Pull on your boots and take a walk with Cynthia McVay and her dogs— consummate hosts and guides, in a riveting landscape rife with adventure and discovery.
In A Field of My Own: A Memoir of Place, lifelong creative and environmentalist McVay chronicles her intimate, two-decade relationship with a flagging orchard in the Hudson Valley. As a single working mother, she was looking for a weekend escape from New York City, a piece of green, a place to call her own. One blustery winter day, she falls in love with a meadow and her life is forever altered. She renovates the modest cottage, builds a pondish-pool, creates pollinating, native gardens from orphans and strays, learns to forage and runs the tractor. A decade in, as architect and general contractor, she moves an enormous 180-year-old hand-hewn Amish barn to the property to make her sustainable home. Snarky contractors, a tippling partner, puzzling neighbors, concerning caretakers, black rat snakes and coyote chases are minor setbacks; each day brings joy and serenity. This engaging memoir of place is generous and honest, packed with useful know-how and humor. McVay’s writing is vibrant and her photos evocative.
About the Author:
Cynthia McVay, WG’88, was a strategy and management consultant for McKinsey and independently for two decades, advising household names, nonprofits and startups. She served as Latin American Program Officer for the World Wildlife Fund and inaugural Director of Innovation for the Peace Corps. She has been focusing on writing and art over the past decade and has dozens of essays, stories and poems published in literary and other journals. She holds a BA from Harvard in biology and studio arts, and an MA in international studies (Brazil/Portuguese) from the University of Pennsylvania and MBA from Wharton, as a Fellow of The Lauder Institute. Cynthia serves on numerous boards including the Rauch Foundation, Center for Large Landscape Conservation, John Burroughs Association, Harvard Club of the Hudson Valley and Rondout Rowing Club. She splits her time between the Hudson Valley and St. Croix, USVI.
Moderator:
Karen Karp, WG’87, has held leadership positions in international and multicultural settings, in the nonprofit and private sectors, as Director of Marketing for the Metropolitan Opera, Vice President of Marketing and Communications at the Asia Society and Senior Vice President for International Marketing at Christie's. Earlier in her career, Karen worked in Asian American marketing, in investment banking and as a Princeton in Asia teaching fellow at The Chinese University of Hong Kong where she taught survey courses in the history of Western Art. Karen received a BA at Princeton University in Art History and European Cultural Studies and an MBA/MA at The Wharton School-Lauder Institute at the University of Pennsylvania. Karen serves as co-chair of the board of directors for the International Studio and Curatorial Program, board member of the Savannah Tree Foundation, non-Trustee member of the Collections Committee for the Telfair Museums and an emeritus trustee of Princeton in Asia. Karen currently divides her time between her hometown Savannah, and New York City's west village.
When:
Tuesday, August 12, 2025
6:00 PM – Wine & Cheese Reception
6:30 PM – Fireside Chat
7:15 PM – Q & A
7:30 PM – Networking
8:00 PM – Event Ends
Where:
Midtown location (Note: Address will be sent via email to all registered guests 24-48 hours prior to the event to the "Primary Email" address listed in your profile. Please review your profile to confirm that the email address listed is correct.)
Cost:
WCNY Supporting Members - $26 (WCNY supporting membership costs $95/yr at Join/Renew Membership)
Other Wharton Alumni & Alumni Guests - $52
Gold & Benefactor Members - $0
Pre-registration is required. Please register early as this event will sell out quickly.
Registration is subject to availability and will close on Tuesday, August 12th at 9:00am.
Cancellations must be made at least 48-hours (business day) prior to the event date by sending an email to Gabriela Sanchez. Refunds or credits for future events are not available for any no-shows or late cancellations. Click here for full details.
In A Field of My Own: A Memoir of Place, lifelong creative and environmentalist McVay chronicles her intimate, two-decade relationship with a flagging orchard in the Hudson Valley. As a single working mother, she was looking for a weekend escape from New York City, a piece of green, a place to call her own. One blustery winter day, she falls in love with a meadow and her life is forever altered. She renovates the modest cottage, builds a pondish-pool, creates pollinating, native gardens from orphans and strays, learns to forage and runs the tractor. A decade in, as architect and general contractor, she moves an enormous 180-year-old hand-hewn Amish barn to the property to make her sustainable home. Snarky contractors, a tippling partner, puzzling neighbors, concerning caretakers, black rat snakes and coyote chases are minor setbacks; each day brings joy and serenity. This engaging memoir of place is generous and honest, packed with useful know-how and humor. McVay’s writing is vibrant and her photos evocative.
About the Author:
Cynthia McVay, WG’88, was a strategy and management consultant for McKinsey and independently for two decades, advising household names, nonprofits and startups. She served as Latin American Program Officer for the World Wildlife Fund and inaugural Director of Innovation for the Peace Corps. She has been focusing on writing and art over the past decade and has dozens of essays, stories and poems published in literary and other journals. She holds a BA from Harvard in biology and studio arts, and an MA in international studies (Brazil/Portuguese) from the University of Pennsylvania and MBA from Wharton, as a Fellow of The Lauder Institute. Cynthia serves on numerous boards including the Rauch Foundation, Center for Large Landscape Conservation, John Burroughs Association, Harvard Club of the Hudson Valley and Rondout Rowing Club. She splits her time between the Hudson Valley and St. Croix, USVI.
Moderator:
Karen Karp, WG’87, has held leadership positions in international and multicultural settings, in the nonprofit and private sectors, as Director of Marketing for the Metropolitan Opera, Vice President of Marketing and Communications at the Asia Society and Senior Vice President for International Marketing at Christie's. Earlier in her career, Karen worked in Asian American marketing, in investment banking and as a Princeton in Asia teaching fellow at The Chinese University of Hong Kong where she taught survey courses in the history of Western Art. Karen received a BA at Princeton University in Art History and European Cultural Studies and an MBA/MA at The Wharton School-Lauder Institute at the University of Pennsylvania. Karen serves as co-chair of the board of directors for the International Studio and Curatorial Program, board member of the Savannah Tree Foundation, non-Trustee member of the Collections Committee for the Telfair Museums and an emeritus trustee of Princeton in Asia. Karen currently divides her time between her hometown Savannah, and New York City's west village.
When:
Tuesday, August 12, 2025
6:00 PM – Wine & Cheese Reception
6:30 PM – Fireside Chat
7:15 PM – Q & A
7:30 PM – Networking
8:00 PM – Event Ends
Where:
Midtown location (Note: Address will be sent via email to all registered guests 24-48 hours prior to the event to the "Primary Email" address listed in your profile. Please review your profile to confirm that the email address listed is correct.)
Cost:
WCNY Supporting Members - $26 (WCNY supporting membership costs $95/yr at Join/Renew Membership)
Other Wharton Alumni & Alumni Guests - $52
Gold & Benefactor Members - $0
Pre-registration is required. Please register early as this event will sell out quickly.
Registration is subject to availability and will close on Tuesday, August 12th at 9:00am.
Cancellations must be made at least 48-hours (business day) prior to the event date by sending an email to Gabriela Sanchez. Refunds or credits for future events are not available for any no-shows or late cancellations. Click here for full details.