Meet the Team
Our relationship managers work strategically with alumni volunteers in the global alumni network to create active ecosystems of alumni in local communities.
We support reunions, regional and local programming, informal student and alumni opportunities, meaningful alumni organizations, and more.
We are dedicated to empowering alumni to lead by helping them build community, facilitate peer-to-peer connections, and gain momentum in local communities within the greater alumni network. Let us partner with you to activate our alumni community!
What we do:
- Offer guidance in navigating school-wide resources
- Create opportunities for alumni to connect with one another through personalized introductions, reunions, and events of all kinds and sizes
- Help build community in regions and among like-minded alumni
- Assist in defining and maintaining Booth excellence among alumni and alumni groups
- Guide alumni volunteers in leading effective boards and committees
- Support alumni in developing leadership skills through volunteering
Questions? Contact us.
Team Members
Caitlin Andersen
Associate Director - Reunions, Student and Alumni Engagement
Caitlin Andersen has been with Chicago Booth since 2015. Caitlin is on the Reunions team and is responsible for developing and managing reunion volunteer committees with a focus on peer-to-peer outreach and alumni engagement. In her free time, she enjoys walking Chicago neighborhoods, exploring new restaurants and spending time with her family.
Lisa Bada
Director - Reunions, Student, and Recent Alumni Engagement
Lisa has been with Booth since 2011. Lisa is responsible for reunion volunteer strategy including volunteer recruitment, management, and overall reunion program engagement, as well as strategy for engaging recent alumni and building connections between alumni and students. In her free time, Lisa enjoys reading, spending time with her family exploring all the parks in the city, and trying all the best pizza in Chicago.
Natalie Balchin
Associate Director - Alumni Engagement - EMEA
Natalie assumed the role of Associate Director for Alumni Engagement, EMEA at Booth in January 2024, bringing over seven years of experience from esteemed British universities, including her alma mater, the University of Nottingham, and most recently, King’s College London where she served as an Alumni Volunteer Manager. Her current role involves overseeing EMEA-based alumni and collaborating closely with them to strengthen their affinity to Booth through tailored engagement initiatives. Outside of work, Natalie enjoys singing, song-writing and baking.
Penka Bergmann
Director - Global Alumni Engagement
Penka is the director of Alumni Engagement for Booth, based at the London campus. Penka leads the school’s alumni engagement strategy in the EMEA and APAC regions, engaging alumni with the priorities of the school and each other, and working with a global team to advance Booth’s mission and continue the strong trajectory for Booth globally. She has been part of Booth’s global team since 2000, and was a founding staff member of the London Campus in 2005. Penka has an AM from the University of Chicago and an MA from the Free University of Berlin.
Michele Cahill
Director - Alumni Engagement
Michele joined Booth in September 2022 as the director of alumni engagement where she will oversee the US regional and affinity engagement strategy and serve as liaison for the clubs based in the Midwest. Prior to this role, she was the senior director of strategic initiatives and alumni engagement with the Northwestern Alumni Association, where she managed US regional, international, and affinity communities, volunteer resources, stewardship and recognition strategies, DEI initiatives, and oversaw team reporting and analytics. In her free time, Michele enjoys spending time with her family exploring the culinary landscapes of Chicago and the world.
Kevin Cernansky
Assistant Director - Reunions, Student, and Alumni Engagement
Kevin Cernansky (he/him) serves as Assistant Director of Reunions, Student, & Recent Alumni Engagement at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, building strategic partnerships and fostering collaboration to expand the Booth footprint in Chicago and beyond. In this role, he hopes to connect Booth students, alumni, and community organizations to create a dynamic network of inclusive relationships.
Kevin's passion for health care is rooted in over ten years of experience working with community health centers that provide holistic services to disenfranchised populations. He continues to support the life-saving services of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and the Los Angeles LGBT Center as an AIDS/LifeCycle participant, sat on the Board of Country Doctor Community Health Centers in Seattle to support LGBTQ+ and refugee communities, and works to expand equitable health care in Chicago by joining the AIDS Foundation of Chicago Associate Board!
Kevin received his Master of Public Administration from the University of Washington Evans School of Public Policy & Governance, concentrating in public finance and social policy. Kevin received his B.A. in Anthropology from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). With a minor in LGBTQ studies, he is committed to advocacy initiatives that support intersectional LGBTQ+ movements.
In his free time, you can find Kevin running on the lakefront, baking cookies, volunteering, taking care of his house plants, and researching new restaurants to check out
Becky Evans
Senior Associate Director - Volunteer Programs and Engagement
Becky joined Booth in February of 2023 and is responsible for managing groups of leadership volunteers including the Council on Chicago Booth and the Global Leaders Group and their work as advisors and ambassadors of Booth. Prior to this role, she was the Associate Director, Board and Volunteer Relations at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Outside of the office, she enjoys volunteering and trying new restaurants.
Asia Marchaman
Associate Director - Alumni Engagement - East Coast
Asia joined Booth in August 2022 as the Associate Director, Alumni Engagement, East Coast and is based in our New York City office. Asia collaborates with alumni to support regionally based engagement and outreach activities, to encourage Booth Alumni to stay connected to the school. Prior to this role, she was a Senior Research Analyst with New York University and held similar roles at Fordham University, and Girls Inc. In her free time, Asia enjoys live jazz shows at Lincoln Center, free movies in Central Park, and having spirited debates during the NBA season. She received her Masters of Social Work from New York University.
Annie White
Senior Director - Alumni Engagement
Annie joined Booth in April 2020 as the senior director of Alumni Engagement. Prior to this role, she was the director of alumni engagement with the Northwestern Alumni Association, where she managed career and mentorship engagement as well as student and recent alumni programs, and launched digital programming. Annie has returned home in a sense as she previously worked at University of Chicago Alumni Relations & Development.
Cher Wu
Associate Director - Alumni Engagement - APAC
Cher joined Booth in June 2022 as the Associate Director, Alumni Engagement, APAC. Prior to this role, Cher was the University Relations Manager at the University of Oxford where she oversaw alumni relations, events management, and communications. Cher works with APAC-based alumni volunteers to continue increasing engagement in various networks and works closely with many Booth and UChicago partners to bring the best opportunities to the alumni communities. Cher loves hiking and has lived and worked in China, Australia and Hong Kong.