About Us

The Brown Club of D.C. organizes a variety of programming throughout the year, including social, cultural, educational, athletic, and service-based events, both virtual and in-person. To offer a diversity of programming, BCDC also partners with other cities’ Brown alumni clubs and nationwide affinity groups, such as the Asian American Alumni Alliance, the Inman Page Black Alumni Council (IPC), and the Brown University Latino Alumni Council (BULAC). We operate fundamentally with the gracious support of our club membership and volunteers like you! The BCDC Board meets every month, and everyone is welcome to attend or offer ideas and feedback offline.

• Emily Dietsch ‘06 is an academic consultant who lives and works in DC. After a brief stint in the sciences at Brown, ultimately she chose the arts and graduated with a dual concentration in American Studies and the History of Art & Architecture in 2006. In between Brown and doctoral studies at the George Washington University, she worked for the Rhode Island State Treasurer’s Office, first on a winning campaign and then in the Investments Division amidst the historic economic crisis of 2008. Following graduate school she returned to New England to design collaborative learning events for a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation-supported project that aimed to reduce the silo effect among sectors in the American healthcare system. At Brown she was part of the sailing team, slung 80-cent beers at the Underground (may it rest in peace), wrote articles for the Brown Daily Herald and local magazines, and served as a Research Assistant at the Taubman Center for American Politics & Public Policy. She still misses the soft-serve machines at the Ratty, and the endearingly musty smell of stacks in the Rock.

• Corey Lipow ’08 is a healthcare consultant with Guidehouse Inc specializing in data and claim analytics. He concentrated in comparative literature and East Asian Studies at Brown, prior to receiving a Master’s in Public Policy from Georgetown (now the McCourt School of Public Policy). At Brown, he studied abroad in China for six months; while in the professional world, he has contributed to the effectiveness of such programs as Medicaid and Medicare, and has also consulted for the Department of Veterans Affairs. Literature remains a passion for Corey, as he is always meandering his way through the classics. He also likes to ride his bike around the environs of DC and has been involved in the social sports of the area.

• Kevin O’Brien ‘13 is a bicycling and trails advocate for the Washington Area Bicyclist Association, having lived (and ridden) in the DC area since 2015. At Brown, he concentrated in Public Policy and Economics with a healthy dose of literature courses sprinkled in for good measure. He then had a brief stint in Boston before landing in the nation’s capital where he immediately found community with the Brown Club of DC, serving in a variety of roles since 2016. After several years working for – and organizing – a national environmental organization, Kevin took a 6-month hiatus in 2021 to thru hike the 2,1920-mile Appalachian Trail. Now settled back in DC, Kevin is eager to help build community anew in our post-pandemic world. You can spot Kevin on his bike about town, or back in Rhode Island with his family where he is always always sure to stop by East Side Pockets and Blue State Coffee.

• Chris Meyers ’16 is a consultant for the federal government living in Washington, DC and working for MetaPhase Consulting. Chris primarily serves clients in Homeland Security but has also led projects for infrastructure and broadband expansion in the US. When not working, Chris enjoys spending time with his wife, Natalie, and dog, Mose, and watching/attending hockey games and F1 races. At Brown, Chris was a four-year swimmer on the men’s swim team, formerly holding Brown records in the 100 and 200 breaststroke and 200 and 400 medley relays. His favorite Providence restaurant was the underrated and underappreciated Tallulah’s Taqueria on Ives St. Chris looks forward to bringing a new perspective to BCDC, and putting on events for alums of all ages and interests!

• Khadija Salman MPA ’22 is a federal consultant who is new to the DMV area and loving every moment of it. She graduated from the Masters of Public Affairs program at Brown’s Watson Institute this past May. Born and raised in Lahore, Pakistan, her background includes navigating the bustling life of New York while also working for City Year, and eventually moving on to work in the finance industry. Khadija started her Brown degree with a position as a research assistant to the Chief of Staff at Watson, working on a benchmarking project that aimed to showcase the value proposition of Brown’s public affairs institute. She was also a research assistant for the acclaimed Costs of War project, which seeks to document the direct and indirect human and financial costs of U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and related counterterrorism efforts. At Brown, she was a regular at the GCB and Blue State coffee (R.I.P.), and you could often find her lounging on the Main Green (weather permitted). Here in DC, she finds comfort in a good old DMV brunch, exploring museums, and the clean air–when she’s not traveling, of course.

• Patricia Grant EMBA ’21 is an academic dean at Georgetown’s McDonough School of Business. She is a staunch supporter of equity and access in education from PK-20. In addition to her professional service, she is on the board of trustees of Achievement Prep, a long-standing charter school in DC’s Ward 8. At Brown, Patricia studied business administration in the Executive MBA program, jointly administered by Brown and IE Universities. Patricia also holds degrees in Africana Studies and Higher Education Management from Cornell University and the University of Pennsylvania, respectively. Patricia enjoys experiencing the world’s cultural tapestry through travel. She only has two continents to go.

• Victoria Sams ’90 is a happily returned DC native, moving here in 2012 after twenty years away in some wonderful places. After working in DC in various jobs, she realized Comp Lit was it and went to UCLA for an MA/PhD and a life of academic nomadism. That life involved helping to start a literary journal, researching theater and immigration history in London over many years, teaching humanities at UCLA and contemporary drama, Caribbean literature, and other courses at Dickinson College. She is currently a senior program officer in Education Programs at the National Endowment for the Humanities. Other interests include serving on the education committee for ANERA, a non-profit that works with refugees and vulnerable communities in Palestine, Lebanon, and Jordan, and trying to keep plants alive. She misses Funk Night and wishes there were more dance parties in her life.

• Deeksha Gupta ’10 is an Assistant Professor of Finance at Johns Hopkins University. She concentrated in Applied Mathematics and Economics at Brown, prior to receiving a Masters in Finance at Oxford University and a doctorate in Finance at the University of Pennsylvania. Her fondest memories from Brown include Meeting Street cookies, playing darts at the GCB, all nighters at the SciLi, and Dave Binder concerts.  In her spare time, Deeksha enjoys playing board games, travelling, doing yoga and watching the Great British Bake off. She is excited to be part of the BCDC and hopes to put on some fun events for the local Brown community.

• Evert Justice Finger ’16 AM ’18 hails from the plains of Northern Colorado, but has been in DC for three years now. He graduated in 2016 with his bachelors in Sociology and Urban Studies, before receiving his graduate degree from Brown’s Urban Education Policy program, where he was introduced to DC via the US Department of Education. He is joining BCDC in hopes to bring community to more Brunonians after a time when the pandemic took away many people’s ability to gather and is incredibly excited to have in person events once again! Professionally, Evert has been active in the DMV area within higher education, as well as working with grassroots organizations to improve their educational programming and training tools. In his spare time, Evert serves as a Board Member of the Capital Pride Alliance since 2020, and is serving on its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) committee, while managing the “StillWe Lead” professional development initiative. He can also be found on the national mall playing kickball, out for a run, or trying a new food truck when he decides that the run is over.