At Temple University’s Fox School of Business, the importance of innovation and adaptability, especially in today’s modern business world, are taught as cornerstones of strong business acumen.
And while those lessons are learned in the classroom, they become solidified when students hear it confirmed by professional industry experts themselves.
Alumni and accounting industry experts Seth Goldblum, BBA ’93, and Sandy Pfeffer, BBA ’96, joined Fox School Dean Chip Hunter for the fall 2026 edition of the Fox Board of Visitors (BOV) Fireside Chat on Oct.15.
Established leaders within their discipline, and two proud Fox alumni, Goldblum currently serves as the national leader of advisory services and private equity at CBIZ and Pfeffer is the marketplace leader for Greater Philadelphia at Deloitte.
The fireside chat inside Alter Hall, entitled, “Disruption and Opportunity,” treated the audience of Fox School students, faculty, staff and school stakeholders to an in-depth conversation between the two professionals about how, not only the accounting industry, but today’s business landscape is being impacted by evolving technologies, like artificial intelligence (AI) and their perspectives on it. The event also served as the kickoff for the fall 2026 BOV meeting.
Through their roles, both Goldblum and Pfeffer are exposed to a sweeping range of industries—they showcased this viewpoint, and how they notice technological evolution making an impact.
“We serve some of the largest institutions and businesses across the world, and have now reached a point where we are trying to help our clients figure out how they are going to deal with the disruption that is AI and how they can best navigate it,” Pfeffer said.
“From my own experiences at Deloitte, we are still foundationally providing our pillar services, like audit and tax services, and that is a fundamental need for the companies we represent. However, over the years we have seen a lot of growth and, especially today, we are hiring for new needs, like engineering majors for example.”
While Goldblum acknowledged to students that this period can appear volatile professionally, it’s also an unprecedented time to take advantage of.
“In the 30 plus years I’ve spent in the corporate world, this is the most disruptive time I’ve ever seen—however, it also means in a time like this, there is incredible opportunity,” Goldblum said.
“I stress to students and professionals just starting out, in terms of AI, you cannot be afraid of it—you have to embrace it, you have to learn how to use it as a tool for what you want to do in your life, and you have to sharpen all your other skills that will never be replaced by technology.”
Pfeffer, who has spent her entire professional career at Deliotte, shared similar sentiments.
“The jobs we all do are going to change with the technology and everything that’s in front of us, but being curious, understanding the fundamentals of business—whether it’s accounting, finance or marketing—those are core skills that we are all going to still need,” Pfeffer said.
Students, faculty, staff and school stakeholders attended the fall 2026 Fox Board of Visitors (BOV) Fireside Chat.
(Photo courtesy of Paul Edwards)
In addition to offering their analysis, the two also expressed their gratitude for their experiences at Fox.
“To all the students here, in my mind, the most important thing you will get out of your Temple experience is the relationships you make,” Goldblum said.
“If I get asked, ‘What did Temple give you?’ my response is always ‘What didn’t it give me?’ Temple and Fox are so foundational to me and the career I’ve enjoyed.”
Pfeffer agreed.
“I originally started time as an undergraduate student at Penn State, but transferred to Temple, and I tell people this all the time, it was the single best decision I’ve ever made in my life,” Pfeffer said.
“Once I got here, I really felt that I found my identity, my way and a group of people that still remain friends and important people in my life.”
Sandy Pfeffer, BBA ’96 (left) chats with a student at Temple University’s Fox School of Business. Pfeffer, the marketplace leader for greater Philadelphia at Deloitte, said “transferring to Temple, and I tell people this all the time, it was the single best decision I’ve ever made in my life.”
(Photo courtesy of Paul Edwards)
For the students in attendance, they found the topic and conversation to be both insightful and relevant.
“I was drawn to this event because I saw it was about disruption and opportunity, and I think we are seeing a lot of that in so many industries when it comes to AI and other tech coming out,” Liam Ames, a senior accounting major at Fox from the class of 2026, said.
“I was curious to see what these big names had to say and what their outlook on it was and how they plan to take advantage of these new times we are entering professionally.”
Seth Goldblum, BBA ’93 (left) with Temple University’s Fox School of Business Dean Chip Hunter. Goldblum, the national leader of advisory services and private equity at CBIZ, told attendees “If I get asked, ‘What did Temple give you?’ my response is always ‘What didn’t it give me?’
(Photo courtesy of Paul Edwards)
Rich Haverstick, BBA ‘74, chair of the Fox School Board of Visitors, former chairman of Thomas Jefferson University and Jefferson Health and former managing partner of the Ernst & Young Philadelphia office, views the fireside chat events as successful for many reasons.
“The fireside chat event is a great kickoff to our BOV meeting, and, as an accounting alumnus myself, I am grateful to Seth and Sandy for sharing their personal career paths from Fox accounting students to business leaders. I think their perspectives were timely and relevant to our students concerned about entering the business world in a period of such technological advancements and uncertainty,” Haverstick said.
“What I enjoy most about events like this is being surrounded by so many interested students along with successful and engaged Fox alumni that care about the Fox School and the success of our graduates.
“Events like these are for our students’ enrichment, and I expect that every student attending will get something out of it, whether it’s the social aspect of networking with alumni and fellow students, or listening to what our speakers are sharing and being inspired by it.”
In addition to thanking Goldblum and Pfeffer, James Hansen, the Fox School’s assistant dean of development and alumni relations, emphasized the impact programming like this has on students.
“Our north star never changes: we strive to give our students an edge and an education that extends well beyond the classroom—events like this are where that promise comes to life,” Hansen said.
“One of Fox’s greatest strengths is our far-reaching, deeply connected alumni network. These are leaders at the top of their fields who come back to Fox not out of obligation, but because they believe in what we’re building here. They show up with passion, candor and a genuine commitment to the next generation.
“Seth and Sandy embody that spirit. They are relentless advocates for Fox and Temple, and our students are beneficiaries. Their participation in this event gave our students a front-row seat to how technology is reshaping audit, tax, private equity and finance in real time. That kind of insight, paired with the strength of our faculty, creates an experience that is second to none. I’m deeply grateful to them both.”