Robin Washington // Guest Speaker
Robin L. Washington is currently a member of the Board of Directors of Alphabet Inc., Honeywell International, and Salesforce. She serves as chair of the leadership development, inclusion, and compensation committee for Alphabet, and lead independent director for Salesforce. She is also a catalyst advisor with venture firm, General Catalyst, focused on their health assurance thesis to create meaningful outcomes for GC’s healthcare portfolio companies and communities they serve. She is also a member of the President’s Council and Ross School of Business Advisory Board, a trustee of the Financial Accounting Foundation, member of the Board of Directors of UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland, and the Mastercard Foundation.
Washington served as executive vice president and chief financial officer of Gilead Sciences, Inc. from May 2008 – November 2019 where she oversaw global finance, facilities and operations, investor relations, and the information technology organizations. Prior to Gilead, Washington was the chief financial officer of Hyperion Solutions, which was acquired by Oracle Corp. She also served as senior vice president and corporate controller of PeopleSoft, along with several other senior financial roles in the United States and Europe from 1996 – 2005. Prior to PeopleSoft, Washington was director of finance for Tandem Computers, an accounting analyst for the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, and a senior auditor for Deloitte & Touche.
Washington is a member of The Council on Foreign Relations and Executive Leadership Council. She is co-founder of Black Women on Boards and is passionately involved in several initiatives focused on the ascension of women and underrepresented minorities to the C-suite and boardroom. Washington is a certified public accountant and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Michigan and an MBA from Pepperdine University.
Student Speakers
Alexander Bower, BBA ‘24
Alexander Bower is from Grosse Pointe, Michigan. While at Michigan Ross, he served as a project manager with Nexecon Consulting Group, peer coach for the Ross Career Development Office, and intern at a consulting firm in Padova, Italy through Global Initiatives. In addition, he connects Michigan alumni investors and University of Michigan entrepreneurs with venture capital opportunities through the syndicate he co-founded. After graduation, he will join General Motors’ corporate development team in Detroit. Alexander is thankful for the friends and faculty that made Michigan special, and for his family for their continuous support.
Jessica Reid, MM ‘24
Jessica was born and raised in the U.K. and now lives in California. She earned her bachelor’s degree from The University of Manchester and an MSc in Digital Anthropology from University College London. Previously, she worked in marketing, data analytics, and as a tour guide in London. While at Michigan Ross, Jess was operations manager for the Yaffe Digital Media Initiative and enjoyed attending football games and teaching her friends British slang. She is grateful to her parents, brother, and friends for their unwavering support, and to the Ross community for teaching her what it means to be a Michigan Wolverine.
Johnathan Brown, MBA ‘24
A Virginia native, Johnathan (John) Brown served in the U.S.Marine Corps while pursuing a degree in broadcast journalism from Virginia Commonwealth University. His diverse military experience includes roles advocating for artificial intelligence/machine learning integration into Marine Corps maintenance operations. At Michigan Ross, he held positions as a section president and executive producer for the Business Beyond Usual podcast while fulfilling Marine Corps Reserve responsibilities. Outside of professional and academic commitments, John enjoys sharing his passions for cooking, baking, and photography with his family, friends, and MBA peers.
Student award recipients are selected by their graduating peers for being exemplary role models who display continuous dedication to the Ross School of Business.
The Frank S. Moran Distinguished Leadership Awards are presented to two graduating students who have made outstanding contributions to improve the business school experience for students, staff, and faculty, and have been active in all aspects of the Michigan Ross community. One award is given to a student in a graduate program, and another award is given to a BBA student. Both are supported by a special endowment honoring Frank Sullivan Moran. Frank Moran was not just a successful business leader; he also was a philosopher and educator who cared deeply about helping people.
Nicole Lopez, BBA ‘24
Undergraduate Frank S. Moran Leadership Award
Reflecting on her time at Ross, Nicole is immensely grateful for the relationships she's built with students and faculty through her involvement in the Latino Association, BBA Ambassadors, Business+Tech, Career Development Office, First Generation Network, and DSP Business Fraternity. Her enthusiasm for investing in others and passion for making opportunities accessible has deeply enriched the culture of inclusivity throughout Ross. As she joins McKinsey & Co., she carries with her a profound appreciation for the entire Ross community.
Andrea Gutierrez Marty, MBA ‘24
Graduate Frank S. Moran Leadership Award
Andrea was born and raised in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico and earned a Bachelor of Science in Management from MIT. Prior to Ross, she held roles in sales planning and strategy at Constellation Brands and product management at a startup. At Ross, she has served as Section 5 academic chair, co-president of the Michigan Marketing Club, VP of advocacy and awareness for First at Ross, VP of allyship for Black Business Student Association, consortium liaison, and marketing peer coach. Upon graduation, Andrea will be pursuing a brand management role at PepsiCo, Frito Lay in Dallas, Texas.
The Ross Global Citizenship Community Service Awards are presented annually to graduating students who have made exemplary contributions to their community – both at Michigan Ross and beyond. Each award recipient designates the charity of their choice to which the award stipend will be donated. Conceived in 1998 by students of the Ross Global Citizenship Club, this award is supported by an endowment created through gifts from club members, students, faculty, staff, and alumni.
Nusayba Siddiqi, BBA ‘24
Undergraduate Global Citizenship Community Service Award
Nusayba is graduating with a Bachelor of Business Administration with a focus on international marketing and strategy. Through her deep passion for travel and exploration, Nusayba hopes to inspire and empower others to find adventure in their every day - whether on campus, or around the world. Nusayba has chosen The Family and Youth Institute as her designated charity.
Robin F. Baker MBA ‘24
Graduate Global Citizenship Community Service Award
Robin earned her bachelor’s degree in kinesiology from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and her master’s in occupational therapy from Howard University. Prior to Ross, she practiced as a licensed occupational therapist and established a rehabilitation center in Ghana. While at Ross, Robin served as Section One president, VP of prospective students for First at Ross, and participated in multiple community programs through the Detroit Initiative at Ross. Upon graduation, Robin will join DaVita's Leadership Development Program in Detroit, MI. Robin has chosen Community Treehouse Center Detroit as her designated charity.
The Michigan Ross Outstanding Leadership Awards recognize graduating students who have made impactful contributions and demonstrated outstanding achievement within the Master of Management, Master of Supply Chain Management, Master of Accounting, Global MBA, Evening MBA, or Weekend MBA programs. The Sanger Leadership Center is the first sponsor of this award. Sanger's mission is to build a more connected, creative, and prosperous world, one leader at a time.
Marlene Alderete Romo, MSCM ‘24
Michigan Ross Outstanding Leadership Award
Born and raised in Leon, Mexico, Marlene holds a bachelor's degree in international business and global logistics from Universidad Iberoamericana. She has previous experience as an export manager in the footwear industry. While a Wolverine at Ross, she served as the alumni and corporate relations chair for the MSCM cohort and participated in the Michigan Ross Leader Endorsement Program. Marlene cherishes the unconditional support of her family, especially her mom's, newfound friendships in Michigan, and guidance from Rossmentors.
Terence Hui, WMBA ‘24
Michigan Ross Outstanding Leadership Award
Terence Hui served as the Ross Weekend MBA student council co-president alongside his peer Vinita Choradia. The two of them worked to create a supportive, fun, and positive community for their peers. Terence appreciates the support he received from faculty and staff, especially Diane Griffith and Lizette Korn.
Jason Kovacs, OMBA ‘24
Michigan Ross Outstanding Leadership Award
Jason Kovacs is a graduating Online MBA hailing from West Bloomfield, Michigan. While at Michigan Ross, Jason served as the student body president of the Online MBA Program, collaborating with faculty, staff, and fellow students to build a strong culture of inclusivity for Wolverines pursuing their MBA across the globe. Jason previously earned his bachelor’s degree in Performing Arts Management at the University of Michigan's School of Music, Theater & Dance and currently works out of Los Angeles, California as the head of Theater for Fever.
Mason Marxkors, MAcc ‘24
Michigan Ross Outstanding Leadership Award
Throughout his experience at Ross during the BBA and MAcc programs, Mason has developed an appreciation for both the theoretical and practical applications of accounting. Mason was proud to help create a sense of community while serving as co-VP of the MAcc Student Association. He can't wait to apply everything he's learned here in his new role with Ernst & Young.
Samuel Nilsson, MM ‘24
Michigan Ross Outstanding Leadership Award
Sam is a graduating Master of Management student from Fairfield, Connecticut. In his time at Ross, he served as the MM co-social chair and hopes to work at a hedge fund after graduation.
Napat Thamsirisup, GMBA ‘24
Michigan Ross Outstanding Leadership Award
Napat, class president of Global MBA 2024, has extensive experience in investment and strategies with roles in corporate venture capital and financial advisory. He manages venture capital funds and helps startup founders across Thailand and Southeast Asia.
William Yu, MBAn ‘24
Michigan Ross Outstanding Leadership Award
William is a graduate of the Master of Business Analytics Program. Previously, he graduated from Indiana University and worked as a risk analyst at TikTok. Passionate about data-driven decision making, William also enjoys financial trading, cycling, and competing in triathlons in his free time.
The Neary Teaching Excellence Awards are selected by the student body in recognition of outstanding contributions to their academic learning experience at the Ross School of Business. The stipends that accompany the awards have been made possible by the generosity of the late Robert D. Neary, BBA '55, and his wife, Janet E. Neary, AB '54. Mr. Neary’s career spanned 38 years with Ernst & Young, and both he and Mrs. Nearyremained involved with the University of Michigan after their graduations. The Nearys’ support of these awards affirmed their belief that teaching excellence is largely “the ability to make the pursuit of knowledge an exciting endeavor…the kind of excitement that is contagious and long-lasting.”