Brandeis Magazine

Kevin Karnes, PhD’01, has been appointed vice provost for the arts at Emory College of Arts and Sciences. A professor of music history, he served as music department chair from 2010-14 and 2017-19. Ritirupa Samanta, IBS MS’02, PhD’04, is head of systematic fixed income and currency strategy at Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co., focused on emerging markets, developing nations and currencies hit hardest this year by the pandemic. In March, Laurie San Martin, PhD’03, debuted a new composition titled “what remains” at the Mondavi Center, on the University of California, Davis, campus. Laurie chairs and serves as a professor in the UC Davis music department. Medani Bhandari, Heller MA’04, is a faculty member at Akamai University, in Hawaii, and Sumy State University, in Ukraine, and serves as editor-in-chief for a global journal on strategic planning for the environment and energy. John Aylward, MFA’06, PhD’08, artistic director of Ecce Ensemble and associate professor of music at Clark University, has composed a new album, “Angelus.” A book by Brenda Bond-Fortier, Heller PhD’06, “Organizational Change in an Urban Police Department,” was published this year by Routledge. She’s been giving book talks and discussing policing issues with the media at a time when the U.S. finds itself grappling anew with police reforms and racial injustice. Elisa Gruber Lustig, IBS MBA’06, has joined Ballentine Partners, an independent wealth management firm, as director of private investing. Nicolas Senlis, IBS MA’06, is executive director of corporate finance at Alantra France. Previously, he was a director in the mid-caps investment banking team at UBS. Amrote Abdella, Heller MA’07, regional director of Microsoft’s 4Afrika Initiative, has led investment initiatives, spanning 54 countries, that seek to accelerate digital transformation. Previously, she worked with the World Economic Forum in Geneva. Ban Almahfodh-Graime, Heller MA’07, has two daughters, Isabella and Leila, born in 2017 and 2018, respectively. Bernie McCann, Heller MA’07, PhD’11, has relocated to Las Cruces, New Mexico, with husband Fabio Barros Marcondes after accepting a position as employee assistance program manager for the city of Las Cruces. In June, Deborah Leland, Rabb MS’08, was promoted to vice president of technology solutions at Virtual, which provides strategic consulting and services that help professional societies, advocacy groups and other organizations achieve their goals. Miranda Rains Waggoner, Heller MA’08, PhD’11, assistant professor in the Department of Sociology at Florida State University, received the CAREER award from the National Science Foundation. The honor is awarded for significant early-career achievements in research and teaching. Miranda was recognized for her study of biomedical research regulations pertaining to vulnerable populations, with a specific focus on obstetric patients and clinical trials. Narayan Sampath, IBS MBA’09, is vice president of administration and finance at Holyoke Community College, in Massachusetts. He manages the college budget and supervises the business office, human resources, the campus police, facilities and dining services.