Late Advent Semester 2023 Newsletter

Happy holidays from Sewanee! The Babson Center is excited to share highlights from the Advent semester.

During a lunch lecture, "Leading and Empowering Change: From International Development to Medical Devices," Jamie Greenawalt inspired students with stories from an exciting and diverse career around the world and in her hometown, Roanoke, Virginia. From empowering women leaders in Iraq to developing orthotics to support women's health around the world, Greenawalt's liberal arts education prepared her for leadership roles in a variety of organizations. Read the article in The Sewanee Purple.

Jadelyn Mitchell, C'24, (right) introduced Jamie Greenawalt, C'03 at the lunch lecture.

Jamie Greenawalt, C'03, (center) with Carey Fellows Ahmad Ijaz, C'24; Jennifer Quispe, C'25; Talha Ehsan, C'25; and Clay Hershey, C'26

The Babson Center hosted students, faculty, staff, and alumni at an open house over Homecoming weekend. Our business students enjoyed meeting alumni and updating them on the many programs, events, and activities offered by the Babson Center. 

Left to right: Tanner Gray, C'25; Maggie Tilyou, C'24; and Chase Bean, C'93

Left to right: Maria Kennedy, C'27; Carrie Phelps, C'88; Jennifer Quispe, C'25; and Savannah Gann, C'27

Left to right: Joe Wiegand, C'87; Paul Pearigen, C'83; and Peter Bryan, C'84

Left to right: Charles Robinson, C'93; Hawkins Schnabel, C'24; and Sage Cookerly, C'26.

Left to right: Nikki Merritt, C'95; Dawn, C'94, and David Pumpelly; Julie Powell, C'97; Claire, C'98, and Whit Davis, C'97; and Anne Spear, C'98

Left to right: Savi Annuziata, C'24; Halim Labi, C'23; Ahmad Ijaz, C'24; Jack Riggs, C'26; and Jacob Kohleffel, C'27

Students interested in a more intensive business studies educational experience can apply to become Carey Fellows, Sewanee's business honors program, either as incoming first year students or during the fall semester of their sophomore year. We invited four students to join the Class of 2026 Carey Fellow cohort:

Kourtni Hamilton, Cincinnati, Ohio

Allison Haworth, Lumberton, New Jersey

Sher Shah Mir, Lahore Pakistan

Jack Riggs, Cocoa, Florida

Left to right:  Sher Shah Mir, Allison Haworth, Kourtni Hamilton, and Jack Riggs

Senior Carey Fellows spent two days in New York City and attended nine executive briefings with alumni at various stages in their careers. From office visits to lunch meetings, these business honors students learned about work life in New York and the different paths alumni took to land their current role at very impressive companies. We appreciate the time our alumni so generously gave to our students:

Jackson Campbell, C’20, Church Pension Group

Sallie Collins, C’23, Christie’s

Andrew Williams, C’95, Brunswick Group

Peter Dillon, C’96, Brunswick Arts

Tyler Vaughey, C’95, Capital One

Ryan Lonegan, C’22, KPMG

Komal Kunwar, C’19, BlackRock

Nicoline Good, C’18, BlackRock

Simba Chakanyuka, C’18, BlackRock

Alistair Hutchings, C’16, BlackRock

PJ Deschenes, C’00, Nomura Greentech

Marshall Smith, C’23, Nomura Greentech

Laura Saunders, C’76, The Wall Street Journal

Buckley Wallace, C’17, FTI Consulting

At Christie's with Sallie Collins

Capital One 

At The Wall Street Journal with Laura Saunders

At FTI Consulting with Buckley Wallace

Nomura Greentech

Black Rock

Two senior and three junior Carey Fellows were inducted into Omicron Delta Kappa (ODK), a national leadership and service honor society. Senior Carey Fellows inducted last year hold leadership roles in the organization:  Savi Annunziata is the president of ODK, and Ahmad Ijaz and Sherry Khan are vice presidents. 

Bella Francois, C'24, and Maggie Tilyou, C'24

Talha Ehsan, C'25; Aqsa Jamali, C'25; and Kabir Menon, C'25

Chief Scientific Officer, Nashville Biosciences

Elizabeth Ann Stringer gave a campus presentation, "A Leap Forward for Precision Medicine: NashBio & Alliance for Genomic Discovery." With a passion for mining and analyzing data, particularly genomic data, Stringer explained the benefits of startups in the healthcare industry and included business tips:  think big, take risks, and work hard to achieve success. Read the article in The Sewanee Purple.

Myles Elledge, C'85; Sher Shah Mir, C26; Ahmad Ijaz, C'24; and William Hull, C'25

Junior Carey Fellow Kabir Menon introduced Stringer at the lecture.

Students enjoyed a networking lunch sponsored by Sewanee Career Readiness.

As part of the Carey Fellow business honors junior seminar, the cohort divided into two groups to advise the Cumberland Forest School, a Sewanee alumna's startup and nature-based preschool, and Sewanee's Hospitality Shop. Recommendations for the two organizations included creating effective financing strategies and developing a marketing plan.

Talha Ehsan, Kabir Menon, Easton Strickler, Abbey Moore, founder and director of the Cumberland Forest School, Ryan Stewart, and Aqsa Jamali

Jennifer Quispe, William Hull, Jackson Mott, Julia Bates, board chair of the Hospitality Shop, Marshall Coley, and Tanner Gray

This podcast explores the latest trends and insights in the world of business featuring expert guests from various industries and backgrounds. Our students delve into the challenges and opportunities facing businesses today, from startups to established enterprises, and provide practical insights and knowledge that you can apply to your own career or business ventures. They are strictly business!

In a salute to our Sewanee business entrepreneurs, take a look at these cool product companies launched by Sewanee alumni. Thank you for being beacons of innovation for our entrepreneurial students.

Sewanee alumni are changing the world across industries—including with the products and services they create. As you shop for your loved ones this year, support fellow Sewanee Tigers who are founders and who are innovating in food and beverage, home goods, health, and beauty.

All of them are committed to making products and services that are high-quality, valuable, and unique. This is just a sampling, and we’d love to hear about your entrepreneurial ventures in products or services.

Occo Spices

Plaine Products

Fulton and Roark

Savannah Bee Company

Feasty Vegan

Hama Beauty

Hubs Peanuts

Three Sisters Cheese Straws

Serrano Wine

Happy shopping, and YSR!

Simba Chakanyuka

Vice President, Financial Institutions Group

BlackRock

Feb. 8

Laurel Graefe

Regional Executive and Senior Officer

Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta

Feb. 22

Ted Dennard

Founder & Owner

The Savannah Bee Company

March 28