Goff Strategic Leadership Center

Follow along with recent Goff Grad Josie Renick as she shares what life has looked like since graduating, from starting her new role as an Analyst at Anglepoint to the strategic leadership lessons she uses now. ✨

What happens when students are trusted with a real business challenge and no obvious next step?

When Pantry Products founder Michelle Czarka partnered with Goff, students from engineering, business, anthropology, analytics, and more worked alongside her to understand the organization, explore new opportunities, and determine where they could create the greatest value.
 
Pantry Products is a Utah-based company creating handcrafted, 100% natural daily essentials. As the business grew, Michelle was weighing new possibilities while staying true to the mission, values, and customer experience that define the brand.
 
Rather than focusing on one isolated issue, students examined the business as a whole and brought their different perspectives to the challenge.
 
Months later, Michelle is still implementing ideas from the project, from streamlining product offerings and standardizing packaging to pursuing new wholesale relationships with hotels and spas.
 
“It really helped quiet the noise of all these other ideas I had and really helped me hone in on what the path to success is and to being the brand that I want to be.”
 
✨ Applications for the next Goff Scholars cohort are open. Link in bio.

From Goff Scholars to Disney ✨
 
This summer, Goff student Indiana Plant is working as a Financial Planning & Analysis intern with Disney Entertainment Television.
 
Before this internship, Indy had never taken a finance class. So what prepared her to step into the role?
 
Through Goff Scholars, Indiana collaborated with real organizations, tackled complex challenges they were facing, and learned how to turn ambiguity into clear, strategic recommendations. As Indiana reflects, “The real-world experience I gained through Goff Scholars became the foundation of both my resume and my interview stories”—giving her the confidence to pursue an opportunity in an entirely new industry.
 
Her path to Disney also reflects the power of the University of Utah community. After a career coach shared the opportunity, Indiana learned the role was on a team led by University of Utah alum and longtime Goff supporter Ben Holley. She then connected with Ben and other Disney employees—many of them University of Utah alumni—and leaned into building relationships along the way. As Indiana puts it, “Disney is often called ‘the relationship company,’ and because it is very difficult to get a job there without internal advocates, do not underestimate the importance of building and maintaining relationships.”
 
Today, she’s applying the same approach she developed in Scholars every day at Disney. Gathering information, making sense of complex challenges, and communicating thoughtful, strategic recommendations.
 
We’re incredibly proud of you, Indy, and grateful to the University of Utah community, alumni, and mentors like Ben Holley who continue to invest in the next generation of strategic leaders. ❤️
 
Disney Careers

To conclude their first year as Rising Business Leaders, students traveled to Zion National Park to, in Goff fashion, tackle a real-world challenge impacting the community right now.

Students were asked to explore solutions related to rising e-bike accidents and visitor safety concerns throughout the park. Over two days, they researched the issue, explored the park firsthand, collaborated in teams, and presented their final recommendations back to park leadership.

The trip served as a culmination of everything students have been building throughout the year. In the fall, students focused on understanding themselves as leaders, learning to navigate ambiguity, and ask better questions.

Throughout the spring, they engaged with influential leaders and guest speakers including Kurt Dirks, Clark Ivory, and Spencer P. Eccles, gaining insight into leadership, decision-making, and impact from a wide range of perspectives.

An incredible way to wrap up year one as Rising Business Leaders!