Spitzer '81 Names Nocenti '80 as Counsel to the Governor

New York Governor-elect Eliot Spitzer '81 has named Dave Nocenti '80 as his counsel, as they take office on January 1, 2007. He is currently counsel to Spitzer in his role as the state Attorney General. According to an article in the New York Law Journal, Spitzer said about Dave,

He is somebody on whose advice I have relied on over the past eight years, somebody of stupendous intellect. He understands government. He is somebody with whom I have disagreed occasionally, but rarely won a legal argument with Consequently, I have absolute confidence that he is going to address every issue meticulously, thoughtfully, and with the public interest and the law in mind. And that is exactly what I would ask for in somebody in that position.

Dave earned a law degree from Columbia and then was an associate at the New York law firm of Chadbourne, Parke, Whiteside & Wolff for three years before serving as a procecutor for the U.S. Attorney of the Eastern District of New York from 1986 to 1990. He joined the counsel's office of New York Governor Mario Cuomo as first assistant counsel, then became counsel to Queens Borough President Claire Shulman. He then became counsel to the Attorney General for Spitzer's two terms.

Dr. Ricardo Cigarroa Honored for Service with Supplement in Laredo Morning Times

The Laredo Morning Times published a supplement today in honor of cardiologist Ricardo Cigarroa, upon his recognition by the Laredo Under Seven Flags Rotary Club as its 13th Paul Harris Fellow. A graduate of Harvard Medical School, he returned to his home town of Laredo, Texas and started the Laredo Medical Foundation and the Laredo Medical Group. According to a biography in the supplement, Ricardo is the director of the Cigarroa Heart and Vascular Institute inside the Laredo Medical Center. He also created a scholarship fund for local students.

Cheryl Greenberg Publishes Book Examining Black-Jewish Relations

A new book, "Troubling the Waters: Black-Jewish Relations in the American Century" by Cheryl Greenberg, a professor of history at Trinity College in Hartford, Conn., is getting strong reviews. Princeton University Press published the book, which it describes in these terms.

Drawing on extensive new research in the archives of organizations such as the NAACP and the Anti-Defamation League, Greenberg shows that a special black-Jewish political relationship did indeed exist, especially from the 1940s to the mid-1960s--its so-called "golden era"--and that this engagement galvanized and broadened the civil rights movement. But even during this heyday, she demonstrates, the black-Jewish relationship was anything but inevitable or untroubled. Rather, cooperation and conflict coexisted throughout, with tensions caused by economic clashes, ideological disagreements, Jewish racism, and black anti-Semitism, as well as differences in class and the intensity of discrimination faced by each group. These tensions make the rise of the relationship all the more surprising--and its decline easier to understand.

The Connecticut Jewish Ledger recently interviewed Greenberg about the book, in an extensive Q&A. In addition to Troubling the Waters, Cheryl is the author of "Or Does it Explode?": Black Harlem in the Great Depression and the editor of A Circle of Trust: Remembering SNCC.

Amy Myers Jaffe Named One of Esquire's "Best and Brightest"

The Baker Institute’s Amy Myers Jaffe is on Esquire magazine’s 2005 “Best and Brightest” list, which appears in the December issue.

Jaffe, the Wallace S. Wilson Fellow in Energy Studies at the institute, and associate director of the Rice Energy Program, is one of 12 honorees in the contribution to society category. The magazine’s article about Jaffe calls her “a rarity among energy-policy experts … a voice of honest, nonpartisan reason.” The article includes her views on “Seven Ways to Fix the Oil Crisis.”

For more than a year, Esquire editors researched and interviewed scores of experts for its annual list showcasing the top minds in the worlds of science, culture, education, and the arts. “This issue is about hope,” Esquire Editor in Chief David Granger said. “The search in and of itself was inspiring, as it became clear that ours is a land of dreamers who become doers. And as amazing as our honorees are, they merely represent this country’s great potential.”

Jaffe was one of four honorees on the list invited by Esquire to speak in New York at its 2005 Best and Brightest Imagination Session.

The issue, which hit newsstands November 15, includes Jaffe’s strategy for a sensible U.S. oil policy. Her recommendations for fixing the oil crisis include: building a “safety net” of refined product and energy reserves to avoid Hurricane Katrina type emergencies; doubling the fuel efficiencies of American cars; and taxing gasoline “by dollars not cents” as is done in Europe.

Jaffe, a Princeton University graduate in Arabic studies, leads the Baker Institute Energy Forum, a multifaceted program that promotes original, forward-looking discussion and research on the energy-related challenges facing society in the 21st century. Her research focuses on the subject of oil geopolitics, strategic energy policy—including energy science policy—and energy economics. She joined the Baker Institute staff in 1997.

Anne Holton Becomes First Lady-Elect of Virginia, as Husband Tim Kaine Wins Governorship

Family politics crosses party lines for our classmate Anne Holton. Anne, the daughter of former Virginia Republican Governor Linwood Holton, will become the First Lady of Virginia following the victory of her husband, Tim Kaine, a Democrat, in the gubernatorial race. Currently the Lieutenant Governor, Kaine defeated state Attorney General Jerry Kilgore. In addition to her new duties, Anne is a juvenile court judge.