
Green Tech CEO and Alumnus Visits Warrior Radio
March 31, 2022
In an interview with Nyack College alumnus Frank Dalene (Class of 1977), he said that “the diversity at Nyack is incredible.” In fact, at that moment, the room represented this diversity. Four people sat in the WNYK Warrior Radio Station, all from different backgrounds. Frank was born in Norway. Melani Situmorang, our WNYK student intern, hails from Indonesia. Grace Mathews, Nyack’s VP of Special Events, is from India. I was born and raised in Canada. There we all were sitting together in a studio located in downtown New York City. All born in four different countries, and the diversity in the room felt like a microcosm of the Nyack College experience. It was very encouraging to observe, just like Frank Dalene’s story.
A Socially Relevant Alumnus
After graduating from Nyack College, Frank started his own business. He co-founded a green construction service business with his brother Roy in 1978 and currently serves as President and CEO of Telemark, Inc. The award-winning luxury home builder is also the founder of Hamptons Green Alliance, developer of ICEMAN® (International Carbon Equivalent Mechanism Attributed to Neutrality) and founder of Carbon Factor, Inc. He’s also the author of Decarbonize The World. The Scandinavian appreciation of the environment helped shape Frank’s identity. “I was building green homes before they were even invented”, says Frank. He has been quoted and his work has appeared in various publications including The New York Times, New York Post, Architectural Digest, and The Wall Street Journal, among many others.
Through Forbes Books Radio, Frank has also jumped head first into the world of Podcasting. “It’s been a lot of fun to interview other business leaders, I’ve been really enjoying it.” His success in the business world combined with his positive impact on the environment led to him being named Nyack College Alumnus of the Year in 2018. It was for being Socially Relevant, one of Nyack’s core values, and this meant a lot to Frank. “The phrase Socially Relevant really hit home for me. This is my passion. Green building, the environment.” Frank was also a Nyack College representative inducted into the Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities (CICU) Alumni Hall of Distinction in 2010. “This was also an honor for me, and I appreciate Nyack College for nominating me.”
Nurtured at Nyack College
Frank applied to Nyack College after “always hearing great things about it.” He believes the learning environment that Nyack exhibited really helped build him into the person that he is today. “The attitude, the love, and the caring was different here. More of a nurturing kind of education.” One of the more important impacts that Nyack College had on Frank was that it instilled a determination to always gain more knowledge. “Nyack triggered in me the love of learning.” Frank hopes to write another book, and one that was birthed during his time as a Nyack College student back in the ‘70s. “It’s from a theological perspective, and it’s based on science and religion being on a converging path. God’s creation and its relationship with science. I’ve studied the subject a lot and it goes back to my Nyack days.”
Frank has a brilliant mind, one that is always striving for more knowledge and ways to positively impact humankind. This brilliant mind was shaped and nurtured by his time here at Nyack College, and we should all be ever so grateful for that.
Catch our full interview with Frank Dalene airing Wednesday, April 3 at 3:00 p.m.
For more information on Frank, his book, and his podcast, please visit his website.
As always, for music, interviews and more, stay tuned to WNYK Warrior Radio here.
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