Alumni Association

The Emerson College Alumni Association fosters and maintains the spirit and devotion of the alumni in an effort to promote the reputation and growth of the College. The Association provides an opportunity for alumni to serve as partners in guiding the direction of the College, and in working to increase its resources through a variety of committees and activities.

Membership in the Association is extended to any person who has attended Emerson College for two or more years. Association members elect a group of alumni volunteers to a governing Board of Directors on an annual basis. If you are interested in serving as a board member, please contact Barbara Rutberg, Director of Alumni Relations.

2009 - 2010 Board of Directors Click on each name for member bios.
Chair and Representative to the Board of Trustees Robert Friend '79 rf@segroup.net	Treasurer Amy Frankel '85 amy.frankel@peak9consult.com
Vice Chair Dr. Jon Derek Croteau '98 jonderekcroteau@yahoo.com	Secretary Pat Peyton '84 pat.payton@cox.net
Past Chair Peter Loge '87 ploge@aol.com
David Breen '78 david@vdainc.com	Michael MacWade G'86 macwade@comcast.net
Chester (Chet) Brewster '86 davenstar@aol.com	Phillip Maggi '93 phillip_maggi@idahotech.com
Cathryn Cates '85 cleonacat@aol.com	Barry Mehrman '76 brmehrman@gmail.com
Robert Edney '76 robrve@msn.com	Julia Owens '03 jowens@ridgewayadvisors.com
David Gwizdowski '80 dgwizdowski@ap.org	Patricia Peyton '84 pat.peyton@cox.net
Greg Holstein '07 gregholstein@aol.com	Steve Sakson '76 stevesakson@yahoo.com
Jerry Izzo '82 SPEX59@aol.com	Travis L. Small '97 travislancesmall@yahoo.com
Tory Johnson '92 tory@womenforhire.com	Lee Stacey '76 lee.stacey@yahoo.com
Maura Tighe Gattuso '81 maura@mauratighe.com	Susan A. Strassberg ’78 sstrassberg@gmail.com
Gaynelle Jones '69 gaynelle.jones@hp.com	Margie Sullivan '81 margiesullivan@comcast.net
Randy Kalikow Ketive '69 renoran@aol.com	Jacqueline Webb '77 jgwebb@erols.com
Anne Kenny '85 annekennyboas@gmail.com	William H. White, III '69 whw@dmsas.com
Chapter Presidents
Andre Archimbaud '94, New York emerson.newyork@gmail.com	Camilla Ross '85, Connecticut camy2112@sbcglobal.net
Ron Bostwick '81, Denver, CO ron@ronbostwick.com	Rosalie Sheffield '81, Denver, CO rbsheffield@comcast.net
Amy Frankel Kleeberg '85, Chicago amy.frankel@peak9consult.com	Mark M. Stewart '77, Los Angeles mstewart@ljdfa.com
Marsha MacEachern-Murphy '00, GOLD Chair - Boston Marsha_MacEachern@yahoo.com	Margie Sullivan '81, Greater Boston margiesullivan@comcast.net
Mark Granger '04, Atlanta Granger.m@gmail.com	Howard Liberman '68 - Washington DC HLiberman@dbr.com
Dennis Blader '75, G'79, Connecticut dennis.bladder@alumni.emerson.edu
Office of Alumni Relations
Director of Alumni Relations & Associate V.P. of Institutional Advancement Barbara Rutberg '68  Barbara_Rutberg@emerson.edu	Associate Director Mary Ann Cicala '99 Mary_Ann_Cicala@emerson.edu
Assistant Director Stephanie Morrison '07 Stephanie_Morrison@emerson.edu
Biographies
Robert Friend ’79 Robert B. Friend has extensive experience in strategic and financial business operations with significant expertise in fundraising, marketing, sales, and technology. He has more than 25 years’ experience of professional leadership in the nonprofit and commercial performing arts, sports, and arts technology industries. He has worked with and consulted for entertainment organizations throughout North America, assisting them in strengthening their financial base through enhanced audience development, marketing, fundraising, and technology-based services and initiatives.
Amy Frankel '85
Dr. Jon Derek Croteau '98 Jon Derek Croteau’s experience in higher education and nonprofit organizations encompasses assessment, fundraising and campaign planning, administration, and human capital management. Based in Boston, he is a senior consultant with Witt/Kieffer’s education and nonprofit practice. Jon has conducted numerous executive searches and human capital assessments for universities, colleges, healthcare organizations, foundations, and other nonprofit groups.
Pat Peyton '84 Pat Peyton is an innovative leadership and sales consultant with more than 25 years of experience partnering with global organizations to enhance their leadership, management, and sales performance. Pat’s exceptional communication and analytical skills, combined with her business acumen, enable her to quickly diagnose organizational challenges, design solutions to address those challenges, and help clients successfully implement those solutions.
Peter Loge '87 Peter Loge has worked in and around Congress for more than 15 years. During that time he has served in senior positions in the United States House and Senate, directed a leading national criminal justice reform organization, worked as a senior vice president at a national political consulting firm, and launched his own legislative strategy company. Organizations that Peter has advised include: The Justice Project, the Save Darfur Coalition, Oxfam America, the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, and Vin Di Bona Productions. Peter is also an adjunct instructor at George Washington University and teaches in the Emerson College Washington, D.C. program. His talks and commentary have been heard on National Public Radio, BBC, XM satellite radio, the political documentary Split: A Divided America, and C-SPAN. Peter recently took a leave of absence from his firm, Milo Public Affairs LLC, to advise U.S. Congressman Steve Kagen, M.D. (D-Wisc.) on healthcare reform.
David Breen '78 Principal designer and founder of VDA Productions, David Breen has worked to establish the unrivaled reputation for excellence that marks VDA. Having spent more than 25 years in the corporate event-marketing arena, he is instrumental in helping clients achieve their core messaging objectives through a creative, visual presentation medium. An accomplished designer and consultant in Boston, David is a graduate of Emerson College with a degree in Technical Theater and Design. He has traveled extensively throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia for numerous corporate special events, conferences, and museum/themed retail installations. VDA Productions is a Boston-based event design, management, and production company providing complete in-house design/fabrication/installation services.
Chester (Chet) Brewster '86 Inspired by the dramatic appeal of filmmaking, Chet Brewster (Boston-based with offices in Atlanta and Los Angeles) represents natural style, organization, and a creative vision. Seven days after graduating from Emerson College in May 1986, CNN heard of his incredible skills and potential, recruiting him to become a part of its international team. One of his most precious jewels as a producer and director was the 1998–2001 Crown Royal “Kings of Comedy” tour with Latham Entertainment. The success of this collaboration was seen on the big screen in the movie Original Kings of Comedy, in which Chet was the technical production supervisor, directed the multi cameras for the arena screens, and worked alongside director Spike Lee.
Cathryn Cates '85 After working in the communications industry for 16 years, Cathryn Cates started Black Cat Productions LLC. Before starting BCP, she was an executive producer with PGI, Jack Morton Worldwide, Caribiner International, and Envision Corporation. As an EP/project manager, she has been responsible for all aspects of projects, including team management, budgeting, creative development and execution, media production, logistics, set design and fabrication, and staging for both international and domestic events. She and her husband/business partner Adam live in Chelsea, Massachusetts, with their black lab/pit bull mix Abbey.
Robert Edney '76 Robert Edney is currently working as a media consultant specializing in advertising sales. His career spans over 25 years in broadcast, cable, and “digital” media. A 1976 Emerson graduate, Rob began producing Boston’s “Black News” newscast in his junior year and the 6:00 pm newscast on WNAC-TV in Boston while still in his senior year. He went on to graduate from Columbia University’s business and journalism schools, and joined the CBS television network in its finance department. Rising through a series of promotions, Rob moved to ad sales, where he excelled in negotiating deals with major Fortune 500 advertisers. In 1996, his media adventure took him to cable television at A&E Networks, as he saw television media rapidly shifting from a world of several broadcast networks to many specialized cable niche networks. Rob enjoyed a 10-year career at A&E Networks in roles ranging from account executive to VP of sales and VP of business development and new media. He resides in Scarsdale, New York, with his wife, Dr. Paula Randolph and two children, Kristen and Robert.
David Gwizdowski '80 David Gwizdowski is responsible for all of AP’s sales to broadcasters in the United States, Canada, and Central and South America. He joined AP in 1997 as a regional television executive. Based in Dallas, he covered the Southwest region, after spending 18 years in broadcast journalism. David was named AP Television’s salesperson of the year in 1999. He was promoted to director of network sales in 2001; he became responsible for relationships with the major U.S. television networks and their cable network and online properties.
Greg Holstein '07 Greg Holstein, a junior executive at Capital Arts Entertainment, is currently producing the thriller Smokin’ Aces: Blowback and the teen comedy American Pie: Book of Love. He has assisted in casting numerous hit reality television programs and has worked as a crew member on shows such as CBS’s Survivor. His recent feature credits include Halloween II, My Best Friend’s Girl, and Beethoven’s Big Break.
Jerry Izzo '82 Jerry Izzo graduated from Emerson in 1982. While at Emerson he founded the This Is Pathetic comedy group and was a member of the Alpha Pi Theta fraternity. He has worked as a broadcast producer in Boston since graduation. Jerry recently started freelancing for multiple ad agencies in the Boston and Portland, Maine, areas.
Tory Johnson '92 Tory Johnson is an award-winning workplace guru, national network television contributor, popular speaker, and New York Times bestselling author. She is the CEO of Women for Hire. The organization is celebrating its 10th year of producing high caliber recruiting events that are attended by more than 25,000 women annually. Tory is the workplace contributor on ABC’s Good Morning America. Dubbed the “workplace fairy godmother” by Glamour magazine, Tory speaks frequently about career advancement nationwide. Her new book, Fired to Hired, follows her 2008 New York Times bestseller Will Work From Home.
Maura Tighe Gattuso '81 Maura Tighe has a BFA in Theatre (Directing) from Emerson College and an MEd from Harvard University, with a concentration in arts education. She has directed theater in New York and regionally, as well as taught acting for stage and film. She has owned and operated Maura Tighe Casting in New York and Boston since 1994. She also is dedicated to theater education and founded a children’s summer theater program in Scituate, Massachusetts. Currently, she is working with a group of educators, filmmakers, and television professionals to provide quality arts programming in the Boston Public Schools through her new nonprofit venture, Allston Brighton Arts Bridge. Recently, she received a substantial grant from the Boston Redevelopment Authority and Harvard University to support an after-school program at Brighton High School.
Gaynelle Jones '69 Gaynelle Jones currently is litigation counsel for Hewlett Packard Company. She is a former state and federal prosecutor; served as U.S. Attorney for Southern Texas; and was a state appellate judge on the Texas 1st Court of Appeals. Gaynelle is a graduate of Boston College Law School, and is married to Robert Allen Jones and has three children.
Randy Kalikow Ketive '69 Randy Ketive is the president of Prominent Properties Sothebys International Realty, formerly Classic Realty. She started the company in 1979—with one desk in a one-room office, and grew it to 10 offices covering northern New Jersey. In December 2008, Randy became the exclusive Sotheby’s franchise agency. She has been active in the Realtor Association both locally and nationally, and was named New Jersey’s Realtor of the Year in 2001. She has been married to Samuel Ketive for 39 years.
Anne Kenny '85 Anne is presently the executive producer of the Warner Bros. Creative Lab in Los Angeles. She is also a playwright and writer/producer of several comedic works, including the award-winning documentary The Pool of Desire, detailing the origins of camp comedy in New York City in the 1930s. As a media consultant in New York, Anne created marketing campaigns and promotional events for HBO, Showtime, Katz Media Group, and Clear Channel Worldwide, among other clients. A highlight of Anne’s Emerson experience was founding the This Is Pathetic comedy group with Jerry Izzo in 1981. Along with TIP alumni Laura Kightlinger and Michael Bent, she established the Joe Murphy Comedy Scholarship at Emerson in honor of their fellow comedy troupe founder. She is presently the scholarship’s administrator.
Michael MacWade G'86 Michael MacWade is senior vice president, client service and operations for Fidelity Institutional Wealth Services (IWS), a brokerage division of Fidelity Investments. Mr. MacWade joined Fidelity in 1987 and has held various client service-based roles of increasing stature. Most recently with the firm, he acted as senior vice president, administrative services within IWS, where he managed teams responsible for all implementation, program management, sales administration, and technology operations. From 2004 to 2005, Michael was senior vice president, General Motors service executive within Fidelity Human Resources Services Company (FHRS) and headed the implementation of General Motor’s HR services to Fidelity and outside vendors. Also with FHRS, he was senior vice president, client services-defined benefit practice from 2002 to 2004.
Phillip Maggi '93 Philip Maggi is vice president of external affairs for Idaho Technology, a privately owned biotechnology company based in Salt Lake City, Utah. Based in Washington, D.C., Philip represents the company’s interests before Congress and the Administration. His work in law and public policy has spanned more than a decade and includes stints as counsel to Congresswoman Nancy Johnson of Connecticut and Senator Olympia Snowe of Maine. Philip received his BS from Northeastern University in 1991 and an MA from Emerson College in 1993. In 1998, he received a JD from the John Marshall Law School in Chicago.
Barry Mehrman '76 Barry Mehrman and his wife, Ann, reside in West Chicago, Illinois. Barry was raised in the Boston area and worked in New England upon graduation from Emerson in 1976. He lived in Maine for eight years before moving to New Orleans in 1984. In 1989, Barry and his family moved to the Chicago area. Barry and Ann have two grown sons who live in Illinois.
Julia Owens '03 Julia Owens graduated from Emerson College in 2003 with a BFA in Acting. Her Emerson experience commenced after she spent a year and a half obtaining a degree from the London School of Music and Dramatic Arts. Julia moved to Los Angeles after college graduation and began working in the music industry, representing and marketing a hip hop artist signed with Sony Records. Finding herself desperate to return to New England, Julia jumped at the chance to come back to Boston and begin work in a completely different field: investment research and management. She worked for Bernstein Investments for two years, during which she also became very active as a trustee of a small foundation. Doing work for the foundation became Julia’s top priority and she knew that the nonprofit arena was where she belonged. In 2006, Julia was hired by Ridgeway Advisors, a philanthropic advising firm, and has been happily helping high net worth families give their money away ever since.
Steve Sakson '76 Steve Sakson’s 32-year communications career started in the newsroom of WERS, and then followed a multilayered path through the worlds of print and web journalism, and most recently has led him into management consulting. Steve made his first big career switch in 1980—to newspaper journalism, where he signed on with a tiny weekly paper in Derry, New Hampshire. After a couple of years, Steve landed a reporting gig at the Nashua Telegraph, New Hampshire’s second biggest daily. He worked his way up from police and court reporter to city hall bureau chief. Later, he reopened the Telegraph’s dormant state house bureau, and became the paper’s chief political writer, covering state government and presidential politics. That led to a promotion to metro editor, where he supervised the paper’s news reporting staff.
Travis L. Small '97 Travis Small is responsible for the day-to-day management of accounts in the energy and environmental practice group at Rasky Baerlein Strategic Communications. Travis’s client work focuses on topics related to the energy industry, specifically in the areas of renewable/green energy generation, sustainability efforts, and conservation measures. Travis has more than 10 years of experience in the communications industry, having held positions in marketing, political communications, public relations, and advertising. Before joining Rasky Baerlein, Travis was an account manager at Captains of Industry, a strategic marketing firm, where he worked on major biotech, health services, and nonprofit accounts. He also has a long history of involvement with statewide and national political campaigns, including John Kerry for President and Shannon O’Brien for Governor. Travis earned a bachelor’s degree in Communication Studies from Emerson College.
Lee Stacey '76 Lee Stacey is senior vice president of sales and marketing at IMG. He brings more than 20 years of experience in sales and marketing to his role in leading the national sales team and overall sales and marketing strategy for IMG College, out of IMG headquarters in New York.
Susan A. Strassberg ’78 Susan Strassberg is a working artist in the Prince, New Jersey, area. After college, Susan moved to New York City, where she worked for the television show Good Morning America and E.U.E. Screen Gems division of Columbia Pictures. After she got married, Susan and her husband opened a restaurant called Anatolia on the Upper East Side. During that period, Susan continued her education at the National Arts Academy and Isabel O’Neil Foundation for the Art of the Painted Finish, where her gilded jewelry boxes were in juried art shows.
Margie Sullivan '81 In 1999, Margie was the executive producer for Mary Mazzio’s award-winning documentary A Hero for Daisy. Margie joined Redtree Productions in 2003 and uses her limitless skills to produce a gambit of work for Redtree, from interactive to film production.
Jacqueline Webb '77 As a radio project manager for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Jacquie Gales Webb works with public radio networks, station managers, producers, and consultants to support and improve the nation’s public radio system. She has hosted the number-one Sunday afternoon Gospel music program on 96.3 WHUR in Washington, D.C. since 1990 and has produced two gospel music CD compilations for Time Life.
William H. White, III '69
Andre Archimbaud '94, New York
Ron Bostwick '81, Denver, CO Ron Bostwick stayed in Boston after graduation, and worked in sales, advertising, and TV/spot production. He then left it all to live the “Cahlaradah life.” He did a bit of ski-bumming while finally getting into radio. He moved to Boulder and has been a talent booker for a national syndicated radio show (E Town), a morning show producer/promotions director (KBCO-FM), and a freelance event producer. Ron is now an executive producer for the Boulder International Film Festival (BIFF1.com), entertainment director for the Bolder Boulder 10k foot race (BolderBoulder.com) and the Denver Marathon (DenverMarathon.com), and more. Along with Rosalie Kauffman Sheffield ’81, he started the Colorado chapter of the Alumni Association.
Marsha MacEachern-Murphy '00, GOLD Chair - Boston Marsha MacEachern is a communications professional and freelance journalist. Her experience includes working as a communications specialist and PR manager for Brandeis University and Avid Technology. She has also served as a one-man-band TV reporter/anchor for Worcester News Tonight, which is produced by New England Cable News (NECN) and Charter Communications, and as a news reporter/anchor and weather anchor at WAGM-TV in Presque Isle, Maine. While in graduate school, she worked as a news website producer for NECN and did some freelance work in print journalism.
Mark Granger '04, Atlanta
Camilla Ross '85, Connecticut Camilla is currently hard at work running ETC, southeastern Connecticut’s newest theater company. She is also the theatrical advisor and acting coach for the SPAG Players at Three Rivers Community College in Norwich, Connecticut. She is a current board and choral member with the Connecticut Lyric Opera of New London, Connecticut. When not occupied with theater projects, she teaches accounting and finance courses at a local college. For fun, she continues to do a lot of acting.
Rosalie Sheffield '81, Denver, CO
Mark M. Stewart '77, Los Angeles Mark M. Stewart continues to practice law in Los Angeles, California, litigating medical malpractice cases. He recently celebrated his 26th anniversary with Lynn Ann Leveridge. His daugther Colleen graduated from Occidental College last year and his daughter Molly is in her second year at UC Santa Cruz. He is serving as president of Emerson’s southern California chapter of the Alumni Association.
Dennis Blader '75, G'79, Connecticut Dennis Blader earned a Bachelor of Science cum laude in Mass Communications as well as a Master of Science in Speech from Emerson College. After graduating, he worked at WNAC-TV (Channel 7, Boston) as a production assistant and fill-in stage manager. He then moved to Connecticut, and was a staff director at WTNH-TV (Channel 8, an ABC affiliate in New Haven) for 23 years, and served simultaneously as production manager for more than three years as well. Dennis was a substitute director for the nationally syndicated Sally Jessy Raphael Show while it was based in New Haven in the 1980s. He is a five-time regional Emmy nominee and has taught as an adjunct at University of New Haven (West Haven, Connecticut), Southern Connecticut State University (New Haven, Connecticut), University of Hartford (Hartford, Connecticut), Quinnipiac University (Hamden, Connecticut); and he led workshops at the Connecticut School of Broadcasting (Stratford campus). Dennis served two terms on the Emerson College Alumni Board and has remained connected as a co-president of the Connecticut chapter of the Alumni Association.