2023 Crandall Challenge
Citation Winners
Sivaporn Dardarananda, WG’70
Bangkok, Thailand
Once finished with his career as an investment banker, Sivaporn became Chair of the Rama IX Art Museum Foundation dedicated to the promotion of modern art.
He is the long time Secretary-General of the Elephant Reintroduction Foundation. The Foundation was established to acquire captive elephants, rehabilitate them and release them back into the forest to re-establish a wild elephant population that is self-sustaining. He founded World Elephant Day in 2012 alongside film makers Patricia Sims and Michael Clark. Their work has inspired a worldwide movement to raise awareness and funds to save elephants from extinction.
As Chair of the TISCO Foundation, he has raised funds to provide educational scholarships for poor children and medical assistance to those not covered by Government programs.
Carmen Hill, WG’74
Los Angeles, CA
Carmen Jones Hill used the financial skills she learned at Wharton and major financial service institutions to increase the supply of affordable housing units, to save landlords and homeowners from foreclosure, to fight unfair lending practices, to share Wall Street investment principles with investors in minority communities and to train the community in how to secure government resources. As past President of various outreach organizations in South Los Angeles she has given workshops in churches, community centers and neighborhood group settings to educate underserved communities and reduce homelessness.
Gerald Rothstein, WG’65
New York, NY
Following a Wall Street career, Jerry became a Disaster Action Team Supervisor for the American Red Cross in Greater New York. On his first day on the job, he responded to a downed commercial airplane in the freezing waters off Manhattan, an incident known as the “miracle on the Hudson.” He is responsible for assessing damage and, if called for, arrange housing and provide immediate financial assistance. He is also a Government Liaison, staffing the city’s Emergency Operations Center when necessary.
Jerry also volunteers as Baruch College, his undergrad alma mater, where he mentors one or two students every year. Because of his international experience, he is usually assigned foreign or immigrant students.
He also is active with the United Jewish Appeal, where he serves on the Global Safety Net Committee which makes decisions on allocating funds in emergencies around the world. This includes having liaison responsibility with the American Joint Distribution Committee, a huge non-profit (which is currently heavily involved with aid in Ukraine and to Ukrainian refugees).
Honor Roll
Willem Adrianus de Brujin, WG’67
Hoeilaart, Belgium
At Wharton I knew that the consumer had to be paid to maintain ways of living that keep the environment unblemished. I spent the rest of my life to prove why this has to be done and how it can be done. I succeeded. In the meantime I developed an information system for a multinational to manage its investment programs in Europe and helped to organize a world congress one water resources.
To launch the Ethical Market Economy with as objective to enable mankind to live inharmony with Nature. The scope is to solve the planetary ecological problems. I made the theory about the EmE sound
To survive with more than seven billion people, they must always spend all their money only on goods and services that leave the environment unharmed. In that case, they manage their cost of living to maintain that state of the environment together.
Harold Kurfehs, WG’64
Brookfield, CT
Both during his career as a banker and in “retirement”, Hal has devoted his professional talents and experience, time and energy into the economic and community development of the fastest growing region of Connecticut – southwestern Connecticut. He is Chair of WCEDA (Western Connecticut Economic Development Alliance) — a partnership between public and private leaders seeking to expand the economy of Western Connecticut. This includes a large number of municipalities in Fairfield and Litchfield Counties. He is active in his community, as Chair of the Brookfield (CT) Economic Development Commission, his region (WCEDA) and the Cultural Alliance of Western CT and for the State of Connecticut as creator of the Connecticut Economic Resource Center, which promotes CT as an economic basis for a large number of corporations.
Hal is listed in Marquis Who’s Who and contributes regularly to professional journals and newspapers on economic and community development. He is also a lecturer for the Ancell School of Business for Western CT State University.
Peter LaSalle, WG’74
Chesterfield, MO
Leonard Rothman, WG’67
Santa Barbara, CA
Professionally, Len was a ‘coach’ to a large number of organizational and systems managers. In retirement, he has been active as a volunteer for the United States Tennis Association working to increase the diversity of their membership both in the 9 southeastern states and at the national level of USTA. Given the history and current makeup of tennis championships, this is an important goal for the US Tennis Association.