Alumni Board 2011-2012
Dear fellow alumni,
Journalism School and its graduates. We are a diverse group, representing the many
professions and avocations pursued by J-School alumni, but we are unified in our goal
to represent you. To that end, we would like to hear from you. Please contact any of us
with your questions, concerns and ideas.
David Peterkin ’82
Chair
Chair
Vice Chair
The Board
Rebecca Castillo '06, Assistant Director, Columbia Scholastic Press Association, New York, N.Y., rc73[at]columbia.edu
Jane Eisner '78, Editor, The Forward, New York, N.Y., eisner[at]forward.com
Shahabadeen Karim '95, News Producer, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Toronto, Ontario, deen[at]runningmagazine.ca
Fiona Kirk '00, Freelance Journalist, New York, N.Y., fionajkirk[at]gmail.com
Richard Levine '63, President, Dow Jones News Fund, Inc., Princeton, N.J., richard.levine[at]dowjones.com
Steven Litt '80, Art and Architecture Critic, The Plain Dealer (Cleveland, Ohio), Shaker Heights, Ohio, stevenlitt[at]earthlink.net
Andrew Pergam '01, Editorial Director, J-Lab: The Institute for Interactive Journalism, American University, Washington, D.C., andrew[at]andrewpergam.com
James Rosenberg ’97, Head of Social Media, World Bank, Washington, D.C., jrosenberg[at]worldbank.org
Barry Rothfeld '73, President and Publisher of the Poughkeepsie Journal, Hopewell Junction, N.Y., brothfeld[at]poughkeepsiejournal.com
Gayle Pollard Terry '73, Deputy Director of Media and Communications, Los Angeles United School District, Los Angeles, Calif., gpt.elyag[at]gmail.com
Rick Zednik '94, Chief Executive, EurActiv.com, Brussels, Belgium, rickzednik[at]yahoo.com
Alumni Board Subcommittees
Communications
Development
J-10 (graduates from the last 10 years)
Programs/Centennial
International
Alumni Board Emeritii
Alexis Gelber
Steve Wolgast
About the Alumni Board
Each board member serves staggered terms, which are renewable for a full three-year term (maximum of two terms), and attends three annual meetings. The Society of Professional Journalists-Columbia chapter president and the alumni director serve as ex-officio members of the board. The chair of the Alumni Association serves as an ex-officio member of the J-School Board of Visitors as well as an ex-officio member of the Columbia Alumni Association.
The Alumni Board was announced in April 2008, the culmination of a two-year process. In 2006-2007, an Alumni Association Task Force met to examine the mission, goals and best practices of a journalism school's alumni association, following the lead of Columbia University, which undertook an examination of its own Alumni Association. With the guidance of an outside consultant, the task force developed a strategic plan, which included a mission statement, primary goals and strategies. During 2007-2008, a transition team had the opportunity to lay the foundation for an Alumni Association that would work closely with the alumni relations office and serve as a link between the school and its alumni.