Groat & Alpern Celebration is April 28
Two ILR School alumni who have served ILR for decades will be honored with the school’s 2022 Groat and Alpern Awards.
David Cohen ’73 is the Groat Award winner and Russell Hernandez is the Alpern Award winner. The awards event begins at 6 p.m. April 28 at The Pierre in Manhattan.
Cohen is an emeritus member of the ILR Dean’s Advisory Council, a life member of the Cornell Council and chair emeritus of the Cornell Hillel board of trustees.
He and his wife, Abby Cohen, A&S '73, launched the Globalization and the Workplace program with ILR International Programs. The program is designed to address how the forces of globalization could be harnessed to improve earning opportunities for working people throughout the world and to better enable low-wage workers to work their way out of poverty.
Cohen retired in June 2021 as executive deputy commissioner for administration for the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, where he was responsible for the full range of human resources issues. Previously, he held roles New York City Police Department, Columbia University and other organizations, including the Long Island Railroad and the National Mediation Board.
The Cohens are parents of two Cornellians: Ellen, A&S ’02, and Lauren, A&S ’08.
Hernandez owns Atlantic State Consultants in Pound Ridge, New York, and specializes in residential and commercial development. He has owned, developed, operated and partnered in 13 hotels and restaurants in the New York area.
He is also the owner of Atlantic State Advisors, a real estate management company that administers high-end properties nationwide, and is a consultant/representative for several individuals in the development and construction of their projects. In 2001, as a result of 9/11, he initiated and led the creation and implementation of the Office of Emergency Management for the town of Pound Ridge.
Hernandez serves on the ILR Dean’s Advisory Council and has served for three years on ILR’s Development/Campaign Committee. When the ILR School was considering new office space in New York City, Hernandez was instrumental in helping the school identify options.
Hernandez and his wife, Alessandra, are the parents of three Cornellians: Gabriel ’19, Serena, HumEc ’19, and Daniel ’22.
Read the complete stories on the winners here.