Georgetown McDonough Alumni Reunite in Nashville for Social Events, Panel Discussions

Georgetown alumni and friends recently met in Nashville, Tennessee, to celebrate the first in-person John Carroll Weekend in three years. Throughout the weekend, alumni explored Music City through civil rights landmarks, museums, and music.

Alumni had the opportunity to attend two panels hosted by Georgetown McDonough, featuring several signature programs and initiatives that showcase the best of the business school – blending Jesuit values, multidisciplinary research, and innovative programming to use business as a force for good. 

During the first panel, “Creating Pathways for Returning Citizens,” Pietra Rivoli, professor of strategy executive director of the Pivot Program; Crystal Francis, assistant director of program management for the Pivot Program; and Tyrone Walker, a Pivot graduate who also is director of re-entry services for the Georgetown Prisons and Justice Initiative, shared how Georgetown McDonough is changing lives through the Pivot Program, which provides education and job opportunities to formerly incarcerated individuals while changing the narrative around second chance hiring in the world of business.

Later, Matthew Cypher, the Atara Kaufman Professor of the Practice, and Vishal Agrawal, the Henry J. Blommber Family Chair in Sustainable Business, teamed up from the Steers Center for Global Real Estate and the Business of Sustainability Initiative for “Sustainability in the Built Environment,” which included a tour of the Music City Center’s innovation design, as well as a discussion on sustainability in the built environment, showcasing how Georgetown McDonough thinks across disciplines to solve complex issues.

In the annual Georgetown Entrepreneurship Alliance Alumni Pitch Competition, McDonough alumnas Alli Cavasino (MBA’22) and Natalie Poston (MBA’21) took first place for their company, Joylet – a baby gear rental company that gives families access to the best baby gear at a fraction of the retail price, eliminating the hassle of long-term storage or disposal. The pair received $100,000 from the Georgetown Angel Investment Network for their award-winning venture. 

At the John Carroll Awards dinner, two McDonough alumni were honored with the 2020 John Carroll Award, which recognizes alumni whose achievements and record of service exemplify the ideals of Georgetown University and its founder. 

Emily Chen Carrera (B’88), one of the recipients of the John Carroll Award, is the chief of research at Olshan Realty and manager of the Private Wealth Real Estate Services. Chen has a long history of supporting her community. She was appointed by President Biden as a commissioner to the President’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. Chen also serves on the boards of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, the Beau Biden Foundation, the Women & Science Committee at Rockefeller University, the Creative Council at The Shed, and The Imagine Society. 

Chen has served on Georgetown’s Board of Regents and the Board of Advisors of the McDonough School of Business. The Emily Chen Carrera John Carroll Scholarship and the Emily Chen Carrera Third Century Scholarship were created to attract the best students to Georgetown. Chen also is the co-founder and executive producer of Stand Up for Georgetown.

Stephen Ray Mitchell (W’86, EMBA’13, P’15) also was honored at the John Carroll Awards dinner. Mitchell served as program director in Internal Medicine and founding program director of a Pew-funded Medicine-Pediatrics Residency, now in its 22nd year. Having won every teaching award in the Department of Medicine, Mitchell moved first to the dean’s office in 1998 and assumed the leadership of the School of Medicine concurrent with the inauguration of the Georgetown MedStar partnership in 2000. He became senior associate dean of academic affairs in charge of the medical school in 2000 and dean for medical education in 2002. Mitchell was elected into the Magis Hall of Fame for teachers.

At Georgetown, Mitchell has nearly tripled endowed scholarships, including one he funded with his wife, Ellen, and a second legacy scholarship in honor of his mother. His efforts led to the endowment of the W. Proctor Harvey Center for Excellence in Clinical Teaching, and with the help of 650 donors, the full funding of the W. Proctor Harvey Clinical Teaching Amphitheater. Mitchell served for six years as chair to the committee in charge of North American medical school accreditation. He was elected as a master of the American College of Physicians, and this year he has been inducted as an international fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of London.