Northwestern Alumni Association Elects New Officers and Directors
From left to right: Christopher Paquette ’00, ’07 MBA; Lindsay Vahl Dean; Sonalee Singh ’99; Ricardo Dalmas ’02 MBA; Kristin McDonnell ’85; Andre Goode ’85; Jack Kang ’90; Raj Babu ’03, ’09 MBA; Susan Howe ’91; Daniel Pink ’86 (’25 P); Pamay Bassey ’95 MS; Cristy Garratt ’10
Not pictured: Albert Manzone ’93 MBA (’18, ’22 P); Andrea Chen ’07; Kathryn Ikenberry Jones ’14; B. Pagels-Minor ’07; Carlos Paret ’13 MBA; Rodney D. Priestley ’05 MS, ’08 PhD; Faiza Seth ’99
EVANSTON, Ill. — A diverse and highly accomplished group of alumni has been elected to the Northwestern Alumni Association (NAA) Board of Directors. The directors, who were slated at the NAA’s annual meeting on Aug. 21, have significant experience in emerging technologies, building community and leadership. Four board members live abroad and help ensure a global alumni perspective.
Selected to lead the 19-member NAA Board is NAA President Kristin McDonnell ’85, a tech industry innovator who has been actively involved as a volunteer with Northwestern. She has served as an ex-officio member of the Northwestern University Board of Trustees since 2022. McDonnell is managing partner and founder at Menlo Group, an investment firm. Previously, she held leadership roles at AT&T, Electronic Arts, LimeLife, McKinsey & Company, Mplayer and Xfire.
McDonnell starts her presidency as the NAA continues to expand its reach to all alumni communities. “The NAA sparks intellectual, social and professional opportunities for alumni,” she said. “We help alumni identify their interests, both with the University and each other, to advance their careers, serve as mentors or mentees, or sit on a University advisory board. By nurturing strong and meaningful Northwestern connections, the NAA supports alumni throughout their lives.”
Jack Kang ’90 is president-elect of the NAA Board and a new ex-officio member of Northwestern’s Board of Trustees. He is past president of the Northwestern Asian and Asian American Alumni Association (NU-A5), which was recognized as the NAA’s 2020 and 2023 Club of the Year. Kang was named 2021 Club Leader of the Year during his NU-A5 tenure (2019–2023) for leading virtual member engagement during COVID-19 and providing meaningful, relevant programming on issues such as mental health, racism and women’s empowerment.
Alumni leaders comprising the NAA Board reflect the composition of today’s Northwestern student population and represent nearly every undergraduate school, as well as the Kellogg School of Management. The NAA Board’s executive committee includes the president, the president-elect, the immediate past president, three vice presidents and the secretary/treasurer. The executive committee, in partnership with the board of directors, collectively serve as the strategic advisory body of the NAA, helping the organization fulfill its mission to inspire Northwestern alumni through programs that spark lifelong curiosity, connection and growth.
A full list of the 2024–25 NAA board members can be found on the NAA website. Learn more about the executive committee and newly elected directors below.
Executive committee, serving two-year terms until September 2026:
Kristin McDonnell ’85
President
Kristin McDonnell is managing partner and founder of Menlo Group, an investment firm. As a technology industry innovator, she has held executive positions at Fortune 100 corporations and Silicon Valley startups. In her career, she has worked on teams that have built groundbreaking software products and services, acquired millions of customers, raised significant venture capital, and had multiple IPO and acquisition exits. McDonnell also serves on the Northwestern Farley Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation Advisory Board and the Kellogg Tech Council at the Kellogg School of Management.
Jack Kang ’90
President-Elect
Jack Kang is a senior manager at Wabtec Corporation, a railroad technology company, where his team determines global pricing for the $650+ million aftermarket industrial parts business. Previously, he spent nearly 20 years in strategic marketing at the General Electric Company (GE). Prior to his time at GE, he worked in banking, ultimately serving as senior vice president of marketing analytics. Kang is a longtime volunteer leader serving the Northwestern community.
Albert Manzone ’93 MBA (’18, ’22 P)
Immediate Past President
Albert Manzone is deputy chief executive officer of the Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer, a publicly traded company and leader in the luxury hospitality and entertainment market in Monaco, specializing in hotels, casinos, gastronomy, wellness, entertainment, shopping and real estate development. Manzone has been actively involved as a volunteer with Northwestern for more than 30 years.
Pamay Bassey ’95 MS
Vice President
Ekpedeme “Pamay” M. Bassey is chief learning and diversity officer for the Kraft Heinz Company. In this role, she is responsible for global learning and development strategy and initiatives as well as amplifying the work of employees to create and nurture a diverse, inclusive workplace. Prior to joining Kraft Heinz, Bassey served as global head of learning platform and professional development for BlackRock and as president of The Pamay Group, an e-learning design and strategy company.
Susan Howe ’91
Vice President
Susan Howe is the incoming chief executive officer for The Weber Shandwick Collective (TWSC). Currently, she oversees global operations, which include the network’s operating regions — North America; Europe, Middle East and Africa; Latin America; and Asia Pacific — as well as TWSC’s 12 communications, marketing services and consulting brands. Howe has held several prominent global roles throughout her tenure, including chief collaboration officer and chief growth officer.
Sonalee Singh ’99
Vice President
Sonalee Singh is an external advisor to global management consulting firm McKinsey & Company, where she spent more than 20 years of her career in a range of consulting and internal people roles. Most recently, she was director of global compensation infrastructure, intelligence and advisory at McKinsey. In this position, she focused on advising and counseling more than 60 countries on compensation and human resources topics, including compensation market trends and benchmarking, compensation digitization and pay equity.
Lindsay Vahl Dean
Secretary/Treasurer
Lindsay Vahl Dean was named assistant vice president of alumni engagement and executive director of the Northwestern Alumni Association (NAA) in July 2024 after serving as interim executive director for nine months. She is responsible for the overall leadership and strategic direction of the association, which represents more than 260,000 alumni worldwide. Vahl Dean is an ex-officio member of the NAA Board of Directors.
Directors, serving three-year terms until September 2027:
Ricardo Dalmas ’02 MBA
Director
Ricardo Dalmas is a corporate strategy and consumer insights executive with 20 years of experience delivering topline growth to Fortune 500 companies in the food and beverage industry. Currently, he is senior vice president for strategy and analytics for Constellation Brands, a marketer of premium beer, wine and spirits.
Andre Goode ’85
Director
Andre Goode is a seasoned nonprofit executive, having led programming and operations for numerous youth- and family-serving organizations. Currently, he is vice president of community transformation for the YMCA of Metro Chicago, where he is implementing a South Side strategy and identifying opportunities to scale programming and leverage community partnerships. Goode serves on the Northwestern University Leadership Circle Chicago Regional Board and is a member of the Northwestern University Black Alumni Association, also known as NUBAA.
Kathryn Ikenberry Jones ’14
Director
Kathryn Ikenberry Jones is vice president of worldwide TV and digital distribution at Lionsgate. She leads the company’s international subscription video on demand (SVOD) team, focusing on licensing opportunities across film and television. Jones has long held a passion for entertainment and storytelling and now enjoys bringing top-tier content to audiences around the world.
Christopher Paquette ’00, ’07 MBA
Director
Christopher Paquette is a digital transformation executive in the financial services industry. He has served as chief digital transformation officer for Allstate Insurance, chief digital and strategy officer for Trustmark Benefits and a partner at McKinsey & Company.
Andrea Chen ’07
Director
Andrea Chen is a full-time parent and an experienced health technology professional who serves on the board of venture capital funds that have a health-care focus. Most recently, she worked in corporate strategy and new business development at Philips, a health technology company, focusing on Greater China. Chen has held leadership positions with Northwestern alumni clubs for 15 years, was named the 2019 Club Leader of the Year, and currently serves on the NU Club of Hong Kong executive board.
Director, serving a two-year term until September 2026:
Daniel Pink ’86 (’25 P)
Director
Daniel Pink is the author of five New York Times-bestselling books about business and behavior. His books have won multiple awards, been translated into more than 40 languages and sold millions of copies around the world. In 2014, he was the graduation speaker for Northwestern’s Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences. The previous year, Pink received the Northwestern Alumni Merit Award.
Director, serving a one-year term until September 2025:
B. Pagels-Minor ’07
Director
B. Pagels-Minor has built a career on creating great products for dynamic brands while also helping to enrich surrounding communities. They have worked for some of the world’s largest tech companies, including Apple and Netflix. In 2022, Pagels-Minor became the first openly transgender venture capital firm lead. They have served as a leader within Northwestern University Pride Alumni Club.
Learn more about the NAA Board of Directors here.