Omaha, Nebraska:
My 18th stop. Visiting my Emory classmate Lisa Davis (MBA 06), still looking young and beautiful as ever even after 3 kids.
I really appreciate Lisa driving 1 hour from Lincoln, NE to meet me at Omaha airport and take me out to dinner at Gorat’s, one of Omaha’s legendary steakhouse. There aren’t too many flights to Lincoln’s tiny airport, so the only way I was going to meet Lisa in Nebraska was to fly from Tulsa to Omaha (transferring in Denver) and catch her in between my 6:22pm flight and my 11:05pm Amtrak train leaving Omaha (going back toward Denver).
Lisa is the last classmate I am visiting on my 38-day USA train trip. A nice dinner, great conversation, and a warm hug goodbye. I feel blessed.
Lisa grew up in Lincoln, NE and went to the University of Nebraska in Lincoln. Still a husker fan, she later got her Masters in Engineering in University of Michigan at Ann Arbor and her MBA at Emory University.
She worked at the Department of Defense for a number of years on top secret high profile projects before joining the RAND corporation as a researcher in Washington, DC: Still involved in interesting high profile projects, but much better work-life balance at RAND.
Lisa is married to Tim Davis with 3 beautiful daughters, the eldest is 9 now. She and her husband decided to move back to Nebraska after working remote due to COVID. I believe she told me that she kept her home in Washington DC.
Two of the classes Lisa used most often in her work with the DOD and RAND are Managerial Accounting (ABC accounting) and Core Finance (DCF). She’s grateful for the excellent teaching by our Managerial Accounting Professor Kristy Towry and Finance Professor Nicholas Valerio.
Lisa and I didn’t have many opportunities to get to know each other during b-school because she was in Section B and I was in Section C. But we did go white water rafting together during MBA orientation and apparently, she also lived on Clairmont Campus (which I forgot).
I remember Lisa being one of the nicest, sweetest, considerate classmates I knew back in b-school. I never heard her talk bad about people (Nebraska manners, perhaps?)
I got to know Lisa more over the years through Facebook. When I discovered Lisa was a UNL graduate, I asked her for advice on dating a Nebraska girl (didn’t work out, couldn’t get the 1st date).
Lisa enjoys her work at the RAND corporation. She enjoys the intellectual stimulation and impact her research makes on public policy.
She also enjoys being a wife and mother. I’m honored that Lisa took time out of her busy schedule to meet me for dinner in Omaha in her red Honda minivan. I also appreciate her kind words and encouragement over the years.
Hanging out with Lisa is fun.
We listened to some top Indian Dance Music from 2005 & 2006 over dinner on my phone. There was one Indian song that was played at every Indian dance at Emory that Lisa would love to purchase (but we couldn’t find it). I should have suggested she use Shazam over dinner.
Lisa also loved hearing all the interesting stories and unexpected life journeys of all our classmates I have visited on this trip: some accomplishing amazing things … and some just good at faking it.
Until next time …
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