“It’s time to stop the export of talent from states like the one I grew up in, and I know I can find a way to marry a profitable business venture with community-building outreach.”
Tanner was reared in rural Mississippi, and it’s his home state that continues to drive his professional direction and purpose. He grew up building things with his dad – from their family home to a new fire station for the town, from elevators made out of spare garage door parts to custom ATV snorkel systems. These experiences inspired a love of engineering and community that Tanner wouldn’t fully recognize until later in his career and education. He received a degree in Mechanical Design Engineering from Olin College. At MITidm, Tanner’s projects and studies have focused on systems engineering and organizational design, which he hopes to use as tools to solve the problem of limited opportunity in states like Mississippi and nurture local talent to keep people from seeking promising careers elsewhere.