Distinguished Alumni Series
(formerly Campus Visits)
The Office of Alumni Affairs has the great pleasure to invite alumni back to the SUNY Oneonta Campus as part of the Distinguished Alumni Series (formally called Campus Visits). This series affords alumni who have distinguished themselves in their field an opportunity to give back to their alma mater by sharing practical advice with their fellow graduates as well as current students. Lectures are tailored to the speakers’ interests and availability, and can include speaking with students about their career, navigating the graduate school process, strategies for finding employment and networking advice, addressing a class in their specialty area, and interacting with faculty.
November 2009 - April 2010
Scott Selmirs `84 (pictured third from right) returned to campus on April 30 to conduct a resume-writing workshop as well as job interviews.
Dr. Matthew Willenkin `76 (pictured second from left) visited campus on April 28 and 29 and spoke with a group of Pre-Health Professional students about his experiences in various fields of medicine. He outlined some of the skill sets needed to succeed and gave them examples of the kinds of struggles they might encounter. Dr. Willenkin also attended Dr. Heilveil’s genetics lab and offered some personal advice along with his professional expertise.
Dr. Richard Deitz `89 (pictured in the center) and Richard Yamarone `85 (pictured on right) visited campus on April 23. Dr. Deitz gave a presentation entitled “Economic and Housing Conditions in Upstate New York,” and Mr. Yamarone gave a presentation entitled “Can You Recognize the Signs of Recovery?”
Jay Jacobs `77 (pictured in the first row, second from right), the New York State Democratic Party Chairman, visited campus on March 25 and spoke with students in Dr. Gina Keel’s American Government Class.
Mr. Jerry Leibrand ’80, President of the US Region of Covidien Surgical Devices, visited campus on March 17th and 18th as part of the Distinguished Alumni Series. During his visit, Mr. Leibrand presented to Dr. Keith Schillo’s Anatomy & Physiology class on the History, Research & Development of Surgical Products from a Domestic & Global perspective.
(from left) Mr. Jerry Leibrand ’80, Christopher Kassoff, Christopher Bax, Bryan Kellogg, and Nicole Bencivengo
John Prinzo ’89 spoke with faculty and students from the Finance and Marketing clubs on March 10. John is currently a District Manager for Wells Fargo and has been with the company for nineteen years. He spoke with students about current job and internship opportunities available at Wells Fargo.
Günter Brückner (pictured second from left), the Director of European Operations of UniTech Services Group, visited campus on March 4th and 5th as part of the Distinguished Alumni Series. As the Director of European Operations, he oversees a total of four subsidiaries in Europe, two nuclear laundries in The Netherlands and UK, one direct sales location in Germany, and a sales office in France. During his two-day campus visit, Mr. Brückner joined a number of our students for breakfast to discuss the exciting opportunities that exist today in international business.
Dr. Reginald Knight `74 (pictured in the center), Director of the Bassett Healthcare Department of Surgery, Center for Orthopedic Spine Care, visited campus on February 18 and gave a presentation entitled “Coming Full Circle: Evolution of a Spine Surgeon.” The lecture was sponsored by the Pre-Health Professionals Association and the Division of College Advancement.
August 2008 - October 2009
Pat McCann ’75, lectured to the Economics Club and Finance Club in Morris Hall on the “Role of Business in Sustainable Development” while visiting the campus with his wife, Linda McCann ’76 on October 30th,2009.
Rob Gilman ’89, Partner in Anchin Block & Anchin, visited campus on October 28th and 29th and addressed the Accounting Society. He was joined by his associates, Shaun Goodman ‘07 and Ashley Risco ‘09 , both of whom were hired as a result of previous campus visits.
pictured above from right: returned to campus to address the Accounting Society on October 14th . Two of her colleagues from DFAS accompanied her.
Dr. Richard Deitz ’89 and Richard Yamarone ’85 visited campus on April 24 and gave a presentation entitled “The Outlook for the US Economy” in a forum sponsored by the Economics Club. Rich Yamarone, Vice President and Director of Economic Research for Argus Research, discussed what data would indicate that an economic recovery had started. He expected a strong recovery, based on the history that long and deep recessions are usually followed by strong recoveries. Dr. Deitz, Research Officer and Economist at the New York Federal Reserve Bank and a member of Governor Paterson’s Council of Economic Advisors, prefaced his remarks by indicating that they reflect his own views and not those of the Federal Reserve. He expected that the focus of policymakers would be to stimulate early, stimulate a lot, and stimulate for as long as necessary. He said the challenge for monetary policymakers would be to keep inflation expectations in check in order to prevent deflation now as well as a rise in inflation once the economy starts to recover.
Andrea Casper ’75 visited campus on April 27 and spoke about regulatory and product diligence issues in Dr. Vicki Lentz’s Cell and Molecular Biology class. Andrea serves as Vice President for Worldwide Regulatory Affairs at Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics. In her role, she is responsible for regulatory affairs globally as well as regulatory strategies for new business development. She also has oversight of the product vigilance area responsible for worldwide complaint investigations and regulatory reporting. Andrea was also inducted as an honorary member of the Beta Beta Beta Society.
Dr. Robert Coni ’77 visited campus on December 7 as the featured speaker at the induction ceremony for BETA BETA BETA, the Biology Honor Society. Dr. Adam Rayburn, Assistant Professor of Biology, introduced Dr. Coni, who is a practicing physician with St. Luke’s Hospital Neurological Associates in Bethlehem, PA. Dr. Coni shared information and his insights about his personal and professional experiences and encouraged students to set career goals with the realization that the path to achieving them will incur many course changes.
Eric Mayne ’06 returned to campus on February 18 to speak with faculty and staff from the Accounting Society. He shared his views on effective job searching in today’s economy and encouraged students to contact the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance for available internships and employment opportunities. Eric is a tax auditor for the miscellaneous tax section at the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance.
Dennis Bellantoni ’88 visited campus on February 16 and spoke with students in Rich Campbell’s education classes about career options for those interested in pursuing a career in the primary/secondary school level as a teacher or administrator. Dennis is the Assistant Principal at the Intermediate School on Staten Island.
Joseph Poon ’78 spoke with several students and faculty from the Food Service and Restaurant Administration program on March 13. He shared his culinary expertise with students and showed them garnishing techniques. Joe is the owner of the Chef Poon’s Kitchen Table cooking school in New Jersey.
Wayne Benjamin ’73 addressed students and faculty during the Political Science Conference held on campus on March 21. He presented his views on the politics of working for the state and what students can expect if employed in the public sector. Wayne is the Executive Deputy Commissioner for the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles.
Michael Massaro ’78G visited campus on March 23 to host a seminar for chemistry students entitled: What is it like to work in product development for one of the world’s largest consumer products companies? Michael is the Director of Global Research and Development for Skin Products at Unilever.
John Prinzo ’89 spoke with faculty and students from the Finance Club on March 24. John is currently a District Manager for Wells Fargo and has been with the company for eighteen years. He spoke with students about current job and internship opportunities available at Wells Fargo.
Paul Perlman ’76, partner in the law firm Hodgson Russ, LLP, visited campus on October 24 to speak with students interested in pursuing a career in law. He spoke about how to navigate the law school process and the wide range of careers in the field. Paul, whose bachelor’s degree is in Education (Social Studies K-12), is a 1979 cum laude graduate of Harvard Law School.
John Demelis ’80 and Elena Kirilova ’08 visited campus on October 17 to conduct mock interviews for accounting students. John is a partner in the accounting firm Ernst & Young in Stamford, CT, and Elena is also employed by the firm.
Rob Gilman ’89 and Shaun Goodman ’07 returned to campus on October 22 to speak with accounting students and conduct recruiting interviews. Their presentation was entitled “What to Expect in the Early Years of Your Career.” Rob is a partner at Anchin Block and Anchin LLP, and Shaun is a staff accountant.
Rose Wozniak ’05 visited campus on November 17 to meet met with students in Dr. Guzy’s “Careers” course. Rose graduated with a degree in Psychology and is currently a Ph.D. candidate at Alfred University. She spoke with students about school psychology as a profession and the graduate school experience.
Judy Heylmun ’76 returned to campus on December 3 to speak with several classes about sensory science and potential career opportunities in the field. Judy is Vice President of Strategic Business Development for Sensory Spectrum, a product and consumer research firm in New Jersey. Sensory Spectrum conducts in-depth research for companies and institutions for product evaluation, new product release, benchmarking, and marketing. Their product areas of specialty include foods, beverages, personal care, home care, health care, and paper and textiles, among others. Established in 1986, Sensory Spectrum is considered an authority on sensory training, product evaluation, and advanced consumer research techniques. Judy recently relocated to North Carolina, where she has opened a second office for Sensory Spectrum in Kannapolis.
Judy Heylmun ’76 returned to campus on December 3 to speak with several classes about sensory science and potential career opportunities in the field. Judy is Vice President of Strategic Business Development for Sensory Spectrum, a product and consumer research firm in New Jersey. Sensory Spectrum conducts in-depth research for companies and institutions for product evaluation, new product release, benchmarking, and marketing. Their product areas of specialty include foods, beverages, personal care, home care, health care, and paper and textiles, among others. Established in 1986, Sensory Spectrum is considered an authority on sensory training, product evaluation, and advanced consumer research techniques. Judy recently relocated to North Carolina, where she has opened a second office for Sensory Spectrum in Kannapolis.
Ronald Garan ’82, a NASA astronaut who served as a Mission Specialist aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery during its mission to the International Space Station in June, returned to campus to speak about his experiences on October 20. Ron met with Oneonta students, held an open meeting entitled “Conversations with an Astronaut” for students and faculty, and offered a public presentation for the community. He described his experiences and roles in the shuttle’s mission to deliver the Japanese Experiment Module Pressurized Module and the Japanese Remote Manipulator System to the station. Shuttle astronauts delivered the 37 foot Kibo lab and added its rooftop storage room. On the mission, Ron completed three space walks for a total of more than 20 hours. He worked on maintaining the station and priming the new Japanese module’s robotic arm for work during the nine days that the shuttle was docked at the orbiting laboratory.