Introducing the Yale SOM Professional Alumni Groups for Artificial Intelligence, Entrepreneurship, Social Impact, Supply Chain, and Sustainability

Today, Yale SOM Alumni Relations is launching five Professional Alumni Groups (PAGs) in the focus areas of AI, entrepreneurship, social impact, supply chain, and sustainability.

We established the PAGs to connect SOM’s 12,000+ alumni — across geographies, industries, and sectors — who are navigating the impacts of AI, venture capital uncertainty, social inequality, supply chain risks, and the climate crisis. The groups will serve as formal alumni networks focused on advancing progress for industries and society by unlocking insights related to the trends shaping the next decade in terms of value creation, job growth, and innovation.

The PAG networks have three main objectives:

• CONVENE: Bring together SOM alumni across sectors and geographies in these focus areas to share insights, expertise, and best practices for solving cross-industry challenges and unlocking innovation and growth pathways.
• CONNECT: Create ongoing dialogues and connections between these SOM alumni networks and university-wide resources including faculty and their research, the Tsai Center for Innovative Thinking at Yale, the Yale Center for Business and the Environment, the Yale SOM Program on Social Enterprise, Innovation, and Impact (PSEII), and Yale Ventures. The PAGs will also be connected to SOM student clubs and a vast range of campus-wide programs, events, and entrepreneurial ventures.
• COLLABORATE: Establish a platform for continuous information exchange that elevates SOM alumni insights and university research, and resources related to the breakthroughs, innovations, solutions, and business models that will drive collaboration, growth, and progress across industries.

PAG Leadership, Structure, and Support

Each PAG is led by an SOM alumni chair or co-chairs with deep expertise in their focus areas from companies which include Amazon, Apple, Procter & Gamble, PSEII, SWARM Engineering, The Tsai Center for Innovative Thinking at Yale, and Walmart.

These inaugural chairs are calling for new members this month and will work with alumni to build their respective PAG leadership teams and operating structures. Each chair will also work with SOM Alumni Relations to curate and host a virtual launch event in spring 2025, which will be open to all Yale alumni and students globally. The chairs will also establish ongoing programs to foster learning, networking, and collaboration across the university.

The PAGs will have staff support across the networks under the direction of Courtney Lightfoot, managing director of SOM Alumni Relations, and Johanna Tondalo, director of strategic initiatives.

Meet the Co-Chairs for SOM’s Professional Alumni Groups

Y-AIM: Yale AI & Impact Makers Chair: Shail Khiyara ’96

Shail Khiyara is the inaugural chair of the Yale SOM Professional Alumni Group for Artificial Intelligence. Shail is a recognized thought leader in AI and automation, with 20+ years of experience scaling companies across public and private sectors. A pioneer in agentic AI and intelligent automation, he has led transformative advancements in industrial operations—leveraging AI-driven decision intelligence and state-of-the-art neural networks to boost efficiency and drive massive savings across critical resources, including water, energy, and chemicals.

Shail has served as chief marketing officer and chief customer officer at multiple leading intelligent automation and AI firms, playing a pivotal role in doubling revenue, scaling global AI adoption, and driving industry-defining innovations. Earlier in his career, he worked at Bechtel, gaining deep expertise in oil and gas, transport, and energy—insights that now influence his AI-driven industrial transformation approach. A LinkedIn Top Voice in AI, Shail is the co-author of Intelligent Automation—Bridging the Gap between Business & Academia and the founder of VOCAL, a global think tank uniting over 90 Fortune 500 brands to advance real-world AI adoption. He holds an MBA from Yale, an MS in Civil Engineering, and has completed executive education at Harvard Business School.

Join the AI PAG here →

SOM Entrepreneurs Network Chair: Victor Padilla-Taylor ’15

Victor Padilla-Taylor is the inaugural chair of the SOM Professional Alumni Group for Entrepreneurship. He is also the director of mentor, advisor and partner networks at the Tsai Center for Innovative Thinking at Yale (Tsai CITY), a member of the Executive Advisory Board of the Global Consortium of Entrepreneurship Centers (GCEC) and vice-chair of the Yale SOM Alumni Advisory Board. Victor earned the Master of Advanced Management at Yale SOM and an Executive Masters in Global Leadership from the World Economic Forum in 2018. He also holds an MBA from Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile and earned a Chemical and Industrial Engineering degree in his adopted country of Guatemala, where he was captain for the men’s national basketball team. Victor is the recipient of the Linda Lorimer Award for Distinguished Service, conferred by Yale’s president, and a Volunteer Leadership Award from the Yale Alumni Association.

Join the Entrepreneurship PAG here →

SOM & Society Co-Chairs: Billy Huang ’21, Brandon Jones ’23, and Sooah Rho ’23

Sooah Rho is an inaugural chair of the SOM Professional Alumni Group for Social Impact. She is the associate director at the Yale SOM Program on Social Enterprise, Innovation, and Impact (PSEII). Previously she was associate director at social finance, where she worked on the impact advisory and investment teams. Sooah is the founder of YouthVoice, was a policy fellow at CT Voices for Children, and taught 10th grade English in California at Oakland Unity High School, where she was recognized as Teacher of the Year by the Office of Oakland Charter Schools in 2016. Sooah earned her MBA from SOM and a BA from the University of Southern California. At USC, she collaborated with BBC correspondents to report on North and South Korean relations, with an emphasis on humanitarian aid and social support for North Korean defectors. Sooah’s leadership has also been recognized through her appointments to Teach for America’s alumni board, Leaders for Educational Equity’s Emerging Policy Leaders, and Princeton’s Emerging Leaders in Nonprofit.

Join the Social Impact PAG here →

SOMers in Supply Chain Co-Chairs: Andrea Pacheco ’22, Siddharth (Sid) Mishra ’18, Srinath Sabapathy ’12, and Meelendra Singh ’20

Andrea Pacheco is an inaugural co-chair of the SOM Professional Alumni Group for Supply Chain. She is a senior product manager for innovation & automation at Walmart, where she specializes in digital transformation and oversees innovation and automation projects. She is an expert in supply chain innovation, AI, and data and passionate about leveraging data and applying new technologies to automate complex processes, improve efficiency, and enhance business outcomes. Andrea earned a Master’s in Advanced Management from SOM, an MBA from EGADE Business School at Tecnológico de Monterrey in Mexico and has a bachelor’s degree in informatics engineering from Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú. She is an advocate for girl's empowerment and serves as a mentor to fellow Peruvians in STEM who aspire to pursue careers in the U.S.

Sid Mishra is an inaugural co-chair of the SOM Professional Alumni Group for Supply Chain. He is a senior global supply chain manager at Apple with significant expertise in hardware technology supply chain projects. His specializations include automation enablement, supplier diversification, and supplier risk management. Prior to his current role, Sid was on Apple’s strategic deals & risk management team and the iPhone operations team. Prior to Apple, Sid worked in private equity and commercial banking. Sid earned an MBA from Yale SOM and a BA in economics from McGill University. He is a longtime mentor for young entrepreneurs and a champion of an innovative startup ecosystem.

Srinath Sabapathy is an inaugural co-chair of the SOM Professional Alumni Group for Supply Chain. He is a director for last-mile transformation strategy at Walmart Centroid. With over 18 years of experience in supply chain optimization, he has consistently driven transformation projects and significant improvements in operational efficiency by leveraging his expertise in strategic planning, product development, and innovation. Previously, he led a range of initiatives focused on last-mile innovation at both Amazon and Weee! Srinath is passionate about sustainability and has integrated sustainable practices into e-commerce operations throughout his career. Srinath earned an MBA at Yale SOM, a Master’s in Environmental Management (MEM) from Yale School of the Environment, and a Bachelor of Engineering in nautical engineering from Jadavpur University. Personally, he is a first-time father to a baby born in March 2024 and a dedicated foster parent who has cared for over 15 rescue dogs.

Meelendra Singh is an inaugural co-chair of the SOM Professional Alumni Group for Supply Chain. He is a senior product manager at Amazon, where he leads several complex supply chain products across North America. These products have driven significant cost savings through automation, defect reduction, and optimization of vendor operations. Prior to Amazon, his career includes roles in technology consulting, marketing and sales in regions which include Southeast Asia, India, and Africa. Meelendra serves on the Yale SOM Alumni Advisory Board as a director-at-large and chairs the Admissions Committee. He was awarded a Volunteer Leadership Award from the Yale Alumni Association in 2024. Meelendra also volunteers with a range of international non-profits focused on economic development and financial inclusion.

Join the Supply Chain PAG here →

Sustainability Career Accelerator Chair: Chetan Parekh ’06

Chetan Parekh is the inaugural chair of the SOM Professional Alumni Group for Sustainability. He is vice president and general manager of Zevo at Procter & Gamble. During his 18-year tenure at P&G, he has led iconic brands across multiple business units from blueprint to market leadership. He is currently on the leadership team at P&G Ventures, focused on identifying and developing next-generation brands that have the product market fit, innovation, and sustainability criteria to scale globally. Chetan serves on the Yale SOM Alumni Advisory Board as a director-at-large and on the Yale Club of Cincinnati as an executive board member.

Join the Sustainability PAG here →