Learning & Leading:

Goizueta Distinguished Speaker Series

Learn. Lead. Repeat.

True impact can't be contained in a spreadsheet.

The series engages exceptional leaders from a range of industries to share their experiences and insights on the world of business as it is today and what it may become tomorrow. Creating powerful connections between students, alumni, and the business community, Goizueta raises its voice and influences meaningful business performance that ignites passion to drive lasting change.

Past Events

  • Health Inequity & Wealth Inequality

    The global COVID-19 pandemic has spurred many conversations on the topic of public health and vaccines. It has also highlighted the harsh realities of racial health inequity and wealth inequality. Dr. Helene Gayle MD, MPH is an expert on global development, humanitarian, and health issues. Named one of Forbes’ “100 Most Powerful Women” and one of NonProfit Times “Power and Influence Top 50,” she has authored numerous articles on global and domestic public health issues, poverty alleviation, gender equality, and social justice.

    Dr. Helene Gayle is interviewed by Jeffrey Rosensweig, Associate Professor of Finance and Director, The Robson Program for Business, Public Policy, and Government. This event is sponsored by Goizueta’s Robson Program for Business, Public Policy, and Government.

  • Financial inclusion. Economic empowerment. Affordable housing.

    Throughout her career, Thasunda Brown Duckett has been on the forefront of pushing for diversity, equity, and inclusion. As the newly appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of TIAA and the fourth Black woman in history serving as a Fortune 500 CEO, Thasunda Brown Duckett joins the Goizueta Distinguished Speaker Series to discuss her career journey and key advice for emerging leaders. She’ll also provide her take on where business and society need to lean in to push the envelope, building systems that are not only diverse, but equitable and inclusive as well. As one of Fortune’s “Top 10 Most Powerful Women”, Brown Duckett was interviewed by Jill Perry-Smith, Professor of Organization & Management and Senior Associate Dean of Strategic Initiatives at Emory University’s Goizueta School. The event is sponsored by Goizueta’s Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion.

  • Building a Purpose-Driven Company

    In 2009 Bill Rogers was hired as President and CEO of SunTrust and tasked with turning around a company struggling due to the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression within an industry facing a trust crisis. In eight years, he led the company into the financial industry’s largest and most ambitious merger in over a decade, creating Truist, the sixth largest bank in the United States.

    Professors Rob Kazanjian and Omar Rodriguez-Vila teamed up with Rogers to write a case study on SunTrust’s turnaround by becoming a purpose-driven company. They chat with Rogers about the launch of the Truist business case, the continuation of the purpose-driven work at Truist, and Rogers’s own personal reflections on what it takes to lead with purpose.

  • Reinventing Yourself in a World of Disruption

    Jim Lanzone 98JD/MBA first found success as an entrepreneur during the dot-com boom of the late 90s, then pivoted to a successful career in media and entertainment serving as CEO of CBS Interactive and the first chief Digital Officer in the history of CBS. This summer, Lanzone has reinvented his career once again, accepting the role of CEO for the world’s most popular dating app, Tinder.

  • Meaningful Changes Requires Meaningful Action

    Scott Budnick 99BBA started his career in Hollywood becoming a successful film producer on movies including The Hangover trilogy and Just Mercy. A chance encounter changed his outlook on success, and he became a staunch advocate for criminal justice reform. He founded the Anti-Recidivism Coalition and One Community, a film, television, and digital content co-financing company that uses the power of storytelling to inspire positive global change.