WESeminars
WESeminars provide opportunities to revisit the classroom and experience firsthand the academic excellence that is the essence of Wesleyan, with presentations by scholars, pundits, and other experts in their fields. Programs run approximately 60 minutes, including audience Q&A. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis and because of the state fire code, the University is unable to offer standing room space on the floors or aisles of venues.
This is a chronological list of the WESeminars scheduled throughout the weekend. Please visit the Reunion & Commencement Schedule of Events for a complete listing of all of the activities during the weekend.
Events
Friday, May 24, 2019
2:00 PM to 3:00 PM
WESEMINAR Learning with the Center for Prison Education
Learn about the Center for Prison Education - an academic program where Wesleyan faculty teach credited Wesleyan college courses at two correctional facilities. You will hear from a faculty member, an undergraduate student and a released student about their experiences supporting, teaching and participating in the program.
Moderator: Allie Cislo is the Program Manager for the Center for Prison Education.
Presenters: Having completed an Associate degree through CPE at York Correctional, Eli Behlman CPE ’18 is now pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in biochemistry at Trinity College. Tushar Irani, associate professor of philosophy at Wesleyan, taught a CPE course PHIL 207: Live Like a Philosopher at Cheshire Correctional this past fall. Arham Kazi ’19 was a teaching assistant for the course.
Room 112, Boger Hall (Formerly the Squash Court Building) (Show in Map)
WESEMINAR Learning with the Center for Prison Education
Learn about the Center for Prison Education - an academic program where Wesleyan faculty teach credited Wesleyan college courses at two correctional facilities. You will hear from a faculty member, an undergraduate student and a released student about their experiences supporting, teaching and participating in the program.
Moderator: Allie Cislo is the Program Manager for the Center for Prison Education.
Presenters: Having completed an Associate degree through CPE at York Correctional, Eli Behlman CPE ’18 is now pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in biochemistry at Trinity College. Tushar Irani, associate professor of philosophy at Wesleyan, taught a CPE course PHIL 207: Live Like a Philosopher at Cheshire Correctional this past fall. Arham Kazi ’19 was a teaching assistant for the course.
Room 112, Boger Hall (Formerly the Squash Court Building) (Show in Map)
3:00 PM to 4:00 PM
WESEMINAR College of Letters Presents: The Annual Philip Hallie Lecture “I wish you, what you wish me:” Jokes, Forgiveness, Shame, and the Social
The late philosopher Sarah Kofman ends her book Why do we laugh? [Pourquoi rit-on?] with a joke about two rabbis who could not forgive each other. This joke then becomes the paradigm by which Jacques Derrida understood his friendship with Kofman after her death. In her address, Professor Hammerschlag will suggest that thinking about this joke in tandem with the friendship of these two philosophers and their respective writings on philosophy, literature and psychoanalysis provides the groundwork for a model of politics that resists the political-theological prioritization of sovereignty, whether understood in terms of self-sovereignty or that of the head of state. At stake in Professor Hammerschlag’s lecture will also be the importance of the figural Jew, the figure of the feminine, and the role of literature in rethinking the recent renaissance of political theology.
Speaker: Sarah Hammerschlag COL ’96 is associate professor of religion and literature in the Divinity School at the University of Chicago. Her research focuses on the position of Judaism in the post-World War II French intellectual scene, a field that puts her at the crossroads of numerous disciplines and scholarly approaches including philosophy, literary studies, and intellectual history. She is the author of The Figural Jew: Politics and Identity in Postwar French Thought (University of Chicago Press, 2010) and Broken Tablets: Levinas, Derrida and the Literary Afterlife of Religion (Columbia University Press, 2016), and the editor of Modern French Jewish Thought: Writings on Religion and Politics (Brandeis University Press, 2018).
Memorial Chapel (Show in Map)
WESEMINAR College of Letters Presents: The Annual Philip Hallie Lecture “I wish you, what you wish me:” Jokes, Forgiveness, Shame, and the Social
The late philosopher Sarah Kofman ends her book Why do we laugh? [Pourquoi rit-on?] with a joke about two rabbis who could not forgive each other. This joke then becomes the paradigm by which Jacques Derrida understood his friendship with Kofman after her death. In her address, Professor Hammerschlag will suggest that thinking about this joke in tandem with the friendship of these two philosophers and their respective writings on philosophy, literature and psychoanalysis provides the groundwork for a model of politics that resists the political-theological prioritization of sovereignty, whether understood in terms of self-sovereignty or that of the head of state. At stake in Professor Hammerschlag’s lecture will also be the importance of the figural Jew, the figure of the feminine, and the role of literature in rethinking the recent renaissance of political theology.
Speaker: Sarah Hammerschlag COL ’96 is associate professor of religion and literature in the Divinity School at the University of Chicago. Her research focuses on the position of Judaism in the post-World War II French intellectual scene, a field that puts her at the crossroads of numerous disciplines and scholarly approaches including philosophy, literary studies, and intellectual history. She is the author of The Figural Jew: Politics and Identity in Postwar French Thought (University of Chicago Press, 2010) and Broken Tablets: Levinas, Derrida and the Literary Afterlife of Religion (Columbia University Press, 2016), and the editor of Modern French Jewish Thought: Writings on Religion and Politics (Brandeis University Press, 2018).
Memorial Chapel (Show in Map)
3:00 PM to 4:00 PM
WESEMINAR Funders and Founders
What do angel investors, VCs, and philanthropists look for when deciding how to deploy capital? How does a founder, CEO, or Executive Director attract investors and stay afloat in the early days? Alumni will share their stories from the field, lessons learned, and words of wisdom in a series of lightening talks followed by a reception at the Patricelli Center for Social Entrepreneurship. Time permitting, we will open the floor for funders and founders from the audience to share their stories.
Moderator: AJ Wilson ’18, entrepreneur-in-residence
Presenters: James Brenner ’79, P'15, Broadcove Partners; Mia Deng ’19, Dragonfly Capital Partners; Tim Devane ’09, Inception Fund; Renee Dunn ’14, Amazi Foods; Susan Howard ’84, Howard Delafield International; Marisa MacClary ’94, Artifact Health; Oladoyin Oladapo ’14, Idunnu Studios; Alex Pack ’14, Dragonfly Capital Partners; Carl Robichaud ’99, Carnegie Corporation of New York; Melinda Weekes-Laidlow ’89, Beautiful Ventures; others to be announced.
Room 311, Allbritton Center (formerly Davenport Campus Center) (Show in Map)
WESEMINAR Funders and Founders
What do angel investors, VCs, and philanthropists look for when deciding how to deploy capital? How does a founder, CEO, or Executive Director attract investors and stay afloat in the early days? Alumni will share their stories from the field, lessons learned, and words of wisdom in a series of lightening talks followed by a reception at the Patricelli Center for Social Entrepreneurship. Time permitting, we will open the floor for funders and founders from the audience to share their stories.
Moderator: AJ Wilson ’18, entrepreneur-in-residence
Presenters: James Brenner ’79, P'15, Broadcove Partners; Mia Deng ’19, Dragonfly Capital Partners; Tim Devane ’09, Inception Fund; Renee Dunn ’14, Amazi Foods; Susan Howard ’84, Howard Delafield International; Marisa MacClary ’94, Artifact Health; Oladoyin Oladapo ’14, Idunnu Studios; Alex Pack ’14, Dragonfly Capital Partners; Carl Robichaud ’99, Carnegie Corporation of New York; Melinda Weekes-Laidlow ’89, Beautiful Ventures; others to be announced.
Room 311, Allbritton Center (formerly Davenport Campus Center) (Show in Map)
3:30 PM to 4:30 PM
WESEMINAR Black Middletown Lives: Student Research on Middletown’s African American History Commemorates 50 years of AFAM at Wesleyan
WESEMINAR Black Middletown Lives: Student Research on Middletown’s African American History Commemorates 50 years of AFAM at Wesleyan
Middletown’s three centuries of African American history tell a remarkable story. In the 1820s, as northern slavery ended and the political battle over southern slavery intensified, free African Americans formed a unique, property-owning community on what is now the western edge of Wesleyan’s campus. These men and women transformed Middletown, a slave trading river port during the 18th century, into a center of the antislavery movement. Beginning in the 1920s, Middletown became a destination for southern migrants fleeing Jim Crow. In the 1960s, members of Middletown’s African American and Wesleyan communities played active roles in the civil rights movement, North and South. And, 50 years ago this year, Black student protest laid the groundwork for African American Studies at Wesleyan. Join Professor Jesse Nasta and the students in his African American Studies/service learning course as they share their research on Middletown’s nationally-significant African American history. Through the efforts of the Vanguard Class fifty years ago in establishing the Center for African American Studies, the relationship of Middletown’s African American community to Wesleyan can be told.
Sponsored by the Alumni of Color Council
Presenter: Dr. Jesse Nasta '07 is a Visiting Assistant Professor of African American Studies. His Black Middletown Lives service learning course draws upon his 2007 Wesleyan honors thesis, “‘Their Own Guardians and Protectors’: African American Community in Middletown, Connecticut, 1822-1860.”
Student presenters: Elias Benda ’19, Aviv Rau ’19, and Eugene Smith ’20
A walking tour of the Beman Triangle and Wesleyan's African American history- led by Eugene Smith '20 and Prof. Jesse Nasta '07 - will immediately follow the WESeminar, at 4:30 p.m.
#WesAfAm50
Room 208, Fisk Hall (Show in Map)
Saturday, May 25, 2019
9:30 AM to 10:30 AM
WESEMINAR The 12th Annual Ring Family Wesleyan University Israeli Film Festival
This year Wesleyan University celebrates the 12th Annual Ring Family Wesleyan University Israeli Film Festival. Sponsored by the Ring Family, the Center for Jewish Studies and co-sponsored by the College of Film and the Moving Image and the Wesleyan Film Series, the festival has become an extremely successful event which draws its audience from the Wesleyan community, as well as the larger general Connecticut community. Its structure has also become a model for unrelated festivals at Wesleyan and other universities. The festival’s format features a film screening, along with commentary from a speaker who illuminates a particular aspect of the film. This year’s festival included FOUR Connecticut Premieres. The film festival is also closely integrated into the study of Hebrew at Wesleyan University. In this WESeminar, Dalit Katz will offer a glimpse into this year’s festival, share film clips, and answer questions from the audience.
Presenters: Dalit Katz is The Ring Family Wesleyan University Israeli Film Festival curator and Director of Center for Jewish Studies.
Ring Family Performing Arts Hall, 287 Washington Terrace (Show in Map)
WESEMINAR The 12th Annual Ring Family Wesleyan University Israeli Film Festival
This year Wesleyan University celebrates the 12th Annual Ring Family Wesleyan University Israeli Film Festival. Sponsored by the Ring Family, the Center for Jewish Studies and co-sponsored by the College of Film and the Moving Image and the Wesleyan Film Series, the festival has become an extremely successful event which draws its audience from the Wesleyan community, as well as the larger general Connecticut community. Its structure has also become a model for unrelated festivals at Wesleyan and other universities. The festival’s format features a film screening, along with commentary from a speaker who illuminates a particular aspect of the film. This year’s festival included FOUR Connecticut Premieres. The film festival is also closely integrated into the study of Hebrew at Wesleyan University. In this WESeminar, Dalit Katz will offer a glimpse into this year’s festival, share film clips, and answer questions from the audience.
Presenters: Dalit Katz is The Ring Family Wesleyan University Israeli Film Festival curator and Director of Center for Jewish Studies.
Ring Family Performing Arts Hall, 287 Washington Terrace (Show in Map)
10:00 AM to 11:00 AM
WESEMINAR Celebration of Wesleyan Writing: Journalism and Freedom of the Press Today--A Conversation
Introductions by Anne Greene, University Professor of English; Director, Wesleyan Writers Conference; Coordinator, Wesleyan Writing Certificate
Moderator: Laura Walker ’79, P’22 was the founding President and CEO of New York Public Radio and held that position for 23 years until earlier this year. She is now an Executive Fellow in Residence at the Yale School of Management and an advisor to New York Public Radio, Common Sense Media and a range of startups. New York Public Radio is an independent nonprofit that owns the nation’s largest public radio station group and is one of the world’s preeminent producers of podcasts and national radio stations and reaches 26 million people each month, including Radiolab, On the Media, and The New Yorker Radio Hour. Ms. Walker was honored with an Edward R. Murrow Award from the Corporate for Public Broadcasting. In 2009 and again in 2017, she was named by Crain’s as one of New York City’s 50 Most Powerful Women.
Presenters: James Friedlich ’79, P’17 is CEO of The Lenfest Institute for Journalism, an endowed grant-making organization that supports local journalism and the free press nationwide. The Institute is the owner of The Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News, winners of twenty-three Pulitzer Prizes. Under Jim’s leadership, the Institute has invested aggressively in investigative reporting, new technology, and newsroom diversity, using the Inquirer as a live laboratory for the digital transformation of important public service news organizations throughout the U.S. Jim served earlier as group Publisher of The Wall Street Journal, overseeing business operations in Europe, Asia and the Americas. Jeffrey Goldberg P’19 is the editor in chief of The Atlantic. He is the 14th editor to lead The Atlantic since its founding in 1857. Before becoming editor in chief in 2016, Goldberg served as the magazine's national correspondent. Previously, he had served as Washington correspondent of The New Yorker. Earlier in his career, he covered the Middle East for The New York Times Magazine, and the mafia for New York Magazine. He is the recipient of numerous awards, including the National Magazine Award, for his coverage of terrorism, and the Daniel Pearl Prize. He is a distinguished fellow of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and of the American Academy in Berlin.
Taylor Meeting Room (Room 108), Usdan University Center (Show in Map)
WESEMINAR Celebration of Wesleyan Writing: Journalism and Freedom of the Press Today--A Conversation
Introductions by Anne Greene, University Professor of English; Director, Wesleyan Writers Conference; Coordinator, Wesleyan Writing Certificate
Moderator: Laura Walker ’79, P’22 was the founding President and CEO of New York Public Radio and held that position for 23 years until earlier this year. She is now an Executive Fellow in Residence at the Yale School of Management and an advisor to New York Public Radio, Common Sense Media and a range of startups. New York Public Radio is an independent nonprofit that owns the nation’s largest public radio station group and is one of the world’s preeminent producers of podcasts and national radio stations and reaches 26 million people each month, including Radiolab, On the Media, and The New Yorker Radio Hour. Ms. Walker was honored with an Edward R. Murrow Award from the Corporate for Public Broadcasting. In 2009 and again in 2017, she was named by Crain’s as one of New York City’s 50 Most Powerful Women.
Presenters: James Friedlich ’79, P’17 is CEO of The Lenfest Institute for Journalism, an endowed grant-making organization that supports local journalism and the free press nationwide. The Institute is the owner of The Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News, winners of twenty-three Pulitzer Prizes. Under Jim’s leadership, the Institute has invested aggressively in investigative reporting, new technology, and newsroom diversity, using the Inquirer as a live laboratory for the digital transformation of important public service news organizations throughout the U.S. Jim served earlier as group Publisher of The Wall Street Journal, overseeing business operations in Europe, Asia and the Americas. Jeffrey Goldberg P’19 is the editor in chief of The Atlantic. He is the 14th editor to lead The Atlantic since its founding in 1857. Before becoming editor in chief in 2016, Goldberg served as the magazine's national correspondent. Previously, he had served as Washington correspondent of The New Yorker. Earlier in his career, he covered the Middle East for The New York Times Magazine, and the mafia for New York Magazine. He is the recipient of numerous awards, including the National Magazine Award, for his coverage of terrorism, and the Daniel Pearl Prize. He is a distinguished fellow of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and of the American Academy in Berlin.
Taylor Meeting Room (Room 108), Usdan University Center (Show in Map)
10:00 AM to 11:00 AM
WESEMINAR The Vanguard Class of 1969 Reflections After 50 Years
How has the experience of being a part of the class of 1969 mattered for living in the early phases of the 21st century? In making a leap across history -- in this case, across personal histories -- this seminar explores how members of the class of 1969 reflect upon their experiences as Wesleyan students during that very tumultuous time, and how being a part of the institution has shaped their thinking and actions regarding social justice and social differences in the ensuing decades.
The discussion will address the following issues: why the choice of Wesleyan at that time; pivotal moments of personal growth and development at Wesleyan during that time; what Wesleyan means as members of the class of 1969 engage their lives today, especially how they translate lessons learned and thoughts about race relations, social differences, and social justice during their time at Wesleyan to the present day. Following a panel conversation, an open discussion will take place that explores how the late 1960s matters, professionally and personally, in the modern era for people who attended Wesleyan and came of age during that period.
Opening Remarks: President Michael S. Roth ’78
Moderator: Al Young ’88 is the Arthur F. Thurnau Professor of Sociology, Afroamerican and African Studies, and Public Policy (by courtesy) at the University of Michigan. He received an MA and PhD from the University of Chicago. He has published four books and over 30 articles on the life experiences of low-income African Americans, African American intellectuals, and diversity and multiculturalism in higher education. He created and directs the Scholars Network on Black Masculinity, a nationwide, cross-disciplinary assembly designed to influence social policy and reshape public understanding about the condition of African American males. At Wesleyan, Al majored in sociology-psychology and in African American studies (with honors). He was co-chair of Ujamaa, the Black students’ association, a member of the Wesleyan Student Assembly, a student representative to the board of trustees, and a member of the Presidential Search Committee of 1988. He was awarded the Butterfield Prize and the Robert Lynd Award (sociology), the Alumni Service Award in 2008, and the Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2013. He is currently on the Board of Trustees and served as an alumni-elected trustee from 1998-2001.
Presenters: Howard Brown ’69 had a gratifying career in teaching and administering educational programs. He designed his English classes on the Wesleyan model and sent students off to great success in their college experiences by doing so. He left the classroom to focus on the integration of technology into instruction on a system level, teaching technology to teachers and administrators at a time when technical people were saying that the personal computer would never survive, even though the chip in the IBM word processor was the same one that was in the IBM PC. In his last portfolio, he supervised the implementation of afterschool programs in more than 90 schools affecting several thousand students, both elementary and secondary, especially through the introduction of technology to support their learning of reading and mathematics. Barry Checkoway ’69 is the Arthur Dunham Collegiate Professor of Social Work and Professor of Urban Planning at the University of Michigan School of Social Work. He has taught at the University of CA at Berkeley, University of PA, and as a visiting scholar at the London School of Economics. He is an internationally recognized scholar and practitioner on youth empowerment, neighborhood development, and community change. His projects and publications draw on work with grassroots groups, community agencies, and government programs in the US, and in South America, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, with support from the World Health Organization, Ford Foundation, Kellogg Foundation and other institutions. He worked with the White House in 1990 to launch AmeriCorps, then served as founding director of the Michigan Neighborhood AmeriCorps Program, Edward Ginsberg Center for Community Service and Learning, Michigan Youth and Community Program, and Youth Dialogues on Race and Ethnicity. Bernard Freamon ’69, P’94 had a very successful career as a law professor at Seton Hall Law and as a litigator for the ACLU and other organizations and clients. In recent years he has concentrated on research and writing on the topic of slavery and Islamic law. He has a book coming out on June 27, 2019 entitled Possessed by the Right Hand: The Problem of Slavery in Islamic Law and Muslim Cultures, to be published by Brill. Steve Pfeiffer ’69, Hon.’99, P’99, ’05, ’08, ’13 still has an international practice in his law firm, now Norton Rose Fulbright, and serves on a number of Boards. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations in New York and the International Institute of Strategic Studies in London. Steve was Secretary to the Rhodes Scholarship Selection Committee for Maryland/DC from 1993 to 2001 and served on the Selection Committee for the state of Montana from 2002 to 2004. He serves as a director of Barloworld Limited (a publicly owned company based in South Africa) and Iridium Communications Inc. (a publicly owned company based in the Washington, D.C. area). He is also a trustee of The Africa-America Institute in New York and a director of Project HOPE in Washington, D.C. and the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc., all non-profit organizations. Steve served as a member of the Wesleyan Board of Trustees from 1976 to 1992 serving as Chairman from 1987 to 1992. He is currently Chairman Emeritus. Edwin Sanders ’69 is the Senior Servant and Founder of Metropolitan Interdenominational Church (established 1981) in Nashville, TN. This congregation attracts a broad cross-section of people with the mission of being “inclusive of all and alienating to none”. He served as Pastoral Counselor for the Meharry Medical College Alcohol and Drug Abuse Program, Director of the Southern Prison Ministry, and Dean of the Chapel at Fisk University. He is an Emeritus member of the Board of Directors of the Black AIDS Institute, a member of the Interdenominational Ministers’ Fellowship and the Ryan White Community AIDS Partnership, and a life member of the NAACP. Edward serves on the Boards of Directors of The National Minority AIDS Council, The Drug Policy Alliance, and Project Return addressing recidivism and mass incarceration. He is the National Coordinator of Religious Leaders for a More Just and Compassionate Drug Policy. Currently, he serves on the Howard University School of Divinity Board of Visitors; as Chair of the HIV Vaccine Trials Network Legacy Project Advisory Group designed to increase the participation of African Americans, Latinos and Asian Pacific Islanders in HIV vaccine studies; and on the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) Scientific Advisory Board.
#WesAfAm50
Fries Global Commons, Fries Center for Global Studies, Fisk Hall (Show in Map)
WESEMINAR The Vanguard Class of 1969 Reflections After 50 Years
How has the experience of being a part of the class of 1969 mattered for living in the early phases of the 21st century? In making a leap across history -- in this case, across personal histories -- this seminar explores how members of the class of 1969 reflect upon their experiences as Wesleyan students during that very tumultuous time, and how being a part of the institution has shaped their thinking and actions regarding social justice and social differences in the ensuing decades.
The discussion will address the following issues: why the choice of Wesleyan at that time; pivotal moments of personal growth and development at Wesleyan during that time; what Wesleyan means as members of the class of 1969 engage their lives today, especially how they translate lessons learned and thoughts about race relations, social differences, and social justice during their time at Wesleyan to the present day. Following a panel conversation, an open discussion will take place that explores how the late 1960s matters, professionally and personally, in the modern era for people who attended Wesleyan and came of age during that period.
Opening Remarks: President Michael S. Roth ’78
Moderator: Al Young ’88 is the Arthur F. Thurnau Professor of Sociology, Afroamerican and African Studies, and Public Policy (by courtesy) at the University of Michigan. He received an MA and PhD from the University of Chicago. He has published four books and over 30 articles on the life experiences of low-income African Americans, African American intellectuals, and diversity and multiculturalism in higher education. He created and directs the Scholars Network on Black Masculinity, a nationwide, cross-disciplinary assembly designed to influence social policy and reshape public understanding about the condition of African American males. At Wesleyan, Al majored in sociology-psychology and in African American studies (with honors). He was co-chair of Ujamaa, the Black students’ association, a member of the Wesleyan Student Assembly, a student representative to the board of trustees, and a member of the Presidential Search Committee of 1988. He was awarded the Butterfield Prize and the Robert Lynd Award (sociology), the Alumni Service Award in 2008, and the Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2013. He is currently on the Board of Trustees and served as an alumni-elected trustee from 1998-2001.
Presenters: Howard Brown ’69 had a gratifying career in teaching and administering educational programs. He designed his English classes on the Wesleyan model and sent students off to great success in their college experiences by doing so. He left the classroom to focus on the integration of technology into instruction on a system level, teaching technology to teachers and administrators at a time when technical people were saying that the personal computer would never survive, even though the chip in the IBM word processor was the same one that was in the IBM PC. In his last portfolio, he supervised the implementation of afterschool programs in more than 90 schools affecting several thousand students, both elementary and secondary, especially through the introduction of technology to support their learning of reading and mathematics. Barry Checkoway ’69 is the Arthur Dunham Collegiate Professor of Social Work and Professor of Urban Planning at the University of Michigan School of Social Work. He has taught at the University of CA at Berkeley, University of PA, and as a visiting scholar at the London School of Economics. He is an internationally recognized scholar and practitioner on youth empowerment, neighborhood development, and community change. His projects and publications draw on work with grassroots groups, community agencies, and government programs in the US, and in South America, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, with support from the World Health Organization, Ford Foundation, Kellogg Foundation and other institutions. He worked with the White House in 1990 to launch AmeriCorps, then served as founding director of the Michigan Neighborhood AmeriCorps Program, Edward Ginsberg Center for Community Service and Learning, Michigan Youth and Community Program, and Youth Dialogues on Race and Ethnicity. Bernard Freamon ’69, P’94 had a very successful career as a law professor at Seton Hall Law and as a litigator for the ACLU and other organizations and clients. In recent years he has concentrated on research and writing on the topic of slavery and Islamic law. He has a book coming out on June 27, 2019 entitled Possessed by the Right Hand: The Problem of Slavery in Islamic Law and Muslim Cultures, to be published by Brill. Steve Pfeiffer ’69, Hon.’99, P’99, ’05, ’08, ’13 still has an international practice in his law firm, now Norton Rose Fulbright, and serves on a number of Boards. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations in New York and the International Institute of Strategic Studies in London. Steve was Secretary to the Rhodes Scholarship Selection Committee for Maryland/DC from 1993 to 2001 and served on the Selection Committee for the state of Montana from 2002 to 2004. He serves as a director of Barloworld Limited (a publicly owned company based in South Africa) and Iridium Communications Inc. (a publicly owned company based in the Washington, D.C. area). He is also a trustee of The Africa-America Institute in New York and a director of Project HOPE in Washington, D.C. and the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc., all non-profit organizations. Steve served as a member of the Wesleyan Board of Trustees from 1976 to 1992 serving as Chairman from 1987 to 1992. He is currently Chairman Emeritus. Edwin Sanders ’69 is the Senior Servant and Founder of Metropolitan Interdenominational Church (established 1981) in Nashville, TN. This congregation attracts a broad cross-section of people with the mission of being “inclusive of all and alienating to none”. He served as Pastoral Counselor for the Meharry Medical College Alcohol and Drug Abuse Program, Director of the Southern Prison Ministry, and Dean of the Chapel at Fisk University. He is an Emeritus member of the Board of Directors of the Black AIDS Institute, a member of the Interdenominational Ministers’ Fellowship and the Ryan White Community AIDS Partnership, and a life member of the NAACP. Edward serves on the Boards of Directors of The National Minority AIDS Council, The Drug Policy Alliance, and Project Return addressing recidivism and mass incarceration. He is the National Coordinator of Religious Leaders for a More Just and Compassionate Drug Policy. Currently, he serves on the Howard University School of Divinity Board of Visitors; as Chair of the HIV Vaccine Trials Network Legacy Project Advisory Group designed to increase the participation of African Americans, Latinos and Asian Pacific Islanders in HIV vaccine studies; and on the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) Scientific Advisory Board.
#WesAfAm50
Fries Global Commons, Fries Center for Global Studies, Fisk Hall (Show in Map)
10:00 AM to 12:00 PM
WESEMINAR College of the Environment
Regardless of one's opinions about issues such as climate change or carbon taxes, it is clear that environmental issues will dominate national and international politics and news over the next century. To fully prepare students to participate effectively in these important discussions, Wesleyan has taken a major step to support environmental research, communication, teaching, and policy development, with its Environmental Studies Program and the College of the Environment (COE). Come listen to the exciting details of the Environmental Studies Program and the College of the Environment by Professor Barry Chernoff, Chair of the Environmental Studies Program. Then join us while the Class of 2019 presents their senior capstone projects during our poster session.
Woodhead Lounge, Exley Science Center (Show in Map)
WESEMINAR College of the Environment
Regardless of one's opinions about issues such as climate change or carbon taxes, it is clear that environmental issues will dominate national and international politics and news over the next century. To fully prepare students to participate effectively in these important discussions, Wesleyan has taken a major step to support environmental research, communication, teaching, and policy development, with its Environmental Studies Program and the College of the Environment (COE). Come listen to the exciting details of the Environmental Studies Program and the College of the Environment by Professor Barry Chernoff, Chair of the Environmental Studies Program. Then join us while the Class of 2019 presents their senior capstone projects during our poster session.
Woodhead Lounge, Exley Science Center (Show in Map)
10:30 AM to 11:30 AM
WESEMINAR What's Next?
In today’s world of work, people will have multiple careers as well as jobs. In this presentation, four members of the Class of ’74 discuss the options facing those approaching, and beyond, the traditional retirement age of 65.
Moderator: Patricia Mulcahy ’74 (“Make Lemonade from Lemons”), is a former book publisher, freelance writer, and editor. Her most recent project: The Good Neighbor: The Life and Work of Fred Rogers (New York Times bestseller, Abrams Press, 2018), is the authorized biography of the iconic children’s television personality.
Presenters: Lloyd Komesar ’74, P’07 (“Start a New Venture”) spent nearly thirty years as a sales, research and distribution executive in the film and television programming industry at companies like Walt Disney before founding and producing the Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival, now entering its fifth year. Claudia Catania ’74 (“Start a New Venture”) is the artistic director and host of Playing on Air, a nonprofit that records notable artists in short contemporary plays and delivers them via public radio and podcast. She was Producing Director of the New Group, a not-for-profit off-Broadway theater company and has also produced short play festivals, documentary films and children's theater festivals. Bill Pearson ’74, MA'74, P’12 (“Make the World a Better Place”) served as staff ethnomusicologist for the Smithsonian in the 1970s before acquiring an MBA and working as a management consultant with McKinsey & Co. Since 1982 he has devoted between 20% and 40% of his time to not-for-profit work. He is currently chairman of Young Audiences, the oldest and largest provider of arts in education services in the US; and the Osborn, a leading continuing care retirement community in Rye, NY. Harold Sogard ’74, P’17 (“What Might Have Been”) tried and failed twice before he went “cold turkey” and retired from advertising. After serving on non-profit boards (including a three-year stint as a Wesleyan trustee), he decided to focus on something more creative, and has now embarked on a new career as a voice-over actor.
Room 116, Judd Hall (Show in Map)
WESEMINAR What's Next?
In today’s world of work, people will have multiple careers as well as jobs. In this presentation, four members of the Class of ’74 discuss the options facing those approaching, and beyond, the traditional retirement age of 65.
Moderator: Patricia Mulcahy ’74 (“Make Lemonade from Lemons”), is a former book publisher, freelance writer, and editor. Her most recent project: The Good Neighbor: The Life and Work of Fred Rogers (New York Times bestseller, Abrams Press, 2018), is the authorized biography of the iconic children’s television personality.
Presenters: Lloyd Komesar ’74, P’07 (“Start a New Venture”) spent nearly thirty years as a sales, research and distribution executive in the film and television programming industry at companies like Walt Disney before founding and producing the Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival, now entering its fifth year. Claudia Catania ’74 (“Start a New Venture”) is the artistic director and host of Playing on Air, a nonprofit that records notable artists in short contemporary plays and delivers them via public radio and podcast. She was Producing Director of the New Group, a not-for-profit off-Broadway theater company and has also produced short play festivals, documentary films and children's theater festivals. Bill Pearson ’74, MA'74, P’12 (“Make the World a Better Place”) served as staff ethnomusicologist for the Smithsonian in the 1970s before acquiring an MBA and working as a management consultant with McKinsey & Co. Since 1982 he has devoted between 20% and 40% of his time to not-for-profit work. He is currently chairman of Young Audiences, the oldest and largest provider of arts in education services in the US; and the Osborn, a leading continuing care retirement community in Rye, NY. Harold Sogard ’74, P’17 (“What Might Have Been”) tried and failed twice before he went “cold turkey” and retired from advertising. After serving on non-profit boards (including a three-year stint as a Wesleyan trustee), he decided to focus on something more creative, and has now embarked on a new career as a voice-over actor.
Room 116, Judd Hall (Show in Map)
10:30 AM to 11:30 AM
WESEMINAR Changes in Music and the Music Industry
How has music and the music industry changed over the past 3 decades? We'll look at changing trends in music genres, the technology of recording and listening, how music is experienced, and how music is discovered, heard, and sold.
Presenters: Brian McKenna ’04 is a NYC-based Film/TV composer and producer who graduated from Wesleyan with a dual degree in Music and Economics. His work has been featured in hit TV shows, spots, major motion pictures and also on records by Grammy Award winning artists. In 2009 Brian founded BtOVEN MUSIC, a cutting-edge studio facility located in Manhattan's historic DuArt building. BtOVEN offers production services across all facets of Music, Voiceover, Podcasting, Mixing/Mastering, and Sound Design to clients in Film, TV, Advertising, Video Games, Immersive Content and emerging forms of New Media. Randy Frisch ’84 is the founder and president of Lovecat Music, a music publisher of popular songs from around the world. LoveCat has placed original songs in over 5000 films and TV shows. Before launching LoveCat in 1999, Randy was a working musician/songwriter and a lawyer in the music industry. He has written articles on copyright law that are entered into the US Congressional Record. Jeannie Gagné ’82 is a professional musician, music professor at Berklee College of Music, and songwriter, known worldwide through her VocalGenie YouTube series and books on singing. Having performed and recorded with Philip Glass, Cher, Penn and Teller and many more throughout her 30+ years career, she teaches and performs internationally and throughout the US. To reach her, visit www.jeanniegagne.com, and www.soundation.org. Dar Williams ’89 has been a successful touring singer-songwriter for over twenty-five years. Deemed a "folksinger" and a "folk-pop" singer, she has gone deep into the networks of American folk music while also crossing into the world of commercial music from time to time.
Hansel Lecture Hall (Room 001), Public Affairs Center (PAC) (Show in Map)
WESEMINAR Changes in Music and the Music Industry
How has music and the music industry changed over the past 3 decades? We'll look at changing trends in music genres, the technology of recording and listening, how music is experienced, and how music is discovered, heard, and sold.
Presenters: Brian McKenna ’04 is a NYC-based Film/TV composer and producer who graduated from Wesleyan with a dual degree in Music and Economics. His work has been featured in hit TV shows, spots, major motion pictures and also on records by Grammy Award winning artists. In 2009 Brian founded BtOVEN MUSIC, a cutting-edge studio facility located in Manhattan's historic DuArt building. BtOVEN offers production services across all facets of Music, Voiceover, Podcasting, Mixing/Mastering, and Sound Design to clients in Film, TV, Advertising, Video Games, Immersive Content and emerging forms of New Media. Randy Frisch ’84 is the founder and president of Lovecat Music, a music publisher of popular songs from around the world. LoveCat has placed original songs in over 5000 films and TV shows. Before launching LoveCat in 1999, Randy was a working musician/songwriter and a lawyer in the music industry. He has written articles on copyright law that are entered into the US Congressional Record. Jeannie Gagné ’82 is a professional musician, music professor at Berklee College of Music, and songwriter, known worldwide through her VocalGenie YouTube series and books on singing. Having performed and recorded with Philip Glass, Cher, Penn and Teller and many more throughout her 30+ years career, she teaches and performs internationally and throughout the US. To reach her, visit www.jeanniegagne.com, and www.soundation.org. Dar Williams ’89 has been a successful touring singer-songwriter for over twenty-five years. Deemed a "folksinger" and a "folk-pop" singer, she has gone deep into the networks of American folk music while also crossing into the world of commercial music from time to time.
Hansel Lecture Hall (Room 001), Public Affairs Center (PAC) (Show in Map)
11:30 AM to 12:30 PM
WESEMINAR Walt Whitman at 200: Selections from Special Collections & Archives
Celebrate the 200th anniversary of Walt Whitman’s birth with a look at our rich holdings of his works. From his early temperance novel to the groundbreaking first edition of Leaves of Grass to modern artists’ books inspired by Whitman, there is something for everyone. Presented by Suzy Taraba ’77, MALS’10, Director of Special Collections & Archives. Limited to 20.
Davison Rare Book Room, Special Collections & Archives, Olin Memorial Library (Show in Map)
WESEMINAR Walt Whitman at 200: Selections from Special Collections & Archives
Celebrate the 200th anniversary of Walt Whitman’s birth with a look at our rich holdings of his works. From his early temperance novel to the groundbreaking first edition of Leaves of Grass to modern artists’ books inspired by Whitman, there is something for everyone. Presented by Suzy Taraba ’77, MALS’10, Director of Special Collections & Archives. Limited to 20.
Davison Rare Book Room, Special Collections & Archives, Olin Memorial Library (Show in Map)
1:00 PM to 2:00 PM
WESEMINAR The Law, Queers and Progeny: Confronting LGBTQ Issues in the Law
Gay marriage is legal, we're done, right? Unfortunately not even close... join us for this panel discussion between lawyers working on litigation, advocacy and policy affecting LGBTQ individuals and families; and the parents in queer families who navigate the ongoing (and sometimes daily) issues of equality, justice and personal freedom. This seminar will address recent developments in the law and policy around LGBTQ marriage, adoption/surrogacy and trans rights from the perspectives of lawyers as well as the personal stories of gay dads and the mom of a trans son.
Sponsored by the LGBTQ Alumni Network
Moderator: David Milch ’89 (he/him/his) is a cis-queer dad of a 10-year-old. He is the Director of the MA Program in Arts Administration at Baruch College/CUNY and served as the Program Coordinator for Wesleyan's Institute for Curatorial Practice in Performance during its first four years. He is also the chair of the Wesleyan LGBTQ Alumni Network.
Presenters: As State Policy Director at the National Center for Transgender Equality, Arli Christian ’04 works with state and local advocates to modernize ID document gender change policies, remove insurance exclusions for coverage of transition-related care, and improve other state-level protections for transgender people. Arli is an attorney admitted to practice in New York and DC and received a JD from American University Washington College of Law in 2013 and a BA from Wesleyan University in 2004. Arli speaks English and Spanish and grew up in New York City. Stephanie Dolgoff ’89 is a (cis, straight) mom of 16-year-old twins, one of whom started transitioning from assigned female to agender to nonbinary to male three years ago. Stephanie is a bestselling author and editor and heavy meditator and CBD user. Arthur Halpern ’89 (he/his/him) is an award-winning filmmaker, writer, actor and professional services marketer. His short films have screened in festivals around the globe. His most recent short, Touchscreen, just premiered, in competition, at the Florida Film Festival in April. Art is not a lawyer, but he supports the marketing and business development efforts of one of the world’s leading labor and employment legal practices. He also appeared on Law & Order twice. He lives in Brooklyn with his partner, Matthew, and their (almost) eight-year-old son. Joshua D. Kaye ’04 (he/his/him) has litigated some of the major LGBT rights cases over the last decade. He represented Edith Windsor in her successful challenge to the Defense of Marriage Act, decided by the Supreme Court in 2013. He also has represented the Campaign for Southern Equality in a series of federal lawsuits in Mississippi, winning the right for same sex couples to marry and adopt in that state, and challenging Mississippi’s HB1523 which gave broad rights to discriminate against LGBT people based on certain religious beliefs. In addition to his work on LGBT rights litigation, Kaye is a commercial litigator who represents corporations and individuals in matters including antitrust, false advertising, trade secrets and securities litigation and government investigations. He and his wife, Megan Ridley-Kaye ‘05, live in New York City with their two children.
Room 103, Allbritton Center (Formerly Davenport Campus Center) (Show in Map)
WESEMINAR The Law, Queers and Progeny: Confronting LGBTQ Issues in the Law
Gay marriage is legal, we're done, right? Unfortunately not even close... join us for this panel discussion between lawyers working on litigation, advocacy and policy affecting LGBTQ individuals and families; and the parents in queer families who navigate the ongoing (and sometimes daily) issues of equality, justice and personal freedom. This seminar will address recent developments in the law and policy around LGBTQ marriage, adoption/surrogacy and trans rights from the perspectives of lawyers as well as the personal stories of gay dads and the mom of a trans son.
Sponsored by the LGBTQ Alumni Network
Moderator: David Milch ’89 (he/him/his) is a cis-queer dad of a 10-year-old. He is the Director of the MA Program in Arts Administration at Baruch College/CUNY and served as the Program Coordinator for Wesleyan's Institute for Curatorial Practice in Performance during its first four years. He is also the chair of the Wesleyan LGBTQ Alumni Network.
Presenters: As State Policy Director at the National Center for Transgender Equality, Arli Christian ’04 works with state and local advocates to modernize ID document gender change policies, remove insurance exclusions for coverage of transition-related care, and improve other state-level protections for transgender people. Arli is an attorney admitted to practice in New York and DC and received a JD from American University Washington College of Law in 2013 and a BA from Wesleyan University in 2004. Arli speaks English and Spanish and grew up in New York City. Stephanie Dolgoff ’89 is a (cis, straight) mom of 16-year-old twins, one of whom started transitioning from assigned female to agender to nonbinary to male three years ago. Stephanie is a bestselling author and editor and heavy meditator and CBD user. Arthur Halpern ’89 (he/his/him) is an award-winning filmmaker, writer, actor and professional services marketer. His short films have screened in festivals around the globe. His most recent short, Touchscreen, just premiered, in competition, at the Florida Film Festival in April. Art is not a lawyer, but he supports the marketing and business development efforts of one of the world’s leading labor and employment legal practices. He also appeared on Law & Order twice. He lives in Brooklyn with his partner, Matthew, and their (almost) eight-year-old son. Joshua D. Kaye ’04 (he/his/him) has litigated some of the major LGBT rights cases over the last decade. He represented Edith Windsor in her successful challenge to the Defense of Marriage Act, decided by the Supreme Court in 2013. He also has represented the Campaign for Southern Equality in a series of federal lawsuits in Mississippi, winning the right for same sex couples to marry and adopt in that state, and challenging Mississippi’s HB1523 which gave broad rights to discriminate against LGBT people based on certain religious beliefs. In addition to his work on LGBT rights litigation, Kaye is a commercial litigator who represents corporations and individuals in matters including antitrust, false advertising, trade secrets and securities litigation and government investigations. He and his wife, Megan Ridley-Kaye ‘05, live in New York City with their two children.
Room 103, Allbritton Center (Formerly Davenport Campus Center) (Show in Map)
1:30 PM to 2:30 PM
WESEMINAR The Alumni of Color Council Presents: The Coloring of Corporate
Bozoma Saint John ’99 (CMO, Endeavor) and Charlotte Castillo ’94 (SVP, Global Franchise Planning, Viacom Nickelodeon Consumer Products) have successfully navigated their corporate careers to have a seat at the c-suite table within the media and entertainment industry. Having created their own narrative defying labels, demographics, race and gender to secure their positions, these wonderful women of Wesleyan know there’s not a one-size-fits-all solution for women when moving up the corporate ladder. We’ll hear how these dynamic, marketing mavens are leveling the playing field of creating an equitable workforce as they navigate their successes and challenges, while driving for impact beyond themselves. Plus, we’ll learn how their presence informs the dialogue for more inclusive media messages and images, all while encountering the duality of being one of a small few.
Moderator: Kimberly King ’97, Chair, Alumni of Color Council, has consistently served as an active member of the Wesleyan community since becoming an At-Large member of the Wesleyan Student Assembly while working at the Career Resource Center (now Gordon Career Center) beginning her frosh year. Upon graduation, KK leaned in supporting Wesleyan regional events. She continued to contribute as a class of 1997 Reunion committee member, Class Secretary for The Wesleyan Magazine, Class Agent for The Wesleyan Fund, as well as volunteer member of the Wesleyan Alumni of Color Network. Creatively, KK has been featured in the inaugural Wesleyan alumni digital marketing campaign :60 Seconds With, in addition to the year-end campaign Wes Actually, a 2018 Telly Awards bronze winner in the non-broadcast, general fundraising category. Now a member of the 1831 Society and recipient of the 2017 Wesleyan University Service Award, KK continues in her leadership efforts concurrently serving as the Vice-Chair, Alumni Association, Chair, Wesleyan Alumni of Color Council (AOCC), and member of the Alumni Association Executive Committee (AAEC). KK holds a Master of Science degree in Integrated Marketing and a Professional Certificate in Digital Media Marketing from New York University, and is a member of the Board of Trustees, Oliver Scholars. Professionally, KK is the Director, Corporate Partnerships - Integrated Ad Sales Marketing for Discovery, Inc., responsible for developing multi-platform marketing programs to support advertising products and services across the portfolio of network brands. A New York native, KK resides in New York with her husband and son.
Presenters: Bozoma “Boz” Saint John ’99 is chief marketing officer at Endeavor, a global leader in entertainment, sports, and fashion operating in more than 30 countries and encompassing the companies WME, IMG, and UFC. In her role with Endeavor, Saint John focuses on driving marketing efforts across their growing portfolio, including strategies on behalf of Endeavor Global Marketing clients and premium brands. Before joining Endeavor, Ms. Saint John served as chief brand officer at Uber, head of global consumer marketing at Apple Music & iTunes, and head of music and entertainment marketing at PepsiCo. Her career has been marked by induction into Billboard’s Women in Music Hall of Fame (2018) and the American Advertising Federation Hall of Achievement (2014), as well as recognition on the Hollywood Reporter’s Women in Entertainment Power 100 list (2018) and as Billboard’s Executive of the Year (2016). Ms. Saint John has been featured on the cover of Adweek as “one of the most exciting personalities in advertising” and on lists ranging from Fast Company’s and Ad Age’s Most Creative People to Ebony’s 100 Powerful Executives, Black Enterprise’s Most Powerful Women in Business, and Fortune’s Most Influential CMOs. Boz Saint John majored in English at Wesleyan. As an alumna, she has served on the President’s Council and as a member of the Hamilton Prize Selection Committee, and was the alumni keynote speaker for WesFest 2016. A 13-year veteran of Viacom, Charlotte Castillo ’94 manages the strategic development, planning and marketing for all Viacom licensing IP in her role as Senior Vice President of Global Franchise Planning of Viacom Nickelodeon Consumer Products – including Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, SpongeBob Squarepants, Dora the Explorer, Paw Patrol, Blue’s Clues, South Park, MTV, Paramount Movies, among others. She leads a team of 28 people around the world. Ms. Castillo has also been recognized throughout the industry, as a participant in the Women In Cable Telecommunications’ Rising Leaders Program in 2009 and NAMIC’s prestigious Executive Leadership Development Program in 2012, and a recipient of NAMIC’s Luminary Award in 2017 as well as Imagen Foundation’s Powerful & Influential Latinos in the Entertainment Industry in 2018. Prior to Viacom, Ms. Castillo was Marketing & Creative Services Director at Latina Magazine, where she developed trade and consumer marketing initiatives, drove strategic partnerships with major Latino and women’s organizations, and spear-headed advertising/sponsorship-based relationships with companies including Chevrolet, Unilever, L’Oreal, among others. A NYC native born to immigrant parents from the Dominican Republic, Ms. Castillo graduated from Wesleyan University with a BA degree in Sociology and American Studies and is fluent in Spanish. An avid traveler, she currently lives in Riverdale with her husband and son.
#WesAOC
Ring Family Performing Arts Hall, 287 Washington Terrace (Show in Map)
WESEMINAR The Alumni of Color Council Presents: The Coloring of Corporate
Bozoma Saint John ’99 (CMO, Endeavor) and Charlotte Castillo ’94 (SVP, Global Franchise Planning, Viacom Nickelodeon Consumer Products) have successfully navigated their corporate careers to have a seat at the c-suite table within the media and entertainment industry. Having created their own narrative defying labels, demographics, race and gender to secure their positions, these wonderful women of Wesleyan know there’s not a one-size-fits-all solution for women when moving up the corporate ladder. We’ll hear how these dynamic, marketing mavens are leveling the playing field of creating an equitable workforce as they navigate their successes and challenges, while driving for impact beyond themselves. Plus, we’ll learn how their presence informs the dialogue for more inclusive media messages and images, all while encountering the duality of being one of a small few.
Moderator: Kimberly King ’97, Chair, Alumni of Color Council, has consistently served as an active member of the Wesleyan community since becoming an At-Large member of the Wesleyan Student Assembly while working at the Career Resource Center (now Gordon Career Center) beginning her frosh year. Upon graduation, KK leaned in supporting Wesleyan regional events. She continued to contribute as a class of 1997 Reunion committee member, Class Secretary for The Wesleyan Magazine, Class Agent for The Wesleyan Fund, as well as volunteer member of the Wesleyan Alumni of Color Network. Creatively, KK has been featured in the inaugural Wesleyan alumni digital marketing campaign :60 Seconds With, in addition to the year-end campaign Wes Actually, a 2018 Telly Awards bronze winner in the non-broadcast, general fundraising category. Now a member of the 1831 Society and recipient of the 2017 Wesleyan University Service Award, KK continues in her leadership efforts concurrently serving as the Vice-Chair, Alumni Association, Chair, Wesleyan Alumni of Color Council (AOCC), and member of the Alumni Association Executive Committee (AAEC). KK holds a Master of Science degree in Integrated Marketing and a Professional Certificate in Digital Media Marketing from New York University, and is a member of the Board of Trustees, Oliver Scholars. Professionally, KK is the Director, Corporate Partnerships - Integrated Ad Sales Marketing for Discovery, Inc., responsible for developing multi-platform marketing programs to support advertising products and services across the portfolio of network brands. A New York native, KK resides in New York with her husband and son.
Presenters: Bozoma “Boz” Saint John ’99 is chief marketing officer at Endeavor, a global leader in entertainment, sports, and fashion operating in more than 30 countries and encompassing the companies WME, IMG, and UFC. In her role with Endeavor, Saint John focuses on driving marketing efforts across their growing portfolio, including strategies on behalf of Endeavor Global Marketing clients and premium brands. Before joining Endeavor, Ms. Saint John served as chief brand officer at Uber, head of global consumer marketing at Apple Music & iTunes, and head of music and entertainment marketing at PepsiCo. Her career has been marked by induction into Billboard’s Women in Music Hall of Fame (2018) and the American Advertising Federation Hall of Achievement (2014), as well as recognition on the Hollywood Reporter’s Women in Entertainment Power 100 list (2018) and as Billboard’s Executive of the Year (2016). Ms. Saint John has been featured on the cover of Adweek as “one of the most exciting personalities in advertising” and on lists ranging from Fast Company’s and Ad Age’s Most Creative People to Ebony’s 100 Powerful Executives, Black Enterprise’s Most Powerful Women in Business, and Fortune’s Most Influential CMOs. Boz Saint John majored in English at Wesleyan. As an alumna, she has served on the President’s Council and as a member of the Hamilton Prize Selection Committee, and was the alumni keynote speaker for WesFest 2016. A 13-year veteran of Viacom, Charlotte Castillo ’94 manages the strategic development, planning and marketing for all Viacom licensing IP in her role as Senior Vice President of Global Franchise Planning of Viacom Nickelodeon Consumer Products – including Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, SpongeBob Squarepants, Dora the Explorer, Paw Patrol, Blue’s Clues, South Park, MTV, Paramount Movies, among others. She leads a team of 28 people around the world. Ms. Castillo has also been recognized throughout the industry, as a participant in the Women In Cable Telecommunications’ Rising Leaders Program in 2009 and NAMIC’s prestigious Executive Leadership Development Program in 2012, and a recipient of NAMIC’s Luminary Award in 2017 as well as Imagen Foundation’s Powerful & Influential Latinos in the Entertainment Industry in 2018. Prior to Viacom, Ms. Castillo was Marketing & Creative Services Director at Latina Magazine, where she developed trade and consumer marketing initiatives, drove strategic partnerships with major Latino and women’s organizations, and spear-headed advertising/sponsorship-based relationships with companies including Chevrolet, Unilever, L’Oreal, among others. A NYC native born to immigrant parents from the Dominican Republic, Ms. Castillo graduated from Wesleyan University with a BA degree in Sociology and American Studies and is fluent in Spanish. An avid traveler, she currently lives in Riverdale with her husband and son.
#WesAOC
Ring Family Performing Arts Hall, 287 Washington Terrace (Show in Map)
2:00 PM to 3:30 PM
WESEMINAR Remembering Sam Miller '75, P '09
Please join us to celebrate the life of Sam Miller ’75 P’09 (1952-2018).
A devoted Wesleyan alum, he majored in theater, co-founded Second Stage, and was one of the first students to direct a production in the newly built Center for the Arts. In 2011, he became the Director and Co-Founder of the Institute for Curatorial Practice in Performance at Wesleyan University.
Friends, colleagues, and students will share remarks followed by a performance directed by his long-time collaborator Eiko Otake P’07, ’10, Visiting Artist in Residence in Dance and the College of East Asian Studies. She will share her work-in-progress "The Duet Project: Distance is Malleable," co-conceived by Sam Miller and created in collaboration with artists of diverse backgrounds and disciplines including Wesleyan alumni Mark McCloughan ’10, Alexis Moh ’15, DonChristian Jones ’12, David Brick ’91, and Ralph Samuelson MA ’71, as well as Professor of History, East Asian Studies, Science in Society, and Environmental Studies William Johnston. The project will premiere at the American Dance Festival in July. Refreshments will follow. RSVP at www.wesleyan.edu/boxoffice.
Please consider contributions to the Sam Miller ’75 Memorial Fund at Wesleyan University in support of the Institute for Curatorial Practice in Performance (ICPP). Contributions may be given online here or mailed to the care of Marcy Herlihy, University Relations, 330 High Street, Middletown, CT 06459.
Center For the Arts Theater (Show in Map)
WESEMINAR Remembering Sam Miller '75, P '09
Please join us to celebrate the life of Sam Miller ’75 P’09 (1952-2018).
A devoted Wesleyan alum, he majored in theater, co-founded Second Stage, and was one of the first students to direct a production in the newly built Center for the Arts. In 2011, he became the Director and Co-Founder of the Institute for Curatorial Practice in Performance at Wesleyan University.
Friends, colleagues, and students will share remarks followed by a performance directed by his long-time collaborator Eiko Otake P’07, ’10, Visiting Artist in Residence in Dance and the College of East Asian Studies. She will share her work-in-progress "The Duet Project: Distance is Malleable," co-conceived by Sam Miller and created in collaboration with artists of diverse backgrounds and disciplines including Wesleyan alumni Mark McCloughan ’10, Alexis Moh ’15, DonChristian Jones ’12, David Brick ’91, and Ralph Samuelson MA ’71, as well as Professor of History, East Asian Studies, Science in Society, and Environmental Studies William Johnston. The project will premiere at the American Dance Festival in July. Refreshments will follow. RSVP at www.wesleyan.edu/boxoffice.
Please consider contributions to the Sam Miller ’75 Memorial Fund at Wesleyan University in support of the Institute for Curatorial Practice in Performance (ICPP). Contributions may be given online here or mailed to the care of Marcy Herlihy, University Relations, 330 High Street, Middletown, CT 06459.
Center For the Arts Theater (Show in Map)
2:00 PM to 3:00 PM
WESEMINAR The Trump Administration’s Immigration Policy and How Lawyers are Fighting It
The Trump Administration has acted to dramatically limit the rights of immigrants and refugees seeking to enter the United States, with its “Muslim Ban,” child separation policy, and other changes to immigration regulations and practices that restrict immigrants’ rights. Private law firms have joined with public interest organizations to challenge these efforts in court. Join a lawyer who has been at the center of these efforts, an experienced immigration lawyer, and a lawyer with a long record of pro bono civil rights work in a discussion about the administration’s policies and efforts to fight those policies.
Sponsored by the Wesleyan Lawyers Association.
Presenters: Steven Herzog ’84 has been practicing law at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP in New York City for nearly 30 years, litigating complex business disputes and maintaining a significant pro bono practice. He is counsel for plaintiffs challenging the Trump Administration’s Muslim Ban, counsel for plaintiffs challenging the Administration's child separation policy, and has been leading the Steering Committee charged with reunifying deported parents with their separated children in the Ms. L class action brought by the ACLU. Miki Kawashima Matrician ’98 is a Partner at Chin & Curtis, LLP, a Boston firm that specializes exclusively in United States and global immigration law. Her practice focuses on all aspects of employment-based immigration options for multinational corporations and smaller companies in various industries, as well as hospitals and nonprofit entities. She also advises individual clients in naturalization and family-based cases. She has presented to Japanese business groups in Boston as well as American Immigration Lawyers Association, Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education, and Alliance of Business Immigration Lawyers. Steve Oleskey ’64, P'00 has been a lawyer in private practice for over 50 years. He also served as Massachusetts Deputy Attorney General/Chief Public Protection Bureau, argued twice before the US Supreme Court and received the American Bar Association Pro Bono Award for lifetime pro bono and public service contributions. From 2004 to 2013, he co-lead the litigation team in the habeas corpus suit of Boumediene v. Bush. In that landmark case, the Supreme Court ruled in 2008 that six Algerian men held in Guantánamo Bay Prison as "unlawful enemy combatants “were entitled to a habeas corpus trial to establish whether they could continue to be detained indefinitely without charge.”
Room 112, Boger Hall (Formerly the Squash Court Building) (Show in Map)
WESEMINAR The Trump Administration’s Immigration Policy and How Lawyers are Fighting It
The Trump Administration has acted to dramatically limit the rights of immigrants and refugees seeking to enter the United States, with its “Muslim Ban,” child separation policy, and other changes to immigration regulations and practices that restrict immigrants’ rights. Private law firms have joined with public interest organizations to challenge these efforts in court. Join a lawyer who has been at the center of these efforts, an experienced immigration lawyer, and a lawyer with a long record of pro bono civil rights work in a discussion about the administration’s policies and efforts to fight those policies.
Sponsored by the Wesleyan Lawyers Association.
Presenters: Steven Herzog ’84 has been practicing law at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP in New York City for nearly 30 years, litigating complex business disputes and maintaining a significant pro bono practice. He is counsel for plaintiffs challenging the Trump Administration’s Muslim Ban, counsel for plaintiffs challenging the Administration's child separation policy, and has been leading the Steering Committee charged with reunifying deported parents with their separated children in the Ms. L class action brought by the ACLU. Miki Kawashima Matrician ’98 is a Partner at Chin & Curtis, LLP, a Boston firm that specializes exclusively in United States and global immigration law. Her practice focuses on all aspects of employment-based immigration options for multinational corporations and smaller companies in various industries, as well as hospitals and nonprofit entities. She also advises individual clients in naturalization and family-based cases. She has presented to Japanese business groups in Boston as well as American Immigration Lawyers Association, Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education, and Alliance of Business Immigration Lawyers. Steve Oleskey ’64, P'00 has been a lawyer in private practice for over 50 years. He also served as Massachusetts Deputy Attorney General/Chief Public Protection Bureau, argued twice before the US Supreme Court and received the American Bar Association Pro Bono Award for lifetime pro bono and public service contributions. From 2004 to 2013, he co-lead the litigation team in the habeas corpus suit of Boumediene v. Bush. In that landmark case, the Supreme Court ruled in 2008 that six Algerian men held in Guantánamo Bay Prison as "unlawful enemy combatants “were entitled to a habeas corpus trial to establish whether they could continue to be detained indefinitely without charge.”
Room 112, Boger Hall (Formerly the Squash Court Building) (Show in Map)
2:30 PM to 3:30 PM
WESEMINAR Architecture and the Liberal Arts
Architecture requires both creative problem solving and graduate level technical skills. A successful architect should be able to clearly communicate across disciplines, absorb many types of information, and lead with ideas – all skills that are central to a liberal arts education. Our seminar will focus on the intersection of architecture and the liberal arts model. We will examine how a liberal arts education provides both a broad knowledge of various fields as well as a deep study of specific areas of inquiry. We will share how the liberal arts model has influenced our own experiences and perspectives within the field of architecture.
Moderator: Elijah Huge is an Associate Professor of Art, and an architect whose current scholarly project, “Saving the City: Entries from an Encyclopedia of Calamity-mollifying Devices for the Modern Metropolis,” is a study of the rise and proliferation of architectural emergency devices. His writing and design work have been featured in Praxis, Thresholds, Perspecta, Bracket, Architectural Record, Landscape Architecture, Dwell, JAE, and Competitions. His design work includes commissions for private clients as well as award-winning competition entries for the High Line (New York, NY), the Bourne Bridge|Park (Bourne, MA), and the Tangshan Earthquake Memorial (Tangshan, China).
Presenters: Benson Gillespie ’04 is a Partner of the facade design and consulting firm Surface Design Group, based in New York City. For over a decade, he has focused on the design, development and construction of new building facades on tall and super-tall buildings both within the United States and abroad. Anya Grant ’04 is a Senior Associate with Ayers Saint Gross in Washington DC. She has partnered with a range of mission-driven clients to build housing, learning and working environments on college and university campuses across the US. Her work involves thoughtful placemaking, technological innovation and rigorous historical study. Nathan Rich ’02 is co-founder of the New York Architecture firm Peterson Rich Office where specializes in cultural and residential buildings. Before co-founding P.R.O. Nathan worked for SHoP architects and Steven Holl Architects where he developed expertise managing and executing complex projects with multiple stakeholders. Kwei Cheng Chang ’05 is a Director in the real estate development firm China Overseas American, located in New York City. He has managed design projects across Asia, Europe and North America, as well as leaded development projects in the states of New York and New Jersey.
Room 116, Judd Hall (Show in Map)
WESEMINAR Architecture and the Liberal Arts
Architecture requires both creative problem solving and graduate level technical skills. A successful architect should be able to clearly communicate across disciplines, absorb many types of information, and lead with ideas – all skills that are central to a liberal arts education. Our seminar will focus on the intersection of architecture and the liberal arts model. We will examine how a liberal arts education provides both a broad knowledge of various fields as well as a deep study of specific areas of inquiry. We will share how the liberal arts model has influenced our own experiences and perspectives within the field of architecture.
Moderator: Elijah Huge is an Associate Professor of Art, and an architect whose current scholarly project, “Saving the City: Entries from an Encyclopedia of Calamity-mollifying Devices for the Modern Metropolis,” is a study of the rise and proliferation of architectural emergency devices. His writing and design work have been featured in Praxis, Thresholds, Perspecta, Bracket, Architectural Record, Landscape Architecture, Dwell, JAE, and Competitions. His design work includes commissions for private clients as well as award-winning competition entries for the High Line (New York, NY), the Bourne Bridge|Park (Bourne, MA), and the Tangshan Earthquake Memorial (Tangshan, China).
Presenters: Benson Gillespie ’04 is a Partner of the facade design and consulting firm Surface Design Group, based in New York City. For over a decade, he has focused on the design, development and construction of new building facades on tall and super-tall buildings both within the United States and abroad. Anya Grant ’04 is a Senior Associate with Ayers Saint Gross in Washington DC. She has partnered with a range of mission-driven clients to build housing, learning and working environments on college and university campuses across the US. Her work involves thoughtful placemaking, technological innovation and rigorous historical study. Nathan Rich ’02 is co-founder of the New York Architecture firm Peterson Rich Office where specializes in cultural and residential buildings. Before co-founding P.R.O. Nathan worked for SHoP architects and Steven Holl Architects where he developed expertise managing and executing complex projects with multiple stakeholders. Kwei Cheng Chang ’05 is a Director in the real estate development firm China Overseas American, located in New York City. He has managed design projects across Asia, Europe and North America, as well as leaded development projects in the states of New York and New Jersey.
Room 116, Judd Hall (Show in Map)
3:00 PM to 4:00 PM
WESEMINAR Announcement! The Wesleyan Documentary Project
Scott Higgins, Director of the College of Film and the Moving Image will introduce Wesleyan’s initiative in documentary production and study featuring our new Professors of Practice Tracy Heather Strain and Randall MacLowry ’86, the award-winning duo behind the production company The Film Posse. Majora Carter ’88, Hon '13 will moderate a panel of distinguished alumni filmmakers and show a sample of documentaries by Wesleyan graduates. The roster of Wesleyan documentarians includes James Longley ’94, Jessica Sanders ’99, Marc Levin ’73, P’05, Lana Wilson ’05, Martha Shane ’05, and many others. Join us to discuss documentary’s place in the liberal arts and our new University resource, the Wesleyan Documentary Project.
Goldsmith Family Cinema (Show in Map)
WESEMINAR Announcement! The Wesleyan Documentary Project
Scott Higgins, Director of the College of Film and the Moving Image will introduce Wesleyan’s initiative in documentary production and study featuring our new Professors of Practice Tracy Heather Strain and Randall MacLowry ’86, the award-winning duo behind the production company The Film Posse. Majora Carter ’88, Hon '13 will moderate a panel of distinguished alumni filmmakers and show a sample of documentaries by Wesleyan graduates. The roster of Wesleyan documentarians includes James Longley ’94, Jessica Sanders ’99, Marc Levin ’73, P’05, Lana Wilson ’05, Martha Shane ’05, and many others. Join us to discuss documentary’s place in the liberal arts and our new University resource, the Wesleyan Documentary Project.
Goldsmith Family Cinema (Show in Map)
3:00 PM to 4:00 PM
WESEMINAR Myths and Realities of Two World Wars
War Stories: The art and science of crafting visual narratives about World Wars One and Two. We'll discuss the choices we made, the research process, as well as dealing with misconceptions about the past, and expectations in the present.
Presenters: Indiana “Indy” Neidell ’89 is an actor, writer, musician, and historian. He is well-known currently as the writer and host of the documentary series “The Great War”, “World War Two in Real Time”, and “Sabaton History”. He is also the host of “Between 2 Wars” and “The Cuba Crisis”. His past credits are as diverse as twice hosting his own series of shows on Nordic MTV, being awarded a gold record and a grammy as the original organist with Swedish act Moneybrother, and endless voice over credits including worldwide Carlsberg Beer and Abolsut Vodka commercials and video games such as Star Wars Battlefront II. He is currently touring Sweden on piano and ukulele with Swedish 50s and 60s music legend Owe Thörnqvist’s 90th birthday tour. Bruce C. McKenna ’84, P’15 is an award winning screenwriter and producer whose work in Hollywood has focused on men at war. He wrote on four of the ten episodes of the Emmy award winning HBO Miniseries Band of Brothers, and created, wrote most of, and produced its companion, the Emmy award winning Miniseries The Pacific. He also served as Executive Producer and co-Showrunner for History Channel's recent Series, SIX, about the infamous Navy Special Operations outfit Seal Team Six.
Room 103, Allbritton Center (formerly Davenport Campus Center) (Show in Map)
WESEMINAR Myths and Realities of Two World Wars
War Stories: The art and science of crafting visual narratives about World Wars One and Two. We'll discuss the choices we made, the research process, as well as dealing with misconceptions about the past, and expectations in the present.
Presenters: Indiana “Indy” Neidell ’89 is an actor, writer, musician, and historian. He is well-known currently as the writer and host of the documentary series “The Great War”, “World War Two in Real Time”, and “Sabaton History”. He is also the host of “Between 2 Wars” and “The Cuba Crisis”. His past credits are as diverse as twice hosting his own series of shows on Nordic MTV, being awarded a gold record and a grammy as the original organist with Swedish act Moneybrother, and endless voice over credits including worldwide Carlsberg Beer and Abolsut Vodka commercials and video games such as Star Wars Battlefront II. He is currently touring Sweden on piano and ukulele with Swedish 50s and 60s music legend Owe Thörnqvist’s 90th birthday tour. Bruce C. McKenna ’84, P’15 is an award winning screenwriter and producer whose work in Hollywood has focused on men at war. He wrote on four of the ten episodes of the Emmy award winning HBO Miniseries Band of Brothers, and created, wrote most of, and produced its companion, the Emmy award winning Miniseries The Pacific. He also served as Executive Producer and co-Showrunner for History Channel's recent Series, SIX, about the infamous Navy Special Operations outfit Seal Team Six.
Room 103, Allbritton Center (formerly Davenport Campus Center) (Show in Map)
3:30 PM to 4:30 PM
WESEMINAR Senior Thesis Showcase
Zilkha Gallery showcases the work of the Class of 2019’s thesis students in the Department of Art and Art History’s Art Studio Program. The exhibition is curated by two students Cara Blumstein ’20 and Emma Frohardt ’20, presenting a work by each of the seniors from their Senior Thesis Exhibition. Works shown are in drawing, painting, printmaking, photography, sculpture, mixed media, and architecture. Co-sponsored by University Relations. There will be a reception with refreshments in honor of the seniors at 2 p.m. with curator comments at 3:30 p.m.
Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery (Show in Map)
WESEMINAR Senior Thesis Showcase
Zilkha Gallery showcases the work of the Class of 2019’s thesis students in the Department of Art and Art History’s Art Studio Program. The exhibition is curated by two students Cara Blumstein ’20 and Emma Frohardt ’20, presenting a work by each of the seniors from their Senior Thesis Exhibition. Works shown are in drawing, painting, printmaking, photography, sculpture, mixed media, and architecture. Co-sponsored by University Relations. There will be a reception with refreshments in honor of the seniors at 2 p.m. with curator comments at 3:30 p.m.
Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery (Show in Map)