Keynote Speaker: Shantel Palacio

Shantel Palacio is the Principal Advisor at Urbane Advisory and a consulting partner at the Perception Institute. She has served as both a project manager and chief advisor to governmental leaders and spent nearly ten years executing both mayoral and chancellor’s initiatives at NYC’s Department of Education. Additionally, she consults public and private entities on implementing diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. Palacio co-authored her first publication, The Economic Impact of Investment in Public Higher Education in Massachusetts, in 2012 as a grad student. It has since received several citations, including Harvard’s IOP. Recently, she co-authored Falsifying Teacher Absences, published in West’s Education Law Reporter. 

Shantel is also passionate about combating low expectation stereotypes in her hometown, Brownsville, and founded Brownsvillain LLC. Her work featured on NPR’s All Things Considered in 2018. She was awarded the Independent Film Project’s 2019 Documentary Fellowship for co-producing Million Dollar Block, which examines the institutions of public housing, public education, and the criminal justice system through the eyes of its residents. Last October, she was invited by GQ Japan to publish an article about her community in its first-ever Global Edition. Palacio earned a Bachelor's degree in Communication from Bryant University, a Master's in Public Policy from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and is currently a doctoral candidate in Leadership and Policy Studies at the University of New Hampshire.

Dean Anne Massey

Dean of the Isenberg School of Management

Since August 2019, Anne has been proudly serving as the first female Dean of the Isenberg School of Management, University of Massachusetts Amherst. A leading scholar in information systems, Anne’s academic career spans five universities, with the bulk of her career at Indiana University Bloomington. Over her career, she has held a variety of leadership roles at all levels (school, campus, university system), leading faculty and developing innovative curricula, including cross-disciplinary academic programs. She also co-founded the Center of Excellence for Women in Technology, which is the nation’s first and only large-scale, interdisciplinary, university-based initiative to encourage and promote the participation, empowerment, and achievement of women students, faculty, staff, and alumnae in technology. In addition to her research and service accomplishments, Anne has earned several awards for teaching undergraduate and graduate business students.

WORKSHOP HOSTS

Anim Aweh

Licensed Therapist, Entrepreneur, and Author Anim Aweh affectionally calls herself an inspiring interior decorator. It is only fitting since she has designed a career path filled with philanthropy, mentoring, and educating the public-at-large on mental health. Securing a master's in social work was a seed that was planted by her supervisor while she was working at the VA doing outreach and providing services to veterans. Anim credits the meteoric rise in her field to the keen guidance of her mentors and fellow trailblazers (all women). She has coined the phrase Therapy Over Silence, which is tied to a social movement that addresses the unique needs of black and brown people in the mental health space. She believes that providing holistic approaches to mental health can effectively treat inner-city communities. Being the daughter of a Haitian and a Cameroon parents, she understands the cultural biases, nuisances, and even the frailties of this underserved and overlooked group. Consequently, she penned a children's book titled “Elijah Was Brave”, the first of its kind used to support black and brown families dealing with mental illness. Elijah Was Brave, but so is his creator who opened her own mental health practice in 2018. "I wanted to start my own practice to provide culturally sensitive support that was not dictated by insurance companies." When she's not rocking the mic, giving talks on mental health, or carrying out her duties as a board advisor and consultant for a Boston based nonprofit, she's relaxing on the beach with her family and friends in tow.

The Definition of Me is “passionate, determined, balanced”.

Amy Pocsik

Amy Pocsik is the CEO and Co-Founder of the Women’s Business League - a community where powerful businesswomen connect, grow and prosper. Her passion is helping women build businesses that are highly profitable and make a positive impact in the world. Amy’s superpower is working with female entrepreneurs and business owners to identify – both the challenge points and high points - so they can exponentially increase their success. She helps others understand the power of creating space so you can reach your next level. Amy is also the Founder of Bold Moves, a platform where she partners with female founders to make an impact, helping them own the role of CEO - professionally and personally. Because she knows what it was like to be in the opposite position, unfulfilled and longing for more. That’s why she made it her life’s work to make sure every woman is empowered to achieve a bold vision for her life and business. Starting her career as a CPA in public accounting, Amy took ownership of her life and fulfilled her dream of becoming an entrepreneur. When she’s not building her dreams or those of her clients, you’ll find her spending time with her husband (who she met at UMass) or on the sidelines of a hockey game cheering on her two boys.

The Definition of Me is “passion, contribution and community”.

Elana Sadok

Lana is working towards her Bachelor of Science in Nutrition from the School of Public Health & Health Sciences and Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from the Isenberg School of Management. She is a peer financial coach with Smart About Money on campus where she has written a blog post about studying abroad on a budget with the help of the International Programs Office. She has also moderated a panel in collaboration with the UMass Five College Credit Union. Additionally, Lana is a Career Ambassador in the School of Public Health and Health Sciences where she helps students with their resumes, cover letters, and job search. In the spring, she enjoys assisting community members with their tax returns through VITA, Volunteer Income Tax Assistance, in western MA. For the summer of 2022, Lana will be joining NielsenIQ as a Finance Intern in Chicago. In her free time, she enjoys playing Ultimate Frisbee, spending time with family, and exploring new coffee shops.

The Definition of Me is “tenacious, passionate, and friendly”.

Emily Must

Emily Must joined the faculty at UMass in the Fall of 2016 and became the Director of Internships in 2018. Emily teaches a variety of courses: Introduction to Sport Management, Sport Leadership, Sport Law, Sport Finance & Business, Sport Policy. She also teaches Marketing Strategy in the MBA and MSBA Programs in the Graduate School and hosts Design Thinking workshops to a wide variety of audiences. Emily also co-created and teaches the Personal Finance course. In addition to teaching, Emily is the co-advisor the McCormack Sport Leaders Forum, the advisor to the McCormack Student Leaders Club and Women in Sport Management Club. She also serves on the faculty board for Delta Sigma Pi and the Isenberg Suite Shop. Emily regularly collaborates with the Amherst Chamber of commerce for local consulting projects. As you can tell Emily is a curious and active person and it’s why she ultimately pursued a career in higher education. Emily gets to be a life-long learner while supporting so many interesting people (you!) find their passion and prepare for it.

The Definition of Me is “diligent, includer, supporter”.

Kim Bilawchuk

Kim is passionate about helping you live in alignment with who you are truly meant to be by slowing down to get ahead. She inspires you to let go of the “shoulds” and intuitively sorts out hidden talents and secret longings that you may not recognize, easily leading the way to discovering your greatest potential for finding the work you are here to do. She offers individualized support and encouragement for you to BE who you need to be to land your most rewarding and fulfilling career. Since 2008, Kim has inspired busy young professionals and new college grads, drawing on her backgrounds in corporate HR, career counseling, yoga, and meditation. Kim holds a BBA from UMass Amherst, an MBA from Boston College, and an MEd from Boston University. She is a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT-200).

The Definition of Me is “connected, creative, intuitive”.

Nicole Eidelman

Nicole Eidelman is passionate about helping people and prior to beginning law school, Eidelman spent a year working at a law firm assisting individuals in the estate planning process. She also helped families navigate the probate court system and work through difficult challenges. She is proud to have created meaningful relationships with her clients and was someone her clients, and team, could lean on while assisting in their estate matters. Currently a first year law student, Eidelman is interested in pursuing family law. Prior to starting at Suffolk Law this past fall, Eidelman worked at Ernst & Young as an IT Risk Consultant for insurance, banking, and healthcare clients in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. There, she assisted client leadership by ensuring appropriate efficiency controls were in place to mitigate fraudulent risk. Eidelman received her Bachelors of Business Administration in Operations and Information Management from the Isenberg School of Management in 2019, and double majored in Legal Studies while being an Associate Director of Smart About Money, and an active member in Jewish Leaders in Business and Delta Sigma Pi.

The Definition of Me is “encouraging, passionate, and hard working”.

Catheryn Chacon Ortega

I am Catheryn Chacon Ortega and I work as a senior tax accountant at EY. I started my career at EY as a Launch intern and then did my service line internship in tax. At the end of my last internship, I got an offer to start in our commercial tax practice and I am now part of their Private Client Services practice. I am passionate about D&I and I am very involved with EY’s initiatives to provide an inclusive workplace for all. I am a board member in our Latino professional network (LPN) and I actively participate on our other professional networks as an ally or member.

Christina Gandolfo

Christina has worked at Raytheon Intelligence & Space (RI&S), a division of Raytheon Technologies, for most of her seventeen-year career in the Aerospace and Defense Industry. She is a graduate of the Raytheon Contracts Leadership Development program. Christina has held positions of increasing responsibility in the Contracts function for several former Raytheon Company businesses and spent two years working at Textron Defense Systems. As a Contracts leader she was responsible for negotiation and execution of domestic and international contracts for military defense products. Most recently she is moved in the Finance function as the Executive Director responsible for all estimating and pricing activities for the RI&S business. She holds a Bachelors degree from UMASS Amherst Isenberg School of Management.

Christina Roth

Christina Roth-Sleeper founded the College Diabetes Network (CDN) in 2009, and was appointed CEO of the national non-profit in 2013. Christina serves on the board of directors for the Diabetes Patient Advocacy Coalition (DPAC), as well as various advisory committees across the diabetes sector. Having been diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at the age of 14, Christina became an active patient advocate while in college. She graduated summa cum laude from the Commonwealth Honors College at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and worked at the Joslin Diabetes Center and consulted for the T1D Exchange prior to her appointment as CEO with the College Diabetes Network. Christina has led CDN to be recognized as the pre-eminent organization serving the young adult population with diabetes, establishing national partnerships with organizations such as ADA, JDRF, and the Association for Diabetes Care and Education Specialists (ADCES), and being recognized for its innovative model by organizations such as the Small Business Association of New England (SBANE). Christina has spoken at FDA regulatory hearings, congressional briefings, and numerous national and international conferences advocating on behalf of people with diabetes, and the unique needs of the young adult demographic that her organization serves. She has received multiple awards and recognitions for her work, including being named a 2019 Diabetes Champion by Diabetic Living, The Commonwealth Institute’s Extraordinary Women Advancing Healthcare Award, and the Boston Business Journal (BBJ) 40 under 40. She is an avid equestrian, and lives with her husband and their four-legged children on the south shore of Boston.

PANELISTS

Claudia Mott

Claudia is the Principal at Epona Financial Solutions LLC, a fee-only financial planning and investment management firm. Her 13 years of Wall Street experience enable her to offer unique skills in developing custom solutions for her clients. As a sell-side analyst, she regularly appeared on CNBC and was frequently quoted in the Wall Street Journal, Investors’ Business Daily, and Money Magazine. She has published research in the Journal of Portfolio Management and was named to Institutional Investor magazine’s All-Star team for nine consecutive years. As a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® practitioner, Claudia is a regular contributor to the financial website NJMONEYHELP.com and NJ.com. She is also licensed as a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst and has been specially trained to assist individuals in all stages of the divorce process. Claudia earned her undergraduate degree cum laude from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and her MBA from Boston University. She is a founding member and past President of the Long Hill Library Foundation and is the Treasurer of the Blinknow Foundation. She is a member of Impact100 Garden State where she participates in reviewing grants and is on the Women United Steering Committee for United Way of Northern New Jersey. She is a member of the Financial Planning Association, National Association of Personal Financial Planners (NAPFA), and the New Jersey Center for Collaborative Divorce and Mediation. She lives in the Millington section of Long Hill Township, is the mother of three adult children and one horse. Her other interests include a golf and gardening.

The Definition of Me is “compassionate, humorous, inquisitive”.

Debra Wein

Debra holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from Cornell and Columbia Universities. She is a nationally recognized expert on health and wellness and has designed award-winning programs for organizations across the country. She is CEO and Founder of Wellness Workdays and has over 25 years of experience working in the health and wellness industry. Debra is also the Program Director of the Wellness Workdays Dietetic Internship, one of the largest programs in the country training nutrition students to become Registered Dietitians. Focused on education in many formats, Debra has lectured for the US Coast Guard, US Navy Seals, USA Olympic coaches, MIT, and Harvard Business School. Debra has spoken about worksite wellness on many major networks and cable stations in BNY and Boston and has written articles for Men’s Health, Women’s Health, Muscle & Fitness, and many others. Debra is a member of the President’s Council of Cornell Women (PCCW), a group of highly accomplished women including Judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Janet Reno, Senator Gabriella Giffords, Mae Jemison, and many others. Debra is a member of the Cornell University College of Human Ecology Dean’s Advisory Council and serves on the UMass Amherst School of Public Health and Health Sciences Dean’s Advisory Board.

The Definition of Me is “innovative, passionate, determined”.

Emily Livingston

After graduating from UMass, Emily started her consulting career with Accenture, where she designed large-scale business transformations for government entities, including NASA and the Dutch Ministry of Defense.  Afterwards, Emily spent over 7 years with Dunkin‘ Brands (Parent company of Dunkin‘ Donuts and Baskin Robbins), primarily in corporate strategy where she was responsible for overseeing a portfolio of business process improvements across marketing, operations, development, and supply chain in preparation for an eventual company IPO.

In parallel to her work at Dunkin‘ Emily earned her MBA from Boston University. Currently Emily is a Principal with SEI, a boutique Management Consulting firm, where for the past 8 years she has worked with clients to lead large-scale business transformations, including the implementation of a new eCommerce platform for a billion dollar women’s fashion retailer. In addition to her consulting responsibilities she is also responsible for the recruiting and hiring of new consultants. Emily currently resides in Milton, MA with her family, which includes 4 and 8 year old daughters. In her spare time Emily enjoys running, cooking and travel.

The Definition of Me is “creative, empathetic, collaborative”.

Erin Baumgartner

Erin Baumgartner is the CEO and cofounder of Family Dinner, a farmers’ market delivery business based in Eastern New England. Launched in 2017, Family Dinner works with local farmers and food purveyors weekly to find New England's best ingredients and deliver them to homes in the Greater Boston Area. They use data and predictive analytics to curate bountiful deliveries to their customers, reduce waste in the food supply chain and help small farmers be competitive at a larger scale. Erin and the Family Dinner team are reimagining America’s food system as a distributed network of small farms; prioritizing taste, quality, and food industry workers above growth, scale, and corporate profit. Their mission is to build communities that celebrate great food and the people who grow it - small farmers, purveyors and food industry workers. Prior to Family Dinner, Erin spent 11 years at MIT, most recently as the Assistant Director of MIT’s Senseable City Lab where she incubated her passion for food, education, data, and technology. The Lab uses a fusion of data science and design to understand the complex problems of cities around the world to make them greener, smarter, and more equitable. Erin lives in Massachusetts with her husband and Co-Founder Tim, and their toothless dog, Frank.

The Definition of Me is “dedicated, purpose-driven, loud”.

Erin McDermott

Erin McDermott is Harvard’s eighth John D. Nichols ’53 Family Director of Athletics - leading the largest Division I intercollegiate program in the country, with 42 varsity teams. During her first year with the Crimson, McDermott guided the department through the academic calendar without competition, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With a focus on structure, culture, and the future of Harvard Athletics, she implemented a department-wide restructuring in the spring of 2021. McDermott arrived at Harvard after a seven-year tenure in the same position at the University of Chicago. Under her leadership, the Maroons experienced their first and a total of six top-20 finishes in the Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup Division III standings. Additionally, McDermott spearheaded several major milestones, including the department’s first department-wide agreement with Adidas, “The Friends of Maroon Athletics” annual giving society, and the addition of varsity women’s lacrosse. Prior to UChicago, McDermott spent 16 years in the Ivy League at Princeton and Columbia. A Division I student-athlete at Hofstra, McDermott was a captain of the women’s basketball team and was named the school’s top female senior scholar-athlete. She graduated with a bachelor’s of business administration in international business, before obtaining her master’s degree in sport management, from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

The Definition of Me is “innovator, change-agent, respect”.

Jacqueline Tatarzycki

Jackie Tatarzycki is an independent consultant fulfilling finance and accounting needs for biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies ranging from pre-launch to public filers. Jackie’s more than 10 years of experience spanning both private and publicly traded companies include building and leading finance functions, raising capital and leading strategic financial planning. Prior to consulting, Jackie was an Assistant Controller at Syros Pharmaceuticals, where she led the transition from private company to IPO. Jackie began her career at Ernst & Young LLP in Boston, where she worked with a variety of public and private audit clients. Jackie received a B.B.A in Accounting and a B.S. in Sports Management from UMass Amherst in 2011. In 2019, Jackie started the Tatarzycki Family Endowment Fund to fund scholarships to Isenberg students in financial needs.

Jaida Fonfield

Jaida Fonfield is an entrepreneur who is passionate about three things: empowerment, education, and entrepreneurship. She became an entrepreneur at the age of 18, when she had the idea to start a women’s suit company. She quickly learned her desire to start this company could be more than just the clothes. After realizing her desire to always help others, Jaida founded Sinclaire, LLC. Sinclaire’s mission is to empower women to be confident and bold in a suit that suits them. The overall vision is to champion the overall empowerment of women by encouraging them to be their best selves unapologetically. Jaida's intention with leading Sinclaire is to grow with purpose and integrity. Sinclaire has donated suits to Dress for Success, Second Chances, and was a 2 time sponsor of the Sister’s on the Runway Organization. During college, Jaida was involved within the growing entrepreneurial ecosystem. She was a semi-finalist of the 2019 Innovation Challenge, 2 time semi-finalist of Draper Competition in 2019 and 2021, Campus Director for the Hult Prize Foundation, and winner of the 2019 Entrepreneurial Spirit Award of the Grinspoon Foundation. Today, Jaida is an Associate Account Executive at Epsilon, a global marketing company helping connect brands and people. She is actively working on Sinclaire’s rebrand with its new made-to-measure and customizable suit business model.

The Definition of Me is “perseverance, empowerment, and grace”.

Jenny Dell

Jenny Dell joined CBS Sports in 2014 as a sideline reporter for College Football and THE NFL ON CBS. She also hosts CBS Sports HQ, a 24-hour streaming sports news network offering news, highlights and analysis. Additionally, Jenny hosts Campus Eats on Big Ten Network, which provides a first-hand look at the unique and iconic restaurants found across Big Ten Country. Prior to joining CBS Sports, Dell served as a reporter for New England Sports Network’s coverage of the Boston Red Sox, delivering in-game reports, as well as news, updates, and interviews for the NESN’s pre- and post-game coverage. She also served as a reporter for NESN SportsToday, and hosted The Ultimate Red Sox Show and Red Sox Report. Dell served as NESN’s lead reporter for the team’s World Series Champion season in 2013. Dell began her career in production at ESPN, working on the coverage of the National Basketball Association, Major League Baseball, Monday Night Football, College Basketball, and Women’s National Basketball Association. Later, she joined ESPN.com as an air-reporter, covering Super Bowl XLIV and XLV, and appearing regularly on NFL Countdown Daily. Dell is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts with a degree in Hospitality and Tourism Management and Sport Event Marketing.

The Definition of Me is “passionate, generous, resourceful”.

Jessica Sanon

Jessica Sanon is passionate about supporting and building economic mobility and capacity for vulnerable communities. In 2017, Jessica founded sySTEMic flow, a socially driven organization aiming to advance STEM learning for women who identify as Black, Indigenous, and Person of color (BIPOC). She has developed and implemented inclusive programs that really tackle the issues surrounding retention of BIPOC women in STEM through a holistic model that bridges the educational and workforce gap within the industry. Jessica also has experience in workforce and business development. She developed, implemented, and oversaw several career exploration and training programs that provided youth access to career opportunities and worked with business leaders on their organizations' recruitment and retention efforts. Jessica sees the work she does as a community effort, focusing on addressing members' needs by continuously listening to members' perspectives in an open, safe-space, and collaborative environment. Jessica earned her MBA at the Heller School with a concentration in Social Entrepreneurship and Impact Management from Brandeis University; she was elected as the 2018 student commencement speaker of her MBA class. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics & Statistics and Economics from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

The Definition of Me is “celebration, elevation, and appreciation”.

Judi Vigna

From youth advocate and community activist to CEO of her own workforce development company, Judi Vigna has long been a champion for creating opportunities for young people to build successful lives. Her facility for strategic thinking, infrastructure building, and passion for expanding opportunities for young people, form the cornerstone of her company, Specialized Career Guidance. Judi created SCG to bridge the disconnect that exists between leading industries seeking to hire motivated talent, and the abundance of capable young people seeking pathways to successful careers. Her mission is to help strengthen our workforce and community by preventing motivated high school students from graduating without a plan or becoming one of the 40% of students who drop out of college without a degree. Judi graduated with a BA in Hotel, Restaurant and Travel Administration from UMASS Amherst and was very happy to return as a Steering Committee Member of Women for UMass Amherst. She believes strongly in supporting education and women led initiatives. Her company is a recipient of the Women Business Enterprise National Certification (WBENC).

The Definition of Me is “driven, innovative and bold”.

Karen DesRosiers

Karen Desrosiers is a VP Divisional Merchandise Manager in the HomeGoods & HomeSense Divisions with the TJX Companies, Inc. She is a 1997 graduate from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst with a degree in Apparel Marketing. Her passion for retail brought her to the TJX Companies upon graduation where she joined the Merchandising Career Path for the HomeGoods division. During her 24 years with the organization she has held several positions within Planning & Allocation and Buying and currently is the VP overseeing the Furniture division. Karen lives in Westborough Massachusetts with her husband and 2 children along with their 2 golden doodles. In her free time Karen loves to watch her son play basketball and her daughter compete in gymnastics.  She has a love for travel, interior decorating and going on hikes with her dogs.

Kathleen Ralls

A native of Massachusetts, Kathleen Ralls is an author, speaker, coach, and an award-winning educator. She was a high school history teacher and athletics coach for 15 years in various states, leading several field hockey, softball, and track and field teams to league and district championships. During the 2013-14 school year, Kathleen served as a Fulbright Roving Scholar of American Studies where she traveled to 50 ungdomsskoles in Norway to share her knowledge of U.S. culture. As a doctoral student, she conducted research on four continents focusing on the constructs of sport, gender, and voice empowerment. Kathleen has written articles for numerous newspapers and academic journals. Her first book entitled “Take Her Word for It: Sports Cultivate World-Class Leaders” will be published in May 2022. Serving as the Founder and Executive Director of Kathleen Ralls LLC, she works to empower other professional females to lead with their unique voices. Kathleen is a proud graduate of the University of Massachusetts Amherst (BA, 2000) where she was a sports editor for The Daily Collegian. She also has degrees from American University (MAT, 2004), and the University of Massachusetts Lowell (PhD, 2020).

The Definition of Me is “thoughtful, dedicated, and independent”.

Kathryn Holt

Kathryn (Kate) is an audit partner with BDO and is responsible for managing third party attestation engagements across the Northeast. Kate has 20 years of experience in information systems and evaluating internal controls. Her areas of specialty include System and Organization Controls (SOC) examinations (including the AICPA’s SOC 1, SOC 2, and SOC 3 and ISAE 3400 and 3402), custom criteria assessments, internal control audits, and operational and compliance audits. Kate has served a broad range of clients, from startup organizations to multinational companies. In addition to serving as the executive in charge and quality executive for SOC reports, she has also supported multiple clients in establishing and deploying their third-party attestation program, including defining and establishing governance, supporting the development of a common control framework for use across a wide variety of reports, and drafting and deploying common sections of reports for use across the organization. Prior to joining BDO, Kate held an executive position at a Big Four firm where she provided attestation services to many clients across the U.S. and globally.

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

American Institute of Certified Public Accountants

Information Systems Audit and Control Association

Massachusetts Society of CPAs

EDUCATION 

B.S.B.A, Management Information Systems, University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Kathy Lopes

Kathy Lopes is the Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for Newton Public Schools and holds an adjunct faculty position at Simmons University Graduate School of Social Work. Previously she was appointed as the Assistant Commissioner at the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families. Her career began in Boston, MA as a school social worker and led her to Washington DC, where she served in the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Education. She returned to MA in 2010 and has since taken on managerial and administrative roles in the fields of social work and education. Additional training and facilitation experiences include workshops, panels and keynote addresses on topics of cultural humility, antiracism, social action, and advocacy. Throughout her career, equity and inclusion have remained an integral part of her leadership and strategic planning priority. Lopes received her Master of Social Work from Simmons College and her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. She is an elected member of the National Committee on Women’s Issues (NCOWI) – a sub-committee of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) and the current President of the Association of Black Social Workers (ABSW) – Greater Boston Chapter.

The Definition of Me is “committed”.

Karen Peters

Karen Peters is responsible for overseeing the administrative and marketing departments at NEWP. She started working at NEWP in the accounting department as a bookkeeper over 20 years ago. Peters holds a Bachelor’s of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and serves on the institution’s Foundation Board. Karen met her husband Chuck at UMass Amherst, and four of their kids have graduated from Isenberg. Karen enjoys traveling with her family, and attending her kids sporting events. Karen is looking forward to becoming a grandmother for the first time in March!

The Definition of Me is “thoughtful, dedicated, and independent”.

Kelly McGovern

Kelly is an Audit Senior Manager at Deloitte & Touche LLP and has specialized in the financial services industry during her 12 years with the firm. Kelly focuses primarily on audit engagements of open-end and closed-end mutual funds, as well as exchange-traded funds. Her experience includes the planning and execution of all aspects of financial statement audits and related filings, including shareholder report review, SEC reporting and compliance, managing client communications and leading and developing large staff teams. Additionally, she has expertise in the accounting, auditing and financial reporting for complex financial instruments, and experience in working with Deloitte’s valuation specialists. In addition to her client service responsibilities, Kelly also leads the engagement team’s implementation of audit innovation tools and process improvement to drive value-delivery for Deloitte’s clients. Kelly holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and was also a graduate of the Commonwealth Honors College. Kelly is a Certified Public Accountant and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and Massachusetts Society of Certified Public Accountants.

Kristin Filippelli

An Isenberg HTM Restaurant Management ‘08 Grad who pivoted away from working in kitchens to selling them. Kristin spent almost 10 years with GE Appliances as an Area Sales Manager, cultivating deep relationships and driving the growth and success of a $25MM territory. After all that windshield time, Kristin was ready to hang up her car keys for a T-Pass and went to work for Wayfair as a Strategic Account Manager for their CastleGate program. It was in this role where Kristin finally realized that helping others solve their operational issues brought her the most joy, so she joined the CastleGate Operations team. Here she honed her skills and expanded her Supply Chain and Logistics knowledge and now manages a team in Process & Experience which focuses on enabling operational and systemic efficiencies in inventory, fulfillment, and logistics

Lauren Bahn

Lauren Bahn is a Solution Consulting Academy Manager at Oracle-NetSuite in Burlington, Massachusetts. She is directly responsible for leading a team of accounting and supply chain individuals through a seven-month training program to learn NetSuite software, business acumen, and presales. With a background in solution consulting and client services, Lauren has found her home in the software industry and has been a trusted advisor to hundreds of wholesale distributors and manufacturers who operate their business on NetSuite. As a member of Oracle Women’s Leadership (OWL) and the NetSuite Culture Committee, Lauren is invested in professional development and fostering a strong organizational culture. Lauren is a graduate of the Isenberg School of Management with a BBA in Marketing.

The Definition of Me is “authentic, passionate, and strategic”.

Letisha Amuwo

Letisha is a Lifelong educator who was born in Worcester, MA and raised in St. Catherine Jamaica. She attended UMASS Amherst fall 2008 to spring 2012 where she completed a degree in Psychology and a double minor in Afro-American Studies, and Women, Gender, Sexuality Studies. She began her career in education as an AmeriCorps Fellow in New Bedford, MA where she found endless opportunities to supplement classrooms texts with missing BIPOC voices. After continuing her teaching career in Boston, MA she decided to shift into larger policy work in an effort to provide more access, representation, and retention for teachers of color. She now continues her youth justice work through local government as the Program Coordinator for the Division of Youth.

Lise Lawrence

Lise Lawrence is a 2006 UMass BDIC graduate who has produced events all over the world including Cannes Film Festival, Vancouver Fashion Week, Wanderlust Yoga Festival, and events with the 14th Dalai Lama. Today, she directs the events department for non profit International OCD Foundation in Boston. When Lise isn't traveling, she dedicates her free time to producing donation based yoga classes for underserved communities.

The Definition of Me is “compassionate, resilient, and innovative”.

Maria Sucher

María Sucher is currently a marketing manager at Wiley working on the company's most prestigious client events in the partner and brand team. She graduated with honors from UMass Amherst in 2018 with a BBA in Marketing, a BS in Hospitality and Tourism Management, and minors in Spanish and Classical Civilizations. While on campus, Maria served on the executive board for various student organizations including Latinos Unidos, the Residence Hall Association, and the National Residence Hall Honorary. As a student, Maria also worked on campus as the event coordinator for the Latin American Cultural Center, a campus tour guide, a marketing specialist for UMass Dining and a resident assistant for first year students. Besides her full time role post graduation, Maria serves on the Boston Chapter Board for the Association of Latino Professionals for America and as a director on the UMass Amherst Alumni Association Board. Most recently, Maria founded Latinos of UMass, an alumni network for individuals identifying with Hispanic or Latin American/Hispanic culture as well as her company's first ever Hispanic/Latin American Employee Resource Group (ERG), ¡HOLA! @ Wiley. Maria loves to serve as a resource for everyone she meets and connect them to relevant opportunities.

The Definition of Me is “diligent, high-spirited, ambitious”.

Maria Tesoro Reyes

Maria is a tax managing director in KPMG’s Business Tax Services Practice with over 25 years of multinational corporate and partnership income tax experience. Maria has substantial experience in advising large multinational and early-stage corporations in the consumer products, technology and life sciences industries. She is the engagement partner on several middle market and large income tax compliance engagements. In addition, she is the reviewing tax managing director on several early stage and large public audit clients. She is also the Chair of the KPMG Boston Asian Pacific Islander BRG.

Michelle Alter

Michelle Alter is a Retail Success Manager with NewStore Inc., a retail technology platform headquartered in Boston. NewStore helps its global retail clients deliver a world class customer experience in all aspects of the retail journey, from shopping and mobile checkout to fulfillment. NewStore provides order management, point-of-sale, inventory, and omnichannel communications as a software service delivered via iPhone apps. Since joining NewStore, the company has doubled the number of customers and received multiple rounds of venture funding from General Catalyst, Activant Capital and Salesforce Ventures. Before joining NewStore, Ms. Alter worked for over eleven years as a store manager with Target and Apple. At Target, she led a $60 million location and helped the retailer transition to a new supply chain model that simultaneously supports in-store customers and Target.com orders. While at Apple, Ms. Alter ran floor/product operations and training initiatives. During the pandemic, she led her team through four different operating models in one year. Ms. Alter’s passion for retail and innovation came from her time at Isenberg as an Operations and Information Management major. She graduated with a B.B.A. in 2011. Outside of work, Ms. Alter enjoys traveling and volunteering at an independent living facility.

The Definition of Me is “resilient, team-oriented, passionated”.

Michele Burch

Michele Burch is a faculty member in the Department of Operations & Information Management at the Isenberg School of Management, University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She delivers courses focused on lean systems, operations management, employee involvement, idea systems, and high-performance organizations. In addition to serving as the Chair of the Departmental Curriculum Committee, she serves as the Faculty Advisor to the student-led Operations & Information Management club. Her twenty years of teaching experience includes time spent as an Adjunct Professor at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute in the Industrial Engineering Department. She earned both a Ph.D. in Management Science and an MBA from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Notre Dame. Within industry, Michele served as a Strategic Operations and Organizational Development consultant to FloDesign Sonics, a start-up in Wilbraham, MA that uses acoustics as a filter. In the past, she served as Interim COO for FloDesign Wind Turbine, a clean energy company, and spent several years thereafter providing consulting services to the company as it grew. Immediately following her undergraduate studies, she worked as a product engineer and sales engineer at Springfield Wire in Springfield, MA. Michele was the recipient of the Isenberg Dean’s Faculty Fellowship in 2019 and recognized with the Isenberg Teaching Excellence Award in 2017.

The Definition of Me is “empathetic, team-player, analytic”.

Michele Equale

Providing transformation leadership - courageously yet respectfully challenging status quo, cultivating high performing teams, inspiring innovative capabilities and delivering exceptional business performance results. Leveraging master level systemic problem solving and change & tranformation leadership skills, leading cross functional teams through complex culture, organizational and operational change.
- UMass Isenberg Driven Leader Award recipient 2019
-Two time Enterprise Improvement Award recipient 2014 & 2016
- Coached two Investment Management Executives to achieve Enterprise Leadership Awards 2016
-Innovator of breakthrough General Investment Account reporting capabilities
-Founder of Lean in to Learn - Financial & Investment Education for MassMutual female leaders

Mylynn Lam

Mylynn is a tax manager in the Boston Private tax group and has been with the firm for over 6 years. She is an amateur foodie, serial repeat Netflix binger, and Friends, the sitcom connoisseur. In her free time, she enjoys karaoking, tending to her obscene succulents collection, and traveling.

Nicole Tessein

Nicole is a manager in RSM’s general services practice and has over ten years of audit experience. She works with a variety of clients, performing audit and review services in various industries with an emphasis in consumer products and employee benefit plans.  

Professional affiliations and credentials

• Certified Public Accountant in Massachusetts

• American Institute of Certified Public Accountants

• Massachusetts Society of Certified Public Accountants

Education

• Bachelor of Business Administration, accounting, University of Massachusetts Amherst

• Master of Science, accounting, University of Massachusetts Amherst

Nina Carrara

Ms. Carrara has been in the events/experiential marketing industry for over 25 years managing, marketing, and executing conferences, meetings, sponsorship activations, and events of all kinds, from some of the largest trade shows and conventions in North America to smaller, more intimate C-level and corporate events. She has led global event teams and has been privileged to work with world-class sponsors and exhibitors, well-known practitioners, industry and celebrity speakers, and Fortune 500 brands. Nina began her career overseeing content development and delivery for several technology-focused conferences, ultimately managing the conference program for the largest tech event of its time, COMDEX Fall. Nina has directed the successful execution of many high-profile events including Macworld Expo, the BET Experience, Schneider Electric’s Innovation Summit, and the largest Japanese pop culture convention in the US, Anime Expo. Nina has also held strategic leadership positions for both Schneider Electric and Visier as well as being the client lead for two experiential marketing agencies. She is currently the Account Director at Nth Degree, overseeing several tech company clients. Nina lives in Canton, MA with her family, including Fenway, their mini dachshund, and Breya, their recently adopted rescue. #adoptdontshop

The Definition of Me is “compassionate, collaborative, lead by example”.

Olga Alemany

Olga Alemany is a Director in the Management Consulting practice with over twelve (12) years of experience in finance and accounting operations, and a focus in growing client relationships. She focuses on working with the office of the CFO through transformative change, helping to define finance and technology strategy, understanding financial systems and how they support finance and accounting operations, as well as identifying overall business process improvement opportunities and proposed solutions. Olga’s experience includes complex project and program management, business process design and implementation, software evaluation and selection and implementation of various enterprise applications (including ERP, CPM, HRIS, and CRM). 

Olga leads RSM’s National Management Consulting Construction and Real Estate industry team and is actively involved in various industry associations.

Areas of specialization 

• Finance Vision / Strategy and Operating Model Design

• System Application Architecture Development & Implementation

• Organization Transformation / Business Process Improvement

• Complex Program / Project Management

• Business Process Engineering/Reengineering

• Leading Practice Alignment

• Governance and Risk Management

Education

• Master of Business Administration, leadership and organizational transformation, Boston University 

• Bachelor of Business Administration, finance and operations management, University of Massachusetts at Amherst

Rachel Spates

Rachel Spates graduated from the Isenberg School of Management with Master’s degree in Sport Management and is currently the Director of Communications for Sun Life U.S. A digital marketing communications professional with extensive experience in the sports and financial services industries, Rachel’s specialties include event management, integrated marketing, sponsorship activation, social media, executive communications, business continuity and crisis communications, and employee engagement. She also plays a lead role in supporting Sun Life’s sponsorship and philanthropy initiatives and is actively involved in the company’s DE&I efforts. Rachel is currently in her third term as a member of the University of Massachusetts, Amherst Alumni Association Board of Directors, where she currently serves as the Board’s President-Elect. She has previously held positions at Major League Lacrosse and the Boston Celtics. When not working, she’s either skiing, rowing, hiking, biking, or surfing, and completed a successful summit of Mount Kilimanjaro in 2018. Rachel is also a graduate of Boston University, with a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science.

The Definition of Me is “empowering, collaborating, learning”.

Rebecca Alter

Rebecca Alter is a 2015 graduate of the Isenberg School of Business. She holds a B.S. in Hospitality and Tourism Management. Ms. Alter is an Account Manager for CVS Health where she manages twelve corporate prescription benefits accounts ranging from 700 to 30,000 members. She is responsible for maintaining member eligibility, managing escalated member issues, and sustaining strong relationships with account holders. Prior to joining CVS and the start of the pandemic, she worked for Marriott International for five years. Her most recent role was Event Manager at an upscale hotel in Washington D.C.’s Georgetown district. Ms. Alter was previously held assistant manager positions in room operations, at hotels in northern Virginia and Boston. She also participated in Marriott’s Voyager program for managers-in-training. During her time at Marriott, Ms. Alter received the company’s The Spirit to Serve Award, was named Manager of the Quarter, and introduced new recycling and room service programs to her hotels. Ms. Alter currently resides in Northern Virginia with her husband and enjoys walks with her dog Charlie.

The Definition of Me is “determined, resilient and customer focused”.

Sasha Hanegby

 Sasha is Americas Head of Platform Sales at Citi and has been an integral member of the team since Jan, 2015, based in New York. Her main focus is on consolidating and repositioning Citi’s marketing efforts for Equities, across products to existing and new clients.  Equity products in scope are High Touch Trading, Program Trading, Electronic Trading, Total touch Market Making, Centralized Risk Book, Best Execution Services, ETFs, Delta 1, Listed Options, Electronic Execution Options, Systematic Solutions, Cross Channel TCA and Venue Analysis. In addition, she is responsible for defining sales strategy for the launch of new products, rolling out media campaigns, establishing new relationships and deepening existing relationships across client segments.

Sasha joined Citigroup in July, 2005 and has spent the majority of her career in ETF trading and Citi Global markets.  Sasha was responsible for developing and marketing services related to Citi’s ETF business and its value proposition, including trading, execution, research, strategy, and E-Commerce.  Prior to this, she spent eight years as an ETF market maker & trader across a range of asset classes, including: US listed, International, Fixed Income, Commodity ETFs.  Her trading experience combined with deep product knowledge provides an edge in serving the ETF eco-system across providers, market makers and clients globally. She brings strong execution expertise to Citi clients ranging from traditional Institutional Money Managers to Hedge Funds, Sovereign Wealth Funds, Registered Investment Advisors, Family Offices, and Custodians.

Prior to her ETF roles, she was involved in building Citi’s trading presence in the SPAC (Special Purpose Acquisition Company) market.  She also rotated through Rates and Callable Agency trading.  In addition to her current role, Sasha is an active member of the Citi Community.  She sits on the Markets Diversity committee, and is also involved in philanthropic organizations in the Tri-State area. 

Prior to joining Citigroup, Sasha was an academic All-American tennis player for the University of Massachusetts, where she graduated with honors in Business Administration.  She also served for two years in the Israeli Defense Forces.  She resides in NYC with her two children. 

Sue Keegan

 Sue Keegan is the chief financial officer, Connected Aviation Solutions at Collins Aerospace, a division of Raytheon Technologies Corporation (RTX).  Sue is responsible for developing and executing the Connected Aviation Solutions strategic financial plan, leading a global team in reporting and forecasting and all other finance activities.  Sue has been with RTX for 29 years holding various leadership roles within finance – from leading front-end finance teams in Commercial Engines at Pratt & Whitney, corporate Financial Planning and Analysis, to the financial execution of the 2020 merger of United Technologies Corporation and Raytheon Company.  Sue has an undergraduate degree in Finance from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and an MBA from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.  Sue is the proud mom of two, adult children and in her free time enjoys spending time with her family and friends, cooking, and traveling. 

Zae Valera

Zae Valera M.Ed is the Program Coordinator of Diversity and Inclusion in the Isenberg School of Management at UMass Amherst implementing co-curricular programs, trainings, and services that result in student learning. Being from very diverse inner cities, this fuels her passion to work for change. She aspires to continue amplifying voices, creating spaces in which students feel they belong and matter; all while holding those involved accountable to sustain inclusive spaces. Zae has a BA in Psychology from Framingham State University and a M.Ed in Higher Education in Student Affairs from Salem State University.

The Definition of Me is “ambitious, empathetic, passionate”.

Zaileen Janmohamed

Zaileen Janmohamed is a passionate leader with a wealth of holistic experience on the brand, agency and property sides of the sports marketing business. As the USOPP’s head of partnership development & innovation, Janmohamed works at the intersection of sales and partner management and activation, using market data to help evolve and innovate business strategy and opportunities for existing and future Team USA and LA28 partners. Prior to USOPP, Janmohamed guided brands like Intel, Google and Visa in sponsorship and experiential marketing opportunities as senior vice president of client consulting and services at GMR Marketing. She also served as head of Olympics management at Visa, Inc., where she was responsible for delivering Visa’s premier sports sponsorship on a global scale. Janmohamed began her career as an account executive at Major League Soccer (MLS). Janmohamed is an advocate for diversity and inclusion to drive culture and business. In 2016, she was honored as a member of Sports Business Journal’s Forty Under 40 Class and Leaders’ Leaders Under 40 Class of 2017. Janmohamed received her Bachelor of Arts and Science from Simon Fraser University and an MBA and master’s in sport management from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.