St. John Fisher University to Bestow Honorary Degree, President’s Medals Upon Three Community Members during 72nd Commencement Ceremonies

St. John Fisher University will honor three impactful members of the Greater Rochester and Fisher communities during its 72nd Commencement celebrations in May.

Philip Yawman, outgoing chair of the University’s Board of Trustees, will receive an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Humane Letters for his service to the Board. Karen Zandi, president and CEO of the Mary Cariola Center, and Dr. Peter C. Carpino ’72, former president, United Way of Greater Rochester, will both be honored with President’s Medals.

“Each of this year’s honorees reflect the very best of Fisher and of Greater Rochester. Through their leadership, service, and unwavering commitment to others, Phil Yawman, Karen Zandi, and Dr. Peter Carpino have strengthened the institutions, organizations, and communities that define our region. Their careers demonstrate what it means to lead with purpose, from guiding organizations through growth and innovation to championing those most in need. We are proud to recognize their extraordinary accomplishments and their lasting contributions to the Fisher community,” said Dr. Gerard J. Rooney, president of Fisher.

With more than 30 years of entrepreneurial and transformational leadership experience, Yawman has a prodigious record of introducing strategies to drive growth and innovation to top performing teams. Through his business acumen and team-oriented leadership skills, he has built a strong reputation that has been recognized for taking businesses, large and small, to the next level through vision, execution, and results.

Yawman became president of Cooley Group in December 2018. Under his leadership, the company was recognized in 2021 as a “Greatest Company to Work For” by the Promotional Products Association International and has earned a statewide “Best Companies to Work For” designation from the New York State Society for Human Resource Management. The company was also recognized as a Rochester Top 100 Firm for the first time in its 80-year history. He was named Small Business Person of the Year in 2023 by the Small Business Council of the Rochester Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Yawman retired from The Cooley Group in April 2026.

Prior to joining Cooley Group, he was executive vice president for sales and marketing at Annese and Associates and was formerly a co-founder of Choice One Communications, a telecommunications company that grew rapidly in the early 2000s. He also served as general manager of Frontier Communications’ Rochester operations from 2011 through 2015. His expertise lies in strategic planning and positioning; executive leadership coaching and mentoring; start-up, expansion, and growth management; and marketing, sales, and business development; among other salient aspects of management and leadership.

A member of Fisher’s Board since 2000, Yawman has served as chair since 2024 and was in the vice chair role from 2022-2024. In addition, as a member of the Board, he chaired the Finance and Facilities, Strategic Enrollment Planning and Intercollegiate Athletics, and Academic and Faculty Affairs committees. He also currently sits on the board for the Constellation Brands Performing Arts Center (CMAC). His past board involvements include the Monroe Community College Foundation, Rochester Area Community Foundation, and the 2019 and 2023 PGA Championship Executive Committees.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Hobart and William Smith Colleges and an MBA from the Simon Business School at the University of Rochester. Yawman and his wife, Cheryl, a Fisher alumna and member of the Class of 1986, reside in Fairport and have two daughters.

Zandi has led Mary Cariola Center in Rochester since 2012 and during her tenure, the school, resident homes, and family support services have flourished. As the regional leader in personalized, interdisciplinary, evidence-based education, and life skill solutions for people with complex disabilities, Zandi has positioned Mary Cariola as the standard-setter in innovation that unlocks lifelong potential.

Before joining Mary Cariola as president and CEO, she spent 25 years at Hillside Children’s Center. She is also past president of the 853 Coalition, a statewide group of school for students with special needs who advocate with government on behalf of Coalition members to establish sound laws and regulations as well as generate adequate resources and support to help member schools succeed.

This past year, Zandi guided Mary Cariola through its 75^th Anniversary, garnering numerous accolades. Additionally, she worked with B. Thomas Golisano and the Golisano Foundation to negotiate a $25 million dollar donation.

Zandi earned her bachelor’s in social work from the University of Pittsburgh and master’s degrees in social work from the University of Pennsylvania.

Among the many awards and recognitions that she has received, the highlights include being named as an inaugural honoree in the Women of Excellence Awards sponsored by the Rochester Business Journal in 2018. More recently, she was awarded the “Move to Include Award” at the Golisano Foundation’s 40th Anniversary Celebration. She serves as a member of the Wegmans School of Nursing Dean’s Advisory Committee.

Carpino has held executive leadership roles in the nonprofit and higher education sectors for more than 40 years. A first-generation student and member of Fisher’s Class of 1972, he received a full fellowship to the University of Texas at Austin, where he earned a master’s degree in communications.  His professional career took root at the United Way of Greater Rochester (now the United Way of Greater Rochester and the Finger Lakes) where he served as communications director and later as vice president for marketing and resource development, responsible for a $29 million annual campaign.

In 1987, he returned to his alma mater where he served as vice president for development and communications. While at Fisher, he earned a Ph.D. from the Union Institute in Cincinnati, OH, one of the first accredited distance learning programs in the country. Eight years later, he was named president and CEO of the United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley (PA) and served there until 2005 when he was named president and CEO of Rochester’s United Way. During his tenure in Rochester, United Way launched ROC the Day, a 24-hour online giving initiative which, since its inception in 2011, has raised more than $13 million for 500 nonprofits. The organization also helped spearhead the Rochester-Monroe Antipoverty Initiative (RMAPI) to tackle the systemic root causes that create and perpetuate poverty.

Carpino was a member of the adjunct faculty for Fisher’s Doctorate in Executive Leadership program for nine years until he retired from the United Way in 2015. He then founded TheCarpinoGroup, LLC, a consulting firm specializing in nonprofit strategy development, organizational needs assessments, and governance.

He has served as an executive committee member of Greater Rochester Enterprise, member of the Mayor’s Literacy Commission in Rochester, and member of the board of the Center for Governmental Research. In addition, he has co-chaired the Greater Rochester Health Foundation’s Healthy Weight Council and was vice chair of Roc the Future, a community-wide collaborative designed to improve educational outcomes for Rochester’s most at-risk children by aligning programs, policies, and funding. His past professional involvements have also included service as a member of United Way Worldwide’s National Professional Council, Inclusion Council, and U.S. Task Force on United Way’s Economic Model and Growth. He also is a former board member of the United Way of New York State and former chair of the board of the United Way of Pennsylvania.

Zandi will be honored on Friday, May 8, at 4:30 p.m. during the undergraduate ceremony celebrating Wegmans School of Nursing bachelor’s degree recipients. Yawman will receive the honorary degree on Saturday, May 9, at 10 a.m. during the undergraduate ceremony celebrating School of Business and School of Arts and Sciences bachelor’s degree recipients. Finally, Carpino will be honored on Saturday, May 9, at 1 p.m. during the graduate ceremony celebrating School of Business, Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. School of Education, and Wegmans School of Pharmacy master’s and doctoral degree recipients. Visit the Commencement website for more information about all of the celebrations during Commencement weekend.