Master of Human Resources Moore School students claim HR AI case competition victory

Four Darla Moore School of Business Master of Human Resources candidates recently won first place in the Penn State HR Case Competition at PepsiCo headquarters in Purchase, New York. Focused on the hot topic “Building the Future of Workforce with AI,” the Moore School team competed against 11 other teams from institutions that included Penn State, Purdue, New York University, Michigan State and Rutgers.

The winning student team:

Neal Hammond, ’25 MHR, ’24 USC neuroscience (NH)

Erin Mazza, ’25 MHR (EM)

Danaezha Wade, ’25 MHR (DW)

Tian Wu, ’25 MHR (TW)

What their faculty advisors are saying:

Mazen Aziz: “It was an honor to stand with our students during the competition, observing them prepare, refine, and execute under real-world pressure. Their professionalism, strategic thinking, and humility in accepting and applying feedback made all the difference. This victory reflects not only their talent but also the culture of excellence and leadership we are cultivating at the MHR program and at the Darla Moore School of Business.”

Rob Spooner: “This team showed what modern HR leadership looks like — thoughtful, people-centered and grounded in real business strategy. They put in the work, made the approach their own and delivered with clarity and confidence. It was inspiring to watch, and it speaks to the incredible talent being developed in the MHR program at the Moore School."

What the students are saying about their case competition victory, their approach to the challenge presented and how they united their individual strengths to win as a team:

What was your experience at the case competition? How did you feel going into the competition?
NH: I was excited to represent the university and work with an amazing team! I love the MHR program and was happy to have the chance to represent them. The experience was amazing; it was well executed and hosted by PepsiCo on an amazing campus with lots of great food. It was also stressful but in a way that facilitated growth and teamwork.

DW: My experience at the case competition was challenging yet rewarding. I felt anxious going into the competition because it was my first time competing in an event like this. However, the support and dedication from my teammates fueled my own excitement. I also enjoyed learning from world-class HR professionals during breakout sessions and networking conversations.

TW: The competition was an incredible opportunity to collaborate, learn and connect with HR leaders from across the country. Going in, I felt both excited and a bit nervous since it was the first case competition for three out of the four of us. However, we were confident in our preparation and the strength of our team. A lot of credit goes to faculty advisors Rob Spooner and Mazen Aziz for preparing us so well and ensuring our team was cohesive before competing.

How did you feel when you learned your team had won?
NH: I felt so excited to have won. I knew our team had done a lot of good work and applied what we have learned throughout our program. It was an honor to be recognized for our clarity and communication.

DW: I was overjoyed to hear that our team won. The final two teams were both extremely talented, so I felt that the first-place award could go either way. Winning also felt like a breath of fresh air as my teammates and I worked diligently on the case for about eight hours the day leading up to the presentations.

TW: I was thrilled and so proud of our team. It was incredibly rewarding to see our hard work, critical thinking and collaboration recognized among such talented peers. 

What was the challenge your team had to solve during the competition?
DW: Our team was tasked with providing strategic and creative recommendations for AI integration in the workplace. While our recommendations would be driven by HR, we had to communicate how our suggestions would permit the business to be successful and prove a financial and cultural return on investment. An additional challenge with the case was that over 50 percent of the employees impacted were unionized, so it was crucial for our team to consider aspects like collective bargaining agreements within our presentation.

TW: We were tasked with designing an HR-led blueprint to prepare an organization called NovaTech for an AI-powered future. Our team proposed a scalable reskilling pilot that upskilled employees in manufacturing and logistics into AI-supported roles, rebuilt trust with unions, and demonstrated how transformation can be both people-centered and cost effective, positioning HR as a strategic driver of business success.

How well did you work together as a team? Why was that important for your success?
NH: Working with the team was great. Everyone brought a unique skillset to the table, and many of us had worked together before, so we were able to have direct communication and productive disagreement. Working well as a team allowed each of us to focus on our strengths and become greater than the sum of our parts. This played to our success because we were able to create the content, visuals and presentation by relying on the people who were the best at each part.

DW: It was easy for our team to work collaboratively due to our interactions and group-based work throughout the MHR program. We further strengthened our established rapport by meeting with one another for two weeks prior to the competition to discuss best practices for approaching the case. The most important factor toward our success was ensuring that our presentation was clear and not too complex, which we and our faculty advisor, Rob Spooner, nicknamed “Keeping the main thing the main thing.”

TW: Our team worked seamlessly together, leveraging each person’s strengths and perspectives to tackle the problem from multiple angles. We communicated openly, stayed adaptable and challenged one another’s ideas constructively. That collaboration was essential to developing a cohesive, compelling final presentation.

How has the MHR program prepared you for challenges like this competition?
NH: The MHR program prepared all of us primarily by holding us to a high standard of professionalism, this was what truly set our team apart. Additionally, we have many opportunities to present with limited time to prepare and interact with CHROs weekly, so we knew how to address our audience and judges.

DW: One of the core competencies in the MHR program is agility, and I felt that our team’s ability to be agile and work with whatever prompt and guidelines we were given was beneficial to our success. While others may find the quick turnaround between receiving the case and delivering a presentation daunting, we were up for the challenge and well-equipped for it. Learning how to show up “ready enough” in the MHR program and still deliver confidently has been a guiding mantra for the team over the past three semesters and remained one during the competition.

TW: The MHR program has equipped me to approach complex business challenges with both strategic and human-centered thinking. Courses in HR analytics, labor relations, staffing and strategy prepared me to balance data-driven decision-making with empathy and inclusion, exactly what the NovaTech case required. The program’s emphasis on aligning HR strategy with business outcomes directly shaped how I approached this competition. 

Do you have a job lined up yet? If so, what is the position and organization/company?
NH: I will be working for AbbVie in their Human Resources Leadership Development Program rotational program starting in February.

EM: Yes, I will be going to work for Honeywell in Charlotte, North Carolina, as an HR generalist in their Future HR Leaders development program. 

DW: Following graduation, I will join AbbVie in Lake County, IL, to begin my full-time career in the Human Resources Leadership Development Program. The program will include three one-year rotations in various HR functions.

TW: I will be working as a benefits analyst at IBM.