Hobart and William Smith Colleges

New Trustees

Board of Trustees Elects 5 New Members

At its winter 2021 meeting, the Board of Trustees unanimously elected its newest members to serve four-year terms beginning in July.

"I am thrilled to welcome these accomplished and passionate members of the Hobart and William Smith community onto the Board," says Board Chair Craig R. Stine '81, P'17. "They each bring a significant amount of experience and insight, and their perspectives will be tremendously helpful as we work together to further the Colleges."

HON. JEREMY A. COONEY '04, New York State Senator
Cooney was adopted by Anne Cooney '63, P'04 from an Indian orphanage and recently made history as the first Asian elected to state office from Upstate New York. Cooney serves as the State Senator for the 56th District of New York, representing the City of Rochester. Previously, he served as senior director for downstate community relations for Empire State Development under Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, the first chief of staff to Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren, personal aide to U.S. Congresswoman Louise Slaughter, and as a vice president for the YMCA of Greater Rochester. A third-generation HWS alum, Cooney earned a B.A. in public policy studies, minoring in economics and philosophy, and graduating cum laude with honors. He went on to receive his J.D. from Albany Law School. He is married to urologic surgeon Dr. Diane Lu, M.D.

JOSEPHINE GRAYSON P'18, Landscape architect and philanthropist
Grayson spent a decade in the financial markets before becoming a landscape architect and environmentalist. Driven by creativity, social good and beautiful spaces, Grayson now pursues her interests in art and her family's philanthropic organizations, The Peter and Josephine Grayson Foundation and the Fund for Individual Potential. She holds a B.S. in environmental planning and design from Rutgers University as well as a B.S. in business from the College of New Rochelle; she has also completed extended study programs at Parsons School of Design, Universita Bocconi in Milan, and the School of Visual Arts in New York. She is a former member of the HWS Parents Executive Committee and served as a judge for the 2020 Pitch Contest. Lifetime members of the Cook Parents Circle, Grayson and her husband Peter P'18 have two children, Eric and Bradley '18.

DR. PAULA MILTENBERGER P'23, Psychologist and mental health expert
Miltenberger is a licensed psychologist and founder of Women's Mental Wellness, a private practice that provides comprehensive mental health care for women. Outside of her private practice, Miltenberger is a consulting psychologist for Medical City Dallas' Women's Hospital, where she works with women experiencing high-risk pregnancies as well as candidates for fetal surgery. A published author on issues related to loss and perinatal depression, Miltenberger earned her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Texas at Southwestern Medical School in Dallas; a B.A. in international relations from Baylor University and a B.S. in psychology from University of North Texas. A board member of Family Gateway, Miltenberger and her husband Bay P'23 have four children, Bryce '23, Bo, Brady and Brooks.

MEHRNAZ "NAZ" VAHID-AHDIEH '85, P'17, Citi Private Bank Managing Director
Vahid-Ahdieh began her career with Citi Private Bank as an intern and has since risen to managing director. With more than three decades of experience, she leads the bank's Global Law Firm Group, managing more than 200 employees in 14 locations. Vahid-Ahdieh created and developed Citi Private Bank's mentoring program and led the company's diversity committee for North America. She holds a master's in international affairs from Columbia University; a B.A. in economics and sociology from William Smith; and series 24, 7 and 63 licenses. A judge for The Pitch contest and former member of the William Smith Alumnae Council Honors Committee, she joined the President's Leadership Council in 2019 and serves on the board of the Tahirih Justice Center. Vahid-Ahdieh and her husband Shahin Ahdieh have two daughters, Leila Vahid-Ahdieh and Marjorye Santos '17.

STEPHEN WONG '89, Goldman Sachs Executive
Wong serves as Goldman Sachs' managing director and chairman of Investment Banking for Hong Kong and Asia Pacific ex-Japan, and head of the firm's real estate group. He has been an executive at Goldman Sachs since 2005 covering corporate, financial sponsor and sovereign clients throughout the Greater China region and Silicon Valley. Wong graduated cum laude with a B.A. in economics from HWS and went on to earn a J.D. from Stanford Law School. A life-long collector and one of the world's foremost authorities on baseball history and its artifacts, Wong is the author of Smithsonian Baseball: Inside the World's Finest Private Collections and Game Worn: Baseball Treasures from the Game's Greatest Heroes and Moments, both of which were runners-up for the Casey Award.