Mahesh Kondiparthi, MBA

Mahesh Kondiparthi has a decade of experience in consumer electronics and automotive industries. He worked as a Product/Program Manager for leading corporations and clients with global presence and diverse customer base. Some of his clients were BMW, General Motors and Samsung Electronics. He earned his MBA and MSDT from Boston University with Marketing, Strategy & Entrepreneurship concentrations. He also worked as a Program manager for BU edX for over a year. He published 25 documents in industry and academia, including patents, journals and conference proceedings.

Mahesh is a YouTuber, and spends his free time making short films.

Erica Hansen is an alumna of the MS-MBA program at Boston University, class of 2012. Since graduating, Erica has facilitated knowledge groups of technology executives from cross-industry corporations at Intellectual Capital Exchange, was Adjunct Faculty and facilitator for an online MS in Information and Knowledge Strategy program at Columbia University, and worked at Liberty Mutual and Lincoln Financial Groups. In 2019, Erica started her own business, Life Integrated Coaching, and recently launched a podcast, Defining You. She is a published author in the area of facilitation and performance coaching and speaks at organizations in the areas of team dynamics, collaborating in virtual environments, and purpose. Her prior career before attending grad school was in the classical music industry.

Currently living and working from Traverse City, Michigan, Erica holds an M.S. in Information Systems and an MBA in Marketing, both from Boston University. She is Green Belt certified in Six Sigma and a SAFe Agilist, along with being a certified Masters Practitioner in Performance Coaching and an Emergenetics Associate.

Aanchal Singh, MBA

Aanchal has a decade of experience in IT and high tech with a background in computer engineering and program management driving global programs to support strategic and operational initiatives. She earned her MBA at Boston University’s Questrom School of Business in 2017 and enjoyed working in the entrepreneurial sector during her tenure as a student.

In her most recent job, Aanchal worked in conversational Artificial Intelligence (AI), overseeing international country launches of Natural Language Understanding (NLU) machine learning models in Canada and UK.

This year she launched a company with her husband and does projects for socially minded startups in her personal time. Aanchal is a distance runner, reads every day and likes change. She grew up near New Delhi, India and hopes to sell sourdough breads for a living one day.

Stephen Priscella, MBA Stephen Priscella received his bachelors degree from Boston University, having earned an athletic scholarship to play basketball for the Terriers. He began his professional career in the consumer products industry as a sales & marketing representative, working for athletic footwear giants Converse Inc. and Reebok International.   Stephen enjoyed working closely with buyers, helping them understand key marketing plans. Interested in product development, he managed end-to-end development processes, working cross-functionally to ensure budget limits and deadlines were met.  He worked with design teams in establishing product specifications.

He received his MBA from New Hampshire College (Southern N.H. University) in Manchester and began his higher education career as an adjunct instructor at Johnson and Wales University in Providence, R.I.  teaching marketing in the College of Business and Macro and Microeconomics in the College of Social Sciences.  Asked to become involved in online education, Stephen designed a Blackboard curriculum specifically for online economics that was later introduced to the five JWU satellite campuses.  Stephen was also a full-time visiting lecturer in the Economics department for four years.

Stephen resides in Bellingham, Ma. with his wife and their two children.

Jeff LeBlanc, MBA

Jeff LeBlanc was born and raised in a business environment. Originally from the Boston area, Jeff’s family owns and operates an automotive company in Massachusetts. Being raised in this environment exposed him to all aspects of the business world. At age 14, Jeff began working in Customer Service and over the years he took on various roles throughout the organization. Before beginning his career in higher education, he served in various internships across different business disciplines to gain a better understanding of diverse industries.  Jeff holds a BA in Communications and Political Science as well as an MBA. He is additionally a candidate for his doctorate in business leadership.

Jeff has taught and advised at a variety of higher education institutions, instructing both undergraduate and graduate students. Jeff uses interactive education tools to connect the material to the real world. His research interests include generational leadership, small business management, and leadership qualities

Shahzad Khokar, MS 

Shahzad runs a niche Salesforce and RPA consulting practice and is also the inventor of KloudSign for which he was recognized on class day as the recipient of the Columbia University Innovation Scholarship Award. He started his career as a software developer and made quick progress to become the youngest Director at his consulting company, Fusion Technologies. He founded the offshore operations for Fusion which was subsequently acquired by the Boston based software company, EnterpriseDB. Shahad served as the Global VP of Customer Service at this company before starting his own consulting practice.

Shahzad has previously served as adjunct faculty at Middlesex County College teaching computer science, was visiting faculty at the Leads program at Wharton, and also a Facilitator for the Knowledge Management course at Columbia graduate school. Shahzad has an M.S. in Information and Knowledge Strategy from Columbia University, is a musician, a volunteer, and a technology entrepreneur

David Carrey, MS

David Carrey has over twelve years of relevant experience in partnership building and business development, project management, international relations, education, and technology and has worked in over 7 countries, including the USA, Central African Republic, Egypt, Gambia, Italy, Colombia, the United Kingdom, and Yemen.

He has managed complex international projects including a USAID funded higher-education capacity-building project in Cairo and held roles including as a partnerships and data analytics lead for a philanthropic research consultancy in New York to drive the organization’s focus on global philanthropy and CSR. In addition to acting as a proponent and thought leader on global philanthropy in the organization, he managed an array of relationships and networks including the SDGfunders project for which he was lead project manager. He also managed key partnerships in Asia, Europe, and Africa, one of which involved working with Nigerian partners on the ground to develop the Philanthropy Nigeria portal. David also led efforts to develop a global network of CSR consultancies around the world to support large corporates’ corporate social responsibility and innovation efforts with regional and local contexts in mind.

David has an M.S. in Information and Knowledge Strategy from Columbia University where he went on to serve as a learning facilitator at Columbia University’s graduate school for courses in Business Analytics Management and Visualization of Data and Information.

Andrew Gold, MBA 

Andrew Gold is a serial entrepreneur, business consultant, and real estate investor with a strong passion for education and learning. Andrew founded a mathematics tutoring business during his undergraduate studies while simultaneously launching a real estate investment firm that identified, acquired, refurbished, and resold undervalued residential properties in Connecticut. After moving to Boston in 2012, Andrew formed a non-profit organization focused on a burgeoning healthcare sector and was instrumental in developing the mission, vision, and long-term strategy for the organization as well as recruiting a qualified Board of Directors, building organizational corporate governance, and corporate strategy.

Having raised capital through different economic cycles, balanced competing interests across multiple stakeholders, experienced the emotional spectrum associated with success, but more importantly, failure, his personal and professional journey has shaped and revealed a number of attributes that align well with the goals of the OMBA program. A determination for achievement. Empathy for people from unique backgrounds. An unflappable demeanor under duress. A passion for finding creative solutions to seemingly intractable problems.

Andrew holds an undergraduate degree in mathematics from Drew University and completed the Part-Time MBA program at Questrom with a focus in Leadership and Organizational Behavior at a full-time pace.

Dr. Edward Martin, MBA, CFP

Dr. Edward Martin has sampled the smorgasbord of professional activities – and believes that diversity has become a real strength.

During his career, he has managed investment advisors for a Wall Street bank and a major insurance company – guiding them to address the needs of clients for retirement and estate planning. Ed became a Certified Financial Planner^™ nearly 30 years ago – long before the designation was popular. For seven years, he owned and operated four GNC locations and one IHOP franchise across three states. With the success of his franchise businesses, Ed decided to use this experience to help small business owners to maximize their growth potential and profits by opening Street Smart Consulting, Inc., where he provides struggling business owners with results-focused solutions. He specializes in all facets of business development, including management, sales, finance, marketing, and customer service.

Circling back to his roots, Ed co-founded Eagle Eye Financial Services L.L.C. to provide long-term oversight of their clients’ financial goals and assets. And with a life-long passion for losing money at the racetrack, he has owned thoroughbred horses for the past two decades.

Along with earning the Certified Financial Planner^™ designation, a bachelor’s in finance, and M.B.A. in global business management, Ed has recently completed his doctorate in clinical nutrition, allowing him to provide nutritional advice “you can really stick to.”

Besides feeding numerous horses, Dr. Martin has three teenage children that are either already in college or are soon to enter, so he doesn’t see himself retiring any time soon!

Kim Richards,

Kim Richards (she/her/hers) brings relevant industry experience in healthcare administration, quality and risk management, people leadership, and change management in both military and civilian healthcare settings and in higher education.  She has been a registered nurse for over 30 years and an educator in graduate programs for the past decade.  Kim earned her Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) in Nursing Administration at Samford University; she holds an MBA in Healthcare Management and a BS in Health Informatics from Western Governors University. She is a certified nurse educator and an active member of Sigma Theta Tau International and the American Nurses Association.  Before coming to BU, she managed a diverse team of faculty covering online graduate courses in organizational leadership, evidence-based innovation, informatics, and global health.

Kim is a life-long learner and first-generation graduate who is very passionate about facilitating great learning experiences. Both in and away from work, she is a vocal proponent for personal health and wellness strategies, brain-based learning, and mindfulness meditation. Kim is a wife and mother of a large family and enjoys music, yoga, and gardening.

Stephanie Huang, MBA

Stephanie Huang is a Learning Facilitator of the Online MBA program at the Questrom School of Business. She has over ten years of experience in sales & marketing, business development, customer relationship and project management in the technology industry in China. In her previous career, Steph served as a project manager with extensive experience in implementing data processing solutions.

Steph earned her MBA degree from Boston University with a strategy concentration and she’s a member of Questrom’s Social Impact community. She actively participated in the Questrom Mentorship Program to advise undergraduate and graduate students and provided consulting services to help with digital marketing transformation for nonprofit organizations in the Boston area during her time as a student at Boston University. She’s also an award winner of BU Women’s Council and the recipient of Dean’s Scholarship of Questrom School of Business.

Steph is passionate about leveraging her relevant experience and genuine insights for the success of the OMBA program and looks forward to supporting and improving the learning experience for the students to achieve success in this innovative program.

She is a first-generation college graduate and a proud mother of a fourteen-year-old girl.

Dr. Courtney Jane, 

Dr. Courtney Jane holds a Doctorate in Business Administration from Argosy University (highest honors) a Master’s in Business Administration from Dartmouth College, and a Master’s in Education (Instructional Design) from Western Governor’s University.  She earned her undergraduate degree from the University of California, San Diego with a double major in Economics and Political Science (cum laude).

Career:  Over her 20-year career in the business world her trajectory included positions at: The United States Treasury Department as an Economist; The Walt Disney Company as a Marketing Manager; Young & Rubicam Advertising as an Account Manager; Owner of a real estate finance and asset management company.

Academia:  Dr. Jane transitioned to academic 10 years ago and has worked at a plethora of domestic and international universities in roles including: Professor; Instructional Designer; Subject Matter Expert; Curriculum and Course Design; and Strategy Consultant.  As a mother of two, Dr. Jane sees the role of mother the same as that of a teacher, to nurture and support those she guides to success.

Branka Tomic, MS 

Branka Tomic is Learning Facilitator in the Online MBA program (OMBA) at the Questrom School of Business. She has over 15 years of relevant experience in business (marketing, sales, customer relations), education & technology.  Branka graduated from the Belgrade Business School and holds a Master of Science in Leadership and Administration from Boston College.  Immediately prior to joining OMBA Branka served as a facilitator at Boston University’s Metropolitan College where she facilitated online graduate courses in Quantitative & Qualitative Decision Making, Introduction to E-Commerce and International Business, Economics and Cultures.

In her career, Branka received several business awards and she is most proud of the Special Project Award for PR and Web Site Implementation that she received for leading the team that developed the best new web site launched among 25 different countries for AVON cosmetics company in 2004.

Branka has lived in many countries and cities, on 3 continents. She was born and raised in Africa, spent most of her life in Europe and now lives in the USA (Boston). Branka is native in Serbian (ex-YU languages: Bosnian, Croatian, Montenegrin, Macedonian), fluent in English, speaks French, knows some basic Luxembourgish and can still read and write in Arabic.

She volunteers whenever she can to help either awesome projects or people and animals in need. She has no pet (yet), has a husband and two children.

Branka will be facilitating in MOD 2 at OMBA and looks forward to leveraging her considerable experience in business, as online student, and online facilitator to guide and support the students in this truly innovative MBA program.

Meg Kenney, Ed.D.

As the Director of Student Success for the Online MBA Program, Meg Kenney (she/her) leads the team of Student Success Specialists in holistically supporting all the OMBA students. With over 12 years of experience in higher education, Meg holds a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Johnson & Wales University. She earned her B.A. in Psychology and Religious Studies at the College of the Holy Cross and her M.S. in Counseling and College Student Development from Central Connecticut State University. Meg originally joined the Questrom community as an Assistant Director of Academic Advising in the Undergraduate Development Center, and prior to that, worked at institutions around greater Boston supporting student success through engagement, involvement, and advising. Outside of work, you can find Meg spending time with family and friends, enjoying weekends on Cape Cod, and keeping up with the latest in pop culture.

Amanda Alfano, M.S.

Amanda Alfano (she/her/hers) is passionate about student success, international education and graduate studies. She received both her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and Sociology from the University of Rhode Island as well as her Master of Science in Human Development and Family Studies with a concentration in College Student Personnel. She has been working in higher education for over six years, with diverse experience in academic and student success advising, program development, event management, financial aid, billing and registration, education abroad and international education. Amanda understands what it is like to be an adult learner, as she had an eight-year gap between her undergraduate and graduate studies and is here to support you on your journey! For fun, Amanda loves to travel to new places and countries, collects Minnie Mouse ears, creates themed trivia and takes her Hogwarts house very seriously.