A Partnership in Marriage and Philanthropy

Alumni Tom and Susan Bisanz help fuel Emory’s excellence in business and law.

Tom Bisanz 75B 80L first noticed Susan Hill 75B in a Goizueta Business School finance class on a dreary winter day. She walked in wearing a bright yellow raincoat, and he immediately sensed she would be important in his life.

“She would sit in the front row every lecture,” Tom recalls. “I’d sit in the back and watch her take out her notes — same routine every day. And I thought, ‘This is somebody I need to meet.’”

That class sparked a lifelong partnership — both in marriage and philanthropy. Today, Tom and Susan Hill Bisanz support Emory through two endowed scholarships: the Susan Hill Bisanz BBA Scholarship Endowment at Goizueta and the Thomas L. Bisanz Endowed Scholarship for the Center for Transactional Law and Practice at Emory Law. They’ve also contributed to the center’s growth and mission.

“We’ve found that so many students can use scholarship money,” Tom says. “It’s a sacrifice for parents to provide an education, particularly a private education like Emory.”

Scholarship recipient Yuwei Zhang agrees. “As an international student from China, the scholarship was crucial in making my Emory Law education financially possible,” she says. “It gave me the freedom to explore different legal paths without excessive financial pressure.”

Tom calls such feedback humbling: “You get back so much more than you give.”

The couple’s latest $100,000 gift will strengthen the William and Jane Carney Center for Business and Transactional Law, which trains students in hands-on legal skills like deal negotiation and document drafting — areas Tom wishes he’d had more exposure to in law school. “I didn’t have a center like this when I was in law school,” he says. “I would have loved the practical side.”

A longtime supporter of the center, Tom served on its advisory board for eight years and hosted its 15-year anniversary. He’s also a vocal advocate for William Carney’s recent $6 million matching gift to the center — an initiative he quickly pledged to support.

“I said, ‘I’m in for a significant match on that gift.’ The time is critical,” he says. “With that money, we can add faculty, provide scholarships and help the law school become top-tier.”

Tom’s philanthropic philosophy comes from his father: give back with time, talent and treasure. It’s a message he’s passed on to his children and to students. “If you start giving back as a student or young alum, you’ll carry that habit forward your whole life,” he says.

While the couple’s giving is rooted in gratitude, it’s also about impact. “We need to focus on the law school’s mission of training lawyers,” he says. “It’s important to alumni to see the credential remain strong and prominent.”

For the Bisanzes, giving to Emory is not about nostalgia — it’s about investing in future leaders.

“Emory remains very dear in Susan’s heart and in mine,” Tom says. “We’re grateful for the opportunity to give back — and we hope others will follow our lead.”