Mike Van Den Eynde 92MBA, managing director at Deloitte Consulting, respects Hill’s enthusiastic teaching. “Professor Hill participated in every Deloitte case competition since we began the effort in 2012. He was always very willing to give up his Friday to help ‘his’ Goizueta students get the best experience possible and learn from every setting. But that did not mean he took it easy on them!” Van Den Eynde notes. “If students had flaws in logic or structuring, professor Hill gave them the full learning experience. Ray is always a pleasure to work with and Deloitte and Goizueta alumni are appreciative of his passion for teaching and his students.”

With an undergrad economic degree from Princeton University, and a PhD in Economics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Hill returned to Princeton to teach in the economics department and school of public policy. Hill then shifted to the private sector with Lehman Brothers, first in New York and then as managing director for Lehman Brothers in Hong Kong. Hill’s career broadened with C-suite posts to Atlanta’s Southern Energy, Consolidated Electric Power of Asia, and Mirant Corporation.

Goizueta gained Hill’s industry knowledge and academic edge in 2003 when he returned to teaching. “Roberto Goizueta is a hero of mine,” Hill has reflected. “He was a great strategic thinker and had his eye on the fundamental principles that made a company work, and made people want to work for a company and do a good job.” Using Goizueta’s simple and timeless lessons prior to launching projects, Hill frequently asks students to consider several important questions. “What is our company about? What are you trying to do? Is the next thing you’re proposing we engage in going to further those long run gains?”

Students and Faculty Launch Momentum Campaign to Establish the Raymond Hill Legacy Scholarship

To demonstrate their longstanding support and appreciation for their mentor and colleague, members of the MBA Class of 2023 and Goizueta faculty have launched a campaign to honor Hill’s legacy.

Upon reaching $20,000 in funding, the Raymond Hill Legacy Scholarship would be created to support Goizueta in recruiting the best MBA student talent possible in the domains of finance and economics and will focus on ambitious leaders who will be deeply involved in the Goizueta community.

“Well known for colorful stories from his past careers as an investment banker at Lehman Brothers and CFO of Mirant Corporation, as well as his ever-present cold calling, Ray has been an integral member of the Goizueta community,” students share. “He’s a master teacher who has helped shape how students see the world and approach business problems. He’s also served as the faculty sponsor for the Goizueta Energy Club, International Club, and Christian Fellowship Club. He represents the very best of Goizueta.”

More Praise for Ray Hill

“Ray is the complete package; he possesses an amazing grad school experience, an accomplished corporate history, and a thoughtful and pragmatic classroom approach. And he’s got a great laugh! It’s hard to beat that combination.”

Thomas Smith, professor in the practice of finance

“I knew Ray because he was a significant CFO in Atlanta. He had loved teaching at Princeton after getting his MIT PhD and it seemed a good time for me to try to recruit him to Goizueta. Smartest and dumbest thing I ever did. Smart part—Ray has added so much to all of us: faculty and alumni as well as students. Dumb part—pre-Ray I often won an MBA teaching award, since then he has monopolized the awards!”

Jeffrey Rosensweig, associate professor of finance and director of The Robson Program for Business, Public Policy, and Government

“Ray has an incredible gift for explaining difficult theoretical concepts by relating them to any of a whole host of real-world examples that he personally experienced during his esteemed business career.”

Jeffrey Busse, Goizueta Foundation Term Professor of Finance

“I met Ray as I began teaching first semester core MBA finance 17 years ago. He served as a role model, mentor, and friend who was always available when called upon. His passion for education and commitment to students and the school was constant. When I was leading the Full-time MBA Program and later Executive Education, I could always count on Ray to step-up to meet a need. He truly practiced servant leadership. His contributions over his years at Goizueta were immense. More importantly, what he has instilled in thousands of alumni will continue to positively impact the world for decades.”

JB Kurish, professor in the practice of finance

From faculty to staff and students to alumni, we wish Ray Hill the very best!

Would you like to learn more about the Raymond Hill Legacy Scholarship? Find out more about how you can impact the Goizueta student experience.

The post Ray Hill Bids Farewell to Goizueta appeared first on EmoryBusiness.com.

“Thirty years ago, people kept their pets outside,” Glattstein notes. Now, according to Bloomberg Intelligence, the global pet economy is projected to be worth $493 billion by 2030, up 54 percent from today’s number. With store aisles dedicated to pet treats, toys, clothing, and supplies, animal lovers increase household pet spending each year for pampering and medical care. 

“I didn’t come from the veterinary world, but I was fascinated by the industry,” Glattstein says. With professional experience in investment and private equity, a BBA from Goizueta, and an MBA from Wharton, he was ready to sit on the entrepreneur’s side of the table as a founder.

The way people treat their pets has dramatically changed in the last several decades. Pets now sleep in their human parents’ beds, eat organic food, and are treated like members of the family. But even with these shifting behaviors, how pets are treated at the vet, certainly at an emergency vet, hasn’t really changed.

David Glattstein 04BBA

Partnering with founder and CEO David Bessler, VMD, the team conceived a new holistic standard of veterinary emergency care. The model developed after implementation through a single hospital. As noted on the company website, “Pets would be treated like people and pet parents like human beings.” Glattstein explains, “We set out to create a completely different veterinary ER experience.”

Veterinary Emergency Group now owns 53 emergency veterinary hospitals across the country, open 24/7, 365 days a year, with more than 3,500 employees and medical personnel affectionately called VEGgies. The company earns more than $500 million in revenue and is backed by Sequoia Heritage. Glattstein sees extensive future growth for the VEG model of care, setting sights on 500 nationwide hospitals in just a few years. “We’re just getting started.”

The road to success began with extensive research. Glattstein recognized the need for innovation and entrepreneurship in the veterinary industry. “I envisioned a reimagined veterinary business model that created a new environment for the stressful situations that surround emergency medical care for beloved family pets. Our pets are family,” he says. “We know that emergencies are frightening, so we created a completely new, inclusive experience to offer comfort to family members and their animals.”

Veterinary Emergency Group facilities are revolutionary within the industry. Hospitals are open floor plan and families can choose to witness “healing-focused heroics” and participate in treatment. “We find a way to say yes to owner requests,” Glattstein explains, noting accommodations for families to bring comforts of home or stay overnight with their animals. “Our philosophy is to care for the person as much as the pet.”

Strong Brand Integrity Will Continue to Guide the VEGolution

While an undergrad student at Goizueta, Glattstein gained appreciation for the vital importance of critical branding, refined strategic goals, and powerful marketing.

Goizeuta laid the foundation for my desire to do something entrepreneurial. Everything I learned in the classroom, from marketing to finance to leadership, and everything I learned from my peers has made me a better executive.

David Glattstein

Success is reflected in the numbers, and penetrating a niche market has earned high praise for Veterinary Emergency Group. With an average Google score of 4.7 and a Net Promoter score of 91, customers consistently respond well to the company experience. In fact, more than 1 million pets and owners have been helped since inception.

David Schweidel, Rebecca Cheney McGreevy Endowed Chair and Professor of Marketing, notes that “From a marketing perspective, they are focused on pet owners who are the key decision makers for their pets. They’re putting it in terms that people can relate to. When you or I have an injury, we go to urgent care or to the ER. But where do you go for pets?” He adds, “You probably need to call around because you aren’t sure if your vet has emergency hours or the necessary equipment or facilities. VEG branding makes it crystal clear that if you have an emergency, you come to us.”

Reinforcing a strong brand comes as second nature to Glattstein. He reiterates the phrase that sums up the company business model. “Emergency is all we do, so we do it best.”

Immersion in entrepreneurship and innovation is central to Goizueta’s business education. The Roberto C. Goizueta Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation takes a multi-faceted approach to engage students and business owners through interaction with Entrepreneurs-in-Residence and ecosystem collaborators, Pitch the Professor events, the annual Emory Entrepreneurship Summit, focused coursework, a Startup Launch Accelerator, venture capital opportunities through the RAISE Forum and the Peachtree Minority Venture Fund, and other entrepreneurial programming. Learn more here.

Listen to more of the founders’ start-up story in the Authentically Successful podcast “Transparency Breeds Appreciation: David Glattstein & David Bessler.”

The post Meet David Glattstein: Changing the Game for Veterinary Emergency Care appeared first on EmoryBusiness.com.

Taking stock, the financial reality for many Americans can be frightening. The average U.S. household holds over $96,000 in debt, and 30 percent of adults don’t have enough savings to cover a $400 emergency. A quarter of non-retired Americans have no retirement savings or pension. And one in five adults share in a student loan debt that totals a staggering $1.6 trillion.

When Galanis and Goizueta classmate Rene Meza 18MBA realized they shared a passion for financial education, they dug into the numbers. What they learned presented an opportunity. “Neither of us had financial education growing up, and we both felt strongly that significant improvements should be made in how we teach the next generation about finance,” Galanis says. The two conducted a deep dive into industry research. “We discovered we are at an inflection point in education systems across the country, with states rapidly adopting financial education standards in the classroom at a rate the country has never seen before.”

Finance is a lifelong journey. Thus, we’re on a mission to ensure everyone has access to premium personal financial education and improve financial futures for generations.

Rene Meza 18MBA, co-founder and CEO of Lemoney Learning

With optimal timing, Lemoney Learning launched in Texas and offers free courses aligned with state financial education standards. “Each course comes with content, supplemental materials, and documented standards alignment so teachers know exactly what lesson maps to each standard,” Galanis explains. 

The company “provides our learning platform free to educators and learners because we believe it must be free so that those who need it most will always have access to it,” Galanis says. “We partner with local financial institutions interested in getting involved with their communities as well as provide additional, hands-on support to education districts interested in doubling down on their investment in financial education.”

Financial education is one of the most empowering things we can provide to young learners. Confidence with money can unlock limitless opportunities.

Lemoney Learning Co-founder and President Michael Galanis 18MBA

Making the Leap into Entrepreneurship

On the path to his dream of becoming an entrepreneur, Galanis gained critical work experience. At Bain & Co., he took part in problem solving across industries and sharpened his skills presenting to executives. As a general manager for DoorDash, he edged closer to the startup world. “Working at a larger tech company to build and launch a product allowed me to test out a lot of the core skills required to build a business in a relatively safe space,” he says. At Reify Health, he gained insight into the corporate lifecycle following Series C managed growth. Galanis worked closely with the company founders. “I realized that if I wanted to be an entrepreneur, it was time to make the jump.”

Now, in Lemoney Learning’s first year, change is steady, and progress plentiful. “There’s such a pressing need for quality resources in this space that our biggest challenge is getting our name out there vs. having to convince anyone to use our product once they know about it,” Galanis shares. “We’re focused on Texas for this upcoming school year and already have districts across the state using our platform to teach financial education to students. Our plan is to ‘get it right’ in Texas and then grow from there. Georgia is next on the list!”

Galanis looks back at his MBA experience and praises Goizueta professors for building a foundation of core principles and business values. Professor in the Practice of Finance JB Kurish was a role model to Galanis. “We’re a financial education platform, so our whole goal is to make financial education enjoyable and impactful,” he says. “I’ve never seen anyone do it quite as well as JB.”

Galanis also recalls that Professor Kevin Coyne encouraged students to think from multiple perspectives to fully understand the critical elements. “This still holds true and has proved immensely valuable,” Galanis says.

Launching a new business is all about understanding multiple perspectives and delivering a solution that is both valuable and readily adopted. Those two don’t always happen together. Having a clear process for how to work through that has been helpful.

Michael Galanis

To future entrepreneurs Galanis advises, “Be honest with yourself. Taking the jump is a big professional and personal commitment, so make sure you really want to do it.” Many would-be entrepreneurs wait to gain more professional experience, including Galanis. “That’s how it was for me. Now that I’m on the other side, I can confidently say nothing can ever really prepare you other than just going for it. If you’ve got an idea you’re passionate about, a business model you’re confident in, and a personal life that can support the lifestyle, go for it.”

Reflecting on his startup experience, he recommends, “Listen to your customers. Every entrepreneur likely starts thinking they have a great solution to a problem. In most cases, their first idea is probably wrong (or at least, slightly off target). Ours certainly was,” he shares. “Your customers or users are often great at pointing at things they like and the things they don’t like. The quicker you listen to their feedback, the easier your life becomes.”

About the Robert W. Woodruff Scholarship

Robert W. Woodruff was a renowned businessman and philanthropist who headed The Coca-Cola Company for many years and gave generously to Emory University. The founding and signature scholarship of the Emory Scholars Program is named in his honor. Woodruff’s personal creed read, “There is no limit to what a man can do or where he can go if he doesn’t mind who gets the credit.” Woodruff Scholars leave a lasting imprint on Goizueta Business School and Emory University through their leadership, academic performance, and lifelong relationships. Learn more about this and other scholarship opportunities at Goizueta.

At Goizueta, students come first. Your support of scholarships helps us attract and retain top students Give today!

Whether you’re looking to accelerate your career or make a career pivot, our full-time MBA programs prepare you to challenge business as usual and become the innovators who disrupt it. Learn more here.

The post Paying it Forward Through Free Finance Lessons for All appeared first on EmoryBusiness.com.

Each year, PMVF students acting in the investor role, along with faculty and advisory board input, hold the Spring Showcase at The Hatchery on campus to announce new investments. To date, the fund has made total investment commitments of $170K into seven companies in seven different industries in six cities. In the first round for the 2021-2022 academic year, the investment process began with commitments to CommunityX, Ecotone Renewables, and FundStory. Just this past spring, investments were committed to Arch, Chezie, ConConnect, and Tuyyo.

JB Kurish, professor in the practice of finance and a Business & Society Institute faculty advisor, guides the PMVF’s academic curriculum with Jill Perry-Smith, senior associate dean, strategic initiatives, and academic director of The Roberto C. Goizueta Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation, Rob Kazanjian, Asa Griggs Candler Professor of Organization & Management, and Juanita Velez, adjunct professor and senior manager diversity, equity, and inclusion operations for Delta Airlines. In addition, Brian Cayce recently joined Goizueta Business School as Managing Director of The Roberto C. Goizueta Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation. Cayce brings 17 years of venture capital experience to the team having founded the early-stage impact-focused funds of Gray Ghost Ventures.

Nurturing Future Investors and Entrepreneurs

“Through directed curriculum and classwork, students gain the real-world analysis skills required to make informed investment decisions,” Kurish says. With an industry agnostic approach, “The fund follows a holistic research process during which the students operate in the role of investors. Investors not only learn about the company in front of them, but also about the larger industry and its risks and upside.”  

Student participants come from a wide range of degree programs, including Goizueta’s undergraduate Bachelor of Business Administration program, the school’s multiple MBA programs, and Emory University’s law school. This diversity excites Kurish. “We like the fact that we’ve got students from various academic programs involved. Add to that their unique cultural perspectives and age differences and we all benefit from the interaction.”

A richness and experiential value come to students by what they bring as individuals to each discussion. This sharing develops a collective holistic appreciation for the needs and desires of underrepresented founders.

JB Kurish, professor in the practice of finance and Business & Society Institute faculty advisor

The PMVF documents investments of entrepreneurial funding ranging from $5-50K through a simple agreement for future equity. Kurish explains, “Most common are seed stage investments of $15-$30K. The goal for these investments is to gain allocation into a financing round led by institutional investors.”

In addition to benefiting each founder and company, this process also provides students unprecedented access and exposure to the world of venture capital–not to mention potential job opportunities.

JB Kurish

To educate and empower founders, the fund offers resources and tools such as Cap table simulator, talent locators, pitch deck examples and basics, and financial modeling for startups. As an educational partner to founders, Goizueta will continue to expand its impact for growth. Kurish notes, “In the future we will incubate their success with even more educational and professional networking opportunities.”  

Changing the Funding Narrative 

Each fall, student class members and leaders are selected for participation in the fund activities. Past student participants continue to support the fund by taking part in evaluative and processing activities in the fall. These fall activities pave the way for the main thrust of student engagement in spring.  

During the 2023 spring class, the fund received over 50 applications. From this applicant pool, managing partners screened over 100 deals and engaged in preliminary due diligence on over 50 of them. To further narrow the pipeline of potential investment, the PMVF team conducted another round of deep due diligence on 10 deals. The investment committee then reviewed the final five deals and ultimately selected four companies to receive PMVF investment. 

JB Kurish

After extensive research, interviews, and analysis by the PMVF team, the following companies received investment commitments through the fund in the 2022-2023 academic year: 

• Chezie, Co-Founder and CEO is Toby Egbuna, COO is Dumebi Egbuna 18BBA 
• ConConnect, Co-Founder and CEO is Andre Peart 
• Tuyyo, Founder & CEO is Stefanie Garcia Turner 21EMBA 
• Arch, CEO & Co-Founder is Gabriel Huertas del Pino and Adam Mutschler 

It is an honor to receive an investment from Emory University’s Peachtree Minority Venture Fund. As an alumna of Goizueta Business School, this investment is a full circle moment as I began working on TUYYO while I was receiving my Executive MBA in 2020-2021. This investment will further support TUYYO’s growth in new retail locations across the United States and assist in our efforts to provide clean ingredient, Latin-inspired products to the LatinX community and beyond.

Tuyyo Foods Founder/CEO Stefanie Garcia Turner 21EMBA 

To carry on the rich tradition of investing in and supporting underrepresented founders, the new managing partners of the Peachtree Minority Venture Fund have been named. Brandon Best 24MBA, Sumo Desai 24MBA, Savannah Holmes 24MBA, Brandon Jacobs 24BBA, Madeline Ledford 24MBA, Kevin Liu 24EvMBA, and Benedict Owanga 24JD will all lead for the coming year.  

PMVF Wins the AACSB Innovations that Inspire 2023 Award 

AACSB International, a global nonprofit, is the world’s largest business education alliance that connects educators, students, and businesses across the world. Since 1916, the organization has been committed to creating the next generation of leaders. As part of its advocacy outreach in more than 100 countries and territories, AACSB selects 25 Innovative Business Schools of Tomorrow that drive new value for stakeholders.  

Kurish shared, “In the words of AACSB, Goizueta’s Peachtree Minority Venture Fund ‘was one of 25 institutions that demonstrate how AACSB member institutions are creating new value for a continuously evolving business world and global society.’”  

Learn more about the Peachtree Minority Venture Fund and access founder applications.  

Follow fund news on Twitter @Peachtree_Fund and LinkedIn @PeachtreeMinorityVentureFund.  

Read more about the prestigious AACSB International award here. 

The post Minority Founders Earn Funding Through Million Dollar Student-Run Peachtree Minority Venture Fund appeared first on EmoryBusiness.com.

Seton Girls by Charlene Thomas 16MBA 

An experienced brand marketer for top names like PepsiCo and Diageo, Thomas has now led the types of campaigns she used to dream about. Now she has actualized another dream that began in the third grade when she penned her first book. “From there, I kept on going—dreaming up story after story and I haven’t stopped since,” she shares. “I’ve achieved my lifetime goal of publishing my first novel, Seton Girls.” Penguin Random House released the book and has purchased rights to Thomas’ second novel, coming in 2024.  

Hailed as a page-turning story with a heart, Seton Girls is “A smart and twisty debut YA that starts off like Friday Night Lights and ends with the power and insight of Dear White People.” 

Readers will enter the complex world of Seton Academic High, a prep school obsessed with its football team and their 13-year conference win streak, a record that players always say they’d never have without Seton’s girls. What exactly Seton girls do to make them so valuable, though, no one ever really says. They’re just “the best.” But the team’s quarterback, the younger brother of the Seton star who started the streak, wants more than regular season glory. He wants a state championship before his successor, Seton’s first Black QB, has a chance to overshadow him. Bigger rewards require bigger risks, and soon the actual secrets to the team’s enduring success leak to a small group of girls who suddenly have the power to change their world forever. 

Deeply Rooted Dreams and Emergent Light by Alexander Mukte 

Delving into magical realism and metaphysical visionary fiction, The Rewired Series has created “a universe that pulls you in and doesn’t let you go.” The books are written by Alexander Mukte, the nom de plume of Goizueta’s Marcus Siwemuke 14MBA, founder of Three to Five Publishing. “I’ve always had a vision to entertain and inspire readers to pursue their greatness.” Across this award-winning series of novels, “I take readers on a journey of mystery, magic, and personal growth, all in pursuit of a better tomorrow.” 

The series’ debut book The Recruiter earned the distinction of winning the 2022 International Book Awards in the African American Fiction category. Deeply Rooted Dreams is the second installment of The Rewired Series. Mukte’s second novel creates an even more intricate world, striking an engaging balance of mystery and wonder. In Emergent Light, a 2023 Edward Hoffer Award Finalist, readers will engage in a meditation on pursuing one’s higher self and an intriguing thriller as the main characters work to ensure the future of humanity.  

Siwemuke shares, “The complete trilogy is now available in audio as well, each a dual narrator performance by two Earphones Award winners.” 

Hispanic Market Power by Isaac Mizrahi 03EMBA  

As a world-class, award-winning marketing executive with more than 30 years’ experience for brands such as Coca-Cola, Sprint, McDonald’s, PepsiCo, CVS Health, and Google, Isaac Mizrahi 03EMBA understands both the client and agency sides of the marketing business. A columnist for Forbes.com, Mizrahi shares insight into multicultural marketing in America.  

In his new book Hispanic Market Power: America’s Business Growth Engine, Mizrahi uses straightforward talk, illustrative case studies, and pragmatic suggestions to help marketers truly connect with day-to-day reality. 

Mizrahi notes that the U.S. Hispanic segment represents the most prominent demographic growth in the country, and a huge and untapped business opportunity for companies willing to move away from preconceived notions and market effectively to Hispanic customers.  

As the book demonstrates, “now more than ever, corporations operating in the U.S. should see the Hispanic population at the core of their existing and future strategies, but many leaders believe Hispanic marketing is the same marketing you run for Anglos but translated into Spanish, or that all Hispanics are undocumented immigrants with no purchasing power, or that using Mariachis in their communications is the way to connect with this diverse segment.” 

Mizrahi, one of the country’s leading voices in multicultural marketing, uses his unique experience as a corporate executive, agency CEO, and industry leader to help businesses grow by leveraging the booming Hispanic consumer segment to drive sales. 

Retail Risk Assessment: 2022 (Future of Automotive) by Steve Greenfield 04EvMBA 

As CEO and Founder of Automotive Ventures, an early-stage automotive technology and mobility VC fund that helps entrepreneurs raise growth capital and accelerate their businesses and delivers outsized returns to investors in the fund, Steve Greenfield 04EvMBA shares his expertise with readers. Automotive Ventures’ first fund is already performing strongly, tracking at an over 30% net internal rate of return (IRR). Steve’s strongest angel investment was CarTrade India, which delivered a 140x return.  

The Automotive Ventures Retail Risk Assessment: 2022 (AVRRA) builds on the previous book The Future of Automotive Retail by exploring in more depth the trends that have the highest probability and potential impact on industry participants. 

Greenfield shares, “The goal of the Automotive Ventures Retail Risk Assessment (AVRRA) is to be able to work closely with the dealer body to develop a roadmap for action: to prepare for and neutralize some of the bigger threats exposed by the Risk Assessment. Monitoring these trends on behalf of the industry will allow participants to be better informed and prepared for the future. Staying vigilant and on top of these themes will help industry players stay competitive and ultimately thrive in this accelerating period of change.” 

Trading for Dummies (5^th Edition) by Lita Epstein 89MBA 

For readers looking to become a savvy trader and make money in both up and down markets, Lita Epstein 89MBA continues to update her book Trading for Dummies. Now in its fifth edition, the book addresses a volatile market and teaches readers how to ride the waves and navigate changing tides through due diligence, key indicator analysis, and market trend interpretations.  

Trading For Dummies is for investors in search of a clear guide to trading stocks in any type of market. Inside are sample stock charts, position trading tips and techniques, and fresh ways to analyze trends and indicators. Learn how to make smart decisions by identifying the stocks, bonds, funds, and commodities that will net the maximum gain. The book encourages readers to “Assume more risk, reap more benefits, build a more aggressive portfolio, and enjoy the greater gains that come with short- and medium-term trading methods.” 

Have you written a book, created a film, launched a new business venture, implemented a community project, or celebrated a career move? We’d love to hear from you. Share your exciting Goizueta class notes with us.  

The post Summer Reading: Page-Turning Reads by Alumni Authors appeared first on EmoryBusiness.com.

With guidance from Goizueta Alumni Board member and Woodruff Scholar Willi Freire 19BBA, manager of Workforce Transformation Consulting Practice based out of Washington, D.C., teams developed their own strategies to create a culture of belonging to help PwC clients Mountain Top Technologies (MTT) and ATL Bank to retain and build loyalty among their Generation Z employees.

Defined in the case note as “the 100% technological generation, Gen Z has infinite confidence in their ability to reimagine the workplace. Savvy and skeptical, Gen Z prefers flexibility to choose hybrid or fully remote work.”

“Students were asked to deeply analyze the behaviors and wants of the next generation of talent in light of relatively new workplace phenomenon like the Great Resignation and quiet quitting. They would present to business leaders their ideas on what can truly yield workplace loyalty for Gen Z workers,” Freire says.

The teams really took this intentionally ambiguous case and dug into some powerful research to formulate their ideas and come up with some intriguing recommendations that were creative, but also fit for implementation in real business scenarios.

Willi Freire 19BBA, manager, PwC Workforce Transformation Consulting Practice

Fourteen Semesters of BBA Students Solving Client Challenges

The PwC challenge continues the legacy of previous interactive competitions for BBA students. For each new competition client, Molly Epstein, professor in the practice of organization and management, and Nikki Graves, associate professor in the practice of organization and management, guide students on a transformative semester-long journey of brainstorming real-world business challenges, group problem solving, idea and strategy refinement, and presentation to client executives in a competitive setting. “In today’s competitive internship landscape, real-world cases give students an edge,” Epstein says.

Recent client companies have included Gold Rush Vinyl, Urban Tree Cidery, Mercedes-Benz, Cricket Wireless, Accenture, Florida’s Natural Orange Juice, SurveyMonkey, and Coca-Cola Global Procurement. Teams address problems with immediacy. “As a result, our clients have 60+ teams’ recommendations within 60 days of asking the question,” Epstein says. “For example, in the last several years, our clients asked BBA students to explore issues of work-from-home, mentorship, on-boarding, and affinity groups.”

For 14 semesters, Bcomm faculty have collaborated with clients to create a challenge that pushes BBA students to become experts in a specialized communication-related topic.

Molly Epstein, professor in the practice of organization and management

“Initially, clients suggested the topics to Goizueta; now Goizueta and client companies co-create the topics so that we maximize learning outcomes for both the students and the client organization. We focus on timely topics and current challenges. Since we write the cases, we’re able to customize each challenge to an industry, age group, or cultural trend,” explains Epstein.

“Belonging is key to success for many organizations; similarly, our students assess an organization’s culture of belonging before they commit to working there,” Epstein shares. “In response to the case, our students learned about every aspect of the diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging industry, including industry leaders, best practices, ROI, and how to create a customized culture of belonging. Exploring PwC’s belonging culture challenge informs our students’ ability to work with an employer who creates a positive culture in which they, as employees, can thrive and grow.”

All of the teams who presented in the final stage of the case competition impressed the PwC clients with their critical thinking and problem-solving skills, as well as their presentation skills.

Nikki Graves, associate professor in the practice of organization and management

“The winning team provided a two-pronged, innovative solution to the challenge of creating a culture of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. Their key ideas were to create a digital transformation through the development of a personalized app and the implementation of an onboarding summit. I was delighted to see the dedication that my students sustained throughout the semester culminate in the team’s victory,” says Graves.

“The winning team’s strategy offered a robust, exhaustive solution that created both an at-my-fingertips solution as well as an opportunity for creating face-to-face connection, an invaluable requisite for Gen Z employees in today’s world,” says Freire.

Solving the Talent Retention Puzzle: Strategies for Engaging Gen Z

Challenged with unpacking strategies for overcoming phenomena like The Great Resignation and quiet quitting, student teams focused on solutions to enhance a culture of belonging for PwC’s client companies MTT and ATL Bank.

MTT asked students to address root problems in attrition with solutions for retaining and building loyalty among Gen Z employees. ATL Bank sought innovative strategies to combat high turnover rates for talent in the college-educated demographic of those between the ages of 20-27, despite existing early career programs that include rotational development programs.

The case notes share, “Generation Z, born 1997-2015, redefines expectations of work culture, place, and commitment. Socioeconomic factors shaped Gen Z’s desire to connect with organizations that share their values. Organizations that are most successful at engaging Gen Z know how to navigate the 8-second authenticity filter and attention span, align with mission, purpose, and values, and speak with digital fluency.”

With attention to budget requirements and rollout, teams presented detailed strategies and implementable solutions ranging from no-cost, easy quick-win solutions to longer-term implementation considerations keeping the return on inclusion top of mind.

“The opportunity to participate in Emory’s BBA Case Competition course has been one of my favorite things I have done during my time at PwC,” says Hayley Samek, a University of Florida alumna and senior associate in PwC’s Workforce Transformation Consulting Practice based out of Washington, D.C.

Goizueta Business School students continue to teach, impress, and inspire me semester after semester. The unique circumstance of hearing case-studies and findings on Gen Z workers from Gen Z students was truly special and I feel lucky to have been a part of this experience.

Hayley Samek, senior associate, PwC Workforce Transformation Consulting Practice

Ellie Long 25BBA worked with teammate Gabi Zaffari 25BBA to develop and present what became the winning suggestion for MTT. To strengthen employee retention and transform its digital culture, the team suggested MTT partner with Culture Amp, a software program that PwC uses.

“The app allows a company to receive employee feedback, provide a clear promotional track and educational program, and facilitate a mentorship program designed to result in higher engagement and lower attrition rates,” Long explains. “For our digital transformation to be truly effective, we also proposed an MTT Summit.” The Summit would allow new and experienced employees to network, facilitating the start of the mentorship relationships and career exploration for the app to continue. While MTT considers how best to implement, “PwC was able to provide incredible feedback for our presentation, which we can take with us in our careers.”

Zaffari notes that “We suggested incorporating engagement surveys, a mentorship program, and an educational initiative within this platform. Although our solution was hypothetical for the case study, it showcased the potential effectiveness of such an approach in reshaping onboarding processes and fostering a cohesive work environment.”

As a future consultant, Zaffari adds, “Winning the case study competition meant a great deal to me personally and academically, considering the tremendous dedication my group and I poured into the project. The victory not only bolstered my confidence in public speaking but also solidified my aspirations for a consulting career. It served as a catalyst for me to strive even harder in pursuing my passion and sharpen my skills in problem-solving and effective communication.”

What did Long learn from the competition? “For me, the win was validation as to how much I had truly learned in BComm. From public speaking skills and presentation frameworks to teamwork and delegation–I improved upon both personal and professional skills that will undoubtedly prove invaluable in the next steps of my career,” she says. “Perhaps more importantly, it was also a great moment for my team and TA, as we had all spent countless hours perfecting our pitch–and through this process, bettering ourselves for the future.”

Goizueta’s BBA students bring structured problem-solving and communication skills to address real-world challenges. What problems can we help your organization solve? Email Darius.Woody@emory.edu to learn more.

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Participating in this year’s cohort were The Giving Circle, SENSEable Dx, Attecor, X3 Luxe Homes, Emazon, Scoreboard LLC, ParaPass, Tapfer, DDB!, Ape Recycling, and certain companies operating in stealth mode.

Mentor Extraordinaire Guides Rising Stars

“For the past two years, our program has evolved and focused on emerging companies. Through workshop activities and hands-on practice, we encourage early-stage founders to think and challenge their path from inception to exit,” says Goizueta’s Entrepreneur-in-Residence Christy Brown, who leads as the accelerator’s primary instructor. Brown is the CEO of Dr. Noze Best and the founder of LaunchPad2x, a not-for-profit accelerator which focused on scaling female founders via education and community. She is also a serial entrepreneur, executive leader, and investor who has founded and exited four companies. With more than two decades of startup experience, Brown offers a unique perspective for new founders.

“The 12 founders selected for the Startup Launch Accelerator represent a diverse range of industries and are at various early stages of their entrepreneurial journeys,” Brown says.

Their passion, innovation, and commitment to scaling their companies with rigor and strategic goals around growth are truly inspiring. These founders were selected based on overall ability to scale and the current timeline of their companies.

Christy Brown, Goizueta Entrepreneur-in-Residence

Brown adds, “I have witnessed the remarkable evolution of these founders where many continue onto an incubator or accelerator pairing capital with startup support or pivoting their businesses over this session to ensure they have a path to next. The Startup Launch Accelerator has adapted and grown under my leadership, empowering entrepreneurs with the knowledge, resources, and mentorship needed to thrive in today’s competitive startup landscape.”

Unleashing Tools for Startup Success

Throughout the hands-on bootcamp, participants use the Startup Business Model Canvas to organize their for-profit ventures. Designed to strengthen product ideas and business models, the program introduces evidence-based tools and processes. Along the way, participants build upon metrics analysis to reveal demand from potential buyers and users.

“We maximize our use of tools to ensure these founders are thinking like CEOs, identifying their customers and validating their market before investing,” Brown says. “Founders live their companies, so much so, we sometimes have a bias towards our business and don’t ‘let go.’ We try to help these founders in an environment where they are challenged to ensure someone will be a market.”

Through the proving ground of the accelerator, Goizueta is proud to play an active role in equipping startup founders from across Emory University with the tools, systems, and confidence required to make informed decisions that will propel their new ventures forward.

Brian Cayce, Managing Director of The Robert C. Goizueta Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation

Robert Kazanjian, Asa Griggs Candler Professor of Organization & Management guides the program in partnership with Brown. Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation Student Fellows, Sadia Oishee 23MBA and Nikita Das 24MBA, helped orchestrate the program. “Sadia and I were responsible for facilitating the founder bootcamp along with Entrepreneur-in-Residence, Christy Brown, making sure the participants had an easy onboarding process and had all the resources they needed while going through the program,” says Das.

Seasoned Entrepreneurs Foster Founders

Critical to the process is the give and take between the founders and the accelerator team.

“All of us entrepreneurs think that our ideas are amazing, but that does not mean that anyone is going to buy our products. The Startup Launch Accelerator gives the founders the tools to really ensure that there is authentic demand for their idea. The opportunity to work in collaboration with Goizueta and work with founders across Emory University resonates with my goals to save founders time and money via customer conversations and customer discovery,” says Brown.

The accelerator offers an opportunity for entrepreneurs to have genuine, organic conversations with potential customers to determine if anyone even cares about the problem they’re solving.  It then equips them with a base of tools to help ensure that they can, indeed, solve those problems for their customers.

Christy Brown

The smallest strategic changes often lead to continued entrepreneurial success. Founders learn to use interview tools that test and refine assumptions with buyers and users. By defining and exploring early adopters, they identify the behavior triggers, key words, and positioning that builds demand.

“It was so fulfilling to be part of the team and empower the founders to refine their start-up idea to make them more successful in their journey,” says Das. She notes that the program culminates with a day of team presentations and mentorship.

It was rewarding to see how participants pivoted their business model through the accelerator bootcamp and refined their story to be confident pitching the investors.

Nikita Das 24MBA

“Looking ahead, my future hopes and goals for the Startup Launch Accelerator are to foster the growth of companies that are venture-ready or in the growth stage,” Brown reflects. “Under Emory University’s stewardship, we have unparalleled access to resources providing continued support and guidance across our university ecosystem. The diversity of startups inside this ecosystem cultivates a vibrant entrepreneurial culture, fuels innovation, and contributes to the success of the next generation of high-growth startups.”

Would you like to participate in a future Startup Launch Accelerator? Emory students, faculty and staff, and alumni are invited to participate free of charge with teams of four. Each team must include one Emory community member.  Learn more about this and other key programs of The Roberto C. Goizueta Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation.  

About the Center: The Roberto C. Goizueta Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation fosters entrepreneurship and innovation born of critical inquiry, serving fundamental societal needs, executed according to sound business principles, while opening possibilities and sparking imagination. The Center focuses on three pillars of activity: developing entrepreneurial skills and venture creation, preparing for early-stage investment and capital formation, and enhancing creativity and innovation for organizations of all types.      

About the Hatchery: The Hatchery is an Emory University-wide initiative which supports student innovators and entrepreneurs from all Emory schools and provides space and a pathway for the development of all stages of innovation, from inspiration and learning to projects and startups.

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For every sweater, a myriad of complex processes takes place before it is ready to wear. Designer conceptualization, prototype creation, pattern making, material sourcing, sewing, model size fittings, pattern adjusting, cutting, assembly, pressing and finishing, packaging, distribution, shipping, and marketing are just a few of the early steps in that single garment’s life cycle before it even reaches retail establishments. Combine that with the manufacturing facilities’ and transportation companies’ water and power use, waste management, and CO2 production, and the environmental impact for a single sweater produced adds up.  

Lewis Perkins 00MBA sees the path forward and shares the vision for a healthier planet. As the inaugural president of Apparel Impact Institute (Aii), Perkins is embracing a crucial role to shift the collective sustainability mindset of the $1.53 trillion global fashion industry. Aii’s mission is clear: to identify, fund, scale, and measure the apparel and footwear industry’s proven environmental impact solutions.

“In this industry, the vast majority of the negative impacts occur during the actual making of our clothes – from farms to factories, across a vast network of interwoven global supply chains shared by many brands,” Perkins shares. “No one company can make the changes that we need alone. The only way to accomplish improvements is for the industry to pool resources and collaborate, implementing a suite of agreed-upon solutions. It takes a central actor to guide this work; this is the role we seek to fill at Aii.”

Consider that more than 100 billion garments are made each year, and humanity’s appetite for clothing is expected to nearly triple by 2050. Worldwide, 92 million tons of clothing—the equivalent of 15 Great Pyramids—head to landfills annually, and less than 15 percent is recycled.

Lewis Perkins 00MBA, President of Apparel Impact Institute

As an organization, Aii selects, funds, and scales high-impact projects to improve the sustainability outcomes of the apparel and footwear industry dramatically and measurably, convening brands, manufacturers, and industry stakeholders to do so. The effort is paying off in a big way.

In 2022, 600 facilities around the world (across 28 regions) were active in or completed Aii programs. The expanding popularity of Aii programs can be attributed – in part – to the relative cost effectiveness of partners using the program, $17 per ton compared to non-Aii program costs of $67 per ton. Aii partner projects achieved third-party verified results for fashion giants like Kering, Burberry, Gap, Under Armour, Nike, Ralph Lauren, Levi Strauss, and many other notable brands.

Through seven formal programs that address efficiency, chemistry, renewable energy aggregated procurement, coal phase out, and other carbon emissions reductions, Aii measured actual environmental and financial impact for participating facilities. Greenhouse gas emissions were reduced by 14.6 percent (the same impact as taking 12,000+ cars off the road), and water savings realized was 1,784,920 cubic meters (equal to 700+ Olympic-sized swimming pools). On average, each facility invested $501,141 with an average savings of $299,735 and return on investment within twenty months.

“Who knew that decarbonizing the fashion industry supply chain is a $1 trillion plus opportunity for investors, VC, banks, foundations, and more? Many of the solutions to decarbonize the apparel industry, and thereby reach global, science-based targets to stay under 1.5 C by 2030, are the same solutions needed to scale for food and agriculture, energy efficiency, renewable electricity, and eliminating the use of coal and other fossil fuels in processing materials.”

Lewis Perkins 00MBA

In response, under Perkins’ leadership, Aii has launched the $250M Fashion Climate Fund to leverage a first-of-its-kind collaborative funding model between philanthropy and corporate entities and is designed to catalyze climate action by funding and scaling solutions for decarbonization. Financial institutions, family offices, and foundations have all partnered to drive another $1.75B in both debt and equity investments, which can be applied to those programmatic solutions. Partners include Lululemon, H&M Group, PVH, Target, H&M Foundation, Schmidt Family Foundation, HSBC, Bank of the West, and Brookfield Renewables.

No More “Take, Make, Waste”: Perkins Advocates for a Circular Economy with Responsible Design and Production

Previously, Lewis served as president of Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute, where he launched the Fashion Positive Initiative for circular materials to help engage designers, manufacturers, brands, and influencers to create materials and products with the circular economy in mind.

“Today, we live in a linear economy of “take, make, waste,” where virtually everything that we produce eventually ends up in a landfill.  With rapidly diminishing natural resources, we can’t sustain this,” Perkins explains. “The circular economy refers to a system where materials are recirculated–reused and recycled–to ensure products enter their next best life. In a circular system, what was once considered waste can instead be used as fuel for a future cycle.  To achieve this in fashion, we must design for disassembly from the very beginning, so that fabrics, buttons, zippers, and trims can be used again in new products.”

To guide efforts, Aii’s Clean by Design (CbD) suggests 10 best practices focused on resource efficiency, which is the first step to making environmental improvements. It is ideal for any business ready to take the initiative for positive environmental change. Perkins notes, “When implemented in any production facility, these top practices can deliver almost immediate return on investment – most projects pay for themselves in less than one year.”

“The beauty of our work is that it is applied at the facility level. Regardless of size, businesses rely on manufacturers for their products, and therefore dip into the global network of shared suppliers that our programs are designed for,” Perkins says. “Small brands can leverage the leadership and resources of the world’s largest ones, working side by side to ensure suppliers implement these environmental improvements.”

Perkins shares this advice for how industry leaders can respond to the planet’s need for greater sustainability efforts. “Transparency is key. If you voice support for sustainability, follow through with tangible action and the data to back up your efforts. It takes collaboration to spark the change needed to achieve science-based targets. No matter your industry, there are partners like Aii who can help allocate your resources that results in real impact.”Goizueta’s Business & Society Institute addresses complex challenges confronting people and the planet through academic discovery and purposeful action. This fall, new courses include Sustainability Measurement & Reporting by Associate Professor in the Practice of Accounting Usha Rackliffe. Learn more about the Institute’s interdisciplinary research, innovative programming, and resources.

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For the Business Communication Strategy Case Competition, Molly Epstein, professor in the practice of organization and management, and Nikki Graves, associate professor in the practice of organization and management, guide students on a transformative semester-long journey of brainstorming real-world business challenges, group problem solving, idea and strategy refinement, and presentation to client executives in a competitive setting. Recent client companies have included Mercedes-Benz, Cricket Wireless, and Urban Tree Cidery.

“The Business Communication Case Competition requires our students to synthesize what they’ve learned in multiple classes, including accounting, finance, organization and management, and marketing,” says Epstein.

Demonstrating core business competencies through effective communication enables our students to both persuade and demonstrate their mastery. Additionally, students apply their research skills, which are integrated into Business Communication through our partnership with the Goizueta Business Librarians.

Molly Epstein, professor in the practice of organization and management

The stakes are real. As the winning team Vibin’ Vinyl member Alex Guberman 24BBA notes, “Creating and presenting recommendations to Gold Rush Vinyl’s leadership was an really rewarding experience and something that will prove to be extremely useful in my career.” He went on to say, “Utilizing a real case study and getting to work with colleagues will serve as amazing practice for the real world.”

The winning presentation from Team Vibin’ Vinyl “proposed that we should rename the product ‘Designyl’ which is what it really is: a design of a vinyl record, made by individuals. I was very impressed by the mockups they made, but especially the working prototype of a design tool to allow people to visualize their vinyl before putting it into production,” Kelleher says. “I took the presentation back to my team and it inspired a lot of discussion and, ultimately, revamping of our B2B ordering experience.”

There are so many wonderful things about this opportunity. First, I love that students have the chance to work on a real-world problem in their first semester in the business school. Second, the future of vinyl is in the hands of Gen Z and our BBAs are actually shaping those possibilities. Third, and most importantly, I cannot think of a better role model than Caren who is brilliant, innovative, and bravely breaking down barriers in a male-derived manufacturing sector.

Andrea Hershatter, senior associate dean and BBA program director

Student Marketing Strategies Rival Those of Consultants

For the Austin-based Gold Rush Vinyl, named in 2020 to Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies list, tapping into the student creativity and innovation was a smart idea. “I’ve always loved working with students and gained so much from my own experiences working with real companies while I was at Goizueta. Students bring such energy and fresh perspectives to things, especially because they haven’t been in the working world long enough yet to prescribe to ‘the way it’s always been done,’” Kelleher says. “Gold Rush Vinyl had very positive experiences working with MBA students in our hometown of Austin, Texas, so when the opportunity arose to work with the BBA students at my alma mater, I knew it would be a special and valuable experience.”

Long fascinated by the consumer side of vinyl, Kelleher noticed an uptick in the number of requests for vinyl mixtapes to commemorate a special occasion, such as a birthday, anniversary, or graduation. While this concept “proves extremely difficult both legally and from a manufacturing perspective,” she says, “nearly five percent of the inquiries we were receiving at Gold Rush Vinyl were for this type of mixtape product.”

Directing focus onto the go-to-market strategy challenge issued to students for the customized commemorative display vinyl, Kelleher was impressed by their presentations during the final stage of the competition. “I was reminded during the student presentations of just how important the BBA Communications program is and how well prepared these students are for the working world.”

The professionalism, polish and confidence the students displayed – in their proposals and presentations – was outstanding and rivaled work I’ve seen from professional consultants.

Caren Kelleher 05BBA, Founder and CEO of Gold Rush Vinyl

Though the culmination of the presentations persuaded Kelleher that the product was not yet ready for market, she notes, “That’s not a bad thing. It’s better to find out you need to work on your release before you pour too many resources into it. The students pointed to data that showed Gen Z purchasing habits to be based on impulse and ease of transaction, and our product required a lot of customization decisions that lost us interest from our target audience.” Taking this into consideration, “Instead of moving ahead with our ‘dream vinyl’ product, we focused on how we could create other home decor products that would appeal to this audience, especially on TikTok.”

Our BBA students bring structured problem solving and communication skills to address real-world challenges. What problems can we help your organization solve? Email Darius.Woody@emory.edu to learn more.

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At its core, Truist is a purpose driven company that seeks to provide distinctive, secure, and successful client experiences through touch and technology to build trust. For the seminar, students brainstormed real-world use cases with executives from Truist, IBM, FLOWX.AI, and Amazon Web Services (AWS) to build potential solutions to cybercrime scenarios.

Truist Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer of Corporate Functions Dan Stephenson notes that “Students used emerging ‘no code’ technology to build intelligent workflow solutions without writing a single line of code.” Stephenson went on to say that during the two-day session, “Student groups created an enterprise-grade software solution for complex business processes using the no code accelerators, and integrated Amazon’s SageMaker into the solution to recognize fraud patterns. The program gave students both the tactical training in how to use FLOWX.AI and SageMaker, along with an understanding of how leveraging intelligent workflow solutions can fuel business outcomes.” 

To structure the program, “Truist enlisted leading technology organizations for this seminar,” says Robert Kazanjian, academic director of The Roberto C. Goizueta Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation and the Asa Griggs Candler Professor of Organization & Management. “Students were able to combine these technologies in the development of innovative solutions to the problems they were assigned.”

Together, Goizueta and Truist have now conducted several workshops wherein our undergraduate students have been trained in the utilization of a no code platform to quickly modify IT tools to propose solutions to significant current challenges that relate to a range of cybersecurity.

Robert Kazanjian

Forty-four students participated in the seminar held at Goizueta in November and sponsored by Truist’s Enterprise Technology and Risk Management functions, the second in a series that the organizations plan to continue in the future. Truist executives shared insight on the most common types of bank fraud. IBM leaders shared their expertise on intelligent workflows and how to create new enterprise solutions.

Real World Problems Demand Intelligent Solutions

Goizueta seniors gained critical professional experience by participating in this unique seminar. “Following more than 10 hours of learning and applying new technologies, the students networked with senior executives from all participating companies,” Kazanjian notes.

One student reported, “I genuinely enjoyed learning about the massive impact of fraud and what can be done to mitigate damages caused by such grievances.”

The no code aspect of the session inspired students, as did working hands-on with the engineers. One wrote, “The most exciting aspect of the FLOWX/IBM session was getting to try it myself. It’s so cool to see how to build a flow from a non-coding perspective. It’s very accessible and a great segue to coding.” Another elaborated, “It was great trying to complete sections on our own after some instruction and help. It’s an interactive and interesting way to figure out how application processes work–and you don’t need a huge amount of prior experience to do it.” One stated, “I have never touched code and was able to build an entire application.”

“We are pleased to engage in a partnership to deliver a unique experiential learning opportunity for our students,” Kazanjian says. “Truist is at the forefront of applying new technologies and innovative approaches to the problems and opportunities evident in fintech.”

This senior seminar is developed and offered in conjunction with The Roberto C. Goizueta Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation.

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Strong Friendship and Shared Professional Interests Build Foundation for a Great Family

Reflecting on the evolution of their relationship comes naturally as Brett Bernstein 02BBA and Holly Rodillo 03BBA approach their tenth wedding anniversary.

With mutual friends and shared classes in CPA-track Accounting, the couple knew each other by name but never actually spoke to each other during their time at Emory and Goizueta. They officially met at an awards dinner for Beta Alpha Psi, Goizueta’s accounting fraternity.

“Coincidentally enough, I was the recipient of the John R. Jones Accounting Award that evening, and Brett had received the same award the year prior,” Holly shares. “He introduced himself to me, and his first word to me was literally, ‘Congratulations.’ A plaque somewhere in the business school has both our names listed on it.”

Holly is director of Finance/Campus CFO, Northside Hospital Gwinnett and Duluth, and Brett is audit partner for KPMG LLP. As individuals, “Brett is quiet, thoughtful, and brainy, while I’m an outgoing, karaoke-singing ball of energy,” Holly reveals. “But we’re both incredible nerds who love financial accounting. We balance each other out as a couple, while still being able to connect on a professional level. It’s nice to be able to blow off steam or discuss a work achievement without having to ‘translate.’”

True connection is vital, and the couple recommends that students stay connected after graduation via social media. “But make it a point to catch up in person,” Holly suggests. “If you live in the same city, maybe commit to a coffee, dinner, or drinks on a somewhat regular basis, and put it on your work calendars.”

If a loving relationship does emerge during college or after, Holly shares wise words.

You’re both young, so be aware that this is the time to focus on who you each are individually and who you want to be as an adult. Have your own things going on and support each other in them. A relationship is stronger when it’s built on two people who can stand by themselves and choose to stand together.

Holly Rodillo

This fall, the couple took their 4-year-old daughter Belle to campus for Homecoming. “We couldn’t have asked for a more perfect day,” says Holly. On a campus walk, they showed Belle special places like the business school, Dobbs Hall, the new DUC. “In the afternoon, we sat on the grass, listened to live music while drinking draught beer and watching Belle show us her latest dance moves. Now she asks when we’re going back to Emory because she thinks this goes on all the time! Fitting because her middle name is Emory!”

A Shared Meal, Great Conversations, and a Lifelong Connection

What began as a Goizueta career discussion turned into so much more for Tekla Evans 04MPH 16EMBA and her future husband Recardi “Rick” Wallace 01EvMBA. With an introduction by Jonathan Parris 15EMBA, Tekla and Rick connected for dinner to discuss work culture at EY, but after the first hour, the two realized just how much they had in common. They promised to keep in touch and get together again.

Both settled into roles at EY and KPMG just a mile apart. “We began to meet for lunch regularly,” Tekla recalls of their burgeoning relationship. “Rick won me over quite easily with his good looks, wit, and charm.”

In her career, Tekla serves as the director of change enablement for Cox Enterprises, Inc. and Rick is director of transformation delivery at KPMG. A favorite memory calls to mind the first Emory event they attended together as a couple. Hosted by the Wise Heart Society, the event evoked a strong sense of nostalgia in Rick for his campus days.

Seeing people in their natural environments is one of the best ways to get to know them. More importantly, seeing them in stressful situations is also a good teacher. Rick and I graduated 15 years apart but have fun stories to share about the professors we’ve had, the lessons we’ve learned, and the connections we made.

Tekla Evans

Avid travelers, Tekla and Rick embrace new cuisines and experiencing different cultures. “There’s a magic in innocently being a few degrees of separation away from your life partner and not even knowing it,” Tekla says. “Establishing strong relationships in school among people who aim to achieve goals similar to yours and better themselves seems like a logical place for a starting point.” She adds, “We are super excited that Emory has been one of the many ties that binds Rick and me together.”

“Once we started talking to each other, we couldn’t stop.”

Meeting at a college social event and talking for hours, LaShonda Oglesbee 02MBA and Coleman Oglesbee 05MBA realized just how much they enjoyed each other’s company.

With similar values and goals, the attraction between them grew. Professionally, LaShonda serves as vice president of talent enablement at Assurant. For Comcast, Coleman is vice president of customer experience and project management.

Commencement ceremonies elicit very special memories for the couple. Though three years apart, “Graduation was a special time for us and for our families,” LaShonda recalls. “It was an amazing experience to see our dreams come true and to support each other. For Coleman’s graduation, we had one extra family member join us.” LaShonda was pregnant with their first and only child and gave birth to a son two months later. “He didn’t make my graduation, but he was definitely there for Coleman’s.”

Our advice to would-be Goizueta couples? Communicate often and set clear expectations. Also, it’s important to support each other. Regardless of the demands of school or work, remember to spend time with each other to continue to cultivate the relationship and continue to grow.

LaShonda Oglesbee

For 22 years of their married life, LaShonda and Coleman Oglesbee are quick to recognize that time is to be shared. They write, “We enjoy creating those moments that matter with each other by experiencing new things as a couple.”

Share your love for Goizueta with a gift of support today.

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At the award-winning Sorek Desalination facility near Tel Aviv—the largest in the world─students met Semion Brover, CEO, to understand more about the technical and economic components of the process of seawater reverse osmosis. Participants also gained insight into the daily operations of the $400 million operation that is part of the Israeli desalination master plan.

The main idea is to be self-sufficient. We do not want to be dependent on natural resources, because there’s drought and desertification.

Charlie Goetz, senior lecturer of Organization & Management

At the next stop on their global business immersive, Shay Blalek, director of global sustainability and ethics for Strauss Group, invited students to learn about the organization, an international food and beverages corporation with a portfolio of five companies. With products including coffees, teas, complementary products, fresh dips and spreads, and chocolate bars, Strauss Group also focuses on developing, producing, and marketing environmentally friendly drinking and cooling WaterBars for in-home and business use.

Blalek leads the corporation’s global philanthropic efforts with emphasis on social impact. She introduced students to the StraussOne plan, which concentrates investment on Israel, Brazil, the United States, and China while maintaining continuity in the other locales in which it operates.

Female Founders and Entrepreneurs Speak About the Israeli Innovation Ecosystem

The discussion featured female leader Or Harel, chief marketing officer and co-founder of Elvy.AI, an award-winning sleeptech company that balances tech habits and health, who was joined by Merav Oren, founder of WMN, a vibrant community for female founders, and CEO of Foodish, a new Jewish food digital magazine and platform.

The open dialogue moderated by Charlie Goetz, senior lecturer of Organization & Management, included discussion about the Israeli innovation ecosystem and its impact on female founders and entrepreneurs. Topics included the gender gap in the tech and STEM startup scene, enterprise and value chains, social impact investment, the sustainable development goals of the United Nations, as well as the impact of culture on leadership strategies around diversity, equity, and inclusion.

I am so glad that my students got to see how some of the very best entrepreneurs in Israel are women and hear for themselves that women entrepreneurs are creating some very exciting opportunities. Women entrepreneurship is alive and well in The Startup Nation.

Goetz

Megha Madan of Goizueta Global Strategy and Initiatives shares, “Goizueta Global is excited to offer Global Experiential Modules (GEMS) for May 2023 to South Korea, South Africa, and a combined trip to Germany and Austria where students will have the opportunity to learn about strategy, manufacturing, technology, diversity, equity, and inclusion, and entrepreneurship and innovation.”

Learn more about how you can take part in and support the global program for Goizueta students.

Program participants were invited to a gathering hosted by the Israeli Alumni Group. “With the help of Katie Busch, executive director of international advancement & alumni engagement, the MBA students attended an alumni reception in Tel Aviv as a part of the GEM experience,” says Lindsay Topping, Goizueta senior director of alumni engagement.

“Alumni from all of Emory’s schools were invited to meet the students, and it was an opportunity for the students to network with some of our amazing international alumni who have a great passion for Emory. I especially had the pleasure of meeting Gadi Netzer 98MBA who said he was the first Israeli to receive his MBA from Goizueta.” Pictured here are Lindsay Topping and Gadi Netzer.

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