Eleven distinguished members of the Hofstra community were honored for exemplary career achievement and outstanding service to the University at the 2024 Alumni Awards Dinner on September 26 at the Garden City Hotel.
In her welcoming remarks, Hofstra President Susan Poser said, “Tonight we are celebrating a group of wonderful people who have found success in their careers, some in the early stages of that journey, and some farther along. And I am full of admiration for each of you and very proud to be able to claim you as Hofstra alumni. There is no better distinction for a university than having successful alumni.”
The awards included Honorary Alumna, Alumnus of the Year, Young Alumnus, Young Alumna, and Alumni Achievement. This year’s roster of honorees includes:
Honorary Alumna
Martha S. Pope, Vice Chair, Hofstra Board of Trustees
Martha Pope’s career reflects her interest in public policy including legislative, administrative, and political responsibilities in the United States and abroad.
Pope participated in U.S., British, and Irish government initiatives to end decades of conflict in Northern Ireland. These efforts culminated in 1998 in the signing of an historic peace agreement in Northern Ireland known as The Good Friday Agreement.
Prior to her work in Northern Ireland, Pope served as a constitutional officer of the U.S. Senate. Before serving as a Senate officer, she worked for Senator George J. Mitchell as a member of his staff on the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, then as his legislative director, followed by work as his administrative assistant. When Mitchell became Senate Majority Leader, Pope was appointed his chief of staff.
Pope has served on the Hofstra University Board of Trustees since 2001.
Alumnus of the Year
John J. Healy Jr. ’69, ’77, Co-Founder and Principal, Hyde Street Holdings, LLC
John J. Healy Jr. is co-founder and managing principal of Hyde Street Holdings, LLC (HSH).
Established in 1998, HSH has successfully founded, repositioned, advised, or otherwise added value to numerous fintech and real property companies; debt and equity portfolios (including CMBS); and other investment vehicles.
Prior to founding HSH, Healy and his wife, Trish (also a partner in the firm), were co-founders of Hanford/Healy Companies. From 1988 to 1996, the firm provided real estate investment and advisory services, asset management services, and special servicing, while acting as a principal in the acquisition of loan portfolios and below investment grade securities. In 1996, Hanford/Healy was sold to General Motors Commercial Mortgage Corporation.
Healy has served as a board member on Bay Apartment Communities (REIT) NYSE; AvalonBay Communities (REIT) NYSE; Prologis Targeted U.S. Logistics, and Libritas. He is currently serving as a board observer for Groundfloor. A trustee and governor of the Urban Land Institute (ULI), he has served on the boards of the Alexander YMCA, Downtown Raleigh Alliance, United Arts Council, and the San Francisco Heritage.
In his acceptance speech at the dinner, Healy said that he and his wife “believe that purpose and creative leadership result in abundance, and abundance should be shared. All three I learned at Hofstra.”
Healy graduated from Hofstra with a BBA in Banking and Finance and an MBA in Banking and Finance. He served as captain of the 1967 Hofstra men’s soccer team. He and his wife are members of the Hofstra University Capital Campaign Executive Committee and are active supportors of the Hofstra University men’s soccer team and the Hofstra Athletics Program.
Young Alumnus
Michael Fuller ’16, ’17, Anchor/Reporter, WGAL-TV (Lancaster, Pennsylvania)
Michael Fuller co-anchors WGAL News at 4 p.m. and reports for the 10 and 11 p.m. newscasts.
Fuller previously worked at NBC Connecticut as a general assignment reporter, where he covered some of the biggest stories of the time, such as Alex Jones’ nearly $1 billion payout in the Sandy Hook trial, the 2020 presidential election, and the rise of COVID-19.
Prior to his time in Connecticut, Fuller was a part of the WLTX-TV CBS affiliate news team in Columbia, South Carolina, where he joined as a multimedia journalist in January of 2018.
Fuller graduated from Hofstra University with a dual BA/MA in Journalism. During his time at Hofstra, he hosted the student-run radio morning show on WRHU 88.7 FM. He also co-anchored the television news program “Hofstra Today,” hosted “FYI Long Island,” and participated in four of Hofstra’s long-standing fall festivals, which draw thousands of Hofstra students, families, and alumni each year. In the fall of 2016, Fuller covered the presidential debate that took place at Hofstra and the Democratic National Convention.
Fuller is a member of the National Association of Black Journalists and the Society of Professional Journalists.
Young Alumna
Liane Sousa ’19, Account Executive, Compass Media Networks
Liane Sousa is currently an account executive for Compass Media Networks, an entertainment company with a growing portfolio of audio and web-based programs distributed to thousands of radio stations throughout America. In this role, Sousa creates multi-platform advertising sales packages for leading national brands, leveraging the company’s national audio platform and broadcast talent.
Sousa’s accomplishments include being named in Radio Ink magazine’s “30 and Under 30 Superstars,” a leading radio industry trade publication. She is also a member of the Alliance for Women in Media and served as a judge for the 2024 Gracie Awards.
Sousa was the first female sports director at WRHU-88.7 FM Hofstra University. She also produced and distributed all New York Islanders games to ESPN Radio NY, Sirius XM, NHL.com, WRCN FM, and WRHU-88.7 FM. Sousa worked at MLB Advanced Media, where she served in their live in-game television production department. She created multi-platform baseball content seen on FOX Sports and the YES Network.
Her philanthropic activities include Cycle For Survival and a backpack initiative to supply 500+ backpacks to K-12th graders on Long Island through Operation Impact.
Sousa, who graduated with a BA in Journalism from Hofstra, is president of the Hofstra Radio Alumni Association.
Alumni Achievement
Dennis Ashby ’96, Vice President of Partner Alliance, Customer Experience, and Growth, Functionize
Dennis Ashby is the vice president of partner alliance, customer experience, and growth at Functionize, a Silicon Valley start-up transforming software testing with cutting-edge AI and ML technologies.
Before joining Functionize, Ashby was the global vice president of sales at IBM’s Expert Labs, where he led worldwide sales initiatives for AI, data, and automation consulting products.
Ashby’s professional journey is marked by more than two decades in executive roles across start-ups and midsized companies, contributing to pioneering projects in banking, e-commerce, digital economy, and AI. His technical leadership and commitment to innovation have consistently driven the success of his teams and the organizations he has led.
In 2018, he authored APIs for dummies, 3rd Edition, published by John Wiley & Sons. This comprehensive guide helps business leaders navigate the complexities of API adoption, providing strategic insights and practical steps to scale API programs across organizations.
Ashby is also the founder and chief architect of Beyeo, an exclusive, invitation-only social networking platform. He serves as the president-elect of the Disaster Accountability Project, a nonprofit dedicated to improving disaster management through transparency and equity.
Ashby graduated from Hofstra with a BS in Computer Science and resides in the San Francisco Bay area.
Hermina “Nina” Batson ’90, Director and Head, Internal Audit Regulatory Engagement, Barclays
Nina Batson has been an active member of the Financial Women’s Association (FWA) since 2009 and is currently the FWA’s immediate past resident.
She is a director and global head of Internal Audit Regulatory Engagement at Barclays and has more than 30 years of banking and finance experience in firms such as MUFG, Goldman Sachs, BNP Paribas, and JPMorgan Chase.
Batson’s extensive background includes commercial paper conduit financing, compliance, tax operations, accounting, risk management, regulatory reporting, syndications, conduit administration, supply chain finance, audit related aspects, and all types of securitization execution. CIO Views magazine recognized Batson as one of the “10 Most Successful Black Businesswomen Making a Difference in 2023,” and Crain’s New York Business named her a “2022 Notable Black Leader.”
Batson is also a recipient of the Markets Choice Awards’ “Women in Finance: Excellence in Social Responsibility Award.” She sits on the Department of Financial Services Equity and Opportunity Advisory Council, holds Series 79 and 63 certifications.
She earned a BBA and a Certificate in Accounting from Hofstra University.
Adam Boll ’06, Senior Vice President, Strategic Business Initiatives, Northwell Health
Adam Boll is senior vice president of strategic business initiatives at Northwell Health. He is responsible for the development and operations of strategic business at Northwell, including its clinical joint venture network, anesthesia business and strategy, system perioperative strategy, new business opportunities, and Vivo Health, Northwell’s retail, specialty, and mail order pharmacy enterprise. His focus is also on revenue and margin diversification, driving new and sustainable sources of revenue, and the growth of strategic business segments.
During his 18 years with Northwell Health, Boll has served on several joint venture and business management boards. Northwell’s clinical joint venture network includes clinical businesses such as urgent care, ambulatory surgery, and outpatient dialysis, amongst others. Since 2014, Boll has been instrumental in the start up and growth of Northwell’s urgent care enterprise in partnership with GoHealth Urgent Care. Additionally, he has played a key role in the growth and expansion of the health system’s ambulatory surgery network and outpatient and home kidney dialysis network, in partnership with DaVita kidney care.
Boll holds a bachelor’s degree in Physician Assistant Studies from Hofstra University. He is a member of the Dean’s Advisory Board at the Hofstra Northwell School of Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies. He earned an MPA from New York University’s Wagner School of Public Service and is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives.
Tara Buonocore-Rut ’03, ’04, President and CEO, CenterLight Healthcare PACE
Tara Buonocore-Rut is president and CEO of CenterLight Health System, a not-for-profit organization that operates the nation’s largest Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE).
Buonocore-Rut joined CenterLight in 2020 and has since led efforts to restructure its care delivery, business development, business intelligence, and compliance functions – all in service of more integrated, higher quality care.
Prior to joining CenterLight, Buonocore-Rut served as executive vice president of strategy and operations at Parker Jewish Institute for Health Care and Rehabilitation, where she successfully planned and implemented corporate, financial, clinical, and quality goals.
An active contributor to healthcare industry and governmental workgroups, Buonocore-Rut serves on the board of the National PACE Association. She is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives, American College of Health Care Administrators, Healthcare Leaders of New York, and New York State PACE Alliance, and has served as president of the PACE/MLTC Cabinet for LeadingAge New York.
Buonocore-Rut maintains a nursing home administrator’s license and holds an MHA and a BBA from Hofstra University, where she serves as chairperson of the Dean’s Advisory Board for the School of Health Sciences.
Anita Chinkes-Ratner ’89, Executive Vice President of Creative Music Strategy, Paramount
As executive vice president of creative music strategy, Anita Chinkes-Ratner leads music strategy across Paramount’s iconic brands, including BET, CBS, CMT, Comedy Central, Logo, MTV, Paramount+, Pluto TV, Showtime, and VH1.
Chinkes-Ratner collaborates with show and music creators to execute the sound that define content. She drives promotion initiatives that amplify music stories within shows and has produced numerous soundtracks and singles. Her group handles music supervision and services with a focus on original music creation and oversees music strategy for award-winning programming across a wide variety of genres, including “Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens,” “The Real World,” “Emily in Paris,” “The L Word Generation Q,” “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” “Beavis and Butt-Head,” “The Challenge,” “Yo! MTV Raps,” and “Yellowstone.”
Chinkes-Ratner leads music creation for Viacom Originals and is the founder of the MTV Entertainment Group First Time Composers program. She is active in music-focused nonprofits and mentorship programs, including She Is the Music, Girls Make Beats, BYXX, and Earth Girl.
Chinkes-Ratner has worked as a freelance music supervisor and consultant on numerous film, TV, and artist projects. Discovering music and artists, new and old, is one of the things that she enjoys most about her role at Paramount.
She earned a BA in Sociology from Hofstra University and serves on the Dean’s Advisory Board for Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
Hillary Serota Needle ’89, President, Hillary Needle Events Inc.
Hillary Serota Needle has more than 25 years of senior management expertise in event planning for corporate and nonprofit organizations. She created Hillary Needle Events Inc. in 2009 to bring her creativity, passion, and dedication directly to clients who value her unique ability to create exciting opportunities to generate revenue and gain recognition for their events.
Needle been honored multiple times by Long Island Business News (LIBN). She has been featured in LIBN’s 2022 Power List: Long Island’s Most Powerful Women; named as one of the Top 50 Most Influential Women in Business; and included in the publication’s Who’s Who in Women in Professional Services issues. She was selected in 2015 as a Long Island Power Woman in Business by The Queens Courier – Schneps Media.
Needle is the immediate past president of Hofstra’s Alumni Organization. She has served as president of The Lawrence Herbert School of Communication Alumni Association and was the Hofstra University Alumni Organization’s vice president for programs.
Needle is also a contemporary realist painter whose work in oils has attracted collectors from across the country, and has been featured in numerous galleries and juried exhibitions. She is a member of the Art League of Long Island, Art Studio Hamptons Gallery, Huntington Arts Council, Long Island Museum, LIMarts, and the Mills Pond Gallery/Smithtown Township Arts Council.
Sajed Sahni ’02, Head Partner Solutions, ChromeOS, America’s Google
Sajed Sahni is an accomplished IT professional with more than 20 years of diverse industry experience. He has excelled in roles involving technical support, systems administration, and solutions engineering.
Sahni has been with Google for the past nine years in various roles across Android, Pixel, and ChromeOS. He currently leads the ChromeOS Channel Technical Sales teams where he is responsible for ensuring that channel partners are enabled to sell and support ChromeOS. In addition, Sahni works closely with partners to build a services portfolio to support deployment, application modernization, and implementation projects. Sahni graduated from Hofstra with a BS in Computer Engineering. He earned an MS in finance from New York University-Polytechnic School of Engineering and an MBA from
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