Emory Goizueta MBA Admissions | @GBSadmissions

Rewind: Goizueta & The National Black MBA Conference & Exposition

“Work hard, play hard – that’s exactly what the National Black MBA [Conference and Exposition] is!”

– Alicia Sierra, Assistant Dean for Diversity and Community Initiatives, Goizueta Business School, Emory University

BACKGROUND
In 1996 Goizueta faculty from the Career Management Center accompanied a few of our African-American students to the our first National Black MBA Conference and Exposition with goals to participate in the case competition and to seek job opportunities for the students. Those students made a splash at that first conference – they won the case competition! After a great first year, we prioritized this conference for our students. We quickly realized that this conference not only gave students exposure to hundreds of different companies and opportunities to interview for jobs, but it was also a chance to recruit students to the Goizueta MBA programs.

CASE COMPETITION
Every year following (with only a few exceptions), we have sent students to compete in the National Black MBA Conference Case Competition. Many students now attend the conference as we sent over 100 students to last year’s and over 80 students to this year’s National Black MBA Conference and Exposition. In addition, we put forth a much more coordinated effort between the Career Management Center and the MBA Program Office when planning for the conference. We help prepare our students for the case competition and, for some, job interviews that take place right at the conference.

GOIZUETA CONNECTION
Over the years, Goizueta has formed an incredible partnership with the National Black MBA Association at both the local and national levels. Goizeuta has tapped into organization for speakers and company references, and the organization has reached out to us for faculty input and resources for their Leaders of Tomorrow (LOT) program. We hosted the LOT program last summer!

CONFERENCE ATTENDEES
We typically see a variety of attendees at the conference. A number of representatives from companies – front-line employees – express interest in acquiring an MBA. Moreover, undergrads and recent grads inquire about our MBA and PhD programs. High school students, through the Leaders of Tomorrow (LOT) program, gain exposure about both Goizueta’s undergraduate and graduate business programs. 

Read more about the conference from the student perspective at VoiceofGoizueta.com