Faces of Leeds Snapshot

Name: Alex Dattilo
Hometown: Centennial, Colorado
Major: Finance and Accounting, Quantitative Finance Certificate, Global Business Certificate, Mathematics Minor, Economics Minor 

Alex Dattilo (Fin, Acct’26) is led by passion—it's how he ended up at Leeds, where he felt he could set himself apart while striving to both advance his career and achieve a work-life balance. Before arriving, he discussed potential career paths with recent graduates and faculty members—perspectives that bolstered his view of the school. As a student, he has not only found his expectations exceeded, he's also been inspired by an environment of students who "are always willing to support each other."  

To say Dattilo's last year was busy is an understatement: He's a member of Leeds Scholars and Leeds Honors, Norlin Scholars, the Leeds Diverse Scholars Program, Alpha Kappa Psi and the Leeds Consulting Group. He also served as the president of Leeds Student Government.

This semester is an exciting departure, as Dattilo is studying abroad in Madrid, Spain. He's no stranger to travel, though: An animal lover and Denver Zoo volunteer during high school (ask him for random facts about any animal!), he previously took a solo trip to Africa to embark on various safaris.

“Boulder has a great community and I have been able to focus on my achievements in extracurriculars and the classroom while still making the most of all Boulder has to offer.”

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Name: Kate Jordan Little
Hometown: Denver, Colorado
Major: Management, Real Estate (Leadership minor)

Being involved is what fifth-generation Buff, Boettcher Scholar and Leeds Scholar Kate Jordan Little is all about. Her high school called her “.” On top of her academics at ��������Ƶ, Little is the new member educator of Chi Omega and a deep dive coordinator for the Presidential Leadership Class, the latter of which has her mentoring and guiding new members, fostering a sense of community, and promoting academic and personal development. She also volunteers as an elementary student tutor with Reading Partners, and she's the deputy chief of staff for ��������Ƶ Student Government.

During the summer of 2024, Little visited Washington, DC, as a U.S. Presidential Scholar, meeting with fellow scholars from across the country. They engaged in exciting workshops, discussions and activities designed to foster collaboration, creativity and leadership.  

“I’m really passionate about leadership, collaboration and creating an inclusive and supportive environment. My goal is to empower others and build lifelong connections.”

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Name: Jackson Wootton
Hometown: Pacific Palisades, California
Major: Management & Entrepreneurship
Position: CMO & Co-Founder,

The outdoorsy culture, combined with the innovation-driven, entrepreneurial spirit of Boulder is what drove Jackson Wootton to study at Leeds. He praises Leeds‘ interconnected community of professionals and industry experts who genuinely care about supporting students in both their academic and professional lives. 

The month of January 2025 obstructed Wootton's path with considerable challenges. Just as his startup—co-founded with Leeds friend Emmett Reiner—was gaining traction, the Palisades Fire in California forced him to evacuate his home, leaving behind all their business assets. 

If their products were destroyed, the business would’ve been financially ruined, he said. So, Wootton and Reiner did what any determined entrepreneur would do: They found a way back into the fire zone. Not only were they able to recover their products, but they also prevented their families’ homes from being consumed by the fire. 

Those experiences drove home one of the lessons Wootton had already acquired in the startup process: Nothing ever goes as planned. His solution to that uncertainty: applying a lean methodology and staying flexible is what he believes is crucial to keeping things moving fast and efficiently.

“My adaptability and resourcefulness are two essential skills that just can’t be captured in my resume. Running a startup has required me to wear countless hats and quickly learn skills I had no prior experience with.”

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Faces of Leeds Snapshot

Name: Emmett Reiner
Hometown: Pacific Palisades, California
Major: Management & Entrepreneurship
Position: CEO & Co-Founder,

Emmett Reiner is always planning 2.5 steps ahead—but a catastrophic fire in his hometown of Los Angeles was never a part of that plan. The start of the new year had been challenging for him and his community in Pacific Palisades as he helped fight fires before coming back to Leeds to finish his last semester. Luckily, his own house was saved. 

An entrepreneur at heart, after graduation Reiner hopes to build a company that people can genuinely rely on, both as employees and customers. He believes that young entrepreneurs need a few key skills in their tool belt, from unwavering confidence to adapting when things don’t go as planned. He was certainly tested in how to put those skills to use when the LA fires erupted—and he hopes others don’t have to suffer such a devastating crisis. 

As Reiner reflects on his time at Leeds, he has found that the school not only fulfilled his expectations but exceeded them. When looking for a business school, he sought an institution that values true academic rigor as deeply as it celebrates the individuality of its students. 

"With an entrepreneurial environment jam-packed with top-notch educators and a network of unparalleled local partnerships, there's no place like Leeds," he said.

“I’ve been fortunate to form deep and meaningful bonds with colleagues and peers throughout my entire startup journey. Those connections are, without a doubt, among my greatest achievements.”

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Faces of Leeds Snapshot

Name: Sebastian Villa Betancur
Title: Assistant Professor of Strategy, Entrepreneurship and Operations
Education: PhD, Economics, Università della Svizzera Italiana (Switzerland)
MSc, Systems Engineering, Universidad Nacional de Colombia (Colombia)
BSc, Chemical Engineering, Universidad Nacional de Colombia (Colombia)

The ability to serve as a faculty affiliate of the Renée Crown Wellness Institute was a key factor in Sebastian Villa Betancur’s decision to join the Leeds faculty. Driven by a passion for equity and justice, his research focuses on helping vulnerable populations and improving the operations and profitability of family-owned retail businesses, which dominate developing economies. He arrives with extensive experience at three leading business schools in the U.S: the University of New Mexico, Indiana University and the University of Texas at Dallas.

“Leeds is a leader in sustainability, social impact and business research, which resonates strongly with my own values and academic interests. Leeds’ world-class business programs and connections with the industry and local communities make it a place of excellence and innovation where I can contribute meaningfully to teaching and research.”

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Name: Nithya Shankar
Title: Assistant Teaching Professor of Marketing
Education: PhD, Marketing, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
MS, Information Technology, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
BS, Computer Science and Engineering, Anna University (India)

Nithya Shankar is excited to be at Leeds for two reasons: No. 1, she was looking for a teaching-focused role in academia; and No. 2, she wanted to relocate to be closer to her husband, who works in Denver. She was thrilled that the right opportunity came up at Leeds, offering a tenure-track position in line with her previous faculty role at SUNY Plattsburgh, where she earned the State University of New York’s Chancellor Award in Teaching in 2023. She looks forward to sharing her expertise in marketing strategy, bringing unique insights to Leeds with her knowledge of marketing in the wine industry.

“Leeds is a very reputed school, so it was everything I was looking for in an employer and leading business school.”

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Name: James (Jamie) Cheston
Title: Assistant Teaching Professor of Marketing
Education: MBA, Marketing & Sustainable Global Enterprise, Cornell University
BS in Human & Organizational Development, Vanderbilt University

Jamie Cheston has been an adjunct faculty member at ��������Ƶ’s College of Media, Communication and Information for several years and is excited to follow in former marketing colleagues’ footsteps by joining the Leeds faculty. He knew Leeds would be a great next step for his professional career and looks forward to sharing his expertise in both agency-side advertising and client-side marketing, with a special focus on brand strategy and product innovation. He plans to combine concepts with practical applications by sharing extensive real-world and personal experiences to make learning more engaging and relatable.

“As a brand manager at WhiteWave Foods/Danone, I led development of a number of products … from Horizon Organic Growing Years yogurts to Silk Oat Milk. I also led Horizon’s sponsorship of the Peanuts movie—including a trip to the red carpet!—targeting many of our Leeds students as younger kids.”

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Name: Nathrine Mensah Afrifa
Hometown: Accra, Ghana
Major: Supply Chain Management (now Supply Chain Analytics)

In her time at Leeds, Nathrine Mensah Afrifa (MSupCha’25) has gained both technical knowledge and soft skills. Inspired by the creative teaching methods of Assistant Professor of Operations Övünç Yılmaz and the emotional intelligence of Assistant Professor of Marketing Quentin Andre, she hopes to build a career that combines industry and academics. Above all, her goal is to mentor the next generation of business leaders, just like she was mentored here at Leeds.

“The opportunity to master core business principles while focusing on advanced supply chain and operations strategy, along with engaging in experiential projects, has made Leeds more than just an academic destination—it has become the perfect environment for my professional growth.”

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Name: Tanner Ryan
Hometown: Westminster, Colorado
Major: Operations and Information Management, International Business and Leadership; Supply Chain Management 
Position: Senior Category Manager at Danone

Tanner has always been a self-starter: he worked to essentially craft his own "engineering of business" focus with his college majors and figured out a way to get credit at Leeds for learning Mandarin on his own to help his friend start a business in China. Through his new job as a buyer at Danone, he’s had to learn new ways of communicating, processing information and working with teams to complete complicated projects. He's relied on numerous support structures to get through difficult times in life and create goals that align with the rapidly changing world. His current goals are traveling and climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro.

“Beyond the impacts work can have on life, life can impact your performance and motivation at work. I am learning to activate my support networks, restructure what my network looks like as life changes, and build resiliency for the future.”

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Faces of Leeds Snapshot

Name: Cory London
Hometown: Englewood, Colorado
Major: Finance, minor in music

A sports fanatic, Cory London (Fin’24) is excited to graduate this December and explore a couple paths: either working in wealth management or making the Ball Arena his office in the hopes of working with the Colorado Avalanche. He solidified his sports expertise through Leeds' Business of Sports Program. He also started a podcast called the "" about his passion in sports and hockey media, which he’s excited to continue after graduation.

“With professional sports, positive outcomes are special and indescribable feelings that cannot be replicated by anything else; if I can somehow be a part or an aspect of that and help bring that to the fans and the people, it would genuinely be a dream come true.”

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