Alumni Impact

Mark Field ‘95 and US Navy Veteran, will serve as the Publisher and Editor of the Arizona Veterans Magazine.  Mark has a long track record of publishing and supporting veteran’s issues.  He published Sun Tennis Magazine and Sun Golf Magazine in the 1990s and is the author of a best-selling travel book.  He served in the US Navy on submarines including on the recovery of the Space Shuttle Challenger.

Siobhan MacDermott ‘05 has been appointed Executive Chairman of Frootfal Holdings Ltd.,  a leader in cash-back application technology that enables consumers to shop online and earn rewards anytime they purchase.

Bashar Nejdawi ‘90 named President of Ingram Micro North America Mobility, the world’s largest technology distributor and a global leader in IT supply-chain, mobile device lifecycle services and logistics solutions.

Jeffrey Kottmeier ‘98 is the new Director, Research and Analysis for CBRE (NYSE:CBG) in the Washington-Baltimore region.  In his new role Jeff will focus on forecasting trends analysis and real estate strategy.

Eddie Goitia ‘87 is the new CFO for Arizona based Tilted Kilt.  Goitia will be responsible for developing and executing a strategic financial plan to assist in the expansion of the Tilted Kilt brand. As of now, Tilted Kilt has over 70 locations, in the United States and Canada.

Cindy Cooper ‘00 awarded Top 40 under 40 by the Portland Business Journal.

Steven Johnston ’01 has been named Manager Director, Political and Sovereign Risk at the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC). OPIC is the U.S. Government’s development finance institution. It mobilizes private capital to help solve critical world challenges and in doing so, advances U.S. foreign policy. Because OPIC works with the U.S. private sector, it helps U.S. businesses gain footholds in emerging markets, catalyzing revenues, jobs and growth opportunities both at home and abroad. OPIC achieves its mission by providing investors with financing, guarantees, political risk insurance, and support for private equity investment funds.

Paula Vogel ‘75  elected to Board of Directors Oral Health America

Rod Taylor ‘75  interviewed  by Neil Weinberg, Editor in Chief of the American Banker. 

Magnús Bjarnason ‘92  appointed CEO of Icelandic Group.

Lenn Phegley ‘08   named  Vice President of Manufacturing at Crosman Corporation.

Atif Rahim Khan ‘06  advisor  to the Commonwealth Foundation, UK now as part of their Civil Society Advisory Committee.

Ashwin Puri ‘03 has joined  Komli Media as VP and head of global business development.

Jonathan Pearson ‘92 has been appointed  Executive Vice President of Business Development, Topical Products, effective November 19, 2012.

Todd Judy ‘96  joins  The Exclusive Ranks Of Stanford Who’s Who SINGAPORE. 

Salvatore (Sal) Pappalardo ‘80 has been appointed  Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for Meridian International Center.

Latin Grammys recognize artist Curtis “King” Kovach ’91   An upbeat song co-written by Kovach made the 2012 ballot for Latin Grammy Award nominations. ”King”  plays Latin-style harmonica on the song, “Mi Corazon Insiste,” performed with Indian-American artist Anand Bhatt.

Larry Lipsher ’65  concluded a two-city speaking tour in Mumbai in early October on the topic of Sound International Planning in the Midst of a Worldwide Depression.  The tour was sponsored by Henley & Partners.

Michael Krafft ‘92  appointed  to the Board of Directors with the Foundation for Sustainable Development (FSD).

Susan F. Stevens ‘73  has joined  the board of Umpqua Holdings Corp., the parent company of Umpqua Bank.

Mark Hall ‘86  an Austin Tx.-based filmmaker/lawyer/Internet pioneer who has an award-winning documentary, Sushi: The Global Catch.

Charles Vaughan ‘04 has joined  Modular Wind Energy as Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing.

Joseph Fernandez ‘95  founded  Trade Without Borders (TWB) is a unique Social Enterprise Comprised of a U.S. non-profit and a Hong Kong based low-profit company, TWB focuses on extending inclusive, market-based supply chains for daily livelihood product needs, initially in the Clean Energy sector, to developing regions of the world.

Marco Raad ‘98 Named Director, Ethnic and Urban Markets. Tom Smuda, Vice President, Retail, Hershey North America, today announced that Marco Raad, currently General Manager, Global Exports, has been named Director, Ethnic and Urban Markets, effective October 22.

Luis A. Moreno ‘77 was honored at the Sixth Annual Clinton Global Citizen Awards in New York City in a ceremony featuring performances by recording artists and appearances by heads of state and celebrity philanthropists. The Clinton Global Citizen Awards recognizes individuals from various sectors who demonstrate visionary leadership in addressing global challenges.

Renato de Sa Rego e Silva ‘10  appointed  Director at the JeffreyGroup at the firm’s Miami regional headquarters, Latin America’s largest independent agency.

Rachel Clapp Smith ‘04  received  Purdue  Universities Outstanding Faculty Award for the 2011-12 academic year.  Clapp is an Assistant Professor of Management .

W. Wilson Timothy ’01  appointed  Director of International Sales Leupold & Stevens, Inc.  Timothy will head up Leupold’s global sales force, bringing more than 14 years of experience to the team.

Tim Sullivan ‘76  appointed  to Board of Directors for Generac, a leading designer and manufacturer of generators and other engine powered products.

Betsy Jones ‘87 to lead King County policy on health and human services.  Betsy brings broad experience in health policy and improving health in underserved populations.

Marius Haas ‘91 named President of Enterprise Solutions at Dell.   He will be responsible for worldwide engineering, design, development and marketing of Dell enterprise products, including servers, networking and storage systems.

Louis Lupo ’98 named President/CEO of Contour Energy Systems.  Louis will guide Contour’s strategic vision and direction in pursuit of significant growth opportunities in existing and new applications for the company’s market leading Lithium/Carbon Fluoride battery technology, combined with future corporate acquisitions of complementary technologies.

John Thompson ‘94 named  Vice President, Shared Services at Choice Hotels.  Since joining Choice Hotels in 1998,  John has been heavily involved in strategic planning and execution of the successful rollout and support of Choice’s web-based property management system, choiceADVANTAGE.

Akhil Puri ‘01 has been appointed director, India, at KKR Captstone in Mumbai, heading KKR’s engagements with Kholberg Kravis Roberts & Co.’s portfolio firms in India.

Lynda Hammes ’11 has been named the next publisher of Foreign Affairs by the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR).

Don Capener ’85 has been named the dean of Jacksonville University’s Davis College of Business.  His tenure began July 1.

Hendrik Jacobs ’88 has been named President and Chief Operating Officer of SunOpta Foods, the Company’s core integrated natural and organic foods business.

Steve Cullimore ’92 was promoted to principal in PwC’s Tax practice.  Cullimore will use his more than 17 years of experience specializing in transfer pricing to serve clients in a variety of industries.

Mark Larsen ‘84 was appointed Senior Vice President, Equipment Division of Alfa Laval Inc.  In this role, Larsen is responsible for driving consistent profitable growth, and developing new sales opportunities for the faster paced and more transactional business of Alfa Laval in the USA. His charge includes leading the sales and marketing efforts for the sanitary processing equipment, OEM engine and transport, heating, ventilation, air-conditioning and refrigeration, and industrial manufacturing, metalworking and machinery segments of the company’s business.

Shani McKinney ’93 has accepted a new position with Fresno, CA-based Crown Jewels Produce.   McKinney will handle daily foreign and domestic sales of all products, as well as the creation of and maintenance of a South American import program.

Ralph M. Della Ratta Jr. ’77 was appointed to the Kent State University Board of Trustees.
Gov. John Kasich appointed Della Ratta to a nine-year term effective from July 13, 2012 through May 16, 2021

Daniel Conkright ’95 has accepted a new position with Riveron Consulting a financial consulting firm serving private equity funds, firms that are growing through strategic acquisitions and companies seeking to maximize the value of business transactions.

The China & Hong Kong team won Thunderbird’s Global Giving Competition for the second consecutive year. The region finished out the fiscal year with an alumni giving participation rate of 27.7 percent – almost 7 percentage points higher than last year.

Second place this year went to the Southeast Asia team, followed by the U.K. team. And it was a close match, as the Southeast Asia team finished with 17.8 percent and the U.K. team finished with 17.7 percent!

Congratulations to the leading U.S. team this year –  the Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine team. The region finished with 14.4 percent. Last year’s winner in this category was the Washington D.C. Area team.

Because the China & Hong Kong team placed No. 1, all donors in that region will have their names published in the Fall issue of Thunderbird Magazine. They will also receive a personal thank you letter from Thunderbird’s president.

Thunderbird would like to thank all the chapter leaders and alumni who participated in this competition by making a gift to Thunderbird and sharing the message via social media and e-mail. We greatly appreciate your support and enthusiasm.

Thunderbird’s goal for the fiscal year was 15 percent, but the year-end figure stands at 12.7 percent. Thank you to all of our alumni who made a gift to Thunderbird this year!

Don’t forget to check the leaderboard for the final results.

Global Giving Competition Leaderboard – Final Results

Jacques Kerrest ’73 has been appointed to the Board of Directors of MagneGas Corporation. Kerrest serves on the board of Elephant Talk Communications Corp.

Richard Frank ’76 has been named Vice President of International Sales for Hickory Springs Manufacturing Company. Prior to this role, Frank was the Marketing Director of Global Sales Vista.

Byron Smith ’83 has been promoted to Vice President of Business Development and International Sales for Maxi-Lift. Smith has been with the company since 2007.

Kenneth Strange Jr. ’87 has accepted the position of Vice-President of International Operations at Inter-Con Security Systems in Pasadena, California. In his new position, Strange will oversee the Africa Region. He recently completed a two-year assignment in Mexico City as Director of Compliance Investigations in Latin America for the Siemens Corporation.

Haru Tsuyukubo ’89 accepted the position of President, Faurecia Japan KK and Vice President for Faureica JAIK Div. (Japan, ASESAN, India and Korea) for automotive seating in Yokohama, Japan. Prior to this, Tsuyukubo was Rep. Director/President of Magna International Japan Inc.

Joan Kennedy ’92 has been named Vice President for Consumer Health Engagement at Cigna. Prior to this role, Kennedy was Senior Vice President for Personal Health Solutions by Medco.

Thomas Idzorek ’99 has been named President of Morningstar Investment’s Global Investment Management Division. Prior to this role, Idzorek was the company’s chief investment officer.

Nathan Byrd ’10 has been named the Head of Education Finance for Opportunity International and is based in Nairobi, Kenya.  Prior to this role, Byrd was Deputy Director of Operations for the International Rescue Committee in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Christian Zdebel ’12 has been appointed Managing Director of Impress Labs. Prior to this role, Zdebel was the Senior Vice President of Digital and Social Media for MSLGROUP.

There are just two more days left to move ahead in Thunderbird’s second annual Global Giving Competition.

The China & Hong Kong team is once again holding the No. 1 spot, followed by the Southeast Asia team and the U.K. team.

These are the same teams that placed in last year’s competition, but the Northern Europe team is not far behind!

Only 11 gifts stand between the Northern Europe team and the U.K. team for the third place spot.

As the fiscal year quickly draws to a close, Thunderbird still needs 726 new gifts to reach the goal of 15 percent alumni participation. A number of T-birds have made their gifts in the final week. We thank you for your support! If you haven’t yet made a gift to Thunderbird, remember that a gift of any size counts, and all gifts make an impact. Make your gift today.

The team that has made the greatest number of gifts so far this week is California, followed by Arizona.

Thank you to all of the other teams that brought in gifts this week! They include:

-         Africa & Middle East

-         Central Europe

-         Eastern Europe & Russia

-         Washington State

-         Nevada, Utah and New Mexico

-         Colorado

-         Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Missouri

-         Texas

-         Illinois

-         New York

-         Delaware, Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania

Stay tuned for one final update to the leaderboard! We once again thank all teams for their support and enthusiasm this year.

Global Giving Competition Leaderboard – Week VI (Thursday)