Jennifer Flynn '07 '10MS joins On the Rise!

Amy Emmerich is a growth and transformation leader with extensive experience scalingbusinesses at the intersection of culture, commerce, and community.

She has guided global brands through digital reinvention, operational scaling, and successful exits. As Global President and Chief Content Officer at Refinery29, she drove business growth through strategic initiatives and new revenue channels.

Later, as CEO of the Miss Universe Organization, she modernized its digital presence and repositioned its franchise network—spanning 90 countries—for global expansion.A three-time Emmy Award winner, Amy has built businesses through storytelling, IP creation, and operational excellence for MTV, Vice, HBO, and the Travel Channel.

Today, she partners with high-growth ventures and family offices to drive brand evolution, strategic growth, and long-term value creation. Recognized by Variety, Campaign US, and NYWIFT for her innovative leadership, she is known for blending empathy and authenticity with sharp business acumen.

Her career began at Iona College, where early mornings on Metro-North to intern at The Rosie O’Donnell Show and longdays balancing academics set the foundation for a career defined by discipline and drive. Amy currently serves on the Alumni Board.

Carmen Conte Widman is an Emmy Award winning veteran journalist and a proud alumna of Iona. She is currently a Supervising Producer for CNN’s acclaimed primetime program “Erin Burnett OutFront” where she leads guest booking for Erin’s show.
Her career spans more than 29 years covering major world and breaking news events. Some highlights include the coverage of September 11th, the Iraq War, seven U.S. Presidential Elections, the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Pope Francis in the U.S., three Papal Conclaves and the U.S. Supreme Count Decision on Same Sex Marriage which earned her an Emmy for breaking news coverage.
She has collaborated with various talents across the networks through the years including Erin Burnett, Lester Holt, Andrea Mitchell, Brian Williams, Chris Cuomo, Alisyn Camerota, Erica Hill, John Berman, Don Lemon, Poppy Harlow, Kaitlan Collins, Bob Costas and Mary Calvi.
Prior to her time at CNN, she worked at MSNBC for 15 plus years as well as WNBC, ABC News and News 12. She received her Bachelor of Arts cum laude in 1996 as a double major in Broadcasting and Journalism from Iona. She is married, a mom of two college students and is a fluent Italian speaker who enjoys to travel and cook.

Kathy graduated from Iona with a BA in Psychology in 1973.  She obtained her MS in Psychology from the now defunct College of New Rochelle after which she began a working life which is better explained in retrospect. She is a part of the first class of women to graduate from Iona.

 Kathy believes that her baccalaureate and master’s degreesare in Psychology honed her ability to observe and describe behavior and analyze causes and remedies and that ability is a common theme throughout what can now be called her career.

Her professional experience has been varied and broad.  Her first professional job was as a claims representative at Social Security, an exposure to the human condition that hasstayed with her.

 She parlayed that experience to work an analyst in adifferent government agency that investigated allegations ofdiscrimination.  That job led her to work for a small NYS consulting firm hired to computerize the NYC municipalhospitals. 

She impressed one of her clients and was hired as one of the first hospital Budget Directors in that vast system as they worked to decentralize financial operations.  This was the beginning of a twenty-year career in healthcare management, including finance, planning, and operations improvements. 

With no education in any of this, Kathy educated herself along the way by attending as many programs as she could and reading lots of books.  As the user of the first desktop computer at her first hospital job, Kathy had tolearn by doing. 

Afterward, Kathy ran a small business consulting firm helping small businesses with financialmanagement, marketing, budgeting, and personnel matters. 

At the same time, she volunteered in her community, eventually serving as an elected official, including a term asMayor.

Currently, after being one of the founders of a hyperlocalonline newspaper, The Mamaroneck Observer, Kathy also serves as Executive Editor, reporter and photographer.

Matt Caiola '05, CEO of 5WPR, leads the firm’s corporate, technology, consumer, and digital divisions. Under his leadership, 5WPR has earned accolades including Inc. Magazine's Best Workplaces, Top 50 Global PR Agency by PRovoke Media, top-three NYC PR agency by O'Dwyer's, and multiple American Business Awards, such as the Stevie Award for PR Agency of the Year.

Matt, who was most recently honored by the American Business Association as Communications and PR Executive of the Year as well as PRDaily's Top Communicators of the Year, has served as a key force behind the growth of 5W for more than a decade. His leadership has driven both consistent year-over-year double digit growth for his teams as well as scaling the vision and service expertise of the overall agency as it has grown into a top 10 independently owned firm in the US.

A trusted advocate for his clients and his team, Matt has built an enviable team of experts, all of whom possess a deep understanding of the legacy structures and the forces of change that are driving today's revolution across all facets of the corporate and technology spaces.

He leads teams that are responsible for the reputation of some of the most sophisticated companies and visible public figures in the world, along with emerging brands and technologies that are making history. Under his leadership, 5W has launched and built new tech companies, enabled legacy organizations to cement their leadership in changing times, managed complex crisis matters and reputational issues for leading organizations, and driven campaigns for B2B and B2C companies across the digital landscape.

Matt holds a Bachelor's degree from Iona College and is an active board member of Little Baby Face Foundation, a non-profit with a mission to transform the lives of children born with debilitating facial deformities through world-class reconstructive surgery.

Maria R. Tapia is board member of the Iona University School of Arts and Science Alumnae Board and the Iona Computer Science Alumnae Board. She brings to these roles 35 years of experience in the technology industry.

Throughout her career at the IBM Corporation, Maria held numerous technical leadership roles across IBM’s Software, Hardware and Services businesses: application development, project management, technical sales and services delivery. Maria’s key experiences include over 20 years as a manager of technical teams with experience delivering technical projects for clients across a variety of industries: Finance, Insurance, Healthcare and Public Sector.

Prior to that, Maria had an assignment as program manager within the Global Workforce Diversity organization focused on internal and external programs for the Hispanic constituency and Multicultural Women. Maria is a lifelong learner and earned a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Iona University and a Master of Science in Computer Science from Rensselaer Polytechnic University.

She also completed a Master of Business Administration at New York University in 2012.

Maria is passionate about encouraging people of all ages to pursue and succeed in technical roles. She is an avid volunteer and mentor to people around the world. She also has a passion for needlework, and since her retirement from IBM in July of 2024 has taken a more active role in developing those skills and experiences.

Lucille Bootman graduated cum laude from Iona University in 2017 with a degree in Mass Communication (concentration in Public Relations) and a minor in Political Science. Since then, she has built a career in digital marketing, specializing in social strategy with a particular focus on financial services.

At the time of this recording, Lucille was serving as a Vice President on Prosek’s Paid, Digital & Analytics team, where she brought deep expertise in highly regulated industries. She helped clients bring digital strategies to life through paid social, content development, amplification, and project management. A natural storyteller, Lucille is known for her ability to communicate complex updates with clarity and impact.

Prior to joining Prosek, Lucille spent three years at Edelman in its Health practice, developing corporate, executive, and campaign-specific social and digital strategies, executing paid media campaigns, and launching new social properties. She began her career at Biosector 2, a Syneos Health company, where she managed social media and executive channels, drafted press releases, and secured media coverage.

Lucille remains actively engaged with Iona University. As a student, she was a member of Gamma Lambda Rho, serving as Vice President for a year. Since 2022, she has served on the Board of Trustees as the Young Adult Trustee and has been involved in the Gaels Go Further mentoring program since its inception. She is also pursuing her MBA at Boston College, with an expected graduation date of December 2025.

Stephen D. Semenza, CPA, Founder, The Pawfect Brew, Former CFO, Evolution Markets Inc. Financial Executive

Stephen D. Semenza is a seasoned financial executive and entrepreneur with over two decades of experience in corporate finance, accounting, compliance, and strategic leadership. He is the founder and owner of The Pawfect Brew, a mission-driven coffee company based in New Rochelle, NY, that delivers specialty-grade, freshly roasted coffee while donating 25% of profits to local rescue organizations, including the Humane Society of Westchester and NY Pet Rescue.

Prior to launching The Pawfect Brew in 2024, Stephen served for 15 years as Chief Financial Officer and Managing Director at Evolution Markets Inc., where he oversaw global financial operations across the U.S. and U.K. His responsibilities included managing accounting, payroll, HR, regulatoryreporting, audits, foreign exchange exposure, and board-level financial communications. He was instrumental in optimizing cost efficiency, driving compliance initiatives, and maintaining the financial health of the firm’s multi-million-dollar operations.

Stephen’s earlier experience includes his role as VicePresident at Goldman Sachs, where he managed global accounting and reporting for equity-based compensation and led regulatory disclosures for public filings. He also held senior leadership roles as Controller at RyanBeck in Livingston, NJ and Hoenig Group in Rye Brook, NY.

Stephen holds a BBA in Accounting from IonaCollege graduating in 1983 and is a CertifiedPublic Accountant (CPA) licensed in the State of New York.Passionate about giving back, he blends his financial expertise with a commitment to animal welfare, building a business that serves both customers and the community.

Website: www.thepawfectbrew.com

Kevin O’Sullivan is the Senior Vice President for Enrollment and Student Affairs at Iona University in New Rochelle, N.Y. With 20 years of experience in higher education, he is a proven leader, team builder, and innovator who has implemented data-driven recruitment strategies to attract local, national, and international students.

Since joining Iona in 2019, freshman enrollment has grown by nearly 50%, contributing to the university’s rising stature. Under his leadership, Iona has been recognized as a top 10 Catholic university in the nation and ranked No. 1 for student experience among all Catholic universities by the Wall Street Journal in 2024. 

Beyond admissions and enrollment, O’Sullivan is responsible for 11 departments dedicated to student life, including residential life, counseling and health services, and career development. He also oversees over 80 student clubs, organizations, and leadership opportunities in performing arts, club sports, and service initiatives, fostering a vibrant and well-rounded campus experience. 

Prior to Iona, he served as Executive Director of Undergraduate Admissions at Sacred Heart University. He holds a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Business Administration from Sacred Heart and was named a Rising Stars 40 Under 40 honoree by the Business Council of Westchester in 2021.

Laurie Rebholz recently joined Citizens Bank as the Head of Talent, after spending almost 23 years in various Learning & Development roles at Citi.  

Laurie has built a deep expertise in the fields of Leadership, Executive and Talent Development and most enjoys developing the capabilities of leaders at all levels of an organization.  

She has led large global teams and is extremely energized by innovations in the field of learning.

Laurie has a B.A. in Political Science from LeMoyne College and an MBA in Human Resource Management from Iona University. She currently serves as a member of the Executive Advisory Commitee in the LaPenta School of Business.