The Brown Alumni Association (BAA) Board of Governors establishes priorities, allocates resources, and oversees implementation of initiatives. Officers are elected by the alumni community biannually and all other members are appointed by the Board annually.
Brown Alumni Association Board of Governors
The Brown Alumni Association Board of Governors includes four elected officers and 20-25 appointed members.
2021-2022 Membership
Officers
President: Carlos A. Lejnieks ’00
A.B. ’00, International Relations | M.S. ’04, London School of Economics
* Elected in 2019 as President-Elect
Carlos Lejnieks is the CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters based in Newark, NJ. Carlos took over the struggling agency in 2008 and, within four years, increased the number of youth served from 116 to more than 1,100. Under his leadership, BBBS has received local, state, and national awards. Carols was elected in 2019 as President-Elect.
Previously, Carlos was an administrator at North Star Academy in Newark and vice president of CN Communications International. He is chair emeritus of the New Jersey Charter Schools Association and a trustee of the Jersey City Medical Center. He served on President Barack Obama’s regional finance committee, News Corporation’s Diversity Council, and the transition teams of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and Newark Mayor Cory Booker. He began his career at Goldman Sachs.
At Brown, Carlos was an officer of the Undergraduate Council of Students and a varsity wrestler. He currently serves on the BAA Board of Governors, chairing the BAA’s MAC: Diversity & Inclusion Committee. He has served as class co-president and on his Class Reunion Activities and 10th Reunion Gift committees. Carlos has also interviewed prospective Brown students and spoken on Brown career panels.
About the President
Carlos serves as the chief executive officer of the Alumni Association and presides at all meetings of the Board of Governors. He appoints the committee chairs and members of the Board of Governors and serves as an ex officio member of all committees.
President-Elect: Amra Sabic-El-Rayess ’00
A.B. ’00, Economics | M.A. ’04, Columbia University
M.A. ’04, Columbia University | Ph.D. ’09, Columbia University
Amra Sabic-El-Rayess is the Associate Professor of Practice in Education Policy and Social Analysis at Teachers College, Columbia University, the Project Director at the Center for Benefit-Cost Studies in Education at TC, and faculty member at the Harriman Institute for Russian, Eurasian and Eastern European Studies. Dr. Sabic-El-Rayess is an interdisciplinary scholar who draws on economics, sociology, and political science to study education’s links to social mobility, social transformations, teacher quality, transitional justice, corruption, elite formation, radicalization and the inclusion of women. She maps out concrete ways to bolster women’s social mobility through financial empowerment. She also examines how informal educational practices and formal education institutions create new societal dynamics, norms, and behaviors.
Dr. Sabic-El-Rayess has received numerous awards, honors, and appointments, including grants from the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, the Kenan Institute, and the U.S. State Department, where she also serves as a member of its international Expert and Educational Diplomacy Speaker Program. Dr. Sabic-El-Rayess has also worked in various capacities for several foreign Ministries of Education as well as for numerous global institutions and corporations, including the United Nations Development Programme the International Foundation for Electoral Systems, the International Medical Corps, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), Deutsche Bank, and Goldman Sachs.
About the President-Elect
The president-elect serves two years in the role of President-Elect, followed by two years as President of the Alumni Association. He or she assists the President in guiding the Board and, in the event of a permanent vacancy in the Presidency, would serve out the vacant term. At the time that the President's term begins, he or she also begins a six-year term as an Alumni Trustee.
Secretary: Kelsey A. Tripp ’13
Sc.B. ’13, Computer Science
Kelsey Tripp is an Engineering Manager at Imperfect Foods, a company focused on eliminating food waste and building a better food system for everyone. She was formerly a Director of Engineering at CircleUp, a financial technology company based in San Francisco that invests in consumer goods startups. Before joining CircleUp, she worked as a software engineer at NetApp, a multinational storage and data management company. Prior to 2013, she was a Kleiner Perkins (formerly, Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers) Engineering Fellow.
Kelsey is a volunteer for the Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture (CUESA) in San Francisco. For Brown, she has served as a board member and former co-president of the Brown Club of Greater San Francisco since 2014, and volunteered for the Alumni Interviewing Program. Kelsey is also a former member of her class’s 1st, 2nd, and 5th Year Participation Committee and co-president of the Class of 2013.
About the Secretary
Keeps records of all proceedings of the BAA Board of Governors. He or she serves a two-year term and participates in major Alumni Association decisions.
Treasurer: Walter Edwards ’00
A.B. ’00, Psychology
Walter Edwards currently works for Cognizant, a tech services company, as the Japan lead for a global sales enablement program. He previously worked at Asurion where he managed an IT project portfolio that served all Japan company entities including affiliated call centers and logistics centers. Walter has been working in Japan for almost 20 years serving various multinational organizations.
While at Brown, Walter held leadership roles in several student groups including Students of Caribbean Ancestry (SOCA). He was also a radio personality for WBRU and worked at Brown Student Agencies. Walter’s alumni engagement started when he joined the Brown University Club of Japan (BUCJ) and became the Events Chair. After a year he became the President of the club. Additionally, he enjoyed participating in the Alumni Interviewing Program.
Walter likes to spend his free time with film photography, cooking, small-scale gardening, salsa dancing, and practicing Wing Chun Kung Fu.
About the Treasurer:
Manages the funds of the Association as directed by the Board, prepares financial reports, and helps to shape the BAA's overall financial strategy. He or she serves a two-year term and participates in major Alumni Association decisions.
Board Members
Kimberly Arredondo ’11
A.B. ’11, Literature and Culture in English
A native of Mission, Texas, Kim Arredondo is a donor relations and advancement communications professional at Ransom Everglades School in Miami, Florida. She studied Literature and Culture in English at Brown, where she developed a passion for organizing programs and leading creative projects, such as Semana Chicana, Brown’s Mexican Heritage Week.
She further explored her interest in project management through certificate courses at the University of Miami in 2018 and from Cornell University in 2019. She was recognized as one of Ever True’s 40 Under 40 fundraisers in 2019.
Since graduating from Brown, Kim has remained involved as a volunteer for the Brown Club of Miami, the Brown Annual Fund, Women’s Launch Pad, and was involved with the Alumni Interviewing Program. She also volunteers as a mentor for AmeriCorps Public Allies. Kim enjoys traveling, cooking, and spending time with her boyfriend and their dog, Magic.
Benjamin Dalley ’03 AM’04
A.B. ’03, Economics | A.M. ’04, Sociology
Benjamin Dalley is the Chief Operating Officer and Founder of Bike to the Beach for Autism and disABILITIES, a non-profit organization that hosts charity bike rides nationally and facilitates collaboration between national and local non-profit organizations. In addition, Mr. Dalley is a real estate investor and consultant.
Mr. Dalley graduated from Brown University in 2003 with degrees in Economics & Public and Private Sector Organization Studies, and earned his master's degree in Sociology with a focus on Public and Private Sector Organizations and Urban Real Estate Development in 2004.
After graduating, he returned to his hometown, Washington, D.C., and immersed himself in the growing city as a real estate developer and investor, restaurateur, business consultant, and local blogger.
Mr. Dalley spends his free time hanging with his wife and two kids, sailing in Annapolis (and anywhere else he can), writing children’s books, and running, cycling, hiking, kayaking, scuba diving, and enjoying the great outdoors.
Evan Geller ’99
A.B. ’99, Business Economics | M.B.A. ’03, Harvard Business School | M.B.A. ’06, New York University
Evan Geller is a Managing Director at Sixth Street Partners and co-head of the firm’s Credit Market Strategies business, which manages corporate and structured credit assets for pensions, endowments, and charitable foundations. Prior to joining Sixth Street, Evan worked as an investment professional at KKR & Co.
While at Brown, Evan was the co-founder of the Brown Entrepreneurship Program and a member of the President’s Advisory Council on University Planning. Evan also served on his 10th and 20th Reunion Gift committees.
Evan lives in New York City with his wife and their two children.
Tiffiney D. George ’07
A.B. ’07, Anthropology
Tiffiney George (Navajo Nation | Diné Asdzáán) has been a staff member at Brown since 2011 and is a Senior Assistant Director in the Office of College Admission. In her role as an admission officer, she focuses on Native/Indigenous outreach and strengthening partnerships with non-profit college access organizations throughout the U.S. Prior to joining the Brown admission office, she worked for the State of Rhode Island's disaster recovery efforts following the 2010 floods and Brown's Institute of Community Health Promotion.
While at Brown, Tiffiney participated in the Natives at Brown affinity group and worked for the Population Studies & Training Center. She was also a member of the Office of Institutional Equity & Diversity’s inaugural cohort of the Administrative Fellows Program. She currently serves on the Executive Committee of the Natives at Brown Alumni group and is a member of the BAA's Multicultural Alumni and Meeting Alumni Where They Are Committees.
Tiffiney lives in Worcester, Mass. with her partner, Ryan Tai ’07, and their Bea-Tzu puppy, Lulu.
Eldridge H. Gilbert, III ’05
A.B. ’05, Africana Studies, Psychology | M.B.A. ’10, Rice University
Eldridge Gilbert III is a graduate of Brown University with bachelor's degrees in Africana Studies and Psychology. Following Brown, Eldridge joined Teach For America and worked in Houston, Texas for 11 years, during which time he earned his master’s degree in Business Administration from the Jones School of Business at Rice University. While in Houston, he worked for YES Prep Public Schools and was the founding School Director of YES Prep North Forest, a 6th -12th grade campus of 850 students. After leaving Houston, Eldridge worked as the Managing Director of Schools for KIPP Bay Area Public Schools. Eldridge currently lives in Brooklyn and serves as the Chief Schools Officer for Coney Island Prep Schools. He also consults principals and emerging school leaders across the country for the KIPP Foundation.
John Goncalves ’13 MAT’15
A.B. ’13, Education | A.M. ’15, Teaching
John Goncalves has been a resident of the east side of Providence, Rhode Island for 25+ years. John is a passionate educator and author of the children's book "It's Important: Teaching The Importance of Kindness, Empathy, Inclusivity, Difference, and Compassion." His books are designed to embrace multiculturalism and diversity and to promote social-emotional development and character growth.
Currently, John serves as a teacher and Diversity Coordinator at the Wheeler School in Providence. Previously, he served as a private school teacher for several years in Minnesota where he has also served as Lower School Faculty Council Chair, Annual Fund Faculty chair, tutor, and coach in addition to serving on multiple school committees.
Outside of being an educator, John has served as a mentor for Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Greater Twin Cities, an event planner for the Brown Club of Minnesota, and has been involved in many political campaigns including roles as Chair of the Minnesota Senate District 60 Committee, Administrative Director, Strategy Director, Policy Aide/Advisor, and Director of Student Engagement in city council, mayoral, attorney general, congressional, and U.S. Senate races.
John previously served as an elected board member of the Marcy-Holmes neighborhood association and in addition to the BAA Board of Governors, he currently serves on the Fox Point Neighborhood Association board, spearheads a coalition of Providence neighborhood associations, and serves on Wheeler's Alumni Board.
Araceli M. Hintermeister ’12
A.B. ’12, Ethnic Studies | M.S. ’16, Library and Information Sciences, Simmons University | M.A. ’16, History, Simmons University
Araceli Méndez Hintermeister is a librarian and information professional. She currently serves as a Knowledge Manager for Uplift Education, a public charter school district in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Through her work, she implements and manages initiatives to drive content creation, capture, sharing, and collaboration across twenty-one campuses in the district.
Through the mentorship she received at Brown from the Ethnic Studies department and Prof. Patricia Perea, Araceli transitioned to a career in libraries and archives. She’s worked in a variety of public, academic, and corporate libraries where her work always revolves around helping others connect with literary and informational resources.
In addition to serving on the BAA Board of Governors, Araceli has volunteered for the Alumni Interviewing Program, Zeta Delta Xi, and the Brown University Latino Alumni Council where she currently serves as President. She also serves as Director-at-Large for the Simmons School of Library and Information Science Alumni Board.
Araceli lives in Dallas with her husband Arthur Hintermeister ‘05 and their twelve-year-old dog Simon.
Harry Holt Jr. ’84, P’16
Sc.B. ’84, Chemical Engineering | M.B.A. ’91, Dartmouth College
Harry Holt is the Vice President of Operations for BITHGROUP in Baltimore. He is responsible for running all aspects of the business and, since assuming this role in 2014, he has increased the revenues by more than 50 percent. Harry has also been an adjunct Professor of Business at Morgan State University for the past 20 years and has received awards from Morgan State, INROADS, and the Irvine Nature Center for leadership. He published his first book in 2020 entitled “You Can Get There from Here: from a Historically Black College or University to Greatness Volume One.” He serves as the Vice President of the Dartmouth Club of Maryland and is the Chair of the Strategic Planning Committee as a Trustee for the Irvine Nature Center.
Previously, Harry was the Mid-Atlantic Regional Director for INROADS, a Management Consultant with Price Waterhouse, and a Systems Engineer with International Business Machines. Harry was a math teacher with the Baltimore City Public Schools and he began his career at Calgon Corporation as a Production Engineer.
At Brown, Harry was the President of the Onyx Society his senior year, Vice President for the National Society of Black Engineers, a Minority Peer Counselor and a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated Alpha Gamma Chapter. He currently serves as the President of Brown University’s Association of Class Leaders Board and is a member of the BAA’s MAC: Diversity & Inclusion Committee. He has also served as class co-chair of the Diversity and Inclusion Committee, on the leadership committee for the Brown Club of Baltimore, and as an alumni interviewer. He is a parent of a class of 2016 Brown alumna.
Waylon Jin ’19
A.B. ’19, Economics
Waylon Jin is a founding member of Flipdish North America, a global food-tech unicorn. In this position, he is responsible for managing a team that focuses on growth expansion, customer success consulting, and business operations.
In addition to serving on the BAA Board of Governors, Waylon is a Co-Chair for the Young Alumni Class Committee, Treasurer for A4 (Asian/Asian American Alumni Alliance), a former volunteer for the Alumni Interviewing Program, and a member of the Alumni Class Board. For his work with the Brown Annual Fund, Waylon was recognized with the Brown Annual Fund Co-Chairs' Award for playing a critical role in achieving the Annual Fund’s goals.
Waylon lives in New York and is involved with the New York City Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association in his free time.
Matthew J. Lyddon AM’11 PhD’16
A.M. ’11, Political Science | Ph.D. ’16, Political Science
Matthew J. Lyddon is a postdoctoral research associate at The Policy Lab and the Taubman Center for American Politics and Policy. His research focuses on the intersection of normative democratic theory and applied qualitative research in education policy, with a focus on civic education policy and curricular standards in the United States. Matt previously served as a researcher and research manager on the Brown education standards research team led by Professor Susan L. Moffitt, and as an academic program fellow at the Taubman Center. He has taught and advised undergraduate students in political science and public policy at Brown and has taught in the Master of Public Affairs program at the Watson Institute.
Matt grew up in Wales, UK and is a proud first-generation graduate (high school through doctorate). He holds a Ph.D. and A.M. in political science from Brown University, and B.A. and M.A. degrees from Cardiff University (Wales, UK). He has also served in higher education administrative roles in marketing, strategic development, and program management in the UK. While a Ph.D. student at Brown, Matt served as President of the Graduate Student Council (GSC). New to the BAA Board of Governors in 2019, Matt has also been involved with the Alumni Interviewing Program. He lives in Providence with his rescue border collie mix, Lily (IG: @lilytherescuebordercollie).
Alina Moran ’93 
Sc.B. ’93, Mechanical Engineering | M.P.A. ’01, Baruch College
Alina Moran, MPA, FACHE, FAB, is president of Dignity Health - California Hospital Medical Center, a 318-bed general acute care facility in Los Angeles, California. A recognized leader in excellence, innovation, and community service, the hospital provides a full continuum of acute care services, including a Level II Trauma Center, state-of-the-art Cardiac Catheterization Lab, Women's Birthing Center, Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, seven operating suites, and a free-standing Los Angeles Center for Women’s Health. Alina previously served as CEO at NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan, a 338-bed acute care facility in East Harlem, NY, as well as chief patient growth officer for the NYC Health + Hospitals system.
A veteran health care executive with more than 20 years of experience, Alina is a seasoned, dynamic leader with a diverse background in hospital administration. She has a remarkable record of achievement, having demonstrated success in initiating culture change with a focus on decreasing readmission rates, improving safety measures, and implementing strategic initiatives.
Alina earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Brown University and a master's in Public Administration from Baruch College. She is an active leader in her community and was involved in the establishment of the Rhode Island Political Action Committee and Brown University Latino Alumni Council. In addition, Alina has been honored by many prestigious national organizations and was named in 2018 to the inaugural list of “Notable Women in Health Care” by Crain’s New York Business.
Raised in the Bronx, Alina now lives in Encino, California, with her husband and two children.
Scott N. Quigley ’05
A.B. ’05, Political Science | M.B.A. ’15, Harvard Business School | M.P.P. ’15, Harvard Kennedy School of Government
Scott N. Quigley is a Principal at Nautic Partners, a private equity firm based in Providence, RI, investing in and partnering with companies in the healthcare, industrial, and business services sectors. Prior to joining Nautic, Scott worked as an investment banker with William Blair & Company and in corporate development for a private equity-backed energy company.
Scott began his career as an Army Ranger Officer, leading teams in airborne and special operations units across the U.S. and during combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Scott earned two Bronze Star Medals for combat leadership. He now serves on Brown University's Veteran Alumni Council and is a Term Member on the Council on Foreign Relations. Additionally, Scott volunteers his time in support of military veterans transitioning to civilian life.
Scott earned an MBA from Harvard Business School, a Master in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government where he was a Fellow at the Center for Public Leadership, and an AB with honors in Political Science from Brown University. Scott and his wife, Kate, live in Boston with their long-haired Dachshund, Milo.
Ivon Rodriguez ’00 EMBA’16
A.B. ’00, Hispanic Studies, International Relations | E.M.B.A ’16, Business Administration
With experience in business development, general management, and marketing, Ivon's diverse background stems from her love of entrepreneurship, business innovation, and concept creation. Ivon graduated from Brown University with a double major in International Relations and Hispanic Studies and holds a joint Executive Masters in Business Administration from Brown University and IE Business School. She is currently pursuing an Executive Ph.D. at Virginia Tech in Business with a marketing focus.
Ivon has been instrumental in the startup phase of numerous television stations including Telemundo Boston, Telemundo Hartford, Telemundo Providence, and the Caracol Television Miami station. While engaged in studies with the IE Brown Executive MBA, she served as the Vice President of Marketing for HistoryMiami Museum, a private, non-profit Smithsonian affiliate. She served as the Managing Director for IE University overseeing the growth of the institution and its programs in the Southern U.S. and Caribbean. Until recently, she served as the Chief Marketing Officer of The 360 Group, a marketing firm focused on entertainment and innovation. She currently serves as a Chief Marketing Officer in tech.
A Miami native, Ivon now resides in Southlake, Texas and is active in her community through leadership roles at various organizations. Ivon is also Vice President of the Brown University Latino Alumni Council.
Tyler R. Rubin ’99 
A.B. ’99, Anthropology | J.D. ’03, USC | M.C.R.P. ’13, Rutgers University
Tyler R. Rubin is the Director of Internal Audit for Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), a non-profit community development financial institution that supports community development initiatives and projects through grants, loans, equity investments, and technical assistance.
Tyler obtained his J.D. from the University of Southern California, and spent several years as an attorney specializing in corporate transactions and real estate development projects throughout New York. He later obtained his master's degree in City and Regional Planning from the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning & Public Policy at Rutgers University, with a dual concentration in Real Estate and Community Development, and a certification in Historic Preservation.
Tyler was awarded the Morgan Stanley/ANHD Community Development Fellowship in its inaugural year, and was also selected for the Mildred Colodny Internship in Historic Preservation Law at the National Trust for Historic Preservation in Washington, D.C.
Prior to joining LISC, Tyler was the Director of Compliance at New Jersey Community Development Corporation, a nonprofit organization in Paterson focused on neighborhood revitalization through supportive housing and social services. Tyler oversaw administrative and regulatory requirements across the agency, particularly with respect to government housing subsidies and federal, state, and local grant awards.
Tyler is the Co-Chair of the Brown Alumni Pride Association (BAPA). He has previously served as the Vice-Chair of his town’s Historic Preservation Commission, a Committee Leader of his community’s anti-racism advocacy group, and is an active member of his company’s LGBTQI+ Affinity Group. Tyler lives in Bergen County, N.J. with his husband, Matthew.
Mandy Tachiki ’95 
A.B. ’95, Public Policy & American Institutions | J.D. ’98, New York University School of Law
Mandy Tachiki is a corporate attorney in the San Francisco Bay Area, providing legal services primarily to venture capital funds and technology companies. Prior to that she was Vice President, Assistant General Counsel at GreenPoint (subsequently acquired by NorthFork Bancorporation and Capital One) after practicing corporate law at Shearman & Sterling, Gunderson Dettmer and Farella Braun + Martel. She also clerked for The Honorable Lee Gagliardi (U.S. District Court, SDNY). She also recently worked as the Director of Admission at Mark Day School for three years after serving on the board there.
While at Brown, Mandy was a WBRU DJ, tour guide, resident counselor, Meiklejohn advisor, teaching assistant and member of the UCS Committee on Admissions and Financial Aid. She worked at Media Services, Brown Learning Community, Rock and the public policy department. In addition to the BAA Board of Governors, Mandy enjoys staying engaged with Brown through the Alumni Interviewing Program, where she serves as global chair and the Women’s Leadership Council, where she serves as co-chair of the membership and governance committee. She is also enjoying being a part of the 25th Reunion gift committee.
Richard Thigpen ’81 
A.B. ’82, Political Science | J.D. ’88, Columbia University
Richard T. Thigpen was named senior vice president ‐ corporate citizenship, effective July 2018. He is also Chairman of the PSEG Foundation. In this position, Thigpen is responsible for areas of the business that drive public policy through advocacy, including federal and state government affairs, sustainability, corporate social responsibility, diversity and inclusion.
He has been a public affairs consultant since 1999, and was a co‐founding partner of 1868 Public Affairs LLC, which provides lobbying, strategic planning, public relations and government relations services to clients in New Jersey, New York, and Washington, D.C. He has also served as a political analyst for New Jersey Network Television News and as an academic associate for PublicMind, Fairleigh Dickinson University Polling, and Survey Research Institute.
Thigpen was also a former assistant to the president of the NAACP State Conference for Public Affairs. He is currently a member of the Board of the Regional Plan Association, a member of The American Association of Blacks in Energy’s (AABE) National Board and chair of the Legislative Issues and Public Policy Committee, a member of the Board of New Jersey Climate Change Alliance (NJCCA), The New Jersey Legislative Black Caucus Foundation (NJBLC) and a member of the Board of Trustees for New Jersey Television.
Daryl Twitchell ’93 
A.B. ’93, History, International Relations | M.B.A. ’97, Yale School of Management
Daryl Twitchell is managing partner and founder of Silver Ridge Advisors, a consulting firm that helps companies and early-stage organizations grow, innovate, and perform. He has 25 years of experience in strategic consulting, business operations, and venture capital. Previously he was a senior vice president at Lehman Brothers and a principal at Ameriquest Capital and FrontLine Capital. Earlier, Daryl worked at Citigroup, American Express, and Corporate Decisions Inc. (now Oliver Wyman). He lives in Connecticut with his wife, Peggy Bell Twitchell ’93, and their son and daughter.
Over two decades, Daryl has served as class co-president, Reunion Activities Committee member, BAF Class Committee member, 25th Reunion Gift and Participation Committees member, and on the Association of Class Leaders board. A former Alumni Interviewing Program interviewer and area co-chair, he has served for 16 years on the Brown Club of Fairfield County board, currently as co-president. Daryl has received three BAA Gem Awards, as well as the BAA’s Leadership Award and Alumni Service Award.
Ex-Officio Members
Melisa Lai-Becker, M.D. ’94 MD’99
Brown Medical Alumni Association
Sc.B. ’94, Applied Mathematics-Biology | M.D. ’99
Dr. Lai-Becker entered Brown as part of the Program in Liberal Medical Education (PLME) graduating with an Sc.B. in Applied Math-Biology. She took a 'gap' year during medical school to work as an Admission Officer for the University helping select Brown's class of 2000. She completed residency in Emergency Medicine at the Harvard Affiliated Emergency Medicine Residency (HAEMR) Mass General / Brigham&Women's program then a fellowship in Medical Toxicology at the Harvard Medical Toxicology Fellowship (HMTF) at Boston Children's Hospital/Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. After working as the Associate Director Medical/Surveillance for the American Association of Poison Control Centers (Washington DC), Melisa joined Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA) - the last/only public hospital in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts - where she is Chief of the CHA Everett Hospital Emergency Department and Director of CHA's Division of Medical Toxicology. Dr. Lai-Becker served two terms on the Brown Medical Alumni Association (BMAA) Board of Directors from 2008-2014. She is the ex-officio BMAA representative to the BAA Board of Governors.
Felix Lo ’01
Brown Annual Fund
A.B. ’01, Public Policy
Felix is a Managing Director at Golden Gate Capital (GGC), a San Francisco-based private equity firm, which he joined in 2004. At GGC, he co-leads the Industrials group with a focus on investments in Industrial Technology, Industrial Services, and Distribution. He currently serves as a director of Vantage Elevator Solutions and PetroChoice. Felix's past directorships include Humanetics and Vistec Semiconductor. Prior to joining GGC, Felix worked as an investment professional at Bain Capital and as a consultant at Bain & Company.
While at Brown, Felix played on the rugby team, was part of Intervarsity Christian Fellowship, and co-founded Foresite Solutions, a web-based application business.
He has served on the President's Advisory Council to the College since 2016 and the Brown Annual Fund Leadership Council since 2013. Felix also served on his 10th Reunion Gift committee and co-chaired his 15th Reunion Gift committee.
Felix lives in Palo Alto, CA with his wife, Kristen (MAT ’01), and their two sons. He also serves on the board of Palo Alto National Junior Basketball and coaches his sons' local youth baseball and basketball teams.
Victoria Westhead
Pembroke Center Advisory Council
A.B. ’83, Semiotics | M.X. ’01, New York University
Victoria Westhead is a strategic event producer and development consultant for non-profit arts, housing and education focused organizations. Prior to her involvement in the non-profit sector, she worked in the film business on feature films and music videos around the country. She is a Unit Production Manager in the Directors Guild of America and a member of Women in Development. She received her master’s degree from New York University in the Interactive Telecommunications Program.
Victoria currently sits on the Board of Advisors of the Appalachian Mountain Club. She served for many years as Secretary of the Brooklyn Historical Society, where she chaired strategic planning initiatives and an executive search committee. At Brown, she is an ex-officio member of the Pembroke Center Advisory Council, having served there for a term as chair.