Rob Goldwasser

Agriculture & Life Sciences (CALS)

Tell us about what you’re doing with your life
My wife Jenni and I love living in Westchester County and enjoy weekends and vacations in the Berkshires of Massachusetts. We enjoy hiking, biking, and look forward to getting back to traveling the way we did pre-pandemic. I've been with BNY Mellon for 21 years and currently head the Financial Markets Credit Risk team. Jen is a Dermatologist and continues to work in Southern Westchester. We have three kids. Our oldest Matt '10, a Data Scientist, is married with two boys. Our son Jake is in his second year pursuing his MFA at the Iowa Writer's Workshop, and our daughter Betsey is starting her MSW at Columbia this fall.

What is your favorite memory of your time at Cornell?
So many fantastic memories to choose from. But, my favorite has to be when this cute sophomore named Jenni Katz crashed my birthday party that mutual friends were throwing me. That led to a date to Victory Club, which led to the grandchildren mentioned above!

What was your favorite class at Cornell, or the one you found most useful?
Despite being an Ag Ec major, and having enjoyed many of my business classes, I loved my Constitutional Law class at Cornell. I wish that all of our politicians were required to read the Constitution and take an intro class before being sworn in!

Which Cornell classmates do you keep in touch with?
Mostly Dave Rehmus, Dwight Vicks and John Tevebaugh from the class of 84, as well as a bunch of DKEsCornell from 83 and 85.

How has your time at Cornell influenced you since you graduated?
Cornell opened up my world in so many ways. I think the educational foundation and opportunities were fantastic for me as a first generation college graduate. The cultural and academic diversity on campus changed the way that I viewed people. I got to see things in many shades of gray and grew to enjoy differences of thought and opinion. I think it helped make me a better spouse, parent, friend and colleague through the years.

What extracurricular activity or hobby from your time at Cornell was most meaningful?
Being active in the DKE House forged life-long friendships. I lived in the house all three years because I remember thinking "When will I get to live with 30 guys again?" It was awesome to live in a fraternity that you loved, always something going on....