As a high school Spanish teacher in Garland, Texas, Chad C. Jackson decided to pursue an MBA to open a coffee shop — a decision that ultimately landed him in risk management.

Five years after graduating from Indiana University's Kelley School of Business in Bloomington with an MBA in strategic management and marketing, Mr. Jackson joined Memphis, Tenn.-based FedEx Corp. as staff director of risk management in 2008.

Born in Houston, Mr. Jackson grew up in Falls Church, Va., where he developed a passion for the Hispanic culture at an early age after experiencing the Salvadoran culture and cuisine through a childhood friend.

Mr. Jackson attended Baylor University in Waco, Texas, initially thinking about becoming a minister. He later decided to major in Spanish and journalism and, in 1998, began teaching Spanish at Garland High School.

But wanting more flexibility to spend time with his wife, Lindley, and to travel, Mr. Jackson chose a pragmatic path based on a simple passion: coffee.

“I do love teaching, but if I want a little more flexibility with my job, I should probably just go open a coffee shop,” Mr. Jackson said he thought at the time.

Indiana University had a highly rated MBA faculty and curriculum, and “I felt it was a place where I can actually learn business and then be able to open my coffee shop,” Mr. Jackson said.

After graduating in 2003, he didn't open a coffee shop, but that idea was the catalyst to get him into the business world. After floating his resume to various companies, he joined Marsh Inc. in Memphis as a risk analyst.

“I got a call from a company I barely heard of: Marsh. I thought they were a grocery store,” he said. “I didn't know that insurance brokerage as an industry existed until I got that interview.”

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But within a year, Mr. Jackson was asked to work on the office's largest account: FedEx.

In 2008, a risk management position at FedEx opened up.

“For my skill set, that's a great place for me to be. I was 32 years old, though, so I thought, that's a great place for me to be in five to 10 years,” Mr. Jackson said.

But that wait was much shorter, as Mr. Jackson joined FedEx that year and, in a short time, made great strides advancing the company's risk management program.

“It really is a great job for me. I can make a difference. I would wish the job on anybody,” Mr. Jackson said.

Mr. Jackson, 37, lives in Memphis, next door to Elvis Presley's first home, with his wife and four sons: Luke, 7; Charlie, 4; Miles, 2; and Way, who is less than 1 year old.

And just for the record, Mr. Jackson's favorite coffee is from Allegro Coffee Co.