Alumni Stories

At ILR we are proud of all that our alumni accomplish. They represent diverse fields, including human resources, business, finance, law, labor, nonprofits, and entrepreneurship. They are leaders and innovators in their communities, nationally and globally.

K. Lisa Yang ’74 Named to the Cornell Board of Trustees

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A philanthropist who holds membership on the ILR School Dean's Advisory Council, Yang's four-year term as a trustee begins July 1.
K. Lisa Yang
K. Lisa Yang ’74 Named to the Cornell Board of Trustees

Celebration Honors Cornell Entrepreneur of the Year Barry Beck ’90

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Barry Beck was honored during the Entrepreneurship at Cornell’s annual two-day Celebration conference, which also included various panels, talks and networking events, as well as eLab Demo Day and the announcement of the winners of three other competitions.
Cornell Entrepreneur of the Year Barry Beck ’90, left, and Sam Sotoodeh MBA ’87, right, present the Student Business of the Year award to Karlie Chen ’23, center, founder of Best Picnic Spots.
Celebration Honors Cornell Entrepreneur of the Year Barry Beck ’90

The Future of DE&I at Work: April 14

Dana D. Moss, Corning Incorporated vice president and chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer, and ILR Dean Alexander Colvin will discuss workplace DEI&I.
Dana Moss
The Future of DE&I at Work: April 14

Daniel Werfel '93 Begins Work as 50th IRS Commissioner

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Werfel, who was confirmed by the Senate on March 9, was sworn into office on March 13.
Daniel Werfel '93
Daniel Werfel '93 Begins Work as 50th IRS Commissioner

Choosing to Listen: An HR Approach

The first step in helping employees find solutions is listening, according to Derek Cullimore, a 2022 graduate of the ILR School’s Executive Master of Human Resource Management program.
Derek Cullimore
Choosing to Listen: An HR Approach

A Change of Direction

Maddie Campbell ’16 left a successful career in finance to pursue a civil rights law passion nurtured by an inspiring ILR course, “Thwarting the Dream of Brown v. Board of Education.”
Maddie Campbell
A Change of Direction

Although a Neutral, He’s Partial to ILR

Alpern Award winner Ed Baum’s service to the school takes many forms, including a scholarship that helps support Cornell students from low-income communities in New York City.
Ed Baum ’81
Although a Neutral, He’s Partial to ILR

Eigen Creates Powerful Tool to Promote Pay Equity

Zev Eigen, founder and chief data scientist of Syndio, has studied and worked at the intersection of workplace issues and complex analytics since he was an ILR student in the 1990s.
illustration showing 4 people standing on different sized dollar signs
Eigen Creates Powerful Tool to Promote Pay Equity

Advocating for Worker Health and Safety in the NFL

Since joining the National Football League Players Association as its general counsel & head of business, Sean Sansiveri ’05 has been behind the NFL’s most important measures to make the game safer.
Buffalo Bills players look on after teammate Damar Hamlin #3 collapsed on the field after making a tackle against the Cincinnati Bengals during the first quarter at Paycor Stadium on January 02, 2023 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
Advocating for Worker Health and Safety in the NFL

Endowments Honor Bettman ’74

The NHL is celebrating Gary Bettman’s tenure as commissioner through ILR scholarship and sports management funds.
Gary Bettman
Endowments Honor Bettman ’74

Long, Exciting Road

Through hard work and a willingness to seize every opportunity that comes her way, Christy Pambianchi ’90 has earned a reputation as one of the most innovative HR professionals in the business today.
Christy Pambianchi ’90
Long, Exciting Road

Celebrating the African American Experience

The person who leads the most extensive African American newspaper collective in the U.S. says fellow ILRies have influenced who he is as an executive.
Hiram Jackson
Celebrating the African American Experience

Wagner '92 Gift Honors Lieberwitz

In appreciation for teaching that welcomes differing views, Eric Wagner ’92 is supporting the Worker Institute Undergraduate Student Research Fellows Program.
Eric Wagner
Wagner '92 Gift Honors Lieberwitz

Scheinman Institute Helps Launch Arbitration Career

The Labor Arbitrator Development Program helped Sarah Miller Espinosa '95 move to a profession that sets a high bar for newcomers.
Sarah Miller Espinosa ’95
Scheinman Institute Helps Launch Arbitration Career

Accelerated MILR Degree Hits the Mark for ILR Graduates

Three ILRies discuss how the MILR degree enhanced their careers.
BJ Siascoco
Accelerated MILR Degree Hits the Mark for ILR Graduates

Student Support Fund Honors Scheinman

Internships, study projects and other learning experiences, as well as other programs, will benefit from fund.
Martin Scheinman
Student Support Fund Honors Scheinman

Avgar Named David M. Cohen Professor

The professorship in labor relations was endowed this year through a generous gift from David M. Cohen ’73 and Abby Joseph Cohen, A&S '73.
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Avgar Named David M. Cohen Professor

Longtime Educator Is an Advocate First

Over a half-century career that spans the worlds of labor relations, futuristics and Holocaust studies, sociologist Arthur Shostak ’58 has championed the role of the “upstander.”
Arthur Shostak ’58
Longtime Educator Is an Advocate First

Beloved ILRie Remembered

Jerome “Jerry” Alpern ’49, MBA ’50, inspired loyalty across the ILR community.
Jerome "Jerry" Alpern
Beloved ILRie Remembered

Weingarten '80 Reelected to Union Presidency

ILR alumna leading 1.7million-member American Federation of Teachers for eighth term.
Randi Weingarten
Weingarten '80 Reelected to Union Presidency

ILR’s Worker Institute Helps Guide a Newly Energized Labor Movement

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Led by Patricia Campos-Medina ’96, MPA ’97, it conducts research and outreach on today’s rapidly changing employment landscape
Patricia Campos-Medina ’96, MPA ’97
ILR’s Worker Institute Helps Guide a Newly Energized Labor Movement

Finger Lakes Land Trust Led By ILRie

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Andy Zepp ’85, M.P.S. ’90, executive director of the Finger Lakes Land Trust, began the organization as his Cornell master’s degree project in 1989.
Andy Zepp ’85, M.P.S. ’90
Finger Lakes Land Trust Led By ILRie

Like Father, Like Daughter

Thirty-one years after Marty Schmelkin ’91 graduated from ILR, Hannah Schmelkin ‘22 joins her father in the ILR School’s alumni ranks.
Hannah Schmelkin ‘22 and Marty Schmelkin ’91
Like Father, Like Daughter

Student Research Yields Findings on Women Coaches

Eliza Sherman ’21 researched WNBA and NBA gender-based coaching barriers with guidance from Associate Professor Emily Zitek.
Eliza Sherman '21
Student Research Yields Findings on Women Coaches

Benamram Named to Forbes “30 Under 30”

An ILR statistics course piqued an interest in data, and he became a software company CEO rather than a lawyer.
Josh Benamram ’14
Benamram Named to Forbes “30 Under 30”

Alumna Sees Potential in Data

The Executive Master of Human Resource Management graduate says she particularly valued the on-campus residencies, where “you get to know people on a deeply personal level. We were such a diverse class.
Jackie Czaplinski, EMHRM ’18
Alumna Sees Potential in Data

Alumni Pay it Forward

Two alumni from the 1990s establish scholarships honoring a beloved professor.
Sam Bacharach
Alumni Pay it Forward

Graduate’s Story Reflects Versatility of ILR Degree

The career of Nicole Goodkind ’11 is emblematic of how the ILR curriculum supports many different paths.
Nicole Goodkind '11
Graduate’s Story Reflects Versatility of ILR Degree

ILR Learning Helps Propel Tech Research

Ishan Sharma ’20 studies issues at the intersection of innovation and foreign policy. His journey is an example of how skills and ideas developed at ILR develop into real-world impact.
Ishan Sharma '20
ILR Learning Helps Propel Tech Research

Big Red Lessons

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A fortuitous chance meeting with Cornell President Frank H.T. Rhodes marked the beginning of David Hackney’s collegiate experience. At ILR, he studied collective bargaining with Professor Harry Katz, who he credits with teaching him how to write well, said Hackney, whose story is celebrated in "Cornellians" magazine.
David Hackney '87
Big Red Lessons