Kate Stockrahm
Job title: Events Coordinator
Job duties: All things GWSB commencement-related.
How long have you worked at GW: Three months.
What’s best, so far, about working here: The people — and all of the leftover food items brought to our office (for my rather immediate consumption).
What’s something your co-workers do not know about you: I will always accept a bacon-topped cupcake. Always. (In fairness, I believe they do know this about me. However, I am not going to turn down the opportunity to request more bacon-topped cupcakes.)
Where did you grow up: Detroit, Michigan.
Family: My father, Dan; my mother, Pier; my younger brother, Alex; my dog, Sparkles; and my cats, Puma and Special Agent Jack Bauer.
What do you enjoy doing on the weekend: going to concerts, playing soccer or volleyball, relaxing with friends.
Favorite vacation spots: Home.
A (current) favorite book: This Is How You Lose Her by Junot Diaz.
A favorite movie: Sin City.
A favorite food: Steak (with a side of more steak.)
E-mail: kstock@gwu.edu
Phone: 202-994-8518
Posted by gwsb on May 7, 2013 | Filed under: Getting to Know,GWSB News.
Joel Renner
Job title: Manager of Digital Strategy & Career Systems for the F. David Fowler Career Center (FDFCC).
Job duties: Growing the GWSB and FDFCC brands to further integrate our online presence into the GWSB students’ career path; giving them easier access to the services we provide and better connections to employment opportunities. I also manage the Center’s online resources: the website, GWorkSB, and social media presence.
How long have you worked at GW: Six years at GW; six months at GWSB.
What’s best, so far, about working here: The creative atmosphere at GWSB is great for generating new ideas. It keeps me on my toes in current projects and constantly inspires me to think innovatively about my work.
What’s something your co-workers do not know about you: I design, create and sell jewelry.
Where did you grow up: North Pole, Alaska.
Family: My wife, Amy; my dad, Curt; my mom, Margi; and my brother, Kyle, who works at GW’s Elliott School of International Affairs.
Any hobbies? Cooking, painting and tech stuff (I’m always looking at new gadgets and apps.)
What do you enjoy doing on the weekend: Playing and watching soccer, going to wineries and grilling out.
Favorite vacation spots: Madrid, Spain; Alaska (in the summer, of course.)
A favorite book: The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss.
A favorite movie: The Sting.
A favorite food: Pizza (so many variations.)
E-mail: jrenner@gwu.edu
Posted by gwsb on April 23, 2013 | Filed under: Getting to Know,GWSB News.
Rick Hess
Name: Rick Hess
Job title: Undergraduate Student Experience Advisor and Assurance of Learning Specialist.
Job duties: Advising undergraduate students, teaching career development, assisting with the Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program, and coordinating the Assurance of Learning process for our undergraduate degrees.
How long have you worked at GW: 1 year, 8 months.
What’s best, so far, about working here: The engaged student body; students at the School of Business truly care about their experience here and take advantage of opportunity.
Where did you grow up: East Brunswick, N.J.
Any hobbies? Staying active, either through one of the many D.C. recreational leagues or working out or running; reading; traveling; and researching issues in higher education.
What do you enjoy doing on the weekend: Enjoying what D.C. offers by visiting the museums, learning the culture, and eating at the restaurants.
Favorite vacation spots: The Jersey shore – not like the one portrayed on TV – and Barcelona.
A favorite book: Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travelsand Dan Brown’sDeception Point.
A favorite movie: All types: if it sounds good, I’ll watch. Lately, I have been into the indie genre.
A favorite food: My mom’s lasagna and her brownies for dessert!
E-mail: rmhess@gwu.edu
Posted by gwsb on March 12, 2013 | Filed under: Getting to Know,GWSB News.
Katie Perugini
Job title: Alumni Relations Coordinator
Job duties: I support and promote GWSB alumni events, help track volunteer engagement, and communicate relevant information and opportunities to GWSB alumni and friends.
How long have you worked at GW: Since December 10, 2012.
What’s best, so far, about working here: The positive learning and working atmosphere created by my colleagues, and the rich diversity of people and ideas coming from the GW community every day.
What’s something your co-workers do not know about you: I have an entire drawer dedicated to my tie dye t-shirt collection.
Where did you grow up: West Wyoming, Pa. – a small borough located between Wilkes-Barre and Scranton.
Family: I have an awesome younger brother, Nick, who is a sophomore at Temple University. My parents live in Pennsylvania.
Any hobbies? Repurposing and upcycling old materials and objects, listening to NPR, playing soccer, and keeping up with current events.
What do you enjoy doing on the weekend? Being outdoors as much as possible, experiencing live music, cheering on the Penn State Nittany Lions and exploring all the D.C. metro area has to offer.
Favorite vacation spots: Any location I can visit family and friends, see something of historical significance, admire unique architecture, get a bit of strenuous exercise and eat local cuisine. Also, Lake George, N.Y.
A favorite book: The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson.
A favorite movie: It is very difficult for me to choose just one, I love movies. I’ll pick O Brother, Where Art Thou?, or anything directed by the Coen Brothers.
A favorite food: Sweet potato fries.
E-mail: kperugini@gwu.edu
Phone: 202-994-3746
Posted by gwsb on February 26, 2013 | Filed under: Getting to Know,GWSB News.
Danielle Brandis
Job title: Executive Aide
Job duties: Assisting operations within the School of Business.
How long have you worked at GW: Almost two years. I started working in the Department of Marketing and recently moved to the Office of the Dean.
What’s best, so far, about working here: Everyone’s been so nice and friendly. I’ve enjoyed getting to know my co-workers and love all the opportunities GW has to offer.
What’s something your co-workers do not know about you: I have an identical twin sister, Victoria. We were apart for about eight years, so I moved to D.C. to be with her again.
Where did you grow up: Telford, Pennsylvania – a small suburb of Philadelphia.
Family: My parents, two sisters, a brother, a brother-in-law, two nieces and a nephew.
Any hobbies? Singing, exercising, and German
What do you enjoy doing on the weekend: Hanging out with friends and checking out new spots in the area. My favorite places (so far) are Eastern Market and Great Falls.
Favorite vacation spots: Bavaria, Germany. I studied for a summer outside of Munich, and fell in love with it. It’s the most beautiful area. If it were closer, I’d visit every month.
A favorite book: The BFG by Roald Dahl. Not the most sophisticated choice, but it’s a really clever book.
A favorite movie: That’s a hard one… and probably embarrassing. If I were honest, I’d say Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. Deep down, I think everyone loves a Disney movie.
A favorite food: Wiener schnitzel with spätzle. Or anything chocolate.
E-mail: dbrandis@gwu.edu
Phone: 202-994-7697
Posted by gwsb on February 12, 2013 | Filed under: Getting to Know,GWSB News.
Christopher Fitch
Job title: International Student Liaison
Job duties: I work collaboratively with the International Education and Programs team to design and implement programs for international students, provide continued support for international students at GWSB, and develop and maintain relationships with the University offices that serve GWSB’s international student population.
How long have you worked at GW: Over four months.
What’s best, so far, about working here: Working with the international students at GWSB and helping them succeed.
What’s something your co-workers do not know about you: I am an obsessive Bob Marley fan.
Where did you grow up: Elmira, in upstate New York.
Family: I am engaged to my fiancé, Anastasia, and we hope to be getting married very soon.
Any hobbies? Hiking, camping, hunting, fishing, martial arts, weight lifting, dancing (no matter how much of a fool I look like), going on adventures around the world, good food, reading, watching good movies, going to live shows, many different genres of music, learning languages and cultures … I have a lot of hobbies.
What do you enjoy doing on the weekend: Relaxing.
Favorite vacation spots: Doesn’t really matter on the place so much as the company you keep.
A favorite book: Of Mice and Menby John Steinbeck.
A favorite movie: This is a difficult question as there are so many good movies and this question’s answer is ultimately dictated by the mood I am in. Today, I’m going to say Scent of a Woman with Al Pacino
A favorite food: Smoked salmon.
E-mail: fithcd@gwu.edu
Phone: 202-994-2648
Posted by gwsb on January 15, 2013 | Filed under: Getting to Know,GWSB News.
Suresh Kumar
Name: Suresh Kumar
Job title: Distinguished Visiting Professor of International Business.
Job duties: To help the School in its global expansion and in bringing robust and real-time education to GW.
How long have you worked at GW: Six months.
What’s best, so far, about working here: Great people who are collaborative across the School and willing to partner beyond GW to enhance business, community and government access to high-quality education.
What’s something your co-workers do not know about you: My family and I are “global nomads” who have lived and worked across the world. The U.S. is the sixth country we have called home. While having worked across business, government and nonprofit sectors, I started my career as a TV news and sports anchor.
Where did you grow up: In India – across Delhi, Bombay, Calcutta and Madras. Little did I imagine then that most, if not all, of these would be renamed: Bombay became Mumbai, Calcutta is Kolkata, and Madras is known today as Chennai. For all practical purposes, Delhi is trending fast towards becoming Dilli, as it is known in the local language.
Family: My wife and two children, both McKinsey consultants. One worked at the White House and the other is a physician/consultant who has worked promoting public health in Azerbaijan, Congo and East Timor, among other places.
Any hobbies? Hiking, walking, tennis and cricket.
What do you enjoy doing on the weekend: Catching up on a movie and a book.
Favorite vacation spots: Banff, Jasper and the Icefields Parkway in the Canadian Rockies, and the Far East – love the Orient!
A favorite book: The Unpublished David Ogilvy by Joel Raphaelson and The Fifth Horseman by Larry Collins & Dominique Lapierre.
A favorite movie: The American President, A Few Good Men, and Crimson Tide.
A favorite food: I love all types of food, especially Indian Chinese. If you have not tried this, you must!
E-mail: sureshkumar.sk@gmail.com
Phone: 609-356-4477
Posted by gwsb on December 4, 2012 | Filed under: Getting to Know,GWSB News.
Andy Cohen
Job title: Assistant Professor of Management
Job duties: I teach about people in organizations in the undergraduate and MBA programs, including the course Organizational Behavior and Leadership. At other schools, I’ve taught human resource management, organizational change, and strategy development.
How long have you worked at GW: This is my second year.
What’s best, so far, about working here: I love working with my colleagues in the Department of Management. And I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my students, both undergraduate and MBAs, in the time I’ve been here.
What’s something your co-workers do not know about you: I was a two-time varsity athlete in high school … if you count bowling as a sport!
Where did you grow up: Syracuse, N.Y. My parents still live in the house we moved into when I was 3-months-old.
Family: I live in Fairfax County, Virginia, with my wife of 21 years, our 15-year-old son, 12-year-old daughter, and two crazy dogs.
Any hobbies? All of us are avid snow skiers. I’ve been on skis since I was 4 and put my kids on when they were 4 and 3, respectively. Both my kids are downhill racers and my wife is likely to take it up this winter. I was a ski instructor for about five years and am likely to take it up again. We’re so into it that we go to Mt. Hood, Oregon, each summer to ski and train for a week with our race team.
What do you enjoy doing on the weekend: Having teenagers and getting to ski practice and races, and other kid activities and sports, keeps us pretty busy. We did enjoy the Train concert on Colonials weekend recently.
Favorite vacation spots: North Carolina’s Outer Banks and Park City, Utah.
A favorite book: When I’m not reading for work, I like biographies — often of U.S. presidents – and mysteries/thrillers. I’m a big fan of James Lee Burke.
A favorite movie: The Godfather series.
A favorite food: Pasta – any shape, any sauce.
E-mail: nacohen@gwu.edu
Phone: 703-403-4600
Posted by gwsb on November 20, 2012 | Filed under: Getting to Know,GWSB News.
Meredith Burnett
Job title: Visiting Assistant Professor
Job duties: My responsibilities include conducting research aimed at publication in leading human resource management journals, teaching undergraduate courses in the business administration and management programs, and serving on various committees within the School.
How long have you worked at GW: Since Aug. 28.
What’s best, so far, about working here: I truly appreciate the fact that students enrolled in my courses are excited about gaining an understanding of the importance of social responsibility and ethical decision making for human resource managers, as well as the business complexities involved and the interface of human resource and business strategies.
What’s something your co-workers do not know about you: I was once a majorette.
Where did you grow up: Jacksonville, Florida.
Family: I am married to my husband, Garry, and have two daughters: Naomi (6 years old) and Sloane (3 years old).
Any hobbies? Developing an eye for antiques.
What do you enjoy doing on the weekend: Trying restaurants in the area.
Favorite vacation spots: Maui, Hawaii, and the Cayman Islands.
A favorite book: Hottentot Venus by Barbara Chase-Riboud.
A favorite movie: The Green Mile.
A favorite food: Seafood
E-mail: burnettm@gwu.edu
Phone: 202-994-2565
Posted by gwsb on November 6, 2012 | Filed under: Getting to Know,GWSB News.
Keith Diener
Job title: Visiting assistant professor of strategic management & public policy.
Job duties: To assist students in navigating the legal and ethical terrains of business (and life more generally) by teaching business law and business ethics.
How long have you worked at GW: I’ve been a professorial lecturer at GW since 2009. I’ve taught in the Law School, the Paralegal Studies Program, and the School of Business. I began in my current role on August 1, 2012.
What’s best, so far, about working here: The people, especially students, faculty and administration.
What’s something your co-workers do not know about you: Many years ago, I was a first team all-state wrestler, a two-time North Carolina State Champion wrestler, and ranked as one of the top 10 wrestlers in the United States. I trained with several members of the Olympic wrestling team.
Where did you grow up: Raleigh, North Carolina.
Family: A lovely wife and loveable mini-schnauzer.
Any hobbies? I enjoy painting, writing, and weightlifting.
What do you enjoy doing on the weekend: Sleeping, spending some quality time with the family, and spending time in my basement gym (aka, the “man cave” – it is wall-to-wall cement, like something out of the “Rocky” movies).
Favorite vacation spots: Caribbean and Eastern Europe.
A favorite book: Most things philosophical.
A favorite movie: I prefer zany comedies or action-packed science fiction.
A favorite food: A good slice of New York margarita pizza.
E-mail: kdiener1@gwu.edu
Posted by gwsb on October 24, 2012 | Filed under: Getting to Know,GWSB News.
