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Upcoming Alumni Events & Webinars

Live Webcast! Starting Your Own Business: Lessons Every Entrepreneur Should Know

Tuesday, May 7, 7:00 p.m. EDT
Online | Register now.

Join the Hiatt Career Center and the Brandeis Alumni Association for a live, hour-long video chat featuring Brandeis alumni athletes, entrepreneurs and friends Brad Akers ’95 and Michael Gerstein ’96. Learn how they transitioned from their Brandeis experience as liberal arts students and varsity soccer players to start their own successful companies. Professor Grace Zimmerman will moderate the discussion.

The alumni panelists will cover various lessons learned that can translate to any budding entrepreneur, from how to make your vision a reality to how to grow your business and stay ahead of the competition. They will also discuss the skills needed to make it in today’s economy as a business owner, and how to seek out partners that can round out your skill-set.

All members of the Brandeis community are welcome to watch this live online screening. Viewers are encouraged to submit questions for the panelists through the chat function. Register now.

Can't make the live event? For your convenience, a recorded version will be archived for viewing 24-7.

About the panelists:

Brad Akers holds a BA in Politics from Brandeis University. Upon graduation in 1995, Brad accepted an account executive position at world-leading promotional products distributor, HA-LO Industries.  His extensive training and product knowledge gained there, combined with a clear vision of servicing clients at the highest level, are the key factors which inspired Brad to branch off and form Tip-Top Branding in June of 2000. In his current capacity as President of the company, Brad is responsible for the cultivation of new client relationships and overall corporate management.

Outside the office, Brad serves as head of the Chicago chapter of the Brandeis University Alumni Association. As a board member of Streetwise, he contributes his time and energy to one of the largest homeless aid organizations in the Midwest.  

Above all things, Brad's greatest accomplishment is having built a beautiful family with his wife Laurie and two sons, Isaac and Levi.

Michael P.J. Gerstein, Esq., holds a BA in Comparative Politics from Brandeis University. A couple of years past graduation, Michael attended DePaul University’s School of Law, where he received his JD in 2001.  After practicing criminal and civil litigation in Chicago, Michael moved back to Boston where he joined his childhood friend, Frank Csongor, in the merchant services industry. Together, Frank and Michael built the number one merchant sales organization in the United States. In the spring of 2012, their company, Flagship Merchant Services, was acquired by iPayment, Inc., a leader in the payment processing industry.

Flagship Merchant Services has been ranked the number one merchant service provider for the past six straight years. Michael’s main role with the company is, and has always been, the training of all new hires and the management of all employees in the company.

Michael is also a board member of the Greg Hill Foundation and an advisory board member to Christopher’s Haven.  Michael’s family is his greatest joy in life.

Grace Zimmerman is a senior lecturer at the International Business School at Brandeis University and the head of the school’s undergraduate advising. An experienced entrepreneur in both the high-tech and health-care industries, Zimmerman has a long and impressive track record  of launching new companies and products in nascent, undeveloped markets using innovative marketing and sales approaches. Zimmerman is credited with the successful marketing of long-term care insurance at CalPERS that is still being used and has been the model for a federal employees program. Many of the companies that Zimmerman has helped launch have gone public or been acquired and are still employing thousands of skilled professionals today.

Zimmerman teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in marketing, and won Brandies’ Excellence in Teaching Award in 2007 and 2012. She serves as co-chair of the board of trustees of the David Project, a non-profit dedicated to educating and inspiring strong voices for Israel. She is a graduate of Harvard Business School and Ohio State University.

Reunion 2013

Hiatt Career Center Office Hours
Friday, June 7, 9:00 - 5:00 p.m.
Hiatt Career Center, Usdan Student Center

Did you know that Hiatt provides career services to Brandeis alumni, free of charge, for life? While you're on campus for Reunion, make an in-person appointment with Hiatt's alumni career counselor to discuss job search, networking, career change, and more! Appointments are also available via phone and Skype. Contact Hiatt at 781-736-3618.

Get Involved with the Hiatt Career Center
Saturday, June 8, 12:00 - 2:30 p.m.
Starr Plaza

Now, more than ever, you can make a difference in the lives of current students and fellow alumni. Step up by sharing your career story and advice in-person and online, posting a job or internship, serving as a champion in your organization for Brandeis applicants or funding a World of Work fellowship. Visit Hiatt’s table during the Ralph Norman Barbecue to learn more.

Hiatt Career Center Open House
Saturday, June 8, 3:30 - 5:00 p.m.
Hiatt Career Center, Usdan Student Center

Take a tour of the Hiatt Career Center and speak with staff members about career development resources for alumni.