Akili Tommasino ’05

Harvard University (BA, MA, PhD Candidate)

Akili Tommasino ‘05 was appointed associate curator, modern and contemporary art, at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA) in 2018. Akili joined the MFA from The Museum of Modern Art, NY (MoMA), where he had been a curatorial assistant since 2014. Notably, he curated the 2017 MoMA exhibition Projects 107: Lone Wolf Recital Corps, the first exhibition to reunite the multidisciplinary performance collective founded in 1986 by Brooklyn-based artist and musician Terry Adkins (1953-2014). It featured sculptures, video, and performance props and paraphernalia, as well as a series of live performances. Akili was featured in a New York Times article about the need for greater diversity in the leadership of art museums. Akili studied art history at Harvard and founded the Prep for Prep/Sotheby’s Art Academy in 2017 “to give high school students of color an earlier window into the art world.”

Arts

More Poly People

Alumni

Chris Davenport ’91

Chris Davenport ’91 has been a reporter for The Washington Post since 2000 and covers the defense and space industries for the Post‘s financial desk.

Alumni

Diahann Billings Burford ’90, P’20

Diahann Billings Burford ’90, P’20 was the second girl to serve as president of Poly’s Student Government. “Diahann was a force of nature,” recalled Paul Raso, retired science teacher and former Student Government advisor.

Alumni

Dr. Neil Schluger ’77

“…I developed a love of learning, even for its own sake, and Paul Raso was one of the teachers who helped to instill that in me.”

Alumni

Jared Banner ’03

Jared Banner ’03 played four seasons of varsity baseball at Poly. He was named Executive Director, Player Development for the New York Mets in 2018.

Alumni

Jeanine Smartt Liburd ’88, P’21, ‘24

“I honed my ability to craft my ideas and utilize language to be persuasive and share my perspective.”

Alumni

Emily Giurleo ’13

“I certainly wouldn’t be a software engineer if Ms. Turkenkopf and Ms. Licata hadn’t encouraged my love of math and science.”

Alumni

Eugenia Xiao ’14

Multi-talented Eugenia Xiao ‘14 earned a BA from Cornell and then a MS in Nursing from Columbia University School of Nursing.

Alumni

Fiona Greig ’97

“Athletics gave me a natural home.”

Alumni

Gigi Georges ’84

Gigi Georges ‘84, a recipient of Poly’s Distinguished Achievement Award, has had an extensive career in politics, public service, and academia.

Alumni

Leslie Grinage ’99

“Being in an educational environment such as Poly prepared me well to live in and value a pluralistic society.”

Alumni

Max Rose ’04

Alum Max Rose ’04 was elected to represent NY District 11 in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2018.

Alumni

Rowan McAllister ’15

“Art was always my favorite class, but I’ve found I use my math and engineering skills almost as much…to really connect all the dots of my education.”

Alumni

Sonja Lindberg ’16

“I worked more and harder than I ever had in English classes. After a few weeks, I came to love it.

Alumni

Wendy Haft ’84

Wendy has coached every sport from basketball to tennis, but focused on softball. In 2015, she returned to Poly to present the Yale Cup at our end-of-year Athletics Awards Ceremony.

Alumni

Will Hochman ’10

“I felt like maybe I could become who I imagined myself to be.”

Alumni

Nick Storz ’17

Poly Blue Devils pitcher Nick Storz ’17, who was listed among the Baseball America 2017 Top 100 Draft Prospects, chose to play for LSU, where he is an imposing presence on the mound.

Alumni

Ira Feldman ’75

Sustainability must encompass environmental protection, economic development, and social justice. Educating the next generation of environmental advocates is a priority for Feldman.