When Tramaine Cooper, BS’04, MS’07, spoke at 2021’s Virtual Charter Day, he was hoping that he would serve as living proof of the impact that scholarship giving has one FDU’s students. As a student at FDU, Tramaine, who earned both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in Hospitality, was a recipient of a Charter Day scholarship and is now the senior director of brand performance support at Hilton Hotels and Resorts, responsible for supporting all of the new hotels in the Americas that join the company’s portfolio.
In fact, it was not the first time that Tramaine spoke at Charter Day. In 2007, 22-year-old Tramaine was selected to be the evening’s student speaker. Tramaine recalls how nervous he was that night. “There I was, in a tuxedo, addressing the generous friends of FDU,” Tramaine says. “My goal was to represent all of the recipients of scholarships at FDU and to make sure that those in attendance that night understood the incredible impact their generosity had and continues to have.“
Tramaine credits FDU’s International School of Hospitality and Tourism Management with much of his career successes. “It is truly one of the jewels in the University’s crown. My time at FDU cemented my career goals and the education that I received laid the foundation for the career I have today. Every professor I worked with had and shared real world knowledge about the hospitality industry, the nuances of working in hospitality and ways to provide guests with exceptional experiences.”
Tramaine says that FDU equipped him with the tools to think creatively, even in tough situations, which certainly describes much of the past two years in the hospitality industry. “While the pandemic has changed the hospitality and tourism industry, hospitality is fundamental to most of the world’s economies,” he notes. “The business may change, but people will always want to travel – for business, for pleasure, to visit family and friends. And when people travel, they will want to feel at home and cared for.”
For this reason, he says, we will always need well-trained hospitality professionals.
Tramaine remains an engaged alumnus, because, he says, it gives him the opportunity to give back some small part of what he received at FDU. In 2019, he was a guest speaker and moderated a panel discussion at FDU. And, he says, he is an enthusiastic cheerleader for FDU students who are accepted into Hilton’s internship programs.
“Charter Day 2007 was, for me, a step toward my goals,” Tramaine says. “I was the first person in my immediate family to graduate from college and for my father, who accompanied me that night, it was a wonderful occasion and a very proud moment.” Tramaine recalls that, because he was able to put “Charter Day speaker” on his resume, which caught the eye of a recruiter for Wyndham Hotels, he was offered an internship at the company’s corporate offices in Parsippany.
Tramaine says he is grateful to all the long-time supporters of FDU’s Charter Day. “The help that you provide to the students of this wonderful institution has a ripple effect,” he says, “changing an almost unknowable number of lives now and in the future, for the better.”
Tellado is known as a transformational leader with a talent for innovation, a passion for public service, and a distinguished portfolio of accomplishments in mission-driven organizations.
Since joining CR in the fall of 2014, Tellado has transformed one of America’s most trusted brands and iconic social enterprises, uniting its rigorous research, consumer insights, award-winning journalism, and policy expertise to drive social impact. Under her leadership, CR has evolved from a subscription organization to a 6-million strong membership organization, pioneered the testing of products and apps for privacy and digital security, won the 2018 Webby People’s Voice Award for best magazine website, and launched its first-ever TV shows on NBC and Telemundo—the former of which received a 2018 Parents’ Choice Award. In 2018, Folio Magazine named Tellado one of the year’s ‘Top Women in Media,’ and CR has consistently been recognized with leading industry awards for its journalism, editorial design, and video content in recent years.
Marta came to CR following 25 years of experience that included executive roles in public service, philanthropy, and mission-driven nonprofit management. At the Ford Foundation, she was Vice President for Global Communications and an officer of the board. While there, she led strategic communications and advocacy on a range of issues in the U.S. and around the world, including economic fairness, free and fair access to an open internet, and civil rights. Prior to that, she served as Executive Director of the Domestic Policy Group at the Aspen Institute and as Vice President of the Partnership for Public Service, where she launched the Best Places to Work in the Federal Government and the Service to America awards. She began her career in the consumer advocacy movement working alongside Ralph Nader, and spent many years in public service as a senior advisor to Senator Bill Bradley of New Jersey—the state where she was raised following her family’s journey from her birthplace of Havana, Cuba.
Marta attended Fairleigh Dickinson University and now serves as a trustee on the board. She holds an M.A. and Ph.D. in political science from Yale University and presently serves as a member of the Yale University Council. She currently serves as a trustee on the boards of International Consumer Research & Testing, Consumers International, and The Washington Center.
Thomas Timko has built a life filled with successes both personal and professional.
As a student at FDU, Timko says that he learned a lot about himself. “I learned that I was capable of excelling. I learned that I could bet on myself. Perhaps most importantly, I learned how to learn, to not only absorb information but to synthesize it, to integrate it into my thinking and decision making. I really grew up at FDU.”
Timko says that he is a believer in the adage, “It’s not the dog in the fight, it’s the fight in the dog.” He believes that this is particularly apt when talking about the students of FDU. “FDU has always been a home for determined, tenacious and maybe even a little bit scrappy kids,” he says. “And I count myself among them.”
That scrappiness, which, he says, was nurtured and admired on the Florham Campus, has served Timko well over the years, enabling him to take chances early in my career.
After earning a bachelor of science in Accounting from FDU, Timko began his climb up the corporate ladder, excelling in auditing and controlling positions at PricewaterhouseCoopers, Interpublic Group, and Delphi, before being tapped to be vice president and chief accounting officer at General Motors.
From GM, Timko made the jump to General Electric, where he now serves as the company’s chief accounting officer and controller and is an integral member of the transformation team involved in making strategic decisions for the company. He leads a global team of hundreds of employees, and is known for his ethical leadership and drive for excellence.
When Timko first joined GE, he says that his number one goal was to simplify and enhance the transparency of the company’s financial reporting, something that he has achieved. In fact, GE recently won the IR Magazine Award for best Investor Relations Function, in large part due to the leadership that he has provided to the company’s financial reporting team.
Timko says that another one of his favorite expressions is, “Let’s persist to clarity.” To that end, his management technique involves working through problems by asking clarifying questions until everyone has a common understanding.
Timko is known for being able to build and care for a team, and how to lead with conviction for being able to quickly assess business situations and act fast to capitalize on emergent opportunities and to resolve issues.
Timko says that he can trace much of his success to his time at FDU. “FDU was, for me, the right place at the right time. Although I can’t know the direction my life would have taken if I hadn’t taken those summer accounting courses more than 30 years ago, I can say without a shadow of doubt that my time at FDU gave me the tools to take this extraordinary journey.”
He has been recognized as one of Treasury & Risk Magazine’s “2010 100 Most Influential People in Finance” and one of Crain’s Detroit Business’ “40 Under 40, Class of 2007” award, which recognizes top professionals who achieve significant business success. Additionally, he serves on the Board of Advisors for the Silberman College of Business.