Return to Emory without leaving home

President Jim Wagner and Mrs. Debbie Wagner (at left) were among the guests at the Bedford, NY home of Wendy Rosenberg-Nadel 82C and Larry Nadel on September 29. The Nadels hosted the kickoff event of the newly formed Westchester-Fairfield Chapter of the Emory Alumni Association.

Photo by Annemarie Poyo Furlong 89C

When she was an Emory student in late 1970s and early 1980s, Wendy Rosenberg-Nadel 82C was among the campus' most engaged.

She and Debbie Genzer 82C sought to create a centralized organization though which Emory students could serve the community. Their efforts resulted in the founding of Volunteer Emory, an organization that has grown into a national leader in introducing college students to community service.

After she graduated, Nadel—who double-majored in psychology and religion—moved to New York City and remained in the nonprofit field, specializing in program and organizational development. She worked for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation (and earned a master's of education in counseling psychology from Teachers College, Columbia University) before opening her own consulting firm which now boasts clients throughout New York and Connecticut.

Nadel's ties to her local community grew stronger day by day and project by project. But what fell away were her ties to Emory.

“I didn't do much [with Emory] for a very long time because there was no forum or framework to involve alumni,” said Nadel, who lives in Bedford, NY with her husband Larry and daughters Nicole and Julia. Opportunities for alumni engagement were few and far between—particularly when she moved to suburban Westchester County—and Nadel drifted away from Emory.

But four years ago, she came back.

“I got involved with the newly revived New York City chapter mainly through Emory Cares,” she said. Emory Cares, the EAA's signature service project, was created in 2003. Nadel coordinated Emory Cares service efforts in New York, which led to reconnection to Emory in other ways.

In 2005, Nadel was invited to join the Emory Alumni Board (then known as the Board of Governors), an advisory board that oversees the EAA and encourages all alumni to participate in the University community.

“That involvement really enabled me to see the big picture at Emory,” Nadel said. “It became clear what was happening at Emory and where my skills and energy could fit in best as a volunteer.”

Since her reconnection, involvement with Emory has moved to the forefront in Nadel's life. She remains strongly engaged with Emory Cares, helping promote the upcoming Emory Cares International Service Day on November 11. She is helping with the planning of the Yonkers, NY Emory Cares event and will be traveling with her family to the Emory Cares signature service event with President Jim and Mrs. Debbie Wagner in New Orleans. (Her husband Larry is a Tulane alumnus, which makes the event doubly important.)

She also has been instrumental in the creation of a new EAA regional chapter in Westchester and Fairfield counties north of New York City, hosting a chapter kickoff event at her home on Sept. 29. The Wagners were the featured guests along with more than 100 Westchester-Fairfield alumni, students, parents, and friends of Emory.

“I think it attracted people who hadn't been to an Emory event in a long time,” Nadel said. It was a way to expose them to the president and to Emory's new direction. It was also a great vehicle to showcase this new chapter being formed and let people know about it.”

Nadel's engagement with Emory now brings back fond memories of her time on campus—a feeling she is not alone in having.

“So many people I talk to now are so grateful that we had the opportunity to go to Emory and have the experiences we did there,” she said. “You see that perspective and realize you wouldn't be where you are in life if it wasn't for what happened there.”— Eric Rangus