Changemaker Chat

Norma Kanarek '74, Changemaker in Research

We’re excited to welcome Norma Fox Kanarek, PhD, a member of Nazareth’s class of 1974 and an inspiring changemaker. Much of Norma’s career, which started right here in Rochester at Highland Family Medicine, has been spent serving as an epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, Maryland. Her research focused on the health of populations, patient participation in clinical trials, the use of preventive health services, and cancer etiology — which is, simply put, the study of the causes of cancer. Norma’s work has been at the interface of cancer research and public health practice — between policy and program development — with an emphasis on connecting basic science findings and cancer prevention and control research, and linking internal investigators to enhance cross-disciplinary research.

Norma’s public health career included studying cancer rates and racial disparities, leading the State of Maryland’s cancer surveillance work, and advising the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. She originated the first community health status report for all U.S. counties while at the Public Health Foundation. And she just recently retired from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health after 23 years of service, concluding an incredible career as an advocate for cancer prevention and screening for early detection.

This past September, Nazareth was pleased to honor Norma in 2024 with an Outstanding Alumni Award during Naz Weekend. I am very excited to welcome Norma Fox Kanarek to Changemaker Chat.

Nick Cicero ’09 Changemaker in Social Media

^{Nick Cicero '09 is a social media entrepreneur, who — after starting college at Nazareth as a trumpet-playing music major – was intrigued by the spread of Facebook, Twitter, other social media platforms, and followed his instincts to pursue a career in internet technology and business.}

^{Nick’s life's work has focused on building social publishing and analytics tools for publishers and media companies, eventually founding, developing and leading social media analytics company Delmondo, which was later bought by Conviva.} 

^{Nick has 20 years of experience in advancing the social media, digital marketing, and streaming video industries, with a track record of innovation and leadership. He has been at the forefront of many tech firsts, such as creating the first enterprise analytics solutions for Snapchat, Instagram Stories, Facebook Live, and TikTok, co-producing the first Snapchat branded series with Marriott Rewards, and working with Oprah Winfrey to launch the first Instagram video on TV.} 

^{Today, Nick works as an advisor, consultant, professor, and investor. He has made hundreds of presentations at major industry events like Vidcon, SXSW (South by Southwest), SportsPro, Social Fresh, and Social Media Marketing World. He serves as an advisor and mentor to early-stage startups and educates future leaders as a faculty member at the esteemed S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University.}

 

Neal Powless '98, Changemaker in Athletics

As part of its ongoing Centennial Changemaker Chat podcast, Dr. Beth Paul has a conversation with Neal Powless '98, a former member of the Nazareth lacrosse team and three-time All-American, and an inspiring changemaker who has helped bridge Native American ideals and culture all over the world.

Neal Powless '98 led the Nazareth team to the 1996 Division III National Championship. He later enjoyed a successful professional lacrosse career including a National Lacrosse League Championship in 1997 with the Rochester Knighthawks. He was inducted into the Nazareth Sports Hall of Fame in 2007. A member of the Onondaga Nation Eel Clan, Powless has taught courses and presented across the country regarding Indigenous culture and value systems. He has been involved with several film projects, including Crooked Arrows and the Emmy-nominated The Game of Life: Heart and Spirit of the Onondaga, which explores the significance of lacrosse to the people of the Onondaga Nation.

 

Alicia Borrachero '90, Acting Changemaker

In this episode of Changemaker Chat, Nazareth University President Beth Paul, Ph.D. welcomes Alicia Borrachero '90, a graduate of Nazareth's theater arts program. Borrachero is an accomplished actor whose career in Europe has made her a household name there for many —  most notably for nine seasons starring in the hit Spanish television series Periodistas and the Starz historical drama, The Spanish Princess, among many other roles. During this Changemaker Chat, Borrachero discusses her passion for acting, the story of how a young woman from Madrid ended up studying at Nazareth, and the significant impact the performing arts can have on a rapidly changing world.  

Jeff Van Gundy '85, Changemaker in Sports and Television

Changemaker Chat is a special podcast series honoring Nazareth University's Centennial Celebration, featuring engaging conversations with notable individuals who've changed — and continue to change — their industry, their community, and the world for the better, inspired by their personal connection to Nazareth.

In this episode of Changemaker Chat, Nazareth University President Beth Paul, Ph.D., welcomes former Nazareth basketball standout and Sports Hall of Fame member Jeff Van Gundy '85. Van Gundy discusses his deep appreciation for -- and continued connection with -- Nazareth, and how it prepared him for the ups and downs of an incredible life journey that's included a Nazareth Sports Hall of Fame playing career on the hardwood of Kidera Gymnasium, coaching the New York Knicks in Madison Square Garden, broadcasting 17 NBA Finals for ESPN , and working in team management with the Boston Celtics.

Nazareth's Centennial Celebration is presented by Wellington Steele & Associates and the Leva Family.

John Drain '83, Media Changemaker

Changemaker Chat is a special podcast series honoring Nazareth University's Centennial Celebration, featuring engaging conversations with notable individuals who've changed — and continue to change — their industry, their community, and the world for the better, inspired by their personal connection to Nazareth.

The first episode of Changemaker Chat features a conversation between Nazareth University President Beth Paul, Ph.D., and John Drain '83, chief financial officer of Hearst Television, Inc. in New York City, and a fascinating changemaker leader. Hear how Drain has successfully navigated his career — and the organizations he's led — through the dramatically changing media landscape, and how his experience at Nazareth has inspired and informed him along the way.

Nazareth's Centennial Celebration is presented by Wellington Steele & Associates and the Leva Family.

Mental Health Across Campus

Nazareth has long made mental health a priority, and a new federal grant is helping the University expand its commitment to student’s mental health and wellness. Today’s podcast focuses on the new initiatives.

Guests:

• Kim Harvey is associate vice president of student life at Naz with 20 years of experience in higher education in the areas of residential life and student success.
•  
• John Rigney is assistant director for wellness outreach & education in Health and Counseling Services.

Dance with Impact

Nazareth is a community of changemakers, and senior Kyra Green is a shining example of someone inspiring others every day. Green ‘23 is a dance studies and theater major, and she recently joined President Paul along with Heather Roffe, director of Nazareth’s undergraduate dance program. They discussed the many ways the dance program is a shining example of the Nazareth changemaker education framework.

Guests: 

• Kyra Green  is majoring in dance studies and theater and has a minor in acting. She’s passionate about dance theater and has found ways to use her passion to advocate for children in the education department and also perform dance and theater on and off the Nazareth College campus.

• Heather Roffe is the director of Nazareth’s undergraduate dance program, and has performed nationally and internationally with the Garth Fagan Dance Company and the Bill Evans Dance Company to name only a few. Her choreography has been presented globally, and she is an active scholar in the field of dance presenting on pedagogy, somatics, and dance and feminism.

 

Removing Fear of the Unknown from AI

As ChatGPT makes headlines, how do the latest artificial intelligence breakthroughs affect our lives? Prez Paul talks to Silicon Valley strategist Travis Steffen and Nazareth’s Institute for Technology, Artificial Intelligence, and Society Director Jeff Allan. They address fear of the unknown when it comes to AI.

 

Guests:

• Jeffrey Allan is director of Nazareth’s Institute for Technology, AI, and Society — an AI expert and psychologist with two decades of experience at Fortune 500 companies and Silicon Valley startups, and a proponent of “responsible AI.”
• Travis Steffen is a Silicon Valley strategist, best-selling author, Inc. magazine top 500 CEO, and eight-time successful startup founder who’s on campus April 26 for a presentation revealing the secrets to excel in the dynamic world of AI-driven marketing.

Changemaker Series: Access to Education Includes Inmates

Nazareth College Professor Ed Wiltse taught a unique class this past spring semester, Hitting the Road: Journeys in American literature. Half of the students were campus-based here at Nazareth and half were based at Groveland, a men's prison south of Rochester. Wiltse’s work is part of a growing national movement that advocates for access to higher education for all, as a pathway for equity and social justice. 

Guests on the podcast:

Ed Wiltse, Ph.D., professor of English and communication, who has been teaching at Nazareth for 23 years, and in a variety of local jail and prison settings for 20 years.

Three current students and one past student enrolled in the Hitting the Road course:

Alec Goldammer  is a May 2022 Nazareth graduate with bachelor’s degrees in education and English literature. He is also a part of the student-veteran community, spending five-years in active duty in the United States Marine Corps before coming to Nazareth.

Emily Denzler is a May 2022 Nazareth graduate with a bachelor’s degree in business with a communications minor. She was a social media coordinator for the Center For Life's Work located on campus and is always reading in her spare time. 

Joe Rossi is a former Rochester Education Justice Initiative student who was part of the first combined class in Fall 2020. He was working towards his associate’s degree before being incarcerated. Upon re-entry, he earned his associate's degree from SUNY Herkimer in January 2021. He is now set to graduate with his bachelor’s degree in historical studies from SUNY Empire, and plans on pursuing his master's from SUNY Empire in the near future.

Madeline Dovi is a May 2022 Nazareth graduate with a bachelor’s degree in communication and media major with an English minor. She is a freelance journalist, artist, barista, and founding member of the Nazareth PRSSA Chapter. Dovi recently accepted a full time reporting position with the Daily Caller News Foundation, covering the U.S. Justice Department.