Five new trustees join board

Five new trustees have joined the Skidmore College Board, President Philip A. Glotzbach has announced. 

Three of the new trustees are alumni, and three are parents of current Skidmore students. They attended their first meeting October 24-26.

“Skidmore is fortunate to be served by a Board of Trustees whose members are dedicated to the College’s success,” said Glotzbach. “And the Skidmore Board is fortunate to admit to its ranks these five remarkable individuals. Over the coming years, all of us will benefit from their guidance and support.”

Harry L. Alverson III ’73

As managing director of the Carlyle Group in Washington, D.C., Harry L. Alverson III is responsible for investor relations and fund formation. Prior to joining Carlyle in 1996, he was with Bankers Trust Co. for 13 years, with responsibility for Middle East corporate finance. For four of these years, he was based in Bahrain. Subsequently he worked for Chase Manhattan Bank in the asset management group.

During his first year, he will serve on the Audit, Budget & Finance, Infrastructure, Investment, and Student Life committees. 

Alverson is a member of the board of directors of the Middle East Institute and is involved with a number of other Middle East business groups.

After graduating from Skidmore, Alverson earned his M.B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School in 1976.

Residents of McLean, Va., Alverson and his wife, Katherine, Skidmore Class of 1974, have been members of the Parents Council since 2009. Their daughter Lily is a senior at Skidmore. 

Jonathan R. Brestoff ’08

A graduate student at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Jonathan Brestoff will complete his studies toward a combined Ph.D. and M.D. degree in 2015. Awarded a George J. Mitchell Scholarship in 2009-10, he took a year off from his studies at Penn to earn a master’s degree in public health from the School of Medicine at University College Cork in Ireland in 2010. 

During his first year, he will serve on the Academic Affairs, Advancement/Communications, Strategic Planning, and Student Life committees.

As a sophomore majoring in chemistry and biochemistry, Brestoff was awarded a Goldwater Scholarship in part due to groundbreaking research in type-2 diabetes and obesity he conducted in collaboration with T.H. Reynolds, professor of exercise science. That work led to the discovery of an anti-obesity compound for which Brestoff is now seeking a U.S. patent. 

President of the Student Government Association in his senior year, Brestoff founded the Skidmore Nutrition Action Council. 

Nancy Wells Hamilton ’77

Nancy Wells Hamilton ’77, a partner with Jackson Walker L.L.P., in Houston, Texas, has a national practice focused on First Amendment law, intellectual property, and complex commercial litigation. Listed in “Best Lawyers in America,” she has appeared in federal and state courts for such clients as CNN, Oprah Winfrey, Dr. Phil, CBS Inc., the Tribune Company, and U.S. Trust. She is a frequent writer and lecturer on trial tactics and media law. 

During her first year, she will serve on the Advancement/Communications, Strategic Planning, and Student Life committees.

Working with a representative of the Tribune Company and the chairman of the ABA Communications Law Forum, Hamilton created a national diversity initiatives program to improve the hiring and retention of minorities, specifically within the area of media law. Hamilton earned her J.D. from the University of Houston Law Center in 1989 and was admitted to the Texas Bar in 1990. 

Hamilton is a member of the Alumni Association Board of Directors and a member of the President’s Advisory Council. 

Maria P. Markowitz

A member of the New York Bar since 1975, Maria Markowitz was formerly president of financial services and chief financial officer of the Ogden Corp. Today she is the owner of the Jewelry Arts Institute in New York City and is chair of the committee on trustees of Trevor Day School. She is also a past director of Child Study Center at New York University and a past member of the board of directors of the Portuguese Heritage Scholarship Foundation. 

During her first year, she will serve on the Advancement/Communication, Strategic Planning, and Student Life committees.

Residents of New York City, Markowitz and her husband, Jerry, are members of the Parents Council. Their son, Philip, is a senior. 

A 1971 graduate of Harvard University, Markowitz served as co-chair of the Campaign for Radcliffe in 1996. She earned her J.D. from Boston University in 1974. 

David P. Marks

An expert in alternative investments, David P. Marks is chief investment officer of CUNA Mutual Group and president of Members Capital Advisors. He was previously the chief investment officer at Allianz, Cigna and Citigroup. He is chairman of the investment committee of four national endowments and serves on several nonprofit boards, including the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving Investment Committee and the Bushnell Board of Trustees, of which he is chair of the investment committee.

During his first year, he will serve on the Audit, Budget & Finance, Infrastructure, Investment, Strategic Planning, and Student Life committees.

A member of the Parents Council, he is the parent of Sarah, a senior. He and his wife, Dr. Ann Sagalyn, live in West Hartford, Conn. 

A 1969 graduate of the University of Connecticut, Marks earned an M.B.A. from the University of Connecticut in 1971 and an executive MBA from Dartmouth College’s Tuck School of Business in 1984.