President Stanley Recognizes Young Alumni for Representing Excellence
On January 26, over 200 alumni, former honorees, family, and friends joined Stony Brook University President Samuel L. Stanley Jr. at the second annual “40 Under Forty” celebration at the Edison Ballroom in Times Square, New York City.
The “40 Under Forty” program honors forty of the most innovative and entrepreneurial spirited Stony Brook University alumni age forty or younger who are making significant contributions to their professions and communities.
This year’s honorees were recognized for their achievements in medicine, the arts, public service, business, and academia, among other fields. [For LI media: : Eleven of this year’s honorees are from or currently reside on Long Island: Chris Algieri ’07, Greenlawn; Heather Berlin ’97, East Meadow; Yevgen Borodin ’05, ’09, Stony Brook; Eugene Cheng ’97, Syosset; Brooke Ellison ’12, Stony Brook; Rohan Griffith ’04, East Meadow; Dimitrios “Jimmy” Kilimitzoglou ’02, Mount Sinai; Neha Kinariwalla ’14, Sayville; Amanda Martino ’10, Franklin Square; Kara Thomas ’11, Holtsville; Chris Vaccaro ’11, Lake Grove.]
Among the 2015 honorees in attendance at this year’s event were Major League Baseball pitcher for the Miami Marlins Tom Koehler ’08, U.S. Foreign Service Diplomat Raymond K. Wong ’07, Los Angeles Rams NFL reporter Dani Klupenger ’13, Neuroscientist Heather Berlin ’97, plastic and reconstructive surgeon Tansar Mir ’04, Roc Nation Director Roman Gorodetskiy ’09, internationally-recognized flutist Ray Furuta, ’12, ’13, ’15, and Southern District of New York Assistant US Attorney Justina Geraci, Esq. ’02.
Addressing the audience, President Stanley reminded the honorees and alumni in attendance that they are vitally important to the University’s mission and he urged them to become even more involved in their alma mater.
“My vision of a great university includes an alumni network so strong that students want to come to Stony Brook because they know their alumni network will be standing by to support them and their university,” he said.
Also participating in the event were Stony Brook Alumni Association President Robert Stafford ‘72, ’82 and student Danielle Meyers ’16 who opened the awards program with the story of her journey from the housing projects of Harlem to Foster Care Youth Ambassador to Stony Brook University EOP student, poised to become the first college graduate in her family.
“Being at Stony Brook has allowed me to break barriers that I never knew I could overcome,” she said to the audience. “ I’m proud and inspired that I will be able to call you my fellow alumni in a few short months.”
Each year the University solicits nominations of alumni age 40 and under who are making exceptional contributions in their respective professions or in their communities and who reflect the impact of a Stony Brook degree. For more information on the Stony Brook University “40 Under Forty,” visit stonybrook.edu/40underforty.
View the “40 Under Forty” flickr album for additional coverage of the event.
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