Villanova University Alumni Association Announces New President-Elect, Vice President/Secretary and Four New Board Members

Jon Williams ’03 CLAS

New VUAA President-Elect

Jon Williams ’03 CLAS is a senior vice president with CBRE’s Advisory & Transaction Services group. A seasoned professional, Williams has provided a distinct advantage to a broad range of corporate occupiers with his consultative approach. He advises his clients in complex lease and sale negotiations by providing appropriate economic and market intelligence to assist them in making smart and informed real estate decisions. In 2018, he earned NAIOP New Jersey’s Deal of the Year award and NJBIZ’s and Mid-Atlantic Real Estate Journal’s 40 Under 40 recognition. Williams graduated with a B.A. in Economics and was a member of the men’s soccer team, where he earned BIG EAST All-Academic All-Star accolades. He is also one of three siblings who graduated from Villanova along with his brother, Brian Williams ’00, and his sister, Susan (Williams) Sieni ’07. Prior to his VUAA board membership, Williams started his alumni experience by co-founding the Club of North/Central New Jersey with his former colleague, Katie Kennedy Albanese ’06, and he maintains strong ties to the Club along with the men’s soccer program. He also served his community as a director of the New Jersey Chapter of the American Heart Association. Additionally, Williams completed studies at New York University’s Schack Institute of Real Estate with a focus on economics, market analysis, valuation, finance and investment, law and taxation.

Emily Hughes ’11 CLAS, ’12 MA

New VUAA Vice President/Secretary

Emily Hughes ’11 CLAS, ’12 MA is an industry-leading growth and marketing executive with over 10 years of experience scaling ecommerce, media and tech startups in domestic and emerging markets. This month, Hughes will become Head of Growth at Crux Climate, which recently raised $4.6M to power the country’s transition to a clean economy. Most recently, Hughes was Head of Growth and Community at Carry1st, a prominent African startup making international mobile games and digital content accessible to the continent’s consumers. While there, she established the company’s marketing, brand and press functions in order to better acquire, convert and retain customers. Hughes has also led growth efforts at Mobilize, goop and Time Inc. publications including Food & Wine, Travel + Leisure and Departures. She also founded a successful digital marketing consultancy that scaled over 50 brands in its four-year tenure. Hughes graduated in 2012 with two degrees after completing a five-year combined BA/MA program. She served as marketing chair of the Villanova University Club of Manhattan, and was a frequent speaker on social media, marketing and entrepreneurism panels at VUAA conferences before joining the VUAA Board of Directors in 2018.

Lindsey Buonomo ’12 COE

New VUAA Board Members

Lindsey Buonomo ’12 COE is a Principal at Wood Mackenzie (“WoodMac”), providing consulting services to utility supply chain management, project executives and engineering teams in the design and implementation of supply chain and capital project procurement solutions. Prior to starting at WoodMac in 2021, Buonomo was a Senior Director at Ankura (formerly Navigant), providing best-practice consulting services to developers, owners, contractors and their counsel on complex global construction projects. While at Ankura, she was a founding member of the global diversity and inclusion counsel and served as a sponsor representative to the American Bar Association. Prior to starting her career as a consultant, she held internships at ESPN and Hamilton Sundstrand. Buonomo graduated in 2012 with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and stayed actively involved with the University by serving as the Villanova Club of New York City Vice President (2016 to 2018) and President (2018 to 2020). Since relocating from New York City to Boston, she has remained engaged with the Villanova Club of Boston. She received the Villanova Alumni Leadership Award in 2020 in recognition of exemplary leadership in support of the University.

Jane Mullany ’80 FCN

Jane Mullany ’80 FCN is a consultant devoted to assisting nonprofit organizations achieve their missions through strategic planning, fundraising and building strong teams through talent transformation and board development. Mullany is currently the panel coordinator of the Anne Welsh McNulty Institute for Women’s Leadership’s Certificate Development Program at Villanova, where she was a founding member of its advisory council. Since 2013, Mullany served as an advisor for the president, board chair and member of the board of directors of Archbishop John Carroll High School in Radnor, Pa. She has co-chaired the Strategic Planning Committee and served on the Development Committee and the President Search Committee. In June of 2022, Jane was elected to Archbishop John Carroll High School’s board of directors and currently serves as the board chair. Mullany also serves on the board and chairs the development and marketing committee of Jhpiego, a global non-profit health organization dedicated to improving the health of women and families. Mullany previously served as board chair of Woodlynde School for ten years and has served on various nonprofit boards in the roles of advisor, trustee and committee chair. In addition to managing her own consulting business, Mullany contributed to the success of HJM Consulting LLC, serving as partner, providing vital support on strategic planning, research and business development. Mullany advised clients to improve the efficiency of day-to-day operations and implement strategies to ensure goals are achieved. Mullany received her B.S. in Nursing from Villanova and spent 20 years at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia as a nursing leader and pediatric critical care nurse.

Brian Pultro ’12 MA

Brian Pultro ’12 MA is a financial advisor and partner at Pultro Financial Management, where he has been since 2015. He earned additional certifications as an Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF), Behavioral Financial Advisor (BFA) and Registered Financial Consultant (RFC). Pultro also earned the coveted “Ethics Certified” designation from the International Association of Registered Financial Consultants. (IARFC). Additionally, he serves as a Staff Officer for Submarine Group 7 out of Ventura County, Calif. holding the rank of Commander. Pultro was commissioned as an Ensign into the United States Navy in 2006 and during his 10 years on active duty, he served on three different classes of ship, deploying twice to the Persian Gulf and once to Southeast Asia. Pultro served as First Lieutenant on USS Gettysburg CG-64 (Guided Missile Cruiser), Operations Officer on USS Defender MCM-2 (Mine Countermeasures Ship) and Operations Officer on USS Arleigh Burke DDG-51 (Guided Missile Destroyer). Pultro also served as a faculty member at Villanova University as an instructor of Naval Science where he earned a nomination as Naval Service Training Command’s Instructor of the Year. While at Villanova, he was honored with the Junior Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2013 after completing his M.A. in Political Science in 2012. In 2015, Pultro left active duty and joined the U.S. Navy Reserve. The U.S. Navy called him back to active duty in June 2018 where he served as a strategic planner in the Iran Branch at United States Central Command Headquarters in Tampa, Fla.

Rodrigo A. Rivera ’16 CLAS, ’20 JD

Rodrigo A. Rivera ’16 CLAS, ’20 JD is an associate at Dechert, LLP, a global law firm headquartered in Philadelphia, Pa. His practice focuses on corporate and securities matters with a particular emphasis on mergers and acquisitions across a wide range of industries. At Dechert, Rivera co-chairs the Philadelphia Diverse Associates Committee, which focuses on the recruitment, retention and career development of diverse attorneys. He also serves the Greater Philadelphia legal community as a Board Member of the Hispanic Bar Association of Pennsylvania. He was recently elected president of the Association’s Legal Education Fund, a non-profit organization dedicated to the professional and educational advancement of Latinos in the legal profession. Rivera graduated summa cum laude from Villanova University in 2016 with a B.A. in Political Science and Theology and went on to receive his J.D. cum laude from Charles Widger School of Law in 2020. As an undergraduate, Rivera was active in Campus Ministry, Special Olympics and Service Learning. He was the recipient of the Thomas J. Mentzer Award for his contributions to the poor and marginalized and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. Prior to entering law school, Rivera served with the Augustinian Volunteers in San Diego, Calif. During his time as a law student, Rivera worked with the Farmworker Legal Aid Clinic, served as a judicial extern to the Honorable Joel H. Slomsky and received the Hyman-Goodman Award for his contributions to the law school. He has remained an active member of the Villanova community, most recently serving as a member of NovUs, the law school’s young alumni association.