Board Directory
The Alumni Association Board works closely with the Office of Alumni Relations to develop and strengthen programs that enhance the relationships alumni have to the University and to each other. Board members are committed to supporting Carnegie Mellon’s overall interests among the entire alumni community and in the world at large. Membership represents a broad diversity of college and departmental affiliations, class years, geographies and personal backgrounds. Board members meet three times per year in person (twice in Pittsburgh and once outside of Pittsburgh) and Board committees often meet or hold conference calls between meetings.
To nominate someone to serve on the board, please fill out a Nomination Form.
2008-2009 Alumni Association Board Members
Richard T. Creech (E'84), President
Rick serves on the Awards and Nominating Committees. He is a graduate of the Carnegie Institute of Technology, BSCE. He is the president of Creech Engineers Inc., a Civil Engineering firm with offices throughout Florida. He also currently serves on the Alumni Association Board, the Civil Engineering Department Advisory Board, and is past committee member of the Dean's Leadership Council. Rick is a past member of the Alpha Tau Omega (ATO) fraternity and the Carnegie Mellon University football team. He has been married to Jill Hurst Creech (E’82) for more than 21 years and has two daughters.
Beverley R. Wheeler (HS'76, HNZ'78), President-Elect
Beverley is co-chair of the Nominating Committee and serves on the Awards Committee. She is a senior executive with a successful background in corporate and public sector process development, organizational turnaround, civic engagement, community/economic development and planning, as well as policy development and implementation. She has more than 25 years of progressive experience in public and private sector policy development. She is a member of the Carnegie Mellon University Heinz School Alumni Executive Board, the Andrew Carnegie Society and the Carnegie Mellon Black Alumni Association.
Jay E. Price (S'66), Past President
Jay co-chairs the Awards Committee and serves on the Nominating Committee. He graduated from Carnegie Mellon with a BS in Mathematics and then received an MBA from the University of Pittsburgh. He worked for Procter & Gamble in Information Technology for thirty-six years, retiring in January 2004. Since retirement, he has devoted much of his time to working with non-profit organizations including the United Way, Cincinnati Hearing, Speech, and Deaf Center and serving as president of the American Jewish Committee, Cincinnati Chapter.
Sonni Abatta (CMU’03)
Sonni serves on the Regions and Alumni Interest Group Committees. She is a news anchor for KDKA Radio and Television in Pittsburgh, Pa.
Kent Benjamin (HNZ'90)
Kent serves on the On-Campus and Alumni Interest Group Committees. He is a programs analyst for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, D.C.
Arnold N. Blinn (S’87)
Arnold has been on the board since 2006, and he currently chairs the Communications Committees and serves on the On-Campus Committee. He is a partner architect at Microsoft Corporation. He currently works on platform components for the online services dvision and also runs a new product incubation team. Prior to working at Microsoft, Arnold was a co-founder of eShop, Inc., an early pioneer in online commerce software that was acquired by Microsoft in 1996. He has approximately 25 patents issued and another 25 pending in electronic commerce, digital rights management, photo managemen, and other online services. Arnold received a B.S. degree in Applied Mathematics (Computer Science) with University Honors from Carnegie Mellon in 1983. While at Carnegie Mellon, he was active in numerous activities, including Buggy (Hill 1), Freshmen Orientation Chairman, Spring Carnival Chairman, and Student Dormitory Council. Arnold lives outside of Seattle, Wash. He is married to Leslie Brewer with two children, Nathan and Jackie. He is an avid skier, biker and wannabe photographer.
Marilyn Bracken (MM'57)
Marilyn serves on the Regions, Volunteer Development and Communications Committees. She is president and owner of Bracken Associates, a women-owned firm that provides consulting on management of toxis chemicals, environmental compliance, property transfers and privatization, and due diligence for acquisitions and divestitures. She is also an Adjunct Research Staff Member at the Institutefor Defense Analyses where she provides technical support to the Department of Defense on the testing and evlauation of chemical and biological detection and diagnostic systems. Previously, she served as Senior Vice President of Air and Water Technologies and Deputy Assistant Administrator of the Office of Pesticides and Toxic Substances, US EPA. She received the Presidential Rank Award, Meritorious Executive, United States Government, is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and a Fellow of the Society of American Military Engineers. She holds a bachelor of science in Chemistry from Carnegie Mellon, and a M.S. and Ph.D. in Public Administration, Technology of Management, from American University.
Jennifer Cerully (CS'04)
Jennifer serves on the Eras Committee and focuses on how to encourage current students to identify with the alumni community. She graduated with a B.S. in Computer Science and Decision Science from Carnegie Mellon and then received her M.S. in Social Psychology from the University of Pittsburgh, where she is currently pursuing her doctoral degree in the same field. Jennifer's research focuses on how people make judgments and decisions about their health. As a student at Carnegie Mellon, she was a Head Orientation Counselor, Community Advisor, research assistant, and a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma, Women@SCS, and Society of Women Engineers, among other organizations. She and her husband, Jonathan Chu (CS'04), reside in Pittsburgh with their dog, Batman.
Joseph F. Di Mario (E’54, TPR’60)
Joe serves on the Regions and Volunteer Development Committees. He graduated with a BS in engineering as well as an MS from the Graduate School of Industrial Administration. He currently serves as the executive director of the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh Foundation and Office for Stewardship and Development. Joseph also co-owns Chetal, Inc., a floral design and event planning firm. He and his wife, Gloria, live in Pittsburgh, Pa.
Kevin J. Dowling (S’83, CS’94, ’97)
Kevin has been on the Alumni Association Board since September 2005 and currently serves on the Awards and Regions Committees. Kevin has a B.S. in Mathematics and a Masters and Ph.D. in Robotics. In addition to recruiting at Carnegie Mellon, he has given a number of talks and lectures in the School of Computer Science and in the School of Drama in the College of Fine Arts. Kevin is Vice President of Innovation for Philips Solid State Lighting which was formed after Philips acquired Color Kinetics, his previous company which was founded by Carnegie Mellon alumni, and he has helped grow the company from a small startup to a public company. He lives in the Boston area with his wife, Mary Jo McMahon Dowling (A'82). Their children are also alumni (of the university’s Child Care Center).
Mitchell S. Fried (TPR’74, ‘75)
Mitch has been on the Alumni Board of Carnegie Mellon University since September 2005 and chairs the Alumni Interest Group Committee, as well as serves on the Communications Committee. He is also on the New York Alumni Board of the Tepper School of Business, where he has held several officer positions over the past five years. Mitchell graduated from the Tepper School of Business, where he received both his B.S. and MSIA/MBA. He is currently the Chief Operating Officer for DB Hedgeworks, a unit of Deutsche Bank that provides accounting and administrative services to hedge funds and hedge fund of funds. Mitchell has been in the financial services industry for over 25 years and has held senior management positions at Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase and Advanta Corp. He lives in Hoboken, N.J., with his wife and has two grown children living in the N.Y. metropolitan area.
Daniel I. Gilman (HS’04)
Dan graduated in 2004 with a B.S. in Ethics, History, and Public Policy. As an undergrad, Dan served as Student Body President and Vice President. He also served as president of Sigma Phi Epsilon and is currently on their alumni board. Additionally, Dan served for two years as the student member of the Board of Trustees Development Committee. As a senior, Dan was named an Andrew Carnegie Society Scholar and he has turned that introduction to alumni involvement into a desire for a continuing relationship with Carnegie Mellon. Dan serves as chief of staff for Pittsburgh City Councilman William Peduto.
Kevin A. Joy (E'89)
Kevin serves on the On-Campus and Nominating Committees. He earned a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and a minor in Biomedical Engineering. He currently serves as regional director for Goldman, Sachs Asset Management. Kevin is a native of Pittsburgh, and his civic and community interests include positions on the CIT Dean's Leadership Council, as a Vice President of the Auxiliary Board, Art Institute of Chicago, as a Past President of the Carnegie Mellon Chicagoland Alumni Organization, and as a member of the Milwaukee Forum, a community focus group. Kevin resides in Milwaukee with his lovely wife, Susan and his sometimes well-behaved daughters Sydney & Jillian.
Erik K. Larson (TPR’96)
Erik chairs the Regions Committee and serves on the Alumni Interest Group and Nominating Committees. He earned a bachelor's degree in Industrial Management and a minor in Architecture. While on campus, he served in numerous leadership roles including Resident Assistant, Community Advisor, Student Senate, Student Government, Student Dormitory Council, SDC Booth, SDC Buggy, and the VP Student Advsiory Council. He was also a recipient of the multiple SURG grants to support his research efforts. As an alumnus, Erik has served as a member of the Carnegie Mellon Admissions Council and in various capacities, including President, with the Chicago Chapter of the Alumni Association. Erik is a Partner at Accenture, a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company. He resides in Chicago with his wife, Amy Montanelli Larson (E'95) and their two daughters.
Timothy Liu (HS’85)
Tim has served as an alumni leader since 1996 when he was first elected as president of the Washington, D.C., alumni chapter. Currently, he is serving his second three-year term on the Alumni Association Board and has chaired both the Regions and Alumni Interest Groups committees. He graduated in 1985 with a Bachelor of Science degree from the College of Humanities & Social Sciences. Tim is co-founder and a Partner at Synergy3, a bouwique consulting firm specializing in business strategy, sales, marketing, and market research for high tech clients. Tim resides in Chicago with his dog, Cobalt.
Sanjay Patel (HS'00)
Sanjay serves on the On-Campus, Volunteer Development and Communications Committees. A graduate of Carnegie Mellon, he is the Principal of Perpetuating Technologies, a company devoted to managing IT strategy and direction. He has helped launch several startups and enjoys helping businesses successfully achieve their IT goals. Toward that end, he has completed work of varying responsibilities for John Hancock, Dunkin Donuts, Mercy Hospital, and Partners + Simons. In addition, is currently engaged in growing his second offshore office to support growth in Asia and to supply technology solutions to companies throughout the United States and Europe. Projects include work within the Pharmaceutical 50, Insurance, Healthcare, Mobile and Wireless companies. Sanjay is serving a 4 year term on the Carnegie Mellon National Alumni Advisory Board and is a recognized leader within the local Boston Carnegie Mellon Alumni community. He is also a Six Sigma Black Belt and member of the American Society for Quality. When not working, Sanjay enjoys the outdoors, competitive sports, and traveling.
Francine Simmons Beyer (HS'69)
Fran joined the Alumni Association in 2006, and she co-chairs the Awards Committee and serves on the Volunteer Development Committee. She is an independent consultant specializing in educational program evaluation and she has worked on projects at the state, district and local levels for clients including the Maryland Parental Involvement and Resource Center, the Mid-Atlantic Equity Center, the Delaware Department of Education, and a number of schools in Delaware, Washington, D.C., and Virginia. For 12 years, Fran was a research associate at Research for Better Schools, an educational laboratory serving the mid-Atlantic region. Fran was previously active in Carnegie Mellon's Philadelphia alumni chapter, where she served as vice president for several years. Fran reeived a B.A. degree in psychology in 1969 from Carnegie Mellon, and a Ph.D. from Temple University in 1985 in educational psychology. She is married to Aaron Beyer, a retired attorney, and they have one son, Jared, who is 20 years old.
Suzanne Rothfeld Steven (TPR'93)
Suzanne is a constituent of the Regions Committee and has been a member of the Alumni Association Board since July 2009. She earned her bachelor's degree in Industrial Management in 1993. During Suzanne's time on campus, she was an active member of the campus leadership community which included: Membership Chairman for Kappa Kappa Gamma women's fraternity, Sleeping Bag Weekend Coordinator, Campus Tour Guide, Resident Assistant, Orientation Counselor, and Pre-College Counselor and Head Counselor. As an alumnus of the university, Suzanne played an instrumental part in developing an active and thriving alumni association in Denver, Colorado, where she served as chapter president for five years. She has also served as a CMAC director for the past 14 years. Suzanne is founder and president of SRS Consulting, LLC, a firm that provides sales and marketing departments strategic guidance and services to senior management of several national CPG firms. She resides in Broomfield, Colorado, with her husband, John C. Steven III (E'94), and their two daughters, Sophia and Jacqueline. When not working and raising their children, Suzanne keeps herself busy training and competing in triathlons.
Toni L. Sapet Ungaretti (MM’70)
Toni co-chairs the Nominating Committee, and she also serves on the Regions Committee. She serves as faculty and assistant dean in the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School. Her interest and scholarship focuses on building effective partnerships among business, government and higher education; creating and supporting professional development systems; and designing curriculum and instruction for professional education. She serves on several community, state, and national professional committees and boards. Her husband and son are also alumni – Bob (E’70) and Ryan (E’03, ’04).
Kristine M. Werlinich (HNZ’96)
Kristine chairs the Volunteer Development Committees and serves on the On-Campus and Communications Committees. She is Director of Alumni Relations for UCLA School of Law. Kristine oversees the daily operations of the UCLA Law alumni relations program and the UCLA Law alumni association. Kristine works closely with the Law Alumni Board of Directors, the Dean, the Office of External Affairs and the UCLA Law faculty, students and staff to ensure the law alumni are well informed about the school. Kristine manages all alumni programming and thrives to move UCLA Law higher among the top 15 law schools. Previously, she was Director of Development at California State University, Los Angeles, where she fundraised for the school of Natural and Social Sciences. Before that, she was a Development Assistant in the College of Fine Arts at Carnegie Mellon University. Kristine received a B.A. degree in journalism in 1991 from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and her Masters degree in public management from Carnegie Mellon University in 1996. Kristine has been involved with the Los Angeles Special Olympics, Susan G. Komen for the Cure and the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. She is the former chapter president of Carnegie Mellon’s Los Angeles alumni chapter.
