CALS Alumni Association Annual Report 2025-2026
June 6, 2026
Elyse Richardson ’06, President
CALS Alumni Association Mission Statement
To promote the mission of CALS and to facilitate lifelong relationships among CALS, CALS alumni, and Cornell.
Alumni Association Board of Directors
There are 26 alumni board members, with 11 alumni from New York State (including one who represents the agriculture industry) and 15 alumni from other regions (including one international). Additionally, there are four undergraduate and one graduate student representatives on the board. The president of the alumni association continues to serve as an ex-oficio member of the CALS Dean’s Advisory Council.
CALS Alumni Association directors seek to be informed ambassadors for the College. They host events and represent CALS in their regions. They help foster career growth among our current students by hosting mentoring events and supporting experiential learning opportunities.
The board held two official board meetings in the past fiscal year, both in Ithaca and plan to hold a final board meeting later this month online. At our in-person meetings, in addition to regular Association business, the board was able to hear from key stakeholders across CALS and the university as well as brainstorm on new strategies and tactics to accomplish the mission of the organization.
One key area of focus is supporting our Office of Academic Programs, both in providing support for their career services team and exploring ways we can support students through the college’s new E3 (Engaged, Experiential, Entrepreneurial) Initiative. This includes our successful Grants program which, for more than a decade, has supported both undergraduate and graduate students in their out-of-the-classroom activities. This program is funded through the Kathryn J. Boor ’80 Experiential Learning Fund as well as Alpha Zeta fraternity,
The board also spent time providing input to CALS on how to promote the college’s land grant mission and its research initiatives.
Below is a summary of the work of our committees.
Alumni Engagement
Our Capital Region (Albany) alumni group continues to be active, holding its annual Bounty of New York event in March with assistant professor Hannah Marx from the School of Integrative Plant Science (SIPS), as well as their annual ticket block to the Cornell men’s hockey game against Union and RIP and two different happy hour gatherings. In addition, our Bay Area alumni hosted a gathering, partnering with the President’s Council of Cornell Women (PCCW).
Our Long Island alumni club again hosted the annual Hicks Lecture in January, featuring Christine Smart, the Goichman Family Director of Cornell AgriTech and Larry Smart ’87, professor in SIPS.
The Cornell Club-New York also hosted Christine Smart for a lecture and dinner. In addition, former CALSA president Matt Ranieri ’06, MS ’09, PhD ’12, oversaw a smoked fish tasting at the Club.
Our engagement committee continues to develop ways to connect with current CALS students. In February, CALSAA sponsored an online program for freshmen and sophomores, “What I Wish I Knew,” which featured recent alumni offering their perspectives, while a “Navigating Networking with Confidence” online event offered both students and young alumni advice on how to create positive networking experiences.
Our third annual “CALS Three-Minute Thesis Online Competition” was another successful event, spotlighting the depth of research of our graduate students.
Finance
The Association’s three main accounts, the Lifetime Member Endowment, Julian and Alberta Carter Endowment Fund for Student Leadership and Operating Reserves Account are the three main sources for support for CALSAA and are in good financial shape.
Nominations
The Association identified and recommended candidates to fill board vacancies, developed a slate of officers, and made critical decisions about the direction of the Board of Directors this year.
Planning and Marketing
The Planning and Marketing Committee continues to take steps to build the social media presence of the alumni association and provide CALS news that directly impacts our alumni. Our presence on Facebook, Instagram, and especially LinkedIn continue to grow.
Recognition
The Association recognizes outstanding life and service achievements provided to the College and the Association by students, alumni, and faculty.
In September, we held our annual CALS Outstanding Alumni and Faculty Awards banquet, which continues to be a marquee event for CALS. Alumni recognized at the ceremony were Kristin Alongi MS ’10 (Young Alumni Achievement), Penny Novick ’94, Paul Sellew ’80 and Michael Van Valkenburgh ‘73. Maureen Hanson and Kyle Wickings were the faculty honorees.
Students
A key focus of the CALS Alumni Association continues to be engaging our students. Partnering with the CALS Advisory Council, we hosted Friday receptions in Finally, as has been done the past few years, all CALS seniors gave us a gift of a CALS pennant during the commencement procession as a keepsake.
For more information
If you have any questions, recommendations, or would like to become more engaged with the College or the CALS Alumni Association, please contact Scott Pesner ’87 at sjp17 [at] cornell.edu.