alumni are prominent in their communities and professions. They are also loyal to their alma mater, actively supporting it with donations of time, knowledge and funds.
Today, approximately 63,000 alumni live and work in the state of New York, playing leading roles in business, medicine, law, education and politics and generating more than $100 million in income and sales taxes each year.
alumni are standouts. Included among them are:
Leaders in medicine
Dr. Joseph Eron ’80, pioneered the “cocktail” therapy combination of drugs that gave hope and extended life to thousands of AIDS patients.
Dr. Andrew Siedman ’81, a breast cancer physician, teacher and researcher at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, has been honored for his work to advance treatment, compassionate care and communications about breast cancer.
Christina Gerardi ’85, is chief executive officer of the New York State Nurses Association, the largest union for registered nurses in the Northeast, serving more than 34,000 members. Gerardi’s work gives nurses a collective voice in the legislature and state regulatory agencies; she also focuses on advocating standards of care for patients.
Dr. Adam Fox '92, is a real-life trauma surgeon and one of several medical professionals from University Hospital in Newark, N.J., featured on "NY Med," an eight-episode docu-drama that aired on ABC. "NY Med," which debuted in July 2012, followed medical patients and staff at two hospitals in the New York metro area: the posh New York Presbyterian Hospital in New York City and the gritty University Hospital.
Leaders in business
Bob Swan '85 was former CEO of Intel, one of the largest technology companies in the world, overseeing 110,000 employees, $78 billion in sales, and increasing annual sales by over $20 billion during his tenure.
Michael Timmeny '73 As senior vice president and chief government strategy officer, Timmeny leads Cisco’s government relations worldwide. He manages a global team charged with advancing issues that support Cisco’s robust corporate and technology policy agenda.
Ronald Lieberman '87, executive vice president, The Trump Organization. Ron manages many of Donald Trump's businesses, including golf courses, recreational facilities, a modeling agency and real-estate holdings. He is involved in acquisitions, budgets and overseeing operations. Lieberman's signature project is the new Ferry Point Golf Course in the Bronx.
Scott Krug '96, Senior Vice President and CFO and vice president for the New York Yankees.
Maureen Kelly '92, founder and CEO of tarte cosmetics a leader in healthy, eco-chic beauty products, offering cruelty-free cosmetics infused with ingredients like plant extracts, vitamins, minerals, essential oils and other naturally-derived ingredients.
David Penski '97, CEO of Zenith Optimedia, a leading global media services network with 250 offices in 74 countries. The School of Management awarded David its Alumni of the Year award at the Spring 2014 Commencement ceremony.
Mark S. Newman '71, is board chair, president and chief executive officer of DRS Technologies Inc. in Parsippany, N.J., a defense technology company named one of America's best-managed companies by Forbes in 2006.
Anthony Kendall ’83, MBA ’85 is CEO of Mitchell & Titus LLP, the most successful minority-owned accounting firm in the United States. Kendall is on the board of Project Renewal Inc., which helps homeless people overcome drug and alcohol addiction so they can re-enter the workforce. He is also president of the board of directors of the University’s Alumni Association.
After 18 years with Goldman Sachs, Mark Zurack ’78, retired as managing director and now serves as an adjunct professor at Columbia Business School and Cornell University. A strong supporter, Zurack endowed our first joint distinguished professorship and helped establish the Equity Fund and Trading Room, a hands-on program where students function as real investment analysts.
Cathleen Laporte ’94, president of Athletes for Charity, brings professional athletes to children’s services agencies in New York City to provide children positive role models. Co-founded by Laporte and pro football player Carlos Emmons, the organization helps athletes establish charities and participate in other philanthropic efforts. Laporte also serves as case manager for Bernstein Litowitz Berger & Grossman LLP, a New York securities litigation firm.
Leaders in law and government
Hakeem Jeffries '92, a New York state assemblyman from Brooklyn, was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives on November 6, 2012. In January 2023, Rep. Jeffries was voted leader of the House Democrats. When he was sworn in originally in Congress in early 2013, he became the first graduate to serve in the House of Representatives. Jeffries represents the 8th Congressional district, which includes portions of Brooklyn and Queens City.
John Liu ’88, made history in 2001 when he became the first Asian American to win election to a major New York City office, NY Comptroller. He unsuccessfully campaigned for mayor of New York City and is currently a New York State Senator.
Eric Schwartz '79, served as the U.N. Secretary-General's Deputy Special Envoy for Tsunami Recovery and also was the executive director of ConnectUS, an organization that works to enhance U.S. engagement in world affairs. He is currently the dean of the Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota.
Sunny Hostin, '90, a former federal prosecutor, is now a co-host on ABC's morning talk show The View.
William Groner '77, devoted much of his legal career toward obtaining settlements for 9/11 first responders. He is Founder and Chief Executive Officer of SSAM, a dispute resolution firm. He has authored a book titled 9/12: The Epic Battle of the Ground Zero Responders about his work on behalf of the 9/11 first responders.
Lawyer Owen Pell ’80, a retired partner in the Manhattan office of White & Case LLP, specialized in public international law and as a volunteer has helped recover priceless art looted during the Holocaust. He is the current president of the Auschwitz Institute.