Whitman Recognizes Alumni and Friends with Awards for Exemplary Engagement and Service

The Whitman School announces the recipients of the 2022 awards presented to alumni and friends of the School for exemplary engagement and service: 

Jonathan J. Holtz Alumnus of the Year Award 

The Holtz Award is the highest honor given to graduates of the Whitman School. Established in 1986 by Jonathan Holtz ’77, the award recognizes an outstanding alum each year for their professional accomplishments and service to Syracuse University. The 2022 Holtz Award was awarded to Lisa Fontenelli ’86 (WSM/NEW), who recently completed a four-year term as chair of the Whitman Advisory Council (WAC). Deeply committed to the success of the School and WAC’s engagement with Whitman’s people and programs, she has led the growth and expansion of the council in terms of diversity of industries and backgrounds. In addition to her leadership on the WAC, Fontenelli is on the Syracuse University Board of Trustees. 

Fontenelli has long included Whitman in her philanthropy. Her latest principal gift through the Forever Orange campaign was given in support of the Whitman Semester in NYC Program, which features experiential learning opportunities and is open to all Whitman students. 

Whitman Dean’s Citations for Exceptional Service  

The Dean’s Citation for Exceptional Service is given to Whitman alumni and supporters who exemplify a commitment to helping the School prepare future business leaders through direct engagement, career and placement opportunities, programmatic support and/or other contributions to position students for professional success. 

This year’s recipients are Nancy Girondo ’98 (A&S/MAX), ’16 MBA, ’18 M.S. and Scott Mager ’95 (VPA). 

Nancy Girondo is a recent addition to the WAC who has long supported the Goodman IMPRESS Program, alumni engagement and career services programming. Her response to requests for panels, career chats, alumni office hours, networking events and mentorship is always, “I’ll make it work; just give me the details.” She also supports Whitman and Syracuse University through her philanthropy, including a recent gift to fund student retention scholarships and related programming. 

Scott Mager serves as principal and chief marketing officer for Deloitte Consulting. He has been instrumental in developing and strengthening the recruiting relationship between Whitman and Deloitte Digital. Deloitte employed more graduates of the Class of 2021 than any other employer, thanks in large part to Mager’s efforts, which resulted in a number of new graduates hired by Deloitte Digital. He has coordinated visits to Whitman by some of his high-level colleagues to speak in classes and serve as panelists for Marketing Days, which Mager also financially supports. 

Orange Ovation Award 

The Orange Ovation Award recognizes recent Whitman graduates who set a positive example to Whitman students through early career success and dedicated service to the School. This year, Whitman honored the 16 founding members of the Young Whitman Advisory Council (YWAC) with the Orange Ovation Award. 

The YWAC is a dynamic, engaged and successful group of professionals who represent roles and industries across Whitman’s major offerings. Members sit on major panels, coordinate intern and young alumni mixers, plan alumni reunions and events for new graduates, judge business pitch competitions, and organize small-group career chats with students. The founding members of the YWAC are: 

William Cass ’08 (WSM/NEW) 
Devin Dadigan ’10 (WSM/A&S/MAX) 
Jake Duneier ’10 
Molly Fisher ’08, ’12 M.S. 
Joshua Fishman ’12 
Alexandra Garfield ’11 
Gabriel Grossman ’10 
Michael Gursha ’10 (WSM/NEW) 
Daniel Kinney ’09, ’10 M.S. 
Margo Konugres ’12 
Megan McDermott ’09 
Kelly Olson ’10 
Corey Passarella ’11 
Derrell Smith ’10 (IST), G’13 (NEW) 
Nicole Walters ’07 
Austin Williams ’11 

The Whitman Community congratulates and extends its deepest gratitude to all our 2022 award honorees.