Wayne Forman ’80
President
“My years at Cornell, and my life since, have been enriched by the relationships made at Sigma Pi. I’m hopeful to contribute to the continued success of the chapter through my efforts as a board member of the Educational Foundation.”
After graduating from Cornell in 1980 and spending a year trying to figure out life with a number of Sigma Pi brothers in DC, Wayne went west and received a law degree from the University of Colorado. He started his career as an associate of the Denver office of Kirkland & Ellis. Since 1992, Wayne has been a shareholder of the regional law firm of Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, where he practices natural resources law, focusing on water rights, land use, environmental law, oil and gas and eminent domain. He’s been married to Liz Wald for over 30 years and has two sons, Wyatt (21), who’s graduating from the University of Denver, and Noah (18), who’s entering Colorado College in the fall. Wayne’s other nonprofit endeavors include the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, the National Sports Center for the Disabled, Jefferson County Open Space and the Rocky Mountain Land Use Institute.
Tom Silver ’81
Vice President
“My alumni involvement with Sigma Pi began in helping to craft a program supporting the undergraduates through mentorship and career development. Being involved with the Foundation is a logical extension of that work. I find it deeply gratifying helping Pi Men in their efforts to give back to the community as well as develop skills and knowledge for their professional lives after they graduate.”
Tom serves as executive chairman of Bright Funds which powers a technology platform that makes work place giving, volunteerism, and grants management more effective for companies, more meaningful for employees, and more impactful for the world.
Previously, Tom served on the executive committee as Senior Vice President of North America for Dice Holdings, Inc. leading dice.com, a career website for technology professionals. He led the brand’s turn around, emerging from Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2003, through IPO in 2007, and was one of the company’s public spokespersons – appearing on CNN News, Fox Business TV and National Public Radio.
Before joining Dice, Tom began his career in product management at Unilever. This was followed by 10 years as an executive at American Express, which culminated in the launch of American Express Interactive, in partnership with Expedia, the company’s first online travel booking product targeting business travelers, and their employers.
Tom is actively involved in fundraising for causes and organizations that he has passions for. He currently serves as president of The Cancer Research & Treatment Fund (CR&T), in New York City. CR&T is a not-for-profit foundation that was founded in 1968 dedicated to exploring blood diseases as a gateway to the cure for all cancers.
He is a board member and advisor for Rally Bus, a recent New York City start-up. The company’s technology connects people who are going to the same place and then delivers high-end buses to get them there and back.
Tom holds an MBA in marketing from the New York University Stern School of Business in New York City and BA in economics from Cornell University in Ithaca, NY. He has been married for nearly 35 years, and he and his wife live in the Florida area.
Chris Olie ’78
Treasurer
Chris recently retired as President of Plymouth Rock Assurance, and returned to the Cleveland area. Chris has lead a varied and successful career in the commercial insurance industry. After graduating from Cornell with a degree in economics, he earned an MBA at Penn State.
Zach Gilbert ’16
Secretary
Zach graduated from Cornell’s ILR school in 2016. As an undergrad, he found career mentorship from older brothers and alumni alike to be one of the most valuable and transformative parts of Sigma Pi. Therefore when there was an opportunity to pay it forward with the next generation of Pi men, he joined the Foundation Board. After starting his career in healthcare investment banking and spending several years in the fast-growing cannabis industry, he decided to pursue an MBA at Duke’s Fuqua school of business with a focus in Health Sector Management. Currently Zach is a consultant at EY-Parthenon primarily serving private equity clients on transactions in the healthcare and life sciences space.
Peter Muth ’74
“Pulling out the strands in my life unconnected to my years at Sigma Pi would leave a much-reduced cloth. That said, the Educational Foundation provides a strength and support to active brothers that was not present in my day, and despite the successes of my generation of Pi Men, if it had existed then, it would not have been an unwelcome boost. The mentorship and financial support the Foundation provides to current brothers is both invaluable and elevates our chapter at a time when the value of fraternity life is being questioned”.
Another member of that stream of Pi brothers who chased a legal career, Peter is semi-retired after decades working for Buffalo’s largest and (with a start in 1817 and later joined by Millard Fillmore in the 1830s as well as a sojourn by Grover Cleveland in the 1850s) oldest law firm. It’s an honor to continue to help small commercial clients (local banks and credit unions) with whom Peter has worked for years and who sometimes need the expertise that many of the mega firms might make too dear. One of Peter’s greatest pleasures has been a long history of public speaking at scores of legal seminars on a variety of “touchy” topics (foreclosures, evictions, bankruptcy, enforcement of money judgments) and the nurturing of young attorneys as they work their way into the commercial litigation world – be it at his old firm or others. Peter is looking to work with the Board of the Foundation with similar aims for the benefit of Sigma Pi, now that life in the legal lane is beginning to wind down. Peter is married — no children, but a seemingly endless succession of basset hounds that keeps the household active.
Joe Zanetta ’75
“I hope to instill a culture of philanthropy within the foundation and among the brothers – we all have an obligation to provide gifts to organizations that helped develop our character and values. It is simple – we need to give back!”
Joseph is a seasoned non-profit leader, having served as a leader of two major health care foundations. He has over thirty years of strategic fundraising and institutional advancement experience for education and medical institutions. He recently retired as Chief Executive Officer of Citrus Valley Health Foundation, a non-profit, integrated community health care system based in the San Gabriel Valley serving one million residents. During his four year tenure, the Foundation secured funding for a new outpatient surgical center, an expanded emergency room, an educational center, the Family Birth & Newborn Center and increased its endowment. Mr. Zanetta is a well-known speaker and author on topics related to philanthropy, and consults with nonprofit organizations in fundraising and board development. He earned a Bachelor’s degree from Cornell University, and is a graduate of Cornell Law School. A native of Jamestown, New York and a member of the New York State Bar Association, he is the proud father of Samuel, a senior at Whittier College.
Roger Carroll ’76
I graduated from Cornell in 1976 with a major in government. While at Cornell, I performed volunteer work in the Ithaca community. During my senior year, I was a resident advisor in University Hall #4. I have many great memories of my time at Sigma Pi, living in the house for one year: the great friendships I developed, intramural sports, house parties, listening to Zoltan, and enjoying Dolly’s fabulous cuisine and benefiting from his wisdom.
I graduated from the University of Virginia Law School in 1979. I then moved to Columbus Ohio to join a law firm. I still live in Columbus. I got married to Susan Marantz in 1985. We have three adult children and two grandchildren. Everyone is doing great. Susan was an elementary school teacher. My legal practice involved civil litigation at the trial and appellate level and administrative law. Susan and I retired in the summer of 2020. Susan and I are spending our free time traveling and visiting our children, who all live outside Ohio.
In Columbus, I have remained connected to Cornell by serving on the board of the Alumni Association of Central Ohio and was president for two years. I have also interviewed high-school students applying to Cornell for the secondary-school committee. For four years, I was on the Cornell Alumni Federation board. Over the past few years, I have enjoyed cheering on the Cornell men’s lacrosse team as they have defeated Ohio State on their visits to Columbus.
Michael Reiner ’78
“The greatest reward of our shared Sigma Pi brotherhood is actually realized and fully appreciated years after graduation. Friendships and bonds that are unmatched later in life…and which only grow stronger. We are so appreciative and forgiving of one another – we allow ourselves to be the 18 year boy…the 30 year old young man…and the 60+ year old, with all that life has to show for it, and with nothing to prove. Lucky us…”
Mike is a resident of Weston, Connecticut, after recently moving from Tenafly, New Jersey. The 1978 School of Industrial and Labor Relations graduate is also a partner/co-owner of Resource International, an importing firm specializing in the home and giftware industries, with his wife, Erica (also Cornell ’78). He has two daughters, Sara and Leah, married to Jason and Ben respectively, and one granddaughter, Cara.
Craig Dewey ’06
As a brother and former sage at Mu Chapter, Sigma Pi, I learned life-long lessons about leadership, commitment, and brotherhood. By participating with the Educational Foundation, I hope to provide similar opportunities for the current undergraduates, by encouraging and supporting positive, influential experiences that will shape the rest of their lives.
Craig is a 2006 Arts and Science graduate. He relocated to Los Angeles immediately after graduation to pursue a career in the film industry and is currently an editor and producer on a network primetime drama. He is also co-founder of a commercial production company, Visceral Content. Craig serves as a director of the Mu Chapter Alumni Board of Directors. He lives in Pasadena with his fiancé, an investigative journalist.
Brody Ehrlich ’10
Brody graduated from Cornell in 2010 with a degree in economics, and received his Juris Doctor degree from Benjamin Cardozo School of Law of Yeshiva University. He is currently chief operating officer and head of U.S. Business Development for AppGuard. Brody resides in New York City.
Justin Bredahl ’17
Justin Bredahl is a 2017 graduate from the School of Hotel Administration and is currently pursuing an MBA at Harvard Business School. Prior to business school, he worked across various functions within the hospitality industry, including management, consulting, and finance. As an undergraduate, Justin was heavily involved with College Mentors for Kids and served as social chair for Sigma Pi.
Alex Eacker ’15
The generosity of the Education Foundation and the brothers who came before me provided me opportunities while I was in college to explore my role as a leader, educator and mentor. I want to extend those same opportunities to current undergraduates who are trying to carve their own path, in hope that they gain as much out of it as I did.
Alex is a 2015 graduate of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. After college, Alex became a Teach for America fellow, where he served as a high school educator in San Jose, California for 2 years. Following his commitment to Teach for America, Alex moved back to his hometown of New York City and began working at Edtech startup CodeHS as a Curriculum Developer, a company that creates computer science curriculum for schools and districts in need of comprehensive curriculum and training for new teachers. As an undergraduate, Alex served as Herald and Secretary for Sigma Pi.
Matthew Blakley ’18
Matt developed a passion for clinical medicine and health law while pursuing his undergraduate degree in Cornell’s College of Human Ecology. After taking three gap years, he attended Wake Forest School of Law and obtained his Juris Doctor. He passed the NY bar exam and is currently in the process of being admitted to the New York State Bar Association. Matt is currently living near his hometown in Westchester, NY, where he is enrolled in an MD program at New York Medical College.