1930s

Margaret Charters Ross Thrailkill (MS '38) of Spokane, WA, served 10 years on the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors for the Washington Water Power, an electric and gas utility. She was the first woman on the board in 89 years. She was also awarded the Whitman College Walla Walla Lifelong Achievement Sally Rodgers Award.

1940s

Leonard J. Smith (BS '39, MBA '40) of Los Angeles, CA, was honored as one of two living founders of the Society for Human Resource Management at their 57th Annual Conference, where they introduced their 200,000th member.

Stanley Turkel (BS '47) of Kew Gardens Hills, NY, published his first book, “Heroes of the American Reconstruction,” a history of African-Americans in the 19th Century post-Civil War period.

Mort Reichek (BS '48) of Monroe Township, NJ, retired in 1989 after serving as Washington Correspondent and Senior Editor for BusinessWeek magazine for 31 years. He has been listed in “Who's Who in America” and has served as a freelance contributor to New York Times Magazine and Book Review, The New Republic, Columbia Journalism Review, New Leader Magazine, and others. He is currently married with two children and three grandchildren.

Roland Sigal (MS '48) of Allentown, PA, was awarded a doctorate in Community Service by Cedar Crest College, Allentown, PA. He has been a Trustee at Cedar Crest for 27 years.

Irwin Spivak (BS '49) of Palm Beach, FL, is the author of the Palm Beach Post's column “Second Time Around.” He also teaches creative digital photography and the history of jazz at Florida Atlantic University, where he was voted “Professor of the Year” in 2003.

1950s

The Tax Woman Patricia McConnell (MBA ’75) Patricia McConnell runs the accounting and taxation group in equity research at Bear, Stearns & Company Inc., where she is a Senior Managing Director. For the past 15 years, she has been named to Institutional Investor’s “All-America Research Team” of financial analysts. Her group provides technical support to Bear Stearns’ industry analysts and to Bear Stearns’ clients in financial accounting and corporate taxation. She often meets with institutional clients, explaining and interpreting the accounting policies and financial reporting of companies in which they invest. McConnell received her MBA in finance from NYU Stern. While at Stern, Professor Lee Seidler, who also worked for Bear Stearns, assisted McConnell in obtaining a position at the company in 1974. Seidler, who left Stern to serve as Senior Managing Director for Bear Stearns, has served as a lifelong mentor for McConnell. As a woman, McConnell was in the distinct minority on Wall Street in the 1970s. “Bear Stearns was willing to give me a chance when many others were not. I was looking for someone to offer me the same opportunity they would anyone else, and they did,” explained McConnell. “There were no other professional women in my department when I started, only the administrative assistants, who were called secretaries then.” In an era when professionals frequently change positions, companies, and careers, McConnell’s tenure at Bear Stearns is something of a rarity. She has stayed at the company for 30 years because, “Bear Stearns has always been good to me. They have been supportive of my career and given me the same opportunities they would have anyone else. We have an excellent relationship.” A CPA, McConnell chairs the Corporate Disclosure Policy Committee of CFA Institute (formerly AIMR). She considers her membership in the International Accounting Standards Board’s Standards Advisory Council to be her highest professional achievement.

Carl Steinhouse (BS '52) of Naples, FL, recently published his second book “Righteous and Courageous.” This book and his first book, “Wallenberg is Here!,” published in 2002, are based on events surrounding the Holocaust.

Howard Stone (BS '57) of Palm Beach Gardens, FL, authored the book “Too Young to Retire,” a guide for individuals 50 years old and older looking for ways to enrich their lives post-retirement. He has built a coaching practice on helping other mature people discover their own later-life callings and passions.

Jerry L. Cohen (BS '53, MBA '59) of New York, NY, was named “Israel Cancer Research Fund (ICRF) 2004 Real Estate Man of the Year.” Cohen is a Partner with Tishman Speyer Properties and serves on the NYU Stern Board of Overseers. He is also a Partner of the Yankee Global Enterprises and was previously President of the New Jersey Nets.

Jack A. De Santis (BS '55) of Staten Island, NY, has been elected as Director Emeritus of Northfield Savings Bank. He is a CPA and has previously served as an advisor to the Northfield Savings Bank Board of Directors.

Eugene Miller (MBA '59) of Boca Raton, FL, celebrated his 55th year as a professor. He has been an adjunct professor at NYU Stern, the Graduate Business School at Fordham, Northeastern Illinois University, and University of Houston, and for the last 14 years he has been Adjunct Professor and Executive-in-Residence at the College of Business at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida.

1960s

Cesar Navarette Sarino (MBA '60) of Mutinlupa City, Philippines, is the former Secretary of the Department of Interior and Local Government. He is currently President of Government Service Insurance System and Presidential Adviser for Southern Tagalog.

John Francis Dill (MBA '63) of Naples, FL, was awarded the “American Medical Publishers Association Lifetime Achievement Award” on March 13, for his contributions to the growth and development of medical publishers. Prior to his retirement nine years ago, he was Chairman, CEO, and President of Mosby-Year Book Company.

John Hyde (MBA '63) of North Hollywood, CA, has been appointed to the Board of Directors of Mainframe Entertainment, Canada's leading computer generated animation production company.

Richard Berman (BS '64, MBA '73) of New York, NY, was named in January to the Board of Directors for Dyadic International Inc., a leading biotechnology company. Since 1980, he has been a private investor in real estate development and currently owns seven commercial or office properties in New York City. He is also a Director of five other public companies and Chairman of two private companies.

Peter J. Leveton (MBA '64) of Columbine Valley, CO, was appointed CFO of Zynex Medical Holdings. He was previously Vice President, Sales & Marketing with Integrated Financial Systems. Zynex is a leading provider of therapeutic devices for patients with functional disabilities.

Rafael B. Buenaventura (MBA '67) of Metro Manila, Philippines, was named “Management Man of the Year” from the Management Association of the Philippines. He is the Governor of the Central Bank of the Philippines. Prior to his appointment to the Central Bank, he had a distinguished career in private commercial banking.

Martin Lippe (BS '67) of Fairfield, CT, was recently featured in The New York Times for his work as a forensic accountant. He worked for the IRS for 27 years in the criminal division before retiring in 1997 and starting his own investigative firm.

Farooq Kathwari (MBA '68) of New Rochelle, NY, is Chairman, President, and CEO of Ethan Allen Global Inc. He was recently featured in The New York Sun discussing his plans to reinvent the Ethan Allen company.

Jorge Irizarry (BS '69) of San Juan, Puerto Rico, has been named Executive Vice President of Financing at The Government Development Bank, which acts as financial adviser and conduit issuer for Puerto Rico.

Gary Pokrassa (BS '69) of Ronkonkoma, NY, has been appointed as CFO for Lakeland Industries Inc., a leading manufacturer of industrial protective clothing.

1970s

John R. Buran (BS '71, MBA '77) of Massapequa, NY, has been named President and CEO of Flushing Financial Corporation upon the retirement of the current officer. He joined Flushing Financial Corporation as Executive Vice President and COO in 2001 and was named a Director in 2003.

George Zoffinger (MBA '71) of Skillman, NJ, has been inducted as a public member of Rutgers – The State University of New Jersey Board of Governors. He was nominated last year by former Governor James E. McGreevey. His term on the board will be six years. Zoffinger currently serves as President and CEO of the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority.

Andrew J. Barile (MBA '72) of Rancho Santa Fe, CA, has authored textbooks on finite insurance, including “A Practical Guide to Financial Reinsurance” and “A Practical Guide to Finite Risk Insurance and Reinsurance.”

Martin Cass (MBA '72) of Palm Beach Gardens, FL, recently opened a new office with his accounting firm Cass, Levy & Leone L.C., in Stuart, FL. Cass, Levy & Leone is known for its expertise in partnership, corporate, estate, and international taxation. Cass also serves on the boards of the Cancer Alliance of Health and Hope, American Cancer Society, and the Palm Beach County Jewish Federation.

Linda Fayne Levinson (MBA '72) of Santa Monica, CA, was appointed to Vendare Media's Board of Directors. She most recently was a Partner at GRP Partners where she served as Director of several private companies that successfully transitioned to public companies. A nine-year veteran of McKinsey & Company, she holds the distinction of being the first woman elected a partner of the firm.

Richard Daly (BS '73) of Palo Alto, CA, was appointed to the Board of Directors for Aerogen Inc. He most recently was employed as CEO of Visible Genetics Inc., from 1999 to 2002.

Sandra Lamb (MBA '73) of New York, NY, was recently named to the Board of Directors for Biomet Inc. She is currently President and CEO of Lamb Advisers, providing strategic management consulting services to nonprofit organizations.

Kevin M. Dunn (BS '75) of Bedford, NY, was named President and CEO of Great Lakes Chemical Corporation's subsidiary BioLab Inc., and Corporate Executive Vice President of Specialty Products. Prior to this role, he was President of Playtex Products Inc.'s Consumer Products Division.

David Shedlarz (MBA '75) of New York, NY, has been appointed to Vice Chairman on the newly formed Pfizer Executive Committee for Pfizer Inc. Shedlarz, who oversees operations including finance, strategic planning, global sourcing, and information systems, will also take on responsibility for Pfizer Human Resources. With his promotion to Vice Chairman, he will end his tenure as CFO, a position he has held since 1995. Shedlarz also serves on the NYU Stern Board of Overseers.

Steven J. Bensinger (BS '76) of New York, NY, was elected Executive Vice President, CFO, Treasurer, and Comptroller of American International Group Inc. (AIG).

Glenn M. Rogers (MBA '78) of Montclair, NJ, was recently hired as COO of Audible Inc.

Moshe Lifshitz (MBA '79) of Roslyn Heights, NY, was appointed to serve on the American Mobile Dental Corporation's Advisory Board. He is currently Managing Director of G&S Merchandising Corporation and has served in a variety of executive positions at G&S over the past 30 years. Lifshitz is also the founder and Chairman of the Board of Everyday Office Inc./Everyday Print Inc., co-founder of YL Ventures LLC, and serves on the executive boards of real estate companies including Rolling Hill.

Doug Young (MBA '79) of Los Gatos, CA, has been named President and CEO of the NeoMagic Corporation. He has also been appointed to the Board of Directors. Prior to this promotion, Young served as the company's Vice President of Worldwide Sales.

1980s

Jack Abernethy (MBA '80) of Ridgewood, NJ, has been named CEO of the Fox Television Stations. In his new position, he will oversee the 35 TV station group and Twentieth Television.

Jim Cracchiolo (BS '80, MBA '85) of Lynbrook, NY, has been named CEO of American Express Financial Advisors once it spins off from American Express as an independent public company this fall. He has been Chairman and CEO of the American Express Financial Advisors since 2000.

Peter Langerman (MBA '80) of Short Hills, NJ, along with Bill Lippman (MBA '57), is leading the newly formed Franklin Value Group, a $50 billion umbrella for Franklin Templeton Investments' Franklin and Mutual Series value investment products. In his new role with Franklin Value Group, he will be rejoining Mutual Series, where he has 16 years of previous experience and will serve as CEO and Chairman of Franklin Mutual Advisers LLC.

George J. Silver (BS '80, MBA '92) of New York, NY, was recently elected a judge of the Civil Court, New York County.

Eric B. Weekes (MBA '81) of Lake Mary, FL, has been appointed Vice President and CFO at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Dayton Beach, FL. Previously, he served as Treasurer of OGE Energy Corp., in Oklahoma City.

Cristina Schwarz (BS '82) of Guttenberg, NJ, has been appointed Vice President, Government and Community Relations for Univision Communications, the leading Spanish-language media company in the United States.

Marc Belzberg (MBA '83) of Bronx, NY, is Chairman and CEO of e-Sims, a simulation software company, formerly known as Emultek. He also is CEO of ODF Electronics and was CEO of the now defunct Versaware, which converted books into electronic versions on the Internet and CDs.

Ellen Breyer (MBA '83) of Minneapolis, MN, is currently President and CEO of Hazelden, and is the first woman to lead one of the world's top alcohol and drug addiction treatment and recovery organizations. She also serves on the Boards of Directors for the Minnesota Book Center, Freedom From Hunger, and the National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers.

Lauren Rich Fine (MBA '83) of Cleveland, OH, is an Equity Analyst for Merrill Lynch where she leads a New York-based team from her home office in Cleveland. She was recently profiled in Editor & Publisher Magazine and described as “perhaps the most influential outside observer of the newspaper industry.”

Michael E. Hess (MBA '83) of Brooklyn, NY, has been nominated by President Bush to be Assistant Administrator for the Bureau for Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Response at the United States Agency for International Development.

Anna Iacucci (BS '83, MBA '85) of New York, NY, joined Banc of America Securities in the firm's Financial Institutions corporate and investment banking group. She will serve as the Principal and Global Head of the Financial Institutions Group ratings agency advisory team. Prior to joining Banc of America, she served as Executive Director of Credit Risk Management and Advisory at Goldman Sachs International in London.

Barbara L. Rambo (MBA '83) of New York, NY, has been elected to the Board of Directors for PG&E Corporation and for the utility unit of Pacific Gas and Electric Company. She is the CEO of Nietech Corporation, a payments technology company serving financial institutions and payment processors.

William R. Allan (MBA '84) of Schenectady, NY, has been named President of Verizon Delaware by Verizon Communications. He previously served as Vice President of Regulatory Affairs for Verizon New York, a position he held since 1995.

Frank J. Fanzilli (MBA '84) of Norwalk, CT, was appointed to the Board of Directors for Open Source Development Labs. He retired from Credit Suisse First Boston as Managing Director in 2002. Fanzilli serves on the board of public software company Interwoven and on the boards of two private companies, CommVault and nLayers.

Kenneth E. Quinn (MS '84) of Marietta, GA, has been appointed to the Board of Directors and as CEO of Citibank Canada. Prior to his appointment, he was Market Manager for the US Midwest and South markets of the Global Relationship Bank.

Janet Avery (MBA '85) of New York, NY, is the founder and Chairperson of the Board of Directors of Vehicles Inc. She co-teaches a nonprofit management class at Baruch College, New York.

Charles Horne (MBA '85) of Woodinville, WA, has been named Senior Vice President and Controller of Safeco.

Steven F. Kluger (MBA '87) of Allendale, NJ, spoke at the Vassar College President's Community Breakfast on April 7. He is President and CEO of GE Capital Markets Services and Senior Vice President of General Electric Capital Services.

Ronald L. Mintz (MBA '87) of Berwyn, PA, was recently named Principal of The Vanguard Group.

Bruce L. Pompan (MBA '87) of Studio City, CA, has been appointed to the Board of Directors for Genius Products Inc. He is a Managing Director of Cappello Capital Corp. and has advised numerous growth companies in financings, recapitalizations, and merger and acquisition strategy.

Tim Herlihy (BS '88) of New York, NY, co-wrote the film “The Wedding Singer” with Adam Sandler. The film has been developed as a Broadway show, set to open in 2005. Herlihy wrote the adaptation of the screenplay and contributed two songs to the score.

Laurie Rhodes (MBA '88) of Woodside, NY, was recently featured in Professional Photographer, which detailed her successful career transition from television executive to award-winning wedding photographer. Her images have been published in The New York Times, Glamour, and Modern Bride Magazine, among others, and she was one of the winners of the 2004 Photo District News Top Knots Fuji contest.

Y. David Scharf (BS '88) of New York, NY, was recently named to Crain's New York Business' “40 Under Forty Executives to Watch” list. He has built a reputation as a successful legal strategist and crisis manager for high profile clients, including Donald Trump and Leona Helmsley.

Margaret M. Smyth (MS '88) of New York, NY, has been appointed Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer of 3M. Prior to her appointment, Smyth was a Senior Partner in the accounting firm of Deloitte & Touche LLP.

Kathleen Corbet (MBA '89) of New Canaan, CT, published an article entitled, “Credit Where Credit is Due,” in The Wall Street Journal, on May 31. She is the President of Standard & Poor's.

Denis A. O'Connor (MBA '89) of Hamburg, NJ, has been appointed President and CEO of OmniCorder Technologies Inc. He will also join the company's Board of Directors.

Joseph G. Schiavo (MBA '89) of Scotch Plains, NJ, has been promoted to Managing Director at The Bank of New York, where he leads the transformation of the company's financial reporting processes. In this role, he focuses on implementing a number of leading practices across the bank's finance organization.

1990s

Kelly Mathieson (MBA '90) of New York, NY, is the Senior Business Executive for J.P. Morgan Invest Inc. She is the President of the Financial Women's Association and a Managing Director at J.P. Morgan Chase. She was recently featured in eFinancialNews discussing her successful career path and how networking inside and outside her company has been vital to this success.

John Gonsalves (MBA '91) of Edison, NJ, was appointed as Managing Director at Gupton Marrs International. Prior to GMI, he was Vice President and Partner at Adventis, a hi-tech strategy consultant firm.

Quinten Stevens (MBA '91) of Darien, CT, was named Managing Director and head of Wachovia Securities' Equity Division, spearheading the bank's push to join the ranks of Wall Street's leading equity firms.

Jill S. Krutnick (MBA '92) of Scarsdale, NY, has joined Warner Music Group as Senior Vice President, Investor Relations and Corporate Development. Prior to joining Warner Music Group, she was a Managing Director of US Equity Research of Citigroup's Smith Barney where she covered entertainment and leisure industries.

Robert E. Massengill (MBA '92) of Morristown, NJ, is Managing Director and co-founder of SES Advisors Inc., an ESOP advisory firm with four East Coast offices. SES Advisors was recently selected as a “Philly 100” company, one of Philadelphia's fastest growing companies.

Manish Somaiya (BS '92) of New York, NY, has joined Banc of America Securities LLC, as a Managing Director and Senior High Yield Analyst, covering the industrials, services, and aerospace and defense sectors.

Peggy Yu (MBA '92) of Jersey City, NJ, is founder and Co-president of dangdang.com, the largest Chinese language online store of books, movies, and music.

Dr. Michael D. Jacobson (MBA '93) of Greensboro, NC, is currently lobbying Congress to direct tax money for stem cell research. Dr. Jacobson, who has Parkinson's disease, is working with his local chapter of Hadassah, a Jewish service and educational organization, in this lobbying effort to support stem cell research used to fight the effects of diseases such as Parkinson's, multiple sclerosis, and juvenile diabetes.

J. Stuart White III (MBA '93) of Harrison, NY, has joined Wachovia Securities as the Managing Director in the Mergers and Acquisition practice. Previously, White was a Managing Director in the Mergers and Acquisitions group at CIBC World Markets.

Michael A. Carrazza (MBA '94) of Denver, CO, has co-founded Bard Capital Partners LLC, a private equity investment company where he will serve as Managing Director.

James Fogarty (MBA '94) of Ardsley, NY, has concluded his role as interim CFO for Levi Strauss & Co. He and his firm, Alvarez & Marsal, were hired by Levi's as turnaround specialists to help the company cut costs and restructure its business.

Jeremy Miller (BS '94) of Metuchen, NJ, has recently launched Down, a new magazine dedicated to Southern hip-hop music and culture. Prior to launching his magazine, Miller spent 14 years as an executive with Source magazine.

Gerald V. Thomas (BS '94) of Atlanta, GA, has been named Partner at Alston & Bird LLP, in Atlanta, GA. He practices in the federal income tax group, focusing on corporate and partnership taxation.

Jason Hirschhorn (BS '95) of New York, NY, runs the digital music and media division of MTV Networks Group. He is responsible for all interactive entertainment for MTV, MTV2, mtvU, VH1, VH1 Classic, CMT, Comedy Central, and LogoTV.

Roland Marchand (MBA '95) of New York, NY, has been promoted to Senior Managing Director at Bear Stearns.

Natalie Butto (MBA '96) of Seattle, WA, has joined the Starbucks Coffee Company as Director, Corporate Counsel, and has relocated to Seattle. Previously, she was Counsel and Assistant Secretary at Tropicana Products Inc.

Stefan D'Annibale (MBA '96) of New York, NY, joined RBS Greenwich Capital, a leading fixed-income investment bank, as Managing Director.

Ronald W. Holt Jr. (MBA '96) of Plantation, FL, travels around the world to select stocks for the Harris Insight International Fund. He was recently profiled in Westchester County's The Journal News for his work in recognizing superior investment opportunities in global markets.

H. Christopher DeCotiis (MBA '97) of Westfield, NJ, has been named to Milacron Inc.'s Board of Directors. He currently serves as Vice President - Senior Credit Officer at the Royal Bank of Scotland in New York.

Victoria Chu Pao (MBA '97) of New York, NY, has been appointed President of Platts, The McGraw-Hill Companies' global energy information business.

Elizabeth J. Moran (MBA '98) of Mountain Lakes, NJ, has been elected to the Board of Trustees for Roots & Wings, a New Jersey-based nonprofit that works with foster care children. She has also been elected to serve as Treasurer for the organization.

Michael Taggart (MBA '98) of New York, NY, has been promoted to Managing Director of US Trust, a wealth management company.

Hally Bayer (MBA '99) of Brooklyn, NY, was recently named Vice President, Promotion at Scholastic Book Clubs.

David Hernandez (MBA '99) of West Palm Beach, FL, received the “Hispanic Entrepreneur Award” from Hispanic Magazine. He was chosen from a field of over 200 candidates. Hernandez is Chairman and CEO of the national retail electricity provider, Liberty Power Corp.

2000s

Halie O'Shea (MBA '00) of Philadelphia, PA, was named a Principal with Turner Investment Partners, becoming an equity stakeholder in the firm. She joined the firm in 2004 and is currently a Security Analyst/Portfolio Manager.

Bill Tan (BS '00) of Astoria, NY, is Founder and President of Transcendent International LLC. The company is launching a suite of software applications, named LanguageMate, to help bridge the language gap in areas of health care and social service.

Tal Kimmel (MBA '01) of New York, NY, is Vice President in the Investment Banking Group for Stanford Group Company. He joined Stanford from Lehman Brothers where he advised companies in the media and telecommunications sectors on private equity, M&A, and public equity transactions.

Geoffrey Morris (MBA '01) of Ridgefield, CT, is President of Morris Media Group, and has launched a second regional, high-quality glossy bi-monthly magazine. Bedford Magazine is a subscription-based lifestyle publication for the people of Bedford, Pound Ridge, and Katonah, NY. It follows its successful sister publication, Ridgefield Magazine, launched in Connecticut in 2003.

Cliff Seltzer (MBA '01) of Scarsdale, NY, was named Industry Leader for the Steel, Metals & Mining markets at GE Commercial Finance, Commercial & Industrial Finance. In his new role at GE, he will be responsible for driving organic growth in the steel, metals, and mining industries.

Matteo Gottardi (BS '04) of Pine Brook, NJ, and Michael Leen (BS '04) of Warner Robins, GA, opened a new brand and retail store, Operations, in the Soho district of New York City.

Dr. Jeffrey Schor (MBA '04) of Port Washington, NY, is Director of the Pediatric Emergency Department at New York Hospital Queens. He recently opened PM Pediatrics, a practice that sees patients after hours.

Daniel R. Smith (MBA '04) of White Plains, NY, has been appointed Executive Vice President and CFO of Principia Partners. Prior to Principia, he was Senior Vice President of Finance and Administration at Viewpoint.