BABSON
MAGAZINE
SUMMER 2020
THIS CLASS IS MADE FOR THIS MOMENT PAGE 12
IN TIMES OF UNCERTAINTY, ENTREPRENEURIAL LEADERSHIP IS ESSENTIAL The world can change in the blink of an eye. Entrepreneurial leaders know how to take action. Upgrade your leadership skill set with a Babson graduate degree. Both the Babson MBA and Master of Science in Advanced Entrepreneurial Leadership are offered part time with fully online courses. Take advantage of a 20% tuition discount for Babson alumni with the Second-Century Alumni Grant.
babson.edu/msael
FROMTHEPRESIDENT
and strength in adversity. The unexpected culmination of your Babson careers has shown that you are equipped and ready to thrive
I
amid uncertainty and lead in a chaotic world. n this issue of Babson Magazine, we
celebrate the Class of 2020. We
long-distance assistance to help women
commemorate the breadth of your Babson
in Ghana launch and grow their own food
In crisis, you took action. You provided
experience—replete with learning, friendship,
ventures. You brought together actors,
connection, and growth—and we acknowledge
singers, and dancers for Babson’s first
the unique conclusion of your time on campus.
stay-at-home musical. You ran impromptu
Most importantly, we welcome you to the
marathons to raise critical funds for local
Babson alumni community, a network that
communities. You inspired Babson’s faculty
will support and champion you throughout
to reimagine the definition of a classroom.
your careers and lives.
your opportunities. More than ever, the world
In 100 years, when historians reflect on
As entrepreneurial leaders, challenges are
the 21st century, 2020 will be a demarcation
needs leaders who can employ the power
line—a year punctuated by events so
of thinking and acting entrepreneurially
profound and seismic that they shaped
to produce scalable solutions to complex
the arc of history. The Class of 2020 is
and urgent problems. The Babson
inextricably linked to this transformative
community is prepared to innovate, tackle
moment, these world-changing events. Your
big challenges, and lead with empathy.
generation is being defined in real time, and
your actions will determine the trajectory
celebration when our community is able
of communities, societies, and the world.
to gather and congratulate the Class of
2020 in person next spring. We are proud of
This spring, when global circumstances
It will be a tremendous and historic
necessitated our rapid transition to virtual
you, we support you, and we look forward
learning, the Class of 2020 demonstrated
to celebrating your achievements and
flexibility, agility, grace under pressure,
cheering you on as you change the world.
Stephen Spinelli Jr. MBA’92, PhD
SUMMER 2020 / BABSON MAGAZINE 1
TABLEOFCONTENTS
FEATURES
Made for This Moment 12 As the celebrated Class of 2020 showed its strength and resilience by overcoming
Twenty Reasons We Love the Class of 2020 18 How do we love thee, Class of 2020? We couldn’t begin to count the ways.
2 BABSON MAGAZINE / SUMMER 2020
challenges and heartbreak, Babson’s most recent graduates prove they’re ready to shape their futures a. nd make their mark on the world.
From a first-generation college graduate to an MBA student living out his dreams, these amazing individuals provide countless examples of achievement and inspiration. Here, we offer a small sample of 20 reasons we love this class.
DEPARTMENTS
4
10 AWARD WINNER Babson Magazine was named an American Inhouse Design Award winner by Graphic Design USA for its Spring 2020 issue.
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BABSON MAGAZINE STAFF Volume 87, Number 2
1 4
From the President Babson and Beyond Babson Students for Black Lives Matter leads an impressive movement at this pivotal time. Plus, a new faculty committee on diversity, equity, and inclusion; the College prepares for the return to campus; Ken Matsuno, Lawrence P. Ward, and Dr. Claire-Cecile Pierre; the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor; and more.
10
Office Hours
11
People of Babson
28
Athletics
30
Advancement Spotlight
34
News, Notes, and Nods
40
Beaver Tales
From women’s entrepreneurship to digital education, Professor of Management Nan Langowitz constantly creates opportunities and moves the College forward.
Caitlin Capozzi, the new dean of students, loves campus life and helping students make the most of their transformational time at Babson.
Babson’s student-athletes have a unique bond with the Special Olympics. Plus, the Class of 2020 contributed to an impressive list of athletic firsts.
EDITOR Eric Beato PUBLISHER Kerry Salerno, chief marketing officer CREATIVE MANAGEMENT Cheryl Robock CREATIVE ART DIRECTION Cathy Cahill SENIOR JOURNALIST John Crawford JOURNALIST Bryan Lipiner CONTRIBUTORS Scott Dietz, Christina Etre, James Kiley, Karl Klaussen, Kait Smith Lanthier, Brianna Radicioni, Thecla Ree, Wendy Schoenfeld MULTIMEDIA TEAM Christopher Brown, Paul DeWolf, Maggie McGinnis, Adam Pearlman
We welcome your feedback on the magazine. Contact Eric Beato at ebeato@babson.edu FIND OUT MORE ABOUT WHAT’S HAPPENING AT BABSON COLLEGE AT:
entrepreneurship.babson.edu
On the cover: Photos provided by the Class of 2020
Alumni welcome the Class of 2020 to the network with words of wisdom.
Undergraduate, 34; Graduate, 37; Connections, 36; In Memoriam, 39
Remembering the origins of the popular Beaver Brau, the first watering hole on campus and the forerunner of the Roger’s Pub & Grille of today.
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 2020 by Babson College. Editorial office: Babson Park, MA 02457-0310. Send address corrections to advancement_services@babson.edu, or call +781-239-4044.
SUMMER 2020 / BABSON MAGAZINE
3
BABSONANDBEYOND
Babson Students Support
nriched by their diversity of
Student Organization, Student
races, cultures, backgrounds,
Government Association, and Origins
and perspectives, and united by
of Necessary Equality—are targeting a
a shared vision to create positive
fundraising goal of $50,000, in honor of
change in the world, students from
the BSU’s 50th anniversary this year.
81 Babson College organizations and
athletic teams have come together for
of community members who showed
one cause: Babson Students for Black Lives Matter.
up and showed out for this fundraiser,”
“Our students need this level of support
They have rallied together to act, and
“We are so grateful for the hundreds
the student leaders said in a statement.
with the College’s support, stand for
and empathy not only for philanthropic
justice for the shocking, immoral deaths
initiatives, but also to reform and
of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tamir
enhance the College on the principles
Rice, Tony McDade, Ahmaud Arbery,
of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Their
Manuel Ellis, and countless others.
voices are key to the prosperity of
Babson, and we need to amplify them.”
“This fundraiser came to life after
a brief conversation between the five
of us (in June), and now we have over
community, dispersed equally to three
150 student leaders assembled in
organizations: 100 Black Men of America,
support of three amazing nonprofits.
NAACP Legal Defense and Educational
Conversations and action around racial
Fund, and Equal Justice Initiative.
justice do not stop here,” said Britney
Aguayo ’21, Jaylen Bell ’21, Ysbely
driven to solve problems, to lead with
Santos ’23, Motolani Osinowo ’21, and
empathy, and to create solutions to
Andrea Lindner ’22 of the Fundraiser
complex systemic challenges,” said
Leadership Committee (pictured at
President Stephen Spinelli Jr. MBA’92,
right, top to bottom).
PhD. “It is our responsibility to discuss
and explore these issues, to listen and
“We plan to build on this unity from
All proceeds will benefit the Black
“As entrepreneurial leaders, we are
this point forward. This initiative is
learn, to confront our own biases, and
bigger than Babson, and we believe
to speak out and lead change.”
that with the right initiatives and
structures, Babson can build a
organizations and athletic teams
community of effective, dedicated
comprising Babson Students for Black
allies. Stay tuned for what we do next!”
Lives Matter, visit entrepreneurship.
babson.edu.
The 81 student groups—including
Babson’s Black Student Union, African
For a complete list of the 81 Babson
— Brianna Radicioni
SUMMER 2020 / BABSON MAGAZINE 5
BABSONANDBEYOND
FROM THE GROUND UP
New Faculty Committee on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Passionate and motivated by what is
about anti-racism and developing
being called a long overdue awakening
cases with more diverse protagonists
to systemic racism, a group of Babson
across Babson classes. These are just
faculty is working to lead change
two examples of what is underway to
from within.
embed DE&I in the curriculum.
“There is a mandate from the
world for Babson to lead the change we
The goal? That Babson becomes
“Babson Brave,” what Opie refers to
envision,” said Vice President of
Associate Professor Tina Opie (center)
as an environment in which “every
Academic Affairs and Dean of the
Jerome Taillard in what they are calling
graduate is known to be fluent in
College Ken Matsuno. “We must do
the core committee.
diversity, equity, and inclusion,” Opie
better.”
said. “Graduates have each explored
the College to successfully integrate
their own racial attitudes … they
diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I)
know the difference between racism,
Committee for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion,
into the curriculum for each and
prejudice, and discrimination … they
and Development. Or, DoF Inclusive
every class.
understand what their attitudes are
Excellence Committee, for short.
about race, where those attitudes came
This change will come in the form of a
new committee: Dean of Faculty, Faculty
One of the main objectives is for
“It’s very hard for me to think of any
“We should have done this
area (of interest or study) where DE&I
from, and how those attitudes interact
yesterday,” said Associate Professor
do not need to be addressed, or are not
with people who think differently.
Tina Opie, who was recently named
relevant,” Opie said.
chair. She joins Matsuno, Chief Diversity
grad can say they have done that level
& Inclusion Officer Sadie Burton-Goss,
and creating other workforce-related
of introspection and connection,”
Assistant Professor Anjali Bal, Associate
initiatives, faculty currently is in the
Opie said. “That to me is a competitive
Professor Kankana Mukherjee, Professor
process of revising Babson’s curriculum
advantage. Especially now.”
Mark Potter, and Associate Professor
to consider more classes that teach
In addition to recruiting, training,
“Imagine if every single Babson
— Brianna Radicioni
‘THIS FEELS DIFFERENT’ Babson Commemorates Juneteenth “This moment feels kind of different,” said Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer Sadie Burton-Goss as she opened Babson’s first virtual, communitywide Juneteenth celebration, “like a type of turning point.” A turning point filled with heartbreak, anger, and frustration. A turning point filled with hope. Led by well-known leaders and allies of Babson’s Black community, this Juneteenth celebration was filled with motivation, education, and action-based authority. “This is a time to reflect on the past, but more importantly, to focus on the future … the changes that have already been made, and the impact we can truly have,” said Amanda Strong ’87, Babson trustee and chair of the College’s first committee on diversity,
equity, and inclusion. Proud of the accomplishments Babson has made thus far, and even more hopeful for its future, Strong shared that the College has its most diverse board in Babson history, a new special-interest living community called The Johnson House for its Black Student Union (BSU), and three committees focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion. This year, BSU also is celebrating its 50th anniversary. BSU President Jaylen Bell ’21 promises action. “When there is no vision, the people shall perish,” Bell said. “The wealth gap that we are experiencing … and the systemic forces that allow for it to happen, they shall be closed 50 Juneteenths from now … in
BSU’s 100-year anniversary.” Bell thanked countless members of the community, including alumni, staff, faculty, the Black Affinity Network, the Office of Multicultural and Identity Programs, and the 81 student organizations and athletic teams that stepped up to organize a fundraiser to support Black Lives Matter. “When we look 50 Juneteenths from now, on June 19, 2070, our ancestors (will) cry tears of joy … because they see economic development and systematic reform through the power of entrepreneurship,” Bell said in closing. “The only way we can truly get there is through unity and leaning on one another.” — Brianna Radicioni
WATCH BABSON’S ENTIRE JUNETEENTH CELEBRATION: 6 BABSON MAGAZINE / SUMMER 2020
entrepreneurship.babson.edu PHOTO: PAIGE BROWN
Q&As with Ken Matsuno and Lawrence P. Ward As Babson College re-creates its organizational model in alignment with its strategic plan, two prominent leaders have new positions: Ken Matsuno is the new vice president of academic affairs and dean of the college, and Lawrence P. Ward is the new vice president of learner success and dean of campus life. We recently caught up with them as they embark on their new roles. Read the full interviews at magazine.babson.edu.
How is Babson ensuring its high academic standards in remote and hybrid learning modes? “We have been reconceptualizing and retooling our courses to capture the full potential of technology-enhanced learning, building on two decades of successful blended learning in the graduate programs and the fresh lessons learned from our virtual campus experience this year. Our faculty have spent the summer participating in an intensive online teaching training program, developing techniques and delivery strategies to enhance the hybrid and online learning environment, and redesigning courses to be more accessible, creative, and impactful. We’ve invested in hardware and software that will improve the virtual classroom experience and facilitate more seamless class discussion. These efforts have the simultaneous benefit of preparing us for the fall semester and reinvigorating curriculum and pedagogy.”
“This year has reinforced the importance of what Babson teaches and what we pioneered for many years. We’re equipping our students to thrive amid uncertainty, and to see challenges as opportunities, in a way that will prepare them for anything the world throws their way. Those skills extend to our faculty and staff. I think we saw entrepreneurial leadership in action this year in a way we have rarely seen before. We didn’t look for it, but circumstances demanded it, and the Babson community responded. I’ve learned that even at 100 years old, Babson can continue to grow and evolve in extraordinary ways, and I have been reminded again and again that our global community is truly remarkable.”
LAWRENCE P. WARD
KEN MATSUNO
What have you learned about the Babson community this year?
MATSUNO PHOTO: WEBB CHAPPELL
“My goal, in partnership with Ken, is to be more intentional about integrating the academic, student
WARD PHOTO: PATRICK O’CONNOR
How is Babson helping students through this disruption to their community/student life? “Students are the lifeblood of the College, and their connections to faculty, staff, and each other are essential to their growth, development, education, and sense of place in this world. We’ve learned that the pandemic demonstrably has affected students’ emotional health and wellbeing. So, we know that the most important student success priorities for the short and longer term are providing support academically within and beyond the classroom, ensuring access to more mental and emotional health resources, building professional and career management skills, and providing continuous opportunities for social and human connection.”
What advice do you have for students returning this fall?
In your new role, what are your primary focal points and objectives?
COMMENCEMENT
life, and campus experiences across all levels. Students don’t arbitrarily segment their experiences based on how we’re organized as a College. They have one lived ‘Babson Experience.’ So, my mission is to ensure that our organization structurally, philosophically, and behaviorally aligns with and reflects that lived reality.”
“I do believe that you all are the key to a successful future. So, my best advice and guidance would be to develop a comfort level with being uncomfortable. And, know that we will be here to support you along the way.”
The celebration of the Class of 2020 will continue into next year with Commencement to be held in person Saturday, May 15, 2021, following Commencement for the Class of 2021 on Saturday, May 8, 2021. SUMMER 2020 / BABSON MAGAZINE 7
BABSONANDBEYOND
Returning to Campus and Our Next Normal
Babson’s phased return to campus, beginning in August, has been guided by two principles:
1. Working to safeguard our community, and 2. Maintaining academic continuity.
HEALTH AND SAFETY
Face Masks
Physical Distancing
Extensive Signage
Wear a face covering in all
Keep at least 6 feet of space
Look for designated entrances
facilities and shared spaces, and
(one Biz length) between
and exits, as well as other
while traveling across campus.
yourself and others.
directional signs.
Symptom Monitoring
Testing
Students and employees are
Rapid COVID-19 testing
Isolation and Quarantine Protocols are in place for people
required to participate in daily
will be conducted for all
who test positive or have been in
symptoms reporting, and anyone
students and employees
close contact with someone who
feeling sick is instructed to
planning to re-enter campus.
has tested positive.
remain home.
ACADEMIC CONTINUITY
Access for Learners Everywhere
Teaching and Technology Excellence
Virtual and Face-to-Face Experiential Learning
• Hybrid and online classes
• All faculty trained and certified
• Field consulting, internships,
accessible for all students
in online learning
and experiential courses
• Fully online first-year
• Innovative courses designed
• Programs from Babson’s action-
pathway, including FME
for online or hybrid delivery
focused centers and institutes
VIEW ALL OF THE COLLEGE’S GUIDELINES AND POLICIES: 8 BABSON MAGAZINE / SUMMER 2020
babson.edu/together
‘BABSON CAN PLAY A CRUCIAL ROLE’
Dr. Claire-Cecile Pierre Leads Pandemic Response and Carmella R. Kletjian
increase access to health and provide
Foundation.
economic mobility.”
“COVID-19 is a health
One notable early project has been
crisis that has resulted in
her collaboration with Babson students
an economic crisis,” Pierre
who offered much needed assistance
says. “The pandemic has
to Harbor Health Services, a network
caused intense suffering
of community health centers, with
and incredible loss. It
its transition to telemedicine. Pierre
has disrupted our supply
serves as chief medical officer at Harbor
chains and pushed
Health, where telemedicine became a
us to use technology
necessity in the wake of the
Babson has an important role to play in
differently. Unfortunately, it also has
coronavirus outbreak.
the global response to the pandemic.
shown structural inequities locally and
Pierre looks forward to launching
worldwide.”
programs with Babson faculty and
the executive director of Babson’s
hopes for meaningful engagements
new Kerry Murphy Healey Center for
impact, Pierre says. “Babson can play
with alumni. The Babson community,
Global Healthcare Entrepreneurship,
a crucial role in ensuring that current
she says, carries a wide range of
which aims to bring the power of the
healthcare entrepreneurs—and the
expertise that can advance global
entrepreneurial mindset to global
next generation of people leading our
healthcare entrepreneurship.
health challenges. The Healey Center
economies and our health systems—
was established in 2019, thanks to a
apply ET&A™ (Entrepreneurial Thought
many areas,” she says. “I am excited by
generous donation from the Steven C.
& Action®) to design solutions that
the possibilities.”
So says Dr. Claire-Cecile Pierre,
This is where Babson can have an
Gems from GEM
“We have so much work to do in so — John Crawford
BOOK SHELF
Good Reads by Babson Community
The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM), co-founded by Babson in 1999, is the world’s foremost study of entrepreneurship. Its recent research—including the GEM U.S. Report, GEM Black Entrepreneurs Data, and the forthcoming GEM Family Business Report—continues to illuminate the state of entrepreneurship.
66
19.9
entrepreneurs % U.S. started their business
Black % U.S. population in
with the motivation to make a difference in the world, among the highest level in the developed economies.
» Source: GEM U.S. Report
the process of starting or running a new business, the highest level of entrepreneurship compared to whites and Hispanics/Latinos.
» Source: GEM Black Entrepreneurs Data
Coming in September: GEM Family Business Report FOR COMPLETE COVERAGE OF GEM RESEARCH: PHOTO: PAIGE BROWN
entrepreneurship.babson.edu
First Pitch: Winning Money, Mentors, and More For Your Startup by Debi Kleiman. Babson College Publishing, 2020. Debi Kleiman, the executive director of The Arthur M. Blank Center for Entrepreneurship, illustrates how to perfect a compelling pitch designed to persuade and impress potential investors and partners. For more faculty books, visit magazine.babson.edu SUMMER 2020 / BABSON MAGAZINE 9
OFFICEHOURS
Always Moving Forward
From women’s entrepreneurship to digital education, Nan Langowitz creates opportunities Over 28 years of chance to come together molding entrepreneurial and talk with each other leaders at Babson, Nan about online pedagogy.” Langowitz has become Langowitz knows the embodiment of an good teaching is good entrepreneurial leader teaching, regardless of herself, identifying the method. This spring opportunities and was no exception, pursuing solutions. when the pandemic The longtime professor interrupted her of management was undergraduate elective, the founding director Leadership, but didn’t of Babson’s Center for disrupt the unique Women’s Entrepreneurial opportunity she created Leadership (CWEL), for her 41 students. serving in that role from They worked in 2000 to 2007. She has groups to develop been a pioneer in digital concepts to create education on campus, and scale a new teaching courses in the Entrepreneurial Blended Learning MBA Leadership Village, the I’ve been able to program for 15 years. centerpiece of the new And, since September, Arthur M. Blank School invest at Babson to Nan Langowitz, professor of she has been the for Entrepreneurial management and faculty director imagine changes and inaugural faculty director of the Center for Engaged Learning Leadership. In the last and Teaching (CELT) create new things. for Babson’s Center for session of the class, community.” Engaged Learning and Teaching (CELT). students presented Now, in “I’ve been able to invest at Babson,” their best ideas to her role with CELT, she’s on the front Langowitz says, “to imagine changes President Stephen Spinelli Jr. MBA’92, lines of the College’s digital education and create new things.” PhD and D.R. Widder MBA’99, vice efforts. Working with the Academic The impact she made at CWEL, president of innovation, via Webex. Technology Innovation Center, CELT in particular, endures. Among other “I was able to use it to get them to launched a robust Online Teaching things, CWEL has helped increase think creatively to imagine something Training Program in June, preparing undergraduate women on campus that doesn’t yet exist,” Langowitz all faculty for a fall semester that will from 34% to about 50% of the student says. “It was a true entrepreneurial make all courses accessible virtually, population and graduate women from leadership activity.” depending on student needs. 24% to almost 40%. The kind she has been creating on “The idea is to really try to give “I’m pretty proud that a little idea campus for 28 years. faculty an opportunity not only to that got started with a group of us 20 “The most important thing to me learn whatever the next set of tools years ago has helped the College move personally,” Langowitz says, “is how I is that they feel they want to improve forward in that way,” Langowitz says. can help Babson move forward.” on,” Langowitz says, “but also to have a “It’s done a lot of good for the campus — Eric Beato
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BABSON MAGAZINE / SUMMER 2020
PHOTO: MICHAEL QUIET
PEOPLEOFBABSON
Small Talk with
CAITLIN CAPOZZI Caitlin Capozzi has rarely strayed far from campus life. After graduating from Syracuse, she spent a year working for her sorority, visiting colleges across the country. Capozzi landed at New York University, where she earned her master’s in communication and found her calling as a graduate assistant while working with NYU’s Fraternity and Sorority Life. A brief stint as a tech recruiter left her miserable and searching for “the one thing that brought me happiness.” So, in 2011, she returned to the campus lifestyle, joining Babson, where she is the new dean of students. How does Student Life support students? “We’re responsible for making sure that what happens outside the classroom complements what’s happening inside the classroom. We also do a lot of work helping fuel students’ passions. I think so much of what Babson teaches around entrepreneurship feeds right into what we try to do in student development, helping our students do good, learn about themselves, and make good decisions.” So much has changed during your time at Babson. Have the students changed? “The main thing that’s stayed the same are the students, how intelligent our students are, how passionate our students are. If anything, I think students are even more prideful of Babson and their education here. The other thing that has remained constant is that we really are a relationship-based institution. The students at Babson come back for the people, and they use that network. Even during the pandemic, I don’t think that part goes away, and I think that’s what will actually sustain our community at this time.” What do you find most rewarding about working so closely with students? “I always joke that I loved college so much that that’s why I never left. College for me was such a transformational time from where I was in high school to where it launched me, so there is something so special about being a part of that transformation with our students. They come in so smart with such great ideas, and they navigate this place, then they do amazing things. And I can say, ‘I knew them when,’ and I got to be a little — Eric Beato part of their journey.” TO READ OUR COMPLETE Q&A WITH CAITLIN CAPOZZI: magazine.babson.edu
PHOTO: MICHAEL QUIET
SUMMER 2020 / BABSON MAGAZINE
11
As the celebrated Class of 2020 showed its strength and resilience by overcoming heartbreak, Babson’s most recent graduates prove they’re ready to shape their futures and make their mark on the world. By Eric Beato
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BABSON MAGAZINE / SUMMER 2020
PHOTOS PROVIDED BY CLASS OF 2020
SUMMER 2020 / BABSON MAGAZINE
13
en minutes T before starting
a midterm exam
in her Health Care: Markets, Analytics and Strategies class, Lauren Hemingway MBA’20 checked her email. It was 6:20 p.m. on March 10, and what she read would change everything—for her, her classmates, and the entire Babson
that dramatically altered their final semester at Babson—and their futures. Time and time again, these students have proven their strength and resilience, their ability to thrive amid disruption, and their potential impact as entrepreneurial leaders. Just listen to them talk about the present and the future. The Class of 2020 knows it is prepared to tackle the unprecedented uncertainty of its times.
Conlon Spirit Award for his leadership, integrity, and willingness to support others. Working together, Darwiche is confident about the class’ future. “I think that 10 years from now,” Darwiche said, “you’ll see a Class of 2020 with extremely successful people who have learned a ton from opportunities like this.”
College community. Because of the pandemic, the College announced that it would move all students off campus and all classes online for the rest of the semester. “The whole exam, that’s all I can think about,” Hemingway said. “I was very, very mad. I wasn’t mad at Babson; obviously, it’s what they had to do, and it was out of their control. But, I love to go to school, and this was our last chance to be together. “And, I was sitting in a three-hour exam.” Hemingway wasn’t alone in her frustration. The Class of 2020— undergraduate and graduate students alike—shared a sense of tremendous loss. Shocking. Overwhelming. Mourning. Those are just some of the words that Babson’s most recent graduates use to describe the week before spring break, when they had to pack up their belongings, say goodbye to friends, move off campus, and prepare to complete their Babson experience online. First, though, Hemingway had to finish that pesky midterm. How did she do? “Oh, I got an A,” she said. “I was fine.” Like Hemingway, the entire Class of 2020 aced the real-life pop quiz
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BABSON MAGAZINE / SUMMER 2020
Isaac Darwiche ’20 knows the importance of failure. “Personally, I’ve grown a ton throughout my time at Babson and understanding how failing is just part of the road,” Darwiche said. “These rocks in the road, they are things you can use to build your own home. Being an entrepreneurial leader and coming from Babson, that’s the main thing I learned.” Darwiche, who started at Babson in January 2017, is due to start his first job as a trader for BNP Paribas in August, but he’s just as focused on helping his classmates traverse this rocky road. “I’m lucky enough to have this offer for now, but I want to help other people who don’t,” said Darwiche, who’s not alone in looking out for his fellow alumni. “You’re seeing how the Babson community is supporting itself.” It’s that compassion and empathy that helped earn him the Michael J.
Johanna Mouyal ’20 knows the importance of adapting. She was born and raised in Paris, moved with her family to Miami when she was 13, advanced from English as a Second Language as a high school freshman to AP-level English classes as a junior, then completed her Babson degree in three years. “Babson really taught us to not be fearful,” Mouyal said. “I don’t have a job right now, but I’m not at all fearful.” Instead, she’s focused on studying for the GRE and applying to graduate school. And, as a certified nutritionist and wellness consultant, she’s writing an e-book on the connection between mindset and nutrition. “I’m very proud of being a part of the Class of 2020. It’s definitely a class that will forever be remembered for our resilience and for not giving up,” Mouyal said. “Our class, specifically with everything we’ve learned at Babson, we’re very much well-equipped to
PHOTOS PROVIDED BY CLASS OF 2020
handle everything that life throws at us. “We have a degree under our belts and we have the knowledge and we have the network from Babson. When we look back in 30 years, I want to make sure I’m telling my kids how I handled it in terms of my mental strength and that I was a good person to my community.”
Abdul Karim MBA’20 knows the importance of surviving. He and his wife came to the United States intent on earning their MBAs, so he worked while she studied. Then, he began Babson’s One-Year MBA program in May 2019 while she cared for their 2-year-old daughter back home in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Alone in Boston for the first six months, he was determined to make the most of his Babson experience, spending countless hours on campus, sometimes returning home at 2 or 3 in the morning. By March, his family had returned to Boston, his startup venture was at a critical juncture, and he was trying to navigate his precious final semester (including 18 credits). Then, the pandemic hit. “It was overwhelming personally,” he said. But Karim credits Entrepreneurial Thought & Action® (ET&A™)—and a standing daily Zoom invitation with his 39-person cohort—for helping him persevere. “This one year has completely
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transformed my life and how I take things in life,” he said. “I feel ET&A now is part of our DNA.” Karim has been forced to temporarily park his startup venture, CollegeSpot, an online platform to help improve recruiting for colleges by connecting them with prospective students, and is now looking for a job as a product manager to make ends meet. Yet, he remains confident for the future. “Yes, these are difficult times, and I’m sure there will be so many difficult hurdles that we have not thought of or imagined before this,” he said. “But, one thing I know for sure: Whenever I say that I am the Class of 2020, people will immediately remember how tough the situation was and what kind of attitude was required during that time. Credit to Babson for teaching us those survival instincts and how to always stay hungry for success.”
Lauren Hemingway, who aced that midterm in March, knows the importance of Babson. Her parents—Peter Hemingway ’84, MBA’91, P’20 and Christina Sica Hemingway ’81, P’20—met as undergraduates. “Now, I feel like Babson belongs to me in a very different way, and I have my own part of Babson history now,” she said. “It’s enriched by our whole family experience, but I really feel like I’ve been able to kind of have my own story.”
Hemingway began the Two-Year MBA program in 2018, terrified to make the switch after a career as a graphic designer. But, she conquered her initial fears and became a standout in the grad school. She also parlayed an internship into a full-time job as marketing and digital communications manager with BONESUPPORT, a Swedish osteobiologics company. In the end, Hemingway received the Marketing Award and a Dean’s Leadership Award, and she was chosen as the student speaker at The Penultimate Lecture. Her message was simple: We are ready. “Never has our ability to think outside the box been more vital. We will be the leaders who create lasting change, because we are not afraid to fail,” she told her fellow graduate students. “I know we are ready to face these challenges, because we are entrepreneurs. … We know not only how to solve problems, but how to make sure we are solving the right problems. In a world that seems to be cracking around us, I can think of no group better prepared to meet this challenge head-on.”
The challenges are daunting, but Gabbi Tiangco ’20, for one, knows the Class of 2020 is a force to be reckoned with, too. “It’s our class that is tasked with the opportunity to rise to the occasion and really instigate the change we want to see in the world,” she said, “especially now with a lot of the things that are going on, not just with COVID, but with Black Lives Matter and so many injustices that are going on around the world. I’m pretty confident that it’s going to be us who will hopefully make that change.” The Class of 2020 knows it was made for this moment, and it’s ready to answer the call.
PHOTOS PROVIDED BY CLASS OF 2020
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By Eric Beato, John Crawford, and Bryan Lipiner
How do we love thee, Class of 2020? We couldn’t begin to count the ways. The Class of 2020 will be cherished forever—not just for its perseverance through unique circumstances, but mostly for the amazing individuals who represented the class with … well, class. For example, there’s a valedictorian with a perfect GPA, a champion of sustainability, a hockey player who turned pro, and “the social glue of the graduate school”—plus, an impressive dance ensemble and t he first MBAs from Babson College Miami. There are countless other examples of inspiration and achievement, but here we offer just a small sample of 20 reasons we love thee, Class of 2020.
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PERFECT 4.0 Rayan Goyal ’20
THE CONNECTOR Drishtee Gupta MSF’20
Drishtee Gupta MSF’20 is so adept at making connections among the graduate school community that people just assume she knows everyone’s name. “I really don’t think I knew everyone. I wish I did!” Gupta says. “There are so many talented, entrepreneurial, and motivated students at Babson. And, if I am sitting next to one on campus, why shouldn’t I make conversation with them?” Gupta began making conversation and connections even before she began in the MSF program. She created an Instagram account (@babogradstudents), on which she profiles fellow grad students. “It’s a way of connecting to people who are going through a similar journey and are willing to share it with the rest of us,” Gupta says. “It can be hard to know who wants to help you, and that can make us shy to reach out to them. The Instagram account spotlights make it easier to find these people.” Connections and networking also helped Gupta find a new career path. As a fashion student and intern during her undergraduate years, she realized the need to bolster her financial skills to boost her burgeoning fashion career. At Babson, though, she discovered private equity and embarked in a different direction. She now is a private equity and advisory analyst at Elevation Gained Partners. After completing her program this fall, Gupta plans to get into investment banking or stay in private equity. “I continue to network and learn about other grad students and industry professionals,” she says. “Each step helps get closer to the next.”
Nothing says perfection like “four-point-oh.” Rayan Goyal ’20 came to Babson from a school in India that had a very competitive and grade-focused environment, yet he insists it was never his objective to achieve the holy grail of grades: a 4.0 grade point average. “I was frankly tired of trying to compete for grades with my peers. It really was exhausting,” Goyal says. “As cliché as it sounds, I enjoyed the process of learning and questioning things much more than the results. However, I am still honored to be the Class of 2020’s valedictorian, given how talented and intelligent my peers are.” Goyal’s straight-A marks are just the third 4.0 at Babson in the past two decades—an impressive feat considering all of the challenges and team-based projects an undergraduate must navigate. “I really do believe that team-based projects helped me in a variety of ways,” Goyal says. “I constantly learned from others’ experiences and perspectives. It was not so much about getting an ‘A’ project but more so about motivating each other to work hard and about learning from each other.” Goyal, whose concentration was in business analytics, was on the executive board of the Babson Undergraduate Business Analytics Club; the CFO of his Foundations of Management and Entrepreneurship (FME) company, Lift-Ez; and a Math Resource Center consultant. Now, with a 4.0 on his transcript, Goyal is focused on his startup venture, MetaLogic Consulting, with his roommate, Aditya Kaushika ’20.
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TEAMMATES FOREVER
Elizabeth Baer ’20 and MacIntyre Henderson ’20 Skiing may be an individual sport, but Elizabeth Baer ’20 and MacIntyre Henderson ’20 credit their teammates for spurring their successes. Acquaintances as competitive skiers from Utah before committing to Babson, the pair not only excelled on the slopes and in the classroom but also cultivated lifelong friendships. “My only regret is that I did not get to know Liz earlier,” Henderson says, “for I’m sure that if I had, I would be far more successful than I am today.” That may be hard to believe after what the pair accomplished. Over the course of hugely successful alpine skiing careers, Baer and Henderson collected multiple All-America accolades, culminating in sweeping Babson’s Govoni Scholar-Athlete Award. Besides earning the accolades and awards and the high GPAs, both Baer and Henderson say they’re most proud of the team itself. Says Baer, who is currently working and living in Sun Valley, Idaho, while searching for a job in the fitness industry: “I can’t express how amazing the Babson ski team is. I am inspired, energized, and motivated by my teammates. Babson ski was at the core of my Babson experience. What sets this team apart is that each student-athlete truly shows up for each other, no matter if that’s on the hill or in the classroom.” Says Henderson, who is helping his family’s real estate development business in Park City, Utah, while working remotely for a real estate investment firm: “We as a team push each other to reach higher and push harder. Each of our teammates is equally deserving of this award, for each of them has spurred our growth into the individuals we are today.”
Elizabeth Baer ’20
MacIntyre Henderson ’20
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STAYING CONNECTED @babson2020
Before the Class of 2020 even set foot on campus, it had its own Instagram account. On May 2, 2016, @babson2020 appeared. “Babson here we come,” read the first post, accompanying the Babson seal. The unofficial account was created by an anonymous high school student trying to connect future classmates. “People were really eager to engage,” the Instagrammer says, intent on keeping their identity a secret. “It was pretty exciting in the beginning.” During the summer of 2016, @babson2020 raised school spirit with quotes and photos to keep future Beavers hyped for campus life—even imparting reminders for housing deadlines and class registration. Once the Class of 2020 arrived, and students were connecting in person, the Instagram account lay dormant—for nearly four years. On March 17, as students were moving off campus, @babson2020 was reactivated. “I thought, what a cool opportunity to try to stay connected with people like we did so many years ago,” the Instagrammer says. “But, now we know each other, and now it feels even more important to know what’s going on in each other’s lives.” Come Senior Week, the account—now with 472 followers—was alive with memories from the past four years, followed by a flood of students celebrating their Babson degrees. Now, its manager says the account will stay active through Commencement—and maybe longer: “It’d be fun to keep it going for a long time, to see people starting businesses, and doing amazing things in their careers, and getting married.” Whatever happens, the Class of 2020 will always have Instagram.
BAER PHOTO: RANDY BURWELL
HENDERSON PHOTO: LINSEY FAGAN PHOTOGRAPHY
GAME ON! Emely Cedano ’20
Emely Cedano ’20 loves playing, reading about, and learning about video games. She loves change. She loves puzzles. And, she loves solving problems. But, it wasn’t until late in her junior year that Cedano realized she could combine her passions and make a career out of gaming. At Babson, Cedano had shifted her job focus from consulting to marketing but wasn’t happy and felt lost. So, second semester of her junior year, she met with Lee Goldstein, associate director of counseling in Babson’s Hoffman Family Undergraduate Center for Career Development (CCD), who helped her research gaming companies in the area and helped her write cover letters to PlayStation, WB Games, and Rockstar Games, among others. “She was always there to check up on me and help,” Cedano says. “CCD truly helped me out in more ways than one.” Cedano began reaching out to Babson alumni, namely Gabriel Goldwasser MBA’11 at WB Games, who helped point her in the right direction. That spurred her to spend a semester away in San Francisco—a hub for gaming and data companies—where she taught herself coding and attended gaming conferences. Cedano then interned with WB Games Boston and, since completing her degree in May, now works as a data analyst for WB Games San Francisco, where she extracts and analyzes game data. “It means the world to me to be working in the gaming industry,” Cedano says. “I get to help analyze data from some of my favorite games and get to solve new problems everyday with an amazing team that is so open to helping each other learn, grow, and succeed. I love what I do and who I get to do it with.”
FINDING FINANCE Nancy House MBA’20
Nancy House MBA’20 worked at a law firm before arriving at Babson to pursue her MBA, unsure how her skills would translate, especially in finance. Then, she took Associate Professor Jerome Taillard’s Introduction to Financial Management course, which changed the trajectory of her career. “It was a watershed moment,” House says. “Every class built and expanded upon the prior, adding to my confidence and curiosity along the way. Jerome would dissect complex new concepts into their component parts, clarifying each before moving on to the next. By the end, what seemed daunting at the beginning felt natural, and I was eager for the next challenge.” Over the course of the Two-Year MBA program, House rose to conquer every challenge, eventually winning the Finance Award as the top MBA student in finance. House not only excelled in an unexpected field but also discovered a new career path. She is returning to Boston this summer to start a full-time job in private wealth management at Goldman Sachs, where she interned last summer.
SOCIAL CHAIR
Franziska Ibscher MSEL’20 She has been described as “the social glue of Babson’s graduate school.” Franziska Ibscher MSEL’20 takes pride in that. She organized many social events—most notably “Wednesdays at Roger’s” with her MSEL colleagues—and constantly kept her cohort and the entire grad school connected on campus and even remotely. She, of course, has a lot to say on the topic, so maybe it’s best to let the self-described “social butterfly” have the floor: “For me, it is important to be around diverse groups of people in order to learn and to thrive. As a highly extroverted person, I attain my energy from social interaction. … Whether it was MSEL, MSF, or the MBA programs, being connected with a lot of people was highly important for my motivation and energy level as Babson became family. “Without a support system, life can be very hard, and this is why it was important for me to be that person who actively tried to bring people together and achieve a harmony within groups so that we became our family. The natural feeling of belonging has to be fulfilled, so someone had to create a family for MSEL. “In the end, I managed to achieve three dreams that I had before starting at Babson: starting my own startup; building a social network in the cohort; and being the valedictorian of MSEL.” Well said, Franziska. And well done.
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SUSTAINABILITY SOLUTIONS Emma MacPhail ’20
BRIDGE BUILDER Sienzhi Kouemo ’20
You may have seen him at Trim Dining Hall or Reynolds Campus Center, conversing with friends and classmates from across the world. As a member of a number of clubs and organizations, Sienzhi Kouemo ’20 certainly is career-driven and well-known by his peers. All told, he’s also always glad to listen. “I love talking to people,” Kouemo says. “These conversations help shape my view of the world.” It’s fulfilling interactions like these that led Kouemo to pursue a career path in marketing. He also was influenced by his time exploring India, China, and Russia while studying abroad with the BRIC program. “That experience opened my eyes to brand positioning; how brands have to tailor their image to different parts of the world,” he says. “That stuck with me.” At Babson, Kouemo bridged students, alumni, and the Board of Trustees as an inaugural participant in the new campus advancement ambassador program. He also joined the Student Government Association in his pursuit to leave his mark. “My goal was to leave a legacy behind,” Kouemo says. “I got to hear different student voices and perspectives, understand their needs, and determine what we can do to make their Babson experience better.” He maximized his time as an undergraduate and encourages current and future students to carve a similar path. “Don’t wait for things to happen to you,” Kouemo says. “Go seek them out. When people see potential, they want to help you.”
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Emma MacPhail ’20 was in high school when a friend convinced her to adopt a vegan lifestyle, and Elon Musk inspired her to learn more about climate change. As she explored the animal agriculture industry and its impact on greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation, water and air pollution, and biodiversity loss, MacPhail admits she felt defeated. “At first, these realizations gave me a really bleak outlook on the future of our planet,” MacPhail says. “But, I realized that it is my responsibility as a person informed on the subject to do anything and everything I can to help in the fight against global warming.” So, she came to Babson determined. As a first-year student, MacPhail led the food committee of the Babson Sustainability Club, spearheading Meatless Mondays at Reynolds Campus Center to expose students to vegan food and its impact on the environment. As president of the Sustainability Club, she hosted trash cleanups, ran a water-saving campaign, and began hosting “Sustainabili-tea” sessions to stir discussion on environmental issues. Her efforts were recognized with the Environmental Sustainability Award. She credits a dedicated group of like-minded classmates—and Babson’s “impressive offering of environmental sustainability courses”—for raising awareness. But, she says there’s still a long way to go to get the student body to fully embrace sustainability. MacPhail also has worked in Apple retail for 2½ years and hopes to stay with the company—“a model for innovation in corporate environmental sustainability”—for the foreseeable future. It’s a future that’s surely brighter because of her efforts.
BALANCING ACT Isabel O’Dogherty MBA’20
BEST & BRIGHTEST Haley Pesce ’20
Haley Pesce ’20 has all the accolades to prove her success—in and out of the classroom—but they only begin to tell her story. With a dual concentration in marketing and global business management, Pesce was awarded the Bertrand R. Canfield Marketing Award, and she earned recognition as one of Poets & Quants’ Best & Brightest Business Majors, along with classmate John Wen ’20 (see more, Page 24). “I believe I can speak for both of us when I say that our accomplishments, academically and extracurricular, did not come without sacrifices,” Pesce says, “and being recognized for this award makes it all worth it.” As a sweeper back on the field hockey team, Pesce started all 43 games her final two seasons, collecting a host of honors, including twice being named a ZAG Field Hockey/National Field Hockey Coaches Association Division III Scholar of Distinction. “My college experience would not have been complete without being a member of the Babson field hockey team,” she says. “Grit, teamwork, time management, and enthusiasm are all characteristics I’ve gained from athletics that can definitely be transferred to my professional career.” She’s calling on all of those traits now. The job offer she had lined up was rescinded because of the pandemic. So, Pesce is channeling her passion for health and wellness into a job as a farmhand on an organic vegetable and flower farm with an eye on a career in the food and nutrition sector. “This has been perfect for me in the interim, while I look for a job,” she says, “allowing me to continue my food blog on the side.” She’d love to return to Italy, where she spent a semester abroad, so she’s applying to the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Bra, Italy, and searching for jobs in Europe and the United States. It’s a bright future for one of Babson’s best and brightest.
The work required to earn a graduate degree from Babson is not for the faint of heart. Creativity is critical, as is an open mind and a relentless work ethic. “Professors are keen on making you think and realize that there is always more than the right answer and that execution is everything,” Isabel O’Dogherty MBA’20 says. “You are taught to do things differently, to roll your sleeves up, to think outside the box.” It’s even more challenging for someone such as O’Dogherty, who was so active in student life. As a member of Babson’s Two-Year MBA program, O’Dogherty had the honor of being selected as one of 19 women entrepreneurs for the Women Innovating Now (WIN) Lab® program, which offered her the resources and opportunities to learn from “incredible experts, mentors, coaches, and peers.” She also served as co-president of the College’s Latin American Club, helping to oversee its annual forum, and as a member of the Babson Dining Student Advisory Team. Leading the Latin American forum “was one of the most fulfilling experiences of my time at Babson,” O’Dogherty says. “It forced me to put my leadership style under a magnifying glass. “I realized that one of the biggest challenges is not to do the things yourself but to encourage others to make things happen.” These extracurricular activities and accomplishments were squeezed between trips to Colombia, India, and Iceland. Now, back in her home country of Mexico, she isn’t afraid to lean on her peers, no matter where they are. “I will always have my Babson network,” O’Dogherty says. “It is incredible how successful people from all over the world are willing to pick up the phone or answer your emails just because you are from their alma mater.”
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THE CURTAIN RISES Babson Dance Ensemble
SECOND DEGREES
Stand on stage during a Babson Dance Ensemble (BDE) performance, and a wall of sound hits you from the audience. That sound is enveloping and exhilarating. “Every fall, we tell our new members,” says Alexa Maetta ’20, “ ‘Trust us, you won’t be able to hear the music opening night.’ ” One of the largest student organizations on campus, BDE performs shows in both the fall and spring to rollicking crowds. Maetta remembers how uplifted she felt when she returned to the BDE stage for the first time after recovering from several knee surgeries. “There is no better feeling than hearing the Babson community as the curtain rises and the stage lights go up,” she says. The pandemic, however, forced the cancellation of BDE’s spring show, which would have been the last time on stage for the organization’s seniors. “My senior show being canceled was a tragedy to me,” says John Wen ’20. Still, the memories from past shows, and the hard work that went into creating them, remain. Looking back on his time in BDE, Wen thinks of late-night practices, of the amazingly talented friends he made, and of the collective joy after the curtain closes on a successful performance. (See more on Wen, Page 23.) Maetta marvels at the support and commitment of her fellow dancers and choreographers through the years. “We each shared the same goal,” she says, “and that was putting on the best show possible.”
Double Beavers
Kayla Florence ’14, MBA’20 always suspected that corporate America wouldn’t be for her. She found herself drawn back to Babson to earn her MBA. “There is nothing quite like the entrepreneurial mindset,” she says. “Babson’s entrepreneurial focus is unique and right where I wanted to be.” Florence now is co-founding a substance abuse treatment center. In the Class of 2020, she is one of 17 newly minted Double Beavers, alumni who have earned two degrees from Babson. Myrna Suarez ’19, MSEL’20 decided to come back to Babson because she was still trying to fine-tune her career options. “I think my undergrad years gave me a chance to explore and discover my passions, and graduate school gave me the chance to act upon them,” she says. “I ended up reaching goals that at one point in my life I would have seen as unattainable.” As an undergraduate, Jessica DiPhilippo ’15, MBA’20 (above left) played on the women’s soccer team, an experience she treasured. Returning to Babson, she not only pursued an MBA, but she also is serving as the team’s assistant coach. “I was honored to be given the opportunity to come back to coach at my alma mater and bring my education to the next level,” she says. Sixteen years had passed since the last time Jeremy Hill ’04, MBA’20 (above right) had graduated from Babson. That means he had other responsibilities to balance, namely being a father and a husband, that he didn’t have the first time around. But, just as he did years before, he found his professors and classmates to be inspiring. “I have been impressed by so many of my classmates,” Hill says. “Similar to my undergraduate peers, I expect them to remain lifelong friends.”
Lizbeth Ledesma ’20, front and center, on retreat
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SENIOR LEADER Lizbeth Ledesma ’20
Each academic year, Lizbeth Ledesma ’20 had the opportunity to attend the FirstYear Senior Retreat, starting as a participating first-year student and continuing thereafter as a facilitator. This annual experience provided valuable insight into the role of the senior leader, which she says is to be a storyteller who helps new students ponder their personal goals by offering wisdom. “My biggest message was to place greater emphasis on processing your thoughts and reflecting and finding your community,” Ledesma says. Ledesma’s leadership skills are largely due in part to her own experiences. Early in her first year, she found difficulty adjusting to the college environment. But, it was at her First-Year Senior Retreat where she was provided with a journal, which held a special place on her residence hall desk for the rest of the year. “When I felt lost, I picked it up and just wrote,” she says. “It was a healthy coping mechanism for myself.” Her outlet was writing. As a senior leader, she learned to support students by listening. “They want to be heard,” Ledesma says. “During freshman year, things go by so fast. They do not process such a huge transition in their lives, and even if they do, they do not have someone to talk to about it.”
STAYING TOGETHER Sorority Sisters
Before Babson grads join the impressive network of alumni, they build friendships, much in the same way professionals foster connections. The bonds built among Alex Beck ’20, Julia Doran ’20, Hannah Grayson ’20, and Priya Kapoor ’20 are model examples, even as members of different sororities and student organizations. Beck and Doran have been friends since they became roommates as first-year students, and their relationship continued in Chi Omega. Grayson and Kapoor similarly got to know each other as friends from across their residence hall, and their relationship continued in Sigma Kappa. Kapoor and Doran connected with each other during the group’s sophomore year, when they were respectively serving as president and vice president of the College’s Panhellenic Council. A summer internship and a group dinner brought the foursome together as friends shortly before senior year. “The rest is history,” Kapoor says. “We became friends because we all have similar interests, and we enjoy each other’s company.” The importance of incorporating varying perspectives in cultivating new innovations, Grayson says, also applies to building networks and friendships. “It is so important to be friends with people from different backgrounds, cultures, and on-campus organizations to become a more compassionate and empathetic person,” she says. In early July, the four friends and now alumnae moved into an apartment together in Boston’s North End. They will stay connected for the foreseeable future—and beyond. “We have a balance between silly and serious moments,” Doran says. “As much as these women are fun to be around, they are also driven, compassionate, and loyal, and inspire me to be a better woman in both my professional and personal lives.”
Clockwise from top left: Priya Kapoor ’20, Hannah Grayson ’20, Alex Beck ’20, and Julia Doran ’20
REACHING OUT Andres Furlan MBA’20 Andres Furlan MBA’20 makes connections with impact. As co-president of the OUT Network, he engaged more allies with the club, reinforced relationships with other colleges, and co-created the diversity mixer. “We gathered people from the different diversity clubs, and we did a mixer with games,” Furlan says. “We had a very good attendance. We collected information about what students need regarding diversity.” And, as a ROMBA Fellow, Furlan attended the 2019 Reaching Out LGBTQ+ MBA & Graduate (ROMBA) Conference last October in Atlanta. Drawing on that experience, he has helped create information for the Babson website for incoming LGBTQ+ students. “It was a super valuable experience for me,” he says. “I think every LGBTQ+ student should go to the conference. This conference is an amazing opportunity to meet the ROMBA community and to represent our community as a Babson LGBTQ+ student. It is an opportunity to network with other professional leaders from different universities and companies around the States and the world. Also, students have the opportunity to understand the LGBTQ+ business world, and to learn about diversity in the workplace.” Now, as a global solutions manager at Anheuser-Busch InBev, Furlan is leading its People Products Team. Ask Furlan which other achievements mean the most to him, and he’ll cite being on the organization committee for the Babson Entrepreneurship Forum, being invited to speak about diversity at a faculty and student panel, and just being in the Babson community. “I love being part of this collaborative, diverse, and inclusive community,” he says. “I was able to be myself all the time. Thanks, Babson!” Thank you, Andres.
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THE DREAMER Cristian Leiva MBA’20
TURNING PRO Ryan McDougall ’20
When the nationally ranked Babson men’s hockey team was upset in the conference quarterfinals Feb. 22, seemingly dashing its NCAA hopes, Ryan McDougall ’20 could have lamented the abrupt end to his collegiate career. Instead, he took matters into his own hands, embarking on a whirlwind journey in pursuit of his dream to play pro hockey. “From the time we lost,” he says, “it was a crazy couple of days.” McDougall contacted all 10 teams in the Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL), including the Pensacola Ice Flyers, who offered the defenseman a tryout contract. He then reached out to professors to temporarily leave campus, hopped a flight to meet his new team in Peoria, Illinois, and—six days after the heartbreaking defeat—made his pro debut with the Flyers. He started his first pro game the next night, then rode the team bus nearly 900 miles back to Florida, and played three more games the next weekend. The next day, Babson, against all odds, received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, its first since 2014. “Obviously, being a captain of the team,” he says, “it was a proud moment.” However, McDougall, now a pro, wouldn’t be able to rejoin the Beavers, so he planned to extend his stay in Pensacola and delay his return to campus. It all was moot: Once Babson moved online, the NCAA tournament was canceled, and the SPHL suspended its season. The experience not only fulfilled a lifelong dream but also set up his future. “If I hadn’t gone, I’d just be another name,” says McDougall, who already has received three pro offers to play next season, whenever it starts. He likened the process to the entrepreneurial mindset he learned at Babson. “I think taking the initiative and seeing the opportunities that are out there and having the ability to do it on your own, I think relates a lot to Babson,” he says. “One of the larger lessons I’ve learned over my four years is things may not go your way, but the harder you work, the luckier you’ll get.” McDougall proved lucky—and good.
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Cristian Leiva MBA’20 had a dream. Inspired by his brother, Guillermo Leiva MBA’11, he envisioned earning his own MBA from Babson. Cristian Leiva gained valuable experience with U.S.-based companies while working in his native Chile and preparing to attend Babson. He and his sister, Carola Leiva MBA’18, were accepted into the MBA Class of 2018, but a health exam revealed several tumors on his pancreas, and he was forced to undergo life-saving surgery in Chile. His dream, nearly derailed, never diminished. He recovered, enrolled with the Class of 2020, and was determined to make the most of his Babson experience. Leiva spent nearly every waking hour on campus, often arriving before 7 a.m. and staying until 10 or 11 p.m. “I used every facility at Babson,” he says. Breakfast at Reynolds, classes at Olin, lunch at Trim, studying at Horn, down time at the Diversity Suite, dinner at Reynolds, training at BRAC, and back to the library. “Babson gave me the best two years of my life,” he says. “It is a whole new experience not only inside the classroom but also getting involved in the community. That is why Babson is so important to me.” During his darkest days, Leiva had another dream. “Being chosen as a Commencement speaker was something that I thought about back in 2018, when things were personally difficult,” he says. “At that moment, I had a vision, me talking in our graduation ceremony, and while I was doing my MBA, it was something that came to my head frequently.” Sure enough, Leiva was selected to address his classmates. That dream, too, has been deferred until the class can gather safely on campus. But, as always, Leiva will be ready to make the most of it and deliver his message of hope and encouragement. “No matter what is happening in your life, as bad as it appears, always be grateful for what you have, and from that point, you will become stronger to face anything,” he says. “If there is something in life that you want to do, you should work daily until you accomplish that goal.” Leiva is proof that dreams really do come true.
MCDOUGALL PHOTO: JON ENDOW
FIRST GENERATION Tara Masjedi ’20
Tara Masjedi ’20 recognizes her journey resembles a fairy tale. “We come from a low-income background, so this is kind of like a Cinderella story, where I just got so lucky,” she says. “I’ve been so successful and grown so much that I seriously cannot imagine what my life would be like if I didn’t come to Babson.” Masjedi’s tale starts with her parents, who emigrated from Iran in the 1970s right before the revolution. They arrived in Southern California with “only the clothes on their back,” she says. Her father started a business, but it was destroyed by the devastating Northridge earthquake in 1994. “It’s a story of overcoming any challenges and being so strong,” she says, “and it’s really inspired me to follow on their path.” That led her to Babson as a first-generation college student and as a CWEL (Center for Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership) Scholar. Masjedi made a huge impact across campus, ultimately receiving the Student Contribution Award. She served as a peer mentor and was president of both Babson Hillel and the First Generation Student Organization, which carried significant importance. “A lot of times, as first-gens, we forget our worth, because we don’t realize how much we’ve overcome,” she says, “and through that, we’ve built so much strength and confidence.” Masjedi graduated with a double concentration in retail supply chain management and environmental sustainability. She is interning at a startup, Tee Commerce, before starting as an e-commerce associate at Wayfair in November. “It’s such a significant achievement for not only me, but also my family,” she says of her Babson degree. “It’s honestly indescribable how big of an impact it’s had on my life.” It’s a tale destined to continue happily ever after.
From left to right: Samantha Capobianco MBA’20, Mariana Yepes MBA’20, and Hesley Solano MBA’22
PIONEERING CLASS Babson College Miami
For Samantha Capobianco MBA’20, the decision to pursue an MBA was about making an investment in something important: herself. “There is something very special about investing in yourself,” Capobianco says. “It allows you to reach higher.” Capobianco is one of 17 students who graduated this May with MBAs from Babson’s campus in Miami. Babson has a growing presence in the entrepreneurial city, and the close-knit and diverse class marks the first group to earn their Babson MBAs there. “It was very exciting but also came with a lot of responsibility,” Mariana Yepes MBA’20 says. “We wanted to make sure the program was as successful as possible and that future cohorts would have a great experience as well.” The Miami graduates are an eclectic group. They work in a wide variety of organizations, from banking and real estate, to construction and retail, to nonprofits, startups, and family businesses. Befitting Miami, a city considered the unofficial capital of Latin America, the cohort also is international. While most of the members now reside in the Miami area, they were born in countries far and wide, including Argentina, Colombia, Peru, and Venezuela. Such disparate life and work experiences made for a vibrant learning environment. “I was able to learn from instructors but also from my classmates,” Jose Darsin MBA’20 says. Yepes agrees: “My classmates made the whole experience so memorable. I truly feel I have friends for life whom I can rely on anytime.”
SUMMER 2020 / BABSON MAGAZINE 27
ATHLETICS
Babson’s unique bond with
SPECIAL OLYMPICS
When Babson Athletics was seeking a
community service partner three years
Carosottos, as Kristin’s mother is a
ago, little did anyone know the impact
special education teacher and two-
it would have, especially for one Babson
time national champion volleyball
student-athlete and her family.
coach for both East Greenwich High
School’s unified team and the Special
Babson teamed up with Special
It’s truly a family affair for the
Olympics Massachusetts, and now
Olympics Rhode Island team. Kristin
plays host to hundreds of athletes for
played on the unified basketball team
community basketball games and
in high school while her father and
a regional basketball tournament
older brother are members of separate
on two Sundays in the winter. The
unified adult teams.
event has been so successful that, in
January, Babson received the 2018–2019
focus on the achievement,” Kristin said,
Community Service Award in the
“you focus on the process you went
Special Olympics category by the
through to give a kid with intellectual
National Association of Division III
or physical disabilities an opportunity
Athletic Administrators.
to shine and feel like they’re a
normal athlete.”
As rewarding as these events are for
“With Special Olympics, you don’t
the Babson student-athletes, coaches,
That is the experience Babson
and staff, there’s one young woman
Athletics tries to create when student-
in particular whose relationship with
athletes, coaches, and staff volunteer
Special Olympics hits close to home.
as announcers, fans, referees,
These kids need the littlest amount to have the greatest happiness.
28 BABSON MAGAZINE / SUMMER 2020
Women’s volleyball player Kristin
scorekeepers, and timekeepers.
Carosotto ’20—a recent graduate whose
Members of Babson Public Safety and
family resides in East Greenwich, R.I.—
the Wellesley Police Department hand
grew up with Special Olympics. Her
out medals after the games, and an
brother, Matthew (pictured at left with
athletes’ village offers various activities
Kristin), was born with Down syndrome.
and games.
“Special Olympics has the most
“Having Special Olympics at
accepting, most kind, most hard-
Babson was really interesting because
working, giving people and community
my worlds collided,” Kristin said. “I
I have ever experienced,” Kristin said.
always talk to my teammates about
“It’s an amazing organization that is
Special Olympics, and they get it; they
so meaningful to so many people, and
understand what I’m saying, but you
I feel it doesn’t get enough attention
don’t really feel the joy and happiness
or funding. These kids need the littlest
in your heart of a Special Olympics
amount to have the greatest happiness.”
event until you go and experience it.”
PHOTOS: CHUCK LINDBERG
FIRSTS IN CLASS
The Class of 2020 is one of the most successful in Babson’s athletics history, contributing to a school-record seven nationally ranked teams— twice. Here are some of the class “firsts”:
Field Hockey: First Final Four In fall 2016, the field hockey team became the first women’s program in school history to advance to an NCAA Final Four. Five first-year players—Cate Diamond, Carla DiBiase, Kate Driscoll, Haley Pesce, and Tori Roche—later completed successful four-year careers, winning every NEWMAC regular-season game.
Men’s Basketball: First National Title In winter 2017, the men’s basketball team captured its first national championship—and the school’s first in 33 years. The historic team—which included first-year players Jack Coolahan, Frank Oftring, and Shyheim Ulrickson—posted a program-best record of 31-2.
Softball: First Regional Championship In spring 2017, the softball team repeated as NEWMAC tournament champion and claimed its first regional title. Eight first-year players—Victoria Casey, Katie Gademsky, Charlie Guscott, Annie Mitchell, Jacqueline Paul, Tori Roche, Kayla Schinik, Brooke Stock— contributed, and later completed four-year careers.
Men’s Alpine Skiing: First Slalom Championship In winter 2018, the men’s alpine skiing team captured its first slalom title at the USCSA national championships. Jack Blanchard and MacIntyre Henderson went on to become the only seven-time All-Americans in program history, and Sean Robinson and Eli Wolfson also represented the class.
Women’s Volleyball: First Elite Eight In fall 2018, the women’s volleyball team earned its first national ranking en route to its first NCAA Elite Eight berth. Elizabeth Cameron—the program’s only NEWMAC Player of the Year—led a group of four juniors, including Kristin Carosotto, Erica Schwegman, and Emily Woodward.
Baseball: First College World Series In spring 2019, the baseball team posted a historic season, including its first NCAA College World Series appearance and its first top-five national ranking. Ten juniors—Alex DiMartino, William Gallagher, Sean Harrington, Michael Nocchi, Jake Oliger, Hunter Salem, Aidan Scott, Zack Sette, Jack Theriault, and Matthew Valente—contributed to the success. FOR MORE SPORTS NEWS: babsonathletics.com
SUMMER 2020 / BABSON MAGAZINE 29
ADVANCEMENTSPOTLIGHT 30
Words of WISDOM Advice to the Class of 2020 from your fellow alumni
BABSON MAGAZINE / SUMMER 2020
As the members of the Class of 2020 transition from students to alumni, they close one chapter and open another. The class is welcomed by a vast network of fellow Babson alumni from all over the world—valuable resources for personal and professional connections and lifelong learning opportunities. Here, Babson’s amazing alumni offer their best advice to the Class of 2020.
Kamaal Jarrett MBA’12
It’s been a tough year, but use this time as an opportunity for self-reflection. Now, more than ever, the world will be relying on its future leaders to develop opportunities for growth and positive change. Be brazen in your quest for innovative solutions, especially in the face of those who tell you things are impossible.”
Once you make it through this tough time, there is nothing you can’t handle. Ten years from now, you’ll look back and marvel at how you conquered the strangest experience in the history of college students. You’re part of a remarkable and historic class!”
Dandan Zhu ’09
The chance for growth is tremendous during times of imbalance. Get excited about new opportunities and be willing to embrace change in whatever way moves you forward. There’s so much to learn in the areas of discomfort—that’s where the growth is.”
Lawrence Ganti ’97
Life after graduation is a steep learning curve. Ask yourself at the end of each day, ‘What did I learn?’ As you begin the next chapter of life, remember that only you can choose which doors to open—the most important thing is to recognize the doors.” Sharlene Sones ’86
Be bold. Be creative. Think of how you can contribute to whatever job and gain the skills needed to move up or move out into the place you want to go. Leverage each other. Your classmates will help you along in life more than you know.”
Life is a marathon and with a Babson College education, you get a huge head start. What you do with it is up to you, but I suggest you get running and keep distancing yourself from the rest of the crowd. Best of luck!”
Setira Grizzle ’09 Eric Dosal ’00
SUMMER 2020 / BABSON MAGAZINE
31
ADVANCEMENTSPOTLIGHT
Joel Holland ’08
If you are debating getting a ‘real’ job or following your passion to start a business, consider this: You are graduating from one of the top schools in the country, and you will always be able to get a good job with Babson on your resume. But, if you postpone your entrepreneurial dreams, you might live to regret it. So, why not take the shot? Worst-case scenario, you ‘fail’ and then start a great career. Best case, you get wealthy doing something you love. Does the reward outweigh the risk? Almost always.”
Know that you’re not alone. You have the entire Babson community behind you, rooting for you, and waiting to support you in any way.”
Gail Noronha ’09
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BABSON MAGAZINE / SUMMER 2020
Shared suffering is never pleasant, but it has bonded you all together. So, rely on each other, help each other, and look on the bright side—you have a topic of conversation that will instantly connect you with any other 2020 graduate, anywhere in the world.”
Eric Yang ’09
Each of us can choose to become the kind of leader that helps make our society more just and more equitable. We can accomplish that in a series of small but significant actions that leave a lasting impact and make where we work and live more welcoming to all.”
Jeffrey Brown ’86
Kerryann Bryan Benjamin ’02
Maya Angelou said, ‘Each of us has the right, that possibility, to invent ourselves daily. If a person does not invent herself, she will be invented.’ Be mindful of people who tell you what you should be or do. Instead, innovate daily on the masterpiece that is you.”
The most valuable advice I can give is to always strive to be the student in every room, meeting, and conversation. Listen but don’t be silent.”
HELP BABSON. HELP YOURSELF. A planned gift can help protect your assets, provide for your family, and guarantee you income for life while supporting Babson. You can make a significant impact through a gift that costs nothing in your lifetime. To learn more, contact:
Tony Collier ’09
Sandra Anthoine
Director, Planned and Leadership Gifts
santhoine@babson.edu +781-400-9397
Dan Wheelock MBA’15
Complacency kills. You’re not going to get better as a person by just hanging out—you have to continually work to make the changes you want to see.”
BABSON.GIFTPLANS.ORG
Babson’s Annual Day of Giving SEPTEMBER 17
NEWSNOTESANDNODS
UNDERGRADUATE 1986
Jeffrey Brown ’86, president and CEO of Brown’s Superstores Inc., established the Pennsylvania 30 Day Fund to assist small businesses affected by the COVID-19 shutdown. Each grantee, which was otherwise ineligible for government loans or grants, received a forgivable loan of $3,000.
1989
Sean Wheeler ’89 is a senior partner at Kearney, and managing partner for his firm’s Turkey, Black Sea, and Caucasus Region. He has spent more than 25 years living and working in London; Dubai, United Arab Emirates; and now Istanbul, supporting a variety of international clients. He also is leading his firm’s regional social impact pro bono work, working closely with charities and nonprofits to sponsor business incubation and new business development efforts. He is an Ashoka Support Network member, and he recently partnered with Ashoka to support Syrian refugees in Turkey to establish startup businesses.
1990
Training and development firm Illuminate, founded by Shaun McMahon ’90, has been welcomed into the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC) following its certification through the NGLCC Supplier Diversity Initiative. The NGLCC is the only national not-for-profit advocacy organization dedicated to expanding the economic
Faith Hickey ’92, MBA’99 (bottom left) and her college roommates—including, clockwise from Hickey, Gisele (Serralles) Woodward ’92, Vikkilyn (Smith) Gallagher ’92, Amy (Carroll) Coumounduros ’92, Ellina (Tsirelson) Beletsky ’92, and Joanne Saunders ’92—have been getting together for a virtual Zoom cocktail party once a month since the beginning of the pandemic. All six were residents of Pietz 44 during their senior year. opportunities and advancements of the LGBT business community. “Encouraging inclusivity in the workplace and supporting diverse communities is personally important to me,” McMahon said, “and these objectives are fundamental to Illuminate’s mission and work culture as well.”
1993
Kristine Ball ’93 was appointed to the board of directors of Atreca, a biotechnology company focused on developing novel therapeutics. Ball previously was senior vice president of corporate strategy and chief financial officer of biopharmaceutical company Menlo Therapeutics. “I am excited to join the team during an important phase for a growing company,” she said, “and I very much look forward to being a part of Atreca’s continued progress and success.” Marci McCarthy ’93 was appointed to the board of directors of Spirion, a company that enables businesses to take steps toward data protection. She joins Spirion with more than 20 years of business management and entrepreneurial experience.
Craig Vaream ’91 has written No Limits: Adventures and Lessons from Living with Diabetes, which discusses his climb of Mount Kilimanjaro and running of the New York City Marathon to celebrate his 25th anniversary of being a Type 1 diabetic. Proceeds from the book benefit the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
34 BABSON MAGAZINE / SUMMER 2020
1994
The Womanity Foundation, established by Yann Borgstedt ’94, placed 146th in the 2020 Top 500 NGOs world ranking by NGO Advisor. The Womanity Foundation’s mission is to invest in audacious solutions that accelerate gender equality and create sustainable social change. Its purpose is to foster an inclusive world in which all
women and men enjoy equal rights and opportunities. Since its creation, Womanity has supported 22.6 million people, and the foundation recently celebrated its 15th anniversary with a gala that raised about $3 million for its programs.
1996
Jennifer MacLellen ’96, CFO of Reformation, helped lead her company in repurposing part of its manufacturing to produce face masks.
1997
Si02 Materials Science—led by Lawrence Ganti ’97, president of customer operations and chief business officer—unveiled a $143 million agreement with the U.S. Department of Defense’s Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Defense (JPEO– CBRND) to accelerate the production of the company’s state-of-the-art, patented, primary packaging platform for storing novel coronavirus vaccines and therapeutics. “We’re dramatically ramping up capacity to meet customer demands and to ensure that the surge seen due to the COVID-19 vaccine and therapeutic developments can be accommodated,” Ganti said.
1999
Hamilton Stolpen ’99 launched his line of barbecue sauces, rubs, and apparel, born from his 30-year passion for cooking. Bear Smoke BBQ even was featured in the summer issue of Martha Stewart Living as a trending new product. “What grew
from fulfilling requests from friends, co-workers, and charity events is my own business,” Stolpen writes. “My Babson education and experiences have paid off.” Bear Smoke BBQ makes all of its hand-crafted sauces in North Carolina.
shields in the Chicken & Rice Guys warehouse.
2010
Ball and Buck, led by Mark Bollman ’10, is donating one mask for every mask purchased.
2000
Linda Pizzuti Henry ’00, H’19 is serving on a diverse 27-person advisory panel to Boston Mayor Marty Walsh as the city progresses through its phased reopening.
2007
Darcy Buck ’07 helped lead her family business, A. Rifkin Co., in pivoting production from security bags and supplies, to face masks, covers for N95 masks, gowns, and head caps. Maja Stevanovich ’07 recently worked on a Netflix special on mental health in partnership with the U.S. Department of Defense. Stevanovich is the founder of Braintuff, where she, along with Joshua Yashari ’17, aims to eliminate the stigma associated with mental health through programming and support.
2008
Founded by CEO Joel Holland ’08, Harvest Hosts was featured in a Good Morning America story on the appeal of RV travel during the pandemic. Harvest
Yan Katz ’00 of The Bulfinch Group was named an Executive Club qualifier by The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America, one of the highest honors annually awarded by The Guardian to financial professionals who demonstrate outstanding service and dedication to their clients. “Being recognized as an Executive Club qualifier is a true testament in regard to his exceptional client service,” said Seth Medalie, president and founder of The Bulfinch Group. Hosts connects travelers with lodging in the United States and Canada, and Holland said membership signups were up 400% compared to 2019. Ian So ’08 joined forces with Charlestown Face Shield Project to produce face
Jamaal Eversley ’10 will host an art show in September at Beacon Gallery in Boston. Pieces featured have been created by Babson alumni, including Stephanie Ayotte ’10, LaShonda Cooks ’10, and Terence Musto ’10, as well as Babson friends and faculty Stephanie Osser, Professor Mary Pinard, and Melissa Shaak. Ayotte and Eversley also are working on a fashion line for the show.
2011
Mary Blackford ’11 was named the grand prize winner in the national ESSENCE and Pine Sol’s Build Your Legacy grant competition, aimed at empowering Black female entrepreneurs. Blackford’s company, Market 7, is a community marketplace featuring several Blackowned businesses for the purpose of alleviating goods and retail deserts in Washington, D.C.’s underserved Ward 7. After being named one of three semifinalists, Blackford won a public vote and was awarded a $150,000 grant. Market 7’s food hall is slated to open in 2021.
2012
James Hilton ’12, founding partner of Xavinci, co-created a database of people willing to volunteer during the pandemic. Xavinci specializes in the creative design and development of digital experiences.
2013
Jessica Lynch ’13, MS’13, MBA’18, founder of Wishroute, launched a new program to help people navigate the challenges of social distancing.
2014
Daquan Oliver ’14, founder of WeThrive, was among eight named an Ashoka Fellow for bringing actionable and breakthrough ideas to the table for the common good. WeThrive has brought engaged learning and a culture of empowerment into schools by promoting entrepreneurial skills and spirit in classrooms across the nation. Ashoka is the world’s pioneering and largest network of social entrepreneurs.
2016
Emily Levy ’16, Maria del Mar Gomez ’16, and Yousef Al-Humaidhi ’15, and their company, Mighty Well, donated $15,000 worth of personal protective equipment, and some of their earlier products that can be turned into face masks, to Rhode Island medical workers.
Thomas Callahan ’14 and Alexis (Ferraro) Callahan ’15 were married September 21, 2019, on Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts. They met in Associate Professor Jon Dietrick’s class in the fall of 2012 and have been together ever since. There were more than 30 Babson alumni at their wedding.
SUMMER 2020 / BABSON MAGAZINE 35
CONNECTIONS
NEWSNOTESANDNODS
Virtual Seminars Keep the Babson Community Connected As the pandemic shifted student learning to an online environment, it was just as critical to keep the entire Babson community connected and learning from one another. “The pandemic has impacted our students in so many ways, and our alumni really stepped up to help them. But we knew our alumni and larger Babson community also would be impacted by the economic repercussions,” said Gerri Randlett, assistant vice president of alumni engagement and annual giving. “It was important that we develop innovative ways for alumni to gain insight from
experts about how to respond during this crisis, and to learn from and help each other.” Through BabsonDiscover, Babson Connect: Online, and other virtual learning symposiums, the College has covered topics ranging from crisis management and food sustainability to investing for retirement and how the pandemic has impacted professional sports. More than 4,000 alumni, parents, students, and friends of Babson have taken part in more than 70 online seminars and roundtables that tackle today’s unique challenges, such as “How
2 Be a Resilient Entrepreneur” and “The Ripple Effect of COVID-19 on Women.” Many are moderated by experts from Babson centers and institutes, while others have included special alumni guests and other professionals. Most seminars include a nominal fee of $5 or $10, which helps students most impacted by the pandemic, through the Emergency Fund. All are free for Babson students, faculty, and staff. Visit babson.edu/alumni to explore new seminars, events, and panels that are added weekly to the events calendar.
Babson Connect: Disruption, Ripple Effect, and Recovery from COVID-19
Jim Yong Kim
Michael Milken
Claire-Cecile Pierre
The Babson Connect: Online series launched in May with guests Jim Yong Kim, MD, PhD, vice chairman and partner of Global Infrastructure Partners; and Michael Milken, chairman of the Milken Institute. Drawing from their combined experience with global investments, macroeconomics, healthcare research, and public health policy, they explored interventions and opportunities to move us from disruption to recovery. The online event was moderated by Claire-Cecile Pierre, MD, executive director of Babson’s new Kerry Murphy Healey Center for Global Healthcare Entrepreneurship.
Babson Connect: Game On! How an Entrepreneurial Mindset Will Shape Our Return to Professional Sports
Phillip J. Castellini ’92
Chris Zimmerman MBA’83
Nigel Travis
In June, “Game on! How an Entrepreneurial Mindset Will Shape Our Return to Professional Sports” featured Phillip J. Castellini ’92, president and COO of the Cincinnati Reds; Chris Zimmerman MBA’83, president and CEO of business operations/alternate governor for the St. Louis Blues; and Nigel Travis, chairman and co-owner of Leyton Orient Football Club. The sports executives shared how their teams have responded to the pandemic and what the future may hold for professional sports.
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2017
Joshua Yashari ’17: See Undergraduates, 2007
2018
Busy Beauty, led by Jamie Steenbakkers ’18 and Michael Leahy ’18, has added hand wipes to its line of beauty products.
2019
Lena Wu ’16, MS’16 (far left) and Tina Xiao ’17 (far right) co-founded the Feed Your Hospital initiative to provide meals for frontline hospital workers by supporting Asian restaurants during the pandemic. The initiative began March 21 in New York City in coordination with TabeTomo, a Japanese dipping noodle restaurant at 131 Avenue A in the East Village, co-owned by Chia Pan ’14. Wu and Xiao quickly expanded the initiative to 17 additional areas across the United States. The initiative has raised $206,000, including more than $40,000 raised by Babson alumni, and has delivered 13,000 meals to 110 hospitals nationally. TabeTomo alone has delivered 1,950 meals to 17 hospitals. Kitsby, co-owned by Amy Hsiao ’16, also is fundraising for Feed Your Hospital. Kitsby is a baking kit company with a dessert bar located in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, in New York City. Also pictured: Chef Tomo (second from left) and co-founder Ben Xue.
Beantown Blankets, a venture created by Maxwell Perry ’19 in Foundations of Management and Entrepreneurship (FME), has partnered with Subaru to donate 50,000 blankets to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) in August, with another 50,000 blankets donated to homeless people around the United States. Through Beantown Blankets, Perry also collected donations during the early days of the pandemic in order to purchase and donate food to hospital staff working around the clock. Protective product manufacturer Detrapel, led by David Zamarin ’19, now is offering an EPA-approved, hospital-grade disinfectant.
GRADUATE
Massachusetts. It also planned to develop a mask designed specifically for athletes.
Judith Huber MBA’93 was named senior vice president and chief financial officer of BrainsWay, a global company that non-invasively treats brain disorders. She has more than 30 years of experience in strategic and financial planning, and most recently worked as chief financial officer of NinePoint Medical. “I look forward to leveraging my financial expertise to support BrainsWay’s goal of creating longterm shareholder value,” she said.
David Rubinstein MBA’99 joined Outreach as a regional vice president. Rubinstein has more than 15 years of experience in building consultative sales teams at Salesforce, Blackstone, and Yahoo. “I’ve been so impressed with the caliber of people at Outreach—their deep knowledge of the sales space and commitment to customer success are incredible,” he said. “In today’s selling environment, sales organizations are going to be clamoring to get the efficiency gains Outreach offers.”
1993
1997
Candace Brathwaite MBA’97 is an agribusiness management online tutor for the University of the West Indies. One of her courses, Foundation for Business Planning, guides Caribbean female entrepreneurs on the path from idea generation to launch. Pointknown, led by James Foster MBA’97, was featured in an article in The Wall Street Journal on planning and financing logistics surrounding home renovations during a pandemic. A 3D capture and building documentation business, the company provided 3D images and room measurements using a laser scanner for an architecture company serving a client, reducing the risk of coronavirus exposure by only requiring a single worker in the home.
Stephen Clouther MBA’79 was featured as the cover story/profile in the May issue of Harwich Neighbors, a business and community magazine on Cape Cod. Prior to relocating to Harwich in 2014, Clouther lived in Akumal, Mexico, for 15 years, where he was the founder, editor, photographer, and publisher of a monthly online magazine, The Akumalian.
1999
New Balance President and CEO Joe Preston MBA’99 is leading the company in producing face masks in its New England factories. A prototype was developed within one week in March, and the company expected to make about 40,000 masks a week in Lawrence,
2000
Yoon-Hi King MBA’00 joined The Bulfinch Group as a financial representative. “We are pleased to have Yoon-Hi join our organization,” The Bulfinch Group president Seth Medalie said. “Yoon-Hi brings a wealth of knowledge regarding the complexities of wealth building, wealth preservation, and business development to her new post. She will be a tremendous addition to The Bulfinch Group and a remarkable asset to her clients.”
2002
Tyson Goodridge MBA’02 and Erik Skala MBA’02 of PuroClean of Natick, Massachusetts, responded to crisis calls by cleaning clients’ facilities or providing them with cleaning products.
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 fewer. 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.
SUMMER 2020 / BABSON MAGAZINE 37
NEWSNOTESANDNODS
2003
Karl Kern MBA’03 is the co-founder and CEO of The Numbers Guys, a media production entity focusing on accounting and finance content. An example of content is Kern’s book, Accounting and FP&A: Tools for Solving Financial Problems, which was published in April and is available for purchase on Amazon.
2004
Angela Han MBA’04 was appointed the first chief customer officer of Pluralsight. She will be leading the Utah-based technology company’s plan to expand its global team to deliver powerful user experiences and faster paths to tech skills development. Han also will be responsible for expanding the global post-sale function for Pluralsight, including customer success, customer support, and services to meet the growing demand of customers who want to ensure their technologists have the necessary skills to meet goals.
2007
Rich Enos MBA’07, co-founder of StudyPoint, is launching a new smallgroup, online tutoring program to help families with elementary-school children adjust to the new normal.
Carlos Febres-Mazzei MBA’06 was named chair of the Boston/New England District Council for the Urban Land Institute of Boston/New England. Febres-Mazzei is the founder and managing principal of Quaker Lane Capital, a Massachusetts-certified Minority Business Enterprise. Throughout his career, FebresMazzei has sought to improve diversity and inclusion in real estate throughout New England.
38 BABSON MAGAZINE / SUMMER 2020
Jason Ryan MBA’07, chief operating and financial officer at Magenta Therapeutics, was named chair of the Audit Committee and to the board of directors at ArcherDX. Prior to joining Magenta in 2019, Ryan served as chief financial officer at Foundation Medicine. “ArcherDX is aiming to address the barriers to precision oncology and to bring precision oncology to all patients, anywhere,” Ryan said. “I’m excited to be joining a team that I believe has the technology, experience, and drive to deliver on this promise to patients and providers.” Melissa Waters MBA’07 was named global head of marketing of Instagram, where she will be responsible for leading brand and product marketing for the channel’s more than 1 billion monthly users. Waters previously served as Lyft’s vice president of marketing and Pandora’s vice president of product marketing.
2009
Mariana Cogan MBA’09 is senior vice president of digital marketing strategy and operations at PTC, where she is leading the digital transformation of sales and marketing. Her newest program, leveraging artificial intelligence technologies, was awarded Program of the Year by SiriusDecisions. PTC is a multibillion-dollar global software company. Amy Sayed MBA’09 has taken over ownership of the Framingham, Massachusetts, franchise of Dream Dinners, the national meal-assembly retail chain. “As a customer, I was impressed with the welcoming, accommodating environment at Dream Dinners,” Sayed told Wicked Local. “When the opportunity to purchase the franchise arose, I realized my dream to combine my experience and passion for helping others in a business that serves the community and has a positive impact on people’s well-being.”
2014
Mike Caslin MBA’14, P’07 was selected by the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board to bring GCSEN’s 4P Social Entrepreneurship for People, Profit, Planet and Place to Ireland and the European Union in 2021. The Fulbright Program strives to build mutual understanding between residents of the United States and other countries.
Erik Ferjentsik MBA’12 recently was featured on the cover of Healthcare Tech Outlook magazine when the company he founded, Visionary Practice Group, was named one of the top 10 medical practice consultancies in the country. Ferjentsik operates his business remotely in Connecticut and currently is looking to add a skilled marketer to his team.
2015
Marissa Goldstein MBA’15 launched Rafi Nova, a sustainable parenting bag company, with her business partner and husband, Adam Goldstein. Their mission is to equip and inspire families on the go with quality bags that align with their values and support the artisans behind the seams. The company’s Sapa collection features a parenting backpack, and a stylish and multipurpose wristlet, made of vegan leather and lined with 100% recycled fiber.
Puru Trivedi MBA’11 wrote op-eds on multilateralism and moral hazard that were featured recently in Modern Diplomacy and The Washington Diplomat, respectively. His work on commercial diplomacy, with the Meridian Corporate Council, has been recognized by companies such as Caterpillar, Boston Scientific, and BP America. Over the past few months, Trivedi’s work in convening business and government has been covered in outlets such as The Washington Post, USA Today, and CBS News.
2017
Corage Dolls, founded by Flora EkpeIdang MBA’17, donated 5% of a month’s profits to a local organization supporting vulnerable families in need. Gustavo Mayen MBA’17, lawyer and sole proprietor of his namesake’s law office, shared his advice for what motorists should avoid doing during a traffic stop in a Finder.com story.
2018
Jessica Lynch ’13, MS’13, MBA’18: See Undergraduates, 2013
2019
Aakriti Ajay Goenka MS’19 is leading the fight against COVID-19 in India at Chirayu National Hospital.
INMEMORIAM
Management Associate Professor Sydel Sokuvitz died June 25. She spent more than 40 years at Babson College, and was remembered by President Stephen Spinelli Jr. MBA’92, PhD as a “brilliant scholar, beloved teacher, and Babson trailblazer.” Sokuvitz designed programs for global leaders at Babson Executive Education, founded the Speech Resource Center, was named Professor of the Year in 1983, and developed one of Babson’s first fully online courses. “She was an intellectual powerhouse who challenged convention and brought energy and fun to historically staid pursuits,” Spinelli said.
George Howard Morse Jr. ’48, of North Easton, Massachusetts, April 15 Ingersoll Cunningham ’49, of Westwood, Massachusetts, May 4 Christian Jacob DenHerder ’49, of Zephyrhills, Florida, Jan. 22 David Warren Dildine ’49, of Denton, Texas, April 10 Stuart R. Hume Jr. ’50, of Walnut Creek, California, Feb. 14 Willis Sears Hough ’52, of Dunnellon, Florida, Jan. 27 Bradford Gill ’53, of Longmeadow, Massachusetts, April 24 George Stanton Geary Jr. ’56, of Newport, Rhode Island, April 20 William Wallace Riddell ’56, of Needham, Massachusetts, April 19 Francis Gerard Merser ’57, of Round Pond, Maine, March 2 Harry A. Wallace III ’57, of Charleston, West Virginia, March 15 John Gilbert Aldinger Jr. ’58, of Eustis, Florida, April 14 John Francis McCarthy ’58, of Akron, Ohio, May 2 Robert M. Cox ’59, of Princeton, New Jersey, Feb. 25 Donald F. Johnson ’59, of Venice, Florida, Sept. 7 David Merson Prolman ’59, of Naples, Florida, April 28 Max Gondon Jr. ’60, of Newport Beach, California, April 12 John David Scott ’60, of Springfield, Vermont, April 22 Atilla E. Uras ’60, of Bodrum, Turkey, June 26 Bernard L. Zulalian MBA’60, of Belmont, Massachusetts, May 6 Thomas R. Luxton ’61, of Vancouver, British Columbia, May 7 Gerard Lincoln Swope ’62, of Woods Hole, Massachusetts, May 3 Paul Peter McLaughlin ’63, of Stow, Massachusetts, May 4 Retired Lt. Col. Frederick Felix Flemming MBA’64, of Leesburg, Virginia, Feb. 28 Retired Col. David Harvey Parker MBA’64, of Orono, Maine, March 16 Joseph Robert Crowley Gannon ’66, of Londonderry, New Hampshire, Feb. 22 James Thomas Gard ’66, G’23, of Durham, New Hampshire, Feb. 27 Mark Anthony Waldron MBA’66, of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, Jan. 9 Michael A. Witt MBA’66, of Vero Beach, Florida, Jan. 19 John F. Flannery ’68, P’01, of Hyannis, Massachusetts, March 7 James Leland Howard III ’68, of West Hartford, Connecticut, April 7 John M. Wilson Jr. MBA’68, of Woodstock, Georgia, April 26 Kenneth Greenwood Barber ’71, of Natick, Massachusetts, April 29
Robert H. Liss MBA’71, of Newton, Massachusetts, April 17 Paul H. Goldstein MBA’73, of Norwood, Massachusetts, Nov. 2 James C. Drake MBA’74, of Medford, Massachusetts, May 5 Soheyl Samari MBA’74, Jan. 30 Robert Wheeler Harmon Jr. ’75, MBA’76, of Gainesville, Florida, March 15 Morgan John Costello MBA’75, of Weymouth, Massachusetts, May 8 Retired Army Col. Tony Bruce Grose MBA’75, of Whispering Pines, North Carolina, May 12 George A. Reade MBA’75, of Fairhaven, Massachusetts, May 13 Thomas Joseph Schlottenmeier MBA’75, of Medford, Massachusetts, May 3 Fred T. Willett MBA’75, of Westwood, Massachusetts, April 9 Dexter B. Williams MBA’75, of Vail, Arizona, Feb. 27 Paul Eugene Wood MBA’75, of Dallas, Texas, Feb. 1 Henry Quincy Dowd ’76, MBA’77, of Newport, Vermont, May 22 Raymond George Peterson II ’76, of Buffalo, New York, June 5 Dale Philip Rich MBA’76, of Palm Harbor, Florida, Feb. 25 Harry S. Sklar MBA’77, of Belchertown, Massachusetts, Sept. 28 Thomas Beadle III MBA’78, Jan. 6 Carl Raiss Hyam MBA’78, of Marblehead, Massachusetts, Jan. 16 Retired USAF Col. Ronald J. Tradd ’79, of Swampscott, Massachusetts, April 21 James Philip Poole ’80, of Dartmouth, Massachusetts, May 3 Bartholomew W. Catalane MBA’80, of Stamford, Connecticut, May 10 Thomas F. Donahue MBA’80, of Hartford, Connecticut, April 16 Jonathan R. Davis MBA’81, of Boston, Massachusetts, Feb. 14 Ralph W. Sandmeyer Jr. MBA’81, of Nokomis, Florida, May 13 Nelson E. Mather III MBA’82, of West Boylston, Massachusetts, April 18 Kristen F. Boosahda ’88, of Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, April 3 Michael J. Simonelli MBA’88, of Hampton, New Hampshire, Feb. 27 Samuel Willis Cutshall Jr. MBA’89, of Roanoke, Indiana, Feb. 13 Matthew Paul Grigas MBA’92, of Framingham, Massachusetts, Feb. 23 Grant J. Guilbeault MBA’95, of Dana Point Harbor, California, June 17 Robert Olaf Hult MBA’04, of Harvard, Massachusetts, March 1
SUMMER 2020 / BABSON MAGAZINE 39
BEAVERTALES
Beaver Brau: WHERE EVERYONE KNEW YOUR NAME
I
A look back at the people, events, and moments that shaped Babson College.
n 1940, Roger Babson ran for president on the National Prohibition Party ticket. Thirty-four years later, Babson could not have foreseen that a new hangout at the college that bears his name would begin doing the very thing he was running against: selling alcohol. Located in the Coleman Hall basement in a space formerly used for classrooms, that student-run hangout, the Beaver Brau, was the original Beaver Brau, 1983 watering hole on campus and the predecessor of the Roger’s successful entrepreneur. That was helpful on a Pub & Grille of today. lot of levels for me.” Gerald Watson ’76 “Right out of the box, we With the state drinking age recently lowered were very successful,” says Joe Diamond ’73, to 18, the committee decided it wanted the new MBA’74, the Beaver Brau’s original manager who establishment to sell beer and wine. To do that, today works as a consultant. “It was a great place. it gained permission from the Wellesley Board of It was a place where you knew everybody.” Selectmen, not an easy feat, given that Wellesley A student who led the effort to establish the had been historically a “dry town.” Beaver Brau was Gerald Watson ’76, who was Opening in April 1974, the Beaver Brau offered frustrated that students had no real place to sandwiches, snacks, and both wine and beer on gather. This was long before the Reynolds Campus tap. Bands played on Thursdays, and Watson would Center or the Babson Recreation and Athletics bring a record player and microphone to play jazz Complex. records. Diamond recalled a faculty talent night “The driving force wasn’t to create some that featured longtime Babson professor Joseph place to drink. The driving force was to create Weintraub playing the banjo. somewhere to be,” says Watson, now the owner of Eventually, the Beaver Brau was replaced by The Watson Group, a financing company based in Roger’s Pub, located in Park Manor Central, in 1988. Chicago. “There clearly was a need. There was no That establishment, in turn, was replaced by a common place for students to go and hang out.” new Roger’s Pub that opened in Trim Hall in 2016. School administration soon backed the creation Watson visited the new Roger’s earlier this year. “I of a community space, and Watson formed a was very excited to see it,” he says. “I hadn’t been group of students, the Community Coffeehouse back to campus in a long time.” Committee, to investigate the idea. Watson found Watson’s efforts in the 1970s had helped to pave inspiration from professor Jack Hornaday P’76, the way for the social space today, and the students H’99, who taught an early entrepreneurship and staff at Roger’s greeted him enthusiastically course at the College. “He was a freewheeling, once they learned of his role in founding the first swashbuckling kind of guy,” Watson says. “You bar on campus. “I took it all in,” Watson says. “It was learned a lot in his class about what it takes to be a a really good feeling.” — John Crawford
40
BABSON MAGAZINE / SUMMER 2020
Learning is your job for the rest of your life. — Heather McGowan MBA’01 Internationally renowned future-of-work strategist and LinkedIn’s 2017 No. 1 Global Voice for Education
Tap into Babson for lifelong learning. Sharpen your entrepreneurial leadership skills with new online programs. Develop a customized action plan to strengthen your personal brand, build a culture of innovation, and more. Alumni get a 50% discount on online programs and 20% discount on face-to-face programs with code BEE-ALUM. babson.edu/bee/online
Babson Park, MA 02457-0310
Grateful. During an extremely challenging year, the Babson family came together as #OneBabson when we needed you most. More of you gave than ever before, setting a record-high alumni participation rate (32.4%) and helping us achieve our highest fundraising amount to date. Thank you for your unwavering support of our students, our College, and each other.
To honor all that you’ve helped us accomplish this past fiscal year, please join us for a very special “Not Quite” Back to Babson online celebration September 25–26.
babson.edu/backtobabson