Roads Taken

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]

Guest Jeff Botelho, Dartmouth ’96, had always been interested in languages. In college, he studied history and Spanish. When he studied abroad and realized that his interest and skill in learning languages could open the world to him, he knew he wanted a career that would allow him to use those skills. He began working in consumer goods in Gillette’s Latin American group, first making his Spanish-speaking colleagues in Boston look good and then working for the company in Mexico. For as much as he was happy living in another culture and as fluent as he’d become, he found the Mexico City too big and so went back to his home town in Massachusetts.

He wanted to use his Spanish fluency, so he taught the language in Massachusetts schools. In time, he found he wasn’t actually speaking Spanish all that much and wanted to use his language skills in a more functional way. He went to law school and decided that he could use his languages practicing immigration law. He worked at a firm for a year but quickly realized that he could do much better at a more reasonable cost for his removal and deportation defense work. He started his own firm in 2009.

Just as language provides a connection to his clients day to day, learning Portuguese provided him with a deeper connection with generations of Botelhos (who had come from the Azores). There also came a time when his faith—which he hadn’t been very aware of for quite a while—became another way to forge a deeper connection to others, to himself, and to the greater world around him.

In this episode, find out from Jeff how listening to the language of the heart and having a little faith can help guide you…on ROADS TAKEN...with Leslie Jennings Rowley. 

About This Episode's Guest

Jeff Botelho is an immigration attorney who has been practicing in his own firm in Hollywood, Florida, since 2009. He's fluent in Spanish and English and is also accomplished in his family's own Portuguese. 

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 Maryam Kia-Keating, Dartmouth ’96, was keen to help students find their voice and build supportive communities as an undergraduate advisor and area coordinator in the residence halls. And she could see a life full of this sort of work with broader populations. But with a psychology major and volunteer activities such as sexual assault peer counselor, the honor code committee, and psychiatric care work, she kept having to confront the reactive end of the spectrum of care, where things had already gone bad and helpers were having to try to make things better. She found her natural inclination, however, was to start from a place of strength and instead think about building stronger communities so that the bad stuff doesn’t happen in the first place. She found a graduate program that helped foster this idea and then held tight to it (if quietly) through her clinical psychology training.

She began to focus her career on the idea of resilience and concentrated on a group she understood deeply from her own lived experience: refugee communities.  Again, she found that giving voice to others yields stronger policy outcomes and heathier communities, thus she committed to using a community-based participatory research methodology in her work with both refugee groups and young people. Through the work, she has found vulnerabilities and strengths that she knew, from experience, were there all along.

In this episode, find out from Maryam how giving people voice and understanding their resilience can be the key to strengthening community…on ROADS TAKEN...with Leslie Jennings Rowley. 

Bonus: Maryam also gives us thoughts for tapping our own resilience for the good of the young people around us.

About This Episode's Guest

Maryam Kia-Keating is a professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara, in its school of Education’s Department of Counseling, Clinical, and School Psychology. Her scholarship and activism centers around resilience and empowers individuals, families, schools, and communities through participatory action and human centered design. She is also a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and a mom of two.

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 Rob Hamilton, Dartmouth ’96, was already a musician before entering college and knew he wanted to major in music. But he also wanted to go deeper, understanding how and why sound affects us as humans. So double-majored with cognitive science. He also found his way to the Bregman Electronic Music Studio—not widely known outside of the electronic music scene, but considered a powerhouse by students of the genre due to its development of the Synclavier the first commercially available portable digital synthesizer.

Even though Rob loved writing and playing electronic music it didn’t seem that there was much of a commercial future in that, so he turned to consulting and eventually leaped into the dot-com start-up world, where he was able to pick up coding by doing (despite being a bad computer science student in school). When the boom became a bust, he was actually happy to leave the corporate world and turned back to music.

He jumped into the world of academia to pursue electronic music but it wasn’t the easiest of roads. And in the middle, he got pulled back to the start-up world just as smart phones came on the market and the app scene was blowing up. Developing sound-based apps, he was tapping into the creativity of both his technical and musical sides, but the market-driven lifestyle just didn’t seem to fit.//In this episode, find out from Rob how interweaving interests and playing by your own rules often leads to the sweetest music…on ROADS TAKEN...with Leslie Jennings Rowley.

Bonus from Rob: "Also, thought it would be fun to mention, in the Magic Piano app by Smule, one thing I got to do as the Project Manager/Music Director was to sneak "Dear Old Dartmouth" into the app; you can still go download and play it."
 

About This Episode's Guest

Rob Hamilton is Associate Professor of Music and Media at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), where he’s been since 2015, composing, performing, researching, and designing software for interactive soundscapes. He holds a Ph.D. in Computer-based Music Theory and Acoustics and an M.A. in Music, Science and Technology from Stanford University’s Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA) in the Department of Music, as well as a M.M. in Computer Music Composition from the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University.

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]