Feb 14, 2016

Former Eastonite named Edison Award finalist

Current 360Alumni clients include The Master’s College, Maharishi University of Management, Santa Fe Institute, Lewis Central Community Schools, FoodCorps, and ECPI University

Easton Courier
February 14, 2016

Christina Balotescu, who grew up in Easton, has been connecting people with technology solutions for more than 20 years. The former web developer turned product innovator is founder and CEO of 360Alumni, an alumni engagement solution, is an Edison award finalist.

“Most networks don’t sufficiently engage and help people when they are looking for jobs, moving or trying to connect with fellow alumni,” Balotescu said. “I designed 360Alumni to help millions of people get mentorship and better jobs through their alumni networks. There is a huge potential to strengthen connections between alumni and their alma mater or parent organization — if you give them the keys to the network they’ve invested in.”

Balotescu said she was excited to receive the honor and said that 360Alumni was chosen from a pool of nominees that included “corporate giants as well as other startups.”

“It means our vision is being recognized, and this award is just the beginning. We’re looking for the right investors to partner with to expand our business.”

Balotescu grew up in Easton and now lives in Weston. Her parents still live in the same house on Redding Road where she had lemonade and golf ball stands every day in the summertime, she said.  Her maiden name is Brandstrom. She went to Joel Barlow High School and organized the proms, the Environmental Club and the five-year and 20-year reunion for the class of 1993.

360Alumni empowers alumni to create their own events, groups, lists, and job posts. “Universities need to provide ongoing value to alumni to stay relevant,” Balotescu said. “Today, it’s not about what your alumni can do for you — it’s about what you can do for your alumni. Organizations have to establish relationships that serve alumni first if they want to reap the benefits of their goodwill.”

Product features include an interactive map, alumni directory and profiles, job and discussion boards, messaging, email marketing, news, and fundraising. 360Alumni is easy to use, setup and manage.

“It’s a dramatic departure from other platforms — which are cumbersome, expensive, and rely heavily on IT and design support,” Balotescu said.

360Alumni captures all alumni activity in a single database, giving organizations the insight to leverage their alumni base in new and innovative ways. It starts by creating profiles for an organization’s alumni, and its hybrid directory/community model lets them see not only who is engaged, but who they’ve lost touch with.

360Alumni is gaining success, and is presently signing a top Ivy League Law

School in the U.S., according to Balotescu. Current 360Alumni clients include The Master’s College, Maharishi University of Management, Santa Fe Institute, Lewis Central Community Schools, FoodCorps, and ECPI University, which has been working with 360Alumni for nearly two years.

“They’ve posted thousands of jobs through the network and have helped many, many current and former students find jobs,” Balotescu said.

The 360Alumni all-in-one engagement platform will be showcased and celebrated on April 21 at the 29th Annual Edison Awards Gala in New York, where it will receive either a gold, silver or bronze award.

Edison Award nominees are judged by more than 3,000 senior business executives and academics from across the nation whose votes acknowledge the finalists’ success in meeting the award’s stringent criteria of quality. The awards, inspired by Thomas Edison’s persistence and inventiveness, recognize innovation, creativity and ingenuity in the global economy.

For more about information about 360Alumni, visit For more information about the Edison Awards, Edison Universe and a list of past winners, visit .

http://www.eastoncourier.com/2016/02/14/former-eastonite-named-edison-award-finalist/

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