The 2024 40 Under Forty
PHOTOGRAPHY Kristy Leibowitz
As Stony Brook continues to make strides in advancing the future of education, research and medicine, so too are our exceptional young alumni, who have distinguished themselves as leaders in their communities. During Homecoming Week in October, SBU celebrated this group who has made significant strides early on in their careers, earning recognition for their achievements in healthcare, technology, public service, academia and environmental sciences, among other fields.
Our Seawolves have stepped up during public health crises through providing strategic counsel to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration during the COVID-19 pandemic, working as a respiratory specialist also during the pandemic and specializing in disaster response and recovery programs in the U.S. Senate Sergeant at Arms, Office of Security, Emergency Preparedness and Continuity.
From making sure our veterans get the resources they need and working in the New York State Assembly for senior citizens’ rights to competing in the Olympics and raising money for non-profit organizations, to helping to develop climate-smart agriculture in Kenya, this year’s class of honorees joins the ranks of alumni dedicated to helping their communities and addressing global issues.
Read more about the event here on SB Matters.
Meet the 2024 class of 40 Under Forty honorees (in alphabetical order):
Robert Africano ‘10
Optometrist, Area Doctor, North Carolina Primary Vision Care Associates
Nusrat Alam ‘06
CEO/Co-Founder/Judicial Delegate, I am Perspective
Amanda Alicea ‘10
Executive Director of Strategic Initiatives, SBU
Patrick Cantwell ’12
Bullpen Catcher, Texas Rangers
Timothy Cole, Esq. ‘05
Procurement Attorney, Brookhaven National Laboratory
Jonathan Conyers ‘17
Respiratory Therapist, NYU Langone Medical Center
Amruta Desai ‘08, MPH ‘09
Anesthesiologist, Interventional Pain Physician, Stony Brook Medicine
Nicholas Figueroa ‘11, MA ‘13
Lecturer of Spanish, Columbia University
Andrea Gallego ’08
Global Managing Director of Go-To-Market Incubation, Google
Matthew Henninger ‘16
Staff Psychologist, Phoenix Veterans Affairs Health Care System
Alexandria Imperato ’10, MS ’12, MD ’18
Doctor, Internal Medicine, NYU
William James ‘09
Documentary reporter/producer, KUOW, Seattle NPR station
Travis Jankowski
Baseball player, Texas Rangers
Catherine Kavanagh MD ‘09
Pediatric Nephrologist, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, CUMC
Russell Keogler MA ‘10, MPH ‘11, MBA ‘13
Vice President of Operations, HMR Veterans Services Inc.
Gregory Kirschen MD ’17, PhD ’20
Maternal-Fetal Medicine Fellow, Hospital of University of Pennsylvania
Adam Kulway ‘06
Facilities Management Bureau Chief, Arlington County Government
Kristi Ladowski MPH ‘11
Associate Director of Injury Prevention and Community Program Integration, SBU Hospital
Acacia Leakey ‘17, MS ‘18
Technical Initiatives Manager, Turkana Basin Institute
Daniel Lloyd MA ‘19
Founder & President, Minority Millennials
Joshua Lory ‘09
Co-Founder & CEO, YourOwn
Rubina Madni, Esq. ‘05
Director, Corporate Counsel, Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc
Donna-Lee Mahabeer ’06, MSW ‘08
Director, Diversity, Intercultural & Community Engagement, SBU
Alefiyah Malbari, MD ’09
Chief of Ambulatory Pediatrics, University of Texas at Austin
Chris Murray ‘10, MA ‘13
Vice President of Marketing, Island Federal Credit Union
Carla Neckles PhD ‘14
Senior Scientist, Arrakis Therapeutics
India Pagan ‘21
Basketball player; member of the 2020 and 2024 Puerto Rican Olympic teams
Marvin Parasram ‘10
Assistant Professor, New York University
James Pierre-Glaude ‘06, DPT ‘10
Assistant Dean for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Belonging, School of Health Professions
Steven Raga ‘06, MA ‘08
Assemblyman, New York State Legislature
Aleef Rahman ‘09, MPH ‘11
Physician, New York State Department of Health & CDC National Foundation
Valerie Revolus ‘12
Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, Moving In New Directions Psychiatric
Sofia Reyes ‘08, MS ‘12
Director, Simulation Education & Clinical Skills Laboratory, Stony Brook Medicine
Jillian Ringhauser ‘14
U.S. Senate Sergeant at Arms, Office of Security, Emergency Preparedness, and Continuity
Kalin Sims ‘15
Senior Manager, Customer Success, Storyblocks
Cassandra Skolnick ‘22
President and Chief Executive Officer of Veris Media Group LLC
Gozde Ustuner MS ’17
Acting Department Chair/Professor, Farmingdale State College
Joseph Verardo ‘13, MA ‘15, MS ‘16
President, Young Education Professionals-NYC
Howard Wang, BS ‘09, MS ’13, ‘DDS ’15, MBA ’16
Dual specialist in endodontics & periodontics/dental implants
Monique Watson ‘14
Strategy Fellow, College Board
Pedro Atzel Zapata ‘13, MA ‘14
Deputy Director, Program Implementation, NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
Note: this listing only includes honorees’ SBU degrees.
For more information on Stony Brook’s 40 Under Forty program and to read the full biographies of our honorees, visit stonybrook.edu/40underforty.