Four new chapter presidents are eager to reenergize their local alumni and plan fun and interactive events!
Between August 2009 and January 2010, the Los Angeles, Denver, Pittsburgh and Boston chapters installed new chapter presidents, all of whom are ready and willing to take over their respective areas of the U.S. They are all off to a great start as each already has an event planned for this month and beyond.
PITTSBURGH
Kathryn Scimone Stanko (E 72) has taken over the Pittsburgh Chapter and is looking forward to a successful first year as president. She hopes to collect enough donations that the Pittsburgh TFAS Alumni Chapter will have their own brick displayed at the new Center for Teaching Freedom in Washington by this April. CLICK HERE for more information on the brick campaign.
Stanko holds a B.A. in political science from Duquesne University and an M. Ed from the University of South Alabama in secondary education. She is a seminar graduate of the University of Pittsburgh’s National Consortium for Teaching About Asia (NCTA) and is currently an artist and curator for the Associated Artists of Pittsburgh.
Of her time with ICPES in 1972, Stanko says, “TFAS continues to rank as one of the most important educational experiences of my life.”
She will be holding her first event at the authentic German bier garden, the Hofbrauhaus, on March 11. CLICK HERE for more information on this event or to register online. Area alumni can also contact Kathryn at ksstanko@gmail.com.
DENVER
Vlad Malamud (B 05), an alumnus of the University of Denver, took over the Denver chapter when former president Lacee Artist (B 00, I 01) passed along the torch. Artist served as president from 2004-2009 and was the pioneer for planning events for Colorado alumni.
Vlad immigrated to the U.S. from Kazakhstan in 1992. He participated in IBGA in 2005, while interning at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. He completed both his MBA (finance) and undergraduate (international business and economics) degrees at the University of Denver and is now working as an analyst in MetLife’s Denver office.
Vlad has planned a great inaugural event as president, a day at the Denver Museum. Participants are invited to explore the Body Worlds exhibit, enjoy lunch with other alumni and continue to explore the rest of the full museum, all for only $10 per adult. For more information on this event or to register online, CLICK HERE.
“I would like to thank Lacee Artist for all of her hard work in this role, and her commitment to TFAS,” said Malamud. “I am excited to continue building on her success!” Contact Vlad at vmalamud@du.edu if you would like to help plan an event.
LOS ANGELES
Marissa Petersen (P 05) is another new chapter president who is building off of the success of her successor. Heidi Hyun (E 99, A 00), who served as L.A. chapter president from 2007-2009, was able to dramatically increase attendance at events. She was acknowledged for her efforts in 2008 when L.A. was nominated and chosen for the TFAS Chapter of the Year award.
Petersen hopes to keep the momentum going and has already planned an event for March 20.
All area alumni are invited to participate in a walking art tour around the greater Los Angeles area. Start off by visiting a world-renowned artist’s studio followed by lunch and a play at the Royal/T Café. CLICK HERE for more information on this event or to register online.
Marissa is a 2006 alumna of the University of Southern California and participated in IPVS in 2005. She is currently the Manager of District Strategy at Teach for America in Los Angeles. In this position, Marissa works to close the achievement gap by placing incoming corps members in high-need school sites in low-income communities.
Contact her at marissa.petersen@gmail.com if you would like to help plan an event.
BOSTON
A graduate of California State University at Long Beach, Kate Plourd (J 06) has migrated east and encourages other Boston area alumni to get involved with TFAS again.
She participated in IPJ in 2006 and earned her Master’s from Boston University’s School of Communications in 2008.
Kate currently serves as the communications manager for the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center while she was previously the assistant press secretary for the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, and a reporter for CFO Magazine.
Kate hopes to build the alumni activities and involvement in her area. She is planning a tasting and tour of a local brewery for this spring; more details to follow in the near future.
Contact her at katemplourd@yahoo.com if you would like to help plan an event.
See our CHAPTER page for more information or to contact any of these or other chapter presidents. Questions? Contact alumni@TFAS.org.