July/August 2010
Around the Quads
Transitions
ALUMNI OFFICE: Taruna Sadhoo joined the Alumni Office on March 15 as assistant director for student-alumni programs. She works with the Division of Student Affairs and the Center for Career Education to create opportunities for alumni involvement that will support the undergraduate experience. Before coming to Columbia, Sadhoo spent 2½ years at Queens College as coordinator of specialty advising/programs and academic adviser.
Ron Joe joined the Alumni Office on April 21 as associate director, data analysis and reporting. Joe most recently worked at Columbia Technology Ventures, where he spent the past 1½ years as associate director, business processes and data management. Prior to working at CTV, Joe worked for more than a decade as an independent technology consultant with firms such as Credit Suisse, Morgan Stanley and The City of New York. He works with the Alumni Office to provide ad hoc reports and data analyses for individual units as well as develop models and reports to support short- and long-term planning.
Three Columbia College Fund staff members have been promoted. Eleanor L. Coufos ’03, ’06 TC has been appointed director of annual giving programs, effective May 1. Coufos joined the Alumni Office in April 2007 from the Center for Career Education, starting as associate director of donor relations and then becoming director of the Young Alumni Fund in July 2008. As director of annual giving programs, she will focus on bringing the College Fund’s direct mail, telemarketing and online giving programs to even higher levels as well as increasing outreach and providing leadership to the fund in managing trend analysis and segmentation strategies.
Amanda Kessler has been promoted to associate director of the Young Alumni Fund, effective May 24. Kessler has been with the YA Fund for almost two years, notably working as staff adviser to the Senior Fund. In the past two years, the Senior Fund’s participation rates of 90.5 percent and 92.7 percent showed increases of 5 percent and 2.2 percent from the previous years, respectively. In partnership with the Alumni Affairs department, Kessler has co-led the Young Alumni Spring Benefit for the past two years. In her new role, Kessler will continue to handle these areas as well as take on greater responsibility for the YA Fund.
Zachary Howell, who for the past three years was a member of the College’s Fund staff, first as a development officer working with older alumni and then as assistant director of the Parents Fund, has been promoted to associate director of the SEAS Annual Fund, effective July 12.