Jeffrey L. Cohen ’87, Durham, NC
Social Strategist, Radian6

Jeffrey L. Cohen is a Social Strategist at Radian6, a salesforce.com company. Radian6’s social media monitoring software helps businesses listen, discover, measure and engage in conversations across the social web. Jeff works with enterprise companies to assess their social media strategy and adoption, and advises them on how social media marketing, communications and engagement can help them meet their business objectives.  Jeff has provided strategic counsel to business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) companies while working on both the client and agency sides. He is coauthor of The B2B Social Media Book: Become a Marketing Superstar by Generating Leads with Blogging, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Email, and More (Wiley), the definitive guide for B2B marketers who want to master social media and drive leads. Jeff is also the co-founder and Managing Editor of SocialMediaB2B.com, the leading online resource for social media’s impact on B2B marketing.

Mark F. Simmons ’98, Durham, NC
Managing Partner, Mixed Digital

Mark is a 13 year marketing veteran, specializing in digital for over 9 years, and a New York native. Prior to founding Mixed Digital, Mark gained his experience working for NYC SEM agencies servicing global Fortune 500 clients that included SAP, Four Seasons Hotels, Sirius Radio, BMW, Duke University COLE, Wharton School of Business, The Conference Board and Nokia.  His range of expertise was instrumental in driving campaign success and agency growth. He shares his expertise through contributions to the agency’s blog, participation in various LinkedIn and local marketing groups and providing agency services to local pro bono clientele. Outside of work, Mark enjoys spending time with his wife and 2 dogs, cycling, poker and sports. Mark is a graduate of Duke University and can be found on Twitter - @markfsimmons

Kris Sirchio ’87, Louisville, KY
Chief Marketing Officer, Brown-Forman

John Kristin “Kris” Sirchio is Chief Marketing Officer of Brown-Forman.  He leads Brown-Forman’s marketing function, including long-term brand strategy, brand positioning and primary brand identity, consumer insights, design, innovation, and marketing services.  Sirchio joined Brown-Forman in 2009 after working five years at Syngenta AG, one of the world’s leading agribusinesses, where he was responsible for setting the overall global vision, growth strategy, and operation plans for an important segment of Syngenta’s business portfolio.  Previously Sirchio spent 13 years at Procter & Gamble, serving in a variety of marketing leadership positions in the company’s European operations.  Sirchio received a bachelor’s degree in political science from Duke University , where he was a member of the 1986 Duke Men’s Soccer National Championship team, the school’s first ever national championship team.  He also has a master’s degree in business administration from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. Kris serves on the Humana Innovation Advisory Board and the board of The Nature Conservancy Kentucky Chapter. 

Connie Chai ’10, Minneapolis, MN
Merchandise Planning Business Analyst, Target Corporation

Connie graduated from Duke in 2010 with a double major in Biology and English and a certificate in Genome Sciences and Policy.  She started with Target in August 2010 as a Merchandise Planning Business Analyst, managing inventory for a $60 million business.  

Michael B. Moore ’92, Columbus, OH
Chairman, Glory Foods

Michael B. Moore is Chairman at Glory Foods, Inc., the national leader in Southern style, seasoned food. Michael leverages world-class experience & thought leadership in brand strategy and marketing management with 'C-suite' general management & leadership skills to offer a unique blend of strategic, creative, and management capabilities.  He earned an A.B. from the Maxwell School of Government at Syracuse University and an MBA from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University. Michael was in brand management at General Foods USA and Coca-Cola USA where he managed the Jell-O gelatin and Coca-Cola classic businesses respectively.  Michael began consulting in the mid 1990's advising a variety of clients including technology companies, a major professional sports league, and a cutting-edge education and training holding company. Over the years he has worked with clients on a wide range of strategy, marketing, and brand challenges.  He led an innovative software technology company, as President & Chief Marketing Officer.  He guided the company through two acquisitions and the profitable evolution of one of the most popular "freeware" applications into a leading enterprise software brand. 

John Cardarelli ’73, Winston-Salem, NC
NC Association of Educators

John has taught for 15 years in Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools.  After graduating from Duke in 1973, he pursued a career in teaching, first in Palestine at a Quaker school in Ramallah, then in a Catholic high school. After marrying a Duke alumna at Duke Gardens in 1980, he worked in a Federal prison teaching adult basic ed.  Following two Masters degrees in school counseling and special education from NC Central in 1984 and 1986, he worked in NC public schools for 27+ years in a variety of jobs: special education teacher, high school counselor, middle school counselor, elementary school teacher, and middle school teacher.  He also earned a Masters degree from Appalachian State U. in elementary education in 1999.  He also coached Envirothon (environmental education) and National Academic League clubs at Jefferson Middle School for many years.  He has been an active member of the NC Association of Educators for 23 years, and also served on the North Carolina Blue Ribbon Commission on Testing and Accountability in 2007. 

Ryan Welsh ’05, Charlotte, NC
Faculty, Providence Day School

Ryan graduated from Duke in 2005 having studied English and Philosophy.  His teaching career began at Duke as a TA for Writing 20 and as a reading buddy at George Watts Elementary.  His first official teaching gig came through a summer internship at Choate-Rosemary Hall.  Immediately after graduation, Ryan took a job as the Event Coordinator for East Campus at Duke.  After working at Duke, Ryan pursued a master's degree in the humanities at the University of Chicago.  Following that first round of grad school, he has been an upper school English teacher at Josephinum Academy in Chicago, IL, and at Providence Day School in Charlotte, NC (where he now works).  Ryan is about halfway finished with a PhD in Curriculum & Instruction specializing in literacy and English studies.  

Jennifer Buzun, Durham, NC
Engineer, City of Durham

Jennifer has a BA in Math & Computer Science from Duke University, as well as an MS in Environmental Engineering from Duke.  She has worked as a water Quality Modeler, environmental engineer, and consulted for private industry and US military installations. Jennifer has also served in the US Peace Corps, working as a water resources engineer.

James Fausch E’75, Raleigh, NC
Senior Director – Marketing Strategy and Communications, Alcatel-Lucent

Jay Fausch is Senior Director of Marketing, Strategy and Communications for Alcatel-Lucent in the Americas region where he is responsible for leading the company’s marketing initiatives in the cable MSO segment.  Prior to joining Alcatel-Lucent, he held key management positions at AT&T, Paradyne, Racal Data Communications and Westell Technologies.  Based in Raleigh, North Carolina, Jay is a seasoned broadband industry veteran, and has served on the Board of Directors of the Broadband Forum and Fiber to the Home Council.  Jay is a member of the Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers, and actively engaged with the Cable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing and CableLabs.   He received a BS in Electrical Engineering from Duke University and an MBA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. 

Dr. Srijib Mukherjee B’04, Apex, NC
Director, Transmission, Quanta Technology

At Quanta Technology, Dr. Mukherjee provides management and technical advising on strategy and risk management in the energy industry, manages and mentors a team of high level engineers on best practices and technologies to help electrical utility and industrial customers achieve optimal performance, better manage risks, and achieve reliability, financial, and regulatory goals.  Dr. Mukherjee is an expert in interconnected grid operations, bulk power operations and energy portfolio management.  He has experience from the electric utility and energy consulting industries in energy risk management strategy, NERC compliance, bulk power dispatch operations, generator siting and interconnection studies for wind and other generator interconnections, EHV system plans, distribution system planning, and EMS/SCADA advanced technology applications.  Srijib received his MBA from Duke University and his MSEE and Ph.D. from the University of Miami and is a registered Professional Engineer both in the states of California and North Carolina.  He is an IEEE Senior Member, a recipient of the IEEE PES Outstanding Engineer Award in 2001 and past Chair of the IEEE, Eastern NC Power Engineering and Industrial Applications Societies.

Will Senner E’06, Durham, NC
Assistant Project Manager, Skanska

Will Senner is an Assistant Project Manager for Skanska USA Building, a leading global provider of construction management services. Currently, Will is working on the James B. Hunt Jr. Library project at North Carolina State University where he is responsible for their sustainability and BIM/Innovation implementations. Previously, Will was a part of the preconstruction group at Skanska, where he worked on projects across the east coast primarily in the healthcare, higher education, and commercial market segments, including numerous LEED and Living Building Challenge projects.  Will was recognized in 2011 as the region's Green Advocate of the Year by Triangle Business Journal and has served as Chair of the Board of Directors of the Triangle Chapter of the USGBC since 2010.  Senner graduated with honors from Duke University in 2006 with a B.S.E in Structural Engineering and a Masters of Engineering Management.

David R. Smith ’84, Washington, DC
Vice President of Development, Forest City Washington, Inc.

Mr. David Smith is Vice President of Development with Forest City Washington.  His primary focus since joining Forest City in 2003 has been to lead the firm’s partnership interest in the redevelopment of Waterfront Station, an urban mixed-use development in SW Washington, DC, from the original 1.4 Million SF office and retail Waterside Mall complex to a new 2.5 Million SF mixed use town center.  David has recently been given the responsibility of helping to direct the redevelopment of Bahia Urbana, a 100-acre waterfront site in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico.  He is also currently working on the masterplanning of a 40-acre transit-oriented development (TOD) at the New Carrollton Metro Station in suburban Maryland.  Prior to joining Forest City, Mr. Smith served as Project Manager with the Hines Interests Limited Partnership, focusing on commercial office development and asset management.  He began his career in marketing with General Electric's Lighting Business Group upon graduation from Duke University, followed by a position as Staff Architect with Francis Cauffman Foley Hoffmann Architects in Philadelphia after graduate study in architecture.  Mr. Smith earned an MBA in finance & marketing from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University in 1995, a Master of Architecture from the School of Design at the University of Pennsylvania in 1990, and a B.S.E. in civil engineering and economics from Duke University in 1984. 

Bart Barefoot ’95, Cary, NC
Director, Public Policy, GlaxoSmithKline

Bart Barefoot is a Director of Public Policy at GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), a global pharmaceutical company, where he is responsible for policy position development and legislative and regulatory strategies for a broad range of issues at the federal and state levels.  Prior to joining GSK in 2004, Bart practiced health care law at Hogan & Hartson LLP in Washington DC, where he advised biopharmaceutical, medical device, and hospital system clients on health care regulatory matters, including Medicare, Medicaid, privacy, and human subject research protection laws.  Bart earned a bachelor degree in Public Policy Studies at Duke University and a law degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he was Executive Articles Editor for the North Carolina Law Review.

Shari Berke ’94
Intelligence Analyst, Central Intelligence Agency

I graduated Duke in 1994 with a BA in Political Science. After graduation, I participated in a year-long volunteer program in Israel. I returned to work for a local newspaper in New Jersey for one year before moving to Washington, DC to attend graduate school at American University’s School of International Service. In 1998, I obtained a MA in International Relations with a focus on the Middle East. I started my government service in 1997 working at the Department of Commerce US & Foreign Commercial Service and joined the Central Intelligence Agency in 2000. At the CIA, I have held a number of positions including leadership analyst and analytic manager. I also worked for two years at the US Embassy Tel Aviv for the State Department. I have studied both Arabic and Hebrew. I currently live in Washington, DC with my husband and two young children.

Michael Calvo ’02, Washington, D.C.
Legislative Director, Rep. Phil Gingrey, M.D. (GA-11)

Michael Calvo currently serves as Legislative Director to Representative Phil Gingrey, M.D. (GA-11), a fifth term Member of the House of Representatives from Northwest Georgia who serves on the Energy and Commerce Committee.  Michael serves as associate staff for Dr. Gingrey on the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology and the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations. Before joining Dr. Gingrey's staff in 2007, he served as Senior Legislative Assistant to Former Representative Charles H. Taylor (NC-11) and Policy Advisor to Representative Patrick McHenry (NC-10).  Michael has worked on Capitol Hill since 2004. Michael graduated from Duke University in 2002 with a Bachelors degree in Political Science and a minor in History. He received his Masters from Georgetown University in 2010 in Liberal Studies – Social and Public Policy.

Katherine C. Haley ’00, Washington, D.C.
Assistant to the Speaker for Policy, Office of the Speaker John A. Boehner (R-OH)

Katherine currently serves as the Assistant to the Speaker for Policy for education, workforce, welfare and social issues. She is responsible for developing policy and coordinating strategies for Republican Members of Congress and their staff on behalf of the Speaker.  She previously worked in the offices of U.S. Representative Pete Hoekstra, U.S. Senators Don Nickles and Kay Bailey Hutchison, as well as for the Senate Select Committee on Aging and the Subcommittee on Health within the House Committee on Ways and Means. Katherine conducted clinical cancer research at the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center at Georgetown University and was awarded a research fellowship at the Center for the Study of World Religions at Harvard Divinity School to further examine faith and medicine.  She attended Duke University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Science in Psychology and a Certificate in Human Development. Katherine holds a master’s degree in Government from The Johns Hopkins University.

Oren Cohen, M.D. M’87, Durham, NC
Senior Vice President, Global Head of Phase I Clinical Research, Quintiles
Consulting Professor of Medicine, Duke U. Medical Center

Oren J. Cohen, M.D. is Senior Vice President and Global Head of Phase I Clinical Research for Quintiles, a global contract research organization.  Dr. Cohen is also Consulting Professor of Medicine on the Infectious Diseases faculty at Duke University Medical Center, and served as Quintiles’ Chief Medical and Scientific Officer from 2004-2011. Dr. Cohen is an Alpha Omega Alpha honors graduate of the Duke University School of Medicine.  He completed an internship and residency in Internal Medicine at the New York Hospital/Cornell University Medical Center, where he served as Assistant Chief Resident .  He served as Clinical Instructor in Medicine at the New York Hospital’s AIDS treatment center.  Dr. Cohen completed his fellowship in Infectious Diseases in 1994 at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), and spent seven years conducting basic and clinical HIV/AIDS research as a Fellow, Clinical Associate, and Medical Officer in the NIAID Laboratory of Immunoregulation.  Dr. Cohen was appointed Assistant Director for Medical Affairs at NIAID, where he also served on the Department of Health and Human Services/Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation Panel on Clinical Practices for the Treatment of HIV Infection, which formulates the national Guidelines for the Use of Antiretroviral Agents.  Dr. Cohen’s industry experience is concentrated in antiviral drug development, with particular emphasis in the areas of HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C global clinical trials.  Dr. Cohen is the author of more than 50 scientific papers and book chapters, and holds a U.S. patent for HIV-related peptides derived from HIV-infected long-term non-progressors.

Nancy Livingston, M.D., P.A. WC’68, Durham, NC
Psychiatrist, Private practice and consultant

Nancy T. Livingston, M.D. is a psychiatrist, psychoanalyst, and supervisor of mental health professionals, in private practice since 1977.  She completed her residency in child, adolescent, and adult psychiatry at Duke Medical Center.  Dr. Livingston graduated from the Duke-UNC Psychoanalytic Education Program (now the Psychoanalysis Certificate Program of the Psychoanalytic Education Center of the Carolinas).  She has been a teaching analyst in this analytic program since 1992. Dr. Livingston has an adjunct clinical appointment in the Duke Department of Psychiatry in which she teaches and supervises Psychiatry Residents.  She has also held positions in psychoanalytic organizations on the local and national levels.

Daniel Machemer ’98, Redwood City, CA
Market Planning Manager, Genentech USA, Inc.

Daniel graduated from Duke in 1998 with a BS in biology (with a biochemistry concentration), and minors in chemistry and political science.  He headed out west to the University of California, San Diego, earning his Ph.D. in biomedical sciences (with a molecular pharmacology concentration) in 2005.  Daniel moved into studying the molecular mechanisms underlying type 2 diabetes for his postdoctoral fellowship at Stanford.   He then went into consulting, working for three years for a boutique firm in the San Francisco Bay area that focuses on global health -- mainly finding ways to get vaccines into developing countries more quickly, and at prices that are more affordable.  In September 2011, he changed careers again, this time to the commercial side of Genentech, where he now works in competitive intelligence supporting schizophrenia products.

Dr. David Morales, M.D.’91, Houston, TX
Associate Surgeon, Texas Children’s Hospital

David Luís Simón Morales, M.D. is an Associate Surgeon in Congenital Heart Surgery at Texas Children’s Hospital, the largest pediatric hospital in the United States and an internationally recognized full-care pediatric hospital located in the Texas Medical Center. Dr. Morales received a bachelor’s degree with honors with majors in biology, psychology and philosophy from Duke University in Durham, North Carolina in 1991. He received his medical degree from Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut in 1995. Dr. Morales has academic appointments as a Tenured Associate Professor of Surgery for the Michael E. DeBakey Department of Surgery at Baylor College of Medicine, Tenured Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine, Adjunct Associate Professor of Bioengineering at Rice University and a clinical appointment as a Cardiovascular Surgeon for the Texas Heart Institute at St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital. He also serves as Director for the North American Berlin Heart VAD Training Center at Texas Children’s Hospital.

Jim Roskelly ’80, Greensboro, NC
EVP, Strategic Development, Moses Cone Health System

Mr. Roskelly is the Executive Vice President, Strategic Development for Moses Cone Health System. His responsibilities include the implementation and updating of the organization’s strategic plan and the identification and development of new business opportunities. In addition, Mr. Roskelly’s role includes the continued development of the System’s relationship with area physicians and hospitals.  He also is responsible for government relations and coordinating the System’s projects requiring Certificate of Need approval.  Mr. Roskelly was formerly a principal of TriBrook Group, Inc., a health care management consulting firm. Here, he was engaged in the management of strategic planning studies for the firm’s health care clients.  Mr. Roskelly holds a Master of Health Administration degree from Duke University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in American History from Bucknell University.  He is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and a member in the American Hospital Association Society for Healthcare Strategy and Market Development and the Carolinas Society for Hospital Planning and Marketing.

Margie Sved ’74, Raleigh, NC
Psychiatrist, Wake County Human Services

After graduating from Duke, Margie worked in a lab for a year, then went to UNC for medical school. She completed her Psychiatry residency at Medical University of South Carolina, and a Consult-Liaison Fellowship at Tufts-New England Medical Center. She has worked at the Medical College of Georgia, and VAMC, in Augusta, GA, and has been the director of Adult Psychiatry at Dorothea Dix Hospital. Recently, she has worked in a mix of Wake County and private practice.

Danielle Turnipseed ’97, Silver Spring, MD
Program Officer, Executive Office, The Institute of Medicine

Currently, Danielle is a Program Officer in the Executive Office at the Institute of Medicine (IOM). Previous to this position, Danielle held a number of positions related to health, law and policy including Health Legislative Assistant to United States Senator Jon Kyl, Health Legislative Assistant to United States Senator Elizabeth Dole, and law clerk in the US Court of Federal Claims, Office of Special Masters. Danielle also worked at WebMD as Project Assistant to the Chief Operating Officer, and at the consulting firms Arthur Andersen and BearingPoint. In her numerous work experiences, Danielle has worked on issues including mergers and acquisitions, corporate planning, and redesign; Medicare, minority health, pharmaceutical research and development, and international health; and the global HIV/AIDS epidemic. A 1997 graduate of Duke University where she majored in Public Policy Studies, Danielle also attended the University of Michigan where she earned a Masters in Health Services Administration (MHSA) and a Masters in Public Policy (MPP).

Doug Whitman B’02, Wilmington, NC
Development Director, Liberty Healthcare

Doug Whitman is a senior healthcare executive with a Duke MBA.  He is currently Development Director for Liberty Healthcare, a mid-sized privately held post-acute care company.  His is responsible for strategic growth through acquisition of existing healthcare companies and through application for state and federal licenses to start new health care companies; he also oversees design and construction of new healthcare facilities.  Doug was previously Vice President of one of America's largest assisted living companies. 

Cassandra Ching ’03, New York, NY
Senior Counsel, Business & Legal Affairs, MTV Networks

Cassandra handles business and legal affairs matters for the channels MTV, Vh1, CMT and Logo in the area of content distribution (including for domestic and international sales), co-productions as well as program acquisitions. 

Theodore O. Fillette ’68, Charlotte, NC
Senior Managing Attorney, Legal Aid of North Carolina

Theodore has worked on cases for the NC Court of Appeals and Supreme Court, as well as federal cases.  He was the recipient of the Deborah Greenblatt Award for the Outstanding Legal Services Attorney of the Year, presented by the North Carolina Bar Association.  He was also a member of the The Charlotte Mayor’s Task Force on Housing, and is currently a board member for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Housing Partnership.  Theodore earned his undergraduate degree from Duke, and his JD from Boston University.

Carol C. Honigberg ’77, Washington, DC
Partner, Reed Smith LLP

Carol has a broad commercial real estate and business transactions practice. An area of special focus is aviation-related transactions. She represents lenders, investors and developers in real estate finance transactions, including acquisition, development, construction, mezzanine and permanent financing and in workouts and restructuring of nonperforming assets. Carol handles purchases and sales of land and improved properties, title and survey issues and development issues. She also represents both landlords and tenants in lease negotiations. Carol has extensive experience negotiating ground leases and leasehold mortgages and in entity structuring and formation for real estate projects. She also has significant experience with telecommunications leasing and sales.  Carol received an A.B. from Duke and a J.D. from Vanderbilt.

Paul Honigberg ’77, Washington, DC
Partner, Blank Rome

Paul Honigberg received an A.B. degree, cum laude, in History, from Duke University in 1977, where his primary extra-curricular activity was The Chronicle.  Paul received his J.D. degree from Vanderbilt University School of Law in 1980.  Paul has practiced law in Washington for over 30 years.  He is a partner in Blank Rome LLP, an international law firm.  He litigates complex civil cases in federal and state trial and appellate courts around the country, including commercial disputes, toxic tort, and intellectual property cases, and represents a variety of clients in political and campaign finance law matters.  Paul started his career in the Justice Department’s Honors Program and spent almost 15 years at the Department, where he represented the United States government in environmental and toxic tort cases. For the past seven years, Paul has also lectured at a seminar on Environmental and Occupational Health Policy at the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Sciences, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, discussing the admissibility of expert opinion testimony and the role of federal courts as regulators. 

William Moore L’81, Gastonia, NC
Partner, Gray, Layton, Kersh, Solomon, Furr & Smith, P.A.

William E. Moore, Jr. is a partner in the law firm of Gray, Layton, Kersh, Solomon, Furr & Smith, P.A., where his main area of practice is civil litigation in state and federal courts, and his practice is concentrated in the areas of employment law, complex business and exceptional cases, commercial and corporate litigation, real estate disputes and civil rights. Mr. Moore received his B.A. in Political Science with High Honors from the University of Florida in 1978, Phi Beta Kappa, and his Juris Doctor from Duke University Law School in 1981. Mr. Moore also has a strong appellate practice in the North Carolina and Federal Courts. He is admitted to practice and has appeared before the state trial and appellate courts of North Carolina, the United States District Courts for the Eastern, Middle and Western districts of North Carolina and the United States Courts of Appeal for the 4th Circuit and Federal Circuit. Mr. Moore has lectured for the North Carolina State Bar Association and various business and professional groups on a variety of topics dealing with civil litigation. In addition to his heavy litigation practice, Mr. Moore is a North Carolina state certified mediator, and his experience as a mediator ranges from helping settle routine lawsuits to facilitating the resolution of complex, multi-party litigation.

Johanna Edens Anderson ’04, Charlotte, NC
Foundation Director, The Belk Foundation

Johanna Edens Anderson is the Director of The Belk Foundation, a family foundation who’s mission is to increase the number of K-12 students who achieve on or above grade level and graduate high school on time, with an intentional path forward. As the Foundation’s first full-time director, Anderson is responsible for guiding the organization’s relationships with community partners as well as managing grantmaking activities, communications, strategic planning, and internal operations. Prior to joining The Belk Foundation, Anderson was Assistant Vice President of Client Services for Foundation For The Carolinas, where she managed the Center for Nonprofits and the Center for Corporate Philanthropy.  Anderson serves on the board of the North Carolina Network of Grantmakers. She holds a bachelor’s degree in public policy studies from Duke University and an MBA from Wake Forest University.

Mai Diggs ’01, Washington, D.C.
Career Path Advisor
KIPP DC: KIPP Through College

Mai began her career working as a peer educator and youth consultant in Boston.  There she facilitated numerous trainings on teen pregnancy and HIV/AIDS prevention with local health centers and non-profits. She went on to double-major in Sociology and African American Studies at Duke University and also received a certificate in Human Development. While at Duke she continued her work with young people at a Durham group home for emotionally disturbed adolescents. When she graduated, she worked briefly in executive recruiting then relocated to Washington, DC to begin a career in Management Consulting at Accenture. After 7 years, she decided to transition to the youth development field once again. Upon departure she volunteered abroad in Guatemala then proceeded to obtain licensure to practice social work in DC. She currently holds a LSWA and is a Career Path Advisor to high school and college alumni of KIPP DC: KIPP Through College.

Frank Hill ’83, Charlotte, NC
Director, The Institute for the Public Trust

Frank Hill served as chief of staff to former US Congressman Alex McMillan (NC-9) from 1985-1995 and to former US Senator Elizabeth Dole from 2002-2004.  He is now running The Institute for the Public Trust in Charlotte, NC, where they recruit and train new leaders to come out of the private sector and run for public office at every level from Congress to the state house to local municipal governments.

Nakeisha Neal ’96, Washington, DC
Executive Director, Public Allies, D.C.

Nakeisha Neal is a community builder with a variety of experiences helping diverse communities increase access to needed resources. Nakeisha is currently Executive Director and a 1997 Alumna of Public Allies Washington, DC, a movement that advances diverse new leaders to strengthen nonprofits, communities and civic participation.   Prior to Public Allies, Nakeisha worked in the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development where she managed the human services and resident engagement strategy for over 1000 residents in four public housing communities. She has also launched an executive certificate program for nonprofit leaders; provided training and technical assistance to groups working on juvenile justice and housing issues; and strengthened the overall impact of federal dollars for local juvenile justice and delinquency prevention efforts.  Nakeisha earned her undergraduate degree in Public Policy from Duke University, and received a Masters degree in Public Policy from Georgetown University. 

Brooks Bell '07, Raleigh, NC
Chief Executive Officer, Brooks Bell

Brooks Bell is the CEO of Brooks Bell, a leading conversion optimization firm that helps enterprise online retailers and subscriber-supported companies increase online sales by testing all points in the conversion path.  Ms. Bell is the president of the Raleigh-Durham chapter of Entrepreneurs’ Organization.  She is also a 2011 recipient of the Business Leader Top 50 Entrepreneurs, Triangle Business Journal 40 Under 40, and 2009 recipient of the Triangle Business Journal Women in Business Awards.  She also holds a BA degree in Psychology from Duke.

Dave G. Bolin B'04, Raleigh, NC
Director of Regulatory Affairs, TyraTech, Inc.

David has an MBA from Duke, as well as a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the Ohio State University.  He has worked in various roles, including management / research & development / regulatory affairs for Agrochemical and Biotech companies, innovation & change management, product management and development, negotiations (business and regulatory), analytical chemist(mass spec analysis), and environmental chemist (residue + metabolism).

Jason Cooper G'06, Cary, NC
Vice President, Analytics, Cigna

Jason Cooper currently serves as Vice President of Analytics for Cigna. In his role, Mr. Cooper is responsible for valuation and evaluation analyses including rigorous clinical program evaluations, campaign management, product development and improvement, analytics strategy and methodologies, marketing analytics, and business science.  He has over 18 years of analytics and informatics experience spanning for-profit, non-profit and government domains.  Mr. Cooper is a co-chair of the Care Continuum Alliance’s Research Outcomes and Quality Committee where he oversees workgroups for medication therapy management, integrated program evaluation and special topics (e.g. oncology, shared decision making, rare diseases).  He is also a member of the Good Informatics Practices Committee for the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS). Jason holds Masters degrees in Computer Science and Biomedical Engineering.

Susan Dakin G'78, Durham, NC

Susan Dakin is an independent consultant with over 30 years’ experience as a scientific and technical writer and editor. She has written and edited documents in a wide range of disciplines in the life, environmental, physical, and social sciences and engineering.  She also provides document design and desktop publishing services.  Dr. Dakin has presented well over 100 writing courses and workshops for businesses, government agencies, and other organizations. She has taught continuing education classes for Duke since 1982 in scientific and technical writing and editing, typography for desktop publishing, and designing usable tables and graphs. She is on the faculty of Duke’s certificate program in Technical Communication, and she was instrumental in establishing the North Carolina Writers’ Network Center for Business and Technical Writing. Since 2000, she has served as the scientific editor for the federally mandated Report on Carcinogens. Before starting her own business, Dr. Dakin was a senior technical writer/editor for a major EPA contractor. She holds B.A.s in biology and psychology from St. Olaf College and a Ph.D. in zoology, with a minor in botany, from Duke University, where she conducted field research on the population biology of terrestrial salamanders. 

Gautham Pandiyan G’08, MEMP ’09, Durham, NC
Director of Sales & Marketing, Mi-Co

During the process of getting an alphabet soup of degrees from Duke that include a Master's in Cancer Biology as well as a second master's in the Engineering Management program, Gautham worked with the Duke Office of Licensing & Ventures and began working with a startup company, EntoGenetics, that has since received seed funding and won several business plan contests, and also served on a Duke Health System Institutional Review Board. For the past 2 years he has been working at a local Healthcare Software company, where he is in charge of Sales, Marketing and Business Development.