Conference Organizers

Michael Ruderman
Michael Ruderman is a Manager in the Corporate Strategy and Development group at Hewlett-Packard in Palo Alto, California. At HP, he works on small teams to handle some of the most important strategic issues facing the world’s largest technology company, including a redesign of the global supply chain and a clean sheet software strategy. He previously served as an Associate in the group. Prior to joining HP, Mr. Ruderman was a Business Analyst at McKinsey&Company in New York City, where he worked across industries and functions and worked with clients in locations as varied as Toronto, Mexico City, and Geneva. He was also a Summer Analyst on the fixed income and equity trading floors at Goldman Sachs.

Mr. Ruderman graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Brown University in 2007 where he double-concentrated in Economics and Public Policy. He also graduated Magna Cum Laude and was inducted into the Economics Honor Society. At Brown, he was the founder and Editor-in-Chief of the Brown Policy Review, a student academic publication. He attended Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts. He serves as Executive Director of the Out for Undergraduate Business Conference, overseeing all aspects of conference planning. He currently lives in San Francisco.
Garrett Hall
Garrett Hall is an associate on the secondary private equity investments team at AlpInvest Partners where he is responsible for the investment and monitoring of a €4 billion secondary fund. With over €40 billion under management, AlpInvest Partners is the leading independent private equity investment manager in the world. Previously he was an analyst in the Consumer, Healthcare, Retail group in J.P. Morgan’s Investment Bank. In the fall of 2010, he will matriculate to Harvard Business School.

Mr. Hall graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2006 where he majored in Business at the Kenan-Flagler Business School. At UNC, he was a Carolina Scholar and was awarded the Hampton Shuping prize which is given to a single senior who excels in academics, integrity and leadership and shows concern for ethical management. Mr. Hall is the Chairman of the Out for Undergraduate Business Conference and is an active member of a number of other community organizations. Mr. Hall lives in New York City with his partner Zachary Howell who is a Development Officer at Columbia University.
Peter Hart
Peter Hart is an Associate in the Chicago office of the Boston Consulting Group where he works with his clients to solve some of their most challenging strategy questions. He spends the majority of his time in the financial services practice area primarily advising banks, hedge funds, and asset managers. Prior to joining BCG, Mr. Hart worked as a summer analyst for two years at Excel marketing partners, a boutique sales and marketing consulting firm.

Mr. Hart graduated with high honors from Indiana University, where he received a Bachelor of Science in Business with concentrations in Finance, Entrepreneurship, and Real Estate. During his freshman year at IU, he founded Everest Real Estate L.L.C, which owns and operates a portfolio of five residential properties in Bloomington, Indiana. He serves as the Chair of the Programming Committee for the Out for Undergraduate Business Conference and serves actively on an advisory board for ACCION USA, a leading US micro finance lender to small business and micro entrepreneurs. He currently lives in Chicago, IL and in his free time, enjoys cycling, traveling, and playing guitar hero on expert.
Doug Weiss
Doug Weiss is a McKinsey Fellow with the Civic Consulting Alliance, helping to develop and implement the strategy behind the Chicago Climate Action Plan. Working closely with leaders in city government, the civic community, and the private sector, the Chicago Climate Action Plan works to define specific actions to make Chicago the most sustainable municipality in the country. Mr. Weiss joins the Civic Consulting Alliance after two and a half years in the Chicago office of McKinsey&Company, where he was a Climate Change Fellow and a Business Analyst. Aside from extensive work helping clients become leaders in addressing climate change, he worked on high-level strategy projects in the retail, telecom, financial services, and automotive industries.

Mr. Weiss graduated from the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill in 2007, majoring in Business and International Relations with a minor in Biology. At UNC, he was highly active in social justice causes, helping to found an environmental student group that combined environmental service with international grassroots community-building. In addition, he did extensive research on how social entrepreneurship can help communities affected by HIV, with field research in Europe, Asia, and Africa. Outside of client work, Mr. Weiss has been heavily involved in LGBT recruiting for McKinsey’s Midwest region and has helped shape the Business Analyst program to be a more comprehensive experience outside of the office. He serves as co-chair of the Marketing Committee of the Out for Undergraduate Business Conference.
Luke Cohler
Luke Cohler is an Associate Consultant in the São Paulo Office of Bain&Company. In his two years at the Firm, Mr. Cohler has worked on a wide variety of cases for companies in the financial services, chemicals, and consumer packaged goods industries in such geographies as New York City, Brussels, and Montreal. Prior to his relocation to São Paulo, Mr. Cohler worked in Bain’s New York City Office, where he also partook in the Associate Consultant Intern Program in the summer of 2007.

Mr. Cohler graduated from Princeton University in May 2008, where he concentrated in the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs and obtained a certificate from the Program in Latin American Studies. He was awarded the Stanley J. Stein Senior Thesis Prize in Latin American Studies for his senior thesis entitled “Para inglês ver? An Evaluation of Urban Planning Policies in Curitiba, Brazil” and was a member of the Omicron Epsilon Chapter of the Zeta Psi Fraternity of North America and the Ivy Club. He serves as co-chair of the Marketing Committee of the Out for Undergraduate Business Conference. A native of New York City, he is also an avid SCUBA diver, foreign language enthusiast, and amateur squash player.
Alex Kelston
Alex Kelston is an Analyst at Goldman Sachs in New York on the Investor Relations team in the Executive Office. He joined Goldman in June 2008 in the Global Macro and Markets Research group, where he collaborated with an international team of economists to develop the firm's global economic views and forecasts. The research group's viewpoints on topics such as the global recession and the rise of the emerging markets are followed by institutional investors, governments, corporations, and other clients as well as in the media. Prior to Goldman, he worked for Cornerstone Research, an economic consulting firm, where he provided economic analysis for complex commercial litigation.

Mr. Kelston graduated Tufts University in 2007 summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa with bachelor degrees in Quantitative Economics and Philosophy. At Tufts, he was a founding board member of the Tufts Financial Group, which started the university's first student-run investment fund. He also spent two terms at Oxford University as a visiting student of Christ Church College. He is on the Junior Advisory Committee for the LGBT employee network at Goldman Sachs and has helped organize various events and programs, including those for Pride Month 2009. Outside of work, he is a junior board member of the Hetrick-Martin Institute, home of the Harvey Milk High School, and has worked with Out&Equal as well as the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC). He serves as chair of the Community Committee for the Out for Undergraduate Business Conference. Additionally, he has been an avid player in the New York Gay Football League for five consecutive seasons.
Aaron McCullough
Aaron McCullough is an Associate in the Investment Banking Division at Morgan Stanley in New York. At Morgan Stanley, he has advised on some of the largest transactions of the last 2 years, including the $37.3Bn Comcast Entertainment Group joint venture, the $2.2Bn IPO of Verisk Analytics, and the $2.4Bn acquisition of IKON Office Solutions by Ricoh Company. He currently supports the Co-President of Institutional Securities and is responsible for all analysis performed by IBD Management, including competitive market and wallet share benchmarking as well as forecasting of all revenues and expenses. He will join the Corporate FX Derivatives group in the summer.

Mr. McCullough graduated from Bowdoin College in 2007 where he majored in Economics. At Bowdoin, he was a Sarah and James Bowdoin Scholar and was awarded the Paul H. Douglas Prize for outstanding scholarship in economics. Additionally, he rowed on the Varsity Lightweight Crew Team all four years at Bowdoin and has played in the New York Gay Football League for four consecutive seasons. He serves as co-chair of the Sponsorship Committee of the Out for Undergraduate Business Conference.
Brooke Stoddard
Brooke Robert Stoddard is an Associate at Goldman Sachs in New York. He joined the firm as an Analyst in Mortgages Structuring&Analytics in 2006 and joined the Mortgage Trading desk as an Associate in 2009. His team manages a portfolio of distressed residential mortgages. As an active member of the Goldman Sachs LGBT Network, he founded the Junior Advisory Committee and organized the LGBT Network Leadership Conference (for 75 attendees) in 2009. He also mentors LGBT Summer Analysts.

Mr. Stoddard graduated from Princeton University in 2005 with an A.B. in History. He was a violinist in the Princeton University Orchestra for four years, performing on international tours to Portugal, Austria, and the Czech Republic. He was also a member of the University Press Club, a highly selective group of undergraduate journalists who write professionally for national and local newspapers and magazines. He serves as co-chair of the Sponsorship Committee for the Out for Undergraduate Business Conference.
Jeffrey Kern
Jeffrey Kern is an Analyst in BlackRock’s Global Client Group. He joined the investment management firm in September 2009 and works on a cross-functional team that acts as a liaison between the company’s Portfolio Management Group and institutional account managers. At BlackRock, Mr. Kern sits on the New York Giving and Volunteering Committee, responsible for managing philanthropy activities for the company in the New York City metropolitan area. Prior to starting at BlackRock, Mr. Kern also held several international summer internships, aiding with business development for firms in Mexico and China. He also served as a summer analyst at SunTrust Robinson Humphrey, an Atlanta-based middle market investment bank, on the foreign exchange sales and trading desk.

Mr. Kern graduated from Emory’s Goizueta Business School in June 2009 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration, concentrating in finance. At Emory, Mr. Kern was the president of the undergraduate business school’s student-run honor council and co-chair of the university’s crisis counseling line. He also served as an executive board member for Goizueta Investors and pursued his interest in sailing as the president of Emory’s sailing club. In his spare time, Mr. Kern enjoys traveling internationally, skiing, and running. He serves as Chair of the Admission and Scholarship Committee for the Out for Undergraduate Business Conference.