Guest Bill Tovell, Dartmouth ’96, left for college shortly after Hurricane Andrew ripped through Miami and destroyed his boyhood home and everything in it. He went as far as he could, to the wilds of New Hampshire, and looked for something new. He tried new things, such as rugby, and even set aside some preconceptions he had about a life in medicine. Economics and corporate recruiting took him into banking in New York despite a tantalizing set of discussions with the CIA. His work within financial services seemed fairly typical. But again, he was looking for something new and took an opportunity in Bermuda. A bounce back to his old organization in San Francisco seemed like a good move, but became less fun a little while later when the dotcom bubble burst and his entire team—except him—was let go. He was asked to move back to Manhattan, which he did on September 7, 2001.

The morning of September 11, Bill found himself on the 50th floor of 60 Wall Street, from where he saw the second plane hit the World Trade towers. The immediate aftermath of that event stayed with him and ultimately led him to take a year to travel around the world. When he came back, he was fired up to take some action.

In this episode, find out from Bill how looking for meaning after disaster strikes requires forging one’s own path.…on ROADS TAKEN...with Leslie Jennings Rowley.

About This Episode's Guest

 Bill Tovell has been working in global corporate and investment banking with a variety of clients across a diverse set of industries with the same financial services firm—off and on—for the last quarter century.  For the last twenty years, he has been involved with the organization Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. As a civilian board member, he champions the efforts of post-9-11 veterans, specifically around mental health and PTSD. He lives in Dallas with his wife and two sons.

Executive Producer/Host: Leslie Jennings Rowley

Music: Brian Burrows

Find more episodes at https://roadstakenshow.com

Email the show at [email protected]

Find more episodes at https://roadstakenshow.com

Executive Producer/Host: Leslie Jennings Rowley

Music: Brian Burrows

Email the show at [email protected]

Guest Sarah Howald Hughes, Dartmouth ’96, started playing hockey at age seven, at least a year after she wanted to. She was told girls couldn’t play in the league that young. When she was eligible she kept playing—with the boys—until going off to high school for junior and senior year, setting her sights on playing at the college level. Hockey got her to Dartmouth, which she ended up loving, despite the long hard hours of training, practicing and competing as a two-sport athlete. Though a formidable javelin thrower, she shone on the ice. As a college sporting career studded with Ivy League championships and All-Ivy recognition came to a close, she didn’t want her time in a rink to end. Instead of pursuing continued playing opportunities, however, she wanted to be a coach.

The problem was, a starting coaching job was going to pay little more than a volunteer role. So she opted to go back to school for an education degree, which would put her on a more secure path toward a teaching job with a coaching assignment. When she finished the degree, though, and was offered the teaching job in a small town in Saskatchewan, she was also offered—on the same day—another chance at a University coaching position. Having turned the dream down once, she wasn’t about to turn it down twice, even with the salary disparity. More than two decades later, she has built her program and lived the dream.

In this episode, find out from Sarah how seeing things from both sides can make you appreciate where you are…on ROADS TAKEN...with Leslie Jennings Rowley. 

About This Episode's Guest

Sarah Howald Hodges has been the head coach for the University of Regina Cougars women's hockey program in Saskatchewan for more than two decades. She has also coached for the Canadian National's U18 and U22 teams in addition to leading other development efforts for the sport. In her playing days at Dartmouth, she was on two Ivy League Championship teams, was named first team All-Ivy, and was one of the co-captains our senior year. She led her team in points for two of the four seasons, and is still among the top-ten leaders in career goals in the program's history. She also threw a mean javelin. She lives in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, with her husband and two hockey-playing daughters.

Executive Producer/Host: Leslie Jennings Rowley

Music: Brian Burrows

Find more episodes at https://roadstakenshow.com

Email the show at [email protected]

Find more episodes at https://roadstakenshow.com

Executive Producer/Host: Leslie Jennings Rowley

Music: Brian Burrows

Email the show at [email protected]

Guest Carrington Bradley, Dartmouth ’96, feels as though a number of happenstances, “twists of fate” as he calls them, have really helped shape the trajectory of his life. One of the earliest was when his mother stumbled across the ROTC scholarship application the day before it was due and—because it didn’t require an essay component—Carrington completed it. Getting that scholarship and joining the ROTC program at Dartmouth handed him the educational opportunity to study engineering and also took the pressure off during senior year when everyone else worried about what would come next. Without any decision-making on his part, he knew that he would be in the Army for four years. His first assignment took him to Korea where he was leading a group of over 30 servicemen just a few months after graduation. Leadership is at the core of everything an army officer does and while some of his engineering and problem-solving skills were put to the test, it was his soft skills—persuading people to do things on time, on budget, and well—were developed most of all.

When his team did not get deployed to Bosnia as they thought they would (another twist of fate), he ended his military career when his four year commitment was over and visited friends in the Bay Area. Fate found a way to set him up in Silicon Valley to begin a second career in project management in the semiconductor industry. He enjoyed working with other former military officers with a boss who asked them to do whatever it took took to solve the problem. Once the problem was solved, he decided to head back east to business school.

Meeting his wife in business school (ah, sweet fate) and compromising on geography by moving back to the Bay Area, he returned to the semiconductor industry. This time, he joined a startup and had the classic Silicon Valley crash-and-burn experience after the financial downturn. Fate smiled again, however, and introduced him to the electric vehicle industry where he continues to use his project management and leadership skills in building out charging stations and making EVs usable for a wider market.

In this episode, find out from Carrrrington how recognizing the signs and following twists of fate can sometimes provide chances to take an active leadership role …on ROADS TAKEN...with Leslie Jennings Rowley.

About This Episode's Guest

Carrington Bradley is an expert in charging station technologies within the electronic vehicle industry who is on a mission to make you into an electric car driver and to connect you to the power you need. A project manager at heart, Carrington also has a background in the semiconductor industry as well as military leadership.

Executive Producer/Host: Leslie Jennings Rowley

Music: Brian Burrows

Find more episodes at https://roadstakenshow.com

Email the show at [email protected]

Find more episodes at https://roadstakenshow.com

Executive Producer/Host: Leslie Jennings Rowley

Music: Brian Burrows

Email the show at [email protected]

Guest Adam Medros, Dartmouth ’96, was had taken a gap year in Germany before college, reading and thinking and trying to figure out who he was. An economics major who worked in the library at Tuck School of Business, he was introduced to the world of strategy consulting and ending up being one of the rare few who sought out that career path intentionally. A job interview during a basement pong game sealed the deal and set him off on the consulting route.

When he finally got into industry, early at Amazon, he realized that the way consultants leveraged power to get things done wasn’t how it worked internally. People skills were the coin of the realm. He also learned what he liked about making impact in a company that was ultimately trying to change an industry. That theme of industry disruption led him next to Trip Advisor where he helped create a new way to think about travel. Next, he approached the education sector by working as COO at EdX, the academic non-profit that considers how online course delivery and credentialing could change the way people are educated around the world. Upon the organization’s sale to a for-profit company, he took his next leap to a start-up that is creating a niche in pet genomics and shaking up the pet healthcare industry. In this episode, find out from Adam how having opinions and holding them lightly, all while wanting to change the world, can be a path to success …on ROADS TAKEN...with Leslie Jennings Rowley.

About This Episode's Guest

Adam Medros is a driver of world change through businesses in a variety of sectors. Having worked in management positions at Amazon, Trip Advisor, and EdX, he is currently COO of Embark, the world leader in dog genetics. He lives outside of Boston with his wife and two kids.

Executive Producer/Host: Leslie Jennings Rowley

Music: Brian Burrows

Find more episodes at https://roadstakenshow.com

Email the show at [email protected]

Find more episodes at https://roadstakenshow.com

Executive Producer/Host: Leslie Jennings Rowley

Music: Brian Burrows

Email the show at [email protected]

Guest Sansea Kaphan Jacobson, Dartmouth ’96, was assured of herself when she arrived at college, pre-med bound. But then she found Sanborn Library and let her love of literature guide her studies and put the pre-med dreams to bed. She took advantage of the corporate recruiting process to find her first job after college in the IT consulting world. She found, however, that she was more interested in impacting the people she served than the project outcomes. She decided to get back on track to the helping professions.

After completing the post-bac courses necessary for med school, she had the opportunity to work in a hematology lab at the NIH. An astute mentor told extrovert Sansea that she would likely prefer clinical oncology than the pathology in the lab. So, she pursued this line of work in medical school and found herself bedside with dying patients. The psychiatry rotation showed her that it was really the psychology that had drawn her to that work.

Her career now encompasses clinical work with teen experiencing anxiety and suicidal thoughts, but she also advises residents and fellows and mentors them through the psychiatric program. When one student asked about her medical center’s wellness education efforts for her fellow practitioners, Sansea realized that it was up to her to lead the program and model what wellness looks like. In this episode, find out from Sansea how listening to the narrative and reacting with empathy can create meaningful linkages on ROADS TAKEN with Leslie Jennings Rowley.

About This Episode's Guest

Sansea Jacobson is Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Co-Chair of the UPMC Graduate Medical Education Wellness, Environment, Learning, and Living Committee and program director of child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship at Western Psychiatric Institute & Clinic of UPMC, where her clinical and advocacy efforts are focused on the prevention of suicide in youth through her work at the Services for Teens at Risk (STAR) Center. Through her multi-faceted work, she has become one of the pioneers in a field devoted to reforming our relationship with media in order to promote positive mental health messaging for our nation’s youth.

Executive Producer/Host: Leslie Jennings Rowley

Music: Brian Burrows

Find more episodes at https://roadstakenshow.com

Email the show at [email protected]

Find more episodes at https://roadstakenshow.com

Executive Producer/Host: Leslie Jennings Rowley

Music: Brian Burrows

Email the show at [email protected]

Guest Kevin McGowan, Dartmouth ’96, says he was popular on campus because he drove Keg One. But it was more than the deliveries for Stinson’s that made him well-known and well-liked. Whether with his football teammates, classmates, or even his family, he has always prioritized the things that matter—nurturing relationships and doing the things you love. When he left college he hoped he would be happy with a good career and family.

The career came in the form of multiple opportunities in the world of foreign exchange, first in New York and then in London. The adventure of going to London was made all the sweeter by a close-knit community of colleagues who have remained friends to this day The adventure of moving westward to Seattle, however, to try a different type of FX work, hasn’t yet seemed to take shape into the same type of community.

In this episode, find out from Kevin how mellowing out and taking yourself less seriously, whether as an individual or a whole city, can help open you to more connections …on ROADS TAKEN...with Leslie Jennings Rowley.

About This Episode's Guest

Kevin McGowan has spent his career in foreign exchange, with time spent in banks in New York and London. Wanting to try something new, this native son of the New Jersey-New York metroplex moved with his wife and two daughters to Seattle, where he is currently Head Of Business Operations at Amazon Currency Converter.

Executive Producer/Host: Leslie Jennings Rowley

Music: Brian Burrows

Find more episodes at https://roadstakenshow.com

Email the show at [email protected]

Find more episodes at https://roadstakenshow.com

Executive Producer/Host: Leslie Jennings Rowley

Music: Brian Burrows

Email the show at [email protected]

Guest Micheal Zigmont, Dartmouth ’96, characterizes his college self as having been lost without even really knowing it. Graduating without a job was the manifestation of that. After six months living in his parents’ house, temping, he decided to try to land an analyst position on Wall Street, which he did. A quick test of the dot com world to make sure the grass wasn’t greener on the other side showed it wasn’t and he went right back to finance as though nothing happened. As he never burned his bridges on the way out, he found he was able to go back to familiar surroundings frequently.

What wasn’t familiar was the feeling one Saturday morning when his muscles on one side of his body started cramping unexpectedly and he felt extremely drunk. At 38, as a person in good health with zero risk factors, he suffered a sudden and rather inexplicable stroke. And even quicker than a financial boom and bust cycle, the stroke symptoms went away almost as quickly as they had occurred, again almost as though nothing happened.

In this episode, find out from Ziggy how sometimes being accepting of what is and moving on is the best and only option …on ROADS TAKEN...with Leslie Jennings Rowley.

About This Episode's Guest

 Michael “Ziggy” Zigmont, has over two decades of Wall Street experience with multiple companies, some even multiple times. He is currently with Harvest Volativity Management, where he is Partner and Head of Trading and Research. At 38, as a person in good health with zero risk factors, he suffered a sudden and rather inexplicable stroke. He wanted to share the details of his story with our listeners so that we all have some point of reference should we or our loved ones experience the same symptoms. For more information on Stroke Symptoms—including the FAST acronym for Face Drooping, Arm Weakness, Speech Difficulty, and Time to Call 911—visit the American Stroke Association.

Executive Producer/Host: Leslie Jennings Rowley

Music: Brian Burrows

Find more episodes at https://roadstakenshow.com

Email the show at [email protected]

Find more episodes at https://roadstakenshow.com

Executive Producer/Host: Leslie Jennings Rowley

Music: Brian Burrows

Email the show at [email protected]

Guest Rose Lee, Dartmouth ’96, was psychology major, active in lots of extracurriculars. She didn't have a particular path in mind upon graduation, but she decided to leap into the unknown of consulting expressly because she didn't know anything about consulting and thought it would be a good challenge. After four years at a small firm followed by business school, that same pattern repeated itself.

A female recruiter suggested that she take a look at the financial industry, seeing transferable skills and experience that Rose hadn’t even considered transfrerable. Being called out (or called in) made a big impression and set Rose on the path not only to personal success in the financial services industry but to being an advocate, mentor, and sponsor for others to help diversify the field as a whole.

In this episode, find out from Rose how recognizing where someone else could shine and reaching out benefits not only that person but the collective …on ROADS TAKEN...with Leslie Jennings Rowley.

About This Episode's Guest

Rose Lee has been in the financial industry for two decades and currently serves as Managing Director and head of structured products, sales and development for Credit Suisse. She has three kids and still has the time to rally our classmates for a baking challenge (preferably with lots of green food coloring) on Facebook.

Executive Producer/Host: Leslie Jennings Rowley

Music: Brian Burrows

Find more episodes at https://roadstakenshow.com

Email the show at [email protected]

Find more episodes at https://roadstakenshow.com

Executive Producer/Host: Leslie Jennings Rowley

Music: Brian Burrows

Email the show at [email protected]

Guest Drew Natenshon, Dartmouth ’96, was a chemistry major but considered himself lazy and didn’t see the immediate path to a career after college. He interviewed with a small technology consulting company and became employee #32. After peaking at over 1,000 employees, the IPO in the boom years allowed him to get a really nice sports car. When his company—along with the industry—tanked, he had to sell the car (and more), but said he learned a very good lesson about how businesses should and shouldn’t run.

A friend from high school told him about a master’s program at Johns Hopkins in international development that would let him spend a year in Italy. It was all he needed to switch gears and try that. While hiking on the island of Elbe in the middle of the program, he realized that delivering preventative medicine would be a good way to marry his chemistry background and international development interests. He started finding ways to learn more and gain experience in the world of vaccine development and approval and hopped from interesting assignment to interesting assignment on multiple continents.

In this episode, find out from Drew how focusing on the impact you want to have and letting interests collide can point to the path to making the world better…on ROADS TAKEN...with Leslie Jennings Rowley.

About This Episode's Guest

Drew Natenshon is Vice President, Program Executive in Infectious Diseases at Moderna Therapeutics, where he has led clinical developments of their Zika vaccine as well as Cytomegalovirus or CMV. Prior to his current role, he has been in vaccine research and development and program leadership roles for other companies. He lives in the Boston area with his wife and twin sons. 

Executive Producer/Host: Leslie Jennings Rowley

Music: Brian Burrows

Find more episodes at https://roadstakenshow.com

Email the show at [email protected]

Find more episodes at https://roadstakenshow.com

Executive Producer/Host: Leslie Jennings Rowley

Music: Brian Burrows

Email the show at [email protected]

Guest Sara Paisner, Dartmouth ’96, had a teacher who brought the sciences alive for her early in life. She was drawn to chemistry in particular, with its explosions and crystals and what seemed like magic. It seemed a logical path to study chemistry in college and go directly into a PhD program. But along the way, she learned that academic research wasn’t what she thought it would be. She chose her postdoc someplace that would put her close to industry—specifically the Research Triangle of North Carolina. She began her industry work creating the materials that would go into microhips. And every job seemed to get her closer and closer to the customer, which she loved. But she discovered the irony of educational attainment: Nobody thinks a PhD is well suited for the business world.

Despite having three small children at the time, she decided to pursue an MBA. She found that marketing and product strategy—particularly for scientific companies—let her meld her skills perfectly and a number of companies thought so, too. But at some point, as much as she enjoyed being part of another company’s team, an offer to buy a business that she had long declined resurfaced one more time and she seized the opportunity to run her own thing.

In this episode, find out from Sara how changing other people’s minds about you can be is as important as changing your own mind about where opportunity lives.…on ROADS TAKEN...with Leslie Jennings Rowley.

About This Episode's Guest

Dr. Sara Paisner is owner and president of Synoptic Products, a medical products distribution company based in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area. She is also an avid sailor, martial arts enthusiast, and mother. 

Executive Producer/Host: Leslie Jennings Rowley

Music: Brian Burrows

Find more episodes at https://roadstakenshow.com

Email the show at [email protected]

Find more episodes at https://roadstakenshow.com

Executive Producer/Host: Leslie Jennings Rowley

Music: Brian Burrows

Email the show at [email protected]