Dontrell Baines

During his time as a student at Tennessee Tech University, Dontrell Baines didn't know that in just four years the campus and community would help him transition into the person he is today. 

Originally from Dover, Delaware, a full-ride scholarship brought Baines to Tech, where he found a place in the College of Business, earning a bachelor's degree in accounting in 2009.

"Tennessee Tech is a family that will change you for the better. It helped me grow into an adult that is ready for the world and teaches qualities needed for leadership," he said. 

Baines loved his time at Tech so much that he decided to serve as the chair

of the Intercultural Affairs Alumni Advisory Council (MAAAC). He decided to serve on the council because he wanted a way to link undergraduates and alumni as well as create a platform in which minority alumni could network and communicate with others in their area.

“Ideally, it is my goal to bring MAAC to a place where we have social media pages that allow anyone who went to Tech be informed about meetings, events, ceremonies and allow them a space to network,” he said. 

Baines started his career as a staff accountant at the Intercontinental Exchange, the owner of the New York Stock Exchange. He is now a business transformation manager for Capgemini in Atlanta, Georgia. He specializes in training, optimization and implementation of BlackLine, an accounting software. He credits Tech to teaching him how to excel and how to prepare for an environment that is fast-paced, diverse and competitive. 

“I walked on campus in 2005 as a seventeen-year-old student who didn’t know what I wanted to be and still had a lot of growing to do. Now I truly bleed purple and gold, and I believe this is the best institution to attend and learn to become a leader,” Baines said.