Strengthening Our Presence in NYC

Alumni at Bobby Van's on January 23

New York City has been a hub of American University alumni activity this month (although I suppose this could be said every month — many of our graduates choose careers in the Big Apple). For my part, I have headed north to Manhattan twice, first for a reception during the 10th annual NYC Site Visit Trip, and then for the first meeting of our new alumni affinity group, the NY Finance Network.

I am particularly excited about the new industry-specific group. Alumni are such an important part of our community, and we are taking fresh steps to deepen our connections with them.

But back to the beginning: the NYC Site Visit Trip is an opportunity for marketing and communications students to explore career paths, network, and pick the brains of AU alumni in NYC’s marketing and communications space. I attended the student-alumni reception on Wednesday evening, where we had about 150 attendees gathered at the Aspen Social Club—it was quite the scene.

Many of the alumni present—who hailed from Kogod and the School of Communication—were responsible for setting up the trip’s site visits. Our alumni are pivotal in helping students think about their careers and helping them make those first critical steps. I’m grateful for their time and commitment.

The following morning, Mike Carberry, an executive-in-residence in Marketing, chaired a panel at an alumni-student breakfast meeting with marketing and advertising alumni at Ogilvy & Mather. Another example of the AU community coming together to learn from one another.

Every year, students give rave reviews about this trip—this year was no different.

Just last week, I traveled to New York again for the Finance Network kick-off. Held at Bobby Van’s, a well known watering hole off Wall Street, it drew more than 40 undergraduate and graduate alumni from the financial services and real estate industries. The creation of this group is very important; it is the first AU alumni group based on industry, not graduating class year or school affiliation.

The highlight of the evening was a panel discussion moderated by another faculty member, Phil English. The panel featured: Sam Dedio, MSA ‘91, Senior Portfolio Manager at Artio Global Investors; Bob Matza, President of GoldenTree Asset Management and father of a current Kogod student; and Ira Jersey, SOC ‘93, Director of Interest Rate Strategy at Credit Suisse. They provided an insider’s look at the finance industry’s trajectory in 2012.

Some of our alums and guests continued the fun well past the official end of the event, enjoying each other’s company and seeing the sights with Becca Youngerman of our Alumni Relations team.

The NY Finance Network is the first of our industry-specific group events. I hope to see you at a future Finance Network event—they will be held four times a year—or at a network event in another city, as we work to expand this initiative.

Happy Thanksgiving

On the road again?

I’ve finally settled in here, and it’s time to pack up again. Alright, it’s only for a few days. I’m heading to Westchester County, NY, with my family for Thanksgiving. I’ll be spending the holiday with my wife, our two sons, and my brother, sister and their families (and a very tall German exchange student, Katya, who lives with my brother’s family).

Each year, my mother (who is 88 years old) still insists on hosting dinner. If the weather cooperates, before settling down we will probably go for a hike in the woods near her home. Then, we’ll eat too much turkey and argue about politics. (As the only “suit” in the family—my brother and sister both work in alternative health care—my views on balanced budgets tend to be more conservative than theirs). Thankfully, I am in charge of selecting the wine.

I want to wish every one of you a happy and safe holiday. How will you be celebrating?

My First Twitter Experience