Peter Kleinerman (BA '73, MBA '74, MS '74), Hunt Deutsch (MBA ’82), Gil Levine (BBA ’52), Marcelo Alvarez (BBA '62, MBA '65), Mackie Feierstein (MS ’99)

The School of Business honored alumni and other leaders in the South Florida business community that give their time to students at its annual Mentor Appreciation Dinner April 28. The mentors provide professional and academic guidance to undergraduate and MBA students throughout the year.   Mentors and students in the program meet regularly for discussions on topics ranging from study habits to career choices. The program also gives students an opportunity to see the real day-to-day workings of a company.  Many of the mentors who attended this year’s dinner have been active since the Program began in 1991.

Dean Barbara Kahn acknowledged the important role of mentors and highlighted one notable mentor-student relationship that demonstrates how the program helps students achieve success.

Russell Brooke (MBA ’96), Dean Barbara Kahn, Patricia Henrique, Diego Vega (MBA ’99)

“This year, one of our mentors, Don Taylor, mentored two students who placed first in the School’s annual Entrepreneurship Competition. They both won in the High-Potential Ventures category – Brian Rechtman at the graduate level and Stew Berkley at the undergraduate level,” noted Kahn.

The dean also asked for a moment of silence to acknowledge the loss of two mentors who passed away this year, Mr. Charles Custin, BBA ’73 and Mr. Eduardo Cardim, BBA ’69.  Mr. Custin had been a mentor for 11 years and Mr. Cardim for eight years.  In attendance were Cardim’s wife, Raquel, and son, Andre.  In addition, one of Cardim’s former mentees, Danielle Ferretti, MBA ’07, who now lives in Orlando, spoke about her valuable two-year mentoring relationship with Cardim.

	Arthur Steier, Sandra Rodriguez, Karen LeFleur (BBA ’00), Sara Hecker (BBA ’03), Nicolo Alaimo (MBA ’01)

“Eduardo was both an encouraging mentor and compassionate friend.  He graciously invited me into his busy life and made my personal success a priority. He was generous with his time and talent and I never ceased to learn from him.  He took a sincere interest in my academic and personal life and helped ensure that I balanced each,” said Ferritti.  Current student Wesley D’Silva also spoke and shared his experience with his mentor in attendance, Hunt Deutsch, BBA ’74, MBA ’82.

The mentors were acknowledged by their tenure during the dinner – groups of mentors that had been serving for 10-18 years, 5-10 years, and 5 years or fewer.