Class Notes – Summer 2021
1950s
Gerald Goran ’59 of Anaheim, Calif., wanted to be sure there was a class note from an alumnus who represented the 1950s, so he submitted his update. He was involved in Epsilon Pi Tau and served as the gift chair for the spring industrial arts program. He was also the three-year table tennis champion and represented Oswego in a tournament in Utica. After graduating with a degree in industrial arts, he taught for 38 years in Venu Park, Calif. He has been retired for 21 years.
1960s
William Danehy ’61 of Cazenovia, N.Y., is an energy consultant with a special interest in agricultural energy. At Oswego, he was involved with Psi Phi Gamma and the Newman Club.
Harold Kahn ’65 of Salinas, Calif., retired from his position as superintendent of Spreckels (Calif.) Union School District in 2010.
Bette Langsam Pricer ’65 of Plainfield, N.J., was involved in Hillel and ski club, and was also a member of the Art Exhibition Committee. She worked as paralegal and office manager at Langsam Law in New York City, and was also a manager of customer service, sales administration and technical support at HID in Irving, Calif. Earlier in her career, she served as the national distributor manager at ITT Canon.
Sandy Ferziger Cohn Grimm ’66 of Waxhaw, N.C., and her husband, Dave, have six children and 10 grandchildren. She retired in 2015 from an executive position at Sportime. As a student, she was involved in the Pi Delta Chi sorority, the Ontarian and Student Council. She remembers fondly watching the sunsets over the lake, playing canasta, falling on the ice, dancing to local bands in the student union, attending parties and participating in float parades. Today, she enjoys tennis, walking, yoga, reading and completing crossword puzzles.
Helen “Tracy” Nadler ’69 of Fairport, N.Y., remembers her years at Oswego spent with friends, the Greek organization Theta Chi Rho and the Blizzard of ’66! Tracy now enjoys her time swimming, reading, doing puzzles and spending time with her grandchildren and many friends.
Sharon Lyons Santoro ’69 lives with her husband, Dennis Santoro M’84 CAS’84, who earned a master’s and CAS at Oswego, in Fulton, N.Y.
1970s
Jerry Esposito ’70 retired from teaching and coaching baseball, and lives in Plantation, Fla., where he enjoys his time golfing and hang gliding.
James Gemza ’70 and his wife, Norma Montagnino-Gemza ’72, are enjoying their life in Whitesboro, N.Y. Jim serves on the Reunion Planning and Engagement Committee and stays connected to his alma mater, where he was involved in The Oswegonian, the Ontarian, Beta Tau Epsilon, men’s swimming and men’s golf. Norma was involved in the Phi Delta Chi sorority. Jim often shares his many photos from their time on campus for use by the college, and continues to enjoy photography, golf and travel.
William Price ’70 and wife, Phyllis Koziomkowski Price ’70, of Oswego are enjoying retirement, especially their time with their children and grandchildren. William recalls fondly his time with his fraternity, Phi Sigma Phi, and hanging out at Buckland’s. Phyllis retired from her position as a math teacher in the Phoenix Central School District. Their son, William Price ’08, is a member of Tau Sigma National Honor Society.
Patricia Griswold Schucker ’70 enjoys her retirement in Estero, Fla., and spending time with her four grandchildren. During Patricia’s time at Oswego, she was a part of the Arethusa sorority and Sodus Migrant Project, and she was an Orientation Leader. She now enjoys her time golfing, travelling, walking, hiking, doing yoga, reading and sewing.
Richard Sivers ’70 of Philadelphia, Pa., retired from his role as a minister in the United Methodist Church.
John Varacchi ’70 and Cynthia Spiak Varacchi ’72 live in Baldwinsville, N.Y. They have three children and four grandchildren. He was involved in Phi Sigma Phi, and he taught English at G. Ray Bodley High School in Fulton. Cynthia taught at the middle school in Fulton.
William Alles ’71 retired six years ago from his position as director of facilities at Fedcap Rehabilitation Services in New York, N.Y. He keeps busy with his metal shop projects and publishing articles in Machinist’s Workshop magazine of Village Press. Additionally, he works on-call as a workplace safety consultant for the NYS Department of Labor.
Don Burlett ’71 of Oxford, Mich., earned a Ph.D. in organic chemistry at the University of Cincinnati and a postdoc at MIT, following his graduation from Oswego. He then worked for Goodyear for 26 years followed by 14 years as a research scientist at the Gates Corp. Throughout his career, he received 26 U.S. patents, published three books, wrote many research papers and presented at numerous conferences. He was involved in many technical societies, including serving as president of the North Coast Thermal Analysis Society (Northern Ohio), the North American Thermal Analysis Society and the International Confederation for Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry.
An avid birder, he has traveled to all seven continents and 40 countries and has seen more than half of the birds in the world (more than 5,500 species). He was on the board of a local nature center for seven years and has been president of the Oakland Audubon Society (Michigan) for the past 13 years. He also works with land conservancy groups and other groups as a volunteer for conservation and environmental issues. He remembers fondly his days as an Orientation Leader and seeing The Doors in an on-campus concert.
William Fisher ’71 of Madrid, N.Y., is retired from his position as assistant vice president of facilities at SUNY Potsdam, where he worked for nearly 40 years.
Bettyan Bullis Rinefierd ’71 lives in Liverpool, N.Y., with her husband, Mark, and they have three children and four grandchildren. Among her favorite memories of Oswego are pledging and doing activities with her Pi Delta Chi sisters. Today, she enjoys reading and spending time with her grandchildren.
Josephine “Jo” Wahrendorf ’71 of Oswego spent her career as a teacher, retiring as a reading teacher in the Baldwinsville Central School District. She remains connected to her alma mater by volunteering on the committee to help plan her class reunions.
Katharine MacGregor ’72 worked as an academic advisor at Excelsior College in Albany, N.Y., from 1979 until her retirement in 2014. During that time, she completed a second B.S. degree in Germanic languages and literature from Excelsior. Since retiring, Katharine has rediscovered her love of travelling and has been to many countries over
the years. When not travelling, she loves to read books, both fiction and nonfiction, about places she has visited or would like to visit. She is hoping to go on a tour of South Africa later this year. Katharine spends her time volunteering once a week with her local food pantries in Albany, delivering groceries to those in need.
Steven Strange ’72 of East Hartford, Conn., is an associate member of the North American Academy of the Spanish Language (ANLE) and recently published his anthology Antes de Jamestown, fue San Agustin de la Florida by ANLE. The volume contains contracts, eyewitness testimonies and excerpts from 16th-century Spanish histories of the Indies, which focus on major expeditions and voyages to what is now the United States between 1512-1603. Steve is also president of the Historical Society of East Hartford, Conn., a member of the East Hartford Historic District Commission and president of the Connecticut Chapter of the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese.
Richard Cobello ’73 of Greenfield Center, N.Y., is chief information security officer at Tech Valley Talent in Ballston Spa, N.Y.
Joseph “Mike” Midura ’74 is a historian for the City of North Tonawanda, N.Y. He remembers and cherishes his time at Oswego—swimming, skiing and watching sunsets on Lake Ontario.
Michael Calabria ’75 of Bee Cave, Texas, is the president and CEO of Abracon Holding LLC in Spicewood, Texas.
Marc Koller ’75 of Portland, Ore., ran on the Independent line for the U.S. House for Oregon’s 3rd Congressional District in 2018.
Alan Spindler ’75 of Rome, N.Y., is the agency principal at his own Allstate firm in Rome.
DeBorah DeBose-Taylor ’75 retired from the U.S. Army and recently retired from her role as an outpatient specialist at the University of Rochester’s Strong Memorial Hospital.
Tom Ciurczak ’76 released an album of his original material, Call Me Ishmael, in summer 2020. (See Alumni Bookshelf). It’s been played by over 175 radio stations across the U.S. and reached the top 150 on the AMA charts.
Patrick Nulty ’76 of Snow Camp, N.C., retired from his role as exceptional children teacher at Alamance Burlington
School District in N.C. He reminisces on his time spent at Oswego involved with varsity football, intramural sports and his fraternity Delta Kappa Kappa. He now enjoys visiting his grandchildren, walking and reading.
Rich Collins ’77 of Olney, Md., is a nonprofit consultant at Ashley/Rountree after spending much of his career in alumni relations and development leadership roles at universities around the country. At Oswego, he was involved in Delta Kappa Kappa, men’s varsity soccer and the Student Association.
David Malgee ’77 of Gettysburg, Pa., has served as interim president and CEO of the Gettysburg Foundation since Aug. 1, 2020. The Gettysburg Foundation owns and operates the Museum and Visitor Center and other historic properties in Gettysburg. They operate as partners with the National Park Service (NPS), and together represent the largest public-private partnership within the NPS. David previously served as chief operating officer of VSP Technologies Inc., of Prince George, Va.
Kevin Shumelda ’77 of Mount Holly, N.C., worked in U.S. government intelligence and military for over 25 years, performing technical recruiting and vetting candidates with top security clearances. He was able to retire in 2017 at the age of 61. Throughout his life, he has remained active and dedicated to physical fitness, including having earned a 5th Kyu (Purple Belt) in Shotokan Karate and crewing for 14 years on 30-40 foot racing sailboats in the Chesapeake Bay, Md., area. He encourages classmates to reach out to connect with him.
Jeffrey Sinder ’77 of Pacifica, Calif., married a fellow resident of Scales Hall, Kim D. Lupinski Sinder ’77, in 1978. He is now retired from his position as a senior vice president and financial advisor from Wells Fargo Advisors, where he worked for 33 years. Kim had a successful career as a financial services professional focused on business development, marketing and strategic operations.
Bruce Wilson ’77 of Framingham, Mass., retired after 38 years in the travel and tourism industry, where he held regional and national sales leadership positions.
Keith Biegel ’78 of Clayton, N.C., retired in January 2020 and enjoys spending time with his two grandchildren. He maintains a small business of remodeling kitchens and bathrooms, and installing flooring.
Frank J. Lepiane ’78 is the retired owner of Emerald Enterprises and lives in San Diego, Calif.
William Dorfmann ’79 of Vancouver, B.C., is the president of Axxiton Consulting Inc.
Robin Farewell ’79 of Pompey, N.Y., is the vice president and media director for Eric Mower and Associates in Syracuse, N.Y.
A. Michael Presutti ’79 of Wallkill, N.Y., retired after nearly 35 years as a technology teacher, a coach and assistant principal at Valley Central School District in Montgomery, N.Y.
Deborah Shadovitz ’79 of Calabasas, Calif., is a freelance travel writer and technology author for her own company, Deb Shadovitz Presents in Los Angeles, Calif.
Randy Wiley ’79 of Oswego works as an executive vice president and chief financial officer at Island Federal Credit Union.
1980s
Stephen Boulet ’81 of Pittsford, N.Y., is senior business systems analyst at Bausch Health Companies in Rochester, N.Y. He and his wife, Cynthia Crosier Boulet ’81 who works as an office support specialist at Quality Recruiting, have two children.
Paul Strasser ’81 of Aldie, Va., was selected as a finalist for the 2020 Washington Government Contractor Awards Executive of the Year: Up to $75 Million Category. Paul is the president at Brillient Corp. in Reston, Va. With over 36 years in the industry, Paul has led strategic growth and operations in critical technologies and growth markets of cyber security, digital transformation, healthcare and intelligent automation.
Marjorie Tramontano Blair ’82 of Loveland, Ohio, works as a client service associate at Cincinnati Wealth Management Advisors of Raymond James. Before joining Raymond James, she worked for several leading wealth management firms, including Shearson Lehman Brothers, Citicorp Investment Services and UBS Financial Services.
Joe Coughlin ’82 of Sudbury, Mass., is the founder and director of the MIT AgeLab. He has recently partnered with Kevin Hogan, executive president and CEO of life and retirement at American International Group Inc., for a study that looked at the ways financial advising is evolving for people across different stages of life. He was also featured in a PBS special documentary about aging called Fast Forward. See his “Last Word” column.
Charles Kamide ’82 of Liverpool, N.Y., is the regional sales manager for EVO Payments International GmbH.
Matthew Kelly ’82 retired from his management position at Freddie Mac and is enjoying his role as a grandfather in Carolina Shores, N.C.
Enrico “Rick” Miller ’82 retired from his position as executive vice president and chief student affairs officer at SUNY Potsdam in 2018, and enjoys serving as an adjunct professor and living a mostly retired life in Potsdam, N.Y.
Joann Avellino Schirripa ’82 is the proud mother of two children, aged 19 and 20. She started her career in public accounting and became a partner in a medium-sized accounting firm. Then she left to be a chief financial officer of a public company in Florida. Joann is currently a self-employed CPA practicing in New York and Florida. She enjoys skiing and travelling, and reminisces about her wonderful years at Oswego with many friends, sunsets and Friday night skiing.
Kelley Flood ’84 of Constantia, N.Y., remembers her years at Oswego being involved in Omega Delta Phi. Kelley spent 20 years at SUNY Upstate and most recently served as director of operations integrated health care at Liberty Resources. Today, she spends her time as a volunteer at Helping Hounds Dog Rescue.
Kurt Knight ’84 of Temperance, Mich., is a field technical service representative for Polyguard Products Inc. in Ennis, Texas. He served in the U.S. Army. At Oswego, he was involved with the Program Policy Board, Great Lakes Review and the Veterans Affairs Office.
Caroline Coley Stanistreet ’84 of Camillus, N.Y., works as a sales representative at Distributor Wholesale Specialists Ltd., in Camillus. After retiring from working in television production, she still continues to write for her blog, sinkorswim204.wordpress.com.
Monica Hackett Brill ’85 of Mount Morris, N.Y., is operations manager at Common Ground Health in Rochester, N.Y.
Bill Karl ’85 of Syracuse, N.Y., is a middle school teacher at Phoenix Central School District.
Mark Tryniski ’85 of Baldwinsville, N.Y., is the president and CEO of Community Bank N.A. On Sept. 28, 2020, the company celebrated Good Neighbor Day, where each branch chose an organization to donate to based on specific needs in their community.
Richard Drake ’86 of Clifton Park, N.Y., is the chief financial officer and vice president of human resources at Elevation Ten Thousand, a marketing agency in Latham, N.Y.
Randy Klein ’86 of Oak Park, Calif., is a vice president of licensing at IMG in Los Angeles, Calif. Randy has been able to work for some of the most successful entertainment, sports and movie studios in the world.
Thomas Jackson ’86 of Solon, Ohio., challenged incumbent Sen. Matt Dolan, R-Chagrin Falls for the state senate seat on the Democratic Party line for Ohio District 24 in November 2020. While he didn’t win the race, he brought up issues in his campaign that his supporters rallied around. He works at Leverity Insurance Company in Cleveland.
Richard P. Smith M’86 of Brewerton, N.Y., is a tax partner and specialist with Bowers & Company CPA’s PLLC in Syracuse, N.Y. Richard takes this position with more than 19 years of experience in public accounting, previously working at Firley, Moran, Freer, & Eassa for the past five years.
Daniel Schnell ’86 of Olean, N.Y., retired from his position as senior library clerk at Olean Public Library.
Mark Glickman ’87 of Kings Park, N.Y., is the chief commercial officer of Esperion Therapeutics.
Claire Wyngaard ’87 of Delaware City, Del., is an office coordinator for BoatUS: Boat Owners Association of the United States in Springfield, Va.
Scott Henderson ’88 of Mooresville, N.C., is a value stream manager at Carrier Corporation in Charlotte, N.C.
Christine Logsdon ’88 M’92 of Arkport, N.Y., is the retired department chair and technology education instructor at Haverling Junior and Senior High School in the Bath Central School District in Bath, N.Y.
Dresden Engle Olcott ’88 of Rochester, N.Y., is the director at Dresden Public Relations in Rochester. Dresden is the author of Hold On, the biography of rock star Eddie Money, published in 2020, and also is the new co-host of national podcast Funny People Talking. She and husband, Paul Olcott ’84, a special ed teacher with Brighton Schools, are the parents of two teenage daughters.
Jim Triandiflou ’88 of Cary, N.C., is the new CEO at two-year-old insightsoftware, a global provider of enterprise software solutions. Jim previously served as CEO of Relias from 2012-2020. Prior to Relias, Jim was the founder and CEO of several successful high-growth companies. In December 2017, he was named the Business Person of the Year by the Triangle Business Journal.
Dr. Robert “Bob” Hitchcock ’89 is the executive director of medical services at TimelyMD. He oversees a national network of medical and mental health physicians and advanced practice practitioners that serve hundreds of thousands of students at TimelyMD partner institutions. He is actively practicing with over 25 years of experience as an emergency physician. He believes that the intersection of technology and healthcare delivery is rich with opportunity to positively influence health outcomes, improve patient access to acute, chronic and preventative care and reduce the cost of healthcare.
Tina Panepinto Smeal ’89 of Hamburg, N.Y., retired after more than 30 years as a school administrator with the Niagara Falls City School District.
1990s
Regina Clark ’90 of New York, N.Y., is a human resources manager at East Meets East. She was a sister of the national sorority on campus, Alpha Epsilon Phi, and enjoyed the lake, sunsets, live music and the friendships made at Oswego. She spends her time now enjoying the great outdoors and nature by skiing, surfing, biking, camping, yoga and meditation.
Michael Costello ’90 of Londonderry, N.H., is a principal talent acquisition partner at Nuance Communications.
Jason DeMarchi ’90 of Cumming, Ga., is an architectural specifications manager at ArchSpec in Georgia.
Rosemarie Cook-Manley ’91 of Webster, N.Y., is a retired marketing executive, and holds an MBA from the University of Rochester Simon Business School. She was involved with the Ontarian and Vega at Oswego.
Benedicte Harris Doran ’91 of Jamesville, N.Y., was elected the chair of Onondaga County Republican Committee. She works as a political director for John Katko’s congressional campaign and as a paid fundraiser for Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon’s political committee.
Jeff Golove ’91 of Marlboro, N.J., is an executive talent acquisition at Highmark Health in Pittsburgh, Pa.
Glenn Miller ’91 of Naples, Fla., released his debut young adult novel, Camper Girl, on Oct. 7 by Fitzroy Books. (See Alumni Bookshelf.) Glenn grew up in Clinton, N.Y., and earned a bachelor’s degree in English and fine arts from SUNY Oswego and a master’s degree in English from SUNY Binghamton. He has been a community program director, youth counselor and college professor, teaching at Jefferson Community College in Watertown, N.Y., from 2000 to 2010. He and his family currently split their time between Lowville, N.Y., and southwest Florida.
Robert Sergeant ’91 of Sodus, N.Y., is a territory sales manager at UPL North America, working with customers in
western New York and Pennsylvania. For the last decade, Bob worked at Nutrein Ag Solutions as a territory sales manager. In this role, he increased sales 100 percent by creating and implementing marketing and sales plans, developing annual budgets and consistently meeting his sales goals.
Susan Hauk ’92 of Phoenix, Ariz., is a histotechnologist at Caris Life Sciences, a company where molecular science meets artificial intelligence to help cancer patients, in Phoenix.
Susan Curry Johnson ’92 of Huntington, N.Y., is the vice president of marketing and operations at Nationwide Mortgage Advisors.
Natalie McComb ’92 of Virginia Beach, Va., is the associate director of administration and strategies at Al-Anon Family Group Headquarters Inc. in Virginia Beach.
Craig Yaris ’92 of Wellington, Fla., is a partner at Parlatore Law Group in New York City. He is a member of the American Bar Association and New York State Bar Association. Prior to joining the law firm, he was the co-founder and chief operating officer of an online company whose goal was to help inform marketers and business owners of the fast-paced and ongoing changes within their industries. He also previously served as a patient advocate and conflict resolution specialist mediating on behalf of patients with their insurance companies. He volunteers his time helping spread the message of the ACLU and he supports many local charities focused on families and children.
Joseph Fetcho ’93 of Montclair, N.J., is the managing director and global corporate controller at Depository Trust & Clearing Corp. in Jersey City, N.J. At Oswego, he established a scholarship for an accounting student with financial need to help make a college education more affordable.
Dean Kakadelis ’93 of Parlin, N.J., worked 20 years for Hess Corporation in their retail accounting team before joining Speedway LLC as the product owner of the accounting systems.
Barbara Madonna ’93 of Gloversville, N.Y., is a librarian for special projects at the Gloversville Free Library.
David Allweiss ’94 of Kew Gardens, N.Y., was elected a partner at Morrison Mahoney LLP, a legal firm with 180 attorneys in 10 offices across the Northeast. David concentrates his practice in the area of workers’ compensation defense and represents carriers, third-party administrators and self-insured employers in the defense of workers’ compensation claims filed in New York.
Elia Canalda Imler ’94 of Glen Allen, Va., is a marketing manager at Bon Secours Memorial College of Nursing in Richmond, Va.
Erica Baechle-Borroto ’96 lives with her husband, Clemente Borroto ’96 M’97, in Nashua, N.H. She is an underwriter at LeaderOne Financial, and Clem is a senior Blue Sky Fund administrator at DST Systems in Nashua. In college, she enjoyed being part of Phi Beta Lambda and being at the lake, and today she enjoys bowling and scrapbooking. They have two children.
Shih Hsiu Peng ’96 of Flushing, N.Y., is an IT auditor/certified public accountant for the United Parcel Services in Mahwah, N.J.
Holli Coats Stone ’96 of Fulton, N.Y., is assistant director of SUNY Oswego’s Campus Life – Event Management. As a student, she ran women’s cross country, and as an alumna, she has served as a mentor in the Alumni Sharing Knowledge program and a volunteer for Reunion planning.
Adrienne D’Amato ’97 of Staten Island, N.Y., is the director of media relations at FX Networks in New York City. At Oswego, she was involved with Sigma Delta Tau.
Tina Morse Chmielewski ’98 is an elementary reading teacher and is the building principal at North Syracuse Central School District. She married James Chmielewski ’98 in 2000, and he is the director of operations at Cardinal Health.
Giovanna Colosi ’98 M’04 of Cicero, N.Y., was promoted to Subject Instruction Lead Librarian in the Department of Research and Scholarship at Syracuse University.
Benjamin Derby ’99 of Seattle, Wash., is the director of major gifts at Seattle’s PBS affiliate, Cascade Public Media. Benjamin married his college sweetheart, Kathy Frisino Derby ’99, in 2001, and they moved around all over the U.S. before settling down in Seattle in 2006. At this time, Benjamin took a job at ACT Theatre and discovered his passion for storytelling and the power to change the world through philanthropy. Benjamin and his wife, Kathy, have one son, Liam, who was born in 2011, and they continue to embrace the outdoorsy offerings that the Pacific Northwest provides.
Dana Segall Murphy ’99 is the director of enterprise sales for boostr, a platform to streamline marketing and finance functions in media companies. Dana sells a digital media order management system and customer relationship management system, focusing on the audio space of radio, streaming and podcasting. She attends many broadcasting trade shows and events. Dana lives in Brookfield, Conn., with her husband, Dan Murphy, and their son, Lucas, who anticipates being a future Oswego alumnus himself! Additionally, Dana serves as the president of the Oswego Alumni Association Board of Directors, and enjoys attending many virtual and in-person Oswego events with alumni and students.
Mary-Margaret Zehr CAS’99 is the superintendent of the Carmel Central School District in Patterson, N.Y.
2000s
Jarod Miller ’00 of North Boston, N.Y., is an American zoologist and reality television personality. Jarod was fascinated by animals even in elementary school and began to study them as best he could. He became the youngest zookeeper ever at the age of 25, when he was hired to run Binghamton Zoo in Binghamton, N.Y. He has written and published several articles about his work with animals, and also founded the company Wild Encounters, which gives children around the world the opportunity to experience nature without leaving their classrooms. In addition to his numerous lectures and talk show appearances, he also played the lead role in the documentary series Animal Exploration with Jarod Miller, which was broadcast on ABC from 2007 to 2010. He is currently on Animal Planet’s show, Petfinder.
Jeff Ragovin ’00 of East, Hampton, N.Y., is an investor at Social Native, located in Beverly Hills, Calif. Social Native operates an online marketplace, which helps brands source visual content, and they have recently acquired Olapic, a service focused on user-generated, influencer and short-form video content for brands. Jeff helped to figure out the financial terms of the acquisition.
Joshua Caryl ’01 M’04 of Marcellus, N.Y., was named clinical director of Professional Counseling Services in Camillus, N.Y. His wife, Tracy Underwood-Caryl ’03, is an office services coordinator at LeMoyne College in Syracuse.
Katheryne “Leigh” Wyshosky Petryssyn ’01 of Manlius, N.Y., is the transfer success coach at Utica College. She previously worked in transfer admissions at Kingsborough Community College.
Erika Lovette Turner ’01 of Syracuse, N.Y., is an assistant director of the Science and Technology Entry Program at Syracuse University.
Michael Kanick ’02 of Silver Spring, Md., is the digital strategy director at CIAB in Washington, D.C.
Robert MacMurray ’02 of Westlake, Ohio, is a wireless designer and environmental scientist, and he is the owner of RMAC Solutions LLC, in Westlake.
Diana Ponto Kieltyka ’03 lives in Oak Lawn, Ill.
Kate Lloyd ’04 of Columbia, Md., is the special education department chair at Prince George County Public Schools.
Heidi Strong ’04 of Oswego is the director of development at the Friends of the Rosamond Gifford Zoo. She is responsible for all Friends of the Zoo fundraising, including major gift solicitation, individual gifts, corporate sponsorships, planned giving, grant writing, events and fund drives. Heidi started working at the zoo after almost 10 years at Turning Stone Resort Casino, most recently as director of events and entertainment and previously as the tournament services manager for the resort’s PGA tournament, the Turning Stone Resort Championship. After earning a bachelor’s degree in marketing, she spent six years as event and marketing manager for Oswego Harborfest.
John Clements ’05 M’06 of Troy, N.Y., is the director of audit services at the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services.
Matthew Lystad ’06 of Richmond, Va., is the head of new product development at Elephant Insurance in Henrico, Va.
Danielle Richie ’06 of Durham, N.C., is the senior associate director of MBA Admissions and Student Recruitment at UNC Chapel Hill, Kenan-Flagler Business School in Chapel Hill, N.C.
Christopher Thuman ’06 of North Tonawanda, N.Y., is an associate of asset management at D.E. Shaw Renewable Investments.
Shelby Matthews ’07 of Utica, N.Y., appeared on the Today Show Plaza, with her whole family as they wore Oswego T-shirts, and spoke with Al Roker ’76.
Robert Ryan ’07 of Auburn, N.Y., previously served in the U.S. Marine Corps and is now working on his master’s degree in social work.
Jacqueline Gibbs Thorpe ’07 of Volney, N.Y., ran for Oswego County Clerk. She had served for three years as deputy of operations under former Oswego County Clerk Michael Backus, who had resigned from his position in September.
Lee Candela ‘08 and wife, Monica, of Wantagh, N.Y., welcomed their second son, Luciano Theodore, on Feb. 16, 2021. He joins older brother, Lino “LJ,” who was born June 6, 2019.
Kim Buchner Herrington ’08 became the first-ever data journalist at BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York. She previously served as the first business intelligence project coordinator for Horizon Health Services. Kim is dedicated to the transformational promise of data literacy, and was nominated for a Data Literacy Advocate of the Year Award through Data Literacy LLC. At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, she launched an NGO to help raise awareness around internet access and its relation to social determinants of health. Last August she was recognized by Rivery.io as one of 20 Emerging Influencers in 2020 for Big Data, Data Science, & Analytics.
Vanessa McClowry M’08 is the principal of South Side Elementary School in the Canastota School District. In addition to her new role, Vanessa is a certified trainer in therapeutic crisis intervention for schools.
Danielle O’Brien Poli ’08 of Syracuse, N.Y., is a manager of care coordination at St. Joseph’s Care Coordination Network in Syracuse. She has worked in mental health since graduation, initially as a counselor on an Inpatient Psychiatric Unit and then moving into her current position.
Denise Weldon-Clark ’08 of Charlotte, N.C., is a licensed agent in the Integrated Service Center for Allstate Property and Casualty Insurance Company. She married Christopher A. Clark in October 2020 in a small ceremony due to COVID-19, in the garden at the Unitarian Universalist Community of Charlotte, where they met five years earlier.
Elaine Angell ’09 ’10 is an artist with an interest in women’s studies in Fulton, N.Y.
Bryan Galcik ’09 of San Diego, Calif., is a marketing and communications specialist at the University of California at San Diego.
Morgan Flack ’09 was promoted to residential mortgage lender for Pathfinder Bank, under first vice president, sales manager Ronald G. Tascarella ’06.
Kayla Valvo Rena ’09 of Whitesboro, N.Y., is director of operations at Covey Computer Software Inc. in Utica, N.Y. A journalism major, she was involved with WTOP as a student.
2010s
Jessica Bagdovitz Silverman ’12 of Riverside, R.I., is a senior consultant in employee relations at CVS Health in Woonsocket.
Alexa Daigneault ’12 of Minneapolis, Minn., is an operations specialist at Cargill Digital Solutions in Hopkins.
Ashley Maher ’13 of Kent, Ohio, is the assistant director of enrollment management of academic partnerships at Kent State University.
Sebastian Edmond ’14 of Chicago, Ill., is a director for the Big Ten Network, in Chicago.
Andrew Metz ’14 of Glenburn, N.D., is a captain in the U.S. Air Force. He attended the Naval Postgraduate School, earned a master’s in Homeland Defense and then moved to North Dakota, where he is the operations officer for a nuclear security unit. He’s recently started to learn to fly and also is the proud owner of a horse.
Danielle Hinckley Smith ’14 of Alexandria, La., is a science teacher for grades 7-8 at Alexandria Country Day School. She married Michael Smith ’13 in August 2019 at Alex’s on the Water in Oswego.
Michele Toto M’14 of Forest Hills, N.Y., is an interior designer at H.D. USA Inc.
Javier “femi” Higgins ’15 of Monterey, Calif., works as a diversity, equity and inclusion consultant.
Paige Hanley ’16 works on the search engine optimization team with fellow Laker Edwin Acevedo M’09 at TruStar Marketing in Nashville, Tenn.
Rebecca Howe ’16 of Corning, N.Y., is a marketing specialist at the Corning Credit Union. She graduated from a 200-hour yoga teaching program in June 2019, and she teaches yoga and kickboxing at fitness centers in the region.
Sara Hullings ’16 of Penn Yan, N.Y., is the housekeeper at the Letourneau Christian Center in Rushville, N.Y.
Robert Pagan ’16 of New York, N.Y., is a production assistant at CBS News.
Jaclyn Shyptycki ’16 M’17 of Mechanicville, N.Y., is the director of operations at SIX Marketing in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. During a study abroad experience, Jaclyn saw how important social media is in telling a story and decided to complete a graduate program in social media, analytics and online marketing. After graduating from Oswego, she was hired to do inbound marketing for SIX Marketing and was recently promoted to her current position.
Sabina Longo Gonnelly ’17 of Schenectady, N.Y., is a sales associate at Liberty Mutual in Clifton Park. Sabina spent her time at Oswego being involved with Alpha Phi Omega, Young Americans for Liberty, Political Science Club and WTOP.
Evelyn Zevallos ’17 M’20 CAS’21 of Bethpage, N.Y., is a mental health counselor at ARISE in Oswego. She was involved in the Latino Student Union and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Mentor-Scholar.
Deirdre Leo ’18 of Wappingers Falls, N.Y., is pursuing a Master of Science degree in Mental Health Counseling at the University of Albany. She said her experiences at Oswego have prepared her for not only obtaining a master’s degree but continuing to conduct psychological research, working in student affairs for Albany’s Registrar’s Office and completing her counseling internship at the College of St. Rose’s Counseling Center.
Jordan Mallore ’18 of Liverpool, N.Y., is a staff accountant at Cadaret Grant. Jordan enjoyed being involved in the Future Alumni Network and Del Sarte Dance Club, spending time with many friends, and eating at Rudy’s and Bev’s.
Tracy Opeka M’18 of Syracuse, N.Y., is the director of community education in the provost office at YWCA Mohawk Valley.
Nathalie Pena ’18 of Brooklyn, N.Y., is a digital associate at Power Shift Network, a North American non-profit organization made up of a network of youth-led social and environmental justice organizations working together to build the youth clean energy and climate movement.
Jordan Oatman Ratzlaff ’18 of Batavia, N.Y., is an upward bound advisor at Genesee Community College in Batavia.
Chih Yao Tsai M’18 of New Taipei City, Taiwan, is an international trade specialist at Just Far East Co., Ltd. in Taipei.
Christopher Wells ’18 of Pasadena, Calif., is a data scientist at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena. At Oswego he was involved with the Computer Science Association, IEEE Club and the Storytellers Guild.
Katelyn Cook ’19 M’20 of Rome, N.Y., works at Grossman St. Amour CPAs PLLC in Syracuse.
Jabari Daniel ’19 of Brooklyn, N.Y., is a junior electrical engineer at Spectrum Software Technology, Inc. in Egg Harbor Township, N.J. At Oswego, he was involved in the Caribbean Student Association and the National Society of Black Engineers.
Theresa Personna ’19 of Nanuet, N.Y., is a marketing assistant at The Tempest in New York, N.Y.
Elexis Rinoldo ’19 M’20 of Oswego is a second-grade teacher in the Oswego City School District.
2020s
Nirdishtha Sapkota ’21 is a journalism activist and was an Oswego contributor on the Global Effects of the U.S. Election. She is a laboratory technician and a promotions and marketing intern at SUNY Oswego’s Career Services.
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