Spring 11 MASTER.indd - Thunderbird Magazine

class notes
2010 recipient of the Ben
Neuhausen Professional Integrity
Award. … Josh Dorfman ’00
is vice president of marketing
for GoodGuide, a fast-growing
company that scientifi cally ranks
thousands of products based on
their health, environment and
socially responsible attributes.
… Susan Cordts ’01 beat out
three other fi nalists on Oct. 28,
2010, to win an Athena Award
from the Phoenix Chamber of
Commerce. The award honors
women who excel in their fi elds
and have given time to their communities.
Cordts is president and
CEO of Adaptive Technologies. …
DeVere A.M. Kutscher ’03 and
Duane Charles Pozza Jr. were
recently married in Washington,
D.C. Kutscher is chief marketing
offi cer for the U.S. Hispanic
Chamber of Commerce. …
Alexander Aginsky ’03 was
recently featured as a guest columnist
in the Portland Business
Journal in Oregon. Aginsky, who
owns Aginsky Consulting, wrote
about opportunities in exporting
products. … Andy Unanue ’04
was profi led in The Record for
his newest enterprise, Trufoods.
Unanue is CEO of AU & Associates
and, through the 13th Street
Entertainment group, is an owner
of the popular Bagatelle restaurant,
Kiss & Fly nightclub and RdV
lounge. … Larry Segerstrom
’05 has been appointed chief
operating offi cer of Andover Ventures.
… Jack Beldon III ’05 is
T-bird helps
shelter
homeless
children
Blend solid T-bird
business skills
with a fierce desire
to improve the
quality of life in developing
nations, and what do you
get? The Washington, D.C.-
based Hovde Foundation,
which provides shelters for
vulnerable youth in countries
such as Mexico, Peru
and Kenya, while empowering
budding entrepreneurs
in the same communities.
Under the leadership of
Executive Director Jeffrey
Boyd ’03, the Hovde Foundation
granted $2 million
in 2010 for the development
of shelters for homeless,
trafficked and formerly
enslaved children.
Eric Hovde and his brother,
Steven, who share duties
as president and CEO of
investment banking, asset
management and private
equity firm Hovde Financial,
created and fund the
foundation, which partners
with local organizations
Jeffrey Boyd ’03 works with schoolchildren in Ghana.
in each country to operate
Hovde Houses.
“The Hovde House concept
was modeled to be the
Ronald McDonald House
for street kids, where Hovde
buys the land and funds
the construction of a large
group home and the first
few years of operations,”
Boyd said. “We then challenge
the local partner to
raise money outside Hovde,
giving them the land and
home free and clear when
that goal is accomplished.”
Boyd’s involvement
doesn’t stop there. The organization
also takes a seat
on the shelters’ boards of
directors and guides them
through operational improvements,
cutting costs,
raising money and establishing
on-site businesses to
generate long-term revenue
toward true sustainability.
For example, one Hovde
partner in Kenya launched
a fish farm on a shelter’s
property, while a partner
in Rwanda is about to
build a greenhouse to grow
tomatoes.
This year, Boyd will focus
on developing business and
marketing plans to help
these partners solidify their
profit potential.
“I never had the desire to
go to Wall Street, make a lot
of money and conquer the
world, but instead wanted
to use my business skills
to serve others,” Boyd said.
“Thunderbird offered me a
well-known degree, and the
experience helped me land
this job as well as other
jobs that have prepared me
for this.”
SUBMITTED PHOTO
thunderbird magazine 67