The Union College Board of Trustees recently elected five new members.
They are Daniel Gilbert ’91, Tess Skoller ’13, Ajay Goncalves ’26, Jonathan Anderson ’25 and Jennifer Currey. Pete Haviland-Eduah ’10 was re-elected alumni trustee, while Dr. Estelle Cooke-Sampson ’74 was elected trustee emerita.
“On behalf of the board, it is my pleasure to welcome Daniel, Tess, Ajay, Jonathan and Jennifer,” said Julie Greifer Swidler ’79, chair of the Board. “They are excited to use their time and talents to advance the College’s mission. I look forward to working with them.”
Meet the trustees:
Dr. Estelle Cooke-Sampson ’74 was elected trustee emerita. A longtime member of the board (1996-2008 and 2011-present), she is a diagnostic radiologist and served as medical director of women’s imaging and on the faculty of Howard University Hospital. Cooke-Sampson was a member of the D.C. National Guard for over 30 years and is a board member of Tougaloo College. She earned her Union degree in biology and graduated from Georgetown University Medical School.
Daniel Gilbert ’91 was elected term trustee. He is a private investor active across a variety of industries with a focus on sports and technology. Previously he spent 13 years as a member of the management team that founded and successfully expanded the various businesses of NorthStar Realty Finance Corp. and NorthStar Asset Management Group. Gilbert served in various senior management and/or board roles in all NorthStar’s public companies until their sale in 2007. He currently is a part of the ownership group and serves on the Board of Directors of Club Necaxa (Mexican premiere league) and G2 Esports, and is chairman of the Gilbert Family Charitable Foundation, which supports organizations focused on education, arts, physical activity and health. Gilbert graduated from Union with a B.S. in political science and sociology (anthropology focus). He has twin boys, one in N.Y. and one on the way to teach in Japan, and lives in Colorado with his wife, Elise.
Pete Haviland-Eduah '10 has been re-elected alumni trustee. He holds a degree in Africana studies and history from Union and is director of communications and external affairs at Oakland Promise, a California-based non-profit focused on cradle-to-career education. Haviland-Eduah previously held communications positions at Divvy Homes, Nike, Facebook and Apartment List. Additionally, he has worked as a consultant at Deloitte and SKDKnickerbocker and as an aide to U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (N.Y.). He holds a master's degree in public policy from the University of Michigan.
Tess Skoller ’13 joins the Board as the new president of the Alumni Council. She started her career in New York City in publishing at Fortune magazine. Skoller then moved into financial services marketing at OppenheimerFunds (now Invesco) and Goldman Sachs. She now lives in Boston and works at MFS Investment Management as a paid media and advertising lead specialist. Skoller holds an MBA from UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School and was an English and art history interdepartmental major at Union.
Jonathan Anderson ’25 was elected student trustee. A psychology major and sociology minor, he is a running back on the football team and has been vice president of the Class of 2025. Anderson is a STEP (Science and Technology Entry Program) mentor, Wells House member and recipient of the UNITAS Diversity Leadership Award.
Ajay Goncalves ’26 was elected student trustee. A history and anthropology interdepartmental major, he will be head community advisor at Richmond and West residence halls in fall 2024. He is COCOA House work-study coordinator and MAMBA e-board secretary (Men Assertively Manifesting Bold Alliances). Goncalves is also a coordinator with the Moses Viney Partnership, an Honor Code member and Writing Center tutor.
Jennifer Currey was elected faculty trustee. An associate professor of Biomedical Engineering and chair of the Electrical, Computer and Biomedical Engineering Department, she joined the faculty in 2007. Currey has served as director of the Templeton Institute for Engineering and Computer Science, associate dean of Engineering, director of Biomedical Engineering and as the Division IV chair on the Faculty Executive Committee. She also served as a faculty representative on an ad hoc advisory committee for engineering and computer science, co-chaired by Rich Templeton ’80 and Dean of Faculty Strom Thacker. Her research focuses on bone health and exercise, with a recent focus on muscle activation through various activities of daily living and exercise. She earned her B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.