Notes from the Cornell Class of 1991 - 2007 May/June

Class Notes, 2007 May/June

May/June 2007

Greetings from the Lone Star State! Over the past six years I have been fortunate to work for Cornell's Regional Offices in Chicago and Houston ... and I look forward to assisting with our class column for the next five years. It is a pleasure to see classmates during my travels for alumni and fundraising initiatives throughout the ten states in the Southwest/Mountain Region and in Ithaca several times each year. If you have not visited Cornell recently, I encourage you to make the trip. The campus may look a little different, but the excitement and exhilaration of being "on the Hill" never changes.

The Class of 1991 continues to set high standards for achievement. In 2006, we broke the 15th Reunion records for classmates in attendance and Tower Club members ($5,000-plus donors), and our $671,000 was just shy of the $703,000 record for dollars raised. We still hold the 10th Reunion record for classmates in attendance, total donors, and dollars raised. With outstanding leadership and class participation, we hope to break more records at future reunions!

Individually, there have also been many successes. Yanaka Bernal (field hockey) and John McNiff (football) were inducted into the Cornell Athletics Hall of Fame in November 2006, joining previous '91 honorees Stephanie Best (cross country/track), Richard Chin (squash), Tom Murray, MS '01 (rowing), Susie Curtis Schneider (track), and Karen Walker (basketball). Celebrating with Yanaka were teammates Jennifer Caci and Jennifer Bland Triolo, as well as her brother Stephen '01 and wife Maria Laughlin Bernal '01. John's teammates Mike Baudendistel, Dave Casey, Chris Cochrane, Marty Cummings, Bart Forlano, DVM '95, John Mahony '92, Craig Pappalardo, Eric Penttinen '92, Glenn Randall '92, and Craig Shiesley also enjoyed the festivities. Congratulations to Yanaka, John, and all of our classmates in the Hall of Fame!

The class was well represented as Cornell launched the ambitious $4 billion fundraising effort "Far Above ... The Campaign for Cornell" with a spectacular dinner and dance party for more than 1,000 in Barton Hall. Cornell University Council members Jennifer Berger (who recently moved from Chicago to San Francisco), Liv Gussing, Elizabeth Bunta Haussman, Charles Wu, and Karen Paul Zimmer, MD '98, participated in the kick-off event. Kudos to Liv for making the trip all the way to Ithaca from Indonesia! Also serving on the CU Council are Nicole Bisagni DelToro, Paul Hayre, Zinovia Spezakis, Andrew Stifel, and Mark Tatum. It is an honor to be selected to Council and recognized for outstanding leadership and service to the university--especially so soon after graduation!

Andrew Stifel has a new role as father. Andrew and his wife Amanda welcomed their first child, Emma Louise, on January 13, 2007. The Stifel family lives in Arlington, VA. Perhaps Emma will make Daddy proud by joining the Cornell fencing team someday! Bonnie Leff Kajiwara and husband Kevin are happy to announce the birth of their son Jackson Henry on October 31, 2006. Jackson had many Cornellians visit him at Weill Cornell's hospital in NYC and at home in Bedford, NY, including Jennifer Green Seltzer, Marla Feinman, Jenna Goldstein Bloomgarden, Gail Fishler Sirota, Sandy Matthews Haas, Melissa Sherman Rothberg, Susan Gross Scharf '90, and his aunt Elizabeth Leff '95. Bonnie has been with American Express for ten years and will continue as VP of international marketing for premium card products.

Christina Geurola Sarchio enjoys participating in a book club with Cornellians. Anjali Chaturvedi '90, Melissa Fast '88, Lori Giuffre, Rebecca Warme Hamilton, Mindy Schrader Kim, and Debbie Goldstock Ringel '90 have been reading books together for several years. Christina and husband Chad live in Alexandria, VA, with Evan, 4, and Raquel, 1. She is a partner at Howrey LLP in Washington, DC.

On the professional front, Saskia Monteiro Thomson has been honored in the Long Island Business News' ninth annual "40 Under 40" awards program. The award recognizes leadership in business, support for Long Island nonprofit organizations, and commitment to the community. Saskia is director of marketing for Marcum & Kleigman LLP. Craig Miles, a partner at King & Spalding LLP in Houston, was recently ranked by Chambers Global as a leader in the field of international arbitration. Craig spent three months in Argentina in 2006, but still made it to Ithaca for our reunion ... his 12th reunion since 1991!

After 3-1/2 years as VP at the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, Emily Kramer Neill decided to rejoin the private sector as business development and community relations manager for Constellation NewEnergy. The job offers a nice mix of generating new energy clients and maintaining a strong presence in the community. Emily writes, "Dayton and I celebrate five years this summer--and we added a little girl, Addison, to our family about 18 months ago. I live in Natick, MA, and would love to connect with anyone in this neck of the woods."

Ever wonder what it's like to teach at Cornell? Rob Hill guest lectures every year for a food merchandising class in the Undergraduate Business Program. Rob was recently hired as general manager of Global Beauty LLC in Sayreville, NJ. Global Beauty represents and sells products like the Prada skin care line, Payot skin care, and Puig fragrances and operates a 100,000-sq.-ft. packaging and distribution facility for large manufacturers. If you prefer shopping from home, check the Home Shopping Network and QVC for Global Beauty products. The short commute from Colts Neck, NJ, is terrific, with Robby, 7, Brian, 6, and Katie, 3-1/2, keeping things busy at home for Rob and his wife Liz.

A veteran of Starbuck's and Peet's Coffee & Tea, Maria Cleaveland now works for a boutique specialty coffee company called Equator Estate Coffees and Teas as the director of specialty sales, heading up the sales efforts to restaurants, hotels, and cafes. She writes, "Megan and I are still living in San Francisco with Zoomer, the craziest Jack Russell terrier you will ever meet. He is an old man now who provides us with funny stories to tell."Maria and Celina Alvarez-Rojo both wrote after seeing Christine Bubrick Bang '92, Tina Finneran '92, Mindy Schrader Kim, Amy Schmerl, Sarah Spillman '90, and Maureen Larson Tarantello in San Francisco at the January wedding of Evelyn Goodfriend '92 and Matt Kennedy '90. Letitia Todd Kim also shared news from the Bay Area. "Michael '90 and I got married in Napa in August 2005, and we had lots of Alpha Delts and Thetas at the wedding. He's a partner at a venture capital fund in Silicon Valley and I'm an assistant US attorney in San Francisco."

With these class columns, Ariane, Shar, and I (Kathy Kraus Bolks) hope to bring a little of the Cornell experience to you, regardless of where you live or what you are doing. We need your help to keep it interesting. Please share news with us via e-mail, through the link on our class website (http://classof91.alumni.cornell.edu), or on the News Form included in our class mailings and Cornell fundraising mailings. We look forward to hearing from you. (Please hold on to the news of engagements and pregnancies until the weddings and births take place.) *Kathryn Kraus Bolks, klk22@cornell.edu; Sharlyn Carter Heslam, sheslam@berkshirepartners.com; Ariane Schreiber Horn, ams14@cornell.edu.