Alumni Profiles

Ari Berman, Political Commentator (2000)
Berman is a political correspondent for The Nation and an investigative journalism fellow at the Nation Institute.
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He graduated from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois and went on to author Herding Donkeys: The Fight to Rebuild the Democratic Party and Reshape American Politics and Give Us The Ballot: The Modern Struggle for Voting Rights in America. Berman’s writing has appeared in the New York Times, and The Guardian. He is a frequent guest and political commentator on MSNBC, C-Span, and NPR.
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Leana Guerin, M.D. (1997)
Leana Guerin, M.D., is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City, Iowa.
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She specializes in surgical pathology, with gastrointestinal/liver pathology as a subspecialty area of expertise, and is the Associate Residency Program Director. Leana did undergraduate work at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. She then studied at the University of Iowa, with a BA in sociology. Her postgraduate work was also at the University of Iowa, where she was awarded her M.D. Later at the Iowa Carver College of Medicine, she completed her externship, residency and a fellowship in surgical pathology. Dr. Guerin has published in a number of professional journals.
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Vikas Narula, Entrepreneur (1990)
Vikas Narula is the creator and co-founder of Keyhubs, a management software and consulting firm focused around the concept of informal networks in the workplace.
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Graduating from Maharishi University of Management in 1994 with a bachelor’s degree in computer science, he then worked for 15 years at two medical imaging start-ups (including 11 years at Vital Images, which was founded in Fairfield by Vincent Argiro). In 2006, while enrolled at Duke University’s Global MBA program, Vikas was introduced to the concept of informal networks in the workplace, and thus was born the idea of Keyhubs, which has since grown steadily and serves clients that include Accenture, Medtronic, Thrivent Financial, Boston Scientific and Bremer Bank. Keyhubs’ informal networks business model, which helps uncover a company’s “hidden organization,” has been covered in Forbes, Upstart Business Journal, and Twin Cities Business magazine. He is also founder of Neighborhood Forest, a social venture dedicated to giving free trees to school children every Earth Day (a venture inspired from his extracurricular activities while at MUM). Vikas serves as adjunct faculty of purpose-driven entrepreneurship at Minneapolis Community and Technical College. He actively blogs about the journey at www.keyhubs.com/blog.
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Claire Hoffman, Journalist (1995)
Claire Hoffman is a journalist and author who lives in Los Angeles and Costa Rica.
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She writes for national magazines, including Rolling Stone, The New Yorker, Condé Nast Portfolio and the Los Angeles Times, covering culture, religion, celebrity, and business. She was formerly a freelance reporter for the New York Times. Claire graduated from the University of California, Santa Cruz, received a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia, and also received a master’s degree in religious studies from the University of Chicago. She serves on the board of her family foundation, the Goldhirsh Foundation, as well as the Columbia Journalism School. Claire is finishing work on a book about growing up in Fairfield.
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Annie Falk Blecher, Education (2001)
Annie Falk Blecher is based in Johannesburg, South Africa, and is focused on poverty alleviation through educating disadvantaged youth.
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She manages the business development department for Community & Individual Development Association and the Maharishi Institute, a nonprofit organization with a 34-year track record of success pioneering the “virtually free” education movement in South Africa. She has been instrumental in marketing and raising funds for the organization. She was previously based in Beijing and San Francisco, working with the non-profit organizations Center for Wellness & Achievement in Education, Stress-Free Schools, and the David Lynch Foundation. She has been invited to speak in North America, China, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa on topics related to poverty alleviation through free education, sustainable business, and developing human potential through whole student learning. In 2005, Annie completed her B.A. in Digital Media and her MBA in 2014 from MUM. She is also a certified teacher of the Transcendental Meditation technique.
www.maharishiinstitute.org
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Jonathan Freeman, Government / Military (1993)
Jonathan Freeman is a fellow at the Truman National Security Project and an international consultant specializing in operations, strategy and political intelligence.
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A combat veteran, he served in the Department of Defense and the U.S. Agency for International Development, and was Deputy White House Liaison at the Department of Defense. A former active duty U.S. Army Officer, Major Freeman served in both Iraq and Afghanistan and was awarded the Bronze Star (with Oak Leaf Cluster), Army Commendation Medal, Joint Service Achievement Medal, and Combat Action Badge. He received a BA from the University of Michigan, a Masters from Harvard University’s Extension School, holds an MBA with honors from UMass-Amherst, and is currently completing his PhD in International Relations at the London School of Economics.
uk.linkedin.com/in/jfonir/
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David Averbach, Entrepreneur (2004)
David Averbach co-founded Mango Life Media in 2011 at the age of 25, and currently serves as the company’s CEO.
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Mango Life Media publishes iPhone Life magazine, a print and digital publication distributed at major U.S. airports, Walmart, Barnes & Noble, and newsstands around the world. David has helped grow iPhone Life’s readership to over 600,000 iPhone and iPad enthusiasts in over 60 countries. Mango Life Media also recently launched a Android Life magazine, a sister publication to support the Android community. David is also the “Chief Executive Wizard” of MagWizard Software. MagWizard revolutionizes the magazine ad sales process by automating many of the administrative tasks. He graduated cum laude from Maharishi University of Management in 2007 with a BA in Business.
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Sarah Vigmostad, Science / Medicine (1997)
Dr. Sarah C. Vigmostad brings to Maharishi School the scientist’s intellect.
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From the University of Iowa, she has earned a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering (2007), an M.S. in Biomedical Engineering (2003), and in 2001 a Bachelor of Science degree in the same area. Dr. Vigmostad is currently an assistant professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Iowa, where she has taught since 2008.
Dr. Vigmostad not only teaches; she is also active in scientific and medical research. Her research area is computational biomechanics, focusing on developing and applying computational methodologies for the study of disease formation and progression, improving disease treatment options and prosthetic device designs, and identifying biomechanics-related risk factors for diseases. Her research in these areas has been published in professional journals and books.
Dr. Vigmostad has been a speaker, organizer, and instructor in workshops and seminars. She was a facilitator for a Learning through Games workshop this summer at the University of Iowa. She has lectured as an invited speaker at Penn State University, the University of Ohio, the University of Pittsburgh, and for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Dr. Vigmostad has organized and led several Flipping the Classroom workshops at the University of Iowa–and also one for the Maharishi School faculty in 2013.
Dr. Vigmostad has received numerous awards and honors. Her awards include the James L. Murray Award (2014), given to one UI tenure-track faculty member for demonstrating outstanding rapport with students and creating an exemplary classroom atmosphere; she also received in 2013 the University of Iowa College of Engineering Outstanding Teacher Award. As a student, her awards included first place for the US National Congress on Computational Mechanics Ph.D. Student Competition, Biotechnology Division in 2007.
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Donielle Freeberg, Education (2006)
In May of 2009, Donielle Freeberg received a life-changing phone call. On the other end of the line was David Lynch, declaring, “You’re going to become a Transcendental Meditation teacher and move to Los Angeles.”
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Within 9 months Donielle had graduated from Maharishi University with a degree in Communications and Media, completed her TM Teacher Training Course, and moved to Los Angeles to start the first David Lynch Foundation “Quiet Time” program. She has spent the past 5 years teaching TM at several schools, organizations, and a rescue shelter for child victims of prostitution.
davidlynchfoundation.org
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Christopher Hull, Government (1988)
Chris Hull, Ph.D. is CEO and Chairman of BlastRoots, Inc., which leverages technology and data to optimize advocacy and public affairs.
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Prior to founding BlastRoots, Chris Hull served as executive vice president for a high-end government relations strategy boutique, and was senior vice president and campaign manager, U.S. Public Affairs, for Hill & Knowlton. Over the past decade, he has run national, state, local and international issue campaigns for fortune 50 clients and the nation’s largest trade associations.
Before moving to public affairs, Chris held politics and policy positions, serving as a press secretary in the U.S. House of Representatives, a legislative assistant in the U.S. Senate, a communications aide in a national party committee, a researcher in a major think tank, and the majority staff director of a state Senate. He has a doctorate in government with distinction from Georgetown University and an undergraduate degree magna cum laude, also in government, from Harvard University, and is the author of Grassroots Rules, a book about the U.S. presidential nomination process published by Stanford University Press.
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Sarah Averbach, M.D. (1998)
Dr. Sarah H. Averbach is currently a Fellow of the Division of Family Planning at the University of California San Francisco School of Medicine.
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Prior to this position, she was an instructor on Harvard Medical Faculty, and prior to that she was the Coordinating Chief Resident at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology in Boston, Massachusetts, Harvard University. Sarah’s education and training include a BA degree, Third World Studies, magna cum laude, from the University of California, San Diego. She became a Doctor of Medicine at the University of California San Francisco School of Medicine, concentrating on Global Health. She is currently a fellow in Family Planning at UCSF and is earning her MS degree in Clinical Research from the UCSF Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics. Honors and awards received include the 2013 Harvard Medical School Humanitarianism in Medicine, and Chief Resident as a Teacher awards. Sarah has engaged in service work abroad in Nepal, Indonesia, Zimbabwe, and Uganda. Most of her work abroad now is connected to her research.
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Brook Hinchman, Business (2001)
Brook Hinchman is a Vice President at Oaktree Capital Management in Los Angeles, where he is an investment professional.
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Prior to joining Oaktree in 2010, he spent four years at Goldman, Sachs & Company as an investment banking analyst and then in the Merchant Banking Division focused on private equity investments. Brook received a B.B.A. degree in Finance from the Tippie College of Business, University of Iowa, where he was valedictorian.
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Jessica Hawthorn-Castro, Business (1997)
Jessica Hawthorne-Castro, Hawthorne Direct CEO, was named “2015 Female CEO of the Year in Advertising, Marketing and Public Relations” by the CEO World Awards.
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Representing the “next generation” of brand marketing experts, Hawthorne-Castro, based at the company’s headquarters in Los Angeles, oversees the agency’s position as a leader in accountable advertising. Prior to joining Hawthorne Direct, Hawthorne-Castro was a successful television literary agent with William Morris Endeavor, one of Hollywood’s top, full-service talent agencies representing writers, directors and producers for television. Jessica holds a magna cum laude Master of Business Administration from Loyola Marymount University, with a double emphasis in management and marketing. She also holds a cum laude Bachelor degree from UCLA’s School of Arts and Architecture.
www.HawthorneDirect.com
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Emily Marcus, M.D. (2000)
Emily Marcus, M.D., completed medical school at Johns Hopkins University to become a “hospitalist,” a doctor who works exclusively in hospitals.
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She earned a bachelor’s degree in holistic medicine at MUM in 2004. After graduating, she worked in a genetics lab in Iowa City and then started a two-year post-baccalaureate pre-med program at University of Iowa before being accepted at Johns Hopkins University Medical School. Her residency in internal medicine was at New York Presbyterian Hospital, Memorial Sloan Kettering, and at the primary care clinic in Queens during and as part of her residency. Dr. Marcus is currently an internist in Baltimore, Maryland, Mercy Medical Center, and also teaches students and medical residents from the University of Maryland Medical School.
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Ben E. Kaplan, Entrepreneur (2000)
Ben Kaplan is the president of Imagine Nation/Books Are Fun, which is the largest display marketing company in the world.
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He was the Chief Operations Officer and Executive Director prior to his current position. Ben is also managing partner of River North Investment Partners and Co-owner of Oak at Fourteenth in Boulder, Colorado. Ben’s education includes attending Maharishi University of Management and the University of Iowa’s Tippie School of Business, where he graduated with high honors with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree, also earning an Entrepreneurial Certificate. He is a member of the Colorado chapter of YPO (the Young Presidents’ Organization), which connects young chief executives around a shared mission of improving leadership through education and idea exchange. In 2014, Ben was appointed a member of the Maharishi School Board of Directors.
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Heather Chase, Author / Humanitarian (1990)
Heather Chase is the co-author of Great Peacemakers, winner of 38 book awards and endorsed by 3 presidents and 3 Nobel Peace Prize winners.
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Telling the inspiring true life stories of 20 great peacemakers from around the world, the book is used in programs from middle school through graduate school in the U.S. and abroad. Director of research for Near Bridge, Inc., Heather co-creates educational programs for an array of organizations, including several Fortune 500 companies, on topics from generational diversity to life-changing insights of great peacemakers. Heather is also the author of Beauty without the Beasts: a Guide to Cruelty-Free Personal Care and was the founder of Models with Conscience, an international group of models dedicated to promoting animal-friendly products and causes. She has received a Maharishi Award for World Peace, a Positive Notes Award from the Earth Island Journal, and a Giraffe Award for “sticking her neck out for the common good.”
www.greatpeacemakers.com
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Jennie Rothenberg Gritz, Media/Journalism (1993)
Jennie Rothenberg Gritz has been a senior editor at The Atlantic since 2005.
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She was previously a senior editor at Moment magazine and has written for The Chicago Tribune and other publications. An essay of hers appeared in the Lonely Planet travel writing anthology The Kindness of Strangers. A graduate of MUM and the UC Berkeley school of journalism, she now lives in Washington, D.C., with her husband, fellow MSAE alum Jonathan Gritz, and their two children, Zander and Sophie.
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Anna Bruen, Sustainability (2004)
Anna Bruen has been active in business and community sustainability projects in Iowa over the last ten years.
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She is currently a Project Director focusing on resource conservation and community development. Her civic engagement includes being a board member of the Women, Food, and Agriculture Network; a member of Fairfield’s Go Green Commission; and a co-founder of a Young Professionals Network. From 2011 – 2013, Anna worked with the City of Fairfield, Alliant Energy, and Iowa State University Extension and Outreach as the Hometown Rewards Project Coordinator. The program engaged 50% of the greater Fairfield community and resulted in an overall 8.5% reduction in citywide energy use, saving more than $1 million in utility bills. She received a B.S. degree from Maharishi University of Management in Sustainable Living and two graduate degrees from Iowa State University, an M.S. in Sustainable Agriculture and a Masters of Community and Regional Planning. In 2014, Anna was appointed a member of the Maharishi School Board of Directors.
https://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=53158964&trk=nav_responsive_tab_profile
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Adam Steck, Entrepreneur / Entertainment (1988)
With over 20 years of experience, Adam Steck, the founder and CEO of SPI Entertainment, Inc., is one of the preeminent theatrical producers and talent agents in the entertainment industry.
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Under his guidance SPI Entertainment, Inc., currently produces eight award-winning shows in Las Vegas and two touring shows in America and beyond. Clients have included some of the world’s greatest talent, including Bob Dylan; Crosby, Stills & Nash; Mike Tyson; Tina Turner; Liza Minelli; Meat Loaf; Human Nature; and, most recently, The Jacksons. He has also secured exclusive engagements for artists that include Andrew Dice Clay, Sylvia Browne, Jon Lovitz, and Boyz II Men. He has produced resident shows on the Las Vegas Strip, including “The Australian Bee Gees Show” and in 2013 “Smokey Robinson Presents Human Nature—The Motown Show.” In 2013, Adam introduced a new show concept to the Las Vegas entertainment scene called Rocktellz & Cocktails, presenting musical artists in a more intimate setting where they tell stories, answer questions, and perform their original songs. He debuted this concept with the musician Meat Loaf and has also signed The Jacksons for the show. 2013 also marked the most important production of Adam’s career. On October 12 he and his wife Bri welcomed beautiful daughter Sloan to the world.
www.SPIentertainment.com
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Jenna Riegel, Performing Arts (1997)
Jenna Riegel received a B.A. in Theatre Arts from MUM. She also earned an M.F.A. in Dance Performance from the University of Iowa.
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A New York-based dancer, performer and teacher since 2007, Jenna has performed with prestigious companies, including David Dorfman Dance, Alexandra Beller/ Dances and Bill Young/ Colleen Thomas & Company. Jenna currently tours nationally and internationally with the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company. She has performed in many New York City venues, including Brooklyn Academy of Music, The Joyce Theater, Danspace at St. Marks Church, and New York Live Arts. Jenna has taught Master Classes in Contemporary Technique in New York at The Joffrey Ballet School, Gina Gibney Dance Center, and 100 Grand Dance. In addition, she has taught classes at The Juilliard School, Bard College, Barnard College, SUNY Purchase, the University of Iowa, and at festivals around the world, such as the New York University’s Tisch Summer Dance Festival and festivals in St. Petersburg, Russia; Bytom, Poland; and Krasnoyarsk, Siberia.
http://www.newyorklivearts.org/company/performers.php
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Brian Butterfield, Education / Architecture (2000)
Brian Butterfield has worked in the fields of architecture and design in varying capacities for the past ten years.
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Prior to founding MAKE | WORK he worked for the award winning office of Della Valle Bernheimer Architects (now Bernheimer Architecture, and Alloy Development) of Brooklyn, New York, on a variety of residential projects, including two that won AIA NY honors. Brian is currently a Senior Exhibition Designer at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Previously he was the Director of Exhibitions at The Yale School of Architecture. He has organized the original exhibitions Palladio Virtuel, which received a Graham Foundation grant; Massimo Scolari: The Representation of Architecture, which received a Turner Foundation grant; as well as the installation of The Piranesi Variations at the Venice Architecture Biennale of 2012, which also received a Graham Foundation grant. At Yale Brian teaches a course on furniture design and fabrication as well as design studios at the graduate level. Most recently he taught a studio with British architect David Adjaye that looked at contemporary factory models for the rapidly modernizing garment industry in Bangladesh. Brian earned a Bachelors degree in Architecture from Washington University in St. Louis in 2004 and a Masters degree in Architecture from the Yale School of Architecture in 2011.
http://architecture.yale.edu/faculty/brian-butterfield
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Justin Silverman, Entrepreneur (1998)
Justin Silverman in 2008 co-founded JustBrand Limited with his cousin Brandon.
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JustBrand is now the parent company for TheWarmingStore.com and MyCoolingStore.com, which specialize in the niche markets of battery heated clothing and personal cooling products. Their efforts have now expanded to six websites, a retail store, and featured presentations in retail stores nationwide. All started by “two cousins who did not like the cold,” the business has become one of the largest online retailers of heated clothing, winter apparel, and outdoor sporting goods. A family-operated business, Justin was joined in the business two years ago by his brother Zach (MSAE 2002). Justin earned his Bachelor’s degree in Business Management & Marketing from the University of Iowa in 2004.
www.TheWarmingStore.com
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Justin Cutter, Sustainability (2002)
Justin Cutter is the originator of the Compass Green Project (along with alumnus Nick Runkle, 2003), a “school garden on wheels,” a fully functional greenhouse built in the back of an 18-foot box truck powered by waste vegetable oil, used to teach farming skills and raise awareness on sustainability.
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Prior to Compass Green, Justin was on Purusha for three years, worked as a sailor on a schooner in Hawaii, and was Co-Director of Programs in Japan for the David Lynch Foundation. In 2009 and 2010, Justin helped found the Green Belt Team for teaching Biointensive sustainable farming in developing nations. In 2014 Compass Green was featured on the Disney Channel and highlighted in Sunset Magazine.
http://compassgreenproject.org/
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Bimba Shrestha, Computer Science (2015)
Bimba Shrestha garnered many science and technology awards during high school, including the Forward Thinker Award at the INTEL International Science and Engineering Fair.
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Mr. Shrestha is continuing his studies in computer science at the University of North Carolina, where he earned a full scholarship. In the future he hopes to use science and computer technology to assist the visually impaired.
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