ECB Grad Profiles

Judy Dean, Class of 1978
Gordon gave Judy terrific preparation in economics, and a chance to learn what it means to be a Christian economist. Gordon also gave her a strong desire to give back to students the kind of respect, interest, and inspiration she received from her professors. After graduating with a B.A. in economics, she went on to Cornell University for her M.A. and a Ph.D. As assistant professor at Bowdoin College, associate professor at the School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University, and now Professor of International Economics at Brandeis University, Judy has practiced being that "Gordon professor" to all her students. Her teaching and research focus on the impact of trade policies on developing countries. She has consulted for the World Bank and the OECD, and has been a visiting scholar at the Indian Statistical Institute, New Delhi, India. Taking up the chance to contribute to her own country’s trade policy, Judy joined the Office of Economics of the US International Trade Commission in 2000, where she was a senior international economist, and is now a consultant. The vision Judy acquired at Gordon—to "think Christianly" about economics—is ever present, and has led to collaborative work with development practitioners (Attacking Global Poverty in the Developing World, 2005), active involvement in the Association of Christian Economists, and exciting work on the Board of World Relief.

Blake Larson, Class of 2009
Gordon’s business professors encouraged Blake not merely to memorize a concept, but to understand its meaning and applications. His almost daily conversations with professors allowed him to truly conceptualize their teachings. After graduating, Blake helped found the real estate company DRGDenver. He developed their leasing department and generated over eighty percent of their revenue in his nine months with the company. Shortly after founding DRG, Blake was offered a position with Regency Centers, a large, publicly traded real estate investment trust. He works with the Vice President on new developments and re-developments by reviewing pro formas and architects’ renderings.  He manages eight shopping centers for Regency Centers, and is implementing and directing their national Generation Y research team. Outside of Regency Centers, Blake is working on creating two small businesses.

David Flight, Class of 2009
David double majored in Finance and Economics and began work in Boston upon graduation. As an analyst in the State Street Finance Rotational Program, he completed rotations in global markets finance, accounting, and global treasury investment management over the course of a year. He was then offered a fulltime position in the Global Treasury Investment Management Group as a mortgage research analyst. As a former Gordon athlete, he enjoys the competitive business environment.

Graduating with a liberal arts degree from Gordon enabled David to develop a broad perspective, expanding his knowledge base beyond business to incorporate skills and values that have been crucial in navigating the professional world. David currently lives in Cambridge and attends Park Street Church.

 

Krista Carlson, Class of 2006
At Gordon, Krista served as Vice President of the Student Association, studied abroad with the business program in China, and secured an internship at Oxford Global Resources. She worked on the Orientation Core Staff for new students and was named Gordon's Collegian of the Year for the 2006 graduating class.

Currently she works in New York for OpenLink Financial, a provider of cross-asset trading, risk management, operations processing and portfolio management software solutions for the commodity, energy and financial services markets. She began at OpenLink as a corporate recruiter in Human Resources and now works in an employee relations and benefits management position. Also enrolled as a graduate student in the Executive MBA program at St. Joseph’s College, she is scheduled to graduate in December 2011. Krista notes, "I am very grateful for the foundation of business knowledge that was laid at Gordon; the instruction and coursework set my roots in Biblical truth first. It was refreshing to learn in an environment where professors intertwined business fundamentals with Christian conviction. Apart from my classroom experiences, the growth I experienced in my Christian walk and the friendships made during my four years at Gordon are the greatest treasures I have taken with me."

Francis Brown, Class of 1985
Fran’s Gordon education has served him well in his profession and relationships formed here—with mentor Professor Ted Wood, for example—have proved enriching over the 25 years since he graduated with a major in Business Administration. Fran’s connection to Gordon remains strong: he has worked as an adjunct professor of accounting, served on the Presidential Advisory Committee, and his daughter and one of his three sons are current students.

Fran is a partner at Grant Thornton LLP. He serves in many other capacities, as President of the Board of Independent Route Daycare, Vice President of the Board of Davenport Memorial Foundation, Treasurer of the Board at Mystic Valley Regional Charter School, and board member of the Adelaide Breed Bayrd Foundation. He and his wife of 25 years attend Seven Mile Road Church in Malden.

Andrew Duguay, Class of 2009
Upon graduating, Andrew was hired by the Institute for Trend Research (ITR), a Concord, New Hampshire-based group of macroeconomists that does economic forecasting, analysis work and presentations for companies and trade associations across the U.S. In his two years there, Andrew has had the privilege of handling some of ITR’s biggest clients, and has been asked to give presentations on the economy at the Rhode Island Chamber of Commerce, and at an HVAC wholesaler trade association in Henderson, Nevada. Andrew writes, “My education was superb and, quite frankly, comparable to some of my co-workers’ masters-level education in economics. Gordon prepared me to adapt quickly to the workplace setting, despite its many differences from textbook economics and business.”

Erin Bensing, Class of 2009
Gordon’s rigorous and well-rounded training in business law, ethics, economics, finance, and accounting helped Erin pass the CPA exam less than a year after graduating. Following graduation, she joined Walz, Deihm, Geisenberger, Bucklen, & Tennis, PC, an accounting firm in Lancaster, PA that provides companies with innovative tax and financial expertise. As a CPA, Erin acted as a taxpayer advocate in communication with Federal and State Revenue Agencies, and served a broad range of clients including an internationally recognized professional athlete and companies with global operations and distributions. Her work preparing resources for calculating the new Small Business Health Care Credit was used by CPAsNet.com, and praised by Dean Zerbe, Esq., the former Senior Tax Counsel for the Senate Finance Committee.
 
Recently, Erin joined the Income Tax Department at AOL, Inc., a global web services company with an extensive suite of brands in its portfolio. As Sr. Tax Analyst, she focuses on analyzing the tax impact of AOL operations and is involved in compliance and other reporting functions.

Curtis Pope, Class of 2008
The economics department afforded Curtis opportunities that taught him to think critically in today’s complex information era and prepared him for competitive graduate programs. During his Gordon career, Curtis studied abroad at Peking University in Beijing, China. After graduating one semester early, he initiated an internship with Gordon’s former president, Dr. Judson Carlberg. He then spent a year as an AmeriCorps*VISTA volunteering as a student success coach at Bunker Hill Community College and Massachusetts Campus Compact. After completing a year of service, he enrolled in the Higher Education Administration program at Teachers College, Columbia University. Currently, Curtis works in fundraising at Columbia’s School of Public Health and is also pursuing a second master’s degree in Fundraising and Nonprofit Management at Columbia University’s School of Continuing Education.

Prospective and current economics/business students can reach Curtis here.

Lee Giobbie, Class of 2006
One of Gordon’s first students to double major in Finance and Business, Lee was driven to pursue all the opportunities Gordon had to offer. Initially considering a career in medicine, Lee acknowledges it was his time at Gordon that helped him to realize his passion was serving others in the field of finance.  Immediately after graduating, Lee was recruited by a team of financial advisors at Smith Barney in southern New Jersey, where he met the rigorous education, examination, experience and ethics requirements necessary to earn the Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) certification. 
 
In 2009 Lee and his team joined Janney Montgomery Scott, a full-service, financial services firm headquartered in Philadelphia. Continuing his professional education, Lee is currently pursuing his Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA®) designation (Level III candidate), which requires roughly 900 hours of study in accounting, economics, ethics, finance and mathematics, and is a recognized symbol of professionalism and integrity for investment professionals worldwide. 

Specializing in biblical finance, Lee is also a Qualified Kingdom Advisor®, which recognizes him as a committed Christian financial professional who has met high standards in training, integrity, character and competence as an Advisor, Leader and Counselor. Lee credits all of his success to the Lord, and desires to live each day according to 1 Peter 4:10: "Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms." Lee currently serves on the Board of Directors for Green Valley Tennis Club in Haddonfield, NJ as well as The King’s Christian School in Cherry Hill, NJ. Current and prospective students can contact Lee by visiting www.leegiobbie.com.

Lee and his wife Courteney were blessed with their first child on Friday, October 5, 2012.  Elizabeth “Lizzie” Marie Giobbie was born on her due date in dramatic fashion, and weighed in at 7lb 10oz.