NAA Board

Jack Kang is a senior manager at Wabtec Corporation, a provider of equipment and services to the freight and transit rail industries, where his team determines global pricing for the $650+ million aftermarket parts business. Previously, he spent nearly 20 years in strategic marketing at General Electric Company, where he led the annual strategic planning process, eco-certified GE’s locomotives, and managed MBA recruitment. Prior to his time at GE, Kang worked in banking, ultimately as senior vice president of marketing analytics. Kang filed a patent application related to converting images of paper checks to electronic deposits.

Kang is a longtime volunteer leader serving the Northwestern community. He was president of the Northwestern Asian and Asian American Alumni Association, also known as NU-A5. Under Kang’s leadership, NU-A5 was recognized as the Northwestern Alumni Association (NAA) Club of the Year in 2020 and 2023 for their exemplary alumni impact. In 2021, he was named NAA Club Leader of the Year for his leadership and service excellence. In 2024, Kang co-organized a live music event on campus while on the steering committee of One Book One Northwestern, the community-wide reading program hosted by the Office of the Provost. Inspired by past volunteer leaders, Kang is intentional about mentoring both students and alumni leaders. He is a member of the Northwestern University Board of Trustees.

After graduating from Northwestern with a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering, Kang received an MBA from Vanderbilt University.

Watch a video message from KANG

Susan Howe is chief executive officer of The Weber Shandwick Collective (TWSC), a global strategic communications and consulting network. Under her leadership, TWSC has grown to serve Fortune 500 companies across every major industry sector, earning top honors such as PRWeek’s Global Agency of the Year and PRovoke Media’s Global Agency of the Decade, and repeated recognition on Ad Age’s Agency A-list and Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies. TWSC has also received more than 250 Cannes Lions.

Howe has been a driving force behind TWSC’s growth while continuing  to advise top clients. As CEO, Howe has expanded the agency’s offerings, including Weber I/O, which integrates data, technology, and AI into marketing and communications strategies; Weber Advisory, a unified approach to corporate and public affairs; and Weber Create, an influencer marketing platform powered by data and cultural insight.

Her leadership and impact have earned numerous distinctions. She was  named  “the most powerful woman in the PR agency world” in 2025 by PRWeek, an Ad Age Leading Women honoree, PRWeek’s Global Agency Professional of the Year, and recognized on PRWeek’s Power List. Howe is also a member of Fortune’s Most Powerful Women community. She serves on the Northwestern University Board of Trustees and the Sheppard Pratt Foundation Board. She is a graduate of Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications.

Howe and her husband live in Chicago, where she is a devoted aunt, certified yoga instructor, and avid baseball fan. 

Kristin McDonnell is managing partner and founder of Menlo Group, an investment firm. As a technology industry innovator, she has held executive positions at Fortune 100 corporations and Silicon Valley startups. McDonnell serves as the immediate past president of the Northwestern Alumni Association and served on the Northwestern University Board of Trustees from 2022 to 2026. She also serves on the Farley Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation Advisory Board, the Kellogg Tech Council, and the NU/WAVE investment committee. 

Prior to Menlo Group, McDonnell held leadership roles at AT&T, Electronic Arts, McKinsey, Limelife, Mplayer, and Xfire. In her career, she has worked on teams that have built groundbreaking software products and services, acquired millions of customers, raised significant venture capital, and had multiple IPO and acquisition exits.

McDonnell studied industrial engineering and computer science at Northwestern’s McCormick School of Engineering; she also has an MBA from Harvard Business School.

She has spoken at Northwestern alumni events about entrepreneurship, venture capital, and tech product management. In addition, she has been a judge for Northwestern’s VentureCat Startup Competition and has served as an executive mentor to entrepreneurs at Northwestern, Stanford University’s School of Engineering and start-up accelerator StartX, Harvard Business School, TechStars, and MIT Launch.

Ekpedeme “Pamay” M. Bassey helps organizations leverage learning, leadership, and technology to drive transformation and scale impact.  As a board director, and strategic advisor, she brings a unique blend of Fortune 500 experience, entrepreneurial vision, and governance expertise to companies preparing for digital and cultural change. Bassey most recently served as chief learning and culture officer at The Kraft Heinz Company.

Bassey has served as a director-at-large of the Northwestern Alumni Association since 2022. She is also a member of the Northwestern University Black Alumni Association (NUBAA).

Prior to her time at Kraft Heinz, Bassey served as global head of learning platform and professional development for BlackRock and as president of The Pamay Group, an e-learning design and strategy company. She has published several books, including Let’s Learn Our Way Through It, Shall We?  based on her “365 Days of Learning” commitment to learn something new each day for a year and share it with others.

Bassey serves on the board of global investment bank Houlihan Lokey,  the GSV Ventures Workforce Insights Board, and is a venture partner for Emerge VC. She is a life member of the Council of Foreign Relations and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, a public service organization. Additionally, she is an advisory board member of the M&G Etomi Foundation, a nonprofit working to break the cycle of poverty in the Niger Delta region of Southern Nigeria.

She holds a bachelor of science from Stanford University and a master’s in computer science from Northwestern’s McCormick School of Engineering.

Cristy Garratt is head of international originals for CNBC, based in London, where she leads the network’s original video and podcast strategy across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific. Overseeing teams in London, Singapore and Abu Dhabi, she develops premium, multiplatform storytelling spanning executive interviews, explainers, podcasts and social video.

During her tenure, Garratt has launched and scaled more than 20 original series, including CNBC Explains, Executive Decisions, The Tech Download, and Managing Middle East. She has also led the digital relaunch of flagship programs, including Managing Asia, CNBC Meets, and The Score, expanding their reach to new audiences and evolving them for changing media platforms.

Previously, Garratt led CNBC International’s social media strategy, growing the network’s audience to more than 4 million followers across platforms. Known for blending creative storytelling with audience insight and platform strategy, she has built and grown digital-first media brands throughout her career.

Since moving to London in 2013, Garratt has remained active in the Northwestern community, previously serving as president of the Northwestern Alumni Club of the United Kingdom and helping lead the club during its recognition as the NAA International Club of the Year in 2018.

Garratt earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism from the Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications. While at Northwestern, she served as president of the University’s chapter of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and as news director of the Northwestern News Network.

Andre Goode is a seasoned nonprofit executive, having led programming and operations for numerous youth- and family-serving organizations. Currently, he is a senior executive at the YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago, overseeing special projects. Most recently, Goode oversaw the opening of the Sankofa Village Wellness Center, a health hub addressing a 20-year life expectancy gap between Chicago’s West Side and downtown residents. Goode serves on the Northwestern University Leadership Council and is a member of the Northwestern University Black Alumni Association. A four-year starter on the Northwestern basketball team, he remains a dedicated supporter of Wildcats athletics.

In addition to his day-to-day responsibilities at the YMCA of Metro Chicago, Goode is executive sponsor of the nonprofit’s African American Resource Network, an employee resource group that promotes mentoring, leadership opportunities, and networking for African American employees. He also oversees the Boys & Young Men of Color initiative, a YMCA of the USA strategy designed to empower boys and young men of color and help them identify pathways to success. Prior to joining the YMCA of Metro Chicago, Goode served as senior vice president of Bay Area operations for Covenant House of California, where he was responsible for two transitional living programs and two emergency shelters for homeless youth. Previously, he was vice president of operations for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee, where he oversaw 43 clubs serving 5,000 youngsters daily.

Goode holds a bachelor’s degree from Northwestern’s School of Education and Social Policy.

He and his wife, Kimberley Crews Goode ’87, live in Chicago and are the parents of three children.

Annie Moon Henry is global vice president of marketing at La Mer, part of The Estée Lauder Companies—one of the world’s leaders in prestige beauty—where she has spent more than 11 years building brands across luxury and premium categories. With more than 20 years of marketing and enterprise leadership experience, Henry has driven innovation and commercial growth across more than 50 countries, including earlier roles at Coty and Johnson & Johnson.

A global citizen and dedicated community builder, Henry is passionate about mentoring the next generation of leaders and has co-founded three nonprofits. She brings to the NAA Board a brand builder’s instinct for aspiration, storytelling, and belonging, with a vision for strengthening alumni engagement globally and inspiring Wildcats to carry Northwestern’s story forward with pride. She believes the most iconic brands are built on rigor, multigenerational resonance, and cultural relevancy—and what drives her most is people and possibility.

Henry holds an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and dual undergraduate degrees in industrial engineering and bioengineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She lives in Glen Rock, New Jersey, with her husband, Jason, and their son, Jacob.

AJ Kunimitsu-Aguado is senior manager for lifecycle marketing at Adobe, where he leads global B2B email strategy for Creative Cloud and Document Cloud. He has extensive experience in multichannel acquisition and engagement across retail and tech. Kunimitsu-Aguado began his career at Target Corporation and went on to lead customer relationship management and retention at Gap Inc. and Pandora. He served as global executive co-chair of Adobe’s Asian/Pacific Islander employee network, where he led initiatives in cultural advocacy, leadership development, and building intersectional community.

A proud Northwestern alumnus, Kunimitsu-Aguado earned his bachelor’s degrees in communication studies and an ad hoc major in Asian American studies. He received the Asian/Asian American Heritage Award from Multicultural Student Affairs. On campus, he served as co-president of Kaibigan, executive board member and 120-hour club inductee for Dance Marathon, philanthropy chair of Phi Delta Theta, site lead for Alternative Student Break, and a dancer with Fusion Dance Company and BLAST.

Kunimitsu-Aguado was a 2022 New Leaders Council San Francisco Fellow. He lives in the Bay Area with his husband, their young son, and their two dogs.

Rachel Lin is chief financial officer of Little Yellow Elephant, a rapidly growing health-food brand based in China. She is also a partner at Hao Gu Shan Fang Art Investment Company, a family-owned business specializing in modern and contemporary art. In addition, Lin founded and served as director of the DaringQ Foundation, a nonprofit focused on educational empowerment for young Chinese students.

A dedicated alumna and volunteer leader, Lin joined the Northwestern University Libraries Board of Governors in 2025. She serves as a director of the Alumni Admission Council in China and as president of the NU Club of Beijing, where she previously spent seven years as a board member. Under her leadership, the club has expanded programming and engagement for more than 1,100 alumni through innovative initiatives, including a video channel, podcasts, career panels, social events, and robust alumni communications across digital platforms. In recognition of her impact, she was named the NAA’s Club Leader of the Year in 2025.

Lin earned a BA in art history and economics from Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences. She is married to Perian Huang, and they have three children.

Ramon Murguia is chief executive officer for Latin America at Emeritus, a global leader in online professional education, where he oversees regional strategy, growth, and operations. He brings more than two decades of leadership experience across education, marketing, and digital transformation.

Prior to joining Emeritus, Murguia served as country manager and chief operating officer at AP Latam and as chief marketing and digital officer at Universidad Aliat, where he led initiatives focused on expanding access to higher education across Mexico. Earlier in his career, he spent nearly 13 years at British American Tobacco in senior roles spanning brand strategy, regulatory affairs, and enterprise transformation.

A recognized thought leader in education technology and artificial intelligence, Murguia has authored more than 60 publications and teaches graduate and undergraduate marketing courses at Universidad Panamericana.

Murguia has been a dedicated Northwestern volunteer since 2017, serving as a global alumni ambassador and supporting alumni engagement across Latin America.

Murguia holds an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and a bachelor’s degree in industrial and systems engineering from Tecnológico de Monterrey and has completed executive education programs at The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, the University of California, Berkeley, and the International Institute for Management Development.

Barbara Pereira Rübel is managing partner of Brand Essence AG, where she works with private clients, startups, and small- to mid-size enterprises to bring brands to life through strategy, storytelling, and positioning. She is also a lecturer in personal branding and storytelling in the master’s business program at ETH Zürich, one of the world’s top-ranked universities.

Previously, Rübel spent many years working at the country, regional, and global levels for General Motors and Zurich Insurance Group, with roles based in the US, England, and Switzerland.

Rübel has been an active member of the Northwestern Alumni Club of Switzerland for more than 30 years. She joined the board in 2016 and became president in 2022, leading its revitalization following the COVID-19 shutdown. Under her leadership, the club significantly increased membership and engagement through a broad range of programs and events. She received the Club Leader of the Year award in 2023, and her leadership team was recognized as International Club of the Year in 2025.

Rübel earned her Bachelor of Science in Industrial Administration from Kettering University and her MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. She attended Kellogg on a General Motors fellowship, and after graduation, was selected for an assignment at the company’s European headquarters in Zürich. She is married to Felix Rübel ’93 MBA, and the couple have two daughters.