Admitted. Attended. Achieved.
Connect. Meet some of our dynamic alum members of the College Alumni Association. They left their impact on The Forest and applied their learning experiences to successfully launch their futures.
Tom Zielinski C’04
Optical Engineer, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD. CAA Vice Chair, Affinity Groups Committee. Tom’s undergraduate work at Drew involved the characterization of electro-optically active thin film polymers proposed for use in future data storage and transmission applications. He received his PhD from the University of Rochester with the thesis topic “Robust Image-Based Wavefront Sensing.” Tom joined NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in the Optics Branch in 2011. He currently is working on the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), focusing on ensuring that the 18 tiny telescopes of the JWST are all aligned to a few billionths of a meter.
Dominique Wilburn C’10
Assistant Director of Programs, Bentley University’s Center for Women in Business, Boston, MA. CAA Vice Chair, Student Engagement Committee. While at Drew, Dominique was a member of the Student Government, the Honduras Project, the College Democrats, the Orientation Committee, and the women’s basketball team. She also wrote for the student newspaper and was a resident assistant for three years. She interned for Hillary Clinton’s 2008 presidential campaign and for Ohio Governor Ted Strickland. Dominique participated in Drew’s Brussels semester, was elected to chair the Extra-Curricular Activities Board, and was selected by her peers to deliver her year’s commencement address. Dominique worked for the reelection campaign of President Obama. Later, she shifted careers and began working at PepsiCo where she played a key role in developing the rebranding strategy for the Aunt Jemima product line—a role which resulted in her being interviewed by The New York Times.
Mirko Widenhorn C’00
Senior Director of Engagement Strategy, Anthology, Wilkes-Barres, PA. Nearly all of Mirko’s career has been spent working in or with higher education, having served as the director of alumni relations and annual giving at Wilkes University prior to joining Anthology. In his current role, he focuses on thought leadership related to alum relations and annual giving as well as engagement scoring projects. Mirko completed his EdD in Higher Education Administration at Wilkes University and has a master’s in European Studies from the College of Europe in Bruges, Belgium.
Angela Vitellaro C’11
CAA Chair, Alumni Programming Committee. While a first-year student at Drew, Angela discovered the Volunteer Resource Center (VRC), an organization where students can give back to the community. Under Angela’s leadership, the program grew and continues to change lives today. Angela volunteers at Girls on the Run, a nonprofit girls empowerment program, and in 2018, was honored by Aflac for her years of dedication to the program.
Allison Siegel C’08
Counsel, Corporate Finance, Verizon, Basking Ridge, NJ. CCA Vice President. Drew Field Hockey Team. In addition to Allison’s academic and athletic involvement, she was also a member of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee, the Student Conduct Board, and the Residence Hall Association. She received the Thomas D. Sayles, Jr. Award for her commitment and dedication to community service and the Sherman Plato Young Award, which is annually awarded to a student on the basis of character and scholarship. After her graduation from Drew, Allison attended law school at Widener University, Delaware Law School and is a member of both the New Jersey and New York Bar Associations.
Sabina Sabados C’03
Office of the Executive Director, UNICEF, New York, NY. CAA Chair, Affinity Groups Committee. Sabrina’s leadership training and experience opened the door for a career at the United Nations with the Office of Internal Oversight Services. In addition to her career at UNICEF, Sabina’s volunteer work is far-reaching. She serves on the board of directors for the First Catholic Slovak Union and Friends of Slovakia. She is currently the president of the Slovak-American Cultural Center. In addition to her Drew degree, Sabrina earned a master’s in International Relations and Diplomacy from Seton Hall University.
Dr. Gary C. Powell, EdD C’87
Training Officer, Federal Insurance and Mitigation Administration (FIMA), Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA). CAA Chair. While at Drew, Gary was active in the Orientation Committee and WMNJ Radio, Drew’s student-run radio station. Gary most enjoyed DJing (back then on vinyl records) and served as the president and general manager of the station his senior year. At FIMA, Gary is the lead architect of complex professional development programs and projects for the entire FIMA workforce. Gary has been a civil servant working for the US Federal Government for almost 15 years. He is currently the president of the FEMA Chapter of Blacks in Government. Gary has served as the chair of the DC Drew University Alumni Club.
Ryan Mason C’05
Principal, Stonepeak Infrastructure Partners, New York, NY. Drew Baseball Team member. Ryan, a member of Drew’s Board of Trustees, is an experienced fundraiser across the private markets with over 15 years of marketing expertise. From 2017 to 2021, Ryan worked at Campbell Lutyens, an independent alternative asset advisory firm. Prior to that, Ryan was a vice president at Siguler Guff where he was actively involved in marketing the firm’s capabilities to institutional investors. Ryan was also the Director of Investor Relations and Marketing at Gemini Real Estate Advisors LLC.
Rebecca Kuhar C’96
Senior Vice President, NonProfit & Healthcare Banking Relationship Manager, Citizens Commercial Bank. CAA Co-Chair, Careers Committee. Rebecca, who has more than 20 years of municipal finance experience, is responsible for overseeing the existing portfolio of nonprofit clients in the New York City region, including healthcare, higher education, and other nonprofit clients. Rebecca joined Citizens after seven years at Wells Fargo. In addition to her Drew degree, Rebecca holds a Master’s of Public Policy and Administration from Columbia University. She is also a municipal finance guest lecturer and mentor to students in Drew University’s Wall Street Semester and has been an adjunct assistant professor of Urban Governance and Finance at Drew.
Desha Jackson C’93
Managing Lawyer, Desha Jackson Law Group.
Prior to opening her firm, Desha was of counsel to the Law Office of Evelyn Padin, an associate with the firm of Wilentz, Goldman, and Spitzer, and was the assistant director of the Equal Employment Division of the New Jersey Department of Corrections. In 2016, Desha became a legal consultant for Newark’s Public Safety Department. Desha also served as the first African American female assistant prosecutor in the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office in its then 150-year history.
Desha is very involved in professional bar-related activities and is a member of several New Jersey State Bar Association and American Bar Association committees. She is also the creator of the Run Sister Run program at the Center for American Women in Politics, designed to encourage African American Women to participate in the political arena.
Laura Hook, C’84
Assistant Prosecutor, Union County Prosecutor’s Office (ret). CAA Chair, Nominating Committee. When Laura was in second grade, she told her parents she was going to be a lawyer and in 1988, she obtained her JD from Albany Law School. Laura prosecuted cases and developed domestic violence and Megan’s Law policy and procedures. She also instructed at the Union County Police Academy and several Division of Criminal Justice seminars and training programs. While at Drew, Laura worked in the Admissions Office and was a tour guide.
Daine Grey C’92
Judge, Court of Common Pleas, Philadelphia, PA. CAA Vice Chair, Reunion Committee. After graduating from Drew, Daine completed his JD at Temple University’s James E. Beasley School of Law. He began his career as a judicial law clerk for the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas before becoming a state public defender for the Philadelphia Defender’s Association. Daine entered into private practice in 2001 as an associate attorney at Marshall Dennehy in Philadelphia. In 2003, Daine opened his private practice as a sole practitioner where he spent the next 13 years handling criminal defense matters. Daine returned to the Court of Common Pleas in 2015 when he was elected to the bench.
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2024 book received Book of the Year praise from The Economist
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