The Journey After Duke: Reflections and Connections with Alumni

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Join a panel of alumni reflecting on their professional lives since departing Duke. An opportunity for structured networking with the speakers and other Duke alumni who are leaders in their fields (accessible via Box) will follow the conversation. The event is open exclusively to graduate and professional students.

Panelists:

• Chris Acito T'89, Chief Executive Officer, Gapstow Capital Partners
• Asic Demberel, M.S.’12 (Computer Science), Senior Software Development Manager, Amazon
• Jeannie Karl, Ph.D.’00 (Cell Biology), Senior Director in Pharma Partnering Transactions, Genentech, Inc.
• Moderator: Ronald Temple ’90, M.P.P., Chief Market Strategist, Lazard Asset Management, LLC

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Not sure what to expect from this event? Read a reflection by Judith Mwobobia, M.S.'23 (Global Health) about her experience at a past offering. You can also attend an optional Networking Practice Session with Duke Career Center on Tuesday, March 19 from 4:00 to 5:00 pm over Zoom for students who want to build their skills and comfort; indicate your interest in the registration.

Learn more about our speakers:

Chris Acito T’89 is the Chief Executive Officer of Gapstow Capital Partners, a specialist investment consultant to the alternative credit industry, which he founded in 2009. Prior to Gapstow, Chris was the Global Chief Operating Officer for Investcorp’s Hedge Fund Group. Prior to Investcorp, Chris enjoyed a ten-year career as a management consultant, beginning with Booz-Allen & Hamilton and with Casey, Quirk & Acito (now Casey Quirk a Deloitte business). Chris began his career as an economist, serving on the President's Council of Economic Advisers in both the Bush and Clinton administrations. Chris holds a B.A. in Economics from Duke University and an M.A. in Economics from the University of Chicago.  He is Board Chair Emeritus Trustee of The Peddie School in Hightstown, NJ and serves on the investment committees of Peddie and The New York Community Trust.

Asic Demberel, M.S.’12 is a Senior Software Development Manager at Amazon. In 2012 Asic joined Amazon Web Services (AWS) as a software engineer before being promoted to manager. When the COVID-19 pandemic began, he joined a newly formed Amazon Diagnostics team which was responsible for building in-house COVID-19 testing laboratories and performing millions of tests to help with early detection and spread prevention among Amazon’s frontline employees. After the pandemic, Asic decided to stay in the healthcare space by joining Amazon Pharmacy. In this role, he runs a team of 40 engineers in Amason’s Partner Services organization. He received his M.S. degree in computer science from Duke University. Asic is originally from Mongolia and currently lives in Seattle with his family.

Jeannie Karl, Ph.D.’00 is a senior director in Pharma Partnering Transactions at Genentech, Inc., a member of the Roche Group. She is responsible for negotiating collaboration and/or licensing deals with biotech/pharma companies for strategic assets or technologies.  She has been with Genentech since 2016. Previously, Jeannie was managing counsel at Broadcom, where she drafted and negotiated various agreements crucial to Broadcom’s semiconductor and software business and advised business stakeholders. Jeannie began her career at Weil, Gotchal & Manges LLP, representing various clients in patent litigation, licensing and M&A transactions. She completed her Ph.D. in Cell Biology at Duke and received her J.D. from Columbia Law School. Originally from South Korea, Jeannie now lives in Northern California with her husband, a fellow Duke Ph.D., and her family. She serves on the board of Upward Scholars.

Ronald Temple T'90 is the Chief Market Strategist for Lazard’s Financial Advisory and Asset Management businesses. In this role, Ron provides macroeconomic and market perspectives to Lazard’s investment teams on a firmwide basis and works closely with Lazard’s Geopolitical Advisory group to assess economic and market implications of key geopolitical issues globally. Ron also advises clients of Lazard’s Asset Management businesses regarding macroeconomic and market considerations that are important to achieving their objectives. Ron joined Lazard in 2001 as an equity analyst with ten years of global experience including fixed-income derivative trading, risk management, corporate finance and corporate strategy in roles at Deutsche Bank AG, Bank of America NT & SA, and Fleet Financial Group in London, New York, Singapore, San Francisco, and Boston. Ron has an M.P.P. from Harvard University and graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. in Economics & Public Policy from Duke University. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Economic Club of New York, the CFA Society New York, and he is the chair of Duke University’s Graduate School Board of Visitors.

This event is sponsored by The Graduate School and Alumni Engagement and Development.