Cornell University

B07 Tower Rd, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA

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Keynote Address
Time: 2:30-3:30 p.m.

Ken Sunshine, Founder and President of Sunshine Sachs

Ken Sunshine founded Ken Sunshine Consultants (later to become Sunshine Sachs) in 1991, and over the past three decades the firm has represented clients ranging from leading corporations, nonprofits, and unions to some of the most prominent names in entertainment. Sunshine Sachs has 160 employees with offices in NY, LA, DC and Austin, and specializes in media relations, corporate image programs, crisis communications, reputation and issues management, consumer and lifestyle marketing, event promotion, and communications skills training. Some of Sunshine Sachs’ current clients consist of personalities such as Leonardo DiCaprio, Barbra Streisand, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Ben Affleck, corporations like Facebook, Instagram and Lyft, advocacy organizations including the Women’s March, Planned Parenthood, Global Citizen, GLAAD and the Malala Fund, unions such as 1199SEIU, Teamsters Local 237 and the Uniformed Firefighters Association, as well as entertainment events such as the Golden Globes, the MTV Video Music Awards and the ESPYs.  In 2014 Sunshine Sachs was named #1 on the New York Observer’s PR Power List.
 
Sunshine’s career in politics began when he was elected as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1972, and he has advised on communications strategies, messaging, and celebrity involvement in local and national campaigns since then—up through Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign.  He served as Chief of Staff to New York City Mayor David Dinkins in 1989-90. Before starting his own firm, Sunshine also worked in the entertainment business where he headed the public relations department of ASCAP.
 
Sunshine has consulted on media and public relations for almost 40 years, and has been a longtime activist in the civil rights movement. He has received many accolades for his work in civil and human rights such as the City and State Responsible 100 Lifetime Achievement Award, the Amsterdam News Friendship Award for commitment to civil rights, the Bella Abzug Leadership Institute’s Bella Fella Award, and the National Action Network Dream Keepers Award for upholding the vision of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  New York Magazine named him one of the “most influential people” in media.
 
He has lectured widely on public relations, politics, and image management and has been a guest on television outlets such as The Today Show, Good Morning America, Nightline, Dateline NBC, CNN, 60 Minutes, Fox News Channel and MSNBC.   
       
Sunshine currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Board of Trustees of the City University of New York (CUNY), the Board of Trustees of the Community Service Society, the Board of Advisors of the Mayor’s Fund to Advance NYC, the Board of Directors of the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding which focuses on combatting Islamophobia and the Board of Trustees of the Nation Institute.

 

Small Group Career Breakout Panels
Time: 3:45-4:45 p.m.

Alumni panelists will present a focused introduction followed by opportunities for questions from students.

The career panel topics are:

  • Finance and Wall St. (room 217 Ives Hall)
  • Consulting, Entrepreneurship and Other Business Careers (room 219 Ives Hall) 
  • Human Resources and HR-Related Consulting (room 115 Ives Hall)
  • Labor Movement, Government and Social Justice (room 111 Ives Hall) 
  • Sports, Entertainment and Media (room 109 Ives Hall)

 

Fall BBQ
Time:  
4:45-6:00 pm

The ILRAA Board will host a Fall BBQ, in the upper Courtyard outside of King-Shaw Hall, This will be a fun time! There will be pumpkin decorating (prize awarded to the best pumpkin), hot cider, donuts, caramel apples and other fall treats!  Join us to network with alumni!

 

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