The Board of Trustees

Wesleyan University
45 Wyllys Avenue
Middletown, CT 06459
trustees@wesleyan.edu

Board of Trustees 2022/2023

Board Officers

  • Chair - John B. Frank '78, P'12

    Vice Chair & Executive Committee Member, Oaktree Capital Management, L.P.

    California

    Bio

    Professional History: John Frank is vice chair of Oaktree and member of the firm’s four-person executive committee. John joined Oaktree in 2001 as general counsel and was named Oaktree’s managing principal in early 2006, a position he held for about nine years. As managing principal, John was the firm’s principal executive officer and responsible for all aspects of the firm’s management. Prior to joining Oaktree, John was a partner of the Los Angeles law firm of Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP, where he managed a number of notable merger and acquisition transactions. While at that firm, he served as primary outside counsel to publicly and privately held corporations and as special counsel to various boards of directors and special board committees. Prior to joining Munger Tolles in 1984, John served as a law clerk to the Honorable Frank M. Coffin of the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. Prior to attending law school, John served as a legislative assistant to the Honorable Robert F. Drinan, Member of Congress. John holds a BA, with honors in history, from Wesleyan University and a JD magna cum laude from the University of Michigan Law School, where he was managing editor of the Michigan Law Review and a member of the Order of the Coif. He is a member of the State Bar of California and, while in private practice, was listed in Woodward & White's Best Lawyers in America. John is a member of the board of directors of Chevron Corporation and Daily Journal Corporation and a trustee of Wesleyan University, The James Irvine Foundation, and XPRIZE Foundation.

    At Wesleyan: As an undergraduate, John was the president of his class, a member of the Psi Upsilon fraternity, and was also active in the debating club. As an alumnus, he has hosted several events for Wesleyan and was a member of the Los Angeles Campaign Council.

  • Senior Vice Chair - Anne S. Goldrach '79, P'12

    CEO/President, Greystone Management Corp.

    New York

    Bio

    Professional History: Anne is CEO and president of Greystone Management Corp., a fifth-generation family business that owns and manages a diverse group of commercial, retail, and residential properties in Manhattan. In an earlier life, Anne was an art historian and curator specializing in nineteenth-century painting and costume.

    Anne serves on several boards, including the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, a leading New York arts advocacy group, where she is a member of the real estate and finance committees. She is also a member of the visiting committee of the Department of Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts at the Morgan Library and Museum.

    At Wesleyan: Anne received her BA with high honors in 1979, majoring in the history of art. While at Wesleyan, she worked in the Print Room at the Davison Art Center and was a teaching assistant in the History of Photography. After graduation, she continued her studies in the history of art at Yale, and later obtained a master's of finance from NYU/Schack Institute. Her younger son, Noah, is a member of the Class of 2012.

  • Vice Chair - Phoebe C. Boyer '89, P'19, '23

    President and CEO, The Children's Aid Society

    New York

    Bio

    Professional History: In 2014, the Children’s Aid board of trustees selected Phoebe Boyer to be the organization’s 11th president and chief executive officer. Since then, Phoebe has worked to strengthen its programs and operations with a keen focus on optimizing the impact on the lives of children, youth, and families. Under her leadership, Children’s Aid was recognized for exceptional management practices as a 2017 winner of the New York Community Trust’s Nonprofit Excellence Awards.

    Phoebe came to Children’s Aid from the Robertson Foundation, a $1 billion foundation created by Julian Robertson and his family that takes a targeted approach to supporting critical national issues, including education reform. She spent more than a decade at the foundation, most recently as its executive director, where she oversaw operations and grant-making of more than $100 million annually. During her tenure, she developed and executed the foundation’s national K-12 education reform strategy. She also served for 12 years (1999 – 2012) as the executive director of the Tiger Foundation, co-founded by Julian Robertson, with a mission to break the cycle of poverty in New York City. During her tenure at the Tiger Foundation, the organization provided more than $112 million in funding to New York City nonprofits in the areas of education, youth development, job training, and social services. Phoebe also raised more than $200 million to support the foundation’s work.

    Phoebe graduated from Wesleyan University, on whose board she serves, and earned her MBA from Columbia Business School. She also serves on the board of Independent Sector and is also an inaugural member of the Pahara Aspen Education Fellowship.

    At Wesleyan: As an undergraduate, Phoebe majored in art history, played on the varsity lacrosse team, edited the yearbook, and was a senior interviewer. As an alumna, she has been involved in all of her reunions, was awarded the Wesleyan University Service Award in 2004, and served as an alumni-elected trustee and on the advisory board of the Patricelli Center for Social Entrepreneurship.

  • Vice Chair - Robert A. Pruzan '85

    Founding Partner, Centerview Partners

    New York

    Bio

    Professional History: Robert is a partner and cofounder of Centerview Partners. As an investment banker with over 30 years of experience, he has advised on many of the largest and most complex mergers, acquisitions, and strategic restructuring transactions around the globe. He has completed nearly $1 trillion of transactions in his career across a broad range of industry sectors. In addition, he is a leading advisor to boards of directors in shareholder activist defense and special committee assignments.

    Prior to Centerview, Robert was head of Global Investment Banking and CEO of North America at Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein and president of Wasserstein Perella & Co. He holds a BA from Wesleyan University and graduated with distinction from Harvard Business School. He is a former member of McKinsey & Company, where he specialized in strategic consulting for consumer products companies and financial institutions. Robert is a steadfast supporter and board member of various artistic, educational, and cultural organizations. He serves as chairman of the board of the Jewish Museum and is a former cochairman of the board of trustees for the Ethical Culture Fieldston School. Robert serves as the vice chairman of the board of ArtsConnection, a leading not-for-profit organization that provides arts education to New York City public school children, and he is a trustee on the board of Wesleyan University. He is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He is married, with two children, and lives in New York City.

  • Secretary - Essel W. Bailey Jr. '66

    Managing Director, Alpha Capital Inc., President of Orion Care Services and Vice Chair of Knightsbridge Winery

    Michigan

    Bio

    Professional History: Mr. Bailey is a lawyer and private investor with a long involvement in healthcare services to the elderly. He has organized and run two public companies, and served as a director of several publicly listed companies; he has spent the last 30 years working with the capital markets, with investment banks and other financial organizations in real estate, finance, healthcare, and manufacturing in the U.S., the UK, and Australia.

    After several years in Michigan state government, Mr. Bailey spent 16 years with the Detroit law firm Dykema Gossett, where he was a partner. He left the firm in 1987 to organize and capitalize several public and private companies and founded Omega Healthcare Investors and Omega Worldwide Inc., both public providers of healthcare finance, the latter in the UK and Australia. He retired from public companies in 2000 and organized a private company providing healthcare services through retirement communities, assisted living, and nursing facilities. He serves as a director of nonprofit organizations related to mental health and education, and is active on conservation issues, serving as an officer of the Michigan chapter of The Nature Conservancy and as a supporter of the College of the Environment at Wesleyan. He is also chair of the Economic Dinner Group, a town-gown organization at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. He continues as a director and a principal owner of companies engaged in real estate, healthcare services to the elderly, and the production of the premium California wine Knights Bridge. Raised in Michigan and educated at Cranbrook School, he also holds a JD from the University of Michigan Law School.

    At Wesleyan: Essel received his BA in history in 1966. He spent four years on the track team, running hurdles and high jumping, and was a member of Eclectic and the Student Judiciary Council, charged with issues related to the Honor Code. Essel has also been a member of the President’s Council.

Board Members

  • Felicia Appenteng '07

    Chair, IE Africa Center; Managing Director, The IE Fund

    New York

    Bio
    Professional History: Felicia Appenteng is the founding chair of The IE Africa Center, a newly created center by IE University, whose mission is to shine a light on African solutions to global challenges. As chair, she provides strategic and operational leadership to all of the center’s initiatives. She is also managing director of the IE Fund, a nonprofit organization that supports IE University's growth through strategic advisory and scholarships. 
    Felicia is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and serves on the term member advisory committee.

    At Wesleyan: Felicia majored in the College of Letters, writing an honors thesis about medieval Spain entitled "The Wings of Legacy: Alfonso X el Sabio and the Virgin Mary." She was a member of the women's crew team and of Wesleyan without Borders.  

  • Andrea G. Barthwell '76

    Founder, Encounter Medical Group

    Illinois

    Bio

    Professional History: Andrea Grubb Barthwell, M.D., D.F.A.S.A.M., is the founder of Encounter Medical Group, P.C., manages and consults through the global health care policy firm EMGlobal, and is the director at Two Dreams, a comprehensive alcoholism and addiction treatment system. Reflecting her long-term commitment to individuals with Opioid Use Disorder (OUD), she was named as the founding chair of the board of the Foundation for Opioid Response Effort (FORE) with a $100 million endowment.

    She served as a member of President George W. Bush’s sub-cabinet as deputy director for demand reduction in the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), where she was a principal advisor on policies aimed at reducing the demand for illicit drugs. 

    Dr. Barthwell received a BA in psychology from Wesleyan University, and a MD from the University of Michigan Medical School.

    Before joining the Wesleyan Board, Andrea conducted interviews of candidates, served as an alumni-elected trustee, and received the Distinguished Alumni’s Award at her 30th reunion.

    At Wesleyan: Andrea worked on her class yearbook in layout and design, played intramural softball, and fed children from Middletown at the Black Panther-sponsored Breakfast Program at the Malcolm X House.

  • Adam C. Bird '87, P'19, '22

    Senior Partner, McKinsey & Company

    Germany

    Bio

    Professional History: Adam is a senior partner with McKinsey & Company and the global leader of the consumer tech & media practice. He advises the top management of the most disruptive and disrupted companies on their most critical business issues. His client work in the U.S., Europe, and Asia has spanned all major media, entertainment, and consumer technology segments. Adam was one of the first people to be elected directly to become a McKinsey senior partner and is a member of the senior partners committee.

    He was selected as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum. He is a board member of the Paley Center for Media and the past vice chair of the board of the Munich International School.

    Prior to McKinsey, Adam was the youngest senior partner with Booz Allen Hamilton (sold to the Carlyle Group) and the managing director of the Global Consumer and Media practices, as well as a member of their board of directors. He moved to Europe over two decades ago to cofound an advisory firm (sold to Cap Gemini).

    At Wesleyan: Adam graduated with honors from the College of Social Studies. While at Wesleyan, he was a student representative to the board of trustees, a teaching assistant for French, and an avid participant in a wide range of sports. He is the father of Matthew ’19 and Sophie ’22.

  • Luz Burgos-Lopez '09

    Assistant Dean of Students, University of Connecticut

    Connecticut

    Bio

    Professional History: Luz Burgos-López (ella/she) is a Queer white-Puerto Rican who is passionate about racial justice and equity within higher education. Luz has designed and facilitated a number of workshops to address issues of identity, equity, and the role of anti-Blackness, whiteness, and white supremacy in education. In addition, Luz is a scholar-practitioner in her fourth- year as a doctoral student in the Learning, Leadership, and Educational Policy program with a concentration in Higher Education, Racial Justice, and Decolonization, and a certificate in Indigeneity, Race, Ethnicity, and Politics at the University of Connecticut-Storrs.

    Luz’s research critically examines the knowledge production as it pertains to meta narratives of Latinidad. Specifically, she examines how scholars mobilize and (mis)use racial categories in the study of the experiences of racially minoritized communities. As a white-Puerto Rican, she is committed to engaging in critical race theory to examine the impact of deracialization of whiteness within Latine/a/x/o and Puerto Rican identity. Luz has an MS in Counselor Education from Central Connecticut State University and a BA in African American Studies from Wesleyan University. Lastly, Luz has over 12 years of experience in higher education and currently serves as an Assistant Dean of Students in the Dean of Students Office at UConnStorrs.

    At Wesleyan: Luz has served as co-chair of Wes Latino Alumni Network, member of Wesleyan’s Alumni of Color Council, and the Alumni Association Executive Committee. She graduated from Wesleyan with an African American Studies major and held leadership roles as an undergraduate in Wesleyan Student Assembly.

  • Marc N. Casper '90, P'23

    Chairman, President, and CEO, Thermo Fisher Scientific

    Massachusetts

    Bio

    Professional History: Marc Casper is Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Thermo Fisher Scientific, the world leader in serving science. He leads more than 100,000 colleagues globally to fulfill the company’s mission of enabling its customers to make the world healthier, cleaner, and safer.

    He joined Thermo Electron Corporation in 2001 as president of the Life Sciences sector. He was named senior vice president in 2003, and in 2005 assumed responsibility for all of the company’s operating divisions. After the merger creating Thermo Fisher Scientific in 2006, Marc was named executive vice president and president of its Analytical Technologies business, and in 2008 he became the company’s chief operating officer.

    Prior to joining Thermo Fisher, Marc served as president, chief executive officer, and a director of Kendro Laboratory Products. Previously, he worked for clinical diagnostics provider Dade Behring Inc., serving as president–Americas. Marc began his career as a strategy consultant at Bain & Company and later joined Bain Capital.

    Marc is Chairman of the U.S.–China Business Council and serves on the boards of Mass General Brigham; Synopsys, Inc.; and Wesleyan University. Previously, he was a director of the Advisory Board Company, Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Zimmer Holdings, and U.S. Bancorp. Marc earned an MBA with high distinction from Harvard Business School and is a graduate of Wesleyan University, where he received a BA in economics.

    At Wesleyan: Marc earned his bachelor’s degree in economics. He was a member of the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity. He was co-director of WESU-FM sports, an avid fan of ice hockey, and the manager of the Cardinals men’s ice hockey team.

  • Eric B. Dachs '98

    Founder and CEO of X2X

    California

    Bio
    Professional History: Eric is the Founder and CEO of X2X, an entertainment technology company providing hardware and software solutions for the entire feature film and television production lifecycle. X2X started as PIX System (PIX) after Eric worked as a sound designer and editor on feature film projects at Lucasfilm’s Skywalker Sound and The Saul Zaentz Film Center. Working on feature films allowed Eric a front-row seat to ongoing industry changes introduced by new digital filmmaking techniques, and the increased global distribution of film and TV projects. While working on the film "Panic Room" for David Fincher, he started PIX to address the opportunities provided by these changes. Today X2X has provided services to over 5,000 feature film and television productions for each of the major studios, production companies, and streaming content providers across 60 different countries. In 2019, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences awarded Eric with a Sci-Tech Academy Award for his work on the PIX System. Eric also serves on the boards of the Fremont Group, a private investment firm, and the Firehawks, a nonprofit youth lacrosse club. He lives in the San Francisco Bay area with his wife and three children.

    At Wesleyan: Eric transferred from Bates College to Wesleyan as a junior, and majored in theater. When his first honors thesis topic, “Why the Wesleyan Theater Major is the Best Undergraduate Business Education,” was “redirected” by his advisor, Eric wrote instead on the sound design process for the Bill Francisco-directed play "Little Murders."

  • Stuart Ellman '88

    Managing Partner, RRE Ventures

    New York

    Bio

    Professional History: Stuart is a co-founder and general partner at RRE Ventures, which he founded with Jim Robinson in 1994. RRE Ventures is a leading early-stage venture capital firm with ten funds raised, $2.5 billion in assets under management, and over 400 portfolio companies. Stuart is currently a director of Domain Money, Fi, Groups, Kindbody, One Drop, Prove, Silver Tree Labs, and Staircase and is involved with Bark & Co. and Ladder Life.

    Stuart has helped to incubate and found a number of startups including Prove, Silver Tree Labs, Staircase, Shake, and eCoverage. Notable previous investments include Business Insider, Proofpoint, Clarity Money, Kroll Bond Ratings, and Bread.

    From 2003–2018, Stuart taught at Columbia Business School where he is also on the investment board of the Tamer Fund. Since 2021, Stuart has served on the Nelson Center Advisory Council at Brown University, and since 2022 has served on the Board of Trustees for Wesleyan University. In addition, Stuart was named to Insiders' 2021 and 2022 Best Early Stage Investor list, was named to Insiders' 50 most important VCs in New York, was the recipient of the #CoachingColumbia Award (inspired by Bill Campbell's mentorship), and was named to the Top 100 Harvard Business School Alumni in Finance & Investing.

    In addition to his professional work, Stuart served as president of 92Y from 2012–2015 and chairman from 2015-2018. During his tenure, Stuart was instrumental in launching initiatives including #GivingTuesday, a global day of giving; 7 Days of Genius, a multi-platform, multi-venue festival of ideas; 92Y’s first MOOC, “How to Change the World,” offered in partnership with Wesleyan University; 92YOnDemand, a new content website with more than 103,000 followers; and an expanded partnership with NYCEDC to host the NYC Venture Fellows program.

    Previously, Stuart worked at Morgan Stanley, McKinsey, and Dillon Read. Stuart holds an MBA with Distinction from Harvard University.

    At Wesleyan: Stuart holds a BA in Economics from Wesleyan University, where he was a Gilbert Clee Scholar and a Horace White Fellow. While at Wesleyan, he met his wife, Susan Berger Ellman '90, and they have been together ever since.

  • Andy Fairbanks '90

    General Manager, IBM Corporation

    New York

    Bio

    Professional History: Andrew serves as a Managing Partner of IBM Consulting. He has held multiple roles in his 25 years at IBM, including Federal Market Leader, Americas Delivery Leader, and Service Line Leader. He has focused on helping large, complex organizations implement transformational programs across their enterprises.  He spent his first 10 years focused on the higher education arena, helping multiple universities implement distance learning programs. He also led the largest program in the distance learning space, helping the United States Army to deliver college degree programs to Soldiers distributed around the world. Prior to joining IBM, Andrew served as the Associate Dean of Admission and Financial Aid at Wesleyan. He spent five years working to attract and admit exceptional classes from around the world.

    Andrew graduated from Wesleyan University, on whose board he serves, and earned his master’s degree in public policy from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. He also served two terms on the board of Horizons Greater Washington, including three years as President.

    At Wesleyan: As an undergraduate, Andrew majored in the College of Social Studies, and authored an honors thesis tracing the German media’s coverage of the rise of the Nazi Party between 1930 and 1933, asking the question of whether nationalist authoritarianism could also rise in the United States. He also was a resident advisor, senior interviewer, and four-year member of the varsity tennis team, serving as co-captain in his senior year. Andrew also served as a member of the Admissions Advisory Committee, the Athletic Advisory Committee, and as the Chair of the Alumni-Elected Trustee Nominating Committee. He also served as an admissions volunteer and has hired numerous Wesleyan graduates into IBM Consulting.

  • Nyasha Shani Foy '06

    VP, Assistant General Counsel, & NFTs, Sotheby's

    New York

    Bio

    Professional History: Nyasha Foy is vice president, assistant general counsel, NFTs at Sotheby’s. At Sotheby’s, she advises and counsels the Sotheby’s Metaverse, a proprietary NFT platform for collectors of digital art, as well as on other blockchain, metaverse, NFT, and virtual asset related matters. Prior to joining Sotheby’s, Nyasha served in senior business and legal affairs roles at Buzzfeed, Complex Media, VICE Media Group, and Broadway Video.

    Nyasha received her JD from New York Law School. She is admitted to practice in California and New York.

    Outside of her career in business and legal affairs, Nyasha is a multi-hyphenate thought leader and creative. She is on the Board of Directors for the Black Entertainment and Sports Lawyers Association (BESLA), and serves on the National Black Law Students Association, Northeast Region Advisory Board. She also sings second soprano in the New York City Bar Chorus.

    Prior to joining Wesleyan University’s Board of Trustees, Nyasha served as the chair of the Wesleyan Black Alumni Council (2013–2020); host of the Wesleyan Black Alumni Council BAC Annual Kwanzaa Event (2013–2020); member of the Wesleyan BAC Memorial Prize Committee (2013–2020); and secretary (2014–2016) and vice chair (2016–2018) of the Wesleyan Alumni Association Executive Committee.

    At Wesleyan: Nyasha earned her BA in music and French. In addition to composing and directing her senior thesis recital, she wrote her senior thesis on hip-hop culture in France and the U.S. through the lens of rap music. Nyasha was a writer and sports editor for the Argus, member of Ujaama, and a student worker in the former Davenport Campus Center. She became a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.

  • Scott Gottlieb '94, Hon'21

    Special Partner, New Enterprise Associates; Former Commissioner, FDA

    Connecticut

    Bio

    Professional History: Scott Gottlieb, MD is a physician and served as the 23rd Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration from 2017 to 2019. Dr. Gottlieb’s work focuses on advancing public health through developing and implementing innovative approaches to improving medical outcomes, reshaping healthcare delivery, and expanding consumer choice and safety. He is currently a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and a member of the board of directors of Pfizer Inc., Illumina Inc., and Tempus Labs. Dr. Gottlieb is a partner at the venture capital firm New Enterprise Associates, where he is a member of the firm’s healthcare services and biopharma investment teams. For NEA, he serves on the boards of National Resilience and Aetion.

    Under his leadership, the FDA advanced new frameworks for the modern and safe and effective oversight of gene therapies, cell-based regenerative medicines, targeted drugs, and digital health devices. The agency advanced new models for the regulation of artificial intelligence devices, veterinary medicines, and orphan drugs, and implemented new reforms to standardize drug reviews and make important improvements in post market data collection and the use of real- world evidence. The agency’s historic and prolific advances in new policy distinguished his tenure as the FDA’s commissioner, in addition to a record-setting number of approvals of novel drugs, medical devices, and generic medicines in 2018 and again in 2019.

    Dr. Gottlieb promoted policies to reduce death and disease from tobacco, improve food innovation and safety, expand the agency’s oversight of areas of emerging risk such as dietary supplements and cell-based medicine, and aggressively confront addiction crises. The FDA advanced new legislative frameworks to address the opioid crisis, grow its field operations, and modernize the regulation of diagnostic tests and over-the-counter drugs, among other initiatives. Dr. Gottlieb forged collaborative relations with Congress that saw FDA increase its total budget by about $1 billion over two years. During his tenure, he testified before Congress 20 times.

    Previously, Dr. Gottlieb served as the FDA’s deputy commissioner for medical and scientific affairs and, before that, as a senior advisor to the administrator of the centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, where he helped implement the Medicare drug benefit, and advance policies to improve healthcare quality and promote the effective use of new medical technologies.

    Dr. Gottlieb is author of the New York Times best-selling book Uncontrolled Spread and is widely published in leading medical journals and periodicals, including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and The Washington Post. He holds an editorial position on the Journal of the American Medical Association. Fortune Magazine recognized him as one of the “World’s 50 Greatest Leaders” in 2018 and again in 2019. Modern Healthcare has named Dr. Gottlieb as one of the “Most Influential Physician Executive and Leaders” in its annual survey of 50 physician executives, and Time magazine named Dr. Gottlieb as one of its “50 People Transforming Healthcare in 2018.” He is a contributor to CNBC and CBS News’s Face the Nation.

    Dr. Gottlieb was a practicing hospitalist and a Clinical Assistant Professor at the New York University School of Medicine. He is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine.

    At Wesleyan: Dr. Gottlieb holds a BA in economics from Wesleyan University, received the Distinguished Alumni Award in 2019, and was named an honorary doctor of science in 2021.

  • Susannah Gray '82

    Retired, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Royalty Pharma

    New York

    Bio

    Professional History: From January 2005 through 2018, Susannah Gray was the executive vice president and chief financial officer of Royalty Pharma, the largest aggregator of pharmaceutical royalty interests worldwide. In 2019, she took on the additional responsibility of heading strategy for the company. Prior to joining Royalty Pharma, she had a 14-year career in banking, working in various capacities within high yield and structured finance departments of Chase Securities, Merrill Lynch and CIBC World Markets.

    In addition to serving on Wesleyan’s Board of Trustees, Susannah serves on a number of corporate boards, including 4D Molecular Therapeutics, Maravai Life Sciences, Morphic Therapeutic, and Apria Healthcare. She is also a board member of a number nonprofit organizations, including the Susan G. Komen Foundation, Street Squash, the Colby College Art Museum, and the German Marshall Fund. Susannah earned an MBA from Columbia University in 1990. She lives in New York City with her husband, John Lyons.

    At Wesleyan: Susannah majored in the College of Social Studies and received a BA with honors.

  • Joshua B. Guild '96

    Associate Professor of History and African American Studies, Princeton University

    New York

    Bio

    Professional History: Joshua Guild is an associate professor in the departments of history and African American studies at Princeton University. He specializes in 20th-century African American social and political history, urban history, and the making of the modern African diaspora. At Princeton, he teaches courses on post-emancipation African American history, the Black freedom movement, memory and history, the Black intellectual tradition, and the history of New Orleans, among other topics. His first book explores the cultural politics of Black migration and community formation in postwar New York City and London. His current research focuses on the history of struggles for racial and economic justice in New Orleans, from the 1960s to the present.

    After graduating from Wesleyan, Josh taught elementary school and worked at an education nonprofit before pursuing a joint PhD in African American studies and history at Yale University. He has been the recipient of fellowships from the Mellon Foundation, the Ford Foundation, and the Institute for Citizens & Scholars and he has been a visiting fellow at Harvard University, Columbia University, Dartmouth College, and the University of Cambridge. At Princeton, he has served as director of graduate affairs in the department of African American studies, on the executive committee of the Center for Digital Humanities, on the faculty advisory committee on policy, and as a faculty mentor for the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship Program. Over the years, Josh has provided commentary to a wide range of media outlets, including NPR, BBC World Service, MSNBC, WNYC, Southern California Public Radio, and CNN.com.

    At Wesleyan: Josh graduated with honors in history and African American studies. A work-study student, he was a co-chair of Ujamaa, a member of the Students of Color Council, a columnist for the Argus, and served as a senior interviewer of the Office of Admission.

  • Sarah B. Kendall '77, P'14

    President, Adelphic Educational Fund, Inc.

    New Hampshire

    Bio

    Professional History: Sarah has been president of the Adelphic Educational Fund, Inc., since 2015, and a board member since 2009. This 501 (c)3 private foundation supports Wesleyan students through internship funding (summer grants) as well as funding undergrad-chosen and implemented events. The AEF funds specific university projects that benefit the wider Wesleyan community granting, approximately $1.8 million since 1971. Other philanthropic commitments have spanned music, education, and civic events and organizations, including founding president of the Mid-Manhattan Performing Arts Foundation, Inc., a 501 (c)3 foundation formed by members and staff of St. Bartholomew’s Church to support and produce Great Music (a concert series) and the St. Bart’s Players (an equity theatre), from 1991-2002.

    From 1979 to 1990, Sarah pivoted from work with children to finance, with her last position as manager for US Investor Relations at Nova Nordisk A/S. She also had the opportunity to do strategic planning with Novo Bioventures. While at Novo she attended the certificate course of the Smith Management Program and “Managing Cultural Change” at INSEAD. Prior to that, she was a VP covering biotechnology and medical technology as an institutional analyst at Dean Witter Reynolds and Oppenheimer & Co. Inc.

    Her local philanthropic and volunteer activities are concentrated in Harrisville, N.H., and environs, including the library and Harrisville Pond Association, as well as local chamber and choral music, with a focus on children and youth.

    At Wesleyan: Sarah double-majored in religion and music at Wesleyan, culminating with a senior thesis performance of her composition, “Another Pilgrim’s Progress.” Membership in Alpha Delta Phi offered friendship, the opportunity to co-edit AdLit, engage in change from within (coeducational), and musical colleagues. She has continued her Wesleyan connections by serving on the Adelphic Literary Society board as well as various collaborations with Wesleyan’s music department. She is the daughter of David A. Kendall ’52 and devoted fan of daughter Eleonore Bayles ’14.

  • Kiki Kennedy P'16, '20

    Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, Yale University

    Connecticut

    Bio

    Professional History: Since 1992, Kiki has been an assistant clinical professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Yale University Medical School. She currently leads an advocacy training initiative for the Yale Department of Psychiatry and also supervises psychiatry residents in psychotherapy for the Connecticut Mental Health Center and the Yale Long Term Psychotherapy Clinic. In addition, Kiki is a current member of the Council on Advocacy and Government Relations for the American Psychiatric Association, a member of the Committee on Psychotherapy for the Group for the Advancement of Psychiatry and on the executive committee for the Austen Riggs Center, a nonprofit psychiatric hospital in Stockbridge, Mass. Since 1991, she has seen outpatients in her private psychiatry practice in New Haven, Conn.

    Kiki graduated from Brown University with a bachelor of science in psychology and received her MD from the University of Connecticut. She completed her psychiatry residency and a fellowship in psychotherapy at Yale University.

    She also serves as a board member for Connecticut Fund for the Environment, The Connecticut Chapter of the Nature Conservancy, and The Festival of Arts and Ideas.

    At Wesleyan: Kiki volunteered during the WesFest parent panel event in 2015 and also hosted the THIS IS WHY campaign donor recognition event in Hyannis Port, Mass., in 2013. Her daughter, Kiley, graduated from Wesleyan in 2016 with high honors in physics and served as cocaptain of the track and field team. Her son, Teddy, class of 2020, rowed on the men's crew team this past year and is a member of Psi Upsilon. 

  • Kimberly King '97

    Vice President, Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion - Global Advertising & Partnership, NBC Universal

    New York

    Bio

    Professional History: Kimberly King is a dynamic media executive with extensive experience in television, digital, music, and print. Her professional passion for servant leadership has inspired her direction and engagement throughout her twenty-five plus year career in delivering compelling content as a marketer, storyteller, talent producer, and creative strategist. Kimberly recently accepted a new role as vice president, diversity, equity & inclusion, global advertising and partnerships at NBCUniversal where she creates and leads diversity strategies focused on driving meaningful business outcomes for the NBCU Ad Sales workforce, along with brand clients and agency partners.

    Formerly the vice president, One Platform Marketing (OPM) within NBCU’s advertising and partnerships division, Kimberly and her team created authentic consumer connection by leveraging NBCU IP and strategic storytelling to deliver results for clients. She has also held integrated marketing positions at Discovery and BET Networks prior to joining NBCUniversal.

    Kimberly boldly earned a master of science degree in Integrated Marketing and a professional certificate in Digital Media Marketing from New York University. Kimberly currently serves on the Board with Urban Arts (UA) helping students explore their creativity and harness technology to defy the odds and define the future across Title I public schools in New York City.

    Prior to joining Wesleyan University’s Board of Trustees, Kimberly remained a consistent and active volunteer leader in the Wesleyan community as a reunion committee member as well as class agent for Wesleyan University Magazine and The Wesleyan Fund. Kimberly concurrently served as vice-chair, Alumni Association Executive Council (AAEC) and chair, Wesleyan Alumni of Color Council (AOCC). For her efforts, Kimberly received the Wesleyan University Service Award during her 20th year reunion. Creatively, Kimberly has been featured in the inaugural Wesleyan alumni digital marketing campaign, 60 Seconds With, in addition to the year-end campaign Wes Actually, a 2018 Telly Award bronze winner in the non-broadcast, general fundraising category.

    Kimberly is a native of New York where she resides with her husband, son, and fur baby.

    At Wesleyan: As a student, Kimberly was a government major and an at-large member of the Wesleyan Student Assembly. She worked at the Career Resource Center (now Gordon Career Center) beginning her freshman year and developed programming for non-traditional career paths in the music business during her senior year.

  • Robert King '84

    Executive Editor at Large, Special Projects, ESPN, Inc.

    Connecticut

    Bio

    Professional History: Robert King Executive Editor-At-Large at ESPN, is an influential multimedia architect at the biggest brand in sports. A 12-time Sports Emmy award winner, King directly oversees ESPN’s editorial direction and special projects such as The ESPY Awards and ESPN Films.

    Since joining ESPN in 2004, King has served as senior vice president, SportsCenter & News; senior vice president, Content, ESPN Digital & Print Media; and vice president and Editor-in-Chief of ESPN.com. He started at ESPN as a senior coordinating producer in Studio Production, responsible for (at various times): NBA studio programming; on-location golf coverage, including the Masters and the U.S. Open; and ESPNEWS, the nation’s only 24-hour sports television network.

    In 2016, King appeared on Forbes’ list of “Most Influential Minorities in Sports” and was named by Fast Company among its “Most Creative People 2014.” A past Pulitzer judge, King is a member of the Associated Press board of directors, the Chair of Center for Investigative Reporting board, and a member of the Poynter Institute’s Board of Trustees.

    King began his career in newspapers. From 1997–2004, he was at The Philadelphia Inquirer, where he was eventually appointed deputy managing editor. Prior to that, King worked at the Courier-Journal in Louisville, KY, the Courier-Post in Cherry Hill, NJ, the Commercial-News in Danville, IL, and The Washington Post.

    In 1986, he attended Penn State, studying Journalism as part of the School of Communication’s inaugural graduate class.

    A resident of West Hartford, CT, King and his wife Jen have three children: Eli, 18; Amani, 15; and Amanda, 14.

    At Wesleyan: A proud member of the Class of 1984, King holds a BA in English from Wesleyan. He played basketball for Herb Kenny and triple-jumped as a part of Elmer Swanson’s track and field teams.

  • Dr. Gail Marcus '78

    Assistant Professor, Hofstra University

    New York

    Bio

    Professional History: Gail Marcus is currently an assistant professor at Hofstra University in the School of Health Professions, serving as program director for the MS in Health Informatics. Prior to her academic post, she held senior leadership roles in both Fortune 100 companies, including CIGNA and United Healthcare, and small venture back companies, most recently as CEO of a diagnostic company. She was named one of the top 100 women leaders in Massachusetts while in that role.

    Gail currently serves on several public and private boards. She is board chair for Cambridge Epigenetix, a UK-based DNA sequencing tools and technologies company; advises start-up organizations through the Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship and Hofstra University Entrepreneurship Center; has achieved the leadership fellow designation from the National Association of Corporate Directors; and is certified as a cybersecurity expert.

    At Wesleyan: Gail received her BA magna cum laude in 1978 majoring in Spanish. She worked in the computer center and taught one of the first computer science courses at the University. After graduating, she earned a master’s degree in business administration from Wharton and MS in computer science from University of Pennsylvania. She holds a Doctor of Health Administration from the Medical University of South Carolina. She met her husband at Wesleyan, Peter Marcus ’77, and her sister-in-law Emilie Marcus was class of ‘82.

  • Degan Mercado Leopold '03

    Chief Impact & Strategy Officer, NY Jobs CEO Council

    New York

    Bio

    Professional History: Degan Mercado Leopold is the chief impact & strategy officer at the NY Jobs CEO Council, a nonprofit organization dedicated to leveraging the power of the business community to close opportunity gaps, increase access to high-potential jobs, and accelerate upward mobility for low-income New Yorkers. Prior to this role, she was diversity recruiting program manager at Bloomberg L.P. and previously served as chief of staff for the national constituencies and coalitions team for Mike Bloomberg 2020, responsible for the development of national voter outreach strategies across diverse demographics.

    Prior to building diversity recruiting at Bloomberg, she was senior program manager in corporate philanthropy at Bloomberg, managing the education and technology grant portfolio and employee engagement in support of college and career readiness for the next generation of leaders.

    Prior to joining Bloomberg L.P., Degan worked in the New York City Mayor’s Office during the Bloomberg administration, and in 2009 managed Brooklyn headquarters for Mayor Bloomberg’s reelection campaign.

    Degan serves on the board of directors of Project Basta, a nonprofit dedicated to closing the employment gap for first-generation college students of color and is co-chair of the alumnae diversity committee for the Spence School in New York City. She received her MPA in public & nonprofit management from New York University’s Robert F. Wagner School of Public Service and holds a BA from Wesleyan University.

    At Wesleyan: Degan double-majored in dance and Spanish language and literature, and was co-director of Precision Dance Company.

  • Christine M. Pina '91

    Chief Advancement Officer, Miss Porter’s School

    Connecticut

    Bio

    Professional History: Christine has held roles at Dartmouth College, The Madeira School, St. Paul’s School, Wesleyan University, and was the vice president of institutional advancement at the University of Hartford. In July 2016, Christine joined Miss Porter’s School, where as the chief advancement officer she leads a team of 16 advancement professionals.

    Christine earned an EdM from the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE) and a BA from Wesleyan University. She has served as a trustee of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), chairing the Commission on Philanthropy; The Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy, chairing the Development Committee; and South Kent School, where she serves as vice chair. She is a former chair of the Harvard Graduate School Alumni Council and served as an appointed director of the Harvard Alumni Association. She holds membership in Jack and Jill of America and is a member of St. James’s Episcopal Church, West Hartford, Connecticut.

    At Wesleyan: Christine received the Wesleyan University Service Award in 2016. She has been Wesleyan's class agent since 1999 and was the co-chair of Wesleyan's 25th reunion, class of 1991.

  • Philip J. Rauch '71

    Managing Director and Wealth Advisor, William Blair

    Maryland

    Bio

    Professional History: Philip is a managing director and wealth advisor with William Blair's Private Wealth Management group, located in Baltimore, Maryland. Prior to joining William Blair, Philip worked at Brown Advisory, Alex Brown & Sons, T. Rowe Price, and Morgan Stanley. He is a chartered financial analyst, certified public accountant, and a graduate of the Harvard Business School.

    Phil serves as a trustee of CenterStage, a Baltimore theater company; the Rauch Foundation, a private foundation; and several other nonprofit organizations.

    At Wesleyan: Phil graduated from Wesleyan in 1971 as a government major, cum laude, and spent a semester abroad in Germany. He was a member of the crew team and Beta Theta Pi.

  • John B. Rhea '87

    Partner, Centerview Partners LLC

    New York

    Bio
    Professional History: John Rhea is a partner at Centerview Partners LLC, a leading independent investment banking and advisory firm, based in New York City. From June 2017 to September 2020, Mr. Rhea was senior advisor and president, corporate finance and capital markets at Siebert Williams Shank & Co., LLC., where he led M&A advisory, capital markets, and sales and trading for all corporate equities and fixed-income securities, and orchestrated the firm’s successful merger with The Williams Capital Group LP. Mr. Rhea is a former senior advisor to The Boston Consulting Group, and founder and managing partner of RHEAL Capital Management, LLC, a real estate development and investment firm with over one million square feet of commercial real estate. From 2009 to 2014, John was chairman and CEO of the New York City Housing Authority, the largest owner-operator of affordable housing in the nation, appointed by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. Prior to serving in the Bloomberg administration, Mr. Rhea was managing director and co-head of global consumer and retail investment banking at Barclays Capital (and predecessor Lehman Brothers) and managing director at JPMorgan Chase & Co. Mr. Rhea has advised on more than $300 billion in transactions over his career.

    Since 2015, John has served on the board of directors of Invitation Homes (NYSE:INVH), where he is a member of the nominating and corporate governance committee, chairman of the compensation and management development committee, and former chairman of the audit committee. Mr. Rhea is a founding investor in WhistlePig LLC, an award-winning American craft whiskey company, and serves on the board of managers and chairs the audit committee.

    John has a long record of non-profit service and in addition to serving as a trustee of Wesleyan, he is a director of Red Cross Greater New York and University of Detroit Jesuit High School. John majored in the College of Social Studies and received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Wesleyan University (Class of ’87) and MBA from the Harvard Business School.

  • Michele A. Roberts '77

    Retired, Executive Director, National Basketball Players Association

    New York

    Bio

    Professional History: Notably, Michele Roberts is the first woman to head a major professional sports union in North America. As executive director of the National Basketball Players Association from 2014 to 2022, Ms. Roberts served as the primary advocate for all players, ensuring the protection of the organization and its membership, including serving as the lead negotiator in all collective bargaining activities. Prior to this selection, Ms. Roberts was a renowned trial lawyer and member of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom’s Litigation Group. Her practice focused on complex civil and white-collar criminal litigation before state and federal courts and in administrative proceedings. Ms. Roberts has tried more than 100 cases to jury verdicts, representing clients in a wide variety of areas, including products liability, white collar, racketeering, securities regulation violations, Title VII issues, and premises liability. She has been called the “finest pure trial lawyer in Washington, D.C.” by Washingtonian Magazine. Ms. Roberts is a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers.

    Ms. Roberts also served for eight years in the office of the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia, where she was named chief of the Trial Division. She served as counsel in more than 40 jury trials.

    Ms. Roberts is a frequent lecturer and presenter to both the bench and bar on a variety of topics related to litigation and trial practice. She served as an adjunct member of the faculty at Harvard Law School, teaching a trial advocacy workshop and was an instructor with the National Institute of Trial Advocacy.

    Ms. Roberts received her JD from University of California at Berkeley.

    At Wesleyan: Ms. Roberts received a BA in Government.

  • Michael S. Roth '78

    President, Wesleyan University

    Connecticut

    Bio
    Professional History: Michael S. Roth '78 became the 16th president of Wesleyan University in 2007, after having served as Hartley Burr Alexander Professor of Humanities at Scripps College, Associate Director of the Getty Research Institute, and President of the California College of the Arts. At Wesleyan, Roth has overseen the launch of academic programs such as the Allbritton Center for the Study of Public Life and the Shapiro Center for Writing, as well as four new interdisciplinary colleges emphasizing advanced research and cohort-building in the areas of the environment, film, East Asian studies, and integrative sciences. Under his leadership, Wesleyan had its most ambitious fundraising campaign in its history, raising more than $482 million, primarily for financial aid. Roth has undertaken a number of initiatives that have energized the curriculum and helped to make a Wesleyan education more affordable and accessible to students from underrepresented groups—creating a supportive and diverse campus community that inspires students to achieve their personal best.

    Author and curator (most notably of the exhibition “Sigmund Freud: Conflict and Culture,” which opened at the Library of Congress in 1998), Roth describes his scholarly interests as centered on “how people make sense of the past.” His 2014 book, Beyond the University: Why Liberal Education Matters (Yale University Press), has been a powerful tool for students, their families, faculty, and policymakers who are wrestling with the future of higher education in America. It was recognized in 2016 with the Assocation of American Colleges & Universities’ Frederic W. Ness award for a book that best illuminates the goals and practices of a contemporary liberal education. Roth’s newest book, Safe Enough Spaces: A Pragmatist’s Approach to Inclusion, Free Speech, and Political Correctness (Yale University Press, 2019), addresses some of the most contentious issues in American higher education, including affirmative action, safe spaces, and questions of free speech. Roth regularly publishes essays, book reviews, and commentaries in the national media and scholarly journals. He continues to teach undergraduate courses and through Coursera has offered MOOCs, most recently, “How to Change the World.”

  • Bozoma Saint John '99

    Hall of Fame Marketing Executive, Author, and Entrepreneur

    California

    Bio

    Professional History: Bozoma Saint John is a Hall of Fame–inducted marketing executive, author, and entrepreneur.

    Boz got her start in marketing at Spike Lee’s ad agency, SpikeDDB. She then went on to manage brands in the PepsiCo beverages portfolio, before becoming head of music and entertainment marketing at the CPG giant. After that, she led global consumer marketing at Apple Music and iTunes. She then went on to serve as chief brand officer at Uber, before taking on the chief marketing officer role for Endeavor (including WME, IMG, UFC, Miss Universe, and 160over90). Most recently, she served as the global chief marketing officer at the entertainment behemoth, Netflix.

    Boz has been lauded for her breakthrough work in numerous industries; including induction into the American Marketing Association Hall of Fame (2022) and induction into the American Advertising Federation Hall of Achievement (2014). Forbes named her the #1 Most Influential CMO in the world (2021). Billboard inducted her into their Women in Music Hall of Fame after she made their list of the Most Powerful Women in Music for 10 consecutive years (2013–2022) and was named the Executive of the Year (2016). She’s been featured on the cover of Adweek as “one of the most exciting personalities in advertising” and is on lists ranging from The Hollywood Reporter’s Women in Entertainment Power 100 (2018) to Fast Company’s and Ad Age’s Most Creative People, to Ebony’s 100 Powerful Executives, Black Enterprise’s Most Powerful Women in Business, and Fortune’s Most Influential CMOs.

    In 2021, Harvard Business School published a multimedia case study on her career, titled “Leading with Authenticity and Urgency,” through which she developed and taught a program at the University aptly named “The Anatomy of a Badass.” Boz has also created a public online class, “The Badass Workshop,” to teach the nuances of achieving success when one feels like an outsider.

    Boz has expanded her service outside of the United States and been named as an ambassador for the African diaspora and special envoy to the president of Ghana. Boz is also a philanthropic ambassador to Pencils of Promise in Ghana and serves on the boards of Girls Who Code, Vital Voices, the Tony Elumelu Foundation, Soho House, and the CFDA.

    In spring 2023, Penguin Books will publish her memoir, The Urgent Life. The book is a road map to navigating struggle and a touchstone for those enduring their own battles, letting them know that they are not alone, that they can make it through, and that there is light and peace, and even inspiration, waiting for them when they do. 

    All of that said, she counts her highest achievement as being a mother to her 12-year-old daughter, Lael. 

  • John M. Shapiro '74

    Managing Director, Chieftain Capital Management, Inc.

    New York

    Bio

    Professional History: John M. Shapiro is a managing director of Chieftain Capital Management, Inc., an investment advisory firm that he co-founded in 1984 and converted to a family investment office in 2018. Previously, he worked at Central National Corporation and Merrill Lynch & Co. Mr. Shapiro serves as chairman of Lawyers for Children and is a member of the board and the trustee leadership committee of Wesleyan University. He is also a trustee and member of the executive committee of Rockefeller University. He serves as senior vice president of The Washington Institute for Near East Policy and is a member of the board of the Jewish Museum, Jerusalem Foundation, and Israel Policy Forum. Mr. Shapiro is on the Investment Committee of the JPB Foundation and is a member of The Committee on Drawings and Prints for The Museum of Modern Art. Past positions include: president of the American Jewish Committee, where he remains an honorary president and chairman of the Transatlantic institute; president of the UJA-Federation of New York, where he chairs the governance committee and co-chairs the community relations and safety committee; president of The Dalton School in New York City; vice chairman of the American Academy in Rome; and executive committee member of the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations. He received a BA from Wesleyan University and an MBA from Columbia Business School. He is married with two children.

    At Wesleyan: John was a philosophy major, earning his bachelor’s degree with honors for his creative writing thesis. In addition, he was a member of the rugby club and the intramural hockey league. Since graduation he and his wife, Trustee Emerita Shonni J. Silverberg ’76, have endowed the Shapiro Center for Writing, initiated and provided an endowment for a certificate in Jewish and Israel studies, and funded a number of scholarships. He has been a member of his class reunion committee and received a Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2014.

  • Joel Tillinghast '80

    Portfolio Manager, Fidelity Investments

    Massachusetts

    Bio

    Professional History: Joel Tillinghast is a portfolio manager in the equity division at Fidelity Investments, a leading provider of investment management, retirement planning, portfolio guidance, brokerage, benefits outsourcing, and other financial products and services to institutions, financial intermediaries, and individuals. In this role, Joel is the lead manager for Fidelity Low-Priced Stock Fund and Fidelity Event Driven Opportunities Fund. Additionally, he manages Fidelity Series Intrinsic Opportunities Fund, as well as portfolios available exclusively to Canadian investors. Prior to assuming his current role in December 1989, he worked as an analyst covering coal, personal care, appliances, natural gas, and tobacco at FMR Co. Before joining Fidelity in 1986, Joel held various other positions, including director of research and strategy at Bank of America Futures, research economist at Drexel Burnham Lambert, and analyst at Value Line Investment Survey. He received his MBA in finance from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and is a CFA® charterholder. Joel has been in the financial industry since 1980 and is the author of Big Money Thinks Small (Columbia University Press, 2017), a book about investing.

    At Wesleyan: Joel received his BA in 1980, majoring in economics. While at Wesleyan, he wrote articles and sold ads for the Argus newspaper. He was a student representative on the investment committee of the board of trustees.

  • Andrew E. Vogel '95

    Co-Chief Investment Officer and Managing Partner, ZMC

    New York

    Bio

    Professional History: Andrew is the co-chief investment officer and a managing partner at ZMC, a leading investor in and operator of media, entertainment, communications, and technology businesses. Andrew is jointly responsible for leading and overseeing the firm’s private equity investment activities and together with the other managing partners, management of the firm. Andrew serves on a number of private company boards including as chairman of AdThrive (programmatic advertising) and as a lead board member of 9 Story (animated content), Resonate (consumer data & intelligence), The Second City (improv performance & education), and Simeio (cyber security). He was previously on the boards of Education Networks of America (internet/cloud services), ITRenew (data center hardware lifecycle), CommentSold (social commerce), Airvana (telecom software), Tekelec (telecom software), and Cast & Crew (payroll services).

    Andrew has over 25 years of investing and finance experience having previously worked at Ripplewood Holdings, McCown De Leeuw and Co., and Lehman Brothers.

    Andrew earned an MBA from Harvard Business School where he graduated as a Baker Scholar. He is also a member of the board of trustees of the Browning School. Andrew and his wife, Véronique, live in New York City with their children Sophie and Alexander.

    At Wesleyan: Andrew majored in Mathematics and Economics and graduated Phi Beta Kappa. While at Wesleyan, Andrew worked as a Ford Foundation Writing Tutor and was a teaching assistant in Macroeconomics. He was the recipient of the White Prize in Economics as well as the 1994 Gilbert Clee Scholar. Andrew served on the President’s Council from 2012 until 2020 and he also received a Wesleyan University Service Award in 2015.

  • Ellen E. West P'19, '22

    Vice President of Investor Relations, Alphabet (Google)

    New York

    Bio

    Professional History: Ellen is the vice president of investor relations for Alphabet (the parent company of Google) and co-head of Google’s New York office. She is responsible for telling the company’s story to the investment community. She joined Google in early 2007 to start a communications team in New York and eventually led communications for the advertising business and the Americas. Prior to joining Google, Ellen was a leading consultant in the field of corporate social responsibility, with several years of experience advising multinational companies in the UK, Europe, and the former Soviet Union.

    Ellen started her career as an associate in mergers and acquisitions at Goldman Sachs. She then worked as a research associate at the Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration, developing course material for a new program in business ethics. Ellen subsequently held senior management positions with the AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts, United Way International in Moscow, and the Charities Aid Foundation in the UK. Before relocating to New York in 2002, Ellen was a senior consultant with The Corporate Citizenship Company in London, England.

    Ellen is a summa cum laude graduate of the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania and has a JD from Stanford Law School.

    At Wesleyan: Ellen is the parent of Kira Newmark ‘19 and Jonah Newmark ‘22.

  • Luke Wood '91, P'25

    Former President, Beats by Dr. Dre

    California

    Bio

    Professional History: Luke Wood is the former president of Beats by Dr. Dre, a premium brand of headphones and speakers that was acquired by Apple in 2014. A producer, guitarist, and music industry vet with more than 20 years of experience, Luke officially joined Beats in 2011. In 2014, Beats was sold to Apple and Luke worked as president of Beats and vice president of Apple from 2014–2020. Prior to that, Luke served as chief strategy officer of Interscope Geffen A&M and president of the imprint DGC Records, where he worked with artists including Weezer, All American Rejects, Rise Against, and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. He began his career with Geffen Records in 1991 as a director of publicity, representing such bands as Nirvana and Sonic Youth. A lifelong songwriter and musician, Luke signed a publishing deal with Universal Music Group in 1996. That same year his band, Sammy, released its third album on Geffen/DGC Records. In August 2014, Luke joined the board of directors for Fender Musical Instruments.

    At Wesleyan: As an undergraduate, Luke majored in American studies. His senior project on resistance and the birth of rock and roll continues to inform his work in business, music, and beyond. He received a Distinguished Alumnus Award at his 25th reunion.

  • John Yang '80

    National Correspondent, PBS NewsHour

    Washington, D.C.

    Bio

    Professional History: John Yang has been an award-winning journalist for four decades. He is currently a national correspondent for the PBS NewsHour, the nightly national broadcast anchored by Judy Woodruff, based in Washington, D.C.

    Previously, he worked for NBC News, ABC News, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Time Magazine, and The Boston Globe. Mr. Yang’s assignments have included the White House, Congress, the Middle East when he was based in Jerusalem, the U.S. South when he was based in Atlanta, the Western U.S. when he was based in Los Angeles, and the American Midwest when he was based in Chicago. Mr. Yang has covered national politics since the 1984 presidential election, traveling with presidential campaigns, reporting on congressional contests and attending presidential nominating conventions. He's been honored with four George Foster Peabody Awards, two Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Awards, an Edward R. Murrow Award, and a national Emmy. He is a member of the Asian American Journalists Association, on whose national board he served, and NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ Journalists.

    At Wesleyan: Mr. Yang majored in government with a concentration in American politics and graduated cum laude. As an alumnus, he has spoken at fundraising events and has returned to campus to participate in panels. He received a Distinguished Alumni Award in 2020.

Alumni Volunteer Leaders

  • Suzanne Appel '02

    Managing Director, Vineyard Theatre

    New York

    Bio

    Professional History: Suzanne Appel's professional accomplishments as managing director of Off-Broadway's Vineyard Theatre have included negotiating an industry-first partnership with Audible to premiere and create two audio plays, adding seven new board members, completing the Vineyard's first strategic plan, and eliminating its accumulated deficit. She has had more than 15 years of arts leadership roles with an emphasis on business development, revenue generation, and producing the work of form-challenging artists. Previously she served as director of external affairs at Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, where she led the fundraising and marketing teams to annual revenue generation of more than $7 million. Prior to her role at Hubbard Street, she served as managing director at Cutting Ball Theatre, where she nearly doubled the operating budget and built a two-month-plus operating reserve in four years. Her career began at Wesleyan, where she was an assistant director of the Annual Fund. Appel holds an MBA from Yale School of Management, and MFA in Theater Management from Yale School of Drama.

    At Wesleyan: Suzanne is thrilled to be taking on her newest volunteer role at Wesleyan as the chair of the Wesleyan Annual Fund. Previously she served as a class agent for over 18 years (since graduation!), and was honored to receive a Wesleyan Service Award at her 15th reunion.

  • David A. Hill '86

    President, DHill Professional Services, LLC

    Maryland

    Bio

    Professional History:David A. Hill is the president of DHill Professional Services, LLC, where he provides legal and consulting services to small businesses, non-profit entities, and individual clients. In a career spanning over thirty years, David has been a senior executive in a Fortune 20 company, general counsel in a ten-person, start-up business in the healthcare field, and a partner in a national minority and women-owned law firm. David began his legal career as an associate with the law firm of Hogan & Hartson (now Hogan Lovells), where he was the lead counsel in Wilkins v. Maryland State Police, a landmark case that led to the end of the use of race-based drug courier profiles in the state of Maryland.

    Among his numerous civic engagements, David serves on the board of the Holy Cross Hospital System and the George B. Thomas Learning Academy (aka Saturday School), serves as a steward at Kingdom Fellowship AME Church, and serves on the Charter Review Commission in Montgomery County, Maryland. David received his BA with high honors from Wesleyan and his JD cum laude from Harvard Law School.

    At Wesleyan: David was a CSS major, an RA, and a three-year starter on the football team. As an alum, David has served as a class agent for many years, an alumni-elected trustee, the Inaugural Chair of the Alumni of Color Council, on the President’s Council, and as chair of the Alumni Elected-Trustee Nominating Committee.