Professional and Career Development Team

Alexander Lowry

Executive Director, Career and Connection Institute (CCI)
Executive Director, Master of Science in Financial Analysis program
Professor in the Practice of Finance

Alexander Lowry brings an unusual “bilingual” perspective to the academic world, having spent 15 years in senior executive positions in international business and finance. Alexander also leads Gordon's Master's of Financial Analysis program.

Alexander joined Gordon from J.P. Morgan Chase. In four and a half years at the bank, he served in senior roles ranging from deputy to the chief operating officer of the U.S. Private Bank to his recent role helping lead the firm’s private foundation. Supporting the deputy director, Alexander led a wide range of management and administrative functions to help direct the firm's global philanthropic investments, giving and investing $240 million annually across 40 countries.  

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Pam Lazarakis

Director of Professional and Career Development

Pam Lazarakis has worked in Career Services since 1998. She is a Gordon Alumna and majored in Biblical and Theological Studies and completed the secondary education requirements in social studies. Her more recent studies have been in leadership and business ethics and she has special interests in the following career topics: the theology of work, best practices for facilitating student and alumni connections for career advancement, and helping others find effective strategies for presenting their credentials and experiences to employers in cover letters, resumes and interviews.

Chris Carlson '87

Dean of Student Success

Chris is Dean of Student Success and has been in student development roles at Gordon for 29 years. Chris influences Student Success in many ways: from the First Year Experience onward into the following years, Academic Advising programs, the A. J. Gordon Scholars program and serves with the Kenneth L. Pike Honors program helping students develop individualized programs of study. Chris advises Deciding majors, and is a regular "Chief Imagineer" of student-oriented initiatives to promote student experience, success and thriving, both personally and professionally. He is an advocate for the whole student experience at Gordon, and for helping others strive to be at their best. He and his wife Sharon '88, are proud parents of two Gordon College graduates, and they live nearby in Hamilton.

Jennifer Brink

Director of Academic Advising and First-Year Experience

Jennifer has enjoyed many years working with college students, in residence life, service learning, first-year experience and advising. She completed her Masters in Educational Psychology at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She is particularly interested in questions of vocation and calling and enjoys helping students make connections as they explore the liberal arts from a Christian perspective. She has also served as an adjunct faculty at Gordon College since 2006, teaching the first-year seminar in the core curriculum (The Great Conversation). Originally from southern Ontario, Canada, she and her husband, Paul, have three children and live in Ipswich, MA.

Lisa Buettner '87

Interim Director, Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership (CEL)

Lisa Buettner founded Anchor Consulting not long after graduating from Gordon ('87). In this capacity, Lisa has developed learning and talent development programs for some of the world's largest companies and senior leaders. She has also worked with Harvard Business School Publishing to build executive education programs. In recent years, Lisa has served as chair of the CEL Advisory Council, and she is excited to serve in a more hands-on role as interim director.