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Holistic Business Education

Pondering ways to give back to the ILR School, Joshua Cherry-Seto ’97 started a group with fellow alumni working in finance in 2015 to provide an additional platform for engagement with ILR as it relates to the industry.

“I have been in the finance industry for more than 20 years, and I think the ILR School and its curriculum provide a good foundation for the business world and finance,” said Cherry-Seto, chief financial officer at Blue Wolf Capital Partners LLC, a private equity firm in Manhattan.

“Many ILR graduates are working in finance in substantial positions. The industry is an attractive place to land for grads; in turn, ILR grads are attractive to the industry.”

“ILR provides a holistic business education, not just focused on numbers and spreadsheets, which is valuable for success in business. Through the council, we hope to cultivate and nurture that value proposition.”

Esta R. Bigler ’70, president of the ILR Alumni Association and director of ILR’s Labor and Employment Law Program, said the association embraced the council idea because many graduates are going into finance.

“The council is all about making connections and building relationships that will benefit the alumni, the students and the school,” she said.

The ILR Alumni Association Finance Council is drawing interest from alumni in finance in the New York City area and is planning for a broader geographic reach in the future, according to Cherry-Seto.

Its committees are focused on four initiatives: student engagement, alumni networking, faculty and academic engagement, and philanthropy.

“We are leveraging alumni for networking and mentoring with students, and we hope to provide more internships for all students, as well as opportunities for freshmen,” he said.

The above photo was taken at the Finance Council Summer Networking Event with Students and Alumni. Tom Lee '91 is leading efforts to connect ILRies in finance with students interested in this career field.

Tom is helping to organize a panel discussion with dedicated ILR alumni who will provide an overview of the multitude of career opportunities within the financial services sector, answer students’ questions, and share how they have leveraged their ILR degree throughout their careers on campus on April 24th.

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