Three Georgetown alums join the McCourt School Advisory Board

The McCourt School of Public Policy welcomes three new members to its Advisory Board , established in October 2021. Koonal Gandhi (MPP’05), chief investment officer for Berggruen Holdings, Shéhérazade Semsar-de Boisséson (SFS/G’90), CEO of McCourt Global, and Dr. Georganne Vartorella (C’73, M’82), founder and president of Patient Advocacy, will join more than 20 dynamic leaders in politics, policy, business and philanthropy to offer expertise on strategic priorities, raise the visibility of the School and support its aspiration to be the most inclusive public policy school in the nation.

The McCourt School is proud to introduce the new experts who will help guide and drive the School’s mission of inclusive public service and impact for the common good.

Meet our new Advisory Board members

Koonal Gandhi

Koonal Gandhi (MPP’05) is the chief investment officer for Berggruen Holdings where he is responsible for the management and oversight of the global investment portfolio. Gandhi was previously the chief investment officer and senior vice president of the Kaiser Family Foundation. He also served as a senior government appointee during both the Bush and Obama administrations, including at the Troubled Asset Relief Program at the United States Treasury. Gandhi earned a dual degree in economics and political science from the University of Michigan and a Master of Public Policy degree from the McCourt School.

Shéhérazade Semsar-de Boisséson (SFS/G’90)

Shéhérazade Semsar-de Boisséson (SFS/G’90) is the CEO of McCourt Global, a private family company committed to building a better future through its work across the real estate, sports, technology, media and finance industries, as well as its significant philanthropic activities. 

Previously, Shéhérazade served as the inaugural executive director of Project Liberty‘s McCourt Institute , which was established with founding partners Georgetown University, Stanford University and Sciences Po in Paris, to advance effective digital governance by supporting cutting-edge research and interdisciplinary cooperation. 

Shéhérazade was the founding CEO of POLITICO Europe from 2015 to 2021 and owner and publisher of European Voice, the leading media outlet in Brussels covering E.U. policy, which she acquired from the Economist Group in 2013.

Shéhérazade graduated from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service in 1990 with a B.A. and an M.S. in International Finance; she later served as a member of Georgetown’s Board of Directors from 2013 to 2019. She is currently serving on the Advisory Board of Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service, the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security and on the Board of Directors of the French-American Foundation.

Georganne Vartorella

Dr. Georganne Vartorella (C’73, M’82) is a physician and graduate of Georgetown University and Georgetown School of Medicine. After a successful private practice in internal medicine, Vartorella focused her expertise and experience on advocating for equitable access, delivery and payment of optimal care. As president and founder of Patient Advocacy MD, Vartorella works with employers and human resource teams, insurance payers and brokers, large health care systems and small concierge care groups, as well as directly with patients and families.

Currently, she is working with community organizations in Northeast Ohio to develop programs that support and provide resources for caregivers of the elderly and patients with chronic and advanced illness. She and her husband, Richard, who has a lifelong interest in and love of the ocean, are also directing their efforts and energy to explore and support solutions that ensure the sustainable health and preservation of the deep sea.