Giving to RIT News

Fiona Ma ’88 (accounting), California State Treasurer, who attended RIT for its CPA-specific accounting tract, the co-op program and an opportunity to play varsity tennis, has built a career out of championing the underdog.

During a single year, Jessica Salamone ’99 (biotechnology), director of Genetic Counseling and Cancer Risk Assessment at Elizabeth Wende Breast Care in Rochester, will counsel thousands of women on their hereditary cancer risk.

Brigadier General Stacy Babcock ’91 (criminal justice) ’96 (educational interpreting) ’98 MS (instructional technology) assumed duties earlier this year as the Deputy Commanding General at the 63rd Readiness Division in Mountain View, Calif.

Three deaf and hard-of-hearing students in business-related majors at NTID received a new scholarship funded by the Frank B. Sullivan Memorial Foundation.

RIT’s Venture Creations technology business incubator has named upstate New York entrepreneur Peter Parts as interim director. Parts assumes the role from former director Richard Notargiacomo, who will continue his work with Venture Creations as a coach while he transitions into retirement.

Journalist Anderson Cooper, anchor of CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360° and a correspondent for CBS’s 60 Minutes, will be the Student Government Distinguished Speaker at Brick City Homecoming and Family Weekend, Oct. 18-20. The weekend typically draws 17,000 participants to RIT’s campus and the Rochester area and features more than 100 events during three days.

A new Netflix glassblowing reality series features an RIT alumna as an expert glassmaker. Blown Away, which begins airing July 12 on the streaming platform, follows a group of 10 highly skilled glassmakers who compete in challenges in 10 episodes. Catherine Ayers ’06 (glass) is one of six Corning Museum of Glass experts who assists the two finalists in the last challenge.

RIT alumnus Ryan Steenberg ’17 MFA (medical illustration) can drive a golf ball the length of nearly five football fields. Steenberg, the No. 1-ranked long drive hitter in the world, will represent his hometown July 20 to 24 in the “ROC City Rumble,” part of World Long Drive’s 2019 Tour.

Guest column by Lauren Peace ’17 (journalism) published in The New York Times.

The fellowship program provides opportunities to outstanding scientists and engineers to learn first-hand about policymaking and contribute their knowledge and analytical skills in the policy realm. Brennan Ireland ’18 Ph.D. (astrophysical sciences and technology) will use his analytical skills to quantitatively evaluate countries to get a better picture of what their futures look like.

For the third consecutive year, wealth management adviser Fern (Grossman) Schwartz '77 (business administration) has been featured on the Forbes list of "America's Top Women Wealth Advisors" for 2019.

Michael Mandina, president of Optimax, and Richard Plympton, CEO of Optimax, have been named the 2019 recipients of the Herbert W. Vanden Brul Entrepreneurial Award, presented by Saunders College of Business. The award is given to entrepreneurial leaders in the greater Rochester region who have developed a business that has improved the local or regional economy or whose innovative management skills have changed the course of an existing business.