Cochairs Kathy Waller ’80, ’83S (MBA) and Abby Zabrodsky ’14, ’19S (MBA) lead the group to connect, support, and engage women.

Abby Zabrodsky ’14 and ’19S (MBA)

Amidst the historical significance of 2020—a year marked by Susan B. Anthony’s 200 birthday and the centennial milestone of the 19th Amend­ment to the US Constitution—the University launched its global Women’s Network. Today, Kathy Waller ’80, ’83S (MBA) and Abby Zabrodsky ’14, ’19S (MBA) lead the group, which is made up of alumni, students, parents, faculty, staff, and allies. Members develop programs to facilitate mutual support and explore shared interests among women who have similar goals, challenges, and life experiences.

“Women have made such an impact on history and in all of our lives,” says Waller, retired chief financial officer at Coca-Cola Co., a member of the Simon Advisory Council, and a University trustee. “The network provides a structure and a community to unite us, from virtual programs that serve the global community to in-person events that build relationships, to our strong presence on The Meliora Collective, the University’s online platform for personal and professional growth.”

Zabrodsky, the director of business development for the engineering and manufacturing systems firm Advanced Manufacturing Technology, Inc.; a member of the University’s Alumni Board; and a mentor within The Meliora Collective, underscores how the network also serves as a catalyst for cross-generational mentor­ship and networking. “The University has played and continues to be an important part in our lives,” she says. “We encourage and invite everyone to get involved.” She and Waller first met as cochairs of the network’s personal and professional development committee.

Kathy Waller ’80, ’83S (MBA)

Beginnings

At its official launch, Gail Lione ’71, also a trustee, initially led the network alongside Tiffany Taylor ’91 and recruited fel­low women trustees, Gwen Greene ’65, Liz Bruno ’89, Joan Beal ’84E, Betsy Ward Chicaras ’86, and Waller. A few years later, Waller became the Women’s Network’s cochair, and Zabrodsky replaced Taylor earlier this year.

Although officially launched in 2020, Kathy Murray ’74, also a trustee, planted the network’s early seeds. In 2013, she started the Metro New York Women’s Network to connect and support alumni living in and around New York City. Soon after, other regionally based women’s networks formed in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Washington DC, building momentum for the global network that was to come. Today, there are six regionally based women’s networks. Rochester and New England were added a few years ago.

“Early on, these women leaders and others saw the positive impact they could make in one another’s lives through the Women’s Network, says Karen Chance Mercurius, vice president of Alumni Relations and Constituent Engagement. “The global Women’s Network launch came at the height of the pandemic, fostering a sense of belonging by providing support, guidance, connection, and community.”

Giving back

Waller’s and Zabrodsky’s dedication to their alma mater is deeply rooted in their desire to give back. Zabrodsky says her family “instilled a strong wish to do whatever I can to improve the places that are important to me, including the University.”

Waller was a recipient of an undergraduate scholarship. That opportunity, combined with mixed experiences at the University, fuels her determination to drive change and support women and underserved students, aligning with President Mangelsdorf’s vision for a more inclusive University.

“I believe that if you want to see change, you have to help make that change,” she says. “I will continue to lend my voice and show my support to women and underserved students so that all 18-year-old Black women who come here have amazing experiences and then want to raise their hands to help the next person.”

Learn more about Kathy Waller and Abby Zabrodsky.

This chemical engineering major and MBA gives her all to her family, workplace, and alma mater

Abby Zabrodsky ’14, ’19S (MBA)

The phrase “family first” means a lot to Abby Zabrodsky ’14, ’19S (MBA). After nine years working at a large consumer products company in Buffalo, NY, she joined Advanced Manufacturing Technology, Inc. as its director of business development. In 1989, Abby’s father, John Zabrodsky ’82 founded the firm, an engineering and manufacturing systems company that employs about 20 people, including Abby’s mother, Kristy, who has been the company’s chief financial officer since 2013.

For Abby, deciding to join the family business was a bit like coming home.

“Being a small company, everyone knows each other really well,” she says, who lives in Buffalo and works a hybrid schedule. “There’s a lot of built-in trust, which is such an asset.” This strong foundation is aided by the fact that Abby and her father operate in a similar way and are both Ģ����ý-educated engineers. Working together with her mother, Abby adds, is an extension of their shared history.

Throughout her career, Abby has been dedicated to helping people and organizations thrive. This is evident in the workplace and as a volunteer leader. Since the Women’s Network launch in 2020, she’s been the cochair of its personal and professional development committee. She’s also a member of the University’s Alumni Board; a mentor within ; a Reunion volunteer; a member of the George Eastman Circle, the University’s leadership annual giving society; a champion for  and a former member of the Young Alumni Council. In 2022, she and her father jointly earned the University’s John N. Wilder Award for their commitment to the University and in 2022, she was given the Department of Chemical Engineering’s Young Alumni Award. Abby is also actively involved in her community, for instance, as the president of the ProZoo Board of the Buffalo Zoo.

Here, Abby talks about her career, University experience, volunteer activities, and what makes her run.

What do you enjoy most about working at Advanced Manufacturing Technology, Inc.?

I’m grateful I can apply my engineering experience and business school knowledge to the family business. I’m early in my career here and, right now, I’m getting up to speed on the business. I consider myself lucky. Not many children get to work—or maybe even want to work—with their parents, but I do. It’s a unique extension of our time together.

Why did you choose Rochester for two degrees?

When I was growing up, my dad talked about Rochester all the time. So, when it came time to look at colleges, it was top of my list. I knew I could get a chemical engineering degree, run varsity track, and join clubs and groups, even be part of a sorority here. The undergraduate experience was more cooperative than competitive. Classes were hard and running was always challenging but those beside you were always cheering you on.

A few years into my engineering career, I decided to get an MBA, to round out my engineering and technical knowledge with deeper business acumen. Deciding on the University’s was another easy choice. Its rigorous yet flexible weekend-based —which wasn’t too far from where I lived and worked in Buffalo—was ideally suited to me. I could continue working, apply what I was learning every day, and even participate in some very distinctive learning experiences, such as weeklong courses in China and Switzerland.

Why sign on as co-chair of the Women’s Network?

When Kathy Waller ’80, ’83S (MBA)—with whom I had worked on the network’s personal and professional networking committee—asked me to step up, I was ecstatic. Being with women who encourage other women, hearing from people who have faced similar life challenges, and building connections—it’s all been so important in my life and career. I’m excited to serve and support the people who benefit from the network’s programs and community.

Tell us more about mentorship and why it is important to you.

My parents have been great mentors for different and similar reasons. My dad is one because we’ve taken similar steps as engineers, runners, and Ģ����ý board members. My mom always worked and took care of my sister and me yet always found time to be on boards that mattered to her. Their example has led me to be an active volunteer and prompted me to do such things as become a mentor within The Meliora Collective’s mentorship program.

What do you do when you aren’t volunteering?

I still run three or four times a week, just not competitively. I spin, too. I love an active lifestyle—it’s my release and what I need to do to reset my mood and clear my head. My husband, Ken Gilbert ’14—whom I met at Rochester—is active, too, and we love to travel together. No matter what, I always have my head in a book—in print or an audio version. I especially like books about sports and overcoming challenges.

Iveth Reynolds ’12S (MBA) and Raquel Ruiz ’99, ’20S (MBA) cochair the Ģ����ý’s Latin Alumni Network

Iveth Reynolds ’12S (MBA)

Iveth Reynolds and Raquel Ruiz, both first-generation Latina college students and MBA graduates of the Simon Business School, understand the significance of mentoring, networking, and peer support. It’s why they have taken on the role of cochairs for the University’s newly established Latin Alumni Network affinity group.

“It’s important to have people in our lives who have similar life experiences, have been there before us, and can guide us on our paths—it certainly was for me,” says Reynolds, an expert in staffing, project management, and diversity and leadership development. She is also the CEO of Tri-Mar Consulting in Rochester, which she founded 25 years ago.

Ruiz, the codirector of Equity, Learning Health Communities Pillar at Duke University’s Clinical and Translational Science Institute, notes that the Latin Alumni Network’s vision is to cultivate, lead, and advance the lives and careers of those who engage with the group, including alumni and current students.

Before joining Duke, Ruiz worked at Rochester for 15 years in executive roles at the Medical Center focused on strengthening health strategies and equity in research. She was also the University’s inaugural cochair for the Latino Professional Alliance, an employee resource group.

Raised in New York City, Reynolds was a latchkey kid from Washington Heights. “I was also a hard-working student, but, like many others, I didn’t have any academic role models,” she says. “Those closest to me encouraged me, but they didn’t know much about getting into college or how to navigate the experience once I became a student.”

Born in Puerto Rico, Ruiz moved to Buffalo when she was 10. “Even though I excelled at school, it was hard for me to imagine the possibilities in life, ones that could be realized through higher education,” Ruiz says. “No one in my family had gone to college.”

Fortunately, both had high school counselors who helped them through the college application process. Reynolds applied to one school, Fordham University in New York City, and got in. For four years, she was a full-time student who also worked full-time. “It was challenging, but, luckily, I had great support from a coworker,” she says. “I realize now that she was really a mentor to me.”

Raquel Ruiz ’99, ’20S (MBA)

As a student at Rochester, Ruiz tapped into resources at the Office of Minority Student Affairs (OMSA). “OMSA helped me create a road map for academic success, and they also recommended getting involved with student organizations as well as the local Latin community,” says Ruiz, who became an active member of the University’s Spanish and Latino Students’ Association and chapter founder of the Lambda Pi Chi sorority.

In addition to the new network, both are active in other University committees and community groups. Reynolds is a member of the University’s Diversity Advisory Council, Women’s Network, and Simon’s Women’s Alliance. In 2011, she founded NSHMBA, now known as Prospanica, a not-for-profit organization in western New York that empowers Hispanic professionals to advance in their careers. She is also the vice chair of the board for Catholic Charities Family and Community Services.

Ruiz is a member of the University’s Alumni Board, served as the financial chair for her 20th class reunion, and is helping to launch an alumni network in Raleigh, NC. Both Reynolds and Ruiz are serving as members of the 2024 Volunteers in Leadership Conference Committee to develop a suite of workshops and experiences for University volunteer leaders. The two initially met at a University alumni relations event. Over the years, they’ve stayed connected, including as part of the United Way’s Latino Leadership Development program, in which Ruiz participated and Reynolds coordinated.

Reynolds and Ruiz encourage students and alumni to get involved in one of the Latin Alumni Network’s committees dedicated to philanthropy, programming, and career development and mentorship. “No matter where we are in our careers, we all have something to offer to others,” says Reynolds, who underscores the importance of having different voices and career paths represented in the Latin Alumni Network.

Adds Ruiz, “The Latin Alumni Network is really about embodying the University’s mission so that, together, we can achieve our full potential.”

This article also appears in the summer issue of Rochester Review.

In his Wall Street Journal bestseller, The Restart Roadmap: Rewire and Reset Your Career, Jason Tartick ’16S (MBA) provides actionable steps for readers to achieve their vision of financial, professional, and emotional success. Tartick—an author, investor, entrepreneur, speaker, and Simon Business School alumnus—draws on his nearly 10 years in corporate banking and MBA coursework in accounting and finance to help readers reassess their priorities and redefine themselves.

“Many people set their career course in their early 20s and stay there without reevaluating what’s most important to them along the way,” says Tartick. “If you feel like you are stuck or moving in the wrong direction in your career, you’re not alone. Know that you can take steps to change—it’s never too late to reinvent yourself.”

Tartick believes that many people fall into the trap of following the expectations and opinions of others, rather than pursuing their own passions and dreams. He encourages readers to focus on their personal brand by identifying their differentiating values, interests, and strengths, and using them to create a personalized roadmap for success. He also suggests ways to drown out distracting noise and take control of what will bring people personal, professional, and financial happiness.

Fun facts: Tartick, a Buffalo, New York, native, gained widespread recognition as a contestant on season 14 of ABC’s The Bachelorette. He hosts a popular Apple business podcast, Trading Secrets, which delves into money and career-related topics. He also owns a talent management company where he works with celebrities to monetize their brand. He has appeared on various entertainment and news programs, too, including ABC’s Good Morning America, Entertainment Tonight, and Yahoo! Finance, and is currently working on his second book.

This story also appears in the summer 2023 issue of Buzz magazine.