Ethan Zucker

Ethan Zucker graduated from Brown University in 2024 with a Bachelor’s degree in History. During his time at Brown, he was actively involved with Brown-RISD Hillel and Students for Samaritans while playing on an intramural soccer team in his free time. During high school, Ethan participated in competitive Speech and Debate, advancing to the 2019 NSDA National Tournament in Dallas as well as the 2019 Tournament of Champions in Kentucky, where he ranked as one of the Top 12 young orators in the nation. Ethan was born with a genetic condition called ectrodactyly, leaving him with only one finger on each hand and two toes on each foot. Throughout his life he has volunteered with the nonprofit organization Don’t Hide It, Flaunt It (DHIFI, Inc.), speaking at schools and events across the nation about his acceptance of, and experiences with, his physical difference. Due to his unique life story, Ethan was profiled in the article “The Awesome Powers of Ethan Z” in Scholastic’s Storyworks magazine in 2011.

Soneida

Soneida is a recent graduate of the Gateway’s Masters in Medical Science degree program at Brown. During her time at Brown she conducted research at a Federally Qualified Health Center, and contributed to Brown Interviews, and spoke at TEDxBrownU’s 2022 conference. She graduated with a degree in Sociology from the University of Michigan as a first-generation college student, in the summer of 2021. Her 3 years as a research assistant studying cardiovascular disease culminated in an exhibit at the Museum of Natural History on Michigan’s campus. She used this opportunity to highlight how policy and funding decisions can impact disease at the molecular level. During her time at Michigan, Soneida co-led an engineering design team that is working to improve menstrual health for women in the Peruvian Amazon with plant-based hygiene products. As co-president of the Michigan Refugee Assistance Program (MRAP), she helped build a network of advocates and volunteers who empower forcibly displaced people resettled in Southeast Michigan and abroad. She remained at the forefront of campus organizing during the COVID-19 pandemic which increased access to PPE, testing, and administrative support for students and staff. In past lives, She’s served as a grocery market cashier, farmhand, and camp counselor. In the future, she aims to become an M.D.-J.D.,  practice primary care as a grassroots movement, and train communities on how to prevent health crises like the one we are living through now.

Emma Capps

Emma T Capps hails from San Carlos, California, and is a Brown/RISD Dual Degree student  studying literary arts and illustration. Emma is a cartoonist, apparel designer, and bookseller. She  has been published by Dark Horse Comics, among others, and is a 2021 recipient of the Feldman  Prize in Fiction. On campus, she’s involved with curricular advising and is a member of the St.  Anthony Hall literary society. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, baking, playing with her  dog, and sewing all of her own clothing! My name is Emma T Capps and I’m a Brown/RISD Dual Degree student studying literary arts  and illustration. I’m a cartoonist, apparel designer, and bookseller. I’ve been published by Dark  Horse Comics, among others, and I’m a 2021 recipient of the Feldman Prize in Fiction. On  campus, I’m involved with curricular advising and am a member of the St. Anthony Hall literary  society. In my spare time, I enjoy reading, baking, playing with my dog, and sewing all of my own clothing!

Esteem Brumfield

Born to civil rights activists in the Bay Area, Esteem cultivated a deep sense of social responsibility, passion for human rights, and a love for the Bay Area. His interests center on law, health and alternatives to incarceration. Particularly, his work examines the relationship between incarceration, mental health, and public health outcomes. He is currently pursuing a Masters of Public Health at Brown University and plans to enter law school to study constitutional law. As a Fulbright Fellow to South Africa, he researched the relationship between learning disability accommodations and rehabilitation within the Western Cape’s prison system. Prior to pursuing his Masters, Esteem served as a Public Health Commissioner for Alameda County and reviewed health effects of incarceration within the county. He holds a Bachelors from the University of California, Berkeley.

Elsie Koh

Dr. Koh is an Interventional Radiology(IR)-trained physician who entered the field of interventional radiology when only 1% of doctors in the field were women. Through the years, she was promoted through the ranks to leadership positions including being Chief Medical Informatics Officer (CMIO) and Regional Medical Officer (RMO) at Fresenius Vascular Care North America. As a “champion” physician for years during her 11-year time there, she helped train and mentor physicians in the national organization of approximately 70 outpatient surgical practices and grew three of her own from scratch, spoke on many topics in IR at national meetings, founded a One-Stop-Shop Vascular Surgery Initiative for quality improvement, led Medical Advisory Board (MAB) research projects on IT and quality, raised significant funds for cross-institutional IT data sharing, and co-led the national meetings. She obtained her Executive Master in Healthcare Leadership at Brown with advanced honors in 2017.  She currently serves as Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of American Endovascular & Amputation Prevention, a multi-center, vascular practice currently based in the Northeast to help reduce unnecessary amputations in patients with chronic limb ischemia. She is a certified coach through the Proctor Gallagher Institute and an ICF member with pending ACC certification.  She founded LEAD Physician® to be a comprehensive, collaborative leadership coaching program for physicians by physicians (www.leadphysician.org).  https://www.linkedin.com/in/elsie-koh-md/

Sherri Marcantonio

Sherri Marcantonio, a mother who started advocating for children with special needs after the birth of her son who has Down syndrome (DS). She has written letters and given speeches to advocate for up-to-date information from the medical community on Down syndrome. She has also worked within school systems to get her son the help he needs. She is from North Providence, R.I. and has served on the Board of Directors of the Down syndrome Society of R.I., Friends of R.I. School for the Deaf, Diversity Inclusion Action Plan Committee for Dept. of Public Safety, Brown University and served as the President of the Parent Teacher Organization at R.I. School for the Deaf. She is the CEO and founder of Bridge Builders of Diversity where she is bridging the gap for the disability community. She holds a bachelor’s degree in creative writing from Southern New Hampshire University and an associate degree in Criminal justice from Community College of Rhode Island. Currently, she works as a communication officer for the Department of Public Safety, Brown University. Her favorite pastimes include hiking, spending time with her active sons and continuing to advocate for people with disabilities. Sherri is committed to making advocacy her life’s work.

Roberta Curry

Roberta Curry has been teaching children with special needs since 2004.  Her road to teaching was not direct.  She began working with special needs children as a paraprofessional in the public school in 1997.  This work ignited a passion for helping children with special needs find their place in the world.  While working on her bachelor’s degree in special education at Rhode Island College, she also worked as a home-based therapist primarily with children with Autism.  It is through this home and community-based work that she found her passion for advocacy. After completing her master’s degree in early childhood education at Eastern Connecticut State University she took on many teacher leadership roles including professional development coordinator for southeastern Connecticut special education preschool teachers.  Roberta is also a cooperating teacher, preparing new teachers to work with special education students.  As a preschool teacher she has conducted parent education workshops for her local school community. She leads her local teacher’s union and never passes up an opportunity to advocate for special needs students at any level. After meeting Sherri Marcantonio in 2019, she became vice president of Bridge Builders of Diversity where she builds bridges through education, inclusion, and advocacy. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with family, the outdoors, and hiking with her dog.

Bree Zhang

Bree Zhang (she/hers) ‘22 is an artist, musician-composer, scientist, and storyteller. She has performed 5 times in Carnegie Hall and twice in the Metropolitan Museum of Art with her Guzheng (21-stringed Chinese zither). Her artwork has been featured in locations from her local museum to the International Fund for Animal Welfare Yearly Calendar. As an aspiring dentist, Bree has worked as President of Brown Pre-dental Society to create educational initiatives for children and the elderly, and she is also working at the Dental Associates of Rhode Island to implement music therapy to relieve patients of dental fear and anxiety. An oral health advocate, she is currently working as the lead author for the 7th Module of Harvard School of Dental Medicine’s Global Health Starter Kit, “COVID-19: Global Lessons for a Global Profession.” Bree is also passionate about community-building, serving as Co-President of Class of 2022 to create welcoming, safe, and fun memories for her peers in the same way she hopes to provide an uplighting and validating experience to her future patients. She seeks to intersect art, music, chemistry, biology, public & global health, and psychology to introduce innovation into fields of dentistry, sculpting smiles on an interpersonal and community-level.

Thano Chaltas

Professor Chaltas is an accomplished Chief Marketing Officer and General Manager with deep expertise in driving business growth. With 20+ years in marketing and general management experience ranging from Fortune 500 (Kraft/P&G) to mid-cap (Ocean Spray/UST) and PE owned (WellPet) companies, Professor Chaltas consistently delivered in designing and implementing innovative strategies that simultaneously drove P&L, business and brand success. At Brown, Professor Chaltas teaches courses in strategic business management, marketing, and entrepreneurship at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Professor Chaltas received his BA from Brown University with concentration in Religious Studies and his MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management with concentrations in Marketing, Finance, and Organization Behavior.