Notable Alumni

James Patterson ’69

Best-Selling Author

James Patterson ’69 is an award-winning author who has had 19 consecutive No. 1 novels on The New York Times bestseller list, and holds The New York Times and Guinness world records for most hardcover fiction best-selling titles by a single author (76).

Patterson’s books — which include the popular Maximum Ride, Daniel X and Witch & Wizard series — have sold more than 220 million copies worldwide.

He is the first author to have No. 1 new titles simultaneously on The New York Times adult and children’s bestsellers lists and the only author to have five new hardcover novels debut at No. 1 on the list in one year — a feat he’s accomplished every year since 2005.

In 2010, he won the Children’s Choice Book Council’s Author of the Year award, an honor chosen by more than 15,000 young readers.

The Honorable Rudolph W. Giuliani ’65

Former New York City Mayor

Rudy Giuliani ’65 served two terms as mayor of New York City from 1994-2001, greatly improving the quality of life for New Yorkers in the process. Under his guidance, the city’s crime and murder rates were reduced by more than half, and 640,000 city residents moved from welfare to self-sufficiency.

Giuliani enacted record tax reductions and returned millions of dollars to the private sector, turning an inherited $2.3 billion budget deficit into a multi-billion dollar surplus.

He also reformed the nation’s largest public education system by bringing student-teacher ratios to an all-time low, increasing the New York City public school budget by $4 billion and granting more access to bilingual and special education programs, as well as technology, books and the arts.

He was named Time magazine’s Person of the Year in 2001 for his leadership on and after the Sept. 11 attacks. He has served as U.S. associate attorney general and U.S. attorney for the southern district of New York. Today, Giuliani owns a high-profile security firm that works with companies from Merrill Lynch to the Mexican government.

Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly ’63

New York City Police Commissioner 

Ray Kelly ’63 was appointed New York City police commissioner in January 2002. In response to the Sept. 11 attacks, he developed the first counterterrorism bureau of any municipal police department in the country, established a global intelligence program, stationed New York City detectives in 11 foreign countries and implemented a real-time crime center that uses data mining to draw criminal leads. In doing so, Kelly and the NYPD have reduced crime by 40 percent from 2001 levels.

A 43-year veteran of the NYPD, Kelly was also police commissioner from 1992-1994, making him the first person to serve two separate tenures. He was formerly senior managing director of global corporate security at Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc., commissioner of the U.S. Customs Service and vice president for the Americas of Interpol. 

He attended Manhattan College before being appointed to the New York City Police Department in 1963 and then serving active military duty as a marine in Vietnam. 

Aliann Pompey ’99

Three-time Olympian and Track Star

Aliann Pompey ’99 is an international track and field star and three-time Olympian (Sydney 2000, Athens 2004, Beijing 2008 semifinalist qualifier).

Representing her native Guyana, Pompey most recently won a silver medal in the 400-meter dash at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India, achieving a season-best time of 51.65 seconds. In 2002, she was the Commonwealth Games gold medalist.

Pompey also ran at the 2010 World Indoor Championships in Doha, Qatar, where she placed fifth — a personal best for a world championship — and at the 2010 Central American & Caribbean Games in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, where she earned a silver medal in the 400 and finished second in the final.

While at Manhattan College, Pompey was the 2000 NCAA indoor champion in the 400-meter dash. She also earned her bachelor’s and master’s degree in finance, and a place in the Manhattan College Athletic Hall of Fame.

Lydia Reynolds ’81

Executive Director of Mobile Strategy and Business Development, New York Times

Lydia Reynolds ’81 is the executive director of mobile strategy and business development for The New York Times. Since assuming the position in 2006, she has been instrumental in leading the shift from traditional newspapers to digital platforms.

Prior to holding this position, she worked as executive director and then vice president of strategic planning for The New York Times, where she oversaw the paper’s strategy formulation, current and new product analysis, partnership and other new business development activities.

Before joining The New York Times in 1987, Reynolds worked for New York television and radio representation firms John Blair & Co. and MMT Sales. After attending Manhattan College, she earned an MBA at Fordham University.

Bob Jeffrey ’75

Chairman and CEO, J. Walter Thompson

Bob Jeffrey ’75 is the chairman and CEO of J. Walter Thompson Co. Worldwide (JWT), the largest advertising agency in the U.S. and the fourth largest in the world. Jeffrey is responsible for managing 10,000 employees in more than 800 offices in nearly 100 countries.

After becoming CEO in 2004, Jeffrey added HSBC to JWT’s top client base, which includes Ford, Johnson & Johnson, Nokia, Nestle and Unilever.

Jeffrey joined JWT in 1998 as president of the New York office. Before heading worldwide operations, Jeffrey served as president of JWT North America and transformed JWT’s New York headquarters from a traditional ad agency into a cutting-edge brand communications company that utilizes product design, customer experience and online advertising to reach audiences.