Join GS alumni working in the field of technology as they discuss their career paths, their time at Columbia, and their best advice for those pursuing jobs in technology.
Dinner will be provided.
Alumni Panelists
Dan Burkhardt '18GS
Dan Burkhardt is a software engineer and entrepreneur currently working at IBM leading engineering and technical teams in the development of global HR platforms. He founded GigabiteLabs in 2018 developing indie mobile applications, and has since branched out to developing platforms for startups and public sector clients. Dan attended GS from 2014-2018 majoring in Information Science with a concentration in Computer Science Applications in Government. He served as the Vice President of Columbia Milvets, Treasurer of the Columbia Democrats, and is a proud US Air Force Veteran. Dan lives in NYC with his wife Cassie and their cat Spinx.
Sam Hughes '17GS
Sam is a Sales Leader at IBM, where he helps design and provides technical solutions to Distribution and Industrial Clients in the Southeast across IBM's hardware, software, and cloud offerings. Before joining IBM, Sam was with Deutsche Bank, where he created and provided strategies to mitigate and hedge their FX risk, and then moved to the Investment Bank, where he provided clients with strategies to protect against corporate activists. Sam is currently working on his MBA at Columbia Business School with a focus on technology and entrepreneurship. Sam served in the US Air Force and is a 2017 graduate of Columbia GS with a BA in History.
Ethan Nam '12GS
Ethan Nam is a GS’12 alumnus who majored in computer science. He currently works at Amazon Web Services as a member of the fraud prevention team. Prior to this, he worked at Amazon Fashion Innovation Tech where he helped launch virtual try-on for shoes, and at Raytheon Technologies where his team used machine learning to predict hardware failure in industrial aircraft.
Kiara Reed '11GS
Born and raised in Queens Village, NY, Kiara Reed is a resident of Harlem where she enjoys cooking, cycling, and spending time with family and friends. Inspired by her childhood idol, Mayor David Dinkins, Kiara has always been passionate about public policy, leadership, and community service. She is a 2011 graduate of the School of General Studies and a 2016 graduate of SIPA and Columbia Business School. In addition to serving on the Board of Directors for the Columbia Alumni Association, she is on the board of 4A (African American Alumni Association) at CBS and is a member of the SIPA Alumni Association. Kiara leads product partnerships for Google Travel and previously held roles at Microsoft, JPMorgan, and Ralph Lauren. Kiara is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Citizens Committee for New York City, and a Young Patron of the Apollo Theater.
