Managing Director of SCL and
Academic Program Director in GTPE and
Edenfield Executive-in-Residence
Education
- B.S. Industrial and Systems Engineering (1985), Georgia Tech
- M.S. Industrial and Systems Engineering (1986), Georgia Tech
About
Chris Gaffney is an Edenfield Executive-in-Residence and a Professor of the Practice in the H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering. He also serves a dual role as Managing Director of the Supply Chain and Logistics Institute (SCL) and Academic Program Director for Georgia Tech Professional Education (GTPE) .
Chris Gaffney was most recently VP of Global Strategic Supply Chain at The Coca-Cola Company. During his 25-year tenure with Coca-Cola, Chris held multiple leadership roles including President of Coca-Cola Supply, SVP Product Supply System Strategy, VP of System Transformation, and VP of Logistics for North America. Chris also served as President of the National Product Supply Group; a governing body responsible for 95% of volume produced in North America. Following his retirement from Coca-Cola in 2020, he assumed the role of Principal at ECG and partner at EDGE Supply Chain, providing advice and consulting in the Supply Chain space. Gaffney has extensive experience in Consumer Products Supply Chain, Supply Chain Strategy & Transformation, Footprint Design & Network Optimization, Supply Chain Operating Model and Capability Building and Logistics and Supply Chain Planning.
Research
Research Interests
My research interests center on applied supply chain resilience, risk identification, and decision-making under uncertainty, with a focus on critical infrastructure, food, and industrial supply chains. I am particularly interested in translating academic research into practical tools, dashboards, and frameworks that support public–private collaboration, workforce development, and data-driven policy and investment decisions.
Teaching
Teaching Interests
My teaching interests focus on applied supply chain management, emphasizing risk and resilience, integrated business planning, and the practical use of analytics and AI to support decision-making. I am particularly interested in bridging theory and practice through real-world cases, executive education, and experiential learning that prepares students and professionals to lead across complex, dynamic, and globally interconnected supply networks.
Awards and Honors
- 2015 Outstanding Engineering Alumni Georgia Tech
Representative Publications
Durable Freight Routing in Interconnected Logistics Networks
Praveen Muthukrishnan, Saikrishnan Sankar, Sahrish Jaleel Shaikh, James Chris Gaffney, Benoit Montreuil
Dynamic Freight Routing and Dispatch Protocols for the Physical Internet
Sahrish Jaleel Shaikh, Praveen Muthukrishnan, Benoit Montreuil, James Chris Gaffney
SCL Spotlight Articles | Supply Chain and Logistics Institute