Chicago Booth Alumni Club of Chicago

Joe Cortese, ’10
President

jcortese@fiducient.com

Joe Cortese is a Partner and Senior Consultant for Fiducient Advisors. Joe joined Fiducient Advisors in 2008. He provides investment consulting services to family offices, nonprofit organizations, high net worth investors, and other financial institutions as part of the firm’s Outsourced Chief Investment Officer (OCIO – Financial Institutions) practice. Joe gives advice and expertise on all facts of effective investment program design including establishing investment objectives, asset allocation and portfolio design, investment research and due diligence, and overall practice management. Joe is also a member of the firm’s Private Markets Research Team. Prior to joining the firm, Joe worked for Morgan Stanley’s Private Wealth Management Office and as a Managing Director for an investment management firm implementing a value-focused, long/short equity strategy based on University of Chicago Booth research. Joe earned his MBA with concentrations in Analytic Finance and Accounting from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a BBA with a Certification in Entrepreneurial Management from the University of Iowa. Joe is a member of UNICEF’s NextGen Junior Board and The University of Iowa’s J.P.E.C. Alumni Board, as well as Co-Founder of the Hawkeye Business Development Group of Chicago. Joe is also currently serving as of the University of Chicago Booth School of Business Alumni Club.

Bill Roule, ’81
Treasurer

wroule@chicagobooth.edu

Sharon Alexander, ’17
Director

Sanmit Ambedkar ’18
Director

Sanmit has over 14 years of experience as a consulting and industry professional. In his current role as Director in EY-Parthenon’s Strategy and Transactions practice, he advises clients on value creation from Buy and Sell-side transactions. He started his career in the Automotive and Manufacturing industry, working in Supply Chain, Operations and Supply Chain roles.

He graduated from Chicago Booth in 2018 and also holds a Master’s Degree in Industrial Engineering from Purdue University and a Bachelor’s Degree from University of Pune.

Outside work, Sanmit enjoys spending time with his family, traveling, golfing and playing badminton.

Linda Brennan, ’88
Director

Linda Brennan is a life engineer, working with driven people who are perpetually in overdrive. She helps her clients gain clarity, invest their time and energy more strategically, and sustain this lifestyle with a proven methodology and support structure.

Linda’s career has spanned management and engineering positions at Philip Morris, IBM, the Quaker Oats Company, and the Coca-Cola Company; consulting with small and medium-sized businesses in dozens of industries; coaching small business owners and entrepreneurs and teaching leadership, management, and strategy to audiences from undergraduates to executives. She served as a full-time tenured professor of management for twenty years and continues to teach at the university level on a part-time basis.

She completed her PhD from Northwestern University, an MBA from the University of Chicago, and her bachelor’s from the Georgia Institute of Technology. A Six Sigma Black Belt, she earned her professional engineering license in Georgia and has been a certified Project Management Professional.

She and her husband live in the Chicago area with their menagerie. Linda is a voracious reader, avid cruciverbalist, community volunteer, and enthusiastic pickleball player.

Victoria Gustafson, ’01
Director

Victoria Gustafson is the Senior Partner at Verde Associates, a boutique growth consultancy specializing in organizational evolution and growth acceleration. As Senior Partner, Victoria helps clients to build better, stronger businesses that produce exceptional results. Victoria specializes in helping companies and individuals bridge the gaps created by rapid growth, entering new markets, undergoing significant operational changes, encountering new competition, being in start-up phase, and many other critical business life cycle events. Victoria is also currently holding a position of a Lecturer in the Digital Marketing and Integrated Communications and Data Analytics programs at the University of Chicago Graham School of Professional Development.

Prior to joining Verde Associates, Victoria spent over 10 years at IRI, a Chicago-based Big Data technology company, holding various positions in product management, client insights and corporate strategy. Before joining IRI Victoria spent 8 years at Philips Electronics, N.V., a global health technology company, working in finance, sales operations, and market research.

Victoria holds a BA in Economics from the University of California at Berkeley (1997) and an MBA in Marketing and Strategic Management (with Honors) from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business (2001).

Griffin Humber, ’20
Director

Griffin Humber is a Vice President and Regional Director for Goldman Sachs Asset Management within their Investment Consulting Group.

Griffin graduated with his MBA from Booth with concentrations in finance, economics and entrepreneurship. For his undergraduate degree, he attended Miami University (OH), where he was a member of Phi Delta Theta fraternity and captain of the club tennis team.

Outside of work Griffin is a die-hard Green Bay Packers fan and enjoys spending time golfing, exercising and being outdoors with his wife, son and dog.

Borislava Karageorgieva, ’04
Director

bkarageo@chicagobooth.edu

Borislava Karageorgieva has a diverse professional experience in corporate finance. She has worked for organizations in the public and private sectors, and in the healthcare and the financial services industries in the USA and Europe. Areas of expertise include financial regulatory analysis and financial compliance, mergers and acquisitions, board governance, and entrepreneurship. Borislava is currently the Co- President of the Chicago Booth Alumni Club and she has served on the board as a Director since January 2011. She is also the liaison between the Chicago Booth Alumni Club and the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. Borislava is the co-founder of a company in the beverage industry. Borislava received her MBA from Chicago Booth with concentrations in Analytic Finance, Economics and Strategic Management, and she is a CFA charterholder.

Jason Lipes, ’16
Director

Jason Lipes is the Senior Director of Solution Specialist at Wheels, Inc. In this role, Jason oversees Wheels’ Integration Services, Project Management Office, and Operational Excellence teams. His focus is driving Quality and Continuous Improvement across the organization. Jason has a passion for generating client value through efficient, reliable, and defect free processes.

Jason has over 12 years of experience driving Quality and Continuous Improvement across numerous industries. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Iowa State University and is a 2016 graduate of the Chicago Booth program. In addition, Jason is a Certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt by the American Society for Quality (ASQ) and a Certified Project Management Professional (PMP) from the Project Management Institute. Over the years Jason has taught and mentored numerous change agents pursuing their Lean Six Sigma Certification.

Jason enjoys spending time with his family, home improvement projects, automation, and playing soccer.

Cosmin Lucaci, ’16
Director

Cosmin is a member of BRF Advisors’s Real Estate, Private Equity, Public Markets, Knowledge Management, Impact Investing, and Investment Strategy Committees. As a member of the research department, Cosmin helps in designing and implementing the company’s investment strategies as well as identifying investment managers.

Prior to joining BRF, Cosmin was at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. In his time there he worked on several projects, including co-authoring a study with senior economists that was presented at the Federal Reserve’s annual Bank Structure Conference and subsequently published in the Journal of Financial Services Research.

Cosmin received his MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and his BA in Economics and Political Science from Northwestern University. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst. Cosmin is a Board member for the UL Boys and Girls Club, where he served on the executive committee and was the President of the Associate Board. He is also a Board member for the Chicago Engineers’ Foundation and the CFA Society of Chicago. Cosmin has also served on various committees for The Logos School of Music, Northwestern University, and the Union League Club of Chicago.

Colby McVey, '19
Director

Anjoo Rai-Marchant, ’08

anjoorm@gmail.com

Director

Anjoo Rai-Marchant is an investor, entrepreneur, board member and technology executive with expertise in building and scaling both technology businesses and businesses looking to transform using technology. She has led global organizations working in the U.S., Europe and Asia as well as early stage start-ups.

Most recently, she served as the COO at HighGround, which was acquired last year by YouEarnedIt. She currently advises companies and entrepreneurs on their growth strategy in addition to serving as an independent board member of SciArt Software, a company focused on generative design.

She started her career at EY where she worked for almost 10 years before continuing her career at Macromedia (now Adobe), Barclays Capital and Reyes Holdings. Anjoo is passionate about diversity and inclusion and has been a frequent speaker, advisor and moderator on the topic. In addition to her work with the Chicago Booth Alumni Club where she was past president, she is a member of Hyde Park Angels and recipient of the Chicago United Business Person of Color award.

Greg Thomas, ’93
Director

Dr. Greg Thomas is an alumnus of the College, Pritzker School of Medicine, and Chicago Booth. Following his studies at the University of Chicago and after completing an internship in general surgery, a residency in anesthesiology, and a fellowship in chronic pain management, Greg elected to go into the family businesses. He now leads a multi-state enterprise that includes 11 car dealerships in Indiana, Illinois, and Florida. He is also an active investor in multiple commercial real estate projects, insurance and reinsurance firms, and finance companies.

Greg is passionate about the University of Chicago Medicine and is a dedicated volunteer to the broader University. At Chicago Booth, he is a member of the Chicago Club, CEO Roundtable, and a director of the Booth Alumni Board. His volunteerism with the College includes serving as co-chair of his College Reunion. In addition, Greg is a member and investor of the Hyde Park Angels.

Greg’s wife, Virginia Thomas, MD, is board certified in anti-aging medicine. She is also a University of Chicago Medicine volunteer, serving as a member of the University of Chicago Cancer Research Foundation’s Board of Trustees.

Ketan Vaghani, ’09
Director

Ketan Vaghani is a senior innovation executive at Ignite, a human-centered design innovation group within Salesforce. Ketan joined Salesforce in 2016 and is one of the founding members of the retail and consumer goods industry studio within Ignite. Ketan guides salesforce customers on their digital transformation journey through a human centered design lens. Prior to Salesforce, Ketan spent over a decade working in leading retail and consumer goods organizations such as Macys, General Mills and Kraft foods.

Ketan earned his MBA from the Chicago Booth School of business in 2009 and remains an active alum. Since 2017, Ketan has been a mentor for students in the Chicago Booth Design and Innovation student group and leads the Chicago Booth Alumni Innovation Roundtable affinity group.

Ketan is an active student of yoga, swimming and classical music. He resides in Elmhurst, IL.

Nicole Yelsey, ’12
Director

nicole.yelsey@gmail.com

Nicole Yelsey has spent her career focused in strategic marketing with experience on both the agency and client sides. She is currently the Vice President of Growth at Mosaic, an experiential marketing agency focusing in live events, content, and retail marketing. Prior to Mosaic, she was on the brand team at Anheuser-Busch working on award-winning campaigns for Budweiser, Bud Light and the ABI high-end portfolio.

As a 2012 graduate of the full time program, Nicole concentrated in Marketing and General Management. She held Co-Chair roles for both the Marketing Group and TNDC. Prior to Booth, she earned her BA in Sociology and Economics from Emory University in Atlanta.

Nicole lives in West Town Chicago with her husband, also a Booth graduate, and their 2 sons. She enjoys entertaining, traveling, Chicago summers, and spending time with her family.