Brown Alumni Association Officer Biographies
2005 - 2007 Terms
President
(elected President-Elect in 2003)
Providence, RI
A.B. '87, A.M. '90, History of Art
Hanna Rodriguez-Farrar has worked in academia since graduation. During her graduate studies, she was a Nabrit Fellow, Brown teaching assistant, and adjunct faculty at URI. She then joined Brown's Harriet W. Sheridan Center for Teaching and Learning as an assistant director; there she developed programs addressing University teaching needs. She was recently a Research Associate at Harvard Business School, and co-authored a number of HBS case studies on companies such as eBay, First Union, Zipcar, and Progressive Insurance. As the Charles H. Smith Scholar, she is currently pursuing a doctorate in education at Harvard's Graduate School of Education.
Hanna has held numerous volunteer leadership roles at Brown, including BAA Secretary; National Co-Chair, Multicultural Alumni Committee; President, Friends of Women’s Water Polo and Volleyball; Vice President, Friends of Men’s Water Polo; and Co-Chair of the 25th Athletic Hall of Fame Dinner.
She has also served several Brown boards: Association of Class Leaders; Board of Religious Affairs; Pembroke Center Associates Council; Brown Club of RI; “Bring a Book to Brown” Committee; and Senior Class Gift Committee. In 1995, the BAA recognized Hanna’s volunteer activities with an Alumni Service Award.
Interest in serving because:
Giving back to Brown plays an important part in my life. As an undergraduate, graduate student, alumna, and staff member, I have served and experienced Brown from many perspectives, so I appreciate where Brown stands in its history and in higher education. Alumni are important stewards of the University, and the BAA mission – fostering the connection between alumni and Brown – is critical to Brown’s future. Cumulatively, my diverse Brown experiences place me in a unique position to lead the BAA while supporting the University’s goals and vision.
President-ElectSpencer R. Crew
Cincinnati, Ohio
A.B. '71, History
M.A. '73, Ph.D. '79, History, Rutgers University
Spencer Crew is executive director and chief executive officer of the National Underground Railroad Center. For the past three years he has guided the creation of this cultural institution, which opened in August of 2004. Before coming to Cincinnati he worked at the National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution for twenty years. For eight of those years he was the director of that museum.
Spencer is a trustee emeritus and served on two presidential search committees. He is currently a member of the Advisory Council on Diversity. He has twice served as a Commencement Forum speaker and has been a BASC interviewer. In 2003 he participated in the “Race, Globalization, and the New Ethnic Studies” conference at Brown which was sponsored by the Center for the Study of Race and Ethnicity. More recently, he lectured as part of the speaker series sponsored by the University Steering Committee on Slavery and Justice.
Interested in serving because:
Brown has had a major impact on my life. The education I received there propelled me in career and life directions I never could have anticipated. It was there that I met my wife and where my two children received their education. The time I have spent back on campus over the past few years has only increased my enthusiasm for the University. I want to share my fervor with others and help strengthen the ties other alumni have to Brown.
Secretary
John Sweney
Houston, Texas
Sc.B. '79, Environmental Sciences
John Sweney is president of Brookwoods Group, providing marketing and communications professionals under contract to Fortune 500 clients. Earlier, he was a public relations manager at Compaq, a speechwriter to the President of IBM, an advertising and PR manager for GE, an all-news radio anchor, and a very young press secretary to Mayor Buddy Cianci.
At Brown, John was involved with WBRU. Since then, he has been a BASC interviewer every year, a president of the Brown Club of Houston, a member of the BAA Board of Governors, and chair of the BAA Communications Task Force.
John has served as president or director of several non-profit organizations in healthcare, education and entrepreneurship.
The son of TV wildlife show hosts, John was raised on a bird sanctuary with a "family" that included otters, geese, and coyotes. In his spare moments, he shamelessly spoils his dachshunds, squanders savings on vintage wristwatches and classic cars, and converts his home to a showcase of questionable technology.
Interested in serving because:
I believe that Brown is poised to emerge as the greatest educational institution of the 21st century. To realize that vision will require the ongoing dedication and commitment of students, parents, faculty, staff and alumni – over 100,000 people with a common interest in Brown’s role to create our future world. Working together, building bridges for communication, forging new tools for cooperation, and leveraging our individual strengths and talents offers the greatest chance to succeed! I, for one, am prepared to help!
Treasurer
Elizabeth L. Hamburg
New York, New York
A.B. '86, Political Science
M.B.A. '91, Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Northwestern University
Liz Hamburg has launched innovative new businesses in communications, technology and media for over 15 years. Founder and president of Upstart Ventures, she recently sold Hypnotic, a branded entertainment company she co-founded, to a publicly traded company. She was previously a founder and director of Vimpel Communication, the leading cellular company in Russia, and was instrumental in VimpelCom's historic listing as the first Russian company on the New York Stock Exchange.
Liz has launched new products for Reuters Tokyo and Fujisankei Communications, and helped introduce Fuji's Nintendo game software into the U.S.
Liz is the co-host on WOR radio of “Weekend with Joan and Liz” and “Launchpad,” a weekly show focusing on entrepreneurs and small business. She is a director of Safe Space, a New York based non-profit, and a member of the advisory panel of the Columbia Business School's Eugene Lang Entrepreneur Initiative Fund.
Liz, a founding board member of the Brown Entrepreneurs Program, has been involved in mentoring student entrepreneurs, judging business plan contests and moderating and participating in panel discussions for students and alumni. While at Brown, Liz was active at WBRU news including as the on-air morning news anchor.
Interested in serving because:
Brown has had a strong influence on my personal and professional life. Giving back to students through my experience with the Brown Entrepreneurship Program has been incredibly rewarding. As treasurer, I hope to use my entrepreneurial talents to create new opportunities for the BAA to touch the lives of even more alumni in innovative ways.