In Review

Two alumni were elected to the University’s Board of Trustees this spring while two long-time members were also recognized.

New Trustees

Joseph Abrams ’74S (MBA) is an entrepreneur, investor, and advisor. An expert in emerging growth companies, he is an early stage investor and advisor with Recruiter.com, an online global recruiting service.

Abrams has advised or acted as principal in dozens of mergers and acquisitions and has been involved with several eco-friendly and socially responsible businesses. A cofounder of the Software Toolworks, he also cofounded eUniverse. Later renamed Intermix Media, the company became the parent of the social network site MySpace. NewsCorp bought Intermix in 2005.

Abrams and his wife, Patricia, are lead supporters of the Simon Venture Capital Fund, a seed fund run by MBA and master’s students at the Simon Business School. He is also a member of Simon’s National Council and Advisory Council, and the University’s San Francisco Network Leadership Cabinet. In 2017, he received Simon’s Distinguished Alumnus Award.

The Abramses also established, with their son, Matthew ’02, and his wife, Lindsay, the Abrams Family Fund for Myotonic Dystrophy Research.

Elizabeth Pungello Bruno ’89 is president of the Brady Education Foundation, an organization focused on closing the achievement and opportunity gap for children at risk for poor school outcomes due to environmental factors associated with living in poverty. She is also a research associate professor in the developmental psychology program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where her research has focused on early care and education environments and school readiness skills.

She serves on the board of Brady Corporation, a public company that manufactures and markets high-performance labels, signs, safety devices, printing systems, and software. She also serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of Marriage and Family and Early Childhood Research Quarterly, and other nonprofit boards.

In 2011, she established the Brady Scholars Program at the University to support first-generation minority students. In 2016, she renewed her support of the program, which now focuses solely on undergraduates. She is a member of the Arts, Sciences & Engineering National Council and the Parents Council.

Her daughter, Hope, graduated this spring as a member of the Class of 2018.

Life Trustees

Also at the May meeting, the board recognized Alan Hilfiker ’60 and Richard Sands as they moved to life trustee status.

A trustee since 1988, Hilfiker has served on several board committees. His support established both the Alan F. Hilfiker Endowed Graduate Scholarship Fund and the Alan F. Hilfiker Distinguished Professorship in English, and helps support the Hyam Plutzik Memorial Poetry Series.

Elected to the board in 2008, Sands has served on Simon’s Executive Advisory Committee and been active with the University at many levels. His support includes the annual Sands Leadership Lecture Series, the establishment of the Dr. Laurie Sands Distinguished Professorship in Family and Health, and support for other programs at Simon, the Medical Center, and the Memorial Art Gallery.