2020 Best & Brightest MBAs: Catie Mannarino, Emory University (Goizueta)

Catie Mannarino

Emory University, Goizueta Business School

Optimistic and driven to promote community spirit.”

Hometown: Alpharetta, Georgia

Fun fact about yourself: While living in Madison, Wisconsin, I was a member of the Madison Homebrewers and Tasters Guild

Undergraduate School and Degree: The Ohio State University with a degree in Finance

Where was the last place you worked before enrolling in business school? UW Health as a Financial Analyst

Where did you intern during the summer of 2019? Delta Air Lines in Finance at their headquarters (Atlanta, Georgia)

Where will you be working after graduation? Delta Air Lines in the two-year MBA Finance Leadership Development Program

Community Work and Leadership Roles in Business School:

  • President of the Graduate Business Association
  • Section Representative during our core (first) semester
  • Member of the Consortium
  • Received both the Team Award and Community Award during Core Values award ceremonies
  • Impact Coaching Fellow
  • Forte Fellow
  • Graduate Business Forum Member

Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? My proudest achievement was working on the Graduate Business Association with a team of phenomenal and driven classmates. Together, we accomplished many initiatives as a team. Some of the highlights for me were planning our first annual Goizueta MBA Alumni Soiree, where Goizueta alumni and students came together to grow the Goizueta network; offering a “Get to Know Atlanta” series where classmates can connect with small and mid-size Atlanta businesses; and providing parent classmates with discounted tickets to our formal events to lighten the cost burden of finding childcare.

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? The achievement in my professional career that I most proud of is implementing Salesforce for my business unit while at Thermo Fisher Scientific. The leadership and marketing teams needed to draw insights on sales opportunities but did not have clear visibility into the pipeline. Through implementing Salesforce, training the global sales teams, and creating dashboards, leadership was able to better understand areas where growth was needed.

Who was your favorite MBA professor? My favorite MBA professor is Professor Renee Dye. She is a strategy professor at Goizueta and teaches our core strategy class, Innovation Strategy, and Corporate Strategy. Professor Dye inspires confidence in students and holds high expectations for class preparedness. She also teaches frameworks that are applicable to a variety of career paths. Because of Professor Dye, I feel more confident in my business skills post MBA.

Why did you choose this business school? Goizueta Business School stood out to me for two reasons: the close-knit community and global opportunities. Class size really did matter in my experience at Goizueta Business School. Due to my cohort being only 180 students, it was easy to dive into school and meet everyone. The community grew early on due to the class size and allowed us all to become close friends.

The second reason I chose Goizueta Business School was for global opportunities. The travel potential provided by Goizueta has given me the opportunity to visit China, Thailand, Paris, and Argentina with classmates. These experiences are ones that I will never forget.

What is your best advice to an applicant hoping to get into your school’s MBA program? Be authentic. It is so important during this process to embrace yourself for who you are. The rest will fall into place.

What is the biggest myth about your school? A myth about Goizueta is that many students come to Goizueta due to prior connections in Atlanta. Many of my classmates came from New York, California, and all over the world, there is not a direct connection to Atlanta prior to their arrival. Many students will be leaving Atlanta for investment banking, consulting, and tech industry roles. There is a world of opportunity that my classmates are reaching out to grab!

Which MBA classmate do you most admire? Tierra Evans. As president of the Goizueta Real Estate Club, she transformed the program and provided real estate offerings that were not available before. Tierra planned a real estate alumni mixer to connect current MBA students with Goizueta alumni in real estate. She also planned a real estate trek to visit different groups within Atlanta and took students to build connections. Tierra renovated the way real estate recruitment occurs at Goizueta Business School.

Who most influenced your decision to pursue business in college? My dad most influenced my decision to pursue business. He is in IT solutions and used to travel to customers while I was growing up. Whenever he would come home from traveling, he would bring my sister and I something from that trip (pens, erasers, t-shirts, etc.). I loved receiving so many fun souvenirs and still have them in a box today. He is also a people person and people are something that I’m passionate about. I am always enthusiastic to collaborate and work with team members, to meet new friends, and to build connections with people from all walks of life.

What are the top two items on your professional bucket list? When I think of the future, I think of the impact that I hope to leave on others. The first item on my professional bucket list is to leave a team better than it was before. No matter what form that may take, I hope to come into a team and help make positive changes. The second item I hope to accomplish is to maintain a healthy work-life balance throughout my career. Family has always been #1 to me and this is something that I hope to carry throughout my life.

In one sentence, how would you like your peers to remember you? I hope that my peers will remember me as someone who cares and who will always put the community first.

Hobbies?

  • Traveling
  • Running
  • Cooking and trying new restaurants
  • Trying new beers and going to breweries

What made Catie such an invaluable addition to the Class of 2020?

“Catie Mannarino’s contribution to the class of 2020 cannot be overstated. Her balance of academic and co-curricular excellence is second to none. She is an exemplary example of the kind of student we wish to represent our community each year.

I serve as the advisor to the Graduate Business Association (GBA), where I have the opportunity to work closely with Catie and witness her leadership prowess first-hand. Catie currently presides over GBA, representing over 400 students. Catie is easily one of the friendliest people I have ever met, a sentiment that resonates with many of her peers. She always has a smile and a happy greeting for everyone she meets. This coupled with her superb organizational skills, attention to detail, and strong moral convictions – tempered by good judgment and reason – make her an outstanding candidate for this honor.

Catie is a true champion for her classmates; she frequently schedules meetings with The Program Dean and other leaders to discuss ways to enhance the community at the business school. Catie is currently negotiating pay increases with human resources and the Dean of Academic Affairs, on behalf of teacher assistants across the business school.

I am confident that the high standard that Catie holds for herself and those around her will undoubtedly make her an invaluable asset at Delta Airlines, where she recently accepted a full-time offer, after graduation.”

Irving Williams
Associate Director for Student Affairs
Full-Time MBA Program Office

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