Board of Directors
Our Board of Directors is comprised of Student Agencies alumni and Cornell University faculty and professors. They serve as an experienced resource for the student management teams.
Nathaniel Weiss | Chairman of the board
Nathaniel is the President of Nécessaire, a personal-care brand based in Los Angeles. Prior to that, Nathaniel held multiple operating roles at True Religion, including GM of the outlet/off-price business, and GM of ecommerce/technology. He started his career at Bain & Co in New York and Western Europe. While a student at Cornell, he was the General Manager of BRSS and the President of Student Agencies, Inc.
Board Member 2007 and December 2008-present; Foundation Member 2008-present
Aaron Pempel
Aaron is the Founder and President of USHU Footwear, Inc., a start-up that uses 3D printing to make shoes for people with hard-to-fit feet. Prior to that, Aaron spent 20 years at Nike, where he lived and worked in North America, South America, and Europe, managing businesses from $100 million to over $1 billion in revenue. His early career training was at McKinsey, Monitor Company, and Smith Barney. Aaron is a graduate of Cornell University and the Harvard Business School.
Sharon Dauk
Currently a Principal in Dauk/Wagner Investments, a private investment company based in Ridgefield, CT which focuses on early stage investments and real estate development. Formerly worked for Smith Barney and Morgan Stanley in their Corporate Finance Departments specializing in both mergers and acquisitions and real estate finance.
Graduated from the University of Southern California with a BS in Business Administration in 1982 and received a Masters of Business Administration from Cornell’s Johnson Graduate School of Management in 1989.
Consultant/General Manager of Student Agencies, 1986 – 1989; Board member since 1986.
Joshua Eisenberg
Mr. Eisenberg is the Executive Vice President & General Counsel of Urban American, a real estate investment and management firm. Urban American currently owns and operates approximately 14,000 apartment units in the New York Metropolitan area. Mr. Eisenberg is responsible for the legal aspects of all real estate acquisitions, sales and financing. He serves as a liaison to outside counsel and supervises corporate governance and compliance. Mr. Eisenberg is also actively engaged in the management, operation and rehabilitation of Urban American’s portfolios. He currently serves as its Director of Sustainability and places a strong focus on increasing energy efficiency, promoting conservation and reducing carbon.
Prior to joining Urban American in 2004, Mr. Eisenberg practiced law, first at Brown Raysman Millstein Felder & Steiner LLP and then at Heller Ehrman, LLP. He represented real estate developers and equity investors in acquiring, developing and leasing various types of real estate, including multifamily housing, office buildings, luxury hotels and retail space. He also represented financial institutions in all aspects of real estate financing, including construction and permanent loans, community development loans and credit-backed bond financing.
Mr. Eisenberg holds a Bachelor of Science in Urban and Regional Planning from Cornell University and a JD from Cornell Law School, where he was an Editor of the Cornell International Law Journal. Between 1996 to 2007, Mr. Eisenberg served as a reserve officer in the United States Army and commanded units in the Field Artillery and then in the Military Police.
Nancy Humphries
Currently Principal of Entrepreneurial Support Services (ESS) based in Austin, TX that provides various services to primarily start-up businesses in diverse industries. Formerly worked for Cornell University as the Executive Director of the Entrepreneurship and Personal Enterprise Program (EPE) from 1995 through 1997. In 1985, founded E-TECH to provide high volume and executive recruitment for an extensive collection of entrepreneurial firms.
Graduated from the University of Florida in 1970.
Board member since 1995.
Greg Thomas
Greg Thomas '93, MBA '10 is the Chief Administrative Officer, Global Strategy and New Ventures at State Street Bank. In his role, he manages the annual goals for the company and provides regular updates on key strategic initiatives and overall corporate performance to the Management Committee and Board of Directors. Prior to State Street, Greg worked at Fidelity Investments as Vice President, Strategic Measurement and Analysis; at Palladium as Vice President and Head of Retail and Consumer Brands; and at Sapient as Program Manager. As an undergraduate at Cornell, Greg majored in Economics and served as CFO of Student Agencies and Real Estate Manager in 1992 and 1993.
Greg stated that "being CFO of SAI equipped me with incredible real world business and financial skills that complimented my Cornell education. I have a tremendous passion for the company and am looking forward to my role as a guide and mentor to the next generation of business leaders.
Greg rejoined Student Agencies in June of 2015 as a member of the SAI Board of Directors and will work with other dedicated Cornell alumni to support the long-term growth of the company and fulfillment of the mission.
Tivadar Szegletes
Tivadar Szegletes (PhD, MBA ’02) is responsible for overseeing core support functions in the SC Johnson College of Business (comprised of Johnson School, Nolan School, Dyson School, Statler Hotel and central college departments) for finance, IT, facilities and New York City operations spanning over 6 buildings in Ithaca, Roosevelt Island and midtown in NYC, with a budget over $320 million.
Tivadar joined the Cornell community in November 2015. Tivadar’s prior career included working in corporate finance for FMCG companies (Unilever, P&G, Stila) for 15 years in New York, New Jersey, Wisconsin, California and Europe.
Besides his MBA from the Johnson School, Tivadar also holds a PhD degree in Biochemistry from Szeged University in Hungary and an MS degree from University of Amsterdam.
Tivadar has 3 children: 2 of them are grown up, while his youngest one is 15. In his spare time, he enjoys playing soccer, skiing, hiking, gardening and spending time with his family.
Board member since 2016.
Alexander (Zander) Liem
Zander is currently a Senior Associate at Longitude Capital, a life sciences and healthcare venture capital firm. Prior to joining Longitude Capital in 2017, Zander was an Analyst in the Investment Banking Division at Goldman Sachs, where he covered healthcare, consumer and retail companies.
As an undergraduate at Cornell Zander was CFO of Student Agencies from 2013-2014. Zander gradated in 2015 with a B.S. in Biology with a concentration in Molecular Biology and in Applied Economics and Management with a concentration in Finance.
Board member since 2018.
Madi Lieber
Madi is currently the Program Manager for Learning & Development within Google Cloud Support, based out of Seattle, WA.
Prior to moving to Seattle, she worked as a Technical Solutions Consultant and Associate Account Strategist within Google, supporting high spend customers within the Google Ads ecosystem.
While at Cornell, she studied Industrial and Labor Relations, with a minor Business (Class of '17). She began her time at SAI as the General Manager for Campus Promotions in 2015, before becoming President in 2016. During her presidency, she supported the build out of the eHub space and the accompanying organizational changes for SAI. Following her Presidency, she remained involved as the Redevelopment Coordinator throughout the 2017 year.
Since then, she has stayed engaged as a Student Agencies Foundation member (June '17), Student Agencies Properties Board Member (Sept '17), and Student Agencies, Inc. Board Member (June '19).
Dan Karlin | Chief executive officer
Currently, the CEO of Student Agencies, Inc., Dan earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Southern California before earning his MBA from the Johnson School. He is a seasoned executive with a diverse background in entrepreneurship, marketing, business development, and consulting. He has led high-growth teams and generated significant revenue across industries, from founding an international wine tourism business to scaling marketing efforts for a financial tech company. Dan also has experience working as a management consultant for Oliver Wyman, Director of Business Development for WeWork, and has founded/co-founded several businesses. His strong strategic vision, leadership skills, and proven track record in building businesses make him a welcome asset at Student Agencies, Inc.
Marshall Broadfoot | President
Marshall is a junior from Charlotte, NC in the Nolan School of Hotel Administration and plans to minor in Real Estate and Urban Regional Studies. She joined SAI in October 2021 as a Real Estate Assistant Manager. In October 2022 she became SAI's Financial Analyst and was promoted to CFO in June 2023. Marshall is currently the 2024 SAI President. Marshall has ridden horses competitively her entire life and is currently a member of the Cornell Varsity Women's Polo Team. When she's not studying, working, or playing polo, she enjoys taking her dog Ruby for long walks and spending time with her friends.