Union College has named four new members to its Board of Trustees, it was announced by Robert Bertagna ’85, chair of the board.
They are Jon Henes ’91, Alexis Henrikson ’23, Vincent Mattone ’06 and Prof. Chad Orzel.
“On behalf of the board, it is my pleasure to welcome Jon, Alexis, Vince and Chad to the board,” said Bertagna. “Besides their obvious accomplishments and experience, they bring a true passion for advancing the mission of this College. I look forward to introducing them at our fall meeting.”
Jon Henes ’91 was elected term trustee. Jon is the CEO of C Street Advisory Group, LLC, a strategic advisory firm helping CEOs and C Suites navigate the convergence of business, finance and law with social justice, diversity, inclusion and politics. Prior to C Street, Jon was a senior partner at Kirkland & Ellis and one of the country’s most prominent restructuring, crisis management and corporate governance lawyers. Active in politics and charitable endeavors, he served as national finance chair for Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign. He holds a degree in history from Union, where he was active in Zeta Beta Tau fraternity and the student newspaper.
Alexis Henrikson ’23 was elected junior trustee. A native of Portland, Ore., and a 2018 graduate of Lincoln High School, she is an anthropology major with a minor in gender, sexuality and women’s studies. She is a member of Union’s crew team and this year was named to the Liberty League All-Academic Team. She is also a member of Women’s Union and Delta Phi Epsilon sorority. Last year, she was an Accommodative Services intern and served as vice president of academics in Student Forum. This summer, she was a cabin counselor in New Hampshire. She enjoys reading and hiking in the Pacific Northwest.
Vincent Mattone ’06, Alumni Council president and trustee, is a financial advisor for ACM Wealth, the wealth planning team of Advisors Capital Management. Previously, he was a Vice President and Relationship Manager for TD Private Client Group, TD Bank's Wealth Management division. A member of Union’s Alumni Council since 2015, he was elected president in 2021 and co-chairs the Council’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion sub-committee. He earned his bachelor’s degree in economics and political science from Union, where he played football. He is a board member of Youth Inc., a New York City network of 80 nonprofits focused on youth development.
Chad Orzel, associate professor of physics and astronomy, was elected faculty trustee. A specialist in atomic physics with an active student research program, he is the College’s former director of undergraduate research responsible for coordinating student-faculty projects and organizing the annual Steinmetz Symposium. He is the author of a series of books aimed at making complex topics accessible to a general audience. They include "Breakfast with Einstein," "How to Teach Quantum Physics to Your Dog," "How to Teach Relativity to Your Dog" and "Eureka! Discovering Your Inner Scientist." He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Maryland.
In addition, Bertagna announced that Kate Stefanik Barry ’01, will continue on the board as a term trustee after serving as an alumni trustee in her role as Alumni Council president. Barry is a partner at Isaacson, Miller, a Boston-based executive search firm, where her practice focuses on higher education leadership. She was the lead consultant in the search for Union President David R. Harris in 2018. Earlier in her career, she worked in the College’s Alumni Relations and Admissions programs. She majored in psychology at Union and holds a master’s degree from Harvard University.
In other board news, Bertagna announced that two longtime board members – David Henle ’75 and John Kelly III ’76 – have been named life trustees. Life trustee position is an appointment without term limit reserved for those trustees who have demonstrated distinguished dedication to Union College in time, talent and treasure, and who will be important future board members.
Henle, the president of DLH Capital LLC, has served as vice chair of the board and was the long-time chair of the board’s investment committee. He currently chairs the board’s trusteeship committee. Among his many contributions, Henle and his wife Joan, have sponsored the David L. Henle Merit Scholars program and were the chief benefactors of the Henle Dance Pavilion that opened in 2013.
Kelly, who retired as IBM executive vice president, served as chair of the board and previously chaired the board’s academic affairs committee. He and his wife, Helen-Jo, have supported a number of projects at Union, including the Integrated Science and Engineering Complex (ISEC), the John E. Kelly III Digital Arts Lab, the Kelly Computing and Innovation Lab in the Wold Center and the Kelly Adirondack Center. As chair of the board, he was the driving force in the development and building of the ISEC.
Bertagna also announced that Ellen Sheehan Smith ’80, senior managing director of FTI Consulting, was named trustee emerita after serving on the board for 10 years. She was secretary of the board, served on the board’s executive committee and chaired the facilities committee. A mechanical engineering major who also earned a master’s in engineering from Union, she has spent most of her career as a leader in the energy sector.