40 minute read
ALUMNI NEWS
A
ALUMNI NEWS
Solomon Steplight ’93 with his children and the Furlonges at the 2021 Homecoming.
Dear Alumni,
Greetings Alumni, Parents, Students, Grandparents, Babysitters, and whoever else may be browsing this copy of MKA’s Spring Review: Thank you to all alumni who participated in MKA Day! This Giving Day raised critical funds in support of Financial Assistance. With more than 170 students who rely on financial assistance for their MKA education, alumni giving on MKA Day not only sustains but helps us grow this essential program! Each one of your gifts helped to give the gift of a life-changing education to students: we are so grateful!
I hope to see all of you at the All-Class Reunion Weekend the weekend of April 29 (especially celebrating the ‘2s and ‘7s). Due to the pandemic and being unable to hold a Reunion for the past two years, we are thrilled to invite everyone to come together on Saturday, April 30 to celebrate with one another!
If you or anyone you know wants to help current MKA students network for success, please contact me or Madison Kilduff in the Office of Alumni Engagement (mkilduff@mka.org). We are looking to expand the May Term Internship program at the school. Internships are key in setting up the success of those who go after us and continuing on the strong legacy of the MKA community. May Term, is a capstone project for seniors during the month of May that allows them to get real life experience in something they are interested in. May Term projects/internships vary significantly but here are some guidelines. Internships:
Do not need to be every day: it can be for a couple of hours a day, a few times a week.
• Are unpaid • Could be a ’side' project you need help with • Can be in-person or remote • Can simply be a “shadowing” experience.
We are also looking to expand our career services program for our alumni. This can include agreeing to be a mentor to a younger alum, alerting the Office of Alumni Engagement to career opportunities you might have available so that we can post them in the Montclair Kimberley Academy LinkedIn Group, providing internships to college-age alumni, etc. If you are interested in becoming a part of this program, please reach out to Madison or me.
Last but certainly not least, I invite you all to join us for our Cougar Convos every other Friday on our @mkaalumni Instagram page. Come get interviewed (we welcome everyone to participate)! We speak with fascinating alums and talk about what they do, where they have been, and how they got to where they are today. You never know who you’ll want to connect with!
Wishing you all the best and as few “April Showers” as possible!
Warmly,
Caitlin DiRuggiero ’06 President of The MKA Alumni Council caitlindiruggiero@gmail.com
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Caitlin DiRuggiero ’06 President Stuart Harwood ’07 Executive VP Stephen Bezer ’11 Senior VP Lhenée McKoy ’05 Secretary
COUNCIL
Racquel Booth ’96 Seth Bynum ’11 Jenna Clancey ’03 Geoffrey Close ’71 Michael DeVita ’11 Frank Godlewski ’76 Cara Landolfi ’05 Angela McCaffrey ’06 Chadd Mukete ’11 Samora Noguera ’02
ADVISORY
J. Dean Paolucci ’73 Jaclyn Spedaliere ’00
SAVE THE DATE!
April 29-30 Reunited and it feels so good!
Because MKA has been unable to hold Reunion Weekend for the past two years, this spring, we invite all MA, TKS, and MKA alumni to come together and attend this year’s All Class Reunion. We will especially celebrate the classes ending in ’2s and ’7s, but look forward to having great representation across all class years. Please join us!
Alumni Events Keep up-to-date on the latest MKA Alumni events by visiting our upcoming schedule of events at mka.org/alumnievents
Winter Games/Friendsgiving Event
The Al Rehus Alumni Basketball game at the Upper School and the Ice Hockey game at Clary Anderson Arena were great ways to kick off what will now become an Annual Friendsgiving reception at Tierneys. Over 60 alumni came together to reconnect and celebrate. Oh, what a night!
One day, several years ago, Upper School Fine and Performing Arts teachers Nicole Hoppe and the late Tony Cuneo were discussing how many successful artists have graduated from MKA. Tony had the great idea to renovate the alcove in the Arts Wing to showcase all of our extraordinary alumni in the Arts. The Alumni Arts Alcove is a wonderful way to highlight the amazing creative work being done all over the world by MKA alumni.
ALUMNI ARTS ALCOVE
We are thrilled to unveil this exciting initiative celebrating:
Elizabeth Jones Glaeser ’53, Michael J. Pollard ’57, Michael Yamashita ’67, Frank LaRocca ’69, Grant “Whip” Hubley ’75, Barry Centanni ’77, Rohina Gandhi-Hoffman ’86, George Hrab, Jr. ’89, Doreen Oliver ’92, Damien Vena ’93, Jeremy Selenfriend ’96, Ruben Atlas ’97, Kristen Connolly ’98, Dan Blake ’99, Lauren Hooper-Rogers ’00, Kerry Bishe ’02, Danny Monico ’03, Will Connolly ’03, Brandon Uranowitz ’04, Jake Weary ’08, Michelle Uranowitz ’08, Melissa Schlobohm ’08, Nadia Brown ’12, Isaiah Thompson ’15 , and Casey Garvin
If you, or another MKA alum that you know of, should be displayed in our Alumni Arts Alcove, please reach out to alumni@mka.org!
Homecoming
More than 50 alumni came out to Lloyd Road under the alumni tent to meet Head of School Nigel Furlonge, connect with one another, and watch the football game. Alumni were also treated to amazing food from Local Smoke, Steve Raab’s ’97 awardwinning barbecue restaurant. Now that Reunion Weekend has moved to the spring, this year's Homecoming was all about the opportunity for the entire MKA family to connect with one another and celebrate the school on a beautiful day.
Alumni Parent Reception
To kick off Homecoming weekend, alumni parents were invited to the home of Michele and Bryan Becker ’96 for the opportunity to meet new Head of School Nigel Furlonge. Over 75 of these integral members of our community gathered together to celebrate the MKA of then and now on a gorgeous fall evening.
Celebrating Bulldogs
The Alumni Office and Upper School Teachers Cort Bosc, Caroline Toman, and David Korfage visited eight MKA alumni who are currently attending Yale University: Nyla Williams ’19, Shaurya Salwan ’18, Judson Potenza ’18, Sanaa Williams ’21, Arnelle Larose ’20, Michelle Medawar ’20, John Colbert ’20, and Jared Brunner ’18.
Michael Yamashita generously donated his piece Window On My World taken in Songtsam Lodge in Tacheng, Yunnan, China to be the centerpiece of the installation.
Networking Event
Molly Stoller Margulies ’07
(Senior Manager, People Strategy and Operations, GlossGenius), Taylor Dougherty ’08 (Director Talent Acquisition, Golin), Alayjah Watson ’08 (Recruiter, Google Cloud, Cloud Customer Experience) and Nadia Uberoi ’14 (Senior Talent Manager, Chewy) led Strategies for Success: A Panel Discussion with Top HR Leaders. These thought leaders are trusted guides to their C-suite leaders and imperative to their respective companies’ successes. The audience of over 100 alumni learned much from each presenter, including how they navigate a myriad of mission-critical aspects within the workplace.
On the Road Again…
In an effort to immerse himself in the MKA community and learn about the heritage of the school, Head of School Nigel Furlonge and the alumni team visited over 25 alumni in the Boston area for an evening of connecting and conversation at Mooo… on Beacon Hill. They then travelled to visit a group of Kimberley alumnae at Townhouse in Greenwich, CT.
MKA Down South
Jenna Clancey ’03, in conjunction with the Alumni Office, hosted a dozen alumni who live in Charleston, SC for a reception at Stars Rooftop celebrating those who live in the area.
CHANGE MAKERS
What brought you to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development?
At MKA I was the head of Habitat for Humanity. I thought I wanted to be an architect, as I’d always been interested in that field, but I went to UVA and studied public policy and foreign affairs. I coupled my studies with my love for architecture, and it was a natural fit. I worked for Americorps for two years, and while I was in D.C., I was able to help the company change from a storytelling model to a more data driven model, particularly from the institutional side. The approach really effected change for them and solidified my love for what I was doing.
What have been the greatest challenges in your professional life?
Working at a large, public institution of any kind is like trying to steer a destroyer ship. It makes switching priorities difficult, and oftentimes we are forced to get creative to find solutions.
From a more specific perspective, what I think is most relevant now has been dealing with the challenges of weathering the storm of COVID-19 and the aftermath it has had on this industry. Managing the funds for eldercare residences and facilities has never been more important. This sector was hit so hard, and it's imperative to get their resources allocated to them.
What do you consider your biggest accomplishment to date?
I recently had a pilot program that we launched three years ago approved by Congress. Its mission is to get nurses on site for staff at elder care residences.
Where do you see yourself in five years:
I’d like to focus on environmental management and sustainable business. Large banks and companies are increasing their dedication to ESG concerns and corporate citizenship. This is not just a burgeoning industry: this is a cultural tenet, with the expectation that you are leaving the world a better place than you found it.
Daniel Allen ’07
Daniel is an affordable housing and grants professional living and working in New York, NY with experience as a grantee, intermediary pass-through, and grantor from both the private non-profit and public perspective. He is interested in public and foreign policy, chiefly affordable housing, and international trade and development, as well as in corporate social responsibility and philanthropy.
With a focus on the seniors “staying in place” program, Daniel makes sure the money gets to where it is supposed to go so elders can stay where they are as they age-in-place. Very often, especially in low-income housing, elders are forced from their homes or have to put the burden on family members as they get older, even after paying social security their entire lives. A person should be able to age-in-place with pride.
“When I was a little kid, I wanted to be just like my dad. ”
Alan Wilzig ’83
Alan was born and raised in New Jersey. His father Siggi Wilzig was a German Holocaust survivor and his mother Naomi (née Sisselman) Wilzig, a New Jersey native. He has two siblings, Ivan and Sherry. In 1968 Siggi Wilzig purchased the Trust Company of New Jersey (TCNJ) and built it into a 45-branch franchise.
After graduating from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 1987, Alan joined TCNJ. He was elected to the Board of Directors in 1997, promoted to Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer in 1999, and named President and CEO in 2002. After his father's passing in 2003, Alan was appointed Chairman of the Board, while continuing in his role as President and CEO. During this period, the bank expanded to 75 branches and nearly doubled in market value. In December 2003, North Fork Bank agreed to purchase TCNJ and officially acquired the business on May 17, 2004. Following the merger, Wilzig became a director at North Fork.
After his father's death, Alan and his family memorialized him with an endowment, naming one of the facilities at the Jersey City Medical Center "Wilzig Hospital.”
In 2005, Alan purchased a 275-acre property in Taghkanic, New York. The following year, he asked the town zoning board for permission to build a racetrack on the property, which he called Wilzig Racing Manor. The racetrack was completed in 2011 at a cost of $7.5 million. It is the largest racetrack zoned for private recreational use in the U.S. Wilzig owns over 100 cars, motorcycles, and off-road vehicles, which he houses at the Wilzig Racing Manor.
Tell us about your upbringing and about your father, a Holocaust survivor who arrived in America with hardly any money and became one of the greatest financiers this country has ever seen.
My father was a hero to me, I wanted to be exactly like him. I would drag around one of his old, tattered briefcases, and I would sit on his lap and read the Wall Street Journal.
My father was completely self-educated. He worked in a sweatshop and read the financial papers on the subway on his way home after pressing 800 bow ties for 10 cents apiece in a basement in Brooklyn. He would always say to me, “Imagine with all this success, how successful would I have been if I was able to have the education that you, your brother, and sister are having and are going to continue to have.” It was because of his lack of opportunity that his greatest respect was for those who were highly educated.
Describe your MKA experience and journey through college.
You cannot conjure a parent more vested in their children getting the absolute best education possible than my father. And that led me directly to MKA. The teachers at MKA were excellent and recognized that I had an inquisitive nature and a desire to acquire knowledge. They recognized the positive qualities in me, and did everything to foster them.
I screwed up at MKA by not being diligent enough in my homework to be getting straight A's instead of B's. My original plan was to go to the University of Pennsylvania and then Wharton. Not getting into Penn my senior year had everything to do with me and nothing to do with MKA. My getting into Penn as a sophomore transfer had much to do with MKA. I can't say it more clearly than that.
At Boston University for my freshman year, I saw the value of how MKA prepared me for college. What I got from MKA enabled me to have the confidence to ask the questions that led not only to success in class but also to impressing my professors. After failing an initial advanced calculus class and being told I’d never succeed, I worked harder than I ever had in my life and got the A’s I needed to transfer.
Tell us about your journey to success at the Trust Company of New Jersey?
I graduated at 22 from Wharton, and when I came into the family business, my dad told me, "Half of the bank has been working here for decades. I can't put you in as a Vice President, no matter what fancy school you went to." So he made me the lowest level administrative employee, and my first job at the bank was in the facilities department where my principal responsibilities were construction and extermination for $27,500 a year. He started me at the bottom, and I learned and worked my way up to become the head of retail banking.
I became head of retail banking just as it was undergoing a rapid transformation to everything becoming internet based. The biggest purchase decisions and expenditures on the cost center side of the bank had to do with all the new technology, and my dad would say straight away, “Ask Alan.” For many years, I was in charge of the entire back end of the bank, and my father was in charge of the front end.
In 2000 my father was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma. He got the diagnosis, got out of the hospital, and looked to sell the bank. The books were prepared, and we received not one offer. My father did not function as a traditional bank CEO. He was an admirable man, but no bank was willing to pay 10 cents for us. So for three years I ran the bank in my father's absence and had to turn the Trust Company into a bank that makes money like other banks and has annuitized streams of dependable income. The stock value went up, and we went from no offers to getting six unsolicited offers a week from every bank. I ultimately did a deal which was valued at $765 million with North Fork, a company I knew from my time in the Hamptons and with a CEO who was one of the best operators in the country. The deal was named Financial Institution Merger of the Year in a year where there were 30 bank acquisitions. Four years later, John Kanas sold North Fork to Capital One. We got a second premium on the two thirds and then cashed out.
Your second act: the post-banking chapter. You built the Wilzig Racing Manor which is the largest racetrack zoned for private recreational use in the U.S., and you own over 100 cars and motorcycles. What ignited your passion for racing?
It all started when I was at MKA, and there was a kid named Larry that had a 80cc dirt bike. I was so jealous and thought it was the coolest thing in the world. I would walk to a motorcycle dealership a mile from my house, and I would see that same yellow Yamaha that Larry had and wish it was mine.
I didn't really get involved in team sports and things like that. I read car magazines and fell in love with races like the 24 hours of Le Mans, and the 100-day long, always deadly, Paris Dakar Rally. To me risking your life with such high stakes, where one turn can change everything, is fascinating. It’s not about the morbidity of it; it’s the audaciousness, the training, the preparation, and everything that's required.
The very first thing I did when I graduated college was buy a motorcycle. I had always loved having cars, but the rush came from the bikes, having something underneath you that is so responsive. When you put on your helmet to ride a motorcycle, everything is blocked out. I don’t have a super competitive nature at all, but I love to race. I traveled everywhere and spent time getting riding experience. I decided I was going to build my own track in my backyard, and after four years of struggling to get the track built, it’s now known and admired, and I absolutely love it. My family said it was like my own Field of Dreams, and I would just say, "I'm happy just to be here. The whole environment. I feel like I found my home."
Tell us about your work.
At PepsiCo, I’ve had a breadth of experiences. From executing big promotions on the Pepsi Brand team, to owning NBA, Music and Culture on Mountain Dew, to driving PepsiCo’s Racial Equality Journey within our Food Service Marketing Department, I’ve had the pleasure of being a cultural marketer who has led platforms we all know intimately. It’s my job to be a marketer who supports and continues to build PepsiCo’s “most loved brands,” but it’s my passion to work on impactful programs that not only drive the business but shift culture.
How did you first become interested in your profession and how has your role evolved over the years to include such transformational projects like Mountain Dew’s the Real Change
Opportunity Fund and your latest, #DigInDay? After graduating from UPenn, I wanted to be a publisher and got an awesome opportunity to be the assistant to the Associate Publisher at GQ. To be frank, I hated it. After trial-and-error, I realized it was the brands that were featured in the magazines that I loved, more than the publishing industry itself.
After realizing I had a passion for brand marketing, I went on to Estée Lauder Companies, where I worked on amazing brands under Jane Lauder and Bobbi Brown. While I was applying to business school, I dual-pathed an application to PepsiCo and got an offer almost immediately, which is where I’ve been ever since.
Over my 13+ year career, I’ve kept myself open to having new experiences and learning new things, but I’ve also been honest with myself about what I love and what I don’t love, which has meant trusting my gut and pivoting when needed.
I never dreamed I would have a career in CPG, nor did I think brand management and purpose-driven platforms were my thing. But I have been open to a journey. It hasn’t been a straight-line, but I’ve found success by finding myself: a culture-driven marketer who likes to push boundaries, work on consumer-first platforms, and face different challenges everyday.
What is your biggest career failure/challenge you have faced and what did you learn from it?
My biggest challenge was facing my fear of public speaking. Earlier in my career, I was very nervous speaking in front of large audiences. I had a mentor once tell me: “Get out of your head and out of your way.” I took that to heart. While I still get nervous, I have realized that fear is just a mindset.
What is your proudest professional accomplishment to date?
I currently sit on PepsiCo’s Prestige Brand Building Team, leading Pepsi Dig In: a five year, purposedriven platform to close the wealth gap by supporting Black-owned restaurants. It has been an honor and a privilege to drive change in a way that not only helps individuals (restaurateurs) but also communities. By using PepsiCo’s scale and position as a corporate leader, I’m able to create large-scale marketing programs that not only capture the attention of all consumers, but I also work with other industry titans to make a difference that will have short and longterm benefits for all communities.
What areas of opportunity in your industry excite you the most right now?
While the pandemic introduced a lot of uncertainty, negativity, and change, there have also been new perspectives and so much innovation. For example, companies are redefining what they expect from employees (working from the office five days a week, versus the flexibility of working from home). People are re-prioritizing what’s important to them, and there are so many new consumer needs that are pushing these industries forward. After the 2009 recession, AirBnB and UBER were created; I can’t wait to see what new industry, innovation, or company emerges from this unique and historical moment.
In what ways (if any) did MKA prepare you for the path your life has taken?
MKA ingrained in me that if you are hardworking, persistent, and true to yourself, you can succeed at anything. Throughout my career, and even personally, I’ve been thrown curve balls or told I wasn’t good enough. However, I have a strong constitution, and I don’t let others define me. I have the courage to determine what is right for me. I learned this mindset at MKA and still carry each day with me the motto of Knowledge, Vision, Integrity.
Ashley Booker ’04
Senior Marketing Leader on the Prestige Brand Building Team at PepsiCo. She is responsible for purpose driven platforms and consumer engagement.
Stacy Cochran is a director, producer, and screenwriter based in New York City. She made her feature debut with the Columbia TriStar title My New Gun starring Diane Lane and James LeGros. It was shot on 35mm film by Oscar-nominated cinematographer Ed Lachman, ASC. It premiered in Director's Fortnight at Cannes and earned an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best First Feature. Subsequent projects as writer-director include the Touchstone/Interscope title Boys starring Winona Ryder, the half-hour film Richard Lester! about the director, which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival (Criterion Channel), and Drop Back Ten, which premiered in the Dramatic Competition at Sundance. After an unplanned hiatus from directing, she completed Write When You Get Work starring Emily Mortimer, Finn Wittrock, and Rachel Keller. Shot on Super 16mm film by Oscar-winning cinematographer Robert Elswit, ASC, the movie premiered in Narrative Competition at SXSW. Currently Stacy is in the midst of post-production for Year On Ice, a fictional film about professional hockey set in 1969, inspired by Gerald Eskenazi’s book of the same title. She is working independently to set up the project as a series and is in the midst of writing a four-part limited series as well.
Stacy was born and grew up in Passaic. She is a graduate of Williams College and Columbia School of the Arts. As the Arthur Levitt Artist-in-Residence at Williams College in 2003, Stacy taught screenwriting and directing in Williamstown, MA, and continued at Williams as a Visiting Lecturer in English and Studio Art for the following three years. She served as head of the Program Advisory committee at MASS MoCA in North Adams for seven years. She now lives in New York with her husband Eric and near to her three now-grown daughters, two of whom are in college and graduate school. The third is teaching ESL in public school for K-2.
Stacy Cochran ’77
Tell us about your work.
I am a filmmaker, and the movies I make are stories: entirely invented constructs with fictional characters. They’re intended to be funny, and I tend toward happy endings, but they’re not exactly “comedies” in the commercial sense. I once heard myself admit that I write about things I’m angry about but then try to keep the anger to myself. I think that’s what builds an anxious foundation and, for me, that’s funny.
What is your proudest accomplishment and worst career failure?
For me as a writer/director, both have been a result of being at the mercy of movie critics. When someone you admire, especially a brilliant film critic, understands what you’re up to on all kinds of levels, technical and compositionally, rhythmically and tonally, all of it, and their thoughts and excitement are published, that experience of being understood and explained in the news has been a thrill, and it is vital to building a career. On the other hand, when a critic trashes your work and devalues you, it can totally derail your career and really dishearten the cast and crew who trusted you, quite profoundly, to protect them from being attacked or misunderstood, or dismissed.
Why directing? How did you first become interested in your profession?
I always had hopes of and compulsions toward being a writer but didn’t know how I’d support myself, or what I might be able to write. I was working other jobs when I finished college and found myself writing dialogue which grew into scenes which grew into screenplays. And then, once I had a finished script, I realized it was nothing but an unfinished movie, so I had to figure out how to produce and direct it.
How would you like to be remembered?
This question really makes me think of a Taylor Swift song about her grandmother, “Marjorie.” Swift wrote, “Never be so kind, you forget to be clever. Never be so clever, you forget to be kind.” And in the next verse: “Never be so polite, you forget your power. Never wield such power, you forget to be polite.” I think that’s a beautiful way to remember the counsel of a mom, grandmother, or grandfather, or for that matter a paper boy or a president. The lyrics in the verse continue: “I watched as you signed your name, Marjorie. All your closets of backlogged dreams. And how you left them all to me.” I’d also like to be remembered as someone who left plenty of unfinished dreams, entwined with excitement and melancholy, behind to my kids, to my friends, and really to anyone who I might unexpectedly help to get back on their feet!
In what ways did MKA prepare you for the path your life has taken?
I loved MKA, but what I think it actually “prepared” me for is the double-ness of the path I tend to find myself on. On the one hand, MKA had so many special opportunities to offer: we were inside a strong institution with dedicated teachers, small classes, lovely arts programs, and opportunities for sports. It was a private school and so, by definition, it offered a kind of insider-excellence. At the same time, coming to school every morning from Passaic, the post-industrial mill town I lived in, I felt like an outsider geographically, socio-economically, and honestly, being Jewish. Those of us from beyond Essex County had fun in those little blue vans that fanned out in the morning to pick us up and bring us to MKA, but we were perpetual outsider/ insiders, and I think that informed my sense of myself as fortunate in so many ways but ever-tangential. I now realize I prefer it that way, in that it offers perspective up, down, and sideways, and from the inside and the outside. MKA prepared me, I think, to find happiness and ambition at the edges.
Nick Graziano ’90
Nicholas F. Graziano is the Managing Partner of Venetus Capital Partners, an investment firm he founded in 2015. Nick also served as a Portfolio Manager at Icahn Capital, the entity through which Carl C. Icahn manages investment funds, from February 2018 to September 2020. Prior to founding Venetus, Nick was a Partner and Senior Managing Director at the hedge fund Corvex Management LP from December 2010 to March 2015. At Corvex, he played a key role in investment management and analysis as well as risk management. Prior to Corvex, Nick was a Portfolio Manager at the hedge fund Omega Advisors, Inc. as well as Managing Director and Head of Special Situations Equity at hedge fund Sandell Asset Management. Nick began his career in the Investment Banking department of Salomon Smith Barney after graduating from Duke University with a BA and MBA in 1995. He has been a director of nine public companies, including: Xerox, Inc., Cloudera, Inc. (Chairman); Herc Holdings Inc.; Herbalife Ltd.; Occidental Petroleum Corporation; Conduent Inc.; FICO Inc.; InfoSpace, Inc., and WCI Communities. He currently serves on the Board of Trustees at the Boys and Girls Club of Greenwich.
Nick, you are an investor and portfolio manager. Tell us about what you do and why you enjoy it?
I'm usually managing either a pool of money or a group of investments, which is generally a small number of investments. Some portfolio managers manage up to hundreds of positions or investments at one time. For me, it's somewhere around 10 investments that really matter, maybe 20 total. It’s very concentrated, which enables me to get very involved in each one of the investments, to know the things you're investing in extremely well, and engage with them to create value in those investments.
What opportunities excite you the most in regards to your work?
Whenever there's an opportunity to get involved closely with a company as part of a management team to create value (because in almost all the situations I get involved in, there's some sort of impediment or impasse to creating value) and to be some part of the solution that helps fix that, it is very rewarding. Both obviously, in terms of getting the securities priced higher, but also in terms of accomplishing something and working with people to do it; there's a lot of satisfaction in that.
What change do you hope to inspire or effect when you sit on a Board?
First you have to figure out what is not going well. What is it that's limiting their ability to realize value? There's often a lot of smart people involved who are trying to figure out exactly that problem. It's not like, especially these days, people just sit there and accept poor performance. So you have to figure out what it is that's getting in the way of value realization, and that could be a lot of different things. It could be the management team; it could be the strategy; it could be a disagreement on a Board. I've come on to Boards where you have half the board saying one thing, half saying another, and the two sides just cannot agree. In some cases just being a deciding vote on something is important to help move a process forward. Sometimes the solution is clear, and it's just a matter of getting it done or getting the right people involved to get it done. Other times you have to figure out what that solution is, and that's often more challenging because it's not all black and white. It requires a lot of hard work and research and getting to know a problem very well before you can solve it.
Have you seen a change in the way investments are being made due to the recent world events that have taken place? Have your investment recommendations changed at all during these times? What do you think might be longer term impacts on the investing environment?
There has certainly been a huge increase in focus on Environmental Social Governance (ESG) focused investing and companies pursuing ESG mandates and goals. While the jury may still be out on specifically ESG focused investment strategies, what has certainly happened is that many companies now realize that serving multiple constituencies and understanding environmental, social, and governance goals and achieving those things actually make for a better company. A better company has better performance. A company that's serving both its shareholders, by having the highest stock price possible, and focusing on other constituencies, for instance, the employee base and the community, is more successful. In particular, I strongly believe that having great employees that are loyal to the company and stay for a long time is incredibly productive. There's almost nothing more unproductive than having to replace unhappy employees and having bad morale.
I think what people have discovered is that by having really strong corporate governance and being a steward in the environment, all these things that have sometimes seemed to be social goals, actually serve the economic goals too. The two can coexist. You can maximize shareholder value by improving some of these other things, and especially because people are seeing that it's working, and agree that this is constructive, both for the company and the people that it serves, it's here to stay.
What is your proudest accomplishment, both personally and professionally?
Personally, my family, and raising two amazing children. Professionally, I'm proud to say that through the course of my career, I don't think I've ever compromised my values and principles in order to get an outcome on an investment or to advance my career, overall. I've always tried to deal with people honestly.
What is the one piece of advice you would give to current MKA students that you wish someone had shared with you during your time at MKA?
I'll give you two. The first is that I benefited a lot from great advice. So I'd advise students to find mentors in whatever they're doing. Find someone who's been successful at what you want to do and then try to learn from them. It's the best training available, it's generally free, and you'd be surprised how much people are usually willing to do it.
The other thing that I'd say is, I would encourage students to go a hundred percent at whatever they're really interested in. If you're deeply engaged in what you're doing, you'll almost never feel like it's part of a grind, and it will never be as much of a struggle.
Laurel Pekar Tahija ’67
Laurel’s commitments to her work have been meaningful because they often involved personal growth, family, and community service.
Teaching as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ivory Coast, Francophone West Africa, Laurel’s first cross-cultural living and working experience after college gave her a new global perspective of how most of the world population lives. Laurel was awarded a Fulbright scholarship to the University of Khartoum in 1976, and her time examining Sudan as a potential breadbasket for OPEC neighbors gave her further exposure to the need for sustainable development on the African continent. While living with a camel-raising nomadic tribe in western Sudan, Laurel witnessed the Sahara Desert’s encroachment as local populations consumed trees and shrubs for firewood.
After receiving her master’s degree from the Johns Hopkins School of International Studies in 1979, Laurel pursued a career in international banking with Chase Manhattan Bank and in 1984 was assigned to Jakarta, Indonesia.
In 1989 Laurel married her Indonesian husband, George, and since then has focused her work on philanthropic activities in education, environment, and sustainable multi-stakeholder investments. With her passion for improving local education, she set out to create a model primary school with student-centered pedagogy in Jakarta in 1995 called PSKD Mandiri Jakarta, which in 2012 became the first K-12 international Stephen Covey TLIM™ The Leader in Me school and is currently a leading school among the Raffles International Christian School network in Jakarta.
To help teachers, students, and parents understand the students’ strengths and weaknesses in acquiring knowledge, Laurel worked for five years with Dr. Kevin McGrew and the Indonesian State Gadjah Mada University, Faculty of Psychology, to develop, norm, and launch the first Indonesian Cognitive Assessment test for students ages 5-18 in 2018. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, they began the gamification of the test to reach out to more students on their mobile phones throughout Indonesia.
Education and community engagement have driven the success of other philanthropic commitments Laurel and George have made, including The Coral Triangle Marine Center in Sanur, Bali that teaches marine coastal communities and fisheries among six nations how to protect the coral reefs that have the greatest number of coral species in the world. And, over the past decade, their Tahija Foundation has funded a venture philanthropic project pioneering the use of Wolbachia bacteria to eliminate dengue fever. With Gadjah Mada University and WMP of Monash University implementing randomized controlled trials, it became clear from the start that not only was the science of producing and distributing millions of mosquitoes with Wolbachia to prevent the mosquitoes’ ability to transmit dengue fever crucial to the project’s success, but also educating the local community to achieve their ongoing engagement was necessary for the project to succeed. The project has seen a 78% reduction in incidence of dengue fever in Yogyakarta, Central Java, Indonesia.
What is your proudest accomplishment?
Learning Chi Running at age 66 with Coach Danny Dreyer in Asheville, NC. This led me to my proudest moment of a ten-kilometer running event at Uluru (Ayers Rock) in Northern Territory, Australia in 2017. My second proudest event was my 10K run in the annual Havana marathon on my 70th birthday in 2019.
What is the biggest challenge that you have faced?
Our adopted son, Adhi, has endured depression and struggled with ADHD most of his life. His challenges have taken our family on an emotionally difficult learning journey. Keeping a positive attitude has helped us navigate this profoundly humbling experience. We continuously learn about mental health and substance abuse issues and hope for the best outcome. Our son inspired me to persevere with my dedication to healthful nutrition, education, and cognitive development research.
What legacy do you hope to leave?
Most of my adult life I have lived out of my comfort zone, taking on new responsibilities and building on each experience. My legacy wish would be to inspire young people to explore all aspects of life and experientially develop a holistic world view. Being a mentor who quietly inspires others to gain opportunities for continuous learning, well-being, and happiness would be my aspirational legacy.
In what ways did The Kimberley School (TKS) prepare you for the path your life has taken?
TKS teachers and friends prepared me well for my journey. My English teachers broadened my mind and taught me to write well, and my French and Spanish teachers inspired me with the joy of immersing myself in learning foreign languages. I enjoyed continuous academic improvement as well as a sense of self-confidence from team building and physical fitness in field hockey and water ballet.
Tell us about your work. Why medicine, and why, in particular, vascular surgery?
I chose the field of medicine to make a difference in the lives of others on a daily basis. I could not see myself sitting in front of a computer at a desk job all day. I am a vascular surgeon, someone who operates on the blood vessels of the body except those of the heart and the brain. We are like the plumbers of the circulatory system!
Vascular surgery has been one of the most exciting fields of medicine over the past 20 years. There has been a huge shift from large open surgeries to minimally invasive surgeries with the advent of new technology. This technology has shifted the way we can deliver care to more patients, improving their quality of life as well as their outcomes. I enjoy the longitudinal delivery of care to my patients as well; typically I follow my patients for years, and I value the relationship and trust that is formed with them. The variety of surgeries and procedures also is a rewarding aspect of vascular surgery.
What opportunities excite you the most in regards to your work? What inspires you?
I get excited about the progress that has been made with the treatment of complex aortic disease. The aorta is the main blood vessel in all of our bodies, and in some people it may become dilated and weakened to form an aneurysm. Repairing the vessel used to take large painful incisions, from the scapula all the way to underneath the belly button. Now, the majority of these patients can be repaired with stents that go in through incisions as small as your thumb nail. The recovery goes from weeks to a few days with much less pain or discomfort. This enables us to treat more frail patients and save lives that would not otherwise have been able to be saved 10 years ago.
What sets you apart from other vascular surgeons?
I have been very lucky to have been trained by excellent mentors in complex aortic surgery over the years. This allows me to offer my patients surgeries that many other surgeons may not be comfortable with offering their patients. I am glad that I have the ability to utilize this cutting edge technology but am still able to treat patients with open surgery if needed.
As a vascular surgeon can you talk to us about the intersection of COVID-19 and Cardiovascular disease?
There are multiple ways in which COVID-19 has affected patients with cardiovascular disease. Many of the patients that are at highest risk for cardiovascular disease from their medical conditions (high blood pressure, diabetes, history of smoking, obesity) are at higher risk of complications and poor outcomes from a COVID -19 infection. That is why it is so important for these at risk patients to get vaccinated and follow appropriate protocols.
We have also seen over the past year a surge of patients who delayed their care because of the pandemic. They may not have had COVID-19, but were afraid to come to the hospital or their provider to be evaluated. This has caused many patients to present with more severe progression of their disease and has led to poorer outcomes, including strokes, heart attacks, limb loss, and death.
Even in healthy patients, COVID-19 can affect the cardiovascular system. The cells lining the blood vessels can become inflamed from viral replication, causing an inflammatory state and clotting. I have treated several patients with COVID-19 who presented as young and otherwise healthy individuals, often in their 30’s and 40’s, who have developed deep vein or aortic clotting. Some of these patients have even had strokes secondary to their COVID infection.
What is your proudest accomplishment both personally and professionally?
Personally, I am proudest of being married to my lovely wife Adrianna and being father to my two wonderful daughters, Nina and Nora.
Professionally, I am proudest of seeing the successes of all of the medical students, residents, and physicians I have mentored over the years.
What is your biggest career challenge you have faced, and what did you learn from it?
Balancing personal and professional life has been one of the biggest challenges in my career. Vascular surgery is a very demanding field that requires a lot of dedication to your patients and time away from home. It is very important to set yourself up for success by choosing an environment and career where your personal and professional life can coexist in symbiosis. This is a challenge that I have definitely improved from earlier in my career but have to continually work on.
In what ways did MKA prepare you for the path your life has taken?
Playing football and lacrosse at MKA helped me develop character, perseverance, and showed me the importance of working as a team for a common goal, all important traits in healthcare. MKA instilled in me a lifelong love of learning which has allowed me to adapt to new technologies and innovations.
What is the one piece of advice you would give to current students that you wish someone had shared with you during your time at MKA?
Take advantage of all of the opportunities that present themselves in life. You never know when a club you sign up for, a trip abroad, or an after school activity will develop into a lifelong passion.
Raghuveer Vallabhaneni, MD, FACS FSVS, is the Director of Vascular Surgery for the Baltimore Region of MedStar Health. He is a fellowship-trained vascular surgeon who is board certified in vascular surgery. Prior to this position, Dr. Vallabhaneni served as an Assistant Professor of Surgery in the Division of Vascular Surgery at the University of North Carolina.
Experienced in all forms of endovascular and open surgery, Dr. Vallabhaneni has specific expertise in complex aortic surgery and has developed a national reputation in this field.
He trained in general surgery at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and completed a research fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh and his clinical vascular surgery fellowship at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis.
Dr. Vallabhaneni's research interests are focused on patient outcomes related to the latest advances in vascular surgery. He has been the principal investigator on numerous clinical trials. Dr. Vallabhaneni is published widely, including book chapters and peer-reviewed articles, and has been an invited speaker at both regional, national, and international vascular surgery conferences.
Dr. Raghuveer Vallabhaneni ’93
