Thomas Egge    

Emory University, Goizueta Business School

“I always take my work seriously, but never myself.”

Hometown: Acton, MA

Fun fact about yourself: I restored a 200 year old farmhouse outside of Boston.

Undergraduate School and Degree: College of Wooster, BA in Political Science and Government

Where was the last place you worked before enrolling in business school? US Army, Signal Officer

Where did you intern during the summer of 2020? Bain & Company, Atlanta

Where will you be working after graduation? Bain & Company, Consultant

Community Work and Leadership Roles in Business School:

• Veterans Association, President
• Partners Club, Treasurer
• Teaching Assistant – Finance, Economics, Data Analytics

Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? I was able to work with Porsche North America in the spring of 2020 to help them develop a new data monetization strategy. We were finalists for Goizueta’s annual IMPACT 360 showcase for our class, and while we did not win the competition, we were able to present our recommendations to the CEO and other stakeholders at Porsche. I was proud to see that they’re moving forward on a number of our recommendations.

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? I’m very proud of what I was able to achieve on my deployment to Iraq and Kuwait in 2017. I was responsible for building a network for the implementation of a new movement control system that allowed us to track and coordinate cargo throughout the Middle East. I managed a team that worked in three different countries to support over a dozen nodes on this network. I was proud of the work my soldiers and I did, and it felt good to know the supplies we were tracking were contributing to the fight against ISIS.

Why did you choose this business school? I chose Goizueta because of its strong focus on consulting. We’re never going to look like a recruiting powerhouse on paper because of our small class size, but we consistently place well into most top firms. The school encourages this with a core curriculum heavy on strategy classes for first year students and our small class size helps to build a tight-knit community of people focused on this career path.

Who was your favorite MBA professor? JB Kurish has been my favorite professor. He teaches the core finance class and his classroom energy and enthusiasm made me passionate about a subject I had been dreading. This spring I’m working with him on developing the curriculum for a new course offering on the financial aspects of economic and social justice. I’ve enjoyed working on our premise that a better society can make a better environment for business.

What was your favorite MBA event or tradition at your business school? The best tradition at Goizueta is Keeping Everyone at Goizueta Social, or KEGS. Every Thursday afternoon the whole program takes a few hours to relax and socialize (with the aforementioned kegs). It’s a great opportunity to get to know your peers outside of the classroom and there’s usually a good number of partners, children, and dogs as well. I think our small class size and events like this really helped our class stay together as a single community instead of breaking off into smaller cliques.

Looking back over your MBA experience, what is the one thing you’d do differently and why? I would have participated in more case competitions. I had a great time with the three I competed in and I got to know my classmates really well from the experience. I think they were an excellent way to build my consulting toolkit ahead of interviews, but then I stopped participated after COVID-19 hit. I’d like to do another one this spring and regret missing out on some that took place this fall.

What is the biggest myth about your school? The biggest myth about Goizueta is that you should only come here if you’re from the South. People probably get this misconception from seeing that most of our graduates take jobs in the southeast after graduation. As I northerner I fully expected to move back to Boston after school, and while many of my classmates did that, I realized that Atlanta is actually a much more livable city than anywhere I had been before. When you couple that with the city’s rapid growth it’s clear why most graduates choose to stay.

What surprised you the most about business school? I was surprised by how many opportunities there were to get involved and give back to the community. I’ve stayed incredibly busy with club leadership positions, being a TA, holding coffee chats with prospective students or 1st years recruiting for consulting, and tutoring for case interviews. I was surprised with how tightly I had to manage my time during school to accomplish all the things I wanted to.

What is one thing you did during the application process that gave you an edge at the school you chose? I made sure to engage with student organizations ahead of applications. I reached out to the Veteran’s Association and built a good relationship with the students in the class ahead of mine. Most schools offered an opportunity to speak with a current student, but I especially appreciated that I was able to talk to fellow veterans when applying to Goizueta.

Which MBA classmate do you most admire? I admire my classmate Regina Martyanova. She’s always been one of the most involved members of any class we’ve been in, and has been a TA for multiple professors as well. What makes this even more impressive is that she had her second child just weeks before we started school. As a new parent myself, I’ve had my share of challenges. Seeing Regina be successful while being the primary caretaker for two children has been truly inspiring.

How disruptive was it to shift to an online or hybrid environment after COVID hit? I’ve had a very different COVID-19 experience than most of my classmates. My wife and I had our first child just two weeks before the lockdown started so I’ve appreciated the opportunity to spend a full year at home watching my son grow up. Goizueta did an excellent job of transitioning the classes online and our warm weather in Atlanta has made it easier to facilitate informal socially-distanced outdoor gatherings. I do miss working in person with my teams, but hopefully things will be closer to normal by the time I start working full-time.

Who most influenced your decision to pursue business in college? I was inspired to come back to school by my last Battalion Commander in the Army Reserve, Richard Giarrusso. He had spent 20 years as a national guard helicopter pilot, then went on to have a very successful civilian career before un-retiring and coming back to the Army to take command of Battalions and Brigades (500-2500 member organizations). When we met I was already 30 and had my career planned out as a defense contractor. He challenged me to think bigger in my career plans. When I mentioned an MBA, he enthusiastically volunteered to write a letter of recommendation

What are the top two items on your professional bucket list? First, I’d love to serve on the board for a non-profit here in Atlanta. There are so many great organizations that are working to improve this city, and I’m excited to get involved and give back

Second, I’d like to someday helm a Fortune 500 company with a mandate to improve their environmental and corporate social responsibility. I recently read Rebecca Henderson’s book Reimagining Capitalism in a World on Fire and it’s had a profound impact on how I view the role of business in our society.

What made Tom such an invaluable addition to the Class of 2021?  

“During a time marked by uncertainty and unpredictability, Tom Egge has been an absolute rock within the Goizueta community. If you are looking for him, start with the top of the Dean’s List because that’s where he consistently can be found. Among Tom’s infectious characteristics are the discipline and rigor that one would expect from an Army engineer. And Tom’s leadership style has invited praise and commitment from his classmates from all backgrounds. Among our Veteran community, Tom has stood out as a champion for helping with transitions to the private sector. And he does all of this while balancing a beautiful family that welcomed a new addition this summer. Tom is an invaluable member of the Class of 2021 because his example demonstrates that success and balance can be achieved, even during an upside down year. Most important, Tom has been invaluable because he has brought others along with him, as true leaders do.”

Brian Mitchell
Associate Dean of Full-time MBA Programs

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