Executive Employment

Patricia Elias, '95

Patricia Elias is Chief People and Places Officer at CSG Systems, responsible for all aspects of human resources and workplace management, attracting and retaining top talent, and building a safe, inclusive, and diverse work environment for CSG employees worldwide.  Prior to CSG, Patricia served as Chief People and Legal Officer for ServiceSource International, overseeing global human resources and all legal and compliance matters for the company.  She also served as corporate counsel for ViaWest and Flextronics, and as a full-time lecturer of law and public policy at the University of Denver’s Daniels College of Business. Patricia began her career practicing corporate and securities law at the firms Hogan Lovells; Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison; and Holland & Hart. She holds a J.D. from Georgetown University and a B.A. in Psychology from Duke University.  In her free time, she enjoys hiking and in-line skating, and supports the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) and Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado. 

Alexandria Smith, B.A.'03

Alex Smith is head of Strategy and Execution HCM Public Sector at Oracle. Nationally Recognized Cross-Industry HR Innovator. 2019 TN SHRM  HR Management Excellence Award Recipient. Business leader with public and private sector HR experience, who has demonstrated the ability to transform the diversity composition of top senior leadership teams, develop strategies to hire 1000s of employees, drive HR transformation and culture change.

Amarie Claire Bremel, '17

I am currently an analyst in the Industrial Practice at Spencer Stuart, meaning I mainly serve clients in the Aerospace & Defense, Automotive, Manufacturing, and Chemicals industries. I am passionate about finding the right executives to improve organizations as they address important issues like diversity and sustainability.

Caitlin Ariens, '09

Caitlin Thaeler is an experienced recruiter, having worked at Spencer Stuart, one of the nation's top executive search firms. Her more recent work experience includes strategy and project management at Walmart, the world's largest retailer. She loves helping companies find creative solutions to complex problems, whether that's a specific hire or streamlining processes.

Greg Janicik, Ph.D., '88

Greg Janicik founded Viest Consulting in 2020 to help leaders navigate the paradigm shifts in business (e.g., COVID19) that emerge in a constantly evolving environment. As an organizational consultant and leadership advisor with over twenty years of experience helping both start-ups and Fortune 500 companies manage change effectively, I currently work with CEOs, senior teams, and various business and non-profit executives to improve performance and achieve quantifiable outcomes.

Ashley Zaslav, '12

Ashley works at Spencer Stuart in the CEO Practice across industries and is passionate about executive development and organizational culture. Prior to Spencer Stuart she received her MBA at NYU Stern and started her career and spent time working at Bridgewater Associates and TPG. Ashley was a 2x Captain of the Women's Soccer team while at Duke so also enjoys helping former athletes navigate the transition from their sport to new industries.

Rod Herrera, '91

Rodrigo works with Fortune 200 clients in nearly every industry as well as non-profits in education, government, and the arts sectors. He helps our client transform bosses into leaders, groups into teams, cost centers into strategic assets, and slogans into living cultures.

Stephen Bear, '73

I have held senior management positions in marketing, general management, and human resources. As Senior Vice President of Human Resources, I worked with two chief executive officers at Bristol-Myers Squibb to revitalize earnings growth, upgrade executive talent and establish a culture that fostered high performance with the highest integrity. I have also served as an Associate Professor of Management at Fairleigh Dickinson University.

Itir Keskiner, MBA, MBA'09

Itir (Duke MBA, '09) is an Executive, Life, and Leadership Coach who specializes in coaching professionals who want to get more satisfaction out of life. Whether her clients are in the midst of a career transition, trying to enhance their performance at work without compromising on life, or wanting clarity on life decisions, she helps them bring their values, strengths, and actions into alignment so that they can be their most powerful selves. Itir uses her 15 years of corporate leadership experience in creating brands and driving growth at Accenture, Unilever, Samsung, and Burt's Bees to help her clients develop and live their personal brand.

Free 30-minute coaching session offered to Duke students, alumni, and staff.

Certifications: International Coach Federation PCC (Professional Certified Coach), ELI-MP (Energy Leadership Index Master Practitioner)

Fielding Arnold, '01, MBA'10

Fielding is an integral coach. She looks at the whole person and their whole life in supporting her clients as they work through the challenges they bring to coaching.That includes all aspects of life - work, leadership capacity, family and friendships, health and fitness, spirituality, culture - believing these are all interrelated, and often the need for support in one area can show up as an issue in another. Fielding works with entrepreneurs, executives, and leaders to address the issues that they feel are keeping them from achieving their goals and dreams.

Specialties/certifications:
Training, Certificate etc.
New Ventures West, PCC

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