The Bonds of Babson: Networkers

Senior Journalist

John Crawford

A writer for Babson Thought & Action and the Babson Magazine, John Crawford has been telling the College’s entrepreneurial story for more than 15 years. Assignments for Babson have taken him from Rwanda to El Salvador, from the sweet-smelling factory of a Pennsylvania candy maker, to the stately Atlanta headquarters of an NFL owner, to the bustling office of a New York City fashion designer. Beyond his work for Babson, he has written articles and essays for The Philadelphia Inquirer, Notre Dame Magazine, The Good Men Project, and other publications. He can be found on Twitter, @crawfordwriter, where he tweets about climate change.

April 8, 2026

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Networkers:

Shatiek Gatlin ’16

He’s known as “The Mayor.”

People started calling Shatiek Gatlin ’16 that at Babson, during his sophomore or junior year. Donna Stoddard P’21 may have been the first. “You’re so connected to everyone,” the Murata Dean of Faculty and longtime professor told him. “It’s almost like you’re the mayor.”

Gatlin earned that nickname for a reason. As Stoddard said, he’s connected. He knows people. He’s in regular touch with past Babson presidents, past chairpersons of the board, and past leaders of the Black Student Union, as well as professors, staff, and alumni of all ages.

“I am happy to report that I have never come in contact with a Babson alum I didn’t want to keep in touch with,” says Gatlin, whose wedding several years ago was attended by 35 people from the Babson community. “I have always felt a deeply personal connection to the people and the place.”

Gatlin started to build his Babson network as a student. He frequently attended events. During Back to Babson weekend, he often wandered the tent, talking to people. “I am a social person by nature,” says Gatlin, who lives in New York City with his wife and two small children and works as a category finance manager at Mondelez International. “I’m one of those guys—it’s hard to get me to leave the party. I need 20 minutes to work the room before I leave.”

Gatlin went on to be the student speaker at Commencement (a meaningful accomplishment for him, given that he grew up speaking with a stutter) and later served on the Babson Board of Trustees for two years. He says he’s never afraid to reach out to the Babson community for advice and support. His network is full of people he admires and sees as role models. “I look at the Babson network as an extended family I can rely on,” he says.

At the same time, he plays the role of mentor himself with students and young alumni. They may need advice about careers, or grad school, or adjusting to college life. “I’ll talk to anybody,” Gatlin says. “Whatever it is, I try to make myself available.”

He tries to attend summer sendoffs of incoming students, and Babson staff and faculty often refer students for him to speak with. “They know I’m always a person they can reach out to,” he says. “A lot of it is just being available and having a reputation as someone who can be relied upon for advice or perspective.”

As a former Posse Scholar, he is particularly happy to talk with any student in that program. “My inbox is open to anyone Babson related, but certainly anyone from Posse,” he says. “I know what it’s like to be from a big city like New York and going to a quiet suburban town like Wellesley. I want to be helpful.”

More About the Alumni Network

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Sebastian Gomez-Puerto MBA’14 and Aleksandr Malashchenko MBA’24

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Babson Alumni Are…

The Babson alumni network is the strongest in the nation because of the unique bonds that connect them. In the Spring issue of Babson Magazine, we highlight nine examples that illustrate the varied types of relationships. Click the photos below to read each one.