Young Alumni Advisory Board

Daniel Diaz currently leads the Data Acquisition and Operational Technology (OT) Cyber Security team supporting Southern Company's non-nuclear generation fleet. In addition to having over a decade of experience in the energy industry, Daniel also worked for the United States' Department of Defense as a fleet support engineer. Born and raised in Puerto Rico, he holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Puerto Rico - Mayagüez (UPRM) campus, a Master’s in Business Administration from the Georgia Institute of Technology and is a registered Professional Engineer in the states of Alabama and Georgia.

Kelly Albano works as a Product Marketing Manager in Atlanta. She previously worked at Zoom for two years and Microsoft for 5 years in various product marketing and IT project management roles. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Information Technology Management from Georgia Tech in 2016. She lives in Atlanta, Georgia.

Dr. Priyank Arora is an assistant professor of management science at the Darla Moore School of Business, University of South Carolina. Dr. Arora is interested in advancing the understanding of operational decision-making within and across organizations that are motivated by social and environmental considerations, such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. His research has been published in top-tier journals and has inspired improvements in operational practices at nonprofits (e.g., those empowering domestic violence survivors and homeless individuals), government organizations (e.g., those administering childcare subsidy programs), and social enterprises (e.g., farm equipment sharing platforms in emerging economies).

Previously, Dr. Arora was an assistant professor of operations management at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He holds a PhD in business administration from Georgia Institute of Technology, a post-graduate certificate in management (equivalent to an MBA) from the Indian School of Business, and a bachelor’s degree in engineering from the University of Delhi. Prior to an academic career, he worked as a senior software engineer at Samsung Electronics.

Braddon Calloway is a Senior Vice President at PNC Equipment Finance and is responsible for the Greater Georgia, Alabama and Gulf Coast commercial territories. Throughout his career, Mr. Calloway has worked for Hewlett-Packard, GE Capital, and Wells Fargo in roles that encompass underwriting, business development, and relationship management.

Mr. Calloway enjoys volunteering in the Carroll, Douglas, and Pauling County communities through Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. - Rho Pi Lambda Chapter, where he raises funds for the March of Dimes and participates in Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Atlanta.

Mr. Calloway received his MBA from the Georgia Institute of Technology - Scheller College of Business in 2020 and received his Bachelor of Business Administration in Management from the University of West Georgia - Richards College of Business in 2008. A native of Dalton, GA, Mr. Calloway resides in Mableton, GA with his wife Amanda Calloway.

Duane Carthy is a Vice President at Morgan Stanley with over 20 years of experience of building strong relationships, driving revenue, efficiency, and scale, in the Financial Services / FinTech industry. Known for his dynamic energy, creativity, and being a change manager that’s proven to deliver uncommon results in effectively developing and fostering long-term and profitable relationships with strategic partners and key decision makers of Fortune 500s, emerging and global sized companies. Fortified with a passion for excellence, mixed with an exceptionally collaborative yet decisive leadership style, have been the keys to his ability to successfully develop, empower, and maximize the productivity of direct and extended teams nationally and globally in fast paced and competitive environments. He earned his bachelor's degree from Morehouse College and his Master of Business Administration in Global Business Management from the Scheller College of Business at Georgia Institute of Technology.

Sara Chamberlain is currently an Associate with McKinsey & Company in the Growth, Marketing and Sales practice. She graduated with her MBA from the Scheller College of Business in 2021, and she also holds two undergraduate degrees in Theatre and Marketing from the University of Georgia. Sara’s professional experience spans across customer experience, insights, product management, and digital marketing. 

Robert manages the ATDC FinTech program, providing acceleration opportunities to portfolio companies, fostering their development and growth. He also manages ATDC relationships with investors, prospective business partners, CEOs, and community technology leaders to promote market outreach and business development in the FinTech ecosystem.

Robert is an accomplished executive in financial services, management consulting, hedge funds, payment operations, wealth management, and FinTech. Before joining ATDC, he facilitated peer-to-peer sessions with leading companies in the banking, payments, and FinTech space to uncover best practices in their operations, compliance, risk, and fraud units.

Robert received his Bachelor of Science in Management at the Georgia Institute of Technology and his EMBA from Georgia Tech's Scheller College of Business.

In addition, Robert enjoys collecting classic cars and timepieces and particularly enjoys the similarities in the engineering of their elegant designs and mechanical beauty.

Aashal is a Private Equity and Credit Associate at Raleigh, NC-based Plexus Capital, where he focuses on fund management, financial modeling, transaction structuring, due diligence and portfolio monitoring. Aashal began his career as an Analyst and then Associate at Croft & Bender, an Atlanta, GA-based middle market Investment Bank, where he provided M&A advisory services.

Aashal is a graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and a minor in Technology & Management from the Scheller College of Business.

Liz Davis is currently a Senior Strategy Consultant at IBM. She previously worked in digital marketing at top Atlanta corporations and advertising agencies before obtaining her MBA from Scheller in 2021. While at Scheller, she served as president of the evening MBA board, obtained a certificate in Management of Technology and participated in the International Practicum. She also holds a bachelor's degree from Georgia Tech (class of 2013). 

Bartlet DeProspo is currently the Director of Product Management at Saras Micro Devices. Saras Micro Devices is a high-performance computing start-up based out of Atlanta, GA. Prior to that, Bart worked at Novelis as a Product Development Lead where the products developed there served as the enabling technology on which Saras was founded.

He holds a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering as well as an MBA from the Georgia Tech Scheller College of Business. He also has a B.S. in Nanoscale Engineering and a B.A. in Mathematics from SUNY Albany.

Garry Fielding joined Francisco Partners Consulting as an operating executive focused on Org Effectiveness and HR operations in April of 2018. With over 20 years' experience in Org Effectiveness and HR Technology consulting, Garry advises the leadership teams for privately held tech companies across a variety of industries. In his work with Francisco Partners consulting, he partners with investment teams on operationally complex private equity deals, mergers and acquisitions. He holds a bachelor's degree in Computer Science from Morehouse College and an MBA with a concentration in the Management of Technology from Georgia Tech.

Darby Foster joined Microsoft in June 2020 as a Product Manager for the Windows + Devices organization, where she enables PC manufacturers to run successful businesses on and through Windows. Prior to joining Microsoft full-time, Darby held internships at Microsoft, Boeing, Georgia-Pacific, and Boston Scientific. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the Georgia Tech Scheller College of Business, graduating in May 2020 with a concentration in Information Technology Management (ITM) and a minor in Computing & Business through the Denning Technology & Management Program (T&M).

Anne Gusler, BSBA 2018, currently works for a procurement software scale-up, SpendHQ, as a presales engineer. While studying business at Georgia Tech, Anne was also highly involved in the Denning Technology and Management program and the Society of Women in Business. Since graduating, she has gained experience at software firms of varying sizes serving in consulting and sales roles. Anne is also a leader of the Georgia Tech South Florida Alumni group where she enjoys planning events for local alumni. 

Marcus Harmon joined Simon-Kucher & Partners in July of 2021 as a Senior Consultant in the Atlanta office until being promoted to Manager in January of 2022. Prior to entering consulting, Marcus served in the United States Army deploying to the Middle East and the Pacific region. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Dayton and a master’s degree in business administration from the Georgia Tech Scheller College of Business.

Jonathan King ("JK") is an Investor at Coinbase Ventures responsible for investing in early-stage crypto and web3 startups, with a primary focus on founders building blockchain infrastructure and developer platforms. JK has been investing and advising projects in the crypto space since 2016, and has 11+ years of functional experience that spans product, engineering, and corporate strategy in a wide range of enterprise markets.

JK completed his undergraduate studies at Georgia State University and graduated from the Georgia Tech Scheller Evening MBA Program in 2022. During his tenure at Scheller, JK was a recipient of the Scheller College of Business Dean's Award for Evening MBA Student Excellence and was recognized by his peers as the 2022 Evening MBA Student of the Year. JK is originally from New Orleans, enjoys football and traveling abroad, and currently lives in Atlanta with his wife, Marina, and goldendoodle, Charming.

Annie Lai manages the global Digital Innovation portfolio and programs at Kimberly-Clark Corporation. She graduated with her EMBA from GT Scheller College of Business in 2021 with a concentration in Management of Technology. While at Scheller, Annie served on the Student Leadership Team and was named ‘Poets&Quants 2021 Best & Brightest Executive MBA’. She currently serves on the GT Atlanta Intown Network Board, Scheller DEI Council, and Harvard Business Review Advisory Council.

Annie also holds a Master of Arts in bioethics from The Center for Ethics at Emory University and Bachelor of Science degrees in biochemistry, chemistry, and biology from the University of Missouri - Columbia. Her diverse professional experience spans across life science research, healthcare, operations, innovation and entrepreneurship, data science, and emerging technologies.

Arshiya is helping create a more sustainable consumer future at Circ, where she works with brands and the textile supply chain to bring the first blended textile-to-textile recycling solution to market.

Arshiya Lal has spent her career leading product strategy and growth for global emerging technologies in the sustainability and traceability space. She is passionate about addressing non-renewable material inputs and supply chain fragmentation with technology solutions.

Before joining Circ in December 2022, Arshiya served as Head of Product at biotech company Modern Meadow, where she launched the start-up’s first lab-created leather products with renowned global fashion brands and informed the future roadmap of Modern Meadow’s BioMaterials business.

Before working in materials, Arshiya led the development of enterprise blockchain technology and executed key partnerships for IBM’s blockchain business – bringing transparency to fragmented supply chains.

Arshiya has worked on bespoke fashion technology projects including 3D-printed and cognitive clothing for Milan Fashion Week and Berlin Fashion Week, which sparked her interest in materials creation and fashion innovation. She holds expertise in bringing retail technologies to CPG companies - including augmented reality, virtual reality, and gesture recognition. While in university, she founded and hosted the Atlanta Fashion Tech Summit, which brought together over 200 fashion enthusiasts & technologists to talk about fashion and retail innovation.

Arshiya currently resides in New York City, where she enjoys biking, running, and aerial arts. She brings sustainable fashion to her personal life by committing to shopping secondhand and hosting clothing swaps.

Arshiya has been featured on Bad Crypto podcast, BLOCKTV, spoken at General Assembly, keynoted several forums, and serves as a technical expert on international blockchain standards bodies. In 2022, Arshiya was named to her alma mater’s “40 Under 40 Alumni” list.

Arshiya graduated with high honors from the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia where she studied Finance and Industrial Design.

Youngtak is a Senior Consultant at EY Parthenon in Atlanta, GA, specializing in Transaction Strategy and Execution for Deal Tech practice. He has experiences in IT PMO integration through deal lifecycle on a $54B+ integration project, site separation strategy, resiliency Cyber strategy, and IT service management on a $108B+ separation project, and a corporate split / spin deal for a $24B+ client.

Prior to consulting, Youngtak taught an Electrical and Computer Engineering course at Georgia Tech and worked as an R&D engineer for 8+ years in medical device, semiconductor and industrial and commercial manufacturing company.

Suzy Livingston is currently an Associate Brand Manager at Kimberly Clark, where she is a part of their PPE division. Prior to Kimberly Clark, Suzy worked in higher education in roles spanning marketing, project management, and event planning. Born and raised in South Florida, she holds a Bachelor's Degree in Marketing from the University of Florida and a Master’s in Business Administration from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Reem Mansoura currently serves as the Director of HR Planning and Operations at HD Supply. Reem has a background in project portfolio management and business process improvement, and leads initiatives focused on HR service delivery, HR technology, and M&A integration. Prior to joining HD Supply, Reem worked for the strategic consulting team at McKesson supporting healthcare payer and provider solution optimization.

Reem holds a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from Georgia Tech and graduated with her MBA from Scheller in 2021 with a concentration in Operations Management.

Sam Medinger is an Investment Banking Associate with Bank of America’s Private Capital Markets group in New York. He previously worked at Truist Securities in the Leveraged Finance and Equity Capital Markets groups. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the Scheller College of Business at Georgia Tech and graduated with a minor from the Denning Technology and Management program.

Drew Rowland is a Senior Strategy Consultant at Accenture, where he is part of their Consumer Goods & Services practice. He recently completed his MBA at the University of Virginia's Darden School of Business with concentrations in Entrepreneurship and Finance. While he spent his last 2 years in Charlottesville, he often sported his White & Gold to show his true loyalty. Drew is incredibly excited to be back in Atlanta and a part of YAAB!

Emily Salmond is a Financial Analyst at Goldman Sachs, where she is part of their Private Wealth Management business in Atlanta. Prior to joining the firm full-time, she held internships at Goldman Sachs, Engage Ventures, and Siemens and served as president of the Society of Women in Business.

Emily holds a bachelor’s degree from the Georgia Tech Scheller College of Business, graduating in May 2022 with a concentration in Finance and a minor in Engineering & Business through the Denning Technology & Management Program (T&M).

Chad Sims serves as the Director of Customer Engagement & Loyalty Execution at FOCUS Brands, a multi-brand restaurant company whose portfolio includes over 6500 Auntie Anne’s, Carvel, Cinnabon, Jamba, McAlister’s, Moe’s, and Schlotzsky’s locations worldwide. Chad is responsible for the owned communications and customer platforms engaging with over 17 million customers across the portfolio’s reward programs. Chad is active in the community, serving on the GT Alumni Association board of trustees, volunteering for local alumni networks, and chairing FOCUS Brands’ Black Employee Group.

Chad received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Operations and Supply Chain Management from the Scheller College of Business in 2015. Chad lives in Atlanta with his wife, Ashley Sims BME ’16, and their dog Kai.

Technology Officer. She is a proven product and technology operations strategy and mergers and acquisitions executive, leveraging her range of experiences and network to accelerate end-to-end value for companies at all stages of their digital transformation journey. As a board member for angel and venture-backed companies, she has built strong relationships within the product and venture capital community and corporate business units’ executive leadership teams. She is known as a trusted advisor for angel and venture-backed companies. She advises and mentors founders, CEOs, CIOs, CTOs, COOs, and executive leadership teams through strategic exercises to execute outcome-based roadmaps to manage capacity and future state organizational designs.

Her expertise includes designing, developing, and delivering enterprise human capital management systems, product rationalization strategy during merger and acquisition due diligence, and organizational design change management plans.

Outside of work, she is a wife (Wesley), mom of two, proud Morehouse College parent, Spelman College and Georgia Institute of Technology Alumna, awesome daughter, sister, auntie, cousin, friend, and fur baby mom. She is outrageously passionate about providing exposure to youth designed to spark curiosity. She is known to thrive in spaces where some don’t think she belongs because she can.

Carson Topping is a strategic operations and data professional with over thirteen years of experience in retail, healthcare, manufacturing, finance, and consulting industries. He currently serves as Senior Manager at Jabian Consulting in Atlanta, Georgia, personally focused on process improvement and analytics.

Carson graduated with an MBA from the Georgia Tech Scheller College of Business in 2017 and a bachelor's in Economics and Math from Emory University in 2011. He is also a board member for the Technology Association of Georgia's Data Science and Analytics advisory board and passionate about supporting the Scheller College of Business and its community.

Ashley Wiser is a proud '16 Scheller alumnae and a passionate entertainment marketer with an obsession with storytelling and connection. After finally acknowledging she would never become the starting shortstop for the New York Yankees, Ashley decided to pursue her love of entertainment, studying finance at Georgia Tech. With a goal of increasing her strategic and problem solving skills, Ashley began her career in management consulting at PwC as part of the M&A division. While she was grateful for all she had learned (and all her hotel and airline points), Ashley decided she was ready for the next step in her entertainment career and decided to pursue an MBA at UCLA Anderson School of Management, where she majored in entertainment and brand marketing and interned at Funimation. After school, Ashley was one of two selected for the Paramount MBA Leadership Rotational Program in NYC, where she spent one year in corporate (Strategic Planning, Ad Sales Ops) and her last 6 months at Paramount+, working with the brand marketing, single title, and brand partnerships team. In January 2023, she started a full time roll on the brand partnerships team as a director leading key partnerships with Delta and Verizon.

Outside of work, Ashley recently moved back to Atlanta with her cat Oliver and is a diehard anime and webcomic fan who can be found cosplaying at ComicCons, playing DND with fellow Yellow Jackets, or tailgating as many Georgia Tech sporting events as she can (THwG)!

Yao Wu is a Program Manager for Azure Hardware System Infrastructure at Microsoft. Previously she worked in logistics and management consulting.

Yao has extensive experience in international logistics, business development, project and program management, change management, and lean six sigma.

Born and raised in China, Yao graduated with a master's degree in Business Administration from Georgia Tech in 2017. She also holds a master's degree in International Relations, a bachelor's degree in Music from Troy University, and a bachelor's degree in Music Education from Soochow University, China.

Yao is passionate about supporting underserved communities and helping others achieve more. She lives in Atlanta with her husband, daughter, and their cat Chelsea.