Emory alumni make an impact at the Carlos Museum

Did you know nearly a third of Carlos Museum members and the museum’s National Leadership Board are Emory alumni? Alumni are an important part of the Carlos, and the museum provides many opportunities for involvement. The museum offers one complimentary year of membership to all Emory graduates, after which alumni receive discounts on all levels of membership. During Emory Homecoming, the museum is open and free to alumni, family, and friends with special activities, tours, and programs. Many alumni donate considerable amounts of time and talent in ways that significantly impact the museum and its ability to inspire visitors from the campus and the surrounding community.

The Carlos appreciates the time and talents of these Emory alumni and the many others whose support helps ensure the museum’s continued success. Z

Emory alumna Roshani Chokshi is an award-winning author of multiple New York Times bestselling books for children and young adults. Time magazine named her novel, Aru Shah and The End of Time one of the "100 Best Fantasy Books of All Time.” The Carlos Museum has been significant for Chokshi as a student and an alumna. Most notably, it served as inspiration for the primary setting of her popular Aru Shah series. Chokshi has used her popularity to raise awareness of the museum, and she has volunteered her time to participate in several educational programs, from Artful Stories to Camp Carlos. She chose the museum as the location for her publicity photo shoots and promotional videos related to her work with Disney.

Kirk Edwards, MD, is a cardiothoracic anesthesiologist, an assistant professor of Anesthesiology at Emory University, and the director of CT anesthesia operations for Emory University Hospital Midtown. Edwards attended the University of Georgia and Emory School of Medicine. During his first Carlos Museum experience in 1999, he fell in love with Atlanta’s “hidden gem” of antiquities. He appreciates the perspective the Carlos collections provide on the story of humanity and the connections they weave between civilizations separated by time and distance. In addition to serving as a past co-chair of Veneralia, Edwards has worked in partnership with the museum’s education department to support meaningful programs for Emory Medical School students at the museum.

Francis Humann has strong family ties to Emory. He received his BA in history from Emory in 1987; his son, Philipp, is currently a senior at Emory College; and his brother, Chris, is a 1990 Emory graduate. Humann is an active leader in the nonprofit community in Philadelphia, where he recently retired from a 25-year career in the biopharmaceutical industry. Because Humann feels the Carlos is such an asset to Emory, his family foundation helped to fund the recently renovated gallery of Asian art and created a $1 million endowment to support Asian art. In recognition of this transformative gift, the recently renovated Asian gallery will be named the Christian Humann Foundation Gallery of Asian Art in honor of Francis’s uncle, an avid collector of South Asian art. Francis Humann is delighted to be a board member and co-chair of the museum's 2036 Campaign Committee, where his work will further support the museum.

Nicholas Pisaris enjoys engaging fellow Emory alumni in Athens, Greece, where he resides for part of the year. Pisaris completed his undergraduate degree at Emory College and his law degree at the University of Florida. Now retired after a career in international law and commercial negotiations, he has served several terms on the museum’s National Leadership Board and sees the Carlos as “a gem of a museum.” Pisaris recently donated his collection of Columbian pottery to the museum.

Jiong Yan is an Emory associate professor of ophthalmology and directs the inherited retinal disease unit at the Emory Eye Center. Yan completed her ophthalmology residency at Emory University and received her JD from Emory School of Law. The Carlos Museum holds a special place in Yan's heart as the setting of her first date with her husband, Baxter. Yan loves Asian art, especially Tibetan art, like the sand mandala on display during that fortuitous first date. She feels the Carlos’s unique collection of Asian art sets it apart from other institutions in Georgia. She has developed meaningful friendships serving on the National Leadership Board, which have allowed her to stay connected and give back to the museum. She currently leads the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Taskforce for the board and serves on the museum staff's DEI Committee.