Five Carey alumni honored with Johns Hopkins University Alumni Association Awards

Passionate dedication to equitable health care, diversity and belonging, excellence in leadership, and generational service have earned five Johns Hopkins Carey Business School alumni awards from the Johns Hopkins University Alumni Association.

Rob Kirkland (MBA ’02; Leadership Development certificate)
A tireless advocate and mentor for individuals from underrepresented groups, Rob Kirkland received the Community Champion Award, which recognizes outstanding contributions that address critical social, economic, and environmental needs throughout our society and communities, including local communities. Kirkland has a natural talent for building networks, connecting people, and lowering barriers to growth, and uses his network to help students and professionals move their careers forward. He serves on Carey Business School’s Dean’s Advisory Council, advising the school leadership on all aspects of achieving excellence and meeting the needs of the market. He also co-chairs Carey’s Underrepresented Groups Advisory Board, the volunteer leadership built around Carey’s work in diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. Kirkland is a critical leader and catalyst for Carey’s success in serving minority business leaders. Professionally, he has contributed to operational excellence in sales and finance capacities at Pepsi, Sysco, Stanley Black & Decker, and now Amazon.

Nimisha Kalia, MD (MBA/MPH ’12)
Nimisha Kalia, MD, received the Distinguished Alumna Award, honoring alumni who have typified the Johns Hopkins tradition of excellence and brought credit to the university by their personal accomplishment, professional achievement, or humanitarian service. Dr. Kalia is the chief medical officer at GE Corporate and an assistant professor at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. In her role at GE, Dr. Kalia supports about 195,000 employees in their physical, mental, and financial well-being. She provided critical leadership at GE during the pandemic, overseeing the company’s response to COVID-19 through compassionate leadership and care. She serves on Carey Business School’s Council for Equity and Belonging and as a mentor for students at the Carey Business School and the Bloomberg School of Public Health. Dr. Kalia has previously served as interim director for the Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and executive director of Health, Safety and Environment for Johns Hopkins University and Johns Hopkins Health System.

Chris Schaper (MBA ’02)
Chris Schaper received the Johns Hopkins Alumni Association Global Achievement Award, which honors alumni who exemplify the Johns Hopkins tradition of excellence and have brought credit to the university and their profession in the international arena through their professional achievements or humanitarian service. Schaper is group CEO for AIG Re, the global reinsurance business of American International Group, which brings together the organizations of Validus Re, AlphaCat, Talbot Treaty and Validus Research under one entity. His role places him as a global thought leader on the insurance and risk management industries. In addition to his role as CEO of AIG Re, he also serves as the CEO of both Validus Re and AlphaCat and is a member of the AIG General Insurance Executive Committee. Additionally, he is on the Board of Fortitude Re, the legacy company initially founded by AIG in 2017. Based in Bermuda, Chris serves on the Dean’s Advisory Council for Carey Business School and advises the dean and the school leadership on all aspects of the school strategic vision. Because he believes leadership is a critical component of any organizational success, Chris supports the work of Carey’s Center for Innovative Leadership.

Katherine Pinkard (MBA ’14)
Katherine Pinkard represents the fourth generation of the Pinkard family honored with the Johns Hopkins University Alumni Association Heritage Award, which recognizes alumni and friends of Johns Hopkins who have contributed outstanding service over an extended period to the progress of the university or the activities of the Alumni Association. She is also the fourth generation of her family to take an active role in the Homewood Museum and served as chair of the Homewood Museum Advisory Board. Pinkard chairs the Carey Business School Dean’s Alumni Advisory Board, where she has fostered an environment of belonging, and is the first to champion new ideas that align with school priorities. She has been a thoughtful advisor to university leadership and rallies fellow alumni and Hopkins supporters to her cause. Pinkard is also a member of the Carey Business School Real Estate Advisory Board. Previously, she volunteered for the Campaign Cabinet and Leadership. Along with her leadership positions, Pinkard has been an advocate for Beet Week and a mentor for students.

Shambhavi Ray (MBA ’16)
Shambhavi Ray received the Johns Hopkins University Alumni Association Outstanding Recent Graduate Award, recognizing graduates of the last decade who demonstrate outstanding achievement or service in professional or volunteer life. Ray’s work as a pharmaceutical executive with Novavax integrates her strong belief in equitable patient access. She helped launch a novel women’s health antibiotic for an infection that affects 23 million women in the U.S. At the same company, she was responsible for establishing Medicaid patients’ access to the antibiotic. She also coordinated the drug's $150 million acquisition and integration. Ray is also part of the global launch of Novavax's COVID-19 vaccine, the first global protein-based COVID-19 vaccine launch. At Johns Hopkins Carey Business School, Ray is a part of the virtual mock interview initiative and has routinely helped students with mock interviews and career guidance. She has managed internship hiring for Carey students at Lupin, supports and mentors Carey graduates, serves on the Pride Alumni Network Leadership Committee, and is passionate about helping Carey Business School establish itself as a premier institution