Alumni Impact

Rombout Peer ’91 and his wife, Jacqueline, journeyed to Australia for sabbatical in search of what they wanted for their lives. What they ultimately discovered is that helping others find direction also adds meaning to their own lives.

After years in politics and management consulting in the Netherlands, a sabbatical in Australia and time developing their idea in South Africa, the pair launched Peer Facilitation in 2008. The consulting firm transforms executive leadership training into a program that helps the chronically unemployed uncover their skills and passions.

The program begins by teaching participants to develop trust, recognize emotional intelligence and deal with individual responsibility. Participants then learn to align their goals and passions while they formulate a plan for reintegration to the work force.

“This program actually shifts the mindset of these people — who don’t believe in anything anymore — so they can be effective,” Peer said. “If you resolve the mindset before addressing the skills, than they can really be valuable to their employers.”

Early results have been positive. Within one year of implementing the program in the Netherlands, the Peers received a national award for Best Practice in addressing unemployment issues in the country. Within 18 months, more than 400 long-time unemployed people had completed the program. Many participants have found more than work — they have found themselves.

Peer recalls one participant, a roofer who had suffered an emotional downward spiral. He had lost his career, his family and was contemplating suicide. During the first few days of the workshop, the man swore at people and refused to participate.

“At the end, he came up with tears in his eyes and said it was the most amazing experience he has ever had,” Peer said. “With some assistance, he was able to start his own roofing company.”

The program gained momentum and drew international attention. But suddenly Jacqueline Peer became sick and died within months. Peer was devastated.

He struggled to move on but ultimately decided he had to continue the program himself. Unfortunately, public funding dried up because of Europe’s financial crisis.

“Sometimes I wonder how to keep going, but one of the last things she told me was that she would guide me from another dimension,” Peer said.

Today, Peer has relocated to Johannesburg — where he first developed the program — and in a city where the unemployment rate is at least 20 percent. He is working to make the same impact in South Africa that he made in the Netherlands. He also hopes to bring the program to the United States.

Peer credits Thunderbird for much of his success and said that his education not only equipped him with the skills to start a business but, also sparked an interest in social entrepreneurship.

“People always ask me, ‘Aren’t these people unemployed for a reason?’” Peer said. “But I believe people are people, and this type of work is about giving people an opportunity. When you give them these types of leadership skills, they can make a difference.”

This note comes from Gary Miller, T-bird alumnus class of 1973.

“We had a good group of friends in school and nothing has changed. Constantine Theodorou flew in from Athens, Greece, while all else flew in from around the USA.

We all enjoyed getting caught up and plan on seeing each other annually. In the photos are Constantine Theodorou, Gary Miller, Jimmy Sanchez,Norm Gottlieb, Peter Wallin, Bob Lautz, Baxter Urist and Santiago Hinohosa.”

Thanks for sharing Gary! Want to share your alumni stories? Email Alumni@Thunderbird.edu

The T-bird Class of 1968 held its ninth annual gathering Feb. 25 in Miami.

“The evening was a wonderful night of renewing old friendships,” said Robert Cackett ’68

One T-bird, Takashi Kurisaka ’68, came all the way from Tokyo.

Cackett said that the class invites everyone they can locate every year. He said that those who couldn’t attend truly missed a great experience.

“You have no idea what you missed,” said Cackett. “Just look at the faces of your classmates whom most of you have not seen in 44 years.”

Cackett credits the success of the gatherings to the fact that it’s simply a no-strings-attached yearly gathering for classmates only.

A special thanks to the Class of 1968 for sharing this great photo with Thunderbird!

Pictured in the photo from left: 
Back: John Dowd, Juan Luis Rodriguez, Fred Opper, Ken skuse, Berry Hayley, Joe Gury, Peter Gunther and Keith Parker. Center: Mary Kay (Thomas) Ross, Joe Ringer, Ron Alonzo, Joe Kimm and Takashi Kurisaka. Front: John Harriman, Bob Cackett, Fred Saah and Dick Weden.

Ron Alonzo ’68 has re-joined American Recruiters and will be handling much of the firm’s global searches.

Robert Fulton ’74 won unanimous approval to become Finance Chief for Jefferson Parish public schools in New Orleans.

Robert Shanks ’76 has been appointed Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Ford Motor Company. Shanks previously held the position of Vice President and Controller.

Joseph Handly ’77 recently joined RDW group as Senior Media Strategist. Handly has more than 25 years of experience as a senior advertising professional.

William Langford ’80 has been appointed as Executive-In-Residence for the spring 2012 semester at Philadelphia Biblical University. The program gives Christian business leaders a chance to share their knowledge and insights with students and faculty.

Jim Ward ’83 has been named President and CEO of the Phoenix Symphony. Ward had been serving as interim President and CEO of the non-profit since January 2011.

Dan Wakeland ’86 has been hired as Product Manager for Superfeet Worldwide Inc. Wakeland has a  background in the European outdoor industry working with companies such as Trek Bicycle Corp. and Specialized Cycles.

Frédéric Agneessens ’88 was recently appointed as Honorary Consul of Canada for Flanders. In his new role, Agneessens will increase Canada’s visibility and presence in this important region of Belgium.

Eric Nelson ’94 has been appointed as the China Business Unit Head for Oerlikon Drive Systems. Prior to this, Nelson was the Deputy General Manager for Phelps Dodge in Thailand.

Kevin Peck ’96 recently accepted a new position as AT&T as Vice President of Brand Strategy. Prior to this, Peck was running Global Brand Strategy for Microsoft.

Toufic Tabbara ’97 has been appointed CEO of Lafarge Jordan, both Cement and Concrete.

Annaelisa Holguin ’98 has joined the economic development team for the City of El Paso in Texas.

Jeewat Bijlani ’02 recently joined Houghton International as Vice President of Global Business Development, Marketing and Strategy.  His previous role was Director of the Private Equity Services Group for Celerant Consulting.

The highest rate of alumni giving last year was 26% from the class of 2007!

Where does your class stand? See the list below to find your class giving rate and total gift amount.

Remember, gifts of any size count toward our alumni participation rate. Thank you to all of our alumni who gave a gift to Thunderbird during the last fiscal year. Your donations went toward Thunderbird scholarships, technology, curriculum development, faculty research and alumni programs and services.

We hope we can count on you again this year. Make your gift today.  

ALUMNI GIVING BY CLASS

Some of you have lived in small villages tucked far away in the world; some of you have worked in bustling cities as leaders of global companies; and others have taken a dream and transformed it into a thriving business. But no matter what path you have traveled in life, part of your journey was spent with Thunderbird.

Share these experiences with the next generation of T-birds by joining your local alumni chapter on March 6 for Thunderbird’s seventh annual Super First Tuesday event.  Also, if you know someone who would make a good T-bird, invite them to join you.

The event is organized and promoted by the Thunderbird Recruiting Team and Alumni Relations to give prospective students a unique opportunity to gain firsthand insights from T-birds on how a Thunderbird education has led them to a wide variety of careers and life experiences. The event’s primary organizer is Bell Benjapatanamongkol ‘08, Global Community Engagement Manager.

“Super First Tuesday gives the alumni the opportunity to contribute to the school in a way other than financially, which is especially significant to recent graduates who may not be able to give back in other ways,” said Director of Admissions Jay Bryant ’04.  “Their comments, insight, and support at the event can help us bring the best and brightest global minds to Thunderbird.”

Last year, 76 chapters participated in the event along with nearly 360 prospective students.  This year, various Thunderbird staff will attend events in Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York City, Washington D.C., Hong Kong, Salt Lake City, Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and Phoenix.

Hong Kong Chapter Leader and Thunderbird Alumni Network Board member Kevin Rohrer ’82 has organized numerous Super First Tuesdays at his chapter and knows how powerful the event is.

“Seeing the alumni network in action can make the difference for an MBA candidate who is choosing between Thunderbird and another top tier school,” Rohrer said.

In fact, more than 80 percent of Thunderbird’s current students first learned about the school through a friend, colleague or family member – who is often a Thunderbird graduate.

Washington D.C. Chapter leader and Thunderbird Alumni Network Board Member Jean-Christophe Deverines ‘00 said that he is expecting over 80 attendees to his Super First Tuesday event, which will be held at The International Trade Center.

“The alumni body is what makes up the fabric of a school. It shapes networking, aids in career advancement, and is ultimately the embodiment of the Spirit of the school,” Deverines said. ”It all starts with recruiting students, and Super First Tuesday is a unique opportunity for alumni to contribute to shaping the school’s profile and to further the Thunderbird spirit.”

Specific information can be found on your local chapter page on MTB and here

Please contact Bell Benjapatanamongkol ‘08 at bell.b@thunderbird.edu if you would like to get involved with your Super First Tuesday chapter event.

The student and alumni rugby teams will once again face off on the Thunderbird rugby pitch March 1-3 for the 29^th annual Rugby Alumni Weekend.

In last year’s match, the alumni team “Old Boys” fell short 29-8, but had a good time playing and even traveled to Iceland the same year to compete.

“The great thing about Rugby Alumni Weekend is the gathering of rugby alumni from the 1970s through 2012 getting together to swap lies about how great we were when we played at Thunderbird,” said Thunderbird Alumni Rugby Association leader Chuck Hamilton ’91. “When 80 or more Old Boys show up, you might have to bring your hip waders.”

The weekend’s activities include golf outings, a night at the pub, a baseball game, skeet shooting, a social with the alumni and student rugby players, a rugby banquet – and, of course, the annual match.

Leader of the student rugby team Morgan Siegal said he is looking forward to seeing the alumni back on campus. Siegal helped his team reach a victory against the Old Boys last year and believes the team will come out strong this year – especially with players Clay Adair and Elliot Rossbach.

“Since I’ve started at Thunderbird, I’ve made some powerful connections with a lot of the rugby alumni guys,” Siegal said. “Naturally, I’m looking forward to seeing my friends and introducing current members to our alumni to impress upon them the importance of this tradition and relationship.”

Hamilton said that rugby tours always bring the team closer together, despite the fact that there are more than three decades of alumni. Following Rugby Alumni Weekend, the team will prepare for a Croatia-Montenegro tour in 2013.

For more information on Rugby Alumni Weekend, contact Chuck Hamilton ‘91 at chuck.notlimah@gmail.com

Nearly 50 T-birds and other guests enjoyed an evening of light appetizers, a silent auction, drinks and great company during the Chicago Alumni Chapter’s annual holiday party on December 8, 2012.

“The event was a great success,” said Lee Schlesinger ’01. “A special thanks goes to those who donated items as well as a number of people who volunteered to call alumni.”

Schlesinger and chapter leadership invited T-birds to their events through a special phone campaign and a concerted effort to reach more people through e-mail communications.

A number of new T-birds also shared their contact information and expressed interest in attending future events, Schlesinger said.

The event was held at Webster’s Wine Bar in a private room. Silent auction items included toys, Cubs tickets, wine and more. Donated items were provided by Lee Schlesinger ‘01, Tom Kostal ‘99, Scott Altman ‘86, Keith Olson ‘77 and Heidi Saunders ‘99.  

Thunderbird would like to extend a special thank-you to the Chicago Chapter leaders for their time and commitment to making this event a success – and for sharing these great photos!

About 15 T-birds and guests enjoyed a visit in Madrid on October 13, 2011 at EntreVinos restaurant.
Global Community Engagement Manager Bell Benjapatanamongkol ’08 was in Madrid for the MBA Tour and shared this photo from the gathering.

Pictured above (from left to right): Bruno Cornelio ’76, Amanda Carson ’09, Ryan Fong ‘08, Amanda Fong ‘07, Pamela Rager ’99 and student Will Keller

Six T-birds gathered Dec. 15, 2011 at a bar called the Duck and Cover located at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan.

The group called its gathering T-bird Thursday and hopes to make it a monthly tradition.

We’d like to extend a special thank you to Pamela Rager ‘99, Executive Director of the 10,000 Women Program, who works for Thunderbird at the American University in Afghanistan, for organizing this event and sharing this photo. We’d also like to thank Amanda Fong ‘07 for hosting the group at the U.S. Embassy and for snapping this photo.