Alumni Profiles:
Medieval scholar takes seat on high court  William P. Robinson III, '71 Ph.D.
Evolution of a Renaissance scholar  David Grimaldi '79 (CLAS)
Closing the education gap  Harriet Sanford '79 M.P.A.

Also of Interest:
Classifying Connecticut Vegetation   Kenneth Metzler, '73 (CLAS), '77 M.S. & Juliana Barrett '89 Ph.D.
Top educator in Connecticut  Ann Clark '86 Ph.D.
Calling all Fort Trumbull Alumni 
Battling bioterrorism  Zygmunt Dembek '95 Ph.D., '05 M.P.H.
Got milk?  Natasha Bangel '06 (CANR)
Reunions
In Memoriam

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Let your fellow UConn alumni know about the milestones in your life. You can keep them up to date by sending information, and, if possible, a photograph, to Alumni News & Notes, University of Connecticut Alumni Association, Alumni Drive, Storrs, CT 06269; by fax to 860-486-2849; or by filling out the online News & Notes form.

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Peter Zikowitch ’51 (ED), ’54 M.A.was recognized in 2006 with the Advocacy and Communications Award from the West Hartford Education Association and the Connecticut Secretary of State’s Public Service Award.

Bob Steiner ’52 (CANR) was named to the board of directors of the Eastern States Exposition in Springfield, Mass., in May of 2006. He and his wife, Lee Anne (Schhnizer), celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in June 2005.

Ronald Ruth ’53 (BUS) and Barbara (Beckwith) ’51 (SFS) were married 54 years as of Oct. 18, 2006. The couple lives in Wethersfield, Conn., and has two grandchildren currently attending UConn.

Florence Apostalon ’54 (ED) recently celebrated her 50th wedding anniversary. She and her husband live in Centennial, Colo., and have three sons, and nine grandchildren.

Lt. Col. Paul Hennen ’57 (CLAS), ’81 (CLAS), ’87 M.S., U.S. Army retired was named Inland Wetlands Commissioner of the Year by the Connecticut Association of Conservation & Inland Wetlands and Watercourses.

Donald E. Scott ’57 (ENG), ’59 M.S. published a new book, The Electric Sky – A Challenge to the Myths of Modern Astronomy. He taught electrical engineering for 39 years at the University of Massachusetts.

Emmett Murtha ’60 (BUS), president and CEO of Fairfield Resources International, was elected to the board of directors of Mosaid Technologies, of Canada, and is also a director of UConn R&D Corporation.

Sharna Chernoff ’62 (NUR) retired to Tucson, Ariz., and performs in two clarinet choirs in the Tucson community.

Edward Day ’62 (CLAS) retired in 1996 from his position as a high school principal at Cranston Public Schools and from his position as adjunct professor of history at Rhode Island College.

Thomas Shea ’62 (BUS), ’71 J.D. retired following 35 years with the Cigna legal department. He spends his time collecting antique furniture and accessories, golfing, skiing, traveling and enjoying his grandchildren.

Howard Rosenfeld ’63 (CLAS) was elected to the San Juan County Council from his home district in Friday Harbor, Wash.

Larry Merriam ’64 (BUS), president of Key Auto Group, was named Ringmaster of the 59th Annual Barnum Festival, a regional celebration in Bridgeport of more than 20 events including The Great Street Parade, Connecticut’s largest parade. He lives in Easton, Conn., with his wife, Sheila.

Eugene Spinola ’64 (BUS) retired as chief financial officer of Walter Grinders, Inc. , and volunteers at a local hospital.

Steve Starger ’64 (CLAS) is the co-author of Wally’s World: The Brilliant Life and Tragic Death of Wally Wood, the World’s Second-Best Comic Book Artist, a biography of the comic artist Wallace Wood, published by Vanguard Publishing. (Creative Currents)

Alfred Lerz ’67 (BUS), president and CEO of the Johnson Health Network was recognized by the Somers Education Foundation with the Excellence Award for his contributions to the community as a healthcare leader.

Truman Stone ’67 (CANR) retired as a project manager from Nestle U.S. in 2005 after 38 years with the company. He and his wife live in Waverly, Iowa.

Robert Torre ’67 (CLAS) is the executive vice president of Hackensack University Medical Center Foundation and president and C.E.O. of R.L. Torre & Associates.

Marshall Matz ’68 (BUS) is a partner in the Washington, D.C., law firm of Olsson, Frank and Weeda. He was elected chairman of the board of the Friends of the World Food Program, which supports efforts of the largest feeding program in the world.

Philip Madell ’69 (CLAS) was elected president of the Military Intelligence Association of New England. He also serves on the board of the Association of Former Intelligence Officers of New England.

A seat on a state Supreme Court may not seem an obvious career goal for someone studying medieval literature, but for William P. Robinson III ’71, Ph.D., now a justice for the Rhode Island Supreme Court, his broad interests in literature and languages set the academic groundwork for his legal career.

Among his colleagues, Robinson is known as “Lexis” — as in LexisNexis, the massive publication database — because of his intellectual appetite for information and knowledge. In addition to his doctorate in French and Spanish literature from UConn, he holds a law degree from Boston College, a master’s degree in French literature from the University of Rhode Island, and a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from the University of Louvain in Belgium.

In pursuing his two literature and language degrees, Robinson honed his research and analytical skills “studying texts for subtle shades of meaning,” which later translated into the skills he has used during his long legal career.

Robinson says reading works by immortal authors such as Erasmus of Rotterdam, the great Renaissance theologian humanist, and Michel de Montaigne, who made famous the essay as a writing form, as well as other venerable writers, related directly to his values and concerns about society, allowing him to think about such questions as “Does the law always lead to justice?”

“The thoughts of such writers concerning the nature of natural law and positive law and about what we now call ‘equity’ have long fascinated me,” Robinson says.

While in Belgium in 1971 working on a post-doctoral fellowship concerning the thought of Erasmus and simultaneously pondering the American academic job market, Robinson decided to take the LSAT in Mannheim, Germany.

He was accepted at Boston College Law School and, after graduation, served as a law clerk at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit in Boston from 1975 to 1977.

From there, he spent the next 27 years at Edwards and Angell, LLP in Rhode Island, performing trial and appellate-level work before state and federal courts and specializing in civil litigation.

His work included cases in media law, employment discrimination and civil rights. He acquired a reputation as a specialist in First Amendment issues.

In 2004, Robinson was unanimously confirmed by the Rhode Island General Assembly as one of five justices to the state Supreme Court.

In addition to his work on the court, Robinson continues to write scholarly articles about one of his passions — First Amendment law.

Robinson says he has enjoyed seeing UConn’s rise as a national university, known today as much for its academic programs as for its athletic championships.

And he makes it a point to proclaim to anyone he encounters the University’s genuine academic excellence.

He remains fixedly loyal to UConn; he points out with pride that one of his recent law clerks, Heather Pierce, is a UConn alumna.

“I personally and academically benefited from my years at UConn, which has excellent professors,” he says, noting that he continues to keep in touch with the professors who guided him during his doctoral studies, including Gene Barberet, professor emeritus in French, and Gabriel Rosado, associate professor emeritus in Spanish.

He also recalls with fondness his experiences as a language and literature teacher on the Storrs campus and most especially his service from 1968-70 as assistant director of UConn’s program in Rouen, France.

Finally, he says that he will forever be grateful to UConn because of the fact that he met his wife, Marlene ’72 (CLAS), there.

— Anna Manzo

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Bob Atwell ’70 (CLAS) senior vice president with Keane, Inc., was recognized by InfoWorld Magazine for managing one of the Top 10 Information Technology Projects of 2006, the split of Cendant Corporation’s IT departmentthat resulted from Cendant’s corporate split up. He lives in Durham, N.C.

Peggy DeZinno ’70 (NUR) coordinator of WELL/A Mother’s Place at Yale-New Haven Hospital, received the “best in education” for her poster, “Innovative Patient Education in Obstetrics,” at the Lamaze International conference in Boston. She and her husband, Gary Olewnik Sr., have three daughters and live in Prospect, Conn.

Mary Saad ’70 (ED), ’74 M.A., ’81 (6th year) retired in July 2006 after 36 years of teaching French in Connecticut public schools.

Susan Schneider ’70 (CLAS) is the author of Unforgettable: Vignettes of Love, a collection of true stories of how husbands and wives met, published by Cold Tree Press in Nashville, Tenn.

Nancy Elizabeth Wallace ’70 M.A. received the 2006 Children’s Illustrator award for Alphabet House from the Connecticut Book Awards/the Connecticut Center for the Book. She is the author and illustrator of 18 children’s books.

Daniel Bologna ’71 M.S.W. is an LCSW employed with the Family Counseling Center. He also works as a service coordinator at Asbury Arms, a retirement community and was honored by the Florida Association of Homes for the Aging with their Service Coordinator of the Year Award.

Beverly Rainforth ’71 (ED), ’78 M.A., professor of special education at State University of New York at Binghamton, received a 2006-2007 Chancellor’s Award for Excellencein Teaching. She lives in Binghamton, N.Y.

Alan Srebnick ’71 (BUS) is senior vice president of sales and marketing for Avatar Properties, Inc., after previously coaching basketball in the NBA and Division I basketball. He and his wife, Carole, live in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Susan (Olsen) Wallerstein ’71 (CLAS), ’99 Ph.D. was appointed assistant superintendent of Greenwich Public Schools.

Harry White ’71 (CLAS) has written and illustrated a book of astrological poems, Star Verses. He lives in Glastonbury, Conn.

Bobbie Ann Mason ’72 Ph.D., a writer in residence at the University of Kentucky, recently wrote two newbooks of fiction, the novel Atomic Romance, and Nancy Culpepper, a collection of stories, both published by Random House.

Barry Berman ’73 (CLAS), president and co-founder of CRN International, Inc., is a regional finalist for Inc. magazine’s Entrepreneur of the Year award. His company received Adweek magazine’s Most Creative Use of Media Award and the Spire Award for Promotion of the Year, the highest accolade from the American Marketing Association.

Jeff Davidson ’73 (BUS), ’74 M.B.A. has published two foreign language editions of his book, 60 Second Organizer. The new editions are now available in Japanese and Arabic.

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Classifying Connecticut Vegetation

Kenneth J. Metzler, ’73 (CLAS), ’77 M.S. and Juliana Barrett ’89 Ph.D. collaborated to publish The Vegetation of Connecticut: A Preliminary Classification, the first book classifying all of the vegetation of Connecticut. Both authors are plant ecologists and were graduate students in the department of ecology and evolutionary biology in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. The book, available at the UConn Co-op, serves as a practical resource guide for researchers, developers, land trusts, and towns as they consider the environmental impact of land use and resource management.

Janet Fike ’73 (ED) is an assistant superintendent of schools for the Morris-Union Jointure Commission in New Providence, N.J. She is also an attorney specializing in labor law at Fogarty & Hara, Esq. in Fair Lawn, N.J.

Judy Hyde ’73 (SFS) works for Free the Slaves, an organization dedicated to eliminating slavery worldwide. She recently did research on the rehabilitation of child slaves in Togo, Cote d’Ivore, and Haiti.

Brian McGuinness ’73 (CLAS) a licensed investigator with McGuinness & Associates, Inc., of Miami, Fla., was presented with the prestigious Duffy Award by the National Council of Investigation and Security Services, which recognizes leadership in the private investigative or security profession.

Elizabeth Beaudin ’74 (NUR), ’80 M.S., ’06 Ph.D., director of nursing and workforce initiatives at the Connecticut Hospital Association, was awarded the Carolyn Ladd Widmer Outstanding Alumnae Award for Leadership in Nursing by the UConn School of Nursing Alumni Society.

Stephen (Arpan) DeAngelo ’74 (SFS) completed his tenth circuit around the mainland United States, running in a relay for the World Harmony Run in August 2006. It was the seventh time he was captain of the international relay team that ran 11,000 miles through all 48 contiguous states.

Edward Donovan ’74 M.S. is teaching physical science at James F. Byrnes High School in Duncan, S.C., and completed his third year as the head coach of the boy’s cross country team. He and his wife live in Duncan.

Roslyn (Garlonsky) Gleeson ’74 (NUR) is semi-retired after 30 years in pediatric nursing, primarily at Alfred DuPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, Del. She is training for a half-marathon and will continue to be active with the Society for Pediatric Nursing.

Mark J. Roy ’74 (CLAS), Web manager for UConn’s Office of Communications, narrated the video Amazing Army Ants, which was produced by Carl Rettenmeyer, UConn emeritus professor of ecology and evolutionary biology. The video, drawn from Rettenmeyer’s 55 years of army ant research, premiered at the XV International Congress of the International Union for the Study of Social Insects in Washington, D.C., in 2006. Mark has narrated hundreds of videos and radio spots over his 35-year media career.

Richard Minoff ’75 (CLAS) was a judge at the Robert H. Smith M.B.A. Case Competition at the University of Maryland’s in College Park, Md. He received his M.B.A. from Maryland in 1976.

Edward Sevetz Jr. ’75 D.M.D. was installed as president of the Academy of Osseointegration during the organization’s annual business meeting in Seattle, Wash. He is a clinical associate professor in the department of surgery at the University of Florida School of Medicine, in Jacksonville, Fla. He has a private practice in Orange Park, Fla.

Anthony Brandenburg ’76 M.A. was appointed as chief judge of the Inter-Tribal Courts of Southern California after retiring from the California Superior Court in San Diego, Calif.

Pat Richard ’76 D.M.D. appeared as a medical expert on jaw pain on NBC 30 television in Connecticut.

Marilyn Tallerico ’76 (ED) has received the Staff Development Book of the Year award from the National Staff Development Council for her book, Supporting and Sustaining Teachers’ Professional Development: A Principal’s Guide, published by Corwin Press. She is a professor in the School of Education at Binghamton University, State University of New York.

Drew Crandall ’77 (CLAS) received the President’s Volunteer Service Award from the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation for his cumulative and consistent volunteer service of more than 4,000 hours of service over the years. His volunteering includes serving as 2006-2007 president of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Connecticut Valley Chapter.

Tom DeJoseph ’77 M.B.A. has been a college football official since 1982 and was the referee in the 2006 Army-Navy game in Philadelphia. He has been officiating Division 1-A football since 1997 and joined the Atlantic Coast Conference officiating staff in 2005, after serving seven years in the Big East.

Jennifer L. Dorn, ’77 M.P.A. was named president and chief executive officer of the National Academy of Public Administration in Washington, D.C., an independent, nonprofit organization chartered by Congress to improve government effectiveness.

Sherry Hanson ’77 (CLAS) published her first book of poetry, A Cab to Stonehenge, with Just Write Books.

Robert Kravchuck ’77 (BUS) will become professor and chair of the department of political science at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte in July 2007.

Susan (Kimmel) Pearson ’77 (SFS) moved to La Luz, N.M., with her husband and five children. Formerly a teacher and director of a private school, she is now a full-time homemaker.

Kathryn Pike ’77 M.A. is the administrative assistant for the department of interior architecture at the University of North Carolina Greensboro.

T. Alan Jack ’78 (BUS) is the chief financial officer of Merchants Automotive Group of Hooksett, N.H.

Elaine (Gangi) Kane ’78 (ED) was inducted into the Baton Twirling Hall of Fame at a ceremony held at Notre Dame University during the National Baton Twirling Championships. She was the featured twirler with the UConn Marching Band under Alan Gillespie. She and her husband, Roger, have three children.

Damian Macaluso ’78 (CLAS) is president of Metal Industries, Inc. in Clearwater, Fla. He and his wife, Marylou, live in Trinity, Fla.

Deborah (Robsky) Huntley ’79 (CLAS) is the associate vice president for academic affairs at Saginaw Valley State University in University Center, Michigan.

Loida Velilla Reyes ’79 Ph.D. is the principal of MediaSource International, with expertise in international health journalism and media and bilingual Spanish-English media training.

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Like many children, young David Grimaldi ’79 (CLAS) was a naturalist in training, curious about nature and animals but especially about insects.

“I was dragging things into the basement all the time,” he recalls, sitting in his office at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, where he is curator of invertebrate zoology.

“I had a microscope and collections of rocks and minerals that I would find out in the woods. I loved high school biology and science in general.”

By the time he arrived at UConn, he was thinking about becoming a veterinarian. But as he learned more about ecology and evolutionary biology, Grimaldi discovered that he could have a career as an entomologist — someone who studies insects. Encouraged and guided by professors such as Charles Henry, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, and Hans Laufer, now professor emeritus of molecular and cell biology, Grimaldi pursued his doctorate in one of the nation’s leading entomology programs at Cornell University.

Over the past quarter century of studying insects, traveling to five continents to collect specimens and fossils and preparing lectures for classes at Cornell and Columbia universities, Grimaldi decided that there was no truly comprehensive guide to the evolutionary history of insects. Most entomology professors use their own notes collected over the years of their own education and field research.

“I gradually accumulated notes myself and decided it was time to write a book,” he says.

Working with his co-author and colleague from the University of Kansas, Michael Engel, Grimaldi wrote the 2005 volume Evolution of the Insects, which is the first comprehensive look at the 400-million-year history of insects on Earth.

Preparing the book allowed Grimaldi to utilize fully his liberal arts education at UConn, where he majored in biology and had a minor in fine arts.

In addition to conducting the scientific research and writing the text, he also developed most of the book’s 900 original illustrations and photographs.

Even after publishing this landmark book, Grimaldi says, there is much more fertile ground for him to explore.

“There are still huge gaps in our knowledge,” he says.

“I’m focusing on the Cretaceous period [140-million years ago], a very key period in the evolution of life on Earth. It’s when flowering plants radiated. Insects are the most important partners of flowering plants as pollinators.

"That period transformed the Earth’s landscape. We also need to learn more about the Carboniferous period [300 million years ago], which is unknown for insects but presumably is when insects evolved to flight. It’s the Holy Grail for understanding the early evolution of insects.”

— Kenneth Best

Jayne (Andrukitis) Brandon ’80 (CANR), a special education teacher at Kingwood Middle School in Kingwood, Texas, was awarded the District Award of Merit by the Boy Scouts of America.

Paula Milone-Nuzzo ’80 M.S., ’89 Ph.D., associate dean for international partnerships of the Penn State College of Health and Human Development and director of the School of Nursing, was awarded the Beverly Koerner Outstanding Alumni Award for Education in Nursing by the UConn School of Nursing Alumni Society.

Robert Cassie ’81 (CLAS) is vice-president of sales at Redco Foods, Inc., in Windsor, Conn. He lives with his wife, Mary Jane Augusti ’81 (CLAS), and their two children, Matt and Larisa, in western Massachusetts.

John Johnston ’81 (SAH) earned his doctorate in physical therapy from the Arizona School of Health Sciences at A.T. Still University. He owns Norwell Physical Therapy & Sports Rehab, Inc. in Massachusetts, where he lives with his wife, Resa Johnston ’81 (SAH), and their two children.

William Keena ’81 (CLAS) is executive vice president of operations at AMERIGROUP Corporation in Virginia Beach, Va. He and his wife, Kelly, live in Chesapeake, Va.

Lisa Liegeot ’81 (CLAS), ’84 J.D. is real estate counsel for Ethan Allen Global, Inc. She and her children, Daniel and Rebecca Rose, live in Avon, Conn.

Andrew Sadlon ’81 (ENG) is president of Hoffman Engineering Corporation in Stamford, Conn. He was previously the president of Prime Technology Inc.

Paul Tortland ’81 (CLAS), ’84 M.A., a sports medicine physician practicing in Avon, Conn., accompanied the U.S. Figure Skating Team to an international figure skating competition held in Budapest, Hungary, where he provided medical coverage to the team.

John Barry ’82 (CLAS), ’84 M.A. and Patty Barry ’00 (CANR) have left their home in Connecticut’s quiet corner to accept a job deep in the heart of Texas. Previously director of University Communications at UConn, John is now vice president for marketing and communications at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. Another UConn legacy family will be established in May when the Barrys’ oldest son, Stephen, graduates from UConn.

Bob Becker ’82 (ENG) founded a new management consulting firm, the Product Development Advantage Group, to help software and/or electronics businesses bring their products successfully to the marketplace.

J. D. Stahl ’82 Ph.D. is the co-editor of a critical anthology of children’s literature, Crosscurrents of Children’s Literature: Texts and Criticism, published by Oxford University Press. He is a professor of English at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va. and also teaches in the master’s program in children’s literature at Hollins University.

Peter Cavaliere ’83 (BUS) won a National Sports Emmy Award in the category of Outstanding Live Event Turnaround for his work as an associate director for NBC Sports at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. He lives in Secaucus, N.J., and works as a director for the National Basketball Association’s cable network, NBA-TV.

Robert Randich ’83 (CLAS), ’86 J.D. was elected judge of probate for the towns of Newington, Wethersfield, and Rocky Hill, Conn. He lives in Newington with his sons, Teddy and Evan.

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From an early age, Harriet Sanford ’79 M.P.A. wanted to emulate her parents’ passion for community service, which was carried out as they organized youth activities for the church where her father served as a deacon.

After graduating from New England College, she taught grade school for two years.

But it was UConn’s graduate program in public administration that showed her the way.

“It informed my life in a very real way,” says Sanford. “Until then I was kind of naïve. But UConn steeped me in the practical side of things.

When I hit the ground, I did it running.” She hasn’t stopped since.

After working in Atlanta for several of the city’s administrative departments, including the bureau of cultural affairs, she became director of the department of arts and culture at the Fulton County Arts Council, managing an annual budget of more than $5 million.

Her climb up the community public service ladder continued as president and CEO of the Arts and Science Council (ASC) in Charlotte, N.C., the second largest arts council in the U.S. with 700 employees and annual revenues of more than $53 million.

Today, she is president and chief executive officer of the NEA Foundation (NEAF) in Washington, D.C.

NEAF is the charitable arm of the National Education Association and its 3.2 million members. In addition to fund raising, reviewing more than 700 grant applications each year, and managing its $50 million endowment, Sanford oversees NEAF grants ranging from individual teacher awards to broad programs aimed at closing the achievement gap.

The latter effort targets communities in which economically disadvantaged and minority students have fallen behind their more affluent peers.

A prime example is Hamilton County, Tenn. With 21 middle schools, it is roughly the size of Rhode Island.

Not long ago, standardized tests revealed 78.2 percent of the district’s eighth graders were proficient in reading, while minority students averaged only 53.8 percent.

Working closely with the NEAF, the Hamilton teachers union and school district accepted a foundation grant agreeing to eliminate this achievement gap within five years.

“The agreement has benchmarks that must be met each year,” says Sanford.

In return, the district received a $2.5 million grant. With NEAF guidance, they began restructuring their educational approach.

“A lot of our work involves training people inside schools to understand the various ways they can teach a particular subject,” says Sanford.

To that end, faculty/administrative “leadership teams” were formed to address specific learning issues, while “teacher coaches” received training to work after regular hours with struggling students.

Two years into the initiative, Hamilton’s overall eighth grade reading scores improved by more than 10 percent.

More impressive, minority student levels jumped almost 25 percent, equaling an achievement gap reduction of more than half. A similar case is true for math scores.

“Eliminating the achievement gaps, however, requires going beyond the walls of a classroom,” says Sanford. “It takes partnerships.”

“Teachers have a responsibility,” she says.

“But you also need a supportive school district, teacher’s union and engaged parental base. If any one of those things is not aligned, you don’t make it in the end.”

Recently, NEAF awarded the same type of grants to districts in Milwaukee and Seattle.

“The real test will be when we have enough data in place to say the strategies we’re using can be replicated in other communities,” says Sanford.

“Our aim is to then move into other districts around the nation where similar problems exist.”

— Ron Meshberg

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Mauro Passacantando ’84 (BUS) was elected president of the Financial Planning Association of Massachusetts. He also teaches part-time at both Boston University and Harvard University.

Curt Vincente ’84 (ED) director of Parks and Recreation in Mansfield, Conn., received the Connecticut Recreation and Parks Association 2006 Distinguished Service Award.

David Fusco ’85 (CLAS) is president of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Connecticut. He has been honored for community leadership service by the Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce and Community Health Care Charities of Connecticut.

James Marshall ’85 (CLAS), ’86 M.A. is vice president for information technology at Wellpoint, Inc. He lives with his wife, Patty Jackson-Marshall ’82 (CLAS), ’84 M.A. and their two children Sam, 17, and Emma, 15, in North Haven, Conn.

Trish Morrissey ’85 (CLAS) is the community executive for the Litchfield County chapter of the American Cancer Society. She lives in New Hartford with her husband, Gary, and two daughters, Brenna, 15, and Kelly, 13.

Ralph Urban ’85 J.D. was appointed to the Office of Attorney General at the main campus of UConn. He will provide legal counsel, representation and support to the University, its board of trustees, president and the executive administration.

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Ann Clark ’86 Ph.D., superintendent of schools in Fairfield, Conn., visits with a second grade class at Timothy Dwight School. She was named 2006 Superintendent of the Year by the Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents.
Photo by Peter Morenus

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Aimee (Hartnett) Ballard ’86 (CLAS) completed the licensed practical nursing program through Abbott Technical School in Danbury, Conn. She lives with her husband, Jeff, in Kent, Conn.

Paula Brinkman ’86 (SFA) and her family recently moved back to Connecticut after living in Key West, Fla. Her life-size Spirit Doll was recently exhibited as part of Sculpture Key West.

Thomas Woodward ’86 (BUS) and his wife, Lani Flores Hinoguin, announce the birth of a daughter, Juliana Marie, on Aug. 18, 2006.

Rex Burr ’87 (BUS) is vice president of business services for Valpak.

Celine Duffy ’88 (CLAS) married John Mulderrig in October 2006 in Riverside, Conn. She is the group director of digital marketing for VNU, Inc. The couple lives in New York City.

Mike Enright ’88 (CLAS), associate athletic director/communications at UConn, received the 2006 Scoop Hudgins Outstanding Sports Information Director Award from the All-American Football Foundation during its annual dinner in November. He was an assistant SID at UConn from 1988-92 and also worked in the sports information offices at Notre Dame and Boston College before returning to Storrs in 2001.

Dana (Ippolito) Lewis ’88 (CLAS), track coach at Ocean Township (N.J.) High School was named Monmouth County Track Coach of the year for the 2005-2006 indoor season by the Newark Star Ledger. She lives with her husband, Chris, and their four daughters in Ocean Township, N.J.

Maryann Meade ’88 (CANR), a registered dietitian and Connecticut entrepreneur, was named the 2006 recipient of the Abbott Hess Award from the American Dietetic Association which recognizes distinction in culinary innovation and nutrition.

Steve Walsh ’88 (CLAS) and his wife, Elizabeth, announce the birth of a son, Thomas William, on Oct. 4, 2006. He joins older sisters Alice, 6, and Margaret, 4. The family lives in Katonah, N.Y.

Jennifer Pepper ’89 (SFA) an assistant professor at Cazenovia College in Cazenovia, N.Y., received a 2006 Astraea Visual Artist Grant.

Stephanie Stone ’89 (CLAS) director of marketing for Whittlesey & Hadley PC in Hartford, was selected as one of the Hartford Business Journal’s “40 Under 40” for 2006.

John Sterpka ’89 (CLAS) is serving in Iraq as first sergeant of a Headquarters Supply Company. He is a research associate in the department of internal medicine at Yale University School of Medicine.

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Mark Danaher ’90 (CLAS), ’94 M.A. was named a finalist for the Connecticut Teacher of the Year for 2007 and was named the Manchester District Teacher of the Year for 2005-2006. He has been teaching for eight of the past 12 years at Manchester High School. He and his wife, Laurie, recently had twins, Tegan and Emma, on April 27, 2006.

David Estes ’90 (BUS) is senior retail banking officer at TD Banknorth Vermont, in Burlington, Vt., responsible for overseeing the bank’s retail branch system and small business banking group. He lives in Richmond, Vt. with his wife, Jackie, and their five children.

Kelly Kirby ’90 (PHR) married Joseph D. Shaw, August 12, 2006, in Boston, Massachusetts.

Kevin Lawlor ’90 (CLAS) was appointed state’s attorney for the Judicial District of Ansonia-Milford by the Connecticut Criminal Justice Commission.

Janice Miller Potter ’90 Ph.D. won the 2005 Sara Henderson Hay Prize for Poetry awarded by The Pittsburgh Quarterly.

Kevin Vincent ’90 (ED) will be joining the faculty of the University of Florida’s Department of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation in June 2007. He and his wife welcomed their third son in November 2006. The family lives in Gainesville, Fla.

Jennifer (Dolan) Bilbe ’91 (CLAS) and her husband, Jason, announce the birth of a daughter, Catherine McFarland Bilbe, on July 17, 2006. She joins a sister, Devin, and brothers, Lyle and Peter, who are 4-year-old triplets. They live in New Orleans, La.

Julia (Wugmeister) Brennan ’91 (CLAS) and her husband, Mark, announce the birth of a child, Emmy Rachel, on June 5, 2006. Emmy joins a brother, Eli. Mark and Julia both work for Synapse Group, Inc. and live in Stamford, Conn.

William Burnett ’91 (CLAS) was appointed to the board of the Philadelphia chapter of the Turnaround Management Association for a two-year term. He concentrates his own practice in bankruptcy and reorganizations.

Stacey Fuller ’91 (CLAS) is an attorney with the law firm of Gawthrop Greenwood of Chester County, Pa., and was named to the Board of Directors at the West Chester Area YMCA.

Erin (Flaherty) Mancuso ’91 (CLAS) and Nicholas Mancuso ’92 (CLAS) announce the birth of a daughter, Maya, on Dec. 30, 2005. She joins a sister, Emma, 2. The family lives in Colchester, Conn.

Lori (Stephens) Mulligan ’91 (ED) and her husband, Chuck, announce the birth of a daughter, Blair Elizabeth, on Aug. 31, 2006. Lori graduated in May 2005 with a six-year degree in educational administration from Teachers College, Columbia University. She was awarded the Mathematical Association of America’s Edyth May Sliffe Award for middle school math educators in June 2006.

Reepu Singh ’91 M.S. is developing real estate, particularly in northeastern Connecticut.

Melinda (Landino) ’91 (CLAS) and Jeff Theis ’91 (CLAS), ’94 (ENG), ’01 D.M.D. announce the birth of identical twin daughters, Megan and Margaret, on May 26, 2006. The couple owns an orthodontic practice in Snohomish County in Washington and lives in Seattle.

Daniel Adler ’92 (CLAS) earned a Ph.D. in anthropology from Harvard University. In 2005, he returned to UConn as an assistant professor in the department of anthropology. He conducts archaeological research in Eurasia on Neanderthals and early modern humans.

Grace (Lim) Baccay ’92 (CLAS) and her husband, Francis, announce the birth of a son, Oliver Matthew, on Feb. 16, 2006. Oliver joins brother Wesley, 3, at their home in Chappaqua, N.Y.

Peter Burns ’92 (CLAS), ’94 M.A. has written two books, Electoral Politics Is Not Enough: Racial and Ethnic Minorities and Urban Politics, published by State University of New York Press, and Success in College: From C’s in High School to A’s in College, published by Rowman & Littlefield Education. He is associate professor of political science at Loyola University in New Orleans.

Michael Cornell ’92 (CLAS) is a business litigation associate in the Boston office of Nixon Peabody, LLP. He recently participated in obtaining a significant legal victory for Corning Incorporated that will likely set a national precedent for future insider trading cases and affects every officer or director of a public company.

Kathe Gable ’92 (ED), ’97 (SAH) director of community and public relations at the UConn School of Nursing for the last eight years, was awarded the School of Nursing Josephine A. Dolan Distinguished Service Award by the UConn School of Nursing Alumni Society.

Bryan Krygier ’92 (BUS) announces the birth of a daughter, Hadley, in March 2006. He is approaching his tenth year at Clarkston High School, where he is a high school hockey coach.

Ana (Mendes) Mabry ’92 (CLAS) and her husband, Scott, announce the birth of a daughter, Sarah Caitlin, on July 1, 2006. Sarah joins a brother, Matthew, 4. The family lives in Arkansas.

Karen Morse ’92 (CLAS) and her husband, Noah Hoffman, announce the birth of a daughter, Anna Rose Hoffman, on July 28, 2006. The family lives in Seattle, Wash.

David Rinaldo ’92 (BUS) is the chief operating officer of Rock Creek Creative, a strategic marketing firm located in Chevy Chase, Md.

Jennifer Aldworth ’93 (CLAS), associate director of Grenville Baker Boys & Girls Club in Locust Valley, N.Y., was named the Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s Professional of the Year for the Northeast Region in 2006.

Susan Alwardt ’93 (CLAS) is senior vice president, change management of Bank of America in Charlotte, N.C.

John Adams ’93 (ENG) and his wife, Helene (Hebert) ’95 (CLAS), ’96 M.S., announce the birth of a son, Jack Quentin Adams, on Oct. 12, 2006. Jack joins brothers Ben, 6, and Luke, 4. John is a senior transportation engineer with Sebago Technics, Inc., in Westbrook, Maine. The family lives in Gorham, Maine.

Katie (Wagemaker) ’93 (CLAS) and Kevin Baker ’93 (CLAS) announce the birth of a daughter, Grace Katherine, on Sept. 20, 2006. Grace joins sisters Sydney, 9, and Reagan, 2. The family lives in West Hartford, Conn.

Brian Boots ’93 (SFA), ’00 M.M. and his wife announce the birth of a child, Seamus, on June 12, 2005. Seamus joins siblings Autumn, 11, and Patrick, 3. The family lives in Haddam, Conn. Brian teaches instrumental music within the Milford Public School System.

Tom Britton ’93 (CLAS) is the founding member and director of an agency providing advocacy for chemically dependant consumers and addiction counselors in the Asheville, N.C., region. He is also the director of a 42-day residential substance abuse treatment center for chemically dependent adults and adolescents.

John Gresh ’93 (CLAS) is head of research informatics for Neurogen Corporation in Branford, Conn. He earned his master’s degree in computer science from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in May 2006. His wife, Colleen (Martin) ’92 (CLAS), is a freelance writer. They have two children, Samuel, 5, and Mary, 3.

Vera (Reece) Mason ’93 (CLAS) received a master’s degree in social work from the UConn School of Social Work in May 2006. She is a co-facilitator of the Lifesaver Project, a domestic violence support group at Hartford Hospital. She lives in South Windsor, Conn.

Craig McCully ’93 (CLAS) and his wife, Melissa, announce the birth of a son, John-William McCully, on Dec. 2, 2006. He joins sisters Nan-Catherine and Lillian Anne, and a brother, Ian.

Bryan Place ’93 (BUS) was selected by Medical Economics magazine as one of the 150 best financial advisors for doctors for a fourth year. His office, Place Financial Advisors, is in Manlius, N.Y.

Jen Palancia Shipp ’93 (CLAS) and her husband, James, announce the birth of a daughter, Shannon Grace, on Sept. 18, 2006. The family lives in Greensboro, N.C.

Heather Suran ’93 (SFA) and Robert Cucuzza were married in October 2003 and announce the birth of a daughter in January 2006. Heather, an artist, also works for Citigroup Inc. in New York. The family lives in the Mid-Hudson Valley.

Rebecca (Lamore) ’93 (CLAS) and Peter Vicki, Jr. ’90 (CLAS) announce the birth of a daughter, Giana Rose, on April 16, 2006. The family lives in Coventry, Conn.

Jennifer (Magill) Vondran ’93 (SFA) and her husband, Tom, announce the birth of a son, Troy Cashlin Vondran, on Oct., 4 2006. The family lives in Orange County, Calif.

Rita Abdallah ’94 (SSW), an oncology social worker at the Ireland Cancer Center at University Hospitals in Cleveland, received the 2006 Charlotte F. Tletski Gold Dove Award from Journey of Hope for making a difference in the lives of cancer patients.

Michael Butler ’94 (CLAS), ’04 Ph.D. is an assistant professor of government and international relations at Clark University. Michael and his family live in Worcester, Mass.

Stacey (Newman) Carlisle ’94 (CANR) and her husband, C. Jason, announce the birth of a son, Duncan Robert, on Dec. 13, 2006. The family lives in Maine.

Rob Carolla ’94 (CLAS) and Anna Culbertson were married in August 2006 in Kansas City, Mo. The couple lives in Dallas, Texas.

Alex Chang ’94 (BUS) opened Fresco Tours, a tour company that offers cultural walking tours in Spain, where he lives.

Christine (Colby) Eaton ’94 (CLAS) and her husband, Scott, announce the birth of a daughter, Reese Colby Eaton, on Sept. 26, 2006. She joins her big brother, Harrison, at the family’s home in West Wareham, Mass.

Adam ’94 (CLAS) and Aleeta (Orofino) Jeamel ’96 (BUS) announce the birth of a son, Samuel Joseph, on Nov. 16, 2006. Adam is the director of public affairs for Connecticut Gov. M. Jodi Rell. Aleeta works in marketing at Chubb Insurance. The family lives in Wethersfield, Conn.

Tara (Curtis) Mead ’94 (CLAS) and her husband, William, announce the birth of a son, Cameron Mitchell Louis, born on Nov. 24, 2006. Cameron joins a sister, Cassandra, 9, and brother, David, 20.

Andrew Myers ’94 (CLAS) is president and CEO of Myers Research Strategic Services, LLC, a Democratic public opinion research firm. He lives in Springfield, Va., and was recently married to Edith Nardecchia in April of 2006.

Diana Norris ’94 (NUR), ’96 M.S. is employed under Eastern Connecticut Health Network and works in the Hospitalist Program as an APRN to provide immediate and ongoing care for patients of participating physicians. She was awarded the Eleanor K. Gill Outstanding Alumni Award for Clinical Excellence in Nursing by the UConn School of Nursing Alumni Society.

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Alumni News & Notes Menu

Massimo Pigliucci ’94 Ph.D. published Making Sense of Evolution with University of Chicago Press.

Daniel Rukokoski ’94 (CANR) is a senior environmental scientist for the Westfield, Conn., office of Tighe & Bond, Inc.

Matthew Stiles ’94 (SSW) retired from the military and returned to his home state of Alabama in 1999. He was elected to the town council of Falkville, Ala., in 2000, and currently serves as mayor protem.

Sandeep Talati ’94 (BUS) and his wife, Priti Dave, announce the birth of a daughter, Mila, on Nov. 7, 2006. The family lives in New York City.

Karen (Russell) Anghinetti ’95 (SFA), ’99 M.M. and her husband, Peter, announce the birth of a son, David Joseph, on June 13, 2006. He joins a brother, Peter Jr., 3.

Kathy (Cunningham) Celtruda ’95 (CLAS) and her husband, Dominick, announce the birth of a son, Keegan. He joins his big brother Camden. Kathy teaches kindergarten in Groton, Conn.

Timothy Deffet ’95 (CLAS) has opened his own law firm in Chicago, Ill. His practice focuses on plaintiff’s personal injury and workers’ compensation and criminal defense work.

James Hammond ’95 M.A. has been named associate artistic director of the 2007 Puppeteers of America National Festival.

Jennifer (Tracy) Humes ’95 (BUS) and her husband, Michael, announce the birth of a son, Carter David, on Oct. 4, 2006.

Timothy Jajliardo ’95 (BGS), ’99 J.D. is a partner in the law firm of Litchfield Cavo. He and his wife, Patti-Ann (Keyser) ’88 (CANR), ’93 M.S. have two children, Emily, 4, and Christian, 2.

Randall ’95 (CLAS) and Kelly (Langdon) Jarvis ’95 (CLAS) announce the birth of a son, Kasey Brendan, on Oct. 10, 2006, who joins big brothers Keegan and Reilly. Randall is a business project senior analyst at CIGNA Healthcare in Bloomfield, Conn., and a tax advisor and financial planner at Langdon & Langdon Financial Services in Southington. Kelly is teaching at Central Connecticut State University in New Britain, Conn. The family lives in Southington.

Paul Lopez ’95 (CLAS) and his wife, Katie Moon, announce the birth of a daughter, Maya Qiyasisa. Paul is in his third year of the doctor of dental surgery program at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

Jasmine (Alcantara) Milligan ’95 (CLAS), ’99 M.B.A. is a broker/associate at Harbor Light Realty, LLC, located in Old Saybrook, Conn. She lives with her husband, Scott, ’94 (ENG), ’00 M.B.A., a manager at CUNO (a division of 3M), in Old Lyme, Conn.

Kathryn (Maxwell) Talty ’95 (CANR) and her husband, Jon, announce the birth of a daughter, Greer, on June 14, 2006.

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Battling bioterrorism

Zygmunt Dembek ‘95 Ph.D., ‘05 M.P.H. is an epidemiologist in the Connecticut Department of Public Health and a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve.

He has been mobilized to active military duty as director of education and training and biodefense epidemiology programs for the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases at Fort Detrick, Md.

He also wrote book chapters in the Encyclopedia of Bioterrorism Defense from Wiley Publishers and wrote Biological Weapons Defense: Infectious Diseases and Counterbioterrorism, published by Humana Press.

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Jacqueline Aponte ’96 M.S.W. recently became a grandmother and works as a probation officer for the state of Connecticut.

Kristie Cain ’96 (CLAS) was named Field Marketing Manager of the Year for Holiday Inn for her work with NASCAR and Major League Baseball. She currently resides in midtown Atlanta, working for International Hotels Group.

William Cone ’96 (BUS) and his wife, Amy, announce the birth of a son, Tyler Joseph Cone, on Nov. 14, 2006. Will is an account executive with John Hancock’s IGP division in Boston. The family lives in New Hampshire.

Christopher Granatini ’96 (ENG) is a senior transportation engineer for the Middletown, Conn., office of Tighe & Bond, Inc.

Amy Holibaugh ’96 (CLAS), ’99 M.A. and her husband, Ian Turkle, announce the birth of a daughter, Rowan, on May 6, 2006. The family lives in Hyde Park, Vt.

Patricia (Brauer) Reilly ’96 (ED) and her husband, Chris, announce the birth of a son, Brendan, on Nov. 3, 2006.

Kimberly Torres ’96 (CLAS), ’04 M.B.A. and Jack Markey ’93 (CLAS) announce the birth of a son, Ryan Michael, on June 21, 2006. He joins his sister, Kathryn Ann-Marie. Kimberly is an owner of Dream Dinners in Manchester, Conn. Jack is a licensed environmental professional at Woodard & Curran in Cheshire, Conn. The family lives in Kensington, Conn.

Corey Vitello ’96 (CLAS) is the co- author of The Myth of Psychiatric Crime Wave: Public Perception, Juror Research, and Mental Illness, published by Carolina Academic Press.

Brian Weir ’96 (CLAS) attended the Connecticut Alpha Chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon reunion in December 2006. The reunion was held in Boston and celebrated the chapter’s 50th anniversary at UConn. Brian lives in Wallingford, Conn., with his wife and three children.

Dennis Barnes ’97 (BUS), ’05 M.B.A. and his wife, Misty, announce the birth of a daughter, Jillian Presley, on Aug. 18, 2006. The family lives in West Haven, Conn.

Kelly Bowler ’97 (CLAS), ’98 M.S. married Patrick Hennigan ’92 M.B.A. in May 2006.

John Cross ’97 (ED) and Angela (Scalzo) Cross ’95 (CLAS) announce the birth of a daughter, Alexa, on Nov. 17, 2006. She joins sisters Alison, 6, and Olivia, 3. John is a high school science teacher in Norwalk, Conn. The family lives in Monroe.

Donald Crouch ’97 (CLAS) is the fundraising coach for Varsity Gold, an organization that helps high school sports teams and organizations to raise funds for their activities.

Kathryn (Andrews) DePalo, ’97 (CLAS) completed her Ph.D. in political science at Florida International University, Miami, Fla., where she is a visiting professor.

Kimberly DiBella-Farber ’97 (CLAS) and her husband, Joshua Farber ’94 (CLAS), announce the birth of a son, Ethan DiBella Farber, on April 21, 2006.

Jodi (Zils) Gagne ’97 (CLAS) announces the birth of a daughter, Carson Elizabeth, on June 27, 2006. Jodi has her own law practice in Bristol, Conn., specializing in criminal and civil litigation.

Michelle Gallant ’97 (BGS), and her husband, Joseph, announce the birth of a child, Bryce Joseph, on March 21, 2006. The family currently lives in Litchfield County, Conn., where Michelle teaches elementary education.

Karen (Spooner) Kuncz ’97 (SAH) and her husband announce the birth of a daughter, Hailey Melia, on July 7, 2006. The family lives in Cumberland, R.I.

Emanuele Mangiafico ’97 (BUS) is the executive vice president for operations of the Mama Mia Tomato Sauce and Italian Ice Company.

Jessica (Soter) Reid ’97 (SAH) and her husband, Geoff, announce the birth of a daughter, Abigail, on March 23, 2006. Jess is a medical technologist at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. The family lives in Littleton, Mass.

David Speringo ’97 (CLAS) is the director of electronic document delivery services for C2Legal, a litigation support vendor in Houston, Texas.

Katy Comazzi ’98 (CLAS) and J. Reynolds Allen were married on June 10, 2006, in Stowe, Vt. She is a senior consultant for Systems Engineering Inc. in Boston. The couple lives in Columbia, S.C.

Kelley (Hunt) Gay ’98 (CLAS) and her husband, David, announce the birth of a child, Myles Elijah, on Oct. 31, 2006. Myles joins Jacob, 4, and Gabriella, 2. Kelley is director of marketing at Mass Mutual. The family lives in Windsor, Conn.

Sarah (Treat) ’98 (CLAS) and Jason Jakubowski ’99 (CLAS), ’01 M.P.A. announce the birth of a daughter, Katherine Marie, on Aug. 16, 2006. Katherine joins brother Alex, and sister Madeline, both 3. Jason is the director of business development at Charter Oak State College.

Tara (Richards) Linton ’98 (CLAS) and her husband, Joshua, announce the birth of a son, Charles Richards, on Nov. 3, 2006. The family lives in Sturbridge, Mass.

James Long III, ’98 M.S. is a senior bridge design engineer for Collins Engineers, Inc. in the firm’s Newport News, Va., office.

Sharon Clark ’99 (CANR) and Seth Aborn ’96 (RHSA) were married in April 2006. Sharon is an associate veterinary scientist for Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharmaceutical Research Institute in Wallingford, Conn. Seth works on the family dairy farm in Ellington, Conn., where the couple lives.

Don Anderson ’99 (BUS) is an officer and assistant vice president for the Federal Reserve System. He and his wife, Sara (Swanson) ’01 (CLAS), have two children and live in Stow, Mass.

Jean Lange ’99 Ph.D. is an associate professor and director of Graduate Studies at Fairfield University. She was awarded the Marlene Kramer Outstanding Alumni Award for Research in Nursing by the UConn School of Nursing Alumni Society.

Diane McCabe ’99 J.D. was elected to partnership at Goodwin Procter, L.L.D. She represents clients in a wide range of commercial real estate transactions, including complex debt and equity investments.

Christine A. Mohr ’99 (CLAS) will join an exchange group traveling to southern Africa for four weeks in April 2007. She is the director of marketing and community relations for the YMCA Fairfax County Reston in Virginia.

Tanya Moorehead ’99 (ED) co-teaches eighth grade language arts, integrated social studies and pre-algebra, with a focus on mainstreaming special needs students at Carmen Arace Middle School. She has been named the district’s Teacher of the Year.

Remy Boyd ’00 (CLAS) is the founder, president and CEO of Y’mer Inc., an image and style consulting firm in New York City. The company provides services to art, entertainment and business professionals in several areas, including wardrobe, body and color analysis; media and etiquette training and counseling.

Julia Braza ’00 M.S. graduated from New York Medical College in 2004.

Cory Clark ’00 (CLAS) married Cheryl Wendt in September 2006. He is a curriculum developer with Health Net, Inc. in Shelton, Conn. The couple lives in East Haven, Conn.

Allison (Takacs) Kelly ’00 (SFA) is teaching music in Bristol, Conn. She married Brian Kelly in September 2006. The couple lives in Bloomfield, Conn.

Maggie Perkowski ’00 (BUS) married Scott Lukas in June 2006. The couple lives in Old Saybrook, Conn., where she is managing a new restaurant.

Elizabeth (Peterson) Roth ’00 (CANR) received her Ph.D. in biology from Brown University in May 2006 and is a post-doctoral fellow in the department of therapeutic radiology at Yale University. She lives with her husband, Ryan Roth ’99 (CLAS), ’02 J.D., in Cheshire, Conn.

Dave Sedich ’00 (CLAS) and Lynnette Sedich announce the birth of a daughter, Kaitlynn Amanda, born on Nov. 27, 2006.

Kristy Vale da Serra ’00 (ED), ’01 M.A., and Stephen Fischer ’99 (CANR) were married in July 2006. The couple lives in Glastonbury, Conn.

Slawomir Dobrzanski ’01 (SFA) is an assistant professor of music (piano) at Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kan., and has written a book, Maria Szymanowska: Pianist and Composer, published by the Polish Music Center at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles.

Jennifer Bothwell ’03 M.A. was named the 2006 Mid-Atlantic Region Outstanding New Campus Activities Professional/Advisor during the last National Association for Campus Activities Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference. The annual award honors a new campus activities professional who has made a significant contribution to campus life.

Steven Bouchard ’03 (ENG) married Katie Krog in September 2006. Steven is a product manager for Hubbell Wiring Systems.

Michael R. Delgrego ’03 M.S. has been promoted to project manager at JKF & Associations, a structural engineering firm in New Haven, Conn. He is responsible for designing projects ranging from bridges to schools. He resides in Hamden.

Megan Fairty ’03 (ED), ’04 M.A. married Jeffrey Easler in July 2006. The couple lives in Winston-Salem, N.C. Megan teaches sixth grade.

Erin Fenton ’03 (SFA) and J. Andrew Cassano were married in September 2006 at the Branford House on the UConn Avery Point campus. Erin works for the Institute of Music Leadership at the Eastman School of Music, part of the University of Rochester, and lives in Rochester, N.Y.

Kathryn Laity ’03 Ph.D., assistant professor of English at the College of Saint Rose in Albany, N.Y., received a 2006 Finlandia Foundation Grant to travel to Finland for research connected with her forthcoming short story collection, Unikirja (Dreambook). She and her husband, Gene Kannenberg Jr. ’02 Ph.D., live in Watervliet, N.Y.

Kimberly Lavorgna ’03 (CANR) married Matthew Robinson in September 2006. The couple lives in Seattle, Wash., and plans to volunteer in Peru next year.

Christina Mackey ’03 M.A. is engaged to marry Kevin Fleming in October 2007. She is a middle school math teacher in New Canaan, Conn.

Stephanie Petrakis ’03 (CLAS) married Matthew Matarese ’04 (CLAS) in August 2006. He works at Lehman Brothers in New York City, and she is a student at Marist College, studying for a master’s in school psychology. The couple lives in Wappingers Falls, N.Y.

Christine Sweeney ’03 M.S.W. founded Psychotherapy Services of CT, LLC, an independent psychological service specializing in children, adolescents, couples and families, in Vernon, Conn.

Yvonne R. Davis ’04 M.A. ,president and chief executive officer of Davis Communications in Hartford, Conn., spent a week in Israel last November presenting workshops focusing on women’s issues and communications skills for women. She also delivered the keynote address before the national conference of the Center for Jewish-Arab Economic Development on “U.S. Government Efforts to Support Women and Women-Owned Businesses.”

Michael Harrington ’04 (CLAS) is the assistant director of athletic development at Tulane University in New Orleans, La.

Jennifer Marola ’04 (CLAS) is enrolled in a Ph.D. program in clinical psychology at the Illinois Institute of Technology.

Lauren Ralston ’04 (CLAS) is the associate manager, corporate partnerships, at Save the Children, a nonprofit organization committed to creating real and lasting change in the lives of children in the USA and around the world.

Victoria Richard ’04 (CLAS) received an M.A. in communication from the University of North Carolina-Greensboro. She is the coordinator of the common course curriculum for the North Carolina Community College system.

Shoshana Cook Mueller ’05 M.P.A., ’06 J.D. is an attorney at Bernstein Shur, one of northern New England’s largest multi-service law firms. A member of the firm’s Municipal Law Practice Group, she will focus her practice on general municipal law and public finance.

Sarah Galpin ’05 (SFS) completed a master of science degree in elementary education at the University of Bridgeport in December 2006. She is a reading assistant in Naugatuck, Conn.

Derrik Kennedy ’05 (CLAS) is employed at the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities and was accepted to the M.P.A. program at UConn for the spring 2007 semester.

Christine Mangiulli ’05 (SFS) completed a master of science degree in elementary education from the University of Bridgeport in December 2006.

Velma McConnell ’05 (BGS) is the business office coordinator at New England Technical Institute, in Shelton, Conn.

Michele Strutz ’05 (ED) was accepted into the educational studies doctoral program at Purdue University and selected as the recipient of the prestigious Frederick N. Andrews Fellowship. She completed two master’s degrees, one in curriculum and instruction at Boise State University in December 2004 and in gifted and talented education at UConn in May 2005.

 Alumni News & Notes Menu

Got milk?

Photo by Peter Morenus

Natasha Bangel ’06 (CANR) is the marketing representative for The Farmer’s Cow milk, which is produced and marketed by six Connecticut dairy farmers, including Nate Cushman ’66 (CANR), ’72 M.S. of Cushman Farms in Franklin and Lebanon; Bill Peracchio ’71 (RHSA) of Hytone Farm in Coventry; Peter Orr ’79 (CANR) of Fort Hill Farms in Thompson; and Robin Chesmer ’64-’67 (BUS) of Graywall Farms in Lebanon.

Stephanie Roy ’06 (SFS), married Sean Caler on Feb. 10, 2007. Stephanie is chief instructor at Villari’s Martial Arts in North Windham, Conn.

Michael Tosca II ’06 (CLAS) is attending the University of California at Irvine on a full scholarship to study Earth systems science. He is working toward a Ph.D. in atmospheric science/global warming.

Erin Wenzler ’06 (CLAS) is working at an advertising agency, Bernard Hodes Group, in Paramus, N.J.

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Alumni News & Notes compiled by Brian Evans and Tina Modzelewski