New CAA Board Members for 2026-2027

Elena is an independent marketing consultant, providing strategic marketing services to both large organizations and start-up businesses. Elena has over 25 years of experience in strategy consulting and brand management in both Business to Business and Consumer Packaged Goods companies. Her prior experience includes advising clients at Mitchell Madison Group in New

York City and leading brand teams and initiatives at The Campbell Soup Company and the Consumer Division at Georgia-Pacific. Elena holds a BA in Economics and Operations Research from Columbia College at Columbia

University and an MBA in Marketing from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. She is President of the Columbia Club of Atlanta and a board member and treasurer of Georgia CASA (Court-Appoint Special Advocacy). In her spare time, Elena enjoys trying new restaurants with her husband, Steven Liu, and their two sons, reading, and listening to podcasts while jogging around Chastain Park in Atlanta.

Eric M. Garcetti is Ambassador for Global Climate Diplomacy for C40 Cities, leading international climate negotiations on behalf of cities, states, and regions worldwide, most recently at the United Nations Climate Conference (COP30) in Brazil. An expert in energy, cities, global relations, and technology, he advises government leaders, companies, and CEOs on transforming how we move, power, and shape the future.

From 2023 to 2025, Garcetti served as the 26th U.S. Ambassador to India, leading America’s second-largest diplomatic mission and advancing record gains in trade, visas, student exchanges, defense cooperation, and health and climate partnerships between the world’s two largest democracies. His innovative social media engagement in India drew praise for its humor, warmth, and ability to highlight deepening bilateral ties.

After 12 years on the Los Angeles City Council, he was elected in 2013 as the youngest mayor in city history and reelected in 2017 by a record margin. As mayor, he oversaw the safest decade in modern city history, record job growth and business formation, and Los Angeles’ largest-ever budget surplus. He secured the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games for Los Angeles and delivered major investments in transportation, water, and energy infrastructure. During his tenure, Los Angeles was named best-run city in America by Bloomberg What Works Cities, and Governing magazine named him Public Official of the Year.

An intelligence officer in the U.S. Navy for 12 years, Garcetti earned a BA as a John Joy Scholar at Columbia College and Master’s in International Affairs from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, and studied as a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford and the London School of Economics. He has been a fellow at Columbia and Oxford Universities, the Rockefeller Foundation, the Aspen Institute, and the Asia Society. He has studied and worked in Japan, Burma, India, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and the UK. He and his wife Amy Elaine Wakeland have one daughter and have been foster parents for more than a decade. He is a member of the Screen Actors Guild and an avid pianist/composer and published photographer.

Claudia Lam is a globally recognized leader in satellite operations, technology management, and strategic transformation, with more than two decades of experience leading mission-critical space and communications programs. She currently serves as Senior Director of Satellite Operations at SiriusXM, where she oversees the performance, reliability, and operational strategy of one of the nation’s most complex commercial satellite fleets. Her work spans next-generation satellite platforms, advanced automation for mission operations, and the integration of innovative technologies that enhance resilience and efficiency across the space industry. She has also led the application of advanced orbital design and operational strategies across multiple orbital regimes to enable specialized service delivery and meet unique mission requirements. 

Throughout her career, Claudia has been recognized for operational excellence, strategic foresight, and technical innovation. She is the recipient of multiple Apogee Awards and Columbia University’s 2017 Dean’s Excellence Award, and she is the inventor on a patent related to mitigating satellite attitude disturbances. Claudia has been deeply engaged with Columbia University for more than a decade. She served two full terms on the University’s Alumni Trustee Nominating Council as the first-ever representative from the School of Professional Studies, participating in the nomination of Trustees responsible for governing the University. She also served as an Associate Lecturer in the School of Professional Studies, teaching graduate-level courses in technology management, program leadership, and product realization.

In addition, Claudia serves as a CAA Scholarship Ambassador, providing structured mentorship to CAA Scholars, and has advised and mentored emerging technology executives in support of Columbia’s academic, professional, and leadership mission. She holds an Executive M.S. in Technology Management from Columbia University, is a Stanford Certified Project Manager, and earned a BS in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from New York University. She also maintains professional certifications in Scrum leadership, strategy, and executive management.

Delphine O’Rourke, JD, is a leading advocate for healthcare innovation, drives high impact deals across the health industry, and is a globally recognized thought leader in women’s health.

As CEO of Dotted, Inc., Delphine connects the dots to bring the right solutions, companies, and capital to solve major challenges in healthcare. Dotted, Inc. is a highly curated and relationship-centered advisory firm focused on mergers, acquisitions, and strategic partnerships. Delphine is also Managing Partner of 1928 LAW—a specialized corporate and health law firm serving visionary clients reimagining healthcare, with a particular focus on women’s health. She is also boldly transforming venture capital investment as an advisor to funds as well as a Partner with Portfolia—considered the most active venture capital investor in women’s health in the US. 

For over 20 years, Delphine has been a thought leader and subject matter expert on the healthcare industry and is committed to educating the next generation of leaders. She teaches the “The Business of Healthcare and the Law” at Columbia Law School and serves on the Board of the Columbia Law School Association. Lastly, Delphine recently launched and co-hosts a podcast, The Conversation Lounge, which engages listeners around business and investment at the intersection with sports, entertainment, healthcare, cultural shifts, and so much more. 

She is recognized by Best Lawyer in America, the Financial Times for her innovative practice, cited for her expertise by Forbes, Bloomberg, Modern Healthcare, Fierce Healthcare, Wharton Healthcare Quarterly, The National Law Journal, Law360, American Health Lawyers Association, and many more.  Delphine graduated from the Georgetown University, Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, cum laude, and from Columbia Law School, Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar. She clerked for the Honorable Legrome Davis of the US District Court for the Eastern District Pennsylvania and was a Research Associate for the Council on Foreign Relations.

She lives in the Philadelphia suburbs with her husband and their two sons.

Mr. Profestas is Head of Special Situations at Alta Fox Capital Management, LLC. Previously he worked at various investment funds such as Verition Fund Management LLC., Junson Capital, Litespeed Partners and Huff Asset Management, as well as in MUFG's Portfolio Management Group and Morgan Stanley's Fixed Income Division.

Mr. Profestas holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Boston University, a Diploma in Credit Analysis from New York University, an MBA in Finance from Cornell University, and an MPA in International Finance and Economic Policy from Columbia University.

He is a long-standing Columbia University alumnus with more than a decade of service across Columbia Business School (CBS), Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA), and the broader University community. His roles have included alumni service with the Columbia Student Investment Management Association at CBS; membership on the Board of Governors of the Columbia University Club of New York, including service as Treasurer; board service with the SIPA Alumni Association; leadership involvement in the Columbia Alumni Global Sustainability Network; and service on the University’s Advisory Committee on Socially Responsible Investing.

Chris Wiggins is an associate professor of applied mathematics at Columbia University and the Chief Data Scientist at The New York Times. At Columbia he is a founding member of the Executive Committee of the Data Science Institute, and of the Department of Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics as well as the Department of Systems Biology, and is affiliated faculty in Statistics. 

He is a co-founder and co-organizer of hackNY, a nonprofit which since 2010 has organized the hackNY Fellows Program, a structured summer internship at NYC startups. 

Prior to joining the faculty at Columbia he was a Courant Instructor at NYU (1998-2001) and earned his PhD at Princeton University (1993-1998) in theoretical physics. He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society and is a recipient of Columbia's Avanessians Diversity Award.

For over fifteen years, Henry has been volunteering at various international Columbia Alumni Associations: CAA Philippines, Beijing, Egypt, and Geneva. He currently serves the committee on CAA Hong Kong and as Vice-President for CAA South Korea.

Henry is committed to Columbia’s institutional growth. He serves on the boards of Columbia Pride and SIPA Alumni Association, chairs development for the Columbia Venture Community in APAC, and has been a member of the School of the Arts Dean’s Advisory Council since 2019.

A dedicated patron of the arts, Henry organizes film screenings, panel discussions, and contemporary art exhibitions. This year, in partnership with CAA Hong Kong, he made history by bringing the 37th Columbia University Film Festival to Hong Kong—marking its first-ever showcase in Asia.

Henry holds a doctoral degree in Economics from the University of the Chinese Academy of Social Science in Beijing. At 27, Henry co-founded South Korea's first carbon trading and renewable energy development joint venture with a publicly listed chemical conglomerate. Currently he is a strategic advisor guiding investment funds in fintech, biotech, and deep technology. Henry and his partner, a global health diplomat, met in New York in 2002. They live in Hong Kong with their two sons, Justin and Hunter.

Anne-Marie Wright Lampropoulos served as the Vice President of Corporate Communications for Merit Medical Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: MMSI) for 16 years, where she led investor relations and public relations for this worldwide company with more than 7,500 employees and a market cap of $5 billion. She also holds a U.S. patent on a medical device.  Earlier in her career, Lampropoulos served as Deputy Director of Communications for the New York City Council during then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s administration. 

She is the author of two published books, with a third currently in development, and has written for several newspapers, magazines, and professional journals. Her extensive board service includes OnSite Care, The Leonardo, Utah Symphony & Opera, Utah Shakespeare Festival, Hale Centre Theatre, Discovery Gateway, Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce, and KUED. She has also served as a trustee at Utah Valley University and the University of Utah. 

Lampropoulos was a member of the Republican National Committee for 8 years, serving on the Executive Committee, the Rules Committee, and the Presidential Debates Committee. She was also a candidate for the Utah House of Representatives. Lampropoulos earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Columbia University in 1989 and a master’s degree from the Columbia University School of Journalism in 1991. She has served on the Dean’s Alumnae Task Force and Alumni Advisory Board, spoken at the She Opened the Door event, and served for decades on the Alumni Representative Committee, interviewing applicants and acting as Region Chair.

She has three children, one of whom graduated from Columbia College in 2017, and she lives with her husband Fred in Salt Lake City.

Paul Yates is CFO of Altavian Inc., an engineering firm specializing in small unmanned aircraft systems for collecting data intelligence in the toughest commercial, civil, and defense environments. He also serves as a member of the board of directors for Praemittias Group, Inc., and is Founder and CEO of Cogent Risk, providing valuation and risk planning services to venture capital and private equity firms. Paul earned a BA in economics in 2005 from Columbia, graduating with honors and as a John Etling Scholar, and received an MBA from Columbia Business School in 2008.

Prior to attending Columbia, Paul served with the United States Naval Special Warfare Command from 1994-2002 as part of that Command’s Special Boat Teams, while also acting as an instructor and motivator. He went on to become a founding board member of the Combatant Craft Crewman Association in 2012.  

Paul has devoted a great deal of time to both GS and Columbia in general, especially regarding the representation of military veterans within the University. Paul co-founded the U.S. Military Veterans of Columbia University in 2011, and continues to serve the organization, having also been involved with the Military in Business Association. Furthermore, Paul currently serves as a member of the CAA Electoral Body, as he has done since 2014. He has also served as a member of the GSAA Recent Alumni Leadership Committee (RALC), the GS Leadership Volunteer Committee, and the GS Reunion Committee.