Current Alumni Council Nominees

ERA I

Eric Brettschneider ’68

Entered the human services field in 1967 as a family court intake worker and child care worker. He spent 10 years as Director of The Queens Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, a non-profit agency, where he complemented foster care and child protective services with preventive strategies. In 1980, he joined the New York State Department of Social Services to oversee the implementation of the Child Welfare Reform Act. As Deputy Commissioner for the New York City Human Resources Administration, Eric promoted comprehensive, preventive services and created The Child Protective Training Academy; advocated for the avoidance of sibling separation in foster care; started minority-controlled child welfare agencies; and decentralized community social services. As CEO of the Agenda for Children Tomorrow, a public-private partnership during the tenure of three mayors. Eric continued this work on behalf of New York City children and their families. Eric later served the United Way of New York City as Interim Senior Vice President. Then he became Chief of Staff to NYS OCFS’ commissioner and, on February 4th, 2014, joined the NYC Administration for Children’s Services (ACS), retiring in 2021.

Mr. Brettschneider holds a B.A. and an M.A. degree in Psychology from Colgate University and the Graduate Faculty of New School University, respectively, as well as a law degree from Hofstra University. He teaches in NYU’s Department of Metropolitan Studies, Gallatin School, and NYU School of Social Work. He was awarded an Outstanding Teacher Award by NYU. He was also awarded the New Yorkers For Children Nicholas Scoppetta Child Welfare Award, September 2017 Eric is the former President and current board member of New Yorkers for Children as well as a Doris Duke Foundation Advisory Board member. He was appointed co-chair of the New York State Office of Court Administration’s Advisory Committee on Court Interpreting in 2015 by Administrative Chief Judge Lawrence Marks. He also served as Chair for 3 NYC Bar Association Committees, including The Council on Children. Eric is a recipient of the 2005 Wasserstein Public Interest Fellowship from Harvard Law School. In 2015, Hofstra University awarded Eric the Public Justice Foundation Award.

Eric continues to teach at NYU and serves as a Senior Fellow at the CUNY Institute for State and Local Government. He recently gave lead testimony at The US Civil Rights Commission on Child Welfare and Racism for the NY Region.

ERA II

Reuben Hendell ’82, P’18

Reuben Hendell ’82, P’18 is currently Managing Partner at MKTGVentures an advisory working with founders and owners in the Marketing Services industry where he enjoyed a career of leading and building several marketing services companies in the emerging digital age, including Digitas and eBay Marketing Services. For the past six years, Reuben worked extensively with Colgate’s Thought Into Action entrepreneur program, supporting Colgate’s students, and Reuben continues to support several of those ventures today.  He enjoys frequent visits to campus, playing Seven Oaks, and attending class reunions.  While at Colgate,  Reuben was a member of Phi Kappa Tau and a DJ at WRCU, where he was instrumental in creating the station’s first campus-wide Trivia contest event, worked at the old campus pub, and was active with his Political Science major.  After Colgate, Reuben attended Kellogg Graduate School of Management before beginning his career with American Express Corporation and then following on into marketing services work. He continues to spend much of his leisure time with fellow Colgate grads and spends a good deal of time supporting political causes and action. 

ERA III

Jeff Veber ’87, P’20, ’23

Jeffrey Veber ’87, P’20, ’23 is a finance attorney who has worked at an international law firm in Chicago and New York for 30 years. Mr. Veber focuses his legal practice representing clients in transportation finance matters, and he also serves on his firm’s Executive Committee and Board of Directors. While at Colgate, Jeff was an Economics major and a member of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity. Following Colgate, Jeff received his JD from Northwestern University.

Jeff and his wife, Kimberly Calise Veber ’89, have been active alumni over the last three decades, serving on the President’s Club Membership Council, the Parent’s Steering Committee, and various Reunion committees. Jeff and Kim have three daughters, Emma, Julia, and Anna. Emma and Julia are Colgate alumni.

ERA IV

Paul Carberry ’94

Paul Carberry ’94, an Alumni Memorial Scholar and recipient of the Class of 1928 Memorial Scholarship, majored in Political Science and graduated from Colgate magna cum laude. He was an elected officer of Phi Tau fraternity, active in intramural sports, and studied abroad as a member of the Manchester, U.K. study group.

Paul went on to obtain his JD at Duke University School of Law and practiced law as a complex commercial litigator in New York City for more than twenty years. As a partner of the international law firm White & Case LLP, he represented large, multinational corporations in a variety of legal and business disputes in both state and federal courts. He also led teams of attorneys working on various matters pro bono for non-profit organizations such as The Legal Aid Society and the Brady Center for the Prevention of Gun Violence. He retired from private practice in 2019.

As an alumnus, Paul has been an active member of the President’s Circle, serving on both the President’s Circle Membership Committee and the Class of 1994 gift committee. Since 2014, he has also volunteered as the Executive Chair of The Colgate Fund, the University’s unrestricted giving platform. He lives in New York City with his wife, Krista, and their rescue dog, Rainbow.

ERA V

Keisa Caesar ’01

Keisa Caesar ’01 has spent over 20 years in the Human Resources field, with most of her career at the Associated Press and currently with the Guardian News Media, US, as the HR Manager.  Keisa received her Masters in Organizational Behavior from NYU/POLY. At Colgate, she majored in Psychology, Anthropology & Sociology and minored in Caribbean Studies.  Keisa is an active member of Colgate’s Alumni Admission Program, where she enjoys spending time with High School students, talking about their interests, and sharing her personal experience as an undergraduate student at Colgate. 

While at Colgate, Keisa was a member of the Colgate Prep Band, Sojourners gospel choir, as well as a number of dance groups and African American and Caribbean student clubs. Keisa also participated in off-campus study in Trinidad.  She is a mother to five lovely children residing in Brooklyn, NY.  

ERA VI

Denny Gonzalez ’13

Denny Gonzalez ‘13 is a dedicated teacher-leader who cares greatly for education and its ability to shape not only minds but also the future. Since graduating from Colgate, Denny has taught mainly high school English at a host of different independent schools. Now, Denny has taken a step further in his career, taking the leap into school leadership. These days, he is the Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) at Barrie School, an independent school outside Washington, D.C. Prior to his work at Barrie, Denny taught English and served as diversity coordinator at School of the Holy Child. Later, at St. Albans School in Washington, D.C., Denny taught high school English and was Assistant Director of the Skip Grant Program, which offers both academic and social support to students from backgrounds traditionally underrepresented at the school. He holds an M.A. in English from the Middlebury Bread Loaf School of English and an M.S.Ed. in School Leadership from the University of Pennsylvania.

As a student, Denny studied English with an emphasis in Creative Writing, studying abroad in London the spring of his junior year. His leadership and involvement at Colgate included Brothers, all things theatrical with Masque and Triangle, and religious life. He also hosted a jazz and hip-hop radio show on WRCU in his later years. Denny is grateful for the opportunity to give back to Colgate, a school that has given him so much, by serving on the Alumni Council, as class gift chair, and as Co-Director of the Alumni of Color Organization.

Denny currently lives in Washington, D.C., and spends the little free time he has exploring the city’s numerous cultural resources, becoming better at latte art, and fostering his love of trivia that began at Colgate by hosting trivia nights throughout the District.
 

ERA VII

Elizabeth Marino ’16

Elizabeth Marino '16 currently works at CNN in Global Communications. Prior to this, she worked at Viacom with the Viacom Labs, an experiential marketing division. At Colgate, Elizabeth studied English Literature and Film and Media Studies. She has always been passionate about the liberal arts education and has been keenly interested in the arts initiatives on campus. While at Colgate, Elizabeth ran CUTV and was an RA. She enjoyed many ski days at Togg and snowshoeing on the trail behind Frank. Working with Colgate as an alumna has deepened her already strong connection with the University: upon graduating, Elizabeth became an adviser with Career Services and an admissions representative with the admissions office. She is a member of the 1819 Circle and attends many Colgate events, a favorite of which is Sophomore Connections. Elizabeth lives in New York City and is currently pursuing a master's in Media Management at Fordham University's Gabelli School of Business. 

Regional

Seth A. Schaeffer ’98

Seth A. Schaeffer ’98 is a Partner in the Richmond, Virginia office of McGuireWoods LLP, where he has spent almost the entirety of his legal career.  He specializes in financial services litigation and has represented some of the world’s largest financial institutions over the last decade and a half. At Colgate, Seth majored in Political Science and played Men’s Basketball.  He was a George Cobb Fellow and President of Colgate’s Student Athlete Advisory Committee.  After graduation, Seth played professional basketball in Dublin, Ireland before earning a law degree from Fordham University School of Law.  He has continued his involvement with Colgate since graduation, mentoring graduates and fundraising for the University.  He is a Presidents' Circle member, President of the Hardwood Club, and served as a Class Gift Chair for 10 years.  Seth also is active in the Richmond community, serving on multiple non-profit boards, including the Greater Richmond Bar Foundation, which facilitates the provision of pro bono legal services in the Richmond area.  He and his wife Carrie have three children, Luke, Anna, and Hal—all of whom cheer on the Maroon and White.

Regional

Henoch Derbew ’07

Henoch Derbew ‘07 is an Asylum Officer with the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) based in Chicago.  

While at Colgate, Henoch was a long-time resident then R.A. at the Harlem Renaissance Center (HRC) as well as a Link and a member of Brothers, CUTV, WRCU, AASA/BSU (African American/Black Student Union), Newman Community, Urban Theater, Model African Union, Zambia Extended Study group, and the African Student Union (ASU). He majored in History and Classics.

Henoch then studied public policy at Georgetown, focusing on international development. He later moved to L.A. where he was a City Year then Teach for America corps member. After this, he taught back home in Brooklyn after which he joined the Jesuits where he did various missions such as learning Spanish near the southern border, working with refugees in Ethiopia, being a hospice orderly, studying philosophy, helping at a parish in Richmond, and visiting youth and adults in jail. He stayed on at one of his stops and worked as a teacher, dean, and admissions director at Washington Jesuit Academy in D.C., until he returned to his international and policy roots at his current position. Since Colgate, whenever moving to a new city, he’s had fun talking with incoming students as well as reconnecting with the local AOC and other alumni groups. 

Henoch and his wife have already selected the first-year residence for their two-month-old son. 
 

At-Large

Jeanine Rossi Borthwick ’90

Jeanine Rossi Borthwick ‘90 is a former investment banker at Merrill Lynch. She graduated with honors from Colgate University with a B.A. in Mathematical Economics and earned an M.B.A. at Dartmouth College. Jeanine has been a Class Agent at Colgate for decades and is involved with the Women’s Leadership Council. She has her own “Colgate Thirteen” who have been close friends for over thirty years. Jeanine serves on multiple Boards of Trustees including the Nantucket Cottage Hospital, the Buckley School, and the Colony Club where she is Treasurer. In her free time, Jeanine volunteers weekly at her neighborhood food pantry, plays bridge, participates in two book groups and runs daily in Central Park no matter the weather. Jeanine and her husband, Alastair, live in Manhattan with their three children and beloved dog Cisco (whom she wanted to name “Raider” but was overruled!).

At-Large

Lara Struble DiCorpo ’93, P’24

Lara Struble DiCorpo ’93, P’24 recently returned to the workforce after a hiatus to raise her two sons- Nick (Colgate ’24) and Alex (Dartmouth ’27).  She is working is working for Brook Farm Group, a multifamily developer, alongside her husband Peter ’93 and his co-founder Eric Hade ’93.  Lara graduated Phi Beta Kappa with an honors degree in Economics and a minor in Geology.  She held numerous leadership roles in Gamma Phi Beta and volunteered with Big Brother/Big Sister.  After Colgate, she attended NYU Stern School of Business while working at JPMorgan.  She has co-chaired her Class Gift Committee for the last 6 years and co-chaired her 30th reunion. Lara is a member of the Women’s Leadership Council, the Parent’s Steering Committee, and a 27 year member of the President’s Circle.