Program Assistant, Ellie Mendoza, "In Studio" with Heather Kolakowski:

EM: What do you like doing in your spare time?

HK: I love cooking, reading, cross stitch, and fly fishing. Gardening (or thinking about gardening) is also a favorite of mine.

EM: Who is one of your heroes?

HK: Michelle Obama- I really think that her work focusing on childhood nutrition and the Let’s Move campaign was very impactful in raising awareness about the importance of a healthy diet and lifestyle for children. I am hopeful that this can be continued through grassroots advocacy! Now that I have children entering the US public school system, I am realizing the importance of getting involved with helping to educate and create opportunities for healthy eating in schools. Living in central New York and working at Cornell with its focus on community engagement through the Cooperative Extension and Engaged Cornell has really been inspiring the past few years. It has helped me to develop my elective: Nonprofit Social Enterprise and Food Justice. And through this class I have met amazing people who are doing impactful and hard work to improve our food system and universal access to healthy food. I am so happy to share those stories and networks with my students, and challenge them to make a positive impact in our society.

EM: If you could live anywhere, where would it be?

HK: I loved living in Jackson Wyoming. It was such a beautiful place and the Grand Teton mountains were so majestic! I could hike and fly fish in the summer, and the winters were cold but stunning.

EM: What motivates you?

HK: Trying to make the world a better place for my children. Helping my students explore new possibilities and challenging them to think outside the box. Chocolate. I consider myself a lifelong learner, and am often amazed at all the opportunities that are available if you are willing to search for them.

EM: Thank you so much for sharing a little about yourself with the CIHF community!

HK: You're welcome!

Advisory Board member, Vaibhav Garg, has won two distinguished awards from Human Capital Maldives HR!

In a clear testament to Vaibhav's efforts and contributions, in the Organizational category, the resort - Mӧvenpick Resort Kuredhivaru Maldives - won for "Excellence in Diversity & Inclusion."

In the Individual category, Vaibhav was awarded "HR Director of the Year" also for his work at the Mӧvenpick Resort Kuredhivaru Maldives.

From the Human Capital Website:

"The Human Capital Maldives HR Awards have been instituted as an exemplary platform to recognize organizations and individuals that put people first, deliver future focused excellence in the field of People Management and understand the importance of human capital as a key contributor to business outcomes.

These awards are founded on the philosophy to recognize organizations and individuals who have excelled in bringing NEXT into their people practices and empowered HR to become a Strategic Business Partner. These Awards will also celebrate and acknowledge organizations and individuals that work passionately towards raising the bar for the profession through constant innovation."

Congratulations Viabhav! Your CIHF community is thrilled for you and this excellent accomplishment!

CIHF affiliates with Faculty Fellows from various Cornell colleges and departments, Industry Scholars from corporations and nonprofits, and Visiting Scholars and Academic Scholars from other academic institutions. Affiliates participate in collaborative activities, lead research or curriculum projects, provide feedback on strategic priorities, and create industry-focused deliverables that link hospitality, health, and design.

Dr. Corona is the Chief Executive Officer of Upstate Medical University Hospital and Community Hospital. He is also the John B Henry Endowed Professor of Experimental Pathology and Senior Associate Dean of Clinical Affairs. Dr. Corona is an emeritus member of the New York State Board for Medicine and past member of the NYS DOH Office of Professional Medical Conduct.

Dr. Corona is board certified by the American Board of Pathology in neuropathology, clinical

informatics and anatomic pathology.

Dr. Corona served as Vice President of Medical and Scientific Affairs and Chief Medical Officer

at Welch Allyn, Inc. for 16 years. Prior to joining Welch Allyn, he was Physician Director of Medical Informatics, Laboratory Informatics and Telemedicine at SUNY Upstate Medical

University. While at Upstate, he founded CareNet, a medical informatics and telemedicine program that was nominated for the Smithsonian Award for Innovation in Medicine.

As Managing Principal of Hart Howerton, Tim directly engages clients in planning

and designing market-driven solutions that produce outstanding business results. His

leadership of design teams has guided the implementation of projects in more than

twenty countries across four continents.

Tim’s commitment to understanding how conditions in the built environment may

drive a health and wellness-based design paradigm guides his professional efforts. In

addition to his appointment to the CIHF Advisory Board, he continues to lead Hart

Howerton’s sponsored research at the University of Virginia’s Center for Design &

Health. Additionally, he is an active contributor to ULI’s Building Healthy Places

Initiative and was a Working Group Member for the International WELL Building

Institute’s WELL “Community Standard.”

Before joining Hart Howerton, Tim worked as an architect in London, UK, and led

the design team for 68 Vincent Square, a 70-apartment redevelopment in London’s

Westminster; crafted winning entries for design competitions at Lady Margaret Hall,

Oxford, and Peterhouse College, Cambridge; and undertook institutional work for

Princeton University’s Whitman College. Prior to working in the UK, Tim worked on

convention centers and large-scale sports venues across the Midwest.

Kenneth C. Segarnick is Chief Corporate Officer of Brandywine Living, a premier operator and developer of high-end senior living communities, including assisted living, memory care, and independent living. As co-chair of Brandywine’s executive committee, Ken plays a key role in leading the operational and enterprise growth of the company’s platform – currently expanding to 30 communities in seven states with capacity to serve over 3,000 residents.  Ken built his foundation as CCO through his experience as General Counsel and Head of Business Development at Brandywine’s predecessor companies.  He also previously served as General Counsel of a venture-backed technology company where he was invited to testify at a subcommittee meeting of the U.S. House Judiciary Committee on a bill pertaining to electronic monitoring in the workplace.

Mr. Gérard van Grinsven is one of the world’s most accomplished and recognized executives in customer service, delivering exceptional value by redefining world-class service standards. He is a highly regarded speaker, communicator and writer on the topics of driving growth and profitability through world-class service, the future of health care and creating a foundational patient experience in an era of value-based purchasing. His pioneering work and exceptional results in both luxury hotels and health care have forced competitors to emulate or be left behind.

A native of Maastricht, Netherlands, Mr. van Grinsven graduated from the Hotel Management School in Maastricht in 1983. With a Bachelor of Arts in Hotel Management, Mr. van Grinsven went on to build a career as a hotelier.

He has served as part of the global leadership team of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, where he opened 26 luxury hotels in Asia, the Middle East, South America and the United States. He served in a leadership capacity at The Mandarin Oriental Bangkok Hotel, one of the leading hotels in the world.

Mr. van Grinsven then served as a senior executive with the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit, where he was President and CEO of the award-winning, 192-bed West Bloomfield Hospital. With no prior health care experience, he was hired three years prior to the $350 million hospital’s planned grand opening with complete oversight of design, construction, recruitment, staffing, on-boarding, program development and operational planning.

After a successful tenure at the Henry Ford Health System, Mr. van Grinsven served as President and CEO of Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA) from 2013 to 2015, a national network of five intensive cancer care hospitals.

Have you attended a fascinating conference? Published a paper? Earned a research grant?

If you have news to share - and we hope you do! - please email Ellie Mendoza at ev227@cornell.edu.