Association of Alumni Officers 2008 - 09

The Slate of Officers and members of the Executive Committee listed here will:

Pledge to work with the newly re-energized Alumni Council and the Board of Trustees and administration to make certain all alumni/ae voices are heard and that concerns are discussed in a forthright, constructive and civil manner within the Dartmouth family.
Vote immediately to drop the lawsuit. Dartmouth alumni organizations don't sue their Alma Mater
Commit to never taking any future action of magnitude without seeking your prior majority approval

Officer and Executive Committee Members:

Please read their biographies, their commitment to Dartmouth and the substance of their statements. This is an impressive slate of loyal Dartmouth alumni who will serve you well.

This is a team effort and this is your team.

Officers

President - John H. Mathias Jr. '69

Mathias John is a senior partner in the law firm of Jenner & Block in Chicago. At Dartmouth he was a member of the varsity basketball team, the Undergraduate Council, Dragon (President), Phi Delt (Rush Chairman), Naval ROTC (XO), and Phi Beta Kappa. After Harvard Law School (1972), he served three years in the Navy. A financial aid recipient, he has led the annual Dartmouth Club of Chicago Scholarship fund drive for 25 years and has served on his last five class reunion giving committees. He and Julie have five Dartmouth children (’07, ’09, ’09, ’11, ’11) and are currently co-chairs of the Family Fellows Committee of the Dartmouth Parents Fund. He is a founder of the Dartmouth Lawyers Association, a Senior Trustee of The Latin School of Chicago, and a board member of ChicagoSinfonietta.

Statement

Dartmouth alumni should be united in support of the finest undergraduate college anywhere. With President Wright’s coming retirement in June 2009, we must not allow the appearance of alumni disunity to hamper our ability to attract the best candidates in the search for Dartmouth’s next President.

We owe Dartmouth--not vice versa. Nothing should compromise our duty to protect and enhance Dartmouth’s reputation and stature in the world community. Alumni can and should advocate and interact effectively on the most important issues and opportunities facing the College in years ahead with collective goodwill.

The lawsuit against Dartmouth filed by last year’s slate of petition elected Executive Committee members is causing acrimony among alumni while diverting money and resources from undergraduate education. Worse yet, financial support for this divisive lawsuit comes from anonymous outside interests having hidden agendas and lacking accountability for the welfare of the College. This is an intolerable situation which should be promptly ended.

Conflicting views among alumni about procedures for election or appointment of Trustees, no matter how sincerely held, are not sufficient cause for seeking judicial or legislative intervention into College and alumni internal affairs, as has been done here. The Dartmouth family is capable of resolving these issues on its own.

I pledge my best efforts to promote and restore Dartmouth alumni unity. I will avoid the polarizing “independents vs. insiders” rhetoric too often heard in recent alumni elections. I believe we are all on the same side for the betterment of Dartmouth.

Please vote for our slate: Bascomb, Keare, Spalding, Baldauf, Brown, Engelman, Harris, Jaxheimer, Kerr, and Schram.

First Vice President - Cheryl A. Bascomb '82

Cheryl has spent over 20 years in marketing and communications working with organizations to help communicate positive, accurate, understandable messages to their markets and constituents. As an undergraduate, Cheryl was Captain of both the Track and Field and Cross Country teams, played rugby, and was a member of KKG and Cobra. Now living in Maine, she visits Dartmouth frequently, talks with current students, and understands both how the College has changed and how it has remained the same.

Statement

I adopt the statement of John Mathias and urge the election of our entire slate, including Keare, Spalding, Baldauf, Brown, Engelman, Harris, Jaxheimer, Kerr, and Schram.

With a full-time job and a busy family, I know first-hand the need to reach concerned alumni who care about the College but may not have the luxury of time to devote to studying issues relevant to today’s Dartmouth.

As a currently sitting member of the Association of Alumni Executive Committee, I have had the benefit of hearing from many different alumni and have had time to listen to their input, answer their questions, and represent their diversity of interests and ideas as best I can.

I have positive working relationships with a variety of people related to the College, from Trustees to Alumni Council officers, from administrators to people disenchanted with Dartmouth. All of them have my ear and have proven that they are willing to work with me and listen to my input.

After a year sitting on the Executive Committee and voting against the petition candidate majority, I am more committed than ever to end the rancorous and highly public debate and lawsuit that has created so much negative publicity for Dartmouth.

With the upcoming search for Dartmouth’s next President, it is important to create an atmosphere and a public perception of Dartmouth that is conducive to attracting the best candidates. We need an Executive Committee and slate of officers who are willing to be independent of special interests and communicate accurate, fair, and broadly representative viewpoints to Trustees, other alumni organizations, students, faculty, and administrators.

I look forward to focusing on making Dartmouth’s Association of Alumni play an important and positive role in the life of the College.

Second Vice Pres. - Douglas H. Keare '56, TU/TH '57

Keare Doug recently retired from a career in international development, consisting mainly of a quarter century as a manager in the World Bank. At Dartmouth he was a member of the freshman football team, Sphinx, Kappa Sigma (now Chi Gam), of which he is now Corporation President, and Phi Beta Kappa. Following Tuck/Thayer, he obtained his Ph.D. in economics from Princeton. He has remained consistently active in Class affairs, establishing a class scholarship, initially for foreign scholars, in the early 1960s; as Class president from 1976 through 87; and most recently as “whip” on his 50th reunion committee, engineering a record turnout.

Statement

I adopt the statement of John Mathias and urge the election of our entire slate.

I am the only person on our slate who is a founding member of Dartmouth Undying (www.dartmouthundying.org). I adopt its platform as well.

I was a founding member and officer of Dartmouth Alumni for Open Governance (DAOG). I have a long history of pushing for a more open and participatory style of College governance, particularly by the Board of Trustees.

Although much of this history has been frustrating, several years ago things began to improve. People started paying attention and listening. Within the past few years the system has become sufficiently open to actually welcome advice, however critical, from alumni who have Dartmouth’s best interests at heart.

It is therefore troubling that during this same few years a new cast of characters with a very different agenda has taken opportunistic advantage of the improved situation created by DAOG and has succeeded in electing last year a petition slate of candidates achieving a bare majority on the Association of Alumni’s Executive Committee. With this newly gained power, the petition slate members filed a totally unnecessary and very divisive lawsuit against the College.

This has happened at a time when Dartmouth is exceptionally strong. Its Trustees are eager-- not just willing-- to engage in any reasoned argument. Jim Wright, following a few early stumbles, has a record of solid achievement. With his stepping down in June 2009, alumni have an opportunity to collaborate in finding a truly superlative leader to take Dartmouth well into the 21st century.

Our slate will work with the Trustee committees on governance and alumni relations (newly created) to reestablish a strong, mutually respectful governance partnership for the betterment of Dartmouth

Secretary/Treasurer - David P. Spalding '76

David returned to Dartmouth in 2005 as vice president for Alumni Relations. As an undergraduate he was a member of AD and the debate team, worked at Thayer, and appeared on WDCR. He graduated cum laude in history in 1976, received an MBA from NYU in 1984, and spent more than 29 years in the financial services industry in New York. He has been a very active Dartmouth volunteer, serving on the President's Leadership Council and the Dartmouth College Fund. He was a member or co-chair of the giving committees for his 20th, 25th, and 30th reunions. His father, Lyle Spalding, is a member of the Class of 1952. David has served on a number of boards, including three years as chairman of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Metro New York.

Statement

I adopt the statement of John Mathias, and I urge the election of our entire slate, including Bascomb, Keare, Baldauf, Brown, Engelman, Harris, Jaxheimer, Kerr, and Schram. Already, hundreds of Dartmouth alumni have endorsed our candidacies at www.dartmouthundying.org.

Dartmouth must focus on giving its students the best educational experience in the world. Seeking the interference of courts or the New Hampshire legislature in the governance of the College does not promote that mission. Efforts to get both to intervene in the work of the College were undertaken by members of the current Alumni Association. As your representative, I opposed the lawsuit launched by the majority leadership of the association against the College: litigation saps money and attention away from our students and harms Dartmouth’s reputation.

As a student at Dartmouth I learned the importance of giving back. Like the other candidates I endorse, I have actively volunteered and given to the College since graduating.

There are many voices that need to be heard for Dartmouth to be successful, including those of students, alumni, faculty, and administrators. As vice president for Alumni Relations, I am committed to enhancing communication between the College and her alumni. We must do a better job of gathering broad alumni opinion in an objective manner and informing all alumni about what's happening in Hanover.

Since the days of Ernest Martin Hopkins, Class of 1901, a Dartmouth employee has been secretary of the association, strengthening the ties between the College and her alumni leadership. I was proud to carry on this tradition last year, and I look forward to representing you again this coming year.

Executive Committee Members

Marian Zischke Baldauf '84

Baldauf Marian has worked for 21 years at Dodge & Cox, an investment management firm in San Francisco, where she lives with her husband and two children. At Dartmouth, Marian was a religion major; treasurer of Kappa Kappa Gamma, chairperson of the DOC’s Winter Sports Division, and a member of Fire and Skoal. She is from a strong Dartmouth family: Peter Zischke’52; brother Mike Zischke’77; and sister Karen Zischke ‘86.

Marian received the Young Alumni Distinguished Service Award (1997); was treasurer of the Dartmouth Club of Chicago and President of the Dartmouth Alumni Association of Northern California and Nevada; served on the Executive Committee of the Alumni Council; and was a member of the Club Officers Association.

Statement

I adopt the statement of John Mathias and urge election of our entire slate.

I am running as a loyal and devoted Dartmouth alumna to help the College move forward in a positive direction. The divisive lawsuit filed against the College by six current petition elected members of the Association Executive Committee does not represent me nor do I believe the vast majority of Dartmouth alumni. This lawsuit is doing measurable harm to the College. Regardless of anyone’s opinion on alumni governance issues, it’s critical for Dartmouth’s future that this divisive lawsuit be dismissed and that we move forward in a positive, united way. I am honored to be part of the slate put forward by the Nominating Committee, welcome your support, and encourage you to engage our fellow alumni in this important election.

Veree Hawkins Brown '93

Brown Veree is the Managing Director, Airline Relations for Travelocity.com and leads supplier relations for the Flights business. Prior to Travelocity, Veree held leadership positions for Sabre Holdings in Global Marketing and Corporate Finance including responsibility for Sabre Holdings’ corporate budget, board of directors reporting, and staff budgets.

Veree majored in English and received her MBA in Finance from SMU in 1996. She was active in Delta Gamma/CFSC, The Hop, C&G and managed the men’s soccer team. She has served as past president of the Dartmouth Club of Dallas and as a member of the Dartmouth Alumni Council Trustee Nominating Committee, among other key leadership roles for the College. In 2006 she received the Dartmouth Young Alumni Distinguished Service Award. Veree is originally from Albuquerque, but now resides in Dallas with her husband Bert ’92 and daughter.

Statement

I want to serve Dartmouth as a member of the Executive Committee in order to bring alumni back together in support of continued excellence for the College. All alumni have a responsibility to engage in thoughtful dialogue about the future opportunities and challenges that Dartmouth faces. We need to step back from the current divisive positions and work together to provide accurate, unbiased information and feedback from alumni to the administration and vice versa in a positive and constructive manner. Dartmouth stands on values of community, and I will ensure that I represent the needs and opinions of the entire community for the welfare of Dartmouth.

John S. Engelman '68

Engleman Beginning in 1974, John worked at the National Bank of Lebanon for several years, at which time he went into business for himself managing investments. A government major at Dartmouth, he was an officer of AD and active in the DOC and Winter Sports Club.

John has served as: Class Head Agent, Reunion Giving Chair, Mini-Reunion Chair and Newsletter Editor; Secretary of the Dartmouth Club of the Upper Valley; Alumni Coordinator for the Athletic Sponsor Program; and as AD’s Alumni Advisor for 30 years. Twice a member of the Alumni Council, he received the Dartmouth Alumni Award (2004).

Statement

I adopt the statement of John Mathias and urge election of our entire slate: Bascomb, Keare, Spalding, Baldauf, Brown, Harris, Jaxheimer, Kerr, Schram.

It’s imperative that divisions among the alumni be healed so that we may all work together for the benefit of Dartmouth.

I haven’t always agreed with decisions of the Administration and Trustees. One of my proudest alumni accomplishments was my leadership role, working with the administration and Trustees, to change the direction of the Student Life Initiative to assure the future of fraternities and sororities. When people of good will come together, as we all did then, there are no Dartmouth family problems that cannot be solved-- without outside intervention by courts or politicians.

Dartmouth is an enduring institution of which all alumni should be proud. It needs alumni leaders who have demonstrated a consistent commitment to and appreciation of the unique niche it occupies in higher education.

Ronald G. Harris '71

Harris Ron was a founder of Bloomberg, LP. An undergraduate math major, he was a systems programmer working under Professors Kemeny and Kurtz to develop Dartmouth Time Sharing. He was a member of the Ski Patrol and Cabin & Trail. He earned an MS in Computer Science at Yale. Ron’s volunteer service includes Alumni Council, DCF Committee, ’71 Executive Committee, Reunion Giving Chair, Leadership Agent, and Major Gift Committee. He received the Roger Wilde 1921 Reunion Award in 2001. Major gifts include a Professorship, the Harris Fellowship Challenge, and the Thomas Kurtz Conference Room in the Kemeny Building.

Statement

I want Dartmouth to occupy the same place in the lives of present and future students that it did in mine.

For that to happen, Dartmouth must be led with vision and wisdom, preserving our values while adapting to a changing world. Alumni are crucial to this process. First and foremost, we leave Hanover rich with gifts from the generations who preceded us. I believe each of us has an obligation to repay in time and treasure, as our circumstances permit, the generosity of the past so that future students enjoy similar gifts.

Second, we have taken our individual Dartmouth experiences ‘round the girdled earth. We are uniquely qualified to reflect the worlds of our careers and families back to Hanover and to offer advice to the College leadership.

The divisive lawsuit serves no one in the Dartmouth community. I will work along with John Mathias to resolve the lawsuit.

Kaitlin Jaxheimer '05

Jaxheimer Living in New York City, Kaitlin works for Weber Shandwick, a global public relations firm, specializing in strategic corporate media relations.

As an undergraduate, she was Vice President of Tri Delt, a member of Cobra, and worked as an Undergraduate Advisor, Collis Manager and Dartmouth College Fund intern. After graduating as an English and Economics major in 2005, she has remained engaged as the 2005 Executive Committee Treasurer and an alumni interviewer.

Statement

It’s disappointing that the collegial atmosphere that fostered our undergraduate experiences is not characteristic of our alumni community. A divided community now greets new graduates baiting them to disavow the undying loyalty they seek to cherish. They join not a united community devoted to service, but one that is compromising the reputation of the institution of which they are so proud.

As the most junior member of the slate with my Dartmouth undergraduate experience shaped by relationships with the most talented athletes, scholars, Greek leaders, professors and administrators fresh in mind, I pledge to provide the untainted perspective needed to unite our community around the understanding that Dartmouth continues and will continue to provide an unparalleled experience for all who enroll.

We are compelled to provide our wisdom and experience in our service to the College and must do so constructively. I assure you of my commitment to represent our alumni family and ensure our participation in the College’s future of continued excellence.

I adopt the statement of John Mathias and urge election of our entire slate.

Otho E. Kerr, III '79

Kerr Otho is an Executive Director of Oppenheimer & Co in New York. At Dartmouth, he was a member of the Varsity Track and Field team, Phi Delta Alpha, and Fire and Skoal. He was Senior Class President and the Barrett Cup recipient for all-around achievement. Following graduation, he attended Harvard Law School and began as a litigator at Simpson, Thacher & Bartlett.

Otho has served as President of the Alumni Council, Chairman of the Board of the Tucker Foundation, and Chairman of the Dartmouth College Fund Committee Participation Task Force. He received the Dartmouth Alumni Award in 2006. Otho is a Rockefeller Foundation Next Generation Leadership Fellow and a co-founder of the Institute for Youth Entrepreneurship in Harlem. He serves on several boards.

Statement

I want to bring perspective and balance back to the Association and the governance of Dartmouth.

I’m an independent, objective thinker. I have at times been extremely critical of the College and at other times extremely supportive. Properly governing the College requires balance. The President and Trustees must balance the interests of the students, the faculty, the staff and the alumni. The Association needs to understand that a proper balance means that the alumni/ae body should have a say in the governance of the College, but it should not have sole say over what happens.

I support the platform of Dartmouth Undying: www.dartmouthundying.org. I adopt the statement of John Mathias and urge election of our entire slate.

Ronald B. Schram '64

Now retired, Ron was the founder of the health care practice at the law firm of Ropes & Gray in Boston and for 30 years was an expert in the governance of non-profit organizations. At Dartmouth, Ron was a member of the varsity football and basketball teams, Palaeopitus, Sphinx, Beta, and was IFC President. After graduating magna cum laude, he earned a masters degree in economics in England and a doctorate in law and economic policy from Michigan Law School.

Ron has been a club and class president, on the Alumni Council, and an Alumni Trustee (1981-1992). He won the Alumni Award in 1994.

He is Chair of the Board of Visitors of the Rockefeller Center. He is the father of Laura '94 and Alison '97.

Statement

While serving as a Trustee, we faced many contentious issues, but they were all resolved with civility. I favored parity between alumni and charter trustees and told the Board that. My view did not prevail, but I respect their judgment. They are alumni too and have the benefit of not only more information but also debating the alternatives with each other. Bringing a lawsuit in response to a decision that did not go your way is not a prudent exercise of judgment. It has harmed the College in the recruitment of faculty and students and will threaten the search for a new president. I pledge to end the lawsuit and to bring the Dartmouth family together again in constructive debate to strengthen the College.

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