Robert Ptachik
CUNY's University Dean for the Executive Office and Enrollment
U.S. Army
Dr. Robert A. Ptachik currently serves as The University Dean for the
Executive Office and Enrollment at The City University of New York. In
addition to supervising the Office of Executive Search and Evaluation,
the Office of Admission Services, University Application Processing
Center, and the University Office of Student Financial Assistance, his
responsibilities include serving as liaison to the New York State
Education Department and the Middle States Association, and other
assignments in the Office of Academic Affairs. Previously, he served as
Deputy to the President at Adelphi University, and as Associate Provost
for Academic Administration at Baruch College. He has over 20 years of
experience in higher education administration and ten years of teaching
experience in business and management. He received his Ph.D. in Public
Administration at the Robert F. Wagner School for Public Service at New York University.
Mr. Wilfred L. Cotto is the University's Coordinator for Veteran Affairs. Prior to arriving at CUNY, Mr.Cotto served as Deputy Executive Director for Educators for Children, Youth and Families(ECYF); a community-based organization which manages in-school and after-school programs (DOE & DYCD contracts)in Bedford Stuyvesant and Brownsville communities in Brooklyn. Mr. Cotto also served as Director of the Learning to Work Program at Brownsville Academy High School (BAHS). During his tenure at BAHS, Mr.Cotto and his staff were recognized for " best practices" in Learning to Work Program implementation.
Mr. Cotto served on active duty in the U. S. Navy from July 1977 to September 2005. His last tour of duty was onboard the USS KITTY HAWK (CV 63), homeported in Yokosuka, Japan, were he served as a Senior Enlisted Advisor and Retention and Career Development Program Manager. During his career in the Navy he made several combat deployments to the Persian Gulf in support of Operations Desert Shield/Desert Storm, Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. He holds a Masters degree in Organizational Leadership from Chapman University in Orange, CA.
Mr. Cotto is a native New Yorker, born and raised. He and his wife Anna reside in Staten Island, NY, and have three adult children and five grandchildren.
Mr. Cotto welcomes any calls and e-mails from both CUNY staff and students regarding any CUNY veterans-related issues. He can be reached at: Wilfred.Cotto@mail.cuny.edu or 212-652-2002.
Dr.
Sherwood is an Associate Professor at Hunter College
School of Social Work since 1979. He has published
in the areas of veterans, Post Traumatic Stress, dialysis
patient compliance and gerontology. He has been a
clinical consultant at the Hudson Valley Veterans
Health Care System-Montrose Campus since 1986 where
he treats Vietnam veterans with Post Traumatic Stress
Disorder. He was one of the initial organizers for
the Annual Conference on the "Still Hidden Clients:
Veterans and Their Loved Ones" which started
in 1983. He has been a consultant for Sherwood Associates,
Inc., and eldercare planning and management company,
since its' inception in 1991. He is an avid
tennis player and for the past six years has been
a volunteer assistant coach to the men's tennis
team at Binghamton University.
Glenn Petersen has been teaching at Baruch College since 1977, and also
at the City University of New York's Graduate Center since 1987. He
teaches anthropology and geography at Baruch; at the Graduate Center he
teaches in the Ph.D. Program in Anthropology and in the Master's
Program in Liberal Studies (MALS), where he specializes in
international affairs. He did his undergraduate studies at California
State College, Hayward, and received his Ph.D. from Columbia University.
Jennie Fisher joined the United
States Army in response to September 11, 2001.
Wanting to "defend her city and get back at the people that did it,"
Fisher interrupted her second semester at Queensborough
Community College to enlist for 4
years of active duty and began Basic Combat Training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. After completing the 18 requirements for
soldiers to graduate, including qualifying with the M16A2 rifle, passing the
Army physical fitness test, and participating in unarmed combat training. PVT Fisher was next sent to Wiesbanden, Germany
as a member of the 3rd Corps Support Command (3rd
COSCOM). In March 2003, PVT Fisher
deployed to Camp Virginia
located near Udairi Range in Northern Kuwait prior to the start of the
war in Iraq. The 3rd COSCOM deployment
integrated with V Corps, tracking and managing the flow of all classes of
supply (except medical), the movement of troops and equipment on all forms of
transportation, and unit maintenance. In
May, Fisher and her unit moved-up into Iraq
to Balad Airbase, approximately 70 kilometers north of Baghdad.
Fisher's unit was responsible for setting-up the strategic airbase to
launch F-16 fighters, Army helicopters, unmanned aerial systems, and nearby Camp Anaconda
prior to redeploying back to Germany
in February 2004. Specialist Fisher spent
her final military year in Washington
D.C. in the command of the U.S.
Army Military District of Washington (MDW).
Fisher, who grew-up in Forest Hills, Queens returned to NYC and
completed an A.A. degree at Queensborough
Community College in
August of 2007. Currently she is
pursuing a B.A. degree in Elementary Education and Anthropology at Queens College.
Victor Milian earned his
Associate in Applied Science Degree with Honors in June 2008, graduating from
the Maritime Technology Program at Kingsborough
Community College. Prior to attaining this distinction, Victor
had a distinguished career in defense of our nation, serving in numerous
branches and capacities within the United States Military.
Don Gomez grew up in Queens, New York. After graduating from Martin Van Buren High
School in the year 2000, he joined the United States Army in 2001. Beginning his military training at the U.S.
Army Armor and Infantry training site at Fort Benning,
Georgia, Don next joined the
82nd Airborne Division, successfully graduating from Advanced Airborne School. As a paratrooper, Gomez deployed in support
of Operations Iraqi Freedom on two occasions, first in 2003 and again in 2005. Prior to his Honorable Discharge in 2006, Don
distinguished his service as a Rifle Team Leader, General's driver, and also
achieving the Joint Service Commendation Medal and Combat Infantryman Badge. Don began attending college in Greensborough, North
Carolina before transferring to The City College in
the Fall 2007. Presently he is pursuing
a degree in International Studies with a concentration in Middle Eastern
Studies, and will be entering his junior year of studies this fall. Don has been the recipient of a Horatio Alger
Association of Distinguished Americans Military Scholarship, designated as a
Colin Powell Center Scholar for the 2008-2009 academic year and this past May
was the recipient of a newly implemented City
College scholarship for veterans of
the Iraq and Afghanistan
wars. In addition, Don currently serves
as the Vice President for the Student Association of International
Studies. Outside of The City College,
Don is an operations intern with the Tanenbaum
Center for Interreligious
Understanding. Don aspirers to utilize
his past experience and his studies to prepare himself for future service with
the United States
government.
Orley Pacheco is a 24 year-old native of The
Bronx and presently a Borough of Manhattan Community College student veteran
who served five years with the United States Marine Corps. Prior to enlisting in September 2002, Pacheco
had been exploring business career options in the corporate sector as an
analyst with Goldman Sachs the global investment banking, securities and
investment management firm, and as an administrative assistant with WPG Design
Group a New York City-based interior design company. As a Marine Corps recruit, Pacheco reported
to Recruit Depot Paris Island,
South Carolina for the 3-phase
13-week Training Matrix where he learned "the core values of Honor, Courage,
and Commitment". During 2002-2003, Orley
was also stationed in Pensacola Florida and enrolled in Aviation Structure Courses prior
to relocating to North Carolina at Camp Lejeune's
aviation site at New River. Here, Pacheco worked on maintaining the
navigation and electrical systems of the CH-46 Sea Knight helicopters as a
member of the Black Knight Marine Helicopter Squadron -264; In 2004, Orley's squadron participated in
Combined Joint Task Force - Haiti
and Marine Air Ground Task Force - 8.
Pacheco's unit was deployed to Iraq
in 2005, and stationed at Al Asad Airfield, the second largest airbase in Iraq, in addition, Orley has served as a Recruiting
Assistant and liaison with the Marine Corps Toys for Tots Program. Pacheco returned to CUNY at BMCC and is now
working to complete his A.A. Business Administration degree. Orley and other Student Veterans were
instrumental in establishing the Military Veterans Club at BMCC and he
continues to be very involved with "bringing the Veterans back to education"
and working to "help other Vets transition into college."
I served four years honorably in the United States Marine Corps,
and I am very proud of it. I was
Stationed at Camp Pendleton
California, and assigned to the
2/4 Infantry Combat Battalion. This was the toughest time for me as a United States
Marine since finishing Boot Camp in March 2003. In February of 2004, I served my first tour of
duty in Iraq.
I have patrolled and fought along side with my brothers in arms in the city of Ramadi, Iraq,
as well as other parts of the Anbar
Province. I have also been deployed to Okinawa and Fuji, Japan,
as well as training conducted in the Philippines. Being a United States Marine gave me some of
my best experiences of my life, and allowed me to meet some of the best Friends
I will ever meet in my life. I was
honorably discharged in January of 2007, and immediately joined CUNY at Medgar Evers
College. I am currently pursuing a degree in Business Management;
however, I also look forward to pursuing an MBA. I am pursing my education not only for myself,
but for my fellow service men and women that fought along side me and lost
their lives at war. Because they never
got the chance to get a degree, I have to live the dream for them. I hope I continue to meet great people and
ambitious Veterans such as myself at CUNY and let's continue to growth and network. - Semper Fidelis
