Alumni Gazette

MEET THE CHAIRS: Lizette Pérez-Deisboeck, Mark Goldstein, and Adam Konowe

Formed in 2017, the University’s Alumni Board provides insight, guidance, and expert counsel to the Office of Alumni Relations and Constituent Engagement. Representing all the University’s schools, the diverse group of 22 alumni helps develop programs and services that highlight the benefits of maintaining a relationship with the University after graduation. During the recent Together for Rochester one-year engagement and fundraising campaign, for example, the board formed several work groups dedicated to equity and access, career programs and placement, and overall alumni engagement.

The board is led by chair Lizette Pérez-Deisboeck ’87 and vice chairs Mark Goldstein ’78 and Adam Konowe ’90.

A University trustee, Pérez-Deisboeck is general counsel for Battery Ventures, a venture capital and private equity firm. A longtime volunteer and donor, she says board members recognize that each graduate’s experience at the University is unique.

“We want to amplify alumni concerns and respond to their interests. We are well positioned to do this, as our members come from all of the University’s schools and represent a span of ages, races, and affinity groups as well as a cross-section of geographic regions.

“We may hold different types of degrees and have very different lives and career paths, but we share a commitment to the University’s mission—to make the world better. That’s what connects us all.

“I want to find alumni—be they in Wichita or New Orleans or overseas—wherever they are to hear what they want from their alma mater. I want to know when their kids are looking at colleges will they consider Rochester. I would also like to know if they are interested in being mentors or whether they need mentors for themselves. And I want to better understand how we can add value to their lives. There is so much we can do together, no matter where we are.”

The retired CEO of Actuant Corporation, Goldstein has hired more than a dozen University graduates over the years. He’s also been an active mentor and participant in The Meliora Collective and serves on the Boston Network Leadership Cabinet. He and his wife, Jill, established a scholarship through the David T. Kearns Center.

“The University provided me with a great education, lifelong friendships, and a solid network. I get great personal satisfaction paying it forward and helping current and recent graduates and other alumni make the most of what the University can still offer them.

“We want alumni everywhere to look to the University to further their education and learning, to mentor and network, to get or give career advice, and to share their skills and experience. As a working board, we are diligent about rolling up our sleeves and finding ways that students and alumni—now and in the future—can thrive.”

Konowe is senior vice president at Edelman and an adjunct communications professor at American University. Being a cochair of the board is a natural progression for him, as he’s volunteered with the University since he was a first-year student host for prospective students. Staying engaged with the University runs in the family, too. His daughter, Celia, is a 2021 graduate pursuing a Take Five program this year.

“It’s important for us to think about people in various life stages to identify where they see value in terms of University programming and services.

“[Staying connected over time] doesn’t always mean coming back to campus and taking a nostalgic walk through the Eastman Quad, as enjoyable as that might be.

“It’s really about doing the right thing for our alumni. As we’ve seen during the pandemic, we know how to do this, and we engage with each other via Zoom. When the time is right, we can connect in person.”