12 minute read
Alumni Spotlights
PASSION FOR PUBLIC SERVICE
DINA SIMON ‘01 RETURNS TO HER ROOTS TO ENACT CHANGE IN NYC GOVERNMENT
When Dina Simon ’01 immigrated to the United States from Haiti at 9 years old, she faced a common set of challenges for immigrant children. She tagged along at doctor’s appointments and their first real estate closing so she could be her parent's English translator. She was forced to spend several years away from her parents when she had challenges obtaining a visa. She felt the pressure to create a better life as a firstgeneration college student and eventually become a doctor or lawyer. Simon’s true passion for public administration emerged with help from Long Island University, and her career in the public sector has come full circle. As the Chief of Staff for the New York City Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs, Simon used her personal experiences to enact positive policy changes for the city’s immigrant community. “It’s been really interesting to live through that but also be able to affect policies that will help immigrant communities, and establish support systems that did not exist when I was growing up,” Simon said. Simon’s decision to earn her master of public administration degree at LIU dictated her career path from the very first class. Her first professor brought real-life examples of government and policy work to the classroom through his consulting with the City of New York. Simon was also surrounded by classmates who were working professionals and willingly shared their experience and knowledge. This experience inspired Simon to apply for a job with a city agency, and she landed her first position with the Administration for Children Services. From there, Simon went on to hold roles in human resources and labor relations in the New York State Education Department, New York City Comptroller’s Office, Department of Correction, Department of Veterans Services, and the Government of the United States Virgin Islands. While at the Department of Correction, Simon made history as the first woman to hold the position of First Deputy Commissioner. “My classes gave me the opportunity to think beyond traditional career paths, and Dina Simon to use work experience as credits in the program,” said Simon. “The master in public administration tied it all together for me and provided those core disciplines that I needed to be successful.” During her most recent appointment with Immigrant Affairs, Simon focused with the new mayoral administration on developing a new initiative to expand language services access to immigrant communities. She also served as Executive Director of the Pay Equity Cabinet, a new cabinet focused on improving wage equity and the pay gap among women and minorities in the workforce. Looking back on her impressive resume, Simon is most proud of her ability to mentor individuals who have become leaders in their field. She enjoys keeping a roster of three active mentees to develop and coach, and she encourages LIU students to connect with her on LinkedIn and seek mentorship as they build their careers. “Look for someone who is doing what you want to do, look at that person’s path and see how to connect with them or mirror that path,” said Simon. “Mentorship is important, but also give yourself grace and accept that everything won’t be clear at first, sometimes it’s about taking risks.”
GOOD MEDICINE IS GOOD BUSINESS
DIETER WEINAND ’87 USED HIS LIU EDUCATION TO CHANGE LIVES AT THE TOP OF THE PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY
The story of one of the most successful pharmaceutical executives in modern history began in an orphanage in Germany. Dieter Weinand ’87 was raised there until age 16. He ran away to the airport and bought himself a ticket, landed in New York City, and slept in Grand Central Station until he managed to land a job as a roofer. He graduated high school and college and started his own roofing business, a success story in itself. But one old mentor convinced him to challenge himself, apply to graduate school, and pursue his true passion. Fast forward more than 40 years, and Weinand is the chairman or executive chairman of the board of directors for eight different pharmaceutical companies, and is a board member for a ninth company. Most recently, he was named chairman of the board for Inspirna, a leading biopharmaceutical company developing cancer therapeutics. He does all of this in retirement after a stellar career that saw him hold leadership positions at Bristol-Myers Squibb, Pfizer, and other Big Pharma giants. Weinand finished his full-time career as the CEO of Bayer Pharma AG, coming back full-circle to the company where he landed his first job straight out of LIU Pharmacy after earning a master’s degree in pharmacology. “People from MIT, from UMass, from Harvard, they did not understand the basic pharmacology behind things, the basic chemistry behind things,” Weinand said. “They memorized to pass the test and they did very well and came from these pedigree Dieter Weinand
schools, but I always felt that I got a much better basic education that allowed me to understand the logic behind it and apply it more broadly and knowledgeably.” For the duration of his career, Weinand applied the knowledge he gained at LIU to give him an advantage over his peers. His understanding of the science allowed him to recognize minor nuances in data that could translate into significant clinical differences for patients. The primary example is Lipitor, the cholesterol medication that has become a household name. Weinand recognized that it lowered patients’ cholesterol levels far below the accepted target level, which affected its marketability. He then commissioned a study that proved the target level could be safely lowered, making Lipitor the preferred choice among doctors and a $16 billion blockbuster drug. Weinand was also a driving force behind the success of other multi-billion-dollar medications such as Abilify, Eliquis, Xarelto and Eylea. “I was always focused on good medicine because that translates into good business,” Weinand added. “The translation of the data into what that could mean in clinical terms, that is where I have to thank my LIU professors. It was really practical; it was hands-on.”
For the man who had $394 in his pocket when he arrived in the United States, Weinand said his determination was also essential to his achievements. He emphasized the value of “keeping your eyes on the prize,” which for him was the opportunity to change lives through medicine. He recalled the most rewarding moment of his career when he met parents crying tears of joy and their child living cancer-free thanks to a drug for which Weinand fought to get research funding.
– Dieter Weinand
NATIONAL LEADERSHIP IN LAW ENFORCEMENT
JACQUELINE MAGUIRE ’99 TURNED HER LIU EDUCATION AND HARD WORK INTO A THRIVING FBI CAREER
After more than 20 years of service in the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Jacqueline Maguire ’99 has become a national figure in law enforcement. She was recently appointed as the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Field Office, another accomplishment on an award-winning résumé that includes expertise in everything from counterterrorism to public affairs. Her very first job with the Bureau, however, had the most lasting impact on her career. She was assigned to the New York Field Office in 2000 as a special agent and was assigned to the Joint Terrorism Task Force in 2001, just months before the largest terrorist attack in American history. “Being from New York, being in New York that day and the weeks after, everyone who was there knows that feeling,” Maguire said. “We saw evil on September 11, and we saw goodwill on September 12.” Maguire was on duty inside the Federal Building in lower Manhattan when the Twin Towers were struck, and she witnessed the awe-inspiring mobilization power of the FBI in action. For the next several months she investigated American Airlines Flight 77, and for the next 10 years she continued to investigate different aspects of the tragedy. Born and raised on Long Island, Maguire’s interest in criminal justice Jacqueline Maguire
began with an internship at the Office of the Medical Examiner. She studied pre-medicine in her undergraduate years, and forensic science became the perfect marriage between her science background and her desire to work in law enforcement. The internship turned into a full-time job offer and Maguire had the opportunity to interact with FBI agents that came to the morgue. To make herself a more competitive candidate for the FBI, Maguire enrolled in Long Island University’s criminal justice master’s degree program. The ability to work full time while studying alongside police and probation officers was extremely valuable. “We were living the real-world experience at the same time as we were learning the academic side of criminal justice. Just as valuable were the instructors; we had people who were still active in, or had retired from significant law enforcement careers.”
Maguire’s LIU experience further stimulated her interest in the field. She sought mentorship from respected professors whom she is still in touch with today, and their guidance helped propel her career. Among her many roles, Maguire went on to serve as unit chief of the Counterterrorism Division at FBI Headquarters, and special agent in charge of the Criminal Division of the New York Field Office. She was given the 2006 Attorney General’s Award for Excellence in Furthering the Interests of U.S. National Security and the 2009 Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service. While recognizing the support she has received along the way from her family—which includes two of her siblings who are fellow LIU alumni— her LIU professors and classmates, and her colleagues, Maguire said that hard work is the most important asset for students who hope to follow in her footsteps. “It is a job that has meaning and impact, and we need good people in the FBI who are bringing different perspectives from different backgrounds. That makes us stronger to be able to uphold our mission to protect the American people and uphold the Constitution of the United States.”
CATALYST OF GENEROSITY
INSPIRED BY THE LOSS OF HIS 9-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER, GARY MATOREN ’59 GIVES BACK TO LIU
Inspiration often manifests itself in the most challenging moments of life. For Gary Matoren ’59, his philanthropic goals are intimately linked to the life and death of his youngest daughter, Debbie Lynn. Born with a rare heart defect that required an 18-hour surgery to save her life, Debbie Lynn brought joy to her family through her spunk and intellect until she passed away at 9 years old. Gary dedicated the next 50 years to building a successful career in pharmacy, clinical research, hospital administration, planning in the health care field and the pharmaceutical industry, academia, and government. He is now committed to giving back to the University that gave him his start. Gary is donating his entire estate to Long Island University in the form of endowed scholarships and funds to support specific schools, with many of the donations named in memory of Debbie Lynn Matoren. “Debbie would have been 44 in April, she could have been a wife, mother, college graduate, she could have even attended LIU,” Gary said. “She is the definitive catalyst in my life.” As a graduate and adjunct professor at LIU Pharmacy, he took a special interest in drug toxicity and the etiology of disease after learning Debbie’s condition was caused by a medication his wife took during pregnancy. His mother also died from liver cancer that was tied to a medication that was later taken off the market. Gary’s studies led him to develop the text The Clinical Research Process in the Pharmaceutical Industry, and later he founded the
Gary Matoren (left) is donating his entire estate to Long Island University in the form of endowed scholarships and funds to support specific schools, with many of the donations named in memory of his daughter, Debbie Lynn Matoren (right).
journal Clinical Research Practices and Drug Regulatory Affairs. The text, published in 1983, is still considered the definitive text on clinical research methodology, and was recently made available on Amazon in hardcover, paperback and eBook. Gary is a New York City native and his love for the University is unmistakable when he discusses his time as a student. He was on the editorial board of the school newspaper, The Apothecary, served as editor-in-chief of the school yearbook, The Pharmacon, joined the Remington House Plan and attended school dances. He went on to develop the master’s in pharmacy administration at LIU and a number of courses based on his book during his 15 years as a faculty member at several colleges. Today he is motivated by the University’s transformation and focus on health care in the digital age, the arts, and historical studies. His gifts will provide support to LIU Pharmacy, the College of Veterinary Medicine, the School of Health Professions and Nursing, the Roosevelt School, the Palmer School of Library and Information Science, the School of Performing Arts, Tilles Center and the George Polk Awards in Journalism. “I live a frugal lifestyle, and I want to give back to underserved students at Brooklyn and Post,” Gary said. “You have two campuses that are working together with a great president, vice presidents and deans, and they are all great leaders.” Gary has networked with undergraduates for more than 60 years, and he said his contributions to LIU are rooted in his desire to encourage diversity. He considers Julius Rosenwald one of his biggest inspirations, a renowned businessman and philanthropist who is known for generously supporting education initiatives for Black communities in the South in the early 1900s. Like Rosenwald, Gary wants his contributions to help bring equal opportunities to students in his home town, at his home University, and prepare them for a brighter future.
