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In year where stage lights all across the world went dark, ���ҹ�����’s School of Performing Arts found creative ways to keep the show going. Through virtual industry showcases, the actors, directors, and future show-business stars of tomorrow were able to showcase their talent to representatives from film, theater, and television through original performances that announced the Class of 2021 to the professional world.

Perhaps one of the most inventive adjustments came from PPA’s Production and Design Showcase—the program created an interactive virtual experience that puts you right back at 140 William Street, even if you’re logging in from the other side of the world.

"The students of PPA, whose art form prides itself on the intimacy of its production, audiences, and performances, shifted in the paradigm and added new forms to how they told stories," said ���ҹ����� School of Performing Arts Assistant Director of Finance and Facilities and Production Manager Laurie Brown Kindred, whose production expertise was instrumental in guiding PPA through these innovative showcases. "They used it as an opportunity to experiment and embrace the possibilities.”

While the live energy of in-person showcases were certainly missed, the incredible resiliency of our performing arts students demonstrate that no matter the obstacles in their way, ���ҹ����� students simply go for it—a quality that has and will continue to pay dividends.

"PPA students did what artists have done for thousands of years—took what was in front of them, did what they needed to do, and created their own form of theater. While we know we would all rather not ever do another virtual production again, they ensured that the art of storytelling was never extinguished," said Kindred.

Three leaders with diverse backgrounds and a broad range of expertise in healthcare, technology, and business operations have joined ���ҹ�����’s Board of Trustees, the University today announced.

The new trustees are: Marki Flannery, former president and chief executive officer of the Visiting Nurse Service of New York; Christopher Roker MBA ’07, CEO and chief growth officer of NYC Health + Hospitals/Lincoln; and Hemant Khemka, managing director at Stesalit Group, a global technology and manufacturing group based in India.

Mark Besca, chair of ���ҹ�����'s Board of Trustees, said each new trustee brings a wealth of experience, professionalism, and energy — and all three are committed to ���ҹ�����’s mission of Opportunitas, or creating opportunities for its diverse student body.

“Marki, Chris, and Hemant understand that a ���ҹ����� education opens doors for our students and creates opportunities for them over the course of a career and a lifetime,” said Besca. “We welcome their broad range of experiences, and we are excited that their input and vision will help guide ���ҹ����� students for generations to come.”

Flannery and Khemka, whose son is in the ���ҹ����� Class of 2022, were elected to the board in March. Roker, an alumnus, was elected to the board in May.

The new trustees are joining the board at an exciting juncture at ���ҹ�����. ���ҹ����� is in the midst of launching a new website and branding campaign; adding 12 new online graduate programs that align with growing market demands; remaining hyper-focused on experiential learning, career readiness, diversity and inclusion, and providing a strong return on investment to its students while investing significantly in its nationally acclaimed programs such as its School of Performing Arts, College of Health Professions, Seidenberg School of Computer Information Systems, and the Elisabeth Haub School of Law, which this year was ranked as the No. 1 environmental law program in the country.

Furthermore, ���ҹ����� is transforming Lienhard Hall, home to its College of Health Professions on the Pleasantville campus, into a modernized Healthcare Hub that will add important programming for students preparing for careers in the region’s burgeoning healthcare and biotechnology sector.

Marki Flannery served as president and chief executive officer of the Visiting Nurse Service of New York (VNSNY). In this position, she oversaw the largest not-for-profit home- and community-based health care organization in the United States. With annual revenues of approximately $2.3 billion and over 10,000 employees, VNSNY serves the five boroughs of New York City, Nassau, Suffolk, and Westchester Counties, and parts of upstate New York. VNSNY typically has over 44,000 patients and members in its care, and offers a comprehensive array of programs and health plans designed to meet the diverse health care needs of their patients and members. Although she retired earlier this year, Flannery serves as an executive consultant to VNSNY’s CEO. She earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from New York University. Flannery is married, has two adult sons, and lives in Palisades, NY.

“I’ve always been so impressed by the students, graduates, staff and organization as a whole,” Flannery said. “I’m really excited to be joining the board and to make a meaningful contribution to ���ҹ�����.”

Hemant Khemka is the managing director at Stesalit Group, a global technology and manufacturing group based in India that focuses on making electronic and sensor based products in the areas of transportation and automation, AI solutions for Imagery Analytics and Dashboards for Internet of Things (IOT). Stesalit group includes companies such as Stesalit Systems, Stesalit Infotech and Stesalit Automation etc. As managing director, Khemka is responsible for strategic planning, product development, and marketing. In the future, the company expects to expand into more sensor-based products and solutions with a large focus on the internet of things – IOT. He previously worked for Credit Suisse in lower Manhattan, and holds a BBA from Adelphi University. He is a founding member of the Kolkata Chapter of the Entrepreneurs Organization and an active member of the Young Presidents’ Organization. He lives in Kolkata, India, with his wife. They have two children, including a son who is studying Computer Science at ���ҹ�����.

“I’m really excited to join ���ҹ�����’s Board of Trustees,” said Khemka. “I hope to help and contribute to the University’s overall vision and strategic direction. There is a lot we can do to position ���ҹ����� as a global brand. We are positioned so beautifully in a location that is the envy of the world.”

Christopher Roker serves as CEO, NYC Health + Hospitals/Lincoln and as the health system’s Chief Growth Officer. He previously served as NYC Health + Hospitals/Queens and Metropolitan CEO. Under Roker’s leadership, the hospital has achieved an increase in patient satisfaction scores, inpatient discharges, outpatient volume, and operating room (OR) volume. He has also been credited for strengthening collaborations with physician, labor, and community partners. Prior to NYC Health + Hospitals, Roker held leadership positions at The MetroHealth System in Ohio, St. Barnabas Hospital in the Bronx, Beth Israel Medical Center in Manhattan, and The Parkway Hospital Queens. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from The State University of New York (SUNY) at Oswego, an MBA from ���ҹ�����, and a Certificate in Healthcare Leadership Advancement from Cornell University. He lives in Scarsdale, N.Y., with his wife, and they have a son.

“I know first-hand the power of education and the importance of ���ҹ�����’s mission of Opportunitas,” said Roker. “I’m excited to join the Board of Trustees and help make a significant contribution to the students we serve.”

About ���ҹ�����

���ҹ����� has a proud history of preparing its diverse student body for a lifetime of professional success as a result of its unique program that combines rigorous academics and real-world experiences. ���ҹ����� is ranked the #1 private, four-year college in the nation for upward economic mobility by Harvard University’s Opportunity Insights, evidence of the transformative education the University provides. From its beginnings as an accounting school in 1906, ���ҹ����� has grown to three campuses, enrolling 13,000 students in bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral programs in more than 150 majors and programs, across a range of disciplines: arts, sciences, business, health care, technology, law, education, and more. The university also has one of the most competitive performing arts programs in the country. ���ҹ����� has a signature, newly renovated campus in New York City, located in the heart of vibrant Lower Manhattan, next to Wall Street and City Hall, and two campuses in Westchester County, New York: a 200-acre picturesque Pleasantville Campus and the Elisabeth Haub School of Law in White Plains.

Programmers won’t look like they used to. Not if⁠ Professor Pauline Mosley has her way. She’s opening the⁠ door to computer science for women and minority⁠ communities and teaching her students how to use⁠ their tech skills for the greater good. Her efforts⁠ extend from high school students in the GenCyber⁠ program she runs to advocacy and mentorship for⁠ women in tech.

Sukh Singh ’21 brings an incredible amount of perspective to his chosen profession of teaching. He came to the US from India when he was a child. “The first time I saw snow was when I was six years old,” he told us. That journey would eventually lead him to ���ҹ�����, where he knew early on that he would be attending the Pleasantville Campus. “I wanted to teach in New York, [and] ���ҹ����� offered great opportunities for success.”

From there, it seemed only natural that he would gravitate toward the English and adolescent education major. As an English language learner (ELL) himself, Singh told us he was “inspired by almost all my English teachers I’ve ever had. I want to provide students with skills for leadership and advocacy with the use of the proper effective language. I think this can empower them to make a change for their betterment.”

Singh may spend a lot of time in the classroom prepping to one day graduate, but he’s anything but stuck within four walls. He has a strong background in customer service across a variety of industries, and he’s also a Marine Corps veteran—both of which have aided in his personal and professional life. “I think my diverse background in a multitude of areas gives me an edge as a future educator,” Singh said. “The countless leadership [skills] I have been trained for in the military set me apart and allow my discipline to effectively influence my students to become leaders themselves.”

He’s been head counselor at the YMCA, worked as a customer service associate for Investors Bank, and participated in student teaching opportunities through the School of Education. For all his many talents, Singh makes time to lend his skills—and passion—to the Student Veterans Association as its vice president. He volunteers his time in order to help other military service members at ���ҹ����� who follow in his footsteps. “My motivation comes from my own identity as a Marine Veteran,” Singh explained. “I am passionate about supporting my military service members. This will [also] help me as a professional because I will be trained to support, serve, and advocate for those who need it.”

Not only that, but he’s also an active member of Alpha Phi Delta, whose philanthropic efforts lend much-needed support for veterans experiencing homelessness through the Operation Home Front. “I think I am a natural leader and my core ideals of serving people will help me become an educator who stresses advocacy and service,” Singh said. “I’ve had a few inspiring English teachers who left a lasting impression on me and other peers.”

He left us with a quote from Mahatma Gandhi, one that he has lived by: “Be the change that you want to see in the world.” Singh is most certainly effecting change wherever he goes, and we know he will make an incredible future educator.