Alumni Success Stories
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Matt Chmura ’03
Communications executive -
Ann Dowd ’78
Actress - TV, film, stage -
Jim Collins ’87
Biomedical engineer -
Anthony Fauci '62
AIDS researcher -
Jon Favreau ’03
Obama’s speechwriter -
Peter Jankowski ’86
Producer, Law & Order -
Edward P. Jones ’72
Award-winning novelist -
Chris Matthews ’67
Host, Hardball -
Joyce O’Shaughnessy ’78
Prominent oncologist -
J.D. “Dave” Power III ’53
Founder, J.D. Power -
Carolyn Risoli ’86
President, Marc Jacobs -
Mary Pat Ryan ’78
Marketing executive -
Bernadette Semple '82
U.S. Navy Commander -
Bart Sher '81
Tony Award winner -
Clarence Thomas '71 Supreme Court justice -
Maggie Wilderotter '77
Telecommunications CEO
View extended list of distinguished alumni »
Alumni Success Stories
Carolyn Risoli ’86
Carolyn Risoli ’86 understands that fashion is hard work. From the outside, the fashion business looks like pure glamour, filled with the latest couture line, trips to Paris and Milan, and celebrities like Victoria Beckham and Sofia Coppola. But Carolyn Risoli, president of Marc Jacobs Inc., knows what hard work it is. That’s why she devotes herself to creating a positive environment for the people around her – the designers, the French parent company, and her mostly female management team. “When people are happy, they’re more productive,” Risoli explains. “The best thing is bringing them along and helping them develop.” As a mother of two, she’s particularly proud of Marc Jacobs’ family-friendly culture.
Fashion was supposed to be a short break between Holy Cross and law school, but Risoli found it absorbing and full of opportunity for women. Rising quickly at Liz Claiborne Inc. and then becoming president of its Dana Buchman label, she put her education to good use. “In addition to being able to think, write, and organize my thoughts, I found I was suited to business,” Risoli says. A strong believer in education, she serves on the board of Comprehensive Development, a nonprofit dedicated to nontraditional secondary education; teaches in Holy Cross’ Executive Leadership Workshop and Summer Business Program, two on-campus workshops for students who are interested in business careers; and sponsors an internship for Holy Cross students at Marc Jacobs.