Alumni Newsletter

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Happy Birthday!

May 27, 2010

Each month, FuquaNet recognizes the alumni whose birthdays fall on the issue's publication date. We asked the alumni celebrating a birthday today (May 27), "Where are you now?" Here's what they said:

Guy Blissett, Daytime MBA 1999
Guy lives with his wife and two boys on the Lower East Side in New York City. "My wife keeps me sane, my boys keep me busy... together they make me happy. I continue to work for IBM developing points of view on the Consumer Products and Wholesale-Distribution industries... although change is in the wind and new opportunities - to be determined - await later this year."

J. Lamar Chancey, Weekend Executive MBA 1990
"I work as a Senior Program Manager with General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems, and I seem to spend more time in the Washington area than at home. Travel is usually grueling, but recently my wife, Lynne, and I took a great trip. First to Houston, where my daughter lives, for the NCAA basketball regionals. Then on to Indianapolis, where my son lives, and the Final Four (Go Duke!). Basketball and family, what a great combination. Looking forward to Duke football and the next Duke basketball season. See you at Wallace Wade and Cameron."

Rick Crossland, Daytime MBA 1992
"I am an executive business coach located in Columbus, Ohio."

Sharlene Gerald, Daytime MBA 2005
"I currently live in Maryland with my husband and four year-old daughter Shaina and work for Microsoft in their Health Solutions Group as an Implementation Manager."

Rob Howard, Global Executive MBA 2008
"I have just recently begun supervising all Public Corruption matters for the FBI in Detroit, Michigan, after working mortgage fraud matters in Michigan for several years. My wife, daughter, and two sons have been doing a lot of traveling this year with my oldest son's travel baseball team.  A very exhausting experience which has brought us all closer together as we drive from state to state exploring new places."

Emar Kamaev, Cross Continent MBA 2007
"I am living in Moscow, Russia, with my wife, Oxana, and son, Bogdan (11). I am still in private equity, at Basic Element, and mostly concentrated on the port industry. After three years I am still enjoying being far from cold Murmansk."

Scot Karr, Daytime MBA 1982
Living in Chappaqua, New York with wife of 21 years, Patricia, and son, Drew, who just finished his sophomore year at Vanderbilt and son, Justin, who will be playing soccer and attending the University of Richmond. Retired in 2006 from Goldman Sachs after 20 years and now doing estate planning/financial planning for individuals and small businesses. Would love to hear from classmates: scot_karr@strategiesforwealth.com

Katie Lay, Daytime MBA 2004
"I moved to Madison, New Jersey, about four months ago with my husband Roy, and our one-year-old daughter, Darby.  I'm now the brand manager for Honey Bunches of Oats at Post Foods."

Tim Lowery, Weekend Executive MBA 2007

After spending many years in the semiconductor industry, in both engineering and sales, I have recently taken the position of Director of Emerging Technologies at JSR Micro. It has been a challenge moving from an industry that I understood well to a new and diverse landscape. I now manage programs in the life sciences, energy and advanced imaging fields. Every day is something new and I continue to be amazed at how much there is to learn! As a side benefit, I get to use many of the tools I learned while at Fuqua. :)

 

Tom Morris, Evening Executive MBA 1990
"Hard to believe it has been 20 years! I highly recommend attending your reunion weekend, it was great fun! Professionally, I have held various VP/CxO positions in a number of high-tech startups. We grew one from four to 375 people in three years! It was a wild ride! Shortly after, I started a financial services practice in Durham. I have never finished learning, and now have five financial designations, and teach continuing education classes to CPAs and attorneys on advanced financial topics. My clients are typical Fuqua grads: intelligent, successful, and purpose driven. I truly enjoy helping them discover and implement powerful strategies that were previously unknown to them. Personally, after Fuqua, my wife and I started our family that we had postponed while I was in school. We have two children, one of whom starts Williams College this fall. We stayed in the Triangle, moving from Chapel Hill to Durham. My parents retired to Durham, and I 'work out' with my Dad at the Duke Center for Living (1/2 mile from Fuqua), three or four mornings a week.  Luckily, I get to see many of my classmates on a regular basis. If you're in town, give me a call and we'll grab an early morning 'work out,' lunch, or a cocktail."

Lori Palca, Daytime MBA 2009
"I am living in Orlando, Florida, and working for Darden Restaurants as an Associate Brand Manager on national promotions for Red Lobster. Highlights have been early morning cheesy biscuit and seafood tastings, bonding with Mickey, and the flow of visitors I hope will continue."

Cira Qin, Daytime MBA 2003
"I'm living in New Jersey with my husband and one-year-old daughter. I'm currently a Sourcing Director at Merck's Global Research Procurement, managing CRO outsourcing. "

Hikaru Samejima, Daytime MBA 1995
"After leaving an oil company, which sponsored my education in Fuqua, almost 10 years ago, I completely changed my career and am now with Terumo Corporation, a Japanese medical device company.  I very much enjoy what I do as President for the vascular intervention business. I am living in Tokyo with my wife, Makiko, and a daughter, Nodoka (9)."

Tucker Taylor, Daytime MBA 1995
"I've recently moved to San Francisco where I'm enjoying the excitement of living in the city, exploring the unique neighborhoods, eating at great restaurants and working as the Director of Paid Media at iCrossing, a digital marketing agency."