SUNY Global

Global Advisory Board

The members of our Advisory Board are dedicated to serving the interests of SUNY Global.

Matthew Nimetz, Chairman
Matt Nimetz is a managing director of General Atlantic LLC, a leading private investment firm focusing globally on the information technology/communications sector. Prior to that, Mr. Nimetz was a partner (and former chair) of the law firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison in New York City. He has also served as Under Secretary of State for Security Assistance, Science and Technology and as Counselor of the Department of State. Mr. Nimetz serves as a member of the Council on Foreign Relations; a director of The Nature Conservancy of New York, member and former chair of the Center for Democracy and Reconciliation in Southeast Europe, chair of the Advisory Committee of Central European University and trustee of Committee for Economic Development.

Calvin Butts
Dr. Calvin O. Butts, III, is President of State University of New York College at Old Westbury and Pastor of the nationally renowned Abyssinian Baptist Church in the City of New York. Since being named Old Westbury's President in September 1999, Dr. Butts has reinvigorated among the most diverse public college campuses in America. Along with his Presidency at the College at Old Westbury, Dr. Butts continues as pastor of the Abyssinian Baptist Church in the City of New York - among the most historic churches in the nation. Under his leadership, Abyssinian Baptist Church is committed to playing an active role in the ongoing development of its New York City home.

Edward F. Cox
Ed Cox is Chairman of the New York Republican State Committee prior to which he was a senior partner and Chairman of the Corporate Department at the law firm of Patterson Belknap Webb &n Tyler, LLP.  Mr. Cox has served three Presidents, including Presidents Nixon and George H.W. Bush in the international arena and President Reagan as general counsel to a major energy agency financing billion dollar synthetic fuels projects.  Cox is a former member of the State University of New York Board of Trustees. In New York government, he has acted in volunteer capacities responsible for the merit selection of judges for New York’s highest court, for the budget of the State parks, for the authorization of charter schools, for the state’s community colleges, and for the State University’s $10 billion budget, the reengineering of its operations and the construction and maintenance of its academic and medical facilities.  Mr. Cox is presently a director of a New York Stock Exchange independent oil and gas company and the Chairman of the New York League of Conservation Voters Education Fund.

Robert A. Kindler
Rob Kindler is Vice Chairman at Morgan Stanley.  Rob joined Morgan Stanley after having been global head of mergers and acquisitions at JPMorgan for six years.  Prior to that Rob was a senior partner at the law firm of Cravath, Swaine & Moore, where he specialized in mergers and acquisitions for over 20 years. He is on the Board of Trustees of Colgate University, the Board of Trustees of New York University School of Law, the Board of Directors of March of Dimes (NY Div), and the Board of Directors of the Knight-Bagehot Fellowship Program at Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

Jay Kriegel
Mr. Kriegel joined The Related Companies, one of America’s largest multi-use real estate developers, in 2007, to work on major New York projects. Since 1994, he has served as Counsellor to the Abernathy MacGregor Group, providing strategic communications and public policy to governments and business.  He also serves as an advisor to Global Strategy Group, a research and communications firm serving both political and corporate clients. From 1998-2005, Kriegel ran New York City’s campaign to host the Olympic Games of 2012.  He was Senior Vice President of CBS Inc. (1987-1994.  He had his own consulting firm (1984-87) specializing in public affairs.  He was Co-Founder and Publisher of The American Lawyer magazine and Director of Special Projects for Loews Corporation. Mr. Kriegel was Chief of Staff/Special Counsel to former New York Mayor John V. Lindsay (1966-1973).

Carl Spielvogel, Ambassador
Carl Spielvogel is one of the nation’s leading international business executives. He joined the SUNY Board of Trustees in June, 2008.He started his working career as a reporter and columnist at The New York Times.  He later spent 20 years at McCann-Erickson and The Interpublic Group of Companies as Vice Chairman, before starting his own global marketing services company, Backer Spielvogel Bates Worldwide, as Chairman and CEO.The Ambassador is currently Chairman and CEO of Carl Spielvogel Associates, Inc., an international marketing and finance company.In his Government service, he was the U.S. Ambassador to The Slovak Republic; and a Governor of the U.S. Board of Broadcasting.  He was a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force Reserve, and served in the U.S. Army for two years.He serves on numerous cultural and corporate Boards, and is a graduate of Baruch College of the City University of New York. He resides in Manhattan, New York City.

Robert G. Wilmers
Robert Wilmers is chairman of M&T Bank Corporation. Mr. Wilmers serves on the Board of Directors of: The Business Council of New York State, Inc. the Buffalo Niagara Partnership, and the Andy Warhol Foundation. He is a member of the John F. Kennedy School of Government Visiting Committee at Harvard University; the French Institute/Alliance Francaise; and the Council on Foreign Relations.

Carmen Vierula
Carmen is the Chief of the New York Audit Services at the United Nations where she leads the evaluation of the effectiveness of risk management, control and governance processes of the UN Headquarters, field operations, capital master plan and pension fund. Prior to joining the UN, Carmen worked at the Bank of Canada in the role of Chief Internal Auditor. A graduate of Laurentian University, Carmen has 25 years of experience in financial, operational, and IT assurance and advisory services in the public and private sectors. This includes fourteen years of internal audit strategic leadership in central banking and higher education and eleven years of public accounting in CA firms in Calgary, Guelph and Ottawa. Carmen's Board experience includes executive committee leadership at the University of Ottawa, the Royal Ottawa Health Care Group, and other volunteer organizations, such as United Way and the Institute of Internal Auditors’ Research Foundation.