Maxwell Brodsky, Tampa Bay’s digital operations manager, is watching the game from a press box with a few coworkers, preparing content for the end of the game, which at that point they think will end in a Tampa Bay victory.
It’s the third quarter of Super Bowl LV. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are leading the Kansas City Chiefs by a score of 21–9. Maxwell Brodsky, Tampa Bay’s digital operations manager, is watching the game from a press box with a few coworkers, preparing content for the end of the game, which at that point they think will end in a Tampa Bay victory. When the Bucs tack on 10 more points, the group feels all the more confident that the Bucs will secure their second Super Bowl in franchise history and first in nearly 20 years.Brodsky, who grew up a diehard New York Giants fan, said that rooting for a team that you work for is a much different experience than simply rooting for a team. “You always root for the team that you’re on ’cause you’re part of it,” the 2013 Marist graduate said. “You’re a family. It’s part of what you do. The NFL’s not a nine-to-five. It’s constant, so it’s a really huge part of your life.”When Tampa Bay linebacker Devin White intercepted a pass with less than two minutes remaining, Brodsky knew they sealed the deal. Brodsky’s been with the Bucs longer than all but six players. They didn’t win double-digit games or make the playoffs during the first four seasons he worked for them. This past season, they cleared both hurdles…and won the Super Bowl in dominating fashion. The press box, Brodsky explained, was a workplace, so there wasn’t supposed to be any cheering. Still, when the game ended, he couldn’t hold back his emotions. “I cried like a baby the second we won,” he proudly admitted. In 2016, the Buccaneers hired Brodsky to be a digital content coordinator, a position that tasked him — among other things — with posting videos and photo galleries to the Bucs’ website. He was promoted to senior digital content coordinator two years later, where he was given more stories to post as well as some new responsibilities — overseeing the format of the team’s website and app, pitching stories to writers, and more.As a digital operations manager, Brodsky is now tasked with dealing with the bigger picture. “What I try to focus on is basically ‘How does everything look? How can fans consume content? How well is our content doing?’ ” he said. Search engine optimization for website content is a big part of his job, as is using Google analytic tools to judge how well the content is doing. Brodsky put in years of hard work for multiple NFL teams before experiencing that dream-come-true moment. He studied sports communication at Marist. “All I knew was I wanted to be in sports in some capacity. I took as many classes as I could in sports comm.” He took journalism classes, which paid off in an unexpected way. Writing stories, he said, “wasn’t one of my fortes” but the classes taught how to write and structure titles and descriptions, a big part of his job.One class that he took and greatly enjoyed was a football coaching class taught by head coach Jim Parady and defensive coordinator Scott Rumsey. Brodsky excelled and inquired with them on being further involved with the team. He was hired as a student assistant. Among the many responsibilities he had, Brodsky cut film, set up drills, worked with quarterbacks, wide receivers, and tight ends during practices, and helped coordinate special teams during games.Brodsky’s start in the sports world came as an affiliate editor for NBCOlympics.com. He wrote recaps of events, compiled analytic reports, and more for the 2014 Sochi Games. Following that, Brodsky interned with the New York Jets for six months and Green Bay Packers for a year. With the Jets, he worked with both digital media (uploading articles, photo galleries, and videos to the team website) and social media (creating posts for various platforms, mostly about the Jets cheerleading squad). He started to drift toward the digital media side in Green Bay, where he updated the team website, posted/created content, and coordinated live interviews from Lambeau Field.Moving to the location of each position, Brodsky said, is a lot to handle. He has lived in the market for each team he worked for, including three different apartments during his time with the Bucs. For the native of Connecticut, each place he has lived in, even New Jersey, the location of the Jets, is unique.Brodsky had to spend much of his time without his then-girlfriend, Rebecca, who was living in Japan and working as an English teacher. He was alone in Wisconsin and for the beginning of his time in Tampa. Rebecca returned from Japan with a cat, which necessitated a move to accommodate Casper, their new pet. They got another cat, Luna, before finding a townhouse to call home and tying the knot this past May.Wedding rings were the only rings in fashion for anyone associated with the Buccaneers when Brodsky arrived. The team hadn’t made the playoffs since 2007 and was toiling in mediocrity since 2015. The football gods finally smiled on Tampa Bay in the 2020 offseason, when Tom Brady decided to sign with the team. Brodsky had to prepare to go live at 8:00 in the morning the next day, which required him waking up four hours earlier to get everything ready.Brodsky, having experience with good and bad teams, said it’s much easier to cover a team that’s good because there is so much more to work with. “You have to be hopeful for the future, which is one of the important things, as well as focus on the specific good things,” he said. “So, if there’s a really cool highlight, roll with that. If the game’s not going so well, you have to just mention it and move on.”That probably won’t be the case as long as the Bucs keep this team intact. The young playmakers surrounding Brady and a rock-solid defense should allow Tampa Bay to compete for more titles until Brady decides to hang up his cleats for good. The excitement isn’t lost on Brodsky. “I get to listen to Tom Brady talk on a press conference for my job. It’s amazing,” he said.All of Brodsky’s work culminated in a night he’ll never forget. “The fact that we get to win it in our own home stadium was the coolest experience of my life,” Brodsky said. The road to get there has been a lifelong journey. He has always been a football fan, taking opportunities to get involved the sport and watching the NFL for as long as he can remember. Now, he’s a part of the league he grew up loving. “It’s always weird when you mix your hobby with your profession. But if you can do it and you can make it work, it’s just a great thing.”
Lauren Clarke ’13 and her family started a wish-granting charity honoring her sister.
Lauren Clarke ’13 and her family started a wish-granting charity honoring her sister. Colleen Clarke Bucket List Wishes Inc. is a 501(c)3 nonprofit foundation granting wishes to young adults with a life-limiting physical disability or life-threatening diagnosis. Through social media, Lauren reconnected with Allie Pasquale ’13 and Victoria Weisheit ’13. CCBLWishes was able to grant Allie the wish of redesigning a spare bedroom into a healing, oasis escape lounge and art studio. Victoria’s mother, Regina, served as the interior designer for Allie’s project. During the process, another group from the Marist Class of 2013 came together to donate an adorable mini-fridge to the room. “Allie and Victoria and I are forever grateful to Marist for bringing us together,” said Lauren, “and being able to reconnect through this experience was a gift to us all.”
You’re invited to join the Marist Alumni Book Club!
You’re invited to join the Marist Alumni Book Club! In this online community, alumni can connect with each other and enjoy books related to lifelong learning, social issues, literature, psychology, and other user-submitted ideas. There is no cost to participate — you just have to get a copy of the book to enjoy. You can sign up at https://www.pbc.guru/marist or keep reading to learn more.How it works:The book club will connect through a private online forum where people can discuss the current book and network with each other. The group will spend two months on each book, so you'll have plenty of time to read.Why should you join?1. Connect with fellow alumni2. Be a part of a lifelong learning community3. Reading is good for you! What will we read?We will vote among several options each period and select a book based on reader interests. Previous books have included Educated by Tara Westover and The Power by Naomi Alderman.How do I invite a friend to the book club?You can send a friend the sign-up link: https://www.pbc.guru/marist. The more the merrier!How often will books be read, what is the time commitment, and what are the expectations?We will spend about two months on each book. We will read books highlighting lifelong learning and personal growth, novels, and other books that take an average of nine hours to read cover to cover. If you have between one and two hours a week to read, you can make it happen!Will there be any in-person meetings of the book club?No, the book club will be entirely online. You can participate anywhere you have Internet access and on days and times that are convenient for you.Is there any cost to participate?Participation is free!How do book club discussions work?The book club will be moderated by a PBC Guru moderator who manages the forum and provides additional content related to the book. The moderator will pose questions to the group, share relevant articles, and facilitate conversation about topics in the book. Members will be encouraged to post and share as well. This format allows for ongoing conversation and makes it easy for readers to connect with each other through the forum.Marist has enlisted PBC Guru to manage the club and moderate the forums. They will help make this program a great experience for all participants. Please email them at info@pbc.guru with any questions or visit their website at http://www.pbc.guru to see more of what they do.
Each year the Marist Alumni Association presents the Alumni Leadership Award to two graduating seniors at the College’s Baccalaureate. The 2021 recipients of the award are Natalie D. Ford ’21 and Zachary F. Jacobs ’21.
Each year the Marist Alumni Association presents the Alumni Leadership Award to two graduating seniors at the College’s Baccalaureate. The 2021 recipients of the award are Natalie D. Ford ’21 and Zachary F. Jacobs ’21. Ford, from Madison, MS, majored in fashion design. At Marist, she was president of the Class of 2021 and volunteered on the 2021 Commencement Committee, in Campus Ministry, at New York Fashion Week, in the Marist Community Garden, and as a tour guide with Ars et Fides.In addition, she worked as a campus tour guide and ambassador, a fashion design studio assistant, and a sales associate at Lily Rain.Jacobs, from Holliston, MA, majored in athletic training. He volunteered with Campus Ministry, the New York Marathon, the Marine Corps Marathon, the WWCGP Cycling Classic, National Athletic Trainers Association District 2 and the Student Leadership Committee and served as president of the Marian Hall Resident Student Council. His paid work experience includes clinical internships at five schools/organizations in the Hudson Valley and serving as a Marist tour guide and admission greeter as well as a Marist peer student tutor.Nominations for the award can be made by employees of Marist who are also graduates of the College. Alumni Leadership Award recipients over the past five years:2016 — Janie Pierson & Nicholas Bayer2017 — Irene Elias & Nicholas Marengo2018 — Brooke DiPalma & Alec Lee2019 — Lauren Vecchio & Matthew Marotti2020 — Jillian Kaczmarek & Spencer Hogan
Although the Class of 1970 and 1971 Reunion Committees opted to postpone their 50th reunions, Marist hosted a successful outdoor and COVID-safe Homecoming and Reunion on Oct. 23.
Although the Class of 1970 and 1971 Reunion Committees opted to postpone their 50th reunions, Marist hosted a successful outdoor and COVID-safe Homecoming and Reunion on Oct. 23. The day included Marist Singers and Band alumni performing with current student Singers and Band members, the Theatre Hall of Fame induction, the Morehead State vs. Marist football game, and four tents celebrating affinity groups on campus: the Student Government Association, the Study Abroad Program, the Marist Music Program, and the Fashion Department. The day ended with a reunion celebration for all classes under a large tent on the Marist Green.Photos by Al Nowak/On Location StudiosAlumni Join Marist Band and Singers at Homecoming 2021 Homecoming and Reunion Picnic 2021 Marist vs. Morehead State Homecoming and Reunion 2021 Theatre Hall of Fame 2021 .carousel {
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Julie Cullinane Kinney ’90 and author Jeff Kinney take Marist alumni inside his best-selling series Diary of a Wimpy Kid.
More than 250 alumni and friends along with their families got an exclusive look inside the evolution of the best-selling book series “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” thanks to the generosity of Marist alumna Julie Cullinane Kinney ’90 and her husband, Jeff, the creator of the series. In a virtual presentation Oct. 15, Julie and Jeff shared the origins of the 16-book cartoon series featuring hapless middle-schooler Greg Heffley that has become an international sensation. The ticket price to the Marist-only event included a signed copy of Jeff’s newest book, Big Shot, published in October. All proceeds from the event, organized by the Marist Alumni Relations Office, benefited the Marist Alumni Legacy Scholarship Fund, raising more than $10,000. Special thanks go to Julie and Jeff for making the event possible. Julie interviewed Jeff about the evolution of the series Diary of a Wimpy Kid in a virtual program from their bookstore, An Unlikely Story, in Plainville, MA.Since the first Wimpy Kid book made its debut in 2007, more than 250 million copies have been published in 79 editions in 65 languages. The Wimpy Kid series has been a constant on the USA Today, Wall Street Journal, and Publishers Weekly best-seller lists and has remained on the New York Times children’s series best-seller list for more than 657 weeks. The series has won a number of regional and national awards including two Children’s Choice Book Awards and six Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards for Favorite Book. Jeff Kinney was named one of Time magazine’s most influential people and is also the creator of Poptropica, named one of Time’s 50 Best Websites. The Disney+ movie Diary of a Wimpy Kid premiered in early December.Jeff and Julie took part in the Zoom program from their bookstore, An Unlikely Story, in Plainville, MA. Julie, a communications major in college and a former reporter and editor for a Massachusetts newspaper, interviewed Jeff for the Marist audience. She noted it was the first time she had interviewed him live for a virtual event. Then Jeff took live questions and gave a tour of his studio on the top floor of the bookstore, where his awards are on view.Jeff, a graduate of the University of Maryland, had been developing the book for a year when he and Julie began dating in 1999. He kept a journal jammed with notes and sketches that captured not only memories from his youth but also some of the couple’s early dating experiences. He continued writing and drawing for the next seven years as they dated, married, and had two sons, and as he worked full time as a software programmer. “It proves that you can do two things at once,” he noted, “that you can have your day job and pay your rent and you can also chase a rock-star dream in your spare time.” His dream was to be a newspaper cartoonist like Charles Schulz, the creator of Charlie Brown and "Peanuts.” For three years Jeff tried to make it happen. But “nobody liked my stuff,” he said. Then he decided to try something different. He bought a ticket to Comic Con, a comic convention in New York City, planning to show his sample packet around to editors there. But the convention had oversold its tickets and sent everyone away. While on a bus tour of New York City just for kicks, Jeff noticed that Billy Joel was playing a sold-out concert at Madison Square Garden. He called Julie saying he wanted to stay overnight to go to the concert. A huge Billy Joel fan herself, she encouraged him to go for it. “Billy Joel was our thing at Marist in the ’80s,” she said.He managed to get a ticket and went to the show. The next day, he was able to get into the Comic Con. An editor who saw his work said it was exactly what he was looking for. “So it was thanks to Billy Joel that I got to be a published author,” Jeff said.Throughout the presentation the Zoom chat room bubbled over with questions for Jeff. What inspired him to write the Wimpy Kid series?“My own childhood,” he said. “I was reading Harry Potter at the time. I was like, “Man, this is really good writing, it’s a good story.” But I did think Harry was very, very different than I was as a kid. I did think there might be an appetite for a character who was not so perfect and not so heroic as Harry.”He said his newest Wimpy Kid book, Big Shot, shows what it’s like to be in athletics but not be a star athlete. “I think it’s important that a kid can see himself.”Earlier, he had elaborated on the appeal of his wimpy protagonist.“Greg is a messy character. When kids read kids’ books, the character is usually aspirational. They’re heroic. Like think of Harry Potter, characters like that. They’re the hero that we want to be. And Greg isn’t, really. You know, books can be mirrors and windows, right? Windows, you see into another world. That’s Harry Potter. Mirrors are books where you see yourself. That’s Wimpy Kid. And I think a lot of kids are messy.”Another young fan asked where Greg’s memorable nickname “Ploopy” came from.“Ploopy was a nickname that my older sister came up with for me,” Jeff explained. “And for some reason, it just got me. It made me so mad, like it would make my ears turn red.”He got over it, though. “We’ve made our peace. And I’m making money off of her calling me ‘Ploopy.’ So I think I won that situation.”
Healthcare executive Dirk McMahon ’82, entrepreneur and author Kristin Noto ’91, and technology executive Donna Dillenberger have joined the Marist College Board of Trustees.
In 2021 the Marist College Board of Trustees welcomed three new members. Dirk McMahon ’82, president and chief operating officer of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) and Donna Dillenberger, IBM Fellow at the company’s Research Center in Yorktown Heights and CTO of systems research for Hybrid Cloud, were elected to the board at its February meeting, while Kristin Noto ’91, an entrepreneur and author with extensive experience serving not-for-profit organizations, was elected at the November annual meeting. McMahon, who graduated from Marist with a BS in finance, has held senior leadership positions across both UnitedHealth Group business platforms — UnitedHealthcare and Optum. Most recently, he served as chief executive officer of UnitedHealthcare, the nation’s largest health insurer. Prior to that, he was president and chief operating officer of Optum, a global health services company, and head of airport operations worldwide for Northwest Airlines. In addition to earning his undergraduate degree from Marist, McMahon received an MBA from the University of Notre Dame. He and his family reside in Minnesota.Kristin Noto '91Noto received a BA in psychology from Marist, and her father is also an alumnus of the College. She is the author of Live E.P.I.C.: Invest in Yourself. Cultivate Character, and Embrace the 7 Moral Virtues that Lead to a Happier Life, as well as an inventor with several registered patents on houseware products. Noto also serves on the West Coast Advisory Board for the Child Mind Institute, a nonprofit organization dedicated to transforming the lives of children, families, and communities affected by mental illness and learning disabilities. She is a former executive board member of the USA Lacrosse Foundation. Noto and her family live in Northern California. Donna DillenbergerDillenberger has had a distinguished career at IBM and currently serves as IBM Fellow at the company’s Research Center in Yorktown Heights and CTO of systems research for Hybrid Cloud. Her focus is on machine learning, counterfeit detection, cloud security and availability, and enterprise systems. In the past, Dillenberger has worked on machine learning models for the financial, insurance, retail, and healthcare industries and has designed new features for systems scalability and availability. She is the author of numerous research publications and holds multiple patents, becoming a Master Inventor at IBM. In recognition of her work, IBM’s CEO appointed her an IBM Fellow, the highest technical honor at the company. IBM Fellows are given broad latitude to identify and pursue projects. In the history of IBM, only 317 people have received such a distinction.Dillenberger received her BS in mathematics from New York University and an MS in computer science from Columbia University. She was an adjunct professor at Columbia’s Graduate School of Engineering and was a lecturer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and Stanford University.
Moss and Terrence Echols ’21 Also Selected for Unique Mentorship Program
Kaylin Moss ’21 has received the 2021 Generation Google Scholarship, a Google-sponsored program. She is one of 42 college students nationwide to win the award. Moss is majoring in computer science with a concentration in software development.The Generation Google Scholarship was established to help aspiring students pursuing computer science degrees excel in technology and become leaders in the field, according to buildyourfuture.withgoogle.com. Selected students receive $10,000 USD (for those studying in the US) or $5,000 CAD (for those studying in Canada) for the 2021–2022 school year. The scholarship is awarded based on the strength of each candidate's commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, demonstrated leadership, and academic performance.Moss was also one of two Marist students selected for the inaugural Gumbo Coalition University Mentorship Program. Moss and Terrence Echols ’21 each received a $1,500 scholarship from Resorts World Casino.Following a competitive application process, Echols and Moss were selected to enroll in the mentorship program sponsored by Resorts World Casino.They were two of 10 college students who earned the opportunity to participate in the intensive six-week virtual mentorship program to hear from prominent authors and speakers from all over the nation.The lecture series is based on Marc Morial’s book The Gumbo Coalition: 10 Leadership Lessons That Help You Inspire, Unite, and Achieve. Students in the program read chapters of the book and participated in virtual discussions with other leaders on the topics and lessons contained in the chapters.“Throughout history, effective leadership has guided us through the most challenging times,” said Michelle Stoddart, vice president of community development at Resorts World New York. “Now more than ever, a new generation of students must be equipped to lead boldly in the face of the medical, political, and environmental challenges we face as a country. By teaming up with the renowned civic leader and former New Orleans mayor Marc Morial, Resorts World is proud to present the Gumbo Coalition University, a virtual platform that will shape the leaders of tomorrow.”Morial, who was mayor of New Orleans from 1994 to 2002, is president and CEO of the National Urban League, the nation’s largest historic civil rights and urban advocacy organization. Both Marist students learned about the Gumbo Coalition University Mentorship Program from Desmond Murray, associate director for the employer experience in the Marist College Center for Career Services. Their applications included an essay discussing their professional experience and career-related goals. Candidates who advanced to the next round were invited to meet virtually with the program’s speakers and talk about what leadership meant to them.Echols majored in communications with a concentration in public relations/advertising and has already begun graduate work in Marist’s five-year dual degree program in integrated marketing communication. He was a student-athlete on the men’s basketball team and a senior researcher in Marist’s chapter of the American Advertising Federation. As an AAF member, he wrote copy and helped prepare presentations with his group for the National Student Advertising Competition. “Collaborating with everyone using online platforms like Zoom, FaceTime, and Google Meet has really helped me get comfortable having meaningful conversations in a virtual environment,” Echols said.He mentioned how joining the Marist Radio Club as a freshman inspired him to create his own podcast, which has helped him articulate his thoughts and ideas on a variety of topics. This summer he is interning with Galaxy Media, a multidimensional media company that services clients in Syracuse, NY. He has thought about owning his own advertising agency one day but definitely aspires to a leadership role in marketing or public relations. He said participating in the Gumbo Coalition University Mentorship Program aligned with these goals.“I’m learning how I can be someone who others look to for guidance, and that’s inspiring.”Moss participated in the Marist/IBM Joint Study program for one year and completed a virtual internship with IBM in the summer of 2020. “The joint study exposed me to a lot of public speaking roles and presentations,” she said. “So I felt like I had a lot to draw on from that experience when applying for the (Gumbo Coalition University Mentorship) program.”In October 2020 Moss founded a chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) at Marist. The honor society’s main goal is to create an inclusive community for Black students and other students who are interested in pursuing opportunities in technology, engineering, and other sciences. In addition, Moss was recently named the winner of the health technology company Zillion’s Women in STEM Scholarship. She was chosen for her commitment to learning, perseverance, and advocacy for women in science. Moss sees computer science as an industry where she can hone her artistic talents.“In my career, I want to focus on things like software development, web design, user interfaces, and anything else that creates new digital experiences.”
