Abbie L. Dean is a creative director and designer with more than two decades of experience in advertising at Madison Avenue firms, including McCann Erickson Worldwide, Dancer Fitzgerald Sample and Rosenfeld, Sirowitz and Humphrey, where she was a senior vice president and a member of the Executive Management Committee.

During this time, she created and produced advertising campaigns for clients including Coca-Cola, Sony, Chase Manhattan Bank, L ’Oreal, Proctor and Gamble and Delta Faucets. Her food stamps campaign for the Ad Council won creative awards and led to two interviews on CNN Marketplace. Recognition for her agency work included awards from Clio, One Show, the Art Directors Club, Echo and Best of New York.

She later joined Confab, a leading private label consumer products manufacturer, which was founded by her father, Leonard Pearlstein. As executive vice president of corporate communications and advertising and board member, she built a design department that created more than 700 private label package designs per year. In 1998, she participated in the sale of Confab to Tyco International.
She formerly served on the Board of Trustees of the National Liberty Museum and the Baldwin School in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania.

In addition to her Master of Science degree in interior design at Westphal, Dean received her BA as a double major in art history and theater at Tufts University.

In 2009, she co-directed the INK NOT INK exhibition at Drexel in collaboration with the Shenzhen Art Museum. It was mounted at Drexel in four locations on campus and included a piece by internationally known artist Wenda Gu, that filled the 6-story atrium of the Bossone Engineering Center. The opening was attended by the Chinese Ambassador to the U.S., the Chinese Consulate General, the Cultural Minister of Beijing and the Mayor of Philadelphia. Next, she organized the exhibition Ni Una Mas: The Juarez Murders, which included a 1,000-student performance art/demonstration piece and an original artwork by Yoko Ono. At the Pearlstein Gallery in the URBN Center she helped organize and bring from China Half the Sky: Women in the New Art of China, an exhibit that was co-curated with Drexel art history faculty and the National Art Museum of China in Beijing. In 2017, working with the Pennoni Honors College, the A.J. Drexel Collection and the National Museum of American Illustration in Newport, Rhode Island, she brought the exhibit Howard Pyle and His Students to the Peck Center.

Dean was elected to the Drexel Board of Trustees in 2004 and serves on the Executive Committee, following the tenure of her late father and mother, Leonard and Melba Pearlstein. She is chair of the Student Life Committee and in addition to the Executive Committee, she serves on the Collections and Athletics Committees.

In 2011, she joined the Board of the Trustees of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University where she serves as vice chair of the board and on the Engagement and Executive Committees. Dean also is chair of the Advisory Board of the Pennoni Honors College.

Dean is married to Patrick Dean and has two children, Lily and Logan.

Charles Pizzi served as the president and chief executive officer, as well as a director of Tasty Baking Company from October 2002 until the company's sale in May 2011. 

He currently serves as the chairman of the board of Independence Blue Cross. Pizzi also serves as a director of Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust and a trustee of Brandywine Realty Trust; PHH Corporation; Allied Security Holdings, LLC; Mistras; and FS Investments. Additionally, he is a director of WHYY and a trustee of the Philadelphia Belt Line Railroad. He has served on the advisory board (Philadelphia) of PNC. He served as president and chief executive officer of the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce from 1989 until October 2002. Pizzi served on the board of directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia from 2006 through 2011, including as chairman from 2010 through 2011.

In 2019, the Philadelphia Police Foundation honored him with the Founders Award. In 2010, he was named an "Outstanding Director" by the Philadelphia Business Journal, and in 2010, he received the William Penn Award from the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce. 

He was elected to the Drexel Board of Trustees in 1993 and received an honorary degree in 2023.

Ian Callender is a first-generation Native Washingtonian and Southwest Waterfront resident, known as a cultural architect. A graduate of DeMatha Catholic High School and Drexel University, where he earned dual degrees in computer engineering and information systems and technology, he is also a serial entrepreneur and sneakerhead with Guyanese roots. 

For over 15 years, Callender has led the cultural arts community, transforming his passion for sneakers into unique community experiences. He owns Suite Nation, a CBE event design and development firm, co-founded Blind Whino SW Arts Club (now Culture House), co-owns Sandlot D.C., and is the founder of Arena Social Arts Club, a nonprofit that supports Black artists in D.C.

Callender serves on various boards, including the Nicholson Project and the Georgetown BID Executive Board. He has been the creative director of the Art All Night Festival for four years, enhancing its cultural and community reach. His accolades include the Mayor’s Arts Award for Excellence in the Creative Industries in 2019, being named Washingtonian of the Year in 2023, and an upcoming induction into the Hall of Fame at DeMatha High School in 2024. Ian embraces his journey with the motto, “the most known unknown.”  

Paige DeAngelo is a recent alumna that founded her startup, Aer Cosmetics, during her undergraduate studies. As the inventor of the patent-pending dissolving mascara tablet, DeAngelo is on track to reduce 70% of the carbon emitted by mascara waste with her product and business. Aer has won prizes in multiple startup competitions including the Drexel Startups Fund, GSEA Philadelphia, GSEA National and the Draper Competition.

At Drexel, DeAngelo was a member of the Drexel University Dance Team and currently is an NHL Cheerleader for the Philadelphia Flyers. She was named one of Drexel’s 40 Under 40 in 2024.

Floss Barber is the CEO of Floss Barber Inc., a full-service interior design and purchasing firm that she founded in 1986. The award-winning, boutique firm serves clients in the hospitality, institutional, residential and corporate markets. Before opening her own studio, Barber managed interiors departments for architectural firms, including Curtis Cox Kennerly. 

At Drexel, Barber was a former member of the Interiors Advisory Council, Alumni Board of Governors, Westphal Alumni Advocates Advisory Board and the Westphal Dean’s Advisory Board. She was inducted into the WACE Co-op Hall of Fame in 2007, nominated by Drexel. She also won the Rankin-Epstein Distinguished Alumni Award in 2005, Harriet E. Warrell Society Award in 2004, and was named to the Drexel 100 in 1998. 

In addition, Barber credits the late Drexel design professor Mary Epstein for helping develop an eye for interior design, according to her company bio. In 2012, Barber and several Drexel alumni chose to honor Professor Epstein’s extraordinary influence and legacy by dedicating a space to her in Westphal's URBN Center building.   

Kisha Hawthorne has over 15 years of experience in health care, currently serving as the senior vice president and chief information officer of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). She oversees a 550+ member Information Services Department that includes areas like project management, analytics and information security.

Previously, she held roles as associate chief information officer and assistant vice president of Health Information Management at CHOP, focusing on financial performance and operational management. Before that, she was a senior consultant at TRG Healthcare and an administrator at Memorial Medical Center in Springfield, Illinois. Hawthorne completed her administrative fellowship with VHA, Inc. in 2002 and is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives. She holds a Master of Healthcare Administration from the Carlson School of Management, an MBA from the University of St. Thomas, and a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences from Florida A&M University.

At Drexel, Hawthorne is part of the CCI Dean's Executive Advisory Council and was a commencement speaker for the College of Computing and Informatics in 2022. She has also contributed to the Kisha H. Hawthorne ’18 Women in Computing Scholarship Fund. 

Anteneh Zewde is a global reliability and maintenance leader at DuPont, bringing 26 years of experience from Chemours, Corteva and DuPont. Throughout his career, he has held various roles in design and development, reliability, maintenance, manufacturing support, project engineering, continuous improvement and leadership. He also holds two issued patents.

He is an active volunteer for Engineers Without Borders, where he leads the Eastern Pennsylvania and Delaware region’s eight student and professional chapters, supporting various projects worldwide. Additionally, he supports Outreach Ethiopia, a non-profit organization based in Austin, and the AlemFre Pink House Cancer Foundation, which operates in both Atlanta and Ethiopia. Zewde also volunteers with his son at the Ronald McDonald House of Delaware and teaches Sunday school at his church in Philadelphia.

Zewde was honored with the Engineers Without Borders’ Exceptional Leadership Award in 2022 and received DuPont’s prestigious Community Impact Champion Award in 2023. He was also awarded the Philadelphia Pathfinders Award by Philadelphia AMP and Sunoco, in partnership with the National Science Foundation, in 2006. 

Zewde graduated from the University of Cincinnati with a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering and later earned a Master of Business Administration from Drexel University. In his free time, Zewde enjoys playing and watching soccer, reading, running, and traveling. He is married and enjoys spending quality time with his two children.

Aditya V. Kashyap is a leader in emerging technology, enterprise transformation and digital innovation. As senior vice president at Morgan Stanley’s Innovation Labs, he explores and scales breakthrough technologies like AI, blockchain and quantum computing, ensuring the firm stays at the forefront of financial services innovation.

A graduate of Drexel University’s LeBow College of Business with a master’s degree from New York University, Kashyap advises C-suite executives on digital transformation, AI-driven decision-making and advanced analytics, guiding organizations toward agile, data-driven models for sustainable growth.

Recognized as a thought leader and keynote speaker, he engages globally on AI, digital ecosystems and the future of work. His accolades include being named a LinkedIn Top Voice for Leadership & IT Strategy and Distinguished Alumni of the Year at NYU. Kashyap’s commitment to innovation drives meaningful change at the intersection of business and technology. 

Asya Johnson is a principal for NYC public schools. Since 2018, she has implemented culturally responsive teaching at LPA, moving the school from struggling status to good standing. Her research focuses on training urban teachers in culturally responsive practices.

Johnson has also served as the director of Special Education Programs, developing educational programs for detained youth. She has opened a campus food pantry, worked to address student library card debt and created a recording studio for “hip-hop therapy.” As a member of NYC’s Diversity Advisory Group, she collaborates on diversity policies in public schools. Her contributions have earned her recognition, including awards from the Council of School Administrators and Bank Street College.

In addition to her role at HBCU Early College Prep, Johnson teaches at NYU and is involved in several fellowships focused on principal excellence. She also served on the NYC Chancellor’s Principal Advisory Board. Johnson holds an Ed.M. in educational leadership from Bank Street College, an M.Ed. in special education from Holy Family University and a bachelor’s degree in English from Delaware State University. She also mentors doctoral students at Drexel. 

Bhoomi Gupta is a sophomore at Drexel University pursuing a BS in materials science and engineering with a minor in product design. She is a published author, having written “Beyond the Brush: Exploring the Evolution of Art Through Time and Culture,” an art history book available internationally. Academically, she is engaged in research on photoluminescent nanocrystals and has authored a research paper on graphene-based nanocomposites for lithium-ion batteries, published in an international journal.

Beyond her studies, Gupta is a student ambassador, a marketing team member for the Undergraduate Student Government Association, and a trip leader for Drexel’s outdoor club. She is also deeply involved in community service through her sorority, Alpha Sigma Alpha, and participates in women in engineering initiatives.

Recognized for her academic and extracurricular excellence, she has been named to the Dean’s List and received multiple award nominations. Passionate about design, sustainability and innovation, Bhoomi strives to bridge materials science with creative problem-solving to develop impactful solutions.  

Victoria Faith Miller is a graduating student in the 1-year full-time MBA program, focusing on global finance and marketing for impact. She earned her BA in entrepreneurship and innovation from Drexel University in 2024, completing a 4-year degree in just 3 years. At Drexel, she was active as a student ambassador, trip leader for the Weekend Warriors Outdoors Club, theatre performance scholar, leader in the Newman Catholic Community, and a representative on the Dean's Advisory Council. 

Miller’s proudest moment as a Close School of Entrepreneurship student was a 6-month independent project teaching entrepreneurship to 50 young women in a rural Kenyan village. This experience led her to join the 2023/24 Impact Innovation Hub Cohort, where she developed her startup, "SEEd HER," aimed at providing micro-crowdfunding and business education to young women in rural communities. She looks forward to continuing her journey in international development, innovative finance and social entrepreneurship. 

Louis, Mo.