Meet your new Tulane Alumni Association President: Millibeth Currie (NC ’89)

As Millibeth Currie (NC ’89) begins her term as president of the Tulane Alumni Association, she brings a lifelong commitment to education and a simple belief: every alumnus has a valuable way to serve.

“Service is our priority for this year because there’s no wrong way to serve,” she said. “When alumni share their strengths and simply show up for one another, that’s what keeps the Tulane family strong.”

Her belief in the power of the Tulane community was first shaped by her own experience as an undergraduate student.

Just one week after she graduated from high school, Currie’s father died unexpectedly. When she started at Tulane that fall, she experienced the support and sense of belonging she needed to move forward.

“When I arrived at Tulane, it truly was helping me move past that sorrow,” she said. “I found a family at Tulane. Tulane pushed me beyond my loss and into new experiences, and it was exactly what I needed.”

That feeling never disappeared. Nearly four decades later, Currie and a close-knit group of Tulane classmates still maintain a cherished “round robin” tradition that began as handwritten letters passed from friend to friend. Those friendships remain as strong as ever.

“Tulane provided me with that aspect of family,” she said. “Like family, they stick with you through the dips and the valleys, but also the high points, and really cheer you on.”

In time, Tulane became part of Currie’s own family story. She met her husband, fellow alumnus Dr. Bill Basco (A&S ’88), during Tulane’s summer study abroad program in Paris. Their oldest daughter, Adelaide Basco (SSE ’19), also graduated from Tulane and credits the university with preparing her for veterinary school, while support from the Newcomb Institute helped make an important internship possible.

Education became the defining thread of Currie’s career. After graduation, she devoted herself to teaching and helping students discover opportunities they never imagined for themselves. She created Women in Charge: Engineering Women’s Lives, an initiative that encourages girls to pursue science, technology, engineering and mathematics while connecting STEM professionals and leaders with students and showing them that STEM skills can lead to careers beyond the traditional routes.

“Education has been my path, my passion,” she said. “I wanted them to understand that if they were really gifted in STEM, there are more than three or four choices. Those skills are needed everywhere. 

“We owe it to our young scholars to prepare them for options in today’s and tomorrow’s workforce. This means equipping them with both immediate readiness and long-term adaptability, so they can succeed not just in their first job, but throughout a lifetime of change.”

That same desire to help others naturally led Currie back to Tulane through alumni service. She became a member of the Tulane Alumni Association Board and found a welcoming community of alumni leaders who shared her passion for giving back.

During her term as president, Currie hopes to invite every alumnus to answer the call to serve. While philanthropy remains essential, she believes meaningful engagement takes many forms, from mentoring students and hosting interns, to participating in a Tulane Table, attending alumni events, offering career guidance and supporting scholarships. Every contribution, no matter how big or small, helps strengthen the Tulane community.

“Whatever the form of engagement, it matters,” she said. “We need it more than ever.”

The belief in the importance of service has guided Currie throughout her career and now shapes her vision for Tulane Alumni. 

“For me, the measure of whether it was a good day wasn’t what I accomplished,” she said. “It was whether I made a difference.”

The Tulane Alumni Association Board also welcomes:

Tyler Hernandez (SLA ’08), clubs representative, is director of communications for Economic Studies at the Brookings Institution, a policy think tank in Washington, DC. He first fell in love with Washington while interning on Capitol Hill when he was displaced by Hurricane Katrina as a sophomore at Tulane studying political science and communications. Born and raised in South Louisiana, Hernandez has spent the past 18 years working in policy and political communications in the federal government — including in the House, the Senate, and the administration — and the private sector in the nation’s capital. Having met his wife, Marta, while they were both editors of the Tulane Hullabaloo, the Hernandez family is passionate about Tulane, having served as co-chairs of their 5th and 10th Reunion Committees and recently welcoming their first little Greenie, Cecilia.

Ann Heslin (A *01), representative-at-large, is a lifelong Jefferson Parish resident. A graduate of the Academy of the Sacred Heart, she earned a Bachelor of Arts from Millsaps College and a Master of Preservation Studies from the Tulane University School of Architecture. With 24 years of professional fundraising experience, Heslin began her career in 2001 at the Preservation Resource Center of New Orleans, later served as director of development for the Stuart Hall School for Boys and founded her nonprofit consulting and special events firm, Fabulous Fêtes LLC, in 2012. In 2019, she became director of Stewardship and Cultivation Events at Ochsner Health. A two-time cancer survivor, Heslin has served on numerous nonprofit boards and benefit event committees. She was named in New Orleans Magazine’s “People to Watch” in 2016, a St. Elizabeth’s Guild Volunteer Activist of the Year in 2018 and received the Academy of the Sacred Heart’s Mother Shannon Changemaker award in 2021.

Jairo Perez (B ’94, B *00), clubs representative, is originally from Cucuta, Colombia. He lived there until the age of 7, when his mother and stepfather moved the family to Miami. One older brother and his father remained in Colombia. Perez earned his bachelor’s degree in accounting from the A. B. Freeman School of Business. After graduation, he joined a local manufacturing company as an accountant, ultimately becoming controller. He later earned his MBA from Tulane in 2000 before moving to Houston, where he worked in several multinational companies as an internal auditor, audit manager, business analyst and controller. He has been chief financial officer of Aviva Metals, which produces and distributes copper-based alloys, since July 2024. He met his wife, Natalia, while living in Mexico City for work. They have two children, Victoria (12) and Andres (9). They have settled down in a suburb called Cypress just outside of Houston.

Ashley Smith (SLA ’10), representative-at-large, is the senior director of development for the University of Cincinnati’s College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning (DAAP). Previously, she held advancement leadership roles at The University of Texas at Austin, Cambridge in America, and Columbia University. Ashley earned a bachelor’s degree from Tulane University and a master’s degree in nonprofit management from Columbia University. She served on the Newcomb Alumnae Association Board of Directors and on her 5th, 10th, and 15th reunion committees. After nearly 14 years in New York City, she now lives in Cold Spring, Kentucky.

Jonathan (Jon) Walsh (B ’98), A.B. Freeman School of Business representative, is a principal and co-founder of MK Asset — a vertically integrated real estate investment and management company with a national reach. Walsh earned his accounting degree from the A. B. Freeman School of Business and began his career in New York City with CBRE. Having met his wife and business partner at Tulane, Walsh greatly values the profound impact Tulane has played in his life. Walsh is a resident of both New Orleans and Westport, Connecticut. He has two daughters. His oldest, following in her parents’ footsteps, will be a freshman at Tulane this fall.