Alumni Connections bring alumni and students together for career conversations that are authentic and personal.

What sets these sessions apart is their size and format: an intimate audience (often limited to 20 students or less) in an informal setting (dress code is come as you are). No resume exchanges or fussy suits—these sessions invite students to explore and understand, rather than compete.

Browse opportunities below or RSVP to join the conversation in the LSA Opportunity Network. (And keep an eye on your inboxes, where Alumni Connections are often announced!)

November Sessions:

Financial Times Journalist Patti Waldmeier
Friday, Nov. 1: 2–3 p.m. | LSA 2228 | RSVP
Patti has worked as a foreign correspondent for 40 years, almost all of it for the Financial Times. She has been based in London, Washington, Johannesburg/Cape Town, Shanghai, and most recently Chicago. Patti started her career covering the continent of Africa, including a decade covering the transition from white to black rule in South Africa, after which she wrote a prize-winning book about the transition. Patti went on to become U.S. editor of the Financial Times, and then spent a decade as FT’s U.S. legal columnist before moving to Shanghai to cover China for the publication for 8 years. Patti is now a columnist and feature writer for the Financial Times writing about the U.S. Midwest. Patti will speak to students about her path from the liberal arts to journalism, what it’s like to have a global career and navigate different cultural environments, and balancing life and career goals.

Arts Entrepreneur Carla Rapoport
Friday, Nov. 8: 9–10 a.m. | LSA 2006 (Virtual) | RSVP
Carla founded the Lumen Prize for Art and Technology in 2012, which celebrates the very best art created with technology through a global competition. In 2018, she founded the not-for-profit Lumen Art Projects, to manage both the prize and a new business providing exhibitions, commissions, and events engaged with art and technology globally. Before that, she worked as a financial journalist for the Financial Times, Fortune Magazine, and The Economist Group located in Tokyo, Hong Kong, and London.

Journalist and Author Amy Tara Koch
Friday, Nov. 8: Noon to 1 p.m. | LSA 2001 | RSVP
Amy Tara Koch is an author, journalist and television personality who has the unique pleasure of traveling the world for her job. She contributes to The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Travel + Leisure, Vogue, T Magazine, Conde Nast Traveler, and the Chicago Tribune. Koch has appeared on CNN, Today, Steve Harvey, Access Hollywood, FOX and the CBS Early Show. Koch’s book Bump It Up: Transform Your Pregnancy Into The Ultimate Style Statement (Random House) was touted by Glamour, T Magazine and Access Hollywood as the must-read pregnancy style bible. Koch lives in Chicago with her husband and two daughters.

Lawyer Toni Newell
Friday, Nov. 8: 1:30–2:30 p.m. | LSA 2130 | RSVP
Toni is a partner at the Grand Rapids law firm of Varnum LLP. Toni practices in the field of energy law, representing a diverse set of clients from all areas of the energy sector, and has experience in a variety of corporate matters, including mergers and acquisitions, contracting, and banking compliance. Toni represents clients of all sizes, from small local businesses to multinational corporations. Toni graduated from the University of Michigan in December 1999, receiving a B.A., with distinction, in Film and Video Studies (now known as Film, Television, and Media).

Communications Strategist Vijay Chattha
Friday, Nov. 8: 3–4 p.m. | LSA 2001 | RSVP
Vijay Chattha is founder and CEO of VSC, a strategic communications firm with offices in San Francisco and Brooklyn. Vijay has pioneered an aggressive and creative approach to brand building as an investor and marketing partner, with a 16-year track record establishing dominant technology brands across AI, automation, consumer platforms, fintech, enterprise software, health tech, mobile, and venture capital. The firm has represented 4 IPOs, 7 unicorns, and 44 startups that have exited, in addition to 350+ brands, such as Softbank, Sony, Admob, and more. VSC has earned industry accolades with 100+ communications awards including recognition in PR week’s 40 under 40, Business Insider’s Top 50 Tech Influencers, and Robert Scoble’s Top PR firms.

Google Account Manager Stephanie Zimbler
Thursday, Nov. 14: Noon to 1 p.m. | LSA 2006 (Virtual) | RSVP
Stephanie Zimbler, a 2011 graduate with a bachelor of arts in communications and Spanish, is a senior account manager at Google’s Dublin office, where she works with international clients to meet the tech giant’s sales goals. Before joining Google, Zimbler worked on the marketing and communications side of fashion, most recently as a media and digital communications manager at Cartier’s New York office and a digital marketing analyst at Michael Kors. Zimbler is excited to discuss her experience finding a position abroad, share tips for breaking into Google, discuss marketing, communications and sales careers, and answer questions about work culture in Europe.

Co-living Property Founder Tanya Morton
Thursday, Nov. 14: 1 p.m. | LSA 2156 | RSVP
Tanya Morton is founder of the co-living company Morton Place, which has three properties in Belgium. At co-living properties, furnished private bedrooms and bathrooms are rented in larger, often design-focused homes or buildings. This growing real estate trend encourages community for residents who are often new to town and living solo. As an undergrad at Michigan, Tanya studied English, worked at Bivouac, and says she had “no idea what careers were out there for me.” After graduation the bilingual English/French speaker moved to Paris (she graduated during a recession and says finding work was intimidating). She worked as an assistant at Christie’s Fine Art Auctioneers in their jewelry department, cataloguing and working on client contact and event management, before returning to the U.S. in 1994 to earn an MBA from Columbia Business School.

Nonprofit Planning Director Todd Krieger
Friday, Nov. 15: 3–4 p.m. | LSA 2130 | RSVP
Todd left the for-profit world in 2013 to join the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit, which is the major instrument of Jewish philanthropy and engagement in the Detroit area, one of the largest charitable organizations in the state of Michigan, and one of the largest federations in North America. As senior planning director, Todd manages Federation’s annual allocations process, acts as a liaison to the organization’s 17 constituent agencies, runs Federation’s metrics program, and overseas all short and long-term planning activities. He was previously in marketing and public relations, where he spent 12 years executing campaigns for organizations such as Microsoft, Quicken Loans, and others in the technology, healthcare, automotive, and real estate sectors.

Registered Dietitian and F-Factor CEO Tanya Zuckerbot
Friday, Nov. 15: 3–4 p.m. | LSA 2001 | RSVP
Tanya Zuckerbrot is a registered dietitian (with nearly 100,000 Instagram followers) and the author of two bestselling weight loss books: The F-Factor Diet: Discover the Secret to Permanent Weight Loss (2006) and The Miracle Carb Diet: Make Calories and Fat Disappear – with Fiber! (2012). In addition to working with private clients, including celebrities such as Megyn Kelly and Olivia Culpo, media personalities, and business and government leaders, Tanya is a lecturer, consultant, spokesperson and national media personality. Tanya has been profiled in The New York Times, and has been featured in The New York Post, The New York Daily News, Town & Country, Elle, Vogue, and more. She has also appeared on national television programs including Megyn Kelly TODAY, The Dr. Oz Show, NBC Today, CBS News, CBS The Early Show, Live with Kelly!, and other programs.