Stern Immersion 2025 | Bios

Nate Pettit is the Vice Dean for MBA and Graduate Programs at NYU Stern, teaching leadership courses across MBA programs and involved with the Stern Chats podcast. His research focuses on hierarchical dynamics and competition, with work published in top journals such as Academy of Management Journal and Psychological Science. Nate serves on editorial boards and has received multiple teaching awards, including Poets & Quants’ top MBA professors under 40 and Stern’s Distinguished Teaching Award.

Beth Briggs, Dean of Students at NYU Stern, manages career programming and employer relations for all MBA programs. She guides students in career planning and job readiness, hosting workshops and collaborating with employers to connect them with MBA talent. Previously a Principal at Mercer Consulting, Beth holds a BA from Holy Cross and an MSW from Boston University. She resides in Brooklyn with her family and rescue dog.

Lauren Calio is a Senior Director of MBA Admissions at NYU’S Stern School of Business. Now in her eighth year at Stern, Lauren oversees admissions and recruiting for Stern’s Full-Time, Technology and Luxury & Retail MBA programs. She is passionate about guiding prospective students through the MBA application process, and feels it is an honor to help others achieve their dream of pursuing an MBA.

Fatim’s career has always included working with graduate/professional students. She began her career journey as a Career Counselor at Fordham University where she supported graduate students in the school of education, arts and sciences, and alumni. She then came to NYU where she initially served as Assistant Director of Graduate Career Development at the Wasserman Center for Career Development. She is currently the Senior Associate Director of the Career Coaching team. 

Erica Hartsfield is a Senior Associate Director of MBA Admissions and has worked at NYU Stern for over 5 years on both the events marketing and digital marketing teams. Outside of work, Erica is an avid Chicago sports fan (go Bears!), puzzle enthusiast, history buff, and MPA candidate at NYU Wagner.

Gisselle Lankenau is an Assistant Director on the MBA Admissions team at NYU Stern and has been with the university since 2019. Prior to joining the MBA Admissions team, Gisselle worked with NYU Stern’s Leadership Accelerator. She holds an undergraduate degree from New York University's College of Arts and Science and is an MBA candidate of New York University's Langone Part-time MBA program. 

Gustavo Schwed is a Professor of Management Practice in the Finance Department at NYU Stern. He teaches private equity courses to MBA and undergraduate students and is currently the Faculty Advisor for the Stern Private Equity Club and the Latin American Business Association. Professor Schwed was named NYU Stern’s Professor of the Year in 2015 and 2023 and received Stern’s Distinguished Teaching Award in 2020.

Diane Lennard is a Clinical Professor of Management Communication at NYU Stern, where she has taught since 2004. She teaches courses on team communication, business coaching, audience engagement, and strategic communication across undergraduate, MBA, PhD, and Executive MBA programs. She previously served as Director of Langone Education and faculty consultant for Stern’s Center for Innovation in Teaching and Learning, and received the 2017 Distinguished Teaching Award.

Sonia Marciano has been a Clinical Professor at NYU Stern since July 2007, teaching in the full-time, part-time, and executive MBA programs. She is Stern's academic director for the TRIUM Executive MBA, a joint program with LSE and HEC. Marciano won the 2022 NYU Distinguished Teaching Award and has taught at Booth, Kellogg, Wharton, and Yale, earning multiple teaching awards. She previously worked at Columbia, Harvard's Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness, and Kellogg. Marciano holds a BA

JC is an MBA2 who loves engaging with the Stern community. He serves as co-president of SGov, co-leads Follies (Stern’s comedy club), and the Gaming & eSports Management Society (GEMS), channeling his passion for building community through laughter, creativity, and games. After graduation, he’ll join McKinsey, aiming to specialize in the Technology, Media & Telecommunications practice. He values Stern’s close-knit, collaborative class size.

Katie Zack is a second-year full-time MBA student at NYU Stern and Co-President of OutClass. Before Stern, she was a Story Producer on Netflix’s Emmy-winning Queer Eye, producing episodes that highlighted diverse perspectives. She pivoted into consulting through a summer internship at BCG’s Brooklyn office and will return full-time after graduation. Katie values Stern’s collaborative, inclusive environment where everyone can show up authentically.

Marcella is a full-time MBA student at NYU Stern passionate about people-centered leadership and inclusive business. Before Stern, she worked in banking, corporate finance, and startups. This summer, she joined Colgate-Palmolive’s HR Leadership Development Program to solidify her pivot into HR. Committed to mentorship and collaboration, Marcella values Stern’s culture of continuous learning and diverse perspectives.

Patrick Barron, a first-generation Haitian-American, is an MBA candidate at NYU Stern specializing in Banking, Corporate Finance, and Strategy. He previously worked at PGIM Fixed Income and interned at Wells Fargo Securities. Passionate about mentorship, Patrick aims to use finance to open doors, lead with integrity, and empower communities through access and education. He values Stern’s strong sense of community and shared purpose.

Rebecca Katz is a Full-Time MBA student specializing in Supply Chain Management & Global Sourcing and Sustainable Business & Innovation. Before Stern, she spent five years at Accenture in management consulting on organizational change and supply chain transformation. As an EDF Climate Corps Fellow at Nice-Pak, she led a global Scope 3 carbon project. Passionate about sustainable supply chains, she enjoys applying classroom learning to real-world impact.

Sailey Thomasi is a 2nd-year MBA student, Consortium and Forte Fellow passionate about innovation, impact, and inclusive marketing. This summer they worked at JPMorgan in financial services and strategy, and previously at American Express and Intel on product and marketing initiatives. Sailey aims to shape the future of tech by driving growth, equity, and innovation, and values Stern’s collaborative, supportive, and inspiring community.

Youcef Bennour is an MBA candidate at NYU Stern. Before Stern, he worked as a software engineer at Expedia and T-Mobile, leading large-scale tech projects. He’s focused on venture capital, combining his technical expertise with a passion for supporting early-stage founders. Youcef values Stern’s collaborative, global community that empowers students to lead with purpose and innovation.

Mason Bussey is an Associate at McKinsey & Company. Mason attended NYU Stern’s Full-Time MBA program from 2023-2025. During his time at Stern, he served as the Vice President of Finance for the Association of Hispanic and Black Business Students and Management Consulting Association (MCA) as well as the Vice President of Finance/Treasurer of Stern Hoops. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Finance from Washington University in St. Louis. 

Sean Quinn joined KKR in 2022 and is a Director on the Global Product Strategy team within Global Client Solutions, focused on KKR Solutions. He is responsible for managing and driving day-to-day activities focused on raising capital, marketing, and structuring KKR Solutions offerings. Mr. Quinn previously focused on capital raising activities as a product specialist focused on KKR’s Private Credit initiatives. Prior to joining KKR, he was with Barclays Capital in investment banking. Previously,

Ximena is a Business Transformation Senior Consultantat Ernst and Young.Prior to joining EY, Ximena was a Senior Finance Associate at Prudential Financial. She attended NYU Stern from 2022 to 2024 as a student in the Full-time MBA program. While at Stern, she served as the Co-President of the Association of Hispanic and Black Business Students (AHBBS) as well as the VP of Admissions for Student Government and the Gaming and ESports Management Society. She holds a B.A. in Mathematics and Economic