The primary mission of the Board of Advisors in the School of Economics (BASE) is to assist the Chair in identifying and securing financial or other opportunities for the further development of the School of Economics, its faculty, students, and programs. In addition, the BASE acts as an advocacy group for the School within and among Georgia Tech and its various external constituencies, as well as a sounding board for the Chair on matters relevant to the articulation and direction of the School’s long-range strategies for academic excellence. Current members of our Board of Advisors, in alphabetical order, include:
Ayo Aladesanmi, ECON 2019
ayodeji.aladesanmi@gmail.com
Management & Budget Consulting (MBC) Analyst, PFM
Ayo Aladesanmi graduated with a B.S. in Economics from Georgia Tech in 2019, also completing a minor in Public Policy and a Certificate in Finance through the Scheller College of Business. While at Georgia Tech, Aladesanmi interned with the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, worked with the Georgia House Democratic Caucus, and served as SGA Executive Vice President for Georgia Tech’s undergraduate student body.
Currently, Aladesanmi is an analyst at PFM (Public Financial Management), a public finance firm based in Philadelphia. Aladesanmi works within the firm’s Management & Budget Consulting practice and primarily contributes to projects through PFM’s Center for Budget Equity and Innovation, also providing support for economics and tax strategy projects and PFM’s fiscal management and planning engagements. Within this work, Aladesanmi collaborates with PFM’s clients to provide strategic insight and quantitative analysis that promotes equity, efficiency, and effective governance in cities and communities across the United States.
Previously, Aladesanmi worked at the Atlanta Regional Commission, metro Atlanta’s regional planning & local government coordination agency, through the Lead For America fellowship program. In this role, he conducted economic research to inform urban/regional planning efforts for key issues in metro Atlanta, including housing policy, climate action, and health services delivery.
Aladesanmi holds an MPA and Master in Law from the University of Pennsylvania, where he focused his studies on urban policy, public management, and public law & governance. During graduate school, Aladesanmi interned with the U.S. Economic Development Administration and was a research consultant with Equitable Cities Consulting, a Philadelphia-based consulting practice focused on inclusive economic development.
In his spare time, you can find Aladesanmi buying (and hopefully reading) new books, exploring the city with friends, and checking out Pitchfork’s Best New Music reviews.
Rathi Bala Scudder, ECON 2011
rscudder66@gmail.com
Digital Product & E-commerce Strategy, Deluxe
Rathi Bala Scudder graduated from Georgia Tech with a B.S. in Economics in 2011. After Georgia Tech, she obtained an MBA from the Darden School at the University of Virginia. She has worked in a variety of companies, including PowerPlan, Inc. as a software implementation consultant, and for Anheuser-Busch as a manager in the Off-Premise and eCommerce Strategy group. She currently is in the digital product and e-commerce strategy group for Deluxe, a technology services company that helps deepen customer relationships through trusted, technology-enabled solutions.
She lives in Atlanta with her family!
Kendall Boykins, ECON 1997
kendall.boykins@att.net
Product Manager, Kroger Technology & Digital
Kendall Boykins graduated from Georgia Institute of Technology with a B.S. in Economics in 1997. While at Tech, he was active in the Georgia Tech Student Foundation Investment Club which was featured in the Wall Street Journal for managing what was then a $500,000 portfolio.
Currently, Boykins is a product manager for Kroger, a Fortune 500 company, providing leadership for Kroger's E-commerce Flash Sales digital platform. Kroger's Flash sales platform helps to reduce the amount of food waste, by providing consumers with access to discounted products when they order online. Prior to working with Kroger, Boykins worked in the technology industry as a product manager, providing leadership and problem-solving skills for the industries' problems, including Waste Sustainability, Fintech, Telecommunications, and Utilities.
Katherine Brune, ECON 2002
Katherine@worksproutpartners.com
Owner & Principal Consultant, WorkSprout
www.worksproutpartners.com
Katherine Wells Brune graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology with a B.S. in Economics in 2002. While at Tech, she was active in the Alpha Xi Delta sorority and FASET. She earned her M.S. in Human Resource Development from Georgia State University. Brune spent the first 17 years of her career in financial services, primarily at SunTrust (now Truist). She has held various positions in Human Resources and Commercial Banking, leaving in 2019 as senior vice president and director of employee well-being and benefits for the bank. She founded Worksprout in 2020, a boutique HR consultancy and coaching practice that helps companies and HR leaders focus on the human side of business. Brune has her SHRM-SCP certification and is a Certified Professional Coach. She has been a lecturer on career development for the School of Economics since 2021.
Brune grew up in Alpharetta and currently lives in Marietta with her husband Matt (CE 2000), daughter Hannah and son Mark. She spends her free time at her kids’ events, cooking and reading.
Stephanie Christensen, GEML 2014
stephanie.christensen@wbd.com
Project Manager, Finance, Warner Bros. Discovery
Stephanie Christensen graduated from Georgia Tech in 2014 with a B.S. in Global Economics and Modern Languages. After delving into two different engineering majors, she was shocked to come across a major that blended her love for languages with math and science without the technicalities of engineering. She loved applying the fundamentals of mathematics to real life applications in governments, investments, analyzing consumer behaviors, opportunity costs, and the foreign exchange market. In her Global Economics program, she began to understand the behind-the-scenes of the U.S. economy as well as the global economy.
Since graduating, she started her career at Turner (now Warner Bros. Discovery). She has been with Warner Bros. Discovery for almost 10 years now and is a project manager of finance for the Project Compass SAP S/4 Hanna system implementation for the company. She has gained experience in International Finance and Distribution Revenue Finance through her previous roles at the company, analyzing the impact of foreign exchange rate fluctuations on the company as well as consumer behavior in the media industry, such as the price elasticity of TV and streaming packages.
Christensen and her husband Mark have an almost two-year-old boy and baby girl on the way. They live on a farm with two horses, two cows, six chickens, five cows, and four cats about an hour north of Atlanta. She loves working out at Burn Boot Camp, spending time with her family on the farm, and spending time at the lake.
Charles E. Hodges II (Chuck) , M.S. ECON 2018
cehodges@jonesday.com
Partner, JONES DAY
Chuck Hodges is a partner with Jones Day, one of the 10 largest law firms in the United States, specializing in federal tax controversies and litigation. He combines his tax law background with his master's degree in economics to advise clients on transfer pricing issues and the global taxation of intellectual property. Hodges is an adjunct professor at the University of Florida School of Law where he teaches civil tax procedure. He is also a fellow of the American College of Tax Counsel and a fellow of the American College of Trusts & Estates Counsel (for tax controversies and litigation).
Sadat Karim, B.S. EIA 2012
sadatkarim@gmail.com
Digital Experience Adviser, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta
Sadat Karim received his Bachelor of Science in Economics and International Affairs in 2012. He is currently a digital experience adviser with the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. He has been with his current employer for over 10 years, starting as a strategic information research analyst, then senior data intelligence analyst, and senior marketing specialist before his current position. Prior to his employment with the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, he was a research assistant in the Aerospace Systems Design Laboratory, then the Center for International Strategy, Technology, and Policy at Georgia Tech.
Anik Khan, ECON 2013, BA-Finance 2013
anik@maxrewards.com
Co-Founder and CEO, MaxRewards
Anik Khan leads MaxRewards, a venture-backed technology startup with a mission to unlock financial potential. Khan has grown MaxRewards to over 500,000 registered users. Prior to MaxRewards, Khan was a consultant at Accenture’s Global Life Sciences Strategy practice. He earned his B.S. in Economics, a BSBA in Finance, and a Certificate in Personality and Social Psychology from Georgia Tech in 2013, where he graduated with highest honors.
Wendy Horton McLeod, INTA 1994, M.S. ECON 1996
wendy.h.mcleod@gmail.com
B.S. International Affairs 1994 & M.S. Economics 1996
Director, Sales Strategy & Insights at Cox Automotive
Wendy McLeod leads an analytics team at Cox Automotive that supports Sales by providing insights on product adoption and revenue. Prior to Cox Automotive, Wendy’s career spanned 20+ years in the telecommunications industry. After graduating from Georgia Tech in 1996, she worked at Sprint for six years then began working for Cox Communications in 2002. Her roles at Cox include support for technology, customer care, and product organizations through process improvement, program management, and analytics. She is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and a Six Sigma Black Belt.
McLeod is an active volunteer with Young Life and is a member of Northside Church. She lives in Vinings with her husband John (ECON 1989, M.S. ECON 1994) and their two children.
Alfie Meek, ECON 1991
alfie@gatech.edu
Director, Center for Economic Development Research at the Georgia Tech Enterprise Innovation Institute
Alfie Meek is the director of the Center for Economic Development Research at the Georgia Tech Enterprise Innovation Institute (EI²). He has more than 25 years of experience in economic/fiscal impact analysis and community-based research. Over the years, Meek has served the State of Georgia in various roles, including the technical advisory committee for the Georgia Rural Development Council and the Rural Research Consortium. Before joining EI², Meek served for nine years as the chief economist and director of economic development for the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners. In that role, he was integral in the development and implementation of Partnership Gwinnett, a community-wide strategic plan that was named the best multi-year economic development program for large communities by the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) in 2010.
Kali (Fox) Miller, ECON 2003
kalifoxmiller@gmail.com
Director of Regulatory Legal, Oportun
Kali Fox Miller received her B.S. in Economics in 2003. She is the director of regulatory legal at Oportun, a mission-driven, state-licensed, fintech lender that provides consumer loans and other financial products and services. She is responsible for providing legal advice and strategic leadership to a fast-growing business with a focus on helping the underbanked/unbanked and low to moderate-income (LMI) population. Her team provides support for all aspects of consumer regulatory lending, including servicing and collection of installment loans and related products and services, in partnership with a team of seasoned business leaders, product managers, data engineers, and risk and compliance professionals.
Matthew Miller, ECON 2009
matthew.mjm@gmail.com
Director of Finance, Allstate
Matthew Miller graduated from Georgia Tech's School of Economics in the Spring of 2008 with a B.S. in Economics. Shortly after graduating, Miller was hired as a financial analyst for Allstate Insurance Company and has since held a variety of roles throughout the company. For the last three years, he has led a talented team as the Director of Finance overseeing Agency Economics, where his primary responsibilities include the strategy, design, and analytics behind the company's sales compensation programs.
After growing up in the suburbs of Philadelphia, Miller has subsequently lived in Atlanta, Seattle, and Chicago, the city which he currently calls home with his partner Rachel and their cat Pusha. In his spare time, Miller enjoys traveling with Rachel, playing golf and ice hockey, and working on his hockey analytics startup.
Joseph Owens, Jr. (Board Chair), ECON 1977
josephbowens@aol.com
Chief Financial Officer, Indego Africa
Joseph B. Owens, Jr. is the chief financial officer and a member of the Board of Directors of Indego Africa Project, a non-profit social enterprise that supports women-owned businesses in Rwanda and Ghana through access to markets and education. Previously he was with American Express Company for over 30 years, where he held leadership positions in finance, business transformation and reengineering, and revenue development.
His positions included vice president, strategic transformation for American Express Global Business Travel, one of the largest corporate travel management companies worldwide. Prior to that, Owens was CFO of Global Business Travel. He has held cross-product line CFO positions in Asia, Europe, and Latin America. During his career with American Express, he has lived in Bangkok, Rome, London, Frankfurt, and Miami, as well as his base in New York. Owens holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a Master of Business Administration from the Owen Graduate School of Management at Vanderbilt University.
Owens is a member of the Ivan Allen College Advisory Board and the Board of Advisors for the School of Economics at Georgia Tech, as well as the Alumni Council of the Owen School at Vanderbilt.
Jonathan Samon, ECON 2001
jonsamon@gmail.com
FVP, Managing Counsel and Chief Privacy Officer, Apple Bank
Jonathan Samon received his B.S. in economics in 2001 and was a member of Omicron Delta Epsilon, the economics honor society. After receiving his degree from Georgia Tech, Samon attended Seton Hall University where he earned his J.D.
Currently, Samon is vice president, senior counsel at Apple Bank in New York, where he is head of the Vendor Contract Legal Review team and supervises the Legal Process Department. Prior to this role, Samon served as General Counsel of a fintech company in New York, spent over a dozen years in private practice in New York, and served two years as a federal clerk.
Samon is an adjunct professor with the Seton Hall School of Law, an avid marathon runner (a proud 50 States Marathon Club member), dabbles in voice-over work, enjoys classic literature, and is currently increasing his fluency in Portuguese.
Stephanie Stewart, M.S. ECON 2008
stephaniestewart28@gmail.com
M.S. Economics, 2008
Vice President & Associate General Counsel, Ashton Woods Homes
Stephanie Stewart graduated with her M.S. in Economics from the Georgia Tech School of Economics in 2008. While at the SOE, Stephanie worked as a GRA/GTA for several of the graduate and undergraduate economics professors.
After Georgia Tech, Stewart attended law school at Georgia State University and graduated with her J.D. in 2011. Stephanie worked as a construction litigator in private practice for six years before going in-house at Ashton Woods Homes in 2017. Stewart is currently senior counsel at Ashton Woods Homes and oversees all claims and litigation for the company. Stewart lives in East Cobb, Georgia with her husband (who is a three-time Georgia Tech grad) and her three sons.
Audrey Tolson, ECON 1991
audreytolson@tolsonfirm.com
Trial Lawyer & Mediator, The Tolson Firm, LLC
Audrey Tolson, Esq. has practiced law in Atlanta, Georgia for 26 years. She received her undergraduate degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology where she was a founding member of the university's Pre-Law Society. She then went on to study law and obtain her Juris Doctorate from Georgia State University. In 1998, Tolson was personally recruited and hired by the late Johnnie L. Cochran Jr. and was tasked with launching the Atlanta office of the then newly formed Cochran Firm national law firm, where she practiced until launching The Tolson Firm in 2011.
The Tolson Firm is a boutique law practice specializing in high-damage and complex medical malpractice and wrongful death cases. Due to Tolson's in-depth knowledge and expertise on high-profile civil matters, she has been invited to appear on CNN & HLN as a guest legal commentator on various cases. Since becoming a registered mediator, Tolson has used her experiences to help others resolve complex cases and has recently joined a new mediation panel with Alterity ADR firm.
Rick Tuley, ECON 1992
rick@tuleygroup.com
CEO of Destiny Development Corporation and Richard Tuley Realty, Inc.
Rick Tuley is a lifelong real estate entrepreneur, passionate about building businesses. Tuley got an early start managing the full construction process on his first project at the age of 16 and earned his real estate license at age 18. After graduate school and two years in Investment Banking on Wall Street, and then after 9/11, Tuley returned to Atlanta and had a career as a land developer and real estate broker, and he remains passionate about building homes and businesses.
Tuley is an active early-stage investor and member of the board of directors of GROUNDFLOOR.US, a leading venture-backed wealth technology platform which pioneered non-accredited investments in private real estate securities and other asset-backed yield investments for the masses.
Tuley earned his B.S. in Economics with a certificate in Accounting from Georgia Tech and his MBA from Harvard Business School. In addition, Tuley previously worked for Ernst & Young's entrepreneurial services group, was a senior associate in leveraged finance and the private equity sponsors coverage group at UBS and a principal with Katalyst Venture Partners in New York. Between real estate and Wall Street, Tuley has been involved in well over $1 billion in transactions.
While at Georgia Tech, Tuley was a walk-on varsity football player, an actor at DramaTech, president of Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity, and a member of the Ramblin Reck Club. Today, Tuley enjoys performing stand-up comedy on occasion at several local Atlanta venues, collecting Elvis memorabilia, traveling the globe, and cheering on the Yellow Jackets.
Paul Young, ECON 1999
pscy3@numail.org
Retired, Norfolk Southern Corporation
Paul Young received his B.S. in Economics in 1988. Young retired from Norfolk Southern Corporation, one of the nation’s premier transportation companies, as a director of revenue accounting and had been with the railroad company for over 30 years. Norfolk Southern operates the most extensive intermodal network in the East and is a major transporter of coal, automotive, and industrial products. Young and his wife Sandra, MGMT 1988, have been blessed with three wonderful grown children.
John Wylder, ECON 1973
wylders@att.net
Retired
John Wylder graduated from Georgia Tech in 1973 with a B.S. in Economics, making him a part of the group called “the originals”, the first classes awarded Economic degrees by Tech. He received an MBA from Mercer University in 1983. He is now retired after a long career with a variety of companies, including SunTrust Banks, Hewlett-Packard, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and Microsoft. Along the way, he was a frequent lecturer at the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council and an instructor for the Georgia Banking School, and co-editor of Economics for Bankers (American Banking Institute).
Wylder is a passionate storyteller and has won several Story Slams at the MOTH and a Slam at the Florida Story Telling Festival. He has appeared on stage with the Portland Storytellers' Guild and in the Art of the Story Festival with the Washington Country, Oregon, library system. His stories cover a wide range of themes and topics, including his family stories, stories from his youth, love, and learning. In addition to his stage work, he has a Facebook story page where he shares his stories with friends and family. His business stories are from his working days in banking and technology, he appeared on stage and numerous business meetings and has been featured in television interviews. He is the author of numerous articles on technology and is the author of Strategic Information Security, a book about information security.