NYU-SCPS PR Office Contacts

Syd Steinhardt
212.998.7262
syd.steinhardt@nyu.edu

Cheryl Guevara-Feliciano
212.992.9103
cheryl.feliciano@nyu.edu

Christopher James
212.998.6876
christopher.james@nyu.edu

Greg Dussaq

When Greg Dussaq was laid off from Wall Street in 2009, he knew it would be some time before the financial sector would begin rehiring. “It seemed like the perfect time to finish my degree,” he recalls. The Paul McGhee Division, geared to students returning to complete their undergraduate education, suited him perfectly. “They understood my situation completely,” says Dussaq. Entering with credits earned previously, he met with a McGhee advisor and planned a course of study enabling him to graduate in two years with a B.A. in Social Sciences.

At McGhee, the Barcelona native fell in love with international studies, making it his area of concentration. Quickly becoming devoted to the School, in his second year, Dussaq was elected to represent all the 5,000 NYU-SCPS degree-seeking students as the School’s Senator.

“I have to thank my professors for my success,” he asserts. “They all were incredibly qualified and accessible.” In recognition of his many accomplishments, Dussaq received the Harvey J. Stedman Award, given annually to a McGhee graduate who best exemplifies the life and the achievements of the adult student.

While Dussaq has begun a new job as COO of a start-up finance company, international studies and service still beckon. He just passed the first round of the Foreign Service Officer Test, was named one of seven NYU Student Senators-At-Large for 2011–12, and will be starting an M.S. in Global Affairs (at NYU-SCPS) next fall.

 

---

Scott Gammon

Scott Gammon graduated with honors from the Paul McGhee Division with a B.S. in Digital Communications and Media in December 2010. He specialized in media production—a concentration applicable to new and emerging careers.

Gammon found that McGhee’s online classes provided him with flexible study options and convenient access to a supportive community of fellow students. An array of online tools, such as wikis, live video conferencing, and ePortfolios, facilitated communication, building relationships, and learning.

“The McGhee program allowed me to earn a degree from NYU, a top-tier institution,” he says. “Because my classmates were at varying stages in their educational and professional careers, we had an incredible opportunity to learn from each other,” he contends. “Our professors encouraged us to develop online relationships with our fellow classmates. I am a follower on Twitter, a friend on Facebook, and a connection on LinkedIn, which ensured that I made friends and connections inside and outside class.” In addition, “faculty members used their professional contacts to introduce experts into online and on-site classrooms to discuss real-world issues,” Gammon notes.

Through his enrollment in the McGhee Division, Gammon also took courses in other NYU schools, including the Tisch School of the Arts and the Stern School of Business. “I never stopped learning,” he says. While at McGhee, Gammon completed a digital video internship at NBC Sports, which led to his current full-time position in on-air marketing at NBC Universal.  

 

---

Karlyn Hixson

After earning her bachelor’s of arts degree from Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Karlyn Hixson secured her first job at The Great Courses, LLC, an educational publisher. This formative experience was the first step in pursuing a career in publishing. To broaden her knowledge base, she enrolled in the M.S. in Publishing program at the Center for Publishing. The program’s emphasis on the editorial and the business aspects of the industry provided practical information, while an internship with the Higher Education Group at Oxford University Press, Inc. (OUP USA) offered invaluable hands-on learning experience.

Hixson also had the opportunity to travel overseas. In March, she was one of four NYU-SCPS publishing graduate students chosen to work as volunteers at the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair. Upon graduation, she is looking forward to returning to Virginia and working in a sales position with OUP in the Washington, D.C. area.

“This is a very exciting time to be in publishing,” concludes Hixson. “The way people consume content and the platforms on which they expect content to be available are changing on an almost daily basis, but that just creates more opportunities for people like me to challenge old ways of doing business and to find new paths to success.”

 

---

Sabrina Kippur

After more than two years of working in advertising, Sabrina Kippur, a Stanford University graduate, realized she enjoyed her volunteer development work with the University’s young alumni more than her job. She decided to pursue a career in educational fundraising and chose the M.S. in Fundraising and Grantmaking program at the George H. Heyman, Jr. Center for Philanthropy and Fundraising.

Within two weeks of starting her master’s degree, Kippur was hired as assistant director of development at the NYU School of Medicine. Her coursework and job responsibilities often complemented each other. While she was learning about fundraising best practices in the Annual, Capital Campaigns and Major Gifts course, Kippur played an instrumental role in developing an annual campaign at work.

She acquired additional real-world experience when, as a member of one of six student teams, she created an annual fundraising plan for HealthRight International, a global health and human rights organization. The plan, which was presented to HealthRight’s board of directors, provided the organization with new ways to do business and raise money. The assignment provided the team members with the opportunity to sharpen their skills and to learn more about the industry. “It was an unparalleled experience and a win-win situation all around,” notes Kippur.

Recently promoted to associate director of development at the NYU School of Medicine, she will continue to apply all that she has learned in the classroom to her own work environment.

 

---

Michele E. Kuehl

A former national figure skating champion, Michele E. Kuehl has successfully coached figure skaters for 10 years, but wanted to learn the business side of the sports industry. The M.S. in Sports Business program at the Preston Robert Tisch Center for Hospitality, Tourism, and Sports Management was the perfect fit for her because of its location in New York City, home to a multitude of professional sports teams.

Kuehl enjoyed the Revenue Strategies and Pricing course, which featured a top industry executive who provided an in-depth overview of the Yankees’ pricing strategies. “It was interesting to hear an insider’s perspective about concepts we were studying in class,” asserts Kuehl. A course in Planning and Development of Major Sporting Events was held at Yankee Stadium prior to a fundraising event, providing students with a concrete illustration of how professional sports organizations use space during the off-season to increase revenue. “It taught us how to apply what we were learning in the classroom to actual business situations,” says Kuehl, who served as treasurer of the NYU-SCPS Graduate Student Council.

While pursuing her graduate studies, Kuehl taught skating at Wollman Rink in Central Park, a “unique New York opportunity” that she believes will help her reach her goal of working for the U.S. Olympic Committee or the U.S. Figure Skating Association.

 

---

Janet Chi-Chi Millaway

After earning a master’s degree from Columbia University’s Teachers College and teaching high school English, Janet Chi-Chi Millaway decided she wanted to return to the type of work she did as public relations director for the University of Michigan’s Society for Women Engineers while an undergraduate. She enrolled in the M.S. in Public Relations and Corporate Communication program, drawn by its faculty of industry experts and its New York City location.

She was encouraged to network with faculty members, fellow students, and alumni, a very important value-added aspect of the program. “In PR, it’s all about whom you know,” she admits. Her networking proved to be incredibly fruitful. An internship in investor relations led to a full-time job as an account executive for KSCA Strategic Communications, after a managing director from her internship recommended her to a colleague at the firm.

While working full time and going to school, Millaway helped other students understand the importance of networking. As president of the NYU PR League, she increased the number of social and career-related events; published a weekly digest with professional development opportunities; and talked to new and prospective students about her passion for the School and the PR field. She serves as social media chair of the Public Relations Society of America’s New York chapter, and graduates this spring with the Most Distinguished Student Award in the Public Relations and Corporate Communication program.

 

---

Shelley Rankin

Shelley Rankin pursued an M.S. in Real Estate from the NYU Schack Institute of Real Estate while also managing sales and leasing for new residential developments and executing nonperforming commercial loan acquisitions in New York City. “The program’s midtown location, flexible course schedules, and focused curriculum enabled me to deepen my understanding of real estate finance and development,” she says.

Rankin relished the fact that her education was enriched by faculty members with extensive industry experience. James P. Stuckey, divisional dean of NYU Schack, provided insights from his involvement in developing Brooklyn’s Atlantic Yards. When discussing Rio de Janeiro’s transforming port area, Carl Weisbrod, academic chair of global development at NYU Schack, shared his professional experiences reviving the Times Square Area.

While studying international real estate development, Rankin traveled to Brazil and Chile with NYU Schack, where she served as translator at city and regional government office visits. She also worked with NYU Schack’s Post-Catastrophe Reconstruction course team on a 3,000-acre development site in Haiti. She co-created, writes, and edits for Premises, the recently launched NYU Schack publication.

In contemplating her next career move, Rankin is evaluating opportunities in New York and Brazil. “NYU Schack broadened my horizons and showed me that the skill sets and knowledge I now possess can be parlayed into exciting opportunities around the globe,” she notes.

 

---

Divya Ratnam

After two years in sales at British Airways and seven years as a human resource manager with Genpact (formerly GE Capital International Services), Divya Ratnam, who previously earned a B.A. in Sociology from Delhi University and an M.A. in Sociology from the Delhi School of Economics and Social Sciences, felt the time was right to enhance her professional credentials by earning an M.S. in Human Resource Management and Development. “What appealed to me immediately is the program’s strong business orientation,” Ratnam explains. “It offers a great breadth of knowledge not just in pure HR functions but also in financial management and business strategy.”

The hands-on nature of the curriculum impressed Ratnam right from the start, and one IT course proved to have far-reaching impact for her. “As part of our coursework, we developed an IT solution for effective recruitment practices at a financial services firm and presented it to an external board brought in by the professor. After the presentation, one of the board members, the vice president of HR of a global luxury apparel firm, asked a member of the firm to contact us. One thing led to another, and I’ll be joining the company after graduation. It’s a very exciting opportunity for me,” concludes Ratnam, “and a terrific return on my NYU-SCPS investment.”

 

---

Susana Roges

After earning her B.S. in Finance and Marketing from the NYU Stern School of Business, Susana Roges chose to pursue an M.S. in Integrated Marketing because she wanted to take advantage of the specialized curriculum. “The program’s all-marketing focus and its all-practitioner faculty were exactly what I was looking for,” says Roges.

Last summer, Roges became one of the first students from the master’s program to obtain an internship at L’Oreal. Her second-year internship was at Razorfish–a prominent digital marketing firm–where she contributed to the repositioning of a Citigroup brand and launched a blog for a luxury automotive client, among other projects.

She was a recipient of the Dean’s Graduate Fellowship this past academic year and a semi-finalist in the spring 2010 Google Online Marketing Challenge. Roges served as vice president of both the NYU-SCPS Integrated Marketing Association and the School’s Graduate Student Council, whose executive boards received the NYU President’s Service Award.

This spring, Roges begins her dream job as an account manager at Rosetta, the interactive marketing agency. She applied for the position after meeting Rosetta founder and CEO Chris Kuenne when he spoke at her C-Suite Perspective class on leadership and integrated marketing. “I was very impressed by how he created and grew the company,” recalls Roges, “and by his vision for the future. Having met the CEO was definitely an advantage during my interviews. It’s a great example of what the School’s ‘real-life, happening-in-the-moment’ orientation can offer you.”

 

---

Michael Schaeffer

Michael Schaeffer wanted to work in the information technology field. “The problem,” says Schaeffer, whose previous experience was managing operations in a wholesale plumbing company, “was that I didn’t have an IT background.”

He enrolled in the M.S. in Management and Systems program while continuing to work full time. As part of his studies, Schaeffer and a team of fellow students created an app that allows iPhone users to connect to the NYU home page—a project that greatly expanded his knowledge base. Schaeffer eventually decided upon database technologies as his concentration. One of his assignments involved creating an interactive music database. In addition, his culminating research project, which examined the factors affecting medical centers’ decisions to institute electronic medical records systems, won him the program’s Best Thesis Award.

“My professors brought real-life experience to class and were always available to advise me,” he says. “I will utilize the professional network I developed at NYU throughout my career.”

Having graduated in January, Schaeffer is now a project manager for Usablenet, a technology company that enables websites to be viewed from any type of device. “I’m applying many of the technical and business skills I learned in school on the job,” he says. “The Management and Systems program provided me with the background I needed to pursue the career I wanted.” 

 

---

Ashley Schwartz

After graduating in December 2010 with a B.S. in Sports Management from the Preston Robert Tisch Center for Hospitality, Tourism, and Sports Management, Ashley Schwartz began a six-month fellowship with Major League Baseball (MLB).

“I am currently involved in corporate sales and marketing,” she says. “My work includes reviewing and distributing information on Electronic Video Insertion—the virtual advertisements behind home plate that TV viewers see during televised games—and updating sales presentations that pitch sponsorships for this year’s All-Star Fan Fest.”

Schwartz credits her four years at the Tisch Center with transforming her from a sports enthusiast into an industry professional. She completed several hands-on learning experiences, including an internship with the American Youth Football program. In addition, her coursework helped to hone her analytical, public relations, and marketing skills.

Her studies also included travel to Florida with the Sports Business Society, a student-run organization for which she co-chaired the annual awards event and the internship fair. She is especially interested in pursuing a career path that involves the use of social media in sports marketing.

 

---

Jaime Sliker

Three years after earning her B.F.A. in Graphic Design from the College of New Jersey, Jaime Sliker was at a turning point in her career. Her position as a graphic designer at CUH2A, a laboratory planning and design firm, was evolving beyond design functions into marketing and managerial responsibilities. “I needed to have more knowledge and experience to be able to excel in my career,” says Sliker. “When I did the research, I realized that the M.A. in Graphic Communications Management and Technology program offered me the perfect combination of growth in design and leadership skills.”

Sliker’s classes in leadership and management helped prepare her for advancement at her company, which had been acquired by HDR, Inc., a global architecture, engineering, and consulting firm. Last summer, when her boss took family leave, Sliker was asked to step in as interim communications director. She was soon promoted to the position of national coordinator of HDR’s Science and Technology program. “This has been such an exciting time for me,” says Sliker. “The experience I gained at NYU-SCPS and the exposure to new people and new ideas has been incredibly valuable. With this degree, I see nothing but great possibilities ahead.”

 

---

Mary Tran

Mary Tran’s passion for global affairs was sparked by a childhood trip to her parents’ native Vietnam. “I was exposed to the developing world’s perspective at a very impressionable stage in my life,” recalls Tran. “I realized then how fortunate I was and how different life could have been for me personally.” Tran earned her B.A. in English at the University of Michigan. After three years as an analyst and consultant for Sg2 Health Care Intelligence, she decided to turn her passion into a career by pursuing an M.S. in Global Affairs through the Center for Global Affairs (CGA).

Among the many transformative influences Tran cites are Professor Michael Oppenheimer’s political economy course and Scenarios initiatives; her work as a research assistant for Professor Everett Myers, analyzing country-specific political, social, and economic developments and coordinating a graduate research intensive in Vietnam; and her internship with the United Nations Development Programme.

Tran founded and served as president of the Society of International Business and Development, a CGA-affiliated student organization, and was honored with the CGA Divisional Dean’s Circle Award for academic excellence. Upon graduation, Tran will return to Vietnam as the program administrator for the CGA Vietnam-ASEAN Field Intensive. She is looking forward to exploring career opportunities at the intersection of international law and the private sector.

 

---

Lucy Ulmer

As a paralegal, Lucy Ulmer brought her background in construction litigation to the M. S. in Construction Management program at the NYU Schack Institute of Real Estate. “I was probably the only student with legal experience,” she affirms. “My classmates included architects, project managers, engineers, and people from real estate acquisition firms. It was wonderful having professionals who added a broad range of perspectives to the classroom discussion.”

Ulmer took evening and weekend classes while continuing to work for a New York law firm. “I liked the fact that the program included both a technical and business focus,” she notes. “I learned to estimate steel and concrete costs, completed safety tours of construction sites, and learned how to work with an architect. In addition, I acquired an understanding of how to finance a property purchase and manage a business.”

Sparked by a course in community development, Ulmer chose a concentration in construction management for the development process, which included a capstone project planning the development of a commercial building in lower Manhattan. She also served as a student representative
for the Construction Management Association of America and participated in a weekly seminar in which real estate developers discussed their projects.

After graduation, Ulmer will work at her current firm in a newly created position combining litigation and claims analysis. “The NYU Schack program was a fantastic experience,” she declares. “I’d recommend it to anyone.”

 

---

Jacqueline Waldman

As an undergraduate student at Cornell University, Jacqueline Waldman majored in history, but it was her electives taken through the University’s hotel school that inspired her the most. Upon graduation, she enrolled in the M.S. in Hospitality Industry Studies program at the Preston Robert Tisch Center for Hospitality, Tourism, and Sports Management.

“I liked the small classes,” says Waldman, “as well as the mix of adjunct faculty members who come to class from their offices, bringing their real-world experience with them. New York City was another advantage. Here, I can literally walk to leading hotels.”

Waldman’s studies included branding strategy and hotel financing. Experiential highlights included a consulting project for Hyatt, an internship with the Jumeirah Essex House, and a leadership role in the Tisch Center’s Hospitality and Tourism Society, a group that regularly consults with managers of Manhattan properties.

Her stellar performance earned Waldman the Ricelle “Bunny” Grossinger Hospitality Award, presented to a student with outstanding potential for leadership in the hospitality and tourism industry. She is now interviewing for an analyst position at a hospitality consulting firm.