The Columbia College Alumni Association elected nine new members to its Board of Directors for 2023–24. Their diverse skills, areas of expertise and insights will support all board members in the collaborative work of leading the organization and supporting an array of opportunities for alumni to stay involved with and support the College.
- Lauren Accordino CC’09
Read More
Lauren Accordino CC’09 is an ex-officio member of the Columbia College Alumni Association Board of Directors as Young Leaders Council co-chair, a role she has held since 2020. Accordino has been instrumental in building out the Los Angeles chapter and engaging alumni in L.A. She was a leader of her 10th Reunion Committee, and is a member of both the Black Alumni Council and Columbia SoCal, a non-profit alumni organization. In addition to her involvement at the College, both she and her husband, Mike Accordino CC’07, are active volunteers and leaders in Athletics’ alumni community. Accordino has been a consistent leadership-level donor, active fundraising partner and inspiring leader in the recent alumni community. She is currently investing in early-stage companies and is a faculty advisor at UCLA Anderson. Accordino lives with her husband in Manhattan Beach, Calif.
- Brian Chung CC’16
Read More
Brian Chung CC’16 has been an active member of the alumni community since he was a student. While president of Columbia College Young Alumni from 2019 to 2021, he engaged with and supported many young alumni and students. Chung began his involvement with the alumni community through the Senior Fund. He was a leader of his class’ fifth Reunion Committee, is a Class Agent and has been a loyal John Jay Associates-level donor. Chung and his wife, Katherine Chung CC’16, recently joined the Young Leaders Council. He works in investments at Oxford Properties Group and lives with his wife in Brooklyn.
- Sherrie Deans CC’98
Read More
With extensive experience in philanthropy, financial services, and sports and entertainment, Sherrie Deans CC’98 is a strategic change agent whose communication and interpersonal skills have solidified her reputation as an expert organization builder and connector of productive relationships. As the former executive director of the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) Foundation, Deans led its union’s philanthropic efforts and supported the individual efforts of its 450 NBA player members.
Under Deans’ leadership, the foundation built a grant portfolio that stretched across the United States and 20 other countries. She launched a philanthropic certificate program specifically for NBA players at UCLA and is a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame’s Board of Governors.
In May 2020, Deans was appointed NBPA’s chief operating officer to help it navigate the pandemic and coordinate its efforts to resume the season while addressing the social justice issues of the time. From “Black Lives Matter” on the court and social justice messages on player jerseys, to “Get out the vote” efforts that led to 51 voting spots during primetime televised games and a 96 percent voter registration rate among the players, the response was unprecedented.
Deans founded Intentional Group in 2022 to leverage her experience, networks and insights to help others design and implement more sustainable and impactful solutions. She lives in the Bronx with her husband and their two sons.
- Lexi Diamond CC’91
Read More
In 2022, Lexi Diamond CC’91 and her husband, Jeff Fuisz, established the Diamond Family Scholarship Fund. Diamond began her legal career as a litigator at Kaye Scholer and went on to work in the public sector as an assistant corporation counsel for the City of New York. She is currently a commercial real estate investor. Diamond is a College Walk Society donor and Alumnae Legacy Circle member, and past Reunion Committee chair and Columbia College Women Board of Directors member. She was presented the 2021 President’s Cup for service in her reunion year. As a proud parent of Oliver Fuisz CC’26, Diamond enjoys being part of the Parent Leadership Council and taking the M4 bus to campus.
- Kate Kerkering CC’93
Read More
Kate Kerkering CC’93 earned a B.A. in English, and an M.D. from the University of Washington School of Medicine. After working in international relations and medical research, she is now pursuing an M.Ed. at the University of Washington. Kerkering was active with the Alumni Representative Committee for many years in the Seattle area, where she lives with her husband and two children; is a John Jay Associate; and is a member of the Alumnae Legacy Circle.
- Dara Marmon CC’95
Read More
Dara Marmon CC’95 began volunteering on behalf of the Columbia College Fund in 2013. She was a Class Captain for the Class of 1995, then the first vice-chair for the 1990s and the first vice-chair for recruitment. Marmon works for CoVision Advisors. Prior to her return to the financial world, she was a Pilates manager, teacher trainer and instructor at Equinox. She completed her Pilates certification in 2003 at Power Pilates in New York City and in 2001 earned a CFA designation. Marmon lives with her family in New York City.
- James Stone CC’90, BU’96
Read More
James Stone CC’90, BUS’96 is a partner at PennantPark Investment Advisers. He leads West Coast investment and lives in Los Angeles. Prior to joining PennantPark in 2015 and moving home to L.A., he worked in investment banking in New York City at DLJ, Bankers Trust, Credit Suisse, Imperial Capital, Macquarie Capital, and Cowen and Co. Stone earned a B.A. in history and an M.B.A. He is co-chair of the Fund Development Council and a member of the Board of Directors of the Columbia Alumni Association of Southern California. Stone was one of the two inaugural recipients of the Columbia College West Coast Honors Trailblazer Award in 2023.
- Tao Tan CC’07, BU’11
Read More
Tao Tan CC’07, BUS’11 is co-president of Perception Capital Corp II and partner at Perception Capital Partners. He has nearly 15 years of experience across finance, strategy and business transformation. Prior to joining Perception, Tan was an officer and a senior advisor to multiple investing and operating entities. Until 2020, Tan was an associate partner at McKinsey & Co.’s New York City office, where he led teams across the firm’s transformation and private equity and principal investor practices and drove comprehensive performance transformation and turnaround programs for companies with revenues ranging from $200 million to $25 billion. Most recently, Tan helped found, launch and lead McKinsey’s Special Purpose Acquisition Company service line and held a leadership role on McKinsey’s Covid-19 client response team.
Prior to working at McKinsey, Tan was a senior associate at Rose Tech Ventures, where he led the firm’s first-round investment in JUMP Bikes, subsequently sold to Uber in 2018. Prior to Rose Tech Ventures, Tan held investment banking and capital markets roles at Bank of America Merrill Lynch and Lehman Brothers. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Economic Club of New York. At Columbia, Tan was an Erwin Wolfson Scholar and a Toigo Fellow. He is married to Sarah S. Gitlin CC’13, an associate partner at McKinsey
- Nina Tannenbaum CC’99
Read More
Nina Tannenbaum CC’99 is an alternative investments professional focused on the private markets. She is actively involved in the institutional investment management community globally.
Combining a strategic view with deep specialization, Tannenbaum’s track record spans two decades of investments, corporate finance, capital formation and advisory at leading financial institutions, insurance companies and family offices. She is a recurring guest lecturer and student advisor at UMass Amherst Isenberg School of Business and a professional advisor at the Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship.
In 2020, while a member of the Columbia College Women Board of Directors, Tannenbaum co-created — with the Columbia Investment Management Company — and spearheaded the CCW Summer Investment Fellowship, which she helps to oversee in collaboration with the Columbia College Alumni Association Board of Directors, and Columbia staff, students and alumni. Tannenbaum earned an M.B.A. from MIT Sloan.
