The Low Down

Jason Rizzi '14SPS gives fellow alumni an inside look at the 2016 Paralympic Games. 

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This episode is a little different. In honor of a marquee event that the Columbia Alumni Association (CAA) has coming up in October, we decided to gather some thoughts from prominent Columbia alumni about leadership. What it means to them, what makes a good leader, and how Columbia has contributed to the ability to lead. These are some of the many questions that alumni will consider when they attend the annual Columbia Alumni Leaders Weekend on October 7-9.

The weekend is a time for Columbia’s top alumni volunteers and leaders to convene and brainstorm exciting forms of alumni engagement and new ways of developing the next generation of volunteer leaders. Jam-packed with panel discussions and breakout sessions, it is the ultimate opportunity to meet and interact with Columbians from across the University and around the globe.

Check out some exciting upcoming events, interesting alumni profiles, and cool CAA swag in this week's Low Down round-up. 

Lena Gershkovich '11BUS currently serves as the COO of CultureHorde, a private arts club that makes accessible New York culture via partnerships from leading cultural institutions. At CultureHorde, Lena helps run the day-to-day business, focusing on event-curation, business strategy and partner relationship management. Before joining CultureHorde, Lena worked as a marketing professional on the agency, brand and media sides of the industry with companies such as Coca-Cola, L'Oreal, MetLife and Viacom. Lena's engagement with Columbia is not new; when Lena was pursuing her MBA, she was a member of the Columbia Business School community, served on the board of The Marketing Association of Columbia and Follies, and served as a Peer Advisor and Hermes representative. Along with her MBA from Columbia, Lena received her BA with honors from New York University.

Whether you are beginning your first week of classes at Columbia, or are reminiscing about your days of heading back to school, the CAA Shop has the perfect item for you.

Check out our top picks for back-to-school must-haves to show your Columbia pride! 

Have a great Labor Day weekend, Columbians! Here's the latest from your alumni community...

A Columbia degree not only brings with it profound knowledge and experience, but also such qualities of dedication and perseverance that can make a one a good leader. Here are some thoughts from alumni about what being a leader embodies and advice for those who want to make a difference. 

What you need to know this week from the Columbia Alumni Association: 

Every once in a while, we like to shake things up a bit at The Low Down and give you a peek at some other Columbia-related podcasts out there.

In this preview, we’re featuring an episode from the Columbia Energy Exchange podcast. The Columbia Energy Exchange is a weekly podcast series by the Columbia’s Center on Global Energy Policy at the School of International and Public Affairs. Each episode explores the most pressing energy issues with top leaders in government, business, academia, and civil society to enhance the global energy policy dialogue.

In this episode, host Bill Loveless sits down with a Columbia expert to discuss the effects of the Iran nuclear deal, since its implementation in January 2016. The landmark deal between Iran, the US, UK, France, China, Russia, and Germany was developed to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and lift the nuclear-related economic sanctions on Iran.

You can hear more interviews about current energy issues and trends by subscribing to the Columbia Energy Exchange through their website at energypolicy.columbia.edu or through iTunes, Stitcher and SoundCloud.