40 Under Forty Recipients

A first-generation college graduate and former US Air Force Reservist, Qaadirah Abdur-Rahim 11B now leads the Future Foundation, a nonprofit working to help at-risk youth in Atlanta. She expanded the after-school program serving a dozen kids to an organization reaching more than four thousand, and grew its revenue from $230,000 to $2 million annually. But its success is not measured in dollars—100 percent of participants graduate from high school, compared to an average 70 percent for the schools where the foundation works. Abdur-Rahim holds a master’s degree from the University of California San Francisco, is one of the youngest women in the YWCA Academy of Women Achievers, was named one of the 100 Most Influential Muslims in Georgia in 2014, and has received an Air Force Meritorious Service Award. “I have always imagined myself using my career to help people,” she says. “I am happy about where I am professionally and completely excited about the position I am in to do more.”

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With a keen eye for style and a fluency in developing brand presence, Sarah Arison 07B has emerged as a savvy young leader in the world of fashion and brand strategy. Described in a New York Times article as a prime example of 'the new generation of arts patronage,' Sarah supports emerging artists and the institutions that foster them. She produced her first feature film, Desert Dancer, with Relativity Media in 2015. Her second film, The First Monday in May, opened the Tribeca Film Festival in 2016.

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Through her role as a coordinating producer for the SEC Network and ESPN, Meg Aronowtiz 97Ox 99C is a leading advocate for equity in women’s collegiate athletics. Meg has played a key role in expanding access to female role models through increased broadcast coverage of women’s sports. Aronowitz played third base for the Emory Eagles women’s softball team—a program she helped to start in 1999. After graduating with a degree in history, she worked at the news desk at CNN in Atlanta before joining ESPN in 2001 as an assignment editor for Major League Baseball. In 2002, Baseball Tonight won the Emmy Award for best studio show. Sixteen years and several promotions later, Aronowitz now oversees a wide range of college sports and NCAA coverage on ESPN, and helped launch the SEC Network. A career highlight has been the increased exposure of college softball and the Women’s College World Series. “It has been an absolute privilege to help grow the game from a time when the championship was tape-delayed two weeks to producing 714 regular season games and every pitch of the postseason,” she says. “I put the same passion I had playing for the Eagles into our coverage of college softball on ESPN Networks.”

Connect with Meg on LinkedIn.

Chris Arrendale 99Ox 01C is CEO and principal deliverability strategist for Inbox Pros, an email consulting firm that works with clients to solve deliverability and compliance challenges. A highly sought speaker at industry events, he’s recognized as a leader in best practices with expertise in technology, email marketing, deliverability, anti-spam, and marketing success.

Connect with Chris on LinkedIn.

Reed Baker 02C is the founder and CEO of Sophist, which created the Text-to-Pledge platform for nonprofits that facilitates giving to charity via SMS. The company has helped nonprofits raise more than $100 million. Baker is a fundraising strategist with an acute understanding of how organizations can employ technology to impact the bottom line.

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Dion Benetatos 06C currently works at the World Bank, where he is a contracted communications consultant with the International Finance Corporation. Previously, he served under the Obama Administration as a senior communications specialist at the US embassy in South Africa. He also worked as a director at PR agency Weber Shandwick and managed communications for Nobel Prize–winner Desmond Tutu’s foundation. Dion applies business principles to improve philanthropic projects and has extensive experience working in education, public health, poverty alleviation, and disaster relief.

Connect with Dion on LinkedIn.

Carlyn Burton 02C 02G is a partner with the Osha Liang law firm in Houston, Texas. A graduate of the University of Houston Law Center, Burton is a US patent attorney who focuses her practice on intellectual property law. She has drafted and prosecuted hundreds of patent applications in various chemical, materials, and mechanical fields.

Connect with Carlyn on LinkedIn.

Eden Chen 09B is a founding partner of Fishermen Labs, a Los Angeles-based studio that designs, develops, and markets websites and apps for major brands and startups. Their visionary digital products include virtual reality and augmented reality platforms; the client list includes Sony, HTC, Walmart, the United Nations, IAC, NBC, Fox, Qualcomm, and Lenovo.

Connect with Eden on LinkedIn.

Andrew Cooper 12L is an Atlanta intellectual property litigator focusing on complex commercial disputes, patent litigation, IP portfolio management, and counseling business units. As corporate counsel for UPS, he works with senior leaders regarding commercial transactions and regulatory issues.

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As the Founder and CEO of Dollar Shave Club, Michael Dubin 01C supports employee-identified projects positively impacting local and regional non-profits and other community organizations. Michael is an award winning executive with a background in marketing and business development, who also plays a large creative role in the Dollar Shave Club and advertisements. Dollar Shave Club is the second-largest men’s razor seller in the US and pioneer of the online shaving market, distributing more than 70 million razor blades each year through monthly subscriptions. The company revolutionized the industry and was acquired by Unilever in July 2016 for $1 billion.

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Read about Michael Dubin on EmoryWire.

Amanda Edwards 04C is a Houston native and a member-at-large of the Houston City Council, where she strives to “be part of long-term solutions that will move all of Houston forward.” She practices law as a municipal finance attorney, solving issues related to tax-exempt bond financings, public-private partnerships, community development, and nonprofit organizations.

Connect with Amanda on LinkedIn.

Will Evans has been turning the Dallas, Texas, creative scene on its ear since he founded Deep Vellum Publishing in 2013—a literary arts nonprofit created to introduce foreign literature and authors to audiences hungry for original, diverse voices. “My passion for connecting the world through literature was sparked by a life-changing class I took my first semester at Emory—19th-century Russian literature in translation,” he says. “Dr. Elena Glazov-Corrigan taught all of her students that the written word has the power to bring people together and to change the world.” Evans did a stint in the music business before pursuing a master’s degree in Russian culture from Duke. Last year, he was handpicked to help cofound Cinestate, a cross-media entertainment company merging film production, book publishing, and audio experience under one roof. Evans has been named D Magazine’s Best Publisher in Dallas, one of Modern Luxury’s top eight Dallas entrepreneurs under forty, and one of the Dallas Observer’s 100 Dallas Creatives.

Connect with William on LinkedIn.

Kevin Gooch 99Ox 01C is an Atlanta-based partner in the finance group of the global law firm DLA Piper, with expertise in assisting financial institutions, corporations, and private equity funds. During his career, Gooch has worked on more than $20 billion in financing and restructuring transactions. He’s also the youngest ever chair-elect of 100 Black Men of Atlanta and an adjunct professor at Emory Law.

Connect with Kevin on LinkedIn.

Dr. Yoran Grant-Greene 00Ox 02C 06PH is the Associate Director, West Africa Region for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division of Global HIV and TB. As a leader in the agency’s PEPFAR program, her efforts contribute to improved access to lifesaving antiretroviral treatment for people living with HIV around the world. Described as the “epitome of humble achievement,” Yoran makes a difference in her community and around the world through service, scholarship, and leadership.

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Gerald Griggs 98Ox 00C, owner of Gerald A. Griggs law firm in Atlanta, represented eleven-year-old victim Jaheem Herrera in a 2009 case that helped launch a national anti-bullying movement and changed the law in Georgia. He has traveled the country to speak out on the issue and was featured at the second-annual National Federal Partners in Bullying Summit. He was a part of the Bullying is Not Hot School Tour and was awarded the Anti-Bullying Hero Award from Auburn University.

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Dr. Nate Gross 12M has leveraged the combination of his medical career and Harvard MBA to improve efficiency and quality in health care. He is the co-founder of Doximity, the professional network used by over 70% of US physicians. He is also the co-founder of Rock Health, a full-service venture capital fund for digital health startups. He serves as affiliated faculty for the Clinical Informatics Fellowship at Stanford and on the advisory boards for SXSW and the Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation at Children’s National Medical Center.

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Anjli Hinman 06N 08N is the Co-Founder of the Atlanta Birth Center, a holistic center providing comprehensive midwifery care. She grew up knowing that she wanted to spend her life making the world a better place, and has made it her mission to improve healthcare and quality of life across the globe. “I am so grateful to the School of Nursing for allowing me the support and space to grow as a clinician—and also as a leader who experienced there the power of working as an interdisciplinary team to make positive change,” she says.

As an environmental health scientist for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), LCDR Candis Hunter 09PH 18G works on a range of projects that tap into her core skills and interests—including emergency response preparedness, epidemiological research, and health education and training on adverse environmental exposures in tribal and underserved communities. Also an environmental health officer in the USPHS Commissioned Corps, Hunter has responded to public health emergencies including the 2011 earthquake in Japan, the 2015 Ebola virus disease outbreak, and the 2016 Flint, Michigan, water crisis. From 2009 to 2016, Hunter provided epidemiological support and project management for an important research study on the Navajo Nation, examining the relationship between uranium exposures and birth outcomes and early developmental delays. “One of the most meaningful aspects was working directly with our staff and other tribal partners,” Hunter says. “They are on the front lines of study participant engagement, outreach, and sample collection and processing. I’m deeply humbled to have had the opportunity to learn from and work with them.”

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David Hwang 01C is an assistant professor of neurology at the Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut, and a staff neurointensivist at Yale–New Haven Hospital. He is a faculty member for the Society for Critical Care Medicine’s Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute–ICU Collaborative promoting family-centered care in ICUs across the US.

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Samuel Jackson 98Ox 00C is founder of the Economic Empowerment Initiative (EEI), a nonprofit dedicated to helping students and families better manage their financial resources. He also launched EEI Fund to provide affordable financing and franchise development in underserved communities around the world. He is currently an owner with GRUB Burger Bar.

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After earning degrees at Emory and Harvard Business School, Chris Lee 00C held positions at Goldman Sachs and Apollo Management before joining KKR in 2012. “I love working with a team of smart and creative people from different backgrounds,” he says. “Finding innovative ways to create value in a competitive market is exhilarating.” On May 5, Lee rang the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange in celebration of the IPO of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust (NYSE: KREF), where he also serves as Co-CEO. “My liberal arts education provided me with an excellent foundation to enter the business world,” he says. “The Emory Career Center was where I was introduced to my first internship opportunity through Sponsors for Educational Opportunity, an organization that helps talented young people and where I serve on the board today.”

Connect with Chris on LinkedIn.

Hilal Koc 03C is product marketing manager for emerging markets at Facebook and a thought leader in the tech sector who strives to empower women to seek leadership positions across the industry. Koc has advised more than fifteen startup companies globally and has invested in two as an angel investor. Now based in London, UK, she has hosted Emory alumni events across the globe to help facilitate alumni connections and networking. A frequent speaker at industry events, Koc was recently included among the LinkedIn UK’s Top Ten Power Profiles and is an instructor for Code First Girls and Women In Tech.

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Read this piece by Hilal Koc on EmoryWire.

Right out of college, Evan Mah 13C was shaping Atlanta’s dining culture as the youngest-ever food editor and critic for Atlanta Magazine. He now works as the managing editor for James Suckling, one of the most influential wine critics in the world, and holds a certificate from the Court of Master Sommeliers. Mah, who was editor-in-chief of the Emory Wheel, previously served for three years as the youngest-ever food editor for Atlanta Magazine. He’s also a three-time national chess champion and one-time world chess champion.

Connect with Evan on LinkedIn.

Read about Evan Mah on EmoryWire.

An award-winning teacher and scientist, Melinda Maris, Ph.D. 06G is dedicated to transforming the way we approach teaching and learning across all disciplines using evidence-based methods. She is dean of teaching and learning, director of the Center for Teaching and Learning, and associate professor of biology at Southern Vermont College in Bennington, Vermont. Previously she served in similar roles at Vesalius College in Belgium. Maris was a postdoctoral fellow in genetics and molecular biology at Johns Hopkins University, where she continues to teach.

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Described as the “consummate pioneer in medicine,” Zwade Marshall is a recognized leader in achieving functional outcomes for patients experiencing chronic pain. A graduate of Emory College and both the medical and business schools, Marshall says, “I entered Emory as a college freshman and immigrant from Guyana with goals but no clear direction on how to achieve them. I left Emory as a twenty-eight-year-old hyper-specialized professional with a distinct career path and a plan for execution.” Already at the forefront of an emerging specialty, Marshall joined Alliance Spine and Pain in 2016 as an interventional pain specialist, and now studies clinical metrics to improve results for all patients. At Emory, Marshall received the Humanitarian of the Year Award for cofounding the Pipeline Program to mentor inner-city high school students. Professional honors include the American Medical Association Foundation’s Excellence in Leadership Award and Goizueta Business School’s John E. Robson Outstanding Achievement Award.

Connect with Zwade on LinkedIn.

A progressive thinker and a social and civil entrepreneur, Munir Meghjani 08Ox 10C has used his professional experience and heavy community involvement to make connections and shed light on cultural diversity in Atlanta. This commercial and investment real estate broker with Sands Investment Group is also cofounder of Knock on Wood Creations, which makes handcrafted wood accessories. The non‑profit he co‑founded, HOPE, creates interactive events to re‑engage young adults in service. He also played a critical role in the start of AROMA (Activist Recruiting Organizing & Mentoring in Atlanta), a group geared towards strategically and creatively mobilizing activists. Munir sits on several boards including: The Emory University Alumni Board, as Development Chair; Georgia State’s RIALTO Center for Arts, as Chairman of the Board; Oxford College Alumni Board; Leadership DeKalb; and Interfaith Community Initiatives. As an “activational” speaker, Munir is passionate about sharing his knowledge and life experiences, which has led him to speak to diverse groups of people around the world. His motivation comes from a mantra he adopted at an early age: “I can’t do all the service the world needs, but the world needs all the service I can do!”

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Dion Short Metzger 02C 10MR is a nationally recognized board-certified psychiatrist, author, and health media expert. She has been featured on The Doctors, NBC News, CNN’s HLN network, and in the New York Times, offering her expertise on relationships, marriage, work-life balance, parenting, and other wellness topics. Metzger helps underserved individuals with mental illness in two Atlanta counties and teaches at three Georgia medical schools.

Connect with Dion on LinkedIn.

Read about Dion Metzger on EmoryWire.

Jeania Ree Moore 15T is the Director of Civil and Human Rights at the General Board of Church and Society. She uses her passion and broad skillset to lead in advocacy and organizational efforts on a portfolio including immigration, gun violence prevention, abolishing the death penalty, criminal justice reform, voting rights, and religious freedom.

Connect with Jeania on LinkedIn.

Perry Rahbar 04C is founder and CEO of dv01, a reporting and analytics platform created to bring transparency to lending markets, making them safer and more efficient for investors. The company has been spotlighted in Forbes, the New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal. He is a former Emory College Alumni Board Member, and established the P Rahbar Endowed Scholarship.

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Purvi Parikh 04C is an allergist and immunologist with Allergy and Asthma Associates of Murray Hill in New York. A spokesperson for shot@life, the vaccine initiative for the UN Foundation, she founded the Share and Care Foundation’s Young Professional Committee, which raises money for women and children in India. Parikh is also on faculty at New York University School of Medicine and has been featured on CBS, NBC, Fox, and CNN as a medical news correspondent on behalf of the allergy and asthma network.

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A Smithsonian curator since age twenty-nine, Nicholas Pyenson is a vertebrate paleontologist whose research on major land-to-sea ecological transitions in the past 245 million years has led to the discovery of new fossil species and a new sensory organ in rorqual whales. At the Smithsonian, he tends to the world’s largest collection of fossil marine mammals and contributes to it with field programs around the world. “Every day is different,” Pyenson says. “My job involves doing basic science, taking care of the nation’s fossil collections, and communicating our discoveries to broad audiences. Natural history museums are dynamic places, and they give you the opportunity to participate in an institution that plays the long game. If I do my job right, the results of my work will hopefully outlive me.” Pyenson was honored with the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers by the Obama White House.

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A trained medical ethnobotanist and an Assistant Professor of Dermatology at Emory University, Cassandra Quave Ph.D. 00C has received national recognition for her work in ethnobotany and as the curator of the Emory University Herbarium. She leads drug discovery research initiatives, seeking natural remedies to combat antibiotic resistance.

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Cassidy Logan Rist 14MPH, an assistant professor in the Department of Population Health Sciences at Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, developed an infectious disease prioritization tool used globally by the CDC. She also served as interim emergency coordinator for Maryland and Delaware with the US Department of Agriculture as part of the national response to the avian flu outbreak.

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Kwadwo Sarpong 15C, a passionate humanitarian and leader, is cofounder and CEO of African Research Academies for Women, a nonprofitorganization that seeks to create a research-intensive pipeline program for young African women interested in pursuing STEM careers. Sarpong also is a current student at Georgetown University School of Medicine and a former PREP Scholar at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. After battling a severe form of typhoid fever as a child and being affected by his brother’s paralytic polio condition, Sarpong hopes to become a physician-scientist specializing in neurodevelopmental diseases. His research focuses on evaluating the role of somatic mutations in children with autism and epilepsy. Sarpong was invited by the White House to participate in the 2014 US-Africa Leaders’ Summit, and also to the 2016 United State of Women Summit, to discuss women’s education in Africa.

Connect with Kwadwo on LinkedIn.

Fatima Cody Stanford 00C 01MPH is an obesity medicine physician at the Massachusetts General Hospital Weight Center and an instructor in medicine and pediatrics at Harvard Medical School. She received the Massachusetts Medical Society’s 2017 Women’s Health Award for her “immense expertise on the medical and social aspects of obesity.” Other honors include the Gold Congressional Award and the Harvard Medical School Diversity Award.

Connect with Fatima on LinkedIn.

Zachary Suchin 06C is a founding partner and CEO of Brand Knew, a successful creative agency in Los Angeles. High-profile clients include E! Entertainment, President Barack Obama, Nike, AVP, Stand Up 2 Cancer, Tribune, the United Nations, and FOX. The year after Suchin graduated from Emory and founded his first media company, he was the youngest CEO of a publicly traded company in the US.

Connect with Zachary on LinkedIn.

A brilliant legal mind and dedicated leader in the legal community, J.B. Tarter 06C 06G is the Assistant General Counsel for Operations at the Defense Intelligence Agency. A Harvard Law graduate, he second-chaired a winning US Supreme Court case as a junior associate at age twenty-five, and was featured in Forbes’s 2012 list of Thirty Under Thirty people shaping public policy and law.

Connect with James on LinkedIn.

Practiced business leader Adrian Tonge 02C 07B is the VP and Head of Enterprise Data and Strategic Analytics at global pharmaceutical company Mylan. Prior to Mylan, he was associate partner and North America business strategy leader in IBM’s Strategy and Transformation Pharmaceuticals and Healthcare practice. With his exceptional drive and ambition, he strives to contribute professionally and personally to those around him. He is strongly committed to mentoring students and partners closely with Emory.

Connect with Adrian on LinkedIn.

Maria Town 10C directs the Houston’s Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities. Town served as senior associate director and disability community liaison in the Obama White House Office of Public Engagement where she led efforts to advance policies related to people with disabilities and seniors and organized the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, among other notable events.

Connect with Maria on LinkedIn.

Read about Maria Town on EmoryWire.

A leader in the fight against poverty and a champion for workers with disabilities, Rebecca Vallas 06C is the Managing Director, Poverty to Prosperity Program at the Center for American Progress in Washington, D.C. A leader in the fight against poverty and a champion for workers with disabilities, Vallas broke the record for public service with more than 1,500 hours of pro bono work while at University of Virginia School of Law. She was named one of Forbes’s Thirty Under Thirty for Law and Policy in 2011 and 2014, and also in 2014 was the inaugural recipient of the National Legal Aid and Defender Association’s New Leaders in Advocacy Award. Vallas is the host of “Off-Kilter,” the only nationally distributed radio show and podcast devoted to covering poverty and inequality.

Connect with Rebecca on LinkedIn.

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