

Patricia K. Doyle, director of corporate, foundation, and government relations at Saint Mary’s stated that Hemans is a wonderful embodiment of what alumnae can do with a Saint Mary’s education. 

“We were pleased to welcome Lynn back to the campus as the fall 2018 Shannon Scholar to share her career wisdom, her passion for her work, and her encouragement of women to enter the fields of data analytics.”

About the Shannon Scholars Program: The Shannon Scholars Program, established by a generous gift from Professor William N. Shannon and his wife Bonnie, is a program at Saint Mary's College that invites exceptional alumnae back to campus to share their experiences with students, faculty, staff, and the local community.

About Saint Mary's College: Celebrating over 175 years of empowering women to make a difference in the world, Saint Mary’s College is recognized as a pioneer and continued force in the education of women. A Catholic, liberal arts institution in Notre Dame, Indiana, the College offers more than 50 undergraduate academic programs and also offers co-educational master’s degrees.