SophoMORE Connections is an exclusive career conference offered to second-year students during winter break.
About
We are bringing in our best resources to help you think about your most pressing career questions. SophoMORE Connections is a two-day event specifically for sophomores featuring workshops, alumni panels, and networking events to identify and explore your career areas of interest. The event, housing, and food are free for all registrants for the duration of the event.
Begin planning for the 13th annual SophoMORE Connections
The event will be held January 17–18, 2025. Here is how you can start planning now:
- Students will need to make travel arrangements to return to campus on Thursday, January 16.
- Registration details will be shared with students — stay tuned to Career Services emails for forthcoming information.
- This event, including housing and meals, is offered at no cost to students who register and attend.
Meet our 2025 SophoMORE Connections keynote speaker
Career Services is proud to present Toby Bozzuto ’96 as the 2025 SophoMORE Connections keynote speaker. Toby is president and CEO of Bozzuto and chair of ²Ø¾«¸ó’s Board of Trustees.
As president and CEO of Bozzuto, Toby Bozzuto ’96 provides strategic and day-to-day leadership for more than 3,400 employees nationwide. The real estate company has been nationally recognized as a “Great Place to Work†and named a “Top Workplace†by The Washington Post for nine consecutive years and a “Top Company for Executive Women†by Seramount for four consecutive years.
In July 2024, Toby was named chair of ²Ø¾«¸ó’s Board of Trustees, becoming the youngest person to serve in that position.
He is also an executive committee member of the Policy Advisory Board for the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University and a member of the Board of Visitors for the Shock Trauma Center at The University of Maryland Medical Center, M&T Bank’s Directors Advisory Council, Catalyst CEO Champions for Change, and CEO Action for Diversity and Inclusion. Toby’s clear vision, approachable nature, and progressive thinking guide the company to create extraordinary experiences and maintain a culture of kindness for residents, clients, partners, and each other.
Toby has been featured in leading media outlets such as CNBC, The Wall Street Journal, Harvard Business Review, Bloomberg, The Washington Post, the Washington Business Journal, Huffington Post, and the MIT Sloan Management Review.
Toby strives to share his insight and passion for creating community. He is a regular guest lecturer at Harvard Business School, Harvard Business School Executive Education program, Harvard University Graduate School of Design, NYU Schack Institute of Real Estate, Georgetown University, Cornell University, the University of Maryland, and Johns Hopkins University.
Mike Aguilar ’96, Managing Director, JPMorganChase
Jesse Allen ’19, Architectural Designer, RAMSA
Cecilia Belzer ’22, Press Secretary and Digital Director, Office of Representative Gabe Vasquez, U.S. House of Representatives
Nathan Belzer ’93, Founding Member, Belzer PC
David Bergerson ’93, Wealth Management, Edward Jones
Vanessa Puzio Billotti ’98, Deputy Bureau Chief, Sex Crimes and Intimate Partner Violence, Manhattan District Attorney's Office
Amanda Bradshaw ’06, Director, People Operations, Great Expectations
Jane Brogan ’02, Independent Consultant focusing on disaster recovery, resiliency, and public policy
Carter Brokaw ’94, Chief Revenue and Digital Officer, iHeartMedia
Stephen Brown ’81, EVP Programming and Development, Fox Television Stations
Taylor Buonocore-Guthrie ’08, Keynote Speaker and Facilitator (self-employed)
Tim Burkly ’10, Co-founder, Interclear
Jonathan Byer ’08, Partner, Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP
Caroline Callahan ’11, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, The Family Institute
Madeline Canning ’18, Legislative Assistant, U.S. House of Representatives
James Carino ’16, Admissions Counselor, George Mason University
Jessica Prata Cianciara ’01, AVP, Office of Sustainability, Columbia University
James Clark ’23, Chemistry PhD Student, Cornell University
Andrew Colbert ’05, Senior Managing Director, Ziegler
Bob Connelly ’84, Senior Adjunct Professorial Lecturer of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, American University
Michael Cruz ’11, Manager, Customer Success, Travel, Hospitality and Sports, Adobe Inc.
Courtney Diamond ’12, Director, Digital Analytics, Hilton
Jonathan Dienst ’90, NBC New York Chief Investigative Reporter and NBC News Chief Justice Contributor, NBCUniversal
Nicole Dienst ’22, Analyst, ESG Center of Excellence, Global Capital Markets, Morgan Stanley
Micah Dirkers ’19, Vice President, Family First Life
Catherine Donne ’09, Senior Vice President and Head of Institutional Marketing, North America, Neuberger Berman
Bobby Dorf ’80, Consultant (self-employed)
Laynie Dratch ’17, Genetic Counselor, Penn Medicine
Taylor Dumas ’20, Photographer, Taylor Monet Photography
Sheila Dunne ’20, President, Toggle Communications
Kimberly Elek ’87, Co-Founder and Chief Communications Strategist, McReynolds Elek Communications
Judge Samantha Elliott ’97, U.S. District Court Judge, U.S. District Court for the District of New Hampshire
Matt Elliott ’95, Senior Editor, CNET
Ahmad Emad ’13, Staff Data Scientist, Google
Liam Emmart ’19, Senior Software Engineer, Scythe
Molly Emmett ’12, Lead Consultant, Atrium
Jonny Feldman ’90, Orthodontist, Feldman Orthodontics (self-employed)
Jill Ferris ’08, Vice President, Education and Interpretation, Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum
Jamie Foley ’94, CEO, Foley, Incorporated
Nick Freud ’15, Co-Founder, CampusReel
Karl Fries ’10, Quantitative Investment Analyst, Arjuna Capital
Cindy Gaete ’15, Union Organizer, formerly at the National Union of Healthcare Workers
Ria Gazdar ’92, Executive In Charge of Production, Stephen David Entertainment
Veronica Genco ’11, Director, Reporting and Yield, Everyday Health Group
Rich Grant ’02, Principal, Northlane Capital Partners
Bailey Graves ’16, Associate Director, Macro
Ashley Grove ’04, Sr. Director, Organizational Development, Vail Resorts
Alison King Haley ’84, Adjunct Lecturer, Harvard Kennedy School
Lauren Hayes ’04, District Counsel, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Kevin Heffernan ’90, Writer, Director, Producer, Actor, Searchlight Pictures
Michela Hendell ’18, Investor Relations, Ardinall Investment Management
Niall Henderson ’16, Senior Associate, Teneo
Salem Hoffman-Sadka ’17, Special Agent, U.S. Department of State, Diplomatic Security Service
Jenna Jacoby ’13, Account Manager, International Rescue Committee
Omer Jilani ’93, Chief Revenue Officer, Digital Avenues
Kelly Johnson ’94, Math Teacher, Highland Park High School
Robert Johnson ’94, Chief Pilot, Avigate Aviation
Ali Jordahl ’20, Software Engineering Manager, Pega
Randall Joseph ’01, Cloud Delivery Practice Lead, Eviden
Samantha Kaden ’15, Product Strategy and Marketing, BigBear.ai
Greg Kafaf ’12, Director Enterprise Strategy and Business Development, Novo Nordisk
Emily Kahn ’19, Executive Director, The New York Preservation Archive Project
Julia Kaplan ’17, Senior Director, Health System Solutions, Trilliant Health
David Kerschner ’09, Partner, Arnold & Porter
Dipesh Khati ’22, Senior Associate, EY-Parthenon
Eliza King ’12, Assistant Director of Development, Yale Peabody Museum
Emily Klein ’18, Director, Servicing Transfers, Valon Technologies, Inc.
Fred Klein ’96, Founder and Owner, Sound and Fury
Hillary Kupferberg ’15, VP, Performance Marketing, Exverus Media
Jeff Lessard ’96, Senior Vice President of Strategy and Development, ASM Global
Rachel Levey ’88, School Psychologist, Rye Country Day School
Jessica Li ’15, Senior Behavioral Designer, ideas42
Ashley Ludwinski, LCSW ’08, Private Practice Owner and Therapist, Redbud Counseling Services
Dr. Maureen Lynch ’06, Resource Management Coordinator, International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators
Dr. Craig Macdonald ’94, General Dentist and owner, Craig I Macdonald DMD PC
Dr. Jolanta Macdonald ’96, Pediatric Dentist, Children’s Dentistry of Northborough
Carolina van der Mensbrugghe ’10, Associate Director, Public Interest Law Center, NYU School of Law
Dr. Emily Messing ’12, Medication Safety Officer, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Britt Milano ’13, Director of Admissions, Yale Law School
Michael Miller ’12, Co-Founder, Head of Product, Fan Shares
Sarah Miller ’07, Classics Department Chair and Upper School Community, Inclusion, and Equity Coordinator, Gilman School
Courtney Mitchell ’19, Category Manager, Wayfair
Jeff Monty ’99, Director Of Production, Carr-Hughes Productions
Matt Muskin ’10, Pricing Manager, Corning Incorporated
Jeff O’Connell ’94, Chief Operating Officer, Spring & Bond
Colleen Oberg ’14, Senior Brand Manager, Danone North America
Maggie Orr ’17, Senior Software Engineer, Hopper
John Paul Ortiz ’10, Account Executive, Google
Kelsey OYong ’09, Supervising Epidemiologist, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health
Dana Paolucci ’13, Head of PR and Influence, Dove North America, Unilever
Jessica Parisi ’17, Refugee Officer, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
Nicholas Quinn ’20, Senior Associate, Quinlan Partners
Natalie Ramirez ’19, Director of Operations, Connects, LA Opera
Allison Ramsey ’01, Allergy Immunology Physician, Rochester Regional Health
Cortney Renton ’10, Executive Director, Proofing Station
Sun Robinson-Smith ’07, Associate Editor, One World, Penguin Random House
Nazma Rosado ’96, Principal, Avion Consulting, Inc.
Jessica Rossi ’15, Museum Educator and Professional Development Coordinator, New Hampshire Historical Society
Sean Rossi ’15, Pediatric Hospitalist, Concord Hospital
John Sanders ’00, Director, Business Development and Licensing, Merck
Lori Scanlan ’92, Data Enablement, Digital Transformation, Sony Corporation of America
Michael Schonbraun ’96, Managing Director, Investments, Affinius Capital
Julia Segal ’20, Singer-Songwriter; Teaching Artist; Marketing Associate, Sona Energy Solutions
Clarissa Shah ’10, Senior Director, Legal, LinkedIn
Tushin Shah ’10, General Counsel and Chief Operating Officer, Wrigley Management
Travis Snell ’94, President, Concord Property Management, Inc.
Deb Sobelman ’08, Executive Director, Neighborhood House Nursery School
Robert Sobelman ’08, Chief, Public Corruption Unit, U.S. Attorney's Office, S.D.N.Y.
Troy Somero '06, Global Head of Pricing, Inventory, and Yield, Spotify
James Speight ’14, Director, Harris Philanthropies
Abigail Speight ’15, Engagement Delivery Manager, Salesforce
Dave Targan ’03, Producer, Box to Box Films/Netflix
Zack Tenner ’20, Medical Student, NYU Grossman Long Island School of Medicine
Allyssa Walsh ’08, Instructional Supervisor, Catapult Learning
Jamie Wasylenko ’01, Principal Scientist II, AbbVie
Pamela White ’19, Associate, Greenberg Traurig
Caitlin Whittemore ’14, Senior Associate Director, Manhattan Planning, NYC Public Schools
Sara Wolf ’03, Director, Customer Onboarding, Americas, Google
Scott Worden ’96, Director of Afghanistan and Central Asia Programs, U.S. Institute of Peace
Past Keynote Speakers
2024
creative director at Droga5; founder of the Museum of Nail Art
2023
Executive Vice President, Head of Global Distribution, IMAX Entertainment and Senior Vice President, IMAX Corp
2021
Executive Director, North Shore University Hospital
2020
Sports photographer and cinematographer
2019
Commercial Sales Attorney at LinkedIn
2018
Chief Spokesperson, Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative