Sophomore Connections

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January 16–17, 2026

Sophomore Connections is an exclusive career conference offered to second-year students during winter break.

We are bringing in our best resources to help you think about your most pressing career questions. Sophomore Connections is a two-day event specifically for sophomores featuring workshops, alumni panels, and networking events to identify and explore your career areas of interest. The event, housing, and food are free for all registrants for the duration of the event.

Join the waitlist

Stay tuned for the 2026 event schedule and alumni panelists.

Planning for Sophomore Connections

Here is how you can start planning now:

  • Students will need to make travel arrangements to return to campus by noon on Thursday, January 15.
  • Registration details will be shared with students — stay tuned to Career Services emails for forthcoming information.
  • This event, including housing and meals, is offered at no cost to students who register and attend.

Meet the 2026 Keynote Speaker

Christopher Nulty ’09Christopher Nulty ’09 is the head of external communications at Anthropic, where he is building the company's communications function globally. He joined Anthropic at a pivotal moment in the development of artificial intelligence, helping to shape how one of the industry's leading AI labs engages with the public, policymakers, and the press.

Prior to joining Anthropic, Christopher spent more than a decade at Airbnb as senior director and global head of corporate communications and public affairs. During his tenure, he helped guide the company through its evolution from a disruptive upstart to a publicly traded Fortune 500 company, navigating the unprecedented challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and the company’s 2020 IPO.

Before Airbnb, Christopher served as Senior Manager of Corporate and Executive Communications at Yahoo, where he led communications for CEO Marissa Mayer. He began his career in Washington, D.C. at the 2.2 million member Service Employees International Union (SEIU), where he served as the union's spokesperson on a number of key policy issues.

Christopher is a proud 2009 graduate of Colgate University, where he served as Class President for four years, sang with the Colgate Resolutions, and was a campus tour guide. He recently completed a four-year term on the Alumni Council's Executive Board. He lives in New York City.

Alumni Panelists

Katie Cascino ’15
Senior Technology Development Associate, Johns Hopkins Technology Ventures

Christopher Donnelly ’15
Laboratory Manager, Yale University

Changchang Liu ’15
Senior Scientist, Bristol Myers Squibb

Zora McGinnis ’11
At-Sea Fisheries Technician, Southwest Lobster Science Society

Jamie Wasylenko ’01
Principal Scientist II, AbbVie

Michael Cruz ’11
Manager, Travel, Hospitality and Sports Customer Success, Adobe Inc.

Rich Grant ’02
Principal, Northlane Capital

Sammi Kaden ’15
Director, Strategic Initiatives, BigBear.ai

Greg Kafaf ’12
Director Market Access, Novo Nordisk

Katie Cascino ’15
Senior Technology Development Associate, Johns Hopkins Technology Ventures

Christopher Donnelly ’15
Laboratory Manager, Yale University

Changchang Liu ’15
Senior Scientist, Bristol Myers Squibb

Zora McGinnis ’11
At-Sea Fisheries Technician, Southwest Lobster Science Society

Jamie Wasylenko ’01
Principal Scientist II, AbbVie

Michael Cruz ’11
Manager, Travel, Hospitality and Sports Customer Success, Adobe Inc.

Rich Grant ’02
Principal, Northlane Capital

Sammi Kaden ’15
Director, Strategic Initiatives, BigBear.ai

Greg Kafaf ’12
Director Market Access, Novo Nordisk

Courtney Diamond ’12
Director, Digital Analytics, Hilton

Ahmad Emad ’13
Data Science Manager, Google

Scott Konicki ’10
Mathematical Statistician, U.S. Census Bureau

Catherine Walsh ’16
Scientific Programmer, National Institute of Mental Health

Amy Brown ’13
Research Associate, Community College Research Center

James Carino ’16
Admissions Counselor, George Mason University

Caitlin Hertzendorf ’20
Speech-Language Pathologist, Hamilton Central School District

Kelly Johnson ’94
Math Teacher, Highland Park HS

Tim Burkly ’10
Co-founder, Lackawanna Corporation

Taylor Buonocore Guthrie ’08
Facilitator and Keynote Speaker, Self-employed

Omer Jilani ’93
Head of Strategic Partnerships, Veylan

Per Sekse ’78
CFO, Nikigo Sauce LLC

Lauren Frisch ’12
Program Manager, Carbon Markets, Netflix

Courtney Lane ’00
Senior Principal, Synapse Energy Economics

Jenna Lilly ’17
MS Student/Teaching Assistant, Cornell University Department of Natural Resources and the Environment

Amy McNamara ’96
Freshwater Ecosystems Strategist, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)

Katie Roberts ’01
Vice President of Regulatory Assurance, Longenecker & Associates

Chris Torell ’90
Area Environmental Manager, Heidelberg Materials Northeast LLC

David Bergerson ’93
Financial Advisor, Edward Jones

Andrew Colbert ’05
Senior Managing Director, Ziegler

Nicole Dienst ’22
Associate, Global Capital Markets, Morgan Stanley

Michela Hendell ’18
Head of Investor Relations, Global BioAccess Fund

Jack Metelski ’15
Vice President, Manager Research Analyst, Morgan Stanley

Steven Robinson ’95
Partner, Aristeia Capital

Jeremy Bennett ’09
Director of Intergovernmental Affairs, Virginia Association of Counties

Bart Haggerty ’98
Deputy Chief Clerk, The Board of Elections in the City of New York

Kelsey Soderberg ’17
Senior Policy & Partnerships Advisor, Office of Governor Wes Moore

Larry Durland ’02
Flight Nurse, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

Adam Gonzalez ’13
Deputy Medical Examiner, El Paso County Office of the Medical Examiner

Geoffrey Guenther ’11
Infectious Diseases Physician, Boston Children's Hospital

Ryan Marynowski ’13
Senior Speech-Language Pathologist, NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center

Emily Messing ’12
Medication Safety Officer, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Sean Rossi ’15
Pediatric Hospitalist, Concord Hospital

Jonathan Dienst ’90
Chief Investigative Reporter, NBC

Matthew Elliott ’95
Senior Editor, CNET

Alexandra Hinrichs ’07
Children’s Book Editor | Children’s Book Author, Islandport Press | Self-Employed

Shannon Moran ’20
Coordinator, Publishing, Creative Artists Agency

Kelly Newton ’07
Director, Scientific Publications, Society for Neuroscience

Mara Stein ’19
Associate Producer, NBC News

Mike Aguilar ’96
SVP Compliance, American Express

John Dabney ’92
Senior Vice President, Counsel, Paramount Skydance Corp.

Hon. Samantha Elliott ’97
Federal District Court Chief Judge, United States District Court-New Hampshire

Lauren Hayes ’04
Deputy District Counsel, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Madeline (Canning) Stevens ’18
J.D. Candidate, Charles Widger School of Law

Pamela White ’19
Associate, Greenberg Traurig LLP

Hannah DeGarmo ’17
Associate Director of Communications, Art21

Kimberly Elek ’87
Co-founder/Chief Communications Strategist, McReynolds Elek Communications

Emily Guenther ’13
Director, Partnership Marketing (Paramount+), Paramount Global

Sarah Haas ’16
VP, Wealth Communications, Citi

Hillary Kupferberg ’15
VP, Performance Marketing, Exverus by Brainlabs

Imani Ballard ’18
Senior Associate, Content Merchandising, Tubi

Stephen Brown ’81
EVP of Programming and Development, Fox Television Stations

Maggie Davis ’21
Production Manager, Warner Bros. Discovery

Kevin Heffernan ’90
Writer, Actor, Producer, Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Alyssa Berger ’16
Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Strong In Therapy

Amy Leo ’03
Mental Health Counselor, Colgate University

Ashley Ludwinski ’08
LCSW, Private Practice Owner and Therapist, Redbud Counseling Services

Emma Barrison ’24
Gallery Assistant, Sean Kelly

Bob Connelly ’84
Senior Adjunct Professorial Lecturer, American University

Natalie Ramirez ’19
Director of Operations, LA Opera

Jessica Rossi ’15
Museum Educator and Professional Development Coordinator, New Hampshire Historical Society; Public Programs Manager, The Pursuit of History

Jake Anderson ’07
Vice President, Heitman

Uzoma (Uzi) Idah ’10
Design Engineer, Hollins Consulting

Charlie O'Connell ’20
Credit Specialist, Toronto Dominion Bank

Kira Palmer ’19
Senior Development Associate, The Port of Greater Cincinnati Development Authority

Sara Darcy Duncan ’17
Grants Manager, Rudin

Melissa Graham ’91
Major Gifts Officer, Saint Ignatius College Prep

Kelley Hardon ’15
House Campaign Director, Climate Power

Jenna Jacoby ’13
Sr. Account Manager, International Rescue Committee

Nicole Svajlenka ’08
Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress

Noufo Nabine ’16
HR Professional, Prudential Financial

Past Keynote Speakers

2025

Toby Bozzuto

Toby Bozzuto ’96
president and CEO of Bozzuto and chair of Colgate University’s Board of Trustees.

2024

Photo of Courtney Richardson ’08

Courtney Richardson ’08
creative director at Droga5; founder of the Museum of Nail Art

2023

Photo of Craig Dehmel ’90

Craig Dehmel ’90
Executive Vice President, Head of Global Distribution, IMAX Entertainment and Senior Vice President, IMAX Corp

2021

Jon Sendach '98

Jon Sendach ’98
Executive Director, North Shore University Hospital

2020

jon lopez

Jon Lopez ’06
Sports photographer and cinematographer

2019

Clarissa Shah

Clarissa Shah ’10
Commercial Sales Attorney at LinkedIn