Stacy Kellner Rosenberg MBA '78 knows what it's like to live a dream, then give it up. A big-city lawyer, Rosenberg had carved out a profession many college students would love. Yet she gladly left to lead a nonprofit agency that helped her cope with the death of her daughter, Amanda.

Rosenberg gave birth to Amanda while in graduate school at Binghamton. Six years later, Amanda developed a brain tumor. The family was able to handle the costs of care but otherwise struggled until The Friends of Karen, based in Westchester County, N.Y., stepped with medical and emotional support during Amanda's last months at home.

After Amanda died, Rosenberg continued going to Friends of Karen support groups. She also volunteered as legal counsel and joined the board of directors. When asked to assume a position as executive director in 2005, she took what she called "a leave of absence" from her legal job to head the agency. She has never been back.

For Rosenberg, leading Friends of Karen is the toughest job she's ever loved. She wears multiple hats overseeing three offices that support almost 300 families. "Things I learned at Binghamton - things like writing business plans, developing marketing strategies and basic accounting - are now coming to the forefront," she observes.

"I liked being a lawyer and really enjoyed the strategic thinking and the intellectual rigor," Rosenberg says. "But it's a privilege working here. The organization is a gift to the children and families we help, and I'm gratified that I now help others in the way Friends of Karen helped me."

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