Class Notes - 2018 July/August, Cornell University Class of 1991

Class Notes, 2018 July/August

July/August 2018

Classmate Joe Marraccino here to continue our “Mecca” (i.e., change) theme from my inaugural column a few months back. Let’s see what’s new with our fellow classmates, including a powerful first book to help people make better decisions, a sports psychology venture to get players, coaches, and parents in-synch for success, and a sabbatical project literally for the birds. We’ll also take a peek on time spent away to recharge with classmates (“Cornell Chicas”) and solo (“rave in a snow cave”). Let’s get going!

I’m thrilled to be back in touch with Cheryl Strauss Einhorn, freshman year U-Hall 2 alumna. We meet for breakfast a few times a year. Cheryl lives in New York and has three children, with two daughters at Cornell—a junior studying Food Science and a freshman in the Dyson School. She also has a sophomore in high school, her “little guy” who is six feet tall. Cheryl, a History and Government major on the Hill, recently had her first book published, Problem Solved: A Powerful System for Making Complex Decisions with Confidence and Conviction. Cheryl said proudly, “The book aims to help people make better personal and professional decisions, like a student choosing a college or a company deciding how to grow its business.” Cheryl teaches her AREA Method decision- making system at Columbia Business School, and she enjoys “helping companies and individuals through my coaching and consulting practice, CSE Partners.” Cheryl recently met up with Sarah Walkling for coffee when Cheryl spoke at a Booz Allen innovation conference in Washington, DC. Sarah now works in government affairs for Michigan State U. Cheryl would love if you reached out to say hi through her website, www.areamethod.com.

Lauren Gallagher has a few of her own “firsts” to report, as she launched a new company, Sync-it-Up Sports, in her hometown on Long Island. Lauren, a Human Ecology major, co-founded the company to combine her passion for sports (she played soccer at Cornell) with her passion for education and psychology (both a master’s in special education and PhD in school psychology). Lauren says about the enterprise, “Our goal is to connect players, coaches, and parents with the psychological, social, and team-building tools necessary to develop the complete athlete within the team sport environment.” Along those same lines, Lauren’s second “first” is a soon-to-be-published children’s book, The Hard Hat for Kids, co-authored with fellow Cornellian Jon Gordon ’93 and based on his inspirational book, The Hard Hat. “With lessons like ‘Ten ways to be a great teammate’ and the ‘We Before Me’ philosophy, it’s a worthy read for youth sports families.” While raising her two children, Jackson and Gracie, and working as a school psychologist, Lauren has found time to coach boys’ and girls’ soccer for the past 12 years. Wish Lauren wellinhernewventureatwww.syncitupsports.com.

Lauren keeps in close touch with Cornell friends who spend a “sacred” annual long weekend together, going back about eight years. The group of a dozen or so rent a house or villa and have been to places from Charles- ton, SC, to Puerto Rico to, of course, Cornell. “Our get- togethers are not only filled with tons of catching up, eating, drinking, dancing, and relaxing, but also have become ‘think tanks’ for sharing ideas and info that help us grow both personally and professionally,” Lauren beamed. This year’s trip included Maria Del Mar Ortiz Fournier, Jodi Rogoff Gonzalez, Lori Attanasio Woodring, Kirsten Blau Krohn, Kim Seibert Sleeman, and Katherine Miller Eskovitz. They all have a brim hat to show for it, with the tag line “Cornell Chicas 2018.”

Chris Eykamp calls Portland, OR, home these days, and recently got away to recharge as well, to a “rave in a snow cave.” My first natural question was, “What’s that?” He elaborated, “It’s a party in a cave dug into the snow on the side of Mt. Hood—accessible only by skiing or snowshoeing a mile and a half, followed by a short climb—illuminated by flashing LEDs, disco balls, and projected video. (Yes, someone hauled all that stuff up.)” Now that’s a party! Chris is a software developer and cartographer by trade. “My Civil and Environmental Engineering degree never panned out for me, thank goodness!” he quipped. Chris is currently on sabbatical, but he’s not taking it easy. He created an organization, Sensorbot, to “improve the air quality in Portland by building a bunch of air quality monitors (housed in bird- houses) to map air pollution and help people understand how bad it is, with the hope that will result in new initiatives to reduce diesel pollution and wood smoke, the two biggies here in Portland.” Chris added, “We are also creating a template for the project that can be replicated elsewhere, either with or without our involvement.” Chris and wife Jen have two children—the older is off to college next year to study engineering, and the younger is a sophomore in high school. Catch up with Chris at chris@eykamp.com.

It’s great to see these classmates doing new things, pursuing their passions, and going strong! Now it’s your turn. What’s your Mecca? A career change, a child off to college, been to a gathering of classmates, moving to a new location? Text me subject line “Mecca,” at (845) 548¬2564 and I’ll contact you a.s.a.p. to hear your story! We’d love to hear from you about anything! Send your info via the online news form. Or contact one of us directly at: Joe Marraccino, Joe.Marraccino@wfafinet.com; Wendy Milks Coburn, wmilkscoburn@me.com; J. Tim Vanini, lavanooche@icloud.com; Lori Woodring, lori.woodring@yahoo.com.

Cornell Class of 1991

Notes from the Cornell Class of 1991 - 2018 July/August

Class Notes, 2018 July/August

July/August 2018

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