Robert E. Dineen Jr. (center) served on the Board of Trustees from 2007 to 2016 and was a member of the Budget and Advancement and External Affairs committees. He was also a member of the College of Law Board of Advisors and the National Alumni Association Board.

Dineen Jr. was generationally attached to the College of Law. His parents had attended the College of Law and Dineen Hall is named in honor of them: Robert E. Dineen Sr. L’1924, H’66 and Carolyn Bareham Dineen L’1932. His mother was one of only two women in her class. His father was raised in the Irish immigrant neighborhood near the law school at the western edge of the University campus, a neighborhood referred to as “the swamp.”

Dineen Jr. passed away Oct. 12, 2024, at 84. He served on the Board of Trustees from 2007 to 2016 and was a member of the Budget and Advancement and External Affairs committees. He was also a member of the College of Law Board of Advisors and the National Alumni Association Board. He was generous in his philanthropy, supporting scholarships and financial aid for law school students.

“For decades, Bob Dineen Jr. played a major role in ensuring Syracuse University remained at the forefront of legal education,” said Chancellor Kent Syverud. “That’s evident in all the ways he continued to give back to his alma mater, including his years of dedicated service on the Board of Trustees and on the College of Law Board of Advisors. His family’s transformational gift led the way in creating a state-of-the-art facility to support the next generation of law students, while honoring his parents’ legacy. And Bob’s accomplishments in finance law across the globe demonstrate that a Syracuse education can take our students anywhere.”

When Hannah Arterian became dean of the College of Law in 2003, she asked for Dineen Jr.’s assistance in creating a strategic plan to form a new Board of Advisors. She described him as “an incredible person” for his guidance. ��He was a driving force behind the capital campaign that would bring Dineen Hall to life—a 200,000-square-foot building that brought together the law school community under one roof for the first time and would be hailed as one of the most architecturally attractive law school buildings in the world.

Robert E. Dineen Jr.

Dineen Jr. had attended the College of Law after earning his undergraduate degree at Brown University. He served as editor of the Syracuse Law Review and was named to the Order of the Coif and the Justinian Honor Society. In 2010, the College of Law presented him with its Law Review Alumni Achievement Award.

Dineen Jr. had a successful career focused on public finance transactions. He was also a specialist in U.S. and international private banking and financial transactions, including equipment and project financing.

He was a partner of Shearman & Sterling LLP, a leading international law firm from 1974 until his retirement in��December 2005. While at Shearman & Sterling, he led several of the firm’s corporate groups, including those responsible for Latin America and Asia as well as��its global project finance work. Over the years, he spent significant time in the firm’s offices in Algeria, Hong Kong, London, New York, Paris, Toronto, and Washington.

“Bob’s brilliant career in international legal and financial transactions and steadfast client relationships inspires our students to excel in everything they do,” says College of Law Dean Terence Lau L’98. “As commendable is his leadership, along with his siblings, in honoring their parents when they led the campaign to build Dineen Hall that our students, faculty, and staff are thankful for every day.”

Dineen Jr. is survived by his wife, Jeanne C. Olivier, Esq., and his sister, the Honorable Carolyn Dineen King H’06, judge and former��chief judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.

Douglas Present

The Whitman School of Management is pleased to announce a significant seed gift from Douglas ’86 and Susan Present to the school’s Opportunity Fund. The donation will serve to create a pilot project to allow students with great academic potential, but limited financial resources, to take advantage of the unique opportunities at Whitman by helping to cover certain expenses not traditionally covered by scholarships or financial aid.�� Specifically, the Opportunity Fund will assist students to cover the costs of student activities, unanticipated events leading to financial hardships and stipends to cover expenses related to increasingly important summer internships.

The Presents’ generosity has been primarily anonymous in the past, but they hope that by making the gift public, they can help to raise additional funds and inspire other Whitman alumni to contribute to the Opportunity Fund, as well as encourage University leadership to create a similar fund for all Syracuse students across all schools.

A University Trustee, Doug Present is a member of the Board’s executive committee and chair of its finance committee, and has been a longstanding member of the Whitman Advisory Council (WAC). He graduated from the Whitman School and found success in the healthcare industry, having worked at Deloitte & Touche, Medsite, Inc. and Managed Health Care Associates, Inc., before starting his own investment firm, Douglas Present Associates, LLC.

“Susan and I want every student to have a complete and full Syracuse Orange experience,” Present says. “Costs not covered by financial aid can inhibit opportunities for students with high financial need. All students should have the opportunity to participate in non-academic activities and have the ability to accept a summer internship opportunity in a high-cost city. Lastly, no student should have their academic ambitions thrown off track by unexpected events that lead to expenses not covered by financial aid. Our philanthropy has always been focused on creating opportunities for high-achieving students with limited financial means to have the same opportunities as students who come from higher income families. I am pleased that Whitman is taking the lead on this initiative, and I hope to encourage the implementation of a similar program across the entire University.”

Requests for grants from the Whitman Opportunity Fund will be facilitated on a rolling, case-by-case basis while funding remains available.

“We are extremely grateful for the thoughtful generosity of Douglas and Susan Present, who are strongly committed to relieving the less visible financial burdens that some of our students quietly face,” says Whitman School Interim Dean Alex McKelvie. “We hope this gift will jump start a renewed awareness within our alumni supporters that this kind of need truly does exist and encourage others to help make a difference in Whitman students’ long-term success.”

For more information on the Whitman School of Management Opportunity Fund, go to .

She is a member of the Student Association’s Sustainability Forum, and she has spent time in the greater Syracuse community as a volunteer youth language instructor and as a researcher to understand residents’ civic engagement preferences. Her many pursuits also include work with the Maxwell-based Lerner Center for Public Health Promotion and Population Health to publish a brief on a topic she is deeply interested in—environmental racism and injustice.

Zepeda is one of nine Maxwell students who were honored with Centennial Scholar Awards at the school’s Centennial Celebration held Friday, Oct. 18, in the University’s Goldstein Auditorium. The celebration and awards were supported with generous sponsorships from the family of Sean O’Keefe ’78 M.P.A., University Professor and Phanstiel Chair in Leadership, and Maxwell Advisory Board members Cathy Daicoff ’79 M.P.A. and Stephen Hagerty ’93 M.P.A. Hagerty is also a Syracuse University trustee.

Five undergraduates and four graduate students were selected from hundreds of applicants. Each was required to submit a statement describing how their aspirations align with the Maxwell School’s ideals of engaged citizenship and public service.

“To me, public service represents an opportunity to put the public good at the forefront. It entails putting citizens first and actively listening. It means ensuring that every citizen has the same rights and access to feel seen and heard. It means delivering on the needs of the people in my home country as well as abroad,” wrote Zepeda, who is from Honduras.

Before coming to Maxwell, she interned with the United Nations in Honduras, an experience that provided a unique front-row seat to issues central to her interests and career aspirations, including the environment and Indigenous rights.

“I really wanted to gain the skills necessary to tackle the problems affecting vulnerable populations,” she says. “I miss home a lot, and I care about the people and the circumstances. I feel responsible to make a difference.”

In addition to Zepeda, Centennial Scholars are as follows:

Undergraduate Students

Adam Baltaxe of Arlington, Virginia, is pursuing a dual degree in international relations and Spanish language, literature and culture. The senior is currently an advisory board member for Search for Common Ground’s national “Blueprint for Belonging” project which seeks to bring students from diverse perspectives together in colleges across the country. He is also the fundraising chair for Save a Child’s Heart SU, the Jewish representative for Student Assembly of Interfaith Leaders and a volunteer for Global Medical Brigades, the Refugee Assistance Program and WCNY’s new Spanish radio station. Baltaxe is a Remembrance Scholar and is a recipient of several honors, including the Coronat Scholarship, IR Distinction and Jewish-Muslim Fellowship. He is a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Sigma Iota Rho, Phi Kappa Alpha and Muslim Students’ Association, as well as the multicultural/faith chair for Hillel. He aspires to work internationally, bringing people together through dialogue and resolving conflict.

Undergraduate honorees with Dean David M. Van Slyke are, from left to right, Adam Baltaxe, Jorge Morales, Anna Rupert, Nathan Torabi and Mariana Zepeda.

Jorge Morales of East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, is a junior studying history and anthropology. A Success Scholar, Morales is a member of the editorial board for CHRONOS, the Syracuse University undergraduate history journal. He is also the vice president of the Syracuse chapter of Brighten A Day, a nonprofit dedicated to fighting isolation through letters, care packages and video messages. Morales has supported the work of Tessa Murphy, associate professor of history, to transcribe the 1813 Registry of Enslaved Persons in Trinidad. Through his research, he hopes to gain insights into the impacts of slavery and share the personal experiences of enslaved peoples. He plans to use the skills he gains at Maxwell to collaborate with museums and historical sites to better recognize and address issues of intolerance and systemic inequity.

Anna Rupert of Arlington, Virginia, is pursuing degrees in economics and philosophy. The junior is a forward for the women’s soccer team and has received several academic recognitions, including having been named to the All-ACC Academic Team, All-ACC Honor Roll and College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team. She is a member of the Renée Crown honors program and serves on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, focusing on community outreach and providing support to other student athletes. Rupert is a research assistant for the economics department and is a discussion leader for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. In the summer of 2024, she plans to intern in the treasury department at Ford Motor Company in Detroit. After graduating, Rupert hopes to play soccer professionally in Europe before transitioning to a career in finance.

Nathan Torabi of Visalia, California, is majoring in political science; citizenship and civic engagement; and law, society and policy. A junior, he is an inaugural member of the Next Generation Leadership Corps, as well as a student ambassador for the Maxwell School and the College of Arts and Sciences and OttoTHON, a dance fundraiser that raises funds for Children’s Miracle Network hospitals. A Coronat Scholar, he has received several other awards, including the Maxwell Philanthropic Ambassador, Paul A. Volcker Government Internship Award, the Maxwell Exemplary Student Paper Award and Michael D. Schneider Award. Currently a legislative intern for U.S. Senator Charles Schumer in Washington, D.C., he has also worked within the Syracuse Admissions Office and for an attorney’s office. Formerly a project intern with CNY Pride, Torabi aspires to attend law school and become a civil litigator to champion LGBTQ+ rights within the education system.

Graduate Students

Ferdinand Eimler of Berlin, Germany, is pursuing a master’s degree in international relations at Maxwell while also pursuing a master’s degree in public policy from the Hertie School in Berlin as part of the Atlantis Dual Degree Master’s Program. He earned a bachelor’s degree in politics and public administration from the University of Konstanz in Germany. Eimler gained professional experience in international relations at the German Federal Foreign Office, co-organizing diplomacy and foreign policy workshops across Europe for the Global Diplomacy Lab and advancing German foreign policy at the United Nations. He currently works for the Aspen Institute Germany, where he ​​​​fosters relations between state and provincial legislators from the United States, Germany and Canada. As an alumnus of the Congress Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX) Scholarship, Eimler aspires to a career focused on strengthening transatlantic relations, particularly between Germany and the United States.

Shown with Dean David M. Van Slyke, the four graduate students honored with Centennial Scholar Awards are, from left to right, Julia Liebell-McLean, Ferdinand Eimler, Benjamin Katz and Kaythari Maw.

Benjamin Katz of New York City is a second-year political science Ph.D. student studying international relations and public policy and administration. His research interests include secession and sovereignty, conflict and violence, and international organizations. He is particularly interested in the politics of the United Kingdom and the European Union. Katz is a research associate in the Moynihan Institute of Global Affairs and the Program for the Advancement of Research on Conflict and Collaboration. He is also a research assistant for a National Science Foundation project on intra- and interstate conflict. Outside of Maxwell, he is a Ph.D. research fellow at the Foreign Military Studies Office, a component of the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command. Katz earned an A.B. in government and history from Hamilton College in 2020 and worked in the financial services industry before he began his Maxwell studies.

Julia Liebell-McLean of central New Jersey is pursuing a dual master’s degree in public administration and international relations. She studied in France during high school, and later, as a Fulbright Scholar and English teaching assistant, spent nine months living in Senegal, inspiring her passion for global affairs. She received a bachelor’s degree from the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University and has interned with the Senate Office of Cory A. Booker, the French Institute in New York City and the U.S. Department of State. Earlier this year, Liebell-McLean was also named a 2024 Robertson Fellow, one of the most prestigious awards for graduate students at Maxwell. She hopes to pursue a career with the State Department furthering diplomacy with African countries.

Kaythari Maw of Staten Island, New York, is pursuing a Ph.D. in economics, and says she is the first female Burmese American to do so. Maw earned a master’s degree in regional science from Cornell University, where she was awarded the Southeast Asia Foreign Language Area Studies Fellowship to study Burmese. Prior to that she earned a bachelor’s degree in economics at Columbia University’s Barnard College. At Cornell and Columbia, she helped to re-establish the Myanmar Students associations; she is currently working on creating a similar organization at Syracuse. With her research, Maw hopes to reduce the gap in literature about the economic circumstances of Burmese diaspora.

Story by Mikayla Melo

Robert ’86 and Kathryn Taishoff

How do you inspire people to open their hearts and provide the support to raise the hefty sum of $2.5 million? Just ask retired U.S. Navy Capt. Robert “Rob” P. Taishoff ’86 who sees opportunities where others see obstacles, and who is determined to change the way the world views intellectual disability. With the recent Taishoff Family Foundation gift of $2.5 million to inclusive higher education at Syracuse University, Taishoff is challenging others to see the world the way he does and match his family’s pledge.

“I’ve seen the confidence that these young men and women with intellectual disabilities develop when given educational opportunities, and it’s mind-blowing,” says Taishoff. “If we give them the chance to pursue their interests and prepare them for careers, just like we do with every student at Syracuse University, they will thrive, excel, succeed and surprise us.”

Taishoff continues to marvel at the successes of the students who attend InclusiveU and the accomplishments of the , named for his father in 2009 with a $1.1 million grant from Taishoff. The center and InclusiveU have become national models for the inclusion and education of students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. At that time, Taishoff was a University Trustee; he served as a voting trustee from 2009 to 2021 and is now a life trustee. Taishoff has been involved in many University initiatives, but it was inclusive education and the work going on at the (CDI) in the School of Education that captured his whole heart.

Taishoff’s daughter, Jackie, was born with Down syndrome in 2001, and he experienced firsthand the promise and the heartbreak felt by the families of young people often marginalized by society. “Jackie is very social and friendly, and frequently surprises us with what she’s capable of doing,” says Taishoff. He’d love to see her attend InclusiveU but as a resident of Maryland, her benefits associated with her disability won’t cross state lines. The portability of benefits is one of those systemic policy issues that CDI’s staff is working to change, helping students overcome barriers to pursue an education and career.

According to Sara Hart Weir, a national expert in disability policy and former president of the National Down Syndrome Society, Taishoff is the kind of visionary who “sees endless opportunities not just for Jackie, but for all people with disabilities. Rob wants them to have the kinds of opportunities every other American has, from education to health care, from financial services to careers.” Weir says individuals with Down syndrome are an “untapped workforce who, with access to programs like InclusiveU, can skill up, enter the workforce and become taxpayers.” She says InclusiveU is the “best of the best” in providing these kinds of opportunities.

Strengthening Programming

The Taishoff Family Foundation has contributed several million dollars over the years to strengthen CDI, the Taishoff Center and InclusiveU, providing resources for programmatic growth. “They’ve achieved all their goals in the last five-year plan and that set the stage for the next five-year plan,” says Taishoff, who hopes his new gift will be leveraged to bring in new donor support. The next five-year plan seeks to grow enrollment by 25% and offer new experiences for students with intellectual disability.

“We’re never satisfied with what we’re doing,” says Beth Myers, the Lawrence B. Taishoff Associate Professor of Inclusive Education, executive director of the Taishoff Center and assistant director of CDI. “We may be the largest program of our kind in the nation, but there are always more opportunities to pursue. For example, I dream of first providing our students with a two-week study abroad in Italy with the goal of a full semester of study abroad in any location where any other Syracuse University student can go. Am I dreaming huge dreams? Yes. Is it possible? Yes!” But, Myers acknowledges, it takes more resources and staffing to achieve those dreams.

Myers credits her “amazing team and an incredible staff at InclusiveU who would do anything for these students” to deliver on dreams. She has watched the program at InclusiveU grow from 14 students in three majors to 100 students in 45 majors taking more than 300 courses across the University. “We have allies in every department across campus, top down and bottom up support,” says Myers. “It’s a culture grounded in the University’s 60-plus year history in disability advocacy. People really value the work we do in inclusion.”

“I am continuously inspired by Rob Taishoff’s generosity and, now, his strategic challenge to others to help advance Syracuse University’s leadership in the disability community,” says Chancellor Kent Syverud. “Rob persists in challenging all of us to think of innovative and creative solutions and to collaborate across units and colleges to ensure equitable opportunities for all our students and to be a standard-bearer for academic institutions nationwide.”

Through those opportunities, Taishoff sees how students become one with the University community. “Our intellectually disabled students are woven into the fabric of the University, from the classroom to living arrangements, from social activities to career preparation,” says Taishoff.

Going Beyond

CDI’s strategic plan for growth goes beyond assisting the growth of the Taishoff Center and enrollment in InclusiveU. It would enhance access to higher education among students in the Syracuse City School district (nationally, less than 2% of high school students with intellectual disability go to college). It would invest in innovative technical assistance for disabled students and establish an Inclusive Higher Education Technical Assistance Center to help other colleges and universities. It would support research, fellowships and teaching to advance the field. It would provide more resources for career advising and career placement (only 17% of adults with intellectual disabilities are employed nationally). The newly established Robert and Kathryn Taishoff Fund would support many of these initiatives and scholarship support for students.

In addition to the new fund, the latest Taishoff gift continues support through the Lawrence B. Taishoff Center for Inclusive Higher Education Endowed Fund. Part of the $1.5 billion , Taishoff’s gift builds on and the legacy of the School of Education. Rob Taishoff’s father Lawrence and grandfather Sol philanthropically supported education, journalism and health research. Taishoff says his father was “exceptionally close” to granddaughter Jackie, perhaps because he had witnessed a cousin with Down syndrome sent to an institution and shielded away from society and opportunity.

Taishoff says his own military experience also reinforced the family’s commitment to opening the doors of opportunity. He spent more than two decades in active duty in the Navy and managed Navy and Marine Corps attorneys and civilians representing service members. “No matter what background or walk of life someone was from, whether enlisted or an officer, we were all pulling for the same goals, trying to fulfill a mission,” Taishoff says. “I saw people who were given opportunities in the military that they would not have had otherwise, and I saw them thrive and excel.”

The Taishoff Family Foundation’s legacy aligns with that of the School of Education, which is recognized as an international leader in the deinstitutionalization and school inclusion movements. The school is home to the first disability studies program in the country and the first joint degree program in law and disability studies, and it helped Syracuse become the first research university to launch an integrated elementary and special education teacher education program.

“It’s time to build on history once again,” says Taishoff. “I hope others will join me in creating new futures for countless young people who deserve a chance to contribute in ways that will amaze us.”

About Syracuse University

Syracuse University is a private research university that advances knowledge across disciplines to drive breakthrough discoveries and breakout leadership. Our collection of 13 schools and colleges with over 200 customizable majors closes the gap between education and action, so students can take on the world. In and beyond the classroom, we connect people, perspectives and practices to solve interconnected challenges with interdisciplinary approaches. Together, we’re a powerful community that moves ideas, individuals and impact beyond what’s possible.

About Forever Orange: The Campaign for Syracuse University

Orange isn’t just our color. It’s our promise to leave the world better than we found it. Forever Orange: The Campaign for Syracuse University is poised to do just that. Fueled by more than 150 years of fearless firsts, together we can enhance academic excellence, transform the student experience and expand unique opportunities for learning and growth. Forever Orange endeavors to raise $1.5 billion in philanthropic support, inspire 125,000 individual donors to participate in the campaign, and actively engage one in five alumni in the life of the University. Now is the time to show the world what Orange can do. Visit����to learn more.

John E. Breyer

Breyer was first elected to the Board of Trustees in 2001, co-chaired the Budget Committee from 2003-2006 and was a life trustee participant on the Board Finance Committee. He was a member of the Dean’s Leadership Council at ECS and the Atlanta Regional Council.

His deep connection to the University began when he moved to Central New York to pursue a career with General Electric. For nearly three decades, Breyer worked for this Fortune 500 company’s underseas business division and rose to serve eventually as general manager of the entire underseas systems business. He took graduate courses at ECS and became the company’s representative for GE Corporate-sponsored programs on campus. Several of his employees were adjuncts in the college, and he appointed a member of his human resources department to initiate a program to help support minority students in engineering.

“We feel strongly that all citizens should support education, and we wanted to do something that would make a difference for many years to come,” said Breyer when it was announced that he and his wife bestowed a $1.1 million faculty endowment gift to establish the John E. and Patricia A. Breyer Professorship in Electrical Engineering to attract world-class faculty specifically to the electrical engineering program, and advance excellence in engineering research and teaching. The couple also established an endowed scholarship fund to support deserving students.

“John was such an ardent supporter of the College of Engineering and Computer Science and Syracuse University,” says J. Cole Smith, dean of the . “He and his family have made a tremendous impact in supporting our students and our research enterprise. I will miss him and will be forever grateful for the generous and sincere way John helped advance the aspirations of so many people in ECS.”

Breyer himself earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1961, after serving in the United States Navy as an enlisted soldier and continuing in the Navy Reserve. Described as a lifelong learner by his family, Breyer graduated from GE’s rigorous Advanced Engineering and General Management Programs. He was recognized as an innovator and leader in multiple fields related to communication, signal intelligence and antenna measurement.

Breyer joined Scientific-Atlanta Inc. in 1989 as the company senior vice president and president of two divisions before ascending to become president and chief executive officer of MI Technologies, a company he founded along with other investors. He continued to lead in these roles as the company expanded and merged to become NSI-MI Technologies, a high-tech company that develops and manufactures testing and measurement systems, equipment and products used to test communications, radar, satellite, wireless and EMC/EMI systems. He retired in 2021 at the age of 86.

Breyer’s connection to Syracuse University was personal and professional. His daughter, Deborah Knoblock ’88, G’90, earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the School of Education and is chair of the School of Education’s Advisory Board. He is survived by his wife of 64 years, Patricia, his daughters Deborah and Tamara, and three grandchildren. The family has requested that memorial contributions be directed to benefit ECS or the School of Education or the Tunnel to Towers Foundation that serves veterans and first responders.

Maloney, a researcher who investigates fundamental questions in theoretical physics and quantum information theory, comes to Syracuse from in Montreal.

Alexander Maloney

“I am delighted by the opportunity to work with the outstanding students and faculty at Syracuse University to help push the forefront of research in quantum science,” Maloney says.

The Walters Endowed Professorship was established by a $2.5 million gift from Syracuse University Board of Trustees Chair Emeritus Kathy Walters ’73 and her husband, Stan ’72. Their gift was made as part of the , which supports the recruitment and retention of high-caliber faculty.

“The commitment of the Walters family has allowed us to recruit a world-class leader for Syracuse University’s quantum science program,” says , vice president for research. “Professor Maloney will bring together outstanding faculty from the and the and provide new opportunities for our students to engage in cutting-edge research.”

Maloney’s research focuses on connections between quantum information theory, field theory, statistical mechanics and quantum gravity.

“Over the last century, advances in our understanding of the quantum world have underlain some of the most important scientific and technical advances that have changed both our society and our understanding of the universe,” Maloney says. “This includes deep questions ranging from elementary particle physics and black holes to materials science and engineering. Many of the most exciting current directions lie at the intersection of quantum science and information theory, where a new field of science is being created that may have profound implications, both for our understanding of fundamental physics and for the construction of quantum computers and precision devices.”

A&S Dean Behzad Mortazavi notes that health care is another area of promise in quantum information science. “For example, we can imagine the potential for much earlier detection of diseases like cancer through quantum sensing, and the creation of highly personalized, more effective treatments for those diseases based on analysis of massive amounts of DNA data,” he says. “With Professor Maloney bringing his internationally recognized expertise to join the other top researchers in A&S physics, we are excited to be on the leading edge of this frontier.”

Maloney’s previous positions include James McGill Professor of Physics and Sir William Macdonald Chair in Physics at McGill University, where he was honored with the John David Jackson Award for excellence in teaching. He was a member of the in Princeton, New Jersey, and a research associate at the . He was selected as a Simons Fellow in Theoretical Physics in 2013. He earned a Ph.D. in physics from Harvard University and an M.Sc. in mathematics and B.Sc. in physics from Stanford University.

At Syracuse, Maloney will work with four new researchers—now being recruited by the University with support from and —who will grow teaching and research in quantum science, providing opportunities for students to advance understanding of nature and design the next generation of quantum technologies.

Doctoral students in clinical psychology��Alexa Deyo ’21 and Alison Vrabec G’23 spent their summer testing a theory that a certain kind of therapeutic technique called motivational interviewing could improve sleep and overall health among adolescents. According to the , sleep problems can impact how people learn, think and get along with others. “If teens are sleeping better, their mental health is improved; they are more emotionally regulated and less impulsive,” says��, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychology, who is supervising the clinical research.

Kathy Walters

Their research is exactly the kind of promising work that philanthropic alumni��Kathy Walters��’73, H’23 and her husband, Stan ’72, had in mind when they set up the Walters Endowed Fund for Science Research in 2016. According to Kathy Walters, they were hoping to create new opportunities for research that would benefit humanity—and they left the door open for the dean and faculty in the College of Arts and Sciences (A&S) to define what those benefits might be.

“Researchers tend to see things that those of us not immersed in science would never see,” says Walters, a Syracuse University Trustee. “I’m not a big believer in telling capable people what they should be researching.” In fact, the funding is to be used to support a vast array of academic inquiry, including “undergraduate, graduate or faculty-led research in the sciences, including departments of biology, chemistry, communication sciences and disorders, Earth science, mathematics, psychology and physics.”

The funding is awarded at the discretion of the A&S dean and associate dean for research to recognize outstanding research faculty. “Research funding is critical to supporting our academic mission,” says A&S Dean��Behzad Mortazavi. “With Kathy and Stan’s gift, we can invest in more of our stellar faculty and students, so they can contribute their enormous expertise to solving challenges in the areas of the environment and climate, health and wellness, social justice and human thriving.”

Favour Chukwudumebi Ononiwu

Since the fund was established, it has supported research by graduate students in physics, chemistry, biology and psychology. “Thanks to the Walters, I was able to spend the summer of 2023 in the lab full-time,” says Favour Chukwudumebi Ononiwu, who is pursuing a Ph.D. in cell biology and is dedicated to figuring out the cellular behavior that governs early development of human tissue. “This particular tissue helps the body organize itself. Understanding how that happens is key to understanding developmental defects.”

“Bench to bedside research” like this takes years of toil at the “bench” in the lab to reach the “bedside” where people can benefit. Ononiwu says the funding from the Walters allowed her to spend a lot more time at that bench, reduce some of the costs associated with conducting the research, and speed up the process of discovery. “It was also empowering to be in a space where I didn’t have to worry about my finances and could come into the lab and focus on the experiment. It also helped get my research to the point where I could apply for more grants and fellowships to accelerate the research.”

Ononiwu, who hopes to pursue a job in a biotechnology, pharmaceutical or biomedical company, says the Walters funding was a “catalyst for my development as a researcher and a professional.”

Kidwell says her graduate students are deepening their own clinical training through the funded research and positioning themselves to be more competitive for National Institutes of Health grants.

“Oftentimes, teaching assistantships take precedence over research assistantships because of financial need,” says Deyo, a first-year doctoral student in clinical psychology.

Professor Katie Kidwell (second from left) with members of the Child Health Lab, including graduate students (from left) Toni Hamilton, Alison Vrabec, Lyric Tully, Alexa Deyo and Megan Milligan.

The doctoral students were able to accelerate the launch of their study this past summer, recruit a significant number of teens aged 13 to 17 as study subjects, expose them to the intervention called motivational interviewing and measure the impact on their sleep using a smart watch-type of device called an actigraph.

The intent of their research, of course, is to help teens and college students problem-solve and deal with stressors that impact their well-being. The research aligns with Kathy Walters’ sensitivity to the impact of stress on health. “The world is moving at such a rapid pace that it’s difficult for people to prioritize and focus amidst the change and anxiety,” says Walters. “Helping faculty and students make the most of opportunities to improve health and humanity remains our priority.”

“We are so grateful to Kathy and Stan for their generosity and vision in establishing this fund,” says John Quigley, A&S assistant dean for advancement. “We hope others who are similarly passionate about academic and research excellence at the University will follow suit. An endowment of $100,000 or more provides the kind of annual supplemental support needed by our talented faculty to accelerate the impact of their teaching and research.”

Walters says it’s important to provide gifts that are not too restricted. “Students are developing the critical thinking skills required to pursue knowledge that answers the big questions facing our world. By supporting research, we are helping them find the answers.”

Selina Gallo-Cruz

Selina Gallo-Cruz, associate professor of sociology, is the latest Maxwell School faculty member to be named an O’Hanley Faculty Scholar. She was selected in recognition of her outstanding teaching and scholarship.

Gallo-Cruz will hold the title for three years and will receive financial support for her research and teaching.

The designation is made possible through the O’Hanley Endowed Fund, which was established by Maxwell Advisory Board Chairman and University Trustee Ronald O’Hanley III, chairman and chief executive officer of State Street Global Advisors and a 1980 graduate of the Maxwell School with a B.A. in political science.

Gallo-Cruz is a senior research associate in the Program for the Advancement of Research on Conflict and Collaboration, where she co-directs the advocacy and activism research team. She is also a research affiliate for the Program on Latin America and the Caribbean.

Gallo-Cruz’s scholarly work has focused on gender, violence, non-violence and social movements in a comparative context. She recently edited “Feminism, Violence and Nonviolence” (Edinburgh University Press, 2024) and authored “Political Invisibility and Mobilization: Women Against State Violence in Argentina, Yugoslavia, and Liberia” (Routledge, 2021), which won the American Sociological Association’s Peace, War and Social Conflict section’s Outstanding Book Award. In 2021, she was honored as a Democracy Visiting Fellow with the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at the Harvard Kennedy School and was awarded the Fulbright-Tampere University Scholar Award. Her current research focuses on comparative policy and legislative conflicts over climate change and human trafficking.

Carol Faulkner, senior associate dean for academic affairs, says Gallo-Cruz enhances the Maxwell School’s emphasis on research with a public impact. Faulkner praises Gallo-Cruz as an “outstanding and internationally recognized scholar of social movements and policy change, who engages students around challenging issues facing the U.S. and the world.”

Prior to joining Maxwell, Gallo-Cruz taught at the College of the Holy Cross and Emory University.

Story by Mikayla Melo

John Robinson

Robinson will help coordinate and scale the Workshop in Entrepreneurship for People with Disabilities, while also serving as a member of its instructional team. The workshop is a non-credit microcredential program designed to empower people with disabilities to either become entrepreneurs or to be better prepared for employment.

Additionally, Robinson will collaborate with the University in developing and offering non-credit microcredentials aimed at educating potential employers on appropriate work environments and accommodations for employees with disabilities.

Through the College of Professional Studies, Robinson will assist the University in the development of funding for the continued offerings of these microcredentials.

“Syracuse University aims to become a global leader in the research and application of advanced technologies that can dismantle the professional boundaries and barriers experienced by people with disabilities,” says Arthur Thomas, executive director of the Office of Microcredentials. “John’s experience and background are essential to achieving that goal.”

Creating Pathways for Accessible Education

A trailblazer in the architecture and entrepreneur industry, Steve Einhorn is dedicated to creating a more accessible campus. Previously, the family has supported the School of Architecture and made a naming gift to create the Einhorn Family Walk, which forever changed the footprint of Syracuse University. This latest gift builds on the Einhorn’s commitment to accessibility, which includes accessible online learning.

“The values that fuel this mission are baked into my DNA as an architect. As a trustee, we want to create a campus welcoming to all,” Einhorn says. “Syracuse is flourishing with entrepreneurial opportunities, and we need to create more space for the disability community.”

Sherry and Steven L. Einhorn

Einhorn says the Workshop in Entrepreneurship for People with Disabilities provides space to thoughtfully merge technology and AI with the curriculum. Additionally, the program creates opportunities for people with disabilities in the entrepreneur industry as well as potential partnerships throughout the local community.

“This is an educational opportunity to sharpen the skillsets for business development and produce more mentors. It is an honor to be a part of this initiative,” says Einhorn.

The Workshop in Entrepreneurship for People with Disabilities is part of Syracuse’s Inclusive Entrepreneurship Program, a pilot program that started two years ago and was originally funded through the support of New York State Senator John Mannion. The program has received additional state funding for the 2024-25 academic year.

“We are deeply grateful to the Einhorn family for making John’s position possible, and to Senator Mannion for his ongoing support of inclusive education at Syracuse,” says Michael Frasciello, dean of the College of Professional Studies. “Together, we are creating more opportunities for individuals with disabilities to realize their potential.”

About John Robinson

Robinson holds a B.S. in project management from the Newhouse School of Public Communications and an M.A. in disability studies from the CUNY School of Professional Studies.

Robinson serves as the CEO for Inc., a disability-owned platform dedicated to building employment opportunities for people with disabilities through technology. In 2015, Our Ability Inc. was presented with the Business Excellence Award in Small Business by the New York Small Business Development Corp and was also recognized in 2023 by the Zero Project as an Innovative Solution.

In 2013, Robinson was named one of the ten . Moreover, Robinson was presented with the Chamber Champion Award in 2023 in recognition of actions that have advanced the mission of the Capital Region (New York) Chamber.

Robinson is the author of the autobiography, “,” which reflects on his life as a quadruple amputee and the journey to his success. The book was adapted into a public television documentary titled “Get Off Your Knees: The John Robinson Story” by .

To learn more about the Office of Microcredentials, visit .

About Forever Orange: The Campaign for Syracuse University

Orange isn’t just our color. It’s our promise to leave the world better than we found it. Forever Orange: The Campaign for Syracuse University is poised to do just that. Fueled by more than 150 years of fearless firsts, together we can enhance academic excellence, transform the student experience and expand unique opportunities for learning and growth. Forever Orange endeavors to raise $1.5 billion in philanthropic support, inspire 125,000 individual donors to participate in the campaign, and actively engage one in five alumni in the life of the University. Now is the time to show the world what Orange can do. Visit to learn more.

Beth and Steve Ballentine

When Steven “Steve” W. Ballentine ’83 recalls his years playing club volleyball at Syracuse University, he remembers the fun, comradery and deeply satisfying sense of belonging it created for him. He also remembers the challenges: “Club sports didn’t receive University funding back then. I remember each of us on the team had to chip in $5 so we could travel to play at the University of Rochester. We brought our sleeping bags to my parents’ home and slept there when we travelled to Philadelphia.”

Those memories helped lay the foundation for the most recent gift from Steve and his wife, Beth (Shuman) Ballentine ’83, both of whom love sports and their alma mater. The nearly $2 million gift is part of the and will be used to create a dedicated field with lights for club sports and an endowed fund to support club sports programs and participants who might need help with fees, equipment and travel expenses.�� In recognition of this transformational gift, Syracuse University’s Club Sports Program has been named the Ballentine Club Sports Program.

Steve, an investment advisor by profession, and Beth, a published writer and essayist, describe sports as “very important to us as a family,” with both of them playing on sports teams throughout adulthood. Beth played on a women’s ice hockey team for nearly 20 years. Steve is a competitive tennis player. “We’ve made lifelong friends through sports,” says Beth. “For me, it’s about physical health, connections with people and sisterhood.”

The couple has also maintained strong connections to their alma mater through service and philanthropy. They provided lead gifts for the establishment of the Ballentine Investment Institute at the Whitman School of Management and have supported other initiatives in the and Athletics. Beth majored in advertising at the . Steve received a degree in business administration with dual majors in finance and accounting from the Whitman School, where he is a member of the Advisory Council. He has been a member of the University’s Board of Trustees since 1998, currently serving on the Executive, Investment and Endowment and Athletics Committees.

“Steve and Beth’s support will create an even more outstanding experience for the hundreds of students every year who find a place of belonging at Syracuse through club sports,” says Chancellor Kent Syverud. “Their generosity will help nurture student success beyond the classroom. It will also encourage more students to integrate fitness, teamwork, and leadership into their Orange experience. I am grateful to the Ballentines for a gift that will improve students’ wellbeing and enhance the student experience.”

As chair of the Board of Trustee’s Athletics Committee, Steve is especially appreciative of the impact athletics has on the student experience. “Growing up, I played everything until I wasn’t good enough to play it at the varsity/JV level, then moved on to another sport—from baseball and basketball to volleyball and bowling. There are so many young people like me who weren’t sports superstars, who played sports in high school and who really miss that part of their lives when they get to college. Finances can stand in their way of participating in club sports.�� Beth and I saw the need to address that.”

There are currently 45 at the University, with more than 1,500 students participating. Most teams are ��organized by student leaders and supported by club sports staff in the Student Experience Division. The Ballentines met with student leaders of the club sport teams to better understand how their financial support could have the greatest impact.�� “It was an incredibly eye opening and impressive experience,” says Steve. “They are entrepreneurial leaders, raising funds to book transportation for the teams, sharing ideas, learning from each other.” Beth was impressed by their dedication to helping others and “essentially doing a part-time job for which they don’t get paid, while managing a full course load.”

The Ballentine Club Sports Program Endowed Fund, established through this ��gift, will help ensure teams have the resources to enhance participation in post-season competition and playoffs and team leaders have the tools to manage their programs more effectively. “We’re big on teaching someone to fish rather than just handing them the fish,” says Steve. That idea was also foundational to the previous creation of , which provided students with the kinds of tools, training and resources to prepare them for a career in finance. Steve’s own career in the financial industry began as an equity analyst and portfolio manager for Prudential Life Insurance Co. of America. In 1989, he founded his own investment management firm, Ballentine Capital Management Inc.

The Ballentine Field for Club Sports will be located on South Campus on grounds that are across from the Tennity Ice Skating Pavilion. “There will be irrigation and lights, so players can practice or compete after classes, when the sun goes down,” says Steve.

The Ballentines look forward to seeing the growth of club sports that present “a huge opportunity for students from all walks of life to come together” and excel beyond the classroom.

About Syracuse University

Syracuse University is a private research university that advances knowledge across disciplines to drive breakthrough discoveries and breakout leadership. Our collection of 13 schools and colleges with over 200 customizable majors closes the gap between education and action, so students can take on the world. In and beyond the classroom, we connect people, perspectives and practices to solve interconnected challenges with interdisciplinary approaches. Together, we’re a powerful community that moves ideas, individuals and impact beyond what’s possible.

About Forever Orange: The Campaign for Syracuse University

Orange isn’t just our color. It’s our promise to leave the world better than we found it. Forever Orange: The Campaign for Syracuse University is poised to do just that. Fueled by more than 150 years of fearless firsts, together we can enhance academic excellence, transform the student experience and expand unique opportunities for learning and growth. Forever Orange endeavors to raise $1.5 billion in philanthropic support, inspire 125,000 individual donors to participate in the campaign, and actively engage one in five alumni in the life of the University. Now is the time to show the world what Orange can do. Visit����to learn more.

Mike Tirico ’88, NBC’s voice of the Olympics, talks about getting ready for the games, his commitment to helping our young broadcast students and his love for Syracuse University.

When the Olympic Games begin later this month, one of the University’s best-known alums will be front and center. In many ways it’s a role Mike Tirico ’88 knew he wanted at an early age.

“My mom will tell you, even as a little kid, I was walking around pretending to be a sportscaster,” he says. “This is what I wanted to do in life.”

As the athletes prepare for competition, Tirico is preparing to anchor NBC’s daily Olympics coverage as he’s done since 2016. But as most broadcast fans know, Olympics studio host is only part of the Tirico portfolio, which includes “Sunday Night Football,” PGA golf, and thoroughbred and Indy racing among others. Those sports he knows well. This summer he’ll be put to the test with new Olympic sports, all while trying to avoid making waves.

“Surfing is happening in Tahiti at the Olympics, I put up my hand to volunteer to be the surfing correspondent,” says Tirico, who adds with a smile that “for some reason, they went with Colin Jost from ‘Saturday Night Live.’ I don’t know what I should read into that but it’s fine.”

Break dancing is another sport new to the games and according to Tirico a sign of the athletic times. “It does speak to what the Olympics does in trying to reach out to new generations and keep the youth of the world involved,” he says. “There was a time that snowboarding came in the Olympics and people were asking why. Now, snowboarding is one of the cornerstones of the Winter Olympics.”

In this “’Cuse Conversations” podcast, Tirico talks about getting ready for the games, his sleep schedule while in Paris (it’s rough), his commitment to helping our young broadcast students and, as a first-generation student who met and married his wife here, his love for Syracuse University.

Check out podcast featuring Tirico. A transcript [PDF]��is also available.

What are your most memorable moments from the Games?

This would be the fifth Olympic Games I cover, the fourth as the primetime host and watching Americans win gold medals in person, those stick out for me. When we say the Olympics brings the world together, I don’t mean to be too Pollyanna about it because the Olympics are flawed in many ways, they are impacted by politics and corruption and all this stuff that’s happened, those stories have been well reported for years. But just the fact that there’s somebody in South Sudan who is training the same way somebody is training in South San Francisco for the same event and they get to meet in the middle and figure out who’s better, that’s still really freaking cool for me.

With 30 different Olympic sports and more than 10,000 athletes, and knowing your busy sports coverage schedule, how do you find the time to prepare?

Mike Tirico

If I’ve learned anything, it’s you can’t be prepared for everything at the Olympics. The key is to know how to access it and, oftentimes, that is our research team. The unheralded heroes of Olympic coverage for generations have been and continue to be the research teams who work year-round on the details of the competition.

In the lead up to it, it’s go over all the stuff so you know where it is but don’t memorize it because you can’t. You can’t know everything about each of the 10,000-plus athletes or every sport, all the 200-plus countries or delegations that will come down the river, in this case, the opening ceremony in France.

So, it is learn how to prepare for it and really focus in on the stuff we cover the most—swimming, ��gymnastics, track and field, basketball, volleyball, beach volleyball, women’s soccer, men’s soccer. Know that and then know the big athletes, the 50 or so that will become somewhat familiar names to households around America.

In many ways you are not starting from scratch here, are you?

You’re not starting from zero, you’re starting from, “Okay, I remember this in Tokyo and let’s just build on that.” And I think, during the years now as well, maybe I wouldn’t have been paying attention to the world swimming championships that were on, but now that I know this is my job and I’m getting ready for this Olympics, which gets you ready for the next one, you pay more attention. The global athletes, international athletes are on my radar way before I open up a book and say, “Okay, today is swimming day, let’s start cramming for swimming.” It helps significantly to have some gray hair in the chair.

Mike, you and I have been friends for many years, having worked together at WTVH in Syracuse. If we could go back, what would you say to young Mike, the sportscaster at TV5?

I wish I could tell younger Mike to have a little broader view and be adventurous more. I think being adventurous as a journalist is impactful and I think, over time, we start to feel that a bit more. I think you know you’ve done the job, you’ve established yourself. It’s so hard to fake confidence but that’s what you have to do at an early age. I’m 21, 22, here I am trying to ask Jim Boeheim a question. Jim Boeheim, at that point, knew a thousand times more about basketball than I did and I’m trying to ask an impactful question and make a difference and I wish I would’ve had a little more ability to fake my confidence and get through that stuff back then. And that, if you’re prepared, you’re going to be all right and you don’t have to doubt yourself.

Note: This conversation was edited for brevity and clarity.

H. John Riley Jr.

On his journey from his first job in a corporate mailroom to the executive suite, H. John Riley Jr. ’61 often credited the education and opportunities he received at Syracuse University for his success. His gratitude shaped his approach to both service and philanthropy at his alma mater. Riley was still serving as a life trustee and co-chair of the Forever Orange Campaign and its $1.5 billion goal when he passed away on June 1, 2024, at the age of 83.

“John was incredibly thoughtful and generous in all things, including his support for Syracuse University,” says Chancellor Kent Syverud. “John was committed to ensuring meaningful student experiences—in and out of the classroom—were accessible to all Syracuse students. His philanthropy opened doors and carved paths of opportunity for engineering students to succeed in the business world, just as he had over his lifetime.”

The 2017 endowed gift from John and Diane Riley establishing the H. John Riley Dual Degree Engineering/MBA Program was designed to give Syracuse University students the opportunity to set themselves apart. Earning a bachelor’s degree in engineering along with an MBA in five years prepares students to make an immediate impact.

“John recognized that successful business executives understand multiple disciplines and that it was important for students to have both theoretical and experiential learning in interdisciplinary ways of thinking,” says J. Cole Smith, dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science (ECS). Since the dual degree program’s inception, it has drawn high-achieving students to both ECS and the Martin J. Whitman School of Management and helped carve a path that was so important to Riley’s own career success.

Riley was the first in his family to go to college, an opportunity made possible with a scholarship from The Gifford Foundation. He was only 16 when he graduated as valedictorian from his high school. After four years of riding the bus from his parent’s home on Syracuse’s North Side to campus and back, Riley earned a degree in industrial engineering. During college, he worked in the mail room of Crouse-Hinds, the electrical products manufacturing company that Riley once described as a “kind of family affair.” His father, three sisters and brother all worked there for a time.

Shortly after graduation, Riley entered a training program at General Electric, but eventually returned to Crouse-Hinds where he rose through the ranks, given more executive responsibilities as the company grew and acquired other firms. Riley, who also completed Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program, eventually became the CEO of Cooper Industries, the multi-billion-dollar parent of Crouse-Hinds. The Riley family moved to Houston, Texas, where Cooper was headquartered.

Still, the loyal alumnus never left Syracuse University far behind. Riley was first elected to the Board of Trustees in 2004 and served as a voting trustee until 2016. He served on the Audit and Risk and Student Experience Committees and chaired the Student Experience Committee from 2008-2012. He also served as a lifetime member of the Whitman Advisory Council. In 2019, he was recognized with the Dritz Life Trustee Award. When he died he was serving as tri-chair of the National Campaign Executive Committee for the Forever Orange Campaign, alongside trustees Patricia Mautino ’64, G’66, and Michael Thonis ’72.

“John was an exemplary alumnus and trustee,” says Board Chairman Jeff Scruggs. “He was laser-focused on ensuring that the University had the vision, guidance and resources to meet the evolving needs of our students, faculty and staff. He will be sorely missed.”

At his funeral mass at St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church in Houston, Riley’s daughter Beth recalled that her father never missed a Board meeting or an event at his alma mater. “How did he accomplish so much? Well, my dad had a no-nonsense way about him that cherished truth over fanfare, responsibility over impulsiveness, long-term value over short-term gain.” She said he taught his children to be curious and empathetic, to “do it once and do it right. He was a great man and lived a great life.”

Throughout their marriage, Riley and his wife were generous in their time and financial contributions to many organization. They established the H. John and Diane M. Riley Family Fund when he retired in 2006, directing their philanthropy to education, health, welfare and civic improvement. Major beneficiaries include Syracuse University, the Women’s Home, Baylor Breast Center, Discovery Green, the Hobby Center, the Museum of Fine Arts, St. Michael’s Catholic Church, YMCA of Martha’s Vineyard, the MV Preservation Trust, the MV Youth Scholarship fund and many others. The Rileys have chaired many major fundraising events: the United Negro College Fund, the Star of Hope, Houston Grand Opera, Ronald McDonald House and the Women’s Home.

The Rileys have supported many other initiatives at Syracuse University, including in ECS, the Whitman School, Syracuse University Athletics and the Winnick Hillel Center for Jewish Life. The family has requested that memorial contributions be directed to

Riley is survived by his wife of 60 years, Diane; his daughter, Beth (Marcus) St. Raymond; Thomas (Dr. Lizabeth) Riley; and Patrick ’90 (Beatrice) Riley; seven grandchildren, Emma and Charlotte St. Raymond; Matthew Riley, Megan Riley ’24 and Tristan Riley ’26; and John and Connor Riley.

The undergraduate representatives are Luwam Ghebremicael ’25, a senior in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, and German Alejandro Nolivos ’26, a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences and the Maxwell School. The graduate representative is Ava Breitbeck ’22, a graduate student in the science teaching program in the College of Arts and Sciences, and the law student representative is Brett S. VanBuren L’25, a third-year law student in the College of Law.

The new student representatives join current dean, faculty and staff representatives to the board, all of whom are serving out the second year of their two-year appointments. They are Michael Speaks, dean of the School of Architecture; Christine Ashby, professor of inclusive special education and disability studies and director of the Center on Disability and Inclusion in the School of Education; and Kathleen (Kati) Foley, project director and administrative assistant to the dean in the College of Visual and Performing Arts.

Each representative brings a unique voice to the board and its various committees, ensuring that the campus community is well-represented in the implementation of strategic objectives that support the University’s mission and vision.

Michael Speaks

Michael Speaks

Speaks was named dean of the School of Architecture in 2013. Previously, he was dean of the College of Design and professor of architecture at the University of Kentucky from 2008-13. As former director of the graduate program at the Southern California Institute of Architecture in Los Angeles, Speaks has taught in the graphic design department at the Yale School of Art, and in the architecture schools at Harvard University, Columbia University, The University of Michigan, UCLA, Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, and the Berlage Institute and TU Delft, in the Netherlands.

Speaks has published and lectured internationally on contemporary art, architecture, urban design and scenario planning. His accomplishments include the establishment of the Harry der Boghosian Endowed Fellowship Program for emerging professors in architecture, the Patrick Ahearn Workshops, the Design | Energy | Futures post-professional M.S. degree program and the Hal and Nina Fetner Architecture + Real Estate Summer Internship Program. In addition, Speaks established the China studies program, including studios in Beijing and Shanghai, the Three Cities Asia Summer Studio Program, a research partnership with the Institute Building Research in Shenzhen and a high school recruiting initiative. He also established a faculty and student exchange, research and project collaboration with Ewha Womans University, Yonsei University, Korea University, University of Seoul, Yeungnam University and Pusan National University in South Korea; and a scholarship program for overseas study in arts and design, organized by the Taiwan Ministry of Education. He was selected three times as a Design Intelligence Most Admired Educator and served as an advisory group member for the Syracuse University Campus Framework and Campus Framework Refresh.

Speaks participates, ex officio, on the board’s Academic Affairs Committee and reports to the board at Executive Committee and full board meetings.

Christine Ashby

Christine Ashby

Ashby is a professor of inclusive special education and disability studies and the director of the Center on Disability and Inclusion, a research center that promotes the inclusion of people with disabilities in all aspects of school and society—both locally and globally. She has also served as coordinator of undergraduate and graduate programs leading to certification in childhood and special education. Since joining the School of Education faculty in 2007, her teaching and research has focused on inclusive education, communicative diversity, disability studies and inclusive teacher preparation, with specific emphasis on the experiences of autistic and neurodivergent students. Her work seeks to disrupt dominant notions of disability as deficiency and underscores the importance of centering the voices of disabled people in research and practice.

Ashby earned an undergraduate degree from the State University of New York College at Geneseo and a master’s in special education, certificate of advanced study in disability studies and Ph.D. in special education from Syracuse University.��She was an inclusive special education teacher before beginning her university career. Ashby served as co-chair of the Public Impact Working Group for the Academic Strategic Plan and was a member of the Academic Affairs Committee of the Senate from 2018 to 2023. She was also selected as a member of the inaugural Women in Leadership cohort.

Ashby participates, ex officio, on the Board Academic Affairs Committee and reports to the board at Executive Committee and full board meetings.

Kati Foley

Kati Foley

As project director and administrative assistant to the dean, Foley is responsible for administering strategic projects for the College of Visual and Performing Arts (VPA) and directing the daily operations of the Office of the Dean and the college. She provides high-level analyses and recommendations on facility utilization, strategic budget and long-range planning, policies, programs and new and ongoing initiatives for the college.

Prior to joining VPA in 2007, Foley worked at the Maxwell School for 10 years, managing the U.S. office of the Luxembourg Income Study, headquartered at the University of Luxembourg. This cross-national data center acquires datasets with income, wealth, employment and demographic data from many high- and middle-income countries, harmonizes them to enable cross-national comparisons, and makes them publicly available to researchers.

Foley earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Ithaca College. Foley participates, ex officio, on the board’s Advancement and External Affairs Committee and reports to the board at Executive Committee and full Board meetings.

Luwam Ghebremicael ’25

Luwam Ghebremicael

Ghebremicael is a rising senior in the Maxwell School, majoring in political science and policy studies on a pre-law track. A first-generation student, she has been actively involved in various roles, including president of the African Student Union, peer educator with Community Standards, resident advisor, director of Multicultural Affairs, First Year Seminar peer leader and a Dimensions Intern. Her passions lie in embracing her identity, engaging with communities and bringing diverse perspectives to the table.

Ghebremicael serves as one of two undergraduate student representatives for the 2024-25 academic year. She participates, ex officio, on the Student Experience Committee and reports to the board at Executive Committee and full board meetings.

German Alejandro Nolivos ’26

German Alejandro Nolivos

Born and raised in Venezuela, Nolivos is a first-generation college student who settled in Florida after fleeing the socio-political turmoil in his homeland. Currently, in his junior year, he is pursuing a dual major in political science and public relations in the College of Arts and Sciences and the Maxwell School. A recipient of the Posse Foundation Full-Tuition Leadership scholarship, he currently serves as president of the Student Association.

Previously, his roles included president of the Naranjas Spanish Club, student senator in the University Senate, vice president of Community and Government Affairs within the Student Association, and student representative on the Syracuse University Alumni Association Board of Directors. His professional journey includes internships with such organizations as Telemundo, NBCUniversal, Miami-Dade County Public Schools, and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute. Recognized for his dedication to diversity and inclusion, he was honored with the 44 Stars of Excellence Award by the Office of Student Engagement in spring 2024.

Nolivos participates, ex officio, on the Student Experience Committee and reports to the board at Executive Committee and full board meetings.

Ava Breitbeck ’22

Ava Breitbeck

Breitbeck is a graduate student in the science teaching program in the College of Arts and Sciences. Specifically, she conducts research into how the public forms attitudes about science, both inside and outside the classroom. She works as a teaching assistant in the Department of Physics and as a graduate intern in the Office of Admissions. She served as a student representative to the Arts and Sciences Curriculum Committee for the 2022-2023 academic year. Originally from Syracuse, Breitbeck holds bachelor’s degrees in physics and political science from Syracuse University. Outside of Syracuse University, she is an event supervisor for the New York State Science Olympiad organization.

Breitbeck serves as the graduate student representative to the board for the 2024-25 academic year. She participates, ex officio, on the board’s Academic Affairs and the Student Experience committees and reports to the board at Executive Committee and full board meetings.

Brett S. VanBuren L’25

Brett S. VanBuren

Brett S. VanBuren is a third-year law student in the College of Law and is receiving a certificate of advanced study in national security and counterterrorism law in addition to his juris doctor. He was recently elected president of the Corporate Law Society at the college, where he is a member of the Travis H.D. Lewin Advocacy Honor Society and won the 2024 Entertainment and Sports Law Arbitration Competition. He also serves as a procedural advisor for undergraduate students during conduct investigations. Additionally, VanBuren is the business editor of the Syracuse Journal of International Law and Commerce. VanBuren spent the summer of 2023 in Fort Sill, Oklahoma, with the United States Army as a Judge Advocate General’s Corp (JAG) intern; he is serving again as a JAG intern during the summer of 2024 with the Southern European Task Force – Africa, located in Vicenza, Italy. During the 2022-2023 academic year, he served as class president for the Student Bar Association.

Prior to coming to Syracuse, VanBuren had a three-year career in the advertising industry with a focus on finance. His undergraduate degree is in history from Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York.

VanBuren serves as the law student representative to the board for the 2024-25 academic year. He participates, ex officio, on the board’s Academic Affairs and the Student Experience Committees and reports to the board at Executive Committee and full board meetings.

“We are excited to welcome these new trustees, all of whom have a connection to the Orange community either though their personal experiences or through their families,” says Board Chair Jeff Scruggs. “They have each demonstrated extraordinary vision and expertise in their different fields of interest, and we look forward to their insights and service to our students and the continued growth of the University.”

“Our trustees express their dedication in so many different ways,” says Chancellor Kent Syverud. “They share their wisdom, their experiences and their generosity of time, talent and treasure in ensuring that we deliver on the promises we make to our students to prepare them for success. The newest trustees are joining a board that works collaboratively and effectively to strengthen our university.”

Nomi Bergman

Nomi Bergman

Bergman is a senior executive at Advance and president of Advance/Newhouse Investment Partnership, a subsidiary of Advance. Throughout her career, she has been an executive, investor and advisor in the communications and emerging technology space with a focus on transforming the customer experience.

Bergman also recently served as interim CEO of 1010data, a technology platform provider of decision science, data management and data analytics that was owned by the Advance/Newhouse Investment Partnership and acquired by SymphonyAI. Previously, Bergman was president of Bright House Networks and helped lead the company to become the sixth-largest cable operator in the nation. She and her team provided corporate guidance, execution and oversight of technology, product and strategic partnerships across the company’s video, broadband, voice and wireless platforms.

Bergman currently serves on the board of directors for Advance’s growth investment HawkEye360. In addition, she is on the boards of Visteon and Black & Veatch, and was honored to serve as a Comcast board member. She is involved with several industry and nonprofit organizations; as a member of the FCC Technological Advisory Council, The Marconi Society, Adaptive Spirit and Bridging Voice.

She received the National Cable & Telecommunications Association’s Vanguard Award for Distinguished Leadership in 2008. In 2011, she was recognized with Women in Cable Telecommunications (WICT) highest honor, Woman of the Year.

Bergman earned a B.A. in economics and statistics from the University of Rochester in 1985. Growing up in Syracuse, her association with Syracuse University runs deep. Her father, Bob Miron ’59, is a Martin J. Whitman School of Management alumnus and a life trustee. Her husband, Neal, is a 1981 graduate of the Whitman School. Bergman herself has served on the College of Engineering and Computer Science (ECS) Dean’s Leadership Council and taught part-time as an adjunct professor. She is working to complete her own Syracuse degree, as she is enrolled in the Whitman School’s online MBA program.

Bergman lives in Fayetteville, New York, with her husband. They have three adult children, Becca (Hayworth), Dori and Allison.

Brian D. Grossman

Brian D. Grossman

Grossman is managing partner and chief investment officer for San Francisco-based PFM Health Sciences, a $1.6 billion health care focused investment advisor. The firm is one of the longest tenured public market life science investment funds, which focuses broadly across health sciences from small biotech firms to large global pharmaceutical, medical device and diagnostics companies.��The firm also has a long history of investing in hospitals, health insurance and other businesses involved in providing medical services.

Grossman was a founding member of Partner Fund Management (PFM), which started operations in the fall of 2004. Prior to PFM, Grossman spent time as an investment analyst at Andor Capital (2001-2004) and Pequot Capital (2001) where he focused primarily on the biotech industry. He started his career in 1996 at J.P. Morgan Investment in the summer of 1996.

A graduate of economics from the University of Pennsylvania, Grossman grew up in Syracuse and has strong familial ties to Syracuse University. His grandfather Lionel O. Grossman L’1916; his father, Murray Grossman ’43, G’45 (College of Medicine); and his uncle Richard D. Grossman ’51, L’55 all attended the University as undergraduates, with his grandfather, uncle and sister Sarah going on to graduate from the College of Law. His father, Murray, provided medical services for many years to the athletics department, for which he was later recognized in 2016 with a Letterwinner of Distinction Award.

Grossman now lives in the San Francisco Bay area with his wife, Elizabeth, and three children: Brady, Zoe and Sylvie. He currently serves as co-chair of the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) Health Executive Council, which evaluates business strategies, operations and financial performance for UCSF Health. The Grossmans are active philanthropically in their community, supporting the S.F. Ballet, Planned Parenthood, The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Peninsula, Tipping Point and their children’s schools.

Stephen H. Hagerty ’91, G’93

Stephen H. Hagerty

Hagerty is a management consultant, entrepreneur and civic leader. He is the founder and president of Hagerty Consulting, one of the nation’s leading emergency management consulting firms that help governments, schools, hospitals, businesses and other large organizations prepare for, respond to and recover from disasters. Between 2017 and 2021, he served as the mayor of Evanston, Illinois, successfully leading the city through a global pandemic and social unrest. As a result of his leadership, Evanston had one of the lowest infection and fatality rates in the state and one of the highest vaccination rates.��Soon after leaving office, Evanston was named an All-American City in 2021 by the National Civic League.

Hagerty has successfully helped manage the recovery efforts from major U.S. disasters, including 9/11, Hurricane Katrina and the California wildfires. Before starting his firm in 2001, Hagerty worked for PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) for eight years building a disaster recovery practice.

Hagerty earned a B.S. degree from the College for Human Development (now the Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics) in consumer studies and went on to earn an M.P.A. from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. He has served on the Maxwell Advisory Board since 2014.

Together with his wife, Lisa Altenbernd G’93, they established the ��in 2022, the Stephen Hagerty and Lisa Altenbernd Faculty Fellow Fund in 2018 and the William D. Duncombe Faculty Research Endowment in 2014. Hagerty and Altenbernd reside in Evanston, Illinois, with their two children, Caroline, a junior at Washington University in St. Louis, and Garrett, a sophomore at Evanston Township High School.

Allegra F. Ivey G’99

Allegra F. Ivey

Ivey is a managing director at BofA Securities Inc. She has served as a public finance investment banker in the municipal banking and markets division for 15 years, primarily covering large cities, such as New York, Atlanta, Houston, Detroit, Nashville, Memphis and New Orleans.

During her 25-year career, Ivey worked for PaineWebber Inc. (which became UBS Financial Services), J.P. Morgan and Bank of America Merrill Lynch. She has helped state and local governments nationwide finance over $40 billion in infrastructure projects, including airports, toll roads and water and sewer facilities, among others.

Ivey earned a master’s in public administration from the Maxwell School, where she has served on the advisory board since 2017. She inspired other Maxwell graduates when she delivered the keynote speech at the 2018 convocation.

Ivey came to Syracuse University after earning a bachelor’s degree in economics from Harvard University in 1997. She lives in Manhattan with her husband, Matthew Brennan, and their four children, Tiernan (TJ), Ellison (Ellie), Kellan and Braden.

Jeannine L. Lostritto ’90

Jeannine L. Lostritto

Lostritto parlayed her interest in architecture into her professional, personal and volunteer experiences, most recently in her engagement with the board of trustees of Friends Academy in Locust Valley, New York, an independent Quaker college-preparatory private school serving early childhood through 12th grade.

A former Friends Academy parent, Lostritto serves as a member of its board of trustees and on its Governance Committee, and helps oversee new building construction, maintenance of the campus and existing buildings as clerk of the Buildings and Grounds Committee.

With an undergraduate degree from the School of Architecture, she first took a job as an architectural consultant at Avis Rent-a-Car and on commercial architecture projects. From 1995 to 1998, Lostritto was employed in the civil engineering division at Sear-Brown—an architecture, engineering, planning and construction services firm—where she worked on large highway and expressway projects, such as the renovation of the Queens Midtown Tunnel, as well as drainage and landscape architecture projects.

She is currently a board member of her family’s real estate company, Steel Equities and is a member of the Board of Regents at NYU-Winthrop Hospital. Additionally, she and her husband, Glenn, actively support Syracuse University through contributions to such initiatives as the Barnes Center at The Arch and the General Supported Scholarship Fund. She is also a member of the School of Architecture Advisory Board.

Lostritto lives in Old Brookville New York, with her husband. They have three children, Domenica “Sunny” L’23, Glenn Jr. and Joseph.

Kirthiga U. Reddy G’95

Kirthiga Reddy

Reddy is an��entrepreneur and��investor who has been at the helm of technology-driven transformations in innovative companies. She is CEO and co-founder of Virtualness, a mobile-first platform to help creators and brands navigate the complex world of Web3, and use��the power of generative AI and blockchain. She is a��founding investment partner of f7 Ventures,��whose mission is��“Bold Women Investing in Bold Ventures.” She is co-founder of Liftery, a��social impact��initiative focused on working mothers.

Previously, she was the first female investment partner at SoftBank Investment Advisers focused on frontier, enterprise and health tech investments. She was managing director for Facebook India and South Asia and then became managing global partner��and emerging markets lead for global accounts in markets, including Mexico, Brazil, Indonesia, South Africa and Middle East.��She has also held engineering and product executive��roles at��of Phoenix Technologies, Motorola and��Silicon Graphics��Inc.

Reddy earned a master’s degree in computer engineering from the College of Engineering and Computer Science and later earned an MBA from Stanford University. She served on the ECS Dean’s Leadership Council for several years and has established the Kirthiga Reddy Graduate Scholarship in ECS.

Reddy lives in Summerlin, Las Vegas, Nevada, with her husband, Dev G’94, who also attended the College of Engineering and Computer Science. They have two adult children, Ashna and Ariya.

A gift from Daniel D’Aniello ’68, H’20 and his wife, Gayle, will support construction of a new chapel and renovations to modernize and expand the Catholic Center at 110 Walnut Place. From left are Chancellor Kent Syverud; Daniel D’Aniello; Pete Sala, vice president and chief campus facilities officer; and Luke Radel ’26.

With a ceremonial shovel and breaking of the ground, a new chapter in the history of Catholic ministry at Syracuse University is being written, thanks to a transformational gift from philanthropist, life trustee and dedicated alumnus Daniel D’Aniello ’68, H’20 and his wife, Gayle.

Part of the , the D’Aniellos’ newest gift will support construction of a new chapel and renovations to modernize and expand the Catholic Center at 110 Walnut Place. Land is currently being cleared for the building of the new St. Thomas More Chapel at the corner of East Adams and Walnut Place.

“Dan continues to be a devout Syracuse University supporter whose kindness to our students knows no bounds,” says Chancellor Kent Syverud. “His impact is felt and visible all around our University, from our main campus in Syracuse to our campus in Florence, Italy. Dan’s philanthropy has allowed us to strengthen our commitment to veterans, enhance the student experience both on campus and abroad, and now, build a more vibrant spiritual community. This new gift enhances our ability to be a University welcoming to all, including to students of all faiths, by providing an expanded and modern space to come together, worship and serve the community.”

Chancellor Kent Syverud and Daniel D’Aniello ’68, H’20

D’Aniello has often spoken about his own upbringing in an Italian Catholic family, steeped in tradition and faith. Growing up, he was an altar server and sang in the church choir, experiences that led to faith-based giving becoming a central pillar in his philanthropy.

“I admire the way in which Syracuse University supports the spiritual needs and nurtures the moral and ethical development of students,” says D’Aniello. “Faith in God has always been a guiding principal in my life and I am proud to support the new Catholic Center and chapel; a gathering place for our catholic students to support them and their faith while at Syracuse University.”

The Catholic chaplaincy is one of 15 housed in Hendricks Chapel, which also supports 25 student-led religious and spiritual life groups, and hosts more than 2,000 programs each year, many of which are responsive to student engagement at the Catholic Center.

“The ’Cuse Catholic community has grown dramatically over the last several years, with significantly increased attendance at worship services and growing student interest in activities hosted at the Catholic Center in service of the broader Syracuse community,” says Fr. Gerry Waterman, who was appointed to his position as Catholic chaplain in 2016. “I am deeply grateful to Dan D’Aniello for supporting the spiritual growth of our students in an environment that serves to deepen their religious understanding, their relationship with God and their desire to help others in the community.”

Waterman notes that the unprecedented interest in Catholic ministry services has necessitated additional seating to accommodate increased attendance. “Each folding chair we’ve had to add, and the long lines at post-Mass Thursday dinners and Sunday brunch gatherings, demonstrate that our ’Cuse Catholics find strength in fellowship.”

The presence of a Catholic ministry at the University to 1908 with the formation of the first Brownson Club, the predecessor to the Newman Club. Today, the Catholic Center includes a vibrant group of servant leaders composed of students who are dedicated to service and who offer study groups, retreats and mission trip experiences to enrich spiritual development.

D’Aniello is a co-founder and chairman emeritus of Carlyle. Prior to forming Carlyle in 1987, D’Aniello was the vice president for finance and development at Marriott Corporation for eight years. Before joining Marriott, D’Aniello was a financial officer at PepsiCo Inc. and Trans World Airlines. D’Aniello served in the United States Navy from 1968 through 1971 during which time he was a Distinguished Naval Graduate of Officer Candidate School, Newport, Rhode Island, a supply officer (LTJG) aboard the USS Wasp (CVS 18); and in 2016, D’Aniello was awarded the designation of Lone Sailor by the U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation.

D’Aniello is a 1968 magna cum laude graduate of Syracuse University, where he was a member of Beta Gamma Sigma, and a 1974 graduate of the Harvard Business School, where he was a Teagle Foundation Fellow.

About Syracuse University

Syracuse University is a private research university that advances knowledge across disciplines to drive breakthrough discoveries and breakout leadership. Our collection of 13 schools and colleges with over 200 customizable majors closes the gap between education and action, so students can take on the world. In and beyond the classroom, we connect people, perspectives and practices to solve interconnected challenges with interdisciplinary approaches. Together, we’re a powerful community that moves ideas, individuals and impact beyond what’s possible.

About Forever Orange: The Campaign for Syracuse University

Orange isn’t just our color. It’s our promise to leave the world better than we found it. Forever Orange: The Campaign for Syracuse University is poised to do just that. Fueled by more than 150 years of fearless firsts, together we can enhance academic excellence, transform the student experience and expand unique opportunities for learning and growth. Forever Orange endeavors to raise $1.5 billion in philanthropic support, inspire 125,000 individual donors to participate in the campaign, and actively engage one in five alumni in the life of the University. Now is the time to show the world what Orange can do. Visit����to learn more.

Michael Falcone

Michael “Mike” Falcone ’57 often said he was of entrepreneurs, and when he passed away on April 10, 2024, accolades poured in for the man who helped develop millions of square feet of office buildings, shopping centers, assisted living centers, hotels and urban mixed used projects throughout the nation.

, representing thousands of companies, chambers of commerce and professional and trade associations, observed his “passion for the state’s business community and vision for growing the economy.”

(OHA) had previously honored the Falcone family with the OHA Medal Award, noting a “generational legacy of entrepreneurship that literally and figuratively built the Syracuse community.”

Falcone was also deeply committed to his alma mater. He earned a bachelor’s degree in real estate from the Martin J. Whitman School of Management and carved a career in real estate development that impacted the University (building graduate student housing at an early point in his career) and its surroundings. He served the Board of Trustees as a voting trustee from 1995 to 2009, and later as a life trustee participant on the Board Facilities Committee. Falcone was also a member on the Whitman School of Management Advisory Council. In 1992, he was awarded the Whitman School’s Jonathan J. Holtz Alumnus of the Year.

Well before he attended Syracuse University, at the age of 16, Falcone began a real estate career, inspired by his family’s successes in business. “It didn’t surprise me to learn that Mike was the youngest licensed real estate salesman in New York state,” says Chancellor Kent Syverud. “He loved developing and enhancing communities, and he was dedicated to the idea of inspiring that kind of passion in future generations of students.”

He and his late wife, Noreen, were fundamental to the creation of the Entrepreneurship and Emerging Enterprises program. They established the Michael J. Falcone Center for Entrepreneurship and Emerging Enterprises and the Michael J. Falcone Endowment Fund for Entrepreneurship and were early supporters of the Whitman School’s Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities (EBV) program.

Falcone’s goal was to boost entrepreneurial activity on campus and in the region, providing funding for a center that provides valuable resources and advice to aspiring entrepreneurs. The Falcone family also created the Falcone Chair in Real Estate.

Falcone was an influential real estate developer throughout Upstate New York spanning from the early 1960s. In his early years as a real estate broker for Egan Real Estate in Syracuse, he started buying small rental properties, improving them, and eventually selling them. After serving in the Air Force Reserve, he began purchasing and redeveloping shopping centers throughout Upstate New York. In 1969, he and classmate Robert Congel from Christian Brothers Academy formed the Pyramid Companies, building shopping centers, warehouses, office buildings and student apartments throughout the Northeast.

Less than a decade later, Falcone started his own development company, the Pioneer Group, the predecessor to today’s , a property management and development company headquartered in Syracuse whose projects have included master-planned industrial parks, stand-alone rehabilitation centers, new-urbanist living communities, suburban office parks, downtown office buildings, high-rise mixed-use developments, lifestyle shopping centers and various senior housing and hospitality products. After stepping back from his role as chairman, Falcone became chairman emeritus, described by the company as an “engaged advisor on our existing portfolio as well as new investment opportunities.”

Falcone and his wife, Noreen, who died in May 2021, were well-known throughout Syracuse and Skaneateles because of their civic involvement and philanthropy. They lived most of their lives together in Central New York, and, for many years, had a home in North Palm Beach, Florida, where Falcone passed away. They took great pleasure in grape-growing and wine-making through their involvement in Hobbit Hollow Vineyard in Skaneateles, which grows Pinot Noir and Riesling grapes and serves as a grower for Heart & Hands Wine Company, Union Springs, New York, among others.

Their portfolio of philanthropic initiatives include the David B. Falk College��of Sport and Human Dynamics, the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, the College of Visual and Performing Arts, the WAER public media organization. They also supported Le Moyne College, Christian Brothers Academy, Skaneateles Festival, The Skaneateles Lake Association, the Finger Lakes Land Trust, The Everson Museum, Catholic Diocese of Syracuse, Syracuse Symphony and Opera, and Francis House.

Some of Michael’s awards include the Syracuse Mayor’s Achievement Award, the Boy Power Distinguished Citizen Award, Temple Adath Yeshurun Citizen of the Year Award and the Post-Standard Achievement Award.

Falcone (who was known to his closest friends as Mickey) was also an avid traveler, hunter, golfer, skier (he skied into his 80s) and could be seen often rowing his Adirondack boat on Skaneateles Lake.�� He was also an enthusiastic fan of horse racing.

Falcone is survived by his children��Michael,��Mark, Michelle and Melissa; 13 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Three of his grandchildren are Syracuse University alumni: Olivia L. Falcone ’14 (College of Arts and Sciences), Michael J. Falcone ’15 (Falk College) and Gabriella Drumm��’22 (College of Arts and Sciences).

Bernard “Bernie” Kossar

“Bernie Kossar was really one of the smartest people I have ever known,” said Chancellor Kent Syverud, recalling the esteemed Syracuse University and College of Law graduate, trustee, advisor, engaged alumnus and generous philanthropist. “Bernie’s IQ was so high and, with persistence, it was what kept opening up opportunities for him; but it was really his EQ, his emotional intelligence, that made him great, that made him most successful in my view. Bernie was a great judge of people.”

Syverud conveyed his thoughts at a memorial service for Kossar, who passed away at the age of 91 on April 10, 2024. Over many decades, Kossar had forged a legacy of innovation, leadership and generosity. He was recalled as an extraordinary individual with an unmatched work ethic, fierce loyalty to friends and important causes, and a born entrepreneur who was always willing to help others, especially his alma mater.

Kossar majored in accounting, graduating with a B.S. from the Martin J. Whitman School of Management in 1953 and earned a J.D. from the College of Law in 1955. “The combination of a strong business undergraduate degree, especially focusing on accounting and finance, mixed with a solid legal education equips you for almost anything and everything,” Kossar said in an interview for the College of Law’s , in explaining both his “proprietary interest” in his alma mater and his sense of responsibility to be supportive and engaged.

He served on the University Board of Trustees Advancement and External Affairs and Finance Committees as a life trustee participant. He was a voting trustee from 2000-2012 and chair of the Budget Committee from 2003-2006. In 2013, he received the Dritz Life Trustee of the Year Award. He was also a member of the Whitman Advisory Council, serving as its chair for 13 years. In 1996, he was the recipient of the University’s Outstanding Alumni Award. He was a member of the College of Law’s Board of Advisors and a member of the Society of Fellows.

In 2023, he received the first-ever Dean’s Distinguished Alumni Award, an honor created by College of Law Dean Craig Boise to recognize the accomplishments of outstanding alumni.�� “Bernie achieved so much in his professional life, and yet he was very involved in giving back and helping succeeding generations earn their own accomplishments,” said Boise.

It was his legal education that set the stage for extraordinary success in business. “In law school, you learn how to think, how to evaluate and come to an informed judgement. The greatest thing you get out of law school is learning how to take an analytical approach to a problem, to tax your brain to get to the depth of the issue and understand it,” said Kossar. After passing the bar, he served in the Marine Corps with a two-year active commitment. While practicing law upon his return, he attended New York University Law School at night to earn a master’s in tax law.

Working at the New York City-based law firm of Van Buren, Schreiber, and Kaplan, Kossar focused on the complexities of corporate law, eventually becoming indispensable to one of his clients, Franklin Stores Corporation. He ended up working full-time for the expansive New York Stock Exchange (NYSE)-listed company, and it was his legal acumen and business sense that earned him the responsibilities and title of president and chief operating officer.

After his tenure there, he strengthened other corporations, becoming the president and COO of Vornado, a NYSE-listed company engaged in retail and real estate holdings. He was special advisor to the chairman and CEO of Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company before joining W.R. Grace & Company as senior vice president. At W.R. Grace & Co., Kossar served as senior vice president of seven retail companies. During this time, Kossar created HQ Home Quarters Warehouse, which he eventually purchased from W.R. Grace. As its president and chief executive officer, Kossar negotiated a highly profitable sale of HQ in 1988. That same year, he founded OW Office Warehouse Inc., an office supply superstore chain; six years later, OW was sold to OfficeMax at a substantial profit. Thereafter, Kossar founded Millennium Partners, LLLP, a private investment partnership focused on public and private investment opportunities.

Kossar’s grandson, Michael Kossar ’13, co-managed Millennium Partners with his grandfather, along with another private investment partnership, the Kossar Family LLLP. Michael was a finance major at the Whitman School, and credits his grandfather for teaching him that success in business is about building relationships and loyal friendships. “My grandfather instilled in me that it’s all about the people that surround you. He cared about everyone, every employee, accountant and lawyer. He may have started as a caboose on the train, but he ended up at the head of the train and everyone followed him.”

Kossar and his wife of more than 70 years, Carol Karetzky Kossar ’53 (College of Arts and Sciences), impacted countless lives with their philanthropy. At Syracuse University, they established the Bernard R. Kossar Endowed Scholarship, and generously supported other initiatives in the College of Law, Whitman School, College of Arts and Sciences, the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. Other philanthropic endeavors included the Tel Aviv Foundation, the Kossar-Karetzky Park and the Kossar-Karetzky Senior Center.

Kossar once described philanthropy as a “selfish endeavor,” adding “I have derived more pleasure and more satisfaction and more good feelings from some of the good things that we’ve done. I’ve had payback beyond belief.”

Kossar is survived by his wife, Carol, their daughters��Stephanie Kossar Stuart and Valerie Lise Kossar, grandchildren Michael and Ariana Kossar Cohn ’16, and great-grandchildren Blaine Monroe Kossar and Juliette Kossar Cohn.

Lisa Fontenelli

The Whitman School of Management is proud to announce that Lisa Fontenelli ’86 (Whitman School/S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications) will be the school’s Class of 2024 convocation speaker. Fontenelli retired in 2017 as partner and managing director of Goldman Sachs, a world-renowned investment bank. She is a University Trustee and was chair of the Whitman Advisory Council for several years. Her support of Whitman has focused on experiential learning opportunities with an emphasis on immersive experiences in New York City.

During her decorated career, Fontenelli was global head of securities research and deputy head of the Global Investment Research Division, overseeing all equity and credit research globally. After starting her career in equity securities sales and research, she was named a Goldman partner in 2006 and served on the firm’s partnership committee.

Fontenelli holds an honorary doctorate of business administration from Georgian Court University, where she served as a trustee for 12 years, and an honorary doctorate of humane letters from Misericordia University. These honors were awarded for her long-standing philanthropic support of the educational mission of the Sisters of Mercy, including initiatives around the world that provide educational opportunities for young women to build skills in critical thinking, leadership, collaboration and philanthropy. Throughout her career, Fontenelli has mentored many on the path of management and leadership development.

“We are delighted to have Lisa Fontenelli speak with our graduating class this year. This is the first convocation speaker that Whitman has had in some time, and Lisa brings a wealth of experience from a variety of global leadership roles,” says Alex McKelvie, interim dean of the Whitman School. “She has been very active in providing advice and support to Whitman and Syracuse University and has a strong understanding of the current challenges graduating students face. She has sage advice about motivation, value creation and what it means to be Orange. I think her message will resonate well with the graduating class.”

The convocation for the Whitman School is Saturday, May 11, at 4 p.m. in the JMA Wireless Dome.

Judith Seinfeld.

Seinfeld is the fourth-generation head of Heritage Management Company LLC, a long-standing real estate investment, development and management company based in Ridgewood, New Jersey. Before joining Heritage, Seinfeld was the founder and president of Judith Greenberg Gallery, a jewelry design company, and she was also an executive vice president at Balenciaga Perfumes. A longtime patron of the arts, Seinfeld is the co-founder of the Nantucket Comedy Festival and the producer of several Tony award-winning plays.

Seinfeld earned a bachelor’s degree from Syracuse University’s , and a master’s degree in administration from Teachers College, Columbia University, in 1957. In addition to her current role as a life trustee participant on the Academic Affairs committee, Seinfeld’s service to the University includes previous positions on the boards of the School of Education and the . Her service also includes assisting in establishing the Seinfeld Housing Initiative, the Judith Greenberg Seinfeld Distinguished Fellowships and the Judith Greenberg Seinfeld Prize for Creative Teaching Endowment.

Seinfeld resides in Saddle River, New Jersey, and Nantucket, Massachusetts, and is the mother of Jeffrey Greenberg and the late Steven Greenberg.

For more information on the celebration, visit the

Hilton Als, writer at The New Yorker; Jim Boeheim ’66, G’73, former Syracuse men’s basketball coach and special assistant to the director of athletics; husband and wife, William “Bill” Brodsky ’65, L’68, chairman of a specialized investment firm and an investment management firm, and Joan Breier Brodsky ’67, G’68, a National Museum and Library Services Board member; and Lynn Conway, inventor of methods for designing Very Large Scale Integrated silicon chips, will be honored for their outstanding achievements in their professional careers and the difference they have made in the lives of others.

Hilton Als
Doctor of Letters

Hilton Als (Photo credit: Ali Smith)

Als is an award-winning journalist, critic and curator. He has been a staff writer at The New Yorker since 1994. Prior to The New Yorker, Als was a staff writer for the Village Voice and an editor-at-large at Vibe. He has received numerous awards for his work, including the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism (2017), Yale’s Windham-Campbell Literature Prize (2016), the George Jean Nathan Award for Dramatic Criticism (2002-03) and a Guggenheim Fellowship (2000).

His first book, “The Women,” was published in 1996. His next book, “White Girls,” was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award and the winner of the Lambda Literary Award in 2014. His most recent book, “My Pinup,” a meditation on love and of loss, of Prince and of desire, was published in November 2022.

In 2017, he curated the critically lauded exhibition “Alice Neel, Uptown,” which traveled from David Zwirner, New York, to Victoria Miro, London and Venice. In 2019, Als presented “God Made My Face: A Collective Portrait of James Baldwin” at David Zwirner, New York, followed by Frank Moore at, David Zwirner, New York (2021) and Toni Morrison’s “Black Book,” at David Zwirner, New York (2022). He curated a series of three successive exhibitions for the Yale Center for British Art, New Haven, of the work of Celia Paul (2018), Lynette Yiadom-Boakye (2019) and Njideka Akunyili Crosby (2022). In 2022, he curated “Joan Didion: What She Means” at the Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, which traveled to the Perez Art Museum Miami in 2023. He curated Jared Buckhiester “No heaven, no how,” which opened March 2024 at the David Kordansky Gallery in Los Angeles.

Als is currently a teaching professor at the University of California, Berkeley, and has also taught at Columbia University’s School of the Arts, Princeton University, Wesleyan University and the Yale School of Drama.

Jim Boeheim ’66, G’73
Doctor of Humane Letters

Jim Boeheim

Hall of Fame member Jim Boeheim had a remarkable run as head coach at his alma mater, Syracuse University. Boeheim guided the Orange to winning records in 46 of 47 campaigns. Syracuse made 35 trips into the NCAA Tournament, including Final Four appearances in 1987, 1996, 2003, 2013 and 2016. The Orange won the national championship in 2003. Boeheim retired from coaching after the 2023 season but continues to work for the University.

Boeheim was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2005. He was also honored with the John R. Wooden “Legends of Coaching” Award.

Boeheim enrolled at Syracuse in 1962 and was a walk-on with the basketball team. The Orange were 22-6 overall his senior year and earned the program’s second-ever NCAA Tournament berth. He earned a bachelor’s from the College of Arts and Sciences and the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and a master’s from the Maxwell School. In 1969 he turned to a career in coaching and was hired as a graduate assistant at Syracuse. In 1976, he was named head coach.

A four-time BIG EAST Coach of the Year, Boeheim has been honored as NABC District II Coach of the Year 10 times and USBWA District II Coach of the Year on four occasions. In the fall of 2000, he received Syracuse University’s Arents Award, the school’s highest alumni honor.

Boeheim was named 2001 USA Basketball National Coach of the Year. He has served as an assistant coach for the U.S. Olympic teams that won gold medals in 2008, 2012 and 2016, and the World Cup in 2010 and 2014.

A champion of many charitable causes, Boeheim and his wife started the Jim and Juli Boeheim Foundation with the goal of enriching the lives of kids in need.

Joan Breier Brodsky ’67, G’68
Doctor of Humane Letters

Joan Breier Brodsky (Photo credit: Richard Shay)

Joan Brodsky graduated from the College of Arts and Sciences in 1967 with a bachelor’s in Latin language and literature and went on to graduate from the School of Information Studies (formerly the School of Library Science) in 1968 with a master of science degree.

Joan is passionate and knowledgeable about rare book and cultural heritage conservation and has been active nationally for many years, including sitting on the board of the Newberry Library in Chicago, as a Trustee for the Abraham Lincoln Museum and Library, as well as the library advisory board of the Jewish Theological Seminary. She also served on the Advisory Board for the School of Information Studies and has been a member of the Syracuse University Libraries Advisory Board since its founding.

In 2022, Joan was appointed by President Joe Biden to the National Museum and Library Services Board, which advises the Institute for Museum and Library Services, the largest federal funder of America’s museums, libraries and related organizations through grantmaking, research and policy development.

At Syracuse University, she is the founder and sponsor of the Brodsky Series for Advancement of Library Conservation. This sponsored program promotes and advances knowledge of library conservation theory, practice and application among wide audiences, both on campus, in the region and now online. This is an annual lecture series and workshop on book and paper conservation now in its 19th year.

In 2022, she and her husband Bill, a Syracuse University life trustee, funded the Conservation Lab in the Bird library and the Joan Breier Brodsky Media Preservation Vault in honor of Joan’s commitment to the preservation and conservation at the Bird Library.

Joan and Bill have been married for 57 years and reside in Chicago.

William “Bill” Brodsky ’65, L’68
Doctor of Laws

William “Bill” Brodsky (Photo credit: Richard Shay)

Bill is chairman of Cedar Street Asset Management, LLC, an investment management firm devoted to investing in equity securities in international markets, and chairman of Bosun Asset Management, a specialized investment firm.

During his combined 35-year career at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) and Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), he was recognized as a global leader in the development of the future and options markets. His contributions to Chicago’s futures and options markets were a major factor in Chicago’s becoming the world’s preeminent city for the futures and options markets.

Bill served as chairman of the CBOE Holdings Inc. now known as CBOE Global Markets and its predecessor firms between 1997 and 2017. He also served as the chief executive officer of the CBOE from 1997 to 2013. During his CBOE tenure, he served as the chairman of the World Federation of Exchanges and the International Options Market Association. From 1985 to 1997, he was president and CEO at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange.

Bill, who earned a bachelor’s degree from the College of Arts and Sciences and the Maxwell School and a law degree from the College of Law, began his career in 1968 at the Wall Street-based investment banking and securities brokerage firm of Model, Roland and Co. Inc. In 1974, he joined the American Stock Exchange and ultimately was executive vice president for operations.

In 1982, he became executive vice president and chief operating officer of the CME. In 1985, he was appointed president and CEO of the CME.

In 2019, Governor J.B. Pritzker named him to co-chair the newly formed State’s Pension Consolidation Feasibility Task Force. In 2022, he was inducted into “The Order of Lincoln,” the state’s highest honor for professional achievement and public service.

Brodsky is chair emeritus of the board of directors of Navy Pier Inc., one of Chicago’s most iconic cultural destinations, and past chair of the board of directors of Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Brodsky was nominated by President Biden and confirmed by the U.S. Senate in 2022 to the Board of Directors of the Securities Investor Protection Corporation, which maintains a special reserve fund authorized by Congress to help investors at failed brokerage firms.

Lynn Conway
Doctor of Science

Lynn Conway

Conway is a renowned computer scientist who revolutionized global information technology by inventing methods for designing Very Large Scale Integrated (VLSI) silicon chips. Her work paved the way for the powerful microchips that animate modern high-technology systems.

As a young engineer at IBM Research in the 1960s, Conway made pioneering innovations in computer architecture. Sadly, IBM fired her in 1968 upon learning she was undergoing gender transition. She restarted her career in a new identity in “stealth-mode” after completing her transition.

While working at Xerox Palo Alto Research Center in the 1970s, Conway innovated breakthrough methods that enabled engineers to design very powerful, complex chips. In 1980, Conway’s seminal textbook “Introduction to VLSI Systems,” co-authored by Caltech Professor Carver Mead, became an instant classic, forever transforming computing and information technology. Professor John V. Oldfield brought the new VLSI methods into Syracuse right at the beginning of that revolution.

In the early 1980s, Conway became assistant director for strategic computing at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. In 1985 she joined the University of Michigan as professor of electrical engineering and computer science and associate dean of engineering.

When nearing retirement in 1999 she began quietly coming out as a trans woman, using her new to share her story with friends and colleagues. Conway became active in transgender advocacy.

In 2012 Conway published a that revealed how—closeted and hidden behind the scenes—she conceived the ideas and orchestrated the events that disruptively changed global industries.

Conway is a life fellow of the IEEE, fellow of the AAAS, winner of Computer Pioneer Award of the IEEE Computer Society, member of the Hall of Fellows of the Computer History Museum, a member of the National Academy of Engineering and holds five honorary degrees. In 2023 she was inducted into the for the invention of VLSI. She was awarded the by the and the .

In 2020, IBM CEO Arvind Krishna on behalf of the company for back in 1968. the IBM Lifetime Achievement Award.

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Attendees will have the opportunity to hear from several student organizations who will be , enjoy a spirited awards ceremony hosted by student Nicole Aponte ’24 and mingle with honorees and each other during a reception following the ceremony.

Get to know the outstanding alumni across generations who will be honored April 12 during the Syracuse University Alumni Awards.

Traditionally held in the fall during Orange Central, the 2024 awards ceremony was shifted to the spring to facilitate greater interactions between award recipients and the Syracuse University student body. The honorees, selected by the awards committee of the Board of Directors, were selected for their achievements and success, truly highlighting what it means to be Forever Orange.

The George Arents Award is Syracuse University’s highest alumni honor and recognizes individuals who have excelled in their fields. In 2024, three alumni will receive the Arents Award: former NFL quarterback turned philanthropist Donovan McNabb ’98; president and chairman of Wilmorite Thomas Wilmot ’70; and former litigation attorney turned civic leader Melanie Gray L’81.

Marc Malfitano ’74, L’78 will receive the Melvin A. Eggers Senior Alumni Award for his loyalty and service to Syracuse University over the past 50 years. Malfitano is a member of the 50th reunion class, and both the Classes of 1964 and 1974 will celebrate milestone reunions during the weekend.

Amanda Quick ’14, G’16 will be awarded the Generation Orange Award, which recognizes graduates from the past decade for career success and community engagement, along with their overall commitment to Syracuse University.

Major General Peggy Combs ’85, H’21 will receive the Military/Veteran Award for exceptional meritorious service while serving in the United States Military.

New in 2024, Tracy Barash ’89 will receive the Volunteer of the Year Award in recognition of her consistent volunteerism to Syracuse University.

Also new in 2024, the Outstanding Future Alumni Award will highlight student Leondra Tyler ’24 for her commitment, involvement and leadership outside of the classroom.

, then make plans to .

Story by Laura Verzegnassi ’25, student intern in the Office of Alumni Engagement and Annual Giving

Doris “Dottie” Payson

Doris “Dottie” Payson ’57 first parlayed a bachelor’s degree in education from Syracuse University into a teaching career in the Brooklyn School District. But her passion for travel and learning about the wonders of the world led to her second career in the travel industry, serving clients at Jeffrey’s World of Travel, Ltd. in Great Neck, New York.

Payson passed away on Feb. 12, 2024, at the age of 87. She was first elected to the Board of Trustees in 2000 and served as a voting trustee until 2012. She was co-chair of the Academic Affairs Committee from 2003-07, and continued to be engaged in that committee and the Facilities Committee as a life trustee.

Payson’s service to Syracuse University went far beyond the Board of Trustees. She was an alumni representative for the Office of Admissions for nearly two decades. Payson also served on the Metropolitan New York and advisory boards and was co-chair of the National Campaign Council for the Commitment to Learning Campaign, a multi-year capital campaign launched in the 1990s.

After graduating from the , Payson earned a master’s degree in history from Columbia University and enrolled in New York University’s Law School, but took a break from her law studies to raise a family. While parenting, she taught in the Long Island School System.

Payson’s philanthropic endeavors included the , the Maxwell School (where a scholarship fund is set up in honor of her parents David and Tillie Greenberg) and the Hildegarde and J. Myer Schine Student Center.

Payson and her husband, Martin, a renowned media executive and former vice chairman of Time Warner Inc., set up the Martin and Doris Payson Foundation. They had a fund dedicated to supporting the New York Jewish Film Festival. Dottie Payson also served on the boards of the United Jewish Appeal and Yivo Institute for Jewish Research, and the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary.

It was her love of the arts and international travel that drew her to the travel agency business where she served an impressive array of clients and earned the description, “travel agent extraordinaire.” She is her husband of 63 years and their children Michele Rosenfield, Leslie and Eric Payson; grandchildren Benjamin, Simon and Daniel Rosenfield; and son-in-law Mark Rosenfield.

Vernon L. Lee Jr.

It’s a love story that began at Hendricks Chapel, where Vernon L. Lee Jr. first met Marcia L. Heath. Both undergraduates, they raised their voices in song together, worshipped together and, six days after they both graduated from Syracuse University in 1954, they married. Their devotion to each other and to the Orange Community lasted a lifetime and beyond—in the establishment of the Marcia ’54 and Vernon ’54 Lee Endowed Fund for Hendricks Chapel.

The Reverend Vernon LaMont “Bonky” Lee Jr. was 92 when he passed away on Dec. 10, 2023. He had served as a voting trustee on the Syracuse University Board of Trustees from 1976 to 1989, when he became a life trustee. He also served on the Hendricks Chapel Advisory Board.

“Vernon was a valued trustee and supporter of Syracuse University for decades,” Chancellor Kent Syverud says. “I am so grateful for his life and work.”

Lee earned a bachelor’s degree in speech and drama from the College of Arts and Sciences followed by a master’s degree in theology from the Boston University School of Theology in 1957. He began as a pastor in 1957, advancing to the position of superintendent of the Elmira District of the Methodist Church in New York. Lee also had served as executive director of the church’s Central New York Conference, headquartered in Syracuse. In retirement, he had been a senior consultant to the United Methodist Frontier Foundation Inc.

It is noteworthy that the Methodist leader was so dedicated to and engaged with his alma mater, a university that was initially founded by resolution of the Methodist State Convention in Syracuse in 1870. “Reverend Lee embodied the dynamic relationship between faith and learning,” says the Rev. Brian E. Konkol, dean of Hendricks Chapel. “Through his lifelong commitment to mission and ministry, Vernon truly lived the famous quote by Methodist theologian John Wesley: ‘Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.’”

“To be on the receiving end of Rev. Lee’s kindness and wisdom was an honor. Though Syracuse University is no longer affiliated with the Methodist Church, leaders such as Vernon help to ensure that the spirit and soul of our campus community will remain strong for generations to come,” says Konkol. Lee’s ministry mentor was Charles Noble who was the dean of Hendricks Chapel when he and Marcia were students. The endowed fund set up by the couple was created “to initiate, support and/or enhance programs that fulfill the mission of Hendricks Chapel.” Konkol says it provides support for students in need, and creates opportunities for student engagement.

As a Methodist pastor in the Central New York Conference, Lee served churches in Watkins Glen, Syracuse, Auburn, Geneva and Elmira. In later years, he became district superintendent for Elmira, and subsequently conference executive. He completed his active ministry at the United Methodist Church in Fayetteville, New York.

Lee was a member of the United Methodist Frontier Foundation’s Board of Directors, serving New York and Connecticut. He was past president of the Board of Directors of the Folts Foundation Inc. in Herkimer, New York; past chair of the Board of Trustees of Alban at Duke Divinity School (formerly The Alban Institute in Herndon, Virginia); and past president of The Rotary Club of Syracuse.

He and his wife Marcia, who received a bachelor’s degree from the School of Education, were also generous supporters of the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse University Athletics and Syracuse University Libraries.

He is survived by his wife of 69 years, Marcia, two children, four grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

Life Trustee Daniel D’Aniello ’68, H’20 receives the keys to the city of Florence, Italy, from Mayor Dario Nardella.

Alumnus, philanthropist and Life Trustee Daniel D’Aniello ’68, H’20 was recently celebrated by the city of Florence, Italy, for his dedication to the city and his support of the Syracuse Abroad program in Florence. In a ceremony hosted by the mayor of Florence, D’Aniello was presented with the keys to the city. University leadership, students, faculty and staff and local dignitaries attended the ceremony on Oct. 19 in the city’s town hall, Palazzo Vecchio.

“We are honored to open this ceremony in Palazzo Vecchio to give you the keys of the city, which is a sign of our friendship—our way to say to you thank you for your love and for your passion for our city, for our community,” Dario Nardella, the mayor of Florence, said.

D’Aniello, an alumnus of the Florence abroad program, has recalled his time in Florence as some of the most memorable of his college career and his recent support of the program and future generations of students reflects his deep connection.

In 2022, D’Aniello and his wife, Gayle, donated $10 million toward significantly enhancing the . The gift will expand opportunities for students, attract exceptional faculty and improve facilities. It will also dramatically expand scholarship funding for whom study abroad programs have been out of reach, including student veterans, lower-income students and post-traditional students.

Life Trustee Daniel D’Aniello ’68, H’20 (third from left) was celebrated by the city of Florence, Italy, for his dedication to the city and his support of the Syracuse Abroad program in Florence. From left are Chancellor Kent Syverud; Sasha Perugini, director of Syracuse Florence; D’Aniello; Dario Nardella, the mayor of Florence; Consigliere Regionale Cristina Giachi; and Assessore Elisabetta Meucci.

In honor of the couple’s gift, the program was renamed the Daniel and Gayle D’Aniello Syracuse University Program in Florence. The Daniel and Gayle D’Aniello Florence Program is located on Piazza Savanarola, at the historic Villa Rossa, with additional spaces for studio art and architecture on nearby Donatello Square.

The couple also has funded a scholarship for four military-connected students to spend a semester studying in Florence. The Daniel and Gayle D’Aniello Endowed Florence Scholarship will provide substantial financial support to the students. As part of the celebration activities, D’Aniello visited with student veterans who are studying in Florence with support from the endowed scholarship.

“Many tens of thousands of Syracuse alumni have come to truly understand and to love this place, no one more so than Dan D’Aniello,” Chancellor Kent Syverud said at the ceremony. “I also need to say thank you for giving back both to Florence and Syracuse University and particularly to the next generation so the next generation of students can love this city as you do.”

Chancellor Syverud explained the importance of D’Aniello’s support of the Florence program. “His gift is going to enable us to update the Villa Rossa and other University facilities in Florence. It’s going to help expand our programs, our faculty, our curriculum in Florence,” Chancellor Syverud said. “And most important it’s going to enable students who cannot afford to study in Florence to study abroad to receive scholarships to be here in Florence, and specifically scholarships for those who served in the U.S. armed forces and their families.”

After accepting the keys to the city during the ceremony, D’Aniello spoke in Italian about how much the honor meant to him and how it was with “great joy” that he was returning to the city he loved. His time there as a student coincided with the great flood in 1966. The disastrous flood deluged churches, libraries and museums, containing art and historical works, with mud. Residents and young people traveling the European continent and studying in Florence, including D’Aniello, helped rescue the priceless artifacts.

“Although I have visited this wonderful city many times over the years, my mind keeps taking me back to November 1966 and the great flood. To this day, I am still in awe of the heroic will of the Florentine people to overcome a disaster of such magnitude and to save and restore the Cradle of the Renaissance and the priceless iconic works of Western civilization,” said D’Aniello, co-founder and chair emeritus of The Carlyle Group. “Of all the titles I have received throughout my life I will forever cherish the title of ‘Mud Angel.’”

“Florence, through Syracuse University’s study abroad program, has given me more than I can ever repay, so helping to provide more young students with an unforgettable experience is a small gesture of my appreciation,” D’Aniello said. “My roots are 100% Italian, and my relatives in heaven and on Earth are smiling right now. I have no words to express my gratitude for the honor of receiving the keys to this beloved city.”

When he had heard of D’Aniello’s commitment to the Syracuse Abroad Florence program, which has been in existence for more than 60 years, Nardella said he understood more about the importance of the legacy of Syracuse University and its generations of alumni.

“This alumni community is an incredibly big family,” Nardella said. “Syracuse University I think is the oldest American university in our city. You are pioneers and after your decision to establish an important campus in our city, many other universities decided to follow you, to follow your example.”

Following the ceremony, the mayor invited those in attendance to his office, a unique part of Palazzo Vecchio, which is decorated with frescoes and tiled floor designs.

Following the ceremony in which Daniel D’Aniello (at right) received the keys to the city of Florence, the mayor invited those in attendance to his office, a unique part of Palazzo Vecchio, which is decorated with frescoes and tiled floor designs.

Christine Ashby, professor of inclusive special education and disability studies and director of the Center on Disability and Inclusion, has been named faculty representative to the board by the provost, in consultation with the University Senate Academic Affairs Committee. Speaks, Foley and Ashby will all serve two-year terms.

In addition, four new student representatives to the board have also been named: Dylan France ’24 and William Treloar ’24, undergraduate student representatives; Qingyang Liu, graduate student representative; and Nathanael Linton, law student representative.

These representatives of the campus community bring diverse backgrounds and insights to the Board and its various committees and will be vital voices in helping the University implement strategic objectives in support of its mission and vision.

Faculty and Staff Appointments ��

Michael Speaks, Academic Dean Representative to the Board

Michael Speaks

Before joining Syracuse University, Speaks was dean of the College of Design and professor of architecture at the University of Kentucky from 2008-13. As former director of the graduate program at the Southern California Institute of Architecture in Los Angeles, Speaks has taught in the graphic design department at the Yale School of Art, and in the architecture schools at Harvard University, Columbia University, The University of Michigan, UCLA, Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, and the Berlage Institute and TU Delft, in the Netherlands.

Speaks has published and lectured internationally on contemporary art, architecture, urban design and scenario planning. His essays and exhibitions in the 1990s were among the first to introduce a new generation of Dutch architects and planners to a broader audience in North America. He has also played an important role in recent debates about city branding and alternative models of city planning, authoring a series of essays and advisory studies, as well as overseeing scenario studies commissioned by city and regional governments in the United States, Europe and Asia.

Speaks is serving the first year of a two-year term as academic dean representative during the 2023-24 academic year. He participates, ex officio, on the Board Academic Affairs Committee and reports to the Board at Executive Committee and full Board meetings.

Christine Ashby, Faculty Representative to the Board

Christine Ashby

Ashby is a professor of inclusive special education and disability studies and the director of the Center on Disability and Inclusion, a research center that promotes the inclusion of people with disabilities in all aspects of school and society—both locally and globally. She has also served as coordinator of undergraduate and graduate programs leading to certification in childhood and special education. Since joining the School of Education faculty in 2007, her teaching and research has focused on inclusive education, communicative diversity, disability studies and inclusive teacher preparation, with specific emphasis on the experiences of autistic and neurodivergent students. Her work seeks to disrupt dominant notions of disability as deficiency and underscores the importance of centering the voices of disabled people in research and practice.

Ashby earned an undergraduate degree from the State University of New York College at Geneseo and a master’s in special education, certificate of advanced study in disability studies and Ph.D. in special education from Syracuse University.��She was an inclusive special education teacher before beginning her university career.

Ashby recently served as co-chair of the Public Impact Working Group for the Academic Strategic Plan and was a member of the Academic Affairs Committee of the Senate from 2018 to 2023. She was also selected as a member of the inaugural Women in Leadership cohort.

Ashby is serving the first year of a two-year term as faculty representative during the 2023-24 academic year. She participates, ex officio, on the Board Academic Affairs Committee and reports to the Board at Executive Committee and full Board meetings.

Kati Foley, Staff Representative to the Board

Kati Foley

As project director and administrative assistant to the dean, Foley is responsible for administering strategic projects for the College of Visual and Performing Arts (VPA) and directing the daily operations of the Office of the Dean and the college. She provides high-level analyses and recommendations on facility utilization, strategic budget and long-range planning, policies, programs and new and ongoing initiatives for the college.

Prior to joining VPA in 2007, Foley worked at the Maxwell School for Citizenship and Public Affairs for 10 years, managing the U.S. office of the Luxembourg Income Study, headquartered at the University of Luxembourg. This cross-national data center acquires datasets with income, wealth, employment and demographic data from many high- and middle-income countries, harmonizes them to enable cross-national comparisons, and makes them publicly available to researchers.

Foley earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Ithaca College.

Foley will serve the first year of her two-year term as the staff representative during the 2023-24 academic year. She participates, ex officio, on the Board of Advancement and External Affairs Committee and reports to the Board at Executive Committee and full Board meetings.

Student Appointments ��

Dylan France, Undergraduate Representative to the Board

Dylan France

France is a senior studying finance and real estate in the Martin J. Whitman School of Management, where she is a Whitman Leadership Scholar and a member of the ��Renée Crown Honors Program. She is minoring in global political economy in the Maxwell School. France is passionate about finance and was recently promoted to senior analyst in the Orange Value Fund.

Beyond her schoolwork, France is an active member of the Syracuse community. She previously served as the president, internal secretary and a founding Syracuse University Black Student Union member. She is involved in the Syracuse Student Association as comptroller and a University Senate member. In these capacities, France acts as a voice for her fellow students and advocates for change. She believes in financial reporting and transparency and is committed to diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility initiatives and creating equitable University policies.

France serves as one of two undergraduate student representatives for the 2023-24 academic year, her second year in the role. She participates, ex officio, on the Board Enrollment and the Student Experience Committee and reports to the Board at Executive Committee and full Board meetings.

William Treloar, Undergraduate Representative to the Board

William Treloar

Treloar is a senior studying economics and policy studies in the College of Arts and Sciences and the Maxwell School and is currently the president of the Student Association. Treloar previously served as speaker of the assembly for the Student Association. He is also a class tutor and a Phanstiel Scholar. In his time at Syracuse, he has focused on organizing campus events, as well as community service opportunities.

Treloar serves as one of two undergraduate student representatives for the 2023-24 academic year. He participates, ex officio, on the Board Enrollment and the Student Experience Committee and reports to the Board at Executive Committee and full Board meetings.

Qingyang Liu, Graduate Representative to the Board

Qingyang Liu

Liu is a graduate student in the Department of Human Development and Family Science (HDFS) in the Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics. She was elected as the graduate student representative to the HDFS Graduate Committee and Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics Promotion and Tenure Committee in 2022-23. Liu is an international student from Guangzhou, China, who pursued an undergraduate degree in psychology at San Francisco State University from 2016-18 and a master’s degree in educational psychology and methodology at the State University of New York at Albany from 2018-20. She is conducting research in Professor Rachel Razza’s SELF Regulation lab with a focus on examining the longitudinal association between early poverty and the developmental trajectory of self-regulation within cognitive, social and emotional domains from early childhood to adolescence.

Liu serves as the graduate student representative for the 2023-24 academic year. She participates, ex officio, on the Board Academic Affairs and Enrollment and the Student Experience committees and reports to the Board at Executive Committee and full Board meetings.

Nathanael Linton, Law Student Representative to the Board

Nathanael Linton

Linton is a third-year law student in the College of Law. There he is a member of the Travis H.D. Lewin Advocacy Honor Society, both the national trial competition team as well as the appellate competition team. He is also a research assistant to Professor William C. Banks. He is the managing editor of the Journal of Global Rights and Organizations. Before coming to the College of Law, Linton served on the Board of Trustees at his undergraduate college, Pace University. There, he served on the Academic Affairs subcommittee. His board obligations were accompanied by several other leadership responsibilities, including serving as the honors college president and student representative of the Northeast Regional Honors Council.

Linton serves as the law student representative for the 2023-24 academic year. He participates, ex officio, on the Board Academic Affairs and Enrollment and the Student Experience Committees and reports to the Board at Executive Committee and full Board meetings.

Gill

The Orange Innovation Fund is a concept to commercialization seed fund for student research initiatives emerging from the Blackstone LaunchPad and other campus innovation programs. The fund is designed to help move student research, scholarly or creative projects from ideation to proof of concept and commercialization by helping overcome some financial barriers students face.

The program will be administered through Syracuse University Libraries, in collaboration with the University’s existing research and commercialization programs such as the , the , , , the , the at Syracuse, , , the (NYSTAR designated Center for Advanced Technology) and the . Applicants can also come through research classes, labs or independent study programs across the University.

“It’s been wonderful to see Syracuse University’s Blackstone Launchpad and its other innovation programs be so enthusiastically embraced by students across all disciplines. I hope this new fund will help remove any barriers student entrepreneurs might encounter as they develop their products for market. The U.S. economy depends on the tenacity of entrepreneurs to keep its edge,” says Gill. The Orange Innovation Fund supports the University’s goal to distinguish Syracuse University for excellence in research, scholarship, student experiential learning and innovation.

“We are so grateful for Raj-Ann’s commitment to Syracuse University, the Libraries and most importantly to the students we serve,” said David Seaman, dean of Syracuse University Libraries and university librarian. “Through her generosity, students will have the opportunity to apply for grants that will help bring their ideas to fruition, removing barriers to development of their products, services, technology and creativity.”

Each semester graduate and undergraduate students engaged in commercialization projects will have an opportunity to apply for grants up to $5,000 per award, with a total of up to $50,000 per academic year awarded over five years.

Applicants must identify specific tangible needs related to the development of a product, service, technology or creative work in the discovery, testing, building and/or launching of their initiative. Prospective applicants are encouraged to attend two proposal/grant writing workshops on Sept. 13 and 14 at 3 p.m. in the Peter Graham Scholarly Commons in Bird Library. The workshops will be offered by Linda Dickerson Hartsock, advisor, strategic initiatives at Syracuse University Libraries, and former founding director of the Blackstone LaunchPad.

The first application round will close Sept. 29. Applications for funding will be directed to the Libraries and reviewed by a cross-campus committee. For additional information email�� orangeinnovation@syr.edu.

About Forever Orange: The Campaign for Syracuse University

Orange isn’t just our color. It’s our promise to leave the world better than we found it. Forever Orange: The Campaign for Syracuse University is poised to do just that. Fueled by more than 150 years of fearless firsts, together we can enhance academic excellence, transform the student experience and expand unique opportunities for learning and growth. Forever Orange endeavors to raise $1.5 billion in philanthropic support, inspire 125,000 individual donors to participate in the campaign, and actively engage one in five alumni in the life of the University. Now is the time to show the world what Orange can do. Visit����to learn more.

Motivated by a deep belief in the power of the humanities, Sutton demonstrated how wealth could be used to benefit society in diverse and creative ways. Through his generosity to Syracuse University, he had a profound impact on the reputation of the and advanced the careers of some of the nation’s brightest philosophy scholars.

Sutton passed away on May 31, 2023, in his home in Rancho Santa Fe, California, at the age of 90.

A graduate of the New York City public schools, Sutton received a bachelor’s degree from the Maxwell School at Syracuse University, an MBA from New York University’s Stern School of Business and served in the U.S. Army as an infantry officer. Sutton began his career at the investment firm of Francis I. du Pont & Co. and worked for more than 40 years in the financial services industry. He worked at the firms of Gartman, Rose and Feuer and Percy Friedlander & Company; was a partner at David J. Greene & Company, responsible for much of Greene & Co’s institutional business and held the title of partner in charge of advisory accounts; and a partner at Neuberger Berman. Sutton served as a member of the advisory board of Ameritech as well as being an advisor on many other pension plans.

He served his alma mater in multiple ways. Sutton was first elected to the Board of Trustees in 1990 and was a voting trustee until 2013, and was chair of the Board’s Endowment Committee.��He served on the Executive Committee of the $300 million��Commitment to Learning Campaign��and helping to establish the Metropolitan New York Advisory Board, which he later chaired.

Together with his ��wife, Anita ’60, an alumna of the College of Arts and Sciences, Sutton established the Anita and Allan D. Sutton Endowed Distinguished Chair in Philosophy in the College of Arts and Sciences. Ben Bradley, a prominent philosophy scholar who was named the inaugural chair in 2014, commented that the Suttons’ philanthropy served “as a reminder that the humanities are not only a critical piece of a solid liberal arts education, but more importantly a central part of society.”

The Suttons also funded a three-year postdoctoral fellowship that involved the Distinguished Faculty Fellow teaching two courses per year. have gone on to prominent careers in the field, teaching at universities like Georgetown, Yeshiva, Yale, Michigan and elsewhere.

The Suttons also established the Richard H. Mazer Memorial Fund to support LightWork and generously supported other initiatives in the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Law, the Maxwell School, Syracuse University Athletics and the Hildegarde and J. Myer Schine Student Center.

Sutton served on numerous arts and business boards, including those of the U.S. Association for International Migration, the Association of Ameritech, the Museum of Photographic Arts in San Diego and The Museum of Modern Art in New York City.

He is survived by his wife and their children,��Nancy Sutton Finley and Peggy Lynn Sutton ’90 (S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications) and three grandchildren, including grandson Zachary Sutton Finley G’17 (Maxwell School).

Michael Wohl

Today, it all makes sense for a man who built a successful career by meeting the needs of the less fortunate. Wohl co-founded Pinnacle Housing Group in 1997, which came to be recognized as the leading producer of affordable housing in the southeastern United States, creating homes for countless families across three states.

“I’m very passionate about affordable housing and providing for the workforce, for the elderly and for those transitioning out of homelessness,” says Wohl, who is now a principal in Coral Rock Development Group LLC, a real estate investment firm focused on mixed-use developments that help communities prosper. One of its most recent projects is in North Miami, Florida, where a new affordable housing complex will feature 138 apartments. “The fact is that this form of real estate development is a very lucrative business and it has allowed me to engage in philanthropy. What is better than doing well by doing good?”

Real estate investment has allowed Wohl to invest in the future of others, especially students at Syracuse University and its College of Law. Wohl has invested his own “time, treasure and talent” in the development of the campus, its programs and services, and its students. He served on the College of Law’s Board of Advisors; is a Life Trustee of the University; was a driving force behind the development of the Barnes Center (the connecting lobby is named for Michael and his wife, Betty) and the development of Dineen Hall; provided support for the Betty and Michael D. Wohl Veterans Legal Clinic at the College of Law; funded the Sheila and Alfred Wohl Dining Center at the Winnick Hillel Center for Jewish Life in honor of his parents and the Alfred Wohl ’34 Lacrosse Field behind Manley Field House; and supports the academic success of promising students through the Alfred Wohl Memorial Law Scholarship funds. His daughter, Heather Wohl Herzberg ’12 has carried on the family tradition of philanthropy, naming the Dean’s Suite at Falk College.

Wohl says that investing in law students pays lasting dividends because so many of them go on to contribute to their communities (and to the college) after graduation. In a letter of thanks to Wohl, one scholarship recipient wrote: “The College of Law has provided me with a number of incredible opportunities to grow as an aspiring attorney and, more importantly, as a person. I am incredibly grateful. I hope that one day I will be able to help students achieve their goals, just as you have done for me.”

Just as his father set an example for him, Wohl says his philanthropy is motivated by a deep desire to show others “what you can do with your education, your life, your background and your affiliation with Syracuse University.”

When he majored in sociology as an undergraduate, focusing on the study and dynamics of small groups, Wohl had no idea how it would come to serve him in his career. “All of my business involves dealing with groups of people, recognizing the dynamics and understanding how to utilize those dynamics to achieve success.”

Similarly, Wohl entered law school with an open mind for knowledge and no predisposition to any particular aspect of the law. He recognized the usefulness of a broad legal education. “I knew that law school was going to be a huge stretch for me in terms of academics and discipline. I wasn’t like many of my classmates who had the scales of justice hanging above their cribs, destined to be lawyers. I did not. But I had a tremendous sense of the value of my law school education,” says Wohl. “The skill sets that you acquire—having the ability to dissect material, to reason and think logically, to speak publicly, to stand up and advocate for a position. These are invaluable in business and in life—and they came from my law school experience.”

College of Law Dean Craig M. Boise says it is Wohl’s sensitivity and vision for how a legal education can amplify any career that makes him such a valuable advisor, engaged alumnus and philanthropist. “Michael is supportive of initiatives that make the College of Law more relevant and contemporary in meeting the needs of students and ensuring that their education enhances their professional opportunities. He has taken many of our graduates under his wing and helped them succeed beyond the college.”

As his father before him, Wohl used his law degree to excel in the real estate business. Alfred Wohl ’34 consulted in the construction of apartment houses, commercial buildings, industrial buildings, shopping centers and post office buildings. As his success increased, so did his generosity. “My father started some amazing things,” says a very proud son. “He founded the largest boys and girls club in the United States, in Queens, and he was co-founder of the Long Island Jewish Medical Center, the place where the first COVID-19 vaccine was administered.”

When his father passed away, Wohl was in charge of managing his estate and assets, which included a lot of apartment developments in Manhattan. That’s when he really fell in love with the real estate business and saw the value of his legal training. He structured sales that ultimately reaped huge benefits for his estate. In the 1990s, there were a lot of distressed properties for sale. Wohl seized the moment and the momentum. “I built my first affordable housing complex in the Little Havana area of Miami, and the 35 units sold out quickly,” he recalls. “Again, what is better than doing well by doing good?”

The business of affordable housing not only aligned well with the philanthropic legacy of his father, it also “played into my social consciousness, if you will, that grew out of my academic experiences and being a child of the 60s.” Wohl was at Woodstock in the infamous summer of 1969, just as his Syracuse University student experience was being shaped.

“Music had a profound influence on me in the 1960s and 1970s,” reflects Wohl. “Perhaps the most beautiful lyric ever written came from the Beatles: ‘And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.’”

A fitting phrase for a man who has created opportunities for so many through the love of giving.

All of the newly appointed trustees have also made a significant impact on students at their alma mater through volunteerism, guest lecturing, mentoring, philanthropy and strengthening the web of alumni support for graduates.

“We are so pleased to welcome these three new members to the board and grateful for their time and experience as they contribute to the Syracuse University community in new and meaningful ways,” says Scruggs, whose selection as Board chair-elect was announced in November 2022. “There is a lot of important work ahead and I have no doubt that, together with our existing Trustees, our newest members will help the University advance and achieve its ambitious goals.”

Chancellor Kent Syverud says he is looking forward to working with the new members and with Scruggs, who will serve as chair through May 2027. “Since his appointment to the Board five years ago, Jeff has made a tremendous impact, bringing both financial acumen and a passion for diversity and equity initiatives that create opportunity and a truly welcoming environment for all,” Chancellor Syverud says. “His new fellow Trustees also bring fresh perspectives and a commitment to creating a university where students can thrive and succeed personally and professionally.”

Jeff Scruggs

Scruggs

Scruggs is a highly respected member of the global finance community, serving as a managing director at Goldman Sachs, where he is head of the public sector and infrastructure banking group within the Global Banking and Markets division. Prior to joining Goldman in 2008, Scruggs worked for PaineWebber Inc. (which became UBS Financial Services) for almost 20 years.

Scruggs is deeply connected to Syracuse University through his father, Dr. Otey Scruggs, who taught history in the for 25 years. Shortly after his father died, Scruggs was named to the Board of Trustees and became a leading voice on issues related to finance and diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility.

Scruggs’ history of service to the Board includes engagement on the Free Speech Trustee Advisory Group, Finance Committee, Special Committee on University Climate, Diversity and Inclusion, Advisory Committee on University Climate, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility, and Steam Station Ad Hoc Workgroup. He is also a member of the Maxwell School Advisory Board. In 2020, he received the Dritz Rookie Trustee of the Year Award for outstanding Board service.

He and his wife, Robbin Mitchell, have provided lead gifts for the establishment of the Otey and Barbara Scruggs Maxwell School Scholarship, the Otey and Barbara Scruggs History Fund and the Otey and Barbara Scruggs Scholarship. They have also supported initiatives at the Maxwell School and the Barnes Center at The Arch.

Jeff and Robbin have two children, a son and daughter, and live in Manhattan.

Peter Gianesini Jr. ’94

Gianesini

Peter “Pete” Gianesini has worked for ESPN for more than 25 years, starting as a part-time production assistant and rising to become its current senior director, digital audio programming. He oversees content and operations for ESPN’s podcast portfolio and managed several popular radio shows, including “The Mike Tirico Podcast” featuring fellow esteemed alumnus and Trustee Mike Tirico ’88.

Before ESPN, he was a producer at WRCH/WZMX in Hartford, Connecticut, and an on-air anchor and producer for WHEN AM/FM in Syracuse. He has also been involved in supporting ESPN’s partnership with the V Foundation for Cancer Research as a longtime member of the V Week Committee and the ESPY Day Auction since its inception.

Gianesini earned a B.S. in broadcast journalism from the , and remains involved as an alumnus with the radio station that helped shape his career, . He gives guest lectures to classes and mentors students from Newhouse and WAER through work-shadowing opportunities, resume review sessions and career advice.

Gianesini is actively engaged with the Alumni Club of Connecticut and Western Massachusetts and joined the Board of Directors in 2019. He currently serves as its president-elect and previously chaired the Clubs Committee. He is a committee member for the National Campaign Council, representing regional alumni clubs.

Gianesini lives in Central Connecticut with his wife, Julie, and daughter, Isabelle.

Richard M. Jones ’92, G’95, L’95

Jones

Richard “Rich” Jones serves as executive vice president, general tax counsel and chief veteran officer for Paramount Global, overseeing worldwide tax planning, structuring, treasury, strategy, operations, litigation and legislative matters for the company, along with all veteran-related initiatives and programming for Paramount.

Prior to joining Viacom in 2005 (ViacomCBS changed its name to Paramount Global in 2022), Jones was vice president, senior tax counsel and assistant treasurer for General Electric (NBCUniversal). Before joining General Electric in 2003, he spent more than a decade as both a certified public accountant and tax lawyer with Ernst & Young, as a leader in its media and entertainment and transaction advisory services practices. He also served as a law clerk for the New York State Supreme Court, Appellate Division, in the chambers of the Honorable Judge John P. Balio.

Jones was a non-commissioned officer in the U.S. Army, where he served honorably as a member of the 10th Mountain Division and the 75th Ranger Regiment. He is a frequent and noted lecturer for Bloomberg and the Practising Law Institute where he is a member of the faculty. He is admitted to practice before the courts of New York, Connecticut and the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Tax Court and the U.S. Supreme Court.

He earned a B.S. degree and an M.S. degree in accounting from the , with honors, and a J.D. from the College of Law, with honors. In addition, Jones holds a 1998 LL.M. degree from Boston University School of Law.

Jones is a member of the (IVMF) Advisory Board and chair of the Advisory Board. He was a member of the Joseph I. Lubin School of Accounting Advisory Board in Whitman and a member of the ’s Syracuse University Law Alumni Association Board of Directors. He received the Arents Award in 2014 and philanthropically supports initiatives in the IVMF, College of Law and Whitman School.

Jones lives with his wife, Robin G’95, in Bedford Corners, New York, and has two adult children.

John A. Lally ’82

Lally

John A. Lally started working for PCB Piezotronics Inc. after graduating from Syracuse University in 1982, eventually becoming president and CEO of the engineering firm specializing in the design and manufacturing of specialized sensors for the measurement of dynamic pressure, force and vibration. Over three decades, he grew the company into a global industry leader with 2,000 employees worldwide innovating products for diverse industries, before selling the firm in 2016 to a publicly held company.

A student-athlete and three-year football letterman, Lally earned a B.S. from the Whitman School, with a double major in marketing and transportation and distribution management.

The former offensive lineman was honored in 2011 by the Syracuse Football Club with the Zunic Award, given to former players who exemplify core values of dedication to their community and philanthropy. In 2017, Lally and his wife, Laura, donated $1 million to resurface the football practice facility field and in 2019 donated $25 million to Syracuse Athletics, establishing the as part of the Athletic Framework. In 2022, he was named LetterWinner of Distinction by Syracuse Athletics and the Varsity Club.

Lally is involved with several charity organizations, including the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), Big Brothers Big Sisters, the American Heart Association, Hospice, Wings of Hope and, most recently, Challenger Baseball. Through the Lally Foundation, John and Laura fund several high school and college scholarship programs. An avid outdoorsman, Lally enjoys fishing and owns OrangeLine Equine, LLC, with investment Saddlebred horses located in Lexington, Kentucky, and Land O’ Lakes, Florida.

The Lallys reside in the Tampa, Florida, area and have two adult children, Caitlin and Jack.

About Syracuse University

Syracuse University is a private research university that advances knowledge across disciplines to drive breakthrough discoveries and breakout leadership. Our collection of 13 schools and colleges with over 200 customizable majors close the gap between education and action, so students can take on the world. In and beyond the classroom, we connect people, perspectives and practices to solve interconnected challenges with interdisciplinary approaches. Together, we’re a powerful community that moves ideas, individuals and impact beyond what’s possible.

The late Cerri Banks ’00, G’04, G’06, who served as the University’s vice president and deputy to the senior vice president of student experience; Michael Crow G’85, president of Arizona State University; David R. MacDonald, artist and professor emeritus of ceramics; and Kathleen A. Walters ’73, retired executive vice president of Georgia-Pacific and the first woman to serve as chair of the University Board of Trustees, will be honored for their outstanding achievements in their professional careers and the difference they have made in the lives of others.

Cerri A. Banks ’00, G’04, G’06

Doctor of Humane Letters (posthumously)

Cerri A. Banks

An outstanding leader in student affairs and a scholar-practitioner of education, Banks dedicated her life’s work to the betterment of the student experience. Banks passed away on July 31, 2022; Banks’ parents, Deryk and Cynthia Banks, will be accepting her honorary degree at Commencement.

Banks had a lifetime legacy at Syracuse University: as an engaged alumna, a staunch supporter of her cherished and the University, and a beloved leader and mentor in the Student Experience division. She was a thought leader in the field of student affairs, recognized for her work at the intersection of scholarship and practice, teaching and research, academic affairs, and student affairs.

A three-time graduate of Syracuse University, Banks earned a bachelor’s degree in inclusive elementary and special education, a master’s degree in cultural foundations of education and a Ph.D. in cultural foundations of education, all from the School of Education, along with a certificate of advanced study in women’s and gender studies from the . Her doctoral research focused on student engagement and belonging, examining how Black women undergraduates found ways to succeed on predominantly white college campuses.

From there, her research, scholarship and leadership continued to develop and deepen into an exemplary professional life of service to student affairs and success. Before returning to Syracuse University in 2021 as vice president for student success and deputy to the senior vice president of student experience, Banks had been Skidmore College’s dean of students and vice president for student affairs for nearly five years, overseeing all student services, serving on the president’s cabinet and overseeing the bias response group and the COVID-19 campus planning and response. She served in similar positions at Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts, and at William Smith College in Geneva, New York, where she was also director of the President’s Commission on Inclusive Excellence.

Once at Syracuse, Banks quickly made an impact on the student experience and on Universitywide initiatives through leadership roles involving critical initiatives. In addition to her role with , Banks served as a member of the three-person interim leadership team charged with advancing the University’s diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility priorities and strategic planning efforts. She co-chaired the search for a new chief diversity officer and played a crucial role in creating open lines of communication between students and administration, serving as a fierce advocate and a mentor for students. As an alumna, she established a national mentoring presence and skillfully chaired the School of Education Board of Visitors for eight years, playing a key role in the school’s redesign.

Banks was a highly respected and internationally recognized academic leader and a prolific scholar. Among her published works were “Black Women Undergraduates, Cultural Capital and College Success,” “Teaching, Learning and Intersecting Identities in Higher Education” and “No Justice! No Peace! College Student Activism, Race Relations and Media Cultures,” as well as numerous articles, book chapters and presentations on culturally relevancy, identity and learning, and other subjects.

Michael Crow G’85

Doctor of Science

Michael Crow

A knowledge enterprise architect and science and technology policy scholar, Crow has led Arizona State University (ASU) through a transformation of academic innovation and educational accessibility that has made him known nationwide as a leader in the evolution of higher education. Crow became the 16th president of Arizona State University in July 2002 and since then the university has seen rapid growth in traditional, online and international student enrollment, retention and research—all while evolving the academic enterprise to meet the changing needs of students, especially those from underrepresented groups.

During his now more than two decades at ASU, the University’s enrollment grew from 55,000 to 80,000 students, with a dedicated commitment to increased diversity. Its substantial Hispanic enrollment has earned it a Department of Education designation as a Hispanic-Serving Institution. Under President Crow, ASU, which is a Carnegie R1 University, has seen a nearly fivefold growth in research expenditures, and currently ranks 17th in federal expenditures. For its dramatic growth and modernization, ASU has been recognized as one of the top 100 most prestigious universities in the world by Times Higher Education, and a top 100 position in Shanghai Jiao Tong’s 2018 Academic Ranking of World Universities.

Under Crow’s leadership, ASU has established 25 new transdisciplinary schools, including the School of Earth and Space Exploration, the School for the Future of Innovation in Society and the School of Human Evolution and Social Change, and launched trailblazing multidisciplinary initiatives, including the Biodesign Institute, the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory, and initiatives in the humanities and social sciences.

Crow, who earned a Ph.D. in public administration from the and a bachelor’s degree in political science and environmental studies at Iowa State University, began building his distinguished academic career in various roles at Iowa State and Columbia University. At Columbia, he served as director of the Earth Institute, a collaboration of dozens of research centers and programs at the university and one of the nation’s leading resources on climate change, university vice provost and associate vice provost for science and engineering. At Iowa State, he was director of the Institute for Physical Research and Technology and director of the Office of Science Policy and Research. Throughout his career, including now as ASU president, he continues to teach and conduct research, staying grounded in the mission of higher education.

Crow has been recognized by his peers as an elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the National Academy of Public Administration and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He has published numerous books and articles analyzing knowledge enterprises, science and technology policy, and the design of higher education institutions. His expertise has been tapped by the U.S. Departments of State, Commerce and Energy, as well as defense and intelligence agencies.

David R. MacDonald

Doctor of Fine Arts

David R. MacDonald

An internationally renowned artist and professor emeritus of ceramics in the (VPA), MacDonald uses clay as a medium for exploring the form and function of utilitarian vessels, his African heritage, themes of anger and injustice, and the indomitable nature of the human spirit.

A professor in the School of Art and Design (currently the School of Art) from 1971-2008, MacDonald has taught art and ceramics to legions of Syracuse University students, mentored both students and fellow faculty members, and co-founded the , a cultural and artistic hub committed to artists of the African diaspora, housed in the University’s African American studies department.

MacDonald received an undergraduate degree in art education from the Hampton Institute (now Hampton University, in Hampton, Virginia) in 1968 and a master of fine arts degree from the University of Michigan in 1971. He fell in love with pottery as an artform at Hampton under the mentorship of noted African American ceramic artist Joseph W. Gilliard and was heavily influenced by ceramicists Bob Stull and John Stephenson while studying at the University of Michigan.

In his early years as an artist, MacDonald’s work was influenced by the social and political issues of the time, including the Civil Rights Movement, producing ceramic work that reflected his anger and frustration as a young Black man. As he expanded his study of East and South African culture, MacDonald became more interested in and influenced by the strength of his cultural heritage.

His abstract paintings and sculptures fuse the art of the ready-made with assemblage, minimalism and postminimalism using unremarkable materials such as raw and painted wood, bricks, paper, cement and plaster. Surface decoration, mark making and the use of carved patterns are all hallmarks of his ceramics work.

MacDonald has held the distinction of professor emeritus since retiring from the VPA faculty in 2008. His work is housed in the permanent collections of the Studio Museum in Harlem (New York), Montclair Art Museum (New Jersey) and Everson Museum of Art (Syracuse). He has been honored with the National Council on Education for the Ceramics Arts’ Excellence in Teaching Award and the National Crafts Council’s Master Craftsman Award, and presented a solo exhibition at the Everson titled “The Power of Pattern: New Work by David MacDonald,” all in 2011. He also received the Trailblazer Award, which celebrates those who personify exemplary leadership, selfless acts and dedication to Syracuse University, from the University in 2017.

MacDonald’s pottery was featured in the nationally televised PBS series “A Craftsman’s Legacy” in 2016. He continues to create art in his home studio and occasionally returns to VPA as a guest lecturer.

Kathleen A. Walters ’73

Doctor of Humane Letters

Kathleen A. Walters

An accomplished alumna, retired global business leader, committed philanthropist and the first woman to serve as chair of the (2019-23), Walters has been one of the University’s greatest ambassadors for the past 50-plus years.

She launched her pioneering career in the consumer products and paper industries after receiving a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Syracuse University’s College of Arts and Sciences in 1973 and an MBA in finance and strategic planning from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 1978.

Rising to prominence in a male-dominated industry during the final decades of the 20th century, Walters held international and North America leadership positions with Scott Paper Co., Kimberly-Clark Corp., SAPPI Fine Paper North America and Georgia-Pacific. She retired from Georgia-Pacific in 2019 as executive vice president and group president of its consumer products group, the largest retail and commercial tissue and tabletop businesses in North America, spanning more than 20 manufacturing locations and 15,000 employees.

Known for her strategic business competency, Walters has a proven record of leading companies to improved earnings from growth through innovation, revenue improvement and cost-efficiency strategies. As chair of the Syracuse University Board of Trustees, Walters has leveraged her unmatched business acumen and tenacity on behalf of the University, navigating the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, championing historic investments on campus—including the National Veterans Resource Center at the Daniel and Gayle D’Aniello Building, the renovated Schine Student Center, ongoing enhancements to the JMA Wireless Dome and Syracuse University Libraries’ Special Collection Research Center—and organizing and serving on the Board Special Committee on Campus Climate, Diversity and Inclusion. During her tenure, the Board has diversified significantly to include more women and people of color than at any other point in the University’s history.

Walters, along with her husband, Stan ’72, has provided lead gifts for the establishment of the Maxwell X Lab Support Fund which, among other initiatives, supports the Walters Community Partnerships providing funding for graduate and undergraduate student research. In addition, they have established the Kathy and Stan Walters Endowed Fund for Science Research and, most recently, the Kathy and Stan Walters Endowed Professorship for Quantum Science, both in the College of Arts and Sciences. They support a wide range of University priorities, including the Barnes Center at The Arch, where they have funded the Kathy ’73 and Stan Walters ’72 Pet Therapy Room. They have supported other initiatives in the College of Arts and Sciences, the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse University Athletics and Libraries, and alumni relations.

Walters concludes her tenure as chair this month. In addition to providing ongoing oversight and leadership as chair, Walters serves on the Board Executive Committee, Board Organization and Nominating Committee and serves, ex officio, on all standing committees. She also serves on the National Campaign Council Executive Committee; the Advisory Committee on University Climate, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (an outgrowth of the Special Committee on Campus Climate, Diversity and Inclusion); and the Free Speech Trustee Advisory Group. She was also Vice Chair of the Board from 2018-19 and chair of the Ad Hoc Workgroup on Volunteer Boards. In 2017, Walters received the Dritz Rookie Trustee of the Year Award. Her Syracuse University service includes memberships on the Atlanta Regional Council and the University Libraries Advisory Board.

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Ed Pettinella

“We are grateful for the support and leadership of Ed and his family.��Their commitment to the John A Lally Athletics Complex and the JMA Wireless Dome will enhance the experience for all of our student-athletes at Syracuse and our fans who attend events at the JMA Wireless Dome,” says Athletic Director John Wildhack. “Ed’s gift provides tremendous momentum to two projects that are critical components of our long term vision for Syracuse Athletics.”

This new commitment will support Phase 1 of the ongoing John A. Lally Athletics Complex project, which includes the construction of the One Team Olympic Sports Center and the Football Operations Center. These two facilities will combine to support all 600 student-athletes and include updated dining and nutrition spaces, locker rooms, and medical training and strength and conditioning facilties. Additionally, a portion of this commitment will support the JMA Wireless Dome Transformation Project and the construction of Miron Victory Court.

Pettinella has been an influential and impactful figure on Syracuse’s campus for years. He first arrived at Syracuse to pursue an MBA after graduating with a B.S. degree from SUNY Geneseo in 1973 and beginning his career at Community Savings Bank (CSB). After earning an MBA in 1976, he returned to CSB to blaze a trail as the bank’s first investment analyst. In the years following, he continued to build his impressive resume in banking as the president of Charter One Bank of NY and executive vice president of Charter One Financial Inc., as well as several management positions with Rochester Community Savings Bank, including chief operating officer, chief financial officer and chief investment officer. In 2001, Pettinella joined Home Properties, which owns, operates, develops, acquires and rehabilitates apartment communities in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. After initially serving as the executive vice president, he became president and chief executive officer and ran the company’s $7 billion real estate investment trust.

“Ed’s generosity is matched by his vision and informed by his business acumen,” says Chancellor Kent Syverud. “He invests his time and philanthropy in faculty and academic initiatives that enhance both research and teaching, and in projects that transform the total student experience, both inside and outside the classroom. We are a much stronger university because of Ed.”

Pettinella’s success as a businessman is rivaled only by his impact on the communities in which he lives and works. In addition to his service as a Syracuse University Trustee, Pettinella is a member of the Martin J. Whitman School of Management Advisory Council and the Kuhn Real Estate Center Advisory Board. He received Whitman’s Jonathan J. Holtz Alumnus of the Year Award in recognition of his career accomplishments and dedication to Syracuse University,. He was also named SU Dritz Trustee of the Year in 2016. His leadership philanthropy funded two professorships at Whitman and a scholarship for athletic graduate students. With the announcement of this new $3 million gift to support Syracuse Athletics, Pettinella and his family continue to lead the way in providing the resources Syracuse’s ��faculty, coaches and students need to be successful. Their generosity also advances the Forever Orange Campaign, the comprehensive effort to raise $1.5 billion in philanthropic support for the University.

“As a proud Syracuse University alumnus, it’s an honor to support the John A. Lally Athletics Complex, the JMA Wireless Dome Transformation Project and the Miron Victory Court as these projects are very instrumental to the future of Syracuse Athletics,” says Pettinella. “The combination of superior academics and exceptional athletics provides the student body with an unrivaled collegiate experience. I look forward with enthusiastic anticipation to watching our future students and student-athletes gain tremendous life experiences from these outstanding projects.”

The John A. Lally Athletics Complex and the reflect the commitment by Syracuse University to provide the best possible experience to all student-athletes, coaches, alumni and fans by improving infrastructure and resources that support all of Syracuse’s athletic programs. When complete, the will be a state-of-the-art academic and athletic village featuring a new Football Operations Center, One Team Olympic Sport Center and new Academic Center to serve all 20 sports teams and 600-plus student-athletes. The to reimagine the stadium experience, includes installation of upgraded seating and new premium offerings throughout the historic venue.

About Syracuse University

Syracuse University is a private research university that advances knowledge across disciplines to drive breakthrough discoveries and breakout leadership. Our collection of 13 schools and colleges with over 200 customizable majors closes the gap between education and action, so students can take on the world. In and beyond the classroom, we connect people, perspectives and practices to solve interconnected challenges with interdisciplinary approaches. Together, we’re a powerful community that moves ideas, individuals and impact beyond what’s possible.

About the Legends Society

The Legends Society is an exclusive group of Syracuse fans, family and alumni who join in this shared vision and are actively supporting the John A. Lally Athletics Complex by making commitments to the capital campaign. Donors to the Legends Society enjoy unique stewardship opportunities in recognition of their support.

About the JMA Wireless Dome Transformation Project

aims to enhance the game day experience for all Syracuse fans, student-athletes, coaches, students and alumni. The second phase of the project, which was announced in December, includes the installation of upgraded chairback seating throughout a majority of the Dome and the introduction of new premium offerings, building upon earlier enhancements that included the installation of a new roof, the largest center-hung video scoreboard in college sports, air conditioning throughout the venue, lighting and sound enhancements, and an improved concessions experience.

About Forever Orange: The Campaign for Syracuse University

Orange isn’t just our color. It’s our promise to leave the world better than we found it. Forever Orange: The Campaign for Syracuse University is poised to do just that. Fueled by more than 150 years of fearless firsts, together we can enhance academic excellence, transform the student experience and expand unique opportunities for learning and growth. Forever Orange endeavors to raise $1.5 billion in philanthropic support, inspire 125,000 individual donors to participate in the campaign, and actively engage one in five alumni in the life of the University. Now is the time to show the world what Orange can do. Visit����to learn more.

Howard Woolley

A gift from Newhouse School alumnus and Syracuse University Trustee Howard Woolley ’80 will support students studying in Washington, D.C.

Woolley, who is based in Washington, is president and CEO of the Howard Woolley Group, a strategic business and public policy advisory firm for the telecommunications and technology industries. He is a member of the Newhouse Advisory Board and sits on the DEI subcommittee.

The gift will support students with demonstrated financial need who are studying in the school’s program, based at the new Syracuse University Democracy, Journalism and Citizenship Institute. Preference will be given to students who advance the University’s interest in promoting the educational benefits of a diverse student body. Students may begin benefiting from the fund as early as this spring.

“The academic work and�� professional internships will be invaluable to the students’ careers,” says Woolley. “Their participation in the Democracy, Journalism, and Citizenship Institute will be invaluable�� to society.”

Newhouse dean says support from Woolley and other alumni will play a key role in the success of the school’s DC-based initiatives. “We are grateful for alumni like Howard, who share our vision for an expanded presence in Washington and who understand the myriad ways our students will benefit from educational and hands-on experiences in the nation’s capital.”

About Syracuse University

Syracuse University is a private research university that advances knowledge across disciplines to drive breakthrough discoveries and breakout leadership. Our collection of 13 schools and colleges with over 200 customizable majors closes the gap between education and action, so students can take on the world. In and beyond the classroom, we connect people, perspectives and practices to solve interconnected challenges with interdisciplinary approaches. Together, we’re a powerful community that moves ideas, individuals and impact beyond what’s possible.

About Forever Orange: The Campaign for Syracuse University

Orange isn’t just our color. It’s our promise to leave the world better than we found it. Forever Orange: The Campaign for Syracuse University is poised to do just that. Fueled by more than 150 years of fearless firsts, together we can enhance academic excellence, transform the student experience and expand unique opportunities for learning and growth. Forever Orange endeavors to raise $1.5 billion in philanthropic support, inspire 125,000 individual donors to participate in the campaign, and actively engage one in five alumni in the life of the University. Now is the time to show the world what Orange can do. Visit to learn more.

Samuel V. Goekjian ’52

“I have always considered myself a Maxwell man,” Goekjian . It’s where he “ not only about the rights of citizenship, but also of the obligations that accompany that citizenship.” He took what he learned and made a real difference in the world and in the lives of hundreds of Syracuse students.

Goekjian’s father, Vahram, was an Armenian journalist who escaped the bloodshed in Turkey at the end of World War I. He married another Armenian refugee in Greece, and emigrated to Ethiopia to build a business and raise their two sons, eventually sending them to an American boarding school on the island of Cyprus. Later, Goekjian returned to Ethiopia to work at the Ministry of Education, where one of his responsibilities was to place students in British and American universities. That’s when he was presented with an opportunity that would change his life—a four-year scholarship to Syracuse University. He arrived in 1948, as one of the few international students on campus.

At the University, Goekjian demonstrated his diverse skills, interests and leadership: he was a three-sport letter winner in soccer, track and tennis (recognized by the Varsity Club of Syracuse University Athletics 40 years later as a 1996 LetterWinner of Distinction); he belonged to the Phi Kappa Alpha Honor Society, the Orange Key and was a Phi Beta Kappa; he was elected president of his junior class, the debate society and the men’s student government in his senior year. He graduated magna cum laude in 1952 with a bachelor’s degree in history.

After graduation, Goekjian joined the U.S. Army and served as a mortar gunner in the Korean War. Following two years of combat service, he attended Harvard Law School and earned a law degree in 1957.

Fluent in seven languages and having lived in four continents, he navigated the world of international law and business with ease, spending the next five decades working for law firms, businesses or consulting firms with international offices. At Surrey & Morse, he rose to managing partner, overseeing its finance committee, international arbitration department and offices in Paris and Beirut. For nearly ten years, he was chair and CEO of Consolidated Westway Group Inc., an international trading and agro-industrial group. He was past chair and CEO of Intracon Associates LLC, an international business consulting firm in Washington, D.C., and managing partner of Kile Park Reed & Houtteman, which specializes in intellectual property, internet technology and international trade.

He also served as a senior consultant to various agencies at the United Nations and was a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. The author of papers on international law and finance, Goekjian taught at the George Washington University Law School, the Georgetown University Law Center and Georgetown’s International Law Institute. He also taught a course in international economic development at Maxwell as an adjunct professor of international relations from 1998-2003.

Goekjian served his alma mater in diverse ways. He was first elected to the Board of Trustees in 1997 and was a voting trustee until 2010, serving on the Academic Affairs and the Enrollment and the Student Experience committees. He had the distinction of being one of the longest-serving members of the advisory board of his beloved Maxwell School, which recognized his service with the Horizon Award in 2005. He received the University’s highest alumni honor, the George Arents Award, in 2009 for his excellence in international business and law.

Ensuring a legacy of his love for the University and commitment to international affairs, he established the Samuel V. Goekjian Endowment in Global Affairs. His philanthropy supported hundreds of summer travel research grants for Maxwell students doing international field research, providing students with the opportunity to gather information and data that would position them to better compete for future research funding. Each summer, the fund provides more than a dozen grants, awarded through Maxwell’s Moynihan Institute of Global Affairs. Recipients have used the money to help with airfare, translators and basic expenses.

, Goekjian committed another $250,000 to the fund that had already exceeded $1 million. In a 2018 Maxwell School news article about the celebration, one of the award recipients said, “this is the type of financial and intellectual generosity that positively alters the course of people’s lives.”

At the time of his death, he lived in Washington, D.C. He is survived by his children Kenneth, Christopher, Peter and Lisa, and six grandchildren.

James D. Kuhn ’70, G’72 and his wife, Marjorie, have provided a substantial new commitment to support the Forever Orange Campaign for Syracuse University and of the multimillion-dollar, multi-year effort to reimagine the stadium experience. The gift creates a new premium field/courtside space within the JMA Dome and provides an upgraded fan experience for premium seat holders for all five Syracuse Athletics programs that compete in the facility.

“Through their philanthropy, Jimmy and Marjorie continuously redefine what it means to be a fan, friend and ambassador of Syracuse University,” says Chancellor Kent Syverud. “Thanks to their leadership, selflessness and vision, Syracuse University will continue to transform and elevate the fan and student experience on campus for years to come.”

The Kuhns have made several high-impact gifts over the years. Their gifts have established the and the Leo and Sunnie Kuhn Endowed Scholarship for Entrepreneurial Studies at the Whitman School of Management, as well as the Kuhn Film Fund in the College of Visual and Performing Arts. They have also supported initiatives in the School of Architecture, the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and Syracuse University Athletics. In addition to supporting a number of Syracuse University initiatives, Kuhn has been a champion of philanthropy to a number of other organizations with gifts to NYU Langone, National Jewish Hospital, Mt Sinai, HSS and the Diversity Scholarship Fund at NYU Schack Real Estate Center for students pursuing a master’s degree in real estate.

James Kuhn is just as generous with his time. He has served on the Board of Trustees since 2007, was vice chair from 2013-17 and chair of the Facilities Committee from 2009-13. He has been a member of the Board Executive, Finance and Facilities committees. He also currently serves as chair of the Board Athletics Committee (through early May 2023). He is a member of the Whitman Advisory Council, which he had previously chaired for 10 years. In 2010, Kuhn received the inaugural Dritz Rookie Trustee of the Year Award and in 2018, he received the Dritz Trustee of the Year Award. In 2001, he received the Whitman School’s Jonathan J. Holtz Alumnus of the Year Award.

“Jimmy appreciates what it takes to excel as a student-athlete,” says John Wildhack, director of athletics. “Besides the commitment and hard work it takes to be a competitor, he knows that the entire University community plays a role in the success of our athletics program. Enhancing the fan experience at the JMA Dome strengthens our commitment to our student-athletes.”

A , Kuhn captained the Syracuse fencing team during the 1967-68 season and was a three-time letterwinner. During his tenure on the team, he won the North Atlantic Collegiate Foil Championship and went on to finish in the top 16 at nationals in 1968. After a 25-year absence, Kuhn returned to fence in the veterans division, where he was ranked seventh in the nation by the time of his retirement in 2001.

“Syracuse gave me everything I needed and wanted to prepare me for life,” says Kuhn. “There are two things you can do in your life that are unrequited—philanthropy and helping your children be better than you are.”

After earning a B.S. in finance in 1970 and an MBA in 1972 from Syracuse University, Kuhn began his career as a lender with Metropolitan Life, and then was an owner/manager with The Mendik Company, before selling it to Vornado. He is principal, president and head of investor services for New York-based Newmark, which he joined in 1992. With more than 6,500 employees worldwide, Newmark operates from approximately 170 global offices. Kuhn also founded and leads Newmark’s technology and innovation practice group.

aims to enhance the game day experience for all Syracuse fans, student-athletes, coaches, students and alumni. The second phase of the project, which was announced in December, includes the installation of upgraded chairback seating and the introduction of new premium offerings throughout the venue, building upon earlier enhancements that included the installation of a new roof, the largest center-hung video scoreboard in college sports, air conditioning throughout the venue, lighting and sound enhancements, and an improved concessions experience.

About Syracuse University

Syracuse University is a private research university that advances knowledge across disciplines to drive breakthrough discoveries and breakout leadership. Our collection of 13 schools and colleges with over 200 customizable majors closes the gap between education and action, so students can take on the world. In and beyond the classroom, we connect people, perspectives and practices to solve interconnected challenges with interdisciplinary approaches. Together, we’re a powerful community that moves ideas, individuals and impact beyond what’s possible.

About Forever Orange: The Campaign for Syracuse University

Orange isn’t just our color. It’s our promise to leave the world better than we found it. Forever Orange: The Campaign for Syracuse University is poised to do just that. Fueled by more than 150 years of fearless firsts, together we can enhance academic excellence, transform the student experience and expand unique opportunities for learning and growth. Forever Orange endeavors to raise $1.5 billion in philanthropic support, inspire 125,000 individual donors to participate in the campaign, and actively engage one in five alumni in the life of the University. Now is the time to show the world what Orange can do. Visit����to learn more.

Walter Broadnax

“Public service isn’t about something you do today and then you’re done. It’s about improving our society, improving the world…for the people that live in it.” Words attributed to Walter Broadnax G’75 that defined the way he approached life, education, work and volunteer service. The esteemed Syracuse University alumnus, professor, trustee and benefactor passed away on Dec. 2, 2022, at the age of 78.

Broadnax was raised in Hoisington, Kansas, in the part of town that had no paved roads, no indoor plumbing or sewage, and attended a predominantly white elementary school. He demonstrated both ambition and leadership early in life, becoming superintendent of his Sunday school at the First Baptist Church when he was just 16 years old, and graduating from Hoisington High School as an outstanding senior student in 1962.

That was just the beginning of what would become a long and distinguished career in public service. With a Ph.D. from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs (his dissertation was titled “Role Differentiation Between Minorities and Non-minorities in Urban Administration”), Broadnax shaped a career in the public and nonprofit sectors that led him to be considered one of America’s most respected scholar-practitioners in the field of public policy and management.

“As a teacher, scholar and lifelong public servant, Walter has always been an inspiration,” says Maxwell School Dean David M. Van Slyke. “Walter’s humility, intellect and commitment to making a positive difference could be seen in the magnanimous ways he interacted with people from all walks and stations in life and treated them with dignity, respect and compassion.”

Walter Broadnax

Before joining the Maxwell faculty in 2008 as Distinguished Professor of Public Administration and International Affairs, he served as president of Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta, Georgia; dean of the School of Public Affairs at American University in Washington, D.C.; and professor of public policy and management in the School of Public Affairs at the University of Maryland, where he directed the Bureau of Governmental Research, and was founding director of the Innovations in State and Local Government program at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.

In addition to his academic career, Broadnax held many positions in the government sector, including deputy secretary and chief operating officer of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, overseeing a major restructuring of the agency and the creation of the Social Security Administration as an independent entity; transition team leader for the Clinton/Gore administration; president of the Center for Governmental Research Inc. in Rochester, New York; president of the New York State Civil Service Commission; and director of Children, Youth and Adult Services for the state of Kansas.

In 2010, Broadnax and his wife, Angel, to provide scholarship and financial assistance to a graduate student or students enrolled in Maxwell, and pledged a $1 million bequest gift to support public administration students in perpetuity. Acknowledging the gift, Van Slyke said that Broadnax represented “the ideals of the Maxwell School” parlaying his Maxwell education into public service and sharing his acquired wisdom with students aspiring to public service.

Five years later, Broadnax retired from teaching and took on emeritus status at the Maxwell School.

Walter Broadnax speaking at the M.P.A. convocation in 2015. (Photo by Arthur Paris)

In honor of his retirement, his former colleague at Maxwell, James D. Carroll, wrote a tribute: “Walter’s distinctive contribution has been his unique combination of study and experience and his ability to share it with others—a contribution in the finest Maxwell tradition.”

Broadnax’s commitment to Syracuse University included election to the Board of Trustees in 1999, serving as a voting Trustee until 2008 and then Life Trustee. He and his wife supported other initiatives beyond Maxwell, at the College of Visual and Performing Arts and Hendricks Chapel. Broadnax received the George Arents Award for excellence in public service in 2001, the University’s highest alumni honor.

Earlier this year at the annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration, Chancellor Kent Syverud paid tribute to Broadnax, along with Dr. King and Charles Willie G’57, H’92, who earned a Ph.D. in sociology from the Maxwell School. Broadnax had been one of Willie’s students. “Let’s take our inspiration from Dr. King and Dr. Willie and Dr. Broadnax,” said Syverud. “Let’s persevere through setbacks. Let’s commit ourselves to excellence that is rooted in equality. Let’s make Syracuse University an example of the transforming power of higher education.”

Broadnax is survived by his wife, Angel, of Fayetteville, New York, and their daughter, Andrea A. Broadnax-Green (Leonard), of Loxahatchee, Florida, along with several nieces and nephews.

“Over the last nine years, Chancellor Syverud, along with the talented leadership team he has built, has worked tirelessly to advance academic and research excellence, elevate the student experience and create a campus community that is truly welcoming to all,” says Kathy Walters ’73, chair of the Board. “He has done all this despite facing historic challenges, including a once-in-a-generation global pandemic. We are grateful for his leadership, calm under pressure and distinctive vision for the future of Syracuse University.”

In making this decision, the Board also cited the Chancellor’s evolving and distinctive vision for the University’s future, and the positive momentum he has built during his nine years at Syracuse. Sound management of the COVID-19 crisis, the University’s strong financial standing and the transformative physical changes on campus are among the accomplishments recognized by the Board. Specifically, during his tenure, the University has:

• Reimagined and redefined the student experience with significant physical changes to the University’s campus, including the opening of the Barnes Center at The Arch, a holistic student health and wellness facility; renovating the Schine Student Center to better meet the needs of today’s students; transforming and renaming the iconic JMA Wireless Dome; and replacing a busy road with a pedestrian-friendly promenade, the Einhorn Family Walk, through the heart of campus.
• Built operating financial strength and stability: the endowment doubled to more than $1.7 billion in 2022; and launched the ongoing Forever Orange campaign, which has raised more than $1.24 billion.
• Focused on academic excellence, including hiring nearly 500 new full-time faculty since 2018 across multiple disciplines, schools and colleges and through the Cluster, Signature and Diversity Hire Programs, which together seek to advance interdisciplinary research, expand faculty diversity and strengthen the University’s global research reputation.
• Tripled enrollment of veterans and military-connected families since 2014, while simultaneously advancing key priorities in this area, including the expansion of Syracuse University’s D’Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families and the creation of the National Veterans Resource Center at the Daniel and Gayle D’Aniello Building, a state-of-the-art facility to house innovative military-centered programming.
• Hired the University’s inaugural chief diversity and inclusion officer and commissioned the University’s first ever Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (DEIA) Strategic Plan.
• Experienced record applications and enrollment, attracting an increasingly diverse and academically accomplished undergraduate student body.
• Embraced and encouraged innovation with the launch of online degrees and programs, including overseeing of Syracuse University Global and the first online J.D. degree program in the nation.

About Syracuse University

Syracuse University is a private research university that advances knowledge across disciplines to drive breakthrough discoveries and breakout leadership. Our collection of 13 schools and colleges with over 200 customizable majors closes the gap between education and action, so students can take on the world. In and beyond the classroom, we connect people, perspectives and practices to solve interconnected challenges with interdisciplinary approaches. Together, we’re a powerful community that moves ideas, individuals and impact beyond what’s possible.

Mary George Opperman

“Mary brings a breadth of experience and vision that will strengthen our shared governance process and enhance the Board’s engagement with the University community,” says Board Chair Kathy Walters ’73. “Mary has an impressive track record of developing solutions to many of the challenges facing higher education, dealing with highly sensitive issues and building an inclusive culture. She will be an extraordinary asset to our board office.”

Opperman comes to Syracuse University after over 20 years at Cornell University, where she most recently served as vice president and chief human resources officer. At Cornell, her portfolio included oversight of the Division of Human Resources, the Office of Inclusion and Workforce Diversity, Title IX compliance and the Center for Regional Economic Advancement.��She also oversaw development of Cornell’s innovative Center for Regional Economic Advancement and collaborated with Ithaca College and Tompkins Cortland Community College to found Rev: Ithaca Startup Works, a New York State-supported new business incubator in downtown Ithaca. Prior to her time at Cornell, Opperman spent several years at Harvard University in employee and staff relations, development and training.

“Syracuse University is fortunate to have found someone of Mary’s stature to lead our board office,” says Chancellor Kent Syverud. “She has worked closely with higher education leadership teams and boards to ensure alignment of purpose and improvement of performance. Mary has extensive experience in bringing together diverse stakeholders to advance our strategic priorities in inclusive and collaborative ways.”

As senior vice president and University secretary, Opperman will oversee trustee relations, support the overall work of the Board and manage the Office of the Board of Trustees. Along with the team in the Board Office, Opperman will coordinate and facilitate the activities of the Board and its various committees to ensure the effective and efficient operation of the University’s system of governance. She will work closely with the Board Chair, the Chancellor, senior administration and committee chairs of the Board, to provide counsel and guidance on strategy, policy and process.

“As someone who watches, studies and lives in the higher education landscape, I am very excited to be joining Syracuse University at a time when, by all accounts, the University is thriving,” says Opperman. “I am eager to work with the Board of Trustees and the leadership team to advance the strategic vision for innovation and growth that will serve generations of students and the region. And I look forward to supporting the work that is pivotal to building trust in the governance process, which ultimately impacts the entire campus community and beyond.”

Opperman spent several years serving as a trustee of Ithaca College, chairing the Governance and Compensation/Assessment Committee and serving on the Audit Committee. She has also served on the boards of Planned Parenthood of the Southern Finger Lakes, Tompkins County Area Development and the Southern Tier Regional Economic Development Council, and currently serves on the boards of the Legacy Foundation of Tompkins County and The Sciencenter. In March 2015, Opperman was selected by the editors of��Human Resource Executive��magazine as one of the 15 most influential women leaders in human resources and in 2021 by N2Growth and Stanford Business School as a top CHRO in the country.

Opperman has deep ties to Syracuse and Central New York. Originally from Clinton, New York, she earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from SUNY Oneonta and her master’s degree in organizational behavior from Cornell University. Her husband, Kip, is a Syracuse University alumnus, having earned a master’s degree in counseling at the School of Education. Together, the two lived in Syracuse while he pursued his degree. They have two adult children, two grandchildren and two more on the way.

“We are so excited to be returning to the Syracuse University community,” says Opperman. “The City of Syracuse and Central New York have evolved so much over the years and with the transformation ahead, I am proud to have the opportunity to serve a community that gave my husband and me such a strong foundation for personal and professional success.”

With Opperman’s arrival, Guilherme Costa, who has been serving as interim University secretary, will resume his role as senior associate vice president and deputy University secretary. Walters extended her gratitude to Costa for his interim leadership of the Board Office.

“We are grateful to Guilherme for his service and thoughtful leadership during this interim period,” says Walters. “We look forward to his continued contributions as we transition to new leadership.”

“The full Board of Trustees had its November meeting on campus earlier this month. They installed five new Trustees and there’s a new Board Chair. Trustee Jeff Scruggs will be the first person of color to serve as chair of the Board of Trustees when he assumes the role at the May meeting. He has over 20 years of finance experience and currently serves as head of the public sector and infrastructure group at Goldman Sachs.

“Jeff Scruggs is not a Syracuse graduate, but has a deep connection. I think some people in the meeting probably know that his father, Otey Scruggs, was a renowned professor of African American history at the Maxwell School for more than 25 years.

“Jeff Scruggs has been a strong advocate in ensuring this University is welcoming to all. He served as the co-lead of the Board’s Advisory Committee on University Climate, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility and also the Special Committee on University Climate, Diversity and Inclusion.

“The Board also reviewed the honorary degree revocation standard and process. This included consideration of the feedback provided by the University Senate Committee on Honorary Degrees, Student Association and other constituent groups.

“The Board made two revisions to the draft report. First, they clarified in the standard that lawful speech is not a valid basis for the revocation of an honorary degree. Second, they accepted the recommendation that came through the Senate to remove the world “moral” from the standard. They voted then to adopt the revised standard and process.

“Through Emily [Stokes-Rees], all of you should have received the final policy along with the report and all the comments that were received on it. The next step is for the Senate to take any steps necessary to implement the process.

“A specific petition for the revocation of an honorary degree, as I understand it, would then be submitted to the Senate Committee on Honorary Degrees. If the Senate committee advances it, it would go to the full board.

“The only other new development since the fairly recent Senate meeting is it’s been a highly successful fall season in many fall sports. That includes the men’s soccer team, which won the ACC [Atlantic Coast Conrference] championship this past weekend and is in the NCAA [National Collegiate Athletic Association] tournament playing here this coming weekend.

“But undoubtedly our biggest success was announced today—the high graduation rate for our student-athletes. This year we achieved a 93% graduation success rate—with more than half of our teams having a 100% success rate. That ties Syracuse for fifth among all 69 schools in the Power 5 conferences and is the most important thing after all.

“Just reminding everybody we have a long-standing tradition here on campus to host an annual international Thanksgiving dinner for our international students. That’s tomorrow night. Thanks for all of you who are coming and serving as hosts. It introduces the more than 600 international students who are coming to Thanksgiving traditions in this country. Thank you for participating.

“I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving next week as well.”

Jeffrey M. Scruggs

Syracuse University today announced that Jeffrey M. Scruggs, a highly engaged trustee and respected member of the global finance community, has been selected to lead the University’s Board of Trustees, succeeding current Board Chair Kathleen A. Walters ’73, whose term concludes in May 2023. The members of the Board of Trustees unanimously elected Scruggs, who becomes the first person of color to serve as Board chair.

Scruggs, who earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Harvard College, and an MBA from the Harvard Business School, has a deeply personal connection to Syracuse University. His father, Otey Scruggs, was an award-winning professor of history in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs from 1969 until his retirement in 1995, and was considered a pioneer in the field of African American history. Otey Scruggs died in 2014. In 2018, his son Jeffrey was appointed to the Syracuse University Board of Trustees and quickly became a leading voice on issues related to finance and diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility.

“I am both honored and grateful to have been selected by my peers to serve as Board chair,” says Scruggs. “Having worked alongside these incredibly committed members of the Board and closely with University leadership during challenging and unprecedented times over the last several years, I consider this appointment a privilege and a blessing. During the last several years, I have been impressed with the genuine passion and support demonstrated by my fellow trustees, Chancellor Kent Syverud and others in the Orange community. I take on this role knowing that I have exceptionally strong colleagues who are fiercely committed to advancing the vision and mission of Syracuse University.”

“Jeff’s financial acumen is unmatched,” says Walters. “But it is his generosity of spirit that has made him an outstanding trustee. He is committed to creating an extraordinary experience for each and every one of our students that honors the diversity of thoughts, perspectives and culture that each one brings to our community.”

“Jeff is the kind of trustee most valued by leadership,” says Chancellor Kent Syverud. “He brings a wealth of professional leadership experience and business expertise, and is committed to doing the hard work. He is passionate about equity and opportunity in higher education. And, he believes deeply in accountability and delivering on the promises we make to our students, our faculty and our entire campus community.”

In April 2021, Scruggs was named to co-lead the Board’s Advisory Committee on University Climate, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility after serving as co-lead on the Board’s Special Committee on University Climate, Diversity and Inclusion that was constituted in December 2019. Recommendations from the Special Committee included investing $50 million to identifying, hiring and retaining a more diverse full-time faculty; enriching and modernizing the curriculum; enhancing the residential student experience; strengthening and prioritizing diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility across all training, programming and facilities planning; and reimagining the role of the Department of Public Safety. In his work on the Board’s Advisory Committee, Scruggs was charged with providing oversight of the University’s efforts to foster a more diverse and inclusive culture and a welcoming and equitable campus environment and promised “to support the long-term work that will bring lasting and meaningful change to our community.”

“Jeff is uniquely qualified to lead this Board in the stewardship of the University’s educational mission and resources,” says Steven W. Barnes ’82 H’19, chairman emeritus of the Board of Trustees. “By any measure—his passion for Syracuse University, his knowledge of the higher education landscape, his professional stature and accomplishments, and the respect and admiration of his colleagues, we are so fortunate that Jeff Scruggs will serve this great university as the next chair of the Board of Trustees.”

In 2021, Scruggs served on the search committee to select the University’s new chief diversity and inclusion officer, and in 2022 also served on the search committee to select the new chief financial officer. Presently, he serves as Finance Committee chair. Scruggs is also a member of the Board’s Executive Committee and the Free Speech Trustee Advisory Group. He also serves as an Advisory Board member to the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs.

Scruggs and his wife Robbin E. Mitchell funded a lecture series in the Department of History to honor his father and created the Otey and Barbara Scruggs Maxwell School Scholarship with a long-term gift commitment to provide merit scholarships to undergraduate students enrolled across the Maxwell School disciplines, with preference given to students who demonstrate exceptional academic achievement. The scholarship is designed to help the Maxwell School and the University retain undergraduates who have already begun to prove their capabilities and potential, and to help support racial, cultural and gender diversity within the student body.

Scruggs joined Goldman Sachs in 2008 as a managing director after more than 20 years in the financial sector, almost all as an investment banker with PaineWebber Incorporated and UBS Securities. He left UBS Securities after serving as managing director and director of the Public Finance Investment Banking Group. For the past 12 years, Scruggs has been the head or co-head of the Public Sector and Infrastructure Group within the Investment Banking Division at Goldman Sachs.

His wife Robbin Mitchell, who also earned an MBA from the Harvard Business School and a bachelor’s degree from Stanford University, is senior advisor for the Boston Consulting Group, focusing on retail within the Consumer Practice Area. They have two children, a son and daughter, and live in Manhattan.

Now in her role as associate provost for faculty affairs, partners with the and other academic affairs leaders to support key faculty initiatives and advance the University’s vision for and scholarly distinction.

Jamie Winders, associate provost for faculty affairs

“Being a faculty member has given me a knowledge base. I don’t always have the answers, but I have a good sense of what questions to ask. There are lots of moving parts in what we do, so we have to understand how the parts fit together as well as seeing the big picture,” Winders says. “It’s important to understand how to support faculty and support the work the deans are doing without getting in their way and without undermining the work of the schools and colleges. And it doesn’t hurt to have thick skin.”

Winders is also a in the in the . She’s best known for her work on international migration and emerging technologies and as founding director of the��University’s . Winders is associate editor of the international research journal and was editor-in-chief of the��International Migration Review��from 2017 to June 2022. She has served as department chair and director of undergraduate studies, faculty representative to the Board of Trustees, chair of the Arts and Sciences and Maxwell faculty councils and chair of the University Senate research committee. Winders began her new role as associate provost for faculty affairs in December 2021.

Winders answers some questions about how she approaches her role and implements its unique range of activities and perspectives.

Discover what motivates Dhaouadi and how she likes to have as many others involved in leadership initiatives as possible, as well as what she might do next once she completes her program.

Tracy Barash

Tracy Barash ’89 is senior vice president/head of research, data and insights, business operations and franchise planning for Turner Sports and Bleacher Report, a division of Warner Bros. Discovery. In this role she oversees the team that conducts research and leverages data and insight to drive growth for brands and platforms, including the NBA, MLB, NHL, NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship, the Match and the Bleacher Report. She also leads a business operations team that drives strategic alignment and execution across the Sports organization.

Additionally, Barash is tasked with developing new franchises that can be monetized across the portfolio. Previously, as senior vice president of marketing, she led the overall consumer marketing, product marketing and marketing operations teams across all sports, including consumer, brand and product marketing efforts for Bleacher Report.

Barash has a strong history of leading marketing, brand development and franchise management for high-profile brands. This experience includes roles as vice president of Global Franchise Management for Cartoon Network where she developed strategic plans for such programs as “The Powerpuff Girls” and “Ben 10,” at Warner Bros. Consumer Products where she was a key member of the team that launched The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando and managed the development of “Harry Potter: The Exhibition” global museum tour, and at Diageo where she oversaw the marketing strategy and execution for such brands as Smirnoff Vodka, Malibu Rum and Baileys Irish Cream.

In addition to her professional achievements, Barash is a member of the Whitman Advisory Council and is the co-chair of Atlanta Regional Council for Syracuse. She was a voting member of the Syracuse University Board of Trustees during her term as the president of the Syracuse University Alumni Association Board, where she also served on the National Campaign Council.

Barash has been actively engaged with a wide range of activities at the Whitman School, including working as an alumni mentor and as a frequent speaker for student events. Barash received the Dean’s Citation for Exceptional Service from the Whitman School in 2019. She graduated with a B.S. in marketing management from the Whitman School in 1989 and from Emory University’s Goizueta Business School in 1993 with an MBA.

“We are so fortunate to have someone with Tracy’s background and passion take on this new role in support of the Whitman School and Syracuse University. I am very grateful for her continued leadership in working on behalf of all advisory council members in furthering the Whitman School and its programs,” says Gretchen Ritter, vice chancellor, provost and chief academic officer.

“I am honored to serve as the next chair of the Whitman Advisory Council, working to drive Whitman’s strategic mission forward, while supporting its dynamic students and engaging the Whitman alumni community to join me in this endeavor,” says Barash.

“I would like to express my tremendous appreciation to Lisa Fontenelli ’86 for her four years of outstanding leadership of the Whitman Advisory Council. Lisa has been instrumental in helping to forge a pathway forward for Whitman and we are so pleased that she will continue to support Whitman on the council moving forward,” says Alex McKelvie, interim dean at the Whitman School.

For a complete list of Whitman Advisory Council members, visit the .

Robert B. Menschel

“Bob was truly a model of service to Syracuse University,” says Board chair Kathleen A. Walters ’73. “First elected to the Board of Trustees in 1981, he served as a voting trustee for more than two decades, becoming a trustee emeritus and part of a select group of honorary trustees recognized for their contributions. From exhibitions to lecture series to professorships and endowed chairs, Bob supported creativity, innovation and academic excellence that defines this university.”

Menschel earned a bachelor of science degree from the College of Business Administration in 1951. After earning a degree from the Graduate School of Business Administration at New York University in 1954, he joined Goldman Sachs & Co. where he founded the first Institutional Department, which became the model for the securities industry. Menschel subsequently became a partner in charge of institutional sales and later rose to become one of the firm’s senior directors. In 2002, he published “Markets, Mobs & Mayhem: A Modern Look at the Madness of Crowds,” where he explored the phenomenon of crowd psychology and its effects on business and culture.

Along with his Board of Trustees work, which included serving on the executive and investment and endowment committees, Menschel served on the Commitment to Learning Campaign, the Schine National Committee and the Ballentine Center Committee. His philanthropic support was widespread, including the Paul Volcker Endowed Chair in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs; the Robert B. Menschel Endowed Fund; the Maxwell-Eggers Building Fund; the Tolley Distinguished Teaching Professorship in the Humanities; and the William Safire Chair in Modern Letters. He was lauded for his foresight when he provided a gift in 2001 to establish The University Lectures, a cross-disciplinary lecture series bringing to Syracuse individuals of exceptional accomplishment in the areas of architecture and design; the humanities and the sciences; and public policy, management and communications.

His philanthropy supported the renovation of Light Work and Community Darkrooms in the Watson Theater Complex, which was dedicated as the Robert B. Menschel Media Center. He was the major sustaining private supporter of Light Work and Community Darkrooms, providing financial support, resources and extensive collections of photographs to the Light Work holdings and for exhibitions in the Robert B. Menschel Photography Gallery.

Similarly, Menschel was widely praised and recognized for his support of photography exhibitions at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., and the Joyce and Robert Menschel Hall for Modern Photography��at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City. The 2016-17 MoMA exhibition titled “The Shape of Things: Photographs from Robert B. Menschel”��told the story of photography over 150 years from its start in 1843, and featured works acquired over 40 years with Menschel’s support. Menschel was a member of the Committee on Photography at MoMA with building the vast photography collection through financial support and donations from his personal collection.

The 2017 exhibition at the National Gallery of Art, titled “Posing for the Camera: Gifts from Robert B. Menschel,”��once again demonstrated his passionate advocacy for photography. The exhibition explored portraiture and featured photographs acquired with funds from Menschel or pledged as gifts from his personal collection.

Robert Menschel, second from left, accepts the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy from Harvey Fineberg of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in 2015. Judy Woodruff and Vartan Gregorian of the Carnegie Corp. of New York, in background, were also on stage at the event at the New York Public Library. Photo by Filip Wolak (Source: Carnegie Corp. of New York)

In 2015, Robert and his brother Richard L. Menschel ’55 shared the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy, which honors those who that “with wealth comes a responsibility to contribute to the world’s betterment and a more open and just society.” In the medal presentation, it was noted that the brothers’ “dedication and talent took them both to the top of the investment banking field at prestigious Goldman Sachs, and they have been giving back in countless ways for decades.” Robert was quoted as saying “there is no mode of disposing of surplus wealth creditable to thoughtful and earnest men into whose hands it flows save by using it year by year for the general good.”

Menschel received the University’s George Arents Pioneer Medal in 1980 for “excellence in business, excellence in life” and was awarded an honorary degree by Syracuse University in 1991. In 1999, he was awarded the Martin J. Whitman School of Management’s Jonathan J. Holtz Alumnus of the Year award.

Beyond his Board work at Syracuse University, Menschel served as chairman of The Vital Projects Fund Inc., a charitable foundation with an interest in human rights and criminal justice reform; chairman emeritus and former president of MoMA; member of the Board of Trustees and Executive Committee of the New York Presbyterian Hospital; honorary trustee and former board president of the Dalton School; member of the trustee council of the National Gallery of Art; and member of the Council on Foreign��Relations where he is the namesake of the Robert B. Menschel Economics Symposium.

He is survived by his partner, Janet Wallach; his former wife, Joyce Frank Menschel; his children, David Frank Menschel and Lauren Elizabeth Menschel; several grandchildren; and his brother and sister-in-law, Richard Menschel ’55 and Ronay Menschel.

Harry E. Goetzmann Jr.

Goetzmann passed away on April 20, 2022, at the age of 84. “It was his determination to succeed that defined Harry’s life and service to Syracuse University,” says Board Chair Kathy Walters ’73. “As a student-athlete, he played one sport—lacrosse—and cheered on others as captain of the football and basketball cheerleading teams. He parlayed that enthusiasm for the Orange community into generosity with his time, treasure and talent, serving as a voting trustee from 1987 to 2003 and supporting a computer terminal room in the Schine Student Center, named for him and his wife Sylvia. We remain grateful for his generosity during his lifetime.”

While pursuing an undergraduate degree in business from the Whitman School of Management, Goetzmann was an Army ROTC cadet, graduating as a Distinguished Military Graduate and serving our country by flying helicopters as an officer in the U.S. Army.

Goetzmann began his professional career with IBM in Syracuse as a salesman and later as a sales manager. Just six years after joining IBM, he started his own company, Syracuse based Continental Information Systems (CIS), which bought, refurbished and leased IBM computers to businesses. CIS, which was launched out of Goetzmann’s home, eventually grew to 1,200 employees with offices in the United States, Germany, England, Switzerland and Japan. Eventually, CIS expanded its operations into leasing commercial aircraft, trains and ocean-going ships.

A serial entrepreneur, Goetzmann also helped launch Schomann Entertainment, an entertainment and communications company. He then founded and developed MegaCom Limited in 1993, the first cellular company in the Republic of Georgia. MegaCom provided the ability for Georgians to communicate on an international level.

Goetzmann was actively engaged with numerous business and civic organizations, including holding Board positions at Cazenovia College, WCNY, Chase Lincoln First Bank, the Salvation Army, Hiawatha Boy Scout Council of America, Crouse Irving Memorial Foundation, American General Life Insurance Company, Central N.Y. Leukemia Society, Citizens Foundation, Computer Dealers and Lessors Association, Central NY Metropolitan Development Association and Syracuse Symphony. He also served as chairman of the Board for the Greater Syracuse Chamber of Commerce and the Greater Syracuse Services Corporation.

In his free time, Goetzmann enjoyed relaxing with family and friends on Skaneateles Lake. He and his wife Sylvia, whom he met at Syracuse University, raised five children together in Skaneateles.�� He is survived by Sylvia and their children, Craig ’85 (College of Arts and Sciences), Dan G’87 (Whitman School of Management), Eric, Harry and Darlene; fifteen grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

Trustee and Alumnus Larry Kramer ’72, right, received the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing Distinguished Achievement Award from Caleb Silver, left, SABEW president and editor in chief of Investopedia, at the SABEW’s annual convention on May 13. (Photo courtesy of SABEW/Victor G. Jeffreys II)

Kramer’s multidimensional career and significant impact upon the media industry has been recognized with the Distinguished Achievement Award from the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing (SABEW)—its highest honor. Kramer received the award during SABEW’s annual convention in New York City on May 13. The award is given to an individual who has made a significant impact on the field of business journalism and served as a nurturing influence on others in the profession.

Following the award presentation, Kramer shared reflections on his career with Brian Sozzi, editor at large and anchor at Yahoo! Finance, who was mentored by Kramer at TheStreet earlier in his career.

“They (Larry Kramer and David Calloway) saw something in me, then promoted me to editor where I would lead a team of reporters,” Sozzi said in a recent post on Twitter. “They mentored, encouraged and pushed me to hit grand slams. Importantly, they let me know when I missed the mark so I can improve.”

Sozzi spoke of some highlights of Kramer’s long and distinguished career, including photographing the Woodstock Music Festival, delivering papers during the October 1989 San Francisco earthquake, and creating MarketWatch and the modern-day USA Today.

“He mentored and discovered hundreds of journalists you know, love and follow each and every day,” Sozzi wrote. “Hell of a human being. Proud to be a graduate of his school. H/T to you. My friend.”

Kramer says the award was a nice surprise. “I am truly humbled to receive this award and join the list of previous winners who I have admired from near and far through all my years as a reporter, editor, entrepreneur and media executive,” he says. “This comes at a time when we particularly need to celebrate business journalism in its roles as a watchdog of business and government and in the constant search for truth. SABEW has always held our profession to the highest standards. It’s an honor to join those cited for their extraordinary work and for the examples they set for those who will follow us.”

“Larry Kramer is a visionary journalist, entrepreneur and teacher,” says SABEW President Caleb Silver, editor in chief of Investopedia. “He created several important business journalism platforms and organizations that are still going strong today and led several others to new heights. Beyond his business accomplishments, he has been an inspirational mentor, professor, philanthropist and friend of the industry throughout his incredible career.”

His Life’s Path Began at Syracuse

Larry Kramer shares reflections on his career with Brian Sozzi, editor-at-large and anchor at Yahoo! Finance, during the SABEW annual convention. (Photo courtesy of SABEW/Victor G. Jeffreys II)

The seeds of Kramer’s legendary career were planted at Syracuse University, where he majored in journalism in the Newhouse School of Public Communications and political science in the College of Arts and Sciences and the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs.

During his time at Syracuse, Kramer says he learned as much outside of the classroom as he did in it. He wrote for The Daily Orange and was a founder of The Promethean magazine.

Kramer learned an important lesson about tenacity during his senior year. He took a magazine writing class that was designed to give students a foundation in writing for freelance opportunities. He wrote an article, “The Grass and Hash Business at Syracuse University,” that focused on drugs on campus at that time (the early 1970s). The professor gave him a B+, and Kramer thought it deserved a better grade. “See if you can sell it then,” the professor told him.

He did just that and sent it to major publications. While he received more than 25 rejections, he got one acceptance that mattered…Fortune Magazine. Fortune ran his piece (he was the youngest author ever to have a byline in the magazine) and paid him $2,500—which covered Kramer’s tuition for the semester. Soon after he received a call on the phone on his residence hall floor from Rolling Stone, asking to run the story as well. He received another $2,500—covering his tuition for the whole year.

“It was a lesson for me in tenacity and how we have to make our own breaks,” Kramer says. “This is a subjective business—you can never give up.”

For Kramer, taking advantage of those breaks led to unbelievable experiences. A chance call he took while sitting on the DO’s city desk led to work as a stringer for The Associated Press (AP) and put him on the scene when a Pulitzer Prize-winning photo was taken at Cornell University. That paved the path to a summer internship with the AP, which led to him being the first photographer to capture images from Woodstock in 1969, photos that made the centerfold of Life Magazine.

After earning an MBA at Harvard University, Kramer began working at The Washington Post in 1974. When he arrived, his new editor shared what impressed him the most: “your uncanny ability to land feet first in the middle of big stories.”

“These were lessons I learned at Syracuse that have paid out for me my whole life,” Kramer says.

A Love of Mentoring

Kramer shares great memories while reflecting on his career and the people he has worked with. “I have never had a job that I didn’t love,” he says. One of his greatest joys has been the opportunities to mentor young journalists. Among those journalists who worked for Kramer in their early years were CNN’s Poppy Harlow, The New Yorker’s David Remnick, The New York Times’ Kara Swisher and the late Gwen Ifill of PBS. He served as an adjunct instructor in the Newhouse School, and has been a lecturer at several universities, including Harvard Business School, University of Pennsylvania, University of California, Berkeley, New York University, Columbia University, Stanford University and Emory University.

After more than five decades in the industry, what advice does Kramer have for up- and-coming journalists and entrepreneurs? “Make your own breaks and aggressively follow your instincts,” he says. “Don’t get discouraged. Try something. If you get knocked down, get up and try it again.”

He also encourages speaking to people on their level, and to listen. Spend time. Be determined, persistent and do your research. Be inquisitive. “Do the job you were assigned and do it well. That’s how you get to eventually do the stories you want to do,” he says.

SABEW is the world’s largest association dedicated to business and financial journalism. The SABEW Distinguished Achievement Award was established in 1993 when it was awarded to Hobart Rowan of The Washington Post. There have been .

Judge McKee and Chancellor Kent Syverud (right) at the College of Law’s Commencement on May 6.

The announcement of the scholarship in the name of Judge McKee, a Syracuse University Life Trustee and an honorary member of the College of Law Board of Advisors, came at the college’s Commencement ceremony on May 6, before the Class of 2022 and Judge McKee’s family, including several of his judicial clerks.

The Hon. Theodore A. McKee L’75 Endowed Law Scholarship will provide Syracuse Law students with the education and cultural context to enable them to carry forward the legacy of Judge McKee, who has served on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit for more than 27 years.

“This scholarship honors a College of Law legend and one of its foremost pioneers, who as a jurist has earned praise for his fairness, compassion and incisive questioning from the bench, and whose public service is grounded in a deep concern for social justice,” says Dean Craig M. Boise. “The Alexanders’ generous gift ensures that Judge McKee’s legacy is enshrined at the college and that, in his name, we can assist and inspire students whose backgrounds and experiences will bring diverse perspectives to the college and the practice of law.”

Judge McKee graduated from the College of Law in 1975 magna cum laude and as a member of the Order of the Coif and the Justinian Honorary Law Society. He began his legal career in private practice in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, before entering public service as an assistant U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. He then served as deputy city solicitor for Philadelphia, as a lecturer at Rutgers Law School and as general counsel for the Philadelphia Parking Authority.

Judge McKee first took the bench in 1984 on the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County. After a decade of service, he was nominated to the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit by President William J. Clinton in 1994, receiving his confirmation and commission later that same year. Judge McKee served as the court’s chief judge from 2010-16.

As to the scholarship, Richard and Emily Alexander said, “We are delighted to be able to honor Judge McKee’s distinguished service to our country, his commitment to social justice and his passion for Syracuse University by supporting scholarships to deserving students in the College of Law.”

Upon hearing the news of the Alexanders’ gift, Judge McKee said, “I am humbled beyond words by the generosity and thoughtfulness of the Alexander family in endowing a scholarship in my honor. The legal education I received from Syracuse University has allowed me to compete with graduates of any law school in the country, and I am very thankful that this scholarship will help me to give back to the university that has done so much for me.”

For more information, or to contribute to the Hon. Theodore A. McKee L’75 Endowed Law Scholarship, please contact Assistant Dean for Advancement and External Affairs Sophie Dagenais at 315.443.1964 or sulaw@syr.edu.

The new members are Steven R. Becker ’73, Raquel-Ann “Roxi” Nurse McNabb ’98, G’99, Sandra Cordova Micek ’91, Edward G. Mitzen ’88 and Michael R. Venutolo ’77.

“The board welcomes these new members and is grateful for the passion and purpose they bring to their new role,” says Board of Trustees Chair Kathleen A. Walters ’73. “I am especially impressed with how they have each demonstrated their commitment to our shared values through their service-driven work and philanthropy. Each brings unique experiences and wisdom that will help guide us through the challenges facing higher education.”

Chancellor Kent Syverud says these eminent and diverse professionals bring tremendous value to the governance process. “We are grateful that these accomplished alumni are willing to commit their time and resources to Syracuse University. Their dedication to Syracuse will ensure this generation of students and generations to come have opportunities for academic, personal and professional success,” Chancellor Syverud says.

Steven R. Becker ’73

Becker is executive vice president, treasurer and compliance officer for the nation’s largest distributor of wine and spirits, Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits, which operates in 44 states, the District of Columbia and Canada. He is responsible for the company’s treasury management functions, including bank relationships, cash management, mortgages, leases, real estate transactions and all financings. Additionally, he is responsible for managing the company’s government affairs on both a state and national basis, and compliance with all regulatory aspects of the business.

Steven R. Becker ’73

Prior to Southern, Becker worked for Knickerbocker Liquors Corporation, first as a sales manager of the New York distributor’s wine division, eventually becoming assistant general sales manager and then assistant to the president.

Becker serves on the Martin J. Whitman School of Management Advisory Board, the Franklin Supply Chain Advisory Board and the Hillel Board of Governors. The naming of the Steven R. Becker Professor of Supply Chain Management��reflects his commitment to his alma mater.

He graduated in 1973 with a B.S. in finance from the Whitman School. He earned a J.D. from the School of Law at Boston University in 1976 and an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania in 1978.

Becker and his wife, Abbe, live in Boca Raton, Florida, and have two adult children, Robert ’05 (Whitman School) and Meredith.

Raquel-Ann “Roxi” Nurse McNabb ’98, G’99

Raquel-Ann “Roxi” Nurse McNabb ’98, G’99

McNabb is a well-known public figure, philanthropist and advocate for making athletics accessible to all youth. She founded the Caris Sports Foundation in 2019 to give young athletes in Arizona the opportunity to participate in organized sports by removing financial obstacles and covering the costs associated with recreational and competitive sports, from equipment to registration fees. She is also the co-founder with her husband, Life Trustee Donovan McNabb ’98, of the Donovan McNabb Fund, and a partner in their philanthropy.

McNabb is a 1998 graduate of Syracuse University, earning a B.S. in physical education from the School of Education with a minor in history. She was the point guard on the women’s basketball team, was named Most Valuable Player twice and Athlete of the Year in 1997, and made the Big Eаѕt academic all-star team thrее times.

In 1999, she earned an M.P.A. from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. She also earned a master of education in educational policy from the University of Pennsylvania in 2007. She serves as the nomination chair on the School of Education Board of Visitors.

For Syracuse University, the McNabbs have supported athletics, including naming the Syracuse Women’s Basketball team lounge and the School of Education with the creation of the Donovan McNabb and Raquel-Ann Nurse McNabb Graduate Assistant endowed fund.

McNabb and her husband live in Phoenix with their four children, Alexis, Sariah, Donovan Jr. and Devin.

Sandra Cordova Micek ’91

Micek is president and CEO of WTTW|WFMT (Window to the World Communications Inc.). WTTW is Chicago’s PBS station and WFMT is its classical music radio station. She has over 30 years of management experience in media and marketing.

Sandra Cordova Micek ’91

Prior to WTTW|WFMT, Micek was the senior vice president of Global Brands at Hyatt where she oversaw marketing for 15 brands, and co-led the diversity resource group, Latinos at Hyatt. Micek has also held senior management roles at USA TODAY/Gannett, NBC Universal, Turner Broadcasting and Yahoo and was a management consultant in the media, entertainment and telecommunications strategy practice at Accenture in San Francisco and London. In her professional career, she has earned numerous awards, including a Silver Lion at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

Micek earned a B.S. in television, radio and film from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, and an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, where she was the Ford Motor Company Scholar.

Micek serves on the boards of PBS, Kartemquin Films, Ravinia Festival, the Chicago Community Trust and the Economic Club of Chicago. She was the McCormick Foundation Fellow in Leadership Greater Chicago’s Daniel Burnham Program and is a member of The Commercial Club and the Association of Latino Professionals for America.

Her Syracuse University service includes serving as chair of the Newhouse School Advisory Board, and she created the Cordova Micek family scholarship to expand opportunities for Latinas to attend the University.

Micek lives in the Chicago metropolitan area with her husband, Marc Micek ’92 (Newhouse/Whitman), and their two children.

Edward G. Mitzen ’88

Mitzen is the co-founder of The Business for Good Foundation (BFG), a nonprofit dedicated to using entrepreneurial and business skills to elevate those in underserved communities by focusing on venture philanthropy, entrepreneur support and impact giving. Mitzen and his wife, Lisa Mitzen, founded BFG to “invest in people to build better businesses, stronger communities and a more equitable world.”

Edward G. Mitzen ’88

Mitzen also founded Fingerpaint, a full-service health and wellness advertising and marketing firm. He is a serial entrepreneur, having started four companies that total over $1 billion in combined revenues, including Palio, a communications agency that was later purchased by Syneos Health.

He is a frequent lecturer on entrepreneurship and philanthropy at universities, and a frequent contributor to Forbes, Fortune and other business publications. His first book, “More Than a Number” was published in 2019.

Mitzen was named Saratoga Living “Person of the Year,” “Executive of the Year” by the Albany Business Review and Med Ad News “Industry Person of the Year.” He has also been a two-time finalist for E&Y “Entrepreneur of the Year.”

Mitzen graduated in 1988 with a B.S. in biology from the College of Arts and Sciences. He also received an MBA from the Simon School of Business at the University of Rochester in 1995.

His Syracuse University service includes membership on the College of Arts and Sciences Dean’s Advisory Board. Mitzen has supported the Arts and Sciences’ Dean’s Fund and the SUSTAIN Program endowment.

Mitzen and his wife, Lisa, live on a farm in Saratoga Springs, New York. Mitzen has three adult children: Emily, Nicholas and Grace. ��

Michael R. Venutolo ’77

Venutolo is the managing director of the Raymond International Group, an industrial machinery manufacturing company which is a�� leader in the worldwide engineering and construction industry, and specializes in engineering and construction services, fabrication, installation and maintenance of pipelines for the water, oil, gas and petrochemical industries. The Raymond International Group has operated in the Pipeline Services and Specialized Construction business in Saudi Arabia and throughout the Middle East for more than 40 years.

Michael R. Venutolo ’77

Venutolo earned a B.S. degree from the College of Engineering and Computer Science in 1977, where he majored in civil engineering.

His Syracuse University service includes being a founding member of the Middle East, North Africa and Turkey (MENAT) Regional Council, the first regional council established by the University outside of the United States.

Venutolo established a unique internship for College of Engineering and Computer Science students. To date, 30 civil and environmental engineering students have been sponsored to study various potable water supply and transmission technologies on the arid Arabian Peninsula.

Venutolo provided support for the Construction Engineering Lab in the College of Engineering and Computer Science and has participated as a judge for Invent@SU.

Venutolo and his wife, Kim, live in London and New Jersey. He has three adult children.

David Bruen ’23, a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences and the Maxwell School, was reelected as president of the Student Association and will serve a second term as an undergraduate student representative to the Board of Trustees. Yousr Dhaouadi ’17, a doctoral student in the Department of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering in the College of Engineering and Computer Science, was reelected as president of the Graduate Student Organization and will serve a second term as the graduate student representative to the Board of Trustees.

These student representatives are joined by academic dean representative Craig Boise, dean of the College of Law; faculty representative Lori Brown, professor of architecture and director of diversity, equity and inclusion in the School of Architecture; and staff representative ��Maithreyee (Mai) Dubé ’96, ’16, G’17, who leads the enrollment team at the D’Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF), as the representatives to the Board of Trustees for the 2022-23 academic year.

These representatives of the campus community share their diverse perspectives and insights with the Board and its various committees and serve as vital voices in helping the University implement strategic objectives in support of its mission and vision.

Craig Boise

Craig Boise

Boise came to Syracuse University in 2016 as dean of the College of Law and professor of law, bringing extensive experience in academic leadership and a passion for innovation in legal education. In his years as dean here and at Cleveland State University’s Cleveland-Marshall School of Law, he established one of the nation’s two largest hybrid online J.D. programs, the first online joint J.D./MBA program, one of the earliest master of legal studies programs for non-lawyers, the nation’s first law school-based incubator for solo practitioners and a “risk-free” J.D. program granting a master’s degree in law to students who elect not to pursue a law career after successfully completing their first year of law school.

Boise was appointed to the Advisory Council of the newly formed American Bar Association Legal Education Police Practices Consortium, where he leads efforts that promote better policing practices throughout the United States. Prior to his academic career, Boise practiced tax law. He earned a law degree from the University of Chicago and a bachelor’s degree in political science summa cum laude from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. He also engaged in real estate and police work before pursuing a law career.

Boise is serving the second year of his two-year term as academic dean representative during the 2022-23 academic year. He participates, ex officio, on the Board of Trustees’ Academic Affairs Committee, and reports to the Board at Executive Committee and full Board meetings.

Lori Brown

Lori Brown

Brown is an architect, professor of architecture (since 2001) and director of diversity, equity and inclusion in the School of Architecture. Prior to teaching, Brown worked as an architect in New York City and remains focused on the relationship between architecture and social justice issues, especially gender and its impact on spatial relationships. She co-founded and leads ArchiteXX, a women and architecture group bridging the academy and practice, that fosters, mentors and creates opportunities for women architects, designers and students of all ages.

Brown received a bachelor of science degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a master of architecture degree from Princeton University. She was recently honored with The Architectural League’s 2021 Emerging Voices award, given to individuals and firms with distinct design voices that have the potential to influence the disciplines of architecture, landscape architecture and urban design. Brown was elevated to the American Institute of Architects (AIA) College of Fellows in February 2022.

Brown is serving the second year of her two-year term as faculty representative during the 2022-23 academic year. She participates, ex officio, on the Board of Trustees’ Academic Affairs Committee, and reports to the Board at Executive Committee and full Board meetings.

Maithreyee (Mai)��Dubé

Mai Dubé

Dubé leads the enrollment team at the IVMF, collaborating with program managers and field partners in assessing the entrepreneurial, education and training needs of veterans and military family members to identify the best programs to help them transition from service to civilian life.

Prior to joining IVMF in October 2015, Dubé worked at Syracuse University’s School of Education for three years in the teaching and leadership department managing twelve graduate programs.

Previously, Dubé worked with New Horizons of Syracuse and Rochester where she was responsible for the development and facilitation of classes in leadership and professional development. She also worked in the financial services industry as a senior learning and performance specialist and a banking officer. She currently serves on the Board of Trustees at The Gifford Foundation.

Dubé holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology, an MBA from the Whitman School and a certificate of advanced study in conflict resolution from the Maxwell School.

Dubé is serving the second year of her two-year term as the inaugural staff representative during the 2022-23 academic year. She reports to the Board at Executive Committee and full Board meetings. Because of her experience in enrollment services, she also participates, ex officio, on the Board’s Enrollment and the Student Experience Committee.

David Bruen ’23

David Bruen

Bruen is studying political science and policy studies in the College of Arts and Sciences and the Maxwell School and is serving a second term as president of the Student Association. Bruen was previously speaker of the assembly as well as Board of Elections Chair for the Student Association. Bruen is also a Phanstiel Scholar and has been deeply involved in local politics in his hometown of West Nyack and Rockland County, New York. He interned with his state senator and congresswoman, fueling his passion for public service and government. In 2017, he earned the prestigious rank of Eagle Scout, having participated in scouting from the age of 6.

Bruen serves as one of two undergraduate student representatives to the Board for the 2022-23 academic year, his second year in this role. He will participate, ex officio, on the Board of Trustees’ Enrollment and the Student Experience Committee and will report to the Board at Executive Committee and full board meetings.

Yousr Dhaouadi

Yousr Dhaouadi

Dhaoudi is a fifth-year Ph.D. chemical engineering candidate in the Department of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering. She is serving her second term as the Graduate Student Organization (GSO) president, having previously served as GSO comptroller and financial secretary. Dhaouadi is an international student from Tunisia who lived in the United Arab Emirates prior to coming to Syracuse University. She transferred from American University of Sharjah in the UAE in 2015 as an undergraduate in chemical engineering, earned a bachelor’s degree in 2017 and then enrolled in the Ph.D. program in 2018. She is conducting research in Professor Dacheng Ren’s lab with a focus on understanding persister cells residing in biofilms and its involvement in the resistance of chronic bacterial infections.

Dhaouadi will serve a second term as the graduate student representative to the Board for the 2022-23 academic year. She will participate, ex officio, on the Board of Trustees’ Academic Affairs and Enrollment and the Student Experience Committees and will report to the Board at Executive Committee and full Board meetings.

Alexis Telga

Alexis Telga

Telga is a third-year law student in the College of Law. She is a student-attorney in the transactional law clinic and a legal communications and research teaching assistant for Adjunct Professor Kristen Walker. She is also the administrative editor for the Journal of International Law and Commerce.

Prior to attending the College of Law, Telga served on the Board of Trustees at her undergraduate institution, Keuka College. Her board obligations were accompanied by several other leadership responsibilities, including her service as both the senior class and student body president of the college.

As the law student representative to the Board for the 2022-23 academic year, Telga will participate, ex officio, on the Board of Trustees’ Academic Affairs and Enrollment and the Student Experience Committees and report to the Board at Executive Committee and full Board meetings.

Dylan Blaine France��

Dylan Blaine France

France is a junior majoring in finance in the Whitman School and minoring in global political economy in the Maxwell School. She is a Whitman Leadership Scholar and a member of the Renée Crown Honors Program. France was recently named a junior analyst in the Orange Value Fund. She is a finance board member with the Syracuse Student Association and a Whitman representative in Assembly.

Additionally, France is the secretary and a founding member of the Syracuse University Black Student Union. In her many areas of service and engagement, France acts as a voice for her fellow students and an advocate for change. She is committed to transparency in financial reporting; diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility initiatives; and equitable University policies.

France will serve as one of two undergraduate student representatives to the Board for the 2022-23 academic year. She will participate, ex officio, on the Board of Trustees’ Enrollment and the Student Experience Committee and will report to the Board at Executive Committee and full Board meetings.

Mike Tirico ’88

Tirico, who earned a B.A. in political science from A&S | Maxwell and a B.S. in broadcast journalism from the Newhouse School in 1988, is host and play-by-play announcer for NBC Sports Group. At NBC he covers an array of high-profile sporting events including “Sunday Night Football,” the Summer and Winter Olympics (which he hosted), select golf telecasts and other major events.

Tirico joined NBC after 25 years as one of the signature voices on ESPN/ESPN Radio and ABC Sports, including assignments for ESPN’s “Monday Night Football,” the NBA, college basketball, golf, tennis and other major events. He previously hosted the nationally syndicated “Mike Tirico Show” on ESPN Radio, launched in 2007 from the studios of WAER-FM—the same public radio station at Syracuse University where Tirico began his broadcasting career. In 2010, Tirico was named Sportscaster of the Year by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association (NSSA), an award voted on by his industry peers.

“To be a successful broadcaster on the global stage is a form of diplomacy. It requires the ability to connect with diverse people while navigating potentially sensitive issues across cultures and values, and political and economic systems,” says David M. Van Slyke, the Maxwell School’s dean. “Mike’s dexterity in addressing challenging issues like human rights and structural racism, and health and economic disparities while never losing sight of his audience is what makes him stand apart in his profession and as an alumnus of Maxwell and the College of Arts and Sciences.”

Tirico was elected to the Syracuse University Board of Trustees in 2016, where he serves on the Advancement and External Affairs Committee, and Enrollment and the Student Experience Committee; the National Campaign Council Executive Committee; the Subcommittee for Marketing and Communications; and the Free Speech Trustee Advisory Group.

He and his wife, Deborah Gibaratz Tirico ’89 (Martin J. Whitman School of Management), have established the Mike Tirico Scholarship Endowment and supported other initiatives in the Maxwell, Newhouse and Whitman Schools, WAER public media organization, and Syracuse University Athletics.

For his service and commitment to the University, Tirico received the George Arents Award (2005) and the University’s Outstanding Young Alumni Award (1996).

Syracuse University will take place May 12–15. will be held Friday, May 13, at 10 a.m. in Hendricks Chapel. The College of Arts and Sciences | Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs Undergraduate Convocation Ceremony will be held on Saturday, May 14, at 8:30 a.m. in the stadium. will be held on Saturday, May 14, at 2 p.m. in Hendricks Chapel.

Anthony Y.C. Yeh

After earning a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from the College of Engineering and Computer Science, Anthony Y.C. Yeh G’49 returned to his native country determined to help the throngs of refugees fleeing into Hong Kong from mainland China. He had a brilliant mind, an innovative spirit and a keen understanding of the intersection of engineering and business that helped him build an international company that supplied custom-made carpets to Queen Elizabeth II, President John F. Kennedy, the king of Thailand and other notables.

While building a global business, Yeh never lost his fondness for Syracuse University. He had been active on campus as a graduate student, serving as president of the Chinese Students Club and a junior member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. He was first elected to the Board of Trustees in 1994, serving six years as a voting trustee. He was recognized for his business acumen with the Arents Award in 1992, the highest honor recognizing alumni for their professional achievements. Yeh passed away Feb. 24, 2022, just two months shy of his 99th birthday.

“Tony was instrumental in building relationships between Syracuse and China, ensuring that Chinese and American students understood the importance and nuances of the global economy,” says Board Chair Kathleen A. Walters ’73. “He forged a partnership between the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and the China National School of Administration (CNSA) that has continued to thrive for nearly three decades.”

Yeh’s connection with Syracuse University began after receiving a bachelor’s in science from the Henry Lester Institute of Technical Education in Shanghai, China, in 1945. While working on a master’s degree from Syracuse, he served as a technician and engineer at the U.S. Army Air Forces Kiangwen Air Base in Shanghai and on board Chinese Maritime Customs patrol ships. His career in the cotton industry began after he received a master’s degree. Together with colleagues from a Hong Kong-based cotton producer, he launched a carpet company in 1956 in Hong Kong with the expressed purpose of supplying jobs for Chinese refugees.

Yeh served as managing director of Tai Ping Carpets and used his engineering prowess to create and patent an electric hand-held tool that tufted the elaborate carpets 100 times faster than hand tying. , Yeh developed the techniques in hand tufting carpets, leading to the successful commercialization of the product. He helped form alliances with other Asian partners and established international sales subsidiaries, leading to the formation of the world-recognized custom carpet group of today. Tai Ping has showrooms in New York, Los Angeles, London, Paris, Milan, Hong Kong and Shanghai.

Yeh was also a partner in Suntec City in Singapore, a major mixed-use development in Marina Centre that established Singapore as an international convention and exhibition center.

Together with his wife, Sylvia, Yeh established the Anthony Y.C. Yeh Endowed Beijing Scholarship and the Anthony Y.C. Yeh Endowed Undergraduate Scholarship. They have supported other initiatives in the College of Arts and Sciences, College of Engineering and Computer Science, the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, the College of Visual and Performing Arts, the Goldstein and Alumni Faculty Center, the Hildegarde and J. Myer Schine Student Center, Syracuse Abroad and alumni relations.

Notably, as part of Yeh’s efforts to ensure a global experience for Chinese and American students, he served as a member of the Council of the (CUHK). CUHK is a comprehensive research university with offerings in English, Cantonese and Putonghua (Mandarin). It is a world partner with Syracuse and requires an application from Syracuse Abroad and CUHK. The , program is available to Martin J. Whitman School of Management undergraduates.

Yeh is survived by his wife, Sylvia; two sons, Kent and Russell Yeh; two daughters, Lucienne Cheng and Monique Poon ’74 (David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics); and eleven grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

About Syracuse University

Syracuse University is a private research university that advances knowledge across disciplines to drive breakthrough discoveries and breakout leadership. Our collection of 13 schools and colleges with over 200 customizable majors��closes��the gap between education and action, so students can take on the world. In and beyond the classroom, we connect people, perspectives and practices to solve interconnected challenges with interdisciplinary approaches. Together,��we’re��a powerful community that moves ideas, individuals and impact beyond what’s possible.

Mai Dubé

This past fall, the University’s Board of Trustees welcomed its first-ever staff representative. Over a two-year term, Mai Dubé, manager of enrollment services in the Institute for Veterans and Military Families, will use her voice, perspective and experiences as a staff member to help inform the University’s implementation of strategic objectives in support of its mission and vision.

�����鶹��Ʒ interviewed Dubé about her experiences serving on the Board so far and what she hopes to accomplish in this role.

Patrick Ahearn ’73, G’73

The workshops are made possible by a gift from ’73, G’73—a School of Architecture alumnus, member of the school’s advisory board and a member of the University’s Board of Trustees—that created the Patrick Ahearn Workshops in Professional Practice Fund. The gift is part of the University’s .

As a student at the school, Ahearn participated in a similar series of workshops with practicing architects, which had a powerful impact on him and on the career path he would choose after graduation. As a result of that experience, Ahearn wanted to provide current architecture students with similar opportunities to work with professionals in architecture and related fields, especially business.

“Patrick Ahearn is not only among the most important residential architects working today in the U.S., but he is also a brilliant urban designer and business strategist. And his interests and expertise extend beyond architecture and planning to automobile and other design practices,” says Michael Speaks, dean of the School of Architecture. “Patrick is a great architect. But it is this range of design-related interests, including business strategy, that have distinguished him from his peers and made him such an important and influential architect.”

Each semester, the School of Architecture will host up to three Patrick Ahearn Workshops.

From Feb. 11–14, G’93 (M.Arch.), will lead a workshop for graduate students at the School of Architecture. They will study archetypal elements that form the basis for a series of investigations that transforms conventional expectations through hybridization, recombination, morphological mutation, occupation and experiential speculation. Blackwell will also give a public lecture in Slocum Hall on .

From Feb. 28–March 4, and will lead a workshop for School of Architecture students enrolled in this spring’s ARC 409: Integrated Design Studio course. Through themed group sessions and mini-talks, students will navigate the front between engineering and architecture and become empowered about clear strategies for performative, responsive, intelligent and impactful architecture. Bates and Williamson-Taylor will also give an interdisciplinary public lecture in Slocum Hall on , where the discussion will be moderated by School of Architecture Associate Professor Sinéad Mac Namara, associate dean for student affairs in the College of Engineering and Computer Science.

On March 26 and 27, ’99 (B.Arch.) and will lead a workshop for School of Architecture student organization representatives about leadership in the design profession. De Angel Salas and Cooney will also give a public lecture in Slocum Hall on .

“It is my distinct pleasure to provide Syracuse University School of Architecture students with the insight and the tools to become ‘the most important person in the room,’ regarding the built environment process,” says Ahearn. “These workshops will open the doors for students to learn and develop the skills needed as architects in the real world to become leaders in the development process, and will provide them with a rich understanding of the skills required to be successful in the business of architectural practice.”

Previously, Ahearn established the at the School of Architecture, given each year to an architecture student, with preference given to those from Levittown, N.Y., or Boston, Mass. Ahearn serves on the University’s Boston Regional Council, which is made up of University alumni and parents dedicated to raising the profile of the school within the region. He also established the at the School of Architecture to help support key activities in critical areas and assist the dean in developing special projects and events to raise the school’s national and international profile.

Ahearn—a fellow of the prestigious American Institute of Architects—is the founding principal of . His firm specializes in historically motivated architecture and interior design. For nearly five decades, he has designed and built residential projects distinguished by finely crafted and detailed work spanning classic styles of architecture from city town houses to island homes.

He is author of “” (ORO Editions, 2018), which features 18 Ahearn-designed homes and explains how he adapts and applies philosophy’s greater-good theory to each of his projects.

In 2014, Ahearn was named the Dean’s Outstanding Alumnus, an award given by the School of Architecture annually to a graduate who has exhibited dedication to the school while also practicing at the highest levels of the architecture discipline. He was inducted into the New England Design Hall of Fame in November 2013.

To make a gift to support the Patrick Ahearn Workshops in Professional Practice Fund, visit .

Sharon Jacquet’s gratitude and recognition that teachers bring value to many industries is the foundation for her ongoing generosity to the School of Education and service to Syracuse University.

Sharon Jacquet graduated from Syracuse University in 1972 with a degree in elementary education but decided against becoming a teacher. “I felt it was an awesome responsibility and I was too immature to be responsible for those young minds,” Jacquet recalls, with just a hint of irony. Today, Jacquet bears the responsibility of being a wealth manager, providing guidance and advice to families whose livelihoods and retirements often depend on her expertise.

In fact, Jacquet uses the skills she learned in the School of Education—just not in a classroom setting. Jacquet is a vice chairman of JPMorgan Private Bank where she leads a specialized team that works with corporate executives and ultra-high net worth individuals. “I’m still a teacher. I teach people all the time,” she says, with both pride and appreciation for what she learned at her alma mater.

Jacquet’s gratitude and recognition that teachers bring value to many industries is the foundation for her ongoing generosity to the School of Education and service to Syracuse University. She is a Life Trustee and also serves on the School of Education Board of Visitors. She has given more than $1 million to support initiatives at the school, including the Sharon Haines Jacquet Endowed Scholarship as part of the .

When the new Center for Experiential Pedagogy and Practice (CEPP) opens at the School of Education in the fall, it will be partly because Jacquet is determined to help the school stay on the cutting edge. “Sharon knows the impact that money can have,” says former School of Education Dean Joanna Masingila. “She wants the school to have the resources to be innovative and distinctive.”

The CEPP will focus on simulations, digital counseling and supervision to provide students with immersive and challenging experiences designed to better prepare them for complex human interactions. “This kind of clinical simulation provides rich conversation about the educator’s responsibilities,” Masingila says. “I remember when I was a teacher facing parent-teacher conferences. I thought it would have been good to have been better prepared.”

The concept appeals to Jacquet. “I believe that people learn by doing,” Jacquet says. “In financial advising and in teaching, the best of the best are the ones who do the most listening.”

“We prepare our teachers and leaders to know it’s a whole system,” says Masingila. “You have to get to know the whole family and the community, not just how the child is doing in my math class.”

This holistic view of an educator is in alignment with Jacquet’s holistic view of a financial advisor. “I deal with multi-generations in large families,” says Jacquet. “I get to impact the relationships between the person who made the money and their children, grandchildren and future generations.”

Jacquet has come to realize that the relationship between a financial advisor and client is very much like the relationship between a teacher and student. “It’s very intimate. You really need to know everything about the individual and the family in order to serve them properly.”

“Sharon is genuinely committed to supporting the good work of education and educators,” says Masingila. “She’s an educator even though she’s not a teacher. She has a big vision for education, and we are the beneficiaries of that vision.”

“Syracuse University gave me so much,” says Jacquet. The School of Education graduate who worked her way up on Wall Street to the uppermost levels at JPMorgan says she succeeded because of her intellectual curiosity, critical thinking skills learned in liberal arts courses and a semester abroad in France that exposed her to other cultures. “I got to where I am today because other people wanted me to succeed and helped me along the way. “

About Syracuse University

Syracuse University is a private research university that advances knowledge across disciplines to drive breakthrough discoveries and breakout leadership. Our collection of 13 schools and colleges with over 200 customizable majors closes the gap between education and action, so students can take on the world. In and beyond the classroom, we connect people, perspectives and practices to solve interconnected challenges with interdisciplinary approaches. Together, we’re a powerful community that moves ideas, individuals and impact beyond what’s possible.

About Forever Orange: The Campaign for Syracuse University

Orange isn’t just our color. It’s our promise to leave the world better than we found it. Forever Orange: The Campaign for Syracuse University is poised to do just that. Fueled by 150 years of fearless firsts, together we can enhance academic excellence, transform the student experience and expand unique opportunities for learning and growth. Forever Orange endeavors to raise $1.5 billion in philanthropic support, inspire 125,000 individual donors to participate in the campaign, and actively engage one in five alumni in the life of the University. Now is the time to show the world what Orange can do. Visit to learn more.

Lisa Dolak

Lisa Dolak has spent more than 35 years as a member of the Syracuse University campus community—first as a law student, then a professor in the College of Law and more recently as senior vice president and University secretary to the Board of Trustees. Now, after serving under three Board chairs over a seven-year period, Dolak has announced she will leave the Board post in December and return to the College of Law faculty in January 2023.

After serving in an interim capacity beginning in January 2015, Dolak, the Angela S. Cooney Professor of Law, was appointed senior vice president and secretary to the Board of Trustees in May 2015 by former Board Chair Richard L. Thompson G’67. She has since served under two Board chairs, including former Chair Steven W. Barnes ’82 and Kathy Walters ’73, current chair of the Board of Trustees.

“The Board of Trustees will greatly miss Lisa’s extraordinary dedication, penetrating insight and profound sensitivity to governance issues,” says Walters. “She has been a tremendous asset to the Board office as a leader, counselor and trusted advisor. It’s hard to put into words just how much impact she has had on the Board, the University and our community.”

Dolak’s leadership led to significant change in the Office of the Board of Trustees. Among her many achievements, Dolak implemented enhanced Board and Board committee governance processes; strengthened orientation programming for new trustees and dean, faculty, staff, and student representatives to the Board; and established a comprehensive self-assessment review of the Board and the Board’s standing committees.

Dolak says her time in the Board Office has been deeply gratifying, challenging and the highlight of her professional career. “Syracuse University has played such a significant role in my life,” says Dolak. “I am an alumna. My daughter attended the University. I have worked and taught here for most of my professional life. Reflecting on my time in the Board Office, I have truly valued the work I have done, the people I have worked alongside and the great leaders I have had the privilege of supporting. I am proud of the infrastructure we collectively built to support excellence in University governance.�� Shared governance is important work and critical to the success of any institution, especially one as complex as Syracuse University. I most appreciate the trust the Board, Chair Walters, Chancellor Syverud and this community placed in me.”

Echoing Walters’ sentiment, Chancellor Kent Syverud says, “Lisa’s passion for her alma mater combined with a deep sense of duty in carrying out her responsibilities on behalf of the Board and the University made her uniquely suited for this role. She is a strategic thinker, a masterful problem solver, an effective communicator and a tireless advocate for shared governance. Lisa has always worked to ensure that the best interests of our students are at the forefront of all decision-making. Her leadership and steady hand will be missed.”

Dolak first joined the College of Law faculty in August 1995. She was promoted to full professor in August 2005, at which time she also served as senior associate dean for academic affairs, a role she held from 2005-2008. Dolak is admitted to practice in New York and before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Prior to attending law school, Dolak worked for several years as a synthetic organic chemist in pharmaceutical research aimed at the development of new drugs at Bristol-Myers and Ayerst Laboratories Research Inc. She earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Duquesne University and a juris doctor summa cum laude from Syracuse University’s College of Law.

With Dolak stepping down from her Board Office role, Walters also extended her gratitude to Guilherme Costa for his willingness to serve as interim university secretary until Dolak’s successor is named. Costa, who joined the Board Office in August 2020 as senior associate vice president and deputy University secretary, previously served as vice president, general counsel and secretary to the Ithaca College Board of Trustees. Prior to his time at Ithaca, Costa served as general counsel to the South Dakota Board of Regents.

In addition, new student representatives to the board have also been named for one-year terms. They are Amaar Asif ’22, undergraduate student representative, and Ryan M. Marquette L’22, the inaugural law student representative.

These representatives of the campus community bring diverse backgrounds and insights to the board and its various committees. Their contributions and voices will help the University implement strategic objectives in support of its mission and vision. They will attend meetings of the full board and the board’s Executive Committee during the academic year and share highlights from written reports submitted to the board.

Maithreyee (Mai) Dubé

Maithreyee (Mai) Dubé

Dubé leads the enrollment team at the Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF), collaborating with program managers and field partners in assessing the entrepreneurial, education and training needs of veterans and military family members to identify the best programs to help them transition from service to civilian life. Before that, Dubé worked at the School of Education for three years, managing 12 graduate programs in the teaching and leadership department.

Prior to joining the Syracuse University team, Dubé worked with New Horizons of Syracuse and Rochester where she was responsible for the development and facilitation of classes in leadership and other professional development topics. She also worked in the financial services industry as a senior learning and performance specialist and as a banking officer. With a strong commitment to the Central New York Community, Dubé serves on the Board of Trustees at The Gifford Foundation.

Dubé graduated from Syracuse University with a bachelor’s degree in psychology, a master of business administration degree from the Martin J. Whitman School of Management, and a certificate of advanced study in conflict resolution from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs.

Dubé will serve the first year of her two-year term as the inaugural staff representative during the 2021-22 academic year. Because of her experience in enrollment services, she will also participate, ex officio, on the board’s Enrollment and Student Experience Committee.

Amaar Asif ’22

Amaar Asif

Asif is in his senior year of study in biology and neuroscience in the College of Arts and Sciences. Coming to Syracuse from Old Bridge, New Jersey, he has been engaged in many important initiatives during his undergraduate years, including serving last year as chair of academic affairs for the Student Association. He also served as a resident advisor for the Office of Student Living in the 2019-20 and 2020-21 academic years.

Asif’s research focuses on evolutionary biology and sexual selection. He is deeply involved in health sciences, having served as a patient care intern at SUNY Upstate Medical University. He also serves as the vice president of finance for the Phi Delta Epsilon International Medical Fraternity New York Nu Chapter at Syracuse University. He intends to pursue a career in medicine.

Responding to the pandemic, Asif is a crisis mental health counselor at Crisis Text Line and a patient care technician at St. Joseph’s Hospital Health Center in Syracuse, assisting with the influx of patients due to COVID-19. In 2020, he volunteered with the CommonHealth Project, building COVID-19 face shields and delivering them across local communities in the Central New Jersey Region.

Asif serves as one of two undergraduate student representatives appointed for the 2021-22 academic year. He also participates, ex officio, on the Enrollment and the Student Experience Committee.

Ryan M. Marquette L’22

Ryan M. Marquette

Marquette is a third-year law student in the College of Law and is simultaneously pursing a master of public administration degree from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. Prior to attending the College of Law, Marquette served as an infantry officer in the U.S. Army for eight years and continues to serve in the New York Army National Guard.

Marquette also served as president of Operation Veteran Advocacy, president of the National Security Student Association and member of the Syracuse Law Review. He is also a research assistant for Judge James E. Baker in the College of Law’s Institute for Security Policy and Law.

Marquette serves as the inaugural law student representative for the 2021-22 academic year. He also participates, ex officio, on the board’s Academic Affairs Committee and Enrollment and the Student Experience Committee.

W. Carroll “Nick” Coyne

W. Carroll “Nick” Coyne ’54, L’57, a Syracuse University Life Trustee, respected labor relations attorney whose career spanned more than 40 years at Hancock & Estabrook LLP, and beloved volunteer throughout Central New York, died June 24 at age 89.

Coyne was first elected to the Board of Trustees in 1969 and served as a voting trustee until 2001. During his tenure on the Board, Coyne co-chaired the Gift Committee for the Campaign for Syracuse. He also served on the College of Law Advisory Board.

“Nick was devoted to his alma mater,” says Board chair Kathy Walters ’73. “He supported a wide variety of University programs, reflecting his personal passions and University priorities for student success.” In a 1987 about the Dome, Coyne is described as a “Syracuse graduate, attorney and fan” whose excitement about the Dome reflected his optimism and passion for the Orange and their prospects for bowl games.

Coyne established the W. Carroll Coyne Athletic Scholarship Fund. He also generously supported initiatives in the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Law, Student Centers and Programming Services, Syracuse University Athletics and Syracuse University Libraries.

Coyne earned a bachelor’s degree in history from the College of Arts and Sciences and the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs in 1954 and a J.D. from the College of Law in 1957. He played baseball and basketball for the Orange and was honored with the LetterWinner of Distinction Award in 1977.

Coyne joined Hancock & Estabrook LLP in 1957, became a partner in 1965 and retired in 1998. He was a former chair of the firm’s executive committee and specialized in labor relations in both the public and private sectors.

Coyne was widely known around Central New York for his volunteer work and was honored in 2011 by the Eldercare Foundation with the Eldercare Lifetime Achievement Award for his community service. He was a volunteer for and past board member of the United Way of Central New York Inc., chair of the board of trustees of WCNY and the Upstate New York Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, and past chair of the board of directors of InterFaith Works (formerly the InterReligious Council).

The Orange commitment runs deep in the Coyne family. He is survived by his four daughters: Tracy Coyne Tenney, Carol Coyne L’81 (College of Law), Christina Coyne ’94 (College of Arts and Sciences) and Mary Frances Hayes G’88 (S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications). His grandson, Fanning Miles Hearon ’20, is a graduate of the Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics.

Following the May Board of Trustees meeting, Kathy Walters, chair of the Board of Trustees, announced that the Board had approved a change to the University bylaws to appoint a staff member as representative to the Board. In that announcement, Chair Walters advised that the Board set a process for making the selection of the staff representative. In follow-up to that announcement, we are now seeking applicants for the staff representative. This email outlines the process for those interested in applying to serve in this key role.

Staff Selection Process:

Any Syracuse University staff member in good standing is invited to apply. For those interested in being considered, please complete and submit it to svpchro@syr.edu.

In accordance with the Board of Trustees-approved bylaws, following a review of the applications, I will make a recommendation to Chancellor Kent Syverud of up to three names for his final selection.

Next Steps:

As we work to complete the Board process please be advised of the below key dates:

• Deadline to submit applications: Please submit applications by Aug. 7, 2021.
• Representative notification: Staff representative will be notified in August.
• Training for staff, student, faculty and dean representatives: Will be held in September.

The creation of the staff representative to the Board of Trustees is an important component of the commitment by Board and University leadership to ensure that the Board has an opportunity to hear from all University constituencies. I urge all staff to consider applying for this new leadership representative position.

Sincerely,

Andrew R. Gordon
Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resource Officer

Growing up, he struggled with a learning disability—at a time when learning disabilities were not recognized—and then went on to earn three degrees at Syracuse University: in economics and industrial engineering and an MBA. A walk-on student-athlete, he finished his playing years as the last three-sport letter winner—in football, lacrosse and wrestling—at Syracuse.

Cliff Ensley ’69, ’70, G’71 at the Board of Trustees induction in 2015

With his education, a perseverance built on the playing fields and experience in retail luggage sales, Ensley launched his idea for a wholesale luggage company, still a vital business more than 40 years on. He is founder and chief executive officer of Leisure Merchandising Corporation, a luggage and accessories manufacturing business.

“I’ve learned that if there’s something you’re afraid to do, go ahead and do it because the worst thing that can happen is that you fail. Failure is not a bad thing; it teaches you resilience and it keeps your expectations low,” says Ensley, who was elected to the Syracuse University Board of Trustees in 2015 and was named to the Board’s Executive Committee in May. “And when you succeed, you can enjoy the flowers along the way. It’s not just the goal you’re going for, you better enjoy getting there.”

Coming out of the uncertain times for the travel industry during COVID-19, his business has emerged strong through careful oversight.

Ensley, who describes himself as “semi-retired” from the business, checks in regularly and stepped in more over the past year due to the pandemic. With many factories closed in Asia and supply lines disrupted during the crisis, he helped monitor finances and kept in touch with key customers.

Whether it’s connecting with customers, employees or networks in the industry, Ensley believes it’s those relationships that are always vital to keep the business thriving.

“It’s about getting along with people, and that’s one of the things I’ve always enjoyed doing,” Ensley says.

His business acumen and his ability to connect with others have made him well-respected among peers in the industry. As a member and past chair of the Travel Goods Association (TGA), Ensley was once again named association chair in June.

“Cliff is the only TGA board chairman to ever serve two terms, an honor which speaks for itself and represents how we—as an association and industry—view him as a leader,” says Michele Marini Pittenger, president of the Travel Goods Association.

“His proven track record in the travel goods��industry, strong relationships with buyers and manufacturers, and vision and foresight into ‘what’s next’ have all benefited our industry as a whole through his generous contributions of time on our board,” Pittenger says. “Beyond that, his energy is palpable in every meeting or call. Cliff’s presence is powerful; when he’s among our team and his fellow board members, it’s clear. Really, his charm, smarts and tact have helped lead us through some challenging times over the past several years.”

Ensley ’69, ’70, G’71 was captain and MVP of the Syracuse lacrosse team.

His insights and strengths have been built on years of gaining an understanding of his challenges and a lifelong drive to succeed.

As a youngster, he didn’t talk much, and reading was difficult. “I knew something was wrong, but I didn’t know what it was,” says Ensley. “I learned that if I take my time, I can get my words out and I can read.”

When he began playing sports, “I didn’t have to do a lot of talking in athletics. I could just go out and play the game, so that helped me build confidence and overcome a lot of those learning disabilities,” he says.

And in some ways, Ensley says those learning disabilities made him stronger—teaching him not to give up, gaining in his self-confidence and taking on challenges.

In high school, he had been looking at smaller colleges, including a lacrosse appointment offer from West Point, but he wanted to see if he could test his athletic abilities at a major university.

During his senior year, he took a trip upstate to Syracuse, with his high school sports scrapbook under his arm, on a cold, snowy February day. He caught up with lacrosse coach Roy Simmons Sr. at Manley Field House and showed him his scrapbook. “He was impressed,” Ensley says. “He showed me around campus and then took me to his home where his wife, Millie, fixed us lunch and he talked about Syracuse.”

Afterwards, Simmons drove him back to the airport and told him, “‘Now, Cliff, if I roll up my sleeves and get you into Syracuse, you’ve got to promise me you won’t go to the Point,’” Ensley says. “And I said, ‘Well, coach, if you can get me into Syracuse, I’ll be here.’”

Simmons rolled up sleeves, and Ensley kept his promise.

When he arrived on campus that August, he tried out for the football team as a walk-on with 10 other students. After the first several days, the others had dropped out, so he was the only one left and made the starting freshman team as safety. That winter he was on the freshman wrestling team, and in the spring, he played lacrosse and spring football.

During spring football, coach Ben Schwartzwalder offered him a three-year football scholarship. By his sophomore year, he was starting on the varsity football team.

Cliff Ensley ’69, ’70, G’71 is the last three-sport letter-winner for the Orange, earning honors in football, lacrosse and wrestling.

“In my junior year, the opposing quarterbacks decided to throw the ball to me a lot, so I made a lot of interceptions and I started returning punts,” says Ensley, who was an honorable mention All-American in football and captain and MVP of the lacrosse team. He was also the University Athlete of the Year in 1969—an outstanding accomplishment that puts him among other distinguished recipients, including Larry Csonka, Floyd Little, Dave Bing, Jim Nance, Ernie Davis and Jim Brown, to name a few.

Ensley valued the camaraderie with his teammates and the way they played with heart. “We became friends. We had our victories and our losses and we were all trying to achieve one thing: a win for Syracuse and that’s a win for all of us,” Ensley says.

When it came to deciding on his major, Ensley chose economics—a nod to his father’s work as executive director of the Joint Economic Committee for Congress in the late 1940s and 1950s and in banking. He also enrolled in a five-year program for engineering, building on his strengths in math and science.

Ensley, who was also in the U.S. Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) and joined Phi Delta Theta fraternity, earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from the College of Arts and Sciences and the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering from the College of Engineering and Computer Science.

After pursuing an MBA at the Martin J. Whitman School of Management, he was commissioned with the ROTC and was hired as a luggage buyer at Abraham & Straus department store in New York City for about a year, when the Army called him to serve in 1972. After his military commitment, he went back into retail and later became a sales manager for a luggage wholesaler.

When he decided to start his own business, “people said, ‘You can’t do that.’ But I’ve always learned that with hard work, integrity, honesty, being trustworthy and getting along with people things have worked out for me,” Ensley says.

Ensley got the backing of an investor and worked with factory owners in Asia, who provided credit lines, and he began to build the business. He continued to evolve the company, which sells to major retailers such as Macy’s, Belk, Hudson’s Bay and Kohl’s, along with Amazon and T.J. Maxx.

Sue and Cliff Ensley at Orange Central in 2019

Ensley reflects on what he learned at Syracuse, which has helped him over the years in his business. “My industrial engineering degree helped with factory evaluation. When I go into factories, I can pretty much tell if it’s going to be efficient or not,” he says. “And an MBA taught me how to be a little creative with financing.”

Ensley also credits the company’s success to Sue, his wife of 20 years, who was a buyer for Bloomingdale’s and Kohls, before working for Leisure after their marriage. The couple has traveled around the world, looking for designs for their products. Sue’s design for London Fog “hit the nail on the head, and everything she has designed for London Fog has just blown off the shelves the past 15 years,” he says. “She is probably the best designer in our industry.”

In the 1990s, Ensley became a member of the Travel Goods Association, and, in 2009, he joined the board. Along with two other members, the three brought innovation to the association’s International Travel Goods Show, tripling its square footage with more than 300 exhibitors. “Michele, her staff and our board really performed well together,” Ensley says.

During the pandemic, the association had their last trade show in March 2020, just before others were cancelled. “The next two years are going to be rebounding years for the travel goods industry,” Ensley says. “So it’s about helping guide the association back to 2019 levels and beyond.”

“As travel returns, so does the travel goods industry, and having Cliff at our board’s helm will both inspire and provide comfort to his fellow board and association members,” Pittenger says. “Cliff’s astute insights regarding retail and his ability to strategically pivot will, undoubtedly, further lead us to evaluate how we��as a trade association��can best serve our members and continue to bridge the gap between retailers and manufacturers, as we have for decades.”

Over the years, even with a busy company to run, Cliff and Sue have kept strong ties with Syracuse University. “I bleed Orange. And to many of my family and friends, I’m known as either ’Cuse or Uncle ’Cuse,” Ensley says. “Sue loves Syracuse too. So much of what we’ve been able to do for Syracuse is really because of what she’s done to build Leisure.”

The couple has provided lead gifts for the establishment of the Ensley Athletic Center, the Chris Gedney Endowed Football Scholarship and the Orange Forever Endowed Memorial Fund, which provides “Block S” blankets as keepsakes to the families of every deceased student-athlete.

Cliff and Sue Ensley in the Ensley Athletic Center

The idea for the Orange Forever fund developed in 2007 after the couple attended the funeral of Ensley’s college roommate, teammate and closest friend Tommy George. The two had kept in touch all their lives, and he was asked to speak at George’s funeral. Ensley realized he wanted the University to be represented at the funeral of any former student-athlete.

The blanket comes with a remembrance card, from the former student-athlete’s team members, saying “You’ll always be remembered.”

“Once you’ve played for the Orange, then that’s forever—and you’ll always be in the hearts of your teammates,” Ensley says.

The couple has also worked to recognize and celebrate the legacies of Ensley’s former football coach, Schwartzwalder, and former lacrosse coaches, Roy Simmons Sr. ’26 and Roy Simmons Jr. ’54, with commemorative statues in front of the Ensley Center.

They have also provided support to initiatives in the College of Engineering and Computer Science, the Institute for Veterans and Military Families, the Whitman School and the Maxwell School.

Cliff Ensley with Syracuse men’s lacrosse student-athletes in 2015

“I am always proud and honored to have had a chance to participate in the athletic programs, get a Syracuse education and be part of Phi Delt,” Ensley says. “Sue and I are fortunate to be able to give back. And hopefully, we’re helping current and future SU student-athletes become better students, athletes and citizens. In addition, Leisure has been able to be support a variety of organizations over the years.”

Ensley, who has a son, Scott, and a daughter, Jennifer, and four grandchildren, also gives of his time on the University’s Board of Trustees for the Executive, Advancement and External Affairs, Athletics, and Facilities committees. He received the Dritz Rookie Trustee of the Year Award in 2018 for outstanding Board service and the Letter Winner of Distinction Award from Syracuse University Athletics and the Varsity Club in 1993.

Ensley enjoys his time as a Board member and notes the important work being done by Chancellor Kent Syverud, Athletics Director John Wildhack, Vice Chancellor for Strategic Initiatives and Innovation Mike Haynie and Vice President and Chief Campus Facilities Officer Pete Sala, and so many others, to further the University, in the ever-changing landscape of higher education and collegiate athletics. “My work with the Board gives me a chance to meet other Syracuse alums and people who love Syracuse,” he says.

In all of his endeavors, Ensley tries to live by the words of poet Nathalia Crane:

“You cannot choose your battlefield,

The gods do that for you;

But you can plant a standard

Where a standard never flew.”

“That sums up my life: I put those words in my high school yearbook and they still inspire me 55 years later,” Ensley says.

“I am gratified by the trustees’ vote to add these two positions,” says Kathleen Walters, chair of Syracuse University Board of Trustees. “This action will allow us to better understand the needs and opportunities that exist for law students and staff at Syracuse University, who previously did not have a representative to the Board. Receiving input from broad representation will help us make the best choices for the entire community and the long-term future of the University.”

The addition of these new representatives follows separate proposals from the graduate student representative to the Board of Trustees advocating for a law student representative, and the University Senate advocating for staff representation.

Approval for these roles follows careful consideration from the Board Organization and Nominating Committee and a vote by the full Board of Trustees to grant a change in the University bylaws needed to create these new roles.

Walters says these additional roles will strengthen the University’s connections to the Board of Trustees and amplify the voices of University students, faculty and staff.

The law student representative will report to the board at Executive Committee and full board meetings on behalf of the students enrolled in the College of Law for a one-year term. The dean of the College of Law will select a rising third-year law student to serve as the law student representative from among applicants recommended by the director of student affairs at the conclusion of a school-wide application process.

The staff representative will report to the board at Executive Committee and full board meetings on behalf of University staff for a non-renewable two-year term. The Chancellor will select the staff representative from among applicants recommended by the senior vice president and chief human resources officer at the conclusion of a Universitywide application process.

It is anticipated that all new representatives to the Board will be in place by Sept. 1 to participate in Board orientation in early September with Trustees who serve in Board leadership roles.

About��Syracuse University

Syracuse University��is a private research university that advances knowledge across disciplines to drive breakthrough discoveries and breakout leadership. Our collection of 13 schools and colleges with over 200 customizable majors close the gap between education and action, so students can take on the world. In and beyond the classroom, we connect people, perspectives and practices to solve interconnected challenges with interdisciplinary approaches. Together, we’re a powerful community that moves ideas, individuals and impact beyond what’s possible.

In addition, new student representatives to the board have also been named, including David Bruen ’23, undergraduate in the College of Arts and Sciences and the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and president of the Student Association; and Yousr Dhaouadi ’17, doctoral student in the Department of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering in the College of Engineering and Computer Science and president of the Graduate Student Organization.

These representatives of the campus community bring diverse backgrounds and insights to the Board and its various committees and will be vital voices in helping the University implement strategic objectives in support of its mission and vision.

Craig Boise

Craig Boise

Boise came to Syracuse University in 2016 as dean of the College of Law and professor of law, bringing extensive experience in academic leadership and a passion for innovation in legal education. In his years as dean here and at Cleveland State University’s Cleveland-Marshall School of Law, he established one of the nation’s two largest hybrid online J.D. programs, the first online joint J.D./MBA program, one of the earliest master of legal studies programs for non-lawyers, the nation’s first law school-based incubator for solo practitioners, and a “risk-free” J.D. program granting a master’s degree in law to students who elect not to pursue a law career after successfully completing their first year of law school.

Boise is a member of the ABA’s Council for the Section on Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar, the official accrediting body for U.S. law schools, and was recently appointed to the Advisory Council of the newly formed ABA Legal Education Police Practices Consortium, where he will help lead efforts that promote better policing practices throughout the United States. Prior to his academic career, Boise practiced international and corporate tax law. He earned an LL.M degree in tax law from New York University, a J.D. degree from the University of Chicago and a bachelor’s degree in political science summa cum laude from the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

Boise will serve the first year of his two-year term as dean representative during the 2021-22 academic year. He will participate, ex officio, on the Board of Trustees’ Academic Affairs Committee, and report to the board at Executive Committee and full board meetings.

Lori Brown

Lori Brown

Brown is an architect, professor of architecture (since 2001) and director of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the School of Architecture. Prior to teaching, Brown worked as an architect in New York City and remains focused on the relationship between architecture and social justice issues, especially gender and its impact on spatial relationships. She co-founded and leads ArchiteXX, a women and architecture group bridging the academy and practice, that fosters, mentors and creates opportunities for women architects, designers and students of all ages.

Brown received a bachelor of science degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a master of architecture degree from Princeton University. She was recently honored with The Architectural League’s 2021 Emerging Voices award, given to individuals and firms with distinct design voices that have the potential to influence the disciplines of architecture, landscape architecture and urban design.

Brown will serve the first year of her two-year term as faculty representative during the 2021-22 academic year. She will participate, ex officio, on the Board of Trustees’ Academic Affairs Committee, and report to the board at Executive Committee and full board meetings.

David Bruen ’23

David Bruen

Bruen is studying political science and policy studies in the College of Arts and Sciences and the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and serves as president of the Student Association for the 2021-22 academic year. Bruen has served as speaker of the assembly as well as Board of Elections and Membership Chair for the Student Association.

Bruen is also a Phanstiel Scholar and has been deeply involved in local politics in his hometown of West Nyack and Rockland County, New York. He interned with his state senator and congresswoman, fueling his passion for public service and government.

In 2017, he earned the prestigious rank of Eagle Scout, having participated in scouting from the age of 6.

Bruen will serve as one of two undergraduate student representatives to the board for the 2021-22 academic year. He will participate, ex officio, on the Board of Trustees’ Enrollment and the Student Experience Committee and will report to the board at Executive Committee and full board meetings.

Yousr Dhaouadi

Yousr Dhaouadi

Dhaoudi is a fourth-year Ph.D. chemical engineering candidate in the Department of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering. She was elected as the Graduate Student Organization (GSO) president after serving as GSO comptroller for two years. She also served as the GSO financial secretary in 2018-2019. Dhaouadi is an international student from Tunisia who lived in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) prior to coming to Syracuse University. She transferred from American University of Sharjah in the UAE to Syracuse University in 2015 as an undergraduate in chemical engineering, earned a bachelor’s degree in 2017 and then enrolled in the Ph.D. program in 2018. She is conducting research in Professor Dacheng Ren’s lab with a focus on understanding persister cells residing in biofilms and involved in the resistance of chronic bacterial infections.

Dhaouadi will serve as the graduate student representative to the board for the 2021-22 academic year. She will participate, ex officio, on the Board of Trustees’ Academic Affairs and Enrollment and the Student Experience Committees and will report to the board at Executive Committee and full board meetings.