News, Notes, and Nods: Undergraduates
1978
The Babson women’s volleyball team celebrated the program’s 50th anniversary at a home match November 4. Five members from the College’s first team—(from left) Maria Serpentino ’78, P’05, Kathy O’Brien McCann ’78, Adrienne Halsey Wald ’78, Sue Jackson Fitzgerald ’78, and Peggy O’Brien ’79—were on hand to honor the Beavers’ half-century on the court.
1982
Brad Hoffman ’82 created the Michael E. Simmons Foundation, a nonprofit to honor his stepson and support the artistic growth of youth in the Greater Hartford area. Each September, the foundation hosts a music festival in Sheffield, Connecticut, and many Babson alumni were on hand to enjoy the fourth annual event. On stage: Jeff “Stix” Johnson ’83, MBA’92, Jack Worthen ’80, Sam Davis ’80, Howie Hirsch ’77, Chris “Bear” Hebert ’79, and John Davis. In front: Neal Cherkus, Doug Murphy ’77, Susan Chambault Baker ’83, Marti Crompton Johnson ’82, MBA’91, Charlie Vandini ’80, Dave Cheever ’80, Charlie Feuer ’83, P’12, George Simopoulas ’84, Hoffman, Paul “Monty” Morris ’80, Jim Hagen ’82, Jim Vincunas ’79, Brad “Eels” Ely ’82, and Paul Baker ’80.
1985
Rick Blackshaw ’85 has launched Stoke PWR EQP, a new sport-casual footwear line for the everyday, all-American man. “Stoke blends innovation, humor, and emotional connection to create performance-driven comfort for real life,” he said. Blackshaw, who has served as the president of Sperry Top Sider and Keds, has a creative team joining him from brands such as HeyDude, Converse, and Ugg. Stoke PWR EQP, which was released in February, was created for the 5-foot-9, 200-pound “guy who represents America’s middle but has been ignored by the industry.”
1987
Ed Kinnaly ’87: See Graduate, 1999
1989
Peter Hunt ’89 returned to campus to direct BabsonARTS’ Project Empathy on March 31 and April 1. Hunt, who began interviewing Babson students in November as part of the production, said the project explores “what it means to be empathetic and share each other’s stories.” Hunt has been in the real estate industry for the past 20 years. “With decades of perspective and life’s experiences, I’ve come to appreciate the broad range of professional and personal relationships and experiences,” Hunt said.
1990
Kevin Richardson ’90 writes that a group of classmates from the Class of 1990 enjoyed a round of golf together in October at Brae Burn Country Club in Newton, Massachusetts, to kick off their 35th Reunion Weekend.
1999
Selim Tezman ’99, CEO of his family’s third-generation holding company, Tezman Holding, recently expanded the company, launching Nutrafine Health & Nutrition BV. Nutrafine, headquartered in Amsterdam, develops supplements in collaboration with nutritionists to address beauty and skin health as well as weight and immunity support.
Greg Toskos ’99 (center), head of national sales at UBS, hosted the UBS annual Field Leadership Meeting in January in Arlington, Texas, and presented top awards to two Babson alumni. Kreg Pearless ’05 (left) received the top market director award for Boston in the private wealth category, and Michael Sarlanis ’01 (right) was named market executive of the year at his New York international office.
2000
Matt Fuller ’00, Jorge Perez ’00, and Erin Escobedo, the George E. Sly ’53 Term Chair in Real Estate Management at Babson, recently approved the purchase of a $121 million Zeta Charter School in the Bronx on behalf of EducationRE Inc., an education nonprofit based in Florida. Perez is founder and CEO of EducationRE Inc., and Fuller and Escobedo are board members. The nonprofit acquired the campus last November using a tax-exempt, social impact bond, and plans to renovate the 140,000-square-foot building and add additional square footage so that more children can attend the school. “We are really proud of the unique, affordable financing structure, the highly successful Zeta Charter School tenant and the social impact EducationRE is offering to the Bronx community,” Fuller wrote.
2006
Shawn Hawthorne ’06, MSA’06: See Graduate, 1982
2008
Jimmy Greene ’08 and his 5-year-old son recently created Kick Brickz, a patent-pending decorative shoe kit made of mini-bricks that attach to shoelaces. Greene began the project to teach his son about entrepreneurship and business creation. The bricks, which are similar to Legos, can be taken off shoes and used to build a plane, car, or cell phone stand, Greene said. “It’s great for promotional products and keeping kids and adults off devices,” he added.
2009
Harrison Epstein ’09 co-founded Revaire, an invitation-only platform that provides access to private flights and curated experiences. Revaire serves as a selective club that uses proprietary technology to aggregate travel plans and connect members with shared charters or discounted empty-leg flights. The club aims to optimize capacity across routes and is targeted to those seeking time efficiency without the cost or carbon footprint of full aircraft ownership.
2011
Daniel Brauer ’11 married Jamie Harris on October 26. Many of Brauer’s Babson friends attended the wedding. Pictured (from left): Erik Litwin ’06, Zachary Gross ’10, Brad Litwin ’10, Daniel Brauer, Jodi Brauer ’09, MSA’09, David Brenner ’09, and Eric Kessler ’11.
Adrian Herr ’11, MBA’16 began as controller at Clarus Capital, overseeing the firm’s accounting and financial operations while helping to advance strategic financial initiatives. Clarus Capital is an independent private credit firm that provides financing for mid-market companies to buy equipment.
2012
Andrea Canavesio ’12, an investment banking director at Citi, and Martina Garabedian ’22, who works in Citi payments and liquidity sales, helped organize the sixth annual Citi London Trek, an event in which Citibank employees invite Babson students studying at the London School of Economics to their London office to network. The event also is organized by Hao He, associate director of the Hoffman Family Undergraduate Center for Career Development. Seventeen Babson students attended this year, and Canavesio, Garabedian, Ariana Bejanaru ’23, and Gautam Nanda ’22 spoke with the students.
Jared Shulman ’12, CEO and co-founder of Daylit, raised $110 million in equity and debt financing to expand Daylit nationwide and launch AI-powered accounts receivable tools. Formerly known as Lendica, Daylit helps manufacturers and contractors accelerate customer payments and manage cash flow. The new funding will support the company’s U.S. expansion and the rollout of AI agents designed to automate collections and give customers faster access to capital.
2014
Mitch McKinnon ’14 and Erik Slettehaugh MBA’17 reached the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania on September 28 as part of a charitable hike that raised more than $5,000 to fight substance abuse. The hike was organized by a close friend of Slettehaugh and McKinnon, who lost his nephew to substance abuse.
George Miller ’14 married Steffi Fitzpatrick on October 11 in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. They were joined in celebration by many Babson alumni representing five class years. Pictured (from left): Mark Bollman IV ’10, Erica Taylor ’15, Andrew Marr ’11, Alyssa Bollman ’11, Ryan Carnevale ’13, Fitzpatrick, Joe Graves ’11, Miller, Josh Bennett ’14, Kelsie Marr ’11, Garek Berard ’13, Kevin Israel ’14, and Will Bunker ’14.
2018
Sophia Cué Gabranski ’19 married Sam Gabranski ’18 on August 16 at the Garden at Elm Bank in Wellesley. In addition to celebrating with their family, they were joined by dozens of Babson friends and fellow alumni. Pictured (from left): Lissy Harris ’20, Lauren Harris ’19, Natasha Kellas ’18, Sam LaPointe ’17, Katherine Bzdel ’16, J.D. Greenfield ’17, Shane Mandel ’17, MSA’17, Christiana Rathmanner ’18, Andrew Myers ’19, Lauren Nohelty ’18, Nancy Kacupaj ’19, Matthew Dynan ’19, Cué Gabranski, Gabranski, Henry Cobb ’19, Alexandra Blizard ’19, Trevor Lomba ’17, Art Huli ’19, Teagan Mosenthal ’19, John Decker ’18, Kylie Warner ’17, MBA’23, and Kaitlyn Nohelty ’21.
2019
Sophia Cué Gabranski ’19: See 2018 (above)
2022
Martina Garabedian ’22 and Gautam Nanda ’22: See 2012 (above)
Vivian Nguyen ’22 (fourth from left) was sworn in on January 5 to a second term on the Everett (Massachusetts) City Council after her re-election in November. First elected in 2021, Nguyen made history as Everett’s first Asian American woman elected to public office, and she remains the city’s youngest sitting city council member.
2023
Ariana Bejanaru ’23: See 2012 (above)
Kevin Kelly ’23, who launched a nomadic dining business called After Hours Global in 2023, is expanding his one-of-a-kind experience this year. After Hours Global will bring collaborative dining experiences to other countries, including Spain, Portugal, and Morocco, while expanding its footprint in the United States and having appeared in Puerto Rico. Kelly started the nomadic restaurant in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, partnering with local businesses to provide pop-up dining that ranges from multi-course dinners to more casual meals. From January to March, After Hours Global was in Puerto Rico, and Kelly will be in Europe and Morocco from April to July. “Our human desire for connection and collaboration through food is stronger than ever,” Kelly said. “With this in mind, we’re excited to take After Hours to the world, creating experiences that honor local food systems, foster human connection, and put collaboration at the heart of every event.”
2025
Max Karmin ’25 and Kevin Park ’25 co-founded Gaja, a Boston-based ride-share startup designed to be more affordable for riders and help drivers earn more by reducing the middleman fees that platforms such as Uber and Lyft take from each trip. The ride-share venture is in an early pilot stage in Greater Boston with about 100 unique users, but the duo is planning to launch the service this year.
MORE NEWS, NOTES, AND NODS FROM THE SPRING 2026 ISSUE:
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