Transformative Leadership Community
Faculty & Facilitators
Learn more about our leading faculty and facilitators, all with extensive industry experience.
Jennifer Braggin
Technical Communications Manager, Entegris; Lecturer, Engineering Leadership
Charrette workshop facilitated: Organizational Effectiveness in the Midst of Chaos
Jennifer Braggin has held various roles in technical marketing and engineering management, where she focuses on improving semiconductor manufacturing yields, enhancing training efforts, and communicating technical achievements to a range of international clients and partners. She holds an MS in Engineering Management from Tufts Gordon Institute and received the program's outstanding student award.
Elaine Chen
Cummings Family Professor of the Practice in Entrepreneurship; Director, Derby Entrepreneurship Center at Tufts
Charrette workshop facilitated: Leading in a Post-Pandemic World
Elaine brings a wealth of experience to Tufts, having served as an engineering and product management VP at six companies, including Rethink Robotics, Zeo, Zeemote, and SensAble Technologies. She has brought numerous hardware and software products to market and holds 22 patents. She is Founder and Managing Director of ConceptSpring, and previously was Senior Lecturer and Entrepreneur-in-Residence at the Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship.
Scott Hilton
Lecturer, Product Management and Development
Charrette workshops facilitated: Leading in a Post-Pandemic World; Organizational Effectiveness in the Midst of chaos
Scott Hilton has had a long career in technology, focused on telecommunications, security, Cloud-based services, and Software-as-a-Service. In his 30+ year career, he has been a product management, product strategy, and software development leader building world-class products and organizations for companies like Lucent, 3Com, Oracle and SAIC. In addition, he has helped start and scale multiple technology startups including SpringTide Networks (sold to Lucent) and Dyn (sold to Oracle).
John Jacobsen
Project Portfolio Governance Leader at Johnson & Johnson
Short course facilitated: Medical Devices: Business Strategies & Emerging Trends
John Jacobsen is currently a Project Portfolio Governance Leader at Johnson & Johnson. John’s previous roles with J&J have been across the Medical Device businesses with experience in Manufacturing, Process Excellence, Portfolio and Program Management, Engineering, Supply Chain, and Business case development. John holds a Six Sigma Black Belt certification, MS in Mechanical Engineering, and MBA.
Kathrin Knauf
HR Business Partner, Technical Development, Moderna
Charrette workshop facilitated: Leading in a Post-Pandemic World
Kathrin Knauf is HR Business Partner at Moderna where supports the company's continued growth. Previously, Kathrin was Moderna's Vice President of CMC Project Management Office where she played a critical part in helping to expand the biotech company’s COVID-19 vaccine production efforts. She has over 16 years of local and international experience in Manufacturing & Quality Operations for Vaccines; Cell & Gene Therapy and Pharmaceutical Production.
Songjun Luo
Principal Emeritus, ZS Associates
Master Class facilitated: Data-Driven Sales & Go To Market Strategies
Songjun Luo is currently a Principal Emeritus at ZS Associates, a global professional services firm assisting its clients in product development and bringing their products to markets. Songjun joined the firm in 1994 and had been a global partner for 20 years. He had worked with clients in industries such as pharmaceuticals, medical devices, media, high-tech and insurance. He has worked with clients in the Americas and in China. He had taught short courses in the sales area at top business schools in China, including Fudan University, Shanghai Jiaotong University and The University of Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Beth McCarthy
Lecturer, Entrepreneurial Leadership
Workshop facilitated: Leading with Presence to Engage & Inspire
Beth has spent the last 20+ years helping brands bridge the gap between their offering and their consumers’ needs. Most recently she was with C Space (formerly Communispace) where she consulted with Fortune 500 companies including Hewlett Packard, Charles Schwab, Bank of America, Citi, Meredith Corporation, Kraft Foods and Weight Watchers and helped them understand how to make their brand, products, experiences and messaging relevant to the people they serve. She gets to this level of deep understanding by establishing trust, getting into hearts and minds and ultimately surfacing what moves people to action.
Kevin Oye
Executive Director, Tufts Gordon Institute; Director, MS in Innovation and Management Program; Professor of the Practice
Charrette workshop facilitated: Organizational Effectiveness in the Midst of Chaos
Kevin has 35 years of experience leading product development, corporate strategy, and merger and acquisition teams. As a board member, company officer, executive, and an engineer, Kevin led initiatives where new products and technologies drove industry transformations in both startups and large corporations. Kevin was the Vice-President of Systems and Technology at Sycamore Networks, Inc. where he led a global team of technologists, product managers and engineers that created and delivered global and nationwide optical networks for customers such as NTT, Vodafone, Sprint, and the U.S. Department of Defense. Previous to Sycamore Networks, he was Vice-President, Strategy and Business Development at Lucent Technologies
Allison Perkel
VP of Engineering, Capital One; Member, Tufts Gordon Institute Industry Advisory Council
Charrette workshop facilitated: Leading in a Post-Pandemic World
Allison is currently VP of Engineering at Capital One where she leads an emerging line of business whose mission is to bring software built at Capital One to market. A double jumbo, Allison earned her BSEE and MSCS degrees from Tufts University. She is also a member of Tufts Gordon Institute's Industry Advisory Council.
Monica Pheifer
Senior Supply Chain Manager, DePuy Synthes Spine, Inc (Johnson & Johnson); Lecturer, Engineering Management
Short course facilitated: Medical Devices: Business Strategies & Emerging Trends
Monica Pheifer is currently a Senior Supply Chain Launch Manager at DePuy Synthes Spine, Inc, a part of Johnson & Johnson's Medical Device group. Monica’s previous roles with J&J have been across the Medical Device and Consumer Products sectors with specific experience in Engineering, Manufacturing, Process Excellence, Quality, Supply Chain, Planning, and Logistics. Monica is a graduate of J&J’s Global Operations Leadership Development program and also holds a Six Sigma Black Belt certification.
Learn more about all Tufts Gordon Institute faculty
About Tufts Gordon Institute
Tufts Gordon Institute is dedicated to creating a worldwide community of transformative leaders with heart. Leaders who are savvy in both business and technology, deeply in tune with society, and motivated to drive high-impact change that will make the world a better place.
From workshops and short courses to graduate degree programs, Tufts Gordon Institute provides relevant knowledge when you need it throughout the arc of your professional career. With a focus on practical learning, taught by faculty with deep industry experience, you’ll be empowered to influence the future technology driven organizations and lead with self-awareness, equity, and confidence.
tgi@tufts.edu • (617) 627-3110 • gordon.tufts.edu