The 2018 New York State School Superintendent of the Year, Dr. Robert Ike '94 M'99 serves as the superintendent of the Palmyra-Macedon Central School District. His phenomenal leadership has led to a 10-point increase in the overall graduation rate and a 20-point jump from 61 to 81 percent in the graduation rates of the economically disadvantaged students in the district. The school district received the School of Distinction Award by the NYS Public High School Athletic Association for having 100 percent of its varsity programs earning the Scholar-Athlete Team Award for high GPA. Under his leadership, the district is also listed among the top places to work in the Rochester, N.Y., region based on a survey conducted by Gannett newspapers. His calculated risk-taking enables the district to be on the leading edge of educational programs, and he encourages students and staff in the district to similarly take risks and be innovative in their problem-solving and planning. He serves as the current president of the New York State Council of School Superintendents and was co-chair and co-author of one of the most significant leadership studies in the nation, Snapshot of the Superintendency. In addition to being named the state’s Superintendent of the Year, he has been recognized with the 2017 Genesee Valley Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development Award, the 2006 Outstanding Leadership Award from the Belleville Henderson FFA and the 2004 NYS Middle School Principal of the Year. He holds a bachelor’s and a master’s in childhood education from SUNY Oswego, a Certificate of Advanced Study SUNY Cortland, and a doctorate in education leadership, management and policy from Seton Hall University. He currently serves as an adjunct professor with the Warner School of Education at the University of Rochester and serves as the co-director of the Superintendent Development Program at SUNY Oswego.
Kevin McMahon '78 became chief financial officer and then chief executive officer of a major North American engineering firm, Edwards and Kelcey at age 36, and led the firm on a growth track increasing revenue from $25 million to $250 million. In 2001, the company, under his leadership, was named the New Jersey Company of the Year. In 2007, he joined Jacobs, which acquired Edwards and Kelcey. As group vice president for North American infrastructure through 2013, he grew the business from 2,000 people to 3,000, and oversaw major projects for highways, rail, aviation, telecom, water and utility clients. As group vice president for Asia, he led a team of 2,500 and oversaw a diverse range of projects, involving chemicals, oil and gas, pharmaceutical, infrastructure and power sectors in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, China, Thailand, Hong Kong and the Philippines. He retired from that position in 2017 and started his own consulting practice, McMahon|Siegel Group. His professional accomplishments are balanced by his tremendous service to others. Kevin has helped create a charity benefitting traumatic brain injury victims and is on the board of Team Walker, a nonprofit that provides after school education and life skills to hundreds of disadvantaged youths in Jersey City, N.J. In 2006, he received the Distinguished Citizen Award from the Patriots’ Path Council of the Boy Scouts of America. At SUNY Oswego, he has expanded opportunities for students through his philanthropy and engagement, including creating a scholarship for students involved in one of Oswego’s African, Latino, Asian and Native American organizations, serving on the Engineering Advisory Board and sharing his experience with students.
He earned a bachelor’s in business administration from SUNY Oswego, an MBA in international business from Seton Hall University -- where he received the Paul Stillman Leadership Award -- and completed the Harvard Business School’s Executive Education Program on Leading Professional Service Firms. A member of the business honor society, Beta Gamma Sigma, Kevin is listed in Who’s Who Worldwide, and is active in many engineering and construction industry associations. He is a past president of the Design Professionals Coalition. He is also a member of The Moles, a prestigious heavy underground construction group founded in 1936.
With more than 25 years of experience in investment relations, Doreen Mochrie ’85 is a former managing partner and global head of investor relations at Perry Capital in New York City and the retired co-founder of Olympus Peak Asset Management. She is also a member of several professional organizations, including the Association of Investment Management Sales Executives and 100 Women in Hedge Funds. Most recently, Doreen was the 2013 chapter inductee of Beta Gamma Sigma, the premier international honor society of AACSB accredited business programs.
As the only woman partner at the hedge funds where she worked, she is also acutely aware of the dramatic gender gap within asset management and has worked to change that at many levels. Doreen is an angel supporter of 100 Women in Finance and has served as the senior practitioner events contact for the organization, which is a global network of women professionals in the finance and alternative investment industries. She also serves on the advisory board for the not-for-profit, Girls Who Invest, which seeks to have 30 percent of the world’s capital invested by women by 2030. She co-founded a women’s networking group called #moretogo for senior women in the asset management business. She has elevated SUNY Oswego’s experience-based, learning-by-doing approach to education with her philanthropy and engagement. She and her husband, Christopher Tuohy ’81, have made generous gifts to support SUNY Oswego’s Student Investment Club, which allows students to invest real dollars in the stock market for a high-stakes, hands-on learning environment. She has also served on the Oswego College Foundation Board of Directors since 2013, having served as secretary, and now vice chair as well as a member of the Investment, Governance and Executive committees. She also hosted students through the New York City Career Connections program. She earned a bachelor’s in mathematics from Oswego and an MBA from Adelphi University.
Betty Diaz ’02 has a consistent and long-standing history of leadership and community building, beginning with her work with sorority at SUNY Oswego to volunteering with the Latinos Employee Resource Group at NBCUniversal to her current position as director of programs and operations at ViacomCBS Veterans Network. She is the driving force in providing life-changing mentoring, guidance and career counseling for transitioning veterans through ViacomCBS’ mentorship program and veteran summer internship program. The programs have served more than 800 veterans through 2020. She also works closely with leaders in the military and veteran communities on initiatives that promote education, training and employment as well as increasing the participation of veteran-owned businesses in the Supplier Diversity Program. She also volunteers with Big Brothers Big Sisters of NYC to provide others with the tools and resources necessary for accomplishing individual career and life goals. She organizes back-to-school drives that regularly garner more than $5,000 worth of donations. A communication major at Oswego, Betty spreads goodwill in whatever way she can. For example, she established the Celebr8YOU movement. On the 8th of every month, Betty’s webpage empowers people to recognize their own worth and the positive people around them and encourages positive interactions. Betty also served as the co-hub leader for the UNIDOS New York/New Jersey hub and was one of three members who helped revive the inactive chapter in 2004. Betty initially created many of the UNIDOS yearly events, such as Career Education Day, Tasty Tuesday (sampling dishes from various Hispanic/Latino countries), Network to Footwork (a dance workshop) and the Hispanic Heritage Month’s Carnival, which attracts hundreds every year. She serves on the Scholarships Committee of the Omega Phi Beta Foundation, which awards scholarships to individuals pursuing STEM/STEAM degrees and post-secondary education. Her enthusiasm for community service helps recruit others to support these inclusive and community-building programs.
Sheneya Wilson ’15 M’16 graduated from the five-year BA/MBA public accounting program at Oswego and shortly thereafter landed a position at a leading multinational professional services firm. It was a great job—competitive salary and benefits with numerous opportunities to advance. But she discovered that the work wasn’t personally fulfilling and didn't fuel her passion to help and empower others. So, she did something few have the courage to do. She left that secure position to carve out her own path. She founded her own financial services company, Fola Financial, which helps small businesses and motivated individuals achieve their financial goals, including federal and state tax preparation and planning, small business consulting, personal financial advising and financial literacy education. Sheneya recently established a new venture titled T.E.L.P. (Tax Essentials Learning Program), a program that teaches lay people about taxes in a fun and practical way. A “serial entrepreneur,” she recently became a real estate investor, and she purchased a home that she plans to renovate to provide housing for lower income citizens. At Oswego, she co-founded a chapter of the National Association of Black Accountants (NABA) and started a scholarship to sponsor three students per academic year to attend NABA's eastern regional conference. She wrote a book that she shares for free and offers many free webinars, presentations and meetings to help improve financial literacy among millennials and historically disenfranchised people. Continually looking to give back to the community, Sheneya’s not-for-profit “My Successful Sistah” hosts Cap N Crowns every year to celebrate the graduation of young women who are making positive strides toward their futures. She volunteers her time to speak with SUNY Oswego alumni and students, and serves on the Oswego Alumni Association Board of Directors.