BABSON
MAGAZINE
WINTER 2019
LIFELONG LEARNING Empowering Careers Throughout Adulthood
TWO-WAY STREET / 12 LIFELONG LEARNING / 18 DON’T FEAR THE FUTURE / 22 SIDE HUSTLE WITH A PURPOSE / 26
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As part of our Centennial Celebration, hundreds gathered under the tent in Copley Square for the Babson Connect: Worldwide Reception and Cultural Dinner. Babson welcomed alumni, faculty, and friends for an unrivaled opportunity to connect, be inspired, and exchange ideas with business leaders from around the world, all in the heart of Boston.
To see more stories and videos from Babson’s Centennial Celebration, visit entrepreneurship.babson.edu/celebration2019.
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THANK YOU TO OUR CENTENNIAL SPONSORS GOLD SPONSORS
PLATINUM SPONSOR
SILVER SPONSORS
BRONZE SPONSORS
CONTRIBUTOR Bombas KGA Associates IN KIND HOST SPONSORS Rajesh Jaggi
Kelly Mulligan Uller
PARTNER SPONSORS Robert W. Eddy
FROM
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Satellite Mode
Bella’s Floral Design Butterfly Chocolate Chateau Montrose Detrapel Elemental Beverage Co. Esmeralda Finally Lightbulbs Half Asleep Putney Group The Boston Globe Think Board
BABSON COLLEGE 11/15/19 4:00 PM
FROMTHEPRESIDENT
Babson recently announced a groundbreaking collaboration with The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation to advance and amplify valuesdriven entrepreneurial leadership on a global scale. Through a $50 million gift, the largest ever
I
awarded by the Blank Family Foundation and the n September, Heather McGown MBA’01, one of my former students and a leading voice on the future of work, shared a fascinating
presentation at Babson Connect: Worldwide. She noted that “in the past, we learned once in order to work. In the future, we must work in order to continuously learn.” Her words are timely as we explore lifelong learning in this issue of Babson Magazine and promulgate a strategic plan that prepares Babson College to thrive in a changing environment (see page 10 sidebar).
As the world and workplace rapidly evolve,
the need for education and ongoing learning will continue to increase in tandem. The essential and growing need for knowledge is a bright spot for colleges and universities during a period of disruption in higher education. It also presents a unique opportunity for Babson to capitalize on our strengths and extend our leadership in entrepreneurship education. The future of work requires that we dynamically solve problems and forge opportunities to create social and economic value.
largest single gift in the College’s history, Babson will establish the Arthur M. Blank School for Entrepreneurial Leadership. The development of this new school within the College requires all Babson disciplines to lead change, solve problems, and create sustainable value across business and society.
At the start of our second century, this is a
major investment in the role of entrepreneurial leadership to improve the human condition. Babson has long been ranked No. 1 in entrepreneurship education, and this gift generates unparalleled energy and momentum for our continued leadership and innovation. Our strategic plan and the vision of Arthur M. Blank ’63, H’98—both of which we will explore in detail in our next issue—solidify Babson’s position at the forefront of the field
The world is changing. Entrepreneurial leaders
are more important than ever. Babson College has an important role to play, and we are envisioning and investing in concrete ways to create ongoing value for our community.
Babson, across all phases of the learning
continuum, educates entrepreneurial leaders who are nimble, opportunity-driven, innovative, and growth-oriented. They are collaborative problem-solvers who possess qualities and skills that make them particularly valuable in a fast-
Stephen Spinelli Jr. MBA’92, PhD
paced and constantly changing marketplace.
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TABLEOFCONTENTS
FEATURES
18
Two-Way Street 12 Mentoring and coaching programs at Babson are helping students succeed
while enriching the professional development of their trusted guides. Four Babson alumni reflect on their experiences
Lifelong Learning 18 Education doesn’t have to end with a diploma. Several MBA students and
recent graduates demonstrate how gaining an advanced degree is possible even while maintaining job and family responsibilities.
Don’t Fear the Future 22 The growth of artificial intelligence is raising a host of concerns about bias an
misinformation. Rather than something to fear, however, the new technology is creating valuable opportunities in the workplace and daily life.
Side Hustle with a Purpose 26 Many Babson faculty also are entrepreneurs and business leaders. Meet three
faculty members who are bringing real-world experience into the classroom.
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DEPARTMENTS
12
16 On the cover: Chavon Cham MBA’18, pictured with her husband and daughter, enjoyed the flexibility of Babsons Blended Learning MBA program. Read more about Chavon on page 18. Photo by Pat Piasecki.
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BABSON MAGAZINE STAFF Volume 86, Number 3
3 From the President and Beyond 6 Babson New fitness and recreation center opens, TORq Interface wins ePitch competition, the Academy of Distinguished Entrepreneurs® welcomes three new members, Babson to establish Center for Global Healthcare Entrepreneurship, and the strategic planning process includes broad engagement and bold ideas.
Hour 11 Office Ed Marram, senior lecturer in leadership, wants students to make a difference
in the world; good reads by Babson faculty.
16 The directors of the Women Innovating Now (WIN) Lab , Kara Miller in Boston People of Babson
We welcome your feedback on the magazine. Contact Kerry Salerno at ksalerno@babson.edu
®
INTERIM EDITOR Amy Davis PUBLISHER Kerry Salerno, chief marketing office CREATIVE MANAGEMENT Cheryl Robock CREATIVE ART DIRECTION Cathy Cahill SENIOR JOURNALIST John Crawford, jcrawford@babson.edu JOURNALIST Bryan Lipiner, blipiner@babson.edu CONTRIBUTORS Kara Baskin, Scott Dietz, Jillian Erdos, James Kiley, Jason Lynch, Brianna Radicioni MULTIMEDIA TEAM Christopher Brown, Adam Pearlman, Paul DeWolf, Maggie McGinnis
and Michelle Abbs in Miami, discuss why the venture accelerator is so important and what they love about their jobs.
29 Athletics The latest news from Babson’s student-athletes, teams, and coaches. 30 Advancement Spotlight
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT WHAT’S HAPPENING AT BABSON COLLEGE AT:
entrepreneurship.babson.edu
Three alumni share memories of their time at Babson and what motivates them to give their time and talents to the College; Make Your Mark sets a record.
Notes, and Nods 34 News, Undergrads, 34; Grads, 38; On Campus, 35; Connections, 36; In Memoriam, 39.
Tales 40 Beaver Jack Dewey ’49, P’80 recalls how he and fellow World War II veterans expanded
enrollment at Babson and brought new vitality to the institution.
Babson Magazine (USPS 898-140) is published by Babson College, 231 Forest Street, Babson Park, MA 02457-0310, three times a year in the spring, summer, and fall/winter. Copyright 2019 by Babson College. Editorial office: Babson Park, MA 02457-031 (phone 781-239-5256; email alumnews@babson.edu). Send address corrections to advancement_services@babson.edu, or call 781-239-4044.
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BABSONANDBEYOND 6  BABSON MAGAZINE / WINTER 2019
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PHOTOS: ANTON GRASSL
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BABSON COMPLETES
New Fitness and Recreation Center The Babson Recreation and Athletics
the health and well-being of our general
Complex (BRAC) is official y open for
student body and campus community.”
business. The community celebrated
the grand opening with a ribbon-cutting
renovations to the existing Webster
ceremony in September. The facility
Center and an additional 40,000 square
will help prompt community building,
feet of fitness and recreation space—
become a destination for students to
doubled the size of the overall complex
pursue health and wellness initiatives,
to about 175,000 square feet. Features
and serve as programming space for a
include multipurpose courts, two floor
variety of events.
of weights and cardio equipment, new
“This building is a perfect
example of Babson’s perspective on
“This building is a perfect example of Babson’s perspective on the world.” – President Stephen Spinelli Jr. MBA’92, PhD
PHOTO: ANTON GRASSL
Babson and Beyond-Winter2019_v4.indd 7
The BRAC project—including
offices for athletic administration, and an outdoor plaza that will serve as
the world,” said President Stephen
programming space.
Spinelli Jr. MBA’92, PhD. “It’s not just
a recreation center, a learning space,
compete for the top Division III recruits
but a community space for all of our
in the country, according to Mike Lynch,
functions to create value.”
senior director of athletics and athletic
advancement. “This is a campus facility,
The facility is the largest single
The new center will allow Babson to
capital investment in student and
one that’s going to help every student
campus life in the College’s history,
here at Babson have a better, richer,
according to Larry Ward, vice president
more transformative experience as an
for student affairs and dean of
undergrad,” he said.
students, who was the executive
BRAC is the final and most
sponsor of the project.
comprehensive of the College’s four
capital projects. Weissman Foundry,
“It’s tempting to think of BRAC as
an athletics project,” Ward said. “It will
Kerry Murphy Healey Park, and Babson
strengthen the varsity experience, but
Commons at Horn Library were
this is fundamentally an investment in
completed in the last academic year.
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BABSONANDBEYOND
AND THE WINNER IS …
TORq Interface Takes Prize in Babson ePitch As part of Babson’s Centennial Celebration, three startups took the stage to compete in ePitch: Second Century Challenge, the College’s biggest pitch competition yet. Joanna Geisinger MBA’17 and her team at TORq Interface Inc., a real-time surgical scheduling resource for hospitals and vendors, won the title and a $100,000 prize. Geisinger is an alumna of the Summer Venture Program (SVP) and a 2017 B.E.T.A. Challenge winner.
The other two finalists were:
“We were super interested
Arist—a text message learning platform led
in this idea from the start,”
by Michael Joffe ’21, Ryan Laverty ’20, and Maxine Anderson ’22, three recent SVP alumni, and Joe Passanante, Quinnipiac College.
Gentreo Inc.—an estate planning software led by Renee Fry and Mary Kate D’Souza, WIN Lab® Boston alumnae.
The theme for this year’s ePitch was
“Businesses Built to Make a Difference.” In the judges’ corner were Fred Kiang ’70, MBA’75, H’19, Ed Marram, Diane Hessan, and Jamie Siminoff ’99.
The event was hosted in
coordination with eTower, Babson’s student-led entrepreneurial livinglearning organization.
said Sumukh Setty ’21, eTower president and CEO of TILE, who helped plan the event. “To be involved in something of this caliber was an unmatched opportunity in terms of visibility, access, and experience.”
Geisinger’s pitch demonstrated
passion and expertise for modernizing surgical planning. The platform, already used in 17 renowned U.S. hospitals, allows for secure, real-time communication between hospitals and their medical device vendors.
“If a device representative doesn’t
know about a procedure (or a change in
Alumni, faculty, staff, and friends gathered on campus for Back to Babson 2019, part of the Centennial Celebration in September. The record-breaking event, with more than 2,500 attendees, featured a Food & Wine Expo, a display of alumni-founded businesses, the Centennial Clambake at The Tent, and Reunion Class Parties.
8 BABSON MAGAZINE / WINTER 2019
Babson and Beyond-Winter2019_v4.indd 8
From left to right: Sumukh Setty ’21, Tim Chae, Fred Kiang ’70, MBA’75, H’19, Ed Marram, Diane Hessan, Alicia Castillo Holley MBA’96, Joanna Geisinger MBA’17, and Jamie Siminoff ’99.
schedule), the procedure will be canceled or delayed,” Geisinger said. Noting that a solution for this problem wasn’t technologically feasible until today, Geisinger added, “That’s what makes being a part of TORq (right now) so fun.” Congress enacted the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in 2010, making electronic records mandatory for all hospitals by 2019.
Babson’s first women graduates celebrated their pioneering role in Babson’s history at a luncheon in September. The event, part of the weeklong Centennial Celebration, featured presentations from alumni, students, and the first female chair of the Board of Trustees, Marla Capozzi MBA’96.
TOP PHOTO: KARL JEFFS / BOTTOM PHOTOS: PAIGE BROWN
11/15/19 3:40 PM
Academy of Distinguished Entrepreneurs WELCOMES THREE NEW MEMBERS
ENTREPRENEURS IN THE NEWS
Rising Star
Eric Johnson ’72, P’08, CEO of Johnson Products Company
Steve Conine and Niraj Shah, co-founders of Wayfair
Matthew J. Kidd, Esq. ’89, whose Boston law firm handles personal injury, employment, and bankruptcy matters, has been recognized for his expertise by a number of publications, including the American Bar Association Journal and Fast Company magazine. In addition, Super Lawyers magazine nominated him as a Rising Star.
As a part of the fifth global entrepreneurship summit, Babson Connect: Worldwide (BCW), the College welcomed three new members into the Academy of Distinguished Entrepreneurs® (ADE): Eric G. Johnson ’72, P’08, Baldwin Richardson Foods president and CEO; and Niraj Shah and Steve Conine, co-founders of Wayfair. The honorees were announced at the academy’s 2019 gala.
Eric Johnson ’72, P’08
Corporation, Kellogg, General Mills,
Growing up in the late 1950s, Eric
Dunkin’ Brands, Starbucks, and
Johnson ’72, P’08 watched his father
Frito-Lay Quaker Oats.
successfully build Johnson Products,
Steve Conine and Niraj Shah
a manufacturer of ethnic hair-care products. Following in his father’s footsteps, Johnson became the chief executive officer of Johnson Products Company, the nation’s first AfricanAmerican-owned, publicly traded company, in 1989.
Today, Johnson is the president
and chief executive officer of Baldwin Richardson Foods, one of the largest African-American-owned businesses in the food industry. The company is a leading manufacturer of custom food and beverage ingredients for global brands including McDonald’s
Armed with only a shoestring budget and a big idea, Steve Conine and Niraj Shah co-founded Wayfair in 2002. A single website soon grew into more than 250 standalone sites selling everything from barstools to birdhouses.
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Lucy Figueroa ’22 joined the Boston Women’s Market to grow her business, Beads by Lucy. BU News Service featured the first marketplace for her jewelry and bags in Jamaica Plain. “If Boston Women’s Market didn’t exist, I don’t know where I would be selling because I have no idea how to do any of this,” Figueroa said in the article.
In 2011, Conine and Shah moved all
of their e-commerce sites into a single online destination, launching Wayfair and its family of brands: Birch& Main, Birch Lane, AllModern, and Perigold. The company is now one of the world’s largest online destinations for home furnishings.
Since 1978, ADE has recognized and honored entrepreneurs who have made significant contributions to the development of free enterprise throughout the world. Collectively, the 110 members of the academy have created millions of jobs and improved societies around the world.
PHOTOS: KARL JEFFS
Baubles, Bangles, and Beads
Inspirational Style Thrive Global spoke with Malvika Sheth ’19 about her career journey, including her fashion blog. “I hope to empower other driven women to embrace fashion as a creative outlet, so that they get up, dress up, and feel confident enough to achieve even their wildest dreams,” she told the lifestyle website.
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BABSONANDBEYOND Our Progress on the
New Center to Focus on
GLOBAL HEALTHCARE ENTREPRENEURSHIP
STRATEGIC PLAN In May, our strategic planning process was launched with a clear goal:
Engage the entire
Babson community to rapidly develop a
shared strategic plan for Babson College to
thrive in a changing environment.
From left; Rebecca Silwoski, Mack Cheney, Carmella Kletjian, President Stephen Spinelli Jr. MBA’92 PhD, former President Kerry Murphy Healey, John Freeman, and Khama Rogo, MD, PhD.
Thanks to $10 million in lifetime
entrepreneurs who are addressing
giving from Carmella Kletjian, Babson
health concerns though their ventures.
will establish the Kerry Murphy
In addition, it will collaborate with
Healey Center for Global Healthcare
eminent physicians and institutions to
Entrepreneurship. Named in honor of
find answers for medical access issues.
Kerry Healey, Babson’s 13th president,
the center will address problems of
entrepreneurial thinking and business
healthcare access, affordability, and
know-how to global medicine. “The
infrastructure in developing countries.
power of Babson is its ability to create
“My hope is that the new center
The goal is to bring the power of
business ecosystems around global
will succeed in bringing two disciplines
health problems,” said Dr. Mack Cheney,
together, medicine and entrepreneurship,
co-founder of the Kletjian Foundation,
and teach present and future generations
who has spent 30 years delivering
the skills that will help improve health
care in developing countries such as
care in challenging areas,” said Kletjian,
Guatemala, Haiti, Ecuador, and Kenya.
co-founder of the Steven C. and
“Currently, the lack of those systems is
Carmella R. Kletjian Foundation,
negatively impacting 80 percent of the
which strives to improve the safety,
world’s population.”
affordability, and quality of surgery in
the world’s poorest places. Kletjian,
MBA’92, PhD believes entrepreneurship
also a member of the Babson Board
is essential to solving healthcare
of Trustees, believes in Babson’s
challenges. “By applying Babson’s proven
entrepreneurial mindset and its potential
entrepreneurial approach to global
to bring unconventional solutions to
health challenges, we can make great
areas with low medical resources.
strides in ensuring that all people have
access to safe, sustainable, and high-
The new center will focus on
research while working with local
President Stephen Spinelli Jr.
Babson and Beyond-Winter2019_v4.indd 10
4,400+ inputs INCLUDING:
3,356
Responses to surveys
173
Stakeholders participating in task forces
155
Ideas via email
341
Participants in brainstorming sessions
A Strategic Framework was endorsed by the Babson College Board of Trustees in October. This included four strategic principles: Inspire and empower entrepreneurial leaders to thrive in any context
Build and leverage the most impactful, networked, global entrepreneurial ecosystem
Engage learners on their terms
Model entrepreneurial leadership
Visit babson.edu/strategicplan for more details, and email ideas to
quality medical care,” he said.
For more Babson news and events, visit entrepreneurship.babson.edu. 10 BABSON MAGAZINE / WINTER 2019
The Babson community helped guide our strategic planning efforts by contributing:
strategicplanning@babson.edu. PHOTO: KARL JEFFS
11/15/19 3:40 PM
OFFICEHOURS
Beyond the Bottom Line Professor inspires students to combine entrepreneurship with social responsibility.
Ed Marram isn’t just interested in helping students become successful entrepreneurs. He wants them to make a difference in the world. After a successful scientific ca eer that led him to found and grow his own business, Marram, a senior lecturer in entrepreneurship, made time to study under Professors Neal Churchill and Bill Bygrave at Babson until he felt ready to teach. He has been a faculty member in the Entrepreneurial program for more than 30 years, starting as an adjunct lecturer, then joining the full-time faculty after he sold his business in 2005. Marram teaches Managing Growing Businesses, a graduate-level
course designed to provide insight into the challenges and opportunities of growing an entrepreneurial company, and a number of executive education courses. He has taught students from all around the world, both at Babson and in their home countries. Some of those relationships have become longterm commitments. For example, Ulster University in Northern Ireland, started coming to Babson about 12 years ago to learn about entrepreneurship. Last year, Ulster awarded Marram with an honorary doctorate. “I’m surprised by how much knowledge and interest my students have,” Marram says. “All of them want to be entrepreneurs—and all want to know how to better run a business.” But his students’ focus isn’t just on the bottom line, he notes. Many are creating socially responsible businesses. “It’s not just about making money,” he says. “It’s about doing good for people and the environment.” For example, one of Marram’s students provides microloans to poor women in Mexico. “A small loan doesn’t change their socioeconomic status, but it does make a huge difference in their individual lives,” Marram says.
Marram brings a wealth of entrepreneurial knowledge to Babson. He owned Geo-Centers Inc., a hightechnology, professional services firm for more than 35 years, growing the business to a staff of 1,400 people and $200 million in revenue. The firm as recognized twice by Inc. magazine as one of the fastest-growing, privately held companies in the United States. That background, he notes, brings “broad, real-life experience—and reallife problems—to the classroom.” Beyond his work at Babson, Marram has served on the boards of several privately held companies and at institutions of higher education. He is a member of the National Association of Corporate Directors, and he previously served on the Health and Educational Financial Authority of Massachusetts. Marram speaks with pride about the learning experience at Babson. “The unique thing about (the College) is that it has practitioners like me teaching entrepreneurship,” he says. “What better enrichment can you have than people who have actually experienced and survived the issues companies face?” – Amy Davis
BOOK SHELF Good Reads by Babson Faculty The Healing Organization: Awakening the Conscience of Business to Help Save the World, by Raj Sisodia and Michael J. Gelb. HarperCollins Leadership, 2019. F.W. Olin Distinguished Professor of Global Business Raj Sisodia and co-author Michael J. Gelb explore how corporations can become healing forces in society.
PHOTO: MICHAEL QUIET
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Rogue Money and the Underground Authority: An Encyclopedia of Alternative and Cryptocurrencies, by John Edmunds. Greenwood, 2020. This guide from Professor of Finance John Edmunds examines the history, development, and current operations of cybercurrencies and the underground economy around the world.
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Mentorship programs are providing valuable lessons for students and coaches alike. by Kara Baskin
Chris Jacobs ’10 (right) discusses business with Ryan Laverty ’20.
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PHOTO: MICHAEL QUIET
11/15/19 4:33 PM
At Babson, wisdom comes from seasoned professors, of course, but it also stems from thoughtful mentors, many of whom turn into trusted friends. These guides typically are Babson graduates who have achieved success in their fields and a e eager to give back. In turn, the relationships they develop with students add a rich layer to their own professional development. Take Hugh Glazer ’77, P’13. He spent the early part of his career as a certified public accountant working at the New England Journal of Medicine and Simon & Schuster. Today, he runs the WinterView Group, which provides CFO services to private companies and nonprofit . He also is a business advisor in the 10,000 Small Businesses Program, a joint venture between Babson and Goldman Sachs. The program, which provides access to education, capital, and business support services, is “a 13week business bootcamp for CEOs,” he says, many of whom are trying to grow their families’ small businesses. He reflects on a oung woman who was overwhelmed by taking over a family business from her parents because she’d never had an active role in it. When Glazer suggested a change, she said, “Are you really going to give me permission to do that?” It was a watershed moment for the nervous entrepreneur. “I said, ‘It’s got nothing to do with me! You have to give yourself permission.’ This is how a mentor can help someone—be a sounding board.” Glazer serves as a coach through Babson’s Coaching for Leadership and Teamwork Program (CLTP), which provides undergraduates with oneon-one developmental coaching on their leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills early in their careers. He has been involved with the program since its inception, brought
PHOTO: WEBB CHAPPELL
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“Seeing someone else take my advice and then applying it was so gratifying—and it validates my own education.” – Dana Harris MBA‘91 along by Professor Joe Weintraub, CLTP founder and faculty director, a longtime friend and mentor. In his session of the program, roughly seven students participate in a twohour case study that they’ve never seen before, receiving real-time feedback from seasoned coaches such as Glazer. Students participate in their first ear and again as juniors or seniors, sharpening their analytical skills. “This is one of the programs that have drawn accolades for Babson,” he says. In addition, his work with students and other coaches has changed Dana Harris MBA’91 is on campus regularly for mentoring and guest lectures. his outlook. “Oftentimes, you Entrepreneurial Thought & Action®) might make a snap judgment. ‘Gee, competition judge through The Arthur wow, this person is going to be tough to M. Blank Center for Entrepreneurship, work with.’ And, once you get going, you as well as a regular mentor and a find out th y have all kinds of insights. marketing guest lecturer. In April, she So, for me, the CLTP program over the was an advisor in the Mega Mentoring years has really taught me an awful session at the Founders Summit lot about managing people, interacting centennial series of workshops. There, with people, and how to just judge 100 alumni matched with 100 student people on what they say and do, so entrepreneurs for discussions. Harris to speak, versus what your visual cue consulted on brand messaging might sometimes say to you,” he says. and marketing.
Professional Gratification Dana Harris MBA’91 is a partner at Red Javelin Communications, a boutique PR and marketing agency, focusing on technology and industrial companies. She is a longtime B.E.T.A. (Babson
“You almost feel like (the participants have) full-fledged companies, but they’re students. They’re doing double time over at Babson,” she says, laughing. “It’s unbelievable and so impressive—not something I could’ve been doing back in my day.”
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Hugh Glazer ’77, P’13 talks to Debra Glabeau and Bill Peterson, both alumni of the 10,000 Small Businesses Program at Babson. She recalls meeting with Ryan Lupberger ’18, a founder of CleanCult, a subscription service that aims to deliver effective, nontoxic laundry pods. Seeing her direct mentorship provide real results for Lupberger’s team was a rewarding experience, Harris notes. “They wanted to pursue similar branding to a competitor and wanted tips on how to do that. I was able to provide advice on how to use content to create relationships with customers—how to use video, SlideShare, social media, and blog posts— and give them advice on their brand voice. This company went on to win the B.E.T.A. Challenge and the MassChallenge, which are two very prestigious startup competitions in the Massachusetts area,” she says. “Seeing someone else take my advice and then applying it was so gratifying—and it validates my own education. I felt that it made my experience valuable in a way it never did before. I’d say that is the one thing that I really love about mentoring: It gives me a newfound sense of responsibility and achievement in reaching a career milestone where I’m able to help people and give back.”
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Learning From Students Chris Jacobs ’10, meanwhile, brings his entrepreneurial talents directly to the classroom. As the founder and CEO of Honest Discounts, a company that provides savings on prescription drugs, he has regularly taught Professor Len Green’s Ultimate Entrepreneurial Challenge class. (Bloomberg Businessweek named Jacobs one of America’s best young entrepreneurs in 2009.) Jacobs calls Green the “Obi-Wan Kenobi” of Babson. “He’s the ultimate mentor,” Jacobs says, noting that he was honored to be a guest lecturer. “It’s a long-running class, and it fills up right away. It’s an amazing experience. … Everybody wants to take it. All the (students) who want to build companies want to take it,” he says. Jacobs presents case studies from his company without disclosing its name, allowing students to present their ideas. Then, he tells them what actually happened and grades each presentation. Mentoring these blossoming entrepreneurs has helped him think about his business in different ways, he notes.
PHOTO: MICHAEL QUIET
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Get Involved! Alumni volunteers play a vital role in helping Babson students succeed in their careers. The centers and programs below offer a wide array of rewarding opportunities for alumni to serve as coaches and mentors for the next generation of leaders.
The Coaching for Leadership and Teamwork Program (CLTP) This program provides undergraduate students with constructive developmental coaching on their leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills early in their careers.
BABSON.EDU/CLTP
Dillon Galynsky ’20 talks to his mentor and friend, John Grayson MBA’97, P’20. “When you teach someone something, it really forces you to think about what you’re saying and how to articulate it,” he says. “When I start talking about a sales operation strategy or I come up with an idea for a student, a lot of times I think, ‘I should be doing that myself!’ Just through talking about the student’s problem and how I would solve it makes me a better problem-solver.”
An Enduring Relationship Sometimes mentorship results in a long-term friendship. John Grayson MBA’97, P’20, executive vice president of Agbotic Inc., met student Dillon Galynsky ’20 through the Babson Summer Venture Program as Galynsky launched HUSH, a smoke filt ation device that eliminates fumes and odor, captures ash, and reduces secondhand carcinogens. “Business success is often measured in dollars and cents, but a successful mentor-mentee relationship produces a meaningful and longlasting impact at a personal level,”
PHOTO: WEBB CHAPPELL
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Grayson says. “That’s hugely rewarding for both the mentor and mentee.” “We just hit it off,” recalls Galynsky. Grayson took an interest in him as a person, not merely as an entrepreneur, he adds. “We ended up meeting outside of Babson and spending more time together. It first started f om a mentorship capacity, and then it grew to a friendship, which is very important because there’s a level of trust that evolves over time. I’d call John and ask him questions about my life that didn’t even have to do with the business,” he says. For mentors, the end goal—seeing students succeed—is as fulfilling a their own careers. “Babson has been able to turn out fabulous students who are just so entrenched in taking their education, what they’re learning in the classroom, and bringing it into the real world and applying it in companies in ways I’ve never seen before,” says Harris. “It’s amazing.”
Stephen D. Cutler Center for Investments and Finance Mentoring programs match undergraduate students with professionals from around the world of finance to develop career paths enhance networks, and provide related guidance.
BABSON.EDU/CUTLERMENTOR The Center for Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership (CWEL) One-on-one mentoring programs help students develop their career skills, increase their professional and social confidence, an expand their professional networks.
BABSON.EDU/CWELMENTOR Institute for Family Entrepreneurship (IFE) The Family Entrepreneurship Mentorship Program connects students with mentors who have a family business background so they can build relationships and explore the challenges of family entrepreneurship.
BABSON.EDU/IFEMENTOR
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PEOPLEOFBABSON
Small Talk with KARA MILLER and MICHELLE ABBS The Center for Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership (CWEL) at Babson launched the Women Innovating Now (WIN) Lab®—aptly called WIN—to empower female entrepreneurs through a dedicated and expansive community and an experiential home to innovate and scale their businesses. The venture accelerator, now in its seventh year, offers five months of business curriculum, one-on-one
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coaching, access to experts across industries, and more. And it works: Since attending the WIN Lab, 80 percent of startups are still running, and those founders have raised more than $13 million while creating 242 new jobs. The last cohort of students in Boston and Miami saw a 244 percent increase in revenue growth, 184 percent increase in customer growth, and 65 percent increase in investment growth just in the five months they were in the program. WIN Lab’s two directors, Kara Miller in Boston and Michelle Abbs in Miami, share the ingredients of their secret sauce.
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KARA MILLER Why is WIN so important? WIN creates a pipeline of high-growth women entrepreneurs by providing resources that will allow them to grow faster. Currently, less than 3 percent of venture capital dollars go to women entrepreneurs, and when we launched the program, women held only 13 percent of the seats in top accelerator programs. The WIN Lab in Boston is made up of Babson undergrads, graduate students, and alumnae. About one-third of the cohort are women from the broader entrepreneurial ecosystem in Boston.
What are you looking for in these companies? We’re looking for women entrepreneurs who are thinking big and want to grow large, scalable ventures. One example is Mighty Well, a team of three Babson alumni who started the company in their dorm room when they were undergraduates. Mighty Well creates PICC (peripherally inserted central catheter) covers and other devices for people undergoing medical treatment. Co-founders Emily Levy ’16 and Maria del Mar Gomez ’16 won the Draper Competition, an undergraduate competition for women entrepreneurs, in 2016. Quite a few women have raised funds—more than $13 million between the Boston and Miami labs— and have appeared on shows like “Shark Tank.”
Why do you love this job? Why is it a good fit for you? I love working with entrepreneurs who are passionate, innovative, and dedicated to what they do. And I fin it so incredibly inspiring and rewarding to be part of their entrepreneurial journey and help them identify the resources they need to scale and grow and reach their dreams. From the start of the program, we work with all the “WINners” to identify the goals they’re looking to reach by the end of the program. We help them achieve those goals through the WIN curriculum, network, and coaches who provide expertise. Watching people’s visions come to life is amazing. My job gives me the opportunity to be part of that journey as the entrepreneurs tackle challenges, overcome obstacles, continue to meet milestones, and make strides along the way.
MICHELLE ABBS Why is there a WIN Lab in Miami? The WIN Lab started here four years ago. We were the first B bson presence in Miami programmatically and came because Miami is the College’s fourth-largest alumni area in the world. Some members in our firs cohort were Babson alumnae, but the majority of the participants were community members, so WIN was their first xposure to Babson. I think it’s a very unique program offering, different from the ecosystems in Boston or San Francisco where our names might be more well-known.
What makes this job so interesting for you, and what would you like people to know about what you do? People ask why we need a program for women entrepreneurs. Here’s the reality: Women face unique challenges in entrepreneurship that men will never experience, period. Whether it’s gaining access to capital, managing expansion while underfunded, or being left out of networks, these hurdles are very real, and I see the impact of this kind of gender bias every day. I’m fueled by the idea that we can make a significant diffe ence in the lives of the entrepreneurs who join the WIN Lab and its surrounding networks. We have a long way to go to change the headlines appearing today, but I am inspired to work hard for the fie ce, relentless women who are determined to defy the odds instead of being discouraged by the statistics.
Why do you think you’re such a good fit for this job? Why do you love it? I’m an educator at heart, and seeing the lightbulb moments from our entrepreneurs really lights me up inside. When participants come into the program, they feel like they don’t know how to do something—or they can’t do something as well as they would like to do it. Then, by the end of the program, they’re completely transformed. That gives me so much energy and inspiration. – Kara Baskin
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Lifelong Learning by John Crawford
Babson believes a student’s education doesn’t end at college graduation. While balancing coursework with family and job responsibilities isn’t always easy, pursuing learning opportunities throughout adulthood can be rewarding, not to mention essential to a vibrant career.
Chavon Cham MBA’18 at home with her husband, Gilbert, and daughter, Noah.
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Learning is part of me. I love to learn new things. Jianmei Kochling MBA’21 at the Wellesley Chinese Language School.
Jianmei Kochling MBA’21 isn’t
one to rest. She is a mother of two, for starters, and she works at pharmaceutical company Sanofi as a di ector of analytical science and technology. She also is board president at the Wellesley Chinese Language School, an institution she helped launch a decade ago because she saw a glaring need for the language and cultural instruction it could provide. She and her co-founders worked night after night into the wee hours to make the school a reality. Despite all these responsibilities, however, Kochling is driven by a need to push herself even further. She is not content to be still. “I love challenges,” she says. “I am constantly looking for new ideas.” For that reason, Kochling enrolled at Babson. She always had wanted to earn an MBA, and with her children growing older—one now in college and
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the other in high school—she thought the time was right. She hopes the degree will be a springboard for more career opportunities. Earning an MBA also allows her to experience the joyful and fulfillin act of learning, something she values greatly. “Learning is part of me,” Kochling says. “I love to learn new things.” Babson is a place that believes learning doesn’t end at age 21 with a walk across the stage and a mortarboard toss into the air. For sure, balancing education with adulthood’s many commitments isn’t always easy, but continuing to pursue learning opportunities can be rewarding and, frankly, essential to a vibrant career. With extensive courses and programs available at Babson Executive Education (BEE) and the F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business, including a fully online MBA degree launching in
January, the College believes it can be a lifelong home for those seeking knowledge. “We can be here when you’re an undergrad, and a grad, and an earlystage professional, and as you advance throughout your entire career,” says Karen Hebert-Maccaro, BEE’s CEO. “We want to partner with you for every stage of your life.”
Constantly Evolving Learning can’t stop because the world doesn’t stop. Technology is moving forward. Skills grow outdated. “Work is constantly evolving as it becomes more global and digital, and most jobs are slowly being replaced or reimagined through technology,” says Keith Rollag, the Murata Dean of the graduate school. “Staying productive, successful, and employable over time means we need to constantly learn new things.”
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Hebert-Maccaro recommends that employees look at learning almost like going to the gym. “For physical survival, you need to pay attention to what you eat and how you exercise,” she says. “For intellectual survival, you need to exercise those mental muscles as well.” And, just like going to the gym, findin the time to learn can be a challenge. “We all have to juggle a lot in our lives,” Hebert-Maccaro says. “The most successful people will figu e out how to juggle family, life, and continuous professional reinvention.” Dr. Jason Simon MBA’20 knows all about that juggling. He’s an orthopedic surgeon at Newton-Wellesley Hospital, and sometimes when he’s supposed to be in class, he’s in the operating room. He’s also the father of two daughters in grade school, and they occasionally pop up on the screen when he’s on a WebEx conference with his Babson classmates. Additionally, Simon is a senior executive at 1854 Cycling Company, a bicycle and apparel brand that provides jobs to formerly incarcerated people. “It’s a big social mission project, and that’s why I make time for it,” he says. Of course, Simon is used to going to school and being busy. He is a doctor, after all. He experienced the whirlwind that is medical school. “In medicine, school never ends anyway,” he says. “I am fairly certain I haven’t slept since 1997.” Simon decided to earn his MBA because the business of medicine is shifting. “It’s not really run by physicians but by practice managers who have a business, not a clinical, background,” he says. Finding himself surrounded by people “throwing out business terms,” essentially speaking a language he didn’t understand, Simon decided to apply to Babson. “The reason I’m in medicine is to take care of people,” he says, “but if that’s
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Dr. Jason Simon MBA’20 at Newton-Wellesley Hospital. hampered by the way medicine is changing, you have to change.” Like Simon, Chavon Cham MBA’18 decided to pursue an MBA to aid her career. When she studied at Babson, she was a New Balance product manager but preparing for a shift. Instead of focusing on product creation, she was aiming for a position that was more strategic, more global, more big picture. “I wanted to manage the business from a strategic point of view,” says Cham, who today is a global product manager for women’s lifestyle footwear at New Balance.
Also like Simon, Cham had to do some juggling to make her education work. During her time at Babson, she not only gave birth to her daughter, but she also planned a wedding. “It was very busy,” she says. Cham’s professors and fellow students were supportive, however, and she learned to manage expectations with class projects. “I couldn’t be the first person on very discussion board every week. There were times I had to flex ” she says. “It was about setting boundaries.” Cham was enrolled in the Blended Learning MBA program, and she
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found its mix of online and in-person sessions provided flexibility that orked well for her bustling life. “You picture an MBA to be way more stuffy and conservative,” she says. “That wasn’t the experience for me at all. It was feasible and doable.”
Always a Babson Student The Blended Learning program may be flexibl , but some potential students live too far away to be able to come to campus regularly. Babson is striving to change that. “We want to expand our impact by reaching more students,” says D.R. Widder MBA’99, Babson’s vice president of innovation. “We want to foster entrepreneurship and Babson everywhere, and being online is a prerequisite to being everywhere.” In January, Babson will begin offering an MBA program fully online. Other online programs will follow. “The main goal of online is to reach those students who can’t reach us,” says Widder. “We want to give people a way to get the world’s best entrepreneurship education wherever they are.”
We want to give people a way to get the world’s best entrepreneurship education wherever they are. – D.R. Widder MBA’99, Babson’s vice president of innovation Increasing access to what Babson offers is a goal at BEE as well. It already provides a robust selection of open enrollment and custom programs for individuals and companies, but Hebert-Maccaro wants to do more. Whether an employee needs to solve a problem in the moment, requires a new skill, or clamors for a complete career transformation, she wants BEE to be the place where they can gain that expertise. To do that, BEE could provide a variety of offerings—a class, of course, but also a podcast, a video, or whatever else is required. “I am bullish when I’m thinking about the potential Babson has,” says Hebert-Maccaro. The mission is to further empower a life to be spent in learning, a life only beginning when one crosses the stage with a diploma in hand. “We all should be continually learning,” Widder says. “Once a Babson student, you are always a Babson student.”
Learning on the Job Kristen Eagleston knows firsthand how easil routines can form. Work at a job for a long time, says the associate director of supply chain for Pfize , and you can settle into a set way of doing things. Eagleston was working for Pfizer for 19 year when, in 2017, she entered Babson’s Certificate i Advanced Management (CAM) program. Taught by the College’s graduate school faculty and tailored specifically to Pfizer employees, the CAM progr suddenly made Eagleston question her old work routines. “It makes you take a pause and self-reflec on how you manage,” she says. “Some things you realize you are doing well, and some, you realize it is probably a good idea to rethink.” The ongoing nine-credit program, meant to bolster the business acumen of global supply staff at Pfizers Andover, Massachusetts, location, provides classes on leadership, finance, and strateg . A similar program, but with an innovation focus, is offered at the company’s Cambridge, Massachusetts, office. Sessions for the two programs are held bot online and on site at Pfize . According to Eagleston, the CAM program brings about changes in perspectives. She saw how her direct reports who were enrolled in the program began to think more broadly about the company and not just focus on their individual jobs. “I was able to see them grow,” she says. Eagleston herself gained the viewpoints of the other employees in the program, many of whom she didn’t work with directly. “You learn about a person’s thought process,” she says. “A different perspective on things goes a long way.”
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ILLUSTRATION: TRACI DABERKO
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As artificial intelligence grows more sophisticated and widespread, it will bring changes to our workplaces and our lives. That steady march of technology, though, offers opportunity for entrepreneurs and business leaders. By John Crawford
L
et’s clear up one thing first Contrary to what you may have seen in the movies, killer robots won’t be running amok anytime soon. “There is not much evidence that killer robots are coming for us in the foreseeable future,” says Tom Davenport, the President’s Distinguished Professor of Information Technology and Management. That’s not to say that the neverending march of technology, particularly in regard to artificia intelligence (AI) and machine learning, doesn’t pose legitimate concerns about bias, misinformation, and a host of other possible issues. As AI grows more sophisticated, it will become a greater part of our workplaces and our lives. For now, at least, the changes brought by AI are incremental, says Davenport, who has written two books on the technology, including The AI Advantage: How to Put the Artificial Intelligence Re olution to Work. Davenport tends to believe in Amara’s Law, which says humanity typically overestimates the effect
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of a new technology in the short run and underestimates the effect in the long run. “So far, the changes with AI are evolutionary rather than revolutionary,” he says. “It’s not something to be scared of.” Instead of fear, what AI represents is opportunity. For workers, AI potentially offers a way to do their jobs better. Furthermore, for entrepreneurs and business leaders, the new technology means new ventures, new ways of thinking, and new possibilities. Davenport encourages all businesses to look into AI. “You don’t want to be left behind,” he says.
AI at Work Perhaps the biggest concern about AI is the potential loss of jobs from the technology. Just how many jobs could be lost, though, remains unknown. Headline-grabbing reports predicting massive unemployment appear to be overblown, Davenport says. “There is not cause for mass panic. The fact is that nobody really knows the percentage of jobs that will be automated over what time frame.”
Of course, some jobs are at more risk than others. Jobs that require empathy, creativity, or fl xibility are harder to replicate than those with repetitive, predictable tasks. Jobs that require direct human contact (nursing, for example) also are safer than those that are predominantly performed digitally (radiology). “You want to make sure you are doing things that aren’t easily replaced by a machine,” Davenport says. “My son is a TV comedy writer. Machines are very bad at comedy writing.” In many workplaces, however, employees may find their job augmented, rather than automated, by AI. Instead of replacing humans, says Davenport, machines could complement them and serve as a colleague of sorts, performing tedious tasks or helping workers make complex decisions. One company bringing AI to the workplace is Gravyty, a provider of AIenabled fundraising software. Based in Newton, Massachusetts, Gravyty works with colleges, hospitals, and other nonprofit o ganizations that are tackling a range of serious societal
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challenges, such as treating Alzheimer’s disease, curing cancer, and eradicating poverty. “Our mission is helping their mission,” says Gravyty’s chief technology office , Rich Palmer MBA’16, who co-founded the company with CEO Adam Martel, a Babson MBA candidate who once worked in the College’s development offic . “We take inspiration from all of our clients. They are doing all kinds of beautiful things for the world.” Gravyty offers clients a variety of AI-powered capabilities. Its software, for instance, can identify and prioritize potential donors in each client’s network. One organization was able to land a $50 million gift after Gravyty software singled out a new potential donor. “He was in a pool of people they knew about, but no one had previously taken the time to talk to him,” Palmer says. Gravyty’s software can draft emails to send to donors, and when fundraisers make edits to those emails, the AI is taking note. “The AI system is constantly learning how you talk,” Palmer says. “The more you use the system, the better it gets. The next time an email comes up, it’s a little better.” Gravyty also can help clients organize their fundraising trips, figu e out which potential donors to meet for coffee or take to dinner, and even suggest restaurants where they should dine. That scheduling can save fundraising staff a lot of time. “Fundraisers already do a lot of this, but it may take them all day to
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“There is not cause for mass panic. The fact is that nobody really knows the percentage of jobs that will be automated over what time frame.” –Tom Davenport, the President’s Distinguished Professor of Information Technology and Management set up a meeting,” Palmer says. In fact, Gravyty case studies have shown that its products enable one fundraiser to do the work of 10. Have a staff of 10, the company claims, and they can now do the work of 100. That’s welcome news for an industry that is always in need of talent. “There is a lot of turnover,” Palmer says. “Every nonprofit ha open jobs now.”
AI in Our Lives Outside the workplace, AI may influence our l ves in myriad other ways in the future, says Davenport. To name just a few possibilities, AI
may help analyze the human genome, assist doctors in predicting who might have a heart attack, or increase the mobility of seniors through autonomous vehicles. Waycare, based in Los Angeles and Tel Aviv, Israel, is using AI to create safer, less-clogged roadways. Typically, says co-founder and CEO Noam Maital ’12, accidents and congestion are responded to after the fact. Two cars collide, and that’s when police are called to the scene. Traffic ba ks up, and that’s when motorists are notified of the del y by phones and news reports. “A big problem is that we are reactive by nature,” Maital says.
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Waycare seeks to change that. Utilized by municipalities and departments of transportation, Waycare’s AI platform analyzes all kinds of data—from accident reports to traffic came as to weather forecasts to navigation apps on driver smartphones—to predict congestion and accidents before they happen. “The data is overwhelming, but it can be turned into actionable insights in real time,” Maital says. That’s what happened in Las Vegas. Waycare was used to cut vehicle crashes by 17 percent on a stretch of city interstate last year. The company identified when and whe e crashes were likely to happen, and then government agencies took steps to reduce motorists’ speed. Digital highway signs prompted motorists to slow down, and police cars with flashing lights ere stationed in high-risk areas. For cities dealing with traffi problems, Maital thinks technology offers a better and more cost-effective solution than trying to expand roadways and overhaul infrastructure. “They can’t pave themselves out of the problem fast enough,” he says. “They have to be smarter.” Waycare and Gravyty illustrate the capability that AI has to improve our day-to-day lives, both in the offic and out. They also show AI’s business potential, which is far-reaching. “In my mind, no industry is immune to the transformational potential of AI,” says Gravyty’s Palmer. Indeed, the technology is moving ever forward. That relentless progress is not something to fear, but it’s also not something to ignore. “There are serious first-m ver advantages to adopting AI,” Palmer says. “Now is the time for entrepreneurs of all kinds to put AI to work or they’ll fall behind, and it may be hard to catch up.”
STUDENTS
LOOK TO THE
FUTURE
“In the future, I imagine a world where many of our decisions, both small and big, will be guided by AI. As an example, when we choose which car to buy, we currently depend on limited amounts of articles, reviews, and subjective info from company advertisements. Instead, AI will parse out all the noise and identify the right car to buy, based on which car millions of other people have purchased and enjoyed in the past. I imagine AI will optimize our decisions in other aspects of life as well, including the doctors we seek, the restaurants we visit, and more.”
–James Pratama ’20
“I would want AI to be used more to help further mankind and society. I know that some organizations are developing AI programs to implement sustainability and help solve the crisis of climate change. I feel the technology might go on to play a pivotal, if not the central, role in each of our lives as we start automating everything.”
– Utkarsh Vivek MBA’20
“I believe that AI will bring more benefits than harms. As a student interested in business analytics, I have seen the power of Big Data. AI can transform that data into useful insights, helping entrepreneurs and corporations to refine their products and business strategies, which is likely to result in lower costs. In addition, new products will be less likely to fail with more advanced analysis and simulated forecasts from AI. Therefore, I firmly believe that, although new technologies may have potential concerns, we should not reject those technologies only because of our fear.”
– Lingxiao Lyu ’20
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Associate Professor Brad George at Attitudes Dance and Fitness
Side Hustle WITH A PURPOSE By Bryan Lipiner
A number of Babson faculty members are using experiences from their own businesses to educate the next generation of entrepreneurs.
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A Different Definition of Entrepreneurship At Attitudes Dance and Fitness in Billerica, Massachusetts, Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship Brad George, who is the co-owner and chief financial offic , considers himself “a behind-the-scenes jack of all trades.” While co-owner and artistic director Dawn George oversees ballet, jazz, contemporary dance, hip hop, and tap classes for children along with dance and fitness classes for adult , Professor George handles business and marketing strategy along with accounting responsibilities. By bringing his experiences back to the classroom, he hopes to impart knowledge about all aspects of owning a business. “Students think about the big, glamorous businesses; most startups are not big or glamorous,” Brad George says. “Even with a relatively small business, you deal with a lot
“I’m a big believer that entrepreneurship isn’t about making the most money; it’s about having a life you want to live.” – Brad George, associate professor of entrepreneurship of the same issues, things you don’t necessarily read about.” For example, he says the pressure of finding n w space after their building was sold almost led the Georges to close their business. In owning the dance studio, Brad and Dawn George have put their business first and h ve dealt with making sacrifice , which is a key lesson he has conveyed to his students. “Most businesses require you to put most of your time and money and everything else into them,” Brad George
says. “You don’t want to get in there and realize: ‘This is not at all what I thought it was going to be.’ ” He also asks his students to determine what they hope to get out of their ventures. For Brad and Dawn George, their focus is on serving the community. “We have a very different set of goals for our business than other people might,” Brad George says. “I’m a big believer that entrepreneurship isn’t about making the most money; it’s about having a life you want to live.”
Lessons from Overcoming Challenges For more than 20 years, entrepreneurship senior lecturer Caroline Daniels managed Daniels Island Properties in Nantucket, a company that built and purchased properties on the island and rented them out to vacationers during the summer months.
Senior Lecturer Caroline Daniels teaching in the Design Zone at Babson College.
“The joy for me in combining both practical, entrepreneurial experience and academic teaching is that I get to share everything I’ve learned with students and give them a pathway.” – Caroline Daniels, entrepreneurship senior lecturer
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“It’s fun to have a front-row seat to see what these people accomplish.” –Sandra Bravo MBA’87, marketing lecturer
Sandra Bravo working on her consulting business, Bravo Communications. On most summer days, Daniels would be in constant contact with architects, building contractors, and real estate professionals responsible for marketing her properties. At the end of each summer, Daniels would close up shop for the winter. “In any business, you run experiments,” says Daniels, who also has started other ventures, most notably in strategy consulting. “You have to find a eally good niche to operate in, and you need to have great customer supplier and other stakeholder relationships.” When she returned to Babson each fall, Daniels would share stories of how she overcame adversity in her business. Her most frequent tale, she says, involved an early morning delivery of incorrect parts for a home soon to be constructed. She has told her students how she solved the problem by involving everyone as a team to find a solution
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The experience of overcoming a challenge can serve as an inspiration and a how-to for students, Daniels says. “The joy for me in combining both practical, entrepreneurial experience and academic teaching is that I get to share everything I’ve learned with students and give them a pathway. I feel that reduces the risk for them.”
Getting the Students Involved For the past 25 years, marketing lecturer Sandra Bravo MBA’87 has helped small businesses grow through her consulting business, Bravo Communications. “I understand the entrepreneurial mindset,” she says. “It’s fun to have a front-row seat to see what these people accomplish.” At the same time, Bravo has done volunteer work and occasionally has merged her professional and pro-bono lives. Most recently, she has worked with Friends of Children Inc., a Western
Massachusetts organization that helps foster children receive supplies and money for things they need, in addition to easing the transition out of foster care once they turn 18. Bravo has involved her past students by having them help Friends of Children build its social media presence. Students also have been tasked with creating content calendars and generating marketing ideas. “It’s hard to explain how important this work is, and how much my Babson students stepped up to the plate,” she says. “We have students who are smart and compassionate, and they know they have the ability to have a voice. It’s so energizing and gives me so much hope for the future. Once the students get invested in something, they know they have the resources to fix it That equation can add up to amazing things that can be done for the world.”
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SPORTS
BABSON ATHLETICS
The Hintlian Family Golf Performance Center opened in September as part of the Babson Recreation and Athletics Complex facility enhancements project. The center features a Foresight golf simulator that tracks data while players are on a virtual course or on the range. A putting and chipping area allows golf team members to work on their short game year-round.
The athletics department honored its fi e national championship squads as the first teams inducted int the Babson Athletics Hall of Fame. The historic celebration during Back to Babson brought together the 1975, 1979, and 1980 men’s soccer teams, the 1984 men’s ice hockey squad, and the 2017 men’s basketball team as part of the 17th induction class. The fi e squads joined 71 individuals who have been inducted since the Hall of Fame’s inception in 1991. Pictured below, left to right, are Dan Roche P’20, and hockey alums Ed Gavin ’84 and Paul Donato ’84.
Babson President Stephen Spinelli Jr. MBA ’92, PhD honored Jon Anderson ’75, P’04 ’08 ’13 ’13 (right), head men’s soccer coach and senior associate athletics director, with the Joseph R. Weintraub Alumni Award for Distinguished Faculty/Administrator Service. “I am deeply humbled by this award and grateful for those involved in nominating me,” said Anderson, who received the honor during the leadership awards brunch at Back to Babson.
HINTLIAN PHOTO: DAN VAILLANCOURT / JON ANDERSON PHOTO: JUSTIN KNIGHT / HALL OF FAME PHOTO: JON ENDOW
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The Babson community gives back to the College in many different ways. We asked three of our alumni to tell us what they enjoyed most about their time here, and what motivates them to give their time and talents to the College today.
RICHARD SNYDER
ADVANCEMENTSPOTLIGHT
The Spirit of Giving at Babson
Richard J. Snyder ’60, H’94, P’93 ’01, trustee emeritus, Global Advisory Board Richard Snyder graduated from Babson in 1960 and then went on to law school. He served as a White House summer intern and was a trial lawyer with the Department of Justice before
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entering private practice in 1966. Snyder continues to serve as legal counsel and advisor to business entities of all sizes, including forprofit and not-fo -profi institutions and domestic and foreign corporations. He is a former chair of the Board of Trustees at Babson College and currently serves on the Global Advisory Board.
Q:
What is your favorite memory of being a student at Babson?
A:
Where the Globe is now used to be faculty housing, resulting in ’round-the-clock access to faculty. One could hang around and have access to them much of the time, just sit on the porch and talk about stuff. We solved problems and learned together.
Q: Was there a Babson
professor who really changed your life or made you look at life differently?
A:
Walter Carpenter, who taught labor relations and later became dean of faculty— really a wonderful guy. He drove home the idea that if you want to have a successful business, management has a responsibility to have a supportive relationship with employees and treat them with respect. This changed my perspective.
Q:
Do you have any funny memories from a specific class or professor?
A:
I majored in accounting because it was the only thing my dad would pay for. He believed that accounting was the only thing you couldn’t teach yourself. However, I really didn’t like accounting, so I often did
PHOTO: JUSTIN KNIGHT
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Richard Snyder ’60, H’94, P’93 ’01 and his wife, Marilyn B. Snyder MBA’80, P’93, with their family at the Snyder Drive Dedication on October 19, 2017.
not do the homework. My accounting professor, Clint Peterson, loved to call on me in class just to prove that I hadn’t done my homework. Luckily, I was able to bluff my way through it most of the time (or grab a friend’s homework and read the answers off!).
Q: Who inspired you most at Babson? A: Both Walter Carpenter and a liberal arts professor, John Gibson. Gibson was able to draw a connection between liberal arts and the business world, teaching us history, life, and a broader world view, which all contributed toward being an effective business person.
Q:
You have been giving back to Babson for more than 40 years. Why?
A:
At the end of my second year at Babson, I interned at an accounting firm and eally did hate it, so I decided to take the national law boards to
PHOTO: JUSTIN KNIGHT
BRNDREP3-569 Adv Spotlight_Winter2019.indd 31
apply to law school after Babson. I had no money but I scored so high on the law boards that I was granted a full scholarship to law school. Seeing how well I scored on a national test gave me insight into just how good my Babson education was. In fact, law school was less challenging than Babson! I finished second in y class, made up of graduates of Harvard, Williams, and many of the best undergraduate programs. I never felt that anyone had a better education than I received at Babson. Being able to see firsthand h w Babson stacked up against the best colleges around the country made me want to give back to Babson. Not having a lot of money back then, I volunteered for the Alumni Association. Once I was able to donate more than just my time, I couldn’t conceive of putting money where it would do a greater good than Babson. In my opinion, a dollar invested in Babson had the highest possible return for succeeding generations.
Q: What is your hidden talent? A: The use of humor in business. I’m able to use humor as a negotiating technique because there is no defense against a joke, particularly if it’s self-effacing.
Q: What job would you be terrible at? A: CEO. I am very effective in a staff capacity where I can advise and present alternative ideas. However, I doubt I would be as effective if I had to choose one.
Q: What does the future hold for Babson?
A:
The need for Babson’s unique form of education across all aspects of societal development has never been greater, and Babson’s prospects have never been so bright. – Jillian Erdos
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ADVANCEMENTSPOTLIGHT
Eric Dosal is a Class of 2000 alumnus who currently lives in Miami with his wife, Lorena, and their two daughters. A former baseball player at Babson, he recently made two generous gifts in support of Babson Athletics, funding construction of The Dosal, a 5,000-square-foot indoor hitting and baseball performance center, and endowing a Man of the Year Award, which recognizes Babson’s most well-rounded male student-athlete each year.
Q: What were you most likely to
be doing when you were a student on campus?
A: Probably playing baseball. In peak season, games, practice, and gym time occupied a solid 25–30 hours per week. It was a pretty intense workload. If I wasn’t in the gym or in class, you’d probably fin me hanging out with friends. Our favorite spot was B5 McCullough!
Q:
Did your time as a studentathlete prepare you for a career in business?
A: Yes, 100 percent. Being a student-athlete is tough. You learn to work as a team, prioritize, count on others, manage your time, deal with adversity, commit to goals. Everything you need to know for the real world you can learn through team sports.
an impact on the College. With our gift to the baseball team, I viewed it as a way to give back and pay it forward to future generations of Babson players. When I got to campus, we had a beautiful field an a great facility and that’s because of the players that came before me. I had so many memories on the field So much of my college experience took place there—so many friends and teammates, we worked together on that field To Eric Dosal ’00 (right) with Mike Lynch, the Pamela P. and Brian M. Barefoot be able to help Athletics Director and senior director of athletic advancement. and give these reset the brain and take a break. It guys another edge only takes 15 minutes a day. For me, means a lot. it’s the most important thing that allows me to do what I do every day. How do you spend most of your
ERIC DOSAL
Eric Dosal ’00
Q:
time these days?
A: I work, I work out, and I spend time with my family. That’s about it. These days, I’m spending a lot of time on health and wellness. I spent too much time destroying my health to build wealth, and now I’m spending my wealth to get my health back. Funny how that works.
Q: Why do you give back to Babson? Q: Do you have any habits or daily A: I think it’s important to give back to the institutions that helped shape you as an individual. Babson shaped my future and who I am today. I recognize that and appreciate it, so I want to make sure I’m having
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routines that are key to your success?
A:
Daily meditation. It’s so important to take time from the day, whatever your priorities are, to just
Q:
Any specific advice you have for students or young alums?
A: Life is a marathon. Lots of people want to sprint out of the gate and become billionaires right away. But, it’s really a marathon and you need to pace yourself. I also like to say: when you graduate from Babson, it’s like starting a marathon on mile one or two. You’re further ahead of everyone else because of everything you learned there. That’s a great advantage, but then it’s up to you to continue that drive and stay ahead. – Jillian Erdos and Jason Lynch
PHOTO: TEMITOPE BAJULAIYE
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A: Absolutely! It’s been so fun
Pam Buckley ’89
PAM BUCKLEY
Pam Buckley graduated from Babson in 1989, following in the footsteps of her father, Raymond J. Acciardo Sr. MBA’69. She has enjoyed a successful career in banking and compliance, and currently lives in Wellesley, Massachusetts, with her husband, Tim, and their college-bound twins. Buckley has been donating to Babson since 1996, and for the past two years has been volunteering as a class agent for the Class of 1989. Buckley also is a member of the Reunion Committee, having just enjoyed a very successful 30th reunion!
Pam Buckley ’89 and her father, Raymond J. Acciardo Sr. MBA’69, who also celebrated a milestone—his 50th reunion, joining the ranks of the Half-Century Club.
Q: What’s your favorite way to start the day?
A: Generally, with a cup of coffee and often a spin or TRAIN class at B/Spoke, when not immediately jumping on the laptop and getting right into my work day. I wake up, greet my family, read the Daily Skimm, and then hit the ground running. I’m a morning person, so I like to get right into the day!
Q: Your twins are in the middle of
the college search right now. Has that process given you a new perspective on Babson?
PHOTO: PAIGE BROWN
BRNDREP3-569 Adv Spotlight_Winter2019.indd 33
touring colleges and universities around the country, realizing how fortunate I am to have attended Babson. The College always provides great opportunities to network, learn from others, engage with alumni, and connect with current students. The Babson community is unique in that it attracts so many interesting, intelligent, and ambitious people from around the globe.
A record-setting
MAKE YOUR MARK
Q: What motivated you to become a class agent?
A: As a cancer survivor, I’ve always believed in giving back and the importance of volunteerism. It’s core to who I am. Before my husband and I had children, I dedicated 10 years to the Jimmy Fund Council of Greater Boston, serving as treasurer and secretary. Tim and I also rode in the PanMass Challenge eight times, raising money for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, where I was treated for Hodgkin’s disease in 1990 (shortly after graduating from Babson). This was an exciting time to re-engage with Babson’s Centennial with my 30th Reunion in sight.
Q: You’ve been donating
consistently to Babson for nearly 20 years. Why?
A: Babson is near and dear to my heart. I look back and am so appreciative of all the opportunities I had on campus. I received a phenomenal education here, which positioned me well for a successful career and a happy, comfortable life. I’m just delighted to give back, and hopefully incent others to do the same. – Jason Lynch
This year’s Make Your Mark was a record-breaking day of giving and a grand display of the Babson community’s philanthropic spirit. With over $330,000 raised, this event marked the most gifts given on a single day in Babson history. Babson’s annual day of giving attracted 2,178 donors from 37 countries and 43 states—342 of which were first-time donors On behalf of the entire community, thank you for helping to make Babson remarkable.
reMARKable $330,850 Raised 2,178 Donors Gifts from 43 States and 37 Countries
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NEWSNOTESANDNODS
UNDERGRADS
1 981
Herbert Snyder is serving as the dean of the Eastern New Mexico University College of Business. He hopes to see strong partnerships with the business community while in his role. Snyder previously was a New York state fraud investigator and also has taught at Indiana University, North Dakota State University, and Fort Lewis College.
1 983 Susan Malick Dawson ’76, MBA’77, Marion Browning ’77, and Shirley Choy Zaragoza ’77 celebrated 45 years of friendship by taking a trip to South Africa together.
1 978
Joe Ramrath traveled to Lebanon to witness challenges Syrian refugees face, according to a Needham Patch story. The goal of the trip was to witness field work done by Save the Children. Ramrath told Needham Patch the trip was “life changing” and the plight of refugees was “overwhelming” in many ways. Bill McQuillan was named Person of the Year 2019 by the Boston Real Estate Times. McQuillan, the founding principal of Boylston Properties, has developed real estate in the Greater Boston area for 40 years. He served on Babson’s Board of Trustees for 10 years. “Mr. McQuillan has played a major role in shaping the real estate landscape of Greater Boston,” Boston Real Estate Times editor and publisher Upendra Mishra said.
Enrique Turegano ’83, MBA’86 is semiretired and living in Spain. He is working with Hyphen-Studios, a strategy and new business entity from California.
1 985
Beth Wood joined Principal Financial Group as its chief marketing office . Previously, she was vice president and CMO of businesses with Guardian Life insurance. Wood also has worked for Frito-Lay and Johnson & Johnson.
1 989
Matthew J. Kidd, Esq., with the help of fellow graduate and attorney Sun Dahan MBA’17, has created a powerful presence at his Boston law firm, which handles personal injury, employment, and bankruptcy matters. In September, the Better Business Bureau elected Kidd to the Board of Directors, and Avvo.com, a rating service for attorneys, gave him a perfect 10 rating. David Farris joined Korn Ferry as a senior client partner and global account leader. He will work in the firm s life sciences and global technology markets. Farris has almost 30 years of experience in the human resource advisory and technology industries.
Amy Coumounduros ’92 and Pete Coumounduros ’90, and Barbara Doherty ’92 and Dave Doherty ’92 recently celebrated the graduation of their daughter and son, respectively, from Reading Memorial High School. Both students are attending Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
1 993
Kelli Connors was named global lead, organizational effectiveness of CoreAxis Consulting. In her role, Connors will head the organizational development and leadership development of the company, which has been providing business performance consulting and customized training for almost 20 years. Christopher Connors was named the firs president of Danforth Advisors, a financ support and strategic consulting firm for life science and healthcare technology companies. Connors will oversee internal operations and the expansion of the firm and its services.
Michelle Raso Carli ’82, P’15 and Babson friends celebrated 40 years of friendship in Tuscany this past spring. The trip included a stay in a private villa, wine tastings, biking in the hills of Chianti, cooking classes, private tours, and delicious food. From left, Marti Crompton Johnson ’82, MBA’91, Michelle Raso Carli ’82, P’15, Chris Carli P’15, Susan Chambault Baker ’83, Jeff Johnson ’83, MBA’92, Wendy Shepherd O’Brien ’82, Kevin O’Brien, Ronnie Grant Alger ’81, Jim Alger, Sam Davis ’80, Peggy Kelley Davis ’81, and Paul Baker ’80.
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1 994
Erik Ostrowski is serving as the CFO of AVROBIO, a company that is researching gene therapy for Fabry and other rare diseases, according to a CFO Dive story. Ostrowski joined AVROBIO earlier this year and has previous experience in biotech.
1 996
Paula McEvoy was promoted to director of the tax department at Newburg & Company in Waltham, Massachusetts.
ONCAMPUS
Kevin Shane ’03 (pictured, left) writes, “I was fortunate to have done quite a bit of traveling in 2018, which included seeing some Babson friends. Most recently, in November 2018, I was with Alfredo Montes ’01 (pictured, right) and went on a camping/hiking trip in the Channel Islands. On a trip to the Bay Area in October 2018, my morning started with an early rise in Napa. The day took me through Point Reyes, to a closed lighthouse, then to an unmarked road that led me through an oceanfront farm. Within seconds, I heard someone say my name. I looked back … and saw two of my old roommates from Babson: Keith Whittier ’04 and Morgen Newman ’06. It was an incredible end to an epic day.”
Ashley Renzi ’00
coaches next generation of professionals
Andrew Woodward ’06 and Kristen Woodward celebrated the birth of the couple’s second son. Pictured are Andrew, Hughes (age 3), and baby Parker.
2006
Lucidy Lights founder and chairman John Goscha, Unruly Studios founder and CEO Bryanne Leeming MBA’16, and Gravyty co-founder and chief technology office Rich Palmer MBA’16 were named to
As a member of one of the fi st classes to receive advice through the Coaching for Leadership and Teamwork Program (CLTP), Ashley Renzi ’00 has been returning the favor for nearly 20 years. Through her involvement, future Babson graduates receive essential guidance for entering the professional world. “The conversations with the students are insightful,” Renzi said. “(They) engage and have a lot of questions about my career, the work we do, and life outside of school.” CLTP convenes local professionals, alumni, and other individuals looking to give back for several hours on multiple days during the spring and fall semesters. Coaches receive an overview of intended outcomes for students, and are instructed to observe and provide one-on-one feedback as students analyze case studies and work to solve a business ethics problem. While coaching, Renzi accentuates selfrefl ction and self-awareness. In the past, she has helped students improve everything
the Boston Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 list. The group includes doctors, executives, entrepreneurs, and other leaders “who still find time to give back and volunteer in their communities,” the publication noted.
from body language to their problemsolving ability. “Going through [coaching] as a student, I found the conversation with my coach incredibly beneficial,” Renzi said. “I wasn’t aware of what I was doing in some cases. Having objective feedback from someone who was interested in giving it, rather than waiting to get into a challenging situation, was really helpful.” Renzi worked in financial consulting before joining New Balance in 2006. She has held a variety of roles at the company during the past 13 years and now serves as the head of strategy for the Direct to Consumer division. She started working with CLTP shortly after graduating and participates annually. “To be successful, the program requires a lot of coaches,” she said. “I know my volunteerism, including the hours I’m putting in, has a large impact on the Babson community.” – Bryan Lipiner
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CONNECTIONS
NEWSNOTESANDNODS
2
1
3
4
During the Recognition Brunch at Back to Babson in September, the College recognized several dedicated and distinguished members of our community, including alumni, faculty, and parents. More than 230 people were in attendance as Richard J. Snyder ’60, H’94, P’93 ’01—namesake of the Richard J. Snyder Distinguished Service to the College Award—bestowed this prestigious honor on Jack Dewey ’49, P’80. (See related story on page 40.) As part of the Centennial Celebration, a remarkable group of women came together to reconnect and honor the first 10 classes of women who attended Babson. These women who graduated from 1968 to 1979, share a common bond of truly pioneering the education of women at Babson, paving the way for the fact that Babson classes are now consistently at least 50 percent women each year.
1
Richard J. Snyder ’60, H’94, P’93 ’01 (left) and Jack Dewey ’49, P’80 (right).
2
Award recipients posed for a photo with Babson leadership (left to right): Steven Bandel P’16; Marla Capozzi MBA’96, chair of the Board of Trustees; Jeffrey J. McLane ’96; Jack Dewey ’49, P’80; Jon Anderson ’75, P’04 ’08 ’13 ’13; Anna Ivashko ’11, MBA’20; Shatiek Jamal Gatlin ’16; Narumon Lertkangwanklai MBA’13; Howard Brown ’88,
chair of the Leadership Awards Committee; Alexandra Piccirilli ’94, president of the Babson Alumni Association; and President Stephen Spinelli Jr. MBA’92, PhD.
3
Ellen Saliba ’74, MBA’80; Trustee Emerita and Global Advisory Board member Elizabeth “Betsy” P. Powell MBA’76, P’01; and Elinor L. Scholl MBA’90.
4
“S3” is not the latest startup — it refers to a special group
of alumni who are affectionately referred to as the “S3” crew because they were students of President Stephen Spinelli Jr. MBA’92, PhD when he was a Babson staff member. Several S3 members returned to enjoy festivities at the Babson Tent with President Spinelli (center). Pictured, from left, are: Amin Rammal MBA’99, Jade Butay MBA’99, Margaret Safford MBA’04, President Spinelli, Christian LesStrang MBA’99, J.R. Badian MBA’99, and Michael Criscuolo MBA’99.
Editor’s Note: We are sorry to say that Jack Dewey passed away in October. To read more about Jack’s legacy at Babson, see page 40. 36 BABSON MAGAZINE / WINTER 2019
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Cameron McKenzie ’07, MBA’12 received a “40 Under Forty” award from the National Association of Certified Valuators and Analysts. The founder of McKenzie & Associates, LLC, a Puerto Rican financial services firm established in 2015, McKenzie said the award will help with a 2020 planned expansion into the United States mainland. The award highlights young professionals in financial consulting and business valuation.
Darius Eslami ’09 married Emma Boroson on May 4 at Willowdale Estate in Topsfield, Massachusetts. More than 25 alumni from as early as the class of 2003 were in attendance. Many laughs, memories, and drinks were shared in a display of unbridled enthusiasm.
Jacqueline Chambers ’10 married Murat Koseoglu in Crete, Greece, on September 21, 2019. The couple met when they were colleagues on Seabourn Cruise Line —Jacqueline was the assistant cruise director and Murat was the destinations manager. The couple now resides in New York. Pictured are Management Division lecturer Bret Bero, Tiffany Otto ’12, Koseoglu, Chambers, Catherine Lau ’10, Vanessa Theoharis ’10, Lauren Birnbaum ’10, and Jonathan Birnbaum.
Matthew Delaney ’08 co-founded GEM Wealth Management. The business provides custom financial strategies to individuals and small businesses.
2014
Eric Muli, Odyssey Capital founder and CEO, was named to the 2019 Forbes Africa 30 Under 30 list. His company, which provides financial products and services to Kenya’s lower- and middleincome brackets, is listed by the London Stock Exchange Group “as one of the companies to inspire Africa,” according to Business Insider.
Carla Planz ’17 married Eugenio Gonzalez ’16 on April 13 at St. Ann Church in Gloucester, Massachusetts. Joining the celebration were many Babson friends, including (back, from left) Janina Kotulich ’17, Haley McNamara ’17, Gustavo Chan ’15, Michael Bocamazo (Olin, ’17), Walter Cuje ’16, Bahar Golmohammadi ’17, Emilie Newman ’17, Michael Kliska ’16, Brandon Morrison ’17, Benjamin Smith ’16, and (front, from left) Raul De Las Fuentes ’16, Karla Chavez ’16, Adriana Contreras ’16, Manusha Chereddy ’16, Paulina Bosque ’16, Grace Carew ’16, Lana Le ’16, Yvonne Yankey Mensah ’16, and Emily Cerra ’17. Also attending were Denning Aaris, Alumni and Friends Network (not pictured), and Crista Mahoney, Babson Catholic chaplain (not pictured).
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NEWSNOTESANDNODS
GRADS
1 976
Ray Phillips MBA’76 was elected chair of the Board of Directors of Hanscom Federal Credit Union. Phillips was elected to the credit union’s board in 1994 and has served as treasurer since 2018.
1 978
Carl Vercollone MBA’78 joined Business Transition Strategies’ team of advisors, which works with privately held companies throughout New England. He has more than 30 years of experience in corporate finance structured finance, and project finance
A group that met in the part-time MBA program in the mid-1990s vacationed together in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, in April. Pictured from left to right are: John Murphy with his wife, Louise Tully Murphy MBA’95; George Thissell, husband of Lori Keiran Thissell MBA’94; Charlie Ehl MBA’94 and his wife, Janet Mullen Ehl MBA’96. Charlie and Janet met at Babson. And, Billy O’Carroll, husband of Marcia O’Carroll MBA’94.
1 986
1 999
David Weston MBA’86 joined portfolio management firm Plimoth Investment Advisors as a trust office . He will serve clients as their primary relationship officer and will represent the firm, which provides investment management, trust services, and retirement plans.
Katherine Macdonald MBA’99 was named director of the The StevensCoolidge Place by land conservation and preservation nonprofit The Trustees. Macdonald will oversee operations and management of the historic North Andover home and Trustees’ public garden site, in addition to Trustees’ natural recreation sites, Weir Hill and Ward Reservation.
1 990
Lisa Campbell MBA’90 joined the Dropbox board of directors. She previously was chief marketing office and senior vice president of business strategy and marketing of Autodesk. Campbell held several roles during her 16-year tenure at Autodesk and helped drive brand affinity and loyalty to its 18 million users. “I’ve been impressed by the (Dropbox) team and the future they’re building and am eager to join the company on its mission of designing a more enlightened way of working,” she said in a Business Wire statement.
Paula Bentlage Currie MBA’95 joined the leadership team of Second Life Mac as vice president, procurement. The Apple device buyback company purchases pre-owned products from schools and businesses to allow organizations to use funds for future technology purchases. Currie previously worked at Apple as an educational sales representative and was a trusted advisor to schools.
1997
2004
Chris Chou MBA’04 was named vice president of real estate advisory fir McCall & Almy. In his role, he will advise clients on strategic planning, development feasibility, and disposition and acquisition services. He previously served with Colliers International’s Development and Consulting Services Group.
Michelle Vilms MBA’01, Vilms Consulting president and CEO, was named a 2019 100 Top ProAdvisor by small business advisor magazine Insightful Accountant. Vilms and the accounting and advisory firm serve midsize business customers and organizations through the combination of newest technologies and a human approach.
Noel Donnelly MBA’97 was appointed chief financial officer of CNS-focused therapeutics company EIP Pharma. He previously worked at Takeda Pharmaceuticals, where he led a strategy and operations team, and spent more than 15 years at Shire, where he built responsibility and leadership in the company’s finance and research and development departments. Darlene Murphy MBA’94, president of Wellesley Asset Management, was ranked 41st nationwide and fifth in Massachusetts on Forbes’ list of America’s Top Women Wealth Advisors. It was the second consecutive year Murphy was named to the list. Wellesley Asset Management specializes in the management of convertible bonds.
1998
Stephanie Lynch-Habib MS’98 was named chief marketing officer of the GSMA. She oversees the association’s global marketing and communication strategy. Previously, Lynch-Habib was the chief marketing officer at Colt Technology Services.
Professional poker player Bernard Lee MBA’99 appeared on the television series “Stories from the Stage: For the Win,” which ran on WGBH and the WORLD Channel. The show features storytelling and interviews from subjects not normally seen on television. Lee has won more than $2 million and nine titles since turning pro following his appearance in the 2005 World Series of Poker.
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2005
Tim McKinnon MBA’05 joined CloudCheckr as CEO and board member in June. The company offers the world’s broadest and deepest cloud cost and security management platform, and recently closed a $15 million funding round.
2006
Joanna Lidback MBA’06 was inducted into the Vermont Agricultural Hall of Fame as its 2019 emerging leader. Lidback is a farmer, consultant, volunteer, and family farm advocate. She previously received the Young Jersey Breeder Award from the American Jersey Cattle Association in 2016 and also was a member of the Agri-Mark Young Cooperators Program.
2009
INMEMORIAM
Karen Giuliano MBA’09 was named 2020 Distinguished Research Lecturer by the American Association of CriticalCare Nurses. The award, one of the association’s most prestigious honors, signifies how the recipient’s work has influenced critical care and nursing practice. The organization is the world’s largest specialty nursing association, serving more than 120,000 members.
GOT NEWS?
Alumni News is in demand! To accommodate news and photos from as many alumni as possible, please limit entries and photo captions to 50 words or less. Babson Magazine has two requirements for Alumni News photos: The submitting alum must be in the picture, and the image must be at least 4 x 6 inches at 300 dpi–no digital alterations, please. We can’t promise that all submitted photos will run, but we’ll include as many as possible. Please email all news to the Alumni News Editor at alumnews@babson.edu.
2010
Stephen Davis MBA’10 was promoted to principal in the Healthcare Practice at executive search firm WittKieffer. He has more than a decade of experience in healthcare executive search, and works to identify C-suite and senior leaders on behalf of hospitals, medical schools, and physician practices. Before joining the firm, Davis worked in strategic sourcing and workforce planning for a Fortune 100 company.
Kathleen M. Hughes (formerly Brown) MBA’87 of Westford, Massachusetts, died on June 17 surrounded by her loving family after a 12-year battle with breast cancer. Hughes had a successful 30-year career in the field of healthcare information technology.
2011
Luke Cooper MBA’11 was named a finalist for the 2019 Ernst Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award.
2015
Dani Babineau MBA’15, Redemption Rock Brewing Co. CEO and co-founder, was named to the Worcester Business Journal’s 40 Under Forty list. Babineau opened her brewery in a former CocaCola bottling facility after raising almost $1 million through crowdfunding. The brewery opened in January but has been in the works for more than five years.
William Kanaga ’48, H’88, of Orleans, Massachusetts, July 21. Jack Dewey ’49, P’80, of Needham, Massachusetts, October 12. Frederic Adam Mayer Jr. ’50, of Marlborough, Massachusetts, July 15. Morris Foye III ’53, of Tinton Falls, New Jersey, July 12. Bruno Rodriguez ’55, of San Juan, Puerto Rico, April 29. David Petri ’58, of Quincy, Massachusetts, May 26. Gordon Swanson ’60, of Brewster, Massachusetts, July 24. Charles Klotsche ’62, of Palm Beach, Florida, May 23. Robert Loker Jr. ’62, of Alton, New Hampshire, June 15. Marc Serlin ’62, of Longmeadow, Massachusetts, July 25. Jack Peterson ’63, MBA’65, of Brookline, Massachusetts, Aug. 19. Alfred Moore Page ’64, of Tryon, North Carolina, Aug. 7.
Dewitt C. Howell Jr. ’65, of Killingworth, Connecticut, December 1, 2018. George Bradford Roop ’65, of Queensbury, New York, July 7. Marcelino Garcia Jr. ’67, P’97, of San Juan, Puerto Rico, June 20. John Kennedy MBA’67, of South Yarmouth, Massachusetts, June 1. Ronald Shamon ’68, of Plymouth, Massachusetts, Aug. 19. Steven Hanke ’69, of Burleson, Texas, July 26. S. Braley Gray III MBA’70, of Franklinton, North Carolina, March 28. James Grady MBA’71, of Pahrump, Nevada, July 17. John Carney MBA’74, of Marston Mills, Massachusetts, June 30. Lance Bundles ’76, of Indianapolis, Indiana, June 19. Alan McGillivray MBA’78, of Westwood, Massachusetts, July 13. Nicholas Maravell MBA’79, of Essex, Connecticut, July 1.
2016
Randy Martinez MBA’16, CVS director of strategic diversity management, was added to the Teach for America Rhode Island advisory board. He has worked with CVS for 13 years and is currently responsible for executing the company’s diversity management strategy. Martinez also provides advice and counsel for the company’s leadership on diversity management goals and strategies.
Ann Oulton ’80, of Walpole, Massachusetts, June 21. Leo Sheehan MBA’80, of Abington, Massachusetts, July 26. Catherine Byrnes Sullivan ’85, of Groton, Massachusetts, July 22. Morrison Bonpasse MBA’86, of Newcastle, Maine, June 7. Richard Weber MBA’86, of Providence, Rhode Island, Aug. 19. Kathleen Brown-Hughes MBA’87, of Westford, Massachusetts, June 17. Richard Hassler MBA’94, of Littleton, Massachusetts, Aug. 14. Kevin Stark MBA’94, of Holden, Massachusetts, Aug. 14. Tasha Vincent MBA’98, of Malden, Massachusetts, June 2. Michael Ciacciarelli, of Saugus, Massachusetts, Aug. 24.
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BEAVERTALES
WHEN THE CLASS OF ’49
Came to Babson
J
A look back at the people, events, and moments that shaped Babson College.
Jack Dewey, 1949
ust two days after war or battles,” Dewey says. “It graduating from high was past.” Dewey was one of school, Jack Dewey ’49, P’80 253 men to earn their degrees in 1949, and he went on to work at left home to join the Navy. Liberty Mutual Insurance for 40 The year was 1945, and the years. He also remained involved world was at war. with Babson for decades, as Bill Fortunately for Dewey, that great conflict World War II, Cruickshank ’49, H’99, one of ended a few months later. He Babson’s biggest cheerleaders, would spend the next year or would recruit Dewey to help with raising funds from their so aboard a cargo ship tasked fellow classmates. with doing repair work of other “You could not say no to Bill,” vessels. Sailing around a world says Dewey, who in September newly at peace, Dewey and his Jack Dewey, 2019 received the Richard J. Snyder fellow sailors were welcomed Distinguished Service to the everywhere they went. College Award. “Everybody loved us,” Dewey remembers. In 1984, the Class of ’49 When his time in the Navy established its scholarship fund was over, Dewey came to in honor of its 35th reunion. Babson. In the fall of 1946, he Through the years, the scholarship joined other returning veterans has been awarded to nearly 250 eager to settle into civilian life. students. “You ought to see the That group of students, the achievements of our scholars,” Class of ’49, swelled enrollment Dewey says. “I am very proud of that.” at the school and brought a Today, only 24 members of new vitality to the institution. In the decades that followed, the Class of ’49 remain, as the they also established a robust relentless march of time has taken scholarship fund that continues to make an its toll. Dewey lives at the North Hill retirement impact on Babson students today. “We think community, located just down the road from the scholarship program has succeeded Babson. Considering that North Hill sits on land beyond our wildest dreams,” says Dewey. actually owned by Babson, people who know As was typical of the Greatest Generation, Dewey like to joke: “Jack loved the College so Dewey and his fellow students didn’t dwell on much that he never left the campus.” their war experiences while at Babson. Sure, – John Crawford they might relay a funny story from their time in the service, but otherwise, they were ready Editor’s Note: With great admiration and heartfelt to focus on their studies and start their careers. sadness, we dedicate this story to Jack Dewey, who “I can never remember anyone talking about passed away in October.
40 BABSON MAGAZINE / WINTER 2019
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