Club Ink
D.C. Alumni Club Hosts David Gardner of Motley Fool

early 40 members of the Washington, D.C., Alumni Club started the New Year "foolishly" when they gathered on Jan. 21 to hear David Gardner, co-CEO and founder of The Motley Fool.

In 1993, Gardner, a 1988 English graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill, launched the innovative multimedia financial education company.

He shared his views on what investors are looking for and the potential effects of recently proposed regulatory reforms.

From left, Mike Cammisa (MBA '90), Ren "Joy" Huang (MBA '99), Jim Miller, executive director of alumni affairs (EMBA '99) and Ron Gabriel (BSBA '63, MBA '66)

"Supermarkets don't just sell us simple toothpaste anymore," said Gardner. "They load their shelves with 37 different choices. Whether we're talking supermarkets or purveyors of financial advice, good businesses in 2003 will evolve to meet that need."

Tom Buckley (MBA '00) reported what Washington, D.C., area alumni have accomplished.

"Since a few D.C. area alumni, including Jolene Carter-King (MBA '01), Jason Coccia (MBA '02), Nathan Darling (BSBA '96), Susan Jerch (BSBA '01), Kai Reynolds (MBA '00), Steve Wolf (MBA '00) and I, held initial planning meetings just eight months ago, we have surveyed the Washington, D.C., area alumni about what services they would like the chapter to offer. We have worked together to conduct two well-attended events," Buckley said. "We have also updated the extensive contact database of active area alumni, and we'll hold another major event with U.S. Sen. and presidential candidate John Edwards."

"This shows that a lot can happen in a short period of time to form the beginnings of a cohesive alumni network," Buckley continued.