In This Issue

Volume 15, Number 2 Spring 2012

On April 26, Princeton AlumniCorps

welcomed more than 30 guests to its

inaugural Turning Point panel entitled

“From Princeton to Prison to Purpose:

The Story of Walter Fortson, Jim

Farrin ’58, Natasha Japanwala ’14 and

the Petey Greene Prisoner Assistance

Program.” Turning Point, a

Community Volunteers initiative,

brings together speakers with inspiring

stories about what drives their passion

for service. Each panel highlights a

specific issue or need in the

community.

Walter Fortson discussed his incar-

ceration in a New Jersey state prison,

and what sparked his desire to turn

his life around. Rutgers University

Professor Donald Roden started a

program to help inmates enroll as

university students and took an interest

in Walter. “That was the first time in a

long time that anybody had looked at

me as a human

being,” Walter said.

“The compassion in

his eyes for me really

let me know that I

had a second chance.

That’s something I

[will] never forget.”

Since his release,

Walter has been

admitted to Rutgers

University, where he

received the 2010

Rutgers Academic Excellence

award, and was recently named a

Truman Scholar. He has dedicated

himself not only to improving his life,

but also to helping others in similar

situations turn their lives around.

Charlie Puttkammer ’58 founded the

Petey Greene Prisoner Assistance

Program which is dedicated to bring-

ing Princeton students and community

members to local prisons to tutor

inmates. Charlie reached out to his

classmate, Jim Farrin ‘58, to help run

the program. While Jim was hesitant at

first, a fortuitous encounter between

his wife and a prison chaplain at

Albert C. Wagner Youth Correctional

Facility made Jim realize this was an

opportunity to give back in a very sig-

nificant way. (Continued on Page 7...)

Community Volunteers Launches Turning Point Series

Join us during Reunions 2012!

Crime & Punishment: Debating the Legal Justice System in America

With Robin Steinberg, Founder, Bronx Defenders & Peter Kougasian ’76,

Special Assistant, Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor NYC

Introduced by Kathy Miller ’77 & Moderated by Rainah Berlowitz ’97

2:30 - 4:00 p.m. • Friday, June 1, 2012 • Lewis Library, Bowl 120

Princeton AlumniCorps Open House

Reconnect with classmates, former fellows, mentors, and other alumni.

Celebrate 22 years of PP55 Fellowships, and our two newest programs:

Emerging Leaders and Community Volunteers!

4:00 - 6:00 p.m. • Friday, June 1, 2012 • 12 Stockton Street

Jim Farrin ’58 and Walter Fortson

2 Emerging Leaders

Highlights and Closing

Celebration

3 AlumniCorps

Celebrates Keystone

Society Members

4 Regional Updates

6 2012 Fellows List

7 Help us reach our goal!

Members of the nonprofit community gathered in

Washington, DC on March 13 to celebrate the success of

the 2012 Emerging Leaders program. AlumniCorps board

and staff members, participants, employers, mentors and

family members joined other supporters to congratulate the

Emerging Leaders Class of 2012. In three breakout groups,

participants shared the many ways that the program has

impacted their professional lives. Attendees heard firsthand

the exponential impact this program has achieved in just

one year. As one participant said, “This program didn’t just

transform eleven individuals. It transformed the workings

of at least eleven nonprofit organizations in [Washington,]

DC, and it will continue to improve how effectively those

different organizations serve their employees and their

community moving forward.”

The event was the culmination of a series of monthly ses-

sions facilitated by an executive coach and featuring skill

development activities and nonprofit executive speakers.

The Emerging Leaders implemented these learned skills in

their work, and served as role models for their peers. The

program is expanding to New York in its second year, set

to begin in June.

The nonprofit professionals who recently completed the

program are helping to fill a significant leadership gap

within the sector, AlumniCorps Board President Kathy

Miller ’77 noted: “A recent extensive study by the Meyer

Foundation and Compass, Daring to Lead 2011, found that

two thirds of nonprofit executives plan to leave their jobs

within five years.”

An Emerging Leader summed up her gratitude for the

program. “This is a phenomenal experience that is easily

worth 10 times what our organizations contributed to

support this work. I hope your work is able to expand to

support even beyond NY, as I found this immensely

helpful to my personal and professional growth. Thank

you!”

Emerging Leaders Celebrates Its Inaugural Year

2012-2013 Emerging Leaders Highlights

With the expansion of Emerging Leaders to New York in

2012-2013, AlumniCorps received more than four times the

number of applications we did last year. Nearly 30 percent of

applicants are Princeton graduates.

Nonprofit professionals who applied for the program in

Washington, DC and New York came from such fields as

Urban Development, Education, Health, and Social Services.

The new cohorts will be notified of their acceptance into the

program in May, and the program will start in both cities in the

beginning of June.

Many thanks to our supporters, including the Rita Allen

Foundation, for making the expansion of the program possible!

Page 2 Shared Effort

Emerging Leaders Class of 2012

Page 3 Shared Effort

On February 26, Princeton AlumniCorps held the first

annual Keystone Society Breakfast. Members of this

forward-thinking group have committed to ensuring the

stability and long-term health of Princeton AlumniCorps by

making a planned gift to the organization. We were

delighted to honor Charter Members of the Keystone

Society, and to include many others without whom

Princeton AlumniCorps would not be the organization it is

today.

Ten of the Society’s 21 members attended the event,

where many shared their reasons for making a bequest to

Princeton AlumniCorps, and their hopes for the future of

the organization. Jim Gregoire ’69 told us: “Jane and I

consider Princeton AlumniCorps to be a part of our

extended family. There seems to us no better way to

help ensure the sustainability of this great organization

than making it a part of our planned giving. I am proud

to stand with all of you today, as a member of the

Keystone Society.”

John Fish ’55, a Keystone Society member and Chair of

the Board of Directors, spoke about how much Princeton

AlumniCorps has grown from its humble but ambitious

beginnings. He shared: “AlumniCorps has made great

progress towards sustainability beyond the founding class

of ’55. Today, we are supported by members of more than

60 Princeton classes, from ’55 to ’11 and have four thriving

programs for alumni of all ages.”

Each member was presented with a Keystone Society

lapel pin, a handsome badge of honor. As well as being

able to take great pride in assuring the sustainability of

Princeton AlumniCorps, Keystone Society members enjoy

invitations to exclusive events, free admission to all

ticketed AlumniCorps events, recognition in organizational

communications, and more.

To learn more about the Keystone Society, please contact

Executive Director Kathleen Reilly at

kreilly@alumnicorps.org or 609.921.8808 ext. 2. Please

let us know if you have already included Princeton

AlumniCorps in your will, we would like to thank and

recognize you for your gift.

AlumniCorps Celebrates Keystone Society Members

Jayne Barnard S’55

Harry W. Berkowitz ’55

Kirsten Hund Blair ’84

Stephen M. Boyd ’55

Charles W. Bray ’55

Milton J. Deitch ’55

Sara H. Deitch S’55

John H. Fish ’55

James A. Gregoire ’69

George C. Hackl ’55

John D. Hamilton ’55

Richard L. Herbruck ’55

Peter Jefferys ’55

William R. Leahy ’66

Oral O. Miller ’55

Lois O. Robbins S’55

Michael D. Robbins ’55

Chester Safian ’55

John C. Tucker ’55

Nelson H. Wild ’55

Alan M. Willemsen ’55

Keystone Society Charter Members

Keystone Society Charter Members Mike Robbins '55,

John Hamilton '55, Chet Safian '55, John Fish '55,

George Hackl '55, Jim Gregoire '69, Steve Boyd '55, Harry Berkowitz '55, and Bill Leahy '66.

-Boston-

The Boston PP55 program has had an

exciting spring! On February 29, members

of the Boston AlumniCorps community

visited the Lawrence Community Day

Charter School, where Ben Stone ’11 is

currently a fellow, to learn about the

school and to sign up for reading groups

for children. On March 27, Megan

Trombly, the Director of Process

Improvement and Knowledge at Strong

Women, Strong Girls, led a seminar for

PP55 and Harvard CPIC fellows. Entitled

“The Process of Developing and Sustain-

ing a Nonprofit Organization,” Trombly’s

seminar focused on her work in building

and implementing strategies, systems, and

processes to support the growth and best

practices for all branch activities of her

organization.

Regional Updates

-Bay Area-

According to Julie Rubinger ’09, the newly elected Bay

Area Coordinator, the Bay Area fellows have been busy

with seminars and keeping up with the responsibilities of

their fellowship positions. On February 27, the Princeton

Project 55 fellows came together with fellows from

Harvard CPIC and Stanford SPIN for a site visit to the

UCSF Breast Care Center. The current fellows who work

at the center (Matthew Salesi ’11, Yici Zheng ’11, and

Alyse Wheelock ’11) gave presentations on the projects

that they are working on, and then gave a walk-through of

the hospital. Attendees enjoyed the opportunity to see

firsthand what research projects the UCSF fellows were

engaged in.

-Chicago-

The Chicago PP55 community continues to have a busy

and engaging seminar schedule. Together with University

of Chicago and Northwestern PIP fellows, the Chicago

PP55 fellows have learned from leaders in Chicago’s

nonprofit and public interest sectors. Highlights include:

Bill Farrow, President & CEO of Urban Partnership Bank;

Ed Shurma, Executive Director of Chicago Coalition for

the Homeless; and Sharon Fairley ’82, Assistant U.S.

Attorney and Candace Jackson ’00, U.S. Public Defender.

As always, members of current partner organizations

have contributed their knowledge and expertise to the

seminar series. Mary Visconti, CEO of Better Boys

Foundation, where Laura Martindale ’11 is currently a

fellow, spoke about the mission and goals of the organiza-

tion, which seeks to provide care and support for children

in the North Lawndale neighborhood of Chicago.

-Connecticut-

The Connecticut branch of the Princeton AlumniCorps

community continues to receive outstanding support from

Harry Berkowitz ’55. PP55 fellows have joined New

York fellows for their monthly seminars and have gathered

throughout the year at the homes of Connecticut-area

alumni.

As part of her work at Housing Development Fund,

Tiffany Lee ’11 recently planned an event in Hartford, CT

entitled “Energy Smart Solutions: A Megacommunity

Solution.” This two-day conference brought together 80

leaders from government agencies, businesses, and

nonprofits to tackle residential energy efficiency in

Connecticut. Tiffany writes that “the event was a huge suc-

cess…the participants really immersed themselves in the

Simulation and they were excited and motivated to take the

insights they learned from the two-day event and to do

something in the months to come.”

Page 4 Shared Effort

Regional Updates

-New York-

Spring has finally come to New York! New York PP55

fellows have been excited by the changing season and the

great opportunities it has provided to explore the city. Fel-

lows continue to come together for interesting and informa-

tive seminars and for fun fellowship gatherings. In April, an

Education Seminar featured a moderated panel discussion

with Marc Sternberg ’95, NYC Deputy Chancellor of

Schools, Thackston Lundy, Chief of Staff of the

Relay Graduate School of Education, and Stephanie

Greenberg ’04, 8th grade teacher at Williamsburg Collegiate

Charter School.

In May, the New York fellows attended a Press and the

Politics seminar moderated by Judy Hole Suratt s’55 with

panelists Sarah Dutton, the Director of Surveys for CBS

News; State Senator Liz Krueger; Andrew Romano '04, a

Senior Writer at Newsweek; Adam Frankel '03, the

Executive Director of Digital Promise; and Bill Plante, the

White House Correspondent for CBS News.

-Washington, DC-

Emily Silk ’10 reports one of the highlights of the DC

AlumniCorps social calendar this spring was a sports outing,

organized by the fellows, to see the Washington Wizards play

the Detroit Pistons at the Verizon Center. The fellows, along

with their guests and fellows from Dartmouth and Harvard,

were treated to an exciting, down-to-the-wire game. Unfortu-

nately, the Pistons eked out a victory on a last-second shot—

but the fellows still managed to win free Chick-fil-A sand-

wiches, see Michael Phelps in the stands, and have a great

time. Overall, then, the experience was quite a success de-

spite another loss for the Wizards!

The fellow seminar series has also continued in full force

this spring. In February, Justin Smith ’90 hosted fellows at

the US Department of Justice for a discussion of public ser-

vice in the environmental sector. Fellows met three panelists

with expertise ranging from law to science to policy, who

spoke both about their current work and their career trajecto-

ries. In addition, fellows enjoyed a short tour of the USDOJ

at the end of the seminar.

March saw the fellows at the National Postal Museum,

where Washington & Lee fellowship coordinator and TAN

(The Alumni Network) affiliate John Nolan led an engaging

seminar on great leadership in the social sector. Having read

Jim Collins’ Good to Great and the Social Sectors, fellows

came to the table prepared for a lively discussion with John

and two local nonprofit leaders about the challenges and

opportunities of working in the nonprofit sector.

-Philadelphia-

Fellows in Philadelphia participated in Global Net Night,

coordinated by Katie Thaeder '09, for the March

seminar. The theme was "Developing Your Personal Brand,"

and the group learned about networking skills from Sandy

Mannix p’12. The Philadelphia AlumniCorps community

continues to actively partner with the Princeton Club of

Philadelphia. In March, Joseph Sengoba ’10 put together an

event at the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office, where he

is currently a PP55 fellow. The seminar was entitled

“Breaking the Cycle of Violence” and focused on the crimi-

nal justice system in Philadelphia. The forum featured a

keynote address by Seth Williams, the District Attorney of

the City of Philadelphia, as well as a panel composed of

leaders in the Philadelphia criminal justice community,

including Assistant Chief of Appeals Larry Goode ’84.

Page 5 Shared Effort

The Breaking the Cycle of Violence Panel was organized by the

PP55 Philadelphia Area Committee in collaboration with

the Princeton Club of Philadelphia

Page 6 Shared Effort

Congratulations to our 2012-13

Princeton Project 55 Fellows!

Princeton Project 55

Fellowships are made

possible by passionate area

committees and local

volunteers, generous

donors, and highly effective

partner organizations. Thank

you for your

shared effort.

Boston, MA

Bianca Cabrera ’12

Community Day Charter Public School

Danielle DiCesare ’12

Community Day Charter Public School

Kelly Harchut ’12

Community Day Charter Public School

Thelma Ramirez ’10

Community Day Charter Public School

Anna Condella ’12

EMNet Coordinating Center, Mass General

Hospital

Chicago, IL

Jesse Mudrick ’12

Bethel New Life

David Jean-Baptiste ’12

Better Boys Foundation

Daniel Corica ’12

Center on Halsted

Michael Collins ’11

Civic Consulting Alliance

Nathan Brown ’12

CNT Energy

Julie Nkodo ’12

Free Spirit Media

Ajay Tungare ’12

Illinois State Board of Education

Kelly Reilly ’12

National Equity Fund

Pauline Ndambuki ’12

Urban Partnership Bank

Diana Robinson ’12

Women Employed

Connecticut

Sabrina Szeto ’12

Housing Development Fund

Mary Thierry ’12

Housing Development Fund

Carolyn Birbiglia ’11

Norwalk Community Health Center

Brandon Chan ’12

Norwalk Community Health Center

New York, NY

Taylor Leyden ’12

Association to Benefit Children

Avion Tai ’10

Association to Benefit Children

Susanna Hamilton ’12

Campaign for Educational Equity

Brandon Joseph ’12

CASES

Nina Bahadur ’12

Education Through Music

Maraiya Hakeem ’12

Education Through Music

Jennifer Wu ’12

Heads Up! Pediatric Literacy Program

Ivana Castellanos ’12

New Alternatives for Children

Sarah Twardock ’11

New York Center for Child Development

Alix Greenwald ’10

New York County District Attorney's Office

Bonnie Robinson ’12

New York County District Attorney's Office

Jocelyn Johnson ’12

Prep for Prep

Kristan Scott ’12

Reach Out and Read of Greater New York

Eleanor Meegoda ’12

Rockefeller Foundation

Barbara Stoddard ’11

St. Mark The Evangelist School

Alyssa Pehmoeller ’12

The Foundation Center

Philadelphia, PA

Michelle Ripplinger ’12

KIPP Philadelphia Schools

San Francisco Bay Area, CA

Tiffany Lee ’11

NewSchools Venture Fund

Nilan Schnure ’12

UCSF Breast Care Center

Washington, DC

Amy Sweeny ’12

Aeras

Sara Wallace ’12

Apple Tree Institute for Education

Innovation

Sweta Haldar ’12

Character Education Partnership

Stephanie "Q" Miceli ’12

Character Education Partnership

Caroline Rawls ’12

CityBridge Foundation

Reginald Galloway ’11

Digital Promise

Alan Reynolds ’11

Greater Baden Medical Services

A. Ginny Weinmann ’12

Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable

Future

Dana Weinstein ’12

Partners for the Common Good

Camila Vega ’12

Regional Primary Care Coalition/

Consumer Health Foundation

Sam Scott ’12

World Faiths Development Dialogue

Alana Tornello ’12

World Faiths Development Dialogue

Page 7 Shared Effort

Six Weeks Left to Reach Our Goal!

We have raised just over $198,000 this year from 365 donors. A big THANK YOU to those who have donated so far!

If you haven’t yet, please help us reach our goal to get to 500 donors by June 30 in one of three easy ways:

Scan this code to donate from your smart phone now!

Mail your donation to: Princeton AlumniCorps 12 Stockton Street Princeton, NJ 08540

Make a secure credit card donation online at www.alumnicorps.org

Jim met with Al Kandell, Administrator at A.C. Wagner. Jim

recalls Al saying to him, “We need Princeton volunteers, and I

can tell by looking at you, Jim, that you’re going to bring

them.”

The next fall, volunteers from Princeton University began

tutoring at the prison. Of the volunteers he has worked with,

Jim said, “These young Princeton students … have such a

wonderful sense of mission.” Now, as Jim looks to expand the

Petey Greene Program to other universities and prisons, he

and Walter have teamed up to start a program at Rutgers.

AlumniCorps is seeking a community volunteer to help with

this expansion plan.

Natasha Japanwala ’14 is a current volunteer with the Petey

Greene Prisoner Assistance program. She discussed her

experience as a tutor with the program, as well as leading a

Breakout Princeton trip to a women’s correctional facility in

Oklahoma. “I feel like every time I go to a prison, I help

someone in a small way,” Natasha said. “And to be very

honest, I think they help me more than I help them … It’s

been such a huge part of my education.”

For more information on the Community Volunteers

program and to see current opportunities, please visit the

program website at www.alumnicorps.org, or contact Rachel

Benevento, Community Volunteers Program Manager at

rbenevento@alumnicorps.org. Keep an eye out for our next

Turning Point program in the early Fall.

Community Volunteers Launches

Turning Point Series

Natasha Japanwala ’14

“Each step of the way, I’m learning more

and more about how differences can be

made.” - Natasha Japanwala ‘14

Community Volunteers Program Leader Kef Karsdin ’85

discusses current opportunities with attendees

(… Continued from page 1)

PRINCETON ALUMNICORPS

12 Stockton Street

Princeton, NJ 08540-6813

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

“You will be saying that shared effort to solve our problems is not a hopeless venture” — John Gardner

Princeton AlumniCorps Board of Directors

John H. Fish ’55, Chairman

Kathryn A. Miller. ’77, President

Jessica D. Johnson ’98, Secretary

Charles F. Mapes, Jr. ’55, Treasurer

Thomas D. Allison ’66

Illa Brown ’76

Margaret Crotty ’94

Andrew Goldstein ’06

James A. Gregoire ’69

Stanley N. Katz h’21

William R. Leahy Jr., MD ’66

James D. Lynn ’55

Kathleen McCleery ’75

W. Arthur McKee ’90

Dominic F. Michel ’70

Paula Morency ’77

Ralph Nader ’55

Janice Nittoli *85

Alejandro Perez ’10

Anthony Quainton ’55

Michael D. Robbins ’55

Margarita Rosa, Esq. ’74

Marsha Rosenthal ’76

Warner V. Slack ’55

Leesy Taggart ’78

Scott Taylor ’75

Richard E. Thompson ’55

Richard O. Walker ’73

Lindsay Wall ’02

R. Kenly Webster ’55

Princeton AlumniCorps Staff

Kathleen E. Reilly, Executive Director

Rachel Benevento, Program Manager, Community Volunteers & Emerging Leaders

Arti Sheth ‘08, Director of Development

Sara McCord, Project 55 Fellowship Program Manager

Mike McPeak, Office Administrator

Please visit us at www.alumnicorps.org

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PAID

Princeton, NJ

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