Heather Higginbottom is President of the JPMorgan Chase PolicyCenter, which develops and advances sustainable, evidence-based policy solutions to drive inclusive economic growth in the U.S. and around the world.

Sofya Olenicheva currently serves as a Policy Advisor at the Zero Emission Transportation Association, a federal coalition advocating for transportation electrification, and Pioneer Public Affairs, a climate- and renewable energy-focused lobbying firm. Sofya’s professional policy experience began at Batten with an assignment to conduct research for the Virginia gubernatorial transition team. Later, she worked as a Program Assistant at the Community Climate Collaborative, a nonprofit committed to facilitating environmental policy development in local government and encouraging residents to integrate sustainable solutions into their lifestyle. At UVA, Sofya earned a Bachelor of Arts with Highest Distinction in Public Policy and Global Environments & Sustainability.

Matt Gillam is from Long Island, NY and a 2021 graduate of the BA program. He has since joined Teach For America and is teaching first grade at Miner Elementary School in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Washington, DC. While teaching, he is pursuing a MSEd from Johns Hopkins University. While at UVA, he served as Batten Undergraduate Council President, co-Director of UVA's Camp Kesem chapter and Chair of UVA's Hillel Jewish Leadership Council.

Hannah Semmes is a consultant at Guidehouse State & Local Government. Prior to that, she was a consultant in the private sector for Salt Flats (née Optimity Advisors). She is an alumna of the State Department’s Critical Language Scholar in Indonesian, and previously worked as intern at the World Wildlife Fund, in the Office of Congressman Beyer (VA-08), and various political campaigns. At UVA, she served as Co-Captain of Women's Club Soccer. As a BAAB member, it is her goal to support and grow Batten’s entrepreneurial community.

Shannon Valentine served as Virginia’s Secretary of Transportation during Governor Ralph Northam’s administration (2018 to 2022), overseeing a $6 billion transportation system that includes the Department of Rail & Public Transportation, Port of Virginia, Virginia Space Authority, Department of Aviation, Virginia Department of Transportation, and Department of Motor Vehicles. As Secretary, she also chaired the Commonwealth Transportation Board. During her term, Virginia led an historic multi-state investment in Metro, launched Transforming Rail in Virginia, finalized a 40% expansion of the Port of Virginia, created the Commonwealth Transportation Fund to support multimodal investments, and completed seven resupply missions to the International Space Station.

Clay Lowery is Executive Vice President at the Institute of International Finance (IIF), where he oversees the divisions that focus on sustainable finance, digital finance, financial regulation, sovereign debt analysis, and macroeconomics. Prior to this position, he had been the Managing Director and co-founder of Rock Creek Global Advisors – an international economic consultancy, and served in a Senate-confirmed post as Assistant Secretary in the U.S. Department of Treasury where he headed up the international division.  Earlier in his career, he was the Director of International Finance at the National Security Council, and helped establish the Millennium Challenge Corporation, an economic development agency for the U.S. Government, and was a founding Vice President.

In her professional life, Katie is a Care Transformation Associate at Huron Consulting Group, playing a pivotal role in reshaping healthcare systems for improved efficiency and patient outcomes. She has implemented transformative care models, developing solutions alongside clients and training clinicians on new health technologies and care models to increase hospital capacity and achieve organizational goals. In her previous role as a Policy Analyst with Federal Health Policy Solutions and Lincoln Policy Group, Katie worked on a variety of healthcare policies, navigating federal regulations and legislation. She assessed policy needs, risks, and opportunities to inform long-term planning for clients across the healthcare sector. Katie has been a member of the Batten Alumni Advisory Board since Fall 2020, acting as Chair since Spring 2023, shaping the alumni initiatives and fostering a community dedicated to impact in the leadership and public policy arenas, and beyond. 

Malcolm Stewart is a 2018 graduate of the Batten BA program, a current MBA student UVA’s Darden School of Business, and a former Product Manager for Makena Capital Management in Menlo Park, California.

Anne Martin Simonds, is a Partner and Head of Global Development and Social Enterprise at Spencer Stuart in Washington, DC. She helps organizations across all industries assess CEOs and build boards committed to the highest levels of impact. With more than 25 years of experience in leadership consulting and drawing from her cross-industry knowledge and deep understanding of the current geopolitical landscape, she counsels towards systems-level change to help organizations and their leaders translate emerging trends into opportunities that can transform their businesses, their communities — and the world.

Elena Olson is the Executive Director of the Center for Diversity and Inclusion (CDI) at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), where she has worked for two decades.