��������

The �������� Alumni Association presented its 2023 Special Recognition Awards May 4, at the Penn Club in Manhattan. See a video of the ceremony in the embedded player below.

    

Our honorees were:

Judith Garczynski Fleishman ’90 and Steven Fleishman ’91
Glenn G. Bartle Distinguished Alumni Award
The Bartle Award recognizes and honors graduates who have rendered outstanding voluntary service to the �������� community, while also serving their communities, their careers and their country.

Judy Fleishman is a 1990 honors graduate of �������� who majored in psychology and earned a doctorate in social psychology and a post-doctoral respecialization in clinical psychology from Adelphi University. She has been an adjunct professor at Adelphi, a research consultant at New York Medical College and psychologist at North Shore University Hospital. Judy Fleishman is a founding member and former chair of Adelphi's Women's Giving Circle, a former director of the Manhasset Student Aid Association, and a �������� Library Advisory Panel member. Since 2014, she has served on the �������� Foundation Board of Directors, and is a supporter and advocate for the University's Fleishman Center for Career and Professional Development.

Steve Fleishman is a managing director and senior analyst at Wolfe Research covering the utilities, midstream and clean energy sectors. He has been ranked #1 in the electric utilities sector for 15 years in the Institutional Investor All-American Research Poll, and was named to the Institutional Investor Magazine Research Hall of Fame in 2011. He also serves on the executive committee of Wolfe Research.

He was a managing director and senior utilities analyst at Bank of America from 2009-13 where he also managed the research equity portfolios and U.S. 1 List. Prior to Bank of America, he worked as a portfolio manager at hedge fund Catapult Capital Management from 2006-09. From 1996-2006, Steve Fleishman was a managing director and senior utility analyst at Merrill Lynch and, before that, he held similar roles at Dean Witter Reynolds and Kidder, Peabody.

The couple established The Fleishman Center for Career and Professional Development in 2014.  More recently, they supported the Fleishman Center’s Career Success Initiative to help students with funding for summer internships. Steve Fleishman has hired many �������� students as summer interns who have moved on to successful full-time jobs on Wall Street. He participates in the NYC CONNECT Employer Trek program each winter, regularly answers students' career questions and enjoys judging the annual stock picking competition. The Fleishmans live in Manhasset, N.Y., and have three grown children, Ryan, Emma and Dennis '25. 

   

Tony Kornheiser '70, LittD '17
Alumni Achievement Award
This award honors a highly distinguished alumnus or alumna who, over the course of a decade or more, has exemplified outstanding, significant professional achievement.

Tony Kornheiser knew all the way back to grade school what he wanted to be. He wanted to be a newspaper sportswriter. So, in high school on Long Island, he wrote about sports for his high school paper, the Hewlett Bulletin. And, in college at ��������, he wrote about sports for The Colonial News. Shortly after college, he got a job at Newsday as a sportswriter. From there, he went to The New York Times as a sportswriter, and then to The Washington Post as a sportswriter. He had the career he’d always wanted, newspaper sportswriter.

Then, he had other careers, ones he’d never planned on, careers that dropped from the sky, and he caught them. He went on radio in the early 1990s on an all-sports radio station in Washington. Then, after nearly 25 years, his son, Michael, convinced him to leave radio and try podcasting. By then, he had gone on television, co-hosting Pardon The Interruption with his friend and Post colleague Michael Wilbon. Somehow, that became a hit, surprising everyone, especially Kornheiser. And now, as an old man, he goes in one studio and talks into a microphone, then moves to another studio and talks into a camera. He’s no longer a sportswriter, and every once in a while he wonders how this happened, and how lucky he is that it did. 

Kornheiser had served on the �������� Foundation Board of Directors. He received an honorary doctorate from the University in 2017.

   

Joseph Cordero ’90, MA ’93 
Edward Weisband Distinguished Alumni Award for Public Service or Contribution to Public Affairs
The Weisband Award recognizes one alumnus or alumna each year whose life, work, career and contributions exemplify the highest standards of service and deepest dedication to the sustenance of the common good.

Cordero is principal of the renowned Harlem Children’s Zone Promise Academy I Elementary School. Over the past decade as principal, his students have seen substantial growth on the New York State math and English examinations. They regularly outperform the district, city and state on state examinations. His training as a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity while an undergraduate prepared him for a lifetime of service. As Frederick Douglass once said, “It is easier to build strong children than it is to repair broken men.” In addition to earning degrees from ��������, Cordero received a master’s degree in education and a CAS in management and organizational studies from the University at Albany, where he was recognized by then-Gov. Mario Cuomo as one of the top Latino graduate students in the state. Cordero received his education doctorate at St. John Fisher University in executive leadership.

BOLD 10 UNDER 10 AWARDS

These awards recognize 10 outstanding alumni who earned their �������� degrees within the last 10 years.

Meir Berkman ’17, MPA ’21, was chief and executive director of Harpur’s Ferry Ambulance during his time as a student. He was responsible for expanding the organization’s fleet and membership. He also led a first-of-its-kind initiative to deploy the Department of Homeland Security’s “Stop the Bleed” program across the campus through a state grant. Since leaving ��������, Berkman has developed a career in the advancement of innovative healthcare technologies. He was an early team member and healthcare leader at RapidSOS, where he helped leverage partnerships with Apple, Google, Uber and other major tech corporations to deliver lifesaving data to 911 and first responders. Berkman subsequently led healthcare partnerships at Butterfly Network, a unicorn startup that developed handheld ultrasound technology improving access to medical imaging and helping deliver care to historically underserved populations. Butterfly (BFLY) listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2021. Berkman is vice president of strategy and business development at Avive Solutions, where he has helped develop a new automated external defibrillator (AED) designed to improve cardiac arrest outcomes. Avive announced its Food and Drug Administration class III medical device approval in January, making it the first new entrant to the American AED market in two decades, and making its leadership team the youngest ever to achieve such a feat. Berkman is also a volunteer paramedic for Hatzalah EMS in New York. He lives in Riverdale, N.Y., with his wife Rachel, an emergency room physician.

   

Diana Correa ’13 is the senior facility manager for Ray’s Splash Planet, a high-volume indoor water park in Charlotte, N.C. Ray's Splash Planet is a one-of-a-kind aquatic facility that is part of the Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation Department. The facility offers year-round opportunities to swim, celebrate birthday parties, and play in a fun and safe aquatic environment. Correa's role includes fiscal and operational management of the facility and staff to provide excellent customer service to all patrons. Previously, she supervised youth, senior and inclusion programming at the state-of-the-art Eastway Regional Recreation Center in Mecklenburg County. Correa is passionate about serving the community and providing equitable recreational opportunities for all. She graduated from �������� in 2013 with a dual degree in mathematics and psychology and a minor in health and wellness. When she is not working, Correa can be found playing soccer, pickleball or volleyball, walking her two dogs, reading or spending time with her husband, who is also a �������� graduate.

Correa was selected for the Lois B. DeFleur Distinguished Young Alumni Award, which recognizes alumni who graduated within the last 10 years or are 35 years of age or under, and who are established or demonstrate potential to become future leaders. This was revealed at the May 4 awards ceremony.

  

Santino DeAngelo ’13 is a New York-based playwright, composer and lyricist, and Broadway producer. Described by The New York Times as having a “gift for engaging melodies”, DeAngelo’s plays and musicals include Another Happy Ending (winner of NYMF 2015 Next Link Project), The Outposters (NYC PrideFest 2019), and Narcissus: An Ancient Roman Pantomime (recorded for television broadcast on PBS/WSKG in 2016). De Angelo assisted John Weidman on the 2017 off-Broadway revival of Pacific Overtures and was mentored by Alan Menken, David Henry Hwang, Chuck Mee and Lynn Nottage. He is a co-producer on the Broadway musical New York, New York. A passionate community builder, DeAngelo manages the Terrence McNally Foundation where he continues McNally’s mission of supporting and developing opportunities for early-career playwrights and supporting LGBTQ+ causes. DeAngelo had the great honor of working for McNally until his passing in 2020 and now works with Tom Kirdahy Productions to preserve and further McNally's legacy.

  

Bill Landis ’13 was an active member of ��������'s club Ultimate team, Mock Trial and the PWC Scholars program; he was also part of the original Road Map team in 2012-13. After graduating, he spent time as a field instructor for wilderness therapy programs working with oppositional-defiant teenagers; a team leader with AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps in the North Central region; a graduate student in experiential education while running his university's adventure education program and managing a local small business; an international service trip leader; a tobacco cessation coach; and as a hike leader for a nonprofit offering social outdoor experiences for cancer survivors. In 2021, Landis was hired as faculty chair of the Outdoor Leadership and Recreation department at Pikes Peak State College. He has led a redesign of the program curriculum, built partnerships with local businesses and nonprofits to deliver meaningful and practical educational opportunities for students, supervises part-time instructors, and has enjoyed continuous enrollment growth. His standout achievement is introducing a service-learning course in which students design, organize and facilitate an outdoor recreation program at a developing community park while creating new permanent infrastructure for the park. He is a volunteer member of the Loveland Ski Patrol and serves on the advisory board for the Minnesota State University, Mankato Experiential Education program. He lives in Denver with his wife, Hannah.

  

Bradley Matican ’19 received two degrees, with five majors and two minors, in his four years at �������� University. He is a PBO senior preferred banker at First Republic Bank, where he has been employed since he graduated. He helps high net worth and ultra-high net worth individuals by providing a holistic financial experience, specializing in private banking, lending and private wealth management. In his free time, Matican is president of his company’s New York Chapter of Toastmasters, looking to develop his and his colleagues’ public speaking skills and promote his company’s culture. Furthermore, he was the top volunteer in his company in 2021 with more than 300 volunteer hours and has been one of the top volunteers since 2020. He dedicates his time to helping first-generation college students enhance their professional skills in order to have a fighting change in our current job market. He frequently works with Streetwise Partners, America Needs You, City Living, The Posse Foundation and many more causes. Outside of work, Matican is an active member of the NGLCC, avid television watcher and table-tennis enthusiast. He is a mentor in ��������'s Mentor Match program, serving as a resource for students interested in the finance field. 

  

Estacy Porter, DNP ’17, is a Garifuna-American, born in the Bronx. She is a multi-vision creative leader, scholar, mentor, coach, speaker, consultant and advocate whose lifelong motto is, “I serve where I am planted.” Porter is president and CEO of the White House-recognized nonprofit organization Jewel in His Eyes Inc., and owner/principal consultant of Dr. Estacy Porter-Wholistic Wellness & Concierge Services, LLC. She is an Army Veteran with more than 22 years of leadership experience culminating her career as chief, preventive medicine/chief, public health nursing. She is a former adjunct professor for ��������’s online RN-BSN program, where she created and taught the leadership and management capstone course. Porter’s experience spans from a career in Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Operations (CBRNE) and Army medicine that includes background in public health, epidemiology, nursing, emergency management, operations, consulting, program planning, implementation and evaluation. She volunteers as a nurse practitioner at a free clinic in Georgia. As part of her backpack to health and education initiative, she travels annually to Honduras to provide medical and educational support to the local health center and school. Porter serves in her city as an appointed member for the Board of Zoning Appeals.

   

Patrick Samedy, MS ’17, is director of quality and safety systems, reporting and analytics at Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK) where he serves a multidisciplinary team of systems engineers, data analysts, developers and an industrial psychologist. His passion lies in resolving the stubborn problems of complex sociotechnical systems - applied to health systems. His team proactively delivers data-driven insights and systems safety analysis to better anticipate quality and safety needs across the institution. Previously, as associate director of quality management and regulatory affairs, Samedy led various analytical initiatives at the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation. He is a graduate of the Executive Program in Health Systems from ��������, holds an MBA and MS in quality management and information technology from Hofstra University, and is a Lean Six Sigma-certified Black Belt. 

  

Rachel Serwetz ’13 had early professional experiences at Goldman Sachs in operations and at Bridgewater Associates in human resources. From there, she was trained as a coach at New York University (NYU) and became a certified coach through the International Coach Federation. She subsequently worked in human resources research at Aon Hewitt and attained her technology MBA at NYU's Stern School of Business. Throughout her career, Serwetz has helped hundreds of professionals with career exploration and, for the past five years, has been building her company WOKEN, an online career exploration platform to coach professionals through the process of clarifying their ideal job and career path. She has served as a career coach through the Flatiron School/WeWork, Columbia University and Project Activate, and has also served as an adjunct instructor of entrepreneurship at ��������.

  

Brandon Sheiner ’14 is a Licensed Professional Engineer (PE), inventor, entrepreneur and real estate investor. He graduated from �������� with a bachelor of science in mechanical engineering and more recently earned a master of science in computer engineering from the New Jersey Institute of Technology. His experience and expertise as a MEP consulting engineer, including his current role as director of commissioning and energy services at Skyline Engineering, has won Sheiner unique opportunities to provide engineered solutions for many high-end New York landmark buildings, such as the World Trade Center and The Plaza Hotel. As CEO and founder of Sheiner Engineering & Design, he holds multiple U.S. patents and trademarks for his inventions and product lines. His invention of the portable laptop sunshade, TECH SHADE TO GO® and TECH SHADE TO GO® mini, achieved great success in the consumer marketplace. TECH SHADE TO GO® was featured in USA Today and named a “#1 New Release” and “Amazon’s Choice” by Amazon.com. Beyond popularity in the U.S. consumer market, his products have sold in numerous international marketplaces including Canada, Mexico and Japan. Sheiner attributes much of his success to his loving family, supportive friends and respected mentors. Understanding the importance of giving back to his community, he volunteers providing engineering support to non-profit organizations such as Friends of Karen, serves as vice president of ASHRAE NY Chapter, organizes Habitat for Humanity build days, and participates in alumni panels hosted by Theta Tau where he offers mentorship to his fellow fraternity brothers and future graduates of ��������’s Watson College.

  

Zack Smith, MBA ’15, is a senior manager in forensic and valuation services specializing in real estate valuation at Withum, a top-25 accounting firm, holding advanced credentials in the field including the MAI, AI-GRS, and Certified Mineral Appraiser designations. He is immediate past chair of continuing education for the International Institute of Mineral Appraisers and was recently appointed as a member of the Selective Service System board. While at ��������, he was a member-at-large to the Broome County Environmental Management Council and continues his dedication to the environment and social justice through volunteerism. He has managed political campaigns for county executive, state senate, congress and regions for a presidential campaign and, in 2016, co-founded and served as a founding executive officer of the New York Progressive Action Network, a grassroots organization with up to 29 chapters and affiliates focused on the environment, healthcare, social justice and voting rights. Other service includes working as an EMT and with a fire department, as well as service in a number of capacities with the American Red Cross including as an instructor, instructor trainer, disaster team and regional public affairs team member.