Sasha McNair   

Emory University, Goizueta Business School

“I am a Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion strategist dedicated to leveraging my business acumen for social justice and social change.”

Hometown: Washington, DC

Fun Fact About Yourself: I am a former ballerina and have performed at iconic locations including the White House, the Kennedy Center, and the National Gallery of Art.

Undergraduate School and Major: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Psychology & Global Studies

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Tiffany & Company, DEI Manager – Global Talent Acquisition

What makes Atlanta such a great place to earn an MBA? Who knew that southern charm and business could go together so effortlessly? Atlanta is the perfect place to get an MBA. It is a hub for international business leaders to come together to innovate. Plus, the interaction itself will be done with so much warmth and southern hospitality that your business partners quickly become old friends and the relationships are sustainable and long lasting. Not only will the business deals be enjoyable, but Atlanta is also a city of endless growth and opportunity across industries. It’s a place for technology, finance, filmmaking, and even fashion and that’s what makes it the perfect place to boost your career.

Aside from your classmates and location, what was the key part of Emory Goizueta’s MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? The biggest differentiator is Goizueta’s Business & Society Institute, an organization invested in building the next generation of change-makers in the business world. The Start:ME accelerator program was especially exciting because it provides aspiring entrepreneurs the training and upfront investment to start successful microbusinesses in Atlanta. Starting a business can be daunting, and this program helps to even the playing field. That way, the financial capital and connections that come with privilege aren’t an issue for those that wouldn’t otherwise have access to those opportunities.

What course, club or activity excites you the most at Emory Goizueta? It would be the Food and Wine Club because I’m extremely serious about determining the best food and wine pairings by the time these two years are done.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: In 2020, the world went through a social justice reawakening and a lot of corporations were grappling with how to best show up for their Black employees. Due to my work in DEI for the federal practice at Deloitte, my team was asked to work with the office of the CEO to create an anti-racism strategy for the US firm. This strategy became the foundation for the Black Action Council under the CEO, whose mission is to create a sustainable culture of anti-racism and support Black professionals both inside and outside of the firm’s walls. This internal initiative helped me grow our external DEI consulting services for our federal clients. When Biden was elected and created equity mandates for all federal agencies, I led the development of an official DEI practice which grew from five employees to 100+ in under 6 months. The federal practice is now the leading generator of revenue for DEI services at the firm.

Looking ahead two years, what would make your MBA experience successful? The beauty of an MBA is the network you create. After only two days of getting to know my classmates, I’m convinced that we have the next CEOs, presidents, local leaders, tech savants, and innovators in our cohort. All of us have such unique backgrounds – from military vets to entrepreneurs to nurses – that I know that we each will have such a strong presence in the corporate workforce in 2025. Most of all, I’m surrounded by people who  want to do good in the world. It says something about Emory that each of their selected students don’t only want to be successful in business, but want to be the change-makers making waves on an international scale.

What advice would you give to help potential applicants gain admission into Emory Goizueta’s MBA program? Shake off the nerves and just be yourself. My video interview question was, “Please tell me about your favorite food and why?”. Based on this question, I knew that I was applying to the right university, not only because of my love of a quality meal but also because they really want to get to know you for you. They’re not here to trip you up or get one over on you. They truly want to know you as an individual and that’s how they expect you to show up on campus if/when you’re admitted in Fall 2024.

DON’T MISS: MEET THE MBA CLASS OF 2025: INSPIRING, INVENTIVE, IMPACTFUL