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The Brooklyn College Foundation has an unconditional commitment to life-changing, distinctive, and affordable education for students from all backgrounds at Brooklyn College. Through a range of initiatives, the foundation secures, manages, and distributes philanthropic resources that enable student success.
Revised and Adopted 2019
The Brooklyn College Foundation was established in 1958 to encourage and promote the academic purposes of Brooklyn College of the City University of New York and the educational welfare of students, faculty, alumni, and the community. The foundation is incorporated in New York State, registered as a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation, and listed by the New York State Office of Charities Registration.
Through a full spectrum of fundraising programs, the foundation provides resources that advance the mission of Brooklyn College.
The foundation is governed by a board of trustees, who are chosen for their professional expertise and for their commitment and generous support of the college. Trustees are elected for three-year terms and serve without compensation. The executive director of the foundation also serves as vice president for institutional advancement for the college.
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Anthony Castellanos has over 35 years of experience as an accounting and consulting professional. He was a partner with KPMG for 18 years, before retiring in 2023. During his tenure with KPMG, he served numerous multinational clients as a global account lead partner, while also managing the firm’s growth strategy as National Partner-in-Charge of industry sectors for KPMG’s U.S. Tax Practice. Castellanos also served as KPMG’s Technology, Media and Telecommunications industry leader, and was elected by his partners in 2015 to serve a five-year term as a member of KPMG’s board of directors. He is currently a Venture Partner of DUX Capital, an Austin Texas based venture capital firm and is a member of their Board of Advisors. Castellanos has served on the Brooklyn College Foundation Board of Trustees since 2016; as Audit and Finance Committee Chair from 2016-2023, and as Board Chair since 2023.
Throughout his career, Castellanos has been a passionate mentor and coach to senior executives, rising professionals, and students, especially those from underrepresented immigrant and first-generation backgrounds. Over the years, he has been a mentor to countless Brooklyn College students. He also established the Anthony R. Castellanos ’85 Scholarship to support students majoring in the college’s CPA-eligible accounting programs. His deep commitment to education led to work on the Dean’s Advisory Council for the Murray Koppelman School of Business, including serving as Executive in Residence for the School of Business in 2024-25.
A first-generation Cuban American, Castellanos began his career in accounting while attending Brooklyn College. As a student, he prepared tax returns and performed bookkeeping services for clients of a local accounting firm. Active in the student community and campus life, Castellanos served as a member of the Brooklyn College Student Council, president of the Accounting Society, and proud member and past president of the Beta Eta Chapter of Alpha Phi Delta. He earned his B.S. in accounting in January 1985.
Upon graduating from Brooklyn College, he accepted an associate position with Price Waterhouse, where he launched his career in its entertainment and media practice and, in 1988, was admitted to the partnership. In 2000, he accepted a position with SoftBank Group Corporation, a technology, media, and telecommunications company with global private equity and venture capital investments and operations. He was a partner in SoftBank’s venture capital arm, SoftBank Capital, and served as SoftBank’s chief tax and administrative officer until January 2006, when he joined KPMG.
Castellanos is also a member of the Latino Corporate Directors Association, the National Association of Corporate Directors, the American Institute of CPAs, and the NY State Society of CPAs.
Martin D. Sass is Founder, Chairman and CEO of M.D. Sass, one of the nation’s leading independent registered investment management firms.
Before launching M.D. Sass in 1972, he was President, CIO and a principal shareholder of Neuwirth Management and Research Corp. Sass received a B.S. in accounting from Brooklyn College and studied Finance and Investments in M.B.A programs at NYU and CUNY. He joined the Brooklyn College Foundation Board of Trustees in 1995 and is Vice-Chair of the Board and Chair of the Foundation’s Investment Committee.
M.D. Sass provides select internships to Brooklyn College students who participate in the M.D. Sass Institute (“MDSII”), which he founded in 2015. Brooklyn College students benefit from the MDSII’s program of “real world” experience in Security Analysis and Portfolio Management, working together with the respected MD Sass equity team, including a dedicated MDSII equity fund.
Ante Basic is the co-founder and co-portfolio manager of Trigon Investment Advisors, a global macro hedge fund with $500 million under management. He is responsible for all aspects of running Trigon, including the implementation of discretionary and quantitative trading strategies that invest in major global assets classes.
Basic began his career in finance while a student at Brooklyn College, performing programming and back office functions for equity options traders at the American Stock Exchange.
Upon graduation he joined Chase Manhattan Bank (1990–96), where he completed the Capital Markets Training Program and became head trader of a quantitative trading group, responsible for portfolio management, research, and development of systematic and quantitative trading strategies.
Basic was co-founder, president and head trader of Global Capital Markets Strategies, a fund consultant and commodity trading advisory company (1996–99). He joined the MLC family of funds in 2000 as managing director and subsequently lunched Trigon in 2002 with a co-portfolio manager from MLC.
Basic graduated from Brooklyn College with a B.S. in business, management, and finance, and received his M.S. in global affairs from New York University.
Stella Lagudis spent more than three decades in the financial services industry before resigning from Wall Street in June 2014, to steer the not-for-profit Shelter Island Heights Property Owners Corporation. As general manager she is responsible for all aspects of managing this quasi-municipality, which includes overseeing Shelter Island’s North Ferry Co., Inc.
Lagudis initially joined the Bank of New York in March 2002 as head of marketing, sales, and relationship management for the company’s Investment Operations Outsourcing business. While at the Bank of New York, she was a member of the company’s Operating Committee, a body of approximately 100 senior executives who managed the firm.
Prior to joining the Bank of New York, Lagudis was a managing director and chief administrative officer at Smith Barney Capital Management (now part of Legg Mason Asset Management), and group vice president at ABN AMRO Bank, N.V., where she served as senior banker and team leader covering U.S. asset managers. She also held various sales and leadership positions at J.P. Morgan from 1982 to 1994.
Lagudis was a founder of BNY Mellon’s Women’s Initiatives Network (WIN) and served as chair of the WIN Mentoring Committee. She also serves as a member of the Women’s Bond Club of New York, serving on the Community Outreach and Mentoring Sub-Committees.
She is the recipient of the 2016 BCAA Distinguished Achievement Award.
Since 2016, Michelle J. Anderson has been the 10th president of Brooklyn College. Under her leadership, the campus established the Brooklyn College Cancer Center, obtained AACSB accreditation for the Murray Koppelman School of Business, initiated the “We Stand Against Hate” program, diversified the faculty and college leadership, opened the Immigrant Student Success Office, launched the Healthcare Career, enriched the LGBTQ+ Resource Center, earned top rankings for the Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema, and opened the state-of-the-art Leonard & Claire Tow Center for the Performing Arts and the Don Buchwald Theater.
As president, Anderson prioritizes mentoring across the campus. She launched the Tow Mentoring Initiative, which allows students to engage in transformative research opportunities with faculty mentors, and which has become a signature campus program. At the same time, under her leadership, the campus Alumni Engagement and Magner Career Center offices have coordinated efforts to develop alumni mentors to help students enter the work world.
Anderson has stewarded Brooklyn College through the COVID-19 pandemic, working hard to protect the health and safety of the community. In development, she focused on student support, raising funds for emergency grants, completion grants, internship stipends, mental health resources, the food pantry, and other critical student services.
Service Leadership Award. In 2017, Brooklyn Legal Services gave her a Champion of Justice Award.
Todd Michael Galitz is Executive Director of the Brooklyn College Foundation and Vice President for Institutional Advancement at Brooklyn College. In this capacity, he oversees fundraising, alumni engagement, student career development, and marketing and communications for the college.
Galitz has more than 30 years of experience in higher education and cultural management. Prior to arriving at Brooklyn College in 2018, he served in senior leadership positions at Pratt Institute, where he was Vice President for Institutional Advancement, and at Asia Society as its Vice President for External Affairs. His experience has also included development roles at Columbia University and Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.
Galitz earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Southern California, and both his master’s and Ph.D. in history from Brown University. He has taught at Brown University, Hunter College, and Manhattan College, and was a visiting fellow at the University of Warwick in Coventry, United Kingdom.
Sam E. Beller is a chartered life underwriter and a chartered financial consultant with more than 50 years of experience in the financial services industry. He is president of Diversified Programs, Inc., a life, health, and group Iisurance sales agency, and president of Diversified Advisory Services, Inc., a financial services organization.
Beller is the author of The Great Insurance Secret (William Morrow and Company). He has written numerous articles for various publications and has spoken to both public and industry audiences. He is a life member of the Million Dollar Round Table, and a member of the Association of Advanced Life Underwriters and Estate Planning Council of New York.
Beller was president of the Brooklyn College Foundation from 1985 to 1987 and is currently chair of the Planned Giving Committee. He was awarded the Brooklyn College President’s Medal in 1987 and was selected as Brooklyn College alumnus of the year in 1992.
Beller has been married to Eva for 60 years. They have three fantastic sons, three great daughters-in-law, and 13 magnificent grandchildren.
Sarah Benson has been the artistic director of Soho Rep since 2007. Benson received a Drama Desk nomination and an OBIE Award for Sarah Kane’s Blasted (Soho Rep; New York premiere). She directed the world premiere of Gregory Moss’ House of Gold, Sophocles’ Ajax, Lucas Hnath’s A Public Reading of an Unproduced Screenplay About the Death of Walt Disney, and Richard Maxwell’s Samara.
In a glowing profile in the October 13, 2014 New Yorker, drama critic Hilton Als averred that since Benson assumed leadership at the Soho Rep, he had “never seen a boring production—a very rare thing indeed.”
Benson has also worked on new plays at the O’Neill Playwrights Conference, New York Stage & Film, and New Dramatists. At Soho Rep, she has commissioned and produced work by artists including David Adjmi, Annie Baker (M.F.A. ’09), Dan LeFranc, Thomas Bradshaw (M.F.A. ’04), Cynthia Hopkins, Jomama Jones, Young Jean Lee (M.F.A. ’05), John Jesurun, Nature Theatre of Oklahoma, and Anne Washburn. This work has been recognized with six OBIE Awards, four Drama Desk nominations, and The New York Times Outstanding Playwriting Award.
Benson moved to New York from London on a Fulbright for Theatre Direction. She has served as a mentor in the directing programs at Yale University and New York University.
Edwin H. Cohen had been one of the most prominent members of the real estate brokerage community for more than 40 years when he joined long-time friend and associate Eugene Diaz as a partner and principal to form Prism Capital Partners, LLC in 2003. Since then, the company has grown to become a major owner, developer and investor in residential, commercial, industrial and mixed-use properties throughout New Jersey. In 2013 Prism Capital Partners received the NAIOP New Jersey’s “Impact Award” and the “Deal of the Year Award.” In 2017, the firm’s acquisition of the 118-acre former Hoffmann-LaRoche U.S. headquarters campus in Clifton and Nutley—and its planned mixed-use development there—earned Prism NAIOP’s “Deal of the Year Award” once again. This project currently houses Hackensack Meridian’s School of Medicine, Seton Hall’s Graduate School of Nursing and School of Health and Medical Sciences, Quest Diagnostics, Eisai Pharma and the Ralph Lauren Company. It is among several current, high-profile New Jersey projects that incorporate multifamily products. Again in 2021, Prism received NAIOP’s “Deal of the Year Award”. Prism’s projects have also received Excellence Awards from the Urban Land Institute in 2022 and 2024.Ed has received New Jersey Biz’s “Icon Honors Leaders Over 60” Award in 2018 as well as induction into NAIOP’s “Hall of Fame” in 2022.
Cohen has completed hundreds of real estate transactions in his career in the Metropolitan New York/New Jersey/Connecticut area and has been responsible for leasing several million square feet of office space. Previously, he served as Executive Director at Cushman & Wakefield, Inc. He also served as Executive Vice President and Manager of Grubb & Ellis’ New Jersey Office from 1986 through 1994 and as President and Manager of Grubb & Ellis’ New York operations from 1993 to 1994. Cohen established and headed the Suburban Division for Wm. A. White & Sons in 1966 until its acquisition by Grubb & Ellis in 1986.
Cohen has served as a member of the Board of Trustees of Brooklyn College, his alma mater, for almost 30 years and recently, for four years, as its Chair. He received their “Presidential Medal” in 2011 and in 2015 the Brooklyn College Foundation recognized him with its “Best of Brooklyn” award. In 2017 he was honored with their Lifetime Achievement Award.
Cohen has and continues to be involved in the production of numerous concert events including the “Broadway by the Year” series at Town Hall, the “Broadway by the Season” series at Merkin Hall (across from Lincoln Center), live entertainment at the new “Barrymore Film Center” in Fort Lee, New Jersey (also serving as a founding Trustee) and many musical and dance performances at Manhattan’s “54 Below”.
Cohen was one of the founding members of the New Synagogue of Fort Lee, including the concept of establishing the Holocaust Museum and was instrumental in the subsequent combining of CBIOTP with the New Synagogue. He has served as a Vice President on their Board of Trustees and a member of their Executive Committee since said merger
Celia Costas won her first Emmy Award as producer of one of the most acclaimed and awarded miniseries of all time, HBO’s Angels in America, directed by Mike Nichols. She worked again with Nichols as executive producer of the feature films Closer and Charlie Wilson’s War.
Costas won her second Emmy Award as executive producer of Joseph Sargent’s Warm Springs, written by Margaret Nagle. Also for Sargent, she produced the telefilm For Love or Country: The Arturo Sandoval Story and co-produced A Lesson Before Dying, which won the Emmy for Outstanding Made for Television Movie.
Costas’ feature credits include, as co-producer, Betty Thomas’ Private Parts and 28 Days, and Ben Stiller’s Zoolander. She was the executive producer for Doubt (2008), Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (2010), Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (2011), August: Osage County (2013), Annie (2014), and The Intern (2015). Her current project is the film adaptation of the best-selling novel, The Girl on the Train, for Steven Spielberg’s company, DreamWorks.
Costas’ father, Procope S. Costas (1902–74), was a professor of classics at Brooklyn College from 1958 to 1973. In his memory, she sponsors an annual awards ceremony and lecture series in the Classics Department.
Irwin Federman is a general partner of U.S. Venture Partners, a 30-year-old Silicon Valley early-stage venture capital firm. Federman began his career as a CPA, having been awarded the Forbes Gold Medal for attaining the highest grade in California on his CPA exam. He worked in public accounting before becoming CFO of three successive startups, the last being Monolithic Memories (MMI).
When MMI went into what was perceived to be a terminal spiral, Federman was named president. The company prospered, went public in 1980, and in 1987 merged with AMD, of which Federman became vice chairman.
Federman was also chairman of the U.S. Semiconductor Industry Association, has served on the board of directors of the National Venture Capital Association, and served two terms on the Dean’s Advisory Board of Santa Clara University’s Leavey School of Business.
He has received the Anti-Defamation League’s Torch of Liberty Award and the Brotherhood Award from the Silicon Valley Conference for Community and Justice. In 2004, he was inducted into Junior Achievement’s Silicon Valley Hall of Fame. In 2008, he received the International Business Forum’s Special Achievement Award.
Federman received a B.S. in economics from Brooklyn College and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Engineering Science from Santa Clara University.
Jules Haimovitz is a highly regarded leader and business strategist in the entertainment industry. He has successfully launched some of the best known entertainment brands in the business.
From his starting-up of the Showtime, Lifetime, Sundance, and Smithsonian cable channels, to his leading and subsequently managing various acquired companies such as MTV Networks, to presiding over “turn around” companies such as Aaron Spelling Productions and ITC, Haimovitz has faced a full gamut of business challenges and has created successful outcomes in each instance. From his leading its acquisition in 2002 until its sale in 2007, he served as vice chairman and managing partner of Dick Clark Productions.
As president of Haimovitz Consulting, his clients included CVC Capital and MidOcean Capital Funds.
Haimovitz has served as president of MGM Networks, Inc., a division of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer; president and chief operating officer of King World Productions, Inc.; president and chief operating officer of ITC Entertainment Group; president and chief operating officer of Spelling Entertainment Group; and president of the Viacom Network Group, with the responsibility for Showtime/The Movie Channel Inc., MTV Networks Inc., the Lifetime cable channel, and Viewer Choice and president of the Viacom Entertainment Group.
Haimovitz holds a dual B.A. in mathematics and communications and an M.A. in mathematics, from Brooklyn College.
Marge Magner is a founding member and partner of Brysam and has more than 30 years of operating and deal experience in the consumer financial services sector.
Prior to the formation of Brysam, Magner served as chairman and chief executive officer of the Global Consumer Group at Citigroup. In this position, she was responsible for the company’s operations serving consumers through retail banking, credit cards and consumer finance, as well as for finance, credit, and other staff functions. Magner was named to the Fortune magazine list of Most Powerful Women in Business from 2001 to 2004 (#5), Forbes list of World’s Most Powerful Women (#19 in 2004), and U.S. Banker’s list of the Most Powerful Women in Banking (#1 in 2004), as well as U.S. Banker’s list of the Top 25 Non-Bank Women in Finance (#11 in 2008), among others. Currently, Magner is lead director of Accenture Ltd, and a director at Ally Financial, Inc. She served as the chair of the Board of Trustees of the Brooklyn College Foundation from 2004 to 2010 and is a member of the Dean’s Advisory Council for the Krannert School of Management at Purdue University. She is also a board member at the Museum of American Finance.
Magner holds a B.S. in psychology from Brooklyn College and an MSIA degree from the Krannert School of Management, Purdue University.
Daniel Menendez is a proud Brooklyn College graduate and a passionate advocate for homeownership, entrepreneurship, and financial empowerment. A Native Honduran, he came to the U.S. in 2001, working construction and restaurant jobs including at the Michelin-starred Le Bernardin to support himself through college. He earned a B.S. in Business, Management, and Finance from Brooklyn College in 2008 and later an M.B.A. in International Business from Florida International University. His banking career began at Citi, where he quickly rose through leadership roles in New York and Maryland before taking on key positions at HSBC and Bank of America.
With a strong entrepreneurial spirit and a love for real estate, Daniel has always been drawn to building businesses and helping others succeed. His passion extends to mentorship, having guided many Brooklyn College students on their professional journeys. Now, he is leading a major expansion effort as the VP | Community Residential Lending for the East Coast at City National Bank. Tasked with building the mortgage business from the ground up, starting in New York. He is responsible for growing the team and serving as a champion for sustainable homeownership.
Daniel resides in Brooklyn, New York, and remains deeply connected to his roots, his alma mater, and the communities he serves. His journey from immigrant to industry leader is a testament to perseverance, hard work, and the power of education.
Zev Rosenwaks, M.D., is the Director and Physician-in-Chief of the Ronald O. Perelman and Claudia Cohen Center for Reproductive Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College and New York-Presbyterian Hospital and the Director of the Institute for Reproductive Medicine. He is Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Reproductive Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College and an Attending Obstetrician-Gynecologist at New York-Presbyterian Hospital. In 1994, Dr. Rosenwaks was named the Revlon Distinguished Professor of Reproductive Medicine in Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Dr. Rosenwaks is internationally renowned for his pioneering work in reproductive endocrinology and assisted reproduction. He was the Director of the Jones Institute for Reproductive Medicine in Norfolk, Virginia, the unit that achieved the first IVF pregnancy in the United States. He also developed the first egg donation program in the United States. Dr. Rosenwaks has been recognized in New York Magazine’s “Best Doctors in New York, the Northeast,” as well as in Castle Connolly’s guide to America’s Top Doctors. He has also been featured in interviews with various major media outlets and newspapers.
Currently, Dr. Rosenwaks serves as a Fellow on the Weill Cornell Medical College Board of Fellows and is a member of the Executive Faculty Council. He served as Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of The Howard and Georgeanna Jones Foundation for Reproductive Medicine and was a member of the Institute of Medicine’s Committee on Assessing the Medical Risks of Human Oocyte Donation for Stem Cell Research and the World Health Organization’s Task Force on Prevention and Management of Infertility. Dr. Rosenwaks has trained over 100 national and international fellows and has been honored with the Maurice R. Greenberg Distinguished Service Award, the highest honor bestowed by New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center on a member of its professional staff. He has also been a recipient of the Weill Cornell Medical College Award for Teaching Excellence and the American Society for Reproductive Medicine Lifetime Achievement Award.
Dr. Rosenwaks is board certified in both Obstetrics and Gynecology and Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility. He is a fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and is past President of several esteemed organizations, including the Society for Reproductive Endocrinology, the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology, the International Society for In Vitro Fertilization, and the New York Obstetrical Society. Currently, he is the American Representative of the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) Committee for Reproductive Medicine. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of the International Society for Fertility Preservation and serves on the Scientific Advisory Committee for the Center for Embryonic Cell and Gene Therapy at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU).
Dr. Rosenwaks has an extensive publication record, including over 500 peer-reviewed articles, more than 130 book chapters and invited publications, and eight textbooks. Some notable works include In Vitro Fertilization-Norfolk (Williams & Wilkins, 1986); Gynecology: Principles and Practice (Macmillan and Co., 1987); Nonsteroidal Gonadal Factors: Physiological Roles and Possibilities in Contraceptive Development (The Jones Institute Press, 1988); Reproductive Endocrinology, Surgery, and Technology (Lippincott-Raven, 1996); Reproductive Medicine Secrets (Hanley & Belfus, 2004); co-author of A Baby at Last (Simon & Schuster, 2010); and co-editor of Problem-Focused Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility (Springer, 2023). Dr. Rosenwaks has also served as an Associate Editor of the Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics, and Seminars in Reproductive Medicine and as Editorial Editor of Fertility and Sterility.
Pawel Walczuk graduated from Brooklyn College with a triple major in philosophy, political science, and economics. He completed his master’s degree in political economy at the London School of Economics in 2011. Walczuk joined Accenture’s management consulting practice in 2012. While at Brooklyn College, Walczuk undertook a number of internships, including one at SMBC Nikko Capital Markets and one for Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton. Walczuk was a member of the Honors Academy and was active on campus as president of the Philosophy Society. He was the recipient of the Furman and Tow Study Abroad and Research Scholarship and was elected a member of Phi Beta Kappa in 2010.
Walczuk now specializes in strategic planning, organizational transformation, and policy analysis. While at Accenture, he has focused on helping public service clients including government agencies at the state, county, and local level. Most recently, his projects included helping states prepare for the healthcare reform, devising organizational strategy, and implementing performance management system. Walczuk also has been pioneering new effective government financing methods called Social Impact Bonds.
Richard A. Wilpon is a Senior Partner of Sterling Equities and the Co-Chief Executive Officer of Sterling American Funds, responsible for the day-to-day management of its real estate investments and a special focus on acquisitions and dispositions. He is also a trustee of the Brooklyn College Foundation, a member of the Regional Cabinet of Washington University in St. Louis and involved in various other professional, civic and charitable organizations. Wilpon received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Brooklyn College.
Born and raised in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, Carol L. Zicklin trained as a teacher at Brooklyn College and graduated in 1961. She went on to teach at an elementary school in Brooklyn. After five years in the NYC school system, she and her husband, Larry, moved to New Jersey, where they raised two children. Carol earned a Master of Science in education in 1976 from Rutgers University and then a learning disabilities teacher certification from Montclair State University. A job supervising a resource room for special education students led her to become a learning disability teacher consultant for the Child Study Team in East Brunswick, NJ. She later worked at Middlesex County College as a learning disability specialist, assessing college students and instructing them to advocate for themselves with their professors.
Carol founded and supervised a not-for-profit dating service under the auspices of the Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services, and has been involved on several nonprofit boards, including the Auxiliary Board of Mount Sinai Hospital. She has been an active member of the Brooklyn College Foundation Board of Trustees since 2002, serving in leadership roles as Vice Chairman and Board Secretary.
Carol and Larry Zicklin have been generous supporters of Brooklyn College. They have established two endowed chairs: the Carol & Larry Zicklin Chair in Science and the Carol L. Zicklin Honors Academy Chair and have supported the establishment of the Sandi Sulam Memorial Award for deserving students in biology. The couple has made significant impact on the lives of Brooklyn College students by endowing Zicklin Scholars Degree Completion Program. The program provides critical scholarship support for Brooklyn College students approaching graduation, allowing them to take the courses they need during the winter and summer terms. The Zicklin Scholar program has helped more than 600 students stay or get back on track to graduate and will help thousands more in years and generations to come.
The Zicklins’ abiding commitment to Brooklyn College also extends to their family. Carol Zicklin has two grown children, and she is grandmother of six and great grandmother of five. She has made a point to involve her family in the programs that she and her husband have established at Brooklyn College.
Ilene Gold was born in Brooklyn and met her husband, Stanley, when she went to Los Angeles for her cousin’s wedding. In 1964 they were married; they have two children, Jennifer and Charles. Jennifer serves on the board of trustees at Westover School in Connecticut, and Charles serves on the board of trustees at Occidental College in Los Angeles. Stanley Gold has had a storied career as president and CEO of Shamrock Holdings, Roy Disney’s business private investment company, and now serves on its board of trustees. Stanley has played a leading role at the University of Southern California (USC), serving as chairman of the board of trustees and the USC Law School. He has sustained many Jewish organizations and has been a significant political contributor. He currently remains on the board at USC, the Jewish Federation of Los Angeles, and the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles. He is currently of council at his previous law firm Gang, Tyre, Ramer and Brown.
Ilene Gold previously served on the board of councilors of letters, arts and sciences at USC and is currently on the board at the Roski School of Fine Arts at USC and the board of Blue Ribbon for the Arts. As a resident of Beverly Hills for more than 40 years, she is an active philanthropist in her community.
Myron Kandel was one of the founders of CNN and served as its financial editor and economic commentator for 25 years. In 2000, he was named one of the 10 most influential financial journalists of the 20th century.
Kandel started his journalism career as a copy boy for The New York Times, working nights while completing his senior year at Brooklyn College. He earned a master’s degree from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and subsequently taught journalism there and at CCNY. He served as the financial editor of three newspapers: the Washington Star, the New York Herald Tribune and the New York Post. He was also a foreign correspondent for the Herald Tribune, a reporter for The New York Times, and the editor of the New York Law Journal.
Following his retirement from CNN in 2005, he served as the founder and president of the New Hampshire–based Initiative for Corporate Responsibility and Investor Protection.
Kandel has been the president of five journalism groups, including the New York Financial Writers’ Association and the Society of American Business Editors and Writers. He is the recipient for four honorary doctorate degrees.
In 2002, he and his wife endowed the Thelma ’54 and Myron Kandel ’52 Internships, which support Brooklyn College students who intern in challenging but often low-paying positions. As former sports editor of the Brooklyn College Vanguard while a student, he helps judge the candidates for the annual Vanguard Prize for student journalism.
Zachary Solomon worked as a buyer and merchandise manager at Abraham & Straus after receiving a B.A. in economics from Brooklyn College in 1957. For the next 50 years this native of Belle Harbor, Queens, enjoyed a distinguished career in the retail industry.
In 1964, Solomon moved to Los Angeles to become a senior vice president with May Company. He later served as executive vice president and then became president of The Emporium, the venerable San Francisco department store. In 1983 he returned to New York and was named president and CEO of Perry Ellis, a manufacturer of casual but elegant sportswear. In 1987, he became president of Ellen Tracy Co, a women’s clothing manufacturer, and in 1991 he took over as president and chief executive officer of Associated Merchandising Corporation, which later became a subsidiary of Target Corporation that helps to develop and import garments and other goods for the Target Department Stores. In the years since, Solomon has continued in the retail trade, serving as CEO of Adrienne Vittadini, president of Finity Apparel Group, and CEO of Baby Togs and Paul LaFontaine.
Solomon was elected to the Brooklyn College Foundation Board of Trustees in 1984 and served as chair from 1997 to 2001. In 2007, he was awarded the Distinguished Alumnus Award.
Todd Michael Galitz P: 718.951.5000 ext. 2035
Emily Mitra Moqtaderi P: 718.951.5000 ext. 2236
