Fuqua in Focus: Alumni
Join us for live virtual conversations with Fuqua alumni
Meet alumni of Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business through conversations with members of the school’s Alumni Council. Hear firsthand how these alumni applied what they learned as students at Fuqua to their careers and lives after graduation.
These one-hour live virtual conversations will be held on the second Wednesday of the month at 12:00PM Eastern Time, except in the months of July and August. Suggested questions can be submitted during the registration process and by the audience during the live virtual conversation. Conversations will be recorded and available online afterward.
Want to suggest a Fuqua alumna/us to be interviewed? Write to us at alumni-relations@fuqua.duke.edu. Be certain to include their full name and why you think they would make an interesting conversation.
Upcoming Events
June 10, 2026
Jimmy Childre MBA '01
President, Childre Ford
Jimmy Childre, Jr. grew up in Georgia and is a third-generation auto dealer, health care executive, and community leader.
While continuing in the auto dealership, Jimmy served on his local hospital board as chairman and CEO. In this role, he led the hospital through its organizational restructuring and long-term strategic plan. Jimmy attributes his second career in health care to The Fuqua School of Business. The inaugural issue of The Wall Street Journal Magazine featured Jimmy as the Ford dealer who returned to graduate school to help his local hospital.
After Fuqua, he earned master’s degrees from the Judge Business School at the University of Cambridge and HEC Paris, where his research interest was on issues facing his rural hospital. Jimmy is a Fellow of Practice in Social Innovation at the University of Cambridge, where he serves as a guest lecturer and student mentor. He has also been a frequent speaker at Fuqua, Georgia Southern, and at health care conferences. Jimmy has a TEDx talk on moving toward affordable health care in the U.S.
Jimmy was also a recipient of Fuqua's 2026 Leader of Consequence Award. Learn more about Jimmy here.
Previously Recorded Fuqua in Focus: Alumni Conversations
Farman Syed MBA '10
Product Executive
Former VP of Product at Tonal
Farman Syed has spent over 25 years building and launching products–blending intuition, design, data and experimentation to create delightful customer experiences across diverse domains such as fitness, clean energy, digital music, subscription and payments. He spent over two decades at Apple, and was most recently VP of Product at Tonal.
Farman holds an MBA from Duke University and a BS in Computer Science from UC San Diego, and has multiple U.S. Patents.
Bree Bacon MBA '12
Business Leader, Keynote Speaker, and Best-Selling Author
Bree Bacon is a business leader, keynote speaker, and best-selling author with more than 20 years of experience spanning investment banking and global corporations. She earned her MBA from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and holds a BA in Business/Economics and Music from Wheaton College.
Bree is also a stage three, triple-negative breast cancer survivor. That experience reshaped her perspective on leadership, performance, and well-being, reinforcing the importance of protecting one’s energy to sustain long-term impact.
Today, Bree is the founder of the Elite Energy™ framework, where she partners with individuals, teams, and organizations to address burnout and build sustainable capacity. Her work centers on a simple but powerful belief: well-being is not a luxury, but the foundation for performance, leadership, and fulfillment.
Her debut book, Your Elite Energy, launched in June 2025 and became a #1 New Release across multiple categories, including Business Health & Stress, Human Resources & Personal Development, and Knowledge Capital.
Outside of her professional work, Bree is a proud military spouse and mom to her miracle daughter, Eliana. She is passionate about reshaping the culture of performance at work by helping leaders and organizations operate at their best without burnout.
Learn more at www.BreeBacon.com.
Caroline Brecker '87, MBA '89
Co-Founder
Third Half Advisors™ LLC
Caroline Brecker is Co-Founder of Third Half Advisors™ LLC., a leadership and life-design platform launched with Campbell Gerrish. Her firm works with partners like Duke's Fuqua School of Business to bring programs to experienced corporate, nonprofit, and entrepreneurial professionals. Third Half Advisors™ uses an accomplished bench of coaches and subject-matter experts to support hundreds of seasoned professionals navigating transition, reinvention, and their Third Half portfolio lives.
Caroline brings more than 30 years of experience in leadership and financial services. Previously, Caroline was a Managing Director and Market Manager at J.P. Morgan Private Bank, where she co-led the Greenwich, Connecticut office, overseeing $36 billion in assets under supervision. More recently, she served as Chief Operating Officer of Alucia Productions, a media company of the Dalio Family Office, and advised a middle-market private equity firm as an Executive Affiliate. Caroline has been recognized by Connecticut Magazine and Barron’s as a top financial advisor and received the YWCA BRAVA Award for outstanding women achievers. She remains actively engaged in nonprofit and arts organizations, including the Jacob Burns Film Center.
Greg O'Neill MBA '92
Principal
GRO(W) IDEAS LLC
Greg O’Neill is a specialty food and beverage expert, marketing consultant, strategic advisor, and business coach. His work includes collaborations with Taste Network LLC, where he serves as Director of Accounts and Specialty Marketing & Trade Process Director for the Ribera y Rueda Wine US Campaign.
Prior to founding GRO(W) IDEAS LLC, Greg and his husband, Ken Miller, founded and operated Pastoral Artisan Cheese, Bread & Wine, a national award-winning specialty food and beverage retailer, wine bar, and restaurant group. Over 15 years, Pastoral operated multiple units, a wholesale cheese business serving 100+ restaurants, and an online store. Its gift collections appeared on Oprah’s Favorite Things, were produced for William-Sonoma Catalog holiday seasons, earned two Specialty Food Association “Outstanding Retailer of the Year” awards, and were featured in an American Airlines Citibank Business Card commercial.
Echo Hindle-Yang MBA '10
Founder and CEO, MSQ Ventures
Echo Hindle-Yang is the Founder and CEO of MSQ Ventures, a global advisory firm specializing in cross-border biotech transactions, investment, and strategic business development. With a deep understanding of life sciences and a proven track record in deal-making, she has orchestrated high-profile partnerships between U.S., Asia, European, and South American biotech companies. She helps them navigate global markets, secure capital, and accelerate drug development.
Since 2017, Echo has been at the forefront of global drug development collaborations, advising over 200 biotech and biopharma companies across 22 countries. Under her leadership, MSQ Ventures has become a globally trusted partner for innovative biotech collaborations. Echo also founded and led a SPAC that completed a reverse merger, showcasing her versatility in financial investment and deal-making across industries.
Prem Pandian MBA '13
Global Head of Strategic Initiatives & Partnerships, Google
Prem Pandian is Global Head of Strategic Partnerships and Initiatives at Google. He possesses more than 20 years of experience building strategic partnerships at Google and Apple. Prem built Google's hardware service strategy from scratch, growing services revenue from $0 while pioneering sustainability and circularity initiatives that earned industry recognition. He is also an expert in secondary markets and Fortune 100 partnership development.
Prem has led cross-functional teams advancing device repairability and circular economy principles at Google and has negotiated key partnerships expanding Pixel's market reach while maintaining premium margins. He also led Google's Refurb sale and Trade-in initiatives growing them to industry leading programs.
Stacy Glass MBA '99
Co-Founder and Executive Director, ChemFORWARD
Stacy Glass is co-founder and executive director of ChemFORWARD, a nonprofit that creates access to chemical hazard data and seeks safer alternatives in partnership with industry. Stacy drives partnerships, collaborations and stakeholder engagement to support this mission and her aim to end toxic chemical exposure and advance human and environmental equity.