The at the Martin J. Whitman School of Management welcomes Thomas Constable G’04, G’04, as its director and Ltc. (ret) John G. Dean IV  G’04 MBA, G’04, as associate director.

Both Constable and Dean are both graduates of the Defense Comptrollership Program (DCP) and earned dual master’s degrees—an MBA from the Whitman School and a master’s degree in public administration (MPA) from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs—as classmates in 2004.

Thomas Constable, director, Defense Programs

From 1987 to 2008, Constable was on active duty with the U.S. Army and is a retired civilian senior executive with the Department of Defense. He was the associate director of the Defense Program from August 2023 through February 2024 before moving into his current role.

Constable had a long career as a member of the senior executive service with the Department of Defense. Prior to joining the Whitman School, he was the principal assistant secretary of defense for manpower and reserve affairs from 2022 to 2023 and the principal deputy assistant secretary of defense for readiness from 2019 to 2022, in the Office of the Secretary of Defense.

Constable also held the position of director of resource integration for the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence and as the associate director for military operations/comptroller for the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense, as well the senior financial official for the U.S. Army, Africa, and as a senior budget analyst for the Under Secretary of Defense, Comptroller.

As he settles into his role as director of Whitman’s Defense Program, Constable says, “I loved my own experience with this program, and the opportunity came at a time when I had 35 years with the Department of Defense,” he says. “I really wanted to teach but never had the chance. So, it all came together beautifully, and I haven’t looked back.”

Ltc. (ret) John G. Dean, associate director, Defense Programs

Dean started in his new role as associate director of Defense Programs in the Whitman School on April 1. He retired from the U.S. Army after 25 years of active duty service. Before joining the Whitman School, he was the chief of the Agency Contingency and Coordination branch of the Defense Threat Reduction Agency in Alexandria, Virginia, from 2002 to 2024.

He worked for the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency as a regional chief of regulatory compliance and chief of chemical security in New York City from 2017 to 2022.  Before DHS, he served as the regional program manager for the Radiological Assistance Program, National Nuclear Security Agency in Idaho Falls, Idaho, from 2013 to 2017. He is also a freelance writer, organizational consultant and training developer.

“I am very pleased to come back to Syracuse University and the Whitman Defense Programs after 20 years,” says Dean. “I’m thankful for the knowledge I received here, and I’m eager to share my years of military and federal experience with students and Defense Program future leaders.”

“The Whitman School is fortunate to welcome Tom and John to the Defense Programs,” says J. Michael Haynie, executive dean at the Whitman School and the University’s vice chancellor for strategic initiatives and innovation, as well as a 14-year veteran as an officer in the U.S. Air Force. “Their collective experience both as active duty military and with various agencies within the Department of Defense will not only greatly benefit our students but will help our programs continue to reach a broader audience across the DOD and the national security community.”

An award-winning journalist, a hall of fame basketball coach, a nationally recognized library conservationist, a global financial executive and a renowned computer scientist will be recognized with honorary degrees from Syracuse University at the 2024 Commencement on Sunday, May 12, at the JMA Wireless Dome.

Hilton Als, writer at The New Yorker; Jim Boeheim ’66, G’73, former Syracuse men’s basketball coach and special assistant to the director of athletics; husband and wife, William “Bill” Brodsky ’65, L’68, chairman of a specialized investment firm and an investment management firm, and Joan Breier Brodsky ’67, G’68, a National Museum and Library Services Board member; and Lynn Conway, inventor of methods for designing Very Large Scale Integrated silicon chips, will be honored for their outstanding achievements in their professional careers and the difference they have made in the lives of others.

Hilton Als
Doctor of Letters

Als is an award-winning journalist, critic and curator. He has been a staff writer at The New Yorker since 1994. Prior to The New Yorker, Als was a staff writer for the Village Voice and an editor-at-large at Vibe. He has received numerous awards for his work, including the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism (2017), Yale’s Windham-Campbell Literature Prize (2016), the George Jean Nathan Award for Dramatic Criticism (2002-03) and a Guggenheim Fellowship (2000).

His first book, “The Women,” was published in 1996. His next book, “White Girls,” was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award and the winner of the Lambda Literary Award in 2014. His most recent book, “My Pinup,” a meditation on love and of loss, of Prince and of desire, was published in November 2022.

In 2017, he curated the critically lauded exhibition “Alice Neel, Uptown,” which traveled from David Zwirner, New York, to Victoria Miro, London and Venice. In 2019, Als presented “God Made My Face: A Collective Portrait of James Baldwin” at David Zwirner, New York, followed by Frank Moore at, David Zwirner, New York (2021) and Toni Morrison’s “Black Book,” at David Zwirner, New York (2022). He curated a series of three successive exhibitions for the Yale Center for British Art, New Haven, of the work of Celia Paul (2018), Lynette Yiadom-Boakye (2019) and Njideka Akunyili Crosby (2022). In 2022, he curated “Joan Didion: What She Means” at the Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, which traveled to the Perez Art Museum Miami in 2023. He curated Jared Buckhiester “No heaven, no how,” which opened March 2024 at the David Kordansky Gallery in Los Angeles.

Als is currently a teaching professor at the University of California, Berkeley, and has also taught at Columbia University’s School of the Arts, Princeton University, Wesleyan University and the Yale School of Drama.

Jim Boeheim ’66, G’73
Doctor of Humane Letters

Hall of Fame member Jim Boeheim had a remarkable run as head coach at his alma mater, Syracuse University. Boeheim guided the Orange to winning records in 46 of 47 campaigns. Syracuse made 35 trips into the NCAA Tournament, including Final Four appearances in 1987, 1996, 2003, 2013 and 2016. The Orange won the national championship in 2003. Boeheim retired from coaching after the 2023 season but continues to work for the University.

Boeheim was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2005. He was also honored with the John R. Wooden “Legends of Coaching” Award.

Boeheim enrolled at Syracuse in 1962 and was a walk-on with the basketball team. The Orange were 22-6 overall his senior year and earned the program’s second-ever NCAA Tournament berth. He earned a bachelor’s from the College of Arts and Sciences and the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and a master’s from the Maxwell School. In 1969 he turned to a career in coaching and was hired as a graduate assistant at Syracuse. In 1976, he was named head coach.

A four-time BIG EAST Coach of the Year, Boeheim has been honored as NABC District II Coach of the Year 10 times and USBWA District II Coach of the Year on four occasions. In the fall of 2000, he received Syracuse University’s Arents Award, the school’s highest alumni honor.

Boeheim was named 2001 USA Basketball National Coach of the Year. He has served as an assistant coach for the U.S. Olympic teams that won gold medals in 2008, 2012 and 2016, and the World Cup in 2010 and 2014.

A champion of many charitable causes, Boeheim and his wife started the Jim and Juli Boeheim Foundation with the goal of enriching the lives of kids in need.

Joan Breier Brodsky ’67, G’68
Doctor of Humane Letters

Joan Brodsky graduated from the College of Arts and Sciences in 1967 with a bachelor’s in Latin language and literature and went on to graduate from the School of Information Studies (formerly the School of Library Science) in 1968 with a master of science degree.

Joan is passionate and knowledgeable about rare book and cultural heritage conservation and has been active nationally for many years, including sitting on the board of the Newberry Library in Chicago, as a Trustee for the Abraham Lincoln Museum and Library, as well as the library advisory board of the Jewish Theological Seminary. She also served on the Advisory Board for the School of Information Studies and has been a member of the Syracuse University Libraries Advisory Board since its founding.

In 2022, Joan was appointed by President Joe Biden to the National Museum and Library Services Board, which advises the Institute for Museum and Library Services, the largest federal funder of America’s museums, libraries and related organizations through grantmaking, research and policy development.

At Syracuse University, she is the founder and sponsor of the Brodsky Series for Advancement of Library Conservation. This sponsored program promotes and advances knowledge of library conservation theory, practice and application among wide audiences, both on campus, in the region and now online. This is an annual lecture series and workshop on book and paper conservation now in its 19th year.

In 2022, she and her husband Bill, a Syracuse University life trustee, funded the Conservation Lab in the Bird library and the Joan Breier Brodsky Media Preservation Vault in honor of Joan’s commitment to the preservation and conservation at the Bird Library.

Joan and Bill have been married for 57 years and reside in Chicago.

William “Bill” Brodsky ’65, L’68
Doctor of Laws

Bill is chairman of Cedar Street Asset Management, LLC, an investment management firm devoted to investing in equity securities in international markets, and chairman of Bosun Asset Management, a specialized investment firm.

During his combined 35-year career at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) and Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), he was recognized as a global leader in the development of the future and options markets. His contributions to Chicago’s futures and options markets were a major factor in Chicago’s becoming the world’s preeminent city for the futures and options markets.

Bill served as chairman of the CBOE Holdings Inc. now known as CBOE Global Markets and its predecessor firms between 1997 and 2017. He also served as the chief executive officer of the CBOE from 1997 to 2013. During his CBOE tenure, he served as the chairman of the World Federation of Exchanges and the International Options Market Association. From 1985 to 1997, he was president and CEO at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange.

Bill, who earned a bachelor’s degree from the College of Arts and Sciences and the Maxwell School and a law degree from the College of Law, began his career in 1968 at the Wall Street-based investment banking and securities brokerage firm of Model, Roland and Co. Inc. In 1974, he joined the American Stock Exchange and ultimately was executive vice president for operations.

In 1982, he became executive vice president and chief operating officer of the CME. In 1985, he was appointed president and CEO of the CME.

In 2019, Governor J.B. Pritzker named him to co-chair the newly formed State’s Pension Consolidation Feasibility Task Force. In 2022, he was inducted into “The Order of Lincoln,” the state’s highest honor for professional achievement and public service.

Brodsky is chair emeritus of the board of directors of Navy Pier Inc., one of Chicago’s most iconic cultural destinations, and past chair of the board of directors of Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Brodsky was nominated by President Biden and confirmed by the U.S. Senate in 2022 to the Board of Directors of the Securities Investor Protection Corporation, which maintains a special reserve fund authorized by Congress to help investors at failed brokerage firms.

Lynn Conway
Doctor of Science

Conway is a renowned computer scientist who revolutionized global information technology by inventing methods for designing Very Large Scale Integrated (VLSI) silicon chips. Her work paved the way for the powerful microchips that animate modern high-technology systems.

As a young engineer at IBM Research in the 1960s, Conway made pioneering innovations in computer architecture. Sadly, IBM fired her in 1968 upon learning she was undergoing gender transition. She restarted her career in a new identity in “stealth-mode” after completing her transition.

While working at Xerox Palo Alto Research Center in the 1970s, Conway innovated breakthrough methods that enabled engineers to design very powerful, complex chips. In 1980, Conway’s seminal textbook “Introduction to VLSI Systems,” co-authored by Caltech Professor Carver Mead, became an instant classic, forever transforming computing and information technology. Professor John V. Oldfield brought the new VLSI methods into Syracuse right at the beginning of that revolution.

In the early 1980s, Conway became assistant director for strategic computing at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. In 1985 she joined the University of Michigan as professor of electrical engineering and computer science and associate dean of engineering.

When nearing retirement in 1999 she began quietly coming out as a trans woman, using her new to share her story with friends and colleagues. Conway became active in transgender advocacy.

In 2012 Conway published a that revealed how—closeted and hidden behind the scenes—she conceived the ideas and orchestrated the events that disruptively changed global industries.

Conway is a life fellow of the IEEE, fellow of the AAAS, winner of Computer Pioneer Award of the IEEE Computer Society, member of the Hall of Fellows of the Computer History Museum, a member of the National Academy of Engineering and holds five honorary degrees. In 2023 she was inducted into the for the invention of VLSI. She was awarded the by the and the .

In 2020, IBM CEO Arvind Krishna on behalf of the company for back in 1968. the IBM Lifetime Achievement Award.

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Last week, new signage was installed on the Kuhn Gameday Lounge presented by Hidden Level, marking not only another step in the transformation of the JMA Wireless Dome but also paying tribute to a Syracuse University alumnus, trustee and philanthropist who is nationally recognized for innovation and leadership in business and real estate, and whose history of generosity has impacted countless lives.

James D. Kuhn ’70, G’72 and his wife, Marjorie, have provided a substantial new commitment to support the Forever Orange Campaign for Syracuse University and of the multimillion-dollar, multi-year effort to reimagine the stadium experience. The gift creates a new premium field/courtside space within the JMA Dome and provides an upgraded fan experience for premium seat holders for all five Syracuse Athletics programs that compete in the facility.

“Through their philanthropy, Jimmy and Marjorie continuously redefine what it means to be a fan, friend and ambassador of Syracuse University,” says Chancellor Kent Syverud. “Thanks to their leadership, selflessness and vision, Syracuse University will continue to transform and elevate the fan and student experience on campus for years to come.”

The Kuhns have made several high-impact gifts over the years. Their gifts have established the and the Leo and Sunnie Kuhn Endowed Scholarship for Entrepreneurial Studies at the Whitman School of Management, as well as the Kuhn Film Fund in the College of Visual and Performing Arts. They have also supported initiatives in the School of Architecture, the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and Syracuse University Athletics. In addition to supporting a number of Syracuse University initiatives, Kuhn has been a champion of philanthropy to a number of other organizations with gifts to NYU Langone, National Jewish Hospital, Mt Sinai, HSS and the Diversity Scholarship Fund at NYU Schack Real Estate Center for students pursuing a master’s degree in real estate.

James Kuhn is just as generous with his time. He has served on the Board of Trustees since 2007, was vice chair from 2013-17 and chair of the Facilities Committee from 2009-13. He has been a member of the Board Executive, Finance and Facilities committees. He also currently serves as chair of the Board Athletics Committee (through early May 2023). He is a member of the Whitman Advisory Council, which he had previously chaired for 10 years. In 2010, Kuhn received the inaugural Dritz Rookie Trustee of the Year Award and in 2018, he received the Dritz Trustee of the Year Award. In 2001, he received the Whitman School’s Jonathan J. Holtz Alumnus of the Year Award.

“Jimmy appreciates what it takes to excel as a student-athlete,” says John Wildhack, director of athletics. “Besides the commitment and hard work it takes to be a competitor, he knows that the entire University community plays a role in the success of our athletics program. Enhancing the fan experience at the JMA Dome strengthens our commitment to our student-athletes.”

A , Kuhn captained the Syracuse fencing team during the 1967-68 season and was a three-time letterwinner. During his tenure on the team, he won the North Atlantic Collegiate Foil Championship and went on to finish in the top 16 at nationals in 1968. After a 25-year absence, Kuhn returned to fence in the veterans division, where he was ranked seventh in the nation by the time of his retirement in 2001.

“Syracuse gave me everything I needed and wanted to prepare me for life,” says Kuhn. “There are two things you can do in your life that are unrequited—philanthropy and helping your children be better than you are.”

After earning a B.S. in finance in 1970 and an MBA in 1972 from Syracuse University, Kuhn began his career as a lender with Metropolitan Life, and then was an owner/manager with The Mendik Company, before selling it to Vornado. He is principal, president and head of investor services for New York-based Newmark, which he joined in 1992. With more than 6,500 employees worldwide, Newmark operates from approximately 170 global offices. Kuhn also founded and leads Newmark’s technology and innovation practice group.

aims to enhance the game day experience for all Syracuse fans, student-athletes, coaches, students and alumni. The second phase of the project, which was announced in December, includes the installation of upgraded chairback seating and the introduction of new premium offerings throughout the venue, building upon earlier enhancements that included the installation of a new roof, the largest center-hung video scoreboard in college sports, air conditioning throughout the venue, lighting and sound enhancements, and an improved concessions experience.

About Syracuse University

Syracuse University is a private research university that advances knowledge across disciplines to drive breakthrough discoveries and breakout leadership. Our collection of 13 schools and colleges with over 200 customizable majors closes the gap between education and action, so students can take on the world. In and beyond the classroom, we connect people, perspectives and practices to solve interconnected challenges with interdisciplinary approaches. Together, we’re a powerful community that moves ideas, individuals and impact beyond what’s possible.

About Forever Orange: The Campaign for Syracuse University

Orange isn’t just our color. It’s our promise to leave the world better than we found it. Forever Orange: The Campaign for Syracuse University is poised to do just that. Fueled by more than 150 years of fearless firsts, together we can enhance academic excellence, transform the student experience and expand unique opportunities for learning and growth. Forever Orange endeavors to raise $1.5 billion in philanthropic support, inspire 125,000 individual donors to participate in the campaign, and actively engage one in five alumni in the life of the University. Now is the time to show the world what Orange can do. Visit  to learn more.

In 2013, magazine honored Syracuse University alumnus and trustee Marshall M. Gelfand ’50 with its Business Managers Elite Award and an article titled “Veteran Business Manager Balances Work and Philanthropy.” Gelfand, who died April 1 at the age of 93, was indeed renowned for his dedication to his work, his boundless energy, his charitable causes, his generous philanthropic leadership and his devotion to his beloved Syracuse University and fraternity Sigma Alpha Mu.

Gelfand became a Life Trustee in 1993, first appointed to the Board of Trustees in 1983, and provided service to the Board’s Student Affairs Committee (now known as the Enrollment and Student Experience Committee), the $300-million Commitment to Learning Campaign Executive Committee and the National Committee for the Schine Student Center Campaign. Gelfand was also instrumental in launching the Syracuse University satellite campus in Los Angeles in 2009, where he served as advisor.

“Marshall served the interests of Syracuse University students as he engaged in and supported the University’s initiatives, even as he advanced in his professional life,” says Board Chair Kathy Walters ’73. “Through his advocacy and his philanthropy, he touched countless lives from coast to coast.”

In an written in 2010, the Office of Veteran and Military Affairs (OVMF) said Gelfand’s story is a Syracuse University story, “one that speaks to our past, our present and our future.” He balanced his academic career (Martin J. Whitman School of Management and law school at New York University) with his military service in the 1940s and 1950s.

With a degree in accounting from the Whitman School and a law degree from New York University, Gelfand opened his own accounting firm. It was a serendipitous phone call from an attorney whom he’d met at a party that would shape the trajectory of his career. He was introduced to the touring group of Peter, Paul and Mary, and became their accountant, eventually adding big names like Neil Diamond, Bob Dylan, James Taylor, Carly Simon and Debra Winger to his portfolio of clients. In 1967, Gelfand and partners officially founded Gelfand, Rennert & Feldman, LLP, which would become one of the top business management firms in the entertainment industry with offices worldwide representing clients in the fields of music, motion pictures, television, literature and medicine.

Gelfand was an engaged and generous alumnus throughout his lifetime. He was a board member of the Syracuse University Alumni Association, the Southern California Alumni Club and chair of the Southern California Regional Campaign. He established the Marshall M. Gelfand Endowed Scholarship and the Marshall M. Gelfand Special Education Endowed Scholarship. He generously supported other initiatives in the College of Arts and Sciences, the Martin J. Whitman School of Management and Syracuse University Athletics.

“Marshall was a dedicated advocate and loyal champion of Syracuse University—from his work on the Board of Trustees, to his generous support of initiatives that provided opportunities for students and truly enhanced the student experience,” says Chancellor Kent Syverud. “The University’s reach and impact are greater today because of Marshall’s service and generosity.”

In 1996, Gelfand received the George Arents Pioneer Medal, the University’s highest alumni honor, and, in 2007 at the Half-Century Dinner celebrating his 50th class reunion, he received the Melvin A. Eggers Senior Alumni Award. He was also a recipient of the Orange Circle Award in 2010.

He provided leadership and service to the Board of the Eta chapter of Sigma Alpha Mu Foundation and was the driving force behind numerous scholarships funded by his beloved fraternity. His lifetime of leadership of the Sigma Alpha Mu Eta chapter is memorialized by the dedication of the fraternity house in his name on the Syracuse campus. He was a centennial founder of the Assuring Century2 Campaign, benefitting the Sigma Alpha Mu Foundation.

Gelfand was active in civic and cultural organizations in Southern California, having served as president of the Barbara Sinatra Children’s Center, president of the Palm Springs Friends of the Philharmonic, president of Temple Isaiah, chair of the museum endowment fund for the Palm Springs Art Museum, treasurer of the Palm Springs International Film Festival, member of the national board of the Alzheimer’s Association and the Coachella Valley Alzheimer’s Association.

Gelfand created the in memory of his late wife, the largest family fund in the history of the Alzheimer’s Association, raising over $9 million in support of Alzheimer’s research and care. In 2014, he received the Sargent and Eunice Shriver Profiles in Dignity award for his work.

Gelfand was a first generation American. His parents were Russian immigrants who settled in Claremont, New Hampshire, in the early 1900s, and opened a tailoring business there. Gelfand, who was born in 1927, attended Stevens High School in Claremont, played basketball and was editor of the yearbook and graduation speaker.

He is survived by his children, Todd Evan Gelfand (Doreen), Elizabeth Gelfand Stearns (Richard) and Dean Loring Gelfand (Marcie), along with eight grandchildren: Brian Gelfand (Monica), Ilana McBride (Marcus), Gregory Stearns (Gabriella), Jacqueline Stearns (Spencer), Ben Gelfand (Samy), Sophie Gelfand, Ella Stearns (who is currently pursuing a degree in the Maxwell School) and Andrew Gelfand, and four great-grandchildren: Ayla, Addy and Riley Gelfand and Lively McBride.