Director's Message Archives
December 2005
A Message from Becky Mitchell, associate dean, Alumni Affairs and Development
Changes in the air in Ithaca
Season's greetings from the Johnson School! I'd like to take this opportunity to introduce myself as the new associate dean of Alumni Affairs and Development for the Johnson School. Since I started this position on September 6, I have been focused on meeting many of our alumni across the country, fully staffing our organization, and developing a plan to ramp up our outreach efforts to our alumni across the globe. Many of you have already contacted me about ideas and hopes that you have for this program; your passion and commitment to the Johnson School is impressive, and I feel truly energized and excited about the endless opportunities associated with this school and how much we can achieve together.
As I face my first winter in Ithaca, I realize that there are many changes ahead. I embrace these new experiences, however, and view this as an opportunity to learn new skills such as snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. My hope is that many of you will embrace the many changes that the Johnson School Alumni Affairs and Development Office has undergone during the last few months and realize that every change presents an opportunity. The school has benefited from the exceptional groundwork that has been laid by such people as Risa, Marybeth, Jennifer, Pam, and Cyndy. Our new team plans to build on their success and take the program even further.
Let me introduce some of the new team members of our Johnson School Alumni Affairs and Development division. Laura Armstrong started her new position as the assistant director of Alumni Affairs on November 28. She has a strong background in volunteer development, educational leadership, civic engagement and public policy. For the past seven years, Laura has served as a program director within the Department of Campus Life coordinating large, high profile events ranging from orientation week programs to regional conferences. Laura received her BA and MPA from Cornell University so she knows this institution well. Bill Gotfredson was named as the Alumni Affairs program coordinator position. Bill comes to us from Syracuse, NY, where he worked as an executive recruiter with Robert Half International during the last year. Previously, Bill worked for the Massachusetts Republican Party as a campaign manager to a State Senate race in Central Massachusetts where he was in charge of all field operations as well as playing a significant role in their fundraising campaign. Bill graduated from Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, NY.
A familiar face to many of you, Sheila Reakes has been promoted to the director of the Johnson School Annual Fund position. Sheila has been part of the Johnson School's Annual Fund for the past two years, responsible for supporting six reunion class campaigns, and the direct mail and phonathon programs for the College. Prior to that Sheila worked for 14 years in a variety of roles at Ithaca College: Student Affairs and Campus Life, Conference and Event Services, and Continuing Education. She has a Bachelor of Arts from Ithaca College, and a Master of Science in Labor Studies from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. All of the Alumni Affairs and Development staff are dedicated to keeping our alumni in touch, energized and excited about the Johnson School and the Johnson School alumni organizations, and we look forward to working with many of you!
I encourage all of you to take advantage of the alumni events in your area and to get involved with you alumni organizations. Career counseling, events management, admissions ambassadors – these represent just a few of the many opportunities for you to get involved and stay in touch with our Johnson School alumni organizations.
Check the Johnson School Web site for upcoming events. There are many events planned for December, January, and February across the country, and we want to see you there. Update your information on the Johnson Alumni Connection so you can receive reminders about these events and other networking opportunities.
Again, it is a pleasure to be at the Johnson School. I want to thank you for your patience and understanding as we rebuild our team. You have all been very helpful over the past few months working together to coordinate meetings and events with my staff and appreciate everything that you have done for the Johnson School.
I look forward to meeting all of you in the months ahead and wish you all happy holidays.
Warm wishes from Ithaca,
Becky Mitchell
rhm33@cornell.edu
