Meet Cornell Johnson’s MBA Class Of 2019

Dave Elman 

Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management, Cornell SC Johnson College of Business at Cornell University 

Describe yourself in 15 words or less: Innately curious, adventurous, and down-to-earth. Car aficionado, fitness guru, and ethnic food enthusiast.

Hometown: Rochester, NY

Fun Fact About Yourself: I am a self-taught didgeridoo player; I became fascinated with the instrument after staying in an aboriginal village in northern Australia.

Undergraduate School and Major: Cornell University, Applied Economics & Management

Employers and Job Titles Since Graduation:

Ernst & Young (New York), Performance Improvement, Senior Consultant/Manager

Anchorage Capital Group (New York), Fund Accountant

Ernst & Young (New York), Assurance, Staff/Senior Associate 

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: As a consultant, I managed and collaborated with diverse teams to diagnose and solve critical business issues related to strategy, technology, and operations for financial services clients. However, the positive impact I made to advance diversity and inclusiveness (D&I) at EY has been my most rewarding professional accomplishment.

Two years ago, I was selected to lead an initiative to accelerate execution of the firm’s D&I strategy. My team facilitated workshops with leaders and team members across the firm, designed and executed pilot programs to support leadership development and recognition, and leveraged the feedback to develop a path forward for executives. I presented our recommendations to the D&I Executive Steering Committee, and they not only endorsed our recommendations, but also allocated full-time resources to help us implement them. It was (and still is) exciting to see our efforts come to fruition, and I am proud to have played a role in earning EY’s top ranking for diversity and inclusiveness.

Looking back on your experience, what one piece of advice would you give to future business school applicants? Reflect deeply and honestly on your personality, values, and goals throughout the entire admissions process. Rankings are certainly relevant (up to a point) and blogs are helpful resources, but it is easy to overanalyze hearsay and veer from what your gut tells you. This advice may be cliché, but the best way to gain an authentic feel for a school is to engage directly with current students, alumni, and faculty. Schedule informational interviews and coffee chats, reach out to alumni (the responses you receive are important signals), and visit campus. The time, effort, and expenses are well worth it!

What was the key factor that led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA and why was it so important to you? Community. Finding the right community “fit” is critical, as it shapes every aspect of the business school experience (and beyond). From the beginning, I knew that I wanted to be fully immersed in a smaller, tight-knit community outside of a major city. I will admit, however, that I was initially skeptical about returning to my undergraduate alma mater for business school.

My campus visit to Johnson for my interview was a key turning point for meI was invigorated by the energy, enthusiasm, and friendliness of the environment at the weekly Sage Social. I was also struck by the depth of my conversations with current students and faculty — everyone with whom I interacted seemed to be truly interested in my story, motivations, and goals.

One particularly remarkable gesture came a few days after my campus visit from a professor with whom I spoke for about five minutes during a networking reception. Unprompted, she facilitated introductions to four alumni in my target industry, and all of them responded within 24 hours and were happy to share their experiences. These alumni also introduced me to others in their network — I received enthusiastic responses from all of them. These connections were formed before I even received acceptance into the program.

My interactions during the admissions process assuaged my hesitations and solidified my view that Johnson is a warm and welcoming community of ambitious, engaged, interesting, and accomplished individuals. My decision became a no-brainer.

What would success look like to you after your first year of business school? Following through on my commitments to continuously develop as a leader, pursue my passions, and enrich the Cornell community. For example, I have a keen interest in shaping the future of transportation, and I am working to connect and leverage the incredible talent available at Cornell to create impact in this space. Most people do not think of Ithaca as a hub for transportation innovation, but students and faculty are performing fascinating research — across multiple disciplines — that has the potential to change the world. One of my goals this year is to establish the infrastructure for MBA students to formally collaborate with engineering and computer science students, faculty, and industry leaders to solve real-world challenges facing the industry.

Questions about this article? Email us or leave a comment below.