Two members of the Class of 1963 receive Trustee Alumni Awards

Leslie “Les” Michael Alperstein and Richard Klitzberg, both members of the Class of 1963, were recognized with the 2017 Trustee Alumni Award, the highest alumni honor given at McDaniel College in recognition of alumni career and service achievement.

Les Alperstein is president and CEO of Washington Analysis, LLC, a leading governmental policy investment research group servicing global money managers. He has served as executive managing director and director of research of HSBC Securities, Inc., and as director of economic and investment research for NatWest Securities, Prudential Securities, Shields Model Roland, Inc. and Legg Mason and Co. Earlier, he served as an Army captain, and as a staff economist on the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.

As an undergraduate, Alperstein majored in Economics and participated in ROTC, receiving a commission as a 1st lieutenant at graduation. He attended University of Pittsburgh on a full fellowship, earning a Ph.D. in Economics in 1967.

A political economist widely recognized for his economic, political, and financial market forecasts, Alperstein has appeared on CNN, CNBC and Bloomberg and is frequently quoted in the press. He is a member of the National Association of Business Economists, the National Economists Club, the CFA Society of Washington, The Washington Association of Money Managers and is listed in “Who’s Who in American Finance and Industry.” He has lectured at numerous universities and taught in the CFA Society of Washington CFA program.

Alperstein is currently on the Board of Directors of Eagle Bancorp and has served on the Board of Directors of the Jewish National Fund, the Board of Trustees of McDaniel College and the Board of Directors of the American Liver Foundation. He is active in many charitable organizations. He resides in Potomac, Md., with his wife, Lois.

Richard Klitzberg has spent more than 45 years advising institutional investors and high net worth families in all matters relating to the professional management of their assets. In 1980, he became founder and president of First Investors Asset Management Co., the first firm to manage high yield bond separate accounts for major institutions. Klitzberg Associates, Inc. was formed in 1982 to consult to, and market for, specialty investment managers. The firm, which maintains offices in Boca Raton, Fla., and Princeton, N.J., has been instrumental in raising more than $8 billion in assets for leveraged buyout firms, venture capital, private equity, real estate and hedge funds.

In addition, Klitzberg overseas the investment funds for a small number of clients and is the general partner of two private investment partnerships. Klitzberg Fund Solutions was established in 2003 to refer boutique managers to fund sponsors looking for new products or solutions to address underperforming funds.

At McDaniel (then Western Maryland College), Klitzberg was a Political Science major and an ROTC cadet. As co-captain of the basketball team, he led the Green Terror to its first Middle Atlantic tournament appearance in 1962, led the team in assists for four years and led in scoring from 1962 to 1963. Klitzberg earned a J.D. degree in 1966 from University of Baltimore School of Law and worked as athletic director for the Baltimore City Bureau of Recreation while completing his studies. In 1997, he was a member of the U.S. Master Maccabiah Games in Israel. He has played in U.S. Hardcourt and Grass Court National Championships.

Klitzberg was inducted into McDaniel’s Sports Hall of Fame in 1994. In 2007, he and wife Judy Callahan Klitzberg, also a member of the Class of 1963, supported construction of the Klitzberg Pavilion, which forms a handsome main entrance and popular gathering place for scholar-athletes within the Gill physical education complex. During annual visits to campus classrooms as a guest speaker, Klitzberg encourages students to pursue lucrative careers on Wall Street, assuring them there is no shame in making money, so long as it’s done ethically.

He is recognized in “Who’s Who in American Finance and Industry” (1977), “Who’s Who in the East” (1990) and “Who’s Who in America.” He serves on the board of the American Professionals & Friends and serves as board president of the Sea Ranch Club. He is a former board member of the Florida Society for Middle East Studies. He and wife Judy live in Boca Raton, Fla.