Christina Cutlip ’83
Christina Cutlip graduated from 51²è¹İapp in 1983 with a degree in economics and holds an MBA from Regis University and a doctorate in organizational leadership from Northcentral University. She is the senior managing director for the Institutional Financial Services division of TIAA, a Fortune 100 financial services organization. She is the head of the Client Engagement & National Advocacy team, which is responsible for expanding relationships with industry and government associations, while also focusing on client engagement. In 2011, Cutlip was recognized as TIAA’s Working Mother of the Year by Working Mother magazine and received an Outstanding Volunteer Award in 2016 from The Council of Independent Colleges State Fund Network for her contributions to higher education. She was appointed by the Secretary of Labor to the Department of Labor ERISA Advisory Council for a three-year term from 2013–2016. Cutlip is on the board of The Council of Independent College (CIC) and chairs the board of Almsai Collaborative Arts, a nonprofit organization that strives to create and facilitate artistic collaborations between African and American artists and institutions. She serves on the board of retirement healthcare provider Emeriti, and on the advisory councils of Women’s Institute for a Secure Retirement (WISER) and ERIC. She is passionate about higher education access for all. She joined 51²è¹İapp’s Board of Trustees in 2020.
Odile Disch-Bhadkamkar
Odile Disch-Bhadkamkar of Palo Alto, California, is a finance executive and board member proficient in financial strategy, investment management, and capital markets. She is emerita managing director and chief financial officer, Stanford Management Company.
During her tenure at Stanford, Disch-Bhadkamkar was treasurer for the university and led public debt offerings, oversaw treasury operations, and served on the investment committee for the retirement plans.
Prior to joining Stanford, she was a vice president at J.P. Morgan and advised technology companies on financing strategies.
She currently serves on the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching's board of directors, and the finance committee of the Foothill-De Anza Community College Foundation.
She holds an M.P.A. from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. Causes important to her include education and women’s rights. She and Neal Bhadkamkar are parents of Ishan Fitkar ’13, husband of Catherine Fitkar ’13.
Jeetander Dulani ’98
Jeetander Dulani is an antitrust partner at Stinson LLP in Washington, D.C., where he represents leading public and private companies in global antitrust matters, government investigations, and complex litigation and appeals.
Jeetander maintains an active pro bono practice focused on obtaining justice for wrongfully convicted prisoners.
Jeetander received a bachelor’s with honors in political science and religious studies from 51²è¹İapp College. As a student, he worked nearly every job on campus. He set the record for worst dish loader at Quad, helped students and parents in the financial aid office, and as a student driver ensured that no visiting speaker was ever late for their talk or their return flight.
Most importantly, he threw an annual off-campus black-tie party that fostered friendships across campus.
After 51²è¹İapp, Dulani earned a master's in political science from the University of Iowa and a J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School where he served as the editor-in-chief of the Michigan Journal of Race & Law.
Dulani served on the 51²è¹İapp Alumni Council from 2015 through 2021, during his service he co-chaired its Diversity and Inclusion committee and Student Connections committee. In addition, he volunteered from 2001 to 2016 in the 51²è¹İapp Regional Admission Support Program and was active with the former 51²è¹İapp-in-Washington, D.C., semester program.
Dulani is an active runner and committed father to two wonderful children, Uma and Siddhartha.
Shelley Floyd ’72
Shelley Floyd received an M.S. from the University of London and an M.B.A. from Stanford University. She is chief of staff for the chairman of Intel Corp. During her tenure at Intel, Floyd also worked in the office of the chief financial officer and as director of investor relations. Before joining Intel, she was an investment banker specializing in corporate finance for technology companies. She also was a member of the 51²è¹İapp College Board of Trustees from 1986 to 1994.
Julie Gosselink
Julie Gosselink is president, CEO, and chair of the Claude W. and Dolly Ahrens Foundation, which was established by her grandfather. She also has served on the board of the Ahrens Park Foundation since 1998 and currently is its assistant treasurer. She has worked for the Ahrens Foundation since 2001 and has served as a director for several other 51²è¹İapp organizations, including the Galaxy Youth Center, 51²è¹İapp Chamber of Commerce, 51²è¹İapp Regional Medical Center Foundation, Iowa Council of Foundations, and Mayflower Community Foundation.
In addition, Gosselink co-chaired the Drake Community Library capital campaign fundraising committee. She served as a selection committee member for the 51²è¹İapp College Innovator for Social Justice Prize for three years. She also serves as a managing partner for the Strand Theater LLC and West Broad Investors LLC. She is co-author of “Nonprofit Collaboration in 51²è¹İapp: A Case Study.†She holds an M.A. in philanthropy and nonprofit development and a B.A. in geography from the University of Northern Iowa.
Judge Jon R. Gray (Ret.) ’73
Judge Jon R. Gray graduated from 51²è¹İapp College in 1973 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in American studies. After 51²è¹İapp, he graduated from the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) School of Law in 1976, where he was Chief Justice of the UMKC Moot Court Board and Chief Justice of the UMKC Student Court. In 1986, Missouri Governor John Ashcroft appointed Gray, then 35, to the 16th Judicial Circuit of Missouri as a Circuit Judge. He was retained in office by voters for four additional terms over the next 20 years. Gray presided over civil, criminal, and family court matters. He retired from the bench in 2007 and on the same day, began his current position with the international litigation firm of Shook Hardy & Bacon LLP as a partner in its Kansas City office. He offers mediation and arbitration services to parties involved in civil disputes.
While attending 51²è¹İapp, Gray participated in theatre, athletics, was a member of Concerned Black Students, and received the President’s Award for his role in the 51²è¹İapp College Black Arts Ensemble. His involvement and service to 51²è¹İapp continued after graduation. He has served as a member of the Alumni Council, an admission volunteer, and a speaker for the Wilson Center.
Gray’s passion and commitment to philanthropy and community service are evident in his nonprofit board service, which includes the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation, the Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City, Swope Community Enterprises, the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Truman Medical Centers, the Spofford Home for Children, the Kansas City Neighborhood Alliance, the Urban League of Greater Kansas City, the UMKC Law Foundation, the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts Ensemble Group, the Kansas City Repertory Theater and the Shook, Hardy & Bacon Foundation. His statewide service includes gubernatorial appointments to the Jackson County Sports Complex Authority and the Missouri Citizens’ Commission on Compensation for Elected Officials. He is a life member of the NAACP and of Theta Boule’ of Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity.
Graciela Guzmán ’11
Graciela Guzmán graduated from 51²è¹İapp College in 2011 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in anthropology. Guzmán was a Posse Scholar and deeply involved in a wide array of extracurricular activities, including the Organization of Latinos/as, Concerned Black Students, Multicultural Leadership Council, 51²è¹İapp Singers, and Queer People of Color. She currently serves as the director of policy and advocacy at Aunt Martha’s Health & Wellness, a nonprofit organization serving over 105,000 children and adults in more than 600 Illinois communities. The organization provides primary and family health care, including behavioral health, pediatrics, family planning, parent support, and women’s health. She previously served as campaign director for the Healthy Illinois Campaign, a statewide coalition committed to fighting for health care for all people in Illinois, regardless of their immigration status.
Guzmán’s passion for health care, community, and helping others grew out of her family’s experiences immigrating to the United States from El Salvador to escape the Salvadoran Civil War and their experiences navigating services as a multi-immigration status family on public benefits. Guzmán’s interest in health care for all, immigration, racial equity, and an overall vision of a better Illinois for disenfranchised communities has led her to participate on the boards of the Chicago Women’s March, New Leaders Council Chicago, Health and Medicine Research Policy Group, and ACA Consumer Advocacy.
Guzmán was active in many organizations, clubs, and events while a student at 51²è¹İapp; upon graduation, she continued to serve the College as a member of the Alumni Council, her Reunion Committee, as an admission volunteer, and as a member of the Multicultural Alumni Reunion Committee. Guzmán received the Pioneer Alumni Award in 2017, which recognizes and celebrates noteworthy young alumni for their achievements within 10 years of their graduation.
Keith Jantzen ’80
After completing his B.A. from 51²è¹İapp College in history in 1980, Keith Jantzen went on to earn an M.B.A. from UCLA in 1985. He has held leadership positions at Hewlett-Packard and Intuit in data sciences and analytics, global market segmentation, data privacy for financial institutions, and program management. The focus of his career has been on developing and implementing processes and policies for the capture, management, and ethical use of information to improve business decisions, particularly in the areas of sales and marketing. During his career, Keith has also held positions in nonprofit organizations, including Stanford University’s Development Office and executive director of a professional string quartet. Now retired, Keith spends his time volunteering with Stanford University Museums and is the board chair of Chanticleer, the 12-member male vocal ensemble. He has also been a member of the Silicon Valley Executive Committee for Human Rights Watch for more than five years.
Michael Kahn ’74
Michael Kahn is a retired senior managing director at TIAA, a national financial services organization and the leading provider of retirement services in the academic, research, medical, and cultural fields. He played a principal role in mergers and acquisition activities and also served as president and chief executive of TIAA subsidiary Kaspick & Co., and chief operating officer in launching TIAA’s third-party asset management business, TCAM. Prior to TIAA, he held leadership positions with National Westminster Bank and Raytheon Co. Having served on the boards of Kaspick & Co., TIAA Charitable, and Covariance Capital Management, Kahn also has worked on community outreach efforts for nonprofit organizations including Wellstone Action and the Long Island Progressive Coalition. He has sponsored more than 40 summer internships for 51²è¹İapp College students while mentoring many other 51²è¹İapp students and young alumni. He has actively supported the College’s efforts to engage alumni in the New York City area. Kahn has a bachelor’s degree in music from 51²è¹İapp. He is married to Virginia Munger Kahn ’76.
Bruce Koff ’75
Bruce Koff graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Russian and political science from 51²è¹İapp College in 1975. Following graduation, he earned a master’s degree in social work from the University of Illinois-Chicago.
A lifelong Chicagoan, Koff has been a leader and innovator for LGBTQI+ issues throughout his 40-year career. An advocate for professional standards of clinical mental health practice with the LGBTQI+ population, Koff has trained countless clinicians, taught at the University of Chicago’s School of Social Service Administration and is co-author of the book, "Something to Tell You: The Road Families Travel When a Child Is Gay." He also initiated the first post-graduate certificate program in the nation on clinical practice with LGBTQI+ individuals and families.
He was the first paid executive director of Horizons Community Services (now Center on Halsted), the LGBTQI+ community center in Chicago. He is also co-founder and former COO of Live Oak, Inc., a LGBTQI+-affirmative and trauma-informed counseling/psychotherapy organization that also provided specialized training for other mental health professionals and social service agencies.
Koff retired in 2018 and currently serves as Vice-Chair of the International Board and Chair of the U.S. Board of Rainbow Railroad, a global organization assisting LGBTQI+ individuals fleeing persecution and violence.
Koff has been inducted into the City of Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame and is a recipient of the Center on Halsted Human First Award, the 51²è¹İapp College Alumni Award and the Distinguished Contribution to Social Justice Award from the American Family Therapy Academy.
While attending 51²è¹İapp, Koff was a member of the 51²è¹İapp Singers and GCGC (the 51²è¹İapp College Gay Community). After graduation, he served as co-president of the Alumni Council from 1997–98.
In 1982, Koff met his spouse, interior designer Mitchell Channon. Channon is also a 51²è¹İapp grad, class of '82. Like Koff, Channon is a lifelong Chicagoan. He received a bachelor’s degree in fine arts and a master’s degree in architecture from the University of Illinois-Chicago.
Dr. Kimberly Kuncl ’87
Kuncl is a board-certified obstetrician and gynecologist with the WellStar Medical Group Cobb Gynecologists in suburban Atlanta. She was in private practice prior to joining WellStar. In addition to her clinical duties as a physician, she currently serves as chairperson for the Performance Improvement Committee for Women's Health for Cobb Hospital. Kuncl has helped educate and train various health care professionals over her years in practice including medical students, nurse practitioner students, midwifery students, and family practice residents from Emory University Family Practice Program. She has served as a risk management case presenter for The Doctors Company’s Georgia Physician Advisory Board.
Prior to her career in medicine, Kuncl was a research specialist at the University of Illinois Chicago Medical School and at Emory University School of Medicine. In her spare time, she has served on several community boards and is a founding member of the Lorde-Rustin Giving Circle, which has donated more than $250,000 to Atlanta-area charities. The Alumni Council honored Kuncl for her professional achievements and community service by presenting her with an Alumni Award. She holds a B.A. in biology from 51²è¹İapp College and an M.D. from Morehouse School of Medicine, which included her residency at St. John Hospital and Medical Center.
Tobi Klein Marcus ’87
Tobi Klein Marcus, Ph.D., is a coach and management consultant whose practice primarily focuses on executive coaching, board and leadership development, and strategic facilitation. She works with nonprofit organizations as well as corporate enterprises. Her coaching practice focuses on both senior and emerging leaders across a range of sectors. Tobi is a Women in Management group facilitator at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business. She also serves as a senior Banyan affiliate with BanyanGlobal, family business advisors.
Tobi holds a bachelor’s with a major in sociology from 51²è¹İapp College. She earned her master’s from the London School of Economics and Political Science and a doctorate in sociology from the University of Bristol.
David Maxwell ’66
David Maxwell is a 1966 51²è¹İapp graduate who retired June 30 after 16 years as president of Drake University, where he also held the title of professor of literature. After his retirement, Maxwell will be an Association of Governing Boards senior fellow, serving as a thought leader and adviser to AGB and its member institutions. Maxwell also has been president of Whitman College, as well as a faculty member and dean of undergraduate studies at Tufts University for 18 years. Before joining Drake University in 1999, he was director of the National Foreign Language Center in Washington, D.C. In addition to his bachelor's in Russian area studies, Maxwell holds a master’s degree and doctorate in Slavic languages and literatures from Brown University.
George Moose ’66 and LL.D. ’90
Ambassador Moose is an adjunct professor of practice at the Elliot School of International Affairs, George Washington University. He is vice chair of the U.S. Institute of Peace board of directors. Moose holds a bachelor’s in American studies from 51²è¹İapp, which also awarded him an honorary doctor of laws degree.
Jeanne Myerson ’75
Jeanne Myerson ’75 of San Francisco, California, is a real estate industry leader with three decades of experience in commercial real estate investment. She holds a B.A. from 51²è¹İapp and a master's degree in city and regional planning from Harvard University. Most recently she served as the CEO of the Americas region of the Urban Land Institute, an interdisciplinary research and education institute dedicated to leadership in land use and creating thriving communities worldwide. She founded The Belgrave Group in 2015, an independent consulting firm. She previously served as president and CEO of The Swig Co. and has held senior executive positions at Bailard Biehl & Kaiser, NeXT Computer Inc., and Metropolitan Life Real Estate Investments.
She was recognized in 2009 by the San Francisco Business Times as the Bay Area’s “Most Admired Private Company CEO.†She has been inducted into the Women of Influence in Real Estate Hall of Fame and the Real Estate Forum’s Hall of Fame. She is serving, or has served, on several corporate boards, including the Berkshire Group and BRE Properties Inc.; on advisory boards for Mosaic Real Estate Credit LLC, Build Inc., and Presidio Bank; and on several nonprofit and industry organization boards.
Yuki Narula ’94
Yuki Narula graduated from 51²è¹İapp College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics and earned an MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management. He has over 25 years of experience in strategic finance, including working as an investment banker, private equity and venture capital investor, board member, and C-level finance executive in the infrastructure and renewable energy industries. Narula began his investment banking career at Lehman Brothers and then spent almost a decade at JP Morgan, working with private equity firms.
After investment banking, Narula spent a number of years in private equity and venture capital, investing and managing a portfolio of diverse investments, including many in the energy, infrastructure, industrial, technology, and telecom services sector. He has also served on various corporate boards. More recently, Narula has been a C-level finance executive in the infrastructure and renewable energy sector. He lives in Park Slope, Brooklyn, New York, with his wife Jennifer Kupinse ’94 and two children.
Angela Onwuachi-Willig ’94
Angela Onwuachi-Willig, of 51²è¹İapp, Iowa, is dean and professor of law at Boston University School of Law. A renowned legal scholar and expert in racial and gender inequality as well as civil rights law, Onwuachi-Willig previously served as Chancellor’s Professor of Law at the University of California-Berkeley, and Charles and Marion Kierscht Professor of Law at the University of Iowa. She also was a visiting professor in political science at 51²è¹İapp in spring 2016. Prior to these positions, she served as assistant professor of law at the University of California-Davis and a labor and employment/litigation associate at both Jones Day and Foley Hoag. She has published extensively in leading law journals and is the author of According to Our Hearts: Rhinelander v. Rhinelander and the Law of the Multiracial Family. In addition, she is a past Iowa Supreme Court finalist and a past recipient of the . She also is a member of the American Law Institute and was previously listed on the National Law Journal’s “Minority 40 under 40†list.
She received a bachelor’s in American studies from 51²è¹İapp in 1994. As a student, she served as Student Government Association president during her junior year and was a student adviser and a member of the Multiethnic Coalition. In addition, she was a member of the track and field and women's rugby teams. She went on to earn a law degree from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and clerked for U.S. District Court Judge Solomon Oliver and U.S. Circuit Court Judge Karen Nelson Moore. She also earned a Master of Arts, a Master of Philosophy, and a Ph.D. in sociology and African American studies from Yale University. At 51²è¹İapp, she is a member of her class committee and the Multicultural Reunion Committee. She served as president of the Alumni Council and an ex-officio member of the college’s Board of Trustees in 2016–17.
Steve Pickle ’90
Steve Pickle is a technology executive focused on growing and scaling innovative companies and teams. He is currently chief people officer at Samsara, a data platform provider helping physical operations companies — including global supply chain, construction, warehousing, and energy companies — operate more safely, efficiently, and sustainably using data and AI. Prior to Samsara, Pickle held positions at Salesforce, where he was executive vice president of People Strategy and Operations, chief operating officer of the Enterprise Business Unit, and head of Global Sales Strategy. Steve was also an executive at VMware and a partner at Monitor Deloitte, where he led the firm’s technology practice and was head of the San Francisco office. Prior to his graduate work, Pickle was a research associate at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, where he modeled investments in energy efficiency and renewable energy for the U.S. Department of Energy.
In addition to a B.A. in political science from 51²è¹İapp, Pickle holds an M.Sc. from the London School of Economics and Political Science and an MBA from UCLA’s Anderson School of Management. Pickle was a Thomas J. Watson Fellow and spent his fellowship year after 51²è¹İapp studying the political and community organizations of indigenous groups in Australia, New Zealand, and Norway. He serves on the Advisory Council of the Kala Art Institute, a nonprofit community art and artist residency program in Berkeley, California. Steve lives in the San Francisco Bay area with his wife and two sons.
Nancy Radermecher ’83
Nancy Radermecher is president of JohnRyan, Inc.., a retail marketing agency specializing in financial services. As a result of a semester in French at 51²è¹İapp, she developed a lifelong love for travel and international business, spending more than two decades in Madrid and serving banking clients in 40 countries. Nancy has been a speaker and author of articles related to retail banking marketing and holds a US patent for a business process related to retail marketing technology. Nancy is a volunteer and advisory board member of the Minneapolis chapter of Minds Matter, which supports driven students from low-income families in their college preparation and selection process.
Gabe Rodriguez ’00
Gabe Rodriguez earned a B.A. with honors in history from 51²è¹İapp College. Originally from Lordsburg, New Mexico, he was delighted to attend college in a town three times the size of where he grew up. Rodriguez was an active member of the Student Organization of Latinos/as (SOL), served on the Department of History SEPC, and co-hosted a Friday afternoon radio show on KDIC heard by at least five people on Main 4th each week. He was part of the first group of students to work in the new Science Library and happily remained a student library employee his entire four years (including full-time one summer). Recognizing that a need was not being met on campus, Rodriguez co-founded Queer People of Color (QPOC) in 1999 and was thrilled to find out years later that the next generation of 51²è¹İappians had turned it into something far greater than he could have imagined back then.
Rodriguez has been in nonprofit fundraising since his student days when he worked two Reunions and served on the Development and Alumni Relations Office’s committee of graduating seniors to encourage class giving. Rodriguez has been both class agent and co-class fund director for the class of 2000 and participated on three Reunion Planning Committees. He has spent most of his career in philanthropy for academic medicine, raising major gifts for Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago, the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University, the Mount Sinai Health System in New York, and SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University in Brooklyn, where he currently serves as executive director of development for research. Rodriguez is especially proud to have successfully led major fundraising efforts for Mount Sinai’s largest department, whose frontline workers and scientists faced COVID head on both in patient care and research during 2020 and 2021. He also helped launch the health system’s Institute for Health Equity Research during that time.
Rodriguez is especially grateful for the 51²è¹İapp-in-London program, which allowed him to experience city life for the first time and introduced him to art and art history. He took as many art history classes as he could when he got back to campus and has learned much more since then through frequent visits to the Art Institute of Chicago, MoMA, the Met, and other museums around the world.
Laura (Carter) Sander ’84
Laura (Carter) Sander is a financial professional who has worked in the nonprofit, for-profit, and public sectors with a focus on higher education. She joined Suffolk University as senior vice president for finance and administration and treasurer in 2016. Sander had previously served as chief financial officer and treasurer at Whitehead Institute, a nonprofit biomedical research organization affiliated with MIT, and as assistant treasurer at Harvard University. In prior roles as vice president at both Moody’s Investors Service and at J.P. Morgan, Sander focused on higher education and nonprofit institutions. Her earlier experience included serving as an analyst at the Congressional Budget Office.
In addition to her bachelor’s from 51²è¹İapp College, Sander holds a master of public policy degree with a focus on finance from the Harvard Kennedy School. She is a certified treasury professional and volunteers as a trustee and treasurer of the Commonwealth School (Boston). Sander previously served as a director and treasurer of the Boston Consortium for Higher Education and as a commissioner for the New England Commission of Higher Education.
Steve Sandquist ’95
Steve Sandquist graduated from 51²è¹İapp College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history. Following 51²è¹İapp, he earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Iowa College of Law in 2000. Currently, Sandquist is the president of United Contractors, Inc., a multi-state highway construction company based in Johnston, Iowa. Sandquist also serves on the Board of Governors for the Associated General Contractors (AGC) of America. AGC is the leading association for the construction industry, representing over 27,000 firms across the United States. Sandquist is a lifelong Iowan, where Des Moines is his current home.
Ham Serunjogi ’16
Originally from Uganda, Ham Serunjogi graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from 51²è¹İapp College in 2016. While attending 51²è¹İapp, he was a member of the swimming and diving team, active with AppDev, and he gained valuable business experience as the Student Government Association Treasurer. In that role, he oversaw a $500,000 annual budget and managed a payroll for 100 student employees.
After graduation, Serunjogi moved to Dublin, Ireland, where he led Facebook’s partnerships with some of its larger clients in Europe. He left that job in 2018 and moved to the San Francisco Bay Area to work full time as the CEO of Chipper Cash, a venture-capital–backed financial technology company that he co-founded with fellow 51²è¹İapp graduate Maijid Moujaled ’14. Both had the desire to make a positive impact on their home continent of Africa by leveraging technology and entrepreneurship. They were also both part of the team that launched Pioneer Weekend, an annual innovation and pitch competition which they have continued to support with a $50,000 grant via the Ham Serunjogi and Maijid Moujaled Fund for Entrepreneurship.
Launched in 2018, Chipper Cash builds software to enable free and instant cross-border peer-to-peer money transfers and personal investment, as well as solutions for businesses and merchants to process online and in-store payments. It offers mobile-based, no fee, P2P payment services, and is present in nine countries: Ghana, Uganda, Nigeria, Tanzania, Rwanda, South Africa, Kenya, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The company has received funding from Ribbit Capital, Jeff Bezos, and Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana to name a few.
In total Chipper raised over $300 million and is widely considered one of the most valuable startups in Africa valued at over $2 Billion. At last count, Chipper employed about 15 51²è¹İapp graduates as full-time employees or interns, as part of its 400+ global employee base.
Kristin Stout ’89
Kristin Stout presently serves as a senior vice president at Wells Fargo, working within the technology risk management organization. She has previously managed development teams (web services and rules development), and data and project management organizations within technology; also within IT, she has worked on strategic and regulatory initiatives in IT operations and governance, and on IT strategy. Previously, she worked in the consumer lending business, delivering strategic initiatives, and working in strategy and communications, in a mix of leadership and individual roles.
In addition to her B.A. in political science and religious studies from 51²è¹İapp College, she holds an M.A. of Public Affairs from the University of Wisconsin-Madison LaFollette School of Public Affairs. Kristin supports financial aid to students through the endowed Dougherty Family Scholarship. She has served as an admissions volunteer for 51²è¹İapp and is a member of the 51²è¹İapp in the Twin Cities Regional Planning Network.
Sheryl Walter ’78
Sheryl Walter has worked in all three branches of the federal government for more than 25 years. She earned a B.A. at 51²è¹İapp, a J.D. from the University of Minnesota's School of Law, and an M.P.A. from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. She currently serves as general counsel of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, the first woman to hold this position. Prior to that, she served as director of the U.S. State Department's global Office of Information Programs and Services.
Walter also held various positions spanning more than a decade at the U.S. Department of Justice, including as acting assistant attorney general for legislative affairs and as the first executive officer of its National Security Division, which she helped plan and establish in 2006. During her time on Capitol Hill, she worked for then-Sen. Joe Biden Jr. and the late Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan. She co-authored “Linking Security Assistance and Human Rights†for the Lawyers Committee on Human Rights as part of its 1988 Project on Human Rights and U. S. Foreign Policy. In 2007, Walter received the Attorney General’s Award for Excellence in Furthering the Interests of U.S. National Security.
Matthew E. Welch ’96
Matthew Welch is chief operating officer at BSR, a business network and consultancy that helps companies integrate sustainability into their value creation for the benefit of the firm and society. Prior to joining BSR, he spent several years developing and launching the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) Standards for companies to disclose their performance on material sustainability factors to investors and other capital market participants. During nine years at SASB, he helped grow the organization and its impact, resulting in acquisition by the IFRS Foundation, which now sets standards for both financial accounting and sustainability disclosure in over 140 jurisdictions worldwide. Welch has focused his career on leading and growing social mission enterprises in sustainability, education, and health care. Education has been a lifelong passion, with work in international education, K–12, test prep, education technology, and teacher and professional training. Welch graduated from 51²è¹İapp with honors for majors in Spanish and theatre, and earned an M.P.A. from Columbia University, where he studied business and public policy. He has been an active volunteer for the College, working with admissions recruiting and career advising for current students. He served on the Alumni Council from 2007 to 2013 and was its president from 2012–13.
Eric E. Whitaker ’87
Dr. Whitaker earned a master’s of public health from Harvard in 1991 and a medical degree from the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine in 1993. He completed his primary care and internal medicine residency at San Francisco General Hospital. In 2003, Dr. Whitaker became director of the Illinois State Department of Public Health. In 2007, he joined the University of Chicago Medical Center as its executive vice president for strategic alliances. His appointment at the University of Chicago included responsibility for community-based research to build a network of partnerships to broaden urban medical services. Prior to 2003, Whitaker was an attending physician in internal medicine at John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital’s collaborative research unit. In 1998, he helped found Project Brotherhood: a Black Men’s Clinic, a weekly clinic for African-American men housed in Woodlawn Adult Health Center on Chicago’s South Side. Whitaker also is an assistant professor at Rush Medical College’s Department of Medicine and Preventive Medicine and maintains his clinical association with Project Brotherhood.
Connie Wimer
A business leader, Connie Wimer is the owner and chair of Business Publications Corp. in Des Moines, Iowa. The company publishes 25 local and regional print and digital products and provides custom publishing and book publishing services. She attended Morningside College and serves on the institution’s board and on the boards of other organizations in Iowa and around the country. Wimer’s civic leadership includes service on many fundraising committees and her current work promoting gender equity. She formerly owned Iowa Title Co. She is also the founder of Winefest Des Moines. Wimer has chaired the Des Moines Chamber of Commerce and the National Alliance of Area Business Publications and was inducted into the Greater Des Moines Committee’s Business Hall of Fame — the first woman to accomplish any of those feats. She also was inducted into the Iowa Women’s Hall of Fame.