2011-12 Executive Committee
Anna Pinder - President
Senior Manager, Jabian Consulting
BS Mechanical Engineering 2003 – Georgia Tech
Anna Pinder is a Senior Manager at Jabian Consulting in Atlanta, GA. For the second year in a row, Jabian was voted one of the best firms to work for (small firms category) by Consulting Magazine. Anna previously spent six years in the Systems Integration & Technology consulting practice of Accenture, a global IT and Management Consulting Company. In her career, Anna has advised clients in a wide range of industries including health insurance claims processing, wholesale distribution, industrial equipment, consumer goods, and automotive. Anna received a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering, with a certificate in Spanish, from Georgia Tech in 2003.
While at Tech, Anna served as an Orientation Leader and Cabinet member for FASET New Student Orientation. In addition, Anna was a President’s Scholar, Georgia Tech Ambassador, member of Omicron Delta Kappa Honor Society and Alpha Chi Omega sorority, and was heavily involved in the Student Foundation Development Committee, serving as Committee Director and member on the GTSF Board of Trustees. In 2002 Anna was named Ms. Georgia Tech and received the Women’s Leadership Conference “Woman of Distinction Undergraduate of the Year” award. In her free time, Anna enjoys running, international travel, cooking, and going to (and tailgating for) GT football games.
Suzannah Gill – Vice President
BS in Management -Georgia Tech – 2005
JD – University of Georgia School of Law – 2009
Suzannah serves as Vice President of Benefits at The Bottoms Group, an employee benefits consulting and insurance firm founded by a fellow Georgia Tech alumnus. In her role, Suzannah advises clients on their employee benefits strategies and manages the services processes for the company’s benefits division. Prior to joining The Bottoms Group, Suzannah served as an employee benefits attorney at McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP in Atlanta, where she focused her practice on compliance matters for welfare and retirement benefit plans.
An Atlanta native, Suzannah attended Georgia Tech and earned her BS in Management, with highest honors. After graduation, Suzannah taught English in Shenzhen, China for a year before earning her law degree from the University of Georgia. While in law school, she served on the editorial board of The Georgia Law Review.
Suzannah continues to be involved at Georgia Tech, currently serving as a Regional Committee Chair for the President’s Scholarship Program. She is also actively involved in the Georgia Association of Women’s lawyers and is a registered neutral with the Georgia Office of Dispute Resolution.
Mary Beth Lake - Secretary
Residential Realtor - Harry Norman, Realtors.
ID 2004 - Georgia Tech
Mary Beth Lake graduated from Georgia Tech in 2004 with a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Design. With her business and marketing skills in mind, she made the decision to become a Realtor shortly after graduation and has not looked back, even during these current turbulent times. Helping people realize their real estate goals has become her passion. In 2005 she was named Harry Norman Realtor's Northwest Buckhead Office Rookie of the Year. She has consistently been a member of the Atlanta Board of Realtors' Million Dollar Club and is a founding member of Harry Norman Realtor's Young Realtor's Council. She has obtained her Graduate of Realtors Institute designation, Associate Broker License and Certified Distressed Property Institute designation. She was named 'Realtor on the Rise' by Real Estate Magazine and was awarded the Harry Norman, Realtors 2010 President’s Award for her dedication for the betterment of the real estate industry and Metro Atlanta community. Currently Mary Beth serves on the Harry Norman, Realtors Senior Marketing Consultant Executive Council and is a Georgia Association of Realtors State Director representing the Atlanta Board of Realtors. Nearly 60% percent of Mary Beth's clients to date have been first-time home buyers or sellers and nearly 70% of Mary Beth's business is related to personal relationships formed at Georgia Tech and her sorority, Alpha Chi Omega.
Carl Davis - Treasurer
Attorney - Baker Donelson
BIE 1976 - Georgia Tech
JD - 1983 - Emory University
Carl worked his way through Georgia Tech as a co-op student and practiced as an engineer computer programmer with a Southeast utility engineering firm. In 1980, Carl entered Emory School of Law and continued to work as an engineer. After graduation in 1983, he joined Arnold, White & Durkee in Houston , Texas before returning to Atlanta in 1987. His law practice focuses on intellectual property law (patent s , trademarks , copyrights , and trade secrets ), including evaluation of inventions, preparation of patent applications directed to inventions, clearing and registering trademarks , and litigation involving patents and trademarks. In 2000, Carl’s firm merged with Baker Donelson Bearman Caldwell & Berkowitz, where he continues to practice intellectual property law.
2011-12 Board of Directors
Michael Lan – Membership Committee Chair
Senior Manager – Jabian Consulting
BMED 2004 – Georgia Tech
Michael is a Senior Manager at Jabian Consulting, an Atlanta-based management consulting firm, where he serves as a trusted advisor to executives in the healthcare, insurance, and non-profit industries.
Michael's work has focused on providing structure and process to solving complex business challenges. His expertise lies in creating and implementing business strategies, analyzing and optimizing business processes, and implementing an initiative planning framework called Demand Management to help clients maximize their human capital and financial investments. As a pioneer in Demand Management, he has published several Demand Management whitepapers and has been recognized as a feature speaker for Consulting Magazine’s Best Practices Webinar Series.
Michael currently lives in Sandy Springs with his wife and new baby. On the weekends, he can be found at either Babies"R"Us or Holcomb Bridge Park.
Ben Reed, MBA
Marketing Committee Chair – Georgia Tech Business Network
Partner, West Reed
BS Management 2004 – Georgia Tech
MBA 2006 – Georgia State
With a degree in Management from Georgia Tech (’04) and an MBA from Georgia State, Ben loves helping businesses come up with ideas that get people excited about their brand. He is a partner at West Reed, a brand consultancy in Atlanta that helps B2B firms define their brand message and communicate it more effectively – both visually and verbally.
Ben serves on the board of the Georgia Tech Business Network and Technology Association of Georgia’s International Business Society. With a passion for entrepreneurship, he has won awards in several business plan competitions and helped numerous startups with their branding and marketing. Ben also loves to travel and has done volunteer work in Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East.
Jon Linder – Technology Committee Chair
Financial Advisor - Mogran Stanley Smith Barney
BA 2001 - Vanderbilt University
MBA 2007 - University of Florida
Jon works with individuals, businesses, and non-profits organizations to protect and grow wealth. Using a consulatative planning approach he helps clients define goals and develops plans to help them achieve long term objectives. He provides guidance to unify and simplfy all facets of your financial life including, investing, lending, insurance, cash management, estate planning, education savings and 401(k) plans. Jon's tactical approach to investing actively adjusts his client's exposure based on the risks and opprotunities in the market.
Prior to joining Morgan Stanley he served six years as an officer in the US Navy. Serving as an engineering officer and air defense officer he made overseas deployments in USS DENVER (LPD-9) and USS THE SULLIVANS (DDG-68). In his free time, Jon enjoys spending time with his wife and three children, as well as, being an assistant scoutmast at Boy Scout Troop 232.
Jennifer Toeppner – Events Committee Chair
Sales and Business Consulting
IE - State University of New York - Buffalo
MS MOT 1999 - Georgia Tech
Born and raised in Buffalo, NY, Ms. Toeppner obtained her Industrial Engineering degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo. As a Sales Engineer in Upstate NY, Toeppner sold material handling equipment to various manufacturing and Fortune 100 companies. There, she saw everything from consumer goods to electronics to pharmaceuticals produced. She was hired by one of her customers to manage three automotive production lines at ITT Automotive in Rochester, NY in a union shop environment.
In July of 1996, Toeppner relocated to Atlanta to work for Lucent Technologies. There, she managed multi-million dollar manufacturing expansion projects and served as a subject matter expert in material handling. As Sales Manager, Toeppner was responsible for the company’s largest customer and 50 % of the company’s fiber-optic apparatus sales. While at Lucent, Toeppner completed her Master of Science in Management of Technology through Georgia Tech’s Executive program.
After the birth of her daughter in 2002, Toeppner switched gears and joined up with Impact Media Solutions, a startup company founded by a fellow Tech grad. As Vice President of Partnership Development, she helped the company grow its customer base over 400% and expand into 4 new markets. Toeppner remains a minority owner and advisor of Impact Media.
Most recently, Toeppner was responsible for over $100M in sales as Western Regional Sales Manager at Southwire Company, headquartered in Carrollton, GA.
Ryan Lahm
Sales Analyst - Hewitt Associates
BS ISyE 2002 - Georgia Tech
Ryan Lahm has worked at for Hewitt Associates, a human resource consulting and outsourcing firm, for over six years. In his current position of Sales Analyst in the Consulting Sales and Accounts group, Ryan focuses on facilitating the sales process by developing and providing business analytics as well as researching and profiling current and potential clients. Prior to that, he served as a Quality Assurance Analyst and Set-Up Configuration Analyst, delivering Hewitt’s outsourced benefits solution.
A Georgia Tech grad, Ryan earned a degree in Industrial Engineering in 2002. While at Tech, he joined the FASET Orientation Program, was an Orientation Leader and sat on the FASET Cabinet. In addition, he was a member of Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity (LCA) and served as Assistant Recruitment Chair for two years and as Recruitment Chairman for a year.
Since graduation, Ryan has continued his involvement on campus. During his three years (2005 – 2008) as Chapter Advisor for LCA, he helped to expand leadership initiatives within the chapter, boosted the chapter’s membership and assisted with general chapter management. Ryan has been a member of the LCA House Corporation since 2005 and is currently serving as Secretary, overseeing the management of the chapter’s facilities.
In his spare time, Ryan enjoys playing golf, tennis, ultimate frisbee and watching movies.
Peter Bourg
Financial Advisor – Ashford Advisors
BS Management 2002 – Georgia Tech
Peter Bourg joined Ashford Advisors in 2008, knowing he wanted to enter a career where he could do something he loves while impacting the lives of his clients. He entered the financial services industry because it allowed him to do two of the things he enjoys most: helping people and studying finance. Peter believes strongly in educating his clients on various financial strategies and helping them to choose the one that will best meet their needs and allow them to reach their goals.
Peter is a 2002 graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology with a Bachelor of Science in Management. He was a member of Delta Tau Delta. After graduating, Peter worked for IntegriTax, a company focused on providing sales and use tax consulting services to the manufacturing sector. He went on to earn his Masters Degree in Sports Administration from Georgia State University in 2006. Following his masters, Peter began working for AMB Timing, a company known for making automatic race timing and scoring systems for auto racing, cycling, triathlon, and running among other sports.
Andrew Yam
SAP Project Manager, Newell-Rubbermaid
BS Industrial Engineering 2004 – Georgia Tech
Andrew Yam is a SAP Warehouse Management Project Manager at Newell Rubbermaid. Since joining in 2008, Andrew has led and contributed to the successful SAP implementation of over ten brands. Currently he is leading a project team through the European implementation of SAP and has traveled to ten countries in the last year. In the process, he has found a natural fit and love for international projects and hopes to continue in this endeavor.
Before joining Newell Rubbermaid, Andrew worked as a Senior Consultant at IBM Global Business Services and worked in various projects in the telecommunications, pharmaceutical, retail, and consumer goods industries. Andrew graduated from Georgia Tech in 2004 with a BS in Industrial Engineering and a Certificate in Technology and Operations Management. He is proud to be a Ramblin’ Wreck and hopes to utilize GTBN as a way to contribute to the larger Georgia Tech community.
Joseph Kim
Associate Administrator, Atlanta Medical Center
BS Mechanical Engineering 2004 – Georgia Tech
MBA Harvard Business School – 2010
Joe currently works as an associate administrator for Atlanta Medical Center. During the last year, Joe participated in Tenet Healthcare’s MBA Leadership program which allowed him the opportunity to learn the industry of health care and its many moving parts. Working closely with the administrative team at Atlanta Medical Center, Joe worked on a range of projects that included renovating waiting rooms, increasing operating room efficiency and reducing variable costs on targeted diagnostic related groups.
Prior to his job at Atlanta Medical Center, Joe worked at Shaw Industries in Cartersville, Georgia as a senior process engineer and six sigma black belt. During his time at Shaw, he helped manage a $5.1 million coater line expansion that introduced a new fully recyclable 12 ft. wide carpet, while also leading his six sigma team that reduced downtime by over 50% and resulted in over $200,000 in savings. Joe is a 2004 graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and a 2010 graduate of the Harvard Business School with a Masters of Business Administration. He currently resides in Buckhead, however is originally from Maryland, which explains his unconditional love for the Baltimore Orioles and crab cakes.
Jason Atha
Account Manager, Payscape Advisors
BS Management 1999 – Georgia Tech
MS Sports Management 2001 – Florida State University
Jason Atha is a 1999 graduate of Georgia Tech with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Management and a former Georgia Tech Baseball Player. He received his Masters of Science Degree is Sports Management from Florida State University in 2001. Jason serves as an Account Manager for Payscape Advisors in Atlanta. He advises his business clients on the utilization of all means of non-cash payment solutions to grow their business. Jason’s consultative approach benefits businesses across a broad spectrum and includes everything from medical, legal, and retail businesses to academic institutions and athletic programs. Prior to joining Payscape Advisors, Jason spent over ten years in the financial and banking industry in both sales and management roles. Jason stays active in his community through various activities including 12 Stone Church.
Laura Kitashima
Sourcing and Procurement Analyst, Insight Sourcing Group
BS Electrical Engineering 2010 – Georgia Tech
MS Electrical Engineering 2011 – Georgia Tech
Laura Kitashima completed her undergraduate degree in Electrical Engineering in 2010 and her master’s degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering in 2011. While at Tech, Laura co-oped with Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of American in Peachtree City, GA. She also conducted undergraduate research in the NeuroLab at Georgia Tech, worked as an equipment trainer in the Microelectronics Research Center, and was actively involved with the Alumni Association. Laura currently works as sourcing and procurement analyst for Insight Sourcing Group in Norcross, GA.
Charlie Pollard
Attorney, Partnership Title Company, LLC
BS Industrial Engineering 2002 – Georgia Tech
JD 2007 – Geogria State University
Allen Reed
Business Development Analyst, Coca-Cola Customer Business Solutions
BS Management 2003 – Georgia Tech
Luke Snider
Financial Advisor, Merrill Lynch
BS Management 2009 – Georgia Tech
David Coles
JJ Roberts
Josh Reed
Emeritus Board Members and Past Presidents
John Hightower (past President)
Adam Tichelaar (past President)
Heather Shankwiler (past President)
Alec Sedki
Drew Bolton
Weslee Knapp