Black Alumni Association

Chicago Booth Alumni Special Interest Group

About the Board

The following members have been elected to serve as Directors and Officers for the 2022 – 2024 term, effective October 15, 2022:

  • Chair: Major Thomas, Jr, '96
  • Community Lead: Tewana Ramseur, '96
  • Mentor Lead: Bode Ajiboye, '14
  • Investment Leads: Ezeibe Anosike, '14 and Chaney Ojinnaka, '12
  • Communications Lead: Sydney Ramgolam, '19

Regional Leads:

  • Hind Hassan, ’19 and Janelle Jenkins, '08 - Washington, DC
  • Fritz Cherubin, Jr, '12 - New York City
  • Chris Poole, '16 - Nashville

More information on Board and Committee Roles

Major, a Black man with black and grey facial hair, smiles widely at the camera. He wears a blue button down top and small studs in both ears.

Major Thomas, Jr. '96

Chair | Joined 2020


After graduation in 1996, Major worked in corporate management for GE Capital Auto Financial Services and AT&T before moving to become VP of Finance and Treasurer for Clear Channel Communications. Major went on to serve as CFO for start-ups in telephony and IT and has spent the last several years serving on the boards of non-profits in San Antonio, Dallas and Allen, Texas.

Major and his wife Michelle have been married for 31 years and have one son. Major lives in Allen, Texas.

Tewana, a Black woman in a black turtleneck and round glasses, looks softly at the camera.

Tewana Ramseur, '96

Community Lead | Joined 2022


LinkedIn

After graduating from Booth in 1996, Tewana joined Deloitte leveraging her background in Networking, Information Technology, and Contact Centers. She went to Hewlett-Packard to start an internal IT Consulting Group and Scient Corp as Director, Strategy before taking ten years to complete the coursework toward a PhD in Sociology at Northwestern, consult independently, serve on not-for-profit Boards, and become mother to Freya, now 19.

Her return to the traditional workforce took her to Harry & David and 1-800 Flowers as Site Director and Program Manager for Voice of the Customer. She is now Vice President, Customer Experience for a national home improvement corporation.

Tewana also holds a BS, Mathematics / Computer Science from Howard University and an MS, Telecommunications Management from Golden Gate University.

Bode, a bald Black man, faces the camera in a navy sweater. His face is relaxed and pleasant.

Bode Ajiboye, '14

Mentor Lead | Joined 2022


LinkedIn

Bode Ajiboye is currently the Head of Strategy at Progressive Insurance. He is a 2014 Booth Alum and also holds Undergraduate and Graduate degrees, in Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, from Vanderbilt University. He started his college journey at Fisk University.
 
He is passionate about recruiting and professional development. During his time at McKinsey & Company, he was involved with the McKinsey Black Network's recruiting efforts at Booth. While at Zurich North America, he revamped the Strategy team's full-time and internship recruiting program.
 
Outside of work, Bode enjoys spending time with his family in Chicago. He also loves to play golf, tennis, and travel to various sporting events – PGA and US Open tennis. During the COVID lockdown, he honed his household skills: deck repair, painting, gardening, and outdoor grilling. He is also a Formula 1 racing enthusiast.

Ezeibe, a Black man in a suit and tie, smiles widely at the camera against the city skyline background.

Ezibe Anosike, '14

Investment Lead | Joined 2020


LinkedIn

Ezeibe has a strong passion for technology and innovation. He works at Microsoft as a Director of Cloud Solution Architecture in the Modern Work Customer Success organization. He is also co-founder of Assembly Investors, an investment club targeting early-stage technology enabled startups solving problems in emerging markets across the Americas, Africa, and Asia.

Ezeibe graduated with an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business in 2014. Prior to Chicago Booth, he was an IT Project Manager at Raytheon Technologies (RTX) in Hartford Connecticut. At RTX he specialized in leading global cross functional teams focused on strategy execution through business process optimization and technology solutions.

Originally from Nigeria, he grew up in Connecticut. He now lives in Maryland with his wife and two children. In his spare time, he enjoys cycling and running.

Sydney, a Black woman with short hair, smiles brightly at the camera. She wears a cream knit sweater and small earrings.

Sydney Ramgolam, '19

Communications Lead | Joined 2022


LinkedIn

Sydney currently works at Cisco Systems and has held roles across the HR and Customer Experience functions.  She loves the opportunity to engage across organizations and build new partnerships, and looks for this dynamic in each new role.

Sydney graduated from Boston University with a double major in History and Comparative Literature, but started her career as an IT project manager in Washington DC.  She’s a systems thinker who loves untangling and streamlining complex operations, especially where data is involved.  After 4 years in government contracting, Sydney developed an interest in people strategies and decided to pursue an MBA at the University of Chicago.

Outside of work, Sydney is involved with her local rugby team, the Chicago Lions, as a player and sometimes referee.  She loves road trips, live music, and trying new recipes.

Hind, a Black woman with curly, shoulder-length hair, smiles at the camera.

Hind Hassan, '19

Washington, DC Regional Lead | Joined 2020


LinkedIn

Hind currently works at Salesforce as a Manager in the Global Private Equity Practice, where she builds strategic relationships with top private equity firms. Prior to joining Salesforce in June, Hind had a career in investment banking and private equity investing. Hind loves combining her technical and analytical skills with relationship building to find creative solutions for PE firms and their portfolio companies. 

Hind graduated from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania with a BSc in Economics and a minor in Arabic and Islamic Studies. She spent five years in Dubai, UAE working in finance with Middle Eastern and global companies before returning to the US. 

Outside of work, Hind loves to stay active whether it’s with her local running group, Peloton, or practicing yoga as a certified and registered yoga instructor. She loves traveling, spending time with family and keeping The Office on repeat.

Janelle, a Black woman with shoulder length red dreadlocks, smiles at the camera. She wears a chunky brown beaded necklace and a camel brown sweater.

Janelle Jenkins, '08

Washington, DC Regional Lead | Joined 2022


LinkedIn

Janelle serves as National Council of Jewish Women’s Chief Operating Officer (COO). Janelle brings over two decades of strategic management experience to the position and oversees both day-to-day internal operations and a variety of key growth initiatives. 

Janelle has spent her career developing leaders and empowering staff in both the private and public sectors, using her talents to improve the lives of marginalized groups. She most recently served as President of Operations for the St. Louis region of the Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP), a network of schools focused on closing the achievement gap in low-income communities.
 
Born and raised in Detroit, Janelle earned her Bachelor of Business Administration from the Ross School of Business at The University of Michigan, later going on to the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business to earn her MBA. She has also earned a Masters in Educational Leadership from The Broad Residency Center for School System Management.
 
Janelle also finds joy in writing poetry, traveling, dancing and engaging with fellow sorors of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, a public service organization. She is a proud aunt of six and resides in Washington, D.C.

Fritz, a black man in a patterned blue button down and navy blue sweater, smiles softly at the camera.

Fritz Cherubin, Jr, '12

New York City Regional Lead | Joined 2020


LinkedIn

Fritz Cherubin Jr. is a 2012 Booth alum and also served as a chair of AAMBAA. He is currently a Vice President of Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A) at Acrisure Re and is based in New York.  Fritz enjoys helping organizations solve problems while rolling up his sleeves and working with inspiring, smart people to get the job done.  

For the past 10 years, Fritz has gained significant exposure across various industries in progressive finance roles. Leveraging his experience, education, finance skills, and business acumen, he has been able to successfully influence and partner with leadership in devising strategies, increasing profitability, and executing growth initiatives, while working his own venture.

Chris, a black man with rectangular glasses and square jawline, smiles at the camera.

Chris Poole, '16

Nashville Regional Lead | Joined 2022


LinkedIn

At 25m Health, Chris Poole works with our team, entrepreneurs and LifePoint Health to build transformative healthcare startups. He has spent more than 15 years operating and investing in early-stage companies across several industries, especially healthcare. Prior to being named the Head of Studio at 25m Health, Chris was chosen as the first CEO of ThriveAP, a nurse education and training startup. Beforehand, he served as Chief Financial Officer at MetaPhy Health, a provider of virtual care services to patients of gastroenterology practices, and as Principal at Solidus Company, LP, where he sourced and qualified venture investments and served on the board of several portfolio companies.


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