Tune into this online discussion featuring Cornell alumnae working in a variety of careers. Listen to how their worlds and work changed over the past two years and what opportunities and challenges are ahead. The discussion will center around changed ways of working during and after COVID and career challenges unique to women, including balancing career and personal life and finding successful careers in the suburbs.

This event is co-hosted by the Cornell Club of Fairfield County (CCFC) and the Coastal Connecticut Cornell Club (CCCC). 

Event Details:
Date: Tuesday, May 3, 2022
Time: 7:00–8:30 p.m. ET
Location: Online Event

Panelists include:

• Dr. Michele Even ’96, Radiologist at Advanced Radiology
• Danette Fitzgerald ’04, MEng ’05, Optical Systems Engineer at Zygo Corporation
• Claudine Maidique ’94, Interior Designer, Art Curator, and Owner Claudine Maidique Noir
• Phyllis Wallitt ’97, Senior Vice President, Legal at Booking Holdings, Inc.
• Caroline Wetzel ’99, Vice President, Private Wealth Advisor at Procyon Partners

More about the Panelists:

Michele Greenwald Even ’96, MD, is a practicing radiologist and partner at Advanced Radiology Consultants in Fairfield county, CT.  After graduating from Cornell she attended a Post Baccalaureate program at Columbia University.  Following this, she worked at Mount Sinai Hospital in a research lab and then continued on to medical school at Albert Einstein School of Medicine.  She later moved with her young family to Fairfield county, CT where she continued her training completing a residency in Radiology at Bridgeport Hospital and a subsequent fellowship in Breast Imaging at Yale New Haven Hospital.  She joined Advanced Radiology Consultants as an attending physician in 2010.  She is currently Director of Breast Imaging for Advanced Radiology Consultants and Bridgeport Hospital.  She specializes in early detection of breast cancer utilizing 3D mammography, ultrasound and breast MRI.  She also performs breast intervention and biopsies as part of her busy practice.  Outside of work her interests include playing tennis, spending time with her 2 children and husband, reading fiction, traveling and walking or hiking with friends.

Danette Fitzgerald ’04, MEng ’05 is an Optical Systems Engineer at Zygo Corporation.  She develops new optical measurement instruments, including interferometers, optical profilers, and microscope objectives, which are used to measure surface form and surface roughness on a variety of parts for different industries.  Her position entails defining and streamlining the manufacturing process, automating as much of it as possible, and documenting the methods for assembly, alignment, calibration, and test.  Danette previously designed test processes for ground- and space-based telescopes, at NASA Goddard, ITT Industries, and MIT Lincoln Laboratories.  She has a BS and MEng from Cornell University in Applied & Engineering Physics.  In addition to her engineering work, Danette is a member of Toastmasters, a chapter leader in the National Stuttering Association, and the VP of Programming for the Coastal CT Cornell Club.

Claudine Maidique ’94 (BS Textiles and Fiber Science Human Ecology) is the Principal of interior design firm: Claudine Maidique Noir, LLC. Having over 20 years of entrepreneurial experience as both a business owner and designer, she has developed ongoing relationships with clients in Fairfield and Westchester County, in addition to Boston, NYC, Miami, and New Orleans. She oversees production of both residential and commercial projects, including design development and execution for varied scopes. Working with architects, contractors, vendors and workrooms has earned a comprehensive knowledge of the building industry. With a specialty and love of textiles, her work has yielded inspired spaces that are experiential, sensorial, and functional. Claudine lives in Westport, CT where she raises three teenage daughters. In between her busy family and work schedule, she has also prioritized her love for belly dancing for over 15 years.

Phyllis Wallitt ’97 is a graduate of the College of Arts & Sciences, where she majored in Government. She is Senior Vice President, Legal at Booking Holdings, Inc., the parent company to travel brands booking.com, Priceline, KAYAK, Open Table, Agoda and rentalcars.com, which is based in Norwalk, CT. Phyllis has been with Booking Holdings/ Priceline since 2008 in various legal roles. In her current role since 2020, she supports the Booking Holdings senior leadership and coordinates legal issues across the company’s brands. From 2014 through 2020, Phyllis was the SVP and General Counsel of the priceline.com brand and also served two stints as interim Head of People & Culture at Priceline. Prior to joining Booking Holdings/Priceline, Phyllis was a litigation associate at the law firms Patterson Belknap and Sullivan & Cromwell in New York and a law clerk in the federal district court in Manhattan. She is a 2000 graduate of Penn Law School. Phyllis met her husband Dan, a 1997 Policy Analysis and Management graduate of the College of Human Ecology, while they both attended the Cornell in Washington program in 1996. Phyllis and Dan live in Westport, CT with their 2 children, Evan (15) and Brooke (12), and their Bichon Frise Remy. 

Caroline Wetzel ’99 is Vice President and Private Wealth Advisor at Procyon Partners and co-founder of the Women Owning their Wealth (WOW) Collaborative. Caroline has worked in financial services in the U.S. and overseas for over 20 years and began specializing in wealth management for affluent multi-generational families in 2015.  Caroline earned a B.S. in Policy Analysis and Management at Cornell and an MBA in Finance and Advanced Certification in Marketing from the University of Connecticut School of Business. She holds the Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) and Accredited Wealth Management Advisor (AWMA®) designations and, also, is a trained mediator.  Caroline enjoys writing articles on personal finance and has been published by Kiplinger and other media.  Outside of work, Caroline enjoys participating in community organizing and social justice initiatives, practicing mindfulness and wellness activities, serving as a Director for the Coastal Connecticut Cornell Club, and boating with family and friends.