Graduates of the undergraduate and Ph.D. programs in the Department of Economics have had an impact not only on economics but also on a wide range of industries around the world. We are always interested in hearing from our alumni and look forward to sharing your successes. To submit a class note and read more about interacting with current economics students, please visit our Alumni page.
Class of 1974
Cleveland JonesSince graduating from Cornell, Cleveland Jones has worked in a variety of industries, from a giant national oil company with multinational operations, to a small family-owned mining company, to technology start-ups and finance. He later became a founder and director of biotechnology companies, and head of his own consulting company. His Cornell education prepared him well to observe, learn and benefit from some of the major trends of the past decades. He resumed his studies, at an age when many are preparing for retirement, earning masters and doctoral degrees with environmental, engineering and geology themes. As a professor, researcher and coordinator of major projects, he found himself in a career environment that he had never imagined, since he had always thought that the private sector provided the most rewarding life experiences. Now he is involved in the creation of a new exploration-based oil and gas venture. However strange an oil and gas venture may seem to many at this time and especially for an environmentalist such as he considers himself, there is method in such madness, and there is always opportunity in crisis.
Class of 1986
Ellen Lederman "I have 2 master's degrees from Princeton Woodrow Wilson School and MIT Sloan School of Management (completed in 1991). I do continuous professional development in financial services and governance, am on the board of a UK asset manager, and am Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee.
How has your Arts & Sciences Economics degree impacted your life?
"In many ways-- I had great teachers/advisers, learned some key basics like how education is a signal, got start in financial services via Cornell, was able to get TA roles at Princeton and MIT in economics, teaching undergrads because of Cornell economics; worked with central banks, etc."
Class of 1987
Sharon Dulberg"I obtained a degree in law from the University of Michigan Law School in 1994 and have been practicing immigration law in San Francisco since 1995. I run a small firm, McVey Mullery & Dulberg and we represent people from around the world in asylum, removal defense, family and employment based immigration matters."
How has your Arts & Sciences Economics degree impacted your life?
"It was a great degree and something I loved but I went in a different direction with my career. I always think back to my great professors, especially Professor Hay and my advisor, Professor Staller. They both had huge impacts on my education and jobs after college and career choices."
Class of 1988
Feleksan OnarWhile drawing on sources from her personal history as well as collective memory, Felekson Onar's works in glass deal with the notions of identity, constructed narratives, historical relations and impacts of politics on society... Primarily, she started off in a private atelier and later on received her formal education in glass at Glass Furnace, Istanbul. She initiated her own atelier, Fy-Shan Glass Studio, in 2003...Her works are housed in important public collections worldwide including the Victoria & Albert Museum, London; Pergamon Museum, Berlin; Riihimaki Glass Museum, Finland; Contemporary Glass Art Museum, Eskisehir, among others as well as in private collections. Her most recent solo exhibitions have been held at Arkas Museum, Izmir; Victoria and Albert Museum, London; Pergamon Museum, Berlin and Magazzino Gallery at Palazzo Polignac, Venice.
Chris Saxman
"I have been delving deep into healthcare reform and am particularly focused on the incentive structures in the current, fee-for-service model and how they can be changed to greatly reduce cost and allow rational clinical experiences."
Class of 1995
Glen Hertelendy "I've worked for the most part at UNESCO in Paris since graduating. I also received an MBA from ESCP Paris."
Class of 1997
Aishetu Dozie
"I recently launched a mission-driven beauty business called Bossy Cosmetics Inc., based in Palo Alto, CA. We serve working women who are socially conscious, desire clean and ethical products, and appreciate our mission to support women and grils through contributions to non-profts in the advocacy space."
How has your Arts & Sciences Economics degree impacted your life?
"Being an Economics major was one of the best decisions that I've ever made. It prepared me to think both at the micro and macro levels. I've been able to really understand the fundamentals of economies and businesses due to the foundation that my degree gave me."
Class of 1998
Louis Breskman "I received my MBA from the University of Michigan and I now run a mid-size manufacturing company in Detroit."
How has your Arts & Sciences Economics degree impacted your life?
"It has enabled me to understand the world around me and how it affects the business climate."
Class of 1999
Markus SaarinenI've worked at Honeywell Aerospace for my entire career in various engineering and supply chain (all facets) positions. I'm currently VP of Operations for the Americas for 22 different electronics OEM/repair factories (roughly 4000 people and $4.2B revenue/year).
Class of 2001
Ellen SherrattEllen Sherrat completed her Ph.D. in Education at University of Oxford. She currently works as VP for Policy & Research at the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards and serves as Chair of the Board of the Teacher Salary Project.
Class of 2002
Amy Gershkoff BollesAmy earned her Ph.D. from Princeton in 2006, followed by various data executive and advisor roles in politics, advertising, and tech. She is currently based in Silicon Valley where she is Chief Data Officer at Bit.ly, and an advisor to other tech companies.
Class of 2004
Courtney Feehan Courtney has her M.S. from NYU and has been a McDonald's franchisee since 2010.
How has your Arts & Sciences Economics degree impacted your life?
"It provided me with a strong education in Economics."
Class of 2006
Ron Rohde"I am a Commercial Real Estate attorney in Dallas building a legal business while raising our 2-year-old daughter with Bethany Marmillo (CALS, '06)
How has your Arts & Sciences Economics degree impacted your life?
"It's been very useful to understand the financial underwriting and investment deal points for my clients. Math and modeling is always useful for business."
Class of 2009
Jesse Gould "I worked in Investment banking shortly after graduating. At that time I decided to join the military and served as an Army Ranger. When I was honorably discharged, I traveled around the world for over a year and then eventually returned to finance where I worked for an international company as an analyst. In 2017 I started a nonprofit for veterans who, similar to myself, were struggling with mental issues as a result of their experiences from war. My foundation is using novel approaches which incorporate psychedelic substance with a therapeutic program to help relieve trauma. We are now the leading veteran organization that is advocating for more research and support for these substances."
How has your Arts & Sciences Economics degree impacted your life?
"The strong base in finance and economics provided the necessary tools for my nonprofit to be successful. As a result of my education, I feel I was better able to avoid certain traps that can be destructive to fledgling businesses. Economics really shaped my mind to tackle problems in a much more calculated and logical way."
Class of 2010
Teddy Lu"I recently relocated to Hong Kong via internal company transfer to start a new position as a Senior Analyst in the Asia Pacific Regional Research team."
How has your Arts & Sciences degree impacted your life?
"The degree has given me the tools to understand real estate market dynamics and the broader macroeconomy in a more analytical and scientific manner."
Class of 2013
Yang SongYang Song is Associate Professor in Economics and Assistant Dean at Renmin University of China.
Class of 2014
Yiqing ZhaoLast year Yiqing Zhao started a new job in customer success marketing at a tech research and advisory firm. Previously, she worked as a general marketer in cleantech. Overall, her career so far has been trending ascendant. She's preparing now to apply for a joint degree in business and policy to rejoin the ranks of the sustainability industry.
How has your Arts & Sciences Economics degree impacted your life?
"...I've recently begun to think a lot about how the subscription business models, the debt economy, and the rising circular economy practices can influence each other and capitalism overall. I think my economics education has sewn the seeds for this questioning."
Class of 2016
Caitlin Wischermann"I moved out west to work on the creation of Pendry Hotels, a new hotel brand by the high-end hospitality company Montage International. I was fortunate to work with the senior management team shaping the overall direction of the company and the identity of the new brand. The first Pendry hotel opened in February 2017 in downtown San Diego with several others following. After its successful launch, I came back to the east coast to attend Columbia Business School and will work for McKinsey & Co after graduation in May."
How has your Arts & Sciences Economics degree impacted your life?
"My Arts & Sciences Economics degree challenged me to think critically in subjects that impact us on a daily basis. Any economics degree will give its students strong fundamental skills in mathematics, capital markets and global finance dynamics, but at Cornell I learned how these related to the world today. The course China Under Mao & Deng was an example of a course that I think back to often, especially in today's world. I applied my theoretical skills to a real world "special case" and learned the nuances of why China is the way it is today."
