Advance, Cornell ILR School's publication for alumni and friends.
Issue link: https://advance.epubxp.com/i/132081
Photo: Jesse Winter A True Leader: Strengthening the ILR Community J oe Cartafalsa '89, partner at Putney Twombly Hall & Hirson LLP, can attest to the strength of the ILR community, which he was introduced to as a student. informal, low-key way of getting people together," Cartafalsa says. "We have about 25 people at each meeting, so it's a fairly intimate setting." "I remember being in my arbitration class, and Professor (James) Gross saying, 'One day you'll go out and you'll have an arbitration, and you'll be an ILR grad, your adversary will be an ILR grad and the arbitrator will be an ILR grad.' And that actually happened to me in my very first arbitration," he says. "I was surprised it happened that quickly — and it's happened a number of times since." Cartafalsa is also on the advisory board of the ILR Labor and Employment Law Program, and for the last 15 years or so, his firm has hired ILR students through the Winter Intersession Program. As an alumnus, he is working to make that community even stronger. The opportunity to interact with students is something he enjoys most about his continued involvement with the school. Cartafalsa is a member of the ILR Advisory Council; vice president of the ILR Alumni Association (ILRAA), after having served two two-year terms on the board previously; former chair of the New York City chapter of ILRAA; and creator of the ILRAA Discussion and Networking Breakfast, Metro NYC. The breakfasts, held several times a year at his firm's Fifth Avenue office, include a presentation, discussion and opportunities for networking. "The breakfasts are an ILR ALUMNI MAGAZINE Through the New York City chapter of ILRAA, he has organized wine-tasting events, tailgates and book signings. He recently helped with ILRAA's networking career forum for students on campus. "Sure, it brings back memories when you return to campus," he says. "But it's also exciting to see the students — some of them, we literally meet as freshmen, and then watch them move on and do great things by the time they're seniors. I'm always so impressed by the quality of the students — every year they impress me more by what they do with their lives and how smart they are." with alumni. That may be why he never misses a chance to help today's students. "I try to serve as a good point of contact for them," he says. "Many times, students will be "I'm always so impressed by the quality of the students. Every year, they impress me more by what they do with their lives and how smart they are." looking for a job in a particular field within ILR, and I'll know alumni in that field. I try to point the graduating seniors to alumni who can help them. And, while they're still students, I try to get them excited about joining the ILR Alumni Association after they graduate. I see it as building the network, the community of ILR." Cartafalsa recalls that as a student, he had little contact 3