Alumni Class Notes

Marisa Drew ’86, Chief Sustainability Officer at Standard Chartered Bank, has been included in TIME’s 100 Climate List for 2024, which represents individuals “making significant progress in influencing the business of climate change.” She also discussed how developed nations expanding their donor base for the green transition while addressing ESG scrutiny and data challenges at COP29 on Nov. 13.

Contina Djaouga CPA ’94, CFO at AHIP, is a member of The Greater Washington Society of CPAs Board of Governors, having been recently announced to its list of board members and nominations for the 2024/2025 year. She is also a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Maryland Association of Certified Public Accountants.

Rachel Perini ’03 has been appointed Institutional Sales Director at Triple Point. This new role will advance Triple Point’s fundraising efforts and strengthen its presence among institutional investors, family offices, and global consultants. Triple Point focuses on hard-to-source private market asset origination to create long-term value for investors across four private markets strategies: private credit, housing, energy transition, and venture. Perini joins Triple Point with over 20 years of experience in the asset management industry, having held leadership roles at prominent firms including UBS Asset Management, BlackRock, and SEI Investments. Most recently, she served as the Head of UK and Netherlands Institutional at Jupiter Asset Management. Perini’s leadership was pivotal in securing substantial growth in assets under management and generating new business opportunities at the firm. In her role at Triple Point, Perini will work closely with the fundraising team to establish and implement a comprehensive strategy targeting institutional investors, family offices, and global consultants. Perini will strategically position Triple Point to capitalize on the rising interest among institutional investors and family offices in private markets strategies and oversee strategic fundraising for the institutional business, including identifying potential key investors and supporting the due diligence process. She is a Chartered Financial Analyst and completed CFA Institute’s Certificate in ESG Investing, as well as the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership in Finance. In addition to her professional credentials, Rachel actively contributes to industry and community initiatives, previously having served on the Pensions for Purpose Advisory Board on behalf of Jupiter, and is a member of the CFA Society of the UK.

Gregory F. Hagood ’90, President of SOLIC Capital LLC, authored “Zombie Investments: The State of Private Equity in Healthcare,” published on HIT Consultant. Mr. Hagood oversees SOLIC’s Investment Banking practice, including its merger & acquisition advisory services, as well as private placements of debt and equity. He has over 25 years of M&A and capital placement experience across a variety of industries including healthcare, financial services, business services and energy. Prior to SOLIC, he served as a Managing Director of Navigant Capital Advisors, LLC, leading its investment banking practice. Prior to Navigant Capital Advisors LLC, Mr. Hagood was a Managing Director with SunTrust Robinson Humphrey investment banking division. Prior to SunTrust, he was a financial analyst for Cochran Properties, a leading real estate developer in the southeastern U.S. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), holds the AIRA Certification in Distressed Business Valuation and is a Certified Insolvency & Restructuring Advisor. He is also a FINRA Series 7, 24 and 63 licensed registered securities principal and is a member of the Association of Insolvency and Restructuring Advisors and the Atlanta Society of Financial Analysts.

Andrea Solana ’05, Head of Advanced Planning at MASECO Private Wealth, authored “Planning for a Property Purchase as a U.S. Person in the UK,” published on Citywealth. At MASECO, Solana helps to provide financial planning and wealth structuring advisory services to U.S. expatriates in the U.K. and British nationals in the U.S. Before joining MASECO, Andrea spent the first part of her career with a well-known Washington, DC-based international tax and global wealth management firm, where she gained considerable experience advising high-net-worth individuals with multi-jurisdictional financial interests to design and implement strategies for tax-efficient and risk-managed asset growth. She has written numerous white papers regarding fundamental financial planning and investment strategies for U.S.-connected individuals and has previously been a speaker on financial planning topics at numerous places, including both The World Bank and International Monetary Fund.

Vishwa Bhuta ’15, Senior Data Science Manager at Etsy, presented alongside her teammate Paul Scheetz and other marketing analytics leaders at the Marketing Analytics and Data Science conference, which took place Oct. 21-23.

Katrina Liao (M.S. in Accounting ’05), Partner at Coller Capital, has been recognized as a Woman of Influence in Private Markets by Private Equity International. Based in London, Liao originates and executes transactions for the secondaries manager, with a particular focus on GP-led transactions. Since joining Coller’s investment team, she has led on a number of notable secondaries deals, including some of the largest single-asset GP-led processes undertaken by the firm.

Joanne Yoo ’98, Partner at Development Partners International (DPI), has been named to Private Equity International’s Women of Influence in Private Markets 2024 list. In 2017, Yoo joined DPI and has led the pan-African investment firm’s expansion into the venture capital space. One of her most notable achievements at DPI has been the fundraise for African Development Partners III, which exceeded its target to close on $900 million in 2021, becoming one of the largest African funds to date. In January 2024, Yoo was appointed to the investment committee of the Executive Leadership Council’s Endowment, which aims to advance the organization’s mission to increase the number of successful Black executives in the U.S. and internationally. Yoo has supported and led a number of industry initiatives over the last 15 years, including co-founding women’s network PEWIN and the Sponsors for Educational Opportunity Alternative Investments Programme.

Elizabeth Koehler ’03, Managing Director & Head of Advisor Engagement for BlackRock’s US Wealth Advisory business, has been named to Women We Admire’s list of Top Women Leaders of New Jersey for 2024. With more than 20 years of financial services experience, Koehler manages a multifunctional team that empowers financial professionals to grow their businesses, build new and durable client relationships, and leverage a full suite of unique digital capabilities on blackrock.com. Before her current role, Koehler was responsible for product management, business development, and strategy for BlackRock’s Multi-Asset Solutions and Models within US Wealth Advisory. Before joining the Product & Platform team, she was head of USWA product marketing, where she oversaw the positioning and development of content for BlackRock’s open-end mutual funds, separately managed accounts, alternative investments, and 529 plan. She joined the firm in 2003 as a member of Merrill Lynch Investment Managers’ Channel Marketing & Strategy team. Koehler was named Woman of the Year in 2021 by Women in Asset Management. She holds the Series 7, 66, and 24 licenses and became a CFA charter holder in 2008. Koehler is chair of the board for nonprofit Arm in Arm, which helps support families in need across Mercer County, NJ, with food, housing, and job support. She lives in New Jersey with her husband and two sons.

Connor Burns ’22, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and Strategist at Accenture, is one of eight selected by the District 230 Foundation to a distinguished list of alumni. Legacy Hall was established to honor graduates from Sandburg, Stagg, and Andrew High Schools who make an impact in their careers, their families, and their communities. After graduating from Andrew High School in 2015, Connor enlisted in the Marine Corps and served with distinction in the elite HMX-1 Presidential Helicopter Squadron, responsible for the transportation security of the President of the United States. After his honorable discharge, Connor pursued a degree at McIntire. His selection as a Posse Scholar, an honor awarded to only 10 out of 700 applicants, highlights his exceptional leadership potential and academic prowess. At McIntire, Connor combined his passion for endurance sports with his dedication to charitable causes by running four miles every four hours for 48 hours, rallying the local Charlottesville community to raise more than $1,800 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. A key strategist at Accenture, he has played a pivotal role in delivering technological advancements for the Department of Defense. Working on a software implementation project for the Pentagon, he was part of a team that reduced missed deadlines for national security-essential projects by 30%. He also serves as a key analyst for implementing Identity, Credential, and Access Management (ICAM) for the U.S. Army, delivering capabilities to over 1,400 Army applications and supporting 3.5 million users across the Department of Defense. Connor also dedicates his time as a Posse Ambassador for the Posse Foundation, which supports diverse groups of talented students who demonstrate extraordinary leadership potential.

Jessica Somers ’04 has joined Aledade, the nation’s largest network of independent primary care, as Chief Financial Officer. Somers joined Aledade from Evolent, a publicly traded company that specializes in improving health outcomes. At Evolent, Somers led the development and execution of strategic growth investments, including mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, and other strategic partnerships.

Brendan Gillen ’06 has published his debut novel, Static, released via Vine Leaves Press in July. Originally from Charlottesville, Gillen is based in Brooklyn, NY, and earned his M.F.A. at City College. His fiction has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize and Best Small Fictions and appears in the Florida Review, Wigleaf, Necessary Fiction, Maudlin House, New Delta Review, Taco Bell Quarterly, and X-R-A-Y, among others. Static has earned coverage in Electric Lit, Write or Die, Full-Stop, and elsewhere. As an Emmy-winning writer/director in the film and advertising space, he has written and creative directed content for ESPN, Conde Nast, Fox Sports, US Open, Anheuser-Busch, Resy, and many other brands.

Ed Testerman ’06, Partner at King Street Capital Management, is joining the firm’s Global Investment Committee. Ed has been instrumental in spearheading the firm’s U.S. research efforts, capital solutions transactions, and opportunistic credit investments.

Peter J. Burns III ’77, CEO of Burns Funding and Forbes Columnist, shared his insights and experiences in a Sept. 8 article titled “An Exclusive Interview with Serial Entrepreneur Peter J. Burns III.” Burns’ prolific career as a serial startup entrepreneur spans over four decades, during which he has started or contributed to the launch of over 200 businesses.

Julie Garner ’15 and Jimmy Garner (Engineering ’15) welcomed their first child, Mason James Garner, born Aug. 28, 2024. The family lives in Williamsburg, VA, while Jimmy pursues his J.D. at William & Mary.

Phillip Weinstein (M.S. in Commerce ’17) is Managing Partner at Atropates Capital, an entrepreneur-led investment firm made up of founders, operators, and innovators focused on acquiring, operating, and growing a single business for the long run.

Jeannette Lichner ’79 (M.S. in Accounting ’80) has launched a mentoring and coaching website.

Ed Deng ’00 is Founder and CEO at Health2Sync, which has been named one of Taiwan’s top 100 startups by the Taiwan Venture Capital Association. Health2Sync provides a comprehensive health management platform, enabling patients to connect with family, friends, and care providers. The company’s flagship product is the Health2Sync mobile app that allows patients with diabetes to track their blood sugar, along with factors that influence it.

David Meredith (M.S. in MIT ’03) has been appointed to the board of directors of Riskified, a leader in ecommerce fraud and risk intelligence. Meredith has spent three decades serving in senior executive leadership and board director roles across both multibillion dollar public companies as well as private equity-backed technology-focused firms. As CEO of Everbridge, the global leader in software to provide resilience to organizations, Meredith led during a period of rapid growth that moved the company into the large-cap Russell 1000® Index and earned him the award for Top 50 “Best CEO 2020” in the Largest Company Category by Comparably. Prior to Everbridge, Meredith held leadership positions at Rackspace, CenturyLink, VeriSign, CGI, and Capital One Financial Corporation. In his role as CEO at integration-software leader Boomi, Meredith was also named as a “Best CEO 2022” for his work related to the spinout of Boomi from Dell to become a stand-alone global company. Most recently he served as Board Director and Committee Chair for digital transformation leader SADA (an Insight company).

Oliver Edelmann (A&S ’18, M.S. in Commerce ’19) has started a new role at SpaceX as Global Government Affairs Manager.

Greg O’Brien ’08 has assumed the role of CEO at Dubai-headquartered offshore drilling contractor Shelf Drilling. O’Brien was the company’s Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer since March 2016. Previously, he also served as Director of Strategic Planning, overseeing the company’s corporate development.