The purpose of the center's Student Leadership and Ethics Board is to foster a culture and safeguard a tradition of principled leadership throughout the Columbia Business School community. The Board fulfills its purpose by developing, implementing and monitoring programs that cultivate leadership, build character, and promote ethical decision-making, which, in turn, enable Columbia Business School students to become productive, moral, and caring participants in their companies and communities.

Working with Bernstein Faculty Leaders, staff, alumni, and other student clubs, members of the Board develop, organize, and promote high-profile speakers through the Montrone Seminar Series on Ethics as well as sponsor Leadership and Ethics Week , various panels, and experiential learning activities throughout the year. These programs provide our Board members with the opportunity to interact closely with distinguished speakers, panelists, alumni and professors, as well as directly contribute to the student experience surrounding the topics of leadership and ethics. 

If you are interested in applying for the Board, please review our requirements and recruitment timeline.  For more information, please contact [email protected]. 

Board Members for 2020-2021

Jake Axelrod MBA '22

Jake Axelrod is an MBA candidate at Columbia Business School. Prior to coming to CBS, Jake spent three years working in Client Strategy for the Impressionist & Modern art department at Christie’s, a global auction house. Prior to joining Christie’s, Jake worked as a management consultant at Kearney, formerly known as A.T. Kearney. Jake holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics and Geography from Northwestern University.

Josephine Cox-Saleh MBA '21

Josie is a first-year student at Columbia Business School and a Knight-Bagehot Fellow at the School of Journalism. Before CBS, Josie was a journalist, editor, columnist and broadcaster. She started her career at Reuters in Germany and Switzerland, where she reported on stock markets and corporate finance before she joined The Wall Street Journal as a European correspondent in London. Between January 2017 and January 2019 she was the youngest ever business editor of The Independent. More recently her work has appeared in Forbes, The Guardian, The Telegraph, New Statesman, Fortune Magazine, Quartz, Raconteur for The Sunday Times and Huffington Post. She is a frequent guest on the BBC and has also appeared on Sky News, ITV, CNN, Channel 5, Al Jazeera and Fox News. She is an experienced panel moderator and has guest lectured at the University of Cambridge’s Institute of Continuing Education. Her first book, on the future of work and responsible business, is due to be published in 2021. She holds a Bachelors in Politics and Modern Languages from the University of Bath, UK.

Monica Domingues EMBA '21

Monica Domingues is an Executive MBA candidate at Columbia Business School in a joint EMBA Global program with London Business School. She is currently a Contract Manager at Imperial Oil Ltd, a Canadian subsidiary of ExxonMobil Corporation, where she negotiates strategic agreements for high value upstream assets. Monica holds 11 years of experience in various roles within the energy sector with a focus on global projects, operations and general management. Monica is passionate about leading through crisis, ethical behaviors in the workplace and creating impactful change. She holds a bachelors’s degree in Commerce with a major in Management from MacEwan University and is based in Calgary, Canada.

Neimy Escobar MBA '22

Neimy is an MBA candidate at Columbia Business School with a focus in Finance. She is originally from Las Vegas, Nevada and holds a bachelor's degree in the Comparative Study of Religion from Harvard University. Prior to business school, Neimy worked as a strategy and impact investing project coordinator for the Lemann Foundation in São Paulo, Brazil. She is fluent in Spanish and Portuguese and is drawn to a cross-sector partnership approach to philanthropy and the potential of leveraging private-sector platforms to make social change.

Robert Flock MBA '22

Robert Flock is an MBA Candidate at Columbia Business School. Throughout his 12 year career in government relations and public policy, he has formulated and implemented non-market strategies for businesses within highly regulated industries and market growth strategies for startups entering the government and political campaign marketplaces. As a policy entrepreneur, Robert has worked with industry leaders and government officials to reach consensus on legislative and regulatory issues that impact businesses, consumers, employees, shareholders, and other stakeholders. In addition to roles with two presidential campaign finance committees and a Presidential Inaugural Committee, he has advised House and Senate candidates on fundraising and get out the vote efforts. Nonprofit board service has also enhanced his governance and management experience. Robert received an AB in Government from Georgetown University and lives with his wife in New York City.

Marissa Guiang MBA '22

Marissa Guiang is a 2022 MS/MBA dual-degree candidate at Columbia Business School and Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. Through the combination of her academic studies, her career interests span areas such as thought leadership publishing, consulting research, and media strategy. Prior to CBS, Marissa started her career at BlackRock, where she has held various roles in business strategy and technology. Outside of the Student Leadership & Ethics Board, Marissa is AVP of Community for the Hotel & Travel Association and part of the Hermes Society. She is also a designated notetaker for all CBS core classes, aiding students on behalf of the Office of Disability Services. Marissa holds a Bachelor of Science in Hotel Administration from Cornell University, with a concentration in Law and minor in Real Estate.

Anna Houseman MBA '21 - MBA Board Co-Chair

Anna Houseman is a first-year student at Columbia Business School. Before CBS, Anna taught kindergarten and fourth grade at KIPP New Jersey in Newark, NJ and fifth grade math at Success Academics in Brooklyn. She served as grade-level Assessment Coordinators and the regional Assessment Director at KIPP NJ, where she led her teams in using academic data to drive instruction to close the achievement gap. She spent the past nine months interning on the Clinton Foundation's early education team, where she created the business strategy for scaling literacy initiatives nationwide. At CBS, she is focused on honing her skills in design thinking and economics so that, after business school, she can focus on social impact initiatives in poverty alleviation. She is co-chair of the Associate Board at Xavier Mission and is an active volunteer at the Mission. Anna is originally from Atlanta, GA and graduated from the University of Georgia with a Bachelors in Math and a Masters in Public Administration.

Marilynn Joyner EMBA '21 - EMBA Board Co-Chair

Marilynn Joyner is an Executive MBA candidate at Columbia Business School (EMBA Global Class of 2021). She is currently a Senior Associate at CBRE in New York City where she represents national and international companies on their commercial real estate office initiatives and occupancy. Marilynn has a Master of Professional Studies Degree in Real Estate from Georgetown University, and Bachelor of Arts and Sciences Degrees in both Political Science and Dance Performance from the University of South Carolina.

Margaret Knowles EMBA '21

Margaret Knowles (she/her) is an EMBA Americas 2021 candidate at Columbia Business School. She has spent her career in the arts and design industry, with tenures in the curatorial departments of museums such as MoMA PS1 and the Museum of Modern Art. She is now the Head of Operations at MINNA, a social enterprise that works with artisan groups in Latin America to produce handmade home textiles with a contemporary aesthetic. Margaret was the first full-time employee at MINNA, and, as a part of building a business from the ground up, she quickly discovered that every single business is an ethical decision. With this in mind, she is enthusiastic about educating herself and the business community about ethical and inclusive leadership. She is especially devoted to supporting and amplifying the voices of female, queer, and BIPOC members of the business community.

Matthew Lucas EMBA '21

Matthew R. Lucas is an Executive MBA candidate at Columbia Business School. Matthew currently works at Portfolio Advisors, LLC in Darien, CT as a Vice President on the Marketing and Investor Relations team where he focuses on raising assets from institutional investors across the world. Previously, Matthew was a Vice President at a credit hedge fund in New York, NY. Prior to that, Matthew was an Associate and the first hire in the U.S. business for Cross Ocean Partners, a special situations asset manager based in London, England and Greenwich, CT. Matthew began his career at The Carlyle Group focusing on private equity fundraising and Morgan Stanley servicing long / short equity hedge funds. Before his career in the private markets industry, Matthew was a Cold War Historian and published a thesis on the relationship between Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the United States from 1945-1960. Matthew has a Master of Arts Degree in Cold War History and a Bachelor’s Degree in History from California State University, Northridge.

Kyle Manley MBA '22

Kyle Manley is a first year MBA candidate at Columbia Business School.  Prior to CBS, Kyle served as an enlisted personnel in the United States Navy within the Navy Seal Teams and supported counter-terrorism and counter-narcotic operations.  He is passionate about the impact awareness can have towards furthering ethical progress within society at large.  He holds a philosophy undergraduate degree from Columbia University.

Lacie Pierre MBA '22

Lacie Pierre, originally from Los Angeles, obtained her B.S. from the University of California, Merced in Environmental Engineering in 2014 and is currently an MBA candidate at Columbia Business School. Prior to pursuing her MBA, she was at accenture for five years where she was most recently a Supply Chain, Operations, and Sustainability Strategy Manager. Outside of work, Lacie is passionate about marrying her technical, business, and policy skills to combat environmental injustice. She currently sits on the board of the West Atlanta Watershed Alliance, serves as an appointed official working on strategic tasks for the Mayor of East Point, GA, is a Columbia and Three Cairns Climate Fellow.

Amanda Pfabe MBA '21 - MBA Board Co-Chair

Amanda Pfabe is a first year MBA candidate at Columbia Business School. Prior to CBS, Amanda served as an officer in the United States Marine Corps and deployed in support of counter-terrorism and stability operations. She is passionate about the positive impact that ethical leadership can have on individuals and organizations. Amanda holds an A.B. in Economics from Harvard College.

Denise Pyfrom EMBA '22

Denise Pyfrom is an Executive MBA candidate at Columbia Business School. She is currently a Global Partnerships Manager for the National Basketball Association (NBA), a premiere professional sports league and media business. Denise oversees the strategy and development of partnerships across a variety of industries, such as health care and e-commerce. She also serves on the Leadership Board for the NBA Black employee resource group, Dream in Color. Denise is interested in how the sports and entertainment sectors can inform ethical leadership. She holds a Bachelor’s of Arts in English from Boston College.

Dalicia Ramey EMBA '21

Dalicia Ramey is a 2021 Executive MBA Candidate at Columbia Business School. She is the CEO and Co-Founder of SkinnyMs., a highly successful online business platform focused on healthy recipes, exercise and educating and inspiring women interested in health and fitness. Prior to her entrepreneurial ventures, Dalicia delivered marketing and PR solutions for Fortune 500 clients through consulting as well as her executive roles with Moet Hennessy and MGM Mirage. Dalicia is passionate about ethical leadership and diversity inclusion in the workplace and is eager to apply her experience in cross-functional leadership to the Student Leadership and Ethics Board.

Brian Roxas MBA '22

Brian is a first-year MBA candidate at Columbia Business School. Prior to CBS, Brian was an investment analyst, performing due diligence on a diverse range of investment strategies for financial advisers. Brian believes that while ethical and social responsibility initiatives contribute to the financial success of companies, he also believes that celebrating human dignity and promoting mutual respect are important goals for their own sake. He hopes to encourage leaders to consider the full impacts of their decisions on their employees, their customers, and society as a whole, in addition to the company’s financial stakeholders. Brian holds a Bachelor of Arts degree with a double major in Economics and Philosophy from Cornell University.

Lena Saltos EMBA '21

Lèna Saltos is an Executive MBA candidate at Columbia Business School. She is currently Associate General Counsel, Global Director of Intellectual Property at Urban Outfitters, Inc. ("URBN"), parent company to retailers Urban Outfitters, the Anthropologie Group, Free People and apparel rental platform, Nuuly. Prior to joining URBN, Lèna was a Senior Associate at the New York office of Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP where her practice focused on complex litigation representing financial institutions, art law, and an array of intellectual property matters. She holds a J.D. from the American University, Washington College of Law, as well as a B.A. from the University of Pittsburgh. Lèna is involved with a number of legal organizations and serves as Trustee of the Copyright Society of the USA. She also serves on various arts-related non-profit boards, including the International Studio and Curatorial Program, a Brooklyn-based international residency program for artists and curators.

Kathryn Savasuk MBA '21 - MBA Board Co-Chair

Kathryn is a first-year MBA candidate at Columbia Business School. Prior to arriving at CBS, Kathryn spent three years at the Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN), a non-profit organization located here in New York City. There, she managed a network of leading impact investing organizations, designing programming and resources to enhance the effectiveness of the industry. Prior to joining the GIIN, Kathryn worked in the University Development Office at Harvard University, fundraising for cross-university research initiatives. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Bowdoin College.

Megan Simon MBA '21

Megan Simon is a 2021 MBA candidate at Columbia Business School. Megan spent 3 years working in human resource consulting for clients in the financial services, marketing, and technology sectors. Megan is interested in corporate social responsibility and exploring the intersection between the ethical case and the business case for CSR. Megan attended the University of Florida and holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Management and a minor in Spanish.

Eleonora Smeriglio MBA '22

Eleonora is a dual-degree MBA/ MIA student with the School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) at Columbia, where she has already completed her Master’s of International Affairs focusing on International Security Policy, Gender and Public Policy and Europe. A former partnerships and development strategist, Eleonora worked for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s main philanthropic vehicle in London, on Hillary Clinton’s 2016 Presidential campaign - from the first-ever international office of any U.S. presidential campaign - and at the Clinton Foundation in New York. A native Italian, Eleonora holds a Bachelor of Arts in History of Art with minors in Politics and Philosophy from NYU, and has lived in Switzerland, Israel, China, the U.S., France and the U.K. She is passionate about bringing people together and creating synergies across sectors to promote ethical leadership and maximize social impact.

Natalie Telson MBA '22

Natalie is in the MBA class of 2022 at Columbia Business School concentrating on media and technology. Prior, Natalie spent three and a half years counseling corporations in crisis and financial communications at the global, integrated marketing firm Weber Shandwick. In her role, Natalie drove real-time live issue response for non-profit organizations to Fortune 500 conglomerates, developing short and long-term reputation protection and recovery strategies and stakeholder engagement plans. She specialized in leveraging media relations to support clients undergoing issues around workplace sexual misconduct, diversity, equity and inclusion, financial transactions, investor activist campaigns, leadership transitions and regulatory criticism. Natalie has also held communications positions at media properties including HuffPost, VICE and Forbes. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Columbia University and a bachelor’s degree in Bible and Its Interpretations from The Jewish Theological Seminary of America.

Anthony Villamagna MBA '21

Anthony Villamagna is a member of the Class of 2021 at Columbia Business School. Before CBS he spent five years in education, starting as a Teach For America corps member teaching mathematics in Houston ISD and ending as a social studies teacher and football coach in Cypress-Fairbanks ISD. While teaching, Anthony proposed and instituted a number of schoolwide transformations to improve student outcomes, primarily through data analytics. He interned as a consultant with the Boston Consulting Group where he will be returning full-time after graduation. While at CBS, Anthony has served at the President of the Management Consulting Association and as a Cluster Chair, among other leadership positions. Anthony is originally from Houston, TX and graduated from Columbia University with a Bachelors in Economics-Political Science and History.

Joshua Ward MBA '22

Joshua is a first-year MBA candidate at Columbia Business School. Prior to CBS, he worked in the Private Funds practice group at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP in New York City, supporting clients in raising and operating private investment funds. He is passionate about corporate social responsibility and incorporating an emphasis on ethical leadership and CSR into his MBA education. Joshua attended Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and holds a bachelor’s degree in international politics and a minor in Arabic.

See Past Board Members