Speaker Profiles
Home | School of Business | School of Education | School of Fine & Performing Arts | College of Liberal Arts & Sciences | School of Science & Engineering
Keynote Speaker
Damali Peterman, Esq.
CEO & Founder BREAKTHROUGHADR
How to Be Who You Are To Get What You Want
In our multifaceted, multicultural world, the one-size-fits-all approach taught in most negotiation guides isn't effective and disregards how much bias lies behind every negotiation. So how do we ensure we get what we want when bias may be involved? What can we do to get the other party to understand our perspective? And how can we determine when to negotiate and when to walk away? In this empowering and engaging talk, Damali Peterman shows how everything is potentially up for discussion, whether negotiating in the boardroom or in day-to-day life. She shares flexible, evidence-based strategies from her book, Negotiating While Black: Be Who You Are to Get What You Want, that work for all people, no matter their identities and teaches audiences a successful negotiating framework for leveraging who they are to get what they want. From the Foundational Five skills to the Negotiation Superpowers, Peterman’s tried-and-true techniques will help executives, employees, and entrepreneurs create win-win outcomes in any situation.
School of Business
Careers in Business:
For students interested in peer mentorship and career guidance as a pathway to succeeding in a variety of professional interests including but not limited to:
Business Analytics and Marketing
General Business, Entrepreneurship and Management
Alondra Rivera '18
Multidisciplinary Artist & Experienced Digital Marketer
Major: Marketing
Bianca Conway '10
Hedge Fund Credit Management Analyst
Morgan Stanley
Major: Finance
Elisha Brestovansky ’13
Tax Director
PKF O’Connor Davies
Major: Accounting
Johnnieanne Hansen
Vice President
Council of Industry
Major: Business Management
Graduate of another higher education institution
Monica Farrell Puskuldjian '15
Senior Technical Program Manager
PDT Partners
Major: International Relations, Political Science, Disaster Studies
Renee Padmore Baccus ’91
Principal @ Healthy Hands of Harvest
/Public Health Educator/
Certified Urban Farmer/Coach
Major: Black Studies; Psychology
Tracy Badgley
Partner
PKF O’Connor Davis LLP and PKF O’Connor Davies Advisory LLC
Major: Accounting
Graduate of another higher education institution
School of Education
Careers in Education:
For students interested in peer mentorship and career guidance as a pathway to succeeding in various teaching and educational leadership roles including but not limited to:
Early Childhood, Elementary and Adolescent Education
School Principal, Superintendent
Angela Urbina -Medina '00 '07g
Retired New York State Superintendent
Ellenville Central School District
Major: Pre K-6 General; School Leadership
Joanna Goldfarb '10
Sustainability Innovation Consultant,
Ramapo Catskill Library System
Major: English
Karin Armstrong ’99g
Middle School Teacher
Haviland Middle School
Major: Elementary Education
Francis Cruz '07
Assistant Principal
Columbus Elementary, New Rochelle
Major: Journalism
Rebekah Stoll '06 '09g
Family and Consumer Science Department Chair
Valley Central School District
Major:Psych, Humanistic Ed
School of Fine & Performing Arts
Careers in Fine & Performing Arts:
For students interested in peer mentorship and career guidance as a pathway to succeeding in individual creative pursuits including but not limited to:
Anna Conlan
Neil C. Trager Director
Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art
Major: Master of Art, Museum Anthropology and Feminism and the Visual Arts; PhD Art History
Graduate of another higher education institution
Bobbi Esmark '84
Painter/Printmaker/Owner
Bravo Echo Gallery
Major: Painting
Brianna Rascoe ’15
Brand Strategy Consultant
Major: Graphic Design
Emily Harr ’18
Program Associate
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Major: Art History and Public Relations
Jacqueline McCullough ’16
Senior Art Director/Brand Designer
Rokt
Major: Graphic Arts
Katy Peace '06
Director of Communications, Preservation League of NYS
Major: Art History
Shauna Keating ’16
Senior Experience Design Lead
Travelers
Major: Graphic Design
Tania Velin '20
Designer
North American Stores Marketing at Amazon
Major: Graphic Design
College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
Careers in Liberal Arts & Science:
For students interested in peer mentorship and career guidance across multiple majors and professional interests including but not limited to succeeding in:
Communications, Public Relations, Non-Profit, Social Work and more
Communication Disorders, Deaf Studies and more
Digital Media & Journalism, Social Media and more
Law, Government/Politics, International Relations, Economics and more
Psychology, Mental Health Counseling and more
Alaina Donnellon ’06
Senior Vice President, Local Media
Active International
Major: Communication Media
Alexandria Wojcik '07 '09g
Deputy Mayor (Elected), Village of New Paltz;
External Relations Associate,
NYS Senate Majority Conference
Major: Communication Media
Assemblywoman Alicia Hyndman ’93
Assembly District 29, Queens NY
Major: Black Studies, Communication Media
Dr. Brenda Boatswain '93
Owner & Chief Psychologist
Godsend Psychological Services
Major: Psychology
Brenna Hemmings '17
Borough Planner
NYC Department of City Planning
Major: History & Sociology
Carlin Feck '24
Multifaceted creative with a writing superpower
Major: Digital Media Production
Cynthia Stewart ’19g
Ramirez June Developmental Disabilities Navigator
NYS Department of State
Major: Mental Health Counseling
Damali Peterman
CEO & Founder Breakthough ADR;
Author, Negotiating While Black
Major: English
Graduate of another higher education institution
Emily Gambacorta ’06
Director of DEI and Engagement
Central Hudson Gas & Electric
Major: Communication Disorders
Gardan Speights ’05
Executive Director
Community Wellness at the Boys & Girls Club
Major: Black Studies and Psychology
Genesis Ramos '15
Special Advisor, PolicyLink, & County Legislator
Orange County, NY
Major: Sociology
Jennifer Gilligan '11
Senior Product Manager
Eargo
Major: Communication Disorders
Johane Severin
Of Counsel
Littler Mendelson, P.C.
Major: African American Studies & Social Studies
Graduate of another higher education institution
Kareen Campbell ‘90
International Trade Analyst
United States Customs and Border Protection
Major: Sociology
Katelyn Cordero '17
Reporter
Politico
Major: Journalism/Digital Media Production
Kyra Lazzaro ’05
Associate Attorney, Division of Investigations
Office of the State Controller
Major: Childhood Education
Linda Jolly '94
Vice President,
Securities and Governance; Corporate Secretary Corning, Inc.
Major: Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
Madison Brower '19 '21g
Neurodiversity Affirming Therapist
Wraparound Services of the Hudson Valley
Major: Communication Disorders '19 & Speech and Lang Disabilities '21
Mary Jose '97
Associate General Counsel
Hospital and Healthcare, One Brooklyn Health
Major: International Relations
Melissa Clark '10
Vice President of Community Impact
United Way of the Dutchess-Orange Region
Major: International Relations
Miriam Ward '15
TV News Producer
NBC Universal
Major: Digital Media Production & History
Sally Roy
Producer, Camera and Electrical Department, Production Manager, IMDb;
Known for: Bill Moyers' Journal, Crocodile Dundee, The Pollinators
Graduate of another higher education institution
Shahnoor Khan '20
Law Clerk
Chief Judge Mark Barnett, U.S. Court of International Trade
Major: Political Science & International Relations
Victoria Schuster Henshaw '12
Self-Employed Psychotherapist
Major: Psychology
School of Science & Engineering
Careers in Science & Engineering:
For students interested in peer mentorship and career guidance as a pathway to succeeding with the challenges of continually evolving science fields including but not limited to:
Alethea Schaeffer
Vice President of Sales and Engineering
USHECO
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Graduate of another higher education institution
Christina Cassano ’15
Associate Veterinarian
East Fishkill Animal Hospital
Major: Biochemistry
Elizabeth Carris 06, ’10g
Associate Professor, Mathematics Department
SUNY Orange
Major: Mathematics; Adolescence Education, Mathematics
Elizabeth Perez ’98
Assistant Vice President, Senior Lead Electrical Engineer/Capital District Utility Lead
WSP USA
Major: Electrical Engineering
Jennifer Beahan ’19
Equipment Engineer
Onsemi
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Lucy Walker ’14g
Assistant Vice President for Institutional Research
SUNY New Paltz
Major: Mathematics, Computer Science
Maria Gilbert '03
Lieutenant, NYC Police Department; Formerly White House Fellow, Homeland Security's Cyber security and Infrastructure Security Agency
Major: Computer Science
Swami Mendieta ’19
Equipment Engineer
onsemi
Major: Mechanical Engineering
