Johns Hopkins Alumni Association Awards Series: Excellence In Action

What is discussed, and when

1. 0:00 – 10:00: Johns Hopkins University, Michael Repper, Maryanne Dixon, Elizabeth Shereo
2. 10:00 – 20:00: Baltimore Symphony, Grammy Award, March of Dimes
3. 20:00 – 30:00: March of Dimes
4. 30:00 – 40:00: Baltimore Symphony
5. 50:00 – 1:00:00: Peabody

Notable quotes from "Johns Hopkins Alumni Association Awards Series: Excellence In Action"

• President of the John's Hopkins Alumni Association as well as a very proud Hopkins alum from the class of 97. I'm honored to be here today serving as the moderator for the…

  about Maryanne Dixon · at 0:31

• First, Dr. Katrina Armstrong, CEO of Columbia's Irving Medical Center and a 2025 Distinguished Alumni Award recipient. As the first woman to lead Colombia's medical school and medical.

  about Katrina Armstrong · at 2:01

• Innovation and maternal and infant health nationwide. Our third panelist, Dr. Dr. Linda Kuritan, CEO of Muse Technologies and a 2023 distinguished alumni award recipient. Dr.…

  about Linda Kuritan · at 2:51

• Common thread that connects all of you as well as many of us joining on the zoom today. Your shared experience as students as John's Hopkins. Before we dive into each how each…

  about Johns Hopkins University · at 4:06

• Probably the moments that I would say defined me and made such a difference to all of us was the collective commitment to caring for the most vulnerable for making sure that…

  about HIV epidemic · at 4:57

• All of us here. fun conversation and fascinating to learn about others right as well. listen I went to Hopkins as an undergrad and then I came returned to Hopkins for my MBA so…

  about Elizabeth Shereo · at 5:50

• Foolish of me, but it was the only place I applied. I knew that if I wanted to go and study for my doctorate, it had to be at Peabody, at Johns Hopkins, because of the teacher…

  about Peabody · at 9:41

Who and what is mentioned in this episode?

People

• Maryanne Dixon — Person · Host / moderator · 1 mention · first at 0:21
  Moderator who frames the episode’s themes (excellence, leadership, trailblazing, mentorship) and guides the panel discussion among award-winning Johns Hopkins alumni.
• Katrina Armstrong — Person · Main speaker (panelist) · 1 mention · first at 2:01
  Panelist discussing leadership, health equity, and being a 'first' in academic medicine; shares formative Johns Hopkins experiences during the HIV/AIDS epidemic and emphasizes mentorship and change leadership.
• Elizabeth Shereo — Person · Main speaker (panelist) · 1 mention · first at 2:25
  Panelist discussing maternal/infant health leadership, interdisciplinary training (clinical + MBA), mentoring, and leading change in healthcare delivery (e.g., enhanced recovery after C-section).
• Linda Kuritan — Person · Main speaker (panelist) · 1 mention · first at 2:56
  Panelist discussing trailblazing as NASA’s first African-American CIO, navigating microaggressions, leading organizational change, and mentorship strategies ('best way to find a mentor is to be a mentor').
• Michael Repper — Person · Main speaker (panelist) · 2 mentions · first at 3:18
  Panelist discussing leadership in classical music, mentorship, community engagement, and overcoming skepticism about youth orchestras; shares Johns Hopkins/Peabody doctoral experience and values-driven mission framing.
  Repper, a 2025 outstanding recent graduate award recipient. At just 30 years old, Michael made history as the youngest North American conductor and second youngest of all time…

Companies & orgs

• Johns Hopkins University — Company · Alma mater · 2 mentions · first at 0:42
  Central institution connecting all panelists as alumni, discussed for its impact on their careers
• NASA — Company · Employer · 1 mention · first at 3:05
  Linda Kuritan's former employer where she made history as the first African-American CIO
  Dr. Dr. Linda Kuritan, CEO of Muse Technologies and a 2023 distinguished alumni award recipient. Dr. Kuritan made history as the first African-American chief information…
• Johns Hopkins Alumni Association — Company · Organizer · 4 mentions
  Organizer of the awards series celebrating alumni achievements
  Me, my name is Maryanne Dixon and I'm a member of the John's Hopkins Board of Trustees and the immediate past president of the John's Hopkins Alumni Association as well as a…
• March of Dimes — Company · Affiliation · 3 mentions · first at 2:46
  Elizabeth Shereo's former affiliation where she made history as the first physician CEO
  Distinguished obstitrician and gynecologist with over two decades of experience, Dr. Shirro made history as the first physician president and CEO of March of Dimes and…
• Peabody — Company · Affiliation · 2 mentions · first at 9:35
  Michael Repper's affiliation as part of Johns Hopkins University, where he pursued his doctorate
• Baltimore Symphony — Company · Affiliation · 4 mentions · first at 9:57
  Michael Repper's connection through his mentor Marin Alsop, who was music director
  Wanted to study with. I was most interested in studying, with Marin Alab, who at the time was also the music director at the Baltimore Symphony. and if I knew I might not get in to, to Hopkins, it's really hard to get in, but, I.

Concepts & topics

• HIV epidemic — Concept · Historical Context · 1 mention · first at 4:45
  Historical context during Katrina Armstrong's time at Hopkins, influencing her career

Places & events

• Grammy Award — Event · Achievement · 2 mentions · first at 3:30
  Michael Repper's significant achievement as the youngest North American conductor to win
  Graduate award recipient. At just 30 years old, Michael made history as the youngest North American conductor and second youngest of all time to win a Grammy Award for best…

Full transcript with timestamps

0:21 Good afternoon. Thank you for joining us today. For those of you who don't know me, my name is Maryanne Dixon and I'm a member of the John's Hopkins Hopkins Board of Trustees and the immediate past president of the John's Hopkins Alumni Association as well as a very proud Hopkins alum from the class of 97. I'm honored to be here today serving as the moderator for the first in this series celebrating recipients of John's Hopkins Alumni Association Awards. As part of the sesqua centennial, we'll be shining a light on some of the incredible stories from our history and lifting up some of our amazing alumni, including our four guests today, all of whom have received John's Hopkins Alumni Association Awards. Today's program, excellence in action, explores a fundamental question. What does it mean to pursue excellence across vastly different fields? How do leaders cultivate a mindset of excellence that

1:15 drives innovation and inspires others? Today, we'll hear from four John's Hopkins alumni who have redefined success, shaping the delivery of healthcare, championing maternal and infant health, transforming NASA's technology capabilities, and even conducting Grammyinning symphonies. Our distinguished panelists will share how their Hopkins Foundation shaped their approach to leadership, the pivotal moments that defined their careers, and the principles that guide their continued pursuit of excellence. Please indulge me for a moment as I introduce our four speakers with very abbreviated bios because to read the full list of their accomplishments would take the better part of our afternoon together.

2:01 First, Dr. Katrina Armstrong, CEO of Columbia's Irving Medical Center and a 2025 Distinguished Alumni Award recipient. As the first woman to lead Colombia's medical school and medical center and having served as interim president of Columbia University, Dr. Armstrong is an internationally recognized leader in eliminating health inequities and advancing cancer prevention research. Next, we're joined by Dr. Elizabeth Shereo, Chief Medical Officer for Unified Women's Health, the largest OBGYn group in the country, and a 2024 distinguished alumni award recipient. A distinguished obstitrician and gynecologist with over two decades of experience, Dr. Shirro made history as the first physician president and CEO of March of Dimes and continues to drive innovation and maternal and infant health nationwide. Our third panelist, Dr. Dr. Linda Kuritan, CEO of Muse Technologies and a 2023 distinguished

3:02 alumni award recipient. Dr. Kuritan made history as the first African-American chief information officer of NASA, where she led IT strategy for all NASA centers and now leads her own leadership and IT transformation firm. And last, but certainly not least, we have Michael Repper, a 2025 outstanding recent graduate award recipient. At just 30 years old, Michael made history as the youngest North American conductor and second youngest of all time to win a Grammy Award for best orchestral performance. His groundbreaking work continues to promote diverse talent and educational excellence in classical music. Finally, before we begin our discussion, I want to encourage those of you tuning in live to submit any questions you may have for our Steam panel using the chat feature below.

3:53 We'll keep an eye on it and we'll have some time toward the end of the broadcast to address as many as your questions as we can. As we come together to celebrate excellence across such diverse fields, I'm struck and even deeply proud of the common thread that connects all connects all of you as well as many of us joining on the zoom today. Your shared experience as students as John's Hopkins. Before we dive into each how each of you has redefined success in your respective disciplines, I'd love to start with something more personal.

4:22 Could you share a story about a moment at Hopkins that influenced your trajectory of your career or shaped your approach to leadership? And and we'll start with you Katrina if that's if that's okay.

4:33 Maryanne, thank you so much for having me and I'm delighted to be here. I say often that my time at Hopkins really made me who I am in so many many different ways. You know, perhaps I'll share that I was in medical school and then in residency at Hopkins really during the height of the HIV epidemic. And I was just talking to a colleague yesterday from that time. And I think probably the moments that I would say defined me and made such a difference to all of us was the collective commitment to caring for the most vulnerable for making sure that Hopkins in medicine stood up for delivering the best care to everyone. No matter who you were, where you came from, what you brought with you. For me, it was those moments of coming together as a team to do the best for people even though we had limited understanding of what to do. I think that was really the defining part for me of what it meant to be at Hopkins.

5:35 Great. Like the real get in the trenches feeling of uh together we're stronger, right? I mean, personified for sure. Elizabeth, how about how about you? Love to hear your thoughts.

5:45 Yeah, thanks again. I I echo Katrina's comments of just thanks for having uh all of us here. Um fun conversation and fascinating to learn about others right as well. Uh listen I I went to Hopkins as an undergrad and then I came returned to Hopkins uh for my MBA so and pivoted really right from fully um entrenched in clinical to um you know to being on the business side and I would say I was on the crew team at Hopkins as an undergrad and so you know and I think sports you know really you especially rowing uh you really learn to to work together as a team and then fundamentally only trying to figure out how to um really pivot my career is then working with teams at Carrie um whether it was smaller in the classroom or really on the larger scale as you know building um for what's next within um Carrie and and my career. So, and whether it was the small teams in some of the classes or some of the

6:47 bigger ones to um within the faculty and and really realizing valuing each other as humans was really important and something um that connection really helped sort of start in crew and all the way through the rest of my career.

7:02 Well, as a as a former uh field hockey and lacrosse player from Homewood, that really resonates with me. But, you know, I I it is wonderful to see the translation into the classroom, not just on on the field or on on the water in your case, right?

7:15 Um, Linda, I'll I'll pass it over to you next. Okay. Thank you very much and thanks for having me here today. One of the things that I'll share is that what happened to me this week. This week I had probably every student's nightmare. I I dreamt that there was one class that I didn't take at Hopkins and I didn't get my master's degree and I had to take it really quick and it was an independent study on similar to what I had done on the ien values of the lelassian and I I woke up in a sweat but you know I was glad to wake up knowing that I did take all the classes I was supposed to take and I'm in good shape right

8:01 oh no gestures Right. And so um the the thing that defined me a defining moment I would say is the the opportunity I had to study under uh my professor Jim Cutler and uh to be able to uh to translate what I knew into algorithms into programming and things like that. At the time I was a systems programmer and I was just beginning to rise into the ranks of management. And so the the the research I did it was it took so much memory I had to keep graduating to something bigger and bigger and bigger until we figured out that we had to change the algorithm not the machine.

8:47 And uh maybe that's the learning moment changing the algorithm not the machine. So having the privilege of studying under him and the experience I think it was very unique. I was very grateful for that and it helped me kind of shape what turned out to be a technical leadership type of career.

9:09 Yeah, that's that's great. I mean hearing you the opportunity as a privilege is is you know resonates I think for sure. And I still have those dreams. I wake up and I forgot to drop the class. However, then I realized the test is coming. That may have been a a fact, but no. Um, Michael, I'm moving on over to you. Welcome your thoughts here.

9:32 Thank you so much. Thanks, Marian, for having me. Um, of course. Uh, yeah, I was at Hopkins for my doctorate. Um, and, uh, it may have been foolish of me, but it was the only place I applied. Um, I knew that if I wanted to go and study for my doctorate, um, it had to be at Peabody, at Johns Hopkins, um, because of the teacher that I really wanted to study with. I was most interested in studying,

9:55 um, with Marin Alab, who at the time was also the music director at the Baltimore Symphony. Um, and if I I knew I might not get in to, you know, to Hopkins, it's really hard to get in, but, um, I figured it was the only place that I really wanted to study. So, um, it ended up working out. um the reason that I wanted to come to Hopkins and I, you know, it's hard to really boil this down to a moment um that was uh you know critically important for my growth as an artist because it really was the entire vibe and the way everything was structured um was that Marin was teaching and also exhibiting through her leadership at the Baltimore Symphony um what I would um still call a relatively revolutionary way of being a music director. Um, I say it because it's still relatively uncommon, um, which is that, um, she was exhibiting and teaching to her students that being a music director, um, is so much more than

10:48 just what you do on the podium, right? It's at least equally important what you're doing off the podium. Um, working in the community, using your opportunity, uh, of being on the podium to use that as a platform to try to influence positive change, right? Um, and Baltimore was a great incubator for all of that because Baltimore as a city, um, is very community focused, I found. Um, and so, um, you know, there's 97,000 different experiences that I had during my time at Hopkins that I could point to that could be specific examples, but, um, overall I think that, um, it was the style of teaching. And even more than the style, it was sort of the leadership that was being exhibited, um, that ended up being very influential to now how I lead my groups.

11:36 Excellent. well, you'll see that this this will be a theme that we roll through. But, um, kudos to you for the guts to do what you want to do, but I also love the idea of this is what you want and second best isn't going to work. And so, it either is or it isn't, right? So,

11:46 yeah, it had to be. I'm glad it was successful for all of us for all of our benefits. So, um, well, obviously several of you and we've talked about and there's in your bios everyone can see the extended um, accolades and achievements you've accomplished, but have have been trail trailblazers, right? A common theme. Katrina as the first woman to lead Colombia's medical school and medical center. Elizabeth as the first physician CEO of March of Dimes that we mentioned earlier, Michael guiding a youth orchestra to its first Grammy and and uh Linda as NASA's first African-American CIO. Being a first often comes with unique pressures and visibility, of course. How did you navigate those moments? And what did they teach you about leadership? Here we go. Michael, you already tapped on this, right? but also um for those who may not be the first but are the the seconds, right? If you're trailblazing, there's a lot of

12:34 opportunity still behind you. So, the ones that really support and amplify and and sustain the change that you've, you know, uh paved, what advice would you give them about making their contributions matter and driving excellence forward? And I'm going to put it out if anyone feels a real need, real desire to answer first. There's no necessary order for this. So I know it's on Zoom it's the less conversational I get but go for it.

12:59 I'll start. So yeah um one just want to share this experience. I was in a um a weapon systems management development program for the Navy and it was a program where you oriented in Seattle, Washington and then you traveled from place to place to place and I was the first African-American in the program and because of that I had a lot of attention but I had to suffer and the word suffer a lot of microaggressions a lot of disrespect I didn't even have a desk. They wouldn't give me a desk. And then I found out that I was getting paid less than everybody else. And so I asked respectfully for a raise. And the answer I got was, "Don't you and your husband make enough money?" Right? So no place to sit, no respect, making less money.

13:58 And it was just too much. It was too much. So I quit. I resigned from the program. And so I would say maybe 15 years later, I realized that I I met and met in my circle of friends the second African-American person in the program. And he told me what I didn't realize. He said, "Girl, what you did is you made it easy for me. You made it easy for all of us that followed you." and we heard all the stuff they did to you and they got in trouble. So, they treated us a whole lot better. So, you took all the knives and arrows and all that stuff so we could do better. And so, my point to that little story is that sometimes you don't see um immediately what you have done for your peers, for your contemporaries, for that. Maybe it takes 15 years to see, right? But the fact of the matter is it does happen and you do make a difference even though you are the trailblazer and you're the one that

15:10 the arrows and bullets and things. Well, realizing the first in this instance especially is right wasn't just about you obviously it was more really opening doors for others but full circle I'm glad you were able to make that connection to realize the impact you had. Um right it's very profound obviously. Um, Michael, Elizabeth, Katrina, please would love to hear your thoughts on this.

15:31 Yeah. Um, you know, I I I um I haven't faced similar um prejudices just because of my demographic. Um, and uh, so, you know, my, you know, with the youth orchestra, you mentioned the youth orchestra thing. Um I think what was most special about um working with a youth orchestra um of course many of them do come from demographics that are disadvantaged or or who are prejudiced against um but in making a recording with a youth orchestra you know I faced a lot of push back um uh from all over the place inside and outside the organization um uh sort of a within the industry a sort of um lack of belief in young people um which actually was was really um very striking and um uh uh hurtful in a way because um you know I really cared for these kids and wanted them to succeed and to do all these things. Um, and so, uh, when that youth orchestra eventually won a Grammy, I think that, um, it was it was, uh, very,

16:35 I felt very triumphant on their behalf because it, it proved what young people could accomplish if they had the resources and had the had were were given the resources and if if they um, uh, uh, had the opportunity to pour their entire selves into a project. And that's something that not a lot of young people ha not every young person has the opportunity to do.

17:00 Yeah, I'm happy, you know, to jump in. Those are such inspiring stories. You know, for me, I do think and it kind of gets back to what I said about being at Hopkins. I went to Hopkins as a medical student and,

17:12 you know, the overwhelming ethos at that point was that we would do anything for a patient. like it didn't matter who you were, didn't matter what you know what your personal background or experiences were, but you put that fully aside for caring for a patient and particularly caring for patients as I said from East Baltimore suffering with HIV or AIDS at the time. And so I think for me growing up in that culture as a physician, my own personal identity became almost irrelevant. I was committed to the medicine and the community and it was everything we could do to help people.

17:52 And I often say I don't think I was really socialized into the world of being a first or being a woman or being this. like it didn't really even happen

18:02 really until I went to Mass General where I was the first woman to lead the department of medicine at Mass General Hospital and at Harvard a place which had not been known for having I think diverse leadership um I was also the first general internist the first non-basic science like the for list of first didn't even occur to me that that was particularly unusual if that makes sense I had just

18:27 been offered a job and so I took it. But then, and the joke I often tell my daughters is that within about, you know, a couple of days of taking it, I got emails from across the country from women I'd never met saying, "Thank you. Thank you for doing this." Like, "Thank you for being brave enough to move into that environment to take on this job." And I think it was the first time and I think maybe it's as Linda was saying that I really recognize that even though you don't see it, just being willing to stand up to say like this is something that I will do even though it's hard I think makes an enormous difference to how people see their futures. Now I talked to so many I was just at a lecture yesterday at Harvard and a young woman came up to me from the Netherlands and was like I followed your career. you make me believe I can do this. Like how did it work? And you know I basically say like you've just got to believe in

19:25 something like Michael believe in those young people. You've got to believe for me and what medicine can do. And then all those issues

19:35 as miserable as it can be sometimes they just fade I think. And so that's my advice. Well, it's interesting, right? Because it sounds like in some of these stories too, you're not you're not thinking yourself and and that's why you are I think where you are is that it's not I'm the first and I'm doing this to be the first. You kind of open your eyes and you realize, oh, wait a minute. And you know, I'm I'm a woman in finance and I see this a lot. Well, I'll walk into a conference room and there will be 40 people there and I have to search to find the other one woman and you're like, "Oh, but I'm just doing what I do, right?" And and then all of a sudden you realize

20:05 you ask us to get the coffee. I will say I still get asked to get the coffee. But

20:11 oh, I've been referred to as young lady, but not so much anymore thinking that I am the assistant. But um Elizabeth would love to hear your thoughts on this.

20:19 Yeah, I think what Katrina said was just great. I I same exact thing. I think at March of Dimes, tons of different um you know, people reaching out uh and other not just physicians, but others and really opening up um for for others to you know, I guess to follow. Um, and I think what Linda said as well, um, resonated in so many ways. I actually often say a TS Elliott quote that only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go. Uh, and it's one of my favorite quotes of TS Elliott and I I think it resonates clinically, right, Katrina about like how far can you push for your patients?

21:04 Um and I would say then internally right as Linda talked it's sort of right and and I think struggling um from being in having imposttor syndrome all of a sudden in in the business world when I was really much more uh comfortable on the clinical side um taking that step you know into a nonprofit really out of my right fundraising is really out of um my wheelhouse than say doing a C-section or four steps in the hallway felt more comfortable. So

21:34 I'll take the fundraiser. Yeah. So, so but but realizing the skill set, right? And so pushing yourself and and taking the risk is really um you don't know until you try. Uh is I think where TS Elliott was going and and also, you know, just that those opportunities to trailblaze for others. I think Linda really um taking those battle wounds for others. I I don't think you think about it until it either somebody points out to you or that you're, you know, in the middle of it. And so, um, yeah, just sort of my comments.

22:04 Can I follow up? It resonates through all of you. Sorry. Yeah. Can I follow up with Michael? What what Michael said? So, um, what he said has made my heart go like this, right? Because I was in the DC Youth Orchestra, right? And so that that love for your children and the the way music changes you how you know as you're growing up like teen or pre-teen a teen that you you learn grit you learn resilience you learn that when you practice something great can happen called the concert right and on top of it I was a brass player you know there were no men I had to play with these stinky guys Right. I started off I started off

22:53 I started off on trumpet the only girl. Right. And then I switched to French horn because my girlfriend like what every teenager do a girlfriend and it was easier. So I was able to to play because I played the trumpet. I didn't I didn't play that low. I played high. So I got a chance to be the first chair because I had to be. So I was in the senior orchestra. I didn't travel to Japan or any of the other things that they did, but it sure changed my life. It really did. And so to Michael, you changed lives and that's important.

23:27 Uh I really appreciate that. I I will say um uh that's a fantastic story. Yeah, I say all the time um that regardless of um whether you decide to pursue music um uh you know, studying music when you're young can be so critical because you learn so many life skills um by nature of doing it. Um and I I have enjoyed keeping in touch with many of the alumni from that program who have gone into music and not music careers. Uh many of them actually become doctors, lawyers, um scientists um uh so they've gone their different paths but the skills that they learn as a musician are um critical for for building life uh life skills. Um and uh that's it's great great to connect with another musician.

24:10 It's great to see first of all, Michael, you're obviously overjoyed almost like a proud parent in in saying how excited you were for these kids, which is really as an educator, as a as a mother of three children, seeing an educator feel that way. It's it's just it's in all inspiring. It really is. But I feel like you're full circle here with Linda saying, "No, you really impact. We you make a difference." So, I I love both ends of of the spectrum here.

24:34 Yeah. It's fantastic. uh uh the the when you go through the Grammys and all of these things um it's kind of a whirlwind. You know, the announcement

24:42 as one does. It's just it's just kind of it's just kind of crazy. You know, you go through the the the conveyor belt of press and all these things and it's happening too fast for you to even comprehend it. And the kids, unfortunately, they couldn't come. It's a was a New York-based group. So, they were all in New York watching the ceremony um on television. We got them all together to have like a pizza party. And um uh it wasn't until I got back home a couple days later where I saw the video of them watching the wind

25:10 um and that's when I just started to completely ball. Um I cried incessantly um because it was so obvious that they had taken such pride in their work, right? And that's something that they'll take with them.

25:23 Sure. Onwards. Well, listen to Linda. Of course, it does. Right. Well, you know, so you all have shar shared powerful insights on breaking barriers and and creating opportunities whether you realized it or not, right? But I want to build on that because these opportunities and you've touched a little bit on it, Michael, and some of you're talking about the students, right? How these opportunities become real through mentorship, right? So I'm curious as to how you guys have approached mentoring and developing future leaders while while still I mean you're v you're at the top of your careers in a lot of instances, still driving with a lot of uh runway left for sure. So, um, what strategies have helped you balance those responsibilities of mentoring and and providing advice that you give to other emerging leaders who want to make an impact, um, on those that they're supporting, but also not losing sight of

26:09 their own growth. I'll start with a fun story, um, and lean in here. I uh when I was uh on the alumni council over at uh Kerry mentoring students through uh COVID and uh I had one particular student who just asked if she wanted to do a project with me and uh you know if she could do anything and you know it's co I had 50 million things that I needed someone to do and so um actually had a a data project that uh we pulled through and we're really coming up with predictive analytics on um on C-section And so really excited that one of the M PH MBA students was interested in doing something and so just kind of right organically came across you know after being assigned the student but really coming across kind of oh this is a shared interest great let's do this flash forward now I don't know it's now six years later I just hired her full-time and is working directly for me as my chief of staff um because I run

27:09 the maternal analytics side of and have all these other roles roles as the chief medical officer and um which I won't even get into with quality and all the things which I'm sure Katrina could lean into as well but um it's really fun and enjoyable right how much I've learned from her name is Maddie Howard I Maline Howard and so she graduated as an um with her MPH and MBA you know back in in the middle of co and just really exciting to see kind of how that grew and just the introduction there and um I think you just never know where you're right where the paths will cross and Um, and the students that I've mentored, I get both on the medical side and on the MBA side, I learned a ton from all of them. But, so I think they've supported me in some, you know, my kind of values of continuing to learn and grow. Uh, but also just you never know where that's like when this opportunity came up, I

28:01 was like, "Oh, I knew I wanted to hire." So, um, it was really exciting to have that land. So,

28:06 I'm a big believer in the mentoring being a two-way street. I say this constantly, right? I mean both uh you know there's so much for us to learn even if it's just the new the new trends and the new ways and and as well as in part of what we've experienced too right because there's not only one way to do something but

28:22 Linda Katrina Michael your thoughts on that on that point of mentoring as well so um there's answer there's an answer about being mentored and there's an answer about mentoring right and um as a female and a male dominated field. It is difficult to find a mentor because especially if you're a roughly married woman, right? Because you just don't go out to business dinners with other men, you got you got a lot of explaining to do, right? And so it's not impossible, but it is something that needs to be navigated. And but finding somebody that is willing to mentor you is a it's another story.

29:07 And so I I decided that uh two things I decided about that. I had to I had the pleasure of handling the the president of the partnership for public service, Max Steer, and he was going to talk about mentoring. And I don't know, I didn't have a breakfast or something. I was in a grumpy mood. And I said, you know, it's easy for you to talk about mentoring. You are a white man. You can get mentors. I can't find anybody who wants to mentor me. And he says, "Well, well, the best way to uh find a mentor is to be a mentor."

29:47 So, I said, "Hey, I'm going to try that." So, I overcame that barrier by mentoring other people. And to the extent that right now in our company Muse, we are setting up a practice around coaching and mentoring, right? And um also when like I came to my first point of inflection where I really needed a mentor, I saw a lady kind of like tell my story. I I I read about this woman who was a chief information officer of HUD. I called her office and I said I want her to mentor me. I didn't know her from a can of paint. I don't know what that means, but that's what people say. So I I called called her up and she said yes. Right. That was in 2000. And so here it is 25 years later.

30:44 We're still we we're still friends. We're still doing that. So the best way to get a mentor is to be a mentor. Always remember that.

30:54 You know, I guess I'll I totally agree with that. And actually, there's really great data that basically show that mentoring is better for the mentor than the mentee. Like particularly in academic medicine, there's like lots of studies that have shown it. I mean, for me, my entire world is about mentorship, education, the next generation. I mean, every time I've looked at leaving an academic environment, I just don't see how I could leave that being most of what I do. Um, it's by far the most rewarding part. I love taking care of patients. I love doing research. I'm not so fond of administrative meetings. I seem to have a lot of them, but you know, the parts of my life that are the best are when I get to talk to somebody, a young person, about what they want to do. And so I really believe that it keeps my fires lit. It keeps me not burned out. It's what's absolutely critical for my world. You know, I have

31:56 learned over the years that for every job I take, I have rules with my a lot of my life is determined by who my assistant puts on my calendar. As you

32:07 Yes. And they often anybody will decide that that should have some rank of importance where you start with like people who are called CEO and you end with people who are called student. Right? So like and the one thing that I've done always is to try to make it clear to whoever manages my calendar that I have this hierarchy that goes like my children, my patients, my husband. I think he knows he's third, but let's just say sometimes that might be a little tricky. we won't

32:38 and then and then my students right that is by far the most important thing for me and so students trainees mentees and then I'll go back and look at my calendar kind of the classic leadership lesson I try to do it every month or two and just make sure that I'm spending my time according to my values am I really spending my time with the people who are the future and so that's been kind of I will never be able to leave this world because That is from my perspective the best parts of my day.

33:10 Yeah. I mean, one of the takeaways I have from that is you better get to know Katrina's assistant

33:15 and get her a holiday gift. You better get that lesson everybody in life. Tell her assistance. IT CAN MAKE YOUR LIVES MUCH BETTER.

33:25 As long as you tell her you're a student, it works. But yeah, with a little chocolate bar, maybe. Michael, any any how about you? What's your insight on?

33:36 I think that uh what uh Linda was saying about the um relationship between being mentor and mentee um and how you can learn just as much about mentorship and also connect with mentorship by being a mentor yourself was just so wise um because you can learn so much from people who um are still coming up. I look I am the beneficiary of having had phenomenal mentors. Um, I would not be doing what I'm doing today if there hadn't been people who looked out for me when I was seven, eight, nine, 10 years old. Um, and onwards. Um, and I was very lucky to fall in with mentors who were first of all phenomenally competent. Um, but also truly selfless. Um, also very strangely for me, my and I say strangely just because of the the imbalances in our field. You know, conducting is still a phenomenally maledominated profession.

34:29 Um, I don't know the exact statistics, but it's hugely male-dominated. Um, almost all of my mentors in conducting have been women. Um, which is just statistically a complete anomaly. Um, I think that, um, I've been a huge beneficiary for that. Uh, I mean, I I've been very lucky for that because, um, the people who have mentored me have had to fight for everything that they've that they've accomplished in a way that a lot of their male colleagues may not have had to. And so they're by nature of that they're they're extremely competent people. Um and they've also been very very selfless in like knowing how to create opportunities for people who um are still coming up because they had to create opportunities for themselves, right? Um and so I've been very lucky for that. And so um I've done everything in my power to to pay play it forward.

35:19 Bringing it back to Hopkins, you know, when I was in Baltimore, I mentioned this when I my first statements was that I was witnessing a Baltimore symphony um and a leadership that I mean from Marin that was very community focused, right? Starting orchids, for example, and then watching kids who, you know, from West Baltimore in particular, you know, grow up through the orchids program and be the first people to go to college from their family, for example, you know, it's like tremendously inspiring, right? And so I've not created anything that's as special or as wide ranging as that, but little things, you know, can really help. And one of my orchestras in Ohio, um, we started a thing called the fan club, which was really meant to be a way to bring middle school, high school, college age kids, um, into the concert hall, uh, allowing them to come to rehearsals and, um, we would have, you

36:08 know, parties where we'd hang out and talk about music and other sorts of things. And for me, I thought it was a way to really connect with people, young people who are interested in music, just to figure out what's going on. And um you know, by being active and creating programs like that, you never know what will come. For example, um there was a high school junior um who's now a college sophomore, it's been a few years, um who came to me and she said, so she was I think 16 at the time um and she said, "More than anything in the world, I want to be a conductor." And that struck home with me because I could have been her age. age. I mean, I was her age, saying, "More than anything, I want to be a conductor, but how? I don't know." Um, and she's very, very, very, very talented. And so, we started letting her conduct in our concerts, right? Um, another and she's just now been to her first professional workshop.

36:54 Um, she's really going places. Um, uh, and another girl in the fan club said, "More than anything, I want to be a recording engineer." And I was like, "Well, I don't know anything about recording engineering, but I can connect you with a bunch of recording engineers who will tell you everything that you need to know." So in music, it's all about sort of creating those opportunities for young people um actively um and paying that forward.

37:15 Yeah. I mean the access piece really resonates, right? How do these children even know that this is something they may be interested in if they've never even been exposed to it? So you know the fantastic opportunity you afford them by providing that access and it may be not not for me but for for the you know the ones that are are inspired by that that's fantastic. And we all mentoring

37:35 learn as much from from mentoring. Yeah. 100%. Right. Exactly. And and I find, you know, I've had a lot of mentoring relationships that have just when they're too forced don't don't work. The organic ones tend to, you know, flourish because they're just they're kind of meant to be. But also, you know, you you you know, build on that. And if it's not you, you're connecting with other people and creating that network, which I always, you know, tell tell the people who are starting here is so important, right? But so we we've talked a bit about lifting up others and now I'd like to turn to a different aspect um or dimension of leadership around driving change which you guys all exemplify for sure because each of you has led change in different spaces.

38:14 Our traditions run deep. Katrina guiding Columbia through challenging times as interim president. Um Elizabeth advancing maternal health in ways that uh redefine the care. Linda modernizing NASA's IT and helping others do the same. and and Michael making classical music more inclusive in all the ways you guys have described already but leading transformation in established established institutions Linda you were alluding to this earlier right um isn't always simple as we all know how do you approach like that work like what mindsets or strategies would help push helps you push the boundaries while honoring the history and values of the organizations that you also serve right it's that

38:54 yeah so navigation there I I'll I'll start with NASA and um I don't know where do I start. So you would think that one of the most innovative organizations in the world would be very innovative right now. Nope. Nope. Nope. And so to push innovation, like for example, uh someone came to me and they wanted funding for one of the the programs that they had their contractor developed and they thought it was great and wonderful. And what it was at the time, it was something that was exactly like AOL instant messaging,

39:35 right? So it was the first, you know, the early things like this already exists. No, it doesn't. This is new. Well, it was new because they didn't know right?

39:47 Oh, yeah. And and the there was this Martha Stewart. So, uh No, Martha Stewart was on some some had like a a real woman, right? And was in her kitchen and the woman was making Rice Krispie treats

40:04 and then the woman melted butter, had the Rice Krispies in there and then she cut open a bag of marshmallows and pour in there. Then Martha Steu Stewart says, "Do you ever make your own marshmallows?" And then the woman went, "No, NASA makes their own marshmallows." They do. They really do. And so if you want to introduce an innovation around already made marshmallows, you're flying in against the culture of the organization, which is to have the very best marsh marshmallows in the universe, not the world, but the universe. And so to come in that culture to try to introduce some technology innovation to the people who already innovate, they're not buying it, right? Yeah,

40:53 they've gota gota know who you are. You've got to speak speak their language right?

41:00 And so so I decided to peel them off one by one, right? So I went to the scientists and engineers used their own words, their own language. I went to the engineers to to scientists and I spoke to them like the mathematician. Thank you John's Hopkins for that. And so I went in and I said and it was about security that's and they said you got they were telling me you you folks are stupid they haven't really uh secured our infrastructure and I said securing infrastructure something that you approach asmmptoically it just never happens and then it went oh wow and she used the word correctly too but it got their attention and they understood our dilemma and they understood why change hadn't happened yet and their role in helping to make that change. So as I moved on I I I gained an interest in organizational change. Um, I looked at organizational change as being a system problem. Just like when I was a systems

42:13 programmer, organizations are like systems. And my research was in complex adaptive systems and how you introduce innovation and change in organizations like that. It ain't easy, but it can be done.

42:29 Well, it sounds for the for the medical doctors in here, you got to approach it with a scalpel, not a not a buzzsaw, right? To that end, please Katrina, Elizabeth, let let me know. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this because that is interesting. Very much of a chameleon, Linda. Right. So,

42:44 yeah, I mean, I couldn't agree more with some of what Linda or with what Linda's saying, you know, I had a great lesson when I was in Boston, somebody at leader at MIT was talking about how when she started there, and this may be apocryphal, but that she said they were going to change the location for a meeting of the deans or the top leadership. They had a brand new building and they've been meeting in another building for 50 years or something and she changed location and nobody came and then she realized that she changed the language is they were going to experiment with a new location and everybody came. So I think trying to understand how to

43:23 you know it's an example of something that I truly believe when I was a junior faculty member I went to a talk about called essentially something like how to get people to do what you want

43:33 and it was an incredibly helpful talk because I think it made the point that usually we spend our time trying to explain to people why we're right and why what we need done is what they should do and it basically made the point that the only real way to affect change or to move forward is to really align what needs to be done with what people believe in and how they feel valued and respected and part of that.

44:01 And you know, it's a little bit of the line of like if you want to go fast, go alone, but if you want to go, you know, a long way, you have to go together. So you can get short-term change um obviously by other means but for me I think long-term change has to be about basically making sure that you are listening walking in other people's shoes and understanding what they're hoping to get out of their roles. Everybody wants to make a difference wants to matter and be important. So from my perspective that is it's hard work.

44:38 Um but listening to language, listening to their perspectives, but really also understanding that it's got to actually be aligned with what they want

44:49 is critical, right? I mean, if you want adoption, right? I mean, it's it's it's hard too as people who are go-getters, you know, people who want to achieve and want to succeed, but you're right. If you your goal is adoption, you've gota, you know, and we're also like

45:04 Yeah. Yeah. I'm in an academic center. So, yeah, you know, faculty do whatever they want. So, I think

45:10 and they all have thoughts. They all have lots of thoughts. Yeah. So, it may be different in a corporate culture, but for me,

45:17 so I I sit on a as a as a trustee, I I sit and I've been get involved in a number of different um committees. And you do realize it's a very different world sitting in academia too. And and everybody needs to have their their moment to whether it's pontificate or share so that they feel heard and and and they've expressed and then you know we coming to a decision that works for everyone. But yes, I had to like rejigger versus sitting on a trading floor and realizing it's now and you don't have a say, you know. So anyway, um but Elizabeth

45:53 Yeah. No, everything Katrina said just resonated with me and and the same with Linda. I um we had an enhanced recovery after C-section program. It was one of the first to launch in the country. We started in a community hospital Katrina. So you can imagine, right? I had to go to Grand Rounds for anesthesia. I had to go to Grand Rounds for OBGYn. I had to go around to you know the pediatricians. And I will say the pediatricians were the toughest to have to deal with, right? And and you would think the kindest gentler, right? That No. And we were standardizing programs, right? So changing how telling anesthesia this was the standard pathway and we were going to and it sounds crazy but for a repeat you know C-section we wanted babies to go right on their chest. out. This is years ago, but right in the recovery, right in the O. And so, everyone had to be on board with this. And um you know,

46:40 it sounds simple and small, but the whole point of this whole program was really to give some empowerment to patient choices, but also standardize a pathway, shorten hospital stay, um engage patients better, um and and get them home sooner. And you know, pediatricians are like, "Oh, you're just trying to throw patients out the door." Um and anesthesia was like, "Oh, you're just trying to tell me what to do." And so it is about aligning to what are the end goals and then trying to figure out and Katrina I would actually voice it as and maybe Linda as well is you're that complex adaptive system is about influencing others right and every like I said my pediatric talk was way different than my anesthesia talk um and I think in the obstatrician room I felt like oh they should all be on board but it it it's about really that alignment and how to how to influence them in the right places and also being accountable

47:32 for what doesn't work. And so there were some things in our program that, you know, didn't work right away. And so we tried to, you know, really own those mistakes and pivot. And I I think being really transparent about that helped the alignment, helped others say, "Oh, you know, it's not perfect. Haha, we told you so." But they also could, right? We could all kind of chime into actually we're still on the same path to get to the goals of getting patients engaged and um and getting them really well for the whole point of this program, by the way, was eating, walking, and moving faster. Um, right. and less opioids and um and we actually reduced opioids by you know over 72%. Um so super exciting kind of program to see but it is a lot big lessons on how to really influence other and um I love the idea of we're going to experiment it is choosing your words wisely um influence

48:20 understanding your audience right when all fails too is why I always just apply a Jedi mind trick to get where where I need to get with my husband sometimes

48:28 there you go I'm just gonna leave you there on how to deal with your family too

48:32 this is what you want right Michael Do you have you have anything to share on this?

48:37 Well, yeah, I guess I'm a little bit fortunate in that, you know, in music, unlike in women's health or general medicine or um astrophysics, it nothing that we're doing is literally life or death. Um um uh so so um uh that's actually that that I you can't you can't trust me with that level of responsibility. Um uh but in our field especially in classical music um western classical music um there's a huge problem of lack of diversity right if you look uh many people who if you're not if you're not um if you don't really take in classical music often you may not know this but the vast majority of repertoire that gets played um is played by straight white men from a very specific area of Europe in like an 80 to 120 year period um and that's a huge problem because there's so much more to music that goes beyond those bounds. Um, and as a conductor, you know, one of our responsibilities is to program. I mean,

49:34 we get to pick a lot of the time what the orchestras get to play. And so, this systemic problem has been built up over decades and centuries of conductors really only having an interest in that particular thing. And so, as a conductor who's interested in more than that, um, it was difficult at the beginning of my career. It's still it could be difficult now, but especially when I was just starting out with orchestras and didn't yet have a reputation um to program composers, for example, that fell outside that bound. And um I faced quite a lot of resistance from board members.

50:07 Of course, we're all nonprofits, so we're focused on fundraising. Um and in our field a lot of the time some of the biggest donors can be um the most conservative just not necessarily politically but in terms of the risk that they may want to take in playing music that they might think is not familiar to the audience. And the lessons that I've learned that have been really um powerful in terms of being able to overcome that is first of all being very organic and being passionate about what it is that you're doing and education. To me it all comes down to education. So, I found that especially at one of the orchestras that I thought was the most conservative in terms of their programming choices, I just started talking about the music that we were doing

50:48 and explaining to the audience why it was important to hear this and why I thought it was great, why I think that they're going to think that it's great, too, right? Um, and over time, you can change people's minds. Um and actually um the orchestra that I would have considered to be the most conservative now is the most forward thinking in terms it only took 10 years, right? But is by far the most forward thinking and the most eager about hearing composers that fall outside of that traditional demographic. Um uh and um you know some of the biggest donors to some of my projects like my latest album for example um which is an English a black English composer from um from a black English composer from England obviously um from around 1900 right all resurrecting music that had fallen out of publication because of systemic problems right we had to raise nearly $200,000 in order to record an album

51:46 like this and to do all the research and a A lot of the money came from this area that 10 years ago would never have donated any money into this. Um, so from in music, I think in the arts, it comes down to passion and education. Um, and then sort of a Nike philosophy of just do it. Just do it.

52:04 Yeah. Um, and then things will go. Well, while different of mediums clearly, I the theme is still resonates through each story. I feel like of of getting that person to understand where you're coming from so that it isn't feeling like it's being jammed down their throat. You know, I joked about the scalpel versus the the buzzsaw, right? And I think that that translates in in in any uh in any interaction, right? As long as we can if we can see each other on the same page and maybe it's not identical to what you're proposing and maybe you have opportunity to learn going back to the idea of the mentor mentorship, right? What you have to learn versus what you're giving. So um it's it's interesting to see how you know although desperate not really so much in in in how we succeed right

52:46 well even being a stu being a student musician in that scenario we were difficult right because every every year for black history month we had to play this one song from William Grant Still right and it was so hard but what happened was over the years we figured out how to get to it and it was hard like you count out 93 three measures. You play three notes and you count out another 92 measures, right? And so we just figured that we would look at each other's music and you count 60, I'll count 20. And then we don't have to sit there and have a 16-year-old actually focus for 93 times 4 seconds, right, in order to play a note. So change the minds that you have to change are are not just your donors to be your musicians too.

53:41 This chopstick playing um uh musician over here while I I I appreciate and I think I'm getting what you're saying. I don't think I can practice it, but I'm impressed. Um so we've covered a lot today already. breaking barriers, mentorship, leading transformation, which I think are three excellent examples of um excellence in action, right? Um but I know our audience has some questions, so I don't want to hog all of your all of your time. So, I'm going to I'm going to pivot to some of our our questions from the chat. And one of them comes from Cindy, and she noticed, and I think this is is, you know, a good one to touch on. Ring noticed that the common element among everyone was juggling multiple roles and skills. Um so, she asked, "Do you think interdisciplinary training is undervalued?"

54:24 And should we have a greater emphasis in education and training or is that just something you inherently picked up along the way because you guys are all superstars? I think that

54:36 so the interdisiplinary the interdisciplinary part of it teaches us the value of diversity and uh and diversity is unfortunately such a bad word now and um diversity of thought would have solved a lot of problems that we see right now. People being willing to disagree, people having different perspectives. So that that diversity uh does does give you something. The other thing is overcoming adversity that gives you something and that was why I praised learning music at such a young age. It gives you resilience. It gives you grit and gives you the things that you need in order to strive for success.

55:25 I would just say yes. Yes. I think we should do more to support interdisiplinarity. But I will also say that one of the things and it's great to see this maybe as an example of where Hopkins is going. It can't stop in college or even when you come back like the magic I think for all of our careers has been to be able to reinvent to be able to learn and grow in whatever way we want. So, I love the idea that Hopkins can lead not just in thinking about the time you're at home with, but really in this concept of what it means to be an interdisciplinary learner for the rest of your life.

56:03 Yeah, I'm not sure you if you guys are aware and it this goes beyond and I totally agree with everything you just said Katrina, but now there is a programming where everybody is required to take these um freshmen they come in and they have these small um seminars but with with leadership some the deans teach it and it's taking kids who are engineers and making them get exposed to the humanities which they wouldn't otherwise have and they're having direct uh contact with uh Dean Chalenza who's who's speaking to them about Roman Roman works and and it's it's without you they can exhale because they're not going to get graded and have this take their GPA down but rather just expose them to your point earlier Michael right expose them to something that may untap uh the opportunity to want to explore it further right um but but um I've jumped in now and I I definitely want to hear Elizabeth and Michael's thoughts on on

56:52 this point as well yeah um uh fundamentally in my profession in conducting um the skill set is leadership Right. That's that's what what makes a good conductor is a good leader. Um and so one thing that Peabody has been really really good at lately um has been sort of teaching this leadership and entrepreneurial spirit, right? Um recognizing that building a career in music now um means running your own business effectively um and being an entrepreneur, being creative, being a self-starter, and being able to lead. Um, and so I I would agree with Katrina that um there's 97 different ways of viewing leadership, but learning how to be a leader isn't necessarily a skill set that everyone's born with, but I think that everybody can do. So, it is important to learn how to do it.

57:44 Yeah, I I would add that I think right having diversity of thought, diversity, all those exposures that um everybody has mentioned here. You know, I think if you're not growing and improving, it's stagnant, right? And so um you know, I I go back to Homewood. I was actually a history major who went to medical school, right? That's kind of not not the typical um by any means, or at least it wasn't then. It probably is more now, but uh so I think that is and love taking a CL. I mean, I think about classes on I took a class on violence in America, right? I I never like just fascinating class that I still think about today and so wouldn't thought about it unless being exposed to it. So, I love that Homewood's right

58:25 going in that direction and yeah, I think I'm sort of chuckling over having a child in college right now about not ruining your GPA by but realizing that you're actually widening your mind, right? Your mind capsule is expanding rapidly by all those exposures. You say the same thing through training. um whether in you know all the things. So um and think about my training uh you know in both um you know medical school and residency was getting exposed to as much as I can. Um so anyway uh I think it's just yeah resonates with me all altogether.

59:00 So, I know we're getting close to hitting the about our 30 seconds a piece to answer one more question to ask you if if you were addressing this year's Hopkins graduates, what advice would you give them about defining success for themselves? I know a big question with little time each, but we'd love to hear your closing thoughts on these on this point.

59:18 I tell um start with you, Michael. Yeah. I tell Thank you. I um tell my students um whether they're conducting students or other music students or whatnot that they need to have a mission, right? They might be really good pianist or really good violinist or be really great conductor, whatever. They may be technically fantastic, but why are they making uh the music that they're making? What are they attempting to accomplish beyond putting food on the table right?

59:42 Uh what's their mission? How are they trying to change the world? So, how you define success in music, you first have to define what your mission is. And then once you've fulfilled your mission, you've been successful. Um, so I think it's about taking that first step of defining what your personal mission is and why you're doing what you're doing, which by the way is something I have to constantly remind myself.

1:00:02 Um, too, even though I've been quite successful, I think it's your 30 seconds. Okay,

1:00:07 I'm gonna give advice. I would say just don't be so hard on yourselves. Like life is long.

1:00:14 You know, when I get together with my college friends, they're always like, "Really? You got a job? You're running a med school? That doesn't seem very likely." They're like, "What? That's crazy."

1:00:24 Like, I think kids that age are so hard on themselves. Like, find something that you enjoy,

1:00:31 get a job, make friends. I would just say that life, you know, as we say, is what unfolds while we're all making PowerPoint slides. So, I think the goal,

1:00:42 right? Yeah. But just don't be so hard on yourselves. I do think that if you can check in with yourself ever so often

1:00:50 to make sure that you feel that you're living a good life, that's my best advice.

1:00:55 I like that. I would just add success is not defined online or through social media.

1:01:01 Um yeah, a good one. I think right it's it can be defined and shouldn't be defined by others should and I I love Michael that you sort of figure out your mission. I love that.

1:01:13 Yeah. Linda, how about you? Um, I I would like to echo about how you define success, right? I had the pleasure of hearing a talk by Chris Christensen, how you measure your life. And uh, at the end of the day, which is like I'm an old lady, right? And and when I look back, how I define success now wasn't how I defined success when I was at Hopkins. When I was at Hopkins, I thought it would be how much money I make, what kind of house I have.

1:01:45 And now it's about the lives I touch, what kind of difference can I make in in this world actually. And um but making sure that you

1:01:58 uh you you you follow a path where your passion lies. I had my Latin teacher talked to me about success. He's and I was I started off premed and then I switched my major to Latin and minor to major to math, minor to Latin because he told me that if you major what you love, you'll be successful no matter what it is.

1:02:23 I loved math. I loved Latin. As a matter of fact, I would have had a double major in classics had I had a year of Greek, which is my biggest regret in my whole life, not Greek, but anyway. Um, but follow your passion, whatever that is, and you'll be successful.

1:02:42 As I tell my 13-year-old often, your grades do not define you. Your effort and how you treat people and the kind of person that you are defines who you are, right? But I think it's a good one um to end on and I appreciate everyone's time. Thank you all for sharing such thoughtful perspectives. This conversation has been inspiring for me and I know our audience will carry these insights forward for sure. Excellence in action isn't just about achievement. I think we've all shown today, right? It's about the impact and each of you has shown us what yours looks like. So, your journeys truly demonstrate and and our view uh transformative power of John's Hopkins education. So, thank you for your time. It's valuable. We know. Um I want to thank everyone else um who joined us today on the Zoom. We hope you enjoyed this celebration as much as I did um of our distinguished alumni and feel equally as inspired. I know again I

1:03:32 certainly do. Um, please join us for more programming as we celebrate John's Hopkins Centennial Year. And you can you can find that out by uh visiting 150.jhu.edu to explore all of the 150th anniversary programming and as well um hopkinsome.jhu.edu for more of our free public virtual events. Again, we appreciate you tuning in and hope to see you at our next Alumni Association Awards Series conversation in April. Hope everyone's had a wonderful afternoon. and I certainly have. Thank you.

Questions about this episode

What is discussed in "Johns Hopkins Alumni Association Awards Series: Excellence In Action"?

In order: 0:00 Johns Hopkins University, Michael Repper, Maryanne Dixon, Elizabeth Shereo; 10:00 Baltimore Symphony, Grammy Award, March of Dimes; 20:00 March of Dimes; 30:00 Baltimore Symphony; 50:00 Peabody.

What is mentioned in this Johns Hopkins University episode?

13 people, works and ideas are mentioned, including Johns Hopkins University, Maryanne Dixon, Katrina Armstrong, Elizabeth Shereo, Linda Kuritan, Michael Repper. Each one on this page links to its own page with every episode that mentions it.

How long is "Johns Hopkins Alumni Association Awards Series: Excellence In Action"?

The episode runs 1 h 4 min; the transcript is about 11,551 words in 125 timestamped sections.

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