“These awards highlight the extraordinary commitment of our faculty and staff,” says Dean Gareth James. “Our faculty drive innovation in the classroom and through their groundbreaking research, while our staff provide the critical support that enables every member of the Goizueta community to thrive. Together, their dedication shapes the student experience and amplifies Goizueta’s impact on business and society at large.”

This year’s honorees represent the best of what Goizueta and Emory stand for: passionate educators and visionary leaders who make a meaningful difference every day. Join us in celebrating the 2025 recipients of our most prestigious faculty and staff awards. 

Keough Staff Award 

Associate Dean of Full-Time MBA Programs and Goizueta Global Strategy & Initiatives Brian Mitchell has been selected as our 2025 Keough Staff Award for Excellence recipient.  Brian is recognized for going above and beyond his formal responsibilities through servant leadership, deep student engagement, and tireless mentoring. He has established safe, supportive spaces for students, championed curriculum innovation, including inclusion-focused coursework, and played a pivotal role in integrating one-year and two-year MBA cohorts to foster unity and shared purpose. 

Brian’s long-term impact includes driving strategic enhancements to the MBA program and expanding Goizueta’s global partnerships.  He is known for his creative and innovative leadership, applying both corporate and academic expertise to reimagine curriculum design, experiential learning, and cross-disciplinary collaborations.  

The Keough Award is named after Don Keough, a legendary former President of The Coca-Cola Company, and a symbol of business excellence. This award honors a long-term contributor to the school who has made a significant impact and a sustainable contribution to Goizueta Business School. 

Emory Williams Distinguished Undergraduate Teaching Award 

Assistant Professor in the Practice of Marketing Marina Cooley has been named our 2025 recipient of the Emory Williams Distinguished Undergraduate Teaching Award which recognizes a faculty’s outstanding commitment to undergraduate teaching. 

A Goizueta 2012 MBA alumna and Assistant Professor in the Practice of Marketing, Marina is known for her innovative teaching, student engagement, and course development—including the highly popular Content Marketing elective. Her teaching emphasizes “sticky ideas,” storytelling, and the power of curiosity-driven innovation. 

Beyond the classroom, Marina is conducting research on work/life balance and helped launch the Life Design program as part of our BBA curriculum redesign. 

The Emory Williams Distinguished Undergraduate Teaching Award is presented to faculty members from each of Emory’s four undergraduate schools during commencement every year. “The award celebrates the pinnacle of teaching excellence, honoring faculty who have profoundly impacted their students’ academic journeys,” says Wei Jiang, vice dean for faculty and research and Asa Griggs Candler Professor of Finance. The award was established by Emory Williams, a 1932 Emory College alumnus and longtime trustee, to recognize a record of excellence in undergraduate teaching. 

Provost’s Distinguished Teaching Award for Excellence in Graduate and Professional Education 

Associate Professor in the Practice of Finance Kevin Crowley has been selected as Goizueta Business School’s 2025 recipient of the Provost’s Distinguished Teaching Award for Excellence in Graduate and Professional Education. 

Kevin, an associate professor in the Practice of Finance, is celebrating his 20th year at Goizueta. With a distinguished background in investment banking at Deutsche Bank and J.P. Morgan, he brings invaluable real-world expertise to his teaching. He has consistently received strong teaching evaluations, receiving high marks for his emphasis on applied theory, practical skills and real-world context.  Kevin brings theory to life by incorporating relevant transactional (deal-making) experience into the classroom.   

Students report that Kevin is always available outside of class to support their understanding of the course material.  In addition to his strong teaching capabilities, last year Kevin served on the MBA Curriculum Re-design Committee. 

The Provost’s Distinguished Teaching Award for Excellence in Graduate and Professional Education recognizes outstanding scholars who excel as teachers within formal and informal educational settings. “This award honors exceptional teaching and recognizes those who guide their students with passion and expertise,” says Alicia Sierra, director of human resources and diversity. 

One faculty member in each of Emory’s seven graduate and professional schools receives the award in recognition of the important role of exceptional teaching in graduate and professional education. 

2025 Roberto C. Goizueta Award for Leadership Recipients and their Honorees 

2025 Roberto C. Goizueta BBA Recipient

25BBA Saanvi Sood exemplifies inspirational leadership through her dedication to empowering others and making a tangible impact. She spearheaded a fundraising campaign in honor of EIIG’s 10-year anniversary, successfully raising over $150K to support microloans and consulting services for underserved entrepreneurs in Atlanta. Under her leadership, EIIG engaged over 240 analysts in the past fall semester, making it the largest student organization at Goizueta. Despite her significant contributions, Saanvi consistently redirects praise to others, ensuring that those around her feel valued and empowered.

 Saanvi repeatedly looks for ways to help students at all levels of educational success. For the highflyers, Saanvi organized a case competition trip to New Zealand. When her case competition team qualified to go to New Zealand, Saanvi was able to leverage her network to find a way to get enough supplemental funding to allow the team to travel to New Zealand. She looks for ways to turn no into yes. 

The strongest evidence of the excellence and integrity others see in Saanvi is demonstrated by her leadership roles at Goizueta. In addition to being elected president of EIIG, she led the Data Science Club, served in three TA positions and was selected as the head BBA CMC coach (over 24 other BBA seniors who are coaches).  She was also a Robson Program Fellow, as a Business and Society/Social Enterprise Fellow and was one of only two students on the QTM alumni Council Steering Committee.  She is viewed by all as exemplary across every aspect of leadership embraced by Mr. Goizueta.  

BBA Faculty Honoree: Jeff Rosensweig, Associate Professor of Finance  

Professor Jeffrey Rosensweig, or as his students lovingly call him, “Dr. J”, is dedicated to advancing the intersection of business and government, while keeping student mentorship at the heart of his work. Passionate about shaping the leaders of tomorrow, he is not only an invaluable guide, but also a lifelong advocate, role model, and friend. Whether it be major professional guidance or personal life advice, he is always just a phone call away. Despite his vast network of esteemed economic and political leaders, he will always make time for his students. 

“This past year, Dr. J supported a team of myself and three other Goizueta students to compete in the World Case Champion’s Trophy in New Zealand, giving us the opportunity to represent Goizueta on a global stage and create our most memorable college experience,” says Saanvi. “His support is a testament to his commitment to student advancement, as well as his confidence in the Goizueta curriculum and experience.”  

2025 Roberto C. Goizueta MBA Recipient

25MBA Sasha McNair has inspired her peers through her commitment to academic excellence and student leadership. As Co-President of the Goizueta Consulting Association, she has mentored and guided countless students, helping them navigate the competitive consulting recruitment process. She’s done it with a mind for development and community that the club was sorely lacking. She’s always put the students she serves first and leads with humility, empathy, and a strong vision, making a lasting impact on the Goizueta community. 

Under Sasha’s leadership, the Goizueta Consulting Association expanded its reach and resources, introducing new initiatives such as structured interview boot camps and alumni engagement programs. She also contributed fresh perspectives to the Black MBA Association and GWIB, encouraging cross-club collaborations that enhanced the student experience. 

Known for her authenticity and integrity, Sasha fosters an environment of trust within her teams. Her peers admire her for her open communication style, ensuring that all voices are heard in decision-making. She leads with honesty and accountability, strengthening the cohesion and credibility of the organizations she serves. 

MBA Faculty Honoree: Ama Ampadu-Fofie, Director of Culture, Inclusion & Belonging 

“Ama has been one of the most impactful staff members throughout my MBA journey,” shares Sasha. “Not only has she shown up for me at crucial moments in my Emory career, but she has also been a listening ear when I needed it most.”

“During our first interaction, I told Ama that I felt a tinge of imposter syndrome. She looked at me with surprise and said, Why? And now I know why she was so surprised. She helped me build back up my confidence and I’m leaving here a stronger professional, student, daughter, and friend. I can’t thank her enough for how she poured into me and continues to pour into many of the Black women and men in our program. Having her as a visible part of the school administration not only empowers us in spaces that could make us feel small but also provides a safe place to land when we need to talk to someone who just understands.”

This Roberto C. Goizueta Award for Leadership is the highest honor given to a graduating student in the BBA and MBA programs. It is presented to the graduating student who best exemplifies six criteria: a love of learning, inspirational leadership, creative thinking, courage and commitment, transparency and trust, and excellence and integrity. In addition, this award recognizes the key role Goizueta faculty and staff play in students’ development. The selection criteria reinforce the already existing BBA Creed and MBA Core Values practiced daily at Goizueta Business School.  In sum, the goal of the Award is to recognize the brightest minds who can solve the biggest problems with integrity, ingenuity, and grit. After being selected for the Award, each recipient will identify the faculty or staff member who has had the biggest impact on them during their time as a student at Goizueta.

Goizueta Program Faculty Teaching Awards 

Emory and Goizueta also award those exceptional faculty who exhibit academic excellence in each department. These awards go to individuals who represent their departments with outstanding education and lead the professionals of tomorrow. We would like to recognize them here. 

• BBA Distinguished Educator: Shankar Ramachandran, Associate Professor in the Practice of Finance 

• Evening MBA Distinguished Core Educator: Rod McCowan, Associate Professor in the Practice of Organization & Management  

• Evening MBA Distinguished Elective Educator: Klaas Baks, Professor in the Practice of Finance  

• Executive MBA Distinguished Educator (Core): Shehzad Mian, Associate Professor of Finance  

• Executive MBA Distinguished Educator (Elective): Kevin Crowley, Associate Professor in the Practice of Finance  

• Master of Finance (MF) Distinguished Educator: Kevin Crowley, Associate Professor in the Practice of Finance  

• Master of Finance (MF) Distinguished Educator: Nicholas Valerio, Professor in the Practice of Finance 

• Full-Time One-Year MBA Distinguished Accounting Educator Award: Usha Rackliffe, Associate Professor in the Practice of Accounting 

• Full-Time Two-Year MBA Distinguished Accounting Educator Award: Suhas Sridharan, Associate Professor of Accounting 

• Full-Time Two-Year MBA Distinguished Finance Educator Award: JB Kurish, Professor in the Practice of Finance 

• Full-Time One-Year MBA Distinguished Finance Educator Award: JB Kurish, Professor in the Practice of Finance 

• Full-Time MBA Distinguished Information Systems & Operations Management Educator Award: Steve Walton, Professor in the Practice of Information Systems & Operations Management 

• Full-Time MBA Distinguished Information Systems & Operations Management Educator Award: Wenjun Gu, Associate Professor in the Practice of Information Systems & Operations Management 

• Full-Time One-Year MBA Distinguished Marketing Educator Award: Marina Cooley, Assistant Professor in the Practice of Marketing 

• Full-Time Two-Year MBA Distinguished Marketing Educator Award: Ryan Hamilton, Associate Professor of Marketing 

• Full-Time Two-Year MBA Distinguished Organization & Management Educator Award: Rod McCowan, Associate Professor in the Practice of Organization & Management 

We are immensely proud to celebrate the accomplishments of our faculty. Through their transformational work, they push industries forward, prepare the next generation of business leaders, and solve today’s toughest business problems. 

The post Celebrating Goizueta Excellence in Teaching, Service, and Support  appeared first on EmoryBusiness.com.

Emory alumna Sarah Arison, recently named board president at the Museum of Modern Art, stands as a powerful champion for emerging artists.

On a sunny afternoon in her native Miami, Sarah Arison 07BBA is directing movers carrying large paintings around her apartment. “I would say 90 to 95% of the work I own, I know the artists personally. I’ve worked with them — whether through YoungArts or MoMA. My collection almost ends up being biographical, which is really fun.”

Arison smiles as she remembers attending the Frieze Los Angeles art fair when she was seven months pregnant with her daughter. “I was putting together a nursery and had gotten to know an artist who made whimsical balloons that attach to the ceiling with a magnet,” she says. “I bought one to start my unborn child with a collection.”

Arison’s art collection embraces the abstract, but her motivation for supporting artists is direct and literal. She cites a public opinion survey showing overwhelming support for the idea of “the arts” but, at the same time, much less enthusiasm for direct patronage of artists.

It’s incredibly problematic to think of the arts as an industry without recognizing and supporting the artists behind the industry.

Sarah Arison 07BBA

At just 40 years old, Arison already ranks among the world’s most influential art patrons. This summer she was appointed president of the Board of Trustees at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City.

A recent feature in Town & Country magazine compared Arison to legendary arts philanthropist Agnes Gund, with whom she’s worked closely over the past several years. In fact, Arison has been part of MoMA since 2017, when she began serving as co-vice chair — with Gund — at MoMA PS1 based in Queens. She has served on the boards at the Brooklyn Museum, The Kitchen, American Ballet Theatre and many other arts organizations.

A PASSION ROOTED IN FAMILY TRADITION

Supporting artists is more than Arison’s life’s work. It’s a family tradition. She is the longtime chair of YoungArts, the National Foundation for the Advancement of Artists, created in 1981 by her grandparents, Ted and Lin Arison, three years before she was born. YoungArts supports artists across all disciplines with grants, professional development and a prestigious competition whose roster of winners over the past 40-plus years includes several noteworthy names — Viola Davis, Timothée Chalamet, Amanda Gorman, Kerry Washington, and Billy Porter, among them.

“My grandparents were always exposing me to the arts. Growing up, we were going to the symphony, the ballet, museums. If we were traveling together, we’d explore the cultural institutions where we were traveling.”

Looking back, Arison says she didn’t know when she was younger how meaningful art would become to her as an adult. In school, Arison thought of herself as a math and science kid. She laughs at the thought now and suggests turning to math and science was probably a form of youthful rebellion in a family so focused on art.

Arison chose to go to college at Emory, where biology served as her initial major. She envisioned a career in genetics. However, art began to reassert its primacy in her life during her sophomore year, when she attended a YoungArts gala with her grandmother. “It wasn’t that I was particularly knowledgeable about or even interested in YoungArts at that point,” she explains. “It was just a way for me to spend time with my grandmother.”

At the gala, she remembers, the mother of a past YoungArts competition winner thanked her for the organization’s work.

“She told me she used to yell at her son when he’d come from school and sit on the floor and draw instead of doing his ‘real’ work. YoungArts had offered him creative support and mentorship, and he was being offered college scholarships for art. With tears in her eyes, she said she realized that art was his ‘real’ work. The next day, I said, ‘Grandma, I want to help with YoungArts.’”

Arison returned to campus and switched her major from biology to a business and French double major with a minor in art history. She also joined the YoungArts board.

“Emory has a phenomenal business program, and I figured the skills I’d learn would be applicable whichever direction I ended up going in.”

LIFE-CHANGING FELLOWSHIPS

In addition to her role at YoungArts, Arison has also served since 2013 as president of the Arison Arts Foundation, through which she has provided financial support to emerging artists across the globe, including at Emory.

For the past four years, Arison has provided funding to the Emory Arts Fellows program, which seeks to cultivate artistic talent in a setting that allows fellows, faculty members, and students to reimagine the influence art can have on the world around them. This year, the Arison Arts Foundation’s initial support for two fellowships annually was expanded to three.

Arison says working with Emory on the program is fulfilling because it’s not typical for universities to understand the importance of arts fellowships and residencies. “I was thinking a lot about how to support artists at critical junctures in their lives,” Arison says. “The concept of a residency is hugely important for artists and can be life-changing. To be able to do that with Emory is very exciting.”

A fellowship offers artists time, space, and resources to develop their artistry and build their portfolios. According to Kevin Karnes, divisional dean of arts in Emory College of Arts and Sciences, the benefits go both ways. He says undergraduate creatives welcome getting face time with and mentorship from early-career artists whose experiences in contemporary art marketplaces aren’t far from their own.

Along with helping artists develop, the program is also a gateway for them to enter the academy. Karnes notes that four of the six Emory Arts Fellows have gone on to careers in college and university teaching.

That the fellowship program catalyzes career development alongside artistic development is no accident. The program was designed to help them support their art careers as well as develop their body of creative work. The fellows have access to mentorship from Goizueta Business School, where they can develop skills to advance their business acumen.

ART TOUCHES EVERYTHING

“I love that Emory is thinking about trying to break through the silos of ‘business over here, art over there,’” Arison says.

She rejects the widespread belief that art and artists operate in a world distinct from business or commerce. Art shouldn’t be confined to rarefied spaces, or what she dubs “ivory towers” of museums, galleries, and Broadway.

Look at the world around you. Everything has been touched by an artist.

Sarah Arison 07BBA

Everyday business, Arison says, is driven by artists and their art. “The car you drive had designers. The clothes you wear, that’s a fashion designer. The shows you’re watching, those are actors, screenwriters, cinematographers, costume designers, set designers. Art affects everything in our world. I think that once you understand that, you understand the importance of supporting artists.”

She hopes that people and institutions interested in supporting the arts will think about individual artists and not just galleries and museums. She draws from her art history education to point out that the Italian Renaissance relied on the Medici family’s support for a culture of mentorship and apprenticeship among individual artists.

“That’s something that’s been lost,” Arison says.

Her advice to people who want to support artists and art but don’t know where to begin: See as much as you can. “Take advantage of all the opportunities you have to see art,” Arison says. “The better your eye gets, the better your understanding will be. And when you go out, you’ll meet interesting, exciting people.”

Her other advice: Ignore art trends. “Go buy a poster you like,” she says. “Buy something that makes you feel something and you want to see on your wall. Something that you want to live with.” 

Read more from Emory Magazine.

Photography by Nick Garcia and Courtesy of Sarah Arison.

The post The Business of Art and the Art of Business appeared first on EmoryBusiness.com.

As part of the challenge, Travelers asked the students to imagine they worked as modelers for the company’s fraud detection department and tasked them with creating a predictive model that could help the company identify the key drivers that cause fraudulence. “The problems that we put out there for modeling competitions are not easy, and they tend to be of the type where the answer is not obvious,” explains Girish Modgil, SVP and chief AI officer at Travelers and a member of the MS in Business Analytics program’s curriculum advisory board. “It allows them to get direct and real time feedback from industry leaders on what they’re learning.”

Good Models Matter, but Communication is Key

Teams that are the most accurate or precise in terms of the metrics Travelers looks for in the competition generally do well, noted Modgil. “But it’s also about the communication,” he says. “How [the teams] are able to communicate about what the problem was, how they tackled it, how they worked together, how they brought diverse opinions and thought to it, and how they were able to cobble together an answer that was presentable and showed some progress toward achieving a solution.”

Qiu and her team went on to win the competition. She believes her team won, in part, because of its presentation and its business insights.

Everyone can do modeling. What really makes you stand out are your communication skills, your presentations skills.

Wenye Qiu 22MSBA

As a result of the competition, Qiu earned an interview—and ultimately a job—at Travelers. There, she builds pricing models for small commercial lines of business as a senior associate data scientist in the Data Science Leadership Development Program, a three year rotational program at Travelers. Qiu, who lives in Atlanta, also became Travelers’ campus representative for the modeling competition and, in 2024, took on the role of organizing the event. “I was happy to take the lead and give back to the program because I know they are awesome students,” Qiu says. “They deserve to have this opportunity to show off their skills.”

This past year, 30 teams from eight different schools—including three teams from Goizueta’s MS in Business Analytics program—presented as part of the Travelers University Modeling Competition. Two Goizueta teams tied for first place.

“For our MS in Business Analytics students, these experiential learning opportunities aren’t just valuable—they’re fundamental,” says Scott Radcliffe, the program’s managing director. “They transform classroom concepts into tangible skills, preparing our graduates not just to analyze data, but to drive impactful business decisions from day one.”

Mutually Beneficial

In 2024 Travelers, headquartered in New York, NY, opened a 2,800 square-foot office in Midtown Atlanta’s Technology Square. The site houses the company’s AI, data science, and other technology operations. “As part of our continued expansion and involvement in the community, we want to make sure that when we hire the talent, they’re well-equipped with the coursework and the experience that they ought to have to come in and start driving value,” says Modgil. “With that in mind, the best way is to go to the source.”

In addition to the modeling competition, Modgil’s work on the MS in Business Analytics program’s advisory board allows him to gather insights from students. During the advisory board’s bi-annual meetings, a handful of current Goizueta students are selected to give presentations on their research interests and career aspirations. “We get to see and experience what the current crop of students are hoping to do—and possibly adjust the ways we interview and recruit accordingly,” says Modgil. “And from an academic perspective, Scott and his team learn what is current, what companies are looking for and the types of skills we need.”

Coming Full Circle

When asked about her current role, Qiu explains that while she builds the pricing models first, she needs feedback from the teams using the models to make sure they work and work well. “My role actually involves a lot of presentations—delivering your model and your business insights to your business partners,” Qiu explains. “It’s a really good combination of technical and business.” This is something Modgil also underscores when describing Goizueta’s MS in Business Analytics program as “the perfect intersection” of business and data analytics. “Since Goizueta is such a good business school, you see a more well-rounded candidate coming out of the program,” says Modgil.  

To learn about career opportunities at Travelers, please visit https://careers.travelers.com/

Learn how Goizueta’s MS in Business Analytics program turns data-driven students into business-ready leaders. Explore a curriculum built on experiential learning, industry collaboration, and real-world impact.

The post From Modeling Challenge to Career Win at Travelers appeared first on EmoryBusiness.com.

A Landmark Year for Graduate Programs

Goizueta Business School’s master’s diploma ceremony took place on Friday, May 9, marking a significant milestone for the school. As well as welcoming graduates from the MBA, Master of Finance (MF), and Master of Science in Business Analytics (MSBA) programs, Dean Gareth James had the pleasure of introducing the inaugural class of the Master in Business for Veterans (MBV) graduates and Master in Management (MiM) graduates. 

In his address, Dean James highlighted the importance of taking risks, drawing inspiration from Roberto C. Goizueta’s legacy. He encouraged graduates to embrace opportunities that may seem daunting, sharing his own experience of moving from New Zealand to the U.S. for graduate school. “All my biggest successes have come from taking risks,” he noted, urging the Class of 2025 to dive in whenever opportunity comes knocking. 

The keynote speaker Adrian Tonge 02C 07EvMBA, Executive Vice President of Data & Analytics North America at Chubb, and a proud double Emory alumnus, shared insights from his career in data science and AI. He emphasized the importance of community in finding fulfillment and success. “While life isn’t linear—and its paths can be daunting—I encourage you to travel it with others. Build your network. That network will carry you farther than you imagined.”

Undergraduate Accomplishments Celebrated with Pride 

On Monday, May 12, the Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) diploma ceremony was held at the Woodruff PE Center. Dean Gareth James addressed the Class of 2025 with a message of pride, challenge, and inspiration.

“Our programs are selective, our standards are high, and the path to this moment has required resilience, determination, and grit,” James said, recognizing the collective efforts of faculty, staff, and especially families and loved ones.

Graduates also received a special address from Rick Rieder 83BBA, Senior Managing Director and Chief Investment Officer of Global Fixed Income at BlackRock. Rieder, who is responsible for managing roughly $3 trillion in assets, shared the seven words that he lives by: “Work hard. Play hard. Give back. Reboot.”

After a series of inspiring moments, Dean James returned to close the ceremony with a reflection that emphasized the strength of Goizueta’s community—drawing a powerful comparison to the sport of competitive sailing and highlighting the enduring role of alumni like Rieder.

“The students are the water that we sail through—without them the race doesn’t even make sense. But our alumni—our alumni are the wind in the sails,” he said. “You now have the honor and privilege to call yourselves Emory Goizueta Alums.”

The BBA Honors & Awards Celebration on Saturday, May 10, 2025 recognized the achievements of Goizueta’s exceptional graduating seniors.

Honoring Doctoral Scholars 

In a more intimate but equally meaningful celebration, Goizueta honored its graduating PhD students during a send-off reception on Wednesday, May 7. Dean Gareth James described it as “a small handful of very special students” entering a “rare and privileged group — PhDs.” This year, nine doctoral graduates joined the ranks of over 120 Goizueta PhD alumni, heading to distinguished institutions as postdoctoral scholars and assistant professors. 

Reflecting on his own academic lineage, Dean James spoke about the continuity of scholarly knowledge stretching back hundreds of years — from Trevor Hastie and Peter Huber to names like Laplace, Euler, and Bernoulli. “You have that same accumulated knowledge,” he told graduates. “That is a privilege that few people ever experience. Now you have a duty to go out into the world and both add to, and spread, that knowledge.” 

“This is a very important success,” James concluded, “but also a stepping stone to even bigger and better things. Take a few minutes today to celebrate.”

“But of course, tomorrow — get straight back to finishing off that paper,” Dean James joked. 

Looking Ahead

As the Class of 2025 embarks on their next chapters, Dean James reminded them of the enduring support from the Goizueta community.   

“Ultimately, Goizueta will be judged based on the graduates we produce. Your successes and failures are also ours. But I know, with absolute certainty, that you will all experience many more successes than failures. Our school’s future is very bright.  As you set sail into this next phase of life, know that Goizueta will always be part of your crew—ready to support, celebrate, and steady the course when needed.” 

Congratulations to the Goizueta Business School Class of 2025! 

For more information on Emory University’s 2025 Commencement, visit the Commencement Hub.

The post Goizueta Welcomes the Class of 2025  appeared first on EmoryBusiness.com.

Alumnus Josh Luber’s lifelong passions for sneakers, sports cards, and toys — plus his love of data — led him to co-found successful businesses StockX, Fanatics Collectibles and ghostwrite while placing him at the forefront of the “hype economy.”

At the same time that a young Kobe Bryant was hooping it up for Lower Merion High School in the mid-1990s, Josh Luber 99BBA 06MBA 06L ran point guard for Harriton High — located just down the road in the Main Line suburbs west of Philadelphia. “All the really good athletes got recruited to play for Lower Merion,” Luber says. “I was 5’9” and slow, but skilled enough that I had the chance to start at Harriton. Lower Merion won a state championship. We won something like three games in two years. I never fooled myself into thinking I was going to be a star like Kobe.”

Still, Luber absolutely loved everything about basketball. “I wanted to play 24/7,” he says. He relished joining the streetball-style pickup games at Narberth Playground, marveled at Michael Jordan’s dominance in the NBA, and fully embraced the sport’s culture — especially the music and fashion. Like so many kids of that era he obsessed over basketball sneakers and desperately wanted to own a pair of Air Jordans. “But there was no way my mom was ever going to pay $100 or more for shoes back then,” he says. 

Now, some 30 years later, Luber boasts a closet full of some of the rarest and most expensive sneakers in the world (including a $310,000 pair of Air Jordans). He refers to this collection as his “sneaker portfolio,” because he firmly believes these shoes are no different than other valuable commodities — like sports cars and rare art or even stocks and gold — that are in high demand and can easily be bought, sold, or traded.

Sneakers became part of the new “hype economy” that formed over the past couple of decades. As Luber describes it, the hype economy is where culturally relevant goods have gained real value based on scarcity and buzz, often selling for much higher than original retail prices. In this market, limited-edition drops, celebrity endorsements, and social media hype can send shoe prices skyrocketing, turning everyday consumers into investors and serious collectors into market speculators.  

Luber recognized this trend early on and helped build not just one, but three successful businesses that capitalize on this dynamic. He’s become a leading force in the industry by proving that sneakers — and collectibles like sports cards and toys — aren’t just symbols of wealth or fashion statements, but legitimate financial assets.

CREATING A NEW KIND OF MARKETPLACE

This realization led Luber in 2016 to launch StockX, the stock market of things — mainly sneakers, streetwear, and collectibles — with business mogul Dan Gilbert, owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers and co-founder of Rocket Mortgage.  

“I was working at IBM but was doing a side project looking to create a buying guide for sneakers,” Luber says. “This startup was originally called Campless, and I spent months and months pulling shoe auction sales prices from eBay and cleaning massive amounts of Excel data.” 

The culture-savvy Gilbert heard about Luber’s work and met with him to see if together they could take this idea of a sneaker price guide to another level.

How? By building an online platform for not only selling basketball shoes, but also other high-demand, limited-edition products. 

Luber remembers a pivotal meeting in the early days of setting up StockX when he and Gilbert met with several industry leaders, including the founder of Under Armour, Kevin Plank. He felt nervous to have a literal seat at this exclusive table, but Luber was confident in his data.

Under Armour had recently released their first limited-market sneaker, the UA Curry 1 MVP — the signature shoe of basketball star Stephen Curry— which retailed in stores for $120 but in less than two months was reselling for more than $500 a pair on eBay. “It was Under Armour’s first cool shoe,” Luber says. “When I showed him this data, Plank was upset. He said that he knew they should have made more of the shoe.” 

But that’s when Luber gathered up the guts to tell Plank he was absolutely incorrect. “If you make too many, then the shoe won’t be cool anymore,” he explained to Plank. 

History proved Luber right. In subsequent iterations of the Curry MVP shoes, the company produced so many that they lost their luster with sneakerheads and wound up on clearance racks at discount stores across the country, he says. 

“Everything is priced wrong” is something of a mantra Luber frequently uses to explain his approach to business.

He believes too many goods and services come with fixed retail prices and that, instead, their real cost should be based on supply and demand. “Think Uber surge pricing or the way airlines charge for plane tickets,” he says. “These are efficient markets, and the same concept could be applied to virtually any hype economy good or service, like sneakers.”  

The goal for StockX was to set up a marketplace for collectible sneakers and other goods at the heart of the hype economy — streetwear, designer bags, watches, trading cards, and toys — that was both transparent and efficient, using a live bid/ask system that emulates a stock exchange. Buyers place bids (the highest price they’re willing to pay) and sellers set asks (the lowest price they’ll accept). When a bid and an ask match, the transaction happens automatically, ensuring fair, real-time pricing based on supply and demand. 

In fairly short order, Luber’s business philosophy was validated. The StockX buying and platform took off, reaching a peak market valuation of $8 billion in just five years — an achievement that brought him both industry recognition and personal financial success.

EMBRACING ENTREPRENEURSHIP

A serial entrepreneur and self-proclaimed hustler nearly all his life, Luber first got caught up in the thrill of making deals when he was a young kid. “I collected sports cards and was always on the hustle with my friends, negotiating and trading for the cards I really wanted,” he says. “I also used to sell candy at school. I hopped the fence behind my house to go to the store to buy Blow Pops and Bubbalicious and then sell them for a profit to my classmates. Trading cards and candy were the only two hustles available to a 10-year-old back in 1988, before the internet.” 

It’s no surprise that when Luber chose to go to college at Emory — he saw it as a top school and he had family living in the Atlanta area — he decided to study business. He did well in his classes, enjoyed collegiate life, and made tons of friends. After earning his undergraduate BBA degree from Goizueta Business School in 1999, he progressed through a number of jobs. “The first was working for my uncle’s furniture store business, literally selling couches and working on commission,” he says. “I worked my way up from sales to being a buyer and learned a lot about retail.” 

Unfortunately, his uncle’s business went into bankruptcy after a couple years and Luber was left collecting unemployment checks for six months. But it proved to be the perfect timing. He joined forces with a friend from Emory and in 2002 they launched an IT service, called Tech Experts. “It was like Best Buy’s Geek Squad before Geek Squad existed,” he says. “We’d go to people’s homes and fix their computers. We built it up, hired some employees, and ran the entire thing from our shared apartment. It was a small business but it paid the rent and gave me my first taste of being a real entrepreneur.” 

At the same time, however, Luber was considering going to graduate school and wound up selling his share of the business for $18,000. He returned to Emory in 2003 to pursue a joint JD/MBA degree from Emory Law School and Goizueta and thrived in the challenging environment. “I loved law school and soaked up a lot from faculty and classmates,” he says. “I thought my destiny was to be an attorney.”

After graduating, he landed a role as an associate at Alston & Bird, a prestigious Atlanta law firm. “I made good money and enjoyed it, but realized after eight months that I actually didn’t want to be a lawyer,” he says.  

Luber simply could not shake the call of entrepreneurship. 

He left and co-founded a restaurant staff-scheduling app called Servinity in 2007. “We found some investors and raised some money, but the economic crash of 2008 ultimately sealed our fate,” Luber says. “It was historically bad timing. But another one of my friends from business school reached out and recruited me to work as a management consultant at IBM in New York City. So I moved away from Atlanta after having lived there for 15 years and entered a new phase of my career, the one where everything finally clicked together.”

TAKING ON TRADING CARDS AND TOYS 

After Luber’s incredible success at StockX, he started to look for the next opportunity, the next challenge, the next hustle. As fate would have it, that opportunity came through another of his childhood passions — sports cards. 

In 2021, Luber joined another industry mover and shaker, Fanatics founder and CEO Michael Rubin, to start up a sports trading card and memorabilia business called Fanatics Collectibles. Serving as co-founder and chief vision officer, Luber helped negotiate exclusive-rights licensing deals with major sports leagues like the NBA, NFL, and MLB and oversaw the acquisition of legendary trading card company Topps.

“Trading cards, while they are cardboard and plastic, can be better protected over time than sneakers and can hold their value long term,” Luber says. For example, he notes that a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle card can be worth millions of dollars, depending on its condition. “It’s mainly because people didn’t protect them back then and they are rare in that state,” he says. “Today, modern cards are much better taken care of by collectors.” 

And while they are mass produced at greater numbers than ever, Luber notes, the companies have built in limited-edition variations, as well as cards that contain autographs or pieces of game-used memorabilia that make them more unique and valuable. “In addition, they can be graded and put in protective slabs that are tamperproof and element-proof,” he adds. 

In the span of a year, Fanatics Collectibles became the industry market leader and was worth $10 billion. 

However, Luber realized he wanted a different experience. He wanted to build up his own company from scratch. So he left Fanatics in 2022 and founded ghostwrite, a toy company that makes collectible figures called “ghosts” — think Funko Pops but far more exclusive. Each limited-edition ghost has the same shape, a kind of “blank canvas” that can be customized with different skins. These skins range from the iconic anime character Astro Boy to the WNBA’s revolutionary star Caitlin Clark, who was featured in the company’s first collaboration with the league in December 2024.

What’s different — and perhaps most satisfying — at ghostwrite is that Luber designed the product himself. It took the company several months to design the toy and come up with a shape that was appealing. “And then, before we officially launched, we tried a number of different skins and customizations,” says Luber, who serves as the company’s CEO. “We made dozens of ghosts, including ones for Tiffany, for Adidas, for the NBA and MLB.” 

In addition to producing the toy figures, ghostwrite operates its own selling platform that uses a blind Dutch auction system. It’s a market-driven pricing model where buyers submit blind bids, indicating the highest amount they’re willing to pay for a limited-edition product. Once bidding closes, the platform ranks all bids from highest to lowest and determines the clearing price — the lowest successful bid that sells out the available supply, Luber explains. 

“All winning buyers pay this same final price, even if they originally bid higher, ensuring fairness and preventing overpayment while allowing true market demand to dictate value,” he says. 

For Luber, ghostwrite isn’t just another business venture — it’s a sort of homecoming, a chance to build something special with the people who’ve shaped his entrepreneurial journey. 

“When I left StockX, there were over 1,400 people working there,” Luber says. “Here it’s just 10 of us, most of them people like my brother whom I have worked with across different stages of my career. These are people I love and trust — these are people I want to work with, and they are all superstars. To have a company where we can do this together is really a dream come true. I couldn’t do it without them.”

Ready to lead the next revolution? Explore Goizueta’s innovative business programs and start shaping the future today.

Josh Luber recently joined Emory President Greg L. Fenves on the One Big Question podcast to share his journey from sneakerhead to startup visionary. Hear more of his story — along with conversations with other remarkable alumni, faculty, staff and special guests — at the One Big Question website — read more on Emory News Center.

The post Leading the Collectibles Revolution appeared first on EmoryBusiness.com.

This year, three individuals with ties to Goizueta Business School’s undergraduate Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) program made the list: Evelyn Duan 17BBA, Dumebi Egbuna 18BBA, and Clara Wasserman 26BBA.

What I love so much about these three women being recognized is that this list not only honors their efforts individually, but also shows the range and versatility of our amazing BBA students.

Andrea, Hershatter, Associate Professor in the Practice of Organization & Management and Senior Associate Dean of Undergraduate Education

“Evelyn was a finance superstar from the moment she entered the undergraduate BBA program and Dumebi was always insightful, creative, and people oriented, as I had the good fortune to witness firsthand when she took my entrepreneurship class,” says Andrea Hershatter, associate professor in the practice of organization and management and senior associate dean of undergraduate education. “It’s incredible that Clara is just starting out and has already accomplished so much. In addition to founding an important youth advocacy venture, she is completing a BBA depth in organization and management, a political science major in Emory College, and her Master of Accounting. It is such a privilege to have these wonderful women represent the undergraduate BBA program.”

Dumebi Egbuna: Social Impact

Dumebi Egbuna 18BBA launched Chezie with her brother, Toby, after they both faced the difficulties of navigating corporate America as Black, Nigerian immigrants. Although the pair’s original idea was a variation of Glassdoor, a company review website, the duo now works with people teams at companies to create a more inclusive and safe work environment by leveraging the impact of employee resource groups.

The company handles the data-driven, administrative side of DEI initiatives and employee communities so that the companies can focus on the bigger picture, filling any gaps that exist in the staff experience. Egbuna actually began the company while she was still working full-time at IBM.

“Building something from scratch has been one of the most challenging-yet-rewarding experiences of my life,” says Egbuna. “As founders, my brother and I are fully responsible for the success of this business. While that pressure is real, it’s also what makes the wins feel so meaningful.”

Egbuna says seeing Chezie recognized by Forbes has been on her vision board for years.

“More than anything, I want to look back on my life and know that I’ve left my mark on the world. This honor is a reminder that I’m doing work that truly matters. I want people who look like me to be able to show up authentically in any space, and knowing that I’m helping create safe, inclusive workplaces makes this recognition even more meaningful,” says Egbuna.

Evelyn Duan: Finance

Evelyn Duan 17BBA is the vice president at Sixth Street Partners, a global investment firm. In her role, Duan primarily works with software companies and has contributed $500 million in investments to major corporations, including Bloomreach, SnapLogic, Veracode, and Heap.

In response to her recognition by Forbes, Duan said on LinkedIn, “[I feel] incredibly honored to be named a Forbes 30 Under 30 in finance. [I’m grateful] to be part of the team at Sixth Street, where I’ve had the privilege to learn, grow, and contribute.”

Beyond her 9-5, Duan also serves as a mentor. She uses her experiences as a first-generation immigrant to help other international students through Ascend, a global network for Pan-Asian professionals.

Clara Wasserman: Social Media

In June 2020, Clara Wasserman 26BBA was stuck at home during the COVID-19 pandemic—and constantly online.

“I felt that my usage of social media was not benefiting my mental health,” recalls Wasserman.

At the time, she watched an interview by the YouTube channel Jubilee, interviewing a teenager named Emma Lembke. The conversation was about digital wellness and social media advocacy. After watching the interview, Wasserman reached out to Lembke, and the two co-founded LOG OFF.

The youth-led nonprofit provides children, teenagers, and young adults with the tools and resources to create healthier relationships with social media and online platforms. They also host events and campaigns, such as their recent “Forks Up, Phones Down” movement aimed at staying present when eating with friends and family.

“What I truly appreciate and value about my work at LOG OFF is that I can see a real-time difference in how our advocacy impacts people’s lives and their perspectives on social media,” says Wasserman, who assists with fundraisers, campaign conception, designing educational material, and facilitating marketing with other organizations as co-founder.

For Wasserman, the Forbes recognition is “surreal.” This partnership and project began when she was in high school. To receive such a significant honor while still in college has been gratifying.

“For the organization to receive such a nod from Forbes really propels our mission and energizes us to keep on moving forward. It shows that our work matters to people, and there’s still so much work left to do.”

Discover how Goizueta empowers the next generation of business leaders—learn more about our undergraduate program.

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“The goal of the summit is to educate, connect and empower,” said Senior Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education & Professor in the Practice of Organization and Management Andrea Hershatter. “To that end, the greatest thing we can do for our current students and the alumni who attended is to bring in these powerful role models to share their insights and stories.”

Kickoff Conversation: A Fireside Chat with David Glattstein

To open the summit, Hershatter sat down with Glattstein for a fireside chat-style conversation in front of approximately 200 attendees. After his earning his Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) at Goizueta, Glattstein immersed himself in the investment and private equity world, where he gained experience investing in and helping small businesses grow. Along the way, he earned an MBA from The Wharton School and in 2017, joined forces with David Bessler, VMD, to co-found VEG ER for Pets.

Glattstein and Bessler have reimagined the veterinary emergency business model. With a customer-centered approach, trained emergency veterinary staff, and rapid response times, each of VEG’s locations is open 24 hours, seven days a week, holidays included. VEG locations are open concept so that pet owners can “see everything and participate in” their pet’s care, notes the VEG website. “We want to provide mind-blowing customer experiences that people would never imagine,” Glattstein said.

Glattstein advised the students to think about the problem they’re solving for when they start a business. “For us, ER professionals—doctors and nurses—didn’t have a great place to build their careers, so we gave them that,” he said. To help existing veterinarians shift to emergency medicine, VEG provides a six-month fellowship program that offers mentorship and continuing education. VEG strives to create a culture that makes it “so obvious that that they would want to join us,” Glattstein said of employees, which are known as VEGgies. Glattstein admits that creating that environment took years.

Calling Glattstein amazing and “one of the kindest, most uplifting people I know,” Hershatter added that Glattstein is also “relentless and driven and expects his VEGgies to rise to the same level of commitment. He has built this into the incentive structure and into a culture of innovation.”

During his conversation with Hershatter, Glattstein also explained “IKIGAI,” the concept of combining one’s purpose and profession with one’s passion. “If I’m not going to be passionate about what I want to do and good at it, it’s going to be really hard to be successful,” said Glattstein. “You don’t just have to go into finance or banking or consulting to be successful.”

In addition to building a lasting, generational business and “genuinely doing something meaningful to drive positive impact,” Glattstein is committed to coaching and mentoring what he calls “the next generation of stars. I really want to be there for young people as they start their career and inspire them, help them, coach them,” he explained. “That’s something I really want to focus on.”

According to Glattstein, VEG ER for Pets’ revenues are growing 40% annually and are expected to top $1 billion in the next year. The company’s current investors include Fidelity Investors, Sequoia Heritage, and D1 Capital Partners.

Luminary Lessons: Breakout Sessions with Entrepreneurs

During two separate sessions on day two, after brief introductions, each of the luminary entrepreneurs went into breakouts with students to discuss pre-selected topics.

For the first session, Designing for the End User Experience, the entrepreneurs included Vanessa Jeswani 08BBA, co-founder of Nomad Lane; Adam King 09MBA, co-founder & CEO of 1587 Sneaker; Colin McIntosh 12BBA, founder & CEO of Sheets & Giggles; and Scott Roskind, Partner at R3 Venture Partners.

For the Venturing in Disruption & Technology discussion, the luminary entrepreneurs were Jeffrey Chernick 04BBA, the founder of several successful companies as well as an advisor and angel investor; Camerson “Cam” Duncan 17BBA, co-founder & CEO of Axle; David Gaspar 02BBA, co-founder & Head of Innovation at Gather; and Glen Surnamer, COO of Pensare LLC.

Students recorded their takeaways from their breakouts with the entrepreneurs. Those takeaways included: 

+ “A bad product with a good team can succeed but a great product with a bad team will never succeed.”

+ “You won’t change the status quo unless you ask why. Ask why five times to get the answer—then dig deeper.”

+ “If you want advice, ask for money. If you want money, ask for advice.”

“What these Luminaries share is a perpetual intellectual curiosity and cycle of continuous learning, an incredibly strong work ethic, resilience, and a strong desire to control their own paths and destiny,” explained Hershatter.

Pitch the Summit Competition

The Goizueta Emory Entrepreneurship summit concluded with the final rounds of the Pitch the Summit Competition, which provides Goizueta and Emory undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to learn to pitch an idea for a new venture.

The student teams competed not only for funding for their businesses in the form of cash prizes, but for access to the Emory Venture Mentoring Community. “This year featured perhaps the most competitive group of student-founder-led ventures in the competition’s history, all of whom are also participants in the 2025 Techstars Emory Founder Catalyst program,” explained Brian Cayce, managing director of The Roberto C. Goizueta Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation. Cayce adds that the luminary entrepreneurs had committed to mentoring the student founders as well.

The top teams were:

Undergraduate

1^st place $7500: Subscription Intern

2^nd place $3500: Commonology AI

3^rd place $1500: Safe Squeeze Headgear

Graduate

1^st place $7500: Workforce IQ

2^nd place $3500: Corridor

3^rd place $1500: moji

“Our panel of Luminaries was notably impressed by the caliber of innovation and drive they witnessed,” said Cayce of the student Pitch the Summit teams. “It is a powerful reminder that with the right support, Emory entrepreneurs are truly poised to lead transformative ventures,” Cayce added.

Discover how The Roberto C. Goizueta Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation is reshaping business and empowering the next generation of leaders.

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Curveballs and Comebacks: The Making of Emory Scholar-Athlete Blake Dinçman

Undergraduate student Blake Dinçman’s 25BBA path shows the power of grit, growth, and giving back. With a job offer in impact-driven finance, he’s just getting started.

Meet Blake Dinçman

Data-Driven Healing: The Journey of Tommy Pan  

Meet Tommy Pan 25MSBA, a graduating MS in Business Analytics student whose journey has been shaped by curiosity, purpose, and a passion for healthcare innovation. In this Q&A, he shares how his background in business, chemistry, and data science is helping him make a meaningful impact in the world of health tech. 

Meet Tommy Pan

Finding Motivation in a Mission-Driven MBA 

Molly McDonald 25EvMBA joined Goizueta Evening MBA program with a passion for purpose-driven leadership and social impact. In this Q&A, she shares her experiences, insights, and what’s next after graduation. 

Meet Molly McDonald

Amber O’Donoghue Finds Her Voice and Vision at Goizueta 

Meet Amber O’Donoghue 25MBA, a graduating Full-Time MBA student whose journey has been shaped by leadership, creativity, and a deep commitment to community. In this Q&A, she shares how her experiences—from Spelman to Accenture to Goizueta—are fueling her next chapter in marketing and strategy. 

Meet Amber O’Donogue

Qazi Haq Proves Community Is the Most Powerful Classroom

Meet Qazi Haq 25MBA, a graduating Full-Time MBA student whose Goizueta journey has been defined by leadership, mentorship, and a drive to build community. In this Q&A, he reflects on his experiences, his passion for finance and strategy, and what comes next.  

Meet Qazi Haq

Hurl Taylor Proves It’s Never Too Late to Learn or Lead 

Meet Hurl Taylor 25MBV, a graduating Master in Business for Veterans student whose journey is a testament to lifelong learning, service, and resilience. In this Q&A, the 86-year-old Army veteran and four-time Emory graduate shares how he continues to use his experience and education to uplift others. 

Meet Hurl Taylor

Hailey Hunt Brings a Literary Lens to Leadership and Management 

Meet Hailey Hunt 25MiM, a graduating Master in Management student whose journey reflects a passion for leadership, collaboration, and purposeful work. In this Q&A, she shares how her experiences at Goizueta have prepared her to lead with intention and drive results through strong teamwork. 

Meet Hailey Hunt

Business with a Pulse: Georgia Forrest Redefines Leadership in Medicine and Beyond

Meet Dr. Georgia Forrest 25EMBA, a graduating Executive MBA student whose journey is defined by visionary leadership and a deep commitment to transforming healthcare. In this Q&A, she shares how her time at Goizueta is helping her drive change—from hospitals to policy—while empowering others along the way.  

Meet Georgia Forrest

Crunching the Numbers That Move Markets: Emilio Cristofoli’s Future in Finance Takes Shape

Meet Emilio Cristofoli 25MF, a graduating Master of Finance student whose journey is fueled by a passion for quantitative analysis and a drive to excel in capital markets. In this Q&A, he shares how his time at Goizueta has prepared him for a future in investment banking or asset management—and why he plans to stay closely connected to the Emory community.  

Meet Emilio Cristofoli

Want to see Goizueta Business School from a student’s perspective? Discover firsthand accounts of campus life and leadership experiences at Goizueta by exploring the Voice of Goizueta webpage, where students share their unique experiences and insights.

The post Meet the Class of 2025 appeared first on EmoryBusiness.com.

Which is why one might be surprised to learn that this all-star student-athlete didn’t make the cut in his first application to Emory.

“I took a unique path to Emory,” says Dinçman. “I didn’t get into Emory and went to Tulane University out of high school to play baseball. I thought that I would spend all four years of college there. However, I was cut from the baseball team at the end of my first semester there, and I immediately entered the transfer portal and landed at Gulf Coast State College for the following semester. I graduated Summa Cum Laude with my A.A. in General Studies and I was recruited by the Emory Baseball team as a transfer.”

Determination and adaptability are what carried Dinçman toward his destiny–skills he honed through his baseball career.

“Baseball has brought me some of the most valuable mentors and coaches in my life, and instilled values of diligence and devotion that can translate to any field.”

Dinçman also credits his homerun of an academic career to the collaborative and intimate environment of Goizueta Business School, the support of faculty and classmates there, and–especially–his family.

“I’m grateful for my parents Tolga and Holly, who gave me everything just to have the chance to be successful in my life.”

“Dinçman is quite extraordinary,” says Senior Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education & Professor in the Practice of Organization and Management Andrea Hershatter. “His discipline, commitment, and engagement are unmatched. I don’t believe it is possible to do more than he has done as an Emory student.”

Post graduation, Dinçman is weighing a few offers, but will most likely be joining PNC Financial Services Group in Philadelphia, PA, as an Asset Management Group Development Program Analyst, where he hopes to make a tangible impact for societal good.

“The niche line of business I’ll be working with at PNC–called Institutional Asset Management–carries great societal impact in my eyes. Instead of being a strictly transactional business, we manage the relationships and investment accounts for Endowments & Foundations, Public Pensions & 401(k)s, and other private companies. For example, we get to see firsthand how PNC-advised investment growth leads to additional scholarship and grant opportunities for endowments and foundations, who often disburse funds to impactful social causes and exceptional individuals and students.”

Dinçman will miss his Goizueta community, and–surprisingly–finals week. Those grueling study sessions hunkered down alongside classmates with food and paperwork strewn across the table left him with some of his favorite memories. He credits both his Business Law grade and his close relationship with his senior baseball teammates to their hours-long roundtable review sessions before exams.

In the future, Dinçman dreams of founding a FinTech start-up, or managing a fund alongside his Emory Baseball teammates and Goizueta-peers Chris DiVito and Jonah Wronski.

“Given my upbringing in the Deep South and the emphasis placed on ‘Southern Hospitality,’ I hope to bring a unique perspective on relationship-building wherever I land.”

Ultimately, Dinçman hopes to be an involved alumnus and mentor who finds himself, one day, in a philanthropical position to help support the people and institutions that raised him.

“I took great pride in leading younger baseball teammates in all aspects of their college career, and I hope to become the kind of mentor that pushes others to realize their own potential. I always want to uphold a focus on service and social causes, as well as the importance of one’s family and faith in their life.”

For more Emory Commencement stories, updates, photos and videos, and celebration details, visit commencement.emory.edu.

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This year’s team included Saanvi Sood 25BBA; Catherine Ly 26BBA, chair of competitions; Sean Walsh 26BBA; and Yashonandan Kakrania 26BBA 26MAcc, team captain. They recently traveled to New Zealand to compete in the Champions Trophy Case Competition at the University of Auckland—and they won third place.

“In the Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) curriculum, our undergraduate students gather and analyze data, model outcomes, deconstruct multi-layered problems, think creatively and strategically, and make actionable recommendations. They also present with confident professionalism,” says Andrea Hershatter, senior associate dean of undergraduate education and associate professor in the practice of organization and management.

“I saw all of those capacities in action with the team, along with their resilience, drive towards continuous improvement, and superior sportsmanship. I could not have been prouder of the outcomes they achieved and, especially, the way they competed.”

The Story Starts in California

In the spring of 2024, a group of Goizueta undergraduate students traveled to the University of Southern California for the Marshall Case Competition: Jonathan Ross 24BBA, Harrison Coorey 24BBA, Michelle Li 24BBA, and Sood.

Unbeknownst to the team at the time, this event was a qualifier for the international event in New Zealand. In fact, it was one of only two qualifying events that exist in the United States.

The team flew to Los Angeles with the intention of having fun and doing their best—and they won first place.

“It was an incredible honor and such a privilege to win first place and represent Goizueta, especially as a newly established team,” says Sood.

Some teams prepare for months on end, often with professional coaches, but the Goizueta students had an advantage: The undergraduate business curriculum includes cases and presentations in class.

“Our success was a big testament to our Goizueta education because it’s so practical and hands-on,” says Sood, who used a skill she learned in a data analytics course to help the team win the Marshall Case Competition.

A Trip to New Zealand

As a result of the first place honor in California, Goizueta secured a spot in the Champions Trophy Case Competition in New Zealand. Since most of the team graduated in 2024, Sood was tasked with recruiting new members.

Her selling points were the opportunity to connect more deeply with Goizueta peers and meet students from programs around the world. Sood shared how valuable the experience is in putting the skills learned in class or through internships to the test in high-pressure, real-world scenarios that require collaboration. For younger classmates, case competitions are great talking points for job interviews.

The team also secured funding to fully cover the trip and all expenses through the Robson Program for Business, Public Policy, and Government and the support of Jeffrey Rosensweig, director of the Robson Program and associate professor of finance.

“The funding was a testament to Goizueta believing in our ability to do well, but also wanting us to have meaningful experiences, regardless of what the outcome is,” says Sood. “A lot of people in the Goizueta community came together to make this happen, and it’s something that I will be truly appreciative of when I look back at my time at Emory.”

The International Competition

The Goizueta team arrived at the Champions Trophy Case Competition surrounded by teams who regularly compete at the international level. What made the competition even more unique—in addition to the location and prestige—was that teams were not allowed to use the internet…for anything. Participants were forced to use the skill sets of their teams and even create paper slide decks for their presentations.

“I actually liked the fact that there was no internet allowed,” says Ly. “It made us really test our critical thinking in a straightforward manner, rather than worrying about how slides looked.”

Because of this added challenge, Ly says the key was a deep understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of each teammate so that, together, they created a “strong dynamic.”

“No team is perfect, and no one is ever ‘fully ready,’ but as long as you’re willing to give your 110%, adapt, and be open to feedback, that’s all that matters,” says Ly.

For Kakrania, one of the exciting aspects of a case competition is problem-solving a real world business issue. An additional challenge the Goizueta team faced was thinking about New Zealand culture and companies for the cases, rather than approaching the competition from the U.S. perspective.

“It’s been incredible to witness the team’s rapid growth,” says Kakrania. “The chance to represent Goizueta at one of the biggest case competitions in the world filled me with immense pride. I wanted to not only compete at the highest level, but also showcase what makes Goizueta stand out as a top business school on the global stage.”

The team achieved that goal: They have since received numerous invitations to participate in case competitions at other universities in Europe, Asia, and Canada.

“Case competitions are one of the most exciting and rewarding experiences you can have as an undergraduate,” says Kakrania. “I’ve learned how to work effectively in teams, leveraging diverse backgrounds and skill sets while refining ideas through collaboration.”

The Future of Goizueta’s Case Competition Team

Kakrania says the team plans to start incorporating more outside-of-class practice to help prepare members for a wide range of business challenges.

“The case competition team welcomes all interested undergraduate BBA students,” says Hershatter. “Case competitions are a phenomenal learning experience and can provide truly transformational opportunities.”

Interested students can start in small, internal events before participating in intercollegiate and international events. Email Paula Zwillich to find out how you can join.

Ready to take on your own real-world business challenges? Learn more about Goizueta’s hands-on undergraduate business degree.

The post Goizueta Case Competition Team Wins Big Abroad appeared first on EmoryBusiness.com.

The conference lineup included a mix of speakers, panel discussions, and networking opportunities around how best to drive one’s career journey. “The power to shape that journey lies in our hands, and today is about equipping ourselves with the tools, insights, and connections we need to keep moving forward,” said René Hallock 20EvMBA, president of Executive Women of Goizueta and the director of integrated marketing for international markets at Intuit Mailchimp. “This is an opportunity to grow both personally and professionally and to deepen the relationships that strengthen our collective success.”

Unlocking Potential Through Purposeful Relationships

In her keynote address, “Potential—Have you ever wondered about your potential?” Grace Chadwick 14EMBA, chief operating officer of Crumbl Cookies, talked about growing up in Mexico City and the influence her family, especially her mother, had on her. “As I studied my mother, I discovered that there are three key elements for us to really, really hone in on if we want to maximize our ability for our potential. And those three elements are purpose, power, and vision,” Chadwick told the audience. “Potential is about existing in possibility, which means all of us have the capability to reach our potential. It is available right now to each one of you.”

During her session, “Building your Personal Board of Directors,” Marina Cooley 14MBA, assistant professor in the practice of marketing, asked the audience to be intentional about building a personal board of directors, one that includes mentors, sponsors, sounding boards, and challengers—all very different types of board members. “This is a group of people who can help you in a variety of ways,” Cooley explained. She challenged audience members “to come up with two to three names of people who fit into these chairs that would help you meet the goals that you’ve said you have.”

Breakouts: Managing Upward and Storytelling

The first of two breakout sessions, “Managing Upward: Controlling Your Narrative,” examined how to master the art of managing relationships with supervisors and higher-ups. The session was moderated by Danielle McGivney 16EvMBA, vice president of organizational change management and strategic communications at KWI. The panelists included Regenia Sanders, Atlanta office managing partner at EY, Luci Rainey, Executive Coach, career and business Coach at DAY ONE Consulting and Coaching, and Jenny Mitchell, senior vice president of customer success at Advisr.

The “Storytelling: Communicating and Advocating for Yourself” breakout explored how to craft and share one’s story in a way that authentically communicates value and advocates for one’s career goals. Moderator Tyler Ewing 05BBA, co-founder of Switch Consulting Group, was joined by Lauren McGlory 16MBA, media productions global lead for strategy and accounts at LinkedIn, Liz Stanton 10MBA, vice president of financial planning and analysis at Delta Air Lines, and Jackie Martin 02MBA, executive people & culture leader.

Leveraging AI and New Ways of Working

In the fireside chat: “Leveraging AI,” Rubina Ohanian, managing director at Accenture, spoke with Executive Women of Goizueta board member Hope Cowan 88MBA, principal consultant at Hope Cowan Consulting, about artificial intelligence (AI)—including how daunting it can be for women to enter the male-dominated field. Ohanian, who leads LLM, AI, and AI education efforts for Accenture in North America, explained that not everyone is “a geeky type of person like me,” but then added that it’s urgent to learn AI. “You can learn anything. But you’ve got to take that step forward,” she said.

The final topic of the day, “New Ways of Working: Growing in a Distributed Environment,” was tackled by moderator Ty Heath 12MBA, director and co-founder at The B2B Institute at LinkedIn, and panelists Rachel Nelms, principal and founder of formations consulting (and former director of Goizueta’s Executive MBA program), Nicole Mejias 21EvMBA, client account lead for retail media at Microsoft Accounting, and Jackie Blankenship, director of performance development at Protiviti. The session explored how to excel in the modern work landscape by leveraging technology, fostering strong communication, and building relationships across virtual and in-office platforms.

Scholarships and Awards

Each year, Executive Women of Goizueta supports the advancement of women in business by providing financial assistance to exceptional candidates pursuing their MBA at Goizueta. The $5000 scholarship aims to demonstrate a commitment to excellence, diversity, and making a positive impact in their careers and communities. This year’s recipients were pediatric surgeon Alexis Smith MD 03C 26EMBA and Victoria Johnson 25MBV, commercial operations site lead at Johnson & Johnson.

The Guiding Star Award recognizes an up-and-coming business professional who has made progressive achievements in their career, demonstrates potential for the future, and guides others through their professional example and leadership in their community. This year’s recipient was Ariel Lomax, senior program manager at Medallia.

The Bridge Award recognizes a senior business leader with a demonstrated track record of creating opportunities for others, championing diversity, and producing results for the betterment of their community and/or workplace, which was awarded to Sarah Stansberry, senior vice president of Marketing at Fiserv.

About Executive Women of Goizueta

Started 22 years ago by Sarah O’Brien 03EMBA, Executive Women of Goizueta’s mission is to create a community that advances personal and professional leadership for Goizueta women and allies.  Executive Women of Goizueta’s Advancing Women in Leadership Annual Conference is open to the entire Emory University community and to friends of the organization. Current board members include: Hope Cown 88MBA, Abby England, Julie Friedberg 87C 23EMBA, Kuki Gandhi 15EvMBA, Tara Sconzo Halfon 14EvMBA, Rene Hallock 20EvMBA, Kristy Hoffman 17EvMBA, Tara Hornsby 24EMBA, Jen Kostyrna 04C 18EvMBA, Caren Lusk 13MBA, Lorry Perkins 15EMBA 17L, Setu Shah 15MBA, Missy Taylor 22EMBA, and Liz Wolfe 16MBA 16PH.

Learn more about Goizueta Business School’s Executive MBA and Evening MBA programs.

Enjoy more scenes from the 2025 Advancing Women in Leadership Conference below.

The post Executive Women of Goizueta Takes the Wheel at Annual Conference appeared first on EmoryBusiness.com.

Professor Emeritus Patrick S. Noonan says it best: “Hidden amid a group of pretty brilliant thinkers and doers in business, you find some creative people—people who can play and write.”

These creative spirits can be found all around—undergraduate and graduate students, professors, and faculty. Read on to learn how four of them bring color into the classroom, further enrich Emory’s campus, and inspire those around them.

Track 1: A Musician to His Core

Noonan is a modern-day Renaissance man. The many hats he dons include community activist, business consultant, professor, and musician—he has worn the latter all his life.

Noonan was immersed in music from a young age—his mom sang in a choir, he bonded with his brothers over records, he played trombone in music programs throughout school, and in 1965, he formed his first band, now known as Outer Park (in which he plays guitar), with his childhood best friends.

Even after graduating from Yale with a bachelor’s degree in engineering, Noonan felt music was his calling, so he just kept playing. He spent his 20s in Boston as a full-time musician, writing, teaching, and performing music.

“It turns out it’s kind of hard to make a living in music,” he jokes. Faced with this reality, Noonan started working at an environmental nonprofit, which led him to pursue an MBA at Yale, and later work at McKinsey and Company in New York. During this time, he realized he really enjoyed business school and decided he wanted to become a professor. He earned a PhD from Harvard and started teaching at Emory in 1993.

“So, where’s the music in all this? Well, it kind of got left behind. I was still playing the best that I could, but I had a family at that point and careers,” he says. “My self identity was still a musician. During all this time, I would tell myself, ‘I’m a musician. I just happen to be doing these other things.’”

Over the stretch of 30 years, Noonan did what he could to keep his music dreams alive—he kept playing guitar, collecting and assembling instruments, performing and recording from time to time. He also carved out a space for musicians and creatives on the Goizueta campus by starting a talent show for MBA students called The Coffee House, where he even took the stage with some of his pupils. “To be able to simultaneously embrace those two worlds was an unusual and very fun moment for me,” he says.

In his late 50s, he reached a point where he thought, “I don’t need to work anymore.” After 25 years at Emory—having taught more than 7,500 students and served as the associate dean of the MBA program—Noonan felt he had made his mark. “Playing more music was at the top of the list for why I started stepping back from my academic career.”

Although Noonan still teaches a bit, he has refocused his work to his creative pursuits. In the past five years, he has released six albums with Outer Park and a second longtime group, Laurasia, despite both bands’ members being spread across the world.

Laurasia recently celebrated its 50th anniversary with a new album and a concert in New York. Outer Park plans to drop a live album soon from a concert they performed at Emory’s Performing Arts Studio in 2022.

“My music is really rooted in the relationships I have with people. The creativity and the joy of music is always enhanced when you’re doing it with others,” Noonan says. “It’s still jarring to me to talk about some of these relationships and some of these projects having spanned a half century. Especially now that I’m making music again, I don’t feel like I’m in my late 60s. I’m able to be a lot more in touch with the person that I was when I was in my 20s.”

Track 2: Business and Law Student First, Enthusiastic Musician Everywhere in Between

Music pervades every aspect of Anthony Sciaretta’s JD/MBA25 life. “It’s a key part of who I am,” he says. “Always has been and always will be.”

Sciaretta’s passion developed at age 10 when he joined a local choir in South Florida. He went on to attend a performing arts high school, later joined a music performance organization while completing his undergrad at MIT, and can always be found on campus with at least one earbud in his ears. Even after he decided to simultaneously enroll in Emory’s graduate law and business programs, he made sure he wouldn’t lose touch with his first love: music.

His commitment manifested in joining the Emory Entertainment Alliance, a student band organization within the Law School, for which he serves as president. “The idea was to get students together who want to play music, while being a distraction from the rigors of law school, and play gigs in front of friends and have a good time doing it.”

Sciaretta found a tight-knit group of music lovers within the alliance and wanted to build similar ties with his Goizueta community. After talking with peers who expressed an interest in carving out a space for themselves as musicians, he formed the Goizueta Live Music Association (GLMA), a student organization that houses a six-member cover band, for which Sciaretta also serves as president. The initial version of the band included Sciarretta on lead guitar, Tanish Meher 25MBA and Sam Batiste 25MBA on rhythm guitar, Qazi Haq 25MBA on keyboards, Drew Wilcox 24MBA on bass guitar, and Apoorv Kumar 25MBA on drums.

The group is still in its infancy, but Sciaretta says their goal is to play at KEGS at the end of the semester, and hopefully, at some point, host a joint event with with the Emory Entertainment Alliance. At its core, Sciaretta says he just wants to provide the space and resources for fellow Goizueta students to be creative, as it can be hard to find a place to jam out (that won’t be met with noise complaints) and the equipment to do it.

“The reality is the band and the people in the band love doing what we do, because it’s an escape for us.”

Sciaretta’s business knowledge has even served him as he has presided over the two music groups. He says he has employed his finance learnings when deciding where to allocate money, as well as his marketing knowledge when it comes to getting the word out—which spans from posting on social media to writing on whiteboards in classrooms to collaborating with other student groups to put on performances.

He recalls one especially impactful memory from a concert with the Emory Entertainment Alliance. Per tradition, band members who are in their last semester are guaranteed a song of their choice on the setlist, which was the case for one of Sciaretta’s best friends, bass player Caleesha Body 23L.

“That show is always really special to me. We played a couple of songs that Caleesha wanted to play. Those are definitely the moments that you cherish on stage; the band related stuff for me is what matters.”

He hopes to create these same kinds of memories with Goizueta Live Music Association and the broader Goizueta community.

“The fact that in the infancy as an organization, we got six or seven people that immediately said, ‘Hell yes, we’re doing this’ and jumped right at the opportunity definitely says something. We have opportunities for music to be a thriving piece of what we’re doing, and I think it will only grow in the future. Music is something that’s really important to everybody. You can’t avoid it.”

Track 3: The Choir Singer

Alexa Schwartz 25BBA is no stranger to the spotlight. In fact, she has been singing all her life. As a little girl, she joined the Young People’s Chorus of New York City, with which she performed at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and on TV. Naturally, she attended the city’s famed performing arts school, LaGuardia, for vocals.

When it came time to chart her college path, she knew she didn’t want to go the traditional performance route. She sought a liberal arts curriculum instead where she could pursue both vocal performance and a more traditional study. She found exactly what she was looking for at Emory, as it boasts not only an incredible academic program but a rich music history. After befriending a convincing senior who spoke about his experience as a music and business double major, she decided to follow suit.

Schwartz notes that being a double major means having a long schedule and a full plate, but when it comes to music, it never feels like work.

“Other people’s breaks might be sitting in the coffee shop, but for me, I’m happiest when I’m singing. My music classes are a way to escape from school in a sense. It’s a way for me to take myself out of reality, and be like ‘I’m here singing a song from the 1500s with some of my closest friends and there are no other worries in my head right now. Just, can I get these notes right? Can I sing the rhythm? Can I sing the music?’”

As much as she enjoyed her Emory choir classes from the get-go, Schwartz wanted to also be a part of a more fun and less structured music environment. She found that missing puzzle piece when she approached the Aural Pleasure a cappella group table at the club fair, where she immediately received a warm welcome.

“I was like, ‘Wow, I want to be part of a community like this throughout my time at Emory.’” So, I auditioned. Thank goodness I got in because it has become the best community. From the first week, I knew, ‘These are going to be my friends for life,’” she says. “I miss them so much,” she added, while studying abroad for a semester in Italy.

As Schwartz has carved out a space for herself within Aural Pleasure, community leads everything she does. She took up her first executive board position as a sophomore, leading their public relations efforts. Last year, she assumed the Vice President role, where her biggest priority was “creating a safe community where everybody felt included and supported.”

There is surely no shortage of community when it comes to music at Emory. Schwartz recalls her first a cappella performance—a showcase of all eight student a cappella groups—that she didn’t think many people would show up to, only to be met with hundreds of people in attendance.

“Sometimes it’s hard to find music enthusiasts and people who can geek out with you to random songs and the chord progressions of these songs,” she says. “I felt like I was surrounded by my people. I was surrounded by people I can be myself in front of. That was a really pivotal point, especially starting at Emory, because I wasn’t sure what to expect.”

She felt this sense of belonging again at the International Competition of Collegiate A Cappella, during which Aural Pleasure performed a three-song set that ended with Imagine Dragons’s “Believer,” soloed by a graduating senior. She says the energy in the room was simply palpable.

Schwartz’s love for music has never been something she has had to hide. She says she is incredibly grateful for her business professors who have been nothing short of encouraging of her music pursuits, often attending her concerts and recitals.

“I feel like people care about both sides of me, both aspects of my life,” she says. “It makes me very happy that at the business school, it’s not always by the book, play by play. I can even bring my creative side out in the business school through projects and assignments.”

Track 4: The Jazz Saxophonist

Will Scruggs 02BBA was destined to be a musician. He grew up surrounded by music, as his mother loved to sing and his father had a passion for playing guitar.

“Music is one of those things that some people just gravitate towards really strongly, and I think I was one of those people,” Scruggs says. “When I was a little kid, I wanted to quit music and my mom wouldn’t let me, and I’m so glad because that really was my calling.”

Scruggs’s instrument of choice was the saxophone, a decision that came down to a simple statement: “I just loved the sound of it,” he says. His mom searched high and low in Johnson City, Tennessee, for a saxophone teacher. After years of training, the saxophone became Scrugg’s undeniable passion, but he questioned if it could also be his career.

“When I first came to Emory, I wanted to keep doing music, but I didn’t think that that would offer me a good career path. So I went into the business school because I really felt that I would end up in the business world somehow,” he says. “My plan originally was to have music be a secondary thing, but I just loved it so much that it really became primary in a way.”

Scruggs declared a double major in marketing and classical saxophone. At Emory, he found mentors in his jazz music professors Gary Motley and Rev. Dr. Dwight Andrews, who he has still maintained connections with today. Their teachings prompted Scruggs to seek a more in-depth jazz education, so he found a local teacher named Fareed Mahluli. “He was an incredible teacher for me and also kind of a spiritual adviser,” Scruggs says.

Emory allowed Scruggs to collaborate with Mahluli on his senior thesis, The History of the Jazz Saxophone. It was this project that gave him the vision that he could make music a career—and he fully leaned in, but his business education was never lost on him.

Scruggs said he employed his awareness of marketing to help build his brand as a musician. He recalls having a professional appearance from the very beginning, citing how his first album had a logo that matched the branding of his website.

Later, when he became a dad, it became a priority for him to be local, so he partnered with Ray’s Restaurants, managing the music for several locations over 10 years. “My business training and acumen proved to be vital there because I was really acting as a liaison between the music community, the musicians, and this larger company. It really merged these two passions.”

This crossover, along with the fulfillment Scruggs got from providing work opportunities for other musicians, inspired his next endeavor: a Jazz Art Center. Scruggs is leading a group of investors (mostly musicians) in buying a property in downtown Decatur that they plan to open in spring 2025.

“It will be more than just a jazz venue, but a place that’s going to have education and music lessons for young jazz musicians,” Scruggs says. “My idea is to create a space where musicians are valued and put first, and to bring the whole community into a collaborative experience. I really love the idea that we’re going to have beginners just starting to understand music in the same building as international talent, and having a cross pollination between them.”

While Scruggs works on building up an enriching music presence in Decatur, he recognizes all the growth the Emory music department has undergone, from the opening of The Schwartz Center a year after he graduated to the university adding an official jazz track. He smiles as he thinks back on a homecoming concert where he performed with an alumni jazz band that spanned graduates from the 70s to just a few years ago. The special moment reiterated advice he already knew: “Keep music in your life.”

“Music and other arts really speak to the human experience in a way that everyday life might not be able to, and I think any community is going to be richer if it has a presence of artists and artistic expressions,” Scruggs says. “Without art, we are destined to stay in the status quo. Art is that visionary element that helps us see a better future and see a better world.”

Ready to turn your passion into purpose? Discover how a Goizueta Business School degree can prepare you to lead—and thrive—in any field. Explore our programs.

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