Goldman Sachs Alumni
Chef Joe Carei '91
Chris Lightcap '99
Changing Lives: Whitney Gay '71

SU Connections Pay Dividends

George Liberopoulos '86,
Susan Mays '04, Jason Eck '05
and Anne Stankiewicz '06

 

The global investment firm of Goldman Sachs believes its success is due to the dedication and intense effort of its employees, greater than one would find in most other organizations. The firm insists that prospective employees be creative, loyal, competitive, and committed to teamwork. Where do they find success with such searches? Well, time and again and again and again, it has been with Susquehanna University. George Liberopoulos '86 , Susan Mays '04 , Jason Eck '05 and Anne Stankiewicz '06 are all part of the team working in the Goldman Sachs Global Securities business in Manhattan.

“Goldman Sachs doesn't send recruiters to schools as small as SU,” says Eck. “To know that we were competing with others from very high profile, prestigious schools and we're the ones who ended up here; that makes me very proud.” Eck's career with Goldman Sachs began with an internship in 2004, but the first link in the SU/Goldman Sachs chain goes back 20 years when Liberopoulos joined the firm. In the early 1990s, he was based in London and worked on a team that further expanded the company's footprint in the U.K. and Europe. He then returned to Manhattan and was one of the key people responsible for growing the firm's Prime Brokerage business, which he co-manages today.

In 2003, meetings with Susquehanna President L. Jay Lemons and Sigmund Weis School of Business (SWSB) Dean Jim Brock reconnected Liberopoulos with SU. The idea of an intern from SU appealed to Liberopoulos, but he wasn't just looking for a kid to spend a summer in the city. He wanted someone who was serious about coming to New York to live and to make a commitment to a career in the world of finance. Brock was certain Liberopoulos could find that among the class of 2004. He did just that, in Mays. Armed with the support of her professors and a semester in London, Mays had the confidence to take on the competition for her position. “Entering into a large firm such as Goldman, it is common to be surrounded by colleagues with Ivy League backgrounds and impressive past internships.” She adds, “I never once felt lacking or ill prepared for my position on the Goldman team.”

That confidence was apparently shared by Liberopoulos, who charged Mays with hiring the next analyst from SU. Upon graduation, Eck joined Liberopoulos and Mays at the firm. Eck also feels that his years in the business program at SU directly prepared him for Goldman Sachs. He explains, “The structure of the classes, the projects and my professors at SU put so much emphasis on teamwork. It definitely shaped the way I work with people.”

A year later, Eck and Mays put their heads together to find the next prospect. Mays had been in touch with Stankiewicz since they first met at an SWSB networking event in New York. The recent graduate also happened to be a friend of Eck's. “I am so grateful for the extra effort that George, Susan and Jason made on my behalf,” says Stankiewicz. “There is no doubt in my mind that the reason Susquehanna graduates are able to get positions like mine is because our alumni are so dedicated to giving back. I hope to be a part of keeping that tradition going.”

Liberopoulos' intentions are the same. “We've really got some momentum going here,” he says. “My hope is to start branching out and placing SU alums in other divisions. Don't be surprised if Stankiewicz has a hand in that.”

She reveals, “I already have my eye on a few possibilities.”

—Mary Cammarata Markle

Editor’s Note: Susquehanna alumni Don Clark ’73, Carlos Albertotti ’97 and Brad Swinsburg ’97 are also employed at other Goldman Sachs offices.

Dishing Up Success

Chef Joe Carei '91

He slices, dices – and, when Chef Joe Carei '91 isn't running his Uniontown, Pa., restaurant, supports charities, hosts TV and radio shows, and looks for the next big challenge.

For all of this hard work, Carei in November earned the Pennsylvania Restaurant Association's 2005 Restaurateur of the Year award.

“I'm a workaholic,” says Carei, who studied communications and English at SU. He also spent 40 to 50 hours each week managing a Selinsgrove eatery, Vito's, while juggling a full course load and running cross country.

A New Jersey native, Carei met his wife, Stacy, while lifeguarding on a Jersey beach and followed her home to western Pennsylvania, where they opened the Thompson Tavern, then their current venture, Caileigh's.

The upscale venue was a first for Uniontown, a blue-collar community with coal mining roots. “Eating was just something you did to get through the day,” says Carei, who serves dishes such as foie gras pot stickers. “Now eating is something you enjoy. I think we helped spur that.”

The largely self-taught chef calls his cuisine “New American” with French influences, but adds, “Because I'm a journalist and a chef, I don't have to follow many rules.”

As president of the Laurel Highlands chapter of the Pennsylvania Restaurant Association, Carei is committed to helping other local restaurateurs succeed. “I try to bring in speakers to educate us about marketing and food costs – things I learned the hard way.”

Although cooking is a far cry from his SU communications schooling, Carei puts his degree to work hosting a weekly TV show on Uniontown station HSTV and a radio show on the community's WMBS. “It's Q and A, cooking tips and advice,” he explains.

In 2002, Carei was diagnosed with stage III colon cancer and underwent 18 months of treatment. The battle didn't dampen his ardor for cooking. “I was working about 20 hours after getting out of the hospital,” he says.

During his time on the sidelines, friends pitched in to keep the restaurant going. Today, Carei recruits them back for an annual “Celebrity Chef Cook-Off” fundraiser, which recently raised $25,000 for colon cancer research.

Drawing upon his cross-country training, Carei also initiated an annual “Omelet Run,” which raises money for children with cancer.

“If anybody asks, we always help out,” he says. “So many people have helped me out.”

What's up next for Carei, who was also named one of “40 under 40” by Pittsburgh Magazine in November 2005?

A new Italian restaurant, to be named Pasta Lorenzo, is in the works. “I'm kind of getting back to my Vito's roots,” he explains.

— Beth Fantaskey Kaszuba

The Music Man

Chris Lightcap '99

Chris Lightcap '99 is heavily booked these days, touring first for Nelly, and now Anthony Hamilton—two of the music industry's biggest stars. In fact, fans remember Lightcap himself for his role as drummer on the metal band Lifer.

“Music has always been in my blood,” says Lightcap, who started on drums when he was about six, and remembers looking up to Tommy Lee and his revolving drum kit.

In 1999, Lightcap and some friends, including Aaron Fincke, son of Professor of English and Creative Writing Gary Fincke , formed the band originally called Strangers With Candy. Startup bands often begin by playing popular covers, or other bands' songs. The practice facilitates work at clubs and other gigs, and helps build a fan base to which the band can then introduce their original music. Lightcap's band mastered covers, winning MTV's Ultimate Cover Band Contest, and amassing a legion of fans that supported them through their switch to originals. Then in 2001, Universal/Republic Records released the band's self-titled debut album “Lifer.”

“Playing in the band—it started out as just fun,” Lightcap says. “Then it happened that several opportunities fell into place.”

Along with opportunities came more change. Fincke and another member departed Lifer to form a new band. Lightcap fell back on his audio knowledge and began work as an audio engineer.

While he sometimes misses band life, he is enjoying the break from other aspects. “Being in a band sometimes is like having three or four girlfriends,” Lightcap quips. His voice is buoyant, free from regret. “I figure it all just helped me get to where I'm at. Being a musician, I've been on both sides of the audio field,” he says, referring to his stage experience that has enabled him to better understand his clients.

As for Nelly and Anthony, Lightcap shares that they are really nice people to work with – “they put everyone on the same page.” Moreover, touring has given him a chance to visit a lot of exciting places, Aruba being the latest.

A theatre arts major at Susquehanna, Lightcap credits the small class size and personal attention that, unlike at larger universities, allowed him to get hands-on experience right away. “Just do your thing… and stick with it,” he says, as a final word to aspiring artists.

– Amanda Cherian '03
Cherian is currently enrolled in the creative writing in fiction M.F.A. program at Washington University in Saint Louis.

Celebrating Susquehanna Stories of Changing Lives

Innumerable Whits of Difference

Whitney Gay '71

It was May of my senior year of high school, and my future was up in the air. I had been waiting for a financial aid package from a Division I university. Neither the package nor comforting communication came. I needed to begin the process, again.

In that eleventh hour, it occurred: A family friend, who happened to be the president of Tufts University, suggested I visit the campus of a small liberal arts college in central Pennsylvania, a school whose president he held in high esteem. Susquehanna, of course, was that school, and Gustave Weber was the well-regarded president. The rest is (my) history.

At Susquehanna, a few mentors – faculty in the English department – guided me along the way. Professor Charles Igoe realized that I needed some fine tuning with my writing skills. He never discouraged me from expressing myself but encouraged a more focused pattern with which to work. An unlikely ally was a wonderful professor by the name of Dan Wheaton, who became my advisor. I marveled at his ability to become one with Shakespeare. He taught me how to discover the meaning of the text, and enjoyed my unbridled enthusiasm to try to make sense of it all. He encouraged me to look at the big picture and to ask for help when I just could not find my way.

It's clear to me now that without the real nurturing that occurred, I would not have survived. I was a student with potential, but had obstacles that needed to be addressed. What now is a readily-identifiable problem was not then; my attention deficit disorder was not named but was recognized by Susquehanna faculty who saw my struggle and realized it was a learning disability to be remedied. I thank them all. I owe the school a debt of gratitude for giving me the courage to work through my ADD and to help me develop the tools to keep my focus.

A mid-career change after years in sales and marketing brought me to my current profession – one of history. I am its advocate and its keeper. I work with institutions – small private schools, mostly – to develop strategies for protecting valuable assets. As an archivist, I help institutions manage collected reserves by creating identification and tracking systems for them, and then assist in assessing the value of the organized collection.

My career reinvention emerged from a hobby and a passion that has helped keep this Boston boy connected, for 35 years, to the Susquehanna Valley. Photographing Amish life over the years has been a remarkable study. I've learned so much about the lifestyles and mores of “buggy people.” I've made friends with whom I maintain correspondence and visit when I return. And I've captured more than 6,000 images that depict, with a value system simple and solid and existence tied to the land, a culture that continues to thrive in the face of change.

My first visit to Susquehanna set in motion a series of dynamics which developed my personality. When I graduated, I took a love for the valley and the people who live there, an affection that has not weakened after 35 years. Strong, too, are my deep bonds to the people and the place of Susquehanna. In his book, The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell advances the concept of a “connector,” one who collects information from many and ties a universal thread through all the connections. I have come to be the connector for my generation at SU. Such activity, like return trips to Selinsgrove, refuels my energy and interest in the positive things of my past.

– Whitney Gay

Whitney Gay on football:

I saw a program with very few upper classman and I really was not confident that this was a good choice for me. I arrived at Susquehanna University to find that I was coming into a program that had been in a down time. I met another freshman who had a vision of winning a championship. Tom Lyons believed we could do it. We climbed on his back and we rose to the top. In four years we became Middle Atlantic Champions. We took the program and turned it around with a staff of coaches who believed in us. That creates bonding as it is hard work and lots of struggle. We were a horrible defensive team in the beginning but the freshman learned a lot in the first year. We got better each year. We learned a good offensive system which had roots in the Stagg era training. Both Coach Jim Hazlett and Coach Pittello had played for “The Old Man.” We carried on the tradition to the next generation. This was important to all of us. We brought the “Old Hat” trophy back to roost in our trophy case for a few years. This, too, was important. The struggle seems romantic enough now but I assure it was not. We were living here in this beautiful little campus but we were watching a country turned on its ear in protest over a war that was, by all accounts, an unjust and unnecessary war. The dissent and the protest came to a head in 1970 with the shootings at Kent State students for no good reason. The nation was inflamed by this senseless act and the colleges all decided to shut it down early for the year. All colleges closed across the country. It was decided after the millions who marched on Washington, to step back and hear the protesters. The war would soon come to an end. But along with being football players we had become agitated students who lost respect for authority. In spite of our quest to bring football honor to the school we had lost our relationship with our coaches. We were not trusting of authority figures. The championship, in some small way, became bittersweet. As years added to our perspective we found our hearts began to open to the coaches once again. We are proud to be a whole family again. It is a part of understanding the pain of the Vietnam war and its influence on the Seventies. We can finally all share in our accomplishment. What we do know is that success breeds success. We as a team will always have these fond memories together. It keeps us together and always coming back.

Call for Submissions: Changing Lives Share your story. We want to know it. What is your life-changing Susquehanna story? Is it about a faculty member whose passion for teaching and learning and investment in you made a difference? Is it about a study-abroad trip that dramatically redefined your concept of the world? Who knows your Susquehanna story? Is it about an intriguing class where you were introduced to what has become your life's pursuit? Is it about a profound friendship cast on campus and tempered since? Why is your Susquehanna story important? Is it about a significant life-altering event -- occupying a single moment? Is it about gradual and compounding change -- transformation spread over time? Please, tell us your story. Help us celebrate the varied ways in which Susquehanna University has changed people's lives. Send your submission, whether a few sentences, or several paragraphs, by e-mail to sutoday@susqu.edu, or by mail to Editor, Susquehanna Today, 514 University Avenue, Selinsgrove, PA 17870. We'll tell your stories in future issues of Susquehanna Today and in other print publications, and on the Web.