Leslie Arbuthnot Appointed Head of New Alumni Affairs and Annual Giving Department

Wharton’s Associate Dean for External Affairs, Steven Oliveira, has appointed Leslie Arbuthnot to head the School’s newly formed Alumni Affairs and Annual Giving Department.

The announcement coincided with the merger of two former departments at the School — Alumni Affairs and the Wharton Fund. The restructuring unites approximately 20 employees in the new department, and additional staff will be added to work closely with Alumni. Oliveira stated, “With a united group, we are better positioned to develop a culture of lifetime engagement and participation for all Wharton alumni. We have one of the largest business school alumni networks in the world. This organizational change is the first step in the process to become the best.”

Arbuthnot, who is former director of the Wharton Fund, joined Wharton after serving in a number of leadership positions in alumni relations and annual giving at Tulane University. “Our objectives are long-term, not short-term, and Leslie brings the combined experience that will help us to change fundamentally the way we relate to our alumni,” Oliveira stated.

In addition to increasing efficiency and consistency in alumni outreach, the goals of the new Alumni Affairs and Annual Giving Department include:

  • Promoting greater class identification and class-based networks
  • Creating a stronger and more effective reunion program
  • Improving regional and global outreach through a strengthened alumni club network
  • Building alumni participation in the Wharton Fund
  • Increasing web-based alumni outreach and communication
  • Developing new virtual and affinity-based alumni networks
  • Building processes to capture and enhance alumni data.

For current and matriculating students, the new department will seek to promote a culture in which their relationship with Wharton is lifelong and the transition from student to alumnus is seamless. The new department also will begin to develop a new generation of volunteer leadership for the future of the School.

Stay Connect-ed!

Instead of waiting for the next edition of the Wharton Alumni Magazine to read up on School and alumni news, you now have a new option — the Wharton Connect e-newsletter.

The Wharton Connect e-newsletter is designed to provide you with up-to-date news and information about the School, the Wharton Alumni Network, alumni activities, and fellow graduates. This monthly publication, coupled with a number of new initiatives launched in recent months, is intended to serve as the foundation for building a strong and vital alumni network.

Subscribing to this free service is easy — just send your current e-mail address to alumni.affairs@wharton.upenn.edu with a note indicating that you would like to be added to the Wharton Connect e-mail list. You also can register for WAVE wave.wharton.upenn.edu or update your current WAVE profile to be added to the list. Or, send us the business reply card from this edition of the Alumni Magazine with your current e-mail address (and updated information) filled in.

News Briefs

The October 24 Wharton “Connect” alumni reception held in the San Francisco area saw a record attendance. More than 300 alumni, faculty, staff, and friends gathered at the Menlo Circus Club to network, catch up, and hear speeches by Dean Patrick Harker, Wharton Board of Overseers Chair Jon Huntsman, W’59, and Wharton Overseer Lew Platt, WG’66. Other recent Wharton “Connect” events have taken place in Mumbai, India; Miami, FL; Monterrey, Mexico; and Hong Kong. (To learn more, visit www.wharton.upenn.edu/alumni and click on “Wharton Connect.”)

The same event coincided with a milestone in Wharton’s expansion to the West — the official ribbon cutting for Wharton West’s new campus in downtown San Francisco at the historic Folger Building. More than 130 alumni, students, and friends were on hand for the celebration.

In recognition of the dramatic changes taking place in the global business community, the School’s European Executive Board recently expanded to include Africa and the Middle East. According to Board Chairman Sir Paul Judge, WG’73, the newly re-named Executive Board for Europe, Africa and the Middle East “is now well-positioned to both inform us and serve the interests of a more peaceful and prosperous world.”

Wharton recently welcomed nine new faculty members to its ranks: Mary Benner and Gerald McDermott, Management; Tianwen Tony Cai, Edward George, and Jonathan Stoud, Statistics; Nien-he Hsieh, Legal Studies; Alexander Mürmann, Insurance and Risk Management; Serguei Netessine, Operations and Information Management; and Ayako Yasuda, Finance. Senior-level appointments include Edward George, Statistics, and Bernard Anderson, who has been appointed to the Whitney Young Professorship in the Management Department. Greg Clinch returned to Wharton’s Accounting Department as the holder of the Harry W. Reynolds Visiting Professorship.

Wharton’s Alumni Affairs and Annual Giving Department has announced a new service to alumni: free, online access to the MBA Student Resume Books. Once connected, alumni will be able to browse resumes to identify current Wharton students who meet their hiring needs, or download the entire book. The Resume Books are located on WAVE http://wave.wharton.upenn.edu. For more news and updates, visit http://www.wharton.upenn.edu.

Alumni in the News

PR Newswire (11/12/01) reports that Eugene Podsiadlo, W’79, has been named to the board of directors at American Capital Strategies Ltd., a buyout and mezzanine fund. Lawrence Lessig, W’83, wrote an op-ed article for the New York Times (11/9/01) regarding the recent settlement in the anti-trust suit against Microsoft. Lessig is a Professor of Law at the Stanford Law School. Kathleen Ligocki, WG’85, was profiled in the Lethbridge Herald (11/8/01) as one of the most influential women in the automotive industry. Ligocki is Ford vice president of Canada, Mexico, and North America strategy. Mortimer Zuckerman, WG’61, was profiled in a recent Financial Times article (11/3/01) on the real estate market outlook. Zuckerman currently heads Boston Properties, a property investment trust he co-founded in 1970, and also owns media organizations such as the New York Daily News and US News and World Report. Business Wire (11/1/01) reports that Edward Mazur, WG’68, has been reappointed a member of the Governmental Accounting Standards Board by the Financial Accounting Foundation. Business Wire (11/1/01) also noted that Nick Harris, W’88, has been named vice president of business development at eRealty.com, the nation’s premier online real estate brokerage. PR Newswire (10/30/01) reports that Dr. William Winkenwerder, Jr., WG’86, took the oath of office on October 29 as the new Assistant Secretary of Defense. Winkenwerder was nominated for the position by President Bush on September 21 and confirmed by the Senate on October 16th.

Brian Roberts, W’81, was profiled, along with his father, Ralph, W’41, in an article in Fortune (10/29/01) regarding Comcast’s attempt to become the number one cable company. Sylvia Rhone, W’74, was profiled in an article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (10/19/01), regarding her keynote address at Sheridan Broadcasting Corp.’s second annual “Today Women” conference. Rhone is currently CEO of Elektra Entertainment, a position she has held since 1996. According to Business Wire (10/18/01), Karl von der Heyden, WG’64, has been appointed to the board of directors at ARAMARK, a world leader in managed services. Rev. Kirbyjon Caldwell, WG’77, was profiled in Christianity Today (10/1/01) regarding his success in leading his church, Windsor Village United Methodist, into real estate and other economic development ventures. Caldwell is also President Bush’s spiritual advisor, having delivered the benediction at the President’s inauguration this past January. He also delivered the benediction for the September 11 National Memorial Service that was televised on September 14.