Her road to a retail career began at home

Evanne Timberlake (BA ’17, MBA ’22) has deep North Carolina roots, both at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and in the state’s legendary furniture industry.

A Winston-Salem native and part of a family business based in Lexington, she earned two degrees at Carolina. As an undergraduate, she double majored in business journalism and Spanish literature and studied business in Full-Time MBA Program at UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School.

“UNC is a very important place to my family and for how I grew up,” says Timberlake. “I’ve always loved, more than anything else, the sense of community, collaboration and belonging the people of Carolina instilled in me.”

After graduating from UNC the first time, she wasn’t sure what she wanted to do. She turned to her father, and his advice changed the course of her career.

“I had a very candid conversation with my mom (BSBA ’84) and dad (BS ’85) in my family kitchen after getting a few job offers and not feeling they were the right path for me,” says Timberlake. “My dad looked at me and said, ‘You know, you love furniture, you love retail. Why don’t you work with us? Then decide from there what you want to do. Don’t rush it, you will figure it out, do the things that you love in the meantime.’ And it was like my whole world shifted.”

“Working with us” meant the family business: the Bob Timberlake Gallery. Timberlake’s grandfather (BS ’57), Bob Timberlake, is a North Carolina icon and global phenomenon. He is best known for his watercolors and designing and licensing home furniture.

Timberlake followed her dad’s advice and quickly rose to the Gallery’s director of retail, art and furniture. She reinvigorated the company’s online ecommerce operations just before the pandemic shut down in-person retail for months, allowing for continued sales growth in an unprecedented time.

“It was an incredible privilege and opportunity,” says Timberlake. “I spent every day at work with my grandfather and father and a staff that felt like family, which was an invaluable experience. At some point, I realized in addition to simply loving shopping and traditional retail, there were so many retail roles I was excited to explore.”

A transformational journey  

As Timberlake found mentors and sought advice, she decided to earn her MBA to take her career on a new path with full support from her family.

“I am fortunate to have a great example in my life of someone who followed their passion and chose to pursue a different path in life,” she says. “I’m very lucky to have grown up with that kind of inspiration: to do what you love for work and to do it with your whole heart.”

At UNC Kenan-Flagler, Timberlake was selected for the Vetter Dean’s Fellows Program, which accelerates students’ leadership journeys. The fellows participated in tailored networking and leadership programming and studied in Rwanda in a global capstone specially designed for them.

“It was incredible to travel all across Rwanda and learn from people who have built and rebuilt themselves from the ground up and have unbelievable personalities, attitudes and perspective,” says Timberlake. “We worked in the Kigali Business Community Center with the president of Rwanda, spent time with students in the Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village, and traveled to Volcanoes National Park for gorilla trekking. This experience was something I wouldn’t have been able to have in my lifetime had it not been for the Vetter Dean’s Fellows Program.”

Part of what drew her to UNC Kenan-Flagler was the annual Carolina Women in Business (CWIB) conference, which she attended even before she enrolled in the MBA Program.

“I admired the women who spoke and enjoyed the conversations I had with students,” says Timberlake. “Everybody felt so welcoming and excited to learn about you and how this program could be right for you. Then, I met a new mentor, Beth Struckell (MBA ’82). When I asked her if she thought it was too soon in my career to do an MBA, she said, ‘It’s never too soon if you know what you want to get out of it.’”

Timberlake immersed herself into CWIB, facilitating networking and socializing opportunities to progress women in business.

She also was a Venture Capital Investment Competition fellow and co-chair of the Family Business Club. “I think everyone who works in, or has worked in, a family business should have peers who know what it’s like because the fun times and the challenges are relatable at any scale,” she says.

Starting the MBA program six months into the pandemic meant Timberlake completed some of her business school experience online. She found outlets for fun, serving on the Beer Society board and working with her friend at Duke to resurrect the Blue Cup Club, a week-long competition — from tennis and flag football to trivia and chess — between the two business schools.

“It was so fun,” says Timberlake. “It gave us a sense of normalcy after not having as many opportunities for in-person networking or socializing in our first year.”

Timberlake had questioned whether to attend business school once the pandemic hit but now sees the resiliency of the Carolina community.

“The fact that UNC has a really strong online MBA program allowed us to adapt and to shift into making the best of the situation, which speaks to Carolina as a business school and a global community, she says. “You learn lot about yourself when things don’t happen exactly as you planned. I’ve found it’s always better to try to make the most of it and move forward with a good attitude.”

Career steps

For her summer internship, Timberlake secured a position in Amazon’s Leadership Development Program and got a taste of different roles at the retail giant.

After she graduated, she accepted a full-time offer at the company. She worked as a vendor manager on the kitchen team, managing the business for the entire cookware category, working with top brands and exceptional leaders.

“You do everything, from managing internal and external stakeholder relationships and a lot of finance and forecasting, to planning, buying and inventory analysis,” says Timberlake. “I could touch marketing, operations, supply chain, ads, finance and social in any given day.”

Based in Washington, D.C., Timberlake now serves as senior product manager and leads go-to-market strategy for launching new brands and selection for all the hardlines categories, which include first-party brands in home, furniture, kitchen, home improvement, lawn and garden, major appliances, tools, outdoor furniture, toys and “entertainment and characters” (licensing). She also works with strategic vendors on new product innovation.

“It’s amazing. I work with some of the smartest people across so many different industries and roles, all focused on providing the best possible customer experience — Amazon’s ‘North Star’ vision,” she says. “It’s been an incredible learning and growth opportunity.”

She’s always had an entrepreneurial spirit and a conviction to ‘figure it out,’” she says. “While UNC Kenan-Flagler didn’t have a specific retail track, that didn’t alter my path or lessen the value of the program for me. I encourage everyone who is interested, especially women, to learn more about how an MBA could be a great opportunity for all kinds of career aspirations.”

Timberlake stays tied to UNC Kenan-Flagler. She is a member of 100 Women, a group dedicated to harnessing the power of the alumni network to attract and mentor strong female leaders. She also serves on the board of the North Carolina Society of D.C. and helps with networking for admitted and prospective UNC Kenan-Flagler students.

She credits the UNC Kenan-Flagler MBA for helping her build out a strong business acumen and deepen her confidence to continue pursuing a unique career.

“I’m grateful for all the time I spent in Chapel Hill and for all the people I met there over the years,” Timberlake says. “I’m excited to continue growing the UNC community in D.C., at Amazon and everywhere else my life takes me.”

Read more about Timberlake in this Poets & Quants interview from 2020.