Meet the Team
Teacher-scholars and practitioners on the leading edge of theory and practice.
Center Team
Hannah Payson
Executive Director, Center for Business, Government & Society
Prior to Tuck Hannah worked for 10 years at Lloyd’s of London in the UK as a corporate responsibility manager for Lloyd’s award-winning Community Programme and expanded its corporate social responsibility efforts with a focus on environmental sustainability, ethics and values, diversity, and global reach. Before that, she worked for an education-focused nonprofit and in community investing. Hannah earned a BSc in Economics from University of Wales, Swansea.
Katherine McCarthy
Program Manager, Center for Business, Government & Society
Charles Wheelan
Clinical Professor of Business Administration; Faculty Director, Center for Business, Government & Society
Charles Wheelan is the faculty director for Tuck’s Center for Business, Government & Society. Prior to joining the Tuck faculty, he was a senior lecturer and policy fellow at Dartmouth’s Rockefeller Center for Public Policy. He teaches courses related to business and public policy. Wheelan is the author of the “naked books”: Naked Money, Naked Statistics, and Naked Economics. In 2023, Naked Economics was named by Princeton finance professor Burton Malkiel in the Wall Street Journal as the best business book of all time. Wheelan is also the author of The Centrist Manifesto and the founder and chair of Unite America, a movement of Democrats, Republicans, and independents working to foster a more representative and functional government. Wheelan lives in Hanover, New Hampshire, with his wife, Leah Yegian Wheelan, who is also a 1988 Dartmouth graduate.
Affiliated Faculty
Paul A. Argenti
Professor of Corporate Communication
Paul Argenti is a pioneer in the field of corporate communication, teaching some of the earliest courses on the subject for Harvard Business School, Columbia Business School, and the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. He wrote Corporate Communication, the first textbook in the field now in its eighth edition, along with Corporate Responsibility, Digital Strategies for Powerful Corporate Communication, The Power of Corporate Communication, and many other books and articles. He teaches courses on corporate communication, corporate responsibility, and general management, and has consulted and run training programs for hundreds of companies including ING, Mitsui, Novartis, Goldman Sachs, and the Detroit Lions. Argenti is a frequent contributor to Harvard Business Review and has appeared in numerous publications including the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Washington Post, and others.
Emily J. Blanchard
Associate Professor of Business Administration
Emily Blanchard is a leading expert on international economic policy, associate professor at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, research fellow with the Centre for Economic Policy Research, and a member of the CESifo research network. She served as chief economist of the US Department of State from January 2022 to November 2023. Blanchard’s research lies at the intersection of international economics and public policy. Her work explores how foreign investment and global value chains are changing the role of trade and international economic cooperation in the 21st century, and how globalization and education shape political outcomes and the distribution of income within and across countries. An award-winning teacher, Blanchard offers courses on global economics, international economic policy, and cooperation and competition in the global economy. She graduated with honors in economics from Wellesley College and earned MSc and PhD degrees in economics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Thomas C. Lawton
Visiting Professor of Business Administration
Professor Lawton is an authority on nonmarket strategy and business model innovation, particularly during corporate turnaround or in response to political risk. Much of his work explores organizational forms and strategy processes for engaging political and social actors and arenas. The research leverages institutional perspectives and extends capabilities theory beyond market settings and into the nonmarket contexts of corporate political activity (CPA) and corporate social responsibility (CSR). His research has explored and advanced our understanding of how the firm competes beyond market settings, partnering with government in industrial policy initiatives, engaging external stakeholders through intermediaries like trade associations, and managing and mitigating political risk when entering and embedding in foreign markets, particularly emerging economies. He teaches a course in International Strategy at Tuck.
Matthew Rees
Senior Fellow, Center for Business, Government & Society
Matthew Rees is the founder of Geonomica, an editorial consulting firm that has worked with clients across a number of industries, and a senior fellow at Tuck's Center for Business, Government & Society. He has cowritten, with Lloyd Minor, dean of Stanford University’s School of Medicine, Discovering Precision Health: Predict, Prevent, and Cure to Advance Health and Well-Being. A former journalist, Rees has worked for the Wall Street Journal and the Economist, and he is a frequent book reviewer for the Journal. He also has extensive government experience, serving as a speechwriter for President George W. Bush, former National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick.
Anant K. Sundaram
Clinical Professor of Business Administration
Anant Sundaram teaches Corporate Valuation and Business and Climate Change at Tuck. His areas of expertise are business valuation, M&A, corporate governance, and financial strategies for profitable growth.
Student Leaders
Leen Ajloun T’25
MBA Fellow & Nonprofit Board Fellow
Hometown: Amman, Jordan
Previous Education: Smith College
Board Placement: Green Mountain Children's Center
Leen has a background in tech commercialization and early-stage venture capital, having worked as a Business Analyst at a biotechnology accelerator and then an Investment Associate at a venture capital fund, both in Cleveland, OH. After Tuck, Leen would like to go into management consulting and contribute to helping companies strategize around building sustainable growth. Long-term, Leen is interested in pursuing a career in social impact and building her own impact-oriented venture.
As a CBGS Fellow, Leen is interested in exploring purpose-driven leadership, corporate social responsibility and innovation, and labor economics and trends in workforce
development.
Rushika Athia T’25
Nonprofit Board Fellow
Board Placement: Good Beginnings of the Upper Valley
Katie Berdy T’25
MBA Fellow & Nonprofit Board Fellow
Hometown: Ellicott City, Maryland
Previous Education: Columbia University
Board Placement: Positive Tracks
Before Tuck Katie served as an Office of the Governor Fellow for Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont. She worked closely with the Department of Social Services to design new Medicaid programs to maximize federal funding to address the social determinants of health of Connecticut’s most vulnerable residents. She also supported the redesign of Connecticut’s Low-Income Heating & Energy Assistance Program and initiatives related to the COVID-19 public health emergency unwinding. Before joining the Governor’s office, Katie spent three years as a Consultant at Accenture where she supported clients in the public and private sectors. After Tuck, Katie plans to return to Consulting, focusing on healthcare and the public sector. She is passionate about making government services more accessible and equitable. As a CBGS fellow, Katie hopes to explore healthcare and education policy, social impact, and effective public/private partnerships.
Jessica Demian T’25
MBA Fellow & Nonprofit Board Fellow
Hometown: Orange County, CA
Previous Education: University of Redlands
Board Placement: The Connecticut River Conservancy
Prior to Tuck, Jessica worked in deal advisory and strategy services at KPMG. Jessica’s career interests and goals include ESG, social impact, and impact investing. As a CBGS Fellow, Jessica is interested in in exploring the intersection of climate and sustainability within business, government, and society.
Matthew Dodig T’25
Nonprofit Board Fellow
Board Placement: Hanover Improvement Society
Sidney Drill T’25
Nonprofit Board Fellow
Board Placement: Upper Valley Trails Alliance
Allie Farina T’25
Nonprofit Board Fellow
Board Placement: COVER Home Repair
Britt Foulds T’25
MBA Fellow & Nonprofit Board Fellow
Hometown: Brookfield, CT
Previous Education: Connecticut College, BA in Government
Board Placement: Community Gallery, Inc (d/b/a AVA Gallery and Art Center)
Britt comes to Tuck with six years of work experience in government and public affairs. Notably, Britt was State Scheduler and Outreach Assistant for United States Senator Chris Murphy and most recently was the Director of External Affairs for the Lt. Governor of Connecticut. After Tuck, Britt is interested in exploring careers in marketing and strategy. As a CBGS Fellow, Britt is interested in exploring public private partnerships, corporate responsibility, and economic development.
Michael Fries T’25
Nonprofit Board Fellow
Board Placement: Vermont Institute of Natural Science
Matthew Goff T’25
Nonprofit Board Fellow
Board Placement: The Upper Valley Haven
Ronela Haxhiaj T’25
MBA Fellow
Hometown: Tirana, Albania
Previous Education: Vassar College
Prior to Tuck, Ronela pursued a six-month internship with the Child Protection Section at UNICEF. Specifically, Ronela provided administrative assistance to the UNICEF-UNFPA Global Programme to End Child Marriage. Post-UNICEF, Ronela joined Guidehouse as a public sector consultant. During this time, she supported New York State agencies with their grant management and technology transformation efforts. Ronela’s career interests and goals include public sector consulting, poverty alleviation efforts, and sustainability. As a CBGS Fellow, Ronela is interested in exploring public/private partnerships and cross-sector collaborations to address local, regional, and global challenges, and building community understanding around pressing societal issues.
Ross James T’25
MBA Fellow
Hometown: Atlanta, Georgia
Previous Education: Dartmouth College
Ross comes to Tuck with work experience in education-based non-profits and as a special education teacher. After Tuck, Ross is interested in AI development in the classroom and environmental education as a form of environmental justice. As a CBGS Fellow, Ross is interested in exploring public and private partnerships in education, equity initiatives, and artificial Intelligence in education.
Tucker Kavanagh T’25
Nonprofit Board Fellow
Board Placement: Whaleback Ski Area
Aisha Khan T’25
Nonprofit Board Fellow
Board Placement: JAM - Junction Arts & Media
Sean Knowlan T’25
MBA Fellow & Nonprofit Board Fellow
Hometown: Portsmouth, Rhode Island
Previous Education: James Madison University
Board Placement: Visions for Creative Housing Solutions
Prior to Tuck, Sean worked as a Consulting Manager at Accenture in the Public Service practice. After Tuck, Sean wants to return to consulting in the short-term, transition to either a role in technology or infrastructure investing in the long-term. As a CBGS Fellow, Sean will focus on smart cities, infrastructure, and transportation/mobility.
Dana Lucas T’25
Nonprofit Board Fellow
Board Placement: Willings Hands
Ivy Lung T’25
Nonprofit Board Fellow
Board Placement: Maynard House
Alyssa Metcalf T’25
Nonprofit Board Fellow
Board Placement: Upper Valley Humane Society
Ryann Miguel T’25
Nonprofit Board Fellow
Board Placement: White River Council on Aging
Emilio Rosillo T’25
MBA Fellow & Nonprofit Board Fellow
Hometown: Mexico City, Mexico
Previous Education: Technólogico de Monterrey, Mexico City
Board Placement: Music to Life
Emilio comes to Tuck having served in the public sector as Head of Financial Planning in Foreign Currency at Banco de Mexico. His career interests include corporate strategy, emerging markets, and impact investing. In the long term, he aspires to start a social impact fund for low-income entrepreneurs in LATAM. At CBGS, Emilio aims to delve into social impact, public-private partnership, and to create a platform that serves as a bridge, connecting Tuck with expert minds from Latin America.
Zac Seeber T’25
MBA Fellow
Hometown: Charleston, SC
Previous Education: United States Air Force Academy
Zac comes to Tuck having served as an Officer in the U.S. Air Force. Zac is exploring careers that are societal-change oriented, at the intersection of business and politics. As a CBGS Fellow, Zac hopes to create forums for leaders who have navigated successful careers spanning business and government to share their experiences with the Tuck community.
Francisco Segura T’25
MBA Fellow
Hometown: Hidalgo, Mexico
Previous Education: University of Regina
Prior to Tuck, Francisco worked as a research analyst, and is experienced in predictive analytics, econometric modeling, and machine learning. After Tuck, Francisco seeks to enter the field of economic consulting, aiming to resolve economic, financial, and strategic issues for law firms, corporations, and government agencies. As a CBGS Fellow, Francisco is enthusiastic to enhance his academic experience by participating in the Center’s body of knowledge and scholarship.
Saad Shaukat T’25
MBA Fellow
Hometown: Gujrat, Pakistan
Previous Education: Lahore University of Management Sciences (BA-LLB Honors)
Saad comes to Tuck with experience in government, having worked in the Government of Pakistan as a Deputy Project Manager in the President's Office and Assistant Project Director in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Saad’s career interests include international development and public sector consulting. As a CBGS Fellow, Saad hopes to explore public-private partnerships, climate finance, and ESG.
Marina Shtyrkov T’25
Nonprofit Board Fellow
Board Placement: Hartford Community Restorative Justice Center
Erin Simmons T’25
MBA Fellow
Hometown: Waxhaw, North Carolina
Prior to Tuck, Erin spent 4 years as a Warehouse Lending Operations Analyst at Bank of America in Charlotte, North Carolina. Erin's career interest and goals entail working to promote food equity and building a more sustainable and just food system. Erin is also a Workplace Inclusion Fellow at Tuck and is passionate about curating equitable and inclusive workplaces that foster psychological safety and belonging. As a CBGS Fellow, Erin looks forward to working cross- functionally with other centers at Tuck (e.g., the Center for Digital Strategies on ways to use design thinking to generate social impact and the Center for Private Equity and Venture Capital by introducing social entrepreneurs and impact investors to the Tuck community), and is interested in collaborating with affinity organizations and having an open dialogue about the societal issues that affect them the most.
Thomas Spagnola T’25
Nonprofit Board Fellow
Board Placement: Twin Pines Housing Trust
Cole Steiger T’25
Nonprofit Board Fellow
Board Placement: Upper Valley Habitat for Humanity
Natalya Subbotina T’25
Nonprofit Board Fellow
Board Placement: WISE
Aly du Toit T’25
Nonprofit Board Fellow
Board Placement: Public Health Council of the Upper Valley
Aisha Ruiz Tyler T’25
MBA Fellow
Hometown: Detroit, MI
Previous Education: Michigan State University
Prior to Tuck, Aisha worked in nonprofit fiscal sponsorship, serving as an HR Manager at Allied Media Projects, an Operations Managers at Kairos Fellowship, and an HR Lead at Resilient Strategies. After Tuck, Aisha is interested in exploring careers in social impact and corporate responsibility. As a fellow, Aisha hopes to highlight the business opportunities in Michigan and the greater Midwest and create more spaces for practicing disruptive disagreement with fellow Tuckies.
Katherine Vayda T’25
Nonprofit Board Fellow
Board Placement: Vermont Institute of Natural Science
Mike Villarreal T’25
Nonprofit Board Fellow
Board Placement: Upper Valley Trails Alliance
Sarah Woodworth T’25
Nonprofit Board Fellow
Board Placement: High Horses Center for Equine-Assisted Services
Elice Wu T’25
Nonprofit Board Fellow
Board Placement: Spark! Community Center