As dean of a large New York City–based business school, Donna developed extensive experience leading large organizations and developing people into the best team members they can be — all while enabling positive institutional change.
She now provides unique seminars for organizations, communicating leadership lessons in fun ways through an enjoyable and memorable cooking experience based on her 2024 book,
When Life Hands You Lemons, Throw Tomatoes.
In collaboration with you, Donna chooses chapters from the book that relate to your goals and builds an agenda — and menu — around them. Options include:
Change Management – Pass the Cheese.
Using cheese as an analogy, your team will come to see change as an essential ingredient of success.
High-Performance Teams – What’s Up Doc?
Carrots provide insight into team motivation anhow a culture of helpfulness allows people to be their best.
Strategic Thinking – Throw Tomatoes.
A fruit often miscast as a vegetable can offer lessons in how to plan and execute for success.
Effective Risk Taking – Surprise, It’s Duck.
Understanding risk-taking, with the help of poultry, can help teams determine when and how to experiment.
Developing and implementing a strategic vision to unify and rebrand two large organizations, each with more than 2,500 stakeholders.
Establishing an institutional culture defined by innovation, excellence, and helpfulness, leading to a 90% rise in revenue and double-digit gains in external rankings.
Creating highly visible partnerships that enhanced reputation and program quality.
All participants receive a signed copy of Donna’s book
Donna Rapaccioli, is dean emerita of the Gabelli School of Business at Fordham University, where she remains a university professor and teaches accounting. She is also an independent director and trustee on the State Street Global Advisors mutual fund board.
When Life Hands You Lemons, Throw Tomatoes takes you on a culinary journey while highlighting the ties cooking has to leadership, business, and everyday life. Donna serves up stories from her extensive career—and from her large New York Italian family—that shine the light on key attributes of successful leadership in the workplace and at home.
“Beautiful in its words, lessons, and recipes, this wonderful book takes you on a journey of family, food, and life. You will relish every page and every dish!”
—CHESTER ELTON, author of the New York Times bestseller The Carrot Principle
“More than just a cookbook, this is a manual for living a life of resilience, passion, and purpose.”
—LERZON AKSOY, PHD, dean of the Gabelli School of Business, Fordham University
“A love letter to the art of cooking, a testament to the power of nostalgia, and a source of inspiration for anyone seeking comfort, connection, and a deeper understanding of life’s simple pleasures.”
—MANDELL CRAWLEY, chief human resources officer, Morgan Stanley