Alumni Champions

The Rise Together Mentor Network Alumni Champions voluntee their time and expertise to lead industry and affinity subgroups, monitor community feed conversations, recruit alumni for the program and connect one-on-one with students on Rise Together. They represent various industries,including business, consulting, finance, law, science, health care, tech and more. Learn more about them: their backgrounds, expertise and ways in which they hope to connect with you.

Join the conversation

Business, Consulting and Finance Champions

John Farr ’08
John Farr ’08
Industry Advisor, SAP
Areas of study: Economics, mathematics, philosophy

Hello, all! I'm a Brandeis 2008 grad currently working in a consultative sales role at SAP in Dubai. I previously worked as a management consultant in the United States and Saudi Arabia. I started my career as an economics/analytics consultant. I'm happy to chat more and connect with students and alums who are interested in the MENA region, consulting, tech, economics/finance or any other area in which I can help!

Phil Gallagher '14
Phil Gallagher '14
Vice President, ISG Rewards & Analytics, Morgan Stanley
Areas of study: Politics, Sociology

Hi, all! I'm Phil '14. I work within human resources as a compensation consultant at Morgan Stanley, which means I advise on employee pay decisions and expenses. Happy to chat with folks interested in the human resources/people advisory field or those looking for guidance on a good way to approach networking/career conversations.

Phil Goldstein ’89
Phil Goldstein ’89
Managing Partner, Next Generation LLC
Area of study: Economics

Hello! I'm pleased to join this forum as a career champion and discussion moderator. I graduated in 1989 and have spent my career as a consultant and executive recruiter focused on technology, strategy and education/non-profits. I've been a partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers, Cap Gemini and now have my own firm. Looking forward to hearing from students!

Matt Lichtman ’05
Matt Lichtman ’05
Managing Member, Lichtman & Associates, LLC | Goldman Sachs Alum
Areas of study: English and American Literature

I graduated from Brandeis in 2005 and currently work in the financial services industry. I am also an attorney and would be happy to connect with students and alumni about either of these two fields.

Ivan Ponieman ’14
Ivan Ponieman ’14
Associate, I Squared Capital
Areas of study: Economics, international and global studies

I'm an associate at I Squared Capital, a global private equity firm focused on infrastructure investing. I graduated from Brandeis in 2014 and started my career at J.P. Morgan in New York, where I interned during my junior year. I worked for two years as an analyst at the Private Bank and then moved on to the investment banking division. I was promoted to associate and moved to I Squared in late 2018.

I am available to provide career advice, serve as a resource for students interested in business, finance, and consulting, provide guidance on the application and/or interview process and chat about any other topic folks might find helpful. Looking forward to connecting.

Science, Health Care and Research Champions

Dena Goldblatt ’17
Dena Goldblatt ’17
Neuroscience PhD Candidate, New York University
Areas of study: Bbiology, neuroscience, psychology

Hi! I'm a 2017 grad (neuroscience BS/MS, biology and psychology major), currently a fourth-year PhD candidate in neuroscience at New York University. I've worked quite a bit with undergrads and post-bacs on graduate school applications and love mentoring (was a Roosevelt Fellow and UDR for the psych department while at Brandeis).

Looking forward to connecting with you all and happy to chat about graduate admissions and academic careers!

Sam Packer ’08, MS’10
Sam Packer ’08, MS’10
Director of Data Operations, Alpha Tau Medical
Areas of study: Biology, neuroscience

As a "career champion" in the health care sector, I am working to build the health care subgroup as a community for study and alumni conversation and networking.

After graduating from Brandeis '08, MS'10 with degrees in biology and neuroscience, I followed my passion for data and analytics in life science. I have consulted with dozens of biotech companies and presently work within an exciting startup in the space of radiation oncology.

General Champions

Abel Flint
Abel Flint ’15
Senior Manager, Brand Marketing; Suzy
Area of study: Business

Hello Brandeis! December 2014 graduate here! I am currently living in New York City and working within a fast-growing software company that's disrupting the market research space. Before that, I worked at a creative advertising agency in account management.

If you have any questions about breaking into tech, working as an LGBTQ+ professional or advertising, I would love to chat with you!

Shanna Hollich ’07
Shanna Hollich ’07
Interim Director of Library Services, Wilson College
Area of study: Linguistics and cognitive science, philosophy

Hello, Brandeisians! I've been a professional librarian for over a decade and have worked in public service, academia and in the federal government. I've got a wide range of experiences and have been hired in multiple types of environments. I was pretty much a first-generation college student from a super-rural part of Pennsylvania, so it all started for me at Brandeis!

I am also a part-time professional musician, trained in classical voice (mezzo-soprano), French horn and trumpet.

Headshot of Monica LaBoskey '06
Monica LaBoskey ’06
Managing Attorney, Asian Pacific Islander Legal Outreach
Area of study: Politics, African and Afro-American studies; Italian language and literature

I graduated in 2006 and currently work as the managing attorney of a legal aid nonprofit (Asian Pacific Islander legal outreach) in the Bay Area (California). I attended law school directly after graduating from Brandeis and then spent 10 years in private practice litigation before moving to the nonprofit world. I do a lot of hiring and mentoring in my current role and would love to speak to anyone interested in a career in law, nonprofit work or the Bay Area.

In addition, as a mixed-race female and mother, I'm happy to speak to any students or alumni who have questions or an interest in discussing the unique challenges and opportunities that we can face in this field.

Sarah Sue Landau ’14
Sarah Sue Landau ’14
Copyright and Trademark Lawyer
Area of study: Legal studies, business, psychology

Hi, Brandeisians! I'm a graduate of the class of 2014. I double majored in psychology and business and minored in legal studies. After graduating, I worked at a nonprofit doing marketing and program management for a few years and then applied to law school. I recently graduated from New York University Law and have started work as a copyright and trademark lawyer.

I'm happy to discuss any of the above or to help out with resumes, interviews, connecting you with other Brandeisians in your field of interest, etc. I really enjoy mentoring students, so please do reach out if you think I can help in any way!

Headshot of Kevin Leete '02
Kevin Leete ’02
Executive Director, Enterprise Sales, Atrium
Area of study: Politics

Hey, everyone! I've been in the staffing world for over 15 years, doing recruiting, sales, management and solution design among various side projects. I've supported a number of industries, companies of all sizes and roles of all kinds. I'd love to help students and alumni through networking, career guidance and really whatever I can to help this community.

In short: #askmeanything. I'm happy to help.

Avishek Neupane ’14
Avishek Neupane ’14
Principal Investigator, Quality of Life Laboratory
Areas of study: Neuroscience, psychology

Hello, Brandeisians! I'm excited to be part of this new initiative. I majored in computer science and minored in business. I've been working professionally as a software developer for six years. I'm looking forward to connecting with students and alums.

Headshot of Lisa Stein '90
Lisa Stein ’90
Chief Financial and Administrative Officer, StoryCorps
Area of study: Sociology

My background in business administration has aided me in enhancing nonprofits' best practices, infrastructure and visibility to funders. I create tactical plans to implement and achieve short- and long-term goals tailored to every organization, reflective of its mission and ambitions.