Erica Fee, '99
Erica Fee is the founding producer and board president of the First Niagara Rochester Fringe Festival. Since her stewardship of the festival, it has grown to be one of the top three most attended fringe festivals in the United States. In 2015, the Rochester Fringe Festival drew in more than 63,000 visitors and over 500 performances across 25 venues. Prior to Fringe, Fee lived in the United Kingdom for a decade and ran her own London-based theatrical production and general management company. Fee is a classically trained actress with performance in numerous U.K. shows, commercials, ad campaigns, and short films. Fee was the first American to receive the New Producer's Award from StageOne (Society of London Theaters). She won the award twice, the maximum amount of times it can be awarded. After graduating from UR in 1999, Fee received classical acting training from the Arts Educational Schools London, where she earned her master's degree. Fee gave the commencement speech at UR's 2016 graduation.
Wade Norwood, '85
Wade S. Norwood is the Chief Strategy Officer for Common Ground Health (formerly Finger Lakes Health Systems Agency) and provides strategic leadership that integrates Common Ground's clinical, public health, prevention, and health promotion programs. He served for many years on Rochester's City Council. Currently Norwood is an at-large member of New York State's Board of Regents, which presides over the New York State Education Department and the University of the State of New York. Norwood is a native Rochesterian and graduated from the University of Rochester in 1985 with a B.A. in Political Science. His wife, Lisa, also a graduate of the University of Rochester, is Assistant Dean at the University's Hajim School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and is the Director of the Women in Science and Engineering Program.
Susan Weiner, '94
Susan Weiner is the Executive Vice President and Deputy General Counsel for NBC Universal. Weiner oversees litigation and dispute resolution for NBC Universal, including NBC, and all its owned and operated stations and networks. Weiner manages a bi-coastal group of in-house litigators and is in charge of the law department on the East Coast. She serves on the Board of the Media Law Resource Centers and is a member of the New York State Bar Association Medial Law Committee. Prior to NBC Universal, Weiner acted as a litigator for the Daily News, Wall Street Journal, and ABC. Soon after, she began her tenure as the MTA's (Metro Transit Association) deputy general counsel. In 1993, Weiner began her tenure at NBC Universal. Weiner graduated from the University of Rochester Phi Beta Kappa in 1976.
Alaina J. Harkness, '02
Alaina Harkness is a fellow at the Brookings institution in the Centennial Scholar Initiative. Harkness works on projects regarding 21st Century City Governance. Due to her current position, she is on leave from John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, where she was a senior program officer for Cities, focusing on the intersection of urban community development and emerging information technologies. Previously, Harkness worked on two different community initiatives at the Chicago Community Trust; aiding the city's residents affected by the Chicago Housing Authority's Plan for Transformation, and the City's bid for the Olympics.
Robert Khuzami, '79
Robert Khuzami is the Deputy U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. In his current role, he is leading the criminal investigation of Michael Cohen, attorney for President Donald Trump. Khuzami previously worked as a United States federal prosecutor and Assistant District Attorney for the same office and was a former director of the Division of Enforcement of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. During his time as a federal prosecutor and Assistant District Attorney, Khuzami helped prosecute the individual who bombed the World Trade Center in 1993. Before he served in the government, Khuzami was a partner at Kirkland & Ellis law firm. After Khuzami graduated from the University of Rochester, he earned his J.D. at Boston University.
Robert Sherman, '75
Robert Sherman currently serves as senior counsel to Greenberg, Traurig, LLP located in Boston. Sherman was a founding member of the firm, and worked for them from 1999-2014. He was the former Ambassador to the Liberian nation of Portugal from 2013 to 2017. Robert Sherman acted as a Boston Area attorney for 35 years serving in private practice. He was named the Assistant Attorney General of Massachusetts and Chief of the State Consumer Protection Division (SCPD) from 1991 to 1993. Between 1999 and 2008, Sherman co-founded the Boston office of the Miami based law firm Greenberg Traurig and acted as the co-managing shareholder. In 2013, Obama appointed Sherman to the United States Holocaust Memorial Council. Sherman served on the board of the Children's Trust Fund, co-chair of the Boston Arts Academy Annual Gala benefit, co-chair of the Boston CURE Gala for the Epilepsy Foundation, and a member of the board of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Robert Sherman graduated from the University of Rochester in 1975.
Jeanette Moy, '02
Jeanette Moy is the Chief Operating Officer of the Office of the New York State Attorney General. In that capacity, she helps oversee the operations of an agency with a $225 million operating budget and 1,800 employees across 33 office locations. She served previously as the Brooklyn Public Library's Chief Strategy Officer and Vice President for Strategic Planning. The Brooklyn Public Library system is the nation's fifth largest public library system with 60 different branches. Moy served during the community-wide reassessment project as a Senior Policy Advisor to New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg. Moy helped improve a Brooklyn library system that was aging and financially strapped. While at the University of Rochester, Moy studied Political Science and Public Policy, before graduating in 2002.
Alan Abramowitz, '69
Alan Abramowitz graduated from the University of Rochester in 1969 before attending Stanford University, where he received his PhD in 1976. Abramowitz is the Alben W. Barkley Professor of Political Science at Emory College in Atlanta. Abramowitz is a leading figure in the Political Science field for his work on American Politics and elections. Previously, Abramowitz taught at the College of William and Mary and Stony Brook University. He has co-authored five books and received two awards from political science associations.
Lynn Vavreck, '97
Lynn Vavreck is a Professor of Political Science and Communication Studies at UCLA. In 2014, Vavreck became a contributing columnist to The New York Times data-journalism website called THE UPSHOT and is a frequent guest on MSNBC, NPR, and the BBC. She has published numerous books and papers focused on politics and campaigns. In 2015, Vavreck was named an Inaugural Andrew F. Carnegie Fellow. Vavreck has served on the advisory boards of the British and American National Election Studies and is the co-founder of the Cooperative Campaign Analysis. Vavreck received her Ph.D. from the University of Rochester in political science in 1997 and has previously worked at Princeton University, Dartmouth College, and The White House.
Malik Evans, '02
Malik Evans, a Rochesterian, graduated from the University of Rochester in 2002. He currently serves as a Business Growth Program Manager at ESL Federal Credit Union in Rochester. He oversees efforts to create shared value through driving business growth in the Greater Rochester Area. He currently serves on the Rochester Board of Education, where he was the youngest person ever elected to the Board. He became the Board President from 2008 to 2013. He is also a board member of the Rochester Area Community Foundation, Catholic Family Center Board of Directors, Hope Hall Board of Directors, and is a trustee on the Rochester Museum and Science Center Board. As a high school student, he initiated the City-County Youth Council to help motivate children to be more involved in community service, which culminated in a presentation in the White House in 1999.
Laurence H. Bloch, '75
Laurence H. Bloch graduated from the University of Rochester in 1975. Bloch is a private investor, has served as a director of several private equity-sponsored companies, and is currently the chairman of Diversified Global Graphic Group (DG3). Bloch previously served as chairman of the Board and president of TransWestern Publishing company, LLC. As chairman and president, he expanded TransWestern Publishing from 92 to 400 directories, 500 to 2,500 employees, and increased their annual revenues from $53 million to $390 million. From 1980 to 1990, Bloch worked in the investment banking industry in New York City where he served as Vice President of corporate finance at Smith Barney. Between 1991 and 1993, Bloch was the senior vice president and chief financial officer of Lanxide Corporation. In 1993, Bloch co-sponsored the acquisition of TransWestern Publishing from US West, serving as vice chairman and chief financial officer, and as board chair from 1998 until the company was sold in 2005. Bloch has served as a University trustee since 1992 and is chair of the board's Development Committee and a member of the Executive Committee.
Dawne Hickton, '79
Dawne Hickton is President and Founding Partner of Cumberland Highstreet Partners. She is Past President of the International Titanium Association, Director of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, a Board Member at Jacobs Engineering Group, Director at Norsk Titanium, and Director of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland. She previously served as the Chief Executive Officer, President, and Vice Chair of RTI Remmele Engineering, Inc. At RTI International Metals, Hickton was the Chief Executive Officer from 2007 to 2015 and President from 2009 to 2015. She is a Trustee of the University of Pittsburgh.
Carla Fisher, '99
Carla Fisher is the Director of Product Innovation for Kids and Family at Netflix and also serves on the Board of Trustees at the Strong National Museum of Play. Fisher founded No Crusts Interactive, a company that provides consulting on video game design for commercial and educational products. At Netflix, Fisher oversees product lead for both kids and family experiences across all devices. Fisher graduated from the University of Rochester in 1999 before pursuing graduate degrees from the New School in New York City and from the Teachers College of Columbia University.
Joshua Shapiro, '95
Joshua Shapiro is Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, elected in November 2016. Shapiro previously served as the Chairman of the Board of Commissioners for Montgomery County, the third-largest county in Pennsylvania, where he was responsible for a budget of $370 million and over 2,300 employees. He was also a Democratic member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives starting in 2005. He resigned from the position after being elected the Montgomery County Commissioner. Shapiro was the first Democrat to lead Montgomery County in Pennsylvania in over 150 years. Philadelphia Magazine said that Shapiro was "a blast of oxygen in the smoke-choked back rooms of quid-pro-quo Harrisburg" and that his work in the legislature had earned him a reputation as a bipartisan consensus builder. Shapiro graduated magna cum laude from the University of Rochester in 1995, where he served as President of the Students' Association, and he later earned his law degree from Georgetown University.
Daan Braveman, '69
Daan Braveman graduated from the University of Rochester in 1969 prior to earning his law degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1972. He worked as an attorney for the Greater Upstate Law Project in Rochester, NY. In 1977, Braveman joined the Syracuse University College of Law and later became the Dean of the school from 1994-2002. In 2005, Braveman was inaugurated and is currently the ninth president of Nazareth College. He is a trustee of the New York State Interest on Lawyers' Accounts and serves on the Boards of the Rochester Business Alliance and the New American Colleges and Universities. Braveman has written a book on federal courts and co-authored numerous books on constitutional law and civil rights.
Heather Higginbottom, '94
Heather Higginbottom is the Chief Operating Officer of CARE, an organization formed to end poverty, attain social justice, and save lives. Higginbottom made the move after the Obama Administration left office, where she was the Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources. In her previous role, she was responsible for US foreign policy and had broad oversight responsibilities for the Department of State and the US Agency for International Development. Higginbottom was the first woman ever selected to the Deputy Secretary position. Between 2011 and 2013, she worked as Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget. From 2009 to 2011, she served as Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council. Ms. Higginbottom served then-Senator Obama in 2007 as Policy Director for his Presidential campaign and supervised aspects of his foreign and domestic policy development.
Brett Stark, '07
Brett Stark graduated from the University of Rochester in 2007, then went on to Harvard Law School. Stark served as an Equal Justice Works Fellow, where he worked on refugee resettlement in Kenya and on human rights in Israel. He was a Fulbright Scholar in Taiwan in 2008. Stark currently is the Legal Director and co-founder of Terra Firma at Catholic Charities New York, where he represents unaccompanied immigrant children in federal and state litigation. He is admitted to the New York Bar and the Eastern and Southern Districts of New York.
Mark Ferrandino, '99
Mark Ferrandino served as Speaker of the Colorado House of Representatives in 2013-14, the first openly gay person to hold this position. He was first elected to the Colorado General Assembly in 2007, leaving office in 2014 because of term limits. He serves currently as Chief Financial Officer for the Denver Public School System. While at the University of Rochester, he majored in both political science and economics before earning his bachelor's in 1999 and later his master's in public policy analysis in 2000. At the UR, Ferrandino was a pole vaulter on the track and field team.
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