CAMILLE BENT 09JD/MBA, LAWRENCE COBURN 95MBA, ABIGAIL GREENE 21EVMBA, JOHN KIM 05MBA, USHA RACKLIFFE, SAIRA RAZA, LORI STEFFEL 21BBA, RAY TEMNEWO 18BBA

ABIGAIL GREENE 21EVMBA

Student

During Georgia’s primary elections on June 9, Abigail “Abbie” Greene 21EvMBA and three friends decided they’d provide pizza and beverages to Atlanta-area voters as they waited in long lines to vote. Dubbed #ProtestPizzaATL, voters tagged Greene on Instagram to report long lines, after which she and her fellow organizers, and several volunteers arrived to distribute pizza, drinks, snacks and COVID-19 protective gear to voters.

“All the love to Junior’s Pizza,” said Greene, who worked with the Summerhill neighborhood eatery to feed tired voters. Initially, she thought 60 pizzas would be enough. A reduction in the number of polling places, the coronavirus pandemic, new voting machines and better-than-predicted turn out created “a perfect storm,” Greene explained, that led to hours-long lines and a revised order of 130 pizzas. “It’s sad we had to organize in the first place, but it’s ultimately very inspiring,” Greene said, noting that the group raised more than $11,000 to continue their efforts.

When not coming to the aid of others, Greene works as a partner compensation specialist for McKinsey & Company. It’s a role “at the nexus of financial and people issues,” she explained. “Salaries are humans with mortgages and bills.” Greene is confident in her skills regarding “the human side” of her job but wanted to increase her abilities in the finance function and to hone her leadership skills. So, she decided to pursue an MBA. Preferring a holistic experience, and one that would provide the rigor she deemed necessary to take her to the next level, Greene chose Emory’s Goizueta Business School.

“Goizueta takes a multi-dimensional view of what it means to be a leader and how to develop that,” she said.

Greene grew up in Omaha, Nebraska, and studied organizational behavior and international business at the University of Nebraska. A resident of Atlanta since 2013, Greene lives in Grant Park with her partner, Colin Poe, dog Sadie and cat Nix. Last July, she and Poe trekked 27 miles to the summit of Mt. Whitney. They’d planned a trip to Mt. Kilimanjaro this summer, but the coronavirus pandemic put that trip on hold. These days, the pair hike in the North Georgia mountains and cycle near their home.

After she graduates next spring, Greene plans to remain in Atlanta

and at McKinsey. That said, as an undergraduate, she spent five months in Barcelona, Spain, and would be up for an international assignment in the not-so-distant future. For now, Greene continues to work, go to school, and to make plans for how she and her fellow organizers can best assist voting efforts this election cycle — not only by repeating the group’s food-centric election day efforts, but also through community outreach that focuses on early and absentee voting. “We’re working to have a more expansive operation,” Greene said. “We’re thinking more holistically about what we can impact.” −Allison Shirreffs

JOHN KIM 05MBA

On the last day of classes, John Kim 05MBA, senior lecturer in organization & management, breaks from the strategy basics he normally teaches to help students focus on their future.

“For me, strategy frameworks are not just for businesses (or someone else). They can help us think through our own careers and lives,” Kim said. “Sometimes, education can feel like a straight line, but let’s all agree that life is a bunch of S curves where there is no syllabus.”

Strategy and operations have been his career focus for the past two decades. The Goizueta alum worked with Deloitte Consulting and Long before Lawrence

Coburn 95MBA

became a serial entrepreneur, his love of business started at an early age. “I started a business selling flower pots when I was in seventh grade, had a T-shirt company in college, etc.,” Coburn said. “It was just a matter of time.” After graduating, Coburn entered a leadership development program with the telecom equipment company Nortel. However, in 1998, his career took a quick turn after he attended a conference in Atlanta to learn about the internet. “I found it riveting, and it set my brain running a million different directions,” Coburn said. “That night, I went out with my former roommates from Goizueta, and we stayed up all night kicking around ideas.” A mere two weeks later, he and his friends Craig Hughes 95MBA, Rob Kroenert 95MBA Alumni & Faculty

Philips Healthcare for 12 years before returning to his alma mater in 2017 to teach. For the last three years, as full-time faculty, he has been teaching strategy, consulting and healthcare strategy across the BBA, MBA and Executive Education programs.

“What I tell people is that I get paid to learn, teach and hang out with smart, curious and ambitious people,” he said. “It’s a bit of a luxury. I see myself as a curiosity coach. For me, if students leave the semester more curious, more open-minded and more empowered to ask good questions, I feel I’ve done my job.”

As a big believer in lifelong learning, Kim started a blog in 2012. The Consultant’s Mind showcases hundreds of posts about Alumni and Brad Lips 95MBA quit their jobs to head to San Francisco to start their first company, RateItAll.com, one of the first commercial usergenerated content sites. After 11 years, Coburn decided to create DoubleDutch, a mobile event app, which gained quick momentum on the heels of the emergence of the iPhone. The company raised more than $90 million from investors like Bessemer, KKR and Floodgate before it was acquired by Cvent in 2019. During his time at DoubleDutch, Coburn became obsessed with what he called “engineering serendipity” and asking the question, “How can software help remove the barriers to a meaningful one-to-one conversation?” A question that led him to create his latest company, Twine, with cofounder Diana Rau. “Twine is an attempt to go big on that concept,” Coburn explained. “It’s best described as a platform that connects members to others around the world for meaningful conversations over video chat.” consulting tips and tricks, working around real-world scenarios and much more.

Recently, Kim launched a new blog, Strategy Happy Hour, where he invites previous students to connect, write and dive deeper into everyday problems. “This year, by the end of Q1, all strategic plans went out the window. It’s a fascinating time to think about, discuss and hopefully improve business,” Kim said.

“Graduating from school, you learn one-third of what you need. The other two-thirds, you’re going to learn through experience,” he said. “It’s my strong belief that intellectual curiosity is fuel for your career. Strategy Happy Hour is a community where people can geek out and write about interesting business stuff

LAWRENCE COBURN 95MBA

as if they were a student again.” His work helped him reconnect with Goizueta after Andrea Hershatter, senior associate dean for undergraduate education, visited DoubleDutch with a group of executive MBAs during a West Coast Business Practice Immersion trip. Recently, he participated in a virtual Emory Entrepreneurship Meetup.

“I’m interested in helping budding entrepreneurs,” he said. “There were a few folks that helped me in the early days, and karma dictates that I do the same.”

Coburn continues to stay motived thanks to his classmates, roommates, and now business partners who have helped him create three successful companies. However, for Coburn, he defines success by more than the bottom line.

“Be a good person, leave a mark and hopefully build something great,” he said. “Leave the world better than I found it and be somebody my daughter is proud of.” −Patty Pohuski

SAIRA RAZA

Staff

On any given day, you can find Saira Raza, business librarian for Emory’s Goizueta Business School, eagerly assisting students in locating the perfect reference for a project. Then later that evening she switches from librarian to musician, effortlessly serenading an audience with the strings of her cello.

“I am one of those people who is interested in a lot of things and can’t pick just one. Thus, I became a librarian,” Raza said.

Saira, means princess in Urdu, a language spoken in Pakistan and parts of India where her father’s family originated. She is super inquisitive, a visual artist, musician, songwriter and producer; an awesome combination for a librarian.

Raised in upstate New York, Raza has degrees in international and Africana studies along with a master of library science from the University of North Texas. She worked as a corporate librarian for Lehman Brothers and later King & Spalding before joining Emory.

In her role at Goizueta’s business library, Raza supports students in the PhD and executive MBA programs, which entails aiding students in detailed research on companies, industries, class projects and career exploration. She enjoys the discovery and vibe of the doctoral students while feeling a kindred spirit with the EMBAs.

“I am someone who went back to school while working full-time, so I am able to relate to the EMBAs in a way that is help ful and valuable,” Raza said. “I know the challenge of coming back to school when you haven’t been for a really long time. Being witness to their journey is my favorite part, and when they graduate, I am in tears because their kids are there to see the culmination of their hard work.”

Music and art also serve as an emotional high for the multi-talented librarian. “I joined the church choir at age five or six because I really wanted to sing. I began playing the cello at age 10,” Raza said. “I’ve always found a way to make room for music and art in my life.”

Throughout college and a variety of jobs, including running a coffee house in Atlanta’s West End, Raza has nurtured her creative side. An accomplished musician and songwriter, she performs as Sister Sai and has produced four albums, won numerous awards and, recently, began providing and writing music for short and feature-length films. Her futuristic and moody music perfectly complements many films.

“Sometimes I create music for a film and

other times, filmmakers I know want to use music I’ve already composed,” Raza said. Today, Raza is melding the academic with the artistic as she undertakes several music projects at Emory.

She is the sound editor for an upcoming video tribute to the late Pellom McDaniels, who was the curator of African American collections at the university’s Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library. He passed away in April.

“I‘ve (also) been asked to help with the music for a new podcast series still under development for the library,” Raza added. “I’m really excited about the possibilities. I like this direction for me.”−Nicole Golston

RAY TEMNEWO 18BBA

Alumni

Ray Temnewo 18BBA, an ordered, decisive and systematic business analyst at McKinsey – who regularly checks his wallet to ensure everything inside faces the same direction – is on the precipice of the next season of his life.

Just two years out of school, this Georgia native wants to leave his options open — at least for the time being.

“I’ve enjoyed my time at McKinsey,” he said. “Projects can be extremely fast-paced, but working with achieved, accoladed coworkers and kicking off the experience with a class made up of peers in a similar age group and career position has made it all worth it. I am learning a ton and can’t complain.”

His favorite elements of consulting? “I’ve always been a fan of the variety of projects. While having a bias for TMT (Technology, Media and Telecom), I’ve prioritized getting a feel for what else is out there through different projects and what companies are doing in different sectors.”

One thing that is working well for him, thanks to Goizueta, is his ability to navigate team dynamics. “I loved the fact that almost every class involves working in teams,” he said. “You learn pretty quickly that people on a team have different motives, different incentives and different priorities, and they invariably clash when working together. I feel fairly comfortable handling team dynamics and helping create collaborative environments that can influence the outcome of a project, in no small part thanks to Goizueta.”

Goizueta has also enabled him to improve his community.

After his senior year, Temnewo worked with Social Enterprise @ Goizueta (SE@G), an action-oriented center that includes research, community-facing programs and teaching, providing research and financial analysis of potential venture options for the former EarthFare location at Emory Point. Ultimately the innovation hub option, now called The Hatchery at Emory, was the top choice.

“Doing that work was super interesting because it highlighted how you can actually use a private sector entity, like Emory University, and local donations and resources to fund products and services aimed at social good,” he said. As a first-generation college student, Temnewo has maintained a longstanding interest in social impact and economic development. His parents are from Eritrea, a small country in Eastern Africa.

“This project was a symbol of what could be possible on a larger scale. What would this mean to a country like Eritrea, a region characterized by desolate poverty, if you could use private-sector influence and crowdsourced resources to make a positive impact? What does it look like?”

With endless possibilities in front of him, including an MBA, Temnewo has the disciplined mind to sift through his options and make wise choices.

“I have a lot to figure out, but as I continue to learn more, I’m hopeful I’ll make the best personal and professional decisions for myself in the years to come,” he said. “I tend to get in my own head about a lot of this stuff and overthink these things, but at the end of the day, I’m just grateful to have options.”−Nicole Golston

# MEET GOIZUETA

USHA RACKLIFFE

Faculty

When it comes to teaching, there are several philosophies and words of advice professors give their students. And for Usha Rackliffe, associate professor in the practice of accounting, those words are: substance and style.

“It’s to be good, to do good and to look good,” Rackliffe said. “How you define substance may be different, but to me, this is a form of service. I share what I know, and you have to have that intellectual curiosity. You have to be excited about life and all the possibilities that life offers.”

The bright pink couch in her Emory office is not only evidence of substance, but is a reflection of springtime, tulips and her unique style.

“Students are with us in the springtime of their lives,” she added. “I want students to be comfortable, and I want them to recognize The summer before Lori Steffel 21BBA arrived at Emory, she made a deal with herself. Unlike her jam-packed high school schedule, Steffel decided she’d throttle back a bit. She’d pay attention to her schoolwork, of course, but on weekends the plan was to “sleep in and go to brunch,” she said. Steffel tried but grew bored. “I was kind of miserable,” she said. The monotony of studying and sleeping in inspired her to get involved. In April, Steffel was elected Student Government Association (SGA) president, she is also a member of the professional business fraternity Alpha Kappa Psi, an Emory tour guide, a coach for the Career Management Center, a Wonderful Wednesday moderator and a teacher’s assistant for Goizueta professor Allison Burdette. This summer she’s interning in the leverage finance group at SunTrust, now that you don’t have to be very staid and serious all the time. And, I want people to know accounting people are a lot more than numbers people. We have a whole personality, and each of us is different, unique and special.”

In a recent Goizueta Facebook Live presentation, Rackliffe discussed the impact of COVID-19 on financial statements and made the topic relatable to a wide audience.

Before coming to Goizueta, Rackliffe worked as a chief financial officer managing a $7 billion budget for the University System of Georgia. After semi-retiring, she started teaching at Georgia State. But, when the opportunity to teach at Goizueta became available Rackliffe could not turn it down.

“I’ve always wanted to work at Emory,” she said. “I’ve just absolutely loved every minute of every day because we have such extraordinary faculty and extraordinary students.”

LORI STEFFEL 21BBA

Student Truist. “I don’t hide the fact that I prefer to be busy,” she said.

When Steffel campaigned to be SGA president in early March, the true fallout from COVID-19 had yet to come. Then came the death of George Floyd, a black man, at the hands of a white police officer in Minneapolis. Things that had been top of her mind earlier in the year quickly went by the wayside. “Being SGA president is all about meeting the moment,” said Steffel.

According to Steffel, faculty, administrators and students have met that moment. “We were in person, on campus, and then we weren’t. Usually, a physical checkout leads to a mental checkout. Not this year. Students are engaged from their computers,” Steffel said. “One thing that is encouraging for me at a time where there is so much despair is that I’ve never seen the student body at Emory this engaged and this active.” She currently teaches a variety of accounting classes across a spectrum of students, including a new class focused on holistic financial planning.

“If accounting were a religion, I’d kind of be the pastor-in-chief. I’m a big believer in spreading the word of personal financial planning because it’s a really big deal.”

Rackliffe considers herself student-oriented, understanding that she has a valuable, part to play in each of her students’ lives.

“I can’t imagine really doing anything else,” she said. “I’ve always loved every job I’ve ever had, but this one is something extraordinarily special. I’m so blessed to be in this place, and I’m so fortunate to learn stuff from students. This business of being curious about life, it’s very new. It never gets old.” −Patty Pohuski

Last summer, in a simpler time, Steffel became a certified bartender. She also learned to rock climb, something she did in pursuit of a dream of hers: to compete on American Ninja Warrior, an obstacle course competition series airing on NBC and Telemundo. “That’s on the bucket list for sure,” she said.

Steffel spent her childhood in Glenview, a suburb of Chicago, and thought she’d go to college close to home. Then Emory landed on her radar. Sparking her interest was the weather — Steffel describes herself as a “seasonal mood person” — and also the chance to gain a new perspective. She couldn’t be happier with her choice. “It’s been challenging in the best way,” she said. “Even living in Atlanta, it’s so diverse, and there’s so much life and energy. It’s been eye-opening.” -Allison Shirreffs

CAMILLE BENT 09JD/MBA

Alumni

With the current economic climate, Camille Bent 09JD/MBA often reflects on the previous recession, which coincided with her 2009 graduation from Emory’s law and business schools. She had graduated with a clear plan: relocate to her native city, New York, begin her career at a large law firm and start her path for future success. But when the recession struck in 2008, Bent’s plans quickly changed. Like many other firms, her firm made the difficult decision to rescind its offers for the entire incoming class.

“I was a new graduate ready to go with no job, in a market where few jobs were available, and I had to quickly figure out what to do,” Bent said.

With the help of the business and law school career services, Bent was able to quickly land a federal clerkship in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where she worked with the district’s chief bankruptcy judge.

“It was a wonderful experience, and I often look back and think about how I handled that time when I’m going through difficult times now,” Bent said. “I wouldn’t trade my clerkship for the world. The life lesson here for me is that when faced with adversity, your likelihood of success is directly tied to your attitude and your approach. The experience taught me to focus on the resources I do have and to make sure that I’m using every opportunity I can. It’s advice I regularly share with my mentees.”

Her career path did eventually lead her back to New York, where she worked at small- and mid-size firms, gaining valuable experience, specifically in commercial bankruptcy and reorganizations. For the past four years, she has been with BakerHostetler, where she works as a senior associate in the firm’s bankruptcy & restructuring group. She represents companies in bankruptcy proceedings, including the ongoing Bernie Madoff litigation and the PG&E bankruptcy. In 2019, Bent was named to the American Bankruptcy Institute’s “40 Under 40” emerging leaders in insolvency practice list.

Bent also serves as co-chair of BakerHostetler’s New York Diversity and Inclusion Committee. “I’m very involved with my firm’s diversity initiatives,” Bent said. “The corporate world is facing a reckoning with regard to its Black professionals. It can either engage in the performative, short-term activism that has become the norm, or it can do the hard, uncomfortable work to make long-lasting change.”

Currently, she is working with office leadership and other committee members regarding the office’s recruitment and retention policies.

When asked about her more than 10-year career as a corporate bankruptcy practitioner, Bent said, “It’s not about enjoying what you do every day. It’s more about the whole picture. Are you living up to your potential? Are you being challenged? When I think about those questions, that’s what motivates me, because I am being challenged, navigating complex legal issues and underlying financial concepts, while simultaneously managing and mentoring junior attorneys. I do believe that my work is impactful and that it provides value, not just to the clients, but to the people that are coming behind me. That motivates me tremendously.” −Patty Pohuski