2024 John Jay Awards honorees: Dr. Jennifer Ashton (née Garfein) CC’91, VPS’00, HN’16; Jonathan D. Bram CC’87; Dane E. Holmes CC’92; Ai-jen Poo CC’96; and Anthony “Tony” Tutrone CC’86.
Meet the new class of John Jay Awards honorees: a trusted voice in national medical reporting, a founding partner of an independent infrastructure investor, the chief administrative officer of a global investment firm, an award-winning labor leader and a global head of an investment management firm.
These five recipients will be honored for their distinguished professional achievement at the 44th annual John Jay Awards Dinner on Wednesday, March 6. Held at Cipriani 42nd Street, the dinner — begun in 1978, and one of Columbia College’s signature events — raises support for the John Jay National Scholars Program.
The 2024 honorees are Dr. Jennifer Ashton (née Garfein) CC’91, VPS’00, HN’16, a physician, author and television medical correspondent; Jonathan D. Bram CC’87, a founding partner at Global Infrastructure Partners; Dane E. Holmes CC’92, chief administrative officer of KKR; Ai-jen Poo CC’96, president of the National Domestic Workers Alliance and executive director of Caring Across Generations; and Anthony “Tony” Tutrone CC’86, the global head of alternative investments at Neuberger Berman.
The Honorees
Ashton is the chief medical correspondent for ABC News — the first woman and only the third physician to hold this position in the history of the network. Since joining ABC in 2012, she has reported on a full range of medical topics including the maternal mortality crisis, mental illness and suicide, heart disease and the Covid-19 pandemic. A four-time Emmy Award winner for her work in medical reporting, she also has received the Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award for excellence in journalism. She is the author of six books, including the national best-seller The Self-Care Solution: A Year of Becoming Happier, Healthier, and Fitter — One Month at a Time.
Ashton is board-certified in ob/gyn and obesity medicine and will soon launch a brand focusing on nutritional gynecology, to address menopause and weight management for women 40 and older. She has received the American Heart Association’s Woman Changing the World Award and Go Red for Women Award, and was one of New York Moves’ Power Women for 2023.
Based in New York City, Bram is a founding partner of Global Infrastructure Partners, a leading independent infrastructure fund manager that oversees $104 billion for its investors. He is a member of GIP’s Investment and Operating Committees and chairs the Investment Committee of its credit funds. He focuses on the electricity and renewables sectors and is on the Boards of Directors of Clearway Energy (chair), SunPower and Chile Renovables.
Prior to the 2006 formation of GIP, Bram spent 15 years at Credit Suisse as a managing director of the Investment Bank Division and held a variety of management positions, including co-head of the Global Industrial and Services Group and chief operating officer of the Investment Bank Division. He also currently co-chairs the Board of Trustees of Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York City.
Holmes is newly appointed to his role as chief administrative officer of KKR. As part of the leadership team, Holmes will oversee and work with the existing leaders of key functions, including the Human Capital, Communications, Marketing, Sustainability and Citizenship teams. He had been a member of the Board of Directors since March 2021.
Based in San Francisco, Holmes is a co-founder of Eskalera, an enterprise software company that builds inclusive, productive work cultures through talent development and data-based insights; before joining KKR, he had been the chair and CEO of Eskalera since 2020.
Prior to Eskalera, Holmes held many positions at Goldman Sachs from 2007 to 2019. He was global head of human capital management from 2017 to 2019 and a member of its management committee. Earlier positions included global head of Pine Street and global head of investor relations. In addition, Holmes serves on several nonprofit boards. He currently chairs StoryCorps and is a former chair and a current board member of The Ron Brown Scholar Program.
Poo is a next-generation labor leader, award-winning organizer, author and a leading voice in the women’s movement. In addition to her leadership of the National Domestic Workers Alliance and Caring Across Generations, she is a trustee of the Ford Foundation. She recently served as a commissioner on President Biden’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders.
The author of The Age of Dignity: Preparing for the Elder Boom in a Changing America, Poo has been recognized among Fortune’s World’s 50 Greatest Leaders and TIME’s 100 Most Influential People. She also was a recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship, commonly known as a “Genius Grant.” Poo is a frequent featured speaker at conferences and festivals, as well as in the national media; together with civil rights activist Alicia Garza she hosts the podcast Sunstorm.
Looking back at her time at the College, Poo has said, “I was hungry to understand how to have an impact on the world. I signed up for every class on social change, feminism and movements for justice I could find. I wanted to experience life in the big city and be a positive force for change — Columbia allowed me to do both.”
Tutrone is the global head of alternative investments at Neuberger Berman, a private, employee-owned investment management firm with more than $440 billion of assets under management. Tutrone started Neuberger Berman’s alternative investment business in 2002, and today it has a team of 300-plus professionals managing more than $120 billion. Tutrone’s commitments at Neuberger Berman include being a member of its Equity, Inclusion and Diversity Council and a senior sponsor of the NB Black Experience employee resource group. He is also on the Board of Directors of Identity Digital and Marquee Brands.
A member of the Columbia College Board of Visitors, Tutrone and his wife, Amy, are passionate about making higher education more accessible to lower-income families, and they have endowed high school, college and graduate student scholarships. In addition, they support charities in their community and foundations supporting U.S. military members and their families. Tutrone describes his College experience as transformative: “The Core Curriculum honed my critical thinking skills and instilled in me a deep sense of empathy toward diverse perspectives. Having grown up in Arizona and being the first in my family to attend college, my Columbia education opened doors to professional and personal opportunities that were previously unimaginable.”
More information on the John Jay Awards and honorees.