Emory University is one of 32 schools that operate in partnership with The Philanthropy Lab program. The organization, based in Ft. Worth, TX, aims to expand student interest and participation in philanthropy. Since 2011, the Philanthropy Lab program has invested nearly $15 million in partner schools to facilitate experiential courses on philanthropy.

The Power of Experiential Learning

Goizueta’s Philanthropy Lab course is designed to be experiential. Students form “mini foundations” that, according to the class syllabus, are “challenged to identify and make grants to Atlanta-based nonprofits, incubated by the Center for Civic Innovation (CCI), that address inequity in innovative ways.”

“Experiential learning is the best way to get at the nuance and complexity of fields like philanthropy or business,” said Brian Goebel, managing director of Goizueta’s Business & Society Institute. “Nonprofits and philanthropic organizations leverage a lot of the same core management skills, structures, and processes to be effective in their work.”

The Philanthropy Lab program typically works with liberal arts departments such as sociology and history. However, Wesley Longhofer, executive academic director for Goizueta’s Business & Society Institute and associate professor of organization and management, wondered if a business school might have sustained demand for this type of class.

In 2019, he approached Goebel with the idea and, not long after, Goizueta’s Business & Society Institute launched its first Philanthropy Lab course. During the recent celebration, Longhofer reminded attendees that the course was created to be “place-based.” That is, it shouldn’t “shy away from the issues and challenges that Atlanta is facing.” (A SmartAsset 2024 Study places Atlanta, GA, among the top five U.S. cities where income inequality is highest.) Since the course’s inception, enrollment has been steady. This year, 27 undergraduate BBA students and five MBA students took the class.

Students Share Experiences

As part of the celebration, one of those students, Agha Haider 25BBA spoke to the course’s impact. “This semester has opened many of our eyes to ways that we can impact the community around Atlanta,” Haider told the audience. He described what he called, “the Emory bubble,” the notion that students who attend Emory University don’t experience the “real” Atlanta. He described the Philanthropy Lab as an opportunity to break out of that bubble, especially when conducting face-to-face interviews with the nonprofits as potential grantees.

We have had the opportunity to meet with all of you. And we have learned more about the ways that you’re shaping your community for the better.

Agha Haider 25BBA

“One of the things this class has taught us is to really take some time to learn more about the community you’re currently in—whether that’s as a post grad in New York City or in rural Alabama,” Haider told the community leaders and grantees in attendance.

Beyond the Metrics

Alan Ferguson 99MBA welcomed attendees to Atlanta Habitat for Humanity’s headquarters. The former CEO of Habitat for Humanity now serves as chief housing and real estate officer at Atlanta Housing.

He reminded the students that outcomes go “beyond the metrics.” It is important, he said, to track resources and results. However, “trust-based outcomes,” which are more difficult to measure, are equally as important, Ferguson said. He used Habitat for Humanity as one example.

How many homeowners have been able to use their home as a platform to transform their lives in other ways? Maybe they pursue additional education or entrepreneurial dreams. Or they may really take time to invest in themselves, in their hobbies. They may start doing crafts and gardening, and all those types of things that add to their quality of life in a robust way.

Alan Ferguson 99MBA

In addition to Goizueta Business School and the Center for Civic Innovation, the Emory Philanthropy Lab receives support from The Shapiro Foundation and an anonymous Emory University alum. “Giving money away and doing it thoughtfully to make a positive impact and do no harm is harder than people think,” explained Goebel. “That’s been a neat part of this program. It’s gratifying to see those affiliated with the Emory and broader Atlanta community give back. They are helping this generation learn how to be effective philanthropists and changemakers.” A number of community leaders served as guest lecturers throughout the course.

The 2024 Philanthropy Lab Awards Grants to 13 Recipients

Six student teams—five teams comprised of BBA students and one team of MBA students—awarded grants to recipient organizations. From a field of 23 nonprofits, the students selected 13 community organizations to receive these grants. “I give the students great kudos. It’s hard to make those decisions when you see so many good organizations apply for funding,” explained Goebel.

3D Girls, Inc.

Educating and empowering young women and girls to advocate for themselves and their families. [Grant amount: $5,666]

BestFit, Inc.

Removing barriers to economic mobility while building self-efficacy and reducing cognitive burden—increasing educational outcomes, employment opportunities, and long-term economic growth prospects. [Grant amount: $8,322]

ChopArt

Providing dignity, community, and opportunity to middle and high school-aged youth experiencing homelessness through multidisciplinary arts immersion and mentorship. [Grant amount: $4,583]

Close Ties Leadership Program

Unlocking Black boys’ full potential through early exposure to college and career opportunities, in-school mentorship, and individualized social-emotional support. [Grant amount: $10,000]

College AIM

Creating a more equitable postsecondary system by exposing students to college and financial aid opportunities, counseling young people from ninth grade through college graduation, and dismantling systemic racial and economic barriers. [Grant amount: $10,000]

Freedom University

Educating and empowering undocumented students and fulfilling their human right to education. [Grant amount: $9,583]

Goodie Nation

Eliminating the relationship gap that stands in the way of success for too many promising entrepreneurs, especially those who are people of color, women, or aren’t located in coastal financial centers. [Grant amount: $ 6,500]

Hope for Youth, Inc. (HYPE)

Empowering girls of color with technology skills that prepare them to become future leaders in 21^st century careers, cultivating a pipeline of diverse talent for the tech industry. [Grant amount: $7,083]

Jared’s Heart of Success Inc

Educating and empowering youth through impactful communication, focusing on conflict resolution and mental well-being. [Grant amount: $7,083]

Learning In Color Corporation

Designing inspiring K-12 educational facilities to improve the learning outcomes of low income, Black and brown students so that they gain math and reading proficiency and graduate from high school prepared for college and careers. [Grant amount: $6,166]

Small Bites Adventure Club

Helping children discover and eat more fruits and vegetables by empowering their educators with high quality, equitable, and affordable hands-on cooking resources. [Grant amount: $3,500]

Step Ahead Scholars

Creating educational equity by empowering historically under-resourced students to and through higher education and towards equitable life outcomes, so they can thrive in today’s social and economic climate. [Grant amount: $8,000]

Umi Feeds

Addressing the critical issue of food waste by rescuing surplus food and redistributing it to those in need. [Grant amount: $3,500]

For the third year in a row, Close Ties Leadership Program received a grant, this year collecting $10,000. The organization serves young Black boys in underserved communities. “We are committed to them and to their families and their communities from the time they’re 10 until they graduate high school,” explained Brandon Martin, CEO, Close Ties Leadership Program. Currently, 60 boys are enrolled in the program. With the grant, Martin plans to extend the organization’s team to serve 90 boys next year. The Goizueta students impressed Martin. “You can feel the intense knowledge and experience they’ve learned,” he said.

Like Close Ties, Freedom University has been awarded multiple grants from the Philanthropy Lab. The organization works to empower undocumented students banned from equal access to higher education in Georgia. Freedom University received $9,583 from the program this year. “There is a parallel here. Undocumented students today are experiencing some of what we experienced as Black Americans back in my time,” said Charles A. Black, Freedom University’s Chairman of the Board. Born in Miami, FL, in 1940, Black was unable to attend segregated colleges in Florida. He moved to Atlanta to attend Morehouse College, where he was a leader in the Atlanta Student Movement.

Freedom University plans to use the grant to fund a virtual study abroad program in Japan. “Undocumented students can’t leave the country if they ever hope to come back,” explained Laura Emiko Soltis, executive director, Freedom University. The four-week program is open to undocumented students at Freedom University, Oglethorpe University, and Emory University.

Building Connections across Degree Programs

Throughout the course, the BBA and MBA students attended class together. Many of the students, along with class partners, made a class-sponsored trek to the Equal Justice Initiative’s (EJI) Legacy Museum and the National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, Alabama. During the trip, the students learned how nonprofits like the initiative address racial inequality. “I think it created a more dynamic learning environment,” said Goebel. “It was powerful to have connections built across our degree programs.”

Creating a Space of Nuance

Tené Traylor, vice president for nonprofits and philanthropy at the Urban Institute, co-teaches the Philanthropy Lab course along with Goebel. “So many people, when we meet, say they wish they’d had this class when they were in college. They would have been able to understand more about giving. Or they would have been able to challenge their thinking about giving,” says Traylor. “What we try to do is to create space for that, for the rigor of that thinking. We also try to give them a bit of space to hold the emotions related to that. Because the work is very nuanced. It’s not black and white. Hopefully we’re able to create a space of nuance for these young people.”

Over the next 12 and 24 months, students will follow up with the nonprofits to learn how the grants are being implemented.

The Philanthropy Lab has provided guidance and seed funding for Emory’s Philanthropy Lab to take shape. The course has local support from Emory’s network of donors, including The Shapiro Foundation. It is delivered in collaboration with the Center for Civic Innovation.

Read more about how Goizueta’s Business & Society Institute is shaping business for the future.

The post Philanthropy Lab Awards $90K to 13 Atlanta Nonprofits appeared first on EmoryBusiness.com.

“The Goizueta faculty comprises an outstanding community of accomplished scholars, educators, and leaders,” says Wei Jiang, Asa Griggs Candler Professor of Finance, “They continually push the boundaries of knowledge and best practices.”

Join us in celebrating these faculty members for their recent honors and accolades:

Faculty Books

Gareth James, John H. Harland Dean and professor of information systems and operations Management

An Introduction to Statistical Learning with Applications in Python, Springer, July 2023

Jagdish Sheth, Charles H. Kellstadt Chaired Professor of Marketing

Customer Centric Support Services In The Digital Age: The Next Frontier Of Competitive Advantage, Palgrave Macmillan, Decemeber 2023

Wesley Longhofer, Goizueta Foundation Term Associate Professor of Organization & Management and executive academic director of the Business & Society Institute

Social Theory Re-Wired (3rd edition), Routledge, June 2023

Research and Teaching Awards

Sandy Jap, Sarah Beth Brown Professor of Marketing, is a fellow for the American Marketing Association (AMA) Fellow as of 2023. The AMA gives this distinction to members who have who have made significant contributions to the research, theory, and practice of marketing, and/or to the service and activities of the AMA over a prolonged period of time.

Jap is also the 2023 Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management James M. Comer Award (2023) runner up for best contribution to Selling and Sales Management Theory, received for The Big Open Spaces in Sales Negotiation Research, with Stefanie L. Boyer.

Sergio Garate, assistant professor in the practice of finance and director of the Goizueta Real Estate Initiative, won the Jonathan Welch Award for best case study manuscript at the 2023 North American Case Research Association meeting.           

Panagiotis Adamopoulos, assistant professor of information system and operations management, won the 2023 Goizueta Business School Alumni Award for Excellence in Research. Adamopoulos also won the 2023 Emory University Goizueta Business School Research Grant.

Prasanna Parasurama, assistant professor of information system and operations management, was the 2023 runner up for the Best Responsible Research Award from the Academy of Management OMT.

Melissa Williams, associate professor of organization and management, won the 2023 Goizueta Business School Holland Award for Excellence in Research, the school’s research award at the associate professor level.

Allison Burdette, professor in the practice of business law, was awarded Poets and Quants Best Undergraduate Business School Professors Award.

Wei Jiang, Asa Griggs Candler Professor of Finance, was elected to become the Vice President of American Finance Association (AFA), the premier association for academic finance. She will become President of AFA in 2026.

Community Service

Jesse Bockstedt, senior associate dean for graduate programs and professor of information systems and operations management, joined the board of directors for Georgia Organics Board of Directors in February 2023. He advises the CEO of the nonprofit Georgia Organics and serves on the Finance and Operations committee.

Bockstedt also joined the board of directors for Atlanta Technology Angels in January 2023. In this role, he leads and manages Atlanta Technology Angels with specific committee responsibilities for member education.

Jeffrey Byrne, assistant professor in the practice of accounting and director of master of professional accounting, joined the Board of Advisors for BidBee, LLC in April 2023.               

Peter Roberts, professor of organization and management and academic director of Specialty Coffee Programs in the Business & Society Institute, co-Founded the Research Group for Sustainable and Equitable Specialty Coffee Markets in March 2023. The group is a network of 30+ researchers from more than 25 universities and other organizations.

Tonya Smalls, assistant professor in the practice of accounting has joined the advisory board of Make-A-Wish Georgia as of May 2023.

Andrea Dittmann, Assistant Professor of Organization & Management, was named Co-Director of Research of New Blue in fall of 2023. In this role, she will be leading and cultivating collaborations between researchers and law enforcement fellows aimed at organizational reform and policy change to improve community trust.

Goizueta Business School is proud to present the accomplishments of these and other faculty members within our institution. To learn more about the teaching, specialized research, and core interests of each faculty member, check out our faculty profiles and their related publications. 

The post Goizueta Faculty Shine Bright with Latest Achievements appeared first on EmoryBusiness.com.

“At Goizueta, we strive to create an environment where every person can thrive and grow without exception, allowing us to attract, develop, and engage the best talent and equip our graduates to be principled leaders in a diverse society. Increased access to scholarships based on merit and financial need is critical to this strategy.”

Learning begins with a single drop of inspiration, a longing to explore and acquire wisdom about new and interesting subjects, and a passion to sharpen skills and hone talents that open a world of professional possibility. Education, some say, is a wide-eyed quest to meet new people and explore the world through their diverse perspectives.

For many, the gift of scholarship triggers a ripple effect of personal and professional growth with limitless potential to reach, strive, and impact change in the world.  

Curiosity, Intellectual Courage, & Integrity

At Goizueta Business School, our school’s namesake championed a student’s right for transformational education. As a Cuban-born immigrant to the United States and former chairman and CEO of The Coca-Cola Company, Roberto C. Goizueta embraced education and the notion that curiosity, intellectual courage, and integrity were the cornerstones of growth.

With a focus on philanthropy that continues through The Goizueta Foundation today, he once shared, “We in business have an obligation to give something back to the communities that support us.”

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.

With these philosophies held as guiding principles at Goizueta, and through the generous support of our partners, we have offered transformational scholarships to students—leaders who have become change agents in their own communities and beyond. 

A Safe & Supportive Space to Grow & Transform

As a native Brazilian, Willi Freire 19BBA immigrated to Florida at age six with his mother. “English was so hard at the beginning. I cried every time I got home from school for my first six months,” he recalls, but his mother instilled in him the critical value of education. Soon, fully bilingual in Portuguese and English, Freire set his sights on going to college. In high school, a guidance counselor suggested he investigate QuestBridge, a national nonprofit that matches talented first-generation and low-income high school students with 45 top-ranked partner universities.

To his surprise and delight, “Emory reached out in my senior year,” he recalls. In consideration for the Robert W. Woodruff Scholarship, “They invited me to interview on campus for a week, and I loved everything about it—the intellectually stimulating interviews and the conversations with faculty, staff, incoming students, and applicant peers. The universe took me to the right place at the right time.”

From the start, the Woodruff scholarship opened Freire to a world of peer scholars who helped each other stay accountable. Research opportunities, internships, alumni interaction, and work with the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation allowed him to immediately build community. “I had the chance to make my undergrad experience very intentional. At Emory, the opportunities are plentiful,” he says. Freire became the president and liaison for QuestBridge scholars at Emory.

When he became a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipient in 2012, “I was suddenly allowed to work and live in the United States. It completely changed my life and ensured college was a viable opportunity.” Inspired to help other first-generation students experience the same intellectual and professional freedom, Freire worked closely with then Emory president James W. Wagner, then Emory University provost and executive vice president of academic affairs Claire E. Sterk (who later became Emory University’s 20th president), and a team of faculty and students to implement policy changes that allowed students to disclose by choice their documentation status. “They could be DACA or undocumented, and Emory gave them the pathway to receive financial assistance,” he says. “There is so much miseducation around undocumented communities. Theirs is not a one-size-fits-all story, rather one with so much more depth and diversity.”

Freire learned of two other DACA students in his class, and it sparked a personal mission. “We had never really shared immigration status before,” he remembers. “But at an event, I caught the energy in the room, and I shared my story. It was a critical inflection point in my undergrad journey, and this moment gave me my community.”

Through Undocumented Students of America at Emory (USA), “We created a pathway for community, faculty, advisory services, mentorship, and storytelling events,” he says of the resource. “These students need resources, help for family emergencies, guidance in the job market. DACA students are still living and breathing at Emory.” As the executive vice president of the BBA Council, Freire led “Undocumented Truth,” an intimate campus storytelling event that allowed students to share their stories in a safe, non-judgmental space. He also welcomed the opportunity to honor Nikki Graves, associate professor in the practice of management communications, for her work with undocumented students.

Now at PwC Consulting Solutions in workforce transformation and diversity, equity, and inclusion, he enjoys being an active alumnus who conducts workshops and provides opportunities for future generations of Goizueta students.

“The Robert W. Woodruff Scholarship provided me with the unimaginable ticket to attain higher education at a world-renowned institution with absolutely no cost to me or my family.”

I never had the means to attend a university like Emory. I had no college fund or savings from my family. It made the impossible possible and gave me the resources and confidence to thrive, and I am deeply grateful for the scholarship and the program.

Willi Freire 19BBA

Connecting with a Transformational Ecosystem

As a student athlete in track and field and a Goizueta Scholar, Casey Rhode 17BBA called Goizueta home for four years. During this time, he balanced athletics and education with precision, maintaining a perfect grade point average. “It was an incredible experience,” he recalls of his quest to engage in as much as he could while part of the on-campus community.

As a sophomore, he joined forces with the Emory Impact Investing Group (EIIG), started by classmates. The organization gives small businesses throughout Atlanta greater access to investment capital, student consulting services, and low-interest loans. “Leading this organization as CEO made a huge impact on me,” he shares. “I connected with students and the community and during my time at Emory started a board of advisors to tap into the incredible ecosystem of alumni in our area, a board that I continue to participate on today.

Atlanta has some of the best and brightest people, and our students have access to them. These interactions can be formative in choosing a career.

Casey Rhode 17BBA

“My Goizueta scholarship opened doors for me within the broader community,” he says. The Goizueta Scholars Award, implemented in 2007, supports four years of undergraduate study, including study-abroad options, and ranges from one-half of tuition to full tuition and fees. Through the program, Rhode met another scholar who worked at global independent investment banking firm Perella Weinberg. He joined the firm to work in health care investment banking. “After a great experience, I made the career switch to OneOncology to work with 600 cancer care providers at over 180 community-based sites across the country,” he explains. “Community oncology is positioned to be the backbone of cancer care in the United States and to address skyrocketing costs,” he says. “To be senior director of strategic finance for a company that helps impact communities on such a high level is huge for me.”

Citing his undergraduate personal and professional development, he praises Andrea Hershatter, senior associate dean of undergraduate education and senior lecturer of organization and management. “She pushed me to do more and think more critically about what I wanted to do while I was in school. She really challenged me, and I appreciate that. She’s a great mentor to me, even today.”

Drive, Perseverance, & Bold Ideas

With explosive growth in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)-related businesses, many Goizueta students begin by nurturing both their love of science and their desire to understand the dynamics of business.

Arpita Gaggar 20Ox 22BBA received the Donahue Family Scholarship at Goizueta and pursues a challenging dual major of business and neuroscience and behavioral biology. With future dreams of opening her own clinic, Gaggar knows she needs more than scientific strength. “The business aspect is going to come into play.”

While the COVID-19 pandemic grew around the world, Gaggar’s interests aligned into sharper focus.

My scholarship was a blessing and offered me the time to explore the social issues that will shape my work in medicine. This past year, I’ve gotten more involved in social justice and opened my eyes to what’s going on in the world.

Arpita Gaggar 20Ox 22BBA

While studying from home, Gaggar researched more. “I developed an approach to thinking critically about the news media I consumed and delved deeper rather than accept statements at face value,” she says. “That’s helped me become a more knowledgeable global citizen.”

An active member of Bridging Medicine at Emory and an intern in Goizueta’s marketing & communications department, Gaggar is evaluating paths to achieve her clinic. She aspires to a dual MD/MBA degree or perhaps health care administration and consulting, along with world-expanding opportunities such as Doctors Without Borders that will enrich her relationships with the pediatric patients that she hopes to serve one day.

Like Gaggar, Goizueta Scholar Georgia Kossoff 18BBA has always been driven to uncover scientific puzzles and their impact on society. “Dean Andrea Hershatter advised me from the start that I could handle both chemistry and business majors.”

Being part of the Goizueta Scholars community provided a network of role models and mentols that shaped the course of my career.

Georgia Kossoff 18BBA

Setting sights on the intersection of health care and business, Kossoff sought for “literacy on both sides.”  She conducted student research on a relatively new corporate model, the public benefit corporation—or B Corp—that balances profit and purpose with a direct social or environmental impact.

Kossoff worked with professors Wesley Longhofer and Peter Roberts at Social Enterprise @ Goizueta, now known as The Roberto C. Goizueta Business & Society Institute. With classmates, Kossoff founded the Translational Research and Innovation Network (TRAIN), which formed multidisciplinary student research teams. Some TRAIN researchers went on to earn grant funding for their work.

A transformative experience for Kossoff came in her senior year. A Goizueta Scholars junior year seminar led by Professor in the Practice of Business Law Allison Burdette, in which students pitched the city of Detroit, Michigan, as a site for the Olympics, served as inspiration for a career-changing event. Using this previous Goizueta experience as a guide, Kossoff challenged herself.

“The location of Amazon HQ2 was under speculation,” she recalls. “A fellow Goizueta Scholar and I approached Dean Hershatter and Professor Burdette with the concept of launching a student campaign to showcase Atlanta from the student and young adult perspective. We knew it would create more opportunities for Atlanta students.” Multiple companies sponsored the initiative, and Invest Atlanta and the Georgia Department of Economic Development owned the corporate search project. With the involvement of more than 600 students statewide, “We aligned to create a video of students sharing their love for the city.”

Through the experience, Kossoff gained invaluable consulting, research, and presentation skills. Now as a consultant for Bain & Company, Kossoff is appreciative of the foundational skills her Goizueta education provided. “Outside of my core casework, all of my community involvement focuses on social impact.” 

Innovation & Entrepreneurship

As a pre-med biology major, Chis Anen 21MBA was headed for a career in medicine, but an innovative idea steered him in a different direction. With the concept blooming, the entrepreneur launched a marketplace to sell limited edition and vintage sneakers and streetwear. Fascinated by tech and encouraged by a professor, he joined an accelerator program.

At 23, Anen moved cross-country to Los Angeles, with company funding provided by famed venture capitalist Troy Carter. “At Throne, I really got to grow my business, and I managed people twice as old as me,” he recalls. With 10 employees, the company thrived until it ran out of money in 2017. “The experience was eye-opening. We tried to do too much too fast,” he explains of his learn-by-doing venture. “It was a good lesson on how to build and operate a company, and it taught me that I wanted to work in tech.”

A series of jobs with other startup ventures followed. When a boss encouraged him to seek an MBA, Goizueta made Anen’s short-list for its small class sizes and location in a city with a robust entrepreneur environment. Anen came to Goizueta through The Consortium for Graduate Study in Management, where he received a fellowship. He became an Entrepreneurship Fellow and earned both the Michael H. Lee Scholarship as well as the Apollo Scholarship for Visionary Leaders, which honors demonstrated interest in entrepreneurship and visionary leadership. Yahoo CEO Jim Lanzone 98JD/MBA funds the Apollo scholarship. “We spoke in a brief call,” Anen says, “and through that, we created a simple but valuable connection.”

His first venture—and the difficulty of raising capital for it—is never far from his mind. With 2021 MBA classmates Willie Sullivan, Alan Quigley, Kristen Little, and Chris Wolf, Anen has helped to launch the Peachtree Minority Venture Fund, a student-run venture capital fund focused on empowering underrepresented founders. It’s the start of a personal effort to create more such VC opportunities.

“For my previous company, this was one of our struggling points. It was hard for us to raise money,” Anen says. “Eventually we raised a million dollars, but it took a long time. A lot of underrepresented minorities face the same situation.”

Anen is now a project manager at Facebook, but still nurtures his entrepreneurial spirit. With classmate Lyndsey Fridie 21MBA, he is backed by a top VC firm to launch CampusTalk, a closed platform for MBA students to communicate and collaborate with peers at other institutions.

“I would like to express how thankful I am for receiving the Michael H. Lee Scholarship. Some of my biggest passions in life are business and entrepreneurship. By taking the road less traveled and starting a business early in my career, I realized how difficult and lonely the journey could be,” Anen says. “My biggest struggles were learning the best practices of entrepreneurship and accessing initial sources of capital to help spark my ideas. From these experiences, I vowed to always lend a helping hand to other underrepresented entrepreneurs while they’re on their own journey to drive change in their communities and bring new innovations to the world.”

I’m grateful that Goizueta Business School has provided me more access to founders in need and the opportunity to help create initiatives like a minority-focused venture capital fund to help embrace and grow the pipeline for future Black entrepreneurs.

Chis Anen 21MBA

Your Gift Today Truly Transforms

Pursuing an undergraduate or graduate degree is a significant financial investment, and Goizueta is committed to making educational goals become a financial reality. Scholarships transform the student experience, creating opportunities for those who would not otherwise be able to pursue their degrees and relieving the economic pressures of funding tuition, textbooks, housing, and co-curricular activities. Gifts to need- and merit-based scholarships are critical as Goizueta works to attract and retain the most talented students with a rich diversity in experiences and backgrounds. Give to support the full potential of Goizueta and our students.

To support a student like Willi, Casey, Arpita, Georgia, or Chis, please visit here.

The post Scholars Making Waves: The Transformational Gift of Student Scholarships appeared first on EmoryBusiness.com.

In the fall semester, students are immersed in Goizueta IMPACT’s core curriculum—courses and casework specifically designed to build the foundational skills necessary to excel in any area of business and to learn a structured approach to solving those messy problems. In the spring semester, students apply their newly minted practical skills to real world, ambiguous problems on behalf of clients such as Delta Air Lines, The Home Depot, Porsche Cars North America, Kimberly-Clark, Mailchimp, nonprofits, and community organizations. “The IMPACT project was a fantastic way to leverage everything we’d learned the previous semester,” said Sharma. 

For Spring 2021, 26 MBA teams and six BBA teams worked on a total of 23 real-world projects for 18 different sponsor companies. To earn a spot in the Showcase, each team gave a three-minute “elevator pitch” that outlined their project recommendations. Pitches were recorded and all students were randomly assigned six videos to watch and respond to a question. The top 14 teams presented their final client recommendations to more than 250 judges (a mix of alumni and business leaders), who identified the top three teams and crowned the first-place team “Goizueta Gold.” 

Like last year, 2021’s Showcase took place online, albeit with a few new features. Industry and “mini-reunion” breakouts were added to the schedule to enable alumni to connect. “It was our way to mimic running into your classmates on campus,” said Kore Breault, program director, Goizueta IMPACT. Showcase organizers also introduced “Goizueta Greats,” 10-minute, TED-like talks by Goizueta faculty “to give something back to the project sponsors and judges who were giving so much to us,” added Breault.

Sharma, along with Zad Adloo 22MBA, Kegan Baird 22MBA, Cesar Castro 22MBA, and Matthew Mastriforte 22MBA, captured “Goizueta Gold” on behalf of Goodwill of North Georgia. The non-profit had tasked Sharma’s team with exploring the feasibility (and building a business plan for the potential launch) of a joint venture between it and a non-profit staffing company. “We all trusted each other and we worked so hard for the client,” Sharma explained. “I learned so much from my incredible team. I already know that I have really strong friendships going into second year.”

A faculty advisor worked closely with each team to ensure it was on the right track and had the resources it needed. Jeff Rummel, associate professor in the practice of Information Systems & Management worked with Sharma’s team. Teams also had a second year IMPACT Coaching Fellow—a student who completed the Goizueta IMPACT project the prior year. Willie Sullivan, 21MBA worked with the first-place team. Elizabeth Hitti 21MBA, who will join Georgia-Pacific in a strategy role this July, worked with the second place team (Rachael Augostini 22MBA, Jessica Lewis 22MBA, Jonovan Sackey 22MBA, Nainika Sehgal 22MBA and Sam Wang 22MBA) and third place team (Julia Dong 22MBA, Brandon Makinson 22MBA, Kyle McLain 22MBA, Zachary Nusbaum 22MBA and Jakob Perryman 22MBA), both of which had been assigned Georgia-Pacific projects. Saloni Firasta Vastani, associate professor in the practice of marketing, served as faculty advisor for the Georgia-Pacific teams.

Hitti’s two teams had very different working styles. One team addressed the project much like Hitti, who was a consultant at Deloitte before coming to Goizueta, would have. The other team took a different approach. “There came a point where I was like, this isn’t how I would do it, but they’re doing well,” she explained. “That mindset shift was great for me. Sometimes you can learn more from the teams that do things differently.”

Each team was allotted 25-minutes for its Showcase presentation, and another 20 minutes for Q&A. The final scores were tabulated based on the team’s problem solving and recommended solutions as well as the team’s delivery, ability to communicate ideas, storyline, slide deck, and how it managed the Q&A. 

For the last 10 years, Carrie Schonberg 97C 03MBA has attended the IMPACT Showcase as a judge. “The Showcase is one of the events I most look forward to each year,” said Schonberg, who enjoys re-connecting with faculty and staff (many of whom were at Goizueta when she was a student). During her time at Goizueta, Schonberg, chief marketing officer, Ashton Woods Homes, competed in Goizueta Marketing Strategy Consultancy, or GMSC, the precursor to Goizueta IMPACT. “These projects are a great way for corporations to get a different level of insight and perspective than they would get from people in their own company,” she said. 

Kevin Kyer 05MBA, who lives in Geneva, Switzerland, was happy to be able to take part in the both the 2020 and 2021 virtual Showcases. Kyer, Hatch CoLab’s executive-in-residence and a self-described digital transformation leader, hopes to see a permanent, “hybrid type” way for alumni who can’t be on campus to attend the Showcase online. “It expands the experience to make it available to more people and to have their feedback,” Kyer explained. “It’s a great way to connect better and learn more.” 

Meeting Goizueta Greats and Reconnecting with Alumni 

In addition to his role as a judge, Kyer joined a mini-reunion and dropped into a Goizueta Greats session, of which there were five. Omar Rodríquez Vilá, associate professor in the practice of marketing and academic director of education at The Roberto C. Goizueta Business & Society Institute gave a talk titled, “Towards a definition of an anti-racist brand: concepts, actions, and tools to advance the practice of racial equity in the marketplace.” 

Other topics included “Startups and big companies: ‘It’s complicated,’” given by Amelia Schaffner, director of entrepreneurship, The Roberto C. Goizueta Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation, and “Revolutionizing finance by valuing your customers,” presented by Daniel McCarthy, assistant professor of marketing. Erika Hall, assistant professor of Organization & Management and faculty advisor at The Roberto C. Goizueta Business & Society Institute, talked about “The effect of the racial labels African-American and Black on societal and organizational outcomes,” and Wes Longhofer, associate professor of Organization & Management and executive academic director at The Roberto C. Goizueta Business & Society Institute, discussed his most recent book, Super Polluters: Tackling the World’s Largest Sites of Climate-Disruption Emissions and what it tells us about our energy system and the future of the planet.

“Goizueta Showcase is a day where we showcase not only our students, but our project sponsors, faculty and school,” said Lynne Segall, associate dean, Goizueta IMPACT. “I am so proud of our students, thankful to our project sponsors and appreciative of the many judges—everyone played an important role in making Showcase a success.”

Take part in learning more about the Goizueta IMPACT Showcase, watch Goizueta Greats videos, and read more about the student teams and their real-world projects.Read more about Goizueta IMPACT. 

Listen to the Goizueta Effect Podcast on “Reimagining Business as a Catalyst for Social Change” with Wesley Longhofer.

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Neurodiversity is the concept that neurological differences like autism, Asperger’s, ADHD, dyslexia, among others are the result of normal, natural variation in the human genome. 

The late journalist Harvey Blume wrote in The Atlantic in 1998, “Neurodiversity may be every bit as crucial for the human race as biodiversity is for life in general. Who can say what form of wiring will prove best at any given moment?”

On April 2 around the world, a hint of blue will brighten many homes, landmarks, and city skylines as hundreds of thousands of people come together to Light It Up Blue to celebrate the 14th annual World Autism Awareness Day as part of World Autism Month.

Autism, or autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a broad range of conditions characterized by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech, and nonverbal communication among other individualities, according to Autismspeaks.org. This disorder affects an estimated one in 54 children in the United States today and can be diagnosed as early as age two.

Goizueta Business School has joined the Neurodiversity Hub, an initiative to create environments for neurodiverse adults to achieve their full potential despite differences in communications skills or other factors. The hub is a community for universities, employers, and service providers to work together to support “untapped talent” in neurodivergent adults.

After brainstorming with the Emory Autism Center and Parallel, a local consulting company, and meeting with the Neurodiversity Hub, Associate Professor of Organization & Management Wesley Longhofer saw the potential. Longhofer serves as the executive academic director of The Roberto C. Goizueta Business & Society Institute, the new home for faculty and staff of Social Enterprise @ Goizueta and its programs. When the center launched in March, Longhofer said, “As an Institute, we do not claim to have all the answers facing business and society; rather, we want to be a catalyst for asking the right kinds of questions.”

Embracing individual differences leads to innovation. “Understanding neurodiversity is an important part of the future of work,” he said. “We can be a convener and bring people together to have conversations and learn more about what companies are doing to build pipelines for a more diverse workforce.”

Coined by Australian sociologist Judy Singer in the late 1990s, the term neurodiversity can include autism, Asperger’s, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, and tics.

The hub offers free resources and opportunities for recruiters, professors, faculty, students, and more. Although Goizueta is new to the Neurodiversity Hub, Longhofer sees a potential role for Goizueta to play. He believes it will not only benefit neurodiverse individuals but can benefit the future workforce as a whole. “For now,” he said, “it’s important to simply learn and take part in the community.” In looking at the big picture, the benefits of community participation are numerous. “Georgia Tech is a member, which helps us think about the Atlanta ecosystem and ways to work together.”

Student success and mentoring current students are components of community. Longhofer poses this thought.

“We ask, how do you build a talented workforce? Neurodiversity is a big piece of that now. If we want companies to change, a good place to start is a business school and our business students who are going to be leading those companies. If we can start to build neurodiverse workforces sooner rather than later, everybody will benefit.”

BBA Students Spark Success for Business and Life Skills in Neurodiverse Individuals

Emory University and Goizueta have created numerous outlets to offer support services for adults with autism, including the Emory Autism Center’s myLIFE program, which enables adults on the spectrum to practice skills in building successful relationships, learning how autism spectrum disorder influences thinking, and sharing personal insights with others in a safe and supportive community.

In partnership with the Emory Autism Center’s myLIFE program, Jacob Lepler 18BBA, Jared Linsky 18BBA, and Isaac Feiner 18BBA founded the peer-to-peer Spark Mentorship Group back in 2017 to mentor young adults with autism spectrum disorders who come from the Emory community and beyond. Today, 25 members continue to meet every Thursday to practice key business and life skills. 

Each week, meetings are comprised of two parts: the first portion is a group training session on a particular business or professional skill, while the second includes a one-on-one mentorship program tailored to each mentees’ needs.

“A lot of us at Emory have been really fortunate that we’ve had exposure to general business skills,” Spark President Elizabeth Grund 21BBA said. “I think it’s helpful for young adults to have the time to meet with someone, go over issues, and be able to ask questions to someone who’s also roughly around your own age so it’s not as intimidating.”

Grund has seen growth in the Spark organization, particularly from the myLIFE program. “I can tell that the Autism Center is trying to leverage Spark, and people on their side are interested,” Grund said. “It’s nice to feel the response from them that we are doing something helpful.”

Julie Barefoot, associate dean of engagement & partnership and Spark faculty sponsor, has been involved with the group since its inception.  “I was proud to support this effort as it fills a void in the services for young adults on the spectrum,” Barefoot said. “I have been enormously impressed that since Spark was launched, student leaders have implemented critically important career training to so many young people. And, each year our students effectively pass on the leadership mantel, enabling Spark to maintain its momentum and services over the years.”

Guided by Jill Perry-Smith, senior associate dean for strategic initiatives, Goizueta’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion mission is to reflect broader society and improve equity, as well as to “recruit and increase the representation of students and faculty form diverse backgrounds in our business programs.” Goizueta’s strategic alliance with the Neurodiversity Hub will enable this mission.

The Roberto C. Goizueta Business & Society Institute reflects the school’s elevated commitment to social impact and seeks to transform business to solve society’s challenges.  Learn more about the Spark Mentorship Group. Read about the Emory Autism Center of the Emory School of Medicine.

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