The Undergraduate Business School Leadership Conference (UBSLC) is a student-run international conference held annually at Emory University's Goizueta Business School, with more than 50 students from around the world. UBSLC provides a forum for top undergraduate business students to meet with leading business executives, cultivate meaningful connections and unify under a common theme designed to help them become more effective leaders and professionals. What these leaders learn here will impact hundreds of students at their home schools and thousands of their future coworkers.
2023 Conference: February 9-11
2023 UBSLC Keynote Speaker - Djuan Rivers
Former Vice President, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park
Djuan Rivers retired as Vice President, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park May 2021, where he led a Cast base of more than 6,000. Under his leadership, the park completed the largest expansion in its history.
With almost 30 years of leadership experience, Djuan began his Disney management career on the opening team of Disney's Grand Floridian Resort and Spa in 1988. He held numerous Executive positions at The Walt Disney Company including Director of Operations for Disney’s Reservation Center, General Manager of Disney's Wilderness Lodge Resort, General Manager of Disney's All-Star Resorts, and Vice President of Downtown Disney, a million square feet of retail, dining and entertainment. Djuan’s diverse operations background also includes being part of the Disney Cruise Line organization as the hotel Director onboard the Disney Magic and Disney Wonder. Throughout his career, he has assisted with the opening of six resorts in Florida, three resorts at Disneyland Paris and was the opening Vice President of Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa, the first Disney vacation destination in Hawaii. Prior to coming to Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park, Djuan was the Vice President, Hotels and Conventions at Disneyland Paris.
Djuan holds a degree in economics from Emory University in Atlanta and is a graduate of the Rollins College Crummer School of Business executive management program.
A native of Orlando, Djuan prides himself in being a world traveler and avid sportsman. He has traveled across 60 different countries and is attempting to climb the Seven Summits, the highest mountains on each continent. In October 2008, Djuan was one of the first people to participate in a HALO skydive over Mount Everest, incidentally making him the first African-American to do so. In 2016 he traveled to Antarctica where he completed his first full marathon. Currently, Djuan also serves as a Trustee and international Ambassador on The Nature Conservancy Board for the state of Florida.
Djuan currently resides in Paris, France.
With almost 30 years of leadership experience, Djuan began his Disney management career on the opening team of Disney's Grand Floridian Resort and Spa in 1988. He held numerous Executive positions at The Walt Disney Company including Director of Operations for Disney’s Reservation Center, General Manager of Disney's Wilderness Lodge Resort, General Manager of Disney's All-Star Resorts, and Vice President of Downtown Disney, a million square feet of retail, dining and entertainment. Djuan’s diverse operations background also includes being part of the Disney Cruise Line organization as the hotel Director onboard the Disney Magic and Disney Wonder. Throughout his career, he has assisted with the opening of six resorts in Florida, three resorts at Disneyland Paris and was the opening Vice President of Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa, the first Disney vacation destination in Hawaii. Prior to coming to Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park, Djuan was the Vice President, Hotels and Conventions at Disneyland Paris.
Djuan holds a degree in economics from Emory University in Atlanta and is a graduate of the Rollins College Crummer School of Business executive management program.
A native of Orlando, Djuan prides himself in being a world traveler and avid sportsman. He has traveled across 60 different countries and is attempting to climb the Seven Summits, the highest mountains on each continent. In October 2008, Djuan was one of the first people to participate in a HALO skydive over Mount Everest, incidentally making him the first African-American to do so. In 2016 he traveled to Antarctica where he completed his first full marathon. Currently, Djuan also serves as a Trustee and international Ambassador on The Nature Conservancy Board for the state of Florida.
Djuan currently resides in Paris, France.
Previous Keynote Speakers
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Steve Nowicki
2020Stephen Nowicki is the Charles Howard Candler Professor of Psychology Emeritus at Emory University. He is the author of over 350 publications and presentations, author of Choice or Chance, and the coauthor (with Marshall Duke) of six books including Helping the Child Who Doesn’t Fit In, Teaching Your Child the Language of Social Success, and Will I Ever Fit In. During his 50 years of teaching at Emory University in Atlanta, Dr. Nowicki has served as Director of Clinical Training, Head of the Psychological Center, and Founder and Head of the Counseling Center. He is a Diplomate in Applied Psychology the highest award given to clinical practitioners. He is a consultant to the state of Georgia programs for severely behavior disordered children and adolescents. In the research area, he has received two Fulbright awards, been twice named a von Humboldt Scholar for Research in Germany and was awarded the Benjamin Meaker and Leverhulme fellowships for research study in England. He received the outstanding researcher in applied settings distinction from the Division of Clinical Psychology of the American Psychological Society, of which he is a founding fellow, and the Southeastern Psychological Association Mentoring Award. At Emory, he received the Emory Williams Teaching Award, the Emeritus College’s Outstanding Faculty Award and at present is a Heilbrun Research Fellow. Dr. Nowicki is completing a three-year grant from the Templeton Foundation for research in Bristol England on the origins of nonverbal abilities and locus of control. At present he is an adjunct faculty member in the Goizueta Business school and serves as a consultant to various businesses.Professor, Goizueta Business School
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Victor Lewis
2019This year’s conference will feature a keynote address from Mr. Victor Luis, Chief Executive Officer of Coach, Inc. From his unique perspective in prioritizing quality over mass-market quantity to the bold acquisition of Kate Spade, Mr. Luis’s insight will enhance the theme and shed light on how to stay innovative within today’s fast-paced and increasingly competitive business environment. Mr. Luis has been a part of the senior management team since joining Coach in 2006. He has held several key international management roles and has spearheaded the company’s successful expansion strategy in Asia.Chief Executive Officer of Coach, Inc.
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Steve Sear
2018Mr. Steve Sear, International and Executive Vice President – Global Sales for Delta Air Lines. Mr. Sear has guided Delta through the merger with Northwest Airlines and the subsequent integration of the Air France-KLM and Alitalia Joint Venture sales teams and customer contracting. He was named one of the 25 Most Influential Business Travel Executives by Business Travel News.International & Executive Vice President - Global Sales, Delta Air Lines
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Scott Budnick
2017Scott Budnick is the Founder and President of the Anti-Recidivism Coalition. He grew up in Atlanta, GA, and graduated from Emory University in 1999 with degrees in Business and Film. Formerly the Executive Vice President of Todd Phillips’ production company, Green Hat Films, Scott executive produced many successful comedies including the highest grossing rated-R comedies in history, THE HANGOVER series. Outside of film, Scott is a fierce champion for children in need. Scott is a teacher and serves on the Board for InsideOUT Writers, an organization that aims to reduce juvenile recidivism through the use of creative writing and by providing a range of services to meet the needs of currently and formerly incarcerated young adults. Scott also serves on the Advisory Board for the Loyola Law School Center for Juvenile Law and Policy. For his work with youth in the criminal justice system, Governor Jerry Brown named Scott California’s Volunteer of the Year for 2012. Scott currently sits on the Board of State and Community Corrections (BSCC) and the Governor-appointed Community Colleges Board of Governors. Most recently, Scott was selected to be a Board Member of President Obama’s newly created foundation, My Brother’s Keeper Alliance.Founder and President of the Anti-Recidivism Coalition
UBSLC Attendees
DOMESTICÂ SCHOOLS
- University of Pittsburgh
- Wisconsin School of Business at UW Madison
- University of Michigan
- UC Berkeley | Haas School of Business
- The George Washington University
- University of Texas at Austin
- University of Arizona Eller College of Management
- The University of Iowa
- Providence College
- University of Connecticut
- University of Washington
- Northwestern University
- Georgia State University
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLS
- University of Economics, Prague
- Peking University
- INSEEC Paris Business School
- Vienna University of Business and Economics
DOMESTIC SCHOOLS
- Bentley University
- Case Western Reserve University
- Clarkson University
- Indiana University
- Lewis and Clark College
- Michigan State University
- Ohio State University
- Purdue University
- The George Washington University
- The University of Iowa
- University of Arizona - Eller
- University of California Berkeley - Haas
- University of Connecticut
- University of Kansas- Lawrence
- University of Michigan
- University of Minnesota
- University of Notre Dame
- University of Oregon
- University of Pittsburgh
- University of Texas at Austin - McCombs
- University of Washington
- University of Wisconsin-Madison
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLS
- Chinese University of Hong Kong
DOMESTIC SCHOOLS
- Babson College
- Carnegie Mellon University
- George Washington University
- Indiana University (Kelley)
- Northeastern University
- Pennsylvania State University
- Texas Christian University
- The College of New Jersey
- University of Arizona
- University of California, Berkeley (Haas)
- University of Connecticut
- University of Florida
- University of Iowa
- University of Kentucky
- University of Michigan
- University of Notre Dame (Mendoza)
- University of Texas at Austin
- University of Washington-Foster School of Business
- Villanova University
- Washington University in St. Louis
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLS
- ITAM Instituto TecnolĂłgico AutĂłnomo de MĂ©xico
- EBS Universität für Wirtschaft und Recht
- Universidad P. Comillas
- University of Manchester
- Frankfurt School of Finance & Management
DOMESTIC SCHOOLS
- Arizona State University
- Carnegie Mellon University
- DePaul University
- George Washington University
- Georgia Institute of Technology
- Georgia State University
- Indiana University
- Southern Methodist University
- The Ohio State University
- University of California at Berkeley
- University of Connecticut
- University of Florida
- University of Iowa
- University of Michigan
- University of Notre Dame
- University of Oregon
- University of Texas at Austin
- University of Washington
- Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
- Wake Forest University
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLS
- American University of Rome
- Bocconi University
- Chinese University of Hong Kong
- EBAPE - Brazilian School of Public and Business Administration
- EBS Business School
- ICADE, Universidad Pontificia Cosmillas
- MBA Institute Paris
- University of Economics, Prague
- University of St. Gallen
- Vienna University of Economics and Business
DOMESTIC SCHOOLS
- Babson College
- Carnegie Mellon University
- George Washington University
- Georgia Institute of Technology
- Georgia State University
- Indiana University
- Northeastern University
- Pennsylvania State University
- The Ohio State University
- University of Arizona
- University of California at Berkeley
- University of Colorado Boulder
- University of Florida
- University of Iowa
- University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill
- University of Notre Dame
- University of Pittsburgh
- University of San Diego
- University of Texas at Austin
- University of Washington
- University of Wisconsin - Madison
- Wake Forest University
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLS
- Cass Business School, City University London
- EBS Business School
- ICADE, Universidad Pontificia Cosmillas
- Johannes Kepler University
- Maastricht University
- Manchester Business School
- Stockholm School of Economics
- University of Edinburgh
- University of New South Wales
DOMESTIC SCHOOLS
- Bentley University
- Brigham Young University
- College of William & Mary
- Georgetown University
- University of Georgia
- University of Minnesota
- University of Pennsylvania
- Washington University in St. Louis
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLS
- European Business School
- Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
- Singapore Management University
- SVKM's Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies
- Simon Fraser University
- Thammasat Business School
- The University of Hong Kong
- The University of New South Wales
- The University of Sydney
- University of British Columbia
- University of Los Andes
- University of Navarra
- University of Toronto
- University of Wollongong