UVaClub Board of Directors Elections: We need your vote!

Fill out our online survey to elect the UVaClub's Board of Directors for 2008-09. Once you are on the survey click next to the names of the people you wish to elect.

Survey Link: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=dBchoky4Do3m7pKxCb0pOg_3d_3d



Seeking Election

Raleigh Anne Blank (CLAS '07)
Michael Connors (CLAS '85)
Jack Parrott (CLAS '07)
Kris Powell (CLAS '03)

Seeking Re-Election

Meredith Argeris (CLAS '04)
Jennifer Becker (CLAS '02)
Adam Bronstein (CLAS '01)
John Carr (CLAS '05)
Neil Guha (SEAS '06)
Wright Harvey (CLAS '05)
Josh Holmes (CLAS '01)
Andrew Kirwin (CLAS '88)
Julie Mlakar (CLAS '99)
Jodi Neuhauser (CLAS '05)
Matt Paco (CLAS '95)
Lauren Pickett (CLAS '74)
John Straton (CLAS '54)
Susan Sutler (CLAS '04)
Kat Thomsen (CLAS '03)
Christine Toes (CLAS '99)
Mark Weber (CLAS '91)
Christy Williams (CLAS '05)
Amy Yang (COMM '98)





Raleigh Anne Blank (CLAS '07)

Following graduation last May, Raleigh Anne Blank moved to New York City to begin work at ESPN coordinating Wireless, Digital and New Media Marketing. Since then she has made a point to become active in her new community, joining, among other organizations, the Virginia Club of New York, The New York Junior League, Team for Kids and Change for Kids. Despite her distance from Charlottesville, Raleigh Anne has continued to contribute her time to the Alumni Association as a Class of 2007 Trustee. While on grounds, Raleigh Anne served as the Co-Chair of Class Giving efforts that resulted in raising upwards of $3.4 million to present on behalf of the Class of 2007 at graduation. She upheld and maintained student self-governance as the Chair of the University Judiciary Committee and helped to create and manage Hoos for Hokies, an organization that supported Virginia Tech in the aftermath of the tragic April 16 shootings. In addition, she co-founded K.A.R.E, Katrina Aid and Relief Efforts, an organization that collected funds and coordinated events following the devastating hurricanes that swept across Louisiana and along the Gulf Coast in 2005. Raleigh Anne is looking forward to furthering her involvement in the New York community by extending her role in the Virginia Club of New York as a member of the Board of Directors.

Michael Connors (CLAS '85)

Michael Connors graduated from the University in 1985 with A BA in History. He currently works for Morgan Stanley in the International Equities Division. He is married to wahoo Kendall Hamman Connors (ARCH '85) and lives in Bronxville, NY with their 3 children Roy, Kyle and Margaret. He has been a clubhouse member of the Virginia Club for many years and has loved the parties. He is looking forward to helping out where needed with programs and speaker events.

Jack Parrott (CLAS '07)

Jack is hoping to join the Board of the Virginia Club of New York. Having just moved up from Richmond, VA, Jack was most recently involved with the Young Alumni Committee helping to plan a series of events and initiatives in that area. At Virginia, he was involved with the University Judiciary Committee and Madison House for a number of years as well as a member of St. Anthony Hall. As part of UVA's first Semester at Sea voyage, Jack was part of the Honor committee onboard and is also an alumni leader for the program. He is transitioning from a finance job in Richmond and in the process of looking for something in the New York area. Having been an avid fan of their sports teams and the University in general for life as well as a consistent contributor of time to its organizations, he is looking forward to being able to especially help reach out to the newer graduates and otherwise help the Virginia Club of New York in any way that he can.

Kristopher S. Powell, Assoc. AIA (CLAS '03)

Kristopher Powell is seeking a position on the Virginia Club of New York Board of Directors. He has been involved in numerous social activities with the club since moving to New York City in the fall of 2006. Kris currently works as an Architectural Designer at Lee H. Skolnick Architecture + Design Partnership, an international architecture and exhibit design firm. As a board member, among other things, Kris would like to promote architecture- and design-related lectures and activities with the Virginia Club. Outside of his profession, Kris has been involved with fundraising for Team Continuum, a charity that brings non-medical assistance to cancer patients and their families, including his participation in the 2007 New York City Marathon on the charity's behalf. Prior to moving to New York, Kristopher earned his Professional Masters of Architecture at the University of Pennsylvania in 2006, where he also worked as a teaching assistant and was the student body president for the School of Design.

Meredith Argeris (CLAS '04) Meredith Argeris has served on the board for the past two years and has led the Speakers Committee for the past year. Through the Speakers Committee, Meredith has coordinated the annual Media Panel and helped plan the various speaker series events throughout the year, including the Financial Panel and Career Panel. Meredith graduated UVA in 2004, where she was involved with summer orientation, University Programs Council, and class trustees. She currently works in the online media industry. Meredith will be attending the UVaClubs Leadership Conference this summer.

Jennifer Becker (CLAS '02)

Jennifer Becker has served on the board for the past year and was previously the Executive Director of the Virginia Club. She knows the club and its events inside and out and is a wonderful resource. Jennifer also attended the UVaClubs Leadership Conference last summer. Active in service related events, Jennifer is on the Cavaliers Care Worldwide Advisory Board and was instrumental in planning the New York event at Thomas Jefferson Park.

Adam Bronstein (CLAS '01)

Adam Bronstein is completing his first year as a Board Member of the Virginia Club of New York and is delighted to be running for reelection. He believes that his varied experiences make him uniquely suited to continue to contribute to the Club's success.

Since becoming a Board Member last year, Adam spearheaded the University of Virginia Glee Club Concert at the Yale Club on November 4th. Over 60 guests were in attendance to hear numerous classical and jazz numbers and of course, a rendition of the Good Ole Song! This was topped off by a concert in Grand Central Station's Vanderbilt Hall. Adam also led the steering committee for the education panel discussion, held on March 12th: Now is the Time-Putting Education Back on the Public Agenda. This event was a collaborative effort with Teach For America and attracted well over 100 guests to the Yale Club's Grand Ballroom. Adam is also a contributing member on the Marketing and Athletics Committees.

Even prior to officially joining the Board, Adam was an active participant in UVA events in New York. Since arriving in to New York City in 2001, he has been a regular participant at softball in the park. For several years, he has also been involved with a UVA team in Zog Sports, a charitable sports league. Most importantly, in 2005 he helped to organize another education panel discussion hosted by the Virginia Club: Innovations in School Leadership Training Programs.

Adam came to New York as a bilingual public school teacher in Washington Heights through the Teach For America program. He continues to teach and is a staff developer in Westchester County. He has also held leadership positions as a School Director of an elementary school in Brooklyn for Teach For America and now as a Summer School Principal of a high school in Westchester. He has received two masters' degrees: one in elementary education from Pace University and another in education administration from Fordham University.

John B. Carr (CLAS '05)

John Carr is a member of the graduating class of 2005 from the College. John majored in art history and minored in studio art. John held several positions within his fraternity at Virginia and was also involved with the Arts and Sciences Council, a representative body of the College of Arts and Sciences, whose mission is to create an effective peer academic advising program, foster student/faculty relations in the College, strengthen student identity within the College, and solidify relations between the College and its alumni.

John continued to graduate school in London to study finance before moving to New York in July of 2007 at which point he became an ad hoc member of the Board of the Virginia Club. John has helped with the finances of the Virginia Club and hopes to expand his role on the Board after elections.

Neil Guha (SEAS '06)

Neil Guha is a 2006 graduate of the University of Virginia. Since joining the Board of Directors in 2007, Neil has contributed to the Club's athletic, social, undergraduate admissions, and marketing platforms. As an active member of the UVA Club of New York's softball team, Neil helped increase the Club's footprint in the Big Apple by recruiting a number of recent graduates to both play and watch the weekly matches in Central Park. He was also active in the planning and orchestration of the annual Mr. Jefferson's Holiday Party in December 2007. In the Club's effort to assist the Office of Undergraduate Admissions in identifying candidates, Neil served on an alumni panel in the Fall of 2007 during a discussion led by Dean Blackburn for metropolitan New York City high school students. From a marketing perspective, Neil plays an active role in helping develop and transition the new UVA Club of New York webpage which will be implemented later in 2008 as well as having represented the UVA Club at Yale Club recruitment events. Neil works as an investment banker at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods after having spent a year with Barclays Capital.

Wright Harvey (CLAS '05)

Wright Harvey graduated from the University of Virginia in 2005 with a double-major in Economics and Fine Arts. Since graduation, he has pursued a career in asset management at JPMorgan in New York City and has been an active member of the Virginia Club of New York, serving as the membership/marketing committee chair. Wright grew up in Naples, Florida, enjoys traveling, museums, cooking/grilling, and painting.

Joshua G. Holmes (CLAS '01)

Joshua Holmes is completing his first year on the Board of the Virginia Club of New York. Prior to joining the board, he served on the Membership Committee for the past three years, where he has lent support and helped to plan multiple events. Joshua's first introduction to the Club came through softball in Central Park, where you will still find him most summer evenings.

Joshua is a performance analyst/policy advisor for the City of Newark, New Jersey; he joined the administration of newly-elected Cory A. Booker within days of his taking the oath of office. Currently, he is working towards his Masters in Public Administration at the Rutgers-Newark Graduate School of Public Affairs and Administration. Prior to joining government, Joshua worked in the publishing industry; most recently at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), where he primarily focused on the circulation of its stalwart publication, Foreign Affairs.

Andrew Kirwin (CLAS '88)

Andrew Kirwin graduated from the University of Virginia in 1988 with a BA in history and received his law degree from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in New York City in 1992. Andrew has helped guide the Virginia Club as a board member since the mid 90s. As one of the first Virginia alumni to join the clubhouse, Andrew has helped us sustain a healthy relationship with the Yale Club. Andrew has always been involved with the Athletics Committee and is currently a Vice President of the club. Andrew is also a committee member of the Glenn D. Kirwin Memorial Golf Tournament which supports a scholarship that honors his brother Glenn D. Kirwin. Glenn was a 1982 graduate of the University of Virginia who lost his life in the tragic events of September 11, 2001. The scholarship is awarded annually to one or more second, third, or fourth year students whose character and involvement in University life most resemble Glenn's, with first preference to applicants who are children of victims of the 9/11 tragedy. Donations from Mr. Jefferson's Holiday Party are also contributed to this scholarship.

Julie Lynn Mlakar (CLAS '99)

Julie Mlakar is an account director in the Platform A division of AOL LLC. During her nine year tenure at AOL, she has worked her way through the ranks from sales support through management. She has been instrumental in driving advertising revenue for the company as she works with strategic advertisers and agencies to develop and sell innovative advertising programs. Most notably, Julie has earned President's Club honors for exceeding her sales quotas in three consecutive years.

Julie received a bachelor's degree in English with a minor in psychology from the University of Virginia in May 1999. In May 2007, she completed her master's degree in public relations and corporate communications at New York University.

Julie maintains close ties to UVA and was first elected to the Board of Directors for the UVA Alumni Club of New York City in June 2004. She served as the Social and Cultural Chair for the club, planning monthly activities ranging from museum tours to wine tastings. She has represented UVA at local college admissions fairs and completed congratulatory calls to accepted students. She is passionate about the Virginia Cavaliers sports teams and watches games whenever possible. As an avid runner, she has completed the 2003 New York City and 2001 Marine Corps Marathons.

Jodi Neuhauser (CLAS '05)

Jodi Neuhauser is completing her 1st full year on the Board of the Virginia Club of New York. She served as the Admissions Committee Chairman and worked with the Speaker's Committee on the 2008 Media Panel. She coordinated the Summer Intern Social Program, serves as the NYC link to the Trustees Program at UVA and will be attending the 2008 UVA Clubs Leadership Conference. Jodi works in advertising sales and event marketing for TENNIS Magazine and is also a member of the New York Junior League where she organizes, plans and conducts leadership and communications training events for NYJL volunteers. Jodi worked in London, England prior to moving to New York where she was involved as a member of the UVA Club of London and she teaches spinning at two local gyms in her spare time.

Matt Paco (CLAS '95)

Matt Paco has been a member of the UVa Club of New York's Board of Directors since 1997. As a former member of the Young Alumni Council, Matt was the President of the Club from 2000 to 2003. He also founded The Serpentine Society, UVA's gay, lesbian, and bisexual alumni organization in 1998 and is a member of AAPAAN, UVA's Asian alumni organization. He works as a freelance television producer for MTV, Warner Brothers, and various other media companies.

Lauren Pickett, CPA (CLAS '74)

Lauren Pickett is currently a Senior Vice President and Director of Global Anti-Money Laundering Training at Citigroup. When Lauren first graduated from the University of Virginia, she was elected to the Board of Directors of the Virginia Club of New York, the second women to serve. A love for the Virginia Club of NY runs in the family: Lauren's Dad was President of the Club in the late 1960s! Lauren is a member of the Speaker's Committee and New York City Regional Selection Committee for the Jefferson Scholarship.

John Straton (CLAS '54)

John Straton is one of the "godfathers" of the Virginia Club. His dedication to the University and to the club enabled us to have a home in the Yale Club. Before the Yale Club residency, John would host the board meetings at his office. John is an active clubhouse member and swears by the Yale Club's eggs benedict. At the University, John was a brother of the Sigma Pi Epsilon fraternity and was influential in the running of the Cavalier Daily. Currently a Vice President of the club and active on the Finance Committee, John acts as part of the club's sounding board.

Susan Sutler (CLAS '04)

Susan Sutler graduated from the University of Virginia in 2004 with a degree in English Language & Literature and a minor in studio art. While attending the University, she was a four year member and two year co-captain of the Virginia Dance Team, Director of Foundation for her sorority, Delta Gamma, and involved in a variety of service groups within Madison House. After graduating, Susan coached the Virginia Dance Team for one year before moving to NYC to pursue a career in Event Marketing. She was elected to the Board of Directors in 2005 where she has served as Secretary for one year and Chairman of Mr. Jefferson's Holiday Party Committee for two. Susan is currently an Events Coordinator at Jefferies & Company, Inc., a full service, global investment bank based in NYC.

Kat Thomsen (CLAS '03)

Kat is proud to be a graduate of the University of Virginia, class of 2003, with a degree in English Literature. During her college years, her love for fashion drew her to Charlottesville's Dixie Divas boutique, where she was the manager, assistant buyer, and occasional model. She was the president of the Delta Zeta sorority, and very active in extra-curriculars around grounds and with various philanthropy projects. Kat presently sits on the Board of Directors of the Virginia Club of New York, and is the club's Social Chair and Vice President. She currently resides in Great Neck, Long Island, and is getting married at the end of June, when she will become Kat Thomsen Biersbach. She has two kittens, and a hedgehog named Elvis.

She pays the rent as the Associate Managing Editor of CondéNet, the web division of the Condé Nast Publications, which produces destination sites with original content, including Style.com (the online home of Vogue) and Men.Style.com (the online home of Details & GQ). Kat writes, edits, researches, and produces stories and columns for the sites , as well as manages a staff of 15. Her favorite parts of her job include working on photo shoots, going to fashion shows, attending parties, and, true to her major, writing.

Christine A. Toes, M.P.A. (CLAS '99)

Christine Toes is finishing her 2nd year as the President of the Board of the Virginia Club of New York. Prior to serving as President, she served as Vice President for one year, and Membership Committee Chair for one year. Since joining the Board in 2002, Christine has also been involved in planning major Club events such as Mr. Jefferson's Holiday Party and the Harriman Cup Polo Match as well as two Real Estate Panels. She attended the UVa Clubs Leadership Conference in 2007.

Christine is a Vice President & Associate Broker at Citi Habitats, one of the largest residential real estate companies in New York City. She conducts an annual seminar at UVa to help graduating Fourth Years understand how to find and rent an apartment after graduation. Christine ran a nonprofit organization, Finding A Cure for Epilepsy and Seizures (FACES), at the NYU Comprehensive Epilepsy Center prior to becoming a real estate agent. While at FACES, Christine earned a Masters in Public Administration at the NYU Robert Wagner School of Public Service with a concentration in Nonprofit Management.

Mark Weber (CLAS '91)

Mark has been part of the board for about 10 years and he tries to help out in whatever way is needed. Most of his efforts have been in organizing community service events and summer softball in Central Park but he could be caught lending a hand along with good spirit and support for various other club events. He's acted as Treasurer for the last two years but due to personal time constraints is happy to pass this role on to an enthusiastic fellow alum. Wahoowa!

Christy Williams (CLAS '05)

Christy's family involvement with UVA spans back to her grandfather (CLAS '44), then her uncle (CLAS '71), followed by her father (CLAS '74) and including now her sister (CLAS '08). Christy's parents sit on the executive committee of the UVa Parent's Committee, and they have just recently been asked to be the co-chairs of the committee. While at UVa, she double majored in art history and English, and studied abroad in London and Florence. When she returned, she interned in the study abroad office to help encourage others to study abroad as well. Christy was the community service representative for her first year dorm, and they participated in Project Angeltree, a program that she have been involved with since 1998 that supports children whose parents are in prison. Christy was a member of the Delta Gamma sorority, participated in community service through the house and was the Social Chair her 3rd year spring through 4th year fall.

After graduating from UVA in May of 2005, Christy moved home to Darien, CT and then to New York City in August of 2005 when she began working at Sotheby's. She spent a year working in the Press Office doing PR for the company and more recently have moved to the specialist side of the art auction business when she became the sale administrator for Old Master Paintings and Drawings. Since moving here, she has been looking for ways to become more involved in activities and committees outside of work. Almost immediately, Christy joined the Junior Council of Change for Kids, a program that raises money for art centered programs at NYC's most under privileged public schools, and has worked on the committee through the past three events. She has run the silent auction for this event, which has always been a very successful part of the fund-raiser. Christy is now the co-chair of the Junior Council and sits on the Board of Directors of the organization. More recently, she has joined the committee for the Harriman Cup and will be head up the Sponsorship Committee with one other girl. For the past year, she has acted as the liaison for this event with the Virginia Club of New York Board. Christy is also on the event committees for the Boys Club of New York Derby Party and the Joshua T. Jackson scholarship fundraiser. She participated in the Children's Art Workshop through the UVa club and has attended many of the events sponsored by the Club.

Christy would love to continue her involvement with the Virginia Club of New York. She still feels very strong ties to the University and would like to help out in any way she can here in New York. She believes she is a good fit for the board while bringing new ideas, enthusiasm and experience from other committees to this organization.

Amy Yang (COMM '98)

Amy Yang provides over ten years of experience in a combination of business process design and development, educational non-profits, and web-based applications. Amy is currently working at a management consulting firm, Philosophy IB. Prior to joining Philosophy IB, Amy worked for an online school performance management application company, SchoolNet Inc. Amy was also in the education field as a secondary mathematics teacher in the NYC Teaching Fellows program. She taught and mentored new teachers in the Fellow's intensive teacher preparatory program. Prior to teaching, Amy was a senior associate in the risk management division of PricewaterhouseCoopers for four years designing business process flows and recommendations for large scale accounting systems. Amy received her BS in Commerce from The University of Virginia and a Masters in Secondary Education from St. John's University. She is a licensed CPA and secondary mathematics teacher.

Amy is an active member of the Speakers Committee and was a key member in planning this year's Educational Panel. She will be attending the UVaClubs Leadership Conference this summer.