For Ed Cloaninger 91Ox 93C, Emory has provided a lifetime of opportunities and happiness. After graduating from high school in Macon, Georgia, he attended Oxford College and Emory University. While at Oxford, he fully embraced the social as well as academic offerings.

“I had the opportunity to serve as a club president for 40+ individuals as a sophomore in college. It is rare to have that opportunity at such a young age, and it helped me to better understand how to lead and build consensus,” he says.

Cloaninger has carried the lessons he learned at Oxford throughout his life. “Most of my classes were on the smaller side, with just 15 to 25 students. There was nowhere to hide! My most enjoyable classes were taught by professors who challenged you to see both sides of a position, often requiring you to argue both for and against that same position.”

He believes the ability to see both sides of an argument is a valuable skill that is missing in today’s public discourse. “While you may fundamentally disagree with others, it’s important to understand the basis of their beliefs to see if you can understand their motivations and reach common ground.”

Cloaninger firmly believes that the leadership and academic opportunities at Emory helped prepare him for his role within Deloitte, where he oversees the East Coast for International Tax and works with teams from around the globe on a daily basis. “My experiences at Emory taught me to search for shared goals and aligned values. That’s an invaluable skill when you’re trying to guide teams and clients with competing priorities and perspectives.”

He also credits Emory with a more personal opportunity: He and his wife, Deb, met while she was working at Emory. “If it wasn’t for Emory, we’d have never known each other!”

Cloaninger was excited to support and play a leadership role in the 2O36 campaign, particularly when it came to helping students flourish.