Alumni Council

Montrese Chandler
AAS Fashion Design '00
Commercial Real Estate Investment Specialist and Designer

Montrese Chandler’s career encompasses both commercial real estate and fashion design. Now working at KW Commercial Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA), she focuses on investment in the Los Angeles urban retail and multifamily markets. Before joining KW Commercial DTLA, Montrese was employed at JLL, where she specialized in the luxury commercial retail leasing market, drawing on her considerable experience in landlord and tenant representation in Beverly Hills and the surrounding area. She began her career in real estate managing family-owned properties in the Los Angeles market.

Before entering the real estate industry, Montrese worked in high-end fashion, managing nationwide operations for the Giorgio Armani Corporation’s major accounts, including Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Giorgio Armani stores. Trained as a designer, Montrese has developed, designed and distributed apparel collections and currently designs jewelry for select clients and special charitable events. She began her professional career working as a political appointee at the U.S. Department of Commerce.

In addition to being a Parsons School of Design alumna, Montrese holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Howard University in Washington, DC. She currently serves on the boards of Holman Community Development Corporation (chair), Mid-City West Neighborhood Council, Miracle Mile Residential Association, and the Physical and Mental Health committee of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated. She was the inaugural chair of the New School Los Angeles Alumni Chapter and chairwoman of Open Your Heart for American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women Campaign.

As a lover of design and constant builder, Montrese continues to cultivate and grow her creative landscape.

BM Performance ’99; MM Music ’02
Alumni Council Secretary
Music Director, Apollo Orchestra, and
Associate Conductor, York Symphony Orchestra

Maestro Stephen Czarkowski is in demand as a conductor, cellist, and educator in the Washington, DC, area and nationally. Starting with the 2022–2023 season, Stephen has been named music director and conductor of the Central Pennsylvania Symphony and principal guest conductor of the Newark Symphony Orchestra. He is in his 11th season as conductor of The Apollo Orchestra, and has collaborated with artists from The Metropolitan Opera, Washington National Opera, New York Philharmonic, and National Symphony Orchestra (NSO). He has led The Apollo Orchestra in performances at the Kennedy Center for the past several years and led the National Symphony Orchestra as part of its National Conducting Institute under Leonard Slatkin. Stephen has guest-conducted the Honolulu and Viriginia Symphony Orchestras, the Symphony of the Potomac, and others. 

For the past eight years, Stephen served as assistant conductor of the York Symphony, where he oversaw education and several subscription concerts with music director Lawrence Golan. He also performs as a solo cellist and a member of the Tryos Ensemble with trumpeter Neil Brown.

Stephen graduated from the Catholic University of America with a Graduate Artist Diploma in Orchestral Conducting, having received a full scholarship and teaching assistantship. He also holds a master's degree in cello performance and conducting and a bachelor's degree in cello from Mannes College under the tutelage of Carter Brey, principal cellist of the New York Philharmonic. He is a member of the International Conductors Guild Board of Directors, New School Alumni Council, and Paper Bag Mask Foundation Board of Directors. As a music educator, Stephen leads the Frederick Regional Youth Orchestra, Symphonette at Landon School, and orchestras at the Norwood School and Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School. His ensembles have performed at the Library of Congress, Hershey Park Music Showcase Festival, and Orlando Music Festival. Recently he gave master classes at West Point Military Academy, Catholic University of America, Howard County Schools, and Loudon County Schools. 

For more information, visit stephenczarkowski.com.

BA Liberal Arts '06
Associate Director, District Council 37

Jahmila “JJ” Edwards is a dynamic leader with more than 15 years' experience working at the intersection of government, policy, and politics in New York City. 

After several years working as a registered lobbyist, Jahmila left the private sector to serve as deputy chief of staff to Bill de Blasio. She later served as executive director of the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs for the NYC Department of Education.

Jahmila is currently the associate director of District Council 37, New York City's largest municipal labor union, where she oversees the union's approach to public policy, political operations, strategic campaigns, and community partnerships.

A design and media strategist based in New York City, Eden Elam began volunteering on behalf of her fellow New Schoolers as a graduate student trustee, representing graduate students as a member of the Board of Trustees. Eden sat on the board's Academic Affairs, Honorary Degree, and Budget Strategy committees. For her MFA thesis, she collaborated with The New School’s Center for New York City Affairs to make higher education more accessible, redesigning students' FAFSA experience for ease and confidence, in partnership with understandingfafsa.org, Parsons Scholars, CUNY, and the NYC Department of Education. Today Eden assists in the execution of film, TV, publishing, and philanthropic projects in her role as chief of staff at Sapan Studio.

MA Fashion Studies ’16
Alumni Council Chair Emerita
Founder, CAF Consulting

Carly-Ann Fergus is an ecosystem and program builder with experience creating and leading projects in tech, fashion, design, and entrepreneurship. She creates ecosystems that bring together the right people, tools, and resources to help entrepreneurs and creative talent reach their full potential. She recently served as the associate director of Product Management at Parsons Entrepreneur Academy/The New School CPE and director of Labs at XRC Labs (a New York–based retail and fashion tech accelerator).

Carly-Ann has served as a member of the Associate Board of Directors of the Opportunity Network, a nonprofit organization focused on fostering networks and opportunities for students from historically underrepresented communities. She also served as an advisory board member for the CFDA Elaine Golde Launch Pad Program and a 2019 grant reviewer panel member for DC Mayor Muriel Bowser’s Mayor’s Office of African American Affairs and served as the chair of the inaugural New School Alumni Council.

Carly-Ann holds an MA in Fashion Studies from Parsons School of Design and a BA in Visual Communications from SUNY Farmingdale.

She has been featured on Forbes.com and the NASDAQ Spotlight and has spoken at the MIT Media Lab Hacking Arts Conference, the CFDA Education Summit, and the NYU Black in Tech Panel.

BA Liberal Arts ’03; BFA Illustration ’03
Principal Designer, Google Doodle and UZX Writing
Google

The third of five children, Ryan Germick was born and raised as part of a creative family in the rural suburbs of northwestern Indiana. Following his glory days as high school senior class president, Ryan headed to New York City to study illustration and creative writing at Parsons School of Design and Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts.

After two semesters apprenticing with sign painters and learning Tamil in South India (experiences chronicled on his first website), Ryan returned to NYC, where he interned for PBS and animation/interactive studio Funny Garbage.

Since graduating in 2003, Ryan has completed design, illustration, and multimedia projects for folks like Ze Frank, Salon, Sony Music, HBO Family, Comedy Central, and Cartoon Network, as well as many nonprofits, schools, musicians, and artists. Ryan has also taught the finer points of comics, design, and animation at 826NYC, Parsons School of Design, and Citizen Schools and in art workshops in India.

In 2006, Ryan began working as a full-time designer and illustrator for Google, where he co-designed the Street View Pegman and Gmail's emoticons. He now leads the Google Doodle team and was a driving creative force behind the Pac-Man, Sesame Street, Charlie Chaplin, Les Paul, Robert Moog, Star Trek, and 2012 London Olympics doodles and many dozens of others.

PhD Public and Urban Policy ‘22
Director of Research, National Network for Safe Communities 

Dr. Talib Hudson is a community-based scholar and advocate who is driven to promote public policy for the advancement of metropolitan Black communities. He launched The New Hood, a community-based think tank at the Center for New York City Affairs. His grassroots community work began with Street Corner Resources, a community-based organization in Harlem. Under the leadership and mentorship of Founder and CEO Iesha Sekou, Talib organized public anti-violence demonstrations and coordinated community outreach efforts while pushing the issue of violence prevention into the local policy discourse.

MS Human Resources Management ’03
Chief People Officer, Community Preservation Corporation

Monique Jefferson is an expert in human capital management with an instinct for determining the impact of organizational change, particularly on marginalized groups. She is a results-oriented proven human resources  executive with more than 20 years of global experience in the financial services, legal, insurance, media, nonprofit, and  professional services industries. She provides strategic input and guidance to leadership teams to drive growth,  ensuring alignment of organizational objectives with human capital considerations while maintaining a focus on  diversity, equity and inclusion. Monique has led regional and global teams to deliver value-added human capital solutions to C-suite executives. Her primary areas of expertise include talent and performance management; compensation; leadership development; diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging; talent acquisition; executive coaching; cultural change; employee engagement; training; and employee and labor relations

Monique currently serves as chief people officer of Community Preservation Corporation (CPC), a Community  Development Financial Institution in the multifamily affordable housing sector, where she develops the human resources strategic plan and builds a culture that will enable CPC to attract, engage, develop, and retain a high-performing, diverse workforce. Monique previously served as the chief human resources officer of New York Public Radio, the second-largest public media company in the United States, where she led a culture transformation and implemented the first Race Equity Action plan for the organization. She also served as the head of HR for Business Services across the Americas region and head of the global HR Business Partner function for Hogan Lovells, an AmLaw 25 international law firm. Additionally, Monique was vice president of Human Resources and senior HR business partner at New York Life Insurance Company. In that capacity, she led a team that provided HR client support for all corporate functions and served as the strategic HR advisor to five executive management committee members, including the enterprise CFO, general counsel, chief risk officer, chief compliance officer, and chief actuary.

Before joining New York Life Insurance in 2009, Monique spent more than seven years with Merrill Lynch in the Global Markets & Investment Banking division. In 2008, she was promoted to director of Human Resources as the senior HR relationship manager for Investment Banking, covering the domestic offices, Latin America, Canada, and the Financial Institutions Group globally.

Earlier Monique worked at Bristol Myers Squibb as a sales staffing specialist and manager of Leadership Development. In 1998, she worked at PwC as a resource manager, handling the internal mobility and career development of associates and interns in the assurance practice. She began her career as a financial auditor in the New York office of Ernst & Young LLP.

Monique is a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR & SHRM-SCP) and was an instructor at the New York Institute of Technology, where she taught the Society for Human Resource Management learning system course for the Professional and Senior Professional in Human Resources exam. She is also an executive coach and is certified in The Leadership Circle Profile.

Monique graduated from Bentley University with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and holds a Master of Science in Human Resources Management from The New School. She has been recognized with numerous awards and accolades, including Harlem YMCA Black Achievers in Industry, the Network Journal’s 40 under 40 and 25 Influential Black Women in Business Awards, the Get5 HR Hero Award for outstanding volunteerism, EMpower Ethnic Minority's Top 100 Executives, and Crain’s New York HR Notables. She is an active member of the Society for Human Resource Management and the Brooklyn chapter of The Links, Incorporated; board member and past president of the CALIBR Global Leadership Network; and past board member of the National Association of African Americans in Human Resources Greater NY Chapter, in addition to serving on The New School's Alumni Advisory Council. She has also served on the board of trustees for the Lefferts Gardens Charter School, where she was board chair from 2011 to 2013.

BBA Strategic Design and Management ’11
Founding Partner and Director of Strategy, L+R

Alex Levin is a business strategist, brand designer, and entrepreneur based in New York City. In 2012, after graduating from Parsons School of Design with a BBA in Design and Management, he founded L+R with his freshman-year roommate.

L+R is an international technology design studio and strategy consulting firm supporting Fortune 500 organizations and small businesses by integrating the design process and building digital technologies. Industry recognition for L+R includes a Red Dot Award, two Webby Awards, and placement on the Clutch 1000 list.

Alex spearheads L+R’s end-to-end consulting, which includes design research and analysis, brand strategy, and applied digital technology. He also leads the company’s luxury vertical business unit, Liquid Crystal. His specialization in luxury, branding, and customer experience has led to award-winning solutions for companies such as Amazon Web Services, Google, Global Citizen, NewsCorp, Louis Vuitton, the Estée Lauder Companies, Hilton Worldwide, BuzzFeed, Time Inc., Newell Brands, The Durst Organization, and Unilever.

Alex is also the founder of Desgin Gin, a modern American gin. He created the brand with the mission of uniting the design community with the spirit industry.

He is a mentor at XRC Labs, supports the New York Garment Center Suppliers Association, and is an alumnus of the Luxury Education Foundation and a member of the Ad Council’s UX Advisory Board. In 2019, Alex was featured on the Forbes 30 Under 30 List.

Alex enjoys philosophy, travel, and antiques and is an aspiring audiophile.

BFA Integrated Design '15
Private Wealth Advisor, Wells Fargo Private Bank

Sasa Li is a private wealth advisor located in the Beverly Hills office of Wells Fargo Bank. She holistically serves her ultra-high net worth clients’ wealth management needs by identifying each client’s unique goals and then by coordinating a team of specialists to implement a custom plan. She works with a select group of entrepreneurs, multi-generational families, private investors, foundations and endowments.

Prior to joining Wells Fargo Bank, Sasa began her wealth management career at Goldman Sachs in New York City where she served private clients on one of the largest teams at headquarters. Before her financial services career, Sasa ran an independent costume design firm working with high-profile entertainers and commercial productions.

She earned her MBA in Finance and Economics from New York University Stern School of Business and her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Fashion Design from Parsons School of Design, where she was an annual recipient of the Dean’s Merit
Scholarship.

MA International Affairs '12
Deputy Director, St. Nick’s Alliance

Sarah Lorya graduated from The New School of Public Policy Engagement with a Masters in International Affairs: Governance and Human Rights. While attending The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford, Sarah earned a B.A. in History and Political Science and a B.A in Social Sciences. Sarah has a passion for education with over a decade of experience working in the education sector with 15 years of work experience.

She is actively involved in her Community Board in Brooklyn, as a committee member for the Youth Services Committee. She has worked with the Environmental Justice Team at the New York Power Authority and is currently the Deputy Director for Adult Education and Tech at St. Nicks Alliance. She is the President of the Pitt Bradford Alumni Association and speaks Sudanese Arabic, German, Swahili.

Urban Policy Analysis and Management ‘02
Vice President, Performance Tracking and Analytics Department, NYCHA

Sybille Louis is the Senior Director of the Performance Tracking and Analytics Department at the New York City Housing Authority, the largest housing Authority in North America.  The department’s mission is to provide best-in-class business analytic support to assist NYCHA’s Executive Staff and Departments successfully execute long-term strategic goals and achieve day to day operational effectiveness and efficiency.

Sybille's team supports departments throughout the agency through quantitative data analysis, qualitative research, mapping, and reporting.  While her work can be viewed as abstract, it is always about using data to help improve the lives of NYCHA’s residents. Sybille’s work at NYCHA has not gone unnoticed. She was selected as one of 14 women profiled at NYCHA’s Women’s History Month Celebration in 2006, she was the winner of the Employee Recognition Program of the Policy, Planning, and Management Analysis division in 2007, was profiled in NYCHA’s Employee Bulletin in 2017, and received NYCHA’s ChangeMaker Award in 2019. NYCHA is the last bastion of housing affordability in New York City and Sybille truly believes in the mission of preserving public housing for future generations.

Sybille also believes in making a difference in the world outside of work. She is currently serving as the President of the Haitian American Association at NYCHA, an organization that held several fundraisers in collaboration with well-known non-profits such as Habitat for Humanity and CapraCare to help the people of Haiti who have endured many natural disasters including the devastating 2010 earthquake. In 2022, Sybille received a NAACP award for her philanthropic efforts with the organization. Sybille has also served as an Alumni mentor at the New School for four years.

Sybille received her Master of Urban Policy and Management from the Milano Graduate School of Urban Policy at New School University where she was the Recipient of the Jacob M. Kaplan Award for Outstanding Urban Policy Student. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science (magna cum laude) from the City University of New York at Queens College.  She’s a Graduate of the 2011 NYCHA Leadership Academy and holds a joint Certificate in Applied Data Analytics from the University of Chicago, New York University, and University of Maryland. Sybille lives in Queens with her husband Ricardy Maingrette with whom she shares two sons Ethan and Evan.

BFA Fashion Design ’16
Founder and Creative Director, ADIFF
Sustainable Business Operations Manager, PVH

Angela Luna, BFA Fashion Design ’16, is the founder of ADIFF, a design label that creates statement accessories and outerwear for the city dweller and modern-day traveler while addressing global issues and promoting circularity and sustainability in the fashion industry.

As a senior at Parsons, Angela won the 2016 Womenswear Designer of the Year for Design for Difference award for her collection of outerwear pieces that serve different functions for refugees. The motto for her brand reflects her mission: “design intervention for global issues.”

In 2017, Angela made the prestigious Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list for her innovative design thinking and efforts to play a lifesaving role for displaced people. She is currently pursuing a graduate degree in Environmental Policy and Sustainability Management at The New School.

BFA Communication Design ’17
Senior Creative Designer

Sara Pena is a senior creative designer based in New York City, currently working at the New York Times. Before joining the Commerce team, she focused on book design and branding as a designer for Javas Lehn Studio. Sara also interned at Rational Beauty and assisted Juliette Cezzar while completing her BFA in Communication Design and minor in Printmaking at Parsons School of Design.

MA Media Studies ‘85
SVP Outreach and Strategic Partnerships, Coqual

Sandra Rice is senior vice president, outreach and strategic partnerships at Coqual. She is the main-line operator and quarterback of the Task Force community. Her life and career path have been deeply influenced by a childhood spent traveling the world with her family. Her mother showed her the true beauty of difference and that diversity makes the world a special place. She has worked in the field of diversity, equity, and inclusion for more than two decades. Before joining Coqual, she was the senior vice president for national recruitment and leadership development at the Emma Bowen Foundation (EBF), a nonprofit that provides a pipeline of diverse talent to the media and tech industries. At EBF, Sandra executed strategic leadership programs that placed more than a thousand college students of color in paid multi-summer internships, leading to full-time jobs at more than 70 companies. Many of her protégés now hold high-level media jobs around the world.

Prior to EBF, she worked for the ABC Television Network in daytime programming, international distribution, and corporate public relations. She started her career at KCRA-TV, an NBC affiliate, in Sacramento, California. She is a board member for several organizations, including GIVEWITH in New York City, Union County College Foundation in Cranford, New Jersey, and the Center for Great Expectations in Somerset, New Jersey. Sandra is a member of the National Coalition for 100 Black Women Inc., Jack and Jill of America Inc., and the American Legion Auxiliary. She earned her undergraduate degree in journalism at San Jose State University and a master’s in media studies from the New School. In her down time, Sandra can be found reading, and then reading some more.

MS Urban Policy Analysis and Management ‘09
Senior Vice President of Strategy, Development and Communication, Little Flower Children and Family Services of New York

Jessica (Jessie) Rothkuo is a strategist with a dedication to public sector systems improvement. She is the Senior Vice President of Strategy, Development and Communications at Little Flower Children and Family Services of New York, a child- and family-serving nonprofit. In her role, Jessie oversees strategic planning and growth, fundraising, marketing and communications, and external and governmental affairs.

Prior to joining the Little Flower team, she served as a senior policy analyst at Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago, where she delivered strategy and operations consultation to federal, state, and local child welfare agencies to build their capacity for successful system transformation. She held prior roles at the Redlich Horwitz Foundation, Deloitte Consulting LLP, and the New York City Administration for Children’s Services.

Jessie earned her Master of Science in Urban Policy Analysis and Management from The New School, where she enjoyed serving as a graduate assistant for Policy Analysis and Policy Lab. She also holds a Bachelor of Science in Journalism and Mass Communications from Kent State University. Jessie is a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer (Ethiopia 2010-2012).

AAS Fashion Marketing ’07
Luxury Product Specialist and Stylist

Priyanka Sen Kundu is a product leader, entrepreneur, and consultant with more than 15 years’ experience leading global multidisciplinary teams in developing and executing product strategy in the fashion/luxury industry. Her portfolio includes product launches, brand transformation, global operational expansion, product styling, and special projects. She draws on her broad experience in design, development, production, merchandising, and marketing to achieve and surpass business goals.

Priyanka has helped companies transform their business operations and reduce costs by improving team cohesiveness and implementing cutting-edge business processes. She has worked with brands such as Prada, COACH, Michael Kors, American Eagle Outfitters, Peach, Inc., Khaore, and Raymond India and several educational institutions in leadership and advisory roles. She has continued to hold leadership and executive positions on multiple boards since 2011. She is a proud member of the inaugural class of NYC Fashion Fellows, a program of the New York City Economic Development Corporation. In addition, she has styled fashion photoshoots, short films, and events. Priyanka is an avid mentor, musicophile, and art, book, haute cuisine, and travel enthusiast.

BA Culture and Media; BFA Jazz and Contemporary Music ’09
Alumni Council Interim Chair
Senior Counsel, Labor and Employee Relations, New York City Housing Authority

Alexander Yellen currently serves as Deputy Director and Senior Counsel of Employee and Labor Relations at the New York City Housing Authority. Before obtaining his JD from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, he was a student at the School of Jazz and Contemporary Music, where he earned a BFA in Jazz with a focus in Composition and a BA in Culture and Media.

Alexander thoroughly enjoyed life as a music student, studying with such jazz greats as Sy Johnson, Bill Kirchner, Kirk Nurock, Gerry Hemingway, and David Schnitter. He was able to apply much of what he learned at The New School as he transitioned to a career as a lawyer. After receiving his JD, he managed his own practice, in which he worked with young entrepreneurs and creative professionals on issues such as copyright and trademark registration and licensing, contract negotiations, business entity formation, and other small business transactions. He was also an independent public radio producer.

In his free time, Alexander enjoys watching This Old House and spending time on the Upper West Side of Manhattan with his wife, son, and two cats.