The Organizers

Reaching Out is unique among national MBA conferences in that it is 100% student run and led. Every aspect of the conference, from selecting panelists and securing corporate sponsors to organizing the conference events is handled by a core group of student organizers. These students were selected by the Reaching Out Board to serve as the Organizing Committee. Following last year’s conference, a group of students from the Georgetown University McDonough School of Business, The George Washington University Graduate School of Business, and The University of Virginia Darden School of Business connected, and began working to win the bid for Washington, DC. For the past several months, these students have worked tirelessly to build the best conference possible so that all attendees can achieve new heights at Reaching Out 2008.

Cheryl Angelroth

Cheryl Angelroth is a 2009 MBA candidate at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business and a 2005 alumna of the Public Allies nonprofit leadership development program. This summer, she interned in marketing strategy consulting with McKinley Marketing, and would like to continue working as a marketing or communications consultant after graduation. Before coming to Georgetown, Cheryl worked at an inner-city adult education nonprofit in her hometown of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. At the center she developed programs to increase student retention and graduation rates, and wrote grants and appeals that helped double the center’s funding from individual donors. When she isn’t hitting the books, she has been known to hit a punching bag or two, to co-found drag performance troupes, and to cook for friends and family. Cheryl earned her BA in English at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where she worked to found that campus’s LGBT resource center.

Elizabeth Davis

Elizabeth Davis is a second-year MBA candidate at the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University. Prior to attending Georgetown, Elizabeth was Director of Carrier Relations at TNCI Inc., a privately-held telecommunications company in Boston. Elizabeth began her eight-year career in the telecommunications industry in service operations and later transitioned into product development. In her final position with TNCI, she managed a service activations team, pricing, vendor relations and product management. Elizabeth spent her summer working with 3M as a Strategic Business Development Intern where she completed marketing assignments in their Industrial & Transportation and Health Care businesses along with a high-level strategy project in business portfolio management. Elizabeth earned her undergraduate degree in Management at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst while advancing her career with TNCI. She is now pursuing a career in marketing. In her spare time, Elizabeth enjoys good wine and staying active.

Tom Fries

Tom Fries is a second-year MBA student at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business. He is pursuing the Karl F. Landegger Certificate in International Business Diplomacy, a joint program with the School of Foreign Service. He is also currently working with the AARP Global Network, a business unit within AARP that develops cross-border joint ventures with organizations around the globe. As an active participant in Georgetown’s Gay & Lesbian Alliance, and as an advice columnist for the student newspaper, Tom is deeply involved with the school community. Tom spent seven years as a full-time collegiate rowing coach and recruiter prior to attending Georgetown, during which time he led several teams to national success and coached several Olympic hopefuls. Tom received his B.A. in Neuroscience from the University of Virginia, where he was an Echols Scholar and was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. With his spare time Tom studies languages, reads as much as possible, plays backgammon, and spends time with his dog Maggie.

Edgar Hidalgo

Edgar Hidalgo is a third-year JD/MBA dual-degree candidate at Georgetown University Law Center, where he is active in both schools’ GLBT organizations and a member of the Georgetown Journal of Law and Public Policy. In summer 2007 he clerked with the firm S.J. Berwin in Madrid, Spain, working primarily with the firm’s corporate, media, and I.P. practices. Before coming to Georgetown, Edgar was a Jr. Marketing Associate for Bayview Financial, Inc., where he developed and managed his division’s CRM database, marketing campaign tracking and quarterly R.O.I. analysis. In addition, he managed marketing collateral creative, production, and fulfillment. He earned his BBA in Marketing and Finance at the University of Miami, completing internships in the music publishing, film production and automotive industries. Last year, Edgar conducted legal research on music piracy with the RIAA and this summer he clerked for Manatt, Phelps, and Phillips, LLP in Los Angeles.

Daniele Mazzon

Daniele is currently a second-year MBA student at the George Washington University School of Business where he is also the President of the University’s Consulting Club. He graduated with honors from Bocconi University in Italy in 2005 with a BS in Finance and Management of Financial Institutions. Prior to Business School, Daniele functioned as a Correspondent Banker for BNL-BNPParibas in Italy and Hong Kong. During last summer Daniele participated in an internship at Fannie Mae in their internal audit and risk management department and he is currently looking for a career in the audit industry. Daniele is also actively involved in the LBGT community at George Washington. In his free time Daniele enjoys socializing in the international community, reading and traveling.

Jeff Ohmer

Jeff is a currently a second-year MBA student at The George Washington University School of Business. He is originally from Dallas, Texas where he spent the past 14 years working at American Airlines in the Maintenance and Engineering Division. While working full-time he obtained his BBA in Finance at the University of Texas at Arlington. Jeff will perform his summer internship with the FAA in Washington DC as a financial analyst in labor costs analysis. He plans to pursue a post-MBA career in commercial lending at a major banking institution. He has a partner of 7 years. He is actively involved with the LGBT organization Allied in Pride at The George Washington University, as well as with the Dallas chapters of the Human Rights Campaign, Lambda Legal and American Airlines’ LGBT organization GLEAAM. In his free time he enjoys weight training and outdoor activities such as backpacking, skiing, rafting, and biking.

Andrew Papp

Andrew Papp received his Bachelor of Arts in Communication and Philosophy from Tulane University as a Tulane Founder’s Scholar in 2002. Following graduation, Andrew worked for a boutique law firm specializing in complex toxic tort litigation where he designed and implemented the Firm’s data migration, lead competitive research initiatives, and presented risk mitigation proposals to key clients. As Communication Coordinator, Andrew negotiated various policy initiatives while working for the Virginia Senate. Before pursuing his MBA, Andrew worked as the Project Coordinator for the Georgia Justice Project, a non-profit organization that provides legal services to impoverished clients. Working with in-house attorneys, he used formal project management and process improvement techniques to streamline researching methods, expedite case resolution, and facilitate coordination among a wide array of interested parties. Andrew is currently a second-year student at Georgetown’s McDonough School of Business and is pursuing a career path in strategy-based consulting. This summer, Andrew is working in strategy as a Marketing Analyst for an international business and technology consulting firm that focuses on Fortune 500 companies.

Meg Stocker

Meg Stocker is a 2009 MBA candidate at Georgetown’s McDonough School of Business. Prior to her MBA, Meg spent two years as a Peace Corps health education volunteer in Armenia. During her Peace Corps experience, she taught health and English classes in the Armenian language, formed a girls’ basketball team, established fitness clubs for students and village women, and created a new Armenian health education curriculum for volunteers. She earned her BA in Communication from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 2004, graduating Summa Cum Laude after writing a thesis about how people identify with music. In her free time Meg plays guitar, writes songs, and produces her own recorded music. She is also a photographer, and her pictures from Armenia were featured at a gallery exhibit in January 2008. Her summer internship was in Brand Management with Johnson & Johnson - McNeil Consumer Healthcare, and she will be returning to McNeil full-time after completing business school.

Michael Talis

Michael Talis is a first-year MBA student at Georgetown’s McDonough School of Business. Before business school, Michael worked in product management for Nelnet, an education finance company, developing Web-based software for college financial aid offices. Prior to that, Michael served as a radio producer for National Public Radio, WHYY, and WRNI. A native of Philadelphia, Michael attended Brown University, earning his BA in Public Policy in 2002. While at Brown, Michael was active in the school’s LGBT organization, serving as its communications director for two years. Michael took on a number of other communications-related roles at Brown, including positions as a peer writing tutor, editor of the Development Office’s electronic newsletter, and director of features programming for Brown Student Radio. Michael is pursuing a career in strategic marketing in the media and technology industries.

Hope Temple

Hope Temple is a first-year student at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business. After receiving her BA in Psychology from Wesleyan University, Hope worked as a fundraiser for the New York City Parks & Recreation’s Urban Park Rangers program, the New York University Leonard N. Stern School of Business, and the Thomas Jefferson Foundation. Given her passion for gardening, she also launched and ran a 180-acre organic farm at a historic inn in Pennsylvania for two years. Originally from McLean, Virginia, Hope grew up in Thailand and Turkey and has traveled extensively. She is interested in philanthropy, social venture capital, microfinance, and community development banking. Hope has her 2008 summer internship as a Development Finance Intern with ShoreBank International in Washington DC. Hope is the President of Gays, Lesbians, and Allies at Darden (GLAD), Vice President of Networking and Social Affairs for Net Impact @ Darden, and is a member of the National Association of Women MBAs. In her free time, she enjoys long-distance running and she placed 10th for women overall in the 2008 Charlottesville Half Marathon.

James Temple

James Temple is currently a first-year student at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business, where he holds the position of Vice President for Careers and Admissions for the Gays, Lesbians, and Allies at Darden (GLAD) club as well as a member of the Darden Military Association. After receiving a BA in Mathematics from the University of Virginia, James was commissioned as an officer in the United State Air Force. During his 7-year career, he specialized in weapon system acquisition and aircraft maintenance and has traveled the world as an expert in those two fields. James will be completing an internship this summer (2008) with Bank of America in their Global Technology and Operations group. He is excited about the opportunity to advance GLBT issues within the MBA community, having been unable to do so in his previous career. In his spare time, James enjoys scuba diving and has completed over 75 dives in the South Pacific.

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