NYU Alumni Connect

September 15, 2017

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Photo of Chandra Metzler

The NYU Alumni Association (NYUAA) represents all NYU alumni, from every NYU school and department—a community more than half-a-million strong. The diverse and active NYUAA Board of Directors is made up of alumni volunteers who steer the Association in their mission to engage and support alumni. Chandra Metzler (GSAS ’02) is a third-year Board member and co-chair of the Fundraising Committee. Under her leadership, the committee undertook the first-ever all-alumni effort to endow a scholarship, the NYUAA Debra LaMorte Scholarship Fund. This scholarship helps undergraduate students in need of financial support who are relatives of NYU alumni or who are members of underrepresented groups. Chandra is also involved with her undergraduate alma mater, Brown University, where she served on the Women’s Leadership Council for seven years and currently serves on the Brown Alumni Association Board of Governors.

After earning her bachelor’s degree in economics and international development studies at Brown, Chandra earned her master’s degree in economics at NYU's Graduate School of Arts and Science. She was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to conduct economic research in Kenya while at NYU. Post-NYU, her career has led her to some of the world’s foremost financial institutions, including Deutsche Bank, Bank of America, and AIG. In 2017, she co-founded CM Squared, an asset management firm focused on commercial litigation finance. In her role as a managing partner of the firm, Chandra is responsible for all facets of the business, with an emphasis on business development, finance, legal, and transaction management.  

Meet Chandra

What is your favorite:

  • Food? Anything served at a Mario Batali restaurant! Otto and Babbo are two of my favorite spots near the Washington Square campus.
  • Book? I am currently reading Little Failure by Gary Shteyngart, one of my high school classmates. It is a humorous, honest, original, and witty account of his experience growing up in America as a Russian émigré.
  • TV Show and/or Movie? Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life is my favorite movie because I strongly believe in its message that we are only as good as our ability to help those around us.
  • Song and/or Musical Artist? Sting. I got my first radio in the early 80s when the Police were at the height of their popularity; I went to college in the early 90s when Sting first set off on his own. I once got to dance on stage with him while he performed my favorite song, “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic!”
  • Way to spend a Saturday? Cooking meals for, and spending time with, my husband and two young children.
  • Place to travel? Kenya. I received a Fulbright Scholarship to study in Kenya while I was a graduate student at NYU. I traveled all over the country for my research project. I am a very urban person. Kenya gave me an appreciation for living in a remote setting. I hope I can take my children to visit sometime in the next few years.
  • Place on the NYU campus? Last year, I would have said the lobby of Bobst Library. However, while vacationing in Italy earlier this year, I visited NYU’s Florence campus. It is spectacular. I’m quite jealous of my fellow alumni who had a chance to study there, taking advantage of NYU’s global presence.
  • What is your favorite memory from your time at NYU?
    I graduated from the Graduate School of Arts and Science in 2002, back when the ceremony was held in Washington Square Park. Neil Diamond (STERN; HON ’95) performed a song he wrote for the occasion. He had the whole audience, including L. Jay Oliva, who was departing as university president, singing along. Everyone had a great time.
  • Why do you give back to NYU?
    Universities play a profound role in modern society. By enabling academics (professors, researchers, and students) to develop a skeptical perspective, to act upon curiosity, and to seek knowledge for its own sake, NYU is fostering the innovation that leads to great advances in society. I am proud to support NYU’s mission.