Varun Aggarwal MBA ‘12

I am currently working as Country Manager for Philip Morris International and currently based in Bahrain. When not working, I enjoy yoga, playing cricket, table tennis, and spending time with my wife and 6-year-old daughter.

Nilesh Chordiya MBA ‘14

My family and I stay in Cary, NC, very close to Duke University. In a normal world, I traveled for work four days a week. While dealing with the pandemic is painful, I am thankful for the time I am getting to spend with my family, especially with my older daughter, Shreya, who as a high school senior is busy with her college applications. I would like to wish my fellow November birthday celebrants a happy birthday and hope they stay safe and healthy!

Wayne Correa MBA ‘08

After almost 33 years at IBM working in Product Management, I have decided to retire. However, there will be no time to rest as I start the next chapter in my career. In December, I will be starting as a Principal Product Manager working with network products to build a world class platform to interconnect businesses around the globe. Looking forward to many exciting years to come in my new role.

Alison Finger MBA ‘93

Due to COVID, I am working remotely for my role as Chief Commercial Officer at bluebird bio, a Cell and Gene Therapy company based in Cambridge MA. I spend my time in my newly rebuilt home in Norwalk, CT, or else in Carbondale, CO, where we have a house close to my mother and Aspen. I’ve spent most of this year in CO, which is a great place to work remotely! Hiking in the mountains has been my release so far this year. Now I’m keeping my fingers crossed for the ski season in the Rockies.

Marshall Friedman MBA ‘17

After a stint in investment banking in New York, my wife and I decided to take the plunge into the entrepreneurial side of life and moved to Knoxville, Tennessee, to invest in commercial real estate. It's been a fascinating ride to say the least, and we've made some very exciting investments to date. We are now expecting our first baby in March, so it's getting time for me to return to the job trail. Open for interesting job opportunities!

Nur Karatoprak MMS ‘13

Graduating from Fuqua in 2013, I went back home to Turkey to be closer to my parents and joined Bain & Company’s Istanbul office. Life reasons brought me to Canada in 2015, and that was followed by 3.5 years in private equity at Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan. Missing the consulting work, I’ve joined back at Bain’s Toronto office in 2019. My birthday last year was one of the best—a reunion with my closest Fuqua friends for a wedding. This year it’s impossible to spend it with friends and family due to COVID-19, but I’m most grateful to be healthy and safe.

Aric Keck MBA ‘94

I am living in metro-Atlanta with my wife and our family where we are enjoying all the amenities our big city has to offer. I run Sales for a data privacy company and in my spare time I am a partner in a wine business and enjoy wine collecting (but more so wine drinking!). It was great catching up with everyone at last year's 25th class reunion and I hope that we can all come out on the other side of this pandemic with a new found appreciation of our friendships we have cultivated and the social networks we have developed!

Katya Kuleshova MBA ‘13

Some five years ago, I answered this same question feeling trapped in a corporate cubicle and sharing my dream to write a historical novel.  Shortly thereafter, I became a full-time novelist and moved to Savannah, GA. It took me two years to write and edit a novel about ancient Peruvian rulers dealing with a prolonged environmental crisis. It’s a story about power and a surprisingly precise political allegory, but I didn’t realize it at the time of writing, and I didn’t sell it. However, this story inspired me to explore contemporary public policy, and I had spent a year trying to navigate D.C. and its policy research world until the onset of the pandemic. Now I’m back to Raleigh, NC, investing every effort in transitioning into civil service, which is still work in progress. It’s been quite a journey from a corporate job in NC to a small town full of history and ghost stories in GA to a prosperous suburb in NJ to the art scene of NYC to family-oriented suburbs in VA and MD (from which I explored D.C.) and back to NC—a real Americana that shifted my focus from self-aggrandizement to contribution. It’s been exceptionally challenging to chart this path, and I’m grateful to every Fuquan who helped me along the way—you know who you are.  Wish me luck with civil service. Hopefully, it works out.

Ruta Laukien MBA ’01, JD ’01, LLM ‘01

I have been living in Boston for the last 12 years. After selling Liquid Art House, my restaurant gallery, just in time last year, I went back to finance and joined GrayBella Capital. We invest in fast-growth technology and healthcare-related companies in Europe.

John Nicholson ’72, MBA ‘74

My wife, Dare, and I live about 5 minutes from Duke's West campus and two of our three daughters live in the Raleigh-Durham area. Jenny and her husband, George, live near us with one granddaughter, Olivia. Jane and her husband, Mike, live in Raleigh. Anna and her husband, Ken, live in Chantilly, VA, with our other two granddaughters, Evie and Lily. After a career with IBM and Lenovo, I am in my 10th year now as an Adjunct Associate Professor in the Pratt School of Engineering and serve on the Steering Committee for the Master of Engineering in Cybersecurity, which will launch in Fall, 2021. I also serve on the board of the Center for Christianity and Scholarship at Duke.

Jessica Pei MSQM ‘20

I am currently NYC-based and have been working remotely since starting at Livongo (now Teladoc) as a Sr. Growth Marketing Associate. My team is focused on member marketing, which mostly involves developing marketing campaigns to drive the engagement and retention of our members and create a delightful member experience. It’s an exciting time for telehealth, and I’m looking forward to working with Teladoc partners to increase our scope of the field.

Patrick Reaves MBA ’12, MEM ‘12

My wife, Valerie and I are happily living in Portland, OR, with our basset hound, Andre. I'm the strategy director for Nike's Social and Community Impact team, where I get to work every day across Nike's diversity, community, and sustainability initiatives with some awesome, passionate people, including a handful of Duke and Fuqua alumni. I also had the chance earlier this year to compete in the U.S. Olympic Trials in Atlanta alongside 200 of the best marathoners in the country, which as a lifelong distance runner was really a dream experience for me. I regret to report that I did not make the cut for the Tokyo Olympics, but fortunately I love my day job.

Bobby Richmond MBA ‘08

Living in beautiful Greenville, SC since 2011. I took over as Chief Information Officer at Southern Management Corporation during the acquisition of Heights Finance and just in time to deal with COVID-19. I try to devote all of my spare time to tennis, running, cycling, learning to cook (thank you America’s Test Kitchen), and traveling at least one long weekend each month.

Anthony Valdes MBA ‘95

My wife, Rosa, and I have lived in Tampa, Florida for the past 7 years. I work for Centene as President of Collaborative Health Systems. I have 3 children: Jared, Bryan and Trey. I had brain cancer surgically removed in March 2020 and following chemotherapy and brain radiation therapy the MRI showed that (so far) the cancer is gone. Fingers crossed it stays that way. I am happy to be alive!

Wendy Webster MBA ‘04

My husband, Bill Young (MBA ’93) and I live in Raleigh, NC, with our two golden retrievers, Angus Young and Malcom Young. Named after AC/DC, they are DOG rock stars! I currently support the Departments of Surgery, Neurosurgery, and Head & Neck Surgery at Duke University Medical Center as Director of Clinical Operations and Healthcare Analytics. I continue to stay involved with the school and the COVID-19 pandemic cannot keep Team Fuqua apart! Just last week, I joined the Fuqua Healthcare Conference as a panelist and in October co-taught a class in the Masters in Quantitative Management: Healthcare Analytics program on Value Based Care with Mike Lipkin (WEMBA ‘16).

Varun Aggarwal MBA ‘12

I am currently working as Country Manager for Philip Morris International and currently based in Bahrain. When not working, I enjoy yoga, playing cricket, table tennis, and spending time with my wife and 6-year-old daughter.

Nilesh Chordiya MBA ‘14

My family and I stay in Cary, NC, very close to Duke University. In a normal world, I traveled for work four days a week. While dealing with the pandemic is painful, I am thankful for the time I am getting to spend with my family, especially with my older daughter, Shreya, who as a high school senior is busy with her college applications. I would like to wish my fellow November birthday celebrants a happy birthday and hope they stay safe and healthy!

Wayne Correa MBA ‘08

After almost 33 years at IBM working in Product Management, I have decided to retire. However, there will be no time to rest as I start the next chapter in my career. In December, I will be starting as a Principal Product Manager working with network products to build a world class platform to interconnect businesses around the globe. Looking forward to many exciting years to come in my new role.

Alison Finger MBA ‘93

Due to COVID, I am working remotely for my role as Chief Commercial Officer at bluebird bio, a Cell and Gene Therapy company based in Cambridge MA. I spend my time in my newly rebuilt home in Norwalk, CT, or else in Carbondale, CO, where we have a house close to my mother and Aspen. I’ve spent most of this year in CO, which is a great place to work remotely! Hiking in the mountains has been my release so far this year. Now I’m keeping my fingers crossed for the ski season in the Rockies.

Marshall Friedman MBA ‘17

After a stint in investment banking in New York, my wife and I decided to take the plunge into the entrepreneurial side of life and moved to Knoxville, Tennessee, to invest in commercial real estate. It's been a fascinating ride to say the least, and we've made some very exciting investments to date. We are now expecting our first baby in March, so it's getting time for me to return to the job trail. Open for interesting job opportunities!

Nur Karatoprak MMS ‘13

Graduating from Fuqua in 2013, I went back home to Turkey to be closer to my parents and joined Bain & Company’s Istanbul office. Life reasons brought me to Canada in 2015, and that was followed by 3.5 years in private equity at Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan. Missing the consulting work, I’ve joined back at Bain’s Toronto office in 2019. My birthday last year was one of the best—a reunion with my closest Fuqua friends for a wedding. This year it’s impossible to spend it with friends and family due to COVID-19, but I’m most grateful to be healthy and safe.

Aric Keck MBA ‘94

I am living in metro-Atlanta with my wife and our family where we are enjoying all the amenities our big city has to offer. I run Sales for a data privacy company and in my spare time I am a partner in a wine business and enjoy wine collecting (but more so wine drinking!). It was great catching up with everyone at last year's 25th class reunion and I hope that we can all come out on the other side of this pandemic with a new found appreciation of our friendships we have cultivated and the social networks we have developed!

Katya Kuleshova MBA ‘13

Some five years ago, I answered this same question feeling trapped in a corporate cubicle and sharing my dream to write a historical novel.  Shortly thereafter, I became a full-time novelist and moved to Savannah, GA. It took me two years to write and edit a novel about ancient Peruvian rulers dealing with a prolonged environmental crisis. It’s a story about power and a surprisingly precise political allegory, but I didn’t realize it at the time of writing, and I didn’t sell it. However, this story inspired me to explore contemporary public policy, and I had spent a year trying to navigate D.C. and its policy research world until the onset of the pandemic. Now I’m back to Raleigh, NC, investing every effort in transitioning into civil service, which is still work in progress. It’s been quite a journey from a corporate job in NC to a small town full of history and ghost stories in GA to a prosperous suburb in NJ to the art scene of NYC to family-oriented suburbs in VA and MD (from which I explored D.C.) and back to NC—a real Americana that shifted my focus from self-aggrandizement to contribution. It’s been exceptionally challenging to chart this path, and I’m grateful to every Fuquan who helped me along the way—you know who you are.  Wish me luck with civil service. Hopefully, it works out.

Ruta Laukien MBA ’01, JD ’01, LLM ‘01

I have been living in Boston for the last 12 years. After selling Liquid Art House, my restaurant gallery, just in time last year, I went back to finance and joined GrayBella Capital. We invest in fast-growth technology and healthcare-related companies in Europe.

John Nicholson ’72, MBA ‘74

My wife, Dare, and I live about 5 minutes from Duke's West campus and two of our three daughters live in the Raleigh-Durham area. Jenny and her husband, George, live near us with one granddaughter, Olivia. Jane and her husband, Mike, live in Raleigh. Anna and her husband, Ken, live in Chantilly, VA, with our other two granddaughters, Evie and Lily. After a career with IBM and Lenovo, I am in my 10th year now as an Adjunct Associate Professor in the Pratt School of Engineering and serve on the Steering Committee for the Master of Engineering in Cybersecurity, which will launch in Fall, 2021. I also serve on the board of the Center for Christianity and Scholarship at Duke.

Jessica Pei MSQM ‘20

I am currently NYC-based and have been working remotely since starting at Livongo (now Teladoc) as a Sr. Growth Marketing Associate. My team is focused on member marketing, which mostly involves developing marketing campaigns to drive the engagement and retention of our members and create a delightful member experience. It’s an exciting time for telehealth, and I’m looking forward to working with Teladoc partners to increase our scope of the field.

Patrick Reaves MBA ’12, MEM ‘12

My wife, Valerie and I are happily living in Portland, OR, with our basset hound, Andre. I'm the strategy director for Nike's Social and Community Impact team, where I get to work every day across Nike's diversity, community, and sustainability initiatives with some awesome, passionate people, including a handful of Duke and Fuqua alumni. I also had the chance earlier this year to compete in the U.S. Olympic Trials in Atlanta alongside 200 of the best marathoners in the country, which as a lifelong distance runner was really a dream experience for me. I regret to report that I did not make the cut for the Tokyo Olympics, but fortunately I love my day job.

Bobby Richmond MBA ‘08

Living in beautiful Greenville, SC since 2011. I took over as Chief Information Officer at Southern Management Corporation during the acquisition of Heights Finance and just in time to deal with COVID-19. I try to devote all of my spare time to tennis, running, cycling, learning to cook (thank you America’s Test Kitchen), and traveling at least one long weekend each month.

Anthony Valdes MBA ‘95

My wife, Rosa, and I have lived in Tampa, Florida for the past 7 years. I work for Centene as President of Collaborative Health Systems. I have 3 children: Jared, Bryan and Trey. I had brain cancer surgically removed in March 2020 and following chemotherapy and brain radiation therapy the MRI showed that (so far) the cancer is gone. Fingers crossed it stays that way. I am happy to be alive!

Wendy Webster MBA ‘04

My husband, Bill Young (MBA ’93) and I live in Raleigh, NC, with our two golden retrievers, Angus Young and Malcom Young. Named after AC/DC, they are DOG rock stars! I currently support the Departments of Surgery, Neurosurgery, and Head & Neck Surgery at Duke University Medical Center as Director of Clinical Operations and Healthcare Analytics. I continue to stay involved with the school and the COVID-19 pandemic cannot keep Team Fuqua apart! Just last week, I joined the Fuqua Healthcare Conference as a panelist and in October co-taught a class in the Masters in Quantitative Management: Healthcare Analytics program on Value Based Care with Mike Lipkin (WEMBA ‘16).