Who We Are
Mara Baumgarten Force is the Director of the Schwartz Family Center for Experiential Business Learning and the Seymour S. Goodman Professor of Business Administration at the AB Freeman School of Tulane University. Mara began teaching at Tulane as an Adjunct in 2017 and joined the faculty as a Professor of Practice in finance. She teaches/has taught The Aaron Selber Jr. Course on Hedge Funds, Financial Management, Investment in Equities, Service Learning in Financial Literacy, and Business Literacy. Additionally, she serves as a member of the City of New Orleans Revenue Estimating Committee.
Before joining Tulane, Force served as a managing director and head of Private Client Trust at JPMorgan. During her 18 years with the firm, she held a variety of positions in the Asset Management and Investment Banking lines of business. Her responsibilities ranged from highly technical—including investing the bank’s capital in hedge funds and structuring equity derivatives, to managerial—including overseeing 150 Private Client Trust officers servicing more than 13,000 clients.
Mara currently serves on the boards and Executive Committees of Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans, Jewish Endowment Foundation, ADL, and Touro Infirmary. Additionally, she was honored to complete the Zin Fellows program at Ben Gurion University of the Negev in 2015. She was a Young Leadership Fellow at the National Committee on U.S./China Relations.
Brent Rosen is a seasoned business development professional with more than 20 years of experience driving growth and fostering strategic partnerships across education, hospitality, and government affairs. Currently serving as Assistant Dean for Corporate Relations at Tulane University's Freeman School of Business, he connects faculty and students with the business community through high-impact partnerships and innovative solutions. Before joining Tulane, Brent held senior positions at the Southern Food & Beverage Museum, BRG Hospitality, and Hoffman Media after practicing law with Baker Donelson. His expertise in market analysis, strategic planning, and relationship management has consistently delivered successful business outcomes and enhanced organizational capabilities.
Brent holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Economy from Tulane University and a Juris Doctor from the University of Alabama School of Law.
Beth Boyle is the Program Manager for Tulane's Experiential Business Learning team, where she provides operational, marketing, and cross-functional support on initiatives that prepare students for career success. She serves as a resource for faculty, helping to expand access to experiential learning tools and training opportunities.
Before joining Tulane, Beth spent more than 20 years in public relations and program management, educating and engaging consumers in the utility, health care, and higher education sectors. Beth holds a Bachelor of Science in Journalism from Louisiana State University.
Joseph Slayden serves as Project Manager for Experiential Learning at Tulane University's Freeman School of Business, where he partners with students, faculty, and corporate sponsors to design and execute real-world consulting projects. His career spans nearly a decade in the U.S. Navy as a Machinist's Mate First Class before transitioning to the tech sector in 2014, where he progressed through roles including Senior Scrum Master, Release Train Engineer, and Senior Technical Program Manager at companies like Capital One, Lucid Holdings, and Cint AB.
Joseph holds a B.Sc. in Information Systems with honors from Virginia Commonwealth University and maintains certifications as both a Certified ScrumMaster and Certified Scrum Product Owner. Beyond his professional responsibilities, he mentors youth through the Capital Coders program, helping develop coding and problem-solving skills in the next generation.
