Board welcomes four trustees, recognizes four trustees emeriti
The Board of Trustees elected four new trustees at its May meeting.
At its May meeting, the University of Rochester Board of Trustees elected four new board members and recognized four members as becoming trustees emeriti.
New trustees
Dawne S. Hickton ’79, P’21
Dawne Hickton is chair and CEO of Cumberland Additive, Inc., an aviation and aerospace component manufacturing business that uses 3D-printing technology to supply hard metal parts for defense and space.
Spending most of her career in the aerospace, defense, and space industries, she first began as a lawyer for U.S. Steel. After 10 years in the courtroom, she moved into executive management and is the former president and CEO of RTI International Metals, in addition to being the first woman to run a global supplier of titanium and other specialty metals. After RTI was acquired, she became an executive leader at Jacobs Engineering Group, managing their government services business based in Washington, DC.
Hickton has served as a director for several publicly traded companies and is a past chair of the Cleveland Federal Reserve Bank, as well as an emeritus board member of the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. She and her husband, David, have provided generous support to the University’s athletic programs in recognition of the positive experiences she and her son, Declan Hickton ’21, had as varsity athletes at Rochester (a swimmer and a golfer, respectively).
After earning her bachelor’s degree in English and political science from Rochester in 1979, Hickton earned a JD from the University of Pittsburgh. She and David reside in Pittsburgh and have six children.
Sara E. Nainzadeh ’00
Sara Nainzadeh is a portfolio manager at Verition Fund, a global multi-strategy investment firm based in Greenwich, Connecticut. At Verition, she leads a team focused on the consumer, energy, transportation, and utilities sectors.
Nainzadeh spent nearly 20 years at Millennium Management, where she was the longest-tenured female portfolio manager. She managed a global portfolio across energy, utilities, and industrials after beginning her tenure there as an analyst. Earlier in her career, Nainzadeh worked in Equity Research at Merrill Lynch, covering natural gas pipelines and electric and gas utilities. She was recognized among the 50 leading women in hedge funds in 2021.
Nainzadeh served on the University’s former Arts, Sciences & Engineering National Council and recently chaired her 25th class reunion. A longtime member of the University’s annual giving society, the George Eastman Circle, she created two scholarships for students pursuing degrees in the arts, sciences or engineering, and an endowed graduate fellowship in the name of the University’s late professor of art and art history Douglas Crimp.
Nainzadeh holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Rochester, where she was also a Take Five Scholar. She lives in Coconut Grove, Florida, with her partner, Allison Goldman, and two sons.
Kenneth Ouriel ’77, ’86M (Res), ’87M (Flw), P’08S
Kenneth Ouriel is one of the country’s leading vascular surgeons. He completed his general surgery and vascular surgical training at the University of Rochester Medical Center, where he remained for over a decade as an attending surgeon, ultimately achieving the academic rank of associate professor. In 1998, he became chief of vascular surgery at the Cleveland Clinic, was promoted to chief of surgery in 2003, and held the rank of professor of surgery. In 2008, Ouriel became senior vice president of international operations at New York-Presbyterian Hospital.
In 2010, Ouriel founded Syntactx, a clinical research organization focused on cardiovascular medical device trials. The company was acquired in 2020 by NAMSA, where he served as chief medical officer until 2025. Ouriel now serves on NAMSA’s board of directors.
He serves in several volunteer roles supporting the University’s Medical Center, including on its board of directors and as cochair of its campaign committee with his wife, Joy. Together, they established a professorship within URMC’s division of vascular surgery. Ouriel also serves on the advisory board for the Flaum Eye Institute.
Ouriel earned a bachelor’s degree in biology and psychology from Rochester and his MD from the Pritzker School of Medicine at the University of Chicago. He earned an MBA from Columbia University and the London Business School during his tenure at New York-Presbyterian. He and Joy have three children and split their time between New York City and Canandaigua, New York.
Tyler Zachem ’88
Tyler Zachem is CEO and founder of Broad Sky Partners, a private equity firm that partners with leading middle market business services companies.
Prior to founding Broad Sky Partners, Zachem worked at The Carlyle Group, a leading global alternative asset firm. There, he served as co-head of Carlyle’s long dated investment platform (CGP) and cochair of the investment committee of Carlyle’s middle market investment platform (CEOF). Prior to Broad Sky and Carlyle, Zachem was with MidOcean Partners and its predecessor, DB Capital Partners.
Zachem has been actively engaged with the University as a member of the former New York City Regional Cabinet and with many Class of 1988 reunion celebrations. He is also a member of the New York advisory board of the Posse Foundation, a not-for-profit organization focused on college access and leadership development.
A former student athlete earning numerous honors on and off the basketball court, Zachem and his family have generously supported the men’s basketball program at Rochester. He earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Rochester and an MBA from Harvard Business School. He and his wife, Karen, reside in New York City and have three children.
Trustees emeriti
At the May meeting, four board members moved to trustee emeritus status. Together, they have provided years of distinguished service on the board, and their leadership, counsel, strategic partnership, and philanthropy have supported the creation of new facilities, scholarships, professorships, and other initiatives throughout the University.
Bernard T. Ferrari ’70, ’74M (MD)
Bernie Ferrari, professor and dean emeritus of the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School, joined the Board in 2009 and has served on the Academic Affairs, Advancement, Financial Planning, Joint Health Affairs, Research & Innovation, and Executive committees.
He served as vice chair of the Campaign Cabinet and a member of the Campaign Marketing workgroup during the Meliora Challenge Campaign, and as chair and member of the New York City Regional Cabinet. With his wife, Linda Gaddis Ferrari, he established the Ferrari Humanities Symposia and the President’s Ferrari Humanities Research Award to broaden the liberal education of the University’s undergraduates, enhance the experience of graduate students, and expand the research and connections of University faculty with other scholars from around the world.
He was recognized with the Arts, Sciences & Engineering Dean’s Medal in 2012.
Gwen M. Greene ’65
Gwen Greene, former vice president at JP Morgan Securities, joined the Board in 2000 and has served on the Advancement, Audit and Risk Assessment, Executive, Human Resources, Nominations and Board Practices, and Student Affairs (former chair) committees.
She was a seven-time member of her reunion committee, as well as vice chair of the Women’s Network Leadership Committee, and a member of the Memorial Art Gallery Board of Managers. She has championed the University’s Annual Fund and the George Eastman Circle (GEC), serving as chair of the Annual Fund, co-chair of the GEC National Leadership Council and both chair and co-chair of the GEC Council of New York City. She additionally serves on the Eastman School of Music National Council.
Notably, Greene led the growth and transformation of the University’s career center into the Gwen M. Greene Center for Career Education and Connections. A mentor and advocate for students, she has provided generous scholarship support at the University.
She was recognized with the Arts Sciences & Engineering Dean’s Medal in 2021.
Laurence Kessler
Larry Kessler, founder and co-owner of the Kessler Group, Inc. and Kessler Family LLC, joined the Board in 2010 and has served on the Medical Center Board and the Advancement, Executive, Facilities and Campus Planning, Investment, Joint Health Affairs, and Nominations and Board Practices committees. As chair of the Facilities and Campus Planning committee, he provided thoughtful oversight in helping the University evaluate and project its physical space needs and to engage in forward-thinking capital improvements.
He co-established the Kessler Burn & Trauma Center at URMC, which provides holistic care to critically injured burn patients and treats over 3,000 people per year. More recently, he, his wife, Karen, and his brother Dennis made a lead commitment to strengthen Hillel and sustain Jewish life on campus. He has worked as a champion for both the University and the greater Rochester community, developing positive relationships and collaborations between the institution and its city.
Edward Miller ’68M (MD)
Ed Miller, former CEO of Johns Hopkins Medicine and former dean of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, joined the Board in 2015 and has served on the Research & Innovation Committee, and the Joint Health Affairs Committee. As chair of the latter, he provided counsel to University of Rochester Medical Leadership, offering relevant perspective for the betterment of the institution.
He contributed, with his wife Lynne Miller ’64, meaningful support for both young and emerging faculty members and undergraduates engaged in study abroad programs. In recognition of his work and mentorship, the Dr. Edward D. Miller Leadership Lecture in the Department of Anesthesiology and Preoperative Medicine was established in his honor by a grateful mentee.
In 2013, he received the Charles Force Hutchison and Marjorie Smith Hutchison Medal and delivered the keynote address at the School of Medicine & Dentistry Commencement.
