John Jay College Alumni News

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Interim Executive Board

Michael F. McCann
BS'74, JD
President

Richard Gallo
BS'79, MPA'82, MA '85,
First Vice President,

Teresa Coaxum
BA'93, MPA'08
Second Vice President

Larry Cunningham
BS'97, JD
Third Vice President

Thomas Belfiore
BA'79, MA'96
Treasurer

Suzanne Chiofolo
BA'00
Secretary & Long Island Coordinator

Honorary Members

James Brito
BS'05
Staten Island Coordinator

Daniel Cabrera, Jr.
BS '87, MPA '93, Washington, D.C.
Coordinator

Ronald Spadafora
BS '86
FDNY Coordinator


With Special Thanks...

With heartfelt gratitude for the hard work donated by alumni volunteers who assisted in managing the 2011 Reunion, on behalf of Michael F. McCann, Alumni Board President and the members, we wish to acknowledge our 2011 presenter/2010 honoree, alumnus Richard J. Koehler, and our escorts, greeters, writers,wranglers and facilitators -- alumnae Janet Winter, Nilsa Lam, Litna McNickle, Yvette Brickhouse, Prem Sukhan, Maria E. Vidal and Estefania DiBua and alumni Michael Scaduto and Peter Dodenhoff. Your alma mater greatly appreciates your invaluable and continuing support.

Best regards, Jerylle M. Kemp, Director of Alumni Relations


Building the College's Future Brick by Brick
Join the growing ranks of alumni taking the unique opportunity to leave their mark upon the College by purchasing a brick ($250 or $500), a tree ($1,000) or a bench ($5000) on the Jay Walk, a 60,000 square foot esplanade that will link Haaren Hall to the new building on 11th Avenue. It's a way to both commemorate a significant person in your life as well as provide needed scholarships for our students through a tax-deductible donation. To learn more about this campaign, click here or call 212.237.8688.

Jay Walk donors may purchase 2011 ALUMNI REUNION TICKETS at special rates!

See April 12th Alumni Reunion information below.


To All John Jay Alumni Holding the M.S. Degree in Forensic Science:

The Forensic Science Master's Program is updating its alumni database. Please send your contact information by June 1, 2011 to the Program Director, Professor Margaret Wallace, at mawallace@jjay.cuny.edu. It would be very helpful if you would:

* include the term "MS FOS Alumni" in the subject
* note your preferred e-mail address
* provide your home/business contact information and date of graduation

Thank you for your cooperation.

Margaret M. Wallace, Ph.D.
John Jay College of Criminal Justice
Department of Sciences
445 West 59th Street
New York, NY 10019


Alumni Board 2011 Request for Nominations and E-mail Updates

Dear Alumnus or Alumna,

Pursuant to the John Jay College Alumni Association Constitution and Bylaws, in late May 2011 the Alumni Board will conduct an election to fill the following positions: President; First Vice President; Second Vice President; Third Vice President; Secretary; Treasurer; and Historian. The election will be conducted electronically. If you haven't updated your e-mail address recently, please submit your current e-mail by 12:00 Noon on May 24, 2011 -- https://johnjay.jjay.cuny.edu/alumni/membership/updateMember.asp -- and we will gladly update our records. Any active member may nominate himself or herself, or may nominate any other active member for one or more of the positions noted above. For a description of the duties of these offices, click here


2011 Alumni Board Nomination Form

To nominate a candidate for consideration by the Alumni Nominations Committee, please:

a) provide the information requested below;

b) insert in the subject line of your message: " Nomination for Alumni Board... (title) ..."

c) e-mail your completed form by 5:00 PM on May 10, 2011 to jkemp@jjay.cuny.edu

I hereby submit a nomination for the following Alumni Board position: ___________________

I have received the candidate's permission to submit his or her name:
______Yes ________ No

Candidate's Full Name __________________________________
Degree(s)/Year(s) ___ / ___

Business___________________________Title__________________

Business Address _________________ ________City/ State/ Zip___________

E-mail ________________________

Phone_____________________Cell____________________________

Nominating Party's Name__________________Degree(s)/Year(s) ______/______

Nominating Party's Phone _____________________

Cell ____________________

In light of the duties associated with this position, in 500 words or less, please explain your reasons for nominating this candidate.

We thank you for your interest and your nomination.

Sincerely,
The Alumni Board Nominations Committee


College News

Daring to Make a Difference
Before an audience filled with members of the John Jay community, elected officials and other notable guests, three courageous individuals were presented on April 5 with the 2011 John Jay Justice Award for their dedication to the cause of justice. The honorees at this year's ceremony held at the City University Graduate Center's Proshansky Auditorium were Sunitha Krishnan, founder and head of Prajwala, an anti-sex trafficking network in India; Marian Wright Edelman, civil rights activist and founder of the Children's Defense Fund; and Sheriff Thomas J. Dart of Cook County, IL. "Justice is often described as truth in action," said President Jeremy Travis. "As we leave tonight we are called to action." Travis saluted the honorees for their "courage, clarity of purpose and generosity of spirit." The International Leader for Justice Award was presented to Krishnan by Tina Brown, renowned journalist and editor-in-chief of The Daily Beast and Newsweek. It is a "huge honor," said Brown, "to honor this small woman with extraordinary courage and a huge heart." Civil rights activist, singer and actor Harry Belafonte presented the National Leader for Justice Award to Edelman, and award-winning actor Len Cariou presented Dart with the Community Leader Justice Award for his humane approach to enforcing the law during troubled economic times. "Each year through the John Jay Medal for Justice Awards program we recognize one outstanding global leader, one national leader and one community leader for their extraordinary contributions to justice," said Travis. "They affirm the commitment of John Jay the man and John Jay College to strengthen society's social fabric through justice and civic engagement."

Daring to Make a Difference
[Tina Brown; Sheriff Thomas J. Dart; Marian Wright Edelman; Sunitha Krishnan; Harry Belafonte; Len Carious; President Jeremy Travis]

Alumni Reunion
By Peter Dodenhoff

The 2011 Alumni Reunion on April 12th offered a nod to the future while honoring the past. This year's event welcomed a sizable contingent of undergraduates who networked with alumni from 1968 through 2010 in an atmosphere charged with school spirit. The annual gathering featured a groundbreaking "speed networking" session co-sponsored by the Alumni Association and the College's Office of Career Development Services, where students made new professional and personal contacts with alumni from the public and private sectors. During the reception and dinner that followed, returning alumni reminisced and renewed old friendships. "We know that alumni make a difference," said President Jeremy Travis. He paid tribute to "the energy of our alumni relations office that has energized our alumni and has fostered an increased sense of community with our alumni and our students." For the presentation of the evening's awards, Alumni Board President Michael F.McCann inaugurated what the Board hopes will become a new reunion tradition - inviting the previous year's honorees to serve as presenters for their successors. Jamie Bridgewater, a junior, presented the Alumni Endowed Scholarship to sophomore Naithram (Nate) Singh (who was featured in the Student Highlights section of the February 2011 Alumni News.) The 2011 Distinguished Faculty Award was presented to Professor John Matteson of the English Department, winner of the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Biography, for his book Eden's Outcasts: The Story of Louisa Mae Alcott and Her Father. Matteson, who also serves as Academic Director of the John Jay Honors Program, received his award from the 2010 winner, Professor Jane Katz of the Health & Physical Education Department. Richard J. Koehler (BS '73, summa cum laude, MA, JD), presented the 2011 Distinguished Alumnus Award to Lawrence F. Loesch (AS '75, BA '77 summa cum laude, JD). Loesch served with distinction over a 30-year career with the NYPD, rising to the rank of Deputy Chief and Commanding Officer of Detective Borough Queens. He is now Vice President and General Manager of AlliedBarton Security Services, the largest American-owned security officer services company.

Events
[L-R: President Jeremy Travis, Sophomore Naithram Singh, Professor John Matteson, Alumnus Lawrence Loesch, Alumni Board President Michael McCann]

Graduation Day
For the first time ever, John Jay's graduation will be held at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center North, 40th Street and 11th Avenue entrance. During the forty-fifth commencement exercises on June 3, the College will award honorary degrees to the Honorable Judith S. Kaye, retired Chief Judge of the State of New York; and Lynn Paltrow, founder and executive director of the National Advocates for Pregnant Women.

Events
THE 1960'S: THE STRUGGLE FOR JUSTICE INTENSIFIES
Monday, May 2, 2011                                 7:00 PM

The Revolution Fantasy: Thinking Yourself Into a Corner. Speaker: Mark Rudd, political organizer, mathematics instructor and anti-Viet Nam war protester.

John Jay College
899 10th Avenue, RM 630T
New York City


Mosques, Veils, and Madrassas: Muslims and Institutions of Justice in Pluralistic Societies
Thursday, May 5, 2011                                6:30 PM

The 99 and Challenging Muslim Stereotypes. Speaker Naif Al-Mutawa, creator of The 99, comic-book heroes used to reinforce positive messages about Islam.

John Jay College
899 10th Avenue, Room 630T
New York City

Connect and Reconnect Open House in
Washington, DC
Monday, May 16, 2011 (New Date!)           6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

Alumni Association President Michael McCann (BA '74, JD), Washington, DC Coordinator Daniel Cabrera, Jr. (BS '88, MP '93) and the Alumni Board cordially invite all John Jay alumni to an Open House in Washington, DC. Our guest speaker will be Hon. James P. Lynch, Director, Bureau of Justice Statistics. Refreshments will be served.

RSVP to Jerylle Kemp, Director of Alumni Relations at jkemp@jjay.cuny.edu. Please be sure to provide your full name, degree(s), graduation years(s) and your email address. For more information, call 212.237.8964.

Casa Italiana Hall
595 Third Street, NW (at 3rd & F Streets)
Washington, DC

Mosques, Veils, and Madrassas: Muslims and Institutions of Justice in Pluralistic Societies
Thursday, May 12, 2011                          6:30 PM

Muslim Youth and Police Relations in Holland and Canada. Speakers: Geoffrey Verheul, former youth parole officer in Amsterdam and program developer of Ready for Change, and Luciano Bentenuto,Deputy Director, Tactical Intelligence, and National Project Manager-Organized Crime/ Criminal Gangs, Correctional Service of Canada.

John Jay College
445 West 59th Street, RM 1311N
New York City

Alumni Spotlight
Nestor Diaz (BA '86) came to John Jay for one reason only: to become an attorney. His plan worked. Twenty-five years later, Diaz is a criminal-defense lawyer who has served on a number of professional boards and is a former president of the Latino Lawyers Association of Queens County, NY. After graduating from St. John's University School of Law, Diaz worked as a special assistant to the corporation counsel for the Commissioner of Social Services. He left to become a prosecutor at the Brooklyn District Attorney's Office. "At John Jay, there were a lot of public servants, police officers were going there, people from the fire department," said Diaz. "They helped shape my desire to work in the public sector. The public sector is to serve the public. I found it a more honorable pursuit, and it certainly gave me a lot of experience that I benefit from now." Diaz eventually did make the switch to the private sector. In 2001, he joined a firm that practiced immigration law. "Being bilingual, I knew I should have at least some" experience in that area, he said. Diaz still handles some immigration cases, in addition to criminal and family law. A first-generation Dominican-American, Diaz is proud of his heritage. Having just finished his term as president of the Latino Lawyers Association of Queens County, he continues to serve on the group's advisory board. He is also general counsel to the New York Dominican Officers Organization and for the New York State Wide Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. "We're actually going on a trade mission to the Dominican Republic next month," said Diaz. As a student at John Jay, Diaz says that he took advantage of the internships offered by the College. "I worked at a Supreme Court Law Library and then, through the placement office, I got a job at the Manhattan District Attorney's Office at the arraignment analysis unit," he said. "I took as much advantage as I could at the school."

Student Highlights

David Geliebter

To say that John Jay senior David Geliebter is a person of varied interests would be an understatement. The 21-year-old Honors Program student and Forensic Science major could not have come up with two more different ideas for his forensic science research project and his Honors thesis. Geliebter's research project took him to Texas A&M University last summer to examine pollen. "Just like everyone has their own fingerprints, every region has its own pollen count," he said. Finding a certain ratio of pollen grains on a specific individual, Geliebter explained, could help law enforcement determine where a person was killed or where a terrorist had been trained. "You're trying to match up that body with a specific location; specific locations have specific pollen counts," he said. In addition to being an Honors student, Geliebter is also a member of the Alpha Phi Sigma National Criminal Justice Honor Society and the Phi Eta Sigma Honor Society. In 2009, he was the recipient of John Jay's Thurgood Marshall Scholarship. After Geliebter graduates in June, he will be attending the College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) in Syracuse, NY, on an assistantship scholarship that will cover his tuition and provide a stipend in exchange for some teaching and research. His goal is to obtain a doctorate in ecology from ESF. "I want to look at restoration ecology and native plants," said Geliebter. Not unsurprisingly, the Brooklyn native's expertise is on that borough's native plants. As for his thesis, Geliebter examined why rap music seems to be criticized more harshly for violent lyrics than other genres of music, particularly heavy metal. He tested his hypothesis by asking students at John Jay and Brooklyn College to listen to equally violent lyrics from both types of music. His finding was that rap got a bad rap because its lyrics were easier to understand. "People who heard rap recalled lyrics much better and they picked up on the themes," said Geliebter. "People who listed to heavy metal are just horrendous at recalling lyrics. This serves as a possible reason for the disproportionate criticism."

Office of Alumni Affairs, 555 West 57th Street, Room 608, NY, NY 10019 ' Phone 212.237.8547, Email: alumni@jjay.cuny.edu, http://www.jjay.cuny.edu/alumninews