Q&A with the New Trustees

By Kyle Hornyak, October 5, 2018

Get to know the six new IC Board of Trustees members.

The Ithaca College Board of Trustees welcomed six new trustees in 2018. In May, Luvelle Brown, superintendent of the Ithaca City School District, was elected as a four-year term trustee, and Ellen Staurowsky, MS ’78, an expert in higher education and intercollegiate athletics, was elected as alumni trustee to serve a three-year term. Yetunde Smalls ’21, a politics major and Martin Luther King scholar from Michigan, was elected as student trustee and will serve a two-year term.

In August, Rosanna Aybar, vice president of finance and administration and assistant treasurer of the William T. Grant Foundation; David Meberg ’85, a School of Business alumnus who is principal, president and CEO of Consolidated Carpet; and Orinthia Montague, president of Tompkins Cortland Community College (TC3), were elected to serve four-year terms on the Board of Trustees.

We talked with the college’s newest trustees about why they joined the board and what skills and expertise they hope to contribute.

Rosanna Aybar

Elected August 2018

Why did you join the board?

I accepted the invitation to join the board because Ithaca College’s mission embodies values that are important to me. I want to contribute to IC’s ongoing work toward creating an environment for students to acquire knowledge and achieve a level of education that will play a critical role in their success. President Collado’s commitment to providing a supportive environment with highly talented faculty and staff, and her work to create a community that appreciates diversity and inclusion and sets high standards for excellence, is essential to the development of thought leaders. I’m honored to have been asked to be part of the board. It was clear to me during my conversations with President Collado and some of the board members how passionate and committed they are to IC.

What special skills and expertise do you offer the board and Ithaca College?

I have a background in finance and operations and over 20 years of experience working in nonprofits. The IC Board has a group of individuals with strong expertise in many different areas, and I hope that my experience will be of added value. Our collective efforts are to support President Collado and her team in different ways. This is an exciting time for IC as the college embarks on its strategic plan and simultaneously continues to serve its present and past student body and its entire community. I look forward to making a positive contribution as a board member.

What’s something about you that people might be surprised to learn?

I was a nontraditional student as an undergrad. I married at a young age and was raising children while attending college. Therefore, my college experience was different than most, but it helped me to have a strong appreciation for a college that has a supportive environment and is devoted to student success. Getting my education has made a tremendous difference in my life.

Luvelle Brown

Elected May 2018

Why did you join the board?

Ithaca College is an integral part of my community and the higher education space. I would like to serve in a leadership capacity to contribute to the college’s continuous improvement and quest for excellence.

What special skills and expertise do you offer the board and Ithaca College?

I have more than 20 years of experience leading governance teams and managing large organizations. Additionally, I bring significant experiences and connections from the preK-12 education environment.

What’s something about you that people might be surprised to learn?

I had perfect attendance from kindergarten through the end of my senior year of high school.

David Meberg ’85

Elected August 2018

Why did you join the board?

My four years at Ithaca College were the most formative years in my life. Having the opportunity to return and help shape the direction of the institution that so shaped me was just too hard to pass up. IC means so much to so many, that helping it be the best it can be is a great honor for an alumnus.

What special skills and expertise do you offer the board and Ithaca College?

As an entrepreneur, I’m a keen believer that constant re-examination and change is crucial to the success of any institution. I’m constantly reflecting and making changes at the businesses I run. As IC embarks on a thorough and transparent strategic planning process, I hope to contribute to the dialogue, shape, and outcome of the defining document for Ithaca College’s future.

What’s something about you that people might be surprised to learn?

Whenever possible I escape the bounds of land for the sea. Coming from Norwegian heritage, my roots run deep, and I strive to be on the water as much as I can. Whether simply navigating my boat to nowhere in particular, or sport fishing, or diving, I am most at peace and relaxed when I can’t see land. Added bonus: my cell phone doesn’t work offshore, either!

Orinthia Montague

Elected August 2018

Why did you join the board?

I joined the board to help support individuals in their pursuit of higher education.

What special skills and expertise do you offer the board and Ithaca College?

I have many years of experience within higher education, particularly student affairs and diversity, as well as a background in social services.

What’s something about you that people might be surprised to learn?

People may be surprised to learn that I used to be a pom-pom coach in my younger days, and I am still a great dancer.

Yetunde Smalls ’21

Student Trustee, elected May 2018

Why did you join the board?

I chose to join the board in part because of its genuine commitment to the college, and I wanted to lend my time, energy and voice to assist in shaping Ithaca College as a model for higher education. I believe that each board member has a commitment to service and philanthropy, principles that I continue to nurture within myself. The longevity of Ithaca College’s legacy is important to me as a future alum.

What special skills and expertise do you offer the board and Ithaca College?

I have an extensive background of leadership in terms of being a resident assistant, an MLK Scholar, a BOLD Bridge Up Scholar, a former senator for the Class of 2021, and former president of Eastman and Lyon’s Community Council. My platform as a campus leader has exposed me to multiple student perspectives, which allows me to bring strong student insights from a social, emotional and academic level.

What’s something about you that people might be surprised to learn?

I have a love for photography. With my camera, I am able to capture a moment in time and illuminate hidden beauty that people tend to look past. My love for photography allowed me to win a photo contest in the state of Michigan wherein I encapsulated blight, highlighting the narrative of the impoverished while restoring the humanity of homelessness within my frame.

Ellen Staurowsky, MS ’78

Alumni Trustee, elected May 2018

Why did you join the board?

As a daughter of Ithaca, I have benefited in countless ways from the contributions of others (my students and professors, colleagues, classmates and friends of the college) who gave of themselves to make Ithaca a place of possibility and hope. To serve Ithaca in this capacity allows me to return in some measure the gifts given to me in lasting friendships and professional associations.

What special skills and expertise do you offer the board and Ithaca College?

Having worked in higher education for most of my professional career, I bring considerable background and experience as a professor and administrator. I’ve also served in the role of a trustee at Ursinus College, giving me perspective specific to this role.

What’s something about you that people might be surprised to learn?

People might be surprised to learn that among the many jobs I have done over the years, I worked as a laborer in a flag factory and on a construction crew.