Alumni Panel Events
Starting in Fall 2014, we began asking interested former students to participate in our once-a-semester alumni/ae panels.
So far, our guests have been teachers, lawyers, and policymakers, as well as speech-writers, advocates for the homeless, creative writers and financial advisors. Panel members have shared their hard-earned wisdom about how to hold onto a writing practice while learning the ins and outs of asset allocation, shared war stories about breaking into the fields of marketing, publishing, and public policy, and confessed how they too at one time were gripped by that senior-year “job-hunting panic.” Current students have found these panels immensely useful.
Fall 2025 English Alumni Panel
Please join us for an informal panel discussion with three Trinity alums on how their English degrees helped in developing their careers.
- When? Thursday, September 18th at 4:30 pm.
- Where? Reese Room, Smith House.
Jay Acunzo
Public Speaking & Storytelling Coach
Jay Acunzo is an author and entrepreneur who helps others become stronger storytellers in their careers. After pursuing sports journalism at Trinity, with internships at The Hartford Courant and ESPN, Jay worked in marketing roles for Google and tech startups, then launched his own business in 2016. Today, he earns a living as a professional speaker, a host/showrunner for documentaries and podcasts about creativity, and a public speaking coach for experts and leaders. His podcast, How Stories Happen, takes you inside the creative process of exceptional communicators.
Courtney Mooney
Omnichannel Strategy & Execution Head, BMW of North America
Courtney Budd Mooney, 2006, currently leads marketing innovation topics at BMW of North America, where she has held roles in marketing, communications and most recently, omnichannel strategy and integration over fifteen years. Courtney is responsible for incubating innovation and scaling strategic and operational transformation across the BMW marketing organization, with a focus on holistic, intelligent and connected brand experiences across touchpoints. In prior roles, Courtney led customer data model development, service retention marketing and captive finance dealer marketing among other topics. Courtney completed a BA in English Literature and graduated from the Guided Studies humanities honors program at Trinity and she holds an MBA in Marketing and Entrepreneurship & Innovation from the NYU Stern School of Business (2010). She also sits on steering committees for the SquirrelWood Equine Sanctuary and Dressage4Kids 501(c)(3)s and she resides in New York’s Hudson Valley with her husband and three young daughters.
Steve Netcoh
Coordinator of Extended Learning Opportunities, Farmington High School
Steve Netcoh is currently the Coordinator of Extended Learning Opportunities at Farmington High School where he helps students engage in community-based learning experiences to explore their personal and career interests. Prior to joining Farmington High School, he earned a PhD in Educational Leadership & Policy Studies from the University of Vermont where he conducted qualitative research on middle and high schools’ implementation of state policy for personalized learning. Steve has an MA in English from St. John’s University and has experience teaching English in a variety of secondary and postsecondary classrooms in New York City and Vermont.
Continue Scrolling for Previous Alumni Panels
Spring 2025 English Alumni Panel
Featuring: Kelly Vaughan, Gail Brussel, and Leslie Fitzgerald
Kelly Vaughan is currently the recipe editor for The TODAY Show, where she oversees all stages of digital recipe creation. She was previously a food editor and writer for digital publications including Food52 and Martha Stewart Living. Her work has appeared across digital and print publications including Bon Appétit, Food & Wine, Real Simple, and Hartford Magazine. Prior to her editorial career, she spent a year and half working as a line cook at A’Vert Brasserie in West Hartford, Connecticut. Kelly is also writing her first novel inspired by her restaurant experience.
Gail Brussel ‘90, has held roles in the publicity departments at Doubleday, Putnam, and Ecco Press, and is currently the Deputy Director of Publicity at Penguin Press. She has created and executed campaigns for New York Times bestsellers and award winning authors including novelist Karl Ove Knausgaard, music producer Rick Rubin, actor/director Griffin Dunne, Senator Raphael Warnock, social scientist Jonathan Haidt, and journalists including Dahlia Lithwick, Jodi Kantor, Megan Twohey, NPR’s Steve Inskeep and MSNBC host Chris Hayes. She has an MFA in fiction from Sarah Lawrence College and lives with her family in Westchester NY.
Leslie Fitzgerald is a Partner and Client CIO, responsible for working with both educational endowments and private clients. Prior to joining Partners Capital in 2017, she was an Investment Director at Cambridge Associates, serving Endowment, Foundation and Family Office clients. Leslie holds a BA from Trinity College. At Trinity, Leslie double majored in English, Creative Writing and Public Policy & Law. She is a former Trustee of the Buckingham Browne and Nichols School and member of its Investment Committee. Leslie also serves on the Trinity College Board of Fellows.
