FDA Class II Recall — DQ Chocolate Reduced Fat Ice Cream Mix, 5 GAL (18.9L). Keep refrigerated | Foreign material found in product (identified as metal shavings) | Status: Terminated NOAA Tri-State Weather Alert — Rip Current Statement | Rip Current Statement issued August 17 at 2:38AM EDT until August 17 at 9:00PM EDT by NWS Upton NY | Kings (Brooklyn); Southwest Suffolk; Southeast Suffolk; Southern Queens; Southern Nassau | Severity: Moderate WHO USA Health Indicator 2021: 76.4 HHS Update — About Pandemics | Definition, characteristics, and impact of a flu pandemic FDA Class I Recall — Requeson (soft ricotta) 1 lb. packed into a clear clamshell package with no labeling information. "Requeson" is handwritten in black marker on the top... | Products may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes | Status: Ongoing HHS Update — H1N1 - originally referred to as Swine Flu | Everything you need to know about the flu illness, including symptoms, treatment and prevention - CDC FDA Class II Recall — Mellish Island Super Skin; Dietary Supplement; 60 Capsules, 2 per day; Distributed by Mellish Island Corp. UPC: 8 58792 00332 3 | Firm's finished product label does not declare the source of marine collagen which was determined to be fish | Status: Ongoing HHS Update — H5N1 Avian Flu - H5N1 Bird Flu | Everything you need to know about the flu illness, including symptoms, treatment and prevention - CDC FDA Class I Recall — Organic Moringa Powder; 15kg/bag (bulk); Product code: GJ96 | Moringa Powder ingredient positive for salmonella | Status: Ongoing HHS Update — H3N2v | Everything you need to know about the flu illness, including symptoms, treatment and prevention - CDC FDA Class II Recall — Brooklyn Roasting Company Pasteurized Cold Brew Concentrate; 2.5gal; bag in a box distributed between 04/01/2026 and 06/20/2026 | Ambient storage of the product may lead to Clostridium botulinum toxin formation | Status: Ongoing HHS Update — Symptoms & Treatment | Everything you need to know about the flu illness, including symptoms, treatment and prevention - CDC FDA Class II Recall — Man Fon Inc. Won Ton Wrappers Extra Thin; Net Wt. 10 oz; UPC# 757168 977315, Keep Refrigerated, Can be Frozen. Sold in 48 units (10oz)/case | Undeclared colors: Yellow#5, and Yellow#6 | Status: Ongoing HHS Update — Prevention & Vaccination | Everything you need to know about the flu illness, including symptoms, treatment and prevention - CDC FDA Class II Recall — Wonton Wrappers packed into clear flexible plastic bag and sold as 40 units (16oz bags)/case. Wonton Wrappers packed into "Wonton Noodles Net Wt. 5 LB... | No labeling. Undeclared wheat and colors: Yellow#5, Yellow#6 | Status: Ongoing HHS Update — Children & Infants LP | Learn how to protect your children from the flu, get treatment instructions, and learn the warning signs that your child needs emergency medical assistance at Flu.gov FDA Class II Recall — Vintage Roots Root Beer Syrup, packaged in glass bottle. Net Wt. 8oz. (236.6 mL). Distributed by Vintage Roots, PO Box 12, Brady, MT 59416. The produc... | Unapproved food additive: sassafras bark | Status: Terminated HHS Update — What Is HIV/AIDS? | HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus, the virus that can lead to AIDS. Learn more FDA Class I Recall — Modern Warrior Ready, Dietary Supplement, 60 CAPSULES | FDA analysis revealed the presence of unapproved ingredients including tianeptine, 1,4 DMAA, and aniracetam | Status: Ongoing HHS Update — Global Statistics | Global Statistics Index Page HHS Update — U.S. Statistics | Over 1.1 million people in the U.S. are living with HIV. One in six don’t know it. Get the facts FDA Class II Recall — DQ Chocolate Reduced Fat Ice Cream Mix, 5 GAL (18.9L). Keep refrigerated | Foreign material found in product (identified as metal shavings) | Status: Terminated NOAA Tri-State Weather Alert — Rip Current Statement | Rip Current Statement issued August 17 at 2:38AM EDT until August 17 at 9:00PM EDT by NWS Upton NY | Kings (Brooklyn); Southwest Suffolk; Southeast Suffolk; Southern Queens; Southern Nassau | Severity: Moderate WHO USA Health Indicator 2021: 76.4 HHS Update — About Pandemics | Definition, characteristics, and impact of a flu pandemic FDA Class I Recall — Requeson (soft ricotta) 1 lb. packed into a clear clamshell package with no labeling information. "Requeson" is handwritten in black marker on the top... | Products may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes | Status: Ongoing HHS Update — H1N1 - originally referred to as Swine Flu | Everything you need to know about the flu illness, including symptoms, treatment and prevention - CDC FDA Class II Recall — Mellish Island Super Skin; Dietary Supplement; 60 Capsules, 2 per day; Distributed by Mellish Island Corp. UPC: 8 58792 00332 3 | Firm's finished product label does not declare the source of marine collagen which was determined to be fish | Status: Ongoing HHS Update — H5N1 Avian Flu - H5N1 Bird Flu | Everything you need to know about the flu illness, including symptoms, treatment and prevention - CDC FDA Class I Recall — Organic Moringa Powder; 15kg/bag (bulk); Product code: GJ96 | Moringa Powder ingredient positive for salmonella | Status: Ongoing HHS Update — H3N2v | Everything you need to know about the flu illness, including symptoms, treatment and prevention - CDC FDA Class II Recall — Brooklyn Roasting Company Pasteurized Cold Brew Concentrate; 2.5gal; bag in a box distributed between 04/01/2026 and 06/20/2026 | Ambient storage of the product may lead to Clostridium botulinum toxin formation | Status: Ongoing HHS Update — Symptoms & Treatment | Everything you need to know about the flu illness, including symptoms, treatment and prevention - CDC FDA Class II Recall — Man Fon Inc. Won Ton Wrappers Extra Thin; Net Wt. 10 oz; UPC# 757168 977315, Keep Refrigerated, Can be Frozen. Sold in 48 units (10oz)/case | Undeclared colors: Yellow#5, and Yellow#6 | Status: Ongoing HHS Update — Prevention & Vaccination | Everything you need to know about the flu illness, including symptoms, treatment and prevention - CDC FDA Class II Recall — Wonton Wrappers packed into clear flexible plastic bag and sold as 40 units (16oz bags)/case. Wonton Wrappers packed into "Wonton Noodles Net Wt. 5 LB... | No labeling. Undeclared wheat and colors: Yellow#5, Yellow#6 | Status: Ongoing HHS Update — Children & Infants LP | Learn how to protect your children from the flu, get treatment instructions, and learn the warning signs that your child needs emergency medical assistance at Flu.gov FDA Class II Recall — Vintage Roots Root Beer Syrup, packaged in glass bottle. Net Wt. 8oz. (236.6 mL). Distributed by Vintage Roots, PO Box 12, Brady, MT 59416. The produc... | Unapproved food additive: sassafras bark | Status: Terminated HHS Update — What Is HIV/AIDS? | HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus, the virus that can lead to AIDS. Learn more FDA Class I Recall — Modern Warrior Ready, Dietary Supplement, 60 CAPSULES | FDA analysis revealed the presence of unapproved ingredients including tianeptine, 1,4 DMAA, and aniracetam | Status: Ongoing HHS Update — Global Statistics | Global Statistics Index Page HHS Update — U.S. Statistics | Over 1.1 million people in the U.S. are living with HIV. One in six don’t know it. Get the facts
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The Corporate Fast-Break: How Basketball Built a Big Four Leader

Leadership, Memos & Executive Briefings By   Dr. Eli Joseph Dr. Eli Joseph , Dr. Janice Gassam Asare Dr. Janice Gassam Asare
TAB gold seal

TO: Ishaq Pitt, Senior Manager at Deloitte

FROM: Dr. Eli Joseph & Dr. Janice Gassam Asare

RECORDING DATE: July 20, 2026

RELEASE DATE: August 17, 2026

PODCAST EPISODE:  The Corporate Fast-Break: How Basketball Built a Big Four Leader

PODCAST SCORE: Boardroom Transition

Narrative Overview

What happens when you take the floor general of an NCAA Division I basketball program and place him inside the high-stakes advisory landscape of a Big Four firm? In this episode, we sit down with Deloitte Senior Manager Ishaq Pitt to deconstruct the intersection of elite athletics and corporate execution. From maintaining a near-perfect 4.0 GPA while leading the Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks to climbing the corporate ladder at Deloitte, Ishaq shares his operational blueprint for balancing pressure, building high-performing teams, and driving corporate excellence.

 

Editor’s Note: The Academic Boardroom’s episodic memoranda publish the full scope of our internal preparatory research, core market data, and targeted queries before recording. Some of the questions documented before our recording may have been modified or omitted from our episode.

 

Possible Questions to Consider

The Scholar-Athlete Blueprint

  1. How did you architect a personal framework that allowed you to maintain a near-perfect GPA while playing Division I basketball and serving as team captain?
  2. How much of your daily leadership style as a Senior Manager at Deloitte is directly derived from your time as a collegiate point guard?
  3. Did you experience an identity crisis or adjustment period when transitioning from competitive athletics to a Big Four firm?

Corporate Execution & Industry Insights

  1. When you analyze corporate structures today, what is the most common operational blind spot companies make when trying to scale their internal teams?
  2. Looking at today’s Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) infrastructure, what structural advice would you give universities managing these multi-million dollar athletic portfolios?
  3. How can professional services firms build rigid structural pathways that guarantee long-term retention for marginalized professionals, rather than relying on temporary bias workshops?

Team Dynamics & Leadership

  1. When assembling a cross-functional project team at Deloitte, what skills or “superpowers” do you look for to ensure project success?

The Boardroom Sign-off

  1. What is the single most critical technological or financial skill set that the next generation of business leaders needs to cultivate right now?
  2. What is the one piece of unwritten corporate wisdom you wish someone had handed you during your senior year of college?
  3. What is your ultimate message to young student-athletes today who need to design a high-impact professional blueprint beyond their sport?

Faculty affiliations

NYU School of Professional Studies
Columbia University

Dr. Janice Gassam Asare
Dr. Eli Joseph

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