25th Anniversary Commemorative Magazine

1931–1997

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CELEBRATING 25 YEARS In 1994, Emory’s Business School was renamed after then, Coca-Cola president Roberto C. Goizueta.

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BUZZ

New courses on design thinking and marketing spur creativity

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FEATURE 14

Roberto C. Goizueta’s legacy explored

NETWORK: Kathy McLane Gersch 94MBA: On leading through change

23 Willing to take risks

business SPRING 2019 On cover: The Lasting Legacy of Roberto C. Goizueta Source: The Goizueta Foundation

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CLAS S NOTE S

ents Conference Roundup

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Alumni and students helped kick off the centennial celebration with birthday parties across the globe

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Coffee With: Mary Sevier 94MBA

33 Alumnus book

NETWORK Afshin Yazdian 94BBA

goizueta buzz

your network

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2 NEW HIRES Welcome to Goizueta!

26 E RIKA SONG 94BBA

32 CLASS NOTES Applauding alumni achievements

3 THOMAS JEFFERSON AWARD

28 J EFF BOOTH 84BBA 94MBA On leading a new generation

Jagdish Sheth earns well-deserved honor

6 ENTREPRENEURSHIP ABOUNDS

Start:ME Accelerator jump-starts another graduating class

On landing in a place of beauty

29 REBECCA MORRIS GINZBURG 94BBA On making the connections spring | 2019

PICK UP WHERE YOU LEFT OFF AND TAKE YOUR EDUCATION TO THE NEXT LEVEL. Whether you want to continue your own development through learning new business content or share Goizueta Business School with your team, Emory Executive Education is your connection. We offer convenient short courses and certificate programs featuring Goizueta’s cutting-edge thought leadership.

Emory Executive Education is ranked #5 among US business schools for its faculty and quality of teaching.

—Financial Times 2018 Executive Education Custom Programme Rankings

Visit us at worksmarter.org/emorybiz for more information.

business Chief Growth Officer Angela Lee Bostick 04MBA Senior Communications Manager J. Mike Moore Managing Editor Nicole Golston Art Direction Plus One Media Lead Photographer Allison Shirreffs Class Notes Carol Lindsey Lead Proofreader Breckyn Wood

Graduation 2019: The centennial graduation celebrated achievement and 100 years of business education. Students wore a branded 100th anniversary charm on their tassel.

Other online features WEB 100 Years. 100 Stories. GoizuetaBeyond.com Standing before the Atlanta Commerce Club on March 17, 1994, Roberto C. Goizueta, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Coca-Cola Company, sought to inspire business leaders ahead of the 1996 Summer Olympic Games. His speech that, when viewed through the lens of history, codified Roberto Goizueta’s beliefs that business practice should be used for the betterment of the community. Reflecting on 25 years of bearing his illustrious name, this speech showcases what “going beyond” truly means. Read this story and others at Goizuetabeyond.com.

WEB

Know Your Network Get to know your Goizueta alumni in an ongoing series called Know Your Network on EmoryBusiness.com. Each month, two alumni share fun facts and insights into their lives. In May, check out Alan Kelley 99EvMBA, managing director at SJF Ventures and discover what’s on his playlist and who inspires him most.

Find us:  @EmoryGoizueta  goizueta.emory.edu/Facebook  emory.biz/LinkedIn  youtube.com/EmoryGoizueta

Photographers Tony Benner Joanne McRae Bryan Meltz Steve Nowland Susan Stava Becky Stein Ann Watson Pete Winkel Contributors Áine Doris Grace Easton Kay Hinton Kaylyssa Hughes Mary Loftus Kerry Maffeo Patty Pohuski Jessica Rios Emily Sewell Allison Shirreffs Myra A. Thomas Gina Yoo For online extras and archived editions, visit emory.biz/magazine.

EMORY BUSINESS

is published twice a year by Emory University’s Goizueta Business School and is distributed free to all alumni and other friends of the business school.

Emory University is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097; 404-679-4501) to award degrees at the associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels.

Send letters to the editor and other correspondence to Nicole Golston, Managing Editor, Goizueta Business School, Atlanta, Georgia 30322 or GBSmag@emory.edu or call 404.727.3434. © 2019 Goizueta Business School, Emory University. All Rights Reserved.

Articles may be reprinted in full or in part if source is acknowledged.

For online extras and archived editions, visit emory.biz/magazine.

Emory University is dedicated to providing equal opportunities and equal access to all individuals regardless of race, color, religion, ethnic or national origin, gender, genetic information, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, and veteran’s status. Emory University does not discriminate in admissions, educational programs, or employment on the basis of any factor stated above or prohibited under applicable law. Students, faculty, and staff are assured of participation in University programs and in the use of facilities without such discrimination. Emory University complies with Executive Order 11246, as amended, Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Vietnam Era Veteran’s Readjustment Assistance Act, and applicable executive orders, state and federal regulations regarding nondiscrimination, equal opportunity and affirmative action. Emory University is committed to achieving a diverse workforce through application of its affirmative action, equal opportunity and non-discrimination policy in all aspects of employment including recruitment, hiring, promotions, transfers, discipline, terminations, wage and salary administration, benefits, and training. Inquiries regarding this policy should be directed to the Emory University Office of Equal Opportunity Programs, 201 Dowman Drive, Administration Bldg., Atlanta, GA 30322. Telephone 404.727.9867 (V) 404.712.2049 (TDD).

spring | 2019

Dear alumni and friends,

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his is a matchless time of celebration and reflection for Goizueta Business School.

Beyond the palpable joy that washes over campus during commencement, we have the added pleasure of relishing the fact that 25 years ago this May, we were bestowed with the honor of being named after one of the stalwarts of business, Roberto C. Goizueta.

Throughout his storied life as a business professional and a civically engaged humanitarian, Roberto Goizueta caused a society-wide ripple effect with his positive influence. As the chairman and CEO of one of the world’s most recognizable brands, he stewarded the company to unprecedented success and did so with an unparalleled sense of principle and excellence. The world was better because of his vision, because of the ways he motivated and inspired, and because of his willingness to experiment and take risks. And we, the Goizueta Business School community, are certainly better because of his lifelong commitment to giving back.

As dean of the school that bears his name, I feel a great sense of pride in the responsibility to lead such an institution. Yet, all of us connected to Goizueta Business School share in the responsibility to continue his tradition of creating and advancing cultures that put people first. We intentionally foster a close-knit community because we understand that the ability to form deep connections with classmates, faculty, staff, alumni and all of Atlanta benefits each and every one of us. Our size enables us to be nimble. Our flexibility allows us to experiment.

Uniquely, this platform, coupled with our

namesake’s legacy, enables us to change people’s perceptions around the role and responsibility of business—and its leaders—in the modern era.

I am humbled to be part of this continued commitment to excellence. It is my hope that we collectively remain steadfast in our resolution to develop the next generation of industry-leading and societychanging talent—through an entire Goizueta family that reflects the core values of Roberto Goizueta.

I hope each of you feel honored to carry the Goizueta torch. Together, we will light the way for all those looking to leave not just an impact, but a legacy.

Erika H. James John H. Harland Dean, Goizueta Business School Professor of Organization & Management @erikahjames

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Goizueta BUZZ Goizueta’s new leaders After a national search, Ishna Hall joined the Goizueta community as assistant dean and senior director of development earlier this year. Hall leads Goizueta ‘s Office of Advancement and Alumni Engagement and heads a team that focuses on alumni and major gifts. The role will give Hall the opportunity to utilize her extensive leadership and fundraising experience to strengthen Goizueta’s development, outreach and constituent relations activities.

“I am beyond thrilled to join the Goizueta and Emory communities. Our faculty, staff, students, alumni and friends have such a strong connection to Goizueta and an incredible desire to ‘GoBeyond’ in all endeavors,” Hall said. “It is an honor to work with Dean Erika James and our advancement and alumni engagement team to help Goizueta continue to lay the foundation for the next 100 years. I look forward to continuing to meet the members of our community in weeks and months to come.”

Ishna Hall, assistant dean and senior director of development

Prior to this role, Hall served as the director of development in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC), where she managed a team of fundraisers and worked as part of the senior leadership team in the College of Arts and Sciences UNC’s Campaign for All Kind. She served for more than ten years as a member of the development staff at UNC. On May 1, Melissa Rapp assumed the position of associate dean for graduate admissions at Goizueta. She brings more than 15 years of higher education experience to the role. Rapp previously led a 12person team focused on the Full-Time MBA and MSMS programs at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. While at Kellogg, Rapp was responsible for helping to meet or exceed class profile objectives as well as increasing GMAT scores and minority representation. She also implemented a data-driven approach to deploying a multimillion-dollar scholarship budget. —MAT

New alumni offering Goizueta is making it easier for alumni to stay up to date on the high-impact, innovative technologies that are changing the way we do business. The Goizueta Business Library, with the help of GBS class gift contributions, has recently added a new database, GlobalData Disruptor, to its current offerings, available remotely and free to our community.

Through case studies and market research reports and analysis, and Twitter analysis of influencers and experts, GlobalData Disruptor focuses on disruptive technologies that are going to affect companies and industries three to five years from now. From artificial intelligence and robotics

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Melissa Rapp, associate dean for graduate admissions

to blockchain and security tech, GlobalData Disruptor will help Goizueta alumni anticipate and understand emerging disruptors shaping technological change.

“This latest offering to the databases GBL licenses is truly unique amongst our current suite of databases and provides exciting content for our alumni,” said Susan Klopper, director of the Goizueta Business Library.

For more insight on GlobalData Disruptor and a listing of other services, visit emory.biz/library

Goizueta BUZZ Faculty and staff awards abound Last year, Professor Jagdish Sheth turned 80 and shows no signs of slowing down. During this year’s commencement ceremony, he received the 2019 Thomas Jefferson Award. This prestigious award honors a faculty or staff member who has significantly enriched the intellectual and civic life of the Emory community.

For Sheth, Charles H. Kellstadt Chair in Marketing, who has won a number of awards, the Jefferson Award holds a meaningful spot.

“This award is really special because it is selected by a committee of university-wide peers,” says Sheth. “Also, it is special because the Jefferson Award reinforces the mission of an academic, which is to unlock the potential of others.”

Helping others find that potential is a passion of Sheth’s and has fueled his research and teaching. The breadth of Sheth’s work and activities were detailed in a six-page nomination letter from Erika James, John H. Harland Dean of Goizueta Business School, and seven others from across campus. The impact was not lost on the judges, all of whom are prior award winners.

“The committee was deeply impressed by the local, regional and international contributions Professor Sheth has made through his distinguished career at Emory,” says Carol J. Rowland Hogue, Jules & Uldeen Terry Professor of Maternal and Child Health, professor of epidemiology and director, Women’s and Children’s Center.

From left: President Claire Sterk, Jag Sheth, and University Secretary Allison Dykes

In the fall of 2018, The Goizueta Foundation contributed a gift to endow the Roberto C. Goizueta Award for Leadership. This award, which is the highest honor a graduating BBA or MBA student can receive, recognizes two outstanding students who are academically sound and have demonstrated leadership tied to the shared characteristics of love of learning, inspirational leadership, creative thinking, courage and commitment,

Sharing in the celebration with her father was Reshma Shah, associate professor in the practice of marketing, who won the Emory Williams Distinguished Undergraduate Teaching Award.

transparency and trust, excellence, and integrity. In

In other awards, Charles “Chip” Frame and Libby Livingston received the Donald R. Keough Award for Excellence. The award, named for and endowed by former Coca-Cola President and COO Donald Keough, is the school’s highest service award and recognizes extraordinary contributions by faculty and staff.

ential in shaping their time at Goizueta. Both students

Ramnath K. Chellappa, associate dean, academic director of the Master of Science in Business Analytics program and associate professor of information systems & operations, is this year’s recipient of the Provost’s Distinguished Teaching Award for Excellence in Graduate and Professional Education Award.

accepting the award, student recipients identify the faculty or staff member who has been the most influand faculty receive a cash prize in recognition of their noteworthy leadership.

Roberto C. Goizueta Award for Leadership Student Award: Willi Freire 19BBA Faculty Mentor: Nikki Graves Student Award: Ted Kietzman 19MBA Faculty Mentor: Daniel McCarthy

For more awards, visit emory.biz/awards.

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Goizueta BUZZ Faculty pop-up events focuses on the business of healthcare The first-ever Goizueta faculty pop-up occurred on February 12, the brainchild of Dean Erika James. With the theme “The Business of Healthcare,” it was an opportunity to build on Emory’s knowledge in the healthcare space and to commit to Goizueta’s strategic plan to advance scholarship and create leaders in the healthcare field. By partnering with the prestigious schools of Peter Roberts (seated center), coauthor Saurabh A. Lall (seated left), researchers and partners.

New book examines the effects of accelerators on entrepreneurs

nursing, medicine and public health, as well as ties to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Goizueta is adding to Emory’s healthcare knowledge and reputation.

Provost Dwight A. McBride convened the inaugural fac-

Not every start-up aims to be the next Uber or Airbnb. Many are budding social enterprises located “outside of the streetlight,” explained Peter Roberts at Goizueta Business School’s Social Impact Speaker Series earlier this year. Roberts recently published a book on the subject with coauthor Saurabh Lall: Observing Acceleration: Uncovering the Effects of Accelerators on Impact-Oriented Entrepreneurs (Palgrave Macmillan 2019).

ulty pop-up, noting that it was “an opportunity to sample

Roberts, professor of organization & management at Goizueta, and Lall, assistant professor at the University of Oregon, wanted to know if accelerators that target specific impact areas, marginalized regions, sectors and entrepreneurs can help companies such as Wanda Organic, a Kenyan-based start-up dedicated to providing bio-technological solutions for small- to mediumscale farmers in Africa.

Diwas KC, associate professor of information systems &

To find out, Roberts and Lall spent five years studying approximately 600 ventures—some, like Wanda Organic, that worked with accelerators and others that did not. They utilized an extensive data set collected as part of the Global Accelerator Learning Initiative (GALI), a partnership between the Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE) and Social Enterprise @ Goizueta. The data provided insight into the effectiveness of accelerators operating in this space, in particular, their ability to help close knowledge, network and capital gaps, as well as to determine their effectiveness in emerging markets.

Observing Acceleration is an important book for accelerator programs, the donors who support them, policymakers and anyone interested in maximizing the economic potential of impactoriented entrepreneurial organizations. —AS

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the incredible breadth of work going on at Emory.”

Approximately 60 attendees were treated to presentations by George Easton, associate professor of information systems & operations management, who uses data analysis and statistics to tackle real-world problems; operations management, who focuses on understanding and improving the performance of service systems, with an emphasis on healthcare delivery; and Donald Lee, associate professor of information systems & operations management, whose research deals with statistical machine learning to build decision tools for complex systems, such as those in healthcare. Amy Chen, associate professor of otolaryngology and head and neck surgery at Winship Cancer Institute and Emory School of Medicine, also spoke about her research on collaborative decisionmaking within multi-disciplinary oncology conferences, coauthored with Jill Perry-Smith, Goizueta Foundation Term professor of organization & management, and Kate Yeager, assistant professor of nursing, Neil Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing. —MAT

Goizueta BUZZ Hamilton and Jegadeesh take top honors The Marketing Science Institute (MSI) has named Ryan Hamilton, associate professor of marketing at Goizueta, and coauthor Uma R. Karmarkar winners of the Robert D. Buzzell MSI Best Paper for 2019. Each year, the award is given for the best MSI paper issued two years prior. This delay is purposeful and allows sufficient time to assess the impact of each paper on the field of marketing. The 2017 paper is entitled “The 4 Minds of the Customer: A Framework for Understanding and Applying the Science of Decision Making.”

Chaired Finance Professor Narasimhan Jegadeesh and Goizueta doctoral candidate Chandra Sekhar Mangipudi received the 2018 Best Paper in Asset Pricing Award from the Society for Financial Studies (SFS). The paper is entitled “What do fund flows reveal about asset pricing models and investor sophistication?” The duo received the award at the SFS Cavalcade North America.

FACULTY ADVANCEMENT Congratulations to faculty who recently received promotions: Jeffrey Busse professor of finance Wesley Longhofer associate professor of organization & management Kevin Crowley senior lecturer in finance Lynne Segall 99MBA senior lecturer in organization & management

BBA students in Reshma Shah’s Marketing Consultancy Practicum course make final presentations at The Coca-Cola Company.

Going beyond the classroom This academic year has seen new courses that continue Goizueta’s experiential learning tradition by spicing up the curriculum, getting students outside of the classroom and fostering creativity.

Jan Barton may be an accounting professor, but his “Design Thinking” class is shaking up the way students approach problem solving. This past spring semester, Barton led this new accelerated course comprising lectures and guided teamwork focused on an Emory strategic challenge. On January 25, six teams presented their final project to about 50 faculty members, administrators and students, centering on the students’ recommendations on how best to integrate liberal arts and business education into the undergraduate program. An ongoing, semester-long version of the course is slated for fall, with students across Emory University working on the school’s strategic issues.

Andrea Hershatter, senior associate dean for undergraduate education at Goizueta, leads an undergraduate Entrepreneurship class that makes heavy use of lean methodologies and design thinking. The method helps assure that proposed venture attributes are closely aligned with customer preferences.

For example, a student group last fall wanted to create an offering that would combine fitness and social interaction. Their original concept of locating a mobile bar outside of a gym was nixed by actual gym members that students interviewed. Through the more empathetic design thinking approach, they identified their target customers’ desire to separate working out from social events. The team was able to ideate and arrive at the creative solution of hosting invitation-only pop-ups where select gym members could meetup for active outings, such as scavenger hunts.

Reshma Shah, associate professor in the practice of marketing, teaches a marketing consulting practicum for second-year MBAs, as well as third- and fourth-year BBAs, focused on evidence-based research. The Marketing Consultancy Practicum – MKT 442 (for BBAs) and MKT 599 (for MBAs) classes were tasked with finding ways to increase millennial participation in IHG’S loyalty program and, in the process, doubling IHG’s growth rate by 2020. The MBAs traveled to London to collect data on UK millennials, while the BBA students stayed on IHG’s Atlanta properties to better understand the needs of US millennials. Ira Golub 19BBA, head TA for the course, notes, “The students have a unique ability to work with a variety of local business leaders and Emory professors alike to ultimately deliver viable recommendations to this year’s client.” The two teams made presentations to more than 25 Coke and IHG senior executives on April 26 at Coca-Cola headquarters. —MAT

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Goizueta BUZZ

Start:ME program helps local small businesses start or grow The 2019 cohort of the Start:ME Accelerator graduated 47 promising small businesses in the Clarkston, East Lake, and Southside Atlanta communities.

Start:ME is a free, intensive accelerator program for promising local small businesses in underserved metro Atlanta communities. During the 14 sessions, and well beyond, Start:ME connects those entrepreneurs to the business know-how, networks, and capital needed to build and develop sustainable businesses.

Ventures in the 2019 cohort generated over $1.7 million in revenue and accounted for 59 jobs. The businesses operate across a wide range of industries, from farming to photography.

Of the owners of the 47 businesses: • 79% are people of color • 70% are female • 17% are foreign-born All communities offer peer-selected seed grant pools to invest in the most promising businesses to help ventures start or scale. In 18 of this

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year’s graduating businesses, $31,500 was invested to help them to refine products and services and meet other needs.

Since its inception in 2013, Start:ME has supported more than 200 local businesses that account for 250 jobs and 33 brickand-mortar locations.

The program is developed and delivered by Emory University’s Social Enterprise @ Goizueta (SE@G) in partnership with East Lake Foundation (East Lake), Friends of Refugees (Clarkston), Focused Community Strategies (Southside), and Purpose Built Schools Atlanta (Southside).

To learn more about Start:ME and the businesses it serves, please visit www.startmeatl.org.

Goizueta BUZZ Showcase Day features projects and Walker & Co. After weeks of preparation, some late nights and plenty of rigorous research and dialogue, teams of students were ready to present their findings at the 2019 Goizueta IMPACT Showcase Day. More than 300 alumni, faculty, staff and business leaders judged 22 Full-Time MBA teams competing for the Goizueta Gold. Students on the Goodwill of North Georgia team took first place. The runners-up completed projects for The Home Depot and Fernbank Museum of Natural History.

This year, IMPACT welcomed Tristan Walker, founder and CEO of Walker & Company Brands, Inc., a health and beauty start-up for people of color. Walker recently relocated his company to Atlanta to operate as an independent, wholly owned subsidiary of Procter & Gamble.

Earlier in the day, as part of their IMPACT course, Modular Executive MBA teams presented new product innovation and market expansion recommendations for Walker & Company to Tristan and COO Joanne Hsieh. In addition, Walker attended a luncheon with black MBAs, a select group of alumni, and the MEMBA students who presented earlier. To cap off the day, Dean Erika James conducted a fireside chat with Walker.

From left, Walker’s COO Joanne Hsieh ; Lynne Segall, associate dean Goizueta IMPACT; Walker founder, Tristan Walker and Dean Erika James

“I started this company to serve people, to be around a hundred years from now, to have autonomy,” Walker said during the keynote chat.

For more on this event, visit emory.biz/Showcase.

Showcase Day for 2020 will take place on May 8, and judges are needed for the event. If interested, please contact Lynne Segall at lynne.segall@emory.edu.

Twenty-two student Full-Time MBA teams and their clients compete for Goizueta Gold.

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Goizueta BUZZ A copious collection of conferences Once again Goizueta played host to a bevy of conferences, forums and summits, drawing students, scholars and business leaders to campus to make connections and enhance learning.

UBSLC In February, this year’s Undergraduate Business School Leadership Conference (UBSLC) explored the concept of innovation during networking opportunities, team building activities and thought-provoking talks with Goizueta professors.

In addition to alumni sharing key aspects of their experience and faculty providing insight, students were treated to a fireside chat with keynote Victor Luis, CEO of Tapestry Inc., a New York–based house of modern luxury lifestyle brands including Coach, Kate Spade and Stuart Weitzman.

Luis discussed the company’s core values and the importance of getting agreement across the organization. “We asked them, across the three brands, what they believed in,” said Luis. The resulting values—optimism, innovation and inclusivity—bind Tapestry’s brands together while enabling them to seek individual brand expression.

Healthcare Futuring Competition Also in February, six teams were chosen to present their visions of healthcare delivery in 2040 at Goizueta’s Healthcare Futuring Competition finals, in partnership with Goizueta Healthcare Association. The competition asked students to complete a “futuring,” or scenario development, to envision the landscape of the U.S. healthcare system in 20 years.

Students from throughout the Emory community and other Atlanta-area schools participated to compete for a prize pool of $10,000.

Goizueta’s Healthcare Futuring Competition Creator and organizer Renee Dye, associate professor in the practice of organization & management at Goizueta, said the participants excelled at the challenge. “All of the judges were tremendously impressed with the creativity each of the student teams demonstrated in describing their visions for Healthcare 2040,” Dye said. “We were even more impressed with the students’ command of the complex issues facing U.S. healthcare that will play out over the next two decades.”

The winning team, Healthcare Odyssey, was composed of Shirley Gao 20MBA/MPH, Taylor Richardson 20MBA, Steven Cheng 19MBA, Avi Scher 20MBA and Marnie Harris 20MBA. In their vision of the future, Healthcare Odyssey saw the consumer becoming the center of a healthcare system where information is just as valuable as dollars. They envisioned the creation of a trusted third-party data storage system they called the Biodata Bank.

mEmory Accounting Research Conference In March, it was the alumni’s turn to show their skillset along with other faculty during the mEmory Accounting Research Conference, which highlighted the research of Goizueta faculty and current and past PhD students.

Undergraduate Business School Leadership Conference

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“The conference provided an ideal forum to celebrate the 100th anniversary by bringing together current and former faculty and alumni,” said Karen Sedatole, one of the organizers. “The goal is to make a ‘mEmory’ by showcasing our rich history of developing top researchers.” Jan Barton, Usha Rackliffe and Karen Ton rounded out the faculty coordinators.

conferences

Goizueta BUZZ

Among the presenters were

• Suhas Sridharan, presenting “Non-GAAP Disclosures and Investor Uncertainty” • Cassandra Estep, presenting “The Unintended Consequences of Material Weakness Reporting on Auditors’ Acceptance of Aggressive Client Reporting” • Paul Madsen 10PhD, presenting “Is Accounting a Miserable Job?” • Willis Choi 11PhD, presenting “When Do Tangible Rewards Motivate Greater Effort Than Cash Rewards?

An Analysis of Three Commonly Cited Differences”

rounds presented their ideas to a panel of distinguished entrepreneurial judges, who selected the most successful three pitches, which were then delivered in an open session.

The winning team was named Innohealth Diagnostics and was pitched by Angela Udongwo 20MPH. The team developed a test for the parasitic disease schistosomiasis, which they hope will increase early detection and lower the rate of the disease. The winners will receive guidance, financial support and a seat for a semester at Atlanta Tech Village.

Other alumni entrepreneur presenters included: David Gaspar 02BBA, DDG Todd Richheimer 02BBA, Lawfty Joshua Sigel 02BBA, Lasso Ventures Sarah Van Dell 04C, Plum Relish Jonathan Ende 05BBA, Seamless Andrew Berman 07BBA, Stealth (Voice) Nathan Meeks 07BBA, Gigzolo Eden Chen 09BBA, Fisherman Labs Alexandra Samit 09BBA, Alexandra Bath Designs Cyril Berdugo 11BBA, Landis David Gelbard 09BBA, Parachute Health Colin McIntosh 12BBA, Sheets & Giggles

mEmory Accounting Research Conference

Entrepreneurship Summit The fifth annual Entrepreneurship Summit rang in the month of May. This year’s offerings included straight talk about the tough choices entrepreneurs have to make and the way alumni have overcome obstacles to reap rewards.

During the summit, participants had the chance to network, hear from successful entrepreneurial alumni, learn from micro-entrepreneurs and present their own ideas in the “Pitch the Summit” competition. Attendees also heard the kickoff Founders’ Addresses from William Hockey 12BBA, cofounder, president and CTO at Plaid and David Politis 04C, founder and CEO of BetterCloud.

Prior to the summit, student entrepreneurs had the opportunity to compete in early rounds of the Pitch the Summit competition. Those who advanced to the final

Emory Entrepreneurship Summit

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Goizueta BUZZ Leadership speaker series Lieutenant General (LTG) Nadja West is the first black, female Major General in Army Medicine, the first black Army Surgeon General and the highest-ranking woman to graduate from West Point but she doesn’t consider herself a trailblazer. The 44th Surgeon General of the U.S. Army and Commanding General, U.S. Army Medical Command, West reminds people that she was in the third graduating class at West Point that included women. “There was a first and second class of women at West Point. They didn’t have any role models ahead of them. They were role models for me,” West explained to a group of students, faculty and guests as part of Goizueta’s “Leadership Speaker Series” in late April, with host Ken Keen, senior lecturer in Organization & Management; associate dean for Leadership; lieutenant general, USA (Retired).

While West leads a male-dominated organization, she considers the qualities necessary in a good leader as universal: “Be authentic. Be competent.

Get to know the people you’re leading—what’s important to their families, their goals in life. Let team members know how they contribute to the shared purpose. Know when to follow.” —AS

Ambassador Young visits Goizueta Before being the university’s 2019 commencement speaker, Ambassador Andrew Young visited Goizueta in April as a guest of Professor Jeff Rosensweig to speak with students, faculty, staff and alumni as a Grant Distinguished Lecturer in the John Robson Program.

The civil rights icon met with Dean Erika James, then spoke to an MBA class comprising of 150 students, faculty and administrative leaders.

Later in the day, Young was interviewed by CNN anchor Natalie Allen during Rosensweig’s BBA class of 65 undergraduates. In addition to the class sessions, Ambassador Young had lunch with several BBA and MBA student leaders, including members of the Black MBA Association.

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2019 PhD award winners

Goizueta BUZZ

March 2019 saw another worthy batch of PhD students awarded the Sheth Fellowship. Sponsored by Jagdish Sheth, Charles H. Kellstadt Professor of Marketing, and his wife, Madhuri Sheth, the $1,000 award provides much-needed funds to doctoral candidates who pass their comprehensive exams.

This year’s award winners and advisors pictured from left: Jinsoo Yeo, information systems & operations management; Da Young Kim, marketing; Kristy Towry, vice dean of faculty and research; Professor Sheth; Karen Wallach, marketing; and Brian Kim, organization & management.

EMORY EXECUTIVE EDUCATION INVITES YOU TO:

THE LGBTQ EXECUTIVE LEADERS FORUM Move from Action to Impact.

August 12-15, 2019 at Goizueta Business School This new course will improve your understanding of the unique challenges faced by the LGBTQ community. You will refine your approach to inclusive business innovation through the course’s Design Thinking and Improv modules.

Receive a complimentary GBS alumni discount of 15% off enrollment for this and other Executive Education courses using code EUFAM15!

Learn more at WorkSmarter.org/EULGBTQ

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COFFEE WITH...

EACH ISSUE, WE SELECT FACULTY OR STAFF MEMBERS, CURRENT OR RETIRED, TO “HAVE COFFEE WITH.” THE OBJECTIVE IS TO GATHER INSIGHTS AND PERSPECTIVE ON A TOPIC OF INTEREST TO ALUMNI AND FRIENDS OF EMORY UNIVERSITY’S GOIZUETA BUSINESS SCHOOL. IF YOU HAVE A FAVORITE FACULTY OR STAFF MEMBER YOU WOULD LIKE TO “HAVE COFFEE WITH,” PLEASE SEND YOUR SUGGESTION TO GBSMAG@EMORY.EDU.

There’s nothing Mary Ann Sevier 94MBA enjoys more than passing along knowledge.

Over the last four decades, she’s shared this passion whether working in private industry, in public accounting or in academia.

The underlying factor that weaves the different strands of her life together, she says, is teaching.

Since 1996, Sevier has taught accounting at Goizueta Business School—a long and rewarding tenure, during which she has witnessed significant changes

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in her industry, across her student cohorts and within the school itself.

#MeetGoizueta Emory Business sat down with Sevier to talk about teaching, change, work-life balance and the importance of giving back to one’s community.

EB: You say that you’ve been a teacher in all three of your careers. What do you mean by that?

MAS: Whether you’re working with companies or business administrators or with students, it’s about putting yourself in the shoes of someone else and giving them the understanding, the insights, the tools and the support to solve their problems. The role is essentially the same, and it’s a teaching role. You build relationships with clients the same way you build relationships with your students, and, I believe, the dynamics are much the same.

EB: Teaching runs like a thread through your life then.

Would you describe it as your vocation?

MAS: Yes, absolutely. I’ve been incredibly happy as a teacher. My position is one of service to the school. I’ve been very happy teaching, advising and mentoring students here.

EB: Your experience with Emory began on the other side of the desk, so to speak. You started out as a student and graduated with an MBA in 1994. What brought you to the school?

MAS: Back in the early 1990s, the economy was sluggish and real estate in particular wasn’t firing on all cylinders. To progress as an accountant, you needed a graduate degree, and that was my primary motivation in giving up my job as controller of a commercial real estate developer and construction firm and coming to Emory. When I finished the MBA, I initially went back out into the marketplace and continued consulting. The opportunities I did find, however, weren’t providing the kind of professional satisfaction that I needed. I’d done some tutoring as part of my studies, and I knew I had a strong connection with academia, so I ended up coming back to Emory in 1996 to teach.

EB: What was the school like when you began your tenure?

MAS: When I started teaching, we’d just renamed the business school in honor of Roberto C. Goizueta, and the East Side was being constructed. We were working on a smaller scale than today. Our classrooms held about 45 students, and I was hired as an adjunct professor to teach a small slate of BBA accounting courses. I was grateful and excited about the opportunity. My office was in a trailer with some other adjuncts, and I think we were all excited for the opportunity.

There was a real feeling that something was happening, and although we were small, we were projected to grow rapidly.

It was an exciting time to be at Emory.

EB: Of course the school has changed and grown radically since then, as has your industry.

MAS: Yes, accounting has experienced unprecedented evolution in the last 25 years. Like other sectors, we made the shift from paper to computers. And it’s a positive change.

With automation what we’re seeing is the mundane things— the boring and repetitive tasks—being pushed to bots, which allows more time for the rewarding, analytical work.

Accounting standards have really evolved—things like lease and revenue recognition standards have improved. The standards themselves have been reorganized and structured into one single authoritative source called the Codification.

And there’s been an upward shift in skills too. Accounting is an industry that is constantly evolving.

EB: New skills for new accountants. Are your students very different today than previous generations?

MAS: I don’t think people change that much intrinsically, and our graduates are still highly educated high performers. Students today are perhaps a little less patient than their predecessors. This is a generation that’s grown up with instant access to information, so they want more immediacy in feedback, in career progression and in terms of their own personal impact. Something I tell my students is that accounting work is completed in teams, so give your very best effort each day to the success of your team. Part of teamwork is making things better for everyone on your team; it’s about being accountable and motivating others to be accountable as well. So I encourage them to prioritize things like adaptability, generosity and empathy. At the end of the day, the more you give, the more you get back.

EB: Our Network section features graduates of the class of 1994. Do you stay in touch with any of your classmates?

MAS: I kept in touch with a few of my classmates for a number of years, but as new opportunities transferred them out of Atlanta, we lost touch. I would love to reconnect with them.

EB: Looking back over your career at Emory, do you feel you chose the right path for yourself ? Any unfulfilled ambitions?

MAS: The school has changed plenty over the years, but the mission has remained the same. Emory is still a special place where you can find your dreams. I feel like I’ve had a successful life here, working behind the scenes to change other people’s lives and meeting people and making plenty of friends along the way. I’m also excited for my students— accounting is a really exciting place to be now, and their experience will be completely different from my own. When I think about my own future, when the time comes for me to retire, I’d say I’ll be spending time discovering new ways to give back to the community. And maybe getting my golf handicap down to single digits. —Áine Doris

spring | 2019 13

How Exceptional Leadership, Informed Risk-Taking and Unwavering Integrity Created One of the World’s Greatest CEOs

spring | 2019 15

It is a subtle element of leadership, but its power and lasting impact are undeniable. For Roberto C. Goizueta, former chairman and CEO of The Coca-Cola Company, his influence was demonstrated through example, consistency, generosity and an intuitive sense for building something greater than himself.

Even today, his mark as an influential leader on The Coca-Cola Company, its employees and truly all global businesses still resonates. The story of his remarkable journey from the shores of Cuba to the head office of the world’s largest soft-drink producer brings with it time-tested lessons that continue to educate and inspire us today.

This is that story.

A rarity and an exception In 1981, Roberto Goizueta’s appointment as

old executive as CEO of The Coca-Cola Company.

chairman of the board of directors and CEO of The

“Mr. Woodruff trusted him and admired his

Coca-Cola Company was met with skepticism.

integrity and saw in him a fundamental toughness,”

Although he’d risen to the rank of president,

Donald Keough, Coca-Cola's former president and

he’d held mostly technical roles to date and had

chief operating officer told Fortune magazine in

little marketing experience—a common skill

1995 (Keough passed away in 2015).

possessed by most past CEOs of the company. But Roberto Goizueta had a champion: 91-year-old

Woodruff was on to something. Under Roberto

Robert W. Woodruff.

Goizueta’s guidance, the company’s market cap grew more than 3,500 percent—from $4.3 billion

Woodruff, elected president of The Coca-Cola

in 1981 to a high of $180 billion in 1997, the year

Company in 1923 and chairman of the board

of his death. What was it about this reserved but

in 1939, ran the company until 1959, when he

formidable man that enabled him to take a company

stepped down as president. He remained a

embroiled in battles with its bottlers, laden with an

member of the board of directors until 1984, and

odd collection of businesses (a shrimp-farming

Roberto Goizueta had impressed him. Although

enterprise among them), and suffering from

Woodruff was no longer formally in charge, he

shrinking profits and ultimately create nearly $175

carried considerable clout as chairman of the

billion of value for company shareowners?

board’s finance committee. Woodruff would invite Roberto Goizueta to lunches, sometimes just

According to Herbert “Herb” Allen, a member of

the two of them, other times to “power” lunches

Coca-Cola’s board of directors since 1982 and the

attended by political and business leaders from

former president and CEO of Allen & Company

Atlanta and around the world. Reportedly,

Inc., a privately held investment firm, Roberto

Roberto Goizueta would stop by Woodruff ’s home

Goizueta was one of those leaders who come once

on occasion to talk. Ultimately, it was Woodruff

in a generation. “He was a rarity and an exception,”

who convinced the board to appoint the 49-year-

says Allen.

spring | 2019 17

With opportunity comes obligation Born to a well-off family in Cuba in 1931, Roberto

July celebration in Monticello,

Goizueta’s father worked for the sugar refining

VA, in 1995. During his speech,

business that his father—Roberto Goizueta’s

he recounted his departure from

grandfather—owned. The entire family—grand-

Cuba. “Every material possession

father, father and son—lived in a large home

we owned . . . overnight became

in Havana. His grandfather, a Spaniard with

government property. But amid that turmoil, two

a love of Spanish parables and a penchant for

treasured possessions remained mine because they

writing, made an indelible impression on young

simply could not be taken away. . . . I still had my

Roberto Goizueta.

education. And secondly . . . I still had a job. And it wasn’t just any job. It was a job with The Coca-Cola

Growing up, Roberto Goizueta received a top-

Company.”

notch education at Jesuit schools in Cuba before attending boarding school in Connecticut. In 1953,

Over time, Roberto Goizueta earned (a word he

he graduated from Yale University with a degree

chose deliberately) the opportunity to lead The

in chemical engineering. The plan had been to

Coca-Cola Company. He told the Fourth of July

return to Cuba and work in the family business,

gathering that leading the company taught him

but he decided to try something else. He answered

a great lesson—that “opportunity always comes

a want ad for a bilingual chemical engineer at a

accompanied by obligations.” He encouraged them

Coca-Cola bottling plant and got the job.

to seize the obligation, to “take it in your hands and mold it . . . into value for society,” he shared.

He was working for a Coca-Cola subsidiary in

“Carry it on your back all day long. . . . Defend it.” He

Cuba when Fidel Castro seized power in 1959. The

paraphrased Thomas Jefferson, stating that people

new government made significant policy changes,

can indeed govern themselves when they work

seizing land and private businesses, and the

hard “to put the interest of our nation ahead of their

Cuban people, especially the country’s educated

own personal interest.”

upper and middle classes, lived in fear. Two months before Castro seized control of Coca-Cola’s

These ideals were reflected in Roberto Goizueta’s

Cuban operations, Roberto Goizueta; his wife,

determination to add value to business and to the

Olguita; and their three children fled the country,

community. “He had a sense of stewardship, of

arriving in Miami with $40 and 100 shares of

leaving things better than when he found them,”

Coca-Cola stock. It was a courageous and

says Clyde Tuggle, Goizueta’s executive assistant

dangerous decision that would ultimately change

for six years and The Coca-Cola Company’s

the course of their lives.

senior vice president and chief public affairs and communications officer from 2008 until 2017.

In 1969, Roberto Goizueta became a U.S. citizen,

“He understood that it was about creating

“one of the most significant days in my own history,”

opportunities for people ahead of you—not

he told a group of “new” Americans at a Fourth of

necessarily for yourself.”

18 emory | business

As leader of The Coca-Cola Company, Roberto Goizueta’s focus was to produce long-term results. He believed a publicly traded company existed for one purpose and one purpose only—to increase shareowner value. “If it does that,” he said repeatedly, “all the other good things will follow.”

According to William “Bill” Newton 75C 76G, former vice president at The Coca-Cola Company and Roberto Goizueta’s long-time executive assistant and chief of staff, the leader spoke often about business decisions being based on what was best for the organization. “He would say that if it were only about what’s best for your group or for a specific situation, then it would ultimately fail,” notes Newton. “It was about what was best for the company.”

Values and leadership

“”

Clyde Tuggle

Former Executive Assistant to CEO 1992–1997 SVP and Chief Public Affairs and Communications Officer 2008–2017

Did being with The Coca-Cola Company for

letters to friends and members of his network—he

over 40 years—16 of them as CEO—produce in

communicated through body language, carrying

Roberto Goizueta a leadership mindset, along

himself with grace and style. “He had tremendous

with undeniable business results, that would be

presence,” recalls Newton. “He looked important.”

impossible for leaders of today to achieve? Rick

The CEO was a meticulous dresser who believed

Gilkey, associate professor of organization &

it was better to be overdressed than underdressed.

management at Goizueta Business School, thinks

He rarely, if ever, took off his suit coat. He

the average CEO’s tenure, considered to be roughly

understood that he was a manifestation of the brand

three to five years, isn’t always accompanied by

and, notes Newton, made it clear to those around

strong performance, adding, “Goizueta was an

him at the company that they were as well.

exceptional leader.”

“Suddenly, Coke employees paid attention to how they dressed,” Gilkey says. Every weekday (when he

What made him exceptional, explains Gilkey,

was in town), the elevator on the 25th floor would

was the fact that his values matched the values

open at 7:45 a.m. and out would stroll Roberto

of The Coca-Cola Company. “Leaders do a lot

Goizueta. He was never late and would sometimes

of things we don’t often think about,” Gilkey

show up 15 minutes early for an appointment.

explains. One of Roberto Goizueta’s favorite

Those around him adjusted to “Goizueta time.”

phrases was “Everything communicates.” He not only communicated directly—sending personal

Roberto Goizueta established

to Austria for a week of meetings. As he unpacked

a level of trust and consistency

his bag shortly after arriving in Vienna, he received

within the organization. “These

a call from Roberto Goizueta. The CEO had

things

the

noticed an incorrect figure in an internal report.

posture of the company,” says

He told Stahl, “It needs to be fixed,” Stahl recalls.

Gilkey. “And they’re all very

He explained to Roberto Goizueta that he’d handle

contagious.” One of Roberto

the problem from Austria and report back to him

Goizueta’s

memorable

when he returned to Atlanta. A moment of silence

quotes was, “Communication is the only task

followed before he asked Stahl what flight he’d be

[a leader] cannot delegate.” And he didn’t. He spoke

on in the morning. Believing he’d misunderstood,

with a level of candor and authority that remains

Stahl reiterated that he’d focus on the problem

legendary within The Coca-Cola Company.

when he returned the following week. “There

deeply

affected

more

was another long pause,” says Stahl, “then he said Linda Peek Schacht, former vice president, director

very clearly, ‘No, Jack. I want you back here on

of public affairs and communications strategy at The

the first plane tomorrow to deal with this.’” After

Coca-Cola Company describes Roberto Goizueta’s

that incident, Stahl admits, “I paid much closer

style as “very, very direct.” Peek Schacht, in her

attention to reporting details.”

current role as leader in residence, associate professor of practice, College of Leadership and Public Service

Also the author of Lessons on Leadership: The 7

at Lipscomb University in Nashville, recounts lessons

Fundamental Management Skills for Leaders at

gleaned from various leaders she’s worked with,

All Levels (Kaplan Publishing, 2007), Stahl spent

including former President Jimmy Carter. (Peek

22 years at the company and considered Roberto

Schacht was Carter’s White House press officer

Goizueta a mentor. The former CEO’s leadership

and campaign press secretary.) She believes a key

style and abilities make an important appearance

trait of Roberto Goizueta’s leadership style was how

in Stahl’s book.

his character influenced the organization. “If you have [a leader] who values truth and integrity, the

Stahl, who left Coca-Cola in 2001 to assume

organization is going to value that,” she says.

president and CEO duties at cosmetics giant Revlon, believes a high-impact leader understands

E. Neville Isdell, former chairman and CEO at

the need to be situational, and that Roberto Goizueta

Coca-Cola, witnessed the effect Roberto Goizueta’s

was one of the best at doing so. One moment, Stahl

character had on the company. “[Goizueta] clearly

says, he was focused on the “so-called big picture

demonstrated a level of integrity that flowed

relating to our company’s strategy.” Hours later,

through the ethos of the business,” says Isdell, who

the leader would be poring over the minute details

began his career at Coca-Cola in 1966 and became

of a complex foreign exchange transaction. “He

CEO in 2004. “And he had a complete dedication to

was comfortable operating in both worlds,” adds

The Coca-Cola Company.”

Stahl. “His ability to do whatever was necessary to help the business had a real impact on me and

While he was Coca-Cola’s CFO, Jack Stahl 75C, who also served as president and COO, made a trip

20 emory | business

so many others.”

Big picture, details and delegating responsibility In 1996, while speaking to a group of engineers at

through other people,” she states. He set up a system

Yale University, Roberto Goizueta reviewed the

for getting facts from out-of-the-ordinary sources.

audience’s thought processes—and subsequently

His friends around the world updated him on news

revealed his own. “First, we assess the big picture,”

and/or goings on in the company. Luminaries like

the one-time chemical engineer said. “Second,

former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and

we burrow into the details. We deconstruct the

former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher

problem before us. . . . Third, we follow up. We ask

were special guests at company conferences. “He

questions. We challenge assumptions. And then,

took time,” notes Tuggle, “to educate himself about

finally, we put ourselves in the mind of someone else

the world in which we operated and how that

. . . the user of the machine, or product or process

affected business.”

in question. We see if our thinking is correct. We confirm our beliefs. Finally, we see if it works.”

Roberto Goizueta was famous for taking time to think and analyze. He made it a point not to

“”

According to Peek Schacht, there was an art to how

overschedule himself. He roamed the hallways

Roberto Goizueta collected the information on

and ducked into people’s offices for impromptu

which he based decisions. “His news wasn’t filtered

conversations.

Herb Allen

Member of The Coca-Cola Company’s Board of Directors Former President and CEO, Allen & Company

He understood that he didn’t know everything. He

in the betterment of The Coca-Cola Company. He

surrounded himself with smart people and wasn’t

saw great value in Keough’s communication skills

afraid to ask questions. Keough, a man who had

and salesmanship and thought it would be to the

been up for the very CEO job that Roberto Goizueta

company’s advantage to have Keough be the “face”

landed, was one of those people. It’s not unheard of

of Coca-Cola. It was Keough who spoke regularly

for newly appointed CEOs to let their head-to-head

with the media, and it was Keough who appeared

competitors go. But Roberto Goizueta elevated

on national television to unveil New Coke in 1985,

Keough to president of the company. As Roberto

one of the company’s biggest product launches.

Goizueta once told a group of analysts, “It would be absolutely a crime for me to try to lead the bottlers

When New Coke proved disastrous, Roberto

the way Don Keough can. . . . My job is to pick

Goizueta realized he’d made a wrong turn, admitted

the people then give them the responsibility and

the mistake and quickly changed course. “He didn’t

authority to get the job done.”

view loss or failure as a negative if you learned something from it,” notes Peek Schacht. At a

Allen believes that the traits central to Roberto

press conference less than three months after the

Goizueta’s character—intelligence, integrity, taste,

release of New Coke, Roberto Goizueta expressed

energy and fastidiousness—were the traits the

his thanks to those who liked New Coke. For those

CEO also wanted in the people around him. When

who didn’t like New Coke, he added, “Our message

he discovered people with such traits, “He invested

to this group is simple: we have heard you.” The

power in those people,” explains Allen. “He wasn’t

New Coke experience affirmed Roberto Goizueta’s

afraid to delegate or share power with the people

belief that Coke was unique. He rebounded from the

around him.”

New Coke experience in time to utilize the media attention it received to renew the brand in the

This was possible not only because Roberto

form of Coke Classic.

Goizueta was self-assured but because he believed

Loyalty and obligation Roberto Goizueta had a tremendous amount

(who established the Robert W. Woodruff

of loyalty for the company that had given him

Foundation, a charitable organization, in 1937),

so much. It imbued him with a deep sense of

helped Goizueta assign himself and others with

obligation to help the business succeed. He knew

“the challenge of producing something beneficial

that 10 percent of the company was owned by

for others . . . leaving something positive in your

philanthropic institutions and that the success

wake, wherever life takes you.” That’s what he

of endowments and college funds, like those of

told the 1996 graduating class at the Emory

Emory University, were impacted by the success

University business school a few months before

of the company. His mentors, including Woodruff

the dedication of the Goizueta Building.

22 emory | business

Through The Goizueta Foundation, established

Roberto

Goizueta

understood

that

each

in 1992, Roberto Goizueta’s indebtedness to

graduate of Goizueta Business School carried

his adopted country and his commitment

a piece of his legacy into the world, and he

to education are realized. Nowhere is this

explained that to graduates in 1996. “Being so

more apparent than at Goizueta Business

closely associated with this great school ties me

School, named for Roberto Goizueta in 1994,

to each one of you,” he said. “And that’s one of

where thousands of students continue to learn

the highest honors anyone could ever achieve.”

from his legacy.

Throughout his tenure, Roberto Goizueta took a number of calculated risks. Most paid off, but some either were misunderstood or failed completely. He learned from those failures, though, and through them gained the strength to build a dynasty.

In fact, Roberto Goizueta was known for taking intelligent risks. “If you take risks, you may fail. But if you don't take risks, you will surely fail,” he said, adding, “The greatest risk of all is to do nothing.” Although New Coke was memorable for all the wrong reasons, many of Roberto Goizueta’s risks earned rich rewards: Departing from the company’s unwritten rule of not

“a complete break with tradition, but he knew it was

tagging Coca-Cola products with the Coke trademark,

needed for a turnaround.”) By 1996, Coca-Cola outsold

Goizueta introduced Diet Coke in 1982. Diet Coke was the

PepsiCo internationally more than three to one.

most successful consumer product launch of the 1980s.

Goizueta spent $692 million to buy Columbia Pictures in Before Goizueta became CEO, Coca-Cola had never

1982. When he sold the film studio in 1989, the company

borrowed money. Goizueta borrowed billions, enabling

netted $1.5 billion.

him to make billions for the company.

The Coca-Cola Company moved into Eastern Europe Goizueta spent $30 million to acquire a third of the

immediately after the Berlin Wall fell in 1989—in spite of

company’s troubled bottler in the Philippines, a country

the fact that East Germany had no convertible currency,

where Pepsi outsold Coke more than two to one. At

chaotic business regulations, and poorly designed, state-

the time, it was Coca-Cola’s largest single investment

owned bottling plants. Within three years, Coke overtook

outside the United States. (Isdell, then president of Coca-

Pepsi as the preferred soft drink in Europe.

Cola’s Greater Europe Group, recalls the purchase as

NETWORK For this special issue, all of the Network profiles are 1994 graduates, the year the school was renamed Goizueta Business School.

Kathy McLane Gersch: On leading through change Change may be inevitable, but navigating the unknowns and embracing the new have been a hallmark for Kathy McLane Gersch 94MBA. “The trajectory of my career has always been very focused on driving change and transformation—helping to define and execute on strategy shifts in business,” Gersch says.

Strategic planning and international business have been Gersch’s focus since her time at Emory. In fact, in addition to receiving an MBA at Goizueta Business School, Gersch also received a master’s degree in international business at Nyenrode University in the Netherlands through an exchange program.

By drawing on her background and educational experiences, Gersch has made her mark transforming organizations in a variety of industries: She managed global strategy and international expansion for Milliken & Company, and she took on Nordstrom’s global growth strategy and brand development, operating as business unit CFO and VP. In 2003, as retailers were flocking to the internet to reach the masses of digitally minded consumers, Gersch led the online launch of retailers like Giftcertificates.com, Beauty.com, Drugstore.com and Onlineshoes.com.

In 2008, while operating her own firm, Gersch met the renowned thought leader in the field of change management and transformation John P. Kotter.

“He had written books like Leading Change, Our Iceberg Is Melting and A Sense of Urgency and was frequently fielding requests from people who had read his books and wanted to know how to implement his ideas,” says Gersch. “I was already doing similar work, and we decided to take his concepts and my applied experience and create the firm Kotter International.”

Even after more than two decades of leading transformation in organizations, Gersch still relishes traveling to meet with clients and guiding them through the leadership breakthroughs that not only positively impact the business but enhance her clients’ personal lives.

“I most enjoy helping clients challenge existing assumptions and norms to bring new ways of working into an organization,” she says. “I have been privileged to partner with our clients to

24 emory | business

help them move their business forward, and in the process, I’ve witnessed changed lives and careers. The impact that I have seen on people through our work together has been tremendous.”

Gersch channels that same fervor into her personal life, raising four children with husband Michael Gersch 95MBA, who is CEO of LabKey Software. In addition, she serves on several boards of directors.

As for her time at Emory, Gersch credits the school and the Woodruff Fellowship with putting her on the right path. As a Woodruff scholar, Gersch got to meet Roberto C. Goizueta. “The caliber of people that I connected with during my time in Atlanta—from faculty and students to the Woodruff Fellows and learning from Mr. Goizueta— have had a huge influence on me,” she says. “Outside of the education, one of the most important things about graduate school are the connections you make. Those experiences and the people I learned from still make a big difference in my life.”—Kerry Maffeo

“I most enjoy helping clients challenge existing assumptions and norms to bring new ways of working into an organization,” she says. “I have been privileged to partner with our clients to help them move their business forward, and in the process, I’ve witnessed changed lives and careers. The impact that I have seen on people through our work together has been tremendous.”

spring | 2019 25

NETWORK

Erika Song: On landing

in a place of beauty

Erika Song 94BBA never really knew much about makeup or skincare. So how she ended up a strategic sourcing leader at Sephora headquarters in San Francisco is a winding trail forged by both happenstance and opportunity.

“I have had a diverse background—from business development to branded communication on the client side,” she says. “I discovered I like being in decision-making roles rather than on the receiving end of those kinds of decisions.”

She’s worked in the advertising, financial and pharma/biotech fields. “And now retail beauty,” Song says, laughing. “It’s a very different industry, very fun. One of the things I’ve learned is how transferrable your skills are, even though the industries are very different.”

When Song, whose family emigrated from South Korea, was at Goizueta in 1994, she remembers it as small and intimate, brimming with smart conversations and a diversity of people and ideas. “Emory always brings back such warm memories. I had other choices, but I’m so glad I went there. It was a perfect choice for me.”

She attended small sessions with former U.S. president and Emory University Distinguished Professor Jimmy Carter. “I loved that he made himself available to us, that we had that kind of experience woven into our years there,” she says.

Nationally, Bill Clinton was giving his first State of the Union address, Forrest Gump was in movie theaters, O. J. Simpson was fleeing down a California interstate, and Republicans, under the leadership of Speaker of the House and Emory alum Newt Gingrich 65C, gained control of Congress.

Song, meanwhile, was pursuing a degree in business to fulfill her goal of becoming part of corporate America. “Ever since I was young, business was it,” she says. “My parents always wanted me to go pre-med or law, but I had no interest in that.”

After graduating, she accepted a six-month internship at a California-based publishing house in Korea, where she was

26 emory | business

struck by the very different corporate environment (“there were blatant male/female distinctions and sexism”). Overall, though, it was an amazing work experience, Song says. She came back to a job in California and “never left, although I still think of Georgia as my home. There’s something so wonderful and family-like about the South.”

If she had it to do over again, Song says, she would be more open to any and all opportunities. “When I think back to my younger self, I hesitated and overthought things. As women, we tend to worry about our own skill set,” she says. “Okay, you don’t know all the aspects of something, but you can learn it.

Jump in and wrap your arms around opportunities.”

Song now lives in Belmont, along the Northern California coast, with her 9-year-old daughter, Amber, and 7-year-old son, Landon, and appreciates working in the city. “We’re in downtown San Francisco. There’s a huge food scene and such beautiful spots, like Treasure Island and Lombard Street, and little neighborhoods that are constantly changing and evolving. There’s an energy about the city that you can’t duplicate.”

She enjoys cooking, reading, traveling, sports, being outdoors and hiking, and she “just got certified for scuba diving.”

She’s even learned to enjoy makeup. “Now, I have too many products to count,” she says. “Sephora is all about teaching, inspiring and playing—it’s a fun culture. You can feel it at the headquarters. Every person’s beauty is different; we are all beautiful in our own way.”

And her 9-year-old loves their nearby Sephora store, with its array of products to try. “It’s her happy place,” Song says.

“She’d go every day if she could.”—Mary Loftus

Afshin Yazdian:

NETWORK

On weathering the storms of change How do you navigate change to achieve sustained success in business?

Ask Afshin Yazdian 94BBA, president of Alpharetta-based Priority Payment Systems, and he’ll tell you it’s down to two things: patience and the ability to listen to other people.

And he should know.

For the last two and a half decades, Nashville resident Yazdian has enjoyed a career at the vanguard of innovation. Graduating from Emory in 1994, he went straight to law school to focus on mergers and acquisitions. However, the lure of business—entrepreneurship in particular—saw him switch direction in 2000 with the launch of a start-up incubator and from there to leadership roles at the helm of new businesses in the e-commerce and payment spaces.

Starting up at the height of the dot-com bubble gave Yazdian an appetite for the adventure of entrepreneurship and the transformative potential of technology. It also laid the bedrock for the professional and personal frameworks that have sustained a long and robust career at the forefront of digital disruption.

“The pace of change over the course of my life has been extraordinary. When I graduated from Emory, it was the early days of the internet, and most people still went to computer labs to use computers,” he says. “Today, technology has transformed the pace of business and operations in general, and access to information has made doing business easier yet established new challenges. There’s an overload of information available that can make it more difficult to differentiate a product or service and also requires faster change within any business model in order to stay relevant.”

Weathering exponential change, and leveraging it as Yazdian has done to explore new opportunities and build new ventures, comes down to persistence, perseverance and putting together the right kind of talent.

“I’ve learned that being patient is key because operating a business is a marathon. Day to day, it’s easy to get frustrated by a litany of events, but staying nimble and adjusting your path while still remaining focused on the long-term strategic vision usually works,” he says. “And when you think long-term, assembling the right team around you is key (and listening to them is even more important).

I always joke that I know I have the right team around me when I am not the smartest person in the room. Success to me really boils down to putting together the right group of people whose ideas and experience help drive the overall strategy.”

There’s also no substitute for sheer hard work.

“Staying ahead of the curve means constantly investigating emerging technologies and, for our specific industry, new ways to handle payments in a rapidly changing world.

This means putting in the time and effort to stay up-todate on changes and having an active role in evolution.

While at Emory, I learned that success doesn’t just happen—it’s earned, and no matter the business environment, working hard is key to success.”

Looking back over his career, Yazdian is struck by the patterns that emerge and how one decision leads to another to forge a trajectory. If a life in business hadn’t claimed his interest and become his passion back in the early 1990s, is there another trajectory he might have followed?

“History. I think I would have enjoyed teaching history at high school,” he says, adding with a laugh, “I like to think I could have been a decent basketball coach too.”

—Áine Doris

spring | 2019 27

NETWORK

Booth has enjoyed leadership positions in healthcare, banking and consulting over the course of a career that spans three decades. And he’s witnessed plenty of change in that time.

“The healthcare industry is almost unrecognizable,” he says.

“Healthcare today is more complex, more competitive and in many ways, more chaotic than in the 1990s.”

One of the biggest and most interesting areas of change, he says, is the generational shift—the differing values, priorities and goals that successive generations bring to the work culture.

“Young professionals coming into this sector today don’t have their sights necessarily set on climbing the ladder all the way to the top. They want different things—fewer working hours and more diversity in roles,” he says. “For leaders of my generation, there’s a challenge right there. The kneejerk reaction might be to say that these new team members are not team players. But that’s missing the full picture. Effective leaders, differentiating leaders, are leaders that accept and embrace difference and strive to understand what motivates people.”

Differentiating leadership—the capacity to adapt to change and to work with diverse groups of people—is a pillar that has undergirded Booth’s career. And it’s a leadership mindset that he staunchly attributes to his time at Emory.

Jeff Booth: On leading a new generation Navigating a career in healthcare continues to be as thrilling as it’s been challenging, says Jeff Booth 84BBA 94MBA, executive director at Health Care Program Advisors, a boutique healthcare management consulting firm.

28 emory | business

“I went to Emory twice. First to get my BBA in finance and again in 1993 to get my MBA at Goizueta,” he says. “The MBA really set me on the path to leadership. Each project you encounter in healthcare is different; the dimensions of every challenge change. The MBA gave me the gift of agility to respond to change.”

Booth’s relationship with Emory has also stood the test of time. In 2015, he received the Alumni Service Award, and over the years he has “worn a number of hats” at the school, leading MBA recruitment efforts for PwC Atlanta at one point and teaching classes in healthcare.

“It’s been a lot of fun. Teaching and sharing my expertise with successive cohorts of MBA students has given me privileged insight into their expectations and life goals as times change.”

In his own life and when advising students, Booth notes that sustaining a successful career is all about finding balance.

That, and doing the right thing.

“I don’t believe in climbing the ladder at other people’s expense. If you don’t step on others on your way to the top, it might take you longer, but you’ll feel better about it,” he notes.

“And then it’s critical to find balance between your professional and your private life. For me, that means spending quality time with my family. I encourage my team members to do the same whenever they can. Go home early once in a while and see your family. Believe me, the problems of the business world will still be there to solve tomorrow.”—Áine Doris

Rebecca Morris Ginzburg: On making the right connections

When it comes to getting ahead in business, Rebecca Morris Ginzburg 94BBA says it’s all about creating relationships and making connections.

“One of the most important things I learned during my time at Emory is how to seek out and foster relationships with people who are further along in their careers than I am,” says Ginzburg. In fact, it was a professor who suggested Ginzburg move to New York to work on Wall Street—an option she hadn’t considered but which sparked a remarkable career in financial services.

After working as a senior auditor at Arthur Anderson LLP right out of school, Ginzburg took that advice about Wall Street to heart and pivoted into financial services in the Big Apple. She started as an analyst at Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette, followed by two years at Pequot Capital Management as an investment analyst. In 2000, she joined Viking Global Investors as an analyst and, after seven years, moved to the business side and rose to head of investor relations.

As she advanced, her willingness to learn from the expertise of colleagues garnered leadership opportunities and valuable mentors.

“Dan Cahill, with whom I worked at Viking, is a spectacular leader and person,” says Ginzburg. “I respect him for the way he makes decisions and how he conducts himself as a leader.

I’ve been privileged to learn a great deal from him about principled leadership.”

In 2013, Ginzburg co-launched Junto Capital Management, a $2.5 billion hedge fund, where she currently serves as president and COO. She approaches leadership in the same way she learned it—through forming solid relationships with people.

“It is both challenging and very rewarding to work with a group of amazing people at Junto,” says Ginzburg. “It’s challenging in the sense that sometimes, as a leader, I have to initiate difficult conversations, but so rewarding when we provide opportunities for professional, personal or economic growth.”

Outside of work, Ginzburg is proud to share her expertise and experience for the benefit of others.

“Quality time with my husband and our three teenage daughters is my foremost priority, so when it comes to those extracurriculars, I want to make sure that I can be impactful in a way that’s both useful to the organization and also meaningful to me, personally,” she says.

Ginzburg is currently involved with the One Love Foundation—a nonprofit dedicated to helping people form healthy relationships—and she serves on the Goizueta Advisory Board.

“My time at Emory was the best four years of my life,” Ginzburg notes. “The connections I made there have shaped my career and greatly contributed to who I have become as a person. I love that I can give back in this way.” —Kerry Maffeo

spring | 2019 29

GOIZUETA CLASS NOTES To kickoff the 100th anniversary of the business school, Goizueta partnered with alumni city captains to host more than 20 birthday parties in cities all around the world. Alumni attending the parties had a chance to reconnect, enjoy a Coca-Cola toast and take photos to commemorate the school’s centennial. At several of the international parties, MBA students on mid-semester modules joined the fun. The school also hosted an on-campus birthday party, where more than 600 faculty, staff, students and alumni enjoyed trivia, prizes and a visit from Emory’s mascot, Swoop.

Happy 100t

30 emory | business

GOIZUETA CLASS NOTES

h Birthday!

spring | 2019 31

PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENTS 1950s 1970s 1980s

Jerry Maddox 57BBA 64JD of Atlanta, GA, received the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award. In addition to accomplishments, the award is presented to those in the upper 5% of biographies in Who’s Who in America.

Horace Johnson 70BBA 77OX of Covington, GA, received Leadership Georgia’s Frederick B. Kerr Service Award for his continuing support of the organization. The organization’s mission is to identify, train and inspire emerging young leaders.

Harold Yellin 82MBA/JD of Savannah, GA, is a 2019 Georgia Super Lawyer. Harold is an attorney with HunterMaclean.

Alan Rabb 82OX 84BBA of Greensboro, GA, was named to the Top 100 People in Finance by Top 100 Magazine.

1990s

Temika Williams Murray 92BBA of Ellenwood, GA, is a judge with DeKalb County Juvenile Court.

Temika served as a child advocacy lawyer for 15 years.

Kristin Brown 91OX 93BBA of Royston, GA, has launched The 1902 House: Creative Celebrations. The firm offers virtual event planning services and online content on entertaining topics. By providing easy to execute party ideas, Kristin’s goal is to help create memorable celebrations with minimal stress.

Dana P. Brownlee 98EvMBA of Atlanta, GA, published The Unwritten Rules of Managing Up: Project Management Techniques from the Trenches.

2000s

Dustin Finkel 00BBA of Erie, CO, has launched Ka-Pop Snacks, a line of health snack foods.

Aaron Frank 00MBA of Roswell, GA, is director of strategic pricing at King & Spalding.

Mark Herndon 01WEMBA of Media, PA, is CFO at Safeguard Scientifics Inc. Mark is responsible for overseeing the financial functions of the company, which provides capital and expertise for technology-driven businesses in healthcare, financial services and digital media.

32 emory | business

For real-time updates, tweet your news and celebrations to our social media hub, The Social Index, using the hashtag #GoizuetaKudos.

Ronald “R. P.” Dickerson 02MBA of Denver, CO, is CFO at the Colorado Center for Reproductive Medicine.

Colleen Pritchett 02MBA of West Chester, PA, is president of Aerospace Americas at Hexcel.

Nick Ducoff 03BBA of Waban, MA, is co-founder of Edmit, which helps college-bound students make informed decisions about their college investment.

David Raymon 03BBA of Needham, MA, is a partner at Burns & Levinson, where he advises clients on estate planning, trust and estate administration, business succession planning and fiduciary litigation.

Kenan Rodrigues 04MBA of Scarsdale, NY, is managing director and head of business transformation–middle market banking and specialized industries at JPMorgan Chase.

Mike Hostinsky 05MBA of Marietta, GA, is a partner in Bennett Thrasher’s risk advisory services.

Jason Monaco 05WEMBA of Colleyville, TX, is CFO at Borden.

Evan Zucker 05BBA of New York, NY, was inducted into the International Insolvency Institute NextGen Leadership Program.

Scott Hilton 06MBA of Peachtree Corners, GA, is director of implementation at the office of planning and budget in the Office of the Governor.

Ana Granillo Amato 07EvMBA of Atlanta, GA, was named to the Atlanta Business Chronicle’s “Atlanta 40 Under 40” list for 2018.

Jared Susco 07MBA of Philadelphia, PA, is chief finance and people officer at Benefits Data Trust (BDT), a social-impact organization dedicated to helping people live healthier, more independent lives by creating smarter ways to access public benefits and services. Jared was previously CFO at Camden Coalition of Healthcare Providers.

Maggie Tucker 09EvMBA of Atlanta, GA, received the Georgia Diversity Council 2018 Most Powerful & Influential Women Award. Maggie is vice president, omni-channel marketing at IHG.

2010s

Darin Hammers 11WEMBA of Suwanee, GA, is CEO of Dysis Medical.

Jason Snyder 14MEMBA of Pinehurst, NC, is lieutenant colonel with the U.S. Air Force, where he commands the 38th Aerial Port Squadron.

Catherine Bass Black 15WEMBA of Springfield, MO, is principal at Odgers Berndtson.

Carla Berg 17EvMBA of Atlanta, GA, was named to the Atlanta Business Chronicle’s “Atlanta 40 Under 40” for 2018.

Ifrah Khan 14OX 17BBA of Atlanta, GA, was named one of Atlanta Inno’s “25 under 25.” Ifrah is the founder of Usit, a babysitting app that connects parents to college-age sitters.

#GoizuetaKudos

BOOK REVIEW Jared Belsky 05MBA

releases first book—The Great Client Partner: How Soft Skills Are the True Currency in Client Relationships Early in his career, Jared Belsky 05MBA, now CEO at 360i, a digital marketing agency, decided to get an MBA in marketing and strategy. At the time, Belsky was working at Razorfish, where he knew a lot about digital media and how to track an ad but little to nothing about product, human resources or sales. “As professionals, we work hard at our craft, typically called hard skills, whether we’re developing inspiring creative, developing a new product/ experience or looking at large data sets for a living,” Belsky explains in the preface of his new book, The Great Client Partner: How Soft Skills Are the True Currency in Client Relationships. “But rarely do we apply the same rigorous training to soft skills like persuasiveness, empathy, conflict mediation and active listening—traits that are essential to reaching our collective full potential as leaders and partners.”

In The Great Client Partner, Belsky points out that for all the advances digital technology has made possible, it’s a culprit when it comes to neglecting soft skills. He advises students to seek out ways to hone the soft skills that technology helps them avoid. “Without developing those, you will not be able to achieve half of what you are capable of,” he writes.

Belsky is on the board of directors of Emory Impact Investing Group, which provides microloans to worthy businesses. In 2017, Belsky was named to Advertising Age’s “40 Under 40” and was honored as “Executive of the Year” at Microsoft Advertising’s 2016 Bing Agency Awards. The Great Client Partner is his first book. —AS spring | 2019 33

PERSONAL ACHIEVEMENTS Frances Finger Bielsky 72BBA of Charleston, SC, joined her AEPhi pledge sisters in celebrating the 50th anniversary of becoming friends during their freshman year at Emory. (Left to right: Rose Bernard Ackermann 72C of Greensboro, NC; Martha Altschuller Zaritsky 72C of Rapidan, VA; Frances Finger Bielsky 72BBA of Charleston, SC; Ellen Berkowitz 72C 76M 77MR of Tallahassee, FL; Dana Parkans Katz 72C 75G of Carmel, IN)

1970s

Ryan Paddock 07BBA and wife Christy of Atlanta, GA, welcomed son Jackson Christopher in October 2018.

2010s

Matt Long 04BBA 12MBA, wife Leigh (Friedman) 05C, and big sister Sylvie, of Mexico City, Mexico, welcomed Harlow Noa in January 2019.

2000s

Lee Brodsky 05BBA, wife Rebecca 05C, and siblings, Gavin, Jacob, and Liv of Port Washington, NY, welcomed Noah Max in October 2018. Lee is CEO at BEB Capital.

Crystal Johnson 07BBA and John Geise of New York, NY, were married August 25, 2018, in Canandaigua, NY.

34 emory | business

Rishav Kohli 10BBA and Brittany Whitmore 10C of Boston, MA, were married July 7, 2018.

Julia Freling 11BBA of Great Neck, NY, and Chinedu Madu were married on September 29, 2018, in Farmingdale, NY. Jessica Murphy 13MBA/MPH and husband Jordan Raphel welcomed son Joseph Marek Murphy-Raphel in October 2018.

Jack Dellecker 14MBA and wife Claire of Brookhaven, GA, welcomed daughter Amelia “Millie” Whitman in December 2018.

PERSONAL ACHIEVEMENTS Andrew Garfrerick 14MBA and wife Steph welcomed daughter Mackenzie Rae in October 2018.

Amritha Alladi Joseph 14MBA and husband Jis of Atlanta, GA, welcomed daughter Sahana in January 2019.

Charles Stewart 17MBA of San Jose, CA, married Whitney Way on January 20, 2019, in Chandler, AZ. Guests: Front row, left to right: Anna Selser 17MBA, Jamie Perkins 17MBA, Donnell McGhee 17MBA. Middle row, left to right: Thornton James 14MBA, Karina de Sousa 19MBA, Ray Persaud 17MBA, Elen Thompson 17MBA, Julius Bryant 17MBA, Whitney Way Stewart (Bride), Charles Way Stewart 17MBA, Simone Braithwaite 17MBA, Cleyana Mayweather 17MBA, Kendall Exume 17MBA, Paula Fontana (Former CMC), Garrett Cathcart 18MEMBA. Back row, left to right: Julie Barefoot, associate dean of Engagement & Partnerships Stephen Hill 17MBA, Selena McLaurin 17MBA, Afiya Hosten 17MBA, Kyndal Thomas 17MBA, Kiara Hinton 17MBA, Olalekan Olanisa 17MBA.

Nicholas Missler 07OX 09C 16EvMBA, wife Rachel, and big brother Hudson of Savannah, GA, welcomed Hazel Ruby in September 2018.

Amy High 17MBA and husband Travis 19MBA of Decatur, GA, welcomed daughter Riley Elizabeth in February 2019.

CORRECTION: In the Fall 2018 issue, Emory Business incorrectly reported that Abigail Horn 15BBA of New York, NY, was recently married. Sorry, Abigail is not married and enjoys the single life in The Big Apple.

Congratulations are due to Leigh Abigail Horn 12BBA and Michael Spencer of Washington, D.C., who were married June 9, 2018. Leigh is a manager with PwC. spring | 2019 35

GOIZUETA CLASS NOTES In Memoriam Edward Thomas Gross 42BBA of Jekyll Island, GA R. Monroe Schwartz 47BBA 53L of Atlanta, GA Abraham N. Davidson 48BBA of Macon, GA Arthur L. Schoenberg 48BBA of Atlanta, GA James M. Cherry 49BBA of Atlanta, GA David Piha 49BBA of Miami, FL W. C. Tunno 49BBA of Haines City, FL John D. Adams 50BBA of Montpelier, VA James M. Culpepper Sr. 50BBA of Columbus, GA Jere Dodd 50BBA of Atlanta, GA Milton H. Davis 51BBA of Ball Ground, GA E. William “Bill” Nash 51BBA of Jacksonville, FL Charles M. Russell 52BBA of White Plains, GA Edward P. May 53BBA of Atlanta, GA Thomas W. Goodwin 55BBA of Macon, GA J. Martin Turbidy 55MBA of Sea Island, GA Coy A. Short 57BBA of Savannah, GA Larry D. Spielberger 57MBA of Atlanta, GA William Michael O’Neal 58BBA of New York, NY Robert E. “Bobby” Chappell Jr. 56OX 58BBA 68MBA of Griffin, GA Thomas A. Carney 59BBA of Tampa, FL Lurner O. Benton III 60OX 65BBA of Eatonton, GA Robert G. McKinnon 68BBA of Atlanta, GA Elizabeth M. Collins 70BBA 72G of Ft. Valley, GA James C. Edwards Jr. 65C 67AH 72MBA of Decatur, GA Alice Sussman Harms 71BBA 72MBA of Atlanta, GA Duke E. Cain 75MBA of Jackson, MS David M. Speed 77MBA of Sarasota, FL Allan S. Brezel 78MBA of Marietta, GA Catherine Grivas Perlak 81BBA 84JD of Springfield, VA Lynda Schwalb Andrews 87MBA of Roswell, GA Daniel J. Feldman 94BBA of Shaker Heights, OH George W. Fowler Jr. 95WEMBA of Aiken, SC Catherine Jenny Clark 97MBA of Houston, TX Reginald “Reggie” Bradford 99WEMBA of Atlanta, GA Eric A. Newmark 99MBA of Marietta, GA Gabriel Jones 03OX 05BBA of Pearl, MS Yuyuan “Agnus” Lin 06MBA of Blue Bell, PA Amir M. Pelleg 06BBA of Sunny Isles, FL 36 emory | business

REMEMBERING EARL HILL Earl Hill, a member of the Goizueta Business School faculty since 1991, passed away Dec. 7. He was 81.

Hill, a senior lecturer in organization & management, was a fixture of the community, teaching in multiple programs and donating his time to many worthwhile causes. He served as co-chair of the school’s diversity committee and on the board of The Consortium for Graduate Study in Management.

“Earl was a longtime and well-loved member of our community as a friend, teacher and mentor and his warmth, wit and wisdom will be greatly missed,” Dean Erika James wrote in announcing the news to the Goizueta community. “Our hearts are with his wife, Tammy, and the entire Hill family as they mourn this loss and celebrate his precious life.”

To students and staff, Hill was known for teaching negotiations and conflict resolution and living out the principles he espoused.

“Earl was a master of directness and diplomacy, who brought out the best in others. ‘Do you think there is another way to think about this issue?’ was one of his favorite lines,” says Rick Gilkey, professor in the practice of organization & management. “Another, ‘What’s most important to you in this situation?’ And, when things were resolved, he gave the other party credit—he was a big man in all senses of the word. He was also a pro at asking great questions and understanding the other party—he didn’t talk much about high empathy, he just practiced it.”

For those who knew him, Hill was a wonderful resource, always willing to take the time to listen then reframe an issue in order to provide guidance. He was also a great mentor to many.

“Over the years, Earl always checked on me, from popping by my office to phone calls to check in. Little did I know that we would do so much good work together to advance diversity at Goizueta. I can’t remember a time we did not work together on diversity initiatives—from being instrumental in writing the request to become a member of The Consortium, traveling to the National Black MBA Conferences with students, putting on diversity learning programs for staff and working together on Goizueta’s Diversity Committee,” says Alicia Sierra, director of human resources and diversity at Goizueta. “Although Earl had not been doing well in recent years, we continued to work together, and he continued to check on me.”

It’s no surprise he received the 2016 Donald Keough Award, given in recognition of staff and faculty outstanding contributions to the enhancement of the school. This award is the school’s highest service award, recognizing overall contributions by faculty and staff.

Prior to Goizueta, Hill had a long career with the IBM Corporation in sales and human resources. He developed and supported the human resources strategies for large groups of sales and technical managers and provided management and employee training targeted to key human resource issues.

Since his unexpected death, the Goizueta community shared an afternoon of remembrance with Hill’s family, faculty, staff, alumni and students, packing into W525 to pay tribute to the man many called friend, mentor, inspiration.

Professors Earl Hill, far right, and Chip Frame developed academic challenges for the LEAD Global Business Institute for high-potential diverse students. Pictured here visiting The Coca-Cola Company.

Further honor came in early May when The Consortium established The Earl Hill Jr. Faculty Achievement and Diversity Leadership Award. The award recognizes and honors outstanding academic and professional leadership on campus and to the community beyond the boundaries of the university.

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