CHICAGO FIELD STUDIES

Employer Advisory Board

• Create a community of employers to share ideas, build best practices, and network
• Improve Northwestern undergraduate students’ internship experiences across all internships by:
  • Consulting with new and existing employers
  • Developing and executing employer standards and expectations for CFS employers
  • Sharing employer best practice videos to educate and highlight strategies for creating mutually beneficial (student and employer) internship experiences
• Provide perspective and advice to CFS staff on issues related to the CFS program and its continual improvement
• Expand the number and breadth of CFS employer partners through outreach and special events

Bobby Achettu

Founder and CEO of Accelerated Growth

bachettu@acceleratedgrowth.com
Bobby founded Accelerated Growth (AG) to help entrepreneurial organizations drive sustainable growth. He and his 60+ person team have led finance and technology transformations within 300+ companies in multiple industries over the past 10 years. Bobby has led buy side and sell side diligence on M&A deals ranging in size from $500k to $500MM. He is a Director on 4 corporate boards, and 2 non-profit boards. Prior to AG, Bobby worked within portfolio company strategy/operations at a Chicago based private equity firm, within PwC’s consulting practice, and for a Fortune 100 organization.  Bobby holds a Bachelor’s Degree from DePaul University, an MBA from the University of Notre Dame, and is an Adjunct Faculty Member at Northwestern University where he teaches within the Chicago Field Studies Program.

Eileen Dominic

Senior Operations Manager, The Graide Network

eileen@thegraidenetwork.com
Eileen has been with The Graide Network since 2017. The Graide Network connects K-12 teachers with qualified, on-demand teaching assistants to grade and provide personalized, actionable, and timely feedback on student writing. This gives students more opportunities for meaningful writing and revision, allows teachers to reinvest time in high-impact instructional work, and provides teachers and school leaders with objective class- and student-level data.  Prior to Graide, Eileen worked at Citizen Schools for close to four years, first as a school-based AmeriCorps National Teaching Fellow, then managing operations for the Illinois Regional Office.  Eileen graduated from Northwestern University in 2013 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication Studies.  

Mickey Jiang

Vice President, Shore Capital Partners, LLC

mjiang@shorecp.com
Mickey is a Vice President at Shore Capital, having first started at the firm in 2013 as a CFS intern. Mickey has been leading the internship program for the past five years and has helped select, train, and mentor students interested in private equity.   Mickey graduated from Northwestern University in 2014 with a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematical Methods in the Social Sciences and Economics. Outside of the office, Mickey serves on the Auxiliary Boards of the Art Institute of Chicago, Rush University Medical Center, and Launch U.

Deb Kerr

Executive Director, Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art

deb@art.org
For more than 25 years, Deb has served and consulted with museums, artists and clients to improve access, create safe space and enhance performance. Deb was Executive Vice President of the John G. Shedd Aquarium until 2010, and then founded and led YouthMuse, which advocates for youth engagement and jumpstarts youth-led, museum-based campaigns for change. Since 2014, Deb has been leading Intuit with the goal to serve as a model in the international museum community. Intuit mounts important and expectation-breaking exhibitions of outsider and self-taught art. Additionally, she leverages the exhibitions to spark dialogue within communities and among audiences about issues of social justice, environment, spirituality or creativity. Deb works to demonstrate to all audiences that museum experiences are for them, not just for some. And, finally, Deb is a leader in the movement of museum as forum—a gathering place and community catalyst for good.  Deb has taught museum management at Northwestern University’s School of Professional Studies since 2005. She graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a degree in Journalism.

Iftikhar Khan

Director of Business Strategy, Graystone Consulting, A Business of Morgan Stanley

Iftikhar.Khan@msgraystone.com
With over 24 years of field leadership and managerial experience, Iftikhar Khan is Vice President and Director of Business Strategy at the Chicago Office of Graystone Consulting. An important member of the Group’s Leadership Team, Iftikhar is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the team, including human resources, compliance, business management, and client reporting, talent management and development.  Prior to joining Graystone Consulting, Iftikhar was Vice President and Regional Administrative Manager of the Mid America Private Banking and Investment Group at Merrill Lynch. He also served as the Mid America Market Global Institutional Consulting Group’s liaison. He is an accomplished Compliance and Risk Executive with extensive experience in staff management, human resources, operations, auditing, talent acquisition and vendor/client relations. He is an outstanding strategist, who has been recognized for conducting detailed operational evaluations to identify, develop and implement initiatives that improve efficiency and maximize profitability.  Iftikhar holds a certificate from Dale Carnegie in Human Relations, Communications and Leadership Skills. He graduated with a B.A. in Economics from the University of Colorado’s  School of Business and earned a B.S. in Finance from the Metropolitan State University. Iftikhar holds Series 7, 9, 10, 31 and 66 securities licenses.

Jill Meier

National Director, Client Services Professional, Goldman Sachs & Co., Lookingglass Theater, Board Vice President, Development Committee Chair

Jill served on the CFS Employer Advisory Board in 2018 and 2019, and Jill has been providing helpful guidance and ideas to the CFS team for many years. Jill has worked with the Consumer & Investment Management Division of Goldman Sachs for decades, leading, influencing and guiding investment management professionals and their clients.  Jill received her B.A., summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, from the University of Minnesota. She is a member of the Goldman Sachs Chicago Women’s Network and is an active member in the Illinois Theatre Association. Prior to her corporate life, Jill picked up grant writing skills with Manhattan Punch Line, an off–Broadway NYC theatre and worked on new play development at the Cricket Theatre in Minneapolis.

Shane Mertz

Financial Analyst, Goldman Sachs & Co

Shane earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from Northwestern University in 2015, and completed Northwestern’s Russell Fellows Master of Science in Management Studies Program at Kellogg School of Management in 2017.  While at Northwestern, he interned with DiMeo Schneider & Associates.  Shane was also a starter for Northwestern’s Football team, and he mentored other student athletes throughout his time at Northwestern.  He was awarded Academic All Big­‐Ten Honors in 2012 and 2013.

Jeff Schmidt

Executive Managing Director, CDI Global B.V. and Regional Managing Director, CDI Global North America

jeff.schmidt@cdiglobal.com
Jeff Schmidt holds a B.S. degree in General Engineering with Highest Distinction from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, and an M.B.A. degree from Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts. Jeff joined CDI Global from Towers Perrin (now Willis Towers Watson) where he was the Managing Director for Strategy and Organization consulting services. He was also member of that firm’s Board of Directors and Executive Committee and served as the firm’s Chief Innovation Officer. Previously, he was Vice President of Cresap, McCormick & Paget, an international business strategy consulting firm.  Jeff has 30 years’ experience in management consulting, company search, teaching and research. He is an expert on growth strategies and their implementation through business combinations. He is a past member of the SHRM Foundation Thought Leaders and the Council on Foreign Relations. He has been an adjunct professor at the University of Colorado Graduate School of Public Administration and a member of the Committee on Corporate Development at the Graduate School of Business of the University of Chicago. He serves as a member of the Advisory Board for Northwestern University’s Chicago Field Studies internship program.  Jeff has published more than 50 articles in management and professional journals and is the primary author of a book on mergers and acquisitions.

Yllka Seseri

Partner, Davidson & Seseri, Informed Immigration Law

ys@dsvisalaw.com
Yllka Seseri is a partner at Davidson & Seseri, a full-service immigration and nationality law firm located in Chicago, Illinois. Ms. Seseri represents a wide variety of corporate and individual clients throughout the United States and internationally. She received her J.D. from Chicago-Kent College of Law in 2010, and has extensive experience providing clients with strategically planned legal solutions in complex immigration matters. Ms. Seseri is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) and the International Network of Boutique and Independent Law Firms (INBLF). She has served on the Office of the Chief Counsel Liaison Committee. Since 2018, she has been the Co-Chair of the AILA Litigation Committee. In addition, Ms. Seseri is Secretary of the Board of ImmSchools, an immigrant-led nonprofit organization that works to ensure immigrant and undocumented students thrive in the K-12 education system, and serves on the Career Field Studies Employer Advisory Board at Northwestern University. Speaking engagements nationwide have included topics such as permanent residency, naturalization, employment, asylum, deferred action for childhood arrivals (DACA), presidential executive actions impacting immigration processes in the U.S., court representation, and evolving case law. Super Lawyers, Emerging Lawyers, Who’s Who Legal, as well as Top 40 Under 40 by National Advocates have recognized Ms. Seseri for her distinguished practice and accomplishments in the field of immigration law.