Richard Souvenir is vice provost for strategic initiatives and a professor in the Department of Computer and Information Sciences at Temple University. He received a doctorate in computer science from Washington University in St. Louis. His research applies machine learning techniques to computer vision challenges, focusing on intuitive methods for querying image and video data; this work is highly interdisciplinary, integrating collaborations with architects, anthropologists, and clinicians in radiology and trauma surgery. The resulting scholarship has been published in leading conferences, garnering multiple best paper awards. As vice provost for strategic initiatives, Souvenir oversees the implementation of institutional projects, with a focus on collaboration and consensus-building across academic boundaries.

Stephanie Laggini Fiore is associate vice provost and senior director of the Center for the Advancement of Teaching at Temple University. She leads efforts to support faculty in implementing evidence-based teaching and curricular practices that promote equity, student success and meaningful learning experiences. Her current research examines how faculty’s role-identity frames their teaching decisions and ability to implement teaching changes. She is also engaged in research on faculty’s perception of GenAI as it relates to their pedagogical decisions. Fiore’s work is grounded in 35 years of teaching experience and previous leadership positions as director of Temple’s Italian program and Intensive English Language Program. She earned her PhD in Italian from Rutgers University and remains dedicated to advancing teaching excellence.

Abby Guido is a designer and associate professor of graphic and interactive design at the Tyler School of Art and Architecture. She is deeply invested in preparing the next generation of designers by ensuring that design education evolves alongside industry shifts. Through her teaching and research, Guido explores emerging technologies, changing workflows and new ways of thinking about design to equip students with the adaptability and skills needed for long-term success. In addition to her role in the classroom, she is actively involved in faculty leadership and curriculum development, shaping the future of design education at Temple and beyond.

Bruce W. Hardy is an assistant professor in the Department of Communication and Social Influence in the Klein College of Media and Communication at Temple University. His research and teaching focuses on political, science and health communication; knowledge acquisition, opinion formation and behavior; emergent technologies and society; and advanced research methods. His research has been published in numerous academic journals, including Science, Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, Science Communication, American Behavioral Scientist, Computers in Human Behavior, Public Opinion Quarterly, the Journal of Communication, Communication Theory, and the Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media. Hardy’s research has won national and international scholarly awards from the American Publishers Association, the International Communication Association and the National Communication Association. He is also a Distinguished Research Fellow with the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg Public Policy Center.

Subodha Kumar is the Paul R. Anderson Distinguished Chair Professor at Temple University’s Fox School of Business, where he leads the Center for Business Analytics and Disruptive Technologies. He also holds a secondary appointment in information systems and serves as the PhD program director for operations and supply chain management. Kumar is a visiting professor at the Indian School of Business. He has published over 250 papers and was ranked No. 1 for publishing in Information Systems Research. Kumar holds a robotics patent and has received numerous awards, including the INFORMS ISS Distinguished Fellow Award and the POMS Fellow Award. He is the deputy editor of the Production and Operations Management Journal and the founding executive editor of the Management and Business Review.

Slobodan Vucetic is a professor of computer science and the director of the Center for Hybrid Intelligence at Temple University’s College of Science and Technology. His research interests include human-centered artificial intelligence and applications of machine learning across diverse fields, including medicine, education, social sciences, molecular biology, geosciences and engineering. He has published nearly 200 peer-reviewed research papers and has maintained continuous funding by the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, Department of Defense and industry for over 20 years. He is also a recipient of the NSF CAREER award. Professor Vucetic has taught a wide range of courses in data science, machine learning and algorithms, and has actively mentored both undergraduate and graduate students in research.

Jennifer Ibrahim is dean of the College of Public Health and School of Social Work and a tenured professor in the Department of Health Services Administration and Policy. Ibrahim has been recognized by her peers as an outstanding teacher as evidenced by the award of all of Temple University’s teaching awards, including the highest honor, the Great Teacher Award, and multiple national awards. She is the chair of the Data Council for the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health and a board member for the Council on Education in Public Health. She continues to teach in health policy and health systems, and her research focuses on health policy, including legal infrastructure, policy surveillance and tobacco control policymaking.

Mary Beth Hays is the director of the Philadelphia Healthy and Safe Schools program and an assistant professor at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine. With over 25 years of experience, she is a contextual family therapist and professor of mindfulness-based play family therapy. She earned her master of social work from the University of Pennsylvania and began her career as a child abuse social worker. Hays later worked at the Anti-Violence Partnership of Philadelphia as a child victim specialist and clinical director, supporting homicide co-victims. She also served as a program manager for the Healing Hurt People Program, working with violently injured patients. Her work focuses on trauma-informed care, therapeutic modalities and healing-centered education.

Amid Ismail is the Laura H. Carnell Professor and dean of the Kornberg School of Dentistry. He holds a doctorate and master’s in public health, along with an MBA from the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. A diplomate of the American Board of Dental Public Health, Ismail brings extensive experience in public health, academia, research and community organization.

Dr. Kenny Oh is an assistant professor of surgery at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, specializing in vascular surgery. Board-certified by the American Board of Surgery in Vascular Surgery, he earned his medical degree at Katz and completed his vascular surgery residency at the University at Buffalo. He also earned his JD from Temple’s Beasley School of Law in 2007. Oh is dedicated to diagnosing and treating complex vascular conditions with expertise and precision. In addition to his clinical work, he is actively involved in medical education and research, contributing to advancements in the field. He practices at Temple Health, where he provides high-quality, patient-centered care.

Mark Salzer is a psychologist and professor of social and behavioral sciences in the College of Public Health at Temple University. He is also the director of a federally funded research and training center on independent living and participation of adults with serious mental illnesses (tucollaborative.org). Salzer and his colleagues conduct research that raises awareness about the importance of participation, such as work, going to school, leisure, faith, volunteering, and time with family and friends, as critical to health. They also test the effectiveness of interventions aimed at enhancing participation. He actively partners with people with a mental illness, their family members, providers and policymakers in Philadelphia, the region and nationally to apply research-based knowledge to improve the health of those with mental illnesses.

Frank Schmieder is a professor of surgery at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, specializing in vascular and endovascular surgery. He is board certified in general and vascular surgery. A graduate of the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, he completed his surgical residency at the University of Vermont, followed by fellowships in surgical critical care at Thomas Jefferson University, vascular surgery at Temple University and endovascular surgery at the University of Pittsburgh. He currently serves as interim division chief of vascular surgery, the surgical director of the Temple Heart and Vascular Institute, and program director of the Temple Vascular Surgery Fellowship. His clinical interests include open surgical and less-invasive endovascular treatments of aneurysms, limb-threatening conditions and carotid disease for stroke prevention. He is passionate about medical education, process management and improving access to medical care.

Tina Tran is a clinical pharmacist and an assistant professor at Temple University School of Pharmacy. Tran’s research focuses on three areas: implementation of innovative community-based interventions through addressing social determinants of health, development of integrated health delivery systems through health systems strengthening and development of novel medication delivery systems to improve medication adherence. Through transdisciplinary collaboration, her long-term goal is to create sustainable care delivery strategies that address both physical and social well-being of vulnerable populations. Tran earned her doctor of pharmacy degree from the University of California San Francisco in 2014. She was selected as a Fogarty Fellow at the NIH Fogarty International Center in 2017 and a scholar at the NIMHD Health Disparities Research Institute in 2022. At the School of Pharmacy, she teaches Economics of Pharmacy Practice and Social/Economic Aspects of Healthcare to first- and third-year doctor of pharmacy students.

Susan VonNessen-Scanlin is an associate professor and associate dean of clinical affairs and interprofessional education at Temple University College of Public Health. With over 30 years of healthcare experience, she is a nationally certified pediatric acute care nurse practitioner specializing in lung disease, including urban asthma. She previously served as associate dean for clinical affairs and community partnerships at Rutgers University School of Nursing and as CEO of the Rutgers Community Health Center, FQHC. VonNessen-Scanlin has worked at premier institutions like the University of Pennsylvania and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, overseeing programs to improve patient care and population health. She holds advanced degrees in nursing, health administration and business from the University of Pennsylvania, Rutgers University, Gwynedd Mercy University and Penn State University.

Huanmei Wu is chair of the Department of Health Services Administration and Policy and assistant dean for global engagement at Temple University’s College of Public Health. She holds a BS in chemistry from Tsinghua University and a PhD in computer science from Northeastern University. Previously, she chaired the Department of BioHealth Informatics at Indiana University. A multidisciplinary researcher, Wu applies data management and knowledge discovery to life sciences and public health, focusing on precision treatments and predictive modeling for conditions such as cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and neurodegenerative disorders. She collaborates with academic institutions, community health centers and industry partners. Her research has been funded by NSF, NIH, USAID, PCORI, JDRF, RWJF and other major agencies.

David Boardman is the dean of Klein College of Media and Communication at Temple University, one of the nation’s top schools of its kind. Since 2013, he has led major initiatives that have significantly enhanced the college’s profile and resources. In 2023, he was named Scripps Howard Administrator of the Year by the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication. Prior to Temple, Boardman was executive editor of The Seattle Times, where he and his staff won multiple Pulitzer Prizes. He is a founding chair of the Lenfest Institute for Journalism and chairs the nonprofit news organizations Spotlight PA. He is also a board member and past president of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, and has trained journalists across the globe. He is a graduate of Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism and of the University of Washington.

Lauren Bullock is an assistant professor at Temple University, where she directs the BA in sports media program and teaches courses on leadership, civic engagement and public relations. She has over 20 years of experience in leadership education and sports media relations. Before transitioning to full-time faculty, she led the Office of Leadership Development within Temple’s Division of Student Affairs. Lauren holds a PhD in leadership and change, a bachelor’s degree in sport and recreation management from Temple University, and a master of science in athletic administration from Florida State University. Her professional experience includes media relations roles at Disney’s Wide World of Sports, Florida State and the University of Texas. She is also a team member at Stretch, a communications firm that coaches sports leaders in collegiate athletics and professional sports.

Isabella DiAmore is an associate sports editor at The Philadelphia Inquirer, where she started out as a freelance Temple Athletics beat reporter. DiAmore graduated from Temple in 2022, where she studied journalism and worked as The Temple News’ sports editor, and as a producer on OwlSports Update.

Melissa Ludtke, an award-winning journalist, has reported for Sports Illustrated and Time and was editor of Nieman Reports at Harvard. At Time, her work focused on women and children’s issues, which she carried over into her books, On Our Own: Unmarried Motherhood in America and Touching Home in China: In Search of Missing Girlhoods. In her 2024 memoir, Locker Room Talk: A Woman’s Struggle to Get Inside, she revisits Ludtke v. Kuhn, the 1978 federal court case that secured equal access for women who were covering Major League Baseball (MLB). Her groundbreaking lawsuit challenged MLB’s discriminatory media policy, resulting in the judge ruling in her favor based on the 14th Amendment. Beyond journalism, she has consulted on children’s policies, led study groups at Harvard’s Kennedy School and received numerous awards, including the Yankee Quill Award. She lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and is the mother of a daughter, Maya.

Breland Moore, KLN ’14, is an accomplished sports anchor at FOX29 Philadelphia and a proud alum of Temple University’s Lew Klein College of Media and Communication. Graduating in 2014 with a degree in journalism, Moore has built a successful career in sports broadcasting, bringing energy, insight and a deep passion for storytelling to her coverage. Throughout her career, she has covered major sporting events, interviewed top athletes and provided in-depth analysis for fans across the region. In addition to her work in journalism, Breland remains an active member of the Klein College Alumni Association, serving as director at large. Her dedication to the industry and commitment to mentoring aspiring journalists make her a valued leader in the media community.

Claire Smith has been a trailblazer in baseball journalism for 40 years. She was the first woman to cover a Major League Baseball beat full-time, covering the New York Yankees for the Hartford Courant, and became the second national baseball columnist in the U.S. Smith was honored with the Red Smith Award—considered the top honor in sports journalism—in 2023. She was the first woman to receive the Baseball Writers Association of America’s Career Excellence Award in 2017, and has received numerous other accolades, including the Sam Lacy-Wendell Smith Award and the Jackie Robinson Foundation’s Robie Award for Lifetime Achievement. This spring, Smith will be one of three journalists inducted into the inaugural class of the Black Sports Writers Hall of Fame. A graduate of Temple University, Smith returned to teach at her alma mater in 2021. She has been a strong advocate for diversity in journalism.

Elizabeth Taylor is an associate professor in the School of Sport, Tourism and Hospitality Management at Temple University, where she also serves as the faculty athletics representative. Taylor graduated from the University of Tennessee in 2017 with a PhD in sport management and a master’s in applied statistics. She also received a master’s in sport psychology from Miami University and a BS in business administration from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point where she played volleyball and ran track. Taylor’s research focuses on employee well-being within sport organizations as it relates to workplace experiences such as the work-nonwork interface, overwork cultures, and gendered experiences like sexual harassment and sexism.

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Riyaz Bashir is a professor of medicine at Temple University and serves as the program director for the Interventional Cardiology Fellowship and director of vascular and endovascular medicine at Temple University Hospital. A graduate of the University of Kashmir, Bashir completed advanced cardiovascular, vascular and interventional cardiology training at Tufts University and Mayo Clinic. He is the co-inventor of the BASHIR Endovascular Catheter family of devices, which have revolutionized the treatment of pulmonary embolism, deep vein thrombosis and arterial thrombosis, benefiting thousands of patients across the U.S. A recipient of numerous awards, including the AHA Innovation Challenge Award, Bashir is a recognized leader in interventional cardiology, dedicated to research, mentorship and advancing vascular therapies. His contributions continue to shape the future of cardiovascular medicine. Bashir serves as an ex-officio chief medical consultant for Thrombolex Inc.

Christian Schafmeister is a professor of chemistry at Temple University. He earned a BSc in biophysics at the University of California in San Francisco and spent three years doing postdoctoral research with Gregory Verdine at Harvard University, where he invented stapled peptides, the basis of two companies Aileron and Parabilis. As an independent researcher he invented Spiroligomer technology, a new technology for creating programmable macromolecules for diagnostics and therapeutics. He is founder of a Temple Made spinout company called ThirdLaw Molecular. The company is developing Spiroligomer molecules as new therapeutics targeting currently undruggable proteins.

W. Geoffrey Wright is a professor and director of the neuromotor sciences program in the Department of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences at the College of Public Health. He earned a BS in aerospace engineering from Virginia Tech and spent four years in the U.S. Air Force as a satellite engineer. He later shifted his focus from hardware to wetware, earning a master’s in experimental psychology from Northeastern University and PhD in cognitive neuroscience from Brandeis University. During postdoctoral training, he began working with diverse patient populations, including stroke, Parkinson’s disease, vestibular loss and neuropathy, investigating motor control, gait and balance. He is co-founder of a Temple Made spinout company called UprightVR. The company combines neuroscience principles with virtual reality technology to develop innovative, portable solutions for assessing and treating balance issues.

Adam Vidiksis is a drummer and composer who explores social structures, science and the intersection of humankind with the machines we build. His work has been recognized by the National Endowment for the Arts, Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission, Chamber Music America, ASCAP, American Composers Forum, the Omaha Symphony, the Guthman Musical Instrument Competition and the Nichi Bei Collaborating Artist Grant. He has released recordings on New Focus, PARMA Ravello, SEAMUS Records, HoneyRock Publishing, EMPIRE and Fuzzy Panda. Vidiksis performs with SPLICE Ensemble, Aeroidio and the Miller/Vidiksis/Wells trio, with works featured internationally. He served as composer-in-residence for the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia and is the 2025 Delaware Established Artist Fellow in Music Composition. He is chair of SPLICE Music and directs the Boyer College Electroacoustic Ensemble Project, BEEP. His research, compositions and performances in electronic and improvisational music have been presented worldwide. Vidiksis is an associate professor of music technology at Temple University.

Michelle Temple is an interdisciplinary performer/composer, instrument maker, electronics hardware designer, scholar and educator inspired by research in psychoacoustics and disability studies based in Philadelphia. Temple’s audio and visual works reflect a passion for music technology as a tool to investigate social and political hierarchies. Temple is an advocate for the deaf community and inclusivity within the disciplines of music technology, sound studies, experimental music and art. Temple is an associate professor of music technology at Temple University.

Sam Wells is a musician and artist based in Philadelphia, whose work often invokes a heightened sense of the entanglements of space, air, breath and body. Manifesting as music composition, performance and improvisation, as well as multimedia performance and installation, his work is experientially substantial. It is rooted in the humanity of breath and highlights our interrelations with the cosmic, terrestrial, social and internal spaces that surround us. Wells is an assistant professor of music technology at Temple University.

Kimmika Williams-Witherspoon is the senior associate dean of strategic initiatives and innovation in the Center for the Performing and Cinematic Arts at Temple University and a professor in the Theater Department. A hybrid researcher, scholar and performer, she has authored two seminal books on African American theater, Through Smiles and Tears: The Secret Messages in African American Theater. With over 28 plays produced, 20 productions and 120 poetry performances, her work explores pedagogy, women’s issues, the African diaspora and performance rituals. A prolific writer, she has contributed to 49 anthologies and received numerous awards for her scholarship and artistic contributions.

Joseph V. Labolito is a photographer in Strategic Marketing and Communications at Temple University. He is based in Philadelphia and known for his extensive and evocative portrayal of the city’s rich tapestry. Born and raised in the Frankford-Oxford Circle area, Joseph began his photographic journey in high school, working with portrait studios. Over the past four decades, he has developed a multifaceted portfolio that encompasses still life, architecture, healthcare, athletics and documentary photography. Labolito’s work serves as a visual narrative of Philadelphia’s neighborhoods, reflecting the city’s evolution and resilience. His collection is a deeply personal exploration, capturing not just the essence of the city but inviting viewers to engage with its history and transformation. Labolito’s photographs are housed in several prestigious public and private collections, including the Special Collections Research Center at Temple University and the Free Library of Philadelphia’s Print and Picture Collection, which features nearly 1,300 images.

Talk: Rethinking Global Migration Law

Jaya Ramji-Nogales is associate dean for research and the I. Herman Stern Research Professor at the Beasley School of Law, where she teaches refugee law and policy and supervises the Temple Law Asylum Project. Her recent scholarship explores race, immigration law and national security; applies infrastructure literature and governance theory to the southwestern U.S. border; and assesses knowledge production in refugee law. Prior publications introduce the concept of global migration law, study the U.S. asylum adjudication system using quantitative and qualitative methods, catalogue the Trump administration’s attacks on the asylum process, and analyze comparative legal responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. Professor Ramji-Nogales is a member of the Board of Editors of the American Journal of International Law and a counsellor of the American Society of International Law.

Talk: How to Think Like a Brain

Iyad Obeid is an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, now in his 20th year at Temple. Obeid studied electrical engineering at MIT and biomedical engineering at Duke, where he worked on instrumentation and data processing for brain computer interfaces. There, he developed a wireless telemetry system for capturing, processing and transmitting brain signals from live subjects. Following a postdoc at the Universite de Louvain in Belgium in prosthetic vision, Obeid joined Temple University, where he continued to pursue his passion for using engineering tools to understand neural signaling. He is a recipient of the NSF CAREER award and his research has been funded by National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health and the Department of Defense. He lives in West Philadelphia with his wife, children and an assortment of pets.

Talk: Why Agency Matters in Education

Maia Cucchiara is an associate professor of urban education at Temple. She received a joint PhD in education and sociology from the University of Pennsylvania and applies a sociological lens to questions of urban education policy. She is the author of Marketing Schools, Marketing Cities: Who Wins and Who Loses When Schools Become Urban Amenities (University of Chicago Press, 2013), which received the 2014 Pierre Bourdieu Award for the Best Book in the Sociology of Education. Her most recent study, funded by the National Science Foundation, examines school culture in innovative urban public high schools. An editorial based on that study appeared in The New York Times in 2021. She is also leading an evaluation of trauma-informed practices in elementary schools in Philadelphia.

Talk: Innovations in Deep-Sea Research to Address Human Impacts

Erik Cordes is a professor and chair of the Department of Biology. He received his MS from Moss Landing Marine Labs and his PhD from Penn State University, and was a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University. He has published over 100 papers on the ecology of the deep sea over the past 30 years, spent almost two years at sea on over 30 research cruises and has made 47 dives in manned submersibles (including one to 6000 m depth). He is a self-described ocean explorer and ecological oceanographer who has led expeditions off of the East Coast, Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean, Costa Rica and the Phoenix Islands, and he has just returned from the waters around Antarctica. Some of his recent work can be found here: sites.temple.edu/cordeslab.

Talk: Why Media for Children Matters the Most 

Sherri Hope Culver serves as director of the Center for Media and Information Literacy at Temple University where she is a professor of instruction in Klein College of Media and Communication and directs the certificate in children’s media. She served as vice chair of the UNESCO-led Global Media and Information Literacy Alliance and regularly presents internationally on media literacy and children’s media topics. Culver was a key advisor on the PBS Kids Guiding Framework on Media Literacy. She recently published The Quality Question: Why Children’s Media Must Aim High. Culver produces and hosts the podcast Kids Talk Media. She was a Fulbright global scholar for 2022–2023 conducting research on children’s media and media literacy globally.

Talk: Clean Slate: Opportunities and Burdens in Criminal Record Relief

Nyron N. Crawford is an associate professor of political science and faculty fellow in the Public Policy Lab at Temple University. Previously, he was a lecturer and visiting scholar at Princeton’s School of Public and International Affairs and a pre-doctoral fellow at MIT. His research applies psychological science to law, policy and racialized public issues. His work appears in the Journal of Urban Affairs, Perspectives on Politics, Urban Affairs Review, and major media outlets like Politico Magazine and The Washington Post. Crawford earned his PhD and MA from The Ohio State University and a BA from Howard University. He is author of Marked Men: Black Politicians and the Racialization of Scandal (NYU Press, 2024).

Talk: Acres of Diamonds: Community-Based Inspiration for Innovation

Zoe Maher is an associate professor of surgery at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University in Philadelphia. She is currently the interim chief of trauma at Temple University Hospital, where she has been a faculty in trauma and surgical critical care for the last 10 years. During her years training at both Temple and the University of Pennsylvania, she developed a strong clinical and research interest in pre-hospital care of penetrating trauma patients. In collaboration with Philadelphia trauma directors, she wrote a protocol to investigate the utility of pre-hospital interventions performed by advanced life support for the urban penetrating trauma patient. Additionally, she is interested in the social determinants of health which contribute to community violence involving firearms.  She co-founded an organization called the Coalition of Trauma Centers for Firearm Injury Prevention, a Pennsylvania statewide organization focused on reducing rates of firearm injury through legislative and non-legislative action. Though her passion is the provision of excellent healthcare to the North Philadelphia community, she also directs an innovative partnership between Tamale Teaching Hospital in Northern Ghana and Katz via the AMPATH Consortium.

Talk: Solving the Crisis of Systemic Attention

Ravi S. Kudesia is an assistant professor of management at the Fox School of Business at Temple University. Previously, he was a research fellow at Future Resilient Systems, a think tank established by ETH Zürich and the National Research Foundation of Singapore. Kudesia’s research examines how people can organize more mindfully—especially in situations of crisis and consequence. His interdisciplinary and multimethod research spans experiments, qualitative methods and agent-based models, with collaborations involving neuroscientists, physicists and a Buddhist monk. His work has been published in top scientific journals, including Academy of Management Review and Organization Science, and he has consulted for leading organizations and government agencies, including a European Commission project for safety in the nuclear industry.

Talk: Reimagining the Power Structure in Collaborative Art Spaces

Amina Robinson is a professional actor, director, and professor of acting and musical theater at Temple University. Robinson has performed on Broadway; in Broadway national tours; on national commercials; and on many television series with recurring roles on Showtime’s Nurse Jackie and ABC’s For Life, for which she was submitted for Emmy nomination consideration. A highlight of her film work is her role, Jermaine, in the Oscar-, Golden Globe- and multi award-winning film Precious, nominated for a Best Ensemble SAG Award, and winning the BFSC Best Ensemble Award. Robinson’s directing credits include productions at Wilma Theater, Arden Theatre, Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival, IAMA Theater (Los Angeles) and Queens Theater (New York). Robinson is also the only Black woman to win a Barrymore Award for Outstanding Direction of a Musical.

Ellen G. Cooper, FOX ’85, is chair, president and CEO of Lincoln Financial Group. She is also president and serves on the board of the principal insurance subsidiaries of Lincoln Financial.

Prior to her current role, Cooper was executive vice president, chief investment officer, and head of enterprise risk and annuity solutions at Lincoln. She joined the organization in 2012 and was instrumental in developing and executing on Lincoln’s general and separate account investment strategy, overseeing more than $300 billion in assets and managing the corporation’s industry-leading hedge program.

Before joining Lincoln, Cooper served as managing director and global head of insurance strategy for Goldman Sachs Asset Management. Earlier in her career, she was the chief risk officer for AEGON Americas. She also served as a principal at Ernst and Young LLP and in an insurance consulting role at Towers Perrin.

Cooper currently serves as co-chair of the Steering Committee on Prudential Issues for the American Council of Life Insurers (ACLI), and is a member of the ACLI’s Executive Committee and Board of Directors. She has also served on the Board of the Lincoln Financial Foundation and as the chair of the Lincoln Variable Insurance Products Trust Board. She is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries, is a CFA charterholder and holds a bachelor of business administration in actuarial science from Temple University.