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Dr. Karin Kimbrough served as Chief Economist at LinkedIn Corporation from 2020 to July 2026. Previously, she was Assistant Treasurer for Corporate Finance at Google and Managing Director and Head of Macroeconomic Policy at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. Earlier in her career, she held leadership roles at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and worked as an Economist and Strategist at Morgan Stanley in London and New York.
Kimbrough holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Stanford University, a master’s degree in public policy from Harvard Kennedy School, and a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Oxford. She has served on the boards of Fannie Mae, the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, and Bread Financial Holdings.
Jennifer Dios is a Fall 2017 Braven alumna who graduated from Rutgers University-Newark and New Jersey Institute of Technology with a Bachelors degree in Computer Science and concentrations in Mathematics and Social Justice. During her time at Rutgers Newark & NJIT, she was a member of the inaugural cohort of the Honors Living Learning Community (HLLC) and a founder of their Student Council. She was also a member of the Garden State – Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation. Jennifer also gained international experience with a Data Science internship with Quicket while taking courses in South Africa during a study abroad program with University of Cape Town & University of Virginia. She then graduated with Latin Honors Cum Laude and was awarded the Braven Live Your Legacy Award, the Clement A. Price HLLC Legacy Award, and the HLLC: Individual Care in the Community Award. She is a first generation college graduate in her family and a proud Newark native.
After graduating, Jennifer landed an opportunity with Deloitte Consulting LLP as her first strong job out of college. She is currently a Delivery Management Engineer III with the firm in the Government Public Service practice, specializing in implementing large-scale software applications in the healthcare domain. She actively engages with the Braven community as a mentor for alumni at Deloitte and a volunteer for local Braven events. She strives to make an impact in her community, with mentorship at the forefront of all her endeavors and volunteering for many organizations like Braven, GirlsWhoCode, and ALPFA.
Eric J. Gertler is a recognized leader across the business, government, and nonprofit sectors. He is a media executive, technology entrepreneur, former public servant, investor, author, and philanthropist.
Eric serves as Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of U.S. News & World Report, where he oversees the editorial and business operations of the digital media company. He has held this role since 2015, with the exception of a sabbatical during which he served in the New York State government.
From 2019 to 2021, Eric served as Commissioner, President & CEO Designate of Empire State Development, New York State’s principal economic development agency. Previously, he served as Executive Vice President of the New York City Economic Development Corporation and Managing Director of the Center for Economic Transformation under multiple mayoral administrations.
Eric serves on the boards of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and the Zuckerman Family Foundation and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and Young Presidents’ Organization. He is a frequent speaker and moderator at leading industry and international events, including the Milken Global Conference, Aspen Ideas Festival, and World Economic Forum.
In 2025, Eric was honored as a “Gotham Great” by Citizens Union and named an Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2025 Award Winner by Ernst & Young.
Harrison Keller serves as the 17th president of the University of North Texas, the third-largest university in Texas and flagship of the UNT System. Since assuming the role in August 2024, he has focused on advancing student success and elevating UNT’s national profile in academic and research excellence.
A recognized leader in higher education policy and innovation, Keller most recently served as Commissioner of Higher Education and CEO of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, where he led statewide efforts to improve college readiness and student outcomes, particularly for low-income and first-generation students.
Previously, he held multiple leadership roles at the University of Texas at Austin, including Deputy to the President for Strategy and Policy and Vice Provost for Higher Education Policy and Research. His career also includes experience in state government and teaching roles at Georgetown University, St. Edward’s University, and UT Austin.
Keller earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame and his master’s and Ph.D. in philosophy from Georgetown University. He also served as an intelligence officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve for a decade. He and his wife, Gena, have three children.
Dr. Tonya Smith-Jackson, PhD, CPE, Chancellor of Rutgers University–Newark, is an industrial and systems engineer with extensive academic leadership experience. Formerly Provost at North Carolina A&T State University, she has also served in industry and government, including at the National Science Foundation, as well as other universities and community colleges in NC, NY, VA and Germany. A Fellow of the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers and the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, she has directed research labs and centers focused on human factors in human-computer interaction, and human-systems design and evaluation for accessibility, consumer products, healthcare, construction, transportation, and communication technologies.
