LIVES THAT SPEAK APRIL 19, 2012
AFTERNOON SESSION 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. WAUGHTEL-HOWE FIELD HOUSE
Louise Lamphere, Ph.D.
anthropologist, professor, gender scholar, author
Becoming a Squeaky Wheel Louise Lamphere is a noted gender scholar who has published eight books of anthropological research. Her studies focus primarily on gender roles in the workplace. Louise is widely recognized for spearheading a landmark 1977 class action lawsuit against Brown University for its discrimination against women faculty in tenure decisions. As a result of her efforts, the number of tenured women on faculty has increased dramatically. In recent years, Louise supervised an ethnographic team to examine the impact of Medicaid managed care in New Mexico. The team’s findings were published in a special issue of Medical Anthropology Quarterly. In 2007, Louise completed and published Weaving Together Women’s Lives, a biography of three generations of women in a Navajo family. The University of New Mexico named her a Distinguished Professor of Anthropology Emeritus in 2009.
Education
B.A., Sociology, Stanford University M.A., Social Anthropology, Harvard University Ph.D., Social Anthropology, Harvard University
Uday N. Kumar, M.D. cardiologist, biodesign expert, medical device inventor, 1990 MB graduate
What Should Drive Medical Innovation: Problems or Solutions? Moses Brown graduate Uday N. Kumar is founder, president and CEO of Revive Defibrillation Systems, Inc., a new San Francisco start-up focused on treating sudden cardiac death, and is founder and former chief medical officer of iRhythm Technologies, Inc., now currently a 150-person venture-backed company that develops devices and systems for cardiac rhythm monitoring. Uday attributes his interest in medical technology innovation to his time in medical school at Harvard and the year after medical school when he helped launch Biomedical Modeling, Inc., a Boston company focused on improving complex surgical procedures. Prior to founding iRhythm, Uday trained in internal medicine at Columbia and cardiology and cardiac electrophysiology at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). Uday is also the fellowship director of the Global Biodesign Programs at Stanford University. Uday has won various awards for his efforts in medical innovation, including the NYU-Poly 2011 Spirit of Innovation Award. He is the holder of several U.S. patents.
Education
B.A., Biochemical Sciences, Harvard University M.D., Harvard Medical School Biodesign Cardiovascular Innovation Fellow, Stanford University
Donald Sweitzer
GTECH chairman, global business development, MB parent ’05
Dropping Out, Diving In, Mentors, Being There, and Luck Donald Sweitzer is acting chairman of GTECH Corporation, a leading gaming and technology company operating in 45 countries. Prior to GTECH, he was President of the Dorset Resource and Strategy Group. A recognized authority on national politics and public affairs, he has advised numerous national, statewide, and congressional candidates throughout his career in government affairs and has worked at every level of government. Don was a frequent political commentator on CNN’s Crossfire and other nationally syndicated programs and has lectured on Politics and Political Campaigns at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, Northwestern University in Chicago, Kent State University in Ohio, and the American University in Washington. He served as finance director of the Democratic National Committee from 1985-1989. A native of the Albany, New York area, Don lives in Rhode Island with his wife Sheri. He is the father of four and grandfather of six.
Sam Tsemberis, Ph.D. founder, CEO, Pathways to Housing
Housing First: Ending Homelessness, Transforming Lives, and Changing Communities Sam Tsemberis, a Friend, is the CEO of Pathways to Housing, an organization he founded in 1992 based on the belief that housing is a basic human right. Pathways developed the Housing First program, a campaign that provides immediate access to permanent housing for individuals who are homeless and who have mental health and addiction problems. To further aid the cause, Sam authored a book and produced a video published by Hazelden Publications to encourage replication of the Housing First program on a grander scale. Sam has studied housing options in depth and has served as a principal research investigator for several federally-funded studies on the issue of homelessness. Sam is currently a clinical-community psychologist on the faculty of the Department of Psychiatry at Columbia University Medical Center.
Education
B.A., Psychology and English, Sir George Williams University M.A., Psychology, New School for Social Research Ph.D., Psychology, New York University
Melissa Maxwell
television, film, and stage actress, award-winning playwright, director, dramaturge, and 1981 MB graduate
Taking Ownership
Since her graduation from Moses Brown in 1981, Melissa Maxwell has established a name for herself as a dramaturge, writer, actor, and director. Centered in New York City, many of Melissa’s plays have been performed in venues throughout the Big Apple. Several of her works have also been published in dramatic anthologies. One of Melissa’s most highly acclaimed dramatic works, Salt in a Wound, earned her five Black Theatre Alliance Award nominations each, one African American Alliance of Chicago nomination and was selected as a finalist in the Julie Harris Playwright Competition. Melissa has also been featured as an actor on stages across the nation, as well as on programs such as Law & Order. In addition to her prolific writing and acting career, Melissa has directed a multitude of plays around New York City and is currently guest artist and director at NYU’s prestigious Tisch School of the Arts.
Education
B.F.A., Theatre Arts Performance, Boston University
Jeff Cruzan, Ph.D.
Harvard research scientist, Moses Brown faculty (upper school math)
Why I Wish Sputnik Never Launched Jeff Cruzan is a trained research chemist who began his career in education after several years of postdoctoral work in a research laboratory at Harvard Medical School. Jeff excelled at his scientific pursuits, both academically and professionally — in addition to his research at Harvard, he even served as science and technical advisor for the 1997 film Flubber. Ultimately, however, Jeff decided to adjust his career goals in order to satisfy a desire to teach. In his time at Harvard, Jeff taught and mentored students in various research projects, leading him to realize that he derived more satisfaction from the teaching experience than from the research itself. Prior to joining the faculty at Moses Brown, Jeff was a science teacher at Sharon High School in Sharon, Mass., where he was elected to the school committee. He is an avid outdoorsman and a licensed EMT.
Education
B.S., Chemistry, University of Oregon Ph.D., Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley Postdoctoral, Harvard Medical School
EVENING SESSION 6:30 to 9:00 p.m. WAUGHTEL-HOWE FIELD HOUSE
Bill Harley
Grammy-winning singer & storyteller, MB parent ’02 ’05
Stories Out Loud
Bill Harley, a Friend, is a well-loved, critically-acclaimed singersongwriter, author, musician, and monologist who has been lauded by spectators from all walks of life as one of the greatest storytellers in the country. A two-time Grammy award winner and multiple Grammy nominee, Bill uses homegrown vignettes about school and family life to strike a chord with his audience, illuminating inspiring truths about the human experience while simultaneously evoking a positive emotional response — a response that can range from laughter to tears. Bill has received lifetime achievement awards from the Rhode Island Council on the Humanities, the Children’s Music Network, and the National Storytelling Network. He received the highest honor from the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio for his concert DVD, Yes to Running! Bill continues to spread his message of community and connection through storytelling. He lives in Massachusetts with his wife Debbie; they have two children.
Education
B.A., Religion, Hamilton College
Meenakshi Narain, Ph.D. Brown professor, physicist, expert in highenergy physics, current MB parent ’22
Journey to the Early Universe Meenakshi Narain is a prominent authority on physics research and has authored more than 400 peer review journal articles on subjects pertaining to the discipline. She is frequently invited to lecture on her research at colleges and universities worldwide and was named Outstanding Junior Investigator for her research in the Department of Energy. Meenakshi has been acclaimed for co-discovering the top quark particle at Fermilab in Illinois. She is the recipient of the prestigious Career Award from the National Science Foundation. Meenakshi serves on the board for the International Center for Interdisciplinary Science and Education (ICISE) in Vietnam, which hopes to provide a setting for junior and senior scientists from many different disciplines to conduct research and exchange ideas. Meenakshi is currently a professor at Brown University and is a fellow of the American Physical Society.
Education
B.Sc., Gorakhpur University, India M.Sc., Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Ph.D., Physics, State University of New York, Stony Brook
Debbie Humphries, Ph.D. Yale professor, microbial disease and international health
What We Don’t Know Debbie Humphries, a Friend, has an extensive background in public health practice as well as broad consulting expertise in the areas of diet and physical activity behavior change, the sustainability of community health programs, and the monitoring and evaluation of such programs. Debbie has investigated public health at nine different colleges and universities, in addition to performing research in Vietnam and Ghana on nutrition, hookworm, and malaria. Her research focuses on relationships between nutritional deficiencies and infectious disease in resource-depleted environments. She is interested in interdisciplinary research on nutrition, immune function, and disease. Debbie is currently an instructor at the Yale School of Public Health, teaching courses on global food and nutrition issues in the school’s Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases. Debbie is a Quaker who travels in the ministry. She hails from Seattle, Washington, with a strong love for the mountains of the West.
Education
B.A., Philosophy, University of Washington M.P.H., Nutrition, University of Michigan Ph.D., Nutritional Sciences, Cornell University
Joan Countryman
former head of Lincoln School, visionary
Speaking of Teaching Joan Countryman, a Friend, has a comprehensive background in education, having taught and served as assistant head for academic planning and director of studies at Germantown Friends School in Philadelphia from 1970 to 1993. She served as head of Lincoln School in Providence from 1993 until her retirement in 2005, at which point she became consultant and founding head of the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa. Joan is a member of the board of trustees of Sarah Lawrence College, the board of overseers at Bard College of Simon’s Rock, and the school committee of Germantown Friends School in Philadelphia. Her philanthropic efforts and contributions to the academic community have demonstrated her moral character as well as her ambition to foster the development of youth in order to make the world a better place, now and in the future. Joan resides in Providence and Philadelphia with her husband, Edward Jakmauh. They have two children and four grandchildren.
Education
B.A., Sarah Lawrence College M.U.S., City Planning, Yale University Research Fellow, London School of Economics
Donald McNemar, Ph.D. Quaker school leader, global studies & stewardship
Quiet Diplomacy Donald McNemar, a Friend, is an expert on international relations and political studies. A lifelong Quaker, his special relationship with the faith works to guide his political mission on an international scale. In his political efforts, Donald has served as a member of the Quaker Delegation to North Korea and continues to be an active member of the Quaker United Nations Office Committee. He is continually dedicated to serving the common good as well as gaining a thorough understanding of the dynamics of international politics. Donald is also a veteran of the academic realm, having served as a professor at Dartmouth College (1970-1981), headmaster of Phillips Academy in Andover, Mass. (1981-1994), and president of Guilford College in Greensboro, North Carolina (1996-2002). Donald is currently a senior lecturer of global studies at Bentley University in Waltham, Mass., and continues to be politically active, both at home and abroad.
Education
B.A., Earlham College Ph.D., Princeton University
Jenny Peek
founder, Manton Ave. Project, advocate
Gangster Pigs, Flying Monkeys, and a Whole Lotta Dogs What teaching playmaking to kids taught me After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania with a major in anthropology, Jenny Peek lived in New York City and worked as an assistant director for independent movies and TV shows such as Law and Order. She has since staked a career for herself as an arts entrepeneur in Providence, where she worked as an arts manager for the city. Jenny also is the founder and former executive artistic director of the Manton Avenue Project; the group’s mission is to unleash the creative power and potential of children from Providence’s Olneyville neighborhood by uniting these children with professional artists to create original theater. In addition to her work on this project, Jenny serves as the acting production manager at the Providence Performing Arts Center. She has been an accredited Actor’s Equity Association stage manager since 1986 and a Director’s Guild of America assistant director since 1996.
Education
B.A., Physical Anthropology, University of Pennsylvania Production Residency, Playwrights Horizons, New York Assistant Director Training Program, Directors Guild of America
Maria DeCarvalho
Episcopal priest, performance consultant for courageous executives, MB parent ’02 ’05
Seeing in the Dark As a professional performance consultant, Maria DeCarvalho works to develop holistic strategies to improve efficiency and performance, thus unleashing the spirit of effective leadership in hospitals, schools, dioceses, businesses, and nonprofit organizations at both local and national levels. Maria formerly served as Dean of the Cathedral of St. John in Providence. Under Maria’s leadership, the Cathedral’s membership doubled in size and annual giving was increased by 280%—a true testament to her commitment to strong leadership, progress, and performance. Maria has an extensive leadership background: she has served as an Episcopal priest, a corporate lending officer on Wall Street, and a special assistant to U.S. Senator John Chafee.
Education
B.A., Yale University M.Div., Boston College, School of Theology and Ministry
Paul Sorensen, Ph.D. engineer, entrepreneur, philanthropist, MB parent ’02
Towards Green Petroleum
Paul Sorensen is chairman of the board of directors of Equitable Origin, an innovative stakeholder-based voluntary certification system designed to promote higher social and environmental standards, greater transparency, and accountability in oil and gas exploration and production. The company is based in New York and Ecuador, where Paul spent formative years. Equitable Origin is working to reduce the impact of oil and gas operations, create new markets for responsibly-produced fuels and petroleum products, and empower consumers and businesses to reward energy companies that achieve independent, third-party certification. Companies that sell EO-certified products can pioneer a new frontier in sustainability, reduce their carbon footprint, and protect biodiversity and local and indigenous cultures. Paul began his professional career by working in the mathematics department of General Motors Research. He followed this by cofounding Hibbitt, Karlsson, & Sorensen, Inc. At HKS, Paul assisted in the development of the ABAQUS program, widely used for the simulation of complex solid and structural mechanics problems involving nonlinear response. Since 2005, Paul has focused on philanthropic efforts. He is an active member of advisory committees and boards for various educational and charitable institutions. Paul is a member of Moses Brown’s board of trustees.
Education
Ph.D., Brown University
Carlos Andrés Gómez actor & spoken word poet, Pushcart Prize nominee, 2000 MB graduate
Man Up: The Gift of Fear Although Carlos Andrés Gómez never appeared on stage in his time as a student at Moses Brown, he has developed into an established slam poet and actor in his adult life. Immediately following his graduation from the University of Pennsylvania, Carlos worked as a social worker in Harlem and the Bronx as well as a public school teacher in Philadelphia and Manhattan. These experiences shaped Carlos’s poetry, allowing him to give voice to the struggles he witnessed in volatile urban environments. Carlos’s slam poetry has won him international acclaim, including a prestigious Pushcart Prize nomination. Carlos was also voted “Favorite Poet” on his episode of HBO’s Russell Simmons Present Def Poetry. Carlos has also made a name for himself as an actor, appearing in Spike Lee’s 2006 film, Inside Man. He recently penned the coming-ofage memoir Man Up, due for release later this year.
Education
B.A., American History, University of Pennsylvania
Moses Brown School FOR THE HONOR OF TRUTH