FIRST WORDS Letter from the Editor

The World’s—and UC’s—Most Intriguing People

One of my favorite interviews for this issue was the chat I had with Dawn Chmielewski ’83, a senior editor at Forbes who’s spent decades reporting on the tech and entertainment industries—and not just because I wanted the scoop on the celebrities she’s encountered.

Among other questions, I asked Chmielewski about her favorite part of her job.

“I’ve always felt fortunate to work as a professional journalist,” she told me. “It’s a gig that offers unparalleled access to the world’s most intriguing people. It has opened doors to conversations with Oscar-winning director Ron Howard and media mogul Shari Redstone, whose family controls CBS and Viacom, among others.”

And while I haven’t interviewed any billionaire moguls or Oscar-winning directors (yet), Chmielewski’s comment perfectly expressed a thought I had many times while working on this issue.

For the “Three Questions” story alone, I talked to a marketing expert responsible for “shaping the media industry” according to Ad Age; the Ivy League’s only female Director of Football Operations; an inspiring plus-size dancer and entrepreneur on the rise; and Michigan’s best— and might I add, funniest—bed bug assassin.

Intriguing people, to say the least.

Even more than our conversations, I loved the opportunity to share their stories in this issue of Utica. See the full feature on page 27.

As always, I want to know what you think of Utica. Share your comments, questions, or story ideas at uticamag@utica.edu

- Mary Donofrio, Editor

Just one of the many fascinating alumni I interviewed for this issue: Akira Armstrong ’05, on campus in 2018 for a homecoming weekend performance.