Episode 112. Aran Shetterly, Chasing a Good Story
The 92 Report
Show Notes: Aran Shetterly, author and self-professed late bloomer, took a year off in the middle of his studies to work and travel and study Spanish. After college he pursued an Echoing Green fellowship, which allowed him to set up a nonprofit in Costa Rica to link volunteers to environmental organizations there. He then decided to pursue a master's in American and New England studies from the University of Southern Maine. However, after completing his masters, he realized he needed to explore the world in a different way. He moved to New York and worked as an editorial assistant. A year...
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111. Philip Nikolayev, The Poetry of Language
The 92 Report
Philip Nikolayev, a Russian historian, poet, and marketer went directly into grad school in the history department at Harvard, where he received a master's degree. However, his field of medieval Russian history collapsed during his PhD due to funding dwindling after the fall of the USSR in 1992. From Russian History to Search Engine Marketing Philip was interested in studying Russian history from a Western analytical perspective. He quit his graduate program at Harvard when he realized his studies in Russian history didn’t translate into paying work. A polymath with a child on the way,...
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110. Kellie Magnus, Executive Director of Caribbean Culture Fund
The 92 Report
Show Notes: Kellie Magnus has been working in Jamaica for over 30 years. She returned to Jamaica after completing grad school in Colombia, where she worked in consulting and nonprofits. Since returning to Jamaica, she has been working in nonprofits and with international development partners, focusing on development-related issues. She is now the executive director of the Caribbean Culture Fund, a new entity raising money for arts and culture in the Caribbean. On the Board of NGOs During Kellie's time in New York, she attended the Ed School and business school, worked in person consulting, and...
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109. Michael S. Chen, Interventional Cardiologist
The 92 Report
Michael S. Chen graduated with a degree in investment banking. He worked at Hambrecht Quest, a smaller investment bank focusing on high tech and healthcare companies in New York City. After two years in investment banking, he decided to pursue medicine, inspired by his father's career as a cardiologist. He then went on to study internal medicine at UCSF, Cleveland Clinic, and then joined cardiac associates in Gaithersburg, Maryland. He has been with the practice for 18 years and is now the Chair of Cardiology at Shady Grove Medical Center, and Medical Director of the Cardiac...
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108. David Tavárez, Historian and Linguistic Anthropologist
The 92 Report
David Tavárez, originally from Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, completed a degree in anthropology and visual environmental studies. He had several ideas for his future career, wavering between being a scientist or a filmmaker. He secured a place at the Writers Workshop in Iowa and an internship at the American University in Cairo. He spent a year in Cairo after graduation and supplemented that summer by writing about the Baltics for the Let’s Go Europe travel series. Studying Indigenous Culture and ChristianityDavid worked as a journalist for a couple of years then decided to pursue a PhD at the...
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107. J.J. Bartlett, Fighting for Fishing Families
The 92 Report
Show Notes: J.J. Bartlett kicks off the conversation with a short explanation on how his wife shaped his career in various ways. He took healthcare management in graduate school and his primary reason for this was his interest in extending healthcare coverage. The President Clinton and Hillary Clinton Health Plan had just failed in 1994, and he was interested in finding new ways to extend coverage. Health Coverage for Fishers J.J. shares his connection to the fishing industry, which includes individual fishermen working on boats as independent contractors. The majority of these individuals are...
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106. Alison Umminger Mattison, Spiritual Director and Retreat Facilitator
The 92 Report
Show Notes: Alison Umminger Mattison talks about a 20-year stint as an English professor, a marriage, a 13-year-old daughter, and publishing a book. She also pursued a master's in Christian spirituality and spiritual direction certification, focusing on spiritual direction, work, retreat, ministry, and facilitating silent retreats with themed content. She has moved around the world, from Boston to London, DC to Missouri, Indiana to Atlanta, and now resides in Carrollton, Georgia. She also discusses her master's degree and her spiritual guidance and retreat ministries. A Journey in Spiritual...
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105. John Knepper, To the White House and Back to Wyoming
The 92 Report
John Knepper thought he would pursue a career in theater after graduating and performing at the Harvard Radcliffe summer theater. However, after moving to Memphis, Tennessee, he took a left turn and started working in the marketing department of the nation's fifth largest security guard company. After nine months there, John quit his job and traveled around the country for six months. Working in Washington on Immigration Laws On the last leg of his travels, he was in Washington where, by chance, he met the assistant to the Chief of Staff for Senator Al Simpson of Wyoming. Six months...
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104. Christiane Pendarvis, Challenges and Responsibilities in Retail Merchandising
The 92 Report
Show Notes: Christiane Pendarvis found her career passion in retail and retail merchandising in Neiman Marcus department stores in Dallas, Texas. She started working in a high-end department store, and after working in the retail industry, she went back to business school and earned an MBA. Experience as a Team Lead and Mentor After business school, Christiane worked at Procter & Gamble in their brand management arena, but she missed retail and has been there ever since. Throughout her career, she has worked for various large brands and has moved across the country,...
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103. Robert Frost, Never Left Home
The 92 Report
Show Notes: Robert Frost married his high school girlfriend 10 days after graduating. After moving back to New York, Robert worked at a consulting company called A.T. Kearney. He was interested in business and thought consulting would be a good way to go while working towards becoming a CEO. However, three weeks in, he realized consulting wasn't for him. From Columbia University to Real Estate Robert worked with Kearney's Global Business Policy Council, which provided political advice to senior leaders in business and advised governments on business practices. He worked on projects...
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Dennis Crowley started working for Tyco International in 1996 and spent five years in Europe, spending half his time in Paris and two and a half years in Brussels. This experience was enjoyable as it allowed him to work, sightsee, and travel around Europe. During his time in Europe, he had the opportunity to visit every country in Europe, including Spain, Italy, the UK, and France. He moved back to Florida, then lived in New England for 25 years before settling just south of Boston. Dennis worked in various divisions at Tyco until 2007, where he worked in their healthcare group, which spun off into Covidien. He spent 12 years doing mergers and acquisitions, and this experience opened his eyes to the exciting developments in the healthcare space, particularly in medical devices.
Lifestyle in the US vs. Europe
Dennis compares the pace of life in the US and Europe. In the US, you can get what you want when you want it, but, for example, In Paris most shops are usually closed on Sunday. The cultural norms that may not be easily understood by someone new to the country. Dennis shares a few examples of cultural differences in the workplace. Working in Europe can be a transition from class to a job, but it also presents challenges. For example, Italian culture is different from French culture, and while many people may speak multiple languages, to communicate effectively, one must be respectful of their second language and be able to express ideas in clear and appropriate ways.
Medical Devices in the Healthcare Industry
Dennis finds this field to be an interesting one as there are always problems to be solved and technologies to be developed. In terms of medical devices, the majority of medical devices have been based around surgical procedures, such as abdominal, cardiac, and peripheral surgeries. These opportunities are often focused on general surgery, such as fixing clots, repairing hernias, and C sections. Interaction with physicians and leaders in their field helps in finding companies to build portfolios for a company. He highlights the role of physicians as advisors who often collaborate with engineers and industry professionals to develop new products and address gaps. This collaboration is crucial for addressing the needs of patients and improving efficiency in the healthcare system. Dennis also talks about recent breakthroughs and innovations. He stresses the importance of having a community of physicians who can help address their needs in the marketplace, and emphasizes the need for companies to have a strong network of physicians who can help develop innovative products that address the needs of their patients and improve the overall quality of care.
Mergers and Acquisitions in the Health Industry
Dennis highlights the importance of understanding the business and aligning with the company's vision. He discusses the potential of acquiring companies and their trials, such as Given Imaging, which uses a pill cam to take multiple pictures at once. This technology is used for diagnosing bleeding or other issues in the gastrointestinal tract. It is also an alternative to colonoscopy. Dennis explains that an M&A executive spends most of their time analyzing deals and negotiating them, while also working with the company to understand its business, technologies, and strategies. He mentions that there is also a lot of time spent networking and explains how former classmates and friends had played a role in both his business and personal relationships.
Influential Harvard Professors and Courses
The conversation turns to Harvard and golf as Dennis talks about his time on the golf team and that he is still in touch with friends made while on the team. He shares how playing golf has facilitated both business and personal relationships. He also discusses the current etiquette around smartphones on the golf course.
Timestamps:
Links:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/dennis-crowley-8130a44/
Featured Non-profit
The featured non-profit of this episode is Protect Democracy, recommended by Richard Primus, who reports “Hi, I'm Richard Primus from the class of 1992. The featured nonprofit organization of this episode of the 92 Report, is Protect Democracy. Protect Democracy uses the tools of law and communications to protect the rule of law and constitutional democracy in the United States, at a time when those things are in greater jeopardy than we would have dreamed possible when we graduated from college. I'm proud to have worked with Protect Democracy on a volunteer basis, since it was founded a little more than seven years ago, and also to be a member of its board of advisors, which includes a wonderful group of people.”
To learn more about their work, visit https://protectdemocracy.org.