Cynthia RockwellBenno Schmidt '93, host of dLife (CNBC), the only TV series dedicated to people with diabetes, began the April 15 episode by telling his viewers, “I recently spent a week in Haiti, investigating the state of health care, particularly for those with diabetes, two years after the earthquake. I came away deeply humbled by what we found." The episode included remarks by U.N. Special Envoy and President Bill Clinton, actor and humanitarian Sean Penn, and model and humanitarian Petra Nemcova, as well as members of the new government of Haiti and physicians dedicated to treating those with diabetes in Haiti.…
A new exhibition by visual artist, author, and educator Wendy Richmond ’75 opened at The Museum of Art Rhode Island School of Design on May 25. "Wendy Richmond: Navigating the Personal Bubble" will be up through Nov. 4. Richmond documents and explores the ways in which digital technology creates “personal bubbles”—or mobile privacy zones, which transform the social experience of sharing public space. Museum director John Smith calls her work “surprisingly revealing of the ways in which we interact and communicate in this digital age,” and adds that the video installation, “Alone in Public (2012),” was created especially for the…
Philadelphian Charisse Lillie ’74 was back in Middletown working on a community project this spring. She’d been an active volunteer in the city in her undergraduate days, and now, as the vice president of community investment for Comcast and president of the Comcast Foundation, she returned as a member of the nationwide and 11th annual Comcast Cares Day, held this year on April 21. “It’s just wonderful to be back in Middletown,” she said, recalling her undergraduate community involvement as a drama workshop leader with Teenagers Organized for Productive Services during the 1970s. This time, she, the Comcast volunteers, and members…
Lara Galinsky ’96, senior vice president of Echoing Green, a nonprofit social venture fund that supports emerging social entrepreneurs, was on campus April 20 to lead a workshop, conversation, and networking reception on concepts presented in her book, Work on Purpose. Guided questions helped participants—students, parents, and members of the community—identify potential fields. Galinsky’s goal is to help those in search of a meaningful career locate alignment between “head” (talents, education) and “heart” (passions)—a recipe that creates “hustle”—the energy and stamina to develop a program that effects change. The evening offered participants opportunity to share ideas individually in front of…
Walter J. Pories ’52, MD, professor in the department of surgery at Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University was selected as a 2012–13 recipient of the annual East Carolina University Lifetime Achievement for Excellence in Research and Creative Activity Award. He joined ECU in 1977 as chair of the department of surgery at the university’s medical school, which had just begun its four-year program. While here, he modified a type of weight-loss surgery into the “Greenville Gastric Bypass” and showed conclusively that not only does it result in durable weight loss but also causes a long-term remission of…
New York County District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr., announced the appointment of Polly Greenberg ’90 as chief of the Major Economic Crimes Bureau. She first joined the office in 1993, starting in the Appeals Bureau and later in the Investigations Division. After leaving the office in late 2000 for private practice, Greenberg returned in 2005, and prosecuted primarily organized crime cases. She was appointed deputy bureau chief of the Major Economic Crimes Bureau shortly after its creation two years ago, and has been instrumental in setting bureau priorities and in collaborating with outside agencies to broaden the reach of…
Thomas Tucker ’77 joined The Hartford as chief underwriting officer for Commercial Markets and head of Specialty Casualty. In this role, Tucker will oversee underwriting across Commercial Markets and lead The Hartford’s Specialty Casualty segment, which includes National Accounts, Captive & Specialty Programs and Hartford Financial Products. Tucker will focus on the continued delivery of risk solutions for the Specialty segment, as well as risk controls across the Commercial Markets organization. A 35-year property and casualty industry veteran, Tucker joins The Hartford from AIG’s Chartis U.S., where he most recently served as chief underwriter and chief risk officer for its…
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After a national search, Joshua Borenstein ’97 was appointed managing director of Long Wharf Theatre in New Haven, Conn., confirmed by unanimous vote at a special session of the Board of Trustees. “Josh was simply the best candidate. Because of our national search, his skills and qualification for the position became more and more clear to us on the Board of Trustees,” said Charles Kingsley, board chair, in a press release. “He’s been serving as the interim managing director for the past six months and he’s done a wonderful job. Josh has the total confidence of the Board, the staff…
Frances Padilla ’81 was appointed president of the Universal Health Care Foundation of Connecticut, a nonprofit that has lobbied for universal health care in the state. Padilla, who joined the foundation in 2004 and served as executive vice president, succeeds Juan A. Figueroa, the founding president, who will step down in September. Under her leadership, the foundation has employed an activist philanthropy approach to build a movement for universal health care by funding results-oriented outreach, education and mobilization. She has also directed the foundation’s research and policy initiatives, which culminated in the development of Connecticut’s historic SustiNet health care reform…
Over winter break, eight volunteers from Wesleyan, including founder Raghu Appasani ’12, traveled to India with the MINDS Foundation to complete the first phase of their three-phase program in India. The organization, founded by Appasani in 2010, is committed to eliminating the stigma of mental illness in developing nations. Through a grassroots approach, they provide educational, financial, medical, and moral support for patients suffering from mental illness in developing countries. Volunteers Shyam Desai '15, Sam Douglas '12 (a psychology major and director of research & development), Emma Kingsberg '12, Rehan Mehta '14, Lauren Seo '14 (president of the Wesleyan chapter…
Architect Andre Kikoski ’90 received the Institute Honor Award from the American Institute of Architects (the “AIA”), their highest recognition nationally for his creation of The Wright, the new restaurant in the Guggenheim Museum. Kikoski’s work was selected from more than 700 total submissions and was one of only 27 recipients worldwide who will be honored at the AIA 2012 National Convention and Design Exposition in Washington, D.C., in May. The Institute highlights the award winners on their web site, including photographs and a discussion of the design elements that the architects considered and reasoning for their solutions, as well…