People

Advisory Board

Craig Asher is a principal at Vital Venture Capital LLC, a venture capital group investing in life sciences platforms and business-to-business software. Before Vital he was a product manager at three software startups—one in e-commerce that went public; one that he helped grow from near-death to a category leader that was purchased by IBM; and a third within IBM that is now a key part of the IBM Smarter Planet initiative. Before working in software, Craig was a consultant for retailers, distributors, and manufacturers in the supply chain strategy group at Andersen Consulting (now Accenture). He has an MS degree from IEMS and an MM from Kellogg.

Jeff Dvorett is responsible for the planning, development, marketing and sales of Midwood's development pipeline including 150 East 78th Street in New York and the Shops at Sportsmen’s Lodge in Los Angeles. Midwood is a 90+ year old, vertically-integrated investment, development and management platform that owns over 100 properties across the US. Prior to joining Midwood, Jeff oversaw the planning and development of over two million square feet of mixed used, residential and hospitality projects in New York. Jeff received his MBA from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor's Degree in Industrial Engineering and Management Sciences from Northwestern University.

Tony Gambell is a Partner in McKinsey & Company’s Operations Practice. Tony’s clients are predominantly global leaders in Pharmaceutical, Medical Device, Advanced Industries, and Consumer Packaged Goods. He holds BS degrees in Industrial Engineering and Manufacturing Engineering from Northwestern University and is a graduate of the Leaders for Global Operations program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he earned an MBA and an MS, Mechanical Engineering.

Brittany Martin Graunke is a passionate social entrepreneur and founder of Zealous Good, a website that connects people with extra goods to local charities with matching needs. Brittany studied Industrial Engineering and Management Sciences at Northwestern University and began her career in the Chicago office of Bain & Company as a strategic business consultant. After time in the for-profit, non-profit and start-up sectors, Brittany currently consults high growth start-ups on operations.

Sania Irwin is an accomplished technology executive. At EagleRail Container Logistics, she is responsible for intelligent, data driven solutions for port automation. Previously, as Senior Director of Engineering at Motorola/Nokia, she established and directed the Connected Car & Smart Roads initiative, and drove the 4G/LTE wireless network launch. She also defined the Intelligent Enterprise business line at Cimphoni, guided operations research efforts at General Motors, and championed Information Technology (IT) solutions at Xerox. Sania is Co-founder & President of One Community, an elected member of the Board of Directors of the League of Women Voters of the United States (LWVUS), and serves on its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) committee, as well as the Leadership Development task force. She is the recipient of the 2020 Adade Wheeler Woman of Distinction Award, which recognizes significant contributions by an individual, to the personal and professional advancement of women, through education, advocacy, and mentoring. Sania earned her Bachelor of Arts degree (Magna Cum Laude) in Computer Science and Mathematics from University of Rochester, and Master of Science and PhD degrees in Industrial Engineering & Management Sciences from Northwestern University. Sania lives with her family in the Chicago suburbs, enjoys distance running, and loves to travel.

Hina Jaffery Aslam has a Bachelors in Industrial Engineering and Masters in Engineering Management, both from Northwestern University in Evanston, IL. She spent most of her career at United Technologies Corporation's aerospace division, Hamilton Sundstrand (now Collins Aerospace), where she worked in a variety of positions such as manufacturing engineering, international supply chain consolidation, program and general management, business process improvements, and mergers & acquisitions. She is a member of the Board of Directors for the Scholarship Foundation of St Joseph County, the Junior League of South Bend, and is active with the Parents’ Association at her son’s school.

Saba T. Jaffery is an Executive Director for Operations and Supply Chain at Raytheon, the defense division of RTX (NYSE: RTX). Just prior, Saba was Executive Director of Power & Controls Supply Chain at Collins Aerospace, the aerospace division of RTX. Her prior roles, also at Collins Aerospace, include assignments in: strategic supply chain management, program and general management, business development, quality and supplier quality, operations, factory transfers and continuous improvement. Saba holds a BS in Industrial Engineering and Management Sciences (IEMS) and a Master of Engineering Management (MEM), both from Northwestern University. In her spare time, Saba serves on the Northwestern University IEMS and MEM advisory boards and on the board of Northwestern Illinois chapter of the YWCA.

Carley Kauble is a Senior Director of Supply Chain Strategy and Partner at Asurion, a technology company providing electronics protection and support solutions for major wireless providers, cable providers, retailers and more. In her current role she leads a Strategy Team that helps solution new product ideas, and she leads a Partner Team focused on serving existing clients. Prior to Asurion, she worked for Rockwell Automation as a simulation consultant, sales engineer and product manager. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering and a Masters in Engineering Management, both from Northwestern University.   

Eva McGoey is a Lead Director within the Aetna Technology Strategy & Operations team at CVS Health. She helps orchestrate the technology strategies and operational frameworks that fuel CVS Health’s bold commitment to transforming health care. Previously, Eva spent over two decades at Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC) in key leadership roles across product and digital transformation, innovation, and delivery operations. She launched her career in technology consulting at Accenture. A native of Chicago, Eva holds a bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering & Management Sciences from Northwestern University, where she has a long-standing history of service on the IEMS Alumni Advisory Board in various leadership positions, including as past Chair.

Jonathan H. Owen is Director of Operations Research (OR) at General Motors Global Research and Development. Dr. Owen began his career with GM in 1999 and was named OR Director in 2013. In this role, he leads strategic innovation activities for applied OR across diverse areas of the business that include pricing and revenue management, portfolio planning, vehicle technology selection and content optimization, supply chain and logistics, market demand modeling, and dealer effectiveness. Dr. Owen received his B.S. in Mathematical Science and Operations Research from the University of North Carolina in 1992 and M.S. and PhD. degrees in Industrial Engineering and Management Sciences from Northwestern University in 1993 and 1998. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS), and serves on its Analytics Certification Board and as VP of Practice Activities. He is the author or several journal articles, book chapters and conference proceedings, and co-inventor of multiple patents.

Rajesh C. Oza specializes in helping senior executives better align their organizations to achieve success. Simply put, he facilitates alignment of strategy and organization through a systems approach to client viability. Client viability includes change management, executive coaching, strategic planning, organizational design, culture and leadership development, double-loop communication and learning, high-performance teaming, stakeholder transition, roadmap implementation, and M&A integration. Dr. Oza received an MS from IEMS and a PhD in Organization Change from Pepperdine. He also facilitates T-Groups for MBA students at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business.

Ken Porrello is a senior executive and investor focused on cyber/technology innovation and developing next generation leaders. Ken spent 30 years as a partner in Deloitte Consulting, retiring from the firm in 2017. He held significant executive/P&L responsibilities in the firm, including building and leading significant practices in North America and India. Ken now serves as Executive Director of CEO Perspectives, a leadership development program for C-level executives of Fortune 500 companies. He also serves as an Operating Partner with Kinzie Capital Partners. Ken is a board member of SteelCloud, LLC, a leader in cybersecurity solutions in high-security federal environments; MetroEdge Development Partners, LLC, an edge computing service provider; and Colony Display, LLC, a supplier to the retail sector. He also serves as chair of the board of advisors for the McCormick School of Engineering at Northwestern University, a post he assumed in 2011.

Alan Wasserstrom is a lifelong resident of Columbus, Ohio. He is married to his wife Diana. Alan is a big Northwestern University football fan. He is also an avid golfer and the owner of five dogs. Mr. Wasserstrom has spent his entire working career with the family business. N WASSERSTROM and Sons manufactures, designs, and installs turnkey foodservice facilities - from quick service to large institutional projects.

Sandra Waters is Vice President for Collaborative Initiatives at the National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners (NBOME). In this role, Ms. Waters facilitates relationships with key stakeholder groups as the “Chief Collaborative Officer” for the organization. She has been instrumental in developing strategy, improving operations and leading innovation in diverse organizations and industries. Ms. Waters holds a Master of Engineering Management degree from Northwestern University where she serves on Advisory Boards to two programs.

Audrey Williams-Lee is an experienced business executive with a passion for building organizational excellence through strategic talent management, leadership development, culture, and change. Her experience encompasses serving as a HR leader and advisor for C-suite executives and their leadership teams, community engagement, and setting and directing strategies for philanthropic giving. She has worked across several industries, holding Human Resources roles at Unilever, McDonald’s and W.W. Grainger. On the nonprofit side, she was the HR leader for Opportunity International. Ms. Williams-Lee receives her BSIE from Northwestern University and her MSOB from Benedictine University. She serves on the board of directors for Youth Guidance in Chicago, Illinois. She is a also a board member of Hephzibah Children’s Association and a member of the Oak Park & River Forest High School’s Community Council, both in Oak Park, Illinois.

Gigi Yuen-Reed directs the data and AI strategy for Availity, a health technology company that connects health plans and providers, and she leads the R&D of data science initiatives aim to reduce waste and increase automation in the healthcare ecosystem. Prior to Availity, she was the Distinguished Engineer and Master Inventor in IBM Watson Health. She received her BSc degree in Civil Engineering, and BSc, MSc, and PhD degrees in IEMS from Northwestern University.