Babson Magazine Summer 2022 by Babson College

INNOVATIO

BABSON

Critical relational dynamics

MAGAZINE

Academic pursuit

Professional competency

MOTIVATION

Values and Pro-social behavior Beliefs

Entrepreneurial Thought & Action

GROWING CAPABILITY

Challenges in the world

PAGE 14

Solving Global Challenges

PAGE 16

Integrating entrepreneurship and leadership Increased capacity Groundbreaking model

INSPIRATION

EMPATHY Research

CREATING VALUE

PUTTING PEOPLE

Creativity

breakdown in leadership

Relationships

Poverty and hunger

Increasing collaboration

developing entrepreneurial leaders

COMPLEX CHALLENGES

RACIAL AND GENDER INEQUALITY

SUMMER 2022

ACADEMIC MODEL

Recognize and exploit entrepreneurial opportunity

Persistent and perplexing problems

Incorporating neuroscience

Social competence

FROMTHEPRESIDENT

They collaborate and connect. They influence and inspire and invest in those around them. They enable them to be their best. When I look at the path my life has taken and reflect on the leadership research of Babson faculty such as Scott Taylor and Danna Greenberg (the Walter H. Carpenter Professor of Organizational Behavior), I find so much of what they say to be true. I have worked in many roles and lived in many places, and I have met many people along the way. Wherever I have found myself, I have reached

out to those around me: To work with them. To collaborate with them. To accomplish great

always look forward to my regular meetings with Scott Taylor. He always has important things to say. We talk a lot about leadership at

things together with them as a community. Entrepreneurial leadership matters today. We live in a time of great challenges, and entrepreneurial leaders are best equipped to

Babson, and that’s Scott’s purview. He’s the

handle them. Yes, they know how to improvise

Arthur M. Blank Endowed Chair for Values-

and roll with the punches, how to handle

Based Leadership.

uncertainty and complexity, but they also

In this issue of the magazine, Scott shares

understand that their effectiveness comes

his thoughts on entrepreneurial leadership

from people, and the power of people working

(Page 14). His reflections are worth the read.

together.

They may give you a different perspective on what makes for a good leader. Our faculty members always remind

We face many problems, but entrepreneurial leaders have the tools to solve them. Just look at what our Babson alumni are doing.

me that leadership is not strictly about an

After reading Babson’s perspective on

individual. Too often, when people evaluate

entrepreneurial leadership, take time to read

leadership, they consider the characteristics of

about how our community is tackling some of

the leaders themselves. Are the leaders strong?

today’s problems (Page 16). You’ll be inspired.

Are they charismatic? Are they visionaries?

I know I am.

But, it is their relationships, and the communities they form, that give them their authority and strength, that influence others to get things done. Entrepreneurial leaders have a humancentered perspective. They believe in people.

Stephen Spinelli Jr. MBA’92, PhD

10 Celebrating the Class of 2022

Kaity Goodwin ’22 and Alexander Oubré MBA’22.

14 Why Entrepreneurial Leaders Matter

Babson’s new model could help change the world.

16 The Problem Solvers How alumni are tackling the challenges of our time.

DEPARTMENTS 2 Babson and Beyond

The latest news and updates from campus.

8 Office Hours Donna Stoddard P’21 on mentoring students, faculty.

9 People of Babson

Andy Moutinho on keeping the campus operational.

24 Athletics

The impact of Title IX on Babson’s student-athletes.

28 Advancement Spotlight

The power of the alumni network endures and grows.

32 News, Notes, and Nods

Undergraduate, Graduate, Connections, In Memoriam

40 Entrepreneurial Leadership in Action Samantha Azu ’22 brings inspiration to Ghana.

BABSON MAGAZINE STAFF / Vol. 89, No. 1 EDITOR Eric Beato PUBLISHER Kerry Salerno, chief marketing officer CREATIVE MANAGEMENT Cheryl Robock CREATIVE ART DIRECTION Cathy Cahill SENIOR JOURNALISTS Hillary Chabot, John Crawford CONTRIBUTORS Kara Baskin, Scott Dietz, James Kiley, Marissa Langdon, Bryan Lipiner, Francis Ma, Erin O’Donnell, Thecla Ree, Mali Reimer, 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: Steven Stavrou MBA’14 of CyprusInno

in the Buffer Zone on the island of Cyprus

TABLEOFCONTENTS

FEATURES

Babson Magazine (USPS 898-140) is published by Babson College, 231 Forest Street, Babson Park, MA 02457-0310, two times a year, in the summer and winter. Copyright 2022 by Babson College. Editorial office: Babson Park, MA 02457-0310. Send address corrections to advancement_services@babson.edu, or call +781-239-4044.

SUMMER 2022 / BABSON MAGAZINE

BABSONANDBEYOND 2

BABSON MAGAZINE / SUMMER 2022

PHOTO: MICHAEL QUIET

The Class of 2022:

‘STRENGTH AND RESILIENCE’

Families and friends. Diplomas and

disruption and uncertainty of the

degrees. Cheers and confetti.

past two years.

On a glorious day of pomp and

there are many great stories of

community celebrated the Class

the College community rising to

of 2022 during the undergraduate

challenges,” Spinelli said. “Through

and graduate Commencement

wars and economic downturns,

ceremonies in May.

Babson has endured and advanced.

President Stephen Spinelli Jr. Read more about the Class of 2022: Pages 10–13, 28–29, and 40

TOP LEFT AND TOP RIGHT PHOTO: MICHAEL QUIET

“In Babson’s 103-year history,

accomplishment, the Babson College

Now, you are one of those stories of

MBA’92, PhD delivered a message

strength and resilience. Now, you are

of gratitude to the graduates for

part of that long Babson history of

enduring the unprecedented

rallying in the face of crisis.”

BOTTOM LEFT, CENTER, AND BOTTOM RIGHT PHOTO: JUSTIN KNIGHT

SUMMER 2022 / BABSON MAGAZINE

BABSONANDBEYOND

COMMENCEMENT SPEAKERS

Offer Words of Wisdom and Their Support Four prominent and successful entrepreneurs and business leaders received honorary degrees during Commencement ceremonies in May. Honorary Doctorate of Laws degrees were presented to Joanna Berwind H’22, co-chair of the board for the Berwind Corporation and director of the social impact organization Spring Point Partners LLC; Marcelo Claure H’22, chairman and CEO of Claure Capital; Joyce Mandell H’22, vice chairman of Data Mail Inc.; and Ronald G. Weiner ’66, H’22, chairman and president of Perelson Weiner LLP, Certified Public Accountants. During her address as the undergraduate Commencement speaker, Berwind announced a generous

Joanna Berwind H’22, undergraduate ceremony speaker

Marcelo Claure H’22, graduate ceremony speaker

Babson partnership to students, and

Commencement address, offering

which Berwind will seed with $1 million.

important insights and inspiring

“I want to be part of your pathway,

advice, and he pledged his support to

investment in Babson students and the

part of your evolutionary-to-

help entrepreneurs around the world,

College community. Berwind and Cheryl

revolutionary journey into the future,”

including Babson’s newest graduates.

Yaffe Kiser, the executive director of the

Berwind said. “I have had so many

“I think you are the luckiest and most

Institute for Social Innovation, will lead

people support my own pathway

fortunate graduating class in the history

a co-creation effort to design the new

journey, and I want to offer that

of Babson College,” he said. “The reason

Berwind Pathways Partnership, which

partnership to as many others as I can.”

is simple: There has never been a better

will provide seed grant investments and

Claure delivered the graduate

time to be an entrepreneur.”

CENTENNIAL CAMPAIGN

Surpasses Impressive Milestone Babson College has achieved a record-breaking accomplishment, raising more than $400 million to date during its Centennial Campaign. Launched in 2016 in anticipation of the College’s 100th anniversary in 2019, the ongoing Centennial Campaign is the most successful in Babson’s history and already has surpassed its initial goal of $300 million. Given the campaign’s early success, the College is now pursuing a more ambitious target of $500 million.

BABSON MAGAZINE / SUMMER 2022

“We, the College, still have greater aspirations to advance our mission of educating entrepreneurial leaders to make an impact around the world,” said Edward Chiu, the Governor Craig R. Benson Endowed Senior Vice President for Advancement. “We still have more we want to do.” The Centennial Campaign promises to have a lasting and far-reaching effect on the College, affecting practically every aspect of the campus and community. The campaign’s continued success also

has allowed the College to move forward at a time when many colleges, because of the pandemic and the challenging state of higher education, have been forced to scale back their aspirations. “This is an achievement the entire Babson community should be proud of,” Babson President Stephen Spinelli Jr. MBA’92, PhD said. “Such support is invaluable. In a time of uncertainty for higher education, this campaign has allowed us to invest in our vision and strategy and look to the future.”

TOP PHOTOS: JUSTIN KNIGHT

BOTTOM PHOTO: MICHAEL QUIET

BERTARELLI INSTITUTE FOR FAMILY ENTREPRENEURSHIP:

NEWS IN BRIEFS High Honor for Heidi Neck

New Name, New Opportunity institute as the Bertarelli Institute for Family Entrepreneurship, as well as the creation of the Babson Global Family Entrepreneurship Network. “The new name is a perfect fit for the institute,” Union said. “Ernesto has long been a thought leader on family entrepreneurship, he has close ties to Babson, and he’s already helped shape much of the work we do here.” Bertarelli earned business degrees Ernesto Bertarelli ’89

from Babson College and Harvard University before he took over his

Only minutes into her first conversation

family’s pharmaceutical business,

with Ernesto Bertarelli ’89 two years

Serono, in 1996. He boosted the

ago, Lauri Union could see how deeply

biotechnology firm’s profits before

committed the Swiss businessman and

selling it to Merck for $13.3 billion

philanthropist was to Babson College’s

in 2006. Bertarelli has continued to

family-focused entrepreneurial vision.

work with family, serving as chairman

Union, the Nulsen Family Executive

of B-FLEXION, and co-chairing

Director of Babson’s Institute for Family

the Bertarelli Foundation with his

Entrepreneurship, was detailing a key

sister, Dona. He was inducted into

initiative that encourages students to

Babson’s Academy of Distinguished

reflect on their motivations and values

Entrepreneurs® in 2008 and received the

as they consider their role within their

inaugural Babson-Camus Global Family

family’s business and potential new

Entrepreneurship Award last year.

enterprises. Bertarelli, who represented

“I must also sincerely thank Babson

the third generation of his family’s

and its leadership for the heartfelt honor

pharmaceutical business, lit up.

it has bestowed upon my family with

“That really resonated with him

the naming of the Bertarelli Institute,” he

from his own life experiences and his

said. “The College has an enormous place

current priorities. It turns out he had

in my heart, and I feel privileged that we

been thinking a lot about this very

are able to continue to work together.”

topic,” Union said. “That made it even

The new Babson Global Family

more clear to me that his insights

Entrepreneurship Network seeks to help

are unbelievably valuable for Babson

Babson family entrepreneurs by creating

and for the institute as we carry this

a confidential space to exchange ideas

initiative forward.”

and resources with others who have a

That shared vision, coupled with

shared life experience, while providing

his passion and increased involvement,

special access to events and programs

has led to the rebranding of the

at Babson.

— Hillary Chabot

Babson Professor Heidi Neck received the Entrepreneurship Educator of the Year award from the United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (USASBE) at its annual conference. Neck is just the third Babson professor to receive the prestigious honor, joining esteemed professors Jeffry A. Timmons (2004) and William Bygrave (2008). Also, at the USASBE conference, Professor William Gartner received a Justin G. Longnecker Fellow Award.

Clubs Win National Titles A pair of Babson club sports teams won their first national championships this spring. The men’s club hockey team defeated Binghamton University to win the College Hockey Federation Cup, and goalie Tim Carpenter ’23 was named Most Valuable Player. The men’s polo team won the inaugural Division II Men’s National Intercollegiate Championship, defeating Skidmore College, and Leonardo Borja ’25 was selected as one of four Men’s National All-Stars.

Record Barefoot Challenge The Barefoot Athletics Challenge received contributions from 1,841 donors, who gave $235,320—both record numbers. Initially funded by former Babson President Brian Barefoot ’66, H’09, P’01, the challenge encourages alumni athletes, parents of studentathletes, and Babson superfans to support Babson’s 22 men’s and women’s athletics teams, which include about one-quarter of the College’s undergraduate population.

Also in the News • Recognized for its strong financial management through the pandemic, Babson received a pair of bond rating upgrades from Moody’s Investors Service and Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services. The respective A1 and A+ ratings reflect the highest bond ratings in the College’s history. • Shakenna Williams ’94, the executive director for the Center for Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership at Babson, was appointed to the National Women’s Business Council. • Babson was selected as the 2022 Corporate Volunteer of the Year by the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship for the New England region for the second time in three years.

SUMMER 2022 / BABSON MAGAZINE

BABSONANDBEYOND

Rankings and Resurgence for Babson’s EDUCATION ABROAD A world in lockdown did not make for

cultural programs, giving students a

abroad programs. Among similar

an ideal time for education abroad

taste of other countries even though

speciality-focused institutions, Babson

programs. To be far from home, as

they couldn’t travel. “We did focus on

remains ranked with the very best for

the pandemic disrupted daily life and

where we could innovate,” said Lorien

international programs. In data going

plunged the globe into uncertainty, did

Romito, senior director of international

back to 2019–2020, Babson ranked

not feel comfortable for many students,

education. “We took the opportunity to

No. 2 for the total number of students

not to mention their parents.

expand the definition of global learning.”

participating in education abroad.

That unease was particularly felt

By the start of the 2021–2022 school

Breaking that data down further, the

at Babson, where education abroad

year, however, attendance in Babson’s

College ranked No. 1 for the number

is such an integral part of the College

in-person education abroad programs

of students in short-term duration

experience, with the school offering 120

came roaring back, particularly among

programs, and No. 2 for the number

programs in 41 countries. By the start

semester-long programs. “They are

of students in mid-length duration

of the 2020–2021 school year, those

almost up to pre-COVID times,” Romito

programs. Additionally, in data from

programs had ground almost entirely

said. “We are seeing the demand.”

2020–2021, Babson ranked No. 7 for total

to a halt. “If you asked us in fall 2020,

That bounce back in programs

number of international students at the

we were wondering how and when

comes as Babson recently was

education abroad would resume,” said

given strong rankings, once again,

Amir Reza, dean of the Babson Academy

by the Institute for International

and global education. “We were all

Education’s annual Open Doors

concerned, but we remained optimistic.”

report, a comprehensive resource

consistently,” Romito said. “We’re always

on international students and study

really proud of them.”

The staff pivoted to provide online

College. “Babson is a place where global learning is prioritized,” Reza said “We’ve gotten these ratings pretty — John Crawford

MARY ROSE Celebrated for Four Decades of Service

Mary Rose with President Spinelli

BABSON MAGAZINE / SUMMER 2022

Mary Rose, who personified the Babson community for more than 40 years, retired at the end of September from her position as special advisor to the president and as vice president for campus and community affairs. Her contributions and legacy were celebrated at a reception in December, when the Horn Library’s third-floor President’s Conference Room was named in her honor. “I feel extremely grateful and proud to have been a part of this community for so many years,” Rose said. “It is a special community that has consistently embraced change over the years, with an insatiable appetite for steady improvement and a constant

focus on excellence.” Rose, who first arrived at Babson as an admissions counselor in 1977, served in a host of vital campus roles through the decades and worked under eight College presidents. She is the only employee to win the prestigious Carpenter Prize twice (1997 and 2019). “I personally want to thank Mary for all she has done for Babson,” said President Stephen Spinelli Jr. MBA’92, PhD. “She always has given her best to the College, having so many times stepped in to manage areas in need of her leadership. When I think of Babson and the people who make this such an amazing and entrepreneurial place, I immediately think of Mary.”

PHOTO: JUSTIN KNIGHT

EPITCH RETURNS: TicketRev wins $100,000 grand prize hospitals and medical device representatives to streamline surgical scheduling, won the first ePitch during the Centennial celebration. The other ePitch finalists were BILTY, a logistics platform that bridges the gap between supply and demand for crosscountry freight movement, founded by Farhan Salik ’20; and Unmute, a platform that connects people to therapists, founded by Colleen Leung MBA’18 and Asini Wijewardane MBA’19. The judges included Jamie Siminoff Jason Shatsky ’21 displays the grand-prize check.

’99, H’21, the famed founder and chief a reverse marketplace for event tickets—

inventor of Ring; Melissa Krinzman,

Jason Shatsky ’21 is no stranger to

were selected as the winner of ePitch in

managing partner at Krillion Ventures,

Babson College pitch competitions.

April at eMerge Americas in Miami.

and VC-in-residence with the city of

The CEO and founder of TicketRev

“The experience of ePitch was

Miami; and Daniel Lloreda ’15, general

had been a finalist for the B.E.T.A.

truly incredible and unlike any pitch

(Babson Entrepreneurial Thought &

competition I’ve ever participated in,”

Action®) Challenge and a veteran of

Shatsky said. The grand prize was “by far

not only provides important financial

the Summer Catalyst Hot Seat and

the largest prize I’ve ever won.”

support for his venture but also serves

Showcase, in addition to other pitching

This was the first ePitch competition

partner at H20 Capital Innovation. For Shatsky, the ePitch grand prize

as a major validation.

opportunities. This one, though, was

since the inaugural event in 2019,

different. This was ePitch with a grand

launched to celebrate the College’s

to me,” he said. “Babson was the only

prize of $100,000—Babson’s largest

second century. Joanna Geisinger

school I ever wanted to attend, so winning

winning prize.

Devin MBA’17 and her company, Torq

our largest pitch competition really made

Interface, a platform that connects

it come full circle.”

Shatsky and his venture—TicketRev,

“Winning ePitch means everything

— Eric Beato

GEM REPORT: U.S. Entrepreneurial Activity Rebounds Entrepreneurs always spot opportunity,

2021/2022 Global Report, “Opportunity

United States recovered quickly in 2021

especially in times of disruption.

Amid Disruption,” was the first

to 16.5%, nearly equal to pre-pandemic

And, disruption often creates new

published report of its kind to examine

levels, according to the report. The

entrepreneurs seeking opportunity.

entrepreneurship one year into the

research also found that 66% of adults

pandemic.

believe it is easy to start a business,

The COVID-19 pandemic, in particular, presented both dramatic

“Much like with crises throughout

and 63% reported that the pandemic

disruption and unique opportunities.

history, the COVID-19 pandemic

introduced good opportunities to start a

In fact, more American entrepreneurs

crisis surfaced new opportunities for

business in their area.

report seeing increasingly more

entrepreneurs around the nation,” said

business opportunities despite the

Babson Professor Jeffrey P. Shay ’87,

academic researchers co-founded

economic challenges of the pandemic,

MBA’91, who co-authored the GEM

by Babson College in 1999, studies

according to research from the Global

global report.

entrepreneurial motivation and activity

Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM). GEM’s

FOR MORE BABSON NEWS AND EVENTS:

Total Entrepreneurial Activity in the

entrepreneurship.babson.edu

GEM, a global consortium of

around the world.

SUMMER 2022 / BABSON MAGAZINE

OFFICEHOURS

A Career of Mentorship and Support

As division chair and Posse mentor, Donna Stoddard P’21 always helps students and faculty grow

onna Stoddard P’21, an associate professor of IT management, joined Babson in 1995. Her career on campus since then has involved plenty of mentorship, both of her faculty colleagues and of Babson students. Stoddard has a long history of service as a campus administrator. She first became chair of her division in 2000, back when it meant leading the small group of faculty members who taught IT. In time, she oversaw a merger of the IT and operations faculty into one division. “I really enjoyed being chair because I got to know people,” Stoddard says. “As a chair, the most important thing that I do is help people manage their careers, figure out what they want to do and when they want to do it, and help them devise a path to enable them to grow.” Stoddard currently serves as an associate dean of faculty as well as division chair of Operations and Information Management. She also has been elected by her colleagues multiple times to serve on the Appointments Decision Making Body, which oversees tenure and promotions across the College. When asked which Babson experience has meant the most to her, though, Stoddard is unequivocal: serving as the faculty mentor of Babson’s Posse 9. The Posse Foundation is a national organization that places students with leadership potential in supportive multicultural “posses” at more than 60 colleges around the

PLEASE VISIT OUR

The theory is that if you’re part of a group, you’re more likely to be successful.”

United States, including Babson. The students are often the first in their families to attend college. “The theory is that if you’re part of a group, you’re more likely to be successful,” Stoddard explains. Her posse included 10 students from New York City who attended Babson from 2012 to 2016, including Shatiek Gatlin ’16, who was nominated to serve on Babson’s Board of Trustees for two years after graduation. She met with the cohort weekly when they were first-year students and sophomores. “I was helping them figure out and navigate the college process, helping them maximize their success at Babson,” Stoddard says. The group graduated with the highest GPA of any Babson posse up to that point. Stoddard loved spending time with these students and felt that it gave her

DIGITAL BOOKSHELF 8

BABSON MAGAZINE / SUMMER 2022

Featuring Publications by Babson Faculty

Donna Stoddard P’21 is the associate dean of faculty, as well as division chair of Operations and Information Management.

valuable insights about campus life. “It was a transformative experience for me, to get to know some kids really, really well,” she explains. Looking over her more than 25 years at Babson, Stoddard is heartened by the growth in the number of students and faculty members of color. She remembers how much it meant to her to be mentored by a Black professor, James Cash H’03, while she was a doctoral student at Harvard Business School. “I hope I can be a role model to our students and that they can stop by if they just want to talk,” she says. “It’s important for the students to have people on campus that look like them, and that’s a major change that I’ve seen at Babson.” — Erin O’Donnell

BABSON.EDU/BOOKSHELF

PHOTO: MICHAEL QUIET

PEOPLEOFBABSON Small Talk with

ANDY MOUTINHO For more than 20 years, Andy Moutinho has worked behind the scenes at Babson College. As the senior director of operations in the Facilities Management and Planning Department, Moutinho oversees the day-to-day operations on campus. The efforts of Moutinho and his team have been particularly critical over the past two years as he has helped the College navigate the challenges of the pandemic, working tirelessly to keep the campus operational and safe for students, faculty, and staff. When the pandemic hit in March 2020, what were the first steps you had to take? “For us, it was working on a plan to get the students home safely. Then, we were really looking at the summer and what we had to do, based on the science, to put us in a position to continue the education, including filtration and air purification, and best practices for cleaning and disinfecting the spaces.”

What were the early months of the pandemic like for you and your team? “There was a sense of commitment that we needed to be here to be productive and continue to maintain our facilities. We had to put ourselves in a position where we could maintain operations but not put our staff at risk to the point that we’d risk losing them all. We far exceeded what our health consultants were recommending and what the CDC guidelines were recommending from the standpoint of cleaning and keeping our facilities open.”

In 2020, you received a handwritten note from a student thanking you and your team for your hard work. What did that mean to you? “There’s nothing more rewarding than to know that you’re making a difference, that you’re having an impact on what’s happening here at Babson. We’re not the professors teaching the students and not the ones that give them the education to get that degree, but I like to think that the services we provide keep them safe and engaged, and is a contributing factor to our success at Babson and being the number one entrepreneurship school in the world. I really do believe in that. The biggest enjoyment to me is knowing that I make a difference.” — Eric Beato READ OUR COMPLETE Q&A WITH ANDY MOUTINHO: magazine.babson.edu

PHOTO: MICHAEL QUIET

SUMMER 2022 / BABSON MAGAZINE

By Hillary Chabot

K AIT Y GOODWIN

BABSON MAGAZINE / SUMMER 2022

PHOTO: JAKE BELCHER

The path Kaity Goodwin ’22 traveled to Babson isn’t what most people would call traditional. “In high school, I was really into art and design. I worked with fashion and graphic design, and I focused on painting styles,” Goodwin says. A chance position as head planner of her high school’s “Under the Sea” semiformal dance suddenly fueled her interest in event planning. “When I started looking at colleges, I was basically looking at either art schools or business schools,” Goodwin says. “It was a huge contrast.” Babson became the clear choice when Goodwin realized she’d need more business know-how if she wanted to be a successful event planner. “I knew that I could do art wherever I go, but I wanted to be in the event planning world and really learn more about the industry,” Goodwin says. Her work on Babson’s Campus Activities Board was one of the most impactful experiences for her, Goodwin says. She held three positions within the Campus Activities Board, including serving as president her senior year. “We actually doubled the amount of events that we put on in the last year. We usually put on about 50 events a year, and I think we did 101,” Goodwin says, pointing to the board’s many roles in events such as orientation week and the spring concert. The work gave her much-needed experiential learning about paying attention to detail, as well as how to handle last-minute mistakes that often pop up at live events. “The most memorable one was sophomore year: We hired a vendor for a live game show type of event, but they got the time mixed up and thought it started two hours later,” Goodwin recalls. “I ended up being the co-host for that event, and we were literally doing it together on the fly in front of 300 students. It was one of those things where you just have to suck it up and try to fix the situation as best you can.” When the pandemic sent students home in 2020, Goodwin managed to keep the events going virtually with games such as bingo and trivia. She has even secretly served as Biz E. Beaver, the College mascot, since her sophomore year—revealing her role only a month before graduation. And, while Babson has been key in helping Goodwin meet vendors and network with others in the event planning industry, she added that the College has many areas like the Weissman Foundry, where she was able to grow artistically. Where to next? Goodwin wants to cultivate her knack for bringing people together and start her career either in Boston or New York. “Someday, I’d like to go to Los Angeles,” says Goodwin, who always wanted to plan parties for celebrities and their children. “Having all this experience at Babson and working with different students, different personalities, and getting some really awesome guidance from advisors has really helped me get started.”

MORE STANDOUT 2022 UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS Tyson Corner ’22—the class valedictorian and Roger W. Babson Award winner—also won several finance competitions, helped manage the Babson College Fund, and created the Students Prepared Educated and Ready for Investment Banking (SPEAR IB) program to increase internship opportunities for Babson students. Alexis Fortune ’22 starred on the women’s soccer team, earning All-New England and NEWMAC accolades, as well as team MVP. A member of the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority, she also served as vice president of diversity, equity, and inclusion on the Panhellenic Council. Vladimir Kupchik ’22, who served as vice president of clubs and organizations in the Student Government Association, was one of 27 students inducted to Babson’s Tau Chapter of Omicron Delta Epsilon, the international honor society for economics. Shalom Mensah ’22, a Posse Scholar, created and taught a class on cooking for his Senior-Led Seminar, and received the George Macy Wheeler Award for best exemplifying the qualities of naturalness, friendliness, sincerity, persistence, and loyalty. Maya Patterson ’22, a four-year member of the Student Government Association, was a member of the Chi Omega sorority and served as president of the Panhellenic Council, where she helped create a weekly conversation series on anti-racism work and Black Lives Matter. Yuvraj (Yuvi) Sanjay Lulla ’22, a member of the Delta Sigma Pi professional fraternity and Beta Gamma Sigma honors society, credits the vast diversity at Babson for inspiring him to grow out of his comfort zone and try new things, including the Babson Players Theater Club and the Babson Dance Ensemble. Victoria Shen ’22, a Natalie Taylor Scholar inspired by her environmental sustainability classes, started the Food Recovery Network at Babson and worked with Babson Dining to raise awareness among the student body to reduce food waste.

Read more about the Class of 2022:

bab.sn/babson2022 12

BABSON MAGAZINE / SUMMER 2022

PHOTO: MICHAEL QUIET

Alexander Oubré MBA’22 earned his diploma

By Kara Baskin

ALEX ANDER OUBRÉ

and became a new dad in the same month. It’s a fitting conclusion to a productive Babson career, where he was co-president of the Babson Black Graduate Club and chief of graduate student life on the Graduate Student Council. The Los Angeles native was drawn to Babson’s “nontraditional, customizable” approach to business. “It seemed like people were really good at making that experience their own. It’s not a cookie-cutter MBA experience,” says the former music producer and engineer. Oubré made the Babson experience his own, too. After arriving on campus, he asked for information about the Babson Black Graduate Club. Instead, he was quicky recruited as a co-president and charged with increasing membership. “One of the first things that we did was rebrand from the Babson Black MBA Club to make it a Babson Black Graduate Club and figure out: How do we appeal to all Black students who are part of the Babson ecosystem and do community-building? How do we make sure that the next generation of Babson students has a place to call home?” It was a big job; the club’s membership was dwindling. He approached the challenge like a true Babson student. “We’re entrepreneurs. How can we take what we’re learning in the classroom and apply it to this very specific situation?” he says. With the support of Babson leadership, Oubré generated meaningful programming. He’s especially proud of securing former NFL player Paul Francisco, chief diversity officer at State Street, for a candid talk about race, careers, and leveraging Babson’s alumni network. “He gave a very impassioned speech, telling our students: ‘This is how you navigate the job market looking … in areas and in spaces where we’re not always welcome, where we’re most likely to be the only one,” he recalls. As chief of graduate student life, he also created community despite pandemic-induced distance. Oubré realized that his role was about more than mere events programming; it was about acknowledging and rewarding his peers’ outsized commitment to learning, despite the pandemic odds. “One thing we all have in common is that we were bold enough to take that risk. That’s really what Babson is all about: being bold enough to take a risk,” he says. Now, Oubré will use his Babson MBA to take on a new one. He hopes to launch his own brand marketing consulting company to advise minority-owned startups. “Going to Babson made me more interested not just in getting a job with the biggest company, but taking the skills I’ve learned and making the biggest impact,” he says, ideally back in Los Angeles or on Maui, where his wife is from. “It will be sunny, wherever I end up,” he promises.

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By Eric Beato

War and pandemic. Climate change and clean water. Poverty and hunger. Racial and gender inequality. The endless list of complex challenges confronting humanity today is daunting. Plus, many are persistent problems that have plagued the planet for decades or longer. The real problem isn’t the problems themselves, according to Babson College’s Scott Taylor. No, it’s the leadership required to solve them. “One thing that keeps me up at night, as a leadership scholar, is why do we have these long-standing problems and challenges in the world?” says Taylor, professor of organizational behavior and the Arthur M. Blank Endowed Chair for Values-Based Leadership at Babson. “We’re not

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able to bring together the individuals, the resources, the knowledge, the capability, and don’t have the influence sufficient to work through these very complex issues. There’s a breakdown in leadership, so there’s a major need.” It’s the entrenched models of leadership—not the leaders themselves, Taylor says—that are failing society. There’s an urgent need for a new model of leadership. Babson’s research, led by Taylor, has created that model. To solve the most perplexing problems, he says, the world needs entrepreneurial leadership.

A Groundbreaking Model The first definitions of entrepreneurial leadership date to the early 1990s, and at the forefront of the concept’s development have been Babson faculty such as Danna Greenberg, the Walter H. Carpenter Professor of Organizational Behavior whose

book, The New Entrepreneurial Leader: Developing Leaders Who Shape Social and Economic Opportunity, was published in 2011. Since then, entrepreneurial leadership has increased in popularity, especially as a professional competency and academic pursuit. As the longtime No. 1 school for entrepreneurship education, Babson College is perfectly positioned to take the lead on entrepreneurial leadership. With a $50 million donation from Arthur M. Blank ’63, H’98 in 2019, Babson launched The Arthur M. Blank School for Entrepreneurial Leadership. “This is our DNA. We live it, we practice it, we teach it,” Taylor says. “We’re uniquely qualified because of that history, those connections, those relationships, but I think there’s another piece to it: We want to be able to help the world solve these complex issues.” At Babson’s Blank School, Taylor

Scott Taylor, professor of organizational behavior and the Arthur M. Blank Endowed Chair for Values-Based Leadership at Babson

ability to help people in an influential way to have an increased capacity to recognize and exploit entrepreneurial opportunity.” “We’re not just talking about businesses here,” Taylor says. “We’re talking about solving complex problems, establishing sustainable organizations that impact the environment, economy, and society.”

Putting People First

has led the extensive work of his Babson colleagues to research and advance entrepreneurial leadership, which is taking a major leap forward this year. Taylor will be presenting the research work of the Blank School this summer to the Academy of Management’s Annual Meeting, the top conference for management and organization scholars. Also, the team’s academic paper on entrepreneurial leadership will soon be submitted to a top-tier academic journal. Most notably, Babson’s Blank School research has created the first academic model to explain entrepreneurial leadership. Existing definitions primarily are rooted either in entrepreneurship or leadership. Babson’s model, though, aims to extend and clarify the definition by integrating the two fields and incorporating neuroscience in groundbreaking ways. In layman’s terms, Taylor describes entrepreneurial leadership as “the

The traditional view of leadership often relies on a singular heroic figure—a commanding leader directing followers toward a common purpose. And, existing definitions of entrepreneurial leadership borrow from “transformational leadership,” which focuses on leaders capable of changing a social system or group of people in some way. “But, that foundation of transformational leadership on which entrepreneurial leadership is built is now a little shaky,” Taylor says. What’s missing is the relationships among people. Babson’s model of entrepreneurial leadership focuses on critical relational dynamics, incorporating research on human motivation. “Science has helped us understand why people do what they do, and what makes for effective performance at the individual, team, or organization level.” For starters, entrepreneurial leaders must have an internal clarity. Confidently guided by their values and beliefs, they are better able to focus outwardly on others. “Our model explores how that happens from a motivational, dynamic standpoint,” Taylor says. Successful entrepreneurial leaders also must display and foster empathy among others. Recent research shows that the empathetic network in the brain is tightly linked to innovation,

creativity, and pro-social behavior. However, when the empathetic network is activated, the brain’s analytical network is suppressed, and vice versa. “I believe entrepreneurial leaders move back and forth in those networks more quickly than other leaders, and we can increase that efficiency,” Taylor says. “That type of knowledge needs to influence the way we think about leadership from a relational standpoint and what one needs to do to inspire and enable others and engage their intrinsic motivation for performance.”

Developing Entrepreneurial Leaders More than 40 years ago, Babson revolutionized entrepreneurship, introducing it as an academic discipline that could be learned and developed. Now, the College is poised to do the same for entrepreneurial leadership. The necessary skills of entrepreneurial leaders, including cognitive flexibility and social competence, also can be developed and even measured, Taylor says. Babson’s model includes a process to grow the capability of entrepreneurial leaders, increasing collaborative efforts to tackle complex problems and create value. The results could be dramatic. “By developing entrepreneurial leaders, measuring their capability and impact, we’re going to be more intentional and effective in promulgating Entrepreneurial Thought & Action® in ways I don’t think we’ve even dreamed that we could do a few years ago,” Taylor says. “I think what we will see will be extraordinary.” So, with such complex, persistent problems causing sleepless nights, can entrepreneurial leaders really change the world? Taylor doesn’t hesitate to answer: “Absolutely.” 

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By John Crawford

As Babson expands its focus on entrepreneurial leadership, the College’s alumni are tackling some of the world’s biggest problems—from uniting a divided island to revolutionizing recycling to leveling the playing field. Here’s how they’re doing it.

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PHOTO: EMMA LOUISE CHARALAMBOUS

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TEVEN STAVROU MBA’14

remembers the first networking event his organization put together. About 20 to 30 people showed up for what was hoped to be a friendly and casual event, but attendees simply stood around, clutching their drinks, not talking or interacting. It was awkward. “We had no agenda in place. We weren’t sure what to expect,” Stavrou says. “People showed up and didn’t know what to do. They weren’t mingling.” What made the event particularly challenging was its location: the Buffer Zone on the divided island of Cyprus. Located in the Mediterranean Sea, at the crossroads of three continents, Cyprus is a beautiful place, with beaches, mountains, and typically sunny days that have turned it into a popular tourist destination. But, Cyprus also is an island literally split in two, between a Turkish Cypriot community in the north and a Greek Cypriot community in the south. That division has lasted decades, and after a failed Greek military coup and then subsequent Turkish military

Entrepreneurs value productivity and growth over any ideological difference.” — Steven Stavrou MBA’14, CyprusInno

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intervention in 1974, a physical, 112-mile-long demilitarized Buffer Zone was created between the two sides. Patrolled by United Nations peacekeeping forces and marked by barbed wire, that zone even cuts through the capital city of Nicosia, making it the last divided capital in Europe. Turkish and Greek Cypriots rarely interact on the island. “It is a complicated place,” Stavrou says. “There is still far too often a their-side, ourside, mentality.” With strong family ties to Cyprus (his father was born there), Stavrou wanted to find a way to bridge the distance between the two divided communities. That’s why he co-founded CyprusInno, an organization working to build community and trust on Cyprus through business and entrepreneurship. Launched in 2016, CyprusInno keeps a database of island startups, holds inclusive events and programs, and runs a collaboration and co-working space. Through CyprusInno’s efforts, a number of businesses on either side of the island now partner on initiatives. “We had this feeling that

entrepreneurship would be a great peace-building mechanism,” Stavrou says. “Entrepreneurs value productivity and growth over any ideological difference.” The work of peace is certainly not easy, but CyprusInno is bringing people closer together. At that first networking event, the Turkish and Greek Cypriots stood apart, not ready to cross the great divide that had been built up between their two communities. Eventually, the CyprusInno team invited attendees to get in a circle and introduce themselves. “The mood changed,” Stavrou says. “People were working on similar things on either side and realized they could collaborate.”

The Challenge: Improving Recycling Babson College graduates such as Stavrou are problem solvers, and they are unafraid of taking on some of the complex challenges that the world faces today. As entrepreneurial leaders, they are well-equipped to help solve these intractable issues, thanks to the relationships they foster and their ability to navigate complexity and uncertainty.

Steven Stravou MBA’14 (left) sits with co-founder Burak Doluay outside the CyprusInno headquarters.

A group of entrepreneurs (left) collaborate at The Base (below), CyprusInno’s co-working and innovation space located inside the Buffer Zone on the island of Cyprus.

We don’t want to keep making new plastic.” — Ravish Majithia MBA’18, Magnomer

Stavrou trying to bring peace to a divided island is one example of entrepreneurial leadership in action. Babson has helped produce many others. Consider Ravish Majithia MBA’18 and his efforts to change the recycling process and thus address the vast waste and damaging environmental impact of plastic. Majithia is the co-founder and CEO of Magnomer, a Framingham, Massachusetts, company that has its sights set on the ubiquitous plastic bottle. According to Magnomer, only 6% of plastic bottles are actually recycled into more plastic bottles. The rest either end up in a landfill, or, if they do find their way to a recycling facility, are so contaminated that they are recycled into a lower quality plastic, suitable for building materials but not plastic bottles again. For every used plastic bottle not finding another life filled with juice or soda once more, that means a new plastic bottle has to be created from scratch. “We don’t want to keep

making new plastic,” says Majithia, who has a PhD in materials science and engineering and is an experienced researcher. “That is a big goal, but that is where we want to be.” A big reason recycled plastic can become contaminated, Majithia says, is the labels on bottles, which can’t be easily removed during the recycling process. “Why can’t we design packaging to be more sortable? I really thought this was a big opportunity,” Majithia says. “To have bottle-tobottle recycling, getting rid of labels is essential.” To address this problem, Magnomer created a transparent magnetic ink that can be added to labels of plastic bottles. Then, when those bottles are cut up for recycling at a facility, magnetic separators, already commonly in use, can sort those labels out of the plastic. This allows for better grade plastic to be recycled. Majithia admits to being a bit naïve when he started Magnomer.

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Its ink seemed like a strong idea for an industry seeking to be more sustainable, and so he leaped into launching a business even if he didn’t quite understand how complex a challenge he was up against. “I thought this would be easy,” he says. “Why wouldn’t someone want to do this?” In order for the inks to be widely adopted, though, Magnomer has to work with two distinct constituencies: beverage companies and recycling facilities. Additionally, while beverage companies were open to trying Magnomer’s magnetic inks, they didn’t want to have to change any of their own designs or packaging. That’s why Magnomer spent 18 months in research and development to make sure its ink is transparent, allowing the inks to be added to labels without any design changes. Several companies, including PepsiCo, are now testing out the magnetic ink, and recycling plants are checking out how well the ink helps with sorting. “We are not asking brands to change the way they do business,” Majithia says. “That is arguably our biggest value proposition.”

The Challenge: Bringing Equality to Science Taking on complex issues often involves relying on communities and relationships for help. Tapping into the power of relationships to mentor and inspire people is a big part of what Melissa Rancourt MBA’01 does with Greenlight for Girls. She is the board president and founder of the Brussels-based organization, which seeks to encourage girls to take courses and pursue careers in the STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, and math). Too often, Rancourt says, girls steer away from these male-dominated fields, feeling a subtle push from a host

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We are inspiring curiosity and learning.” — Melissa Rancourt MBA’01, Greenlight for Girls

of sources—peers, teachers, media, employers, and society at large—that math and science aren’t meant for them. That perception is so pervasive that it can be hard to counteract. “They don’t see others like themselves in those fields,” says Rancourt, a serial entrepreneur who owns her own engineering firm. “They don’t feel included. It’s about that feeling of belonging.” Just like boys, girls deserve to pursue the opportunities that STEM provides, and those fields need them and their perspectives. “We need a variety and diversity of thought and approaches,” Rancourt says. Besides, considering how essential STEM is to so many industries, the more people who pursue these fields the better. “We are depending more and more on these vocations that require these skill sets,” Rancourt says. “I believe these subjects are the keys to making anything possible. In order to solve all the challenges around us, we need more people in these fields.” Greenlight for Girls holds a variety of events, both virtual and in-person. “We are showing these subjects in fun, exciting, hands-on ways,” Rancourt says. “We are inspiring curiosity and learning.” The organization’s largest event might have as many as 200 to 300 girls attending. All are given lab coats, which they personalize with inspirational messages and learnings, and they participate in a day of workshops and design challenges.

Melissa Rancourt MBA’01 (top right), founder and board president of Greenlight for Girls, addresses a group of girls at one of the organization’s events. Greenlight for Girls encourages girls to take courses and pursue careers in STEM fields.

Such an event may have some 100 volunteer role models on hand. Working for big companies and NGOs, schools and museums, the volunteers come from a range of backgrounds and share their stories with the girls. “One person having a conversation with someone might inspire them to go into the field,” Rancourt says.

Since its founding in 2009, Greenlight for Girls has worked with 8,500 volunteers and held events in 34 countries, reaching some 58,000 children. “There is a pressing need to do this, whether we are talking about Silicon Valley or a rural community across the globe,” Rancourt says. The organization also offers

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It can help level the playing ﬁeld to know how to manage your money.” — Nitiya Walker ’14, Seeds of Fortune

online tools and a fellowship program providing mentorship and college tuition assistance to girls in need. In whatever country an event is held, the organization always closes it by having everyone in attendance say in their local language: “Anything is possible.”

The Challenge: Increasing Financial Literacy Nitiya Walker ’14 understands the power of community. Growing up, she was raised in Clinton Hill and BedfordStuyvesant, two neighborhoods with large Black communities in Brooklyn, New York. She relished the spirit of those neighborhoods, of how people tried to look after each other. The mantra “lift as we climb, and leave no one behind” described the responsibility that people felt toward one another, she says. After graduating from Babson, Walker returned to Brooklyn and today once again lives in Bedford-Stuyvesant. “It made sense to come back home,” she

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says, and Walker continues to carry that community spirit, of neighbors taking care of neighbors, forward with her. Walker is the founder and executive director of Seeds of Fortune, a nonprofit that teaches young women of color financial literacy and helps them to apply for college scholarships. She launched Seeds of Fortune her senior year at Babson, and since then, participants have been offered more than $15 million in scholarships and grants. Walker strives to empower others through financial knowledge, which can have a wide-ranging impact. “For minority families, financial education is essential for their financial security,” she says. At Babson, Walker saw how financial knowledge was commonplace among her classmates. Students are living and breathing business in their courses, of course, but many also are growing up in families who are financially astute. They know about investing, building credit, buying homes, and paying for college. “I

saw how information was passed from one generation to another generation,” she says. For people of color, however, Walker has seen how this knowledge is not always widely known. They may want to build better credit or buy a home, she says, but they may not understand how to get there. That lack of knowledge can hamper their future opportunities, especially considering the systemic racism they already face. “How can we have an equitable future when there is such a gap in financial knowledge?” Walker says. “It can help level the playing field to know how to manage your money.” In its 10-month program, Seeds of Fortune takes girls through the college application and financial aid process. Thanks to a partnership with Yale Women in Economics, they also receive mentorship from Yale undergraduates while completing projects focused on economics. In additional offerings, Seeds of Fortune provides online resources about college affordability, as well as an initiative focusing on the professional and financial development of college students. By helping to financially empower young people, Walker has a front-row seat as they grow, guiding them as they enter college, find jobs, and start out on their lives. “It’s pretty gratifying,” Walker says. “The girls are taking ownership of their own future.”

The Challenge: Building Peace Back on Cyprus, Steven Stavrou hopes to use business relationships to build trust on the island. “Business relationships are heavily based on trust,” he says. “If we can build trust through business, that can build trust in our underlying communities.” While the ultimate goal is to help forge peace on Cyprus, CyprusInno

doesn’t force that message into its programming. The organization offers initiatives with the aim of bringing people together as a first step, in the hope that goodwill and collaborations follow. They often do. Business people from both sides of the island have teamed up to sell a variety of products, from olive oil to whiskey to tour packages. “We don’t force the peace angle on anyone,” Stavrou says. “Our numbers opened up when we didn’t emphasize peace building. The peace building happens naturally. Collaborations happen naturally.” A strong example of collaboration on the island is CyprusInno itself. Stavrou co-founded the organization with a Turkish Cypriot named Burak Doluay. They first connected online, and Stavrou admits that Doluay was the first Turkish Cypriot he had ever

met. The pair now hope to provide a model for other divided places, and they recently met with others doing peace building work in Israel and Palestine. Stavrou also is part of Obama Foundation Leaders Europe, a sixmonth program that seeks to inspire, empower, and connect emerging leaders from across Europe. On Cyprus, the physical manifestation of CyprusInno’s work is The Base, a co-working and innovation space located inside the island’s Buffer Zone. To walk around Cyprus’ capital is to be in a place divided by walls, sandbags, and barrels, where U.N. soldiers and trucks are a common sight and passing through checkpoints is the only way to go from one side to the other. That sense of division lifts inside The Base, which buzzes with meetings and events and is open every day. “We

It’s amazing what we can accomplish together.” — Steven Stavrou MBA’14, CyprusInno

are surrounded by barbed wire. Then you walk into an innovation space,” Stavrou says. “People’s faces change when they walk inside.” To see Greek and Turkish Cypriots working together in The Base is to imagine what a united Cyrus could look like. “It’s amazing what we can accomplish together,” Stavrou says. 

GLOBAL SCHOLAR

TAKES ACTION ON CAMPUS

Far from her family in Ukraine, Global Scholar Liliia Alieksanova ’25 (right) mobilized her new community at Babson. Just days after her hometown was under siege during the Russian invasion, the burgeoning activist organized and led a midday march and rally on campus to support Ukraine, attracting nearly 200 students, faculty, and staff. “It’s really inspiring to see that people care, that people trust you, that people want you to lead them to do good things for the world, to stop the evil,” says Alieksanova, who led the crowd in chants and the Ukrainian national salute. “I’m really empowered.” One of three Babson students from Ukraine, Alieksanova shared the moving and heartfelt story of her family, and implored the attendees to take action and assist Ukraine. She told the crowd, “You do have power.”

Read more at bab.sn/UkraineRally

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ATHLETICS

Fifty years ago this summer, the passage of Title IX—the landmark civil rights legislation that prohibited sex-based discrimination in educational settings—opened more opportunities for more women to play collegiate sports. As Babson College marks the golden anniversary and celebrates its women student-athletes, we reached out to nine alumni and coaches for their reflections on the role college athletics played in their personal and professional development.

JACQUELINE PAUL ’20, MSBA’21 Softball (2017–2021) Baseball data analyst, Hawk-Eye Innovations As I progress in my career of working in sports, I am constantly reminded of the battles that all of the brave women who came before me fought and how much respect I have for those who have attempted to pave the way for me. I sincerely hope that my work will make it easier for the women who come after me as they, too, will be blazing the path to a brighter and equal future. I am inspired by those working to make the sports world equal. I am inspired by my friends Vanessa Onwe ’20, Tori Roche ’20, and Brooke Stock ’20, MSF’21, who all had jobs coaching collegiate sports this past year, and Kate Karamouzis ’23, who is working for Major League Baseball this summer.”

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FRAN HARTWELL

Basketball (1974–1978), volleyball (1975–1977) First women’s team coach I believe that the role of athletics in any educational institution is not the team’s or coach’s record that’s important, but rather the development of the studentathlete to better handle many different situations later in life.”

COLLEEN KELLY ’11, MBA’23 Field hockey (2007–2010)

Vice president, trade marketing and industry relations, Anheuser-Busch Playing field hockey at Babson was one of the most formative experiences during my collegiate experience. I came to understand the importance of setting a clear vision for the team, providing the framework for success, motivating people to come along for the journey, as well as the importance of coaching individuals differently. These on-field experiences in conjunction with what I learned in the classroom built a strong foundation for me to start my career. Over the past decade, I’ve continued to leverage and hone the leadership and teamwork capabilities I built on the field to influence how I build my team and run my department today.”

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ATHLETICS LAURIE HORNIK ’88

Soccer (1987), basketball (1985–1988), softball (1987–1988) Director of religious education, St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Longmeadow, Massachusetts The lessons from my time as a college athlete continue to guide my life. As a senior, I asked my coach, Judy Blinstrub, about becoming a college basketball coach. She said she loved her job, but it would not make me rich. I naively dismissed that option and embarked on an accounting career, which I then put on hold to care for my son, Shaun, who was born with cerebral palsy. It was the best decision I ever made, raising my four sons. A few years ago, I returned to the workforce and then found a job that I love. Before accepting, I reflected on Coach Blinstrub’s words. Today, I am happy and excited to go to work every day—something that I had never felt before. I know that I am doing what I am best at, and I am doing what I love. Just like Judy.”

MEG LYNCH ’08

Soccer (2004–2007), swimming (2004–2008), rugby (2006–2008) Nonprofit consultant

STEPHANIE BALAOURAS ’97

Soccer (1993–1996), lacrosse (1994–1997) VP, group research director for technology, Forrester For me, athletics gave me structure, kept me

College athletics gave me the chance to build character and develop my strategic and analytical thinking, while gaining valuable leadership and teamwork skills that have benefited me in both my personal and professional pursuits. College athletics instilled a growth-oriented mindset that has allowed me to see obstacles as solvable challenges and to be unafraid of stepping outside my comfort zone.”

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healthy and in great shape, and fostered some amazing friendships. I found that when I was in season, I was more productive and more successful in multiple domains of my life, from academics to my role as a resident assistant, because there was no time for procrastination. I had great mentors in coaches and assistant coaches, and when I was younger, from the seniors on the team. And, it gave me the opportunity to create friendships with women that I could always count on—on and off the field.”

MEGAN B. SUDAK ’99, M.ED, MA

Softball (1996–1998), basketball manager (1995–1999) Business educator and varsity softball coach, Beverly (Massachusetts) High School College athletics played an integral role in my development both personally and professionally. If I didn’t have college athletics, I am not sure where the road would have taken me. My Babson experience revolved around the athletics department, and I value all the hours I spent on the fields and in the Webster Center. Working in both the equipment room and in the offices also opened my eyes to all of the energy and time that goes into college athletics. It made me want to pursue a path where I could coach in some way. It is what led me to education after working in marketing for a few years.”

Tonya M. Strange ’94 (back row, middle)

MACKENZIE SILVERIO HENDERSON ’00 Swimming (1996–2000)

TONYA M. STRANGE ’94

Senior vice president of ticket sales, Boston Celtics

Volleyball (1990–1993), basketball (1990–1994) Senior manager of consumer insights, CVS Health

Swimming at Babson had an incredible influence on both my personal life and

As a self-identified introvert, athletics provided me the opportunity to come out of my shell and truly develop a strong sense of self. I developed much more confidence in my own voice and worth. That confidence transferred to the classroom and ultimately to the boardroom, where I was often tasked to share my recommendations and points of view as often the sole subject matter expert in the room at a very large corporation. I could never have accomplished what I have professionally without those development years on the volleyball and basketball court. The strong, confident, and resilient mom, sister, friend, and colleague I am today is largely due to being able to participate in college athletics.”

professional career. The guidance and life advice from our incredible coach, Rick Echlov, the camaraderie with my amazing teammates, and the privilege of leading the team as a twoyear captain all gave me many of the tools I needed to become successful in the business world, along with some of the best memories of my life. I’m forever grateful for the impact Babson swimming had on me, and I would do it all over again if I could.” FOR MORE SPORTS NEWS, VISIT: babsonathletics.com

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ADVANCEMENTSPOTLIGHT 28

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THE POWER OF THE

Alumni Network At Commencement ceremonies, Patrick Baird ’11, chair of the Babson Alumni Association, welcomed the Class of 2022 to the College’s powerful alumni network. “I encourage you to leverage the Babson alumni network. We’re now more than 43,000 strong across 125 countries,” he said. “There are no limits to the ways this network can support you.” We caught up with a few alumni, including one of their newest members, about the power of the network.

COREY O’NEILL ’22

College Advancement Ambassador It’s four days after Commencement, and Corey O’Neill ’22 is back on campus for the first time as a Babson College alumnus. He’s here to reflect on his time as a College Advancement Ambassador (CAA), and he’s sporting the program’s trademark green sport coat. “In this green jacket, you stand out,” says O’Neill, who has worn that same jacket at Babson events in Boston and New York and countless times on campus. He tugs on the lapel. “So many good memories made in this.” Along with Bhoomi Soni ’22 and Curtis Johnson ’23, O’Neill was one of three lead CAAs this past year, heading the group of 20 ambassadors who serve as liaisons between the student body and alumni network. The CAAs represent students at College events such as Back to Babson and partner with Babson Advancement to support alumni in a variety of ways. “I treat it more like you’re the host at Babson,” O’Neill says. “It’s been terrific. It’s brought me so many

different unique experiences than I could have ever imagined.” At his first CAA event, the Centennial celebration in Copley Square, the Blank Scholar met both his scholarship benefactor, Arthur M. Blank ’63, H’98, and Eric Johnson ’72, P’08. Since then, in his three years as CAA, O’Neill has given dozens of tours and met “hundreds” of alumni and other friends of the College. A natural networker, O’Neill says the connections he has made and observed have given him a unique perspective about alumni involvement. It’s not just about alumni giving their money but also their time and expertise. It’s about building relationships and fostering a community. “In the CAA program, you see a whole different realm of alumni involvement at Babson,” O’Neill says. “If you have relationships with the alumni community, they will vouch for you or they will give you guidance or do introductions for you.”

It’s been terrific. It’s brought me so many different unique experiences than I could have ever imagined.

Now, the new graduate is on the other side as a member of the Babson alumni. He knows the advantages of staying engaged. “I’m excited because there’s two realms. There’s the school side of it, but there’s also the friendship side of it,” O’Neill says. “Now, whenever we hang out, it’s a Babson alumni reception. What ties us all together is Babson.” O’Neill is leaving campus again. He’ll eventually land in New York City, where he will work as an investment banking analyst at Bank of America. But, first, he’s headed on a post-Commencement trip to Europe with Babson buddies. After three years as a CAA, it’s his first Babson alumni reception. — Eric Beato

PHOTO: MICHAEL QUIET

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ADVANCEMENTSPOTLIGHT

Elissa Slovin Kalver ’09 was diagnosed with Stage IV metastatic breast cancer at the age of 34 in July 2021, just a few days before her daughter’s first birthday. She tapped into the Babson network to start and grow We Got This, which helps cancer patients feel empowered, strong, and beautiful throughout their treatment and entire life. “When I was diagnosed, my first thought was I have to do something. That’s what drew me to Babson to begin with: having the mind to do something entrepreneurial. “In my current situation, the second I think of doing anything, I think about calling my Babson network: Gerri Randlett and some of my close friends. My initial small nonprofit idea of trying to help some people in a unique, specific way, went from being a very local idea—just for people suffering

from breast cancer in California—and grew into a global tech platform to help cancer patients and their families. “I’ve mostly been connected to other alumni through Gerri, and then the snowball effect of the network took over. Babson is such a unique network since everyone studies similar things. “It’s so interesting to see what people have accomplished, many starting amazing businesses. I’ve connected unknowingly to Babson alumni through their products first, and then came to find out it was a Babson business. “We Got This has grown to be not

ELISSA SLOVIN KALVER ’09 Founder, We Got This

just my idea, but our idea made up of so many conversations with Babson alumni that made it into something much bigger than I could have made it on my own.” Read more about Elissa Slovin Kalver: bab.sn/WeGotThis

Darren Franco MBA’00 is a 20-year real estate and financing veteran who is focused on ensuring an individualized and smooth process for all of his clients. He has utilized and fostered all aspects of Babson’s growing real estate network, including alumni, students, and faculty.

DARREN FRANCO MBA’00

Principal, Boston Mortgage Solutions Past Chair, Babson Real Estate Group

BABSON MAGAZINE / SUMMER 2022

“The real estate industry isn’t as large as it seems. I remember early on, the Babson Real Estate (BRE) group was made up of people in commercial, residential, and peripherals—architecture, environmentalist. There is a wealth of information in the group, and I was able to build my networking

sphere. You get different perspectives when people ask each other about our specific areas of expertise. “The Babson network includes not only alumni but also faculty. In the last five years, Babson has really upped its game as it relates to real estate. Erin Degnan Escobedo was brought on to teach and design real estate classes with Paul Griesmer. She reached out to the (BRE) group to find guest lecturers who are practicing what they’re teaching and who are affiliated with Babson. I’ve done eight or nine classes on the residential side and made some great connections with students. “Babson also has a real

Maya Mutalik ’21 (at right, with Gayatri Jolly ’11) is a South Asian designer and social entrepreneur. Driven by her appreciation of timeless fashion, cultural traditions, and women’s empowerment, she founded Hope Sews to celebrate artisanal craftsmanship by using traditional textiles in contemporary forms. Her Babson connections helped her venture grow internationally.

MAYA MUTALIK ’21 Founder, Hope Sews

estate club for students. The co-presidents of the student group tapped our alumni group for a program on real estate careers, and I was happy to be on the panel. A recent graduate came up to me after the discussion and said that what I do sounds a lot like what he wants to do. To get him into the industry and have him be so eager to learn both financing and real estate was pretty impressive. He still works with me today. “Overall, what I’m most impressed about is the willingness of alumni to connect and be a resource. I gave someone a meeting once because he was a Babson alum. And, I’ve been able to connect others to people that I know through Babson.”

“I got the idea for Hope Sews when I traveled to Ghana right before my freshman year at Babson. I met a seamstress and learned about an issue that many seamstresses face in low-income communities: lack of resources to take their business to the next level. I decided to use fashion to give back to seamstresses around the world. “I met Gayatri Jolly while I was on the BRIC program. I went on BRIC with the lens of wanting to learn more about social entrepreneurship.

In India, there was an environmental justice class and one of the excursions was visiting Gayatri’s studio, MasterG, and learning about her work. What she was working on was so in line with what I was trying to do. I came back to her studio, and we discussed projects we could work on together. We later did a mass collection together using her team and my designs. “Our collaboration really opened up a huge network for me in India. It was a gateway to me developing this global supply chain. It was my company’s first larger-scale project in another country. Now, we just launched our India collection, our biggest collection yet. “Because Babson is a small school and a tight-knit community, when you meet a Babson alum, there’s this instant connection and a desire to hear about each other’s projects and ideas. It’s very collaborative. The Babson community will deliver.”

MIAMI, FLORIDA February 2–4 Join us for the world’s premier entrepreneurship summit featuring: • Educational and cultural forums and presentations • Social events including the best of Miami’s cuisine and entertainment • Keynote speakers and panels discussing emerging trends in family business, global investing, and social enterprise • Unrivaled professional development opportunities to network and connect with the global Babson community bcw.babson.edu

SUMMER 2022 / BABSON MAGAZINE

NEWSNOTESANDNODS 32

UNDERGRADUATE

1973

Roberto Santana ’73, managing partner of DTS LAW, LLC, was elected to the board of trustees of the Sociedad Española de Auxilio Mutuo y Beneficencia for a second three-year term to expire in December 2024. Auxilio Mutuo is Puerto Rico’s oldest and most prestigious medical institution and is a leader in cancer treatment; liver, kidney, pancreas, blood, and marrow transplants; orthopedics; and other medical specialties. It employs more than 2,100 people, including 715 doctors.

Carlos M. Echeverría ’74, MBA’76 is enjoying semi-retired life with his family in Costa Rica. He has a weekly press column, participates in politics and sports, and occasionally offers his consulting services in Central America.

1979

Henry G. Brzycki ’79 published his book, Purpose and Possibilities: How to Transform Your Life, which, he wrote, “meets the needs of our time, and your own unique needs, just in time!” The book offers solutions to help you discover your higher purpose, find greater meaning in life, and see new possibilities for how to live a happy, healthy, and flourishing life. It is available on Amazon.

BABSON MAGAZINE / SUMMER 2022

Alexander von Cramm ’86 completed his quest to summit the highest mountain on each of the seven continents on December 16, 2021. “I successfully completed my seventh summit and stood on top of Mount Vinson, the highest peak in Antarctica,” von Cramm said, reflecting on his final climb. “It was an amazing experience traveling the world and accomplishing something that less than 500 people have done. But the journey continues.”

1990

Shaun McMahon ’90, the CEO and founder of Illuminate, a Boston-based custom clinical sales-training firm for the life services industry, joined the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce. The organization is dedicated to expanding economic opportunities and advancement for all LGBT people. “Encouraging inclusivity in the workplace and supporting diverse communities is personally important to me, and these objectives are fundamental to Illuminate’s mission and work culture as well,” McMahon said.

Bob Kelly ’81 and a dozen other Babson graduates gathered to celebrate the life of their friend Dave Ryan ’81, who passed away October 28, 2020. The Legal Sea Foods gathering included Dave’s spouse, Laura, and his children Paige and Matthew, as well as Gary Newcomb ’81, Tom Morganstern ’81, Marti Crompton Johnson ’82, MBA’91, Jeff Johnson ’82, MBA’92, Chris Grant ’81, Kelly, Lori Sullivan ’82, Jeffrey Hutchins ’82, Peggy Kelley Davis ’81, Sam Davis ’80, Steve Rogers ’80, and Lynne Nolan ’81. “What a wonderful tribute to one of the truly special ones! God bless Dave,” Kelly wrote.

Steve DeBiasi ’90 has been appointed chief executive officer of Curi Advisory, Curi’s recently launched business unit designed to help independent physicians and practice leaders protect, optimize, and grow their businesses. “I’m truly honored to be joining the team,” DeBiasi said. “The healthcare space continues to evolve at a rapid pace, and medical practices need thoughtful, solution-oriented partners who can help them address those changing needs.”

1999

Charles Gaudet ’99 was named one of the Top 20 Business & Finance Experts You Should Be Following in 2022 by Grit Daily, an online news source on millennial and Gen Z startups that cited Gaudet’s work as an in-demand sales coach for small to midsized companies. He also was profiled about his consulting company, Predictable Profits, in an article by International Business Times titled “How Charles Gaudet Became the Go-To Business Coach for 7 and 8 Figure Entrepreneurs.”

2000

Fabi Arevalo ’00 recently joined the multinational footwear company Wolverine Worldwide as vice president of finance. Arevalo leads finance functions for both Sperry and Keds, two brands owned by Wolverine Worldwide. Arevalo said she is thrilled to be back in Boston after living in Seattle, San Francisco, and Santiago, Chile, while working for Nordstrom and Levi Strauss & Co. Yan Katz ’00 was designated a Five Star Wealth Manager by the Bulfinch Group. The award is given annually to an elite group of wealth managers who are selected from a pool of up to 3,000 registered financial services professionals. Katz also was named an Executive Club qualifier by The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America. Executive Club is one of the highest honors annually awarded by Guardian to financial professionals who demonstrate outstanding service and dedication to their clients.

Eric Brown ’02 was appointed to the Virginia Thurston Healing Garden board of trustees, with a mission to expand the reach of client services through the use of technology and provide care opportunities to historically underserved populations. Brown is the founder of It’s Possible Media, a marketing, technology, product, and business company. He lives in Harvard, Massachusetts, with his wife, Elizabeth, and their three children.

Dennis Noll ’05 married Myles Harris on March 16, 2019, in Palm Springs, California, at a Mid-Century Modern Bank. He wrote, “Guests were treated to sunset cocktails outside, and dinner, dancing, and drag inside. I am so fortunate that so many of my supportive Babson friends could attend, including best man Mike Restivo ’05 and groomsman Matt Chiasson ’07.” Other guests included Kelsey Tracewski ’06, Chris Colli ’05, Kim (Nguyen) Colli ’05, Bill Fioretti ’65, Jen (Sanchez) Restivo ’05, Whitney (Robbins) Griffin ’05, Betsy Campbell ’05, Anh-Dao (Nguyen) Kefor ’05, Lindsay (Sherry) Burke ’05, Doug Griffin MBA’09, Jimmy Burke ’05, Pam Burns ’85, and Gregg Burns ’86.

2008

Nick Ariens ’08 has been promoted to executive vice president of the newly created Americas region of AriensCo, a manufacturer of lawn mowers, snow blowers, and other outdoor power equipment based in Wisconsin. Ariens has been with the company for 12 years. As the EVP, he will be responsible for all facets of business in the region, including sales and marketing, product engineering, operations, supply chain, human resources, and finance. Sarah Sukumaran ’08 launched Lilith NYC, a Queens, New York-based footwear brand “for women, femmes, and all underrepresented folks in the sneaker world. Lilith NYC is about embracing our feminine energy and recognizing one’s agency to show up as they wish,” Sukumaran said. She was previously director of product at Nike.

Eric Roberge ’02 and his wife, Kali, are thrilled to welcome their daughter, Thalia Grace, into the family. Thalia was born on October 2, 2021, weighing 6 pounds, 6 ounces. “Arriving in less than an hour after her parents made it to the hospital, she wasted no time in making her presence known—and in stealing the hearts of her whole family,” Roberge said. Roberge, CFP and founder of Beyond Your Hammock, also was recently named to the ThinkAdvisor LUMINARIES Class of 2021, members of which are recognized for the dynamic and inclusive ways they drive the financial planning industry forward.

Jillian Vaillancourt ’10 opened a new recruitment firm named VCourt Recruitment in March after spending more than a decade in recruitment and staffing. Vaillancourt aims to connect top talent to contract and permanent positions with great companies. “Simply put, we put the best with the best,” Vaillancourt said.

Jeffrey Browne ’11 is a financial advisor with Merrill in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, where he advises senior executives, entrepreneurs, and multigenerational families. He was recently ranked 32nd in the country on the 2021 Forbes/ Shook America’s Top Next-Gen Wealth Advisors list. Browne also was listed on the Forbes Best in State Wealth Advisors list, where he ranked 18th in the state of New Jersey.

Alyssa (Sullivan) Bollman ’11 wrote, “Mark Bollman ’10 and I met at a party at Babson in 2008. Two years later, our friendship blossomed into something more, and we were engaged in 2018. We rescheduled our 2020 wedding to 2021 in Oaxaca de Juárez, Mexico. We were lucky enough to have 14 Babson alumni at our celebration and many supporting us from afar. From left to right: Jake Enyeart ’11, Jeff Croteau ’10, George Miller ’14, Joe Graves ’11, Mike Remy ’11, Ben Weinstein ’11, MS’11, Sarah (Switlik) Brooks ’11, Sara Chizek ’10, Ben Pugliares ’10, Cole Mercer ’10, Chris Jacobs ’10, Alex Brooks ’11, Scott Kern ’11, and Jason Melton ’12. We are so grateful to Babson for bringing us together and for the lifelong friendships we share!”

SUMMER 2022 / BABSON MAGAZINE

NEWSNOTESANDNODS

2014

Bianca D’Alessio ’14, a real estate broker, was featured on the reality TV show “Selling the Hamptons,” which began streaming on Discovery+ in January. When D’Alessio isn’t on reality TV, she manages $10 billion in pipeline and active new development sales inventory for Nest Seekers Development Marketing.

Jaclyn LaCavalla ’14 married Graham Quisenberry ’16 on July 17, 2021, in Arlington, Vermont. Joining the celebration were many Babson friends, including Kevin Dachos ’15, Carter Dowd ’16, Tess Rubega ’14, Mari Hackett ’14, Sarah Whitaker ’14, Amanda Cioffi ’14, Mauricio Palazzi ’14, Abby Thorsgaard ’14, Max Barber ’17, Cristina Fernandez ’14, Leanne Tremblay ’16, Sam Barber ’16, Tatum Alkier ’18, Carter Walsh ’15, Patrick Meany ’15, Chris Roan ’16, Jack Barber ’16, and Joseph Lorusso ’15.

2016

Ben Smith ’16 launched Goal House NYC, a fully furnished communal home in Brooklyn, New York, that had nearly 100 renters, and helped expand Tribe Coliving, a communal-living space in San Francisco that offers flexible rent and seeks to cultivate a community. As the adopted son of two fathers, Smith is a passionate advocate for LGBTQ+ and nontraditional families. “My journey has been focused on co-living and community building,” he wrote. “I believe co-living and communal homes will only continue to become more important in a postpandemic world.”

Sam Bohmiller ’17 has earned the designation of Wealth Management Certified Professional, putting him in an “elite group of professionals” at The Bulfinch Group, a personal wealth management firm in Needham, Massachusetts.

Joanna Benadrete ’17 founded Days Off Bites, mood-boosting, superfood chocolate snacks that are vegan, nondairy, organic, and free of GMOs and refined sugar. “I was on a quest to discover what makes people live happier, healthier lives,” she wrote. “I saw a problem with the way the food, healthcare, and agricultural systems work, and I wanted to change them for the better.” Before launching her company, Benadrete worked in venture capital, investing in the health and food-tech industries.

Shatiek Gatlin ’16 married Shakiyah Copening on October 3, 2021, in Carle Place, New York, surrounded by family and friends, including several Babson alumni, board members, faculty, and staff.

BABSON MAGAZINE / SUMMER 2022

GRADUATE 1970

Bruce Share MBA’70 published his first book, Maximizing Cash Flow—The Path to Prosperity. It is available as an e-book and also in paperback. “The book is targeted primarily to entrepreneurs, small business owners, and owners who want to grow their businesses the right way,” he wrote.

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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. Submit your latest news to the Alumni News Editor at babson.edu/nods.

Greg Faulkner MBA’86 hosted a November gathering in Naples, Florida, for his 60th birthday. Babson undergraduate and MBA alumni were well-represented at the fun and festive event. Guests included (from left to right): Doug Waggener MBA’85, Frank Davis MBA’86, Roxane Van Hove MBA’88, Jimmy O’Donnell MBA’86, Johann Saurbier ’87, Faulkner, Bernardo Perez ’88, David Smith MBA’86, and Robert Pierce MBA’86. Also in attendance but not pictured: Kathy Noonan Faulkner ’87, Neal Faulkner MBA’96, and Professor Joel Shulman P’12 ’14 ’20.

David Hogan MBA’91 published his second novel, Hear Us Fade. Set against a backdrop of climatic catastrophe and technological evolution, Hear Us Fade is an entertaining, moving, and thoughtprovoking black comedy that presents a haunting view of the near future. His previous novel with Betimes Books, The Last Island, was an Amazon literary bestseller in the United Kingdom and reached No. 1 in fiction at Amazon Australia.

1992

Walter Dillingham MBA’87 has been named director of endowments and foundations for Wilmington Trust’s wealth markets, a leader in wealth management and corporate and institutional services. Dillingham has over 20 years of experience working with endowments, foundations, and nonprofit organizations nationally.

Thomas Pistorino MBA’92 has joined CBIZ, the nation’s 10th-largest accounting and tax provider, as the director of higher education and notfor-profit consulting in the Not-For-Profit & Education Practice, working out of the Boston and Providence, Rhode Island, offices. Prior to joining CBIZ, Pistorino held senior management roles at Lesley University, Regis College, and other institutions. He began his career as an accountant for a small computer company installing client accounting systems.

Tom Raffio MBA’88, president and CEO of Northeast Delta Dental, published his third book, Prepare for Crisis—Plan to Thrive: The Inside Story of How One Company Did It Right. “Thanks in part to my Babson MBA, the company I’ve been blessed to lead since 1995, Northeast Delta Dental, was prepared for the pandemic,” Raffio wrote. “So much so, I was urged to write a book mapping our experiences during the crisis in hopes that other business leaders in companies of all sizes could learn from our journey.”

1994

John Walker MBA’94 is a partner in the defense practice at Guidehouse, a $2.5 billion consultancy company. “I have been fortunate to enjoy and prosper in my career—I owe that to Babson, which was a formative experience for me,” he wrote. “Thank you, Babson, for providing the tools to flourish in my profession.”

SUMMER 2022 / BABSON MAGAZINE

CONNECTIONS

NEWSNOTESANDNODS

The second annual Black Unity Summit on April 1 and 2 brought together Black students, faculty, staff, and alumni to foster a network and build community. From left to right, Amanda Strong ’87, John Johnson ’08, Gerri Randlett, Gerald Watson ’76, Shatiek Gatlin ’16, Nitiya Walker ’14, Chris West ’18, Sadie Burton-Goss, and Adi Pathak MBA’20 display the exciting update about Black alumni in the Class of 2021.

Andrew Paul Piispanen ’18 and Hannah E. Piispanen ’22 take part in the Legacy Pinning Ceremony, a Commencement Week tradition that celebrates the special connection Babson shares across generations of families.

4 Babson College kicked off its commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Title IX and the celebration of women’s athletics at a ceremony February 12, recognizing some of the founding members of each women’s program, including Marion Browning ’77 (basketball), Maria Serpentino ’78, P’05 (basketball), Ellen Maher ’84 (basketball, soccer), Diane Gardner ’85 (field hockey), Dee Kates ’85 (field hockey), Lynn Mountford ’85 (alpine skiing), and Candace Burns ’87 (basketball and field hockey).

Babson teamed up with Idle Hands Craft Ales on April 7, National Beer Day, to host an exclusive tour and tasting with founder and president Christopher Tkach MBA’06. Pictured (left to right): Jacob Crespin ’18, Caleb HarbisonWursten ’19, Brock Eveleth ’19, Vasundhra Puri ’19, and Cayla Murphy ’20.

BABSON MAGAZINE / SUMMER 2022

The sixth annual Sunshine State Swing featured a garden party, polo match, and happy hour. Pictured (left to right): Victor Perez-Abreu ’17, Greg Santin ’92, Mariana Yepes MBA’20, Jose Diaz ’01, Carla Curiel ’05, Heidy Frank MS’03, Gustavo Trindade MBA’17, and Marcela Zamora Erana ’00, P’26 at alumni-owned Tap 42 Craft Kitchen & Bar.

Richard Howell MBA’94 has been designated a Five Star Wealth Manager by the Bulfinch Group. The award is given annually to an elite group of wealth managers who are selected from a pool of up to 3,000 registered financial services professionals.

1996

Alicia Castillo Holley MBA’96 two years ago founded the Wealthing Group, an investment club that she said, “brings the best of an angel group and a venture capital fund. With over $1 million invested in 24 companies, from Seed to Series E, our members enjoy access to unique vetted deals, in-depth analysis, and candid conversations with seasoned Silicon Valley investors.” Steve Lesnard MBA’96 recently started as the global chief brand officer at Sephora, where he’s expected to leverage his global experience to boost Sephora’s international exposure as a cosmetics omni-retailer. Lesnard’s new post comes after he worked as the CMO and global VP of product creation for North Face for two years and worked at Nike for more than a decade, holding several positions that increased customer engagement. Lesnard lives in Portland, Oregon, with his wife and three children.

Yoon-Hi King MBA’00 has been named a Leaders Club qualifier by The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America. Leaders Club is one of the highest honors annually awarded by Guardian to financial professionals who demonstrate outstanding service and dedication to their clients. King works at The Bulfinch Group, a personal wealth management firm in Needham, Massachusetts.

2003

Heidy Frank MS’03, a financial advisor at Morgan Stanley, has been named to the company’s prestigious Pacesetter’s Club. “I am honored to reach this milestone in my career and want to thank all those who have entrusted me to be part of their financial life.” Havell Rodrigues MBA’03 and Kris Schumacher MBA’04 launched New Majority Capital, a diversity, equity, and inclusion platform that provides underrepresented entrepreneurs, including people of color and women, the knowledge and financial capital needed to acquire and run an existing small business, ideally one whose owners who are retiring. “The impact is around closing the racial and gender wealth gap via small business ‘asset’ ownership and by converting new owners into (limited partnerships) in an evergreen pay-itforward fund,” Rodrigues said. Edward Nilsson MBA’97 has published a chapter titled “History, Memory, and Narratives of the Past and Future: The New Souks in Kuwait” included in a recently published book, Urban Modernity in the Contemporary Gulf: Obsolescence and Opportunities. The book discusses urban design in the Arabian Peninsula as it relates to heritage studies, post-colonial urbanism, and architecture in the nonWest. Babson College is cited in the chapter as an example of a college offering “front on the street” locations throughout the United States and in the Middle East.

Akihiro Nakamura MBA’04 started a job as senior director of strategy at M_Service JSC, which oversees Vietnam’s top mobile payment app, MoMo. Nakamura said he is thrilled to be working at the rapidly expanding company, adding that it’s the perfect place to apply the entrepreneurial skills he learned at Babson.

2008

Siddharth Mehra MBA’08 was awarded India’s Young Disruptors: 40 Under 40 title by BW Businessworld magazine, which recognizes entrepreneurs who are revamping the sector they operate in. Mehra founded Viviid Renewables, the largest developer for wind energy projects in India.

Art Trapotsis MBA’08 published a book, The Everyday Athlete: How to Balance Work, Family and Fitness for Life, which was released this spring. The book details the benefits of fitness and explores how regular exercise can be key to finding balance. Trapotsis is founder and president of Keep It Tight Athletics, a Boston-based cycling club.

Ronald Sakaguchi MBA’08 DDS, PhD, has been named dean of the Oregon Health & Science University School of Dentistry. Sakaguchi is a widely published dental researcher with an extensive history of grant funding from the National Institutes of Health and from industry. He also was recently named an American College of Dentists fellow.

SUMMER 2022 / BABSON MAGAZINE

NEWSNOTESANDNODS

INMEMORIAM

Mariana Cogan MBA’10 was promoted to chief marketing officer at People.ai. She also won the Forrester Program of the Year award, which recognizes outstanding achievements in sales, marketing, and product functions, for leveraging People.ai to build the most advanced revenue operations and intelligence engine for go-to-market leaders.

William Francis Glavin H’99, of Vero Beach, Florida, and Melvin Village, New Hampshire, died on Nov. 8. A promoter of diversity and a global mindset, he served as Babson College’s ninth president from 1989 to 1997. Glavin helped establish the College as an internationally recognized school of business and, critically, build upon its legacy of entrepreneurship. Glavin also oversaw the physical transformation of the Babson campus. The F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business building was dedicated during his tenure. And, he and his wife of 63 years— Cecily Glavin H’97, who passed away in 2019—also played a major role in the creation of Glavin Family Chapel, the first formal place of worship on campus.

BABSON MAGAZINE / SUMMER 2022

Debra Swersky MBA’14 (right) and her venture, Stemwear, won $1,500 at the 2022 Fast Track Showcase, which highlights the work of the Butler Launch Pad’s Fast Track Cohort. Stemwear is a brand of one-legged leggings “aimed at normalizing our differences in a way that celebrates them,” said Swersky, who worked on the venture among a dozen other founders in the Fast Track Cohort. “I created them when I was diagnosed with (primary) lymphedema, a chronic swelling condition that affects my right leg only. Stemwear resulted from a spirit of ‘joyful defiance’ toward my blah, beige compression garment.”

James C. Wemyss Jr. ’46, of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Jan. 22, 2020 Albert D. Phelps Jr. ’48, of Bronx, New York, Jan. 2 Myron P. Redmond ’51, of Naples, Florida, Feb. 16 Samuel Bernard Garbose ’52, of Needham, Massachusetts, Jan. 5 Kenneth D. Elgart ’53, of Newton, Massachusetts, Jan. 14 James E. Gately ’54, of Marblehead, Massachusetts, April 5 Douglas K. Hayward ’54, of Las Vegas, Nevada, Jan. 30 Joseph R. Arnold ’56, of Woonsocket, Rhode Island, Jan. 16 Lewis L. Whitman ’56, of Canton, Massachusetts, Nov. 14 Harold E. Aken Jr. ’57, of Easley, South Carolina, Oct. 25, 2020 William Clarkson Cleworth ’57, of Vero Beach, Florida, Nov. 8 Edward Childs Hall II ’57, of Hingham, Massachusetts, Feb. 12 Charles J. Circeo Jr. ’58, of Braintree, Massachusetts, Jan. 10 Ross Leslie Kinsman ’58, of Canton, Massachusetts, Dec. 19 Richard M. Plotkin ’58, P’97, of Ayer, Massachusetts, March 14 George Eugene Shippey ’58, of Somers, Connecticut, Dec. 12 Jason S. Schloss ’59, of Sun City, South Carolina, March 16

Stuart E. Silbaugh Jr. ’59, of Merrick, New York, Jan. 25 George Small ’59, of Peabody, Massachusetts, Oct. 2 Wesley R. Wheeler ’59, of Shelton, Connecticut, Nov. 10 Frank Michael Campinell Jr. ’60, of Wakefield, Massachusetts, April 25, 2020 William Richard Campion ’60, of Portsmouth, Rhode Island, Oct. 1 Alan Ramsay MacDonald ’60, of Williamsburg, Virginia, Dec. 24 Kenneth Allan Palmer ’60, of Scottsdale, Arizona, Jan. 10, 2020 Scott Adams Fisher MBA’60, of Onset, Massachusetts, Jan. 3 Joseph Assad Nasby Jr. MBA’60, of Boca Raton, Florida, Aug. 31, 2020 Robert J. Aronno ’61, June 26, 2021 Allan K. Bass ’61, of Sharon, Massachusetts, March 7 Paul Costello Jr. ’61, P’93 ’95, of Norwell, Massachusetts, Nov. 5 Michael L. Schweitzer ’61, Oct. 24, 2020 Stephen D. Cutler MBA’61, of Quincy, Massachusetts, Nov. 24, 2020 Herberto Diaz Molero ’62, of Maracaibo, Venezuela, May 24, 2021 David Graves Mugar ’62, of Boston, Massachusetts, Jan. 25 Ira Horowitz ’63, of Carrollton, Texas, April 15

Curtis Burrows Speed ’63, of Deerfield, Illinois, Nov. 18 Bruce Radway Woodland ’63, of Fargo, North Dakota, Jan. 15 Peter Holt Dinsmore ’64, P’88, of Marblehead, Massachusetts, Nov. 25 Jeffrey Paul Rayner ’64, of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Feb. 18 George R. Wierdsma, ’64, of Chagrin Falls, Ohio, March 23 Arthur Joseph Henault MBA’64, of Webster, Massachusetts, Feb. 9 Richard Charles Cusolito ’65, of Rochester, Massachusetts, Oct. 24 Robert James Hamilton ’65, of Moultonborough, New Hampshire, March 19 Frederick Cheney Leavitt ’65, of Bel Air, Maryland, Nov. 26 Glenn C. Relyea ’65, of Glens Falls, New York, Dec. 17 Gerald Robert Barsh MBA’65, of Brookline, Massachusetts, Dec. 13 Laurence Kent Buckmaster ’66, of Lincoln, California, May 13, 2021 Thomas J. Mears ’66, of Hopedale, Massachusetts, Nov. 16 Edward T. Maguire MBA’66, of Winchester, Massachusetts, Dec. 2 Robert W. Larkin ’67, of Stow, Massachusetts, Oct. 27 Ralph W. Maddigan III ’68, P’06, of Onset, Massachusetts, May 24

Kevin Ly MSBA’20 is the founding partner of Golden Wat cognac, a multinational liquor company launched in 2020. The company donated 100% of its first-year profits to Full Plates, Full Potential, a Maine-based group fighting child hunger. Ly, whose family emigrated from Cambodia, grew up in a lowincome neighborhood in Portland, Maine, and experienced food insecurity as a child—a motivating factor, he wrote, to make the donation.

Robert L. Polli ’68, of Reno, Nevada, Nov. 29 Erma Nightingale Wiggin MBA’68, of Hollis, New Hampshire, Nov. 5 Robert Alan Kleinkauf ’69, MBA’70, of Newark, New Jersey, Feb. 2 Jonathan W. Randall ’69, of Plymouth, Massachusetts, Oct. 6 Retired Brig. Gen. Rex Donald Wing MBA’69, of San Diego, California, Dec. 16, 2019 Bruce Cardin ’70, of Costa Mesa, California, Oct. 21 Robert Scott Krieger ’70, MBA’71, of New York, New York, Oct. 9, 2020 Edmund L. Henault, MBA’70, of Peterborough, New Hampshire, March 30 Ellen Carol Horgan MBA’70, of Osterville, Massachusetts, Dec. 20 Andrew Julius Sullivan MBA’70, of Norwich, Connecticut, Nov. 16 Peter Michael Alberico MBA’71, of Popponesset, Massachusetts, Dec. 1 Hugh F. Murray Jr. MBA’71, of Winchester, Massachusetts, July 12, 2021 Jon Paul Newsome MBA’71, of Sarasota, Florida, Feb. 5 Joseph B. Harding ’72, of Hanover, Massachusetts, March 12 Paula Kreisler Velluto ’72, of Melrose, Massachusetts, Nov. 18 Raymond A. Verrier MBA’72, of Hudson, Massachusetts, Feb. 23 Peter Raymond Kyte ’73, of Fishkill, New York, Sept. 20 Sherman Hardee Ball MBA’73, of Southborough, Massachusetts, Nov. 22

Benjamín Valdés MBA’22 married Francesca Bencini on January 15, 2022, in Santiago, Chile, with four Babson classmates in attendance. Pictured (left to right): Scott Tashjian MBA’22, Brian Zhao MBA’22, Valdés and Bencini, Exequiel Figueroa MBA’21, Constanza Rojas, and Constanza Leiva MBA’21.

Dyer Cornell MBA’73, of Glen Allen, Virginia, Jan. 4 Michael J. Daley Jr. MBA’73, of Plano, Texas, July 17 Robert Frederick Agnew ’74, of Damariscotta, Maine, Nov. 29 Suzanne Denise Goucher ’74, of Lewiston, Maine, Jan. 19 George M. Fotiades MBA’74, of Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, Oct. 11 Paul Martin Greeley MBA’74, of West Yarmouth, Massachusetts, Dec. 12 Robert Jon Gustavsen MBA’74, P’96, of Braintree, Massachusetts, Dec. 13 Roger W. Boyle ’75, of Holliston, Massachusetts, April 17 Frederick C. Hitchcock III ’75, of Brunswick, Maine, April 18 Retired Lt. Col. John M. Kilkenny MBA’75, of Williamsburg, Virginia, March 6 Fred Everett Cooper III ’76, of Fairfield, New Jersey, March 3 George Cain Fuller MBA’76, of Cherry Hill, New Jersey, May 5 Philip Rosenberg MBA’76, of Forest Hills, New York, Nov. 12, 2019 William Conrad Marcoux ’77, of The Villages, Florida, Feb. 9 Michael Alfred McCormack MBA’77, of Plantation, Florida, Nov. 19 Torrey J. Russell MBA’78, of Kigali, Rwanda, Nov. 17 Helen Groner LaSorsa ’79, of Westport, Connecticut, Jan. 12 Kenneth C. Nelson MBA’79, of Framingham, Massachusetts, Oct. 1

Lorrie T. Barksdale ’80, of Sedona, Arizona, April 1 Stanley A. Makowski MBA’80, of Manchester, New Hampshire, Oct. 8 Carol F. Bennett ’81, of Atlanta, Georgia, Sept. 8 Kathleen Kelly MBA’81, of Holliston, Massachusetts, April 14 James Walter Lakey MBA’81, of Middleborough, Massachusetts, Feb. 12 Frederic A. Norton MBA’81, of Venice, Florida, March 28 Wayne G. Sharpe Jr. MBA’81, P’94, of Hollis, New Hampshire, Oct. 1 Robert J. Mallin Jr. ’83, of Tewksbury, Massachusetts, Sept. 17 Mary C. Gallagher MBA’83, of Winthrop, Massachusetts, Nov. 12 James Frank Ferrara ’84, of Ludlow, Massachusetts, Jan. 4 Bruce G. von Rosenvinge ’84, of Cambridge, Massachusetts, Dec. 3 Suzan Lucia DiCroce MBA’84, of Brockton, Massachusetts, Nov. 11 Christopher S. Bodtker ’85, MBA’86, of Zürich, Switzerland, Dec. 11 Michael Patrick Browne MBA’85, P’06 ’11, of Watertown, Massachusetts, Jan. 29 George M. Gregorian ’86, of Cranston, Rhode Island, Feb. 16 Kriston S. Briggs MBA’86, of Sarasota, Florida, April 13 Anne Perno MBA’86, of Hanover, Massachusetts, Nov. 21 William Francis Allen ’87, of Quincy, Massachusetts, Oct. 28

Scott Michael Chamberlin ’87, of Los Angeles, California, Oct. 28 Sandra E. Austin MBA’87, of Burlington, Massachusetts, Feb. 26 Matthew W. Brown MBA’87, of Wenham, Massachusetts, Jan. 6 Joan M. Allen P’88 ’91 ’92, G’20, of Sherborn, Massachusetts, May 2, 2021 Ellen S. Solomita ’89, of Charlestown, Massachusetts, Oct. 10 Edward J. Loring MBA’90, of Upton, Massachusetts, April 3 Janet (Picardi) Peterson MBA’91, of Natick, Massachusetts, Sept. 16 Todd Cyril McElroy ’92, of West Dover, Vermont, Nov. 15 Jacqueline Mary Bassett MBA’93, of Boston, Massachusetts, Nov. 14 Christopher Michael Reiner MBA’08, of Newbury, Massachusetts, Jan. 14 Jonathan William Tara ’09, of New York, New York, Feb. 10 David S. Kenny MBA’11, of Sharon, Massachusetts, Jan. 29 David Nahigian MBA’22, of Weston, Massachusetts, Feb. 28 Robert John Assatly, of Palm Beach, Florida, Oct. 29

SUMMER 2022 / BABSON MAGAZINE

ENTREPRENEURIALLEADERSHIPINACTION

A Drive-In, Library, and Ghanaian Entrepreneur

A look at entrepreneurial leaders shaped by their Babson College experience.

SAMANTHA AZU ’22 BRINGS ENTERTAINMENT AND INSPIRATION TO HER NATIVE GHANA

hen Samantha Azu ’22 opened a drive-in movie theater in her native Ghana, potential customers didn’t quite know what to make of it. Drive-ins, once ubiquitous in the United States, are not known in Ghana. “People didn’t understand how they could watch a movie from their car. They had a lot of questions,” Azu says. “We definitely had to educate people by our marketing campaign. Once people understand it, they think, ‘This is so cool.’ ” Located in Ghana’s capital city of Accra, the Hype.Flix Drive-In Cinema has proven popular. In April, Azu and her venture were named the undergraduate winner in Babson’s B.E.T.A. (Babson Entrepreneurial Thought & Action®) Challenge. Presented by the College’s Arthur M. Blank Center for Entrepreneurship, the prestigious annual competition awarded more than $275,000 in cash and in-kind prizes to Babson ventures. Azu plans to use her prize money to upgrade the drive-in’s projector, as well as create a seating area for customers who want to attend the drive-in but don’t have cars. “Winning the B.E.T.A. Challenge was a godsend,” she says. “It finally gave me the opportunity to do things I have been thinking about.” Azu has long been a film fanatic and often likes to go to a movie theater by herself so as not to be distracted from what’s playing on the screen.

BABSON MAGAZINE / SUMMER 2022

“Movies are a great escape from reality,” she says. Azu established the drive-in in October 2020, figuring that people might be missing movie theaters and other inside activities during the pandemic. In addition to watching the latest films, visitors to the drive-in can partake of a wide-ranging menu, featuring not only standard movie theater fare such as popcorn and pizza but also pork chops, rice and beans, and fried yams. After graduation, Azu began work as a consultant in New York City, but she has a team in place to help her run the drive-in. She also plans to return home often. In addition to developing the drive-in, she actually has another initiative she’s working on: raising funds to create a library in a rural Ghanaian community. That library, made out of a refurbished shipping container, was a senior project Azu began as one of the Natalie Taylor Scholars, a group of Babson students committed to making positive social change. Libraries aren’t common in Ghana, particularly in rural parts of the country. “It is sad that people don’t have access to simple resources,” she says.

Samantha Azu ’22 and her venture, Hype.Flix Drive-In Cinema, won Babson’s B.E.T.A. Challenge.

The container already has been placed in its permanent home next to a school, and Azu is now working on cleaning it, setting up bookshelves, and buying books. The library also will have a computer, something Ghanaian students don’t always have access to. Azu hopes the library will serve as a place of learning and a safe space for children to be while their parents are working at farms or markets. She also hopes the creation of the library spurs others to make a difference in their communities. “I hope it serves as an inspiration to people,” Azu says. — John Crawford

PHOTO: JAKE BELCHER

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