STUDENTS
Sarah Abebe
Sarah Abebe is an MPA student at NYU Wagner specializing in Social Impact, Innovation and Investment and works in Corporate Social Responsibility at American Express. Previously, Sarah was a Corporate Service Manager at New York Cares, spearheading a wide-range of corporate volunteer projects across New York City and completed a year of national service as a City Year AmeriCorps member at an elementary school in East Harlem. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Public Policy and Law from Gonzaga University in Washington state. Sarah is passionate about helping the private sector be a force for good.
Osa Aihie
Student Advisory Board President
Osa is an analyst with NewDay Impact Investing and is currently pursuing his MPA, specializing in Social Impact and Investment. At NewDay he analyzes and designs social impact portfolios and recently helped design a Diversity and Inclusion portfolio as part of the push for racial economic equality. This portfolio provides low cost entry to the capital market and additionally signals to firms the advantages of inclusive policies and practices. Prior to this, he worked at Pike Telecom as project manager and led the development of a financial and data analytics application. He holds a B.Eng and loves calligraphy.
Sergio Bazoberry
Sergio is a second-year MBA student at NYU Stern, specializing in Finance and FinTech. Prior to Stern, he worked as a Consulting Manager within Accenture’s Payments Practice and helped financial institutions undergo their digital transformation. Additionally, he worked at a family-owned FinTech startup where he sought to reduce the cost of international money transfers by digitizing the value chain. In the summer of 2020, he was an investment banking Summer Associate in the Financial Institutions Group at Houlihan Lokey. He earned his BS in Biology and Mathematics from Boston College.
Javier Cervantes
Javier is a second-year MBA student at NYU Stern, specializing in Corporate Finance and Sustainable Business and Innovation. Prior to Stern, Javier worked at leading asset management, investment banking, and private equity firms in Latin America. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering focusing on green chemistry and has collaborated with Ashoka and other NGOs to provide financial advisory to social entrepreneurs in the environmental and financial inclusion spaces. He spent his summer at Artisan Partners as part of the Sustainable Emerging Markets investment team.
Sharron Chang
Sharron Chang is a second-year MBA student at NYU Stern specializing in Finance, Strategy, and Entrepreneurship. Prior to Stern, she spent eight years at the Vanguard Group Inc. as a fixed income trader managing active Treasury mutual funds and trading interest rate derivatives products. Sharron interned in management and risk consulting within the Financial Advisory group at PricewaterhouseCoopers during the summer of 2020. Sharron is passionate about making investment decisions that focus on long-term value generation. She holds a BS in Finance and a minor in Sociology from Rutgers University. Sharron is also a CFA charter holder.
Chaoer Chen
Chaoer is a second-year MPA student at NYU Wagner specializing in Financial Management and Public Finance. She grew up in Shanghai and holds a BA in Translation and Interpreting from Shanghai International Studies University. Prior to NYU, she interned at Harvard Center Shanghai, part of Harvard Business School’s Global Initiative, where she did research for HBS cases focusing on different industries, including finance, agriculture, manufacturing, education, and urban planning. Chaoer is passionate about development finance and the role of international organizations to generate sustainable impact.
Ligia Deschamps
Ligia is a second-year MBA student at NYU Stern, specializing in Finance and Sustainable Business & Innovation. Prior to pursuing her MBA, Ligia co-founded Trade Social, an impact advisory start-up, and ONG RISO, a nonprofit focused on early childhood development. During the Summer of 2020, Ligia was a Summer Intern at Small Enterprise Assistance Funds (SEAF) and was selected for the SIIF Fellowship. She is a member of the boards of the Social Impact and Sustainability Association (SISA), Latin American Business Association (LABA), and Stern Women in Business (SWIB). Ligia holds a B.A. in Business Administration and Marketing from Escola Superior de Propaganda e Marketing in Rio de Janeiro.
Yipeng Dong
Yipeng Dong is a second-year MPA student at NYU Wagner specializing in Social Innovation, Impact, and Investment. She is an Impact Investment Associate at 17 Asset Management, an impact investing firm that builds bridges between financial assets and investable impact opportunities to advance the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Yipeng serves as the Vice Chair at Wagner International Student Society (WISS) and holds a B.S. in Finance from the University of Delaware. She is passionate about economic development, gender equity, and animal welfare.
Chad Eatinger
Chad is a second-year MBA candidate at Stern specializing in Finance and Entrepreneurship. Prior to pursuing his MBA, he worked in FP&A at Facebook and most recently at Hotwire.com, an Expedia portfolio company, as a Finance Manager. During the summer of 2020, he was an investment banking Summer Associate at Guggenheim Partners LLC. He earned his B.A. in Economics from the University of California, Davis, and is a licensed Certified Public Accountant in the state of California
Asher Eddy
Asher is a second-year MBA student at NYU Stern, specializing in Finance and Accounting. Prior to Stern, he worked as a Senior Capital Markets Analyst at IHS Markit. In addition, he served as a Finance Officer in the United States Army. In the summer of 2020, he was an investment banking Summer Associate in the Mergers & Acquisitions group at Credit Suisse. He earned his BS in Brand Management and Marketing from North Carolina State University. Asher is originally from St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands.
Ruirui Gu
Ruirui is a second year MPA student at NYU Wagner, specializing in International Policy & Management. Previously, she was a business development director in Xiaoyongge Education, based in Beijing, China. Prior to studying at NYU, she focused on teaching and organizing Chinese teenagers to take part in public benefit programs. Ruirui also spent almost 1 year in Kenya, Tanzania and South Africa for field research and volunteer programs. In the summer of 2020, Ruirui interned at China-Africa Business Council as a researcher focusing on analyzing Chinese investment in Africa. She holds a BS in educational technology from Beijing Normal University.
Robert Gosselin
Rob is a second-year MBA student at NYU Stern, specializing in Financial Instruments & Markets, Banking and Strategy. He earned a BS, summa cum laude, from Rutgers University - Rutgers Business School, where he studied Finance and Economics. Prior to pursuing his MBA, Rob worked in Asset Management for over six years, in Finance and Strategy roles within J.P. Morgan’s Private Bank and BlackRock’s Latin American and US-based Retail businesses. He has also been involved in various political and public policy organizations. In the summer of 2020, Rob was an investment banking Summer Associate within the TMT group at UBS.
Kai Yoke Ho
Kai is a second-year MPA student at NYU Wagner specializing in Social Impact, Innovation and Investment. She was born and raised in Singapore, where she worked extensively with low-income families as a social worker for eight years. Thereafter, she joined a web programming bootcamp to attain technological skills to create innovative solutions for furthering poverty alleviation. At Wagner, she served as a first-year representative for the Social Innovation and Investment Alliance and is now a board member of the Wagner International Student Society. Kai also recently worked as a summer intern with Arnie, an impact investing start-up based in San Francisco.
_e.jpg)
Rachel Itwaru
Rachel Itwaru is a second-year MBA student at NYU Stern specializing in Sustainable Business and Innovation. She graduated from Harvard with a degree in Anthropology, where she interned at Goldman Sachs and The Clinton Foundation. She spent seven years in impact-focused operations roles at technology companies in San Francisco before moving home to New Jersey. Rachel is currently a Grants Operations Manager on the Salesforce.com Global Philanthropy team, which funds organizations that address equity gaps for underserved communities. She previously served on the Young Executive Board for iMentor and was selected for the 2020 cohort of Emerging Leaders for the Technology Association of Grantmakers (TAG).
Divya Jethwani
Deal Team Leader
Divya Jethwani is a second-year MPA student at NYU Wagner, specializing in Social Impact, Innovation and Investment. She was born and raised in Dubai and holds a B.A. in Psychology and Journalism with minors in Business of Entertainment and Public Policy from New York University. Prior to NYU Wagner, Divya worked in Market Research and Brand Strategy at BerlandTeam. During Summer 2020, Divya was a management consulting Summer Associate within the Public Sector Services group at Alvarez & Marsal. She currently serves as President of the Wagner Student Body and previously served as Events Director for the Social Innovation and Investment Alliance. Divya is passionate about empowering entrepreneurs and creatives of color through investment, and was a professional ballerina.
Erin Kim
Deal Team Leader
Erin Kim is a second-year MBA student at NYU Stern, specializing in Strategy, Finance, and Entertainment, Media & Technology. She is Co-Chair of Stern Student Government’s Diversity Committee. This past summer she was a management consulting Summer Associate at Kearney. Prior to Stern, Erin served as a pro bono attorney at The Legal Aid Society’s Immigration Law Unit and made short films. She began her career at a startup, a digital brand agency, where she served as both a creative lead and in-house legal counsel. She earned her JD from NYU School of Law and her BA from Stanford University.
Stephanie Leistner
Stephanie is second-year MBA student at NYU Stern, specializing in Finance and Sustainable Business & Innovation. Prior to Stern, Stephanie worked at KPMG in the Deal Advisory & Strategy practice in Chicago and Frankfurt. As a Manager in the Financial Due Diligence group, she advised corporate and PE clients in buy- and sell-side M&A processes. She was also involved as an Associate Board member for non-profit, Big Green Chicago. In the summer of 2020, she was an investment banking Summer Associate at Evercore. Stephanie is a CFA charterholder and holds a MSc in Finance from the University of St Andrews.
Ketriel Mendy
Ketriel is a second-year MBA student at NYU Stern, specializing in Finance and Entrepreneurship & Innovation. Prior to Stern, he worked as a Senior Business Analyst at Chewy.com. In Addition, he served in the United States Navy as a Surface Warfare Officer across the Pacific. As a first-generation immigrant, Ketriel is President of the Stern in Africa club. In the summer of 2020, Ketriel worked in the Product Strategy and Merchandising group at Allbirds. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics from Tulane University. Ketriel is passionate about aligning a company’s economic engine with its ability to drive long-term, sustainable change.
Jessie Miller
Deal Team Leader
Jessie Miller is a second-year MPA student at NYU Wagner specializing in Social Impact, Innovation, and Investment and serves as president of Wagner Philanthropy. This past spring and summer, Jessie interned at the WES Mariam Assefa Fund, an innovative philanthropy seeking to decrease economic barriers for immigrants and refugees. Prior to attending graduate school, Jessie worked in grant-making and fundraising roles at UJA-Federation of New York. She also served as an AmeriCorps fellow at LIFT, an anti-poverty organization in the South Bronx. Jessie holds a B.A. in Politics, International and Global Studies, and Economics from Brandeis University.
Julia Maloney
Julia is a second-year MPA student at NYU Wagner, specializing in Social Impact, Innovation, and Investment. Prior to pursuing her MPA, she worked as a consultant at health technology company Premier Inc., and later as the Site Director at education equity non-profit UrbanPromise Charlotte. In the spring of 2020, Julia became a Fellow at Intentional Endowments Network, an organization focused on supporting endowments in mission-aligned investing. She serves as Co-Chair of the Social Innovation and Investment Alliance (SIIA) and holds a B.A. in Global Studies and Spanish from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Andrew Schons
Andrew is an MPA candidate at NYU Wagner specializing in Financial Management and Public Finance. Andrew worked for the United Nations Secretariat in New York, conducting high-level research on global employment conditions of UN staff and UN Common System policies. Originally from Minnesota, Andrew also served as Vice President and board member of the United Nations Association of Minnesota, and worked in state government as well as trade and business development. Andrew earned his MSc in Political Science from Uppsala University, Sweden, and holds a BS in Ethnic Studies from Minnesota State University, Mankato. He currently works at NYU in finance and is passionate about ESG investing, international trade, and economic development.
Tom Nagy
Deal Team Leader
Tom is a second-year MBA student at NYU Stern specializing in Strategy and Finance. Tom serves as a Vice President Financial Consultant with Charles Schwab & Co. Prior to moving to New York City to pursue his MBA, he was an honoree of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s “Finest” young professionals program in Washington, DC where he promoted awareness of and fundraised for the fight against cystic fibrosis. As a Certified Financial Planner, Tom has a passion for financial inclusion and serves as a mentor for other aspiring financial planners. Tom earned his Bachelor of Science in Sport Management from Rutgers University.
Lizzie Naylor
Lizzie is a second-year MBA student at NYU Stern, specializing in Finance and Sustainable Business & Innovation. She holds a BA in Political Science and Medicine, Health and Society from Vanderbilt University. Lizzie has broad expertise in public policy and advocacy, particularly in the health care sector. Prior to pursuing her MBA, she worked in government affairs and communications at the Glover Park Group (GPG) in Washington, DC. During the summer of 2020, Lizzie interned with Mastercard as a Finance Summer Associate on their North American Deal Management team.
Ashley Otto
Ashley is an NYU Wagner MPA student specializing in Social Impact, Innovation, and Investment. She has worked in volunteer management for over a decade working with vulnerable populations including refugees, asylees, hospital patients, foster youth, and homeless youth. She is the current Director of Volunteer Services at Fortune Society, a nonprofit providing services to the previously incarcerated. Last year Ashley served on the Wagner Student Association Executive Board as Treasurer. Before moving to Brooklyn five years ago, she received a B.A. in History at University of Buffalo and served two years in AmeriCorps.
Kyle Roland
Deal Team Leader
Kyle Roland is an MPA-MA dual degree candidate at NYU Wagner and NYU Skirball. Previously, Kyle led operations at ROCKERY, a SF Bay Area start-up innovating the on-demand delivery industry for heavy construction materials. Before that, Kyle led sales at PlayHard GiveBack, a social venture that offers athletes a platform to use their influence for positive social change. Before that, Kyle was a seed-stage employee at Cargomatic, one of the first "Uber for Trucking" model companies. Kyle holds a bachelor’s degree from Pitzer College of the Claremont Colleges in International Political Economy.
Olivia Thompson
Olivia Thompson is a second year MPA student at NYU Wagner specializing in Social Impact, Innovation, and Investment. Previously, she worked as an Associate in Huron Consulting Group’s Higher Education practice, focused on improving enterprise systems and financial management for universities. Prior to Huron, she worked for an education nonprofit in Zambia through Princeton in Africa. This past summer, Olivia was selected as a Fellow at Acceso, an agricultural social enterprise that establishes formal market connections for smallholder farmers in Haiti, Colombia, and El Salvador. She serves as the Co-Chair of the Social Innovation & Investment Alliance (SIIA) at NYU and holds a B.A. in Public Policy from the University of Michigan.
Kayla Tyrrell
Kayla is an MPA candidate at NYU Wagner, specializing in Social Impact, Innovation, and Investment. She currently works in the public sector at NEO Philanthropy, a funding intermediary between funders and social justice movements. As a portfolio coordinator Kayla provides grant management, operational, and financial support to a portfolio of organizations. She is passionate about helping organizations create more equitable business practices. Kayla holds a B.A in Cognitive Science from Brown University.
Mark Tyson
Mark is a second-year MBA candidate at NYU Stern specializing in Finance and FinTech. Prior to Stern he spent 5 years working as a marketer for American Express’ Global Commercial Services with a focus on small business card products. He holds a BA in International Relations with a concentration in International Finance from Tufts University and spent the summer of 2020 as an investment banking Summer Associate for Bank of America’s Financial Institutions Group. Mark is a native of the San Francisco Bay Area and a CFA Level III Candidate.
Lily Warnke
Lily is a second-year MBA student specializing in Human Rights, Social Enterprise, and Sustainable Business. Prior to Stern, Lily developed corporate social responsibility and sustainability strategies for a diverse range of clients as an Account Supervisor at Edelman. She has previous experience in foundations and nonprofits, including the Council on Foreign Relations and the Clinton Global Initiative. While at Stern, Lily worked as a summer Human Rights Fellow at Microsoft and PepsiCo, where she developed global human rights policies and contributed to due diligence and impact assessments. She received her BA in Anthropology and Political Science from Haverford College.
Camilla Zard
Camilla is an MPA student at NYU Wagner specializing in Social Impact, Innovation and Investment. She obtained her B.A. in Communications and International Affairs at Northeastern University. Throughout her undergraduate education, she gained real world experience in various countries and within different sectors. She lived in South Africa working for the Cape Town City Government on environmental resource management. In Paris, she worked to increase client engagement at a home-sharing start-up, and later interned at Nespresso’s Marketing Department in New York. Before starting her MPA, she worked at Environment America as a policy intern in Boston. This summer she interned at Endeavor, a worldwide non-profit organization whose mission is to support and scale high-impact SMEs in developing economies.