Henry Hirvela, MBA '81, was named chief financial officer of VistaCare in March 2006 with responsibility for both financial operations and information technology. Prior to this engagement, Hirvela founded Phoenix Management Partners, LLC, during which time he served as president and CEO of Vigilant Systems Inc., developed Ironwood Golf Group LLC, and served as chairman for Three-Five Systems Inc., an electronic manufacturing services company. From 1996 to 2000, Hirvela served as vice president and chief financial officer for Scottsdale-based Allied Waste Industries Inc., where he helped grow the company's annual revenues from $180 million in 1996 to more than $6 billion in 2000. In this role, he also played a key role in managing more than 100 large acquisitions and was responsible for all aspects of financial and information systems management for this publicly traded company. His other past experience includes senior leadership positions for technology and environmental services companies. Hirvela earned a Bachelor of Arts from United States International University in San Diego and holds an MBA from the Johnson Graduate School of Management from Cornell University. Hirvela currently serves as a Member of the National Association of Corporate Directors and is the Johnson School's regional alumni leader for Phoenix, AZ.

Gligor "G" Tashkovich, A&S '87, MBA '91, was elected Minister for Foreign Investment by the Parliament of the Republic of Macedonia on August 26. Minister Tashkovich will be responsible for traveling the world and convincing international firms to consider basing their European manufacturing and back office operations in the Republic of Macedonia. His country now offers the lowest tax rates and labor costs in Europe and has free-trade agreements with all European countries.

Previously, Tashkovich was the Executive Vice President for Government & Media Relations for AMBO LLC (the Albanian-Macedonian-Bulgarian Oil Corporation) for the $1.5 billion Trans-Balkan Oil Pipeline project, which will connect the Black Sea with the Adriatic Sea and cross the Republics of Bulgaria, Macedonia, and Albania.

In 2002, he was selected as a semi-finalist in the first annual Reinhard Mohn Fellowship competition for social entrepreneurs sponsored by Bertelsmann AG. In 2003, he was named to the official delegation of the U.S. Department of State that monitored both rounds of the presidential elections in the Republic of Armenia; and in 2004, he joined the State Department delegation to the Republic of Kazakhstan for their Parliamentary elections. Also in 2004, Tashkovich was also named a delegate to the U.S.-Japan Foundation's Leadership Program. He serves as a Trustee of the American Research Center in Sofia, Bulgaria and as a member of the University Council of the American University in Bulgaria.

Tashkovich was heavily involved with Cornell University affairs for the past 23 years. In 1999-2001, he completed a two-year term on the Administrative Board of the University Council as its youngest member ever. He also recently completed a five-year term membership in the Council on Foreign Relations.