Business

Alumni Council and New Coordinator to Help Internship Program

No one can deny the edge that practical experience in a given field can provide. Internships provide that edge, in experience and contacts that make the transition from school to career just a little smoother.

Recognizing the importance of such on-the-job experience, Dean Bob Ullrich has hired an internship coordinator, Karen Gorewit, to oversee the process. Gorewit, who holds an M.B.A. from the State University of New York at Binghamton and a bachelor’s degree in education from Michigan State University, previously worked as a manager for a consulting business and as a financial officer for two start-up biotechnology businesses. She says she jumped at the opportunity to work with students in this way. "I really enjoy working with college-age students," she says. "They have eagerness and desire that give them a need for new and varied experiences."

Several alumni have also committed themselves to helping make the transition from college to the job market even smoother — they’ve formed the Dean’s Internship Advisory Council. Brent Leffel ’94, a finance major who had his own share of frustration breaking into companies that were recruiting exclusively from specific colleges and universities, hopes the council will help future IC graduates bypass such difficult experiences. "I enjoy speaking with students and helping them jump-start their careers," he says, and he wanted to do something positive for his alma mater. He approached Ullrich with the idea of a council after hearing of the dean’s initiative in hiring an internship coordinator.

"I was surprised and very grateful," says Ullrich, "when Brent volunteered out of the blue to form an alumni advisory council for our internship program. Our alumni are the school’s strongest link to the business organizations that offer internships." Gorewit concurs: "It’s great for alumni to want to help our current students, and for the students to have the assistance of people with real-world experience. I look forward to our collaboration."

The DIAC will serve as a resource for Gorewit as she expands the breadth, scope, and focus of the school’s internship and job placement efforts. At the same time the council will assist students in identifying and evaluating internship and full-time employment opportunities. Committee members will work with faculty members and administrators to evaluate job markets and advise about business trends. With the support of the dean, the council has already initiated an on-campus speaker series designed to educate current and future students as to "what’s out there" and "how to get it."

Leffel is serving as DIAC’s charter president, Marc Maloney ’95 as its vice president, and Matt Kinsey ’96 as its secretary.

Leffel is an associate of Quad-C, a private equity firm based in Charlottesville, Virginia. Quad-C makes controlling investments in companies with enterprise values ranging from $50 million to $300 million. Before joining the firm in 1998, Leffel was a financial analyst, associate, and founding member of the financial buyer/leverage finance department at NationsBanc Montgomery Securities. While there he worked on numerous leveraged buyout transactions involving bank, bridge, and high-yield securities financing. Leffel is currently a member of the board of directors of several privately held companies controlled by Quad-C, including Universal Fiber Systems (a global synthetic fiber manufacturer), and Non-Invasive Medical Technologies Corporation (a medical device company). He is also a member of the board of directors of the central Virginia chapter of Junior Achievement.

Maloney is an associate of Bank-America Securities in the Charlotte-based Ratings Advisory Group, where he advises companies on ratings strategies for public and private debt placements. Before joining the Ratings Advisory Group, Maloney was a financial analyst and associate of the New York Corporate Finance of BankAmerica Securities.

Kinsey is an associate of Chase Securities in its New York–based media and telecommunications investment banking group, where he is involved in a diverse range of merger, acquisition, and financing transactions. Before joining the media and telecom group, Kinsey was a financial analyst in Chase Securities’ leveraged finance group, where he worked on numerous leveraged buyout transactions.

The officers will help Gorewit identify opportunities, plan strategies, make contacts with IC alumni and others in business, and market the committee to the broader College community. They’ll also serve as contacts for students — helping link them with appropriate organizations and alumni, and offering assistance whenever possible — and build a membership base of alumni who are willing and able to help. Committee members will serve as a resource to current students as they contemplate different career decisions, identify internship opportunities that would be funneled through the officers, and help students navigate the systems at organizations where committee members have contacts.

"I take great pride in watching students excel," says Leffel, who adds that he looks forward to working with the committee to make good things happen for Ithaca students. The officers are assembling a list of potential committee members and welcome inquiries from interested alumni. Any alumni who would like to help are invited to contact Karen Gorewit at gorewit@ithaca.edu or 607-274-3673.