After the Tassel

Our guest today is Michael Reitz, a Corporate Engineer at Six Flags Amusement Parks. Michael oversees ride design for coasters all across the Six Flags chain. He graduated from the University of Maryland with double majors in Mechanical Engineering and German Language and Literature. Before working at Six Flags, Michael was previously an engineer at Premier Rides and Lego. We know very little about how roller coasters are actually designed, so we’re very excited to learn more about the process. We’re also curious to see how Michael’s career path differs from Kristin Fitzgerald’s, the Marketing Manager at Six Flags Great Adventure whom we talked to previously.

Joining us today is Kristin Fitzgerald, the Marketing & Public Relations Manager at Six Flags Great Adventure. Kristin graduated from Seton Hall University with her BA in Communication and Graphic Design and earned her MA in Public Relations and Advertising from Rowan University. At Six Flags, she has served in positions ranging from Communications Manager to Director of Marketing and Entertainment. She has also served as the Director of Corporate Customer Relations at Burlington Coat Factory. Like many of our peers, we love rollercoasters and can’t wait to learn about how theme parks operate behind the scenes!

Today we’re joined by Amita Singh, the Assistant Attorney General at the Office of the New York State Attorney General. She enforces the Martin Act: a New York state law that gives her the power to investigate publicly-held companies for financial fraud. Amita earned her BA in International Relations and Economics from Emory University and then earned her law degree from the University of Georgia School of Law. Before working for the state of New York, Amita was an Assistant Attorney General in Massachusetts and an associate at a private law firm. Both of us are intrigued by the world of finance, and we’re especially excited to learn how the law applies to financial matters!

Today we’re here with Ulysses Dietz, Chief Curator Emeritus and Curator of Decorative Arts at The Newark Museum in Newark, New Jersey. Ulysses graduated from Yale University with a degree in French, and went on to the Winterthur Program at the University of Delaware to obtain his masters in Early American Culture. After graduating, Ulysses joined the Newark Museum, and stayed there until his retirement in 2017. He is now a one-year visiting curator at the Preservation Society of Newport County in Newport, Rhode Island. After speaking with an artist, we are especially excited to hear about the next stage in the process of showcasing and presenting art!

For our episode today, we have with us Emily Madrigal, an artist who served as a studio assistant to sculptor Martha Friedman. Emily completed tasks ranging from administrative work to assisting in making the artwork itself and mold-making in rubber. She has also had her own art featured in exhibits such as Eating Bitterness. Before working in art creation, Emily completed her BA at Princeton University as a visual arts major, and studied French art in Williams College’s graduate program. Emily will begin pursuing a PhD in art history this fall. As we look to expose our listeners to both common and unconventional jobs, we can’t wait to learn more about the exciting fields of visual arts and art history!

Joining us today is Francis Dillion, a research associate at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. Frankie is working under senior economists and is specifically interested in urban and energy economics. Before joining the FED at Kansas City, Frankie completed his BA at Swarthmore College as an economics major with minors in statistics and classical studies and worked as an intern at the World Bank. Having taken courses at school that discuss monetary policies conducted by the Federal Reserve, we are thrilled to hear more about how the processes we learn in the classroom occur in the real world and impact the local and national economy every day.

Today we’re here with Paul Gastello, a Strategic Analyst at Current. Current provides banking services to historically underserved customers in the banking industry. Paul graduated from Dartmouth College with a double major in Political Science and Government, and worked as a Strategic Finance Analyst at Poshmark and Square before arriving to Current. Personally, we have never heard of this field before meeting Paul, so we are excited to learn more about what has the potential to be a very exciting industry.