30s
James “Jim” McDonough of Westborough, the first president of the New England
Chapter of The Wildlife Society, has been elected an Honorary Member. He was
presented with a commemorative plaque in October in Hadley.
40s
Wallace F. Powers ’41 writes “I would like to obtain a copy of the
Class of 1941 yearbook. I will be most grateful and quite ready to
make good on any costs to those involved.” Contact him at: 66 New
Shore Road, Waterford, CT 06385
50s
Harry Lane ’58 writes from Hawaii, “It’s been 50 years since I began
my career in the Army. I’ve been enlisted, an officer, a contractor,
a Non-Appropriated Fund employee, and finally civil service. I enlisted
in the Army in ’58 to satisfy my two-year draft obligation and finally
completed my career as an Army Program and Budget Analyst in ’07.
Shirley Sokoletsky ’59 is now Samantha White, in private practice as
a psychotherapist, living in Ashland with her husband, Dave Morin,
a jazz drummer, who she married in 2003. She writes, “I raised two
daughters, one of whom died in 1988, and now I also have six adult
step-children and 14 step-grandchildren ranging in age from 1 to 21.”
Sam can be reached by e-mail at samanthamwhite@comcast.net and has
a Website at samanthawhite.com.
60s
Gail Ashley ’63, ’72G, a professor in the Department of Earth and Planetary
Sciences at Rutgers University, received the UMass Amherst Distinguished
Alumni Award from the Department of Geosciences in February.
Joseph LoBello ’63G retired in February from PeoplesBank in Holyoke
after a 45-year banking career. Beginning as an executive at the Third
National Bank of Hampden County he started at PeoplesBank in 1991 as
president and chief executive officer.
Peter Graham ’64G, a professor at the University of South Carolina
in the Department of Sport and Entertainment Management, was honored
with the Academic Achievement in Sport and Entertainment Award at the
International Conference on Sport and Entertainment Business in November.
Cheryl Herzog ’67 was promoted to vice president of the Collaborative
Companies and Velocity Marketing in Boston.
Jim Salter ’67 writes, “Just a short note to update friends. All is
well here in Erie, Pennsylvania. I divorced two years ago and am now
engaged to Kathleen Davis. I’m still working part-time as a substitute
teacher in math and science, and as a sales consultant for a hardware
store chain.”
George Goodfellow ’68 was named 2008 Rhode Island Teacher of the Year.
He lives in Fall River with his wife, Cynthia.
Don Zingale ’69G was recently selected to be the next president of
the SUNY Cobleskill – State University of New York.
70
Paula d’Entremont (G) received the prestigious 2007 St. George National
Award, the highest recognition given to an American Cancer Society
volunteer.
Jim Fitzroy, director/superintendent at Wollaston Recreational Facility/Presidents
Golf Club in North Quincy, was elected secretary/treasurer for the
Golf Course Superintendents Association of America.
Mary Gorman Glascoff, a professor at East Carolina University in North
Carolina, and director of the Community Health Education Program and
vice-chair of the faculty, was named one of 99 University Leaders on
the occasion of the institution’s 99th anniversary. She was also honored
as one of Ten Women of Distinction at their Centennial.
71
Francis “Frank” Peluso is the Federal Aviation Administration program
manager for Field Incident Response working out of the FAA command
center in Herndon, Virginia. He writes, “As part of the FAA’s National
Operations Group, we plan for, and manage disaster recovery operations
for FAA facilities. I recently moved to Sterling, Virginia, after
my house in Leesburg burned down.” He plans to return to Leesburg
once his house is rebuilt.
William “Piper” Simpson ’78G, president and chief operating officer
of the University of Connecticut Cooperative Corporation bookstores
in Storrs, Connecticut, is serving as president of the National Association
of College Stores. He lives in Mansfield Center with his wife, Joan
’71, ’76G.”
72
Elise Martin (G) has been teaching 5th grade in White Plains, New York,
for 23 years. She writes, “In between time I’ve had the chance to
travel to South Africa where a restaurant menu item in Capetown is
named after Natalie Cole ’72. I’ve also visited Switzerland, Kenya,
Fiji, New Zealand, the Caribbean, and many parts of the United States.
I recently attended my 40th Sharon High School reunion where I reconnected
with other UMies.”
73
Stephan Paul Wassel retired from the Naval Sea Systems Command in September
2003. He worked as a senior engineering manager for submarine enviornmental
and maintenance improvement. Since retiring, he has been ordained
an independent Christian Pastor. He writes, “I’m not a pulpit preacher,
my work is with the human psyche and the eternal nature of the soul
and its many sojourns. Past life regression is sacred, spiritual
work, producing sacred stories representing gifts from the vast unconscious
mind, helping to redefine the purpose and meaning of life.” Stephan
spends spring, summer, and fall on the Outer Banks in North Carolina
and winters in Arlington, Virginia. “Probably the one person you
know who heads north for the winter! After growing up in Worcester,
Virginia’s a piece of cake.”
74
Christin Couture was named the new art editor of The
Massachusetts Review. The Review was established in 1959 by a group of professors
from the Five Colleges. The 200-page quarterly includes works
of fiction, poetry, essays, and the visual arts. Christin will curate
an exhibit of the past fifty years of covers. The Fine Arts Center
gallery will host the show in March 2009.
John Robichaud has joined the firm of Tofias PC in Cambridge as principal
in the accounting and auditing group.
Patricia Murphy ’00G is the superintendent of the newly opened Western
Massachusetts Women’s Regional Correctional Center in Chicopee.
75
Roberta Martone Pavia, writes from Newton, "After many years in
corporate public relations and advertising, I've returned to my UMass
journalism roots as a marketing communications consultant and freelance
writer, with clients in high-tech, education, finance, health, and
retail. Most recently, I was editor of the Simmons School of Management
alumnae publication, and am currently ghostwriting a book about retail." Her
articles have been published in many local publications. Send her an
email at robertamartone@rcn.com.
76
Michelle Brown, an occupational therapist in the Worcester Public School
system, has been appointed chair of the board for Advanced and Specialty
Certification for the American Occupational Therapy Association and
also sits on the Commission for Continuing Competence in Professional
Development. She has been married for 31 years and has two sons,
Patrick ’98 and Michael.
Sheila (Inerlied) Davis (G) became a tenured associate professor at
CSU/Long Beach after graduation from UMass. She was recruited by Ohio
State University for the first joint appointment in Business and Women’s
Studies where she taught for nine years. She then left teaching and
became an organizational consultant. She now lives and works in Southern
California and is a senior vice president for learning and development
with Zula USA. She writes, “Zula produces a television series that
airs on PBS stations nationally and in many other countries. The series,
called the Zula Patrol, teaches children three to seven years old about
astronomy and natural science.” Sheila can be reached at sheila@zula.com.
Jim Haddad is vice-president of human resources for Pharmavite LLC,
in Northridge, California. He lives with his wife Helen in Southern
California.
Deb (Porazzo) Greenleaf lives with her daughter, Kristen, and Samoyed,
Nikkin, in Houston, Texas. She writes, “After receiving my LLM in environmental
and energy law from the University of Houston Law Center, I left the
ever stressful world of litigation to join Shell Oil where I practice
environmental law.” She enjoys running, spinning, and hanging out with
friends. “I’d love to hear from old friends from Wheeler and Brandywine.”
E-mail her at deborah.greenleaf@shell.com.
Mark Michalski (G) moved to Mooresville, North Carolina, with his wife
Amy after spending most of his life in New England. He writes, “Since
selling my accounting, tax, and financial planning practice in New
Hampshire, I’m a realtor with Helen Adams Realty in Charlotte. If you
are in the area or thinking of relocatin, e-mail me and I will extend
some newly acquired ‘Southern Hospitality’ to you. You may want to
swap your snow shovel for sunscreen like I did.” Mark can be reached
at mmichalski@helenadamsrealty.com.
Laurie Smith and her husband Randy Fromm moved from Oswego, New York
to Las Cruces, New Mexico. She writes, “After getting 10 feet of snow
in one week last February, we knew the time had come. Las Cruces gets
an average of three inches of snow a year so I won’t go cold turkey.”
Laurie is a volunteer in the city’s museum system and looks forward
to learning techniques for gardening in the Chihuahuan Desert.
77
Amy Lynn Barber (G), professor of music and former dean of the school
of music at DePauw University in Indiana, was the recipient of the
Distinguished Alumni Award from the Boston University School of Music.
She was cited for the diversity of her work as a performer, teacher,
and advocate for contemporary music, as well as her impact on the
musical landscape in central Europe, where she lived for over 12
years. She is founder and artistic director of The Percussion Plus
Project.
Paul Weiss ’81G writes, “My wife Leslie Arnold ’84 and I are proud
to announce that our son Max, a graduate of Andover High School, has
been admitted to the UMass Amherst class of 2011. He is currently being
home schooled in distraction avoidance skills to limit the likelihood
that he will turn out like his parents.”
George Scangos (G), president and CEO of Exelixis, was elected to the
board of directors for the California Healthcare Institute in La Jolla,
California.
79
Richard Leader writes, “I was sometimes known as ‘Richard S.’ when
I lived on campus in Patterson in Southwest and Rolling Green apartments.
Since graduating I’ve lived in southern California. If anyone out
there still remembers me, e-mail me at richincalif@cox.net. It’s
great to keep in touch with old classmates every several years.”
Lori Caron Silveira writes, “For nearly 25 years I have been a member
of the law firm of Tillinghast Licht LLP in Providence, Rhode Island,
concentrating on labor and employment law. I served as secretary of
the Labor and Employment Committee, the Rhode Island Bar Association,
and was recently recognized as a ‘Super Lawyer’ in Rhode Island.”
80
Bob Abramms (G), founder of ODT Inc. in Amherst, produced the film,
Arno Peters: Radical Map, Remarkable Man. This documentary explores
the history of how the Peters Equal Area World Map came into being.
For more check out www.odt.org.
Philip Day (G), the former chancellor of City College of San Francisco,
has been named president and CEO of the National Association of Student
Financial Aid Administrators by their board of directors.
Carolyn Veronica Guerra Varno is the executive director of the International
Center of Syracuse, a member of a 91-agency network that works with
the state department to program professional meetings for official
international visitors. She is a regular columnist for the Skaneateles
Journal in New York.
81
Michael and Eileen (Romeo) Barry ’82 let us know that their second
son, Richard, just completed his freshman year at UMass Amherst and
older brother, Mike ’08, graduated in May. He writes, “Our third
son, Chris, has been accepted and will begin classes in the fall.
There are two more sons after him.” Eileen works with Mike at Newburyport
Insurance, a firm he started in 1985. She is a volunteer and substitute
teacher in their public school system. In September 2007, Mike was
re-elected to serve a final term as Commodore of the Newburyport
Yacht Club.
Frederick Kuriger (G) is the executive vice president/chief operating
officer of Seton Health System in Troy, New York. He writes, “I’m working
on selling my house in the Claremont, New Hampshire area to move to
the Capital Region of New York. Friends can contact me at fkuriger@setonhealth.org.”
82
Tyler Brown lives in Medfield with his wife Mary
(Woods) ’82 and their
children, Caroline, 17, and Blake, 13. Tyler was recently named assistant
general manager for Toyota Motor Sales USA, Inc., and would love
to hear from old friends. Reach him at tyler_brown@toyota.com.
Steven Clow has been appointed vice president of quality at Wilkinson
industries, a food-packaging supplier in Fort Calhoun, Nebraska.
Mary Custard ’87G writes, “Several alumni vacationed together in beautiful
Cape Verde last summer. The group included Sidonio
Ferreira ’87, ’08G, Adonis Ferreira ’92, ’95G, Barry Magnus ’76, current UMass Amherst
undergrad Anton Pires ’09, Isabel (Medina) Ferreira
’06, Neusa Ribiero ’00, ’04G, and Claudine
Lima ’96, ’07G.” Visit umassmag.com/photos to see some of the travelers with the President of Cape Verde, The
Honorable Mr. Pedro Pires.
Calvin MacLean (G), department head and artistic director for the Clarence
Brown Theatre at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, was recently
elected vice president of the University Resident/Theatre Association
and elected membership into the National Theatre Conference.
Nancy Rawson (G) has been named chief scientific officer for WellGen,
Inc., in North Brunswick, New Jersey.
Patti Balbach Reeves writes, “I’m looking for friends of Ruth ‘Fu’
Leimonas ’84 who died unexpectedly in May 2003. She lived on the 17th
floor of JQA Southwest from 1979 to 1981. She was known as the ‘Wizard’
of Southwest. Anyone who would like to share in the memory of Ruth
please contact me at pattiannreeves@aol.com or 770-271-5885.”
83
Paul Healy writes, “I started a new job as chief communications officer
at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, responsible
for the university’s media relations, corporate and internal communications,
publications, Web site, and marketing. I was formerly vice president
of marketing and public affairs at Holy Redeemer Health System in
suburban Philadelphia.”
Mike Smigel writes, “I’m interested in reconnecting with old friends
from the upper floors of Webster from back in 1979-80 and 1982. Those
days were fun with Michelle, Ralph, John, Luke, Sandy, Andy, Brad,
etc. I would love to hear from you and can be e-mailed at mikes1430@charter.net.”
Mike works with Shaklee (www.shaklee.net/luvshak) and recently began
helping people live longer and healthier lives. “I would love to hear
from any alumni who have health concerns and want to remain healthy
and productive as they age.”
84
Theresa Godfrey (G), ’87G, a professor in the microbiology and molecular
genetics department at UT-Houston Medical School, was recently elected
to Fellowship in the American Academy of Microbiology.
Gordon Pogoda writes, “After a few years working
at an engineering firm, I decided to leave that career behind and
pursue my lifelong dream of songwriting. I moved to Los Angeles and,
after several years as a ‘struggling writer,’ slowly came to have
worldwide success in several areas of the music business.” His credits
include songs in
Little Miss Sunshine, Josie and the Pussycats,
CSI Miami, ER, Sex and the City, Will and Grace and King
of the Hill. His songs are on major
label albums released in North America, Europe, and Australia. One
of his songs (sung by pop/rock artist Sergey Lazarev) was the number
two song of the year in Russia in 2007. His business is called Music
to Your Ears. Visit Gold Records
on His Wall for more information.
85
Erica (Chenausky) Bodden and Kelly
(Staras) Dupuis ’89 received Shrewsbury
Media Connection’s SETV Producer of the Year Award for outstanding
contributions to Shrewsbury Educational Television. Together they
produce and host two shows: “Middle School News Network” and “Celebrating
Our Students.”
Bob Flynn was recently promoted to vice president in the treasury services
division at the Bank of New York–Mellon. He also received the Bank
of New York Mellon Star Award, which included a weeklong all expenses
paid vacation to the Phoenician Hotel in Scottsdale, Arizona. He writes,
“A big hello to former UMass roommates David Warnock
’84 and Bill Reynolds,
and good friends Brad Cowen ’89 and Bob
Cooke ’89. Go Minutemen football!”
Kevin Moriarty, a pediatric surgeon in Springfield and an associate
clinical professor of surgery at Tufts University School of Medicine,
became a member of the New England Surgical Society.
86
Bob D’Ambrosio ’89G ran the 2008 Boston Marathon as part of the Children’s
Hospital “Miles For Miracles” team. Bob is teaching elementary band
in Plymouth, playing clarinet with the New Bedford Symphony, and
alto sax with the group Situation. He spends most of his time trying
to keep up with daughters Rosa and Maria. He writes, “Wife, Su
’89,
tries in vain to keep us all in control.”
Catherine Alman MacDonagh has been selected as president of The Legal
Sales and Service Organization, Inc., in Boston.
Garry McCarthy, a civil engineer in the Westford office of the design
firm, Stantec, was promoted from senior associate to principal. He
now is the managing leader of the company’s environmental infrastructure
group in New England.
87
Bill Bennett writes, “After working in alumni relations and development
at Clark University in Worcester for 18 years, I accepted a position
at Bentley in Waltham as the director of the Bentley Fund, their
annual giving program.” Bill can be reached at wbennett@bentley.edu.
Michael Jurnak, a principal and CPA with Berry, Dunn, McNeil & Parker,
has recently been appointed principal in their Manchester, New Hampshire,
office. He is a member of the firm’s manufacturing and high technology
industry groups.
Sandy Lish, principal and co-founder of the Castle Group in Boston,
an independent public relations and event management agency, has been
named a 2008 Women’s Business Enterprise Star by the Women’s Business
Enterprise National Council, the leading advocate for women’s businesses
as suppliers to the nations’ leading corporations.
David Schwartz was accepted to the Florence Biennale in November 2007,
an international contemporary art exhibition held every two years in
the Historical Fortezza da Basso in Florence, Italy. He is president
of Artzworks in Oxnard, California. Visit artzworks.com for more information.
88
Paul Conlin, an actuary at Aetna in Hartford for 20 years, wrote a
book review for the January/February 2008 issue of Contingencies,
a bi-monthly magazine of the American Academy of Actuaries. He lives
in Cromwell, Connecticut with his wife Jill and their twins, Chad
and Chase.
Jim David writes, “Former housemates Matt Cushing, Jon Luscko, Matty
Crine, Michael O’Connor, and myself, spent the Fourth of July 2007
together with their families in Duxbury. It had been 18 years since
the guys had last gathered. Their sixth housemate, Kevin “Derby” Burgwinkle,
was unable to attend. Tragically, it was to be the last time the group
would be together as Matty Crine died just weeks later when the single-engine
plane he was piloting crashed outside of Denver on September 15. Matty
had lived in Colorado since graduation and was an avid outdoorsman
and adventurer, spending his free time mountain biking, hiking, skydiving,
whitewater rafting, golfing, and flying. His free spirit and friendship
will be greatly missed.” A Website has been set up in Matty’s honor
at www.mattycrine.com.
Kathleen Kelly has joined The Collaborative Companies and Velocity
Marketing in Boston as marketing manager.
Marla (Zirkes) Satinsky writes, “After 14 years in Milwaukee, Wisconsin,
my family and I have moved back to the Washington, DC, area. I have
been bumping into UMass alums more often here on the East Coast. I
found myself part of a school carpool with Marcela
Kogan ’79! I’d love
to hear from old friends and can be reached at rocknrn@earthlink.net.”
89
Eran Lobel, executive producer of Element Productions in Allston, has
been hired by Meow Mix to produce an online reality show, meowmixhouse.com,
similar to the popular “Survivor,” but featuring cats. Ten cats from
shelters around the country will live in a specially built house
in New York City with webcams watching their every move. Visitors
to the site will vote on which cat they think would make the best
vice president of research and development—translation, food tester.
Eran’s other clients include Dunkin’ Donuts, Fidelity, GM, Dannon,
General Mills, and British Sky TV.
90
Luis Reteguiz Denizard is a professional horse rider and trainer and
runs the Delante Equestrian Center in Smithfield, Rhode Island. In
addition he competes in the sport of dressage and hopes to be competing
in the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing, representing Puerto Rico. Visit
www.delantedressage.com for more info.
Mary (Neylon) Talbot and her husband, Mike, had their third child,
Julianne Lily in August 2007. She joins brother, Joey, and sister,
Madeline.
91
Jeffrey Donovan is starring in the television series Burn Notice, which
airs on the cable station USA. An actor for more than 20 years, his
previous work includes parts on Another World, Crossing Jordan, Law & Order,
Monk, and many other recognizable shows.
Beth (Bardon) Roy writes, “I moved back to Massachusetts in June 2006
to work for the same company, Battelle, an international science and
technology enterprise, as my mother and brother, Dan
Bardon ’98. I
bought a house in Plymouth and got married in 2007.” Guests at her
wedding included Donna (Adametz) Storton ’95, matron of honor, her
husband, Mark Storton ’96G, Jeffrey ’95 and Sandra
(Durant) Bardon ’93, Kevin Bardon ’01, ’07G and Dan
Bardon ’88. “It’s great to
be back in Massachusetts! A special hello to all the UMass Transit
alumni I worked with.”
92
Kim Davis leads marketing and creative development at the Massachusetts
beverage company, owater. She began her career as the designer/art
director for Nantucket Nectars. When the company was sold, she moved
on to a Boston ad agency. One of the founders of Nantucket Nectars
began owater and recruited Kim to define the brand and help to propel
its growth. Check out owater.com to see Kim’s designs.
Stacy (Weisman) Dugan lives in Grapevine, Texas with her husband Tim
and daughter, Carly, who was born in October 2007. She writes, “I have
had multiple jobs since graduating from UMass including teacher, research
consultant, software developer, and manager. I now look forward to
my most challenging and important work yet—as mommy!” Stacy can be
reached at stacy_dugan@yahoo.com.
Christine Solt has been selected by the Boston Business Journal to
receive the “40 Under 40” award for 2007. She is the chair of Choate,
Hall & Stewart’s health care practice group.
93
Shyno Chacko married Neel Pandey in Lucknow, India, on December 29,
2007. A stateside reception was held at the LongFellow Wayside Inn
in Sudbury with Tom Navin ’92, ’00G, Eric McLaughlin,
Maria Kubik ’94, Carrie (Walker) ’94 and Rich
Copp ’94, Rachel Forsyth Tuerck ’92, Terri Forte, Tamara Stanton,
Paul Bourgeois ’92, Paul Specht, and Deborah McGill attending.
Neil Costa built a completely online college fair at www.collegeweeklive.com,
a new way for students to look for colleges and universities. He writes,
“We launched our first event in November 2007 and picked up some great
national coverage in USA Today. We are at about 10 people now but two
of the first five employees are UMass alumni, Mike Garvin ’99, and
myself. The company is called PlatformQ and will continue to build
more virtual events beyond the college fairs in 2008.”
Chris Dunbar writes, “I recently finished a two-year project working
as the field manager of the USAID funded Post-Tsunami Sustainable Coastal
Livelihoods Program in Raong, Thailand. From 1995-1997 I was a Peace
Corps volunteer in Laem Son Marine National Park in Ranong. The park
was destroyed by a tsunami in 2004. Thankfully, none of the staff were
killed. After returning from Thailand in 1997 I worked as a fisheries
observer, a tour guide in Alaska, and an environmental scientist.”
Prior to returning to Thailand in 2005 to assist in the Tsunami rehabilitation,
he spent five ears working as an oceanographic technician and captain
of several research vessels investigating fresh-water and coastal systems
along the eastern seaboard.
Shelia Kennison (G, ’95G) received the Regents Distinguished Teaching
Award in 2007 from Oklahoma State University in Stillwater. She is
an associate professor in the Department of Psychology.
94
Carrie-Anne (Cunningham) and Kevin
Monroe ’95 were named Foster Parents
of the Year in 2007. She writes, “We provided a child specific home
for an adolescent for the last four years and he is now a freshman
at UMass.” They also have a daughter, Catherine, 4, and son, Michael,
2, at home in East Longmeadow.
Tammy (Barlow) Murphy is an assistant professor of economics at the
University of Massachusetts Boston. She and her husband, Tim Murphy,
had their first child, Isabella Carmen FuXun Murphy, through adoption.
Pierre Tehrany has been named senior technical architect in the San
Francisco office of Avenue A | Razorfish.
95
Sally Curcio, a Northampton artist, had her work chosen for the inaugural
show at the Stone Soup Gallery (stonesoupconcrete.com) in Florence.
Sally studied at Williams College and the American College in London,
England.
Ed Gallozi of Wilmington, is the owner of The Perfect Pet Place, an
online store selling clothing and accessories for dogs, cats, and other
pets. Visit theperfectpetplace.com to spoil yours.
Ziv Gillat, a computer engineer in Mountain View, California, launched
a new Hi-Tech company on October 30, 2007 with three of his friends,
also computer engineers. Eye-Fi enables photos to be uploaded automatically
from your camera to your computer or website without cables. It’s actually
quite an amazing product which has won awards and gained attention
in the electronics world. It’s sold at most large retailers. Visit
www.eye.fi for more information.
Matthew Gold and his wife, Julie, recently opened a café and catering
business in Jamesburg, New Jersey. He writes, “We would love to have
some alumni stop by when they are in the area to say hello.” Reach
him at chefmsq@aol.com.
Andrew Putnam earned an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg
School in Evanston, Illinois.
96
Greg and Carly (Beauvais) Lafrate welcomed their third
daughter, Gracelin Ray, on October 24, 2007. She joins sisters, Adrienne,
5, and Julia, 3, at home in Pawtucket, Rhode Island.
Ryan Jette, director of recreation for the town of Franklin, was last
years recipient of the Heights Award. The award is given by the Massachusetts
State Lottery and Boston College Athletics to someone who has made
significant contributions to women’s athletics. It was presented to
Ryan during half-time of the Boston College vs. University of New Hampshire
women’s basketball game on November 27.
Reza Sarkarati, principal at the Coelho Middle School in Attleboro,
writes, “My assistant principal, Jim Rose ’70, and I are working together
this year for the first time. Although we graduated decades apart,
the education courses at UMass provided both of us with the solid foundation
necessary to lead a school committed to academic excellence and educational
equity for each student.”
97
Beth Bresnahan is the associate vice president for clients in the financial
services, real estate, and retail industries at Rasky Baerlein Strategic
Communications in Boston.
Julie Hett welcomed a baby girl home to Bellingham. Anna was born on
December 8, 2007.
Brian Kahn, the director of engineering for content personalization
at SeaChange International, Inc. in Acton, has been named to the Worcester
Business Journal’s fifth annual “40 Under Forty” list.
Thomas Kim lives in New York City and is a manager of risk and insurance
operations for the private equity fund Cerberus Capital Management.
In this role he advises Cerberus’ portfolio companies and performs
due diligence on acquisitions.
98
Dan Bureau (G) received the Perspectives Award from the Association
of Fraternity Advisors (AFA) for his article entitled Beyond the
Rhetoric and Into the Action of the Values Movement. Dan is a doctoral
student in Higher Education and Student Affairs at Indiana University
and has served AFA as the 2004 president. He has been actively involved
in the fraternal movement for over ten years.
Becky Edelman married Derek Levy on June 10 at the Brooklyn Botanic
Gardens in New York City. Deena (Meyerowitz) Hollander,
Kellie (Sullivan) Cahill, and Jim Pizano
’99 attended.
Keith Paul writes, “I left my position as associate art director at
UMass Amherst in December after nearly 10 years of service to my alma
mater. I’ve taken on a career in interactive marketing and user experience
at MassMutual in Springfield where I’m sharing a cubicle wall with
fellow class member, Jay Leeman.”
99
Tezlyn Kraft married Patrick Reardon of Springfield in October. Tez
works as a business analyst with NetJets, Inc.; Patrick works for
the workforce development office with the state of Ohio. They live
in Reynoldsburg, Ohio with their first child, Tyson, born on Valentines
Day.
Cynthia Strock recently married James Venendaal with classmates Erica
Inerfeld, Elizabeth Stevens, David Reisman, Melissa Vargas ’98 and
Mathew Vargas ’98 attending the ceremony. Cynthia earned a master’s
in public health in 2002 from The University of Northern Colorado and
a PhD in clinical science from the University of Colorado Health Sciences
Center in 2007. She works for Array Biopharma, a biotech company in
Boulder.
00
Prithu Bhasin writes, “People, where are you all? I’m in Sydney just
trying to find out who is where. Let me know at prithub@hotmail.com.”
Joe Burke has been promoted to supervisor in the accounting department
of Gray, Gray & Gray, LLP, in Westwood.
Kofi Cash writes, “It is with great pride and happiness that I will
be returning home, back to my beloved New England, clam chowder, fall
foliage, and the Red Sox.” He has accepted a new job and promotion
as director of quality and patient safety for Speare Memorial Hospital
in Plymouth, New Hampshire. “As you can imagine, my family has received
this news with profound emotion and anticipation. Moreover, the opportunity
will allow me to participate more fully in alumni affairs both at UMass
Amherst and Dartmouth College. I look forward to extricating my warm
clothes from the closet and once again purchasing chapstick and skull
caps.” Previously, he worked as a healthcare performance improvement
specialist at Sutter Health in Sacramento, California.
Brian Flynn was recently named partner at the Framingham-based executive
search firm, Polachi. He writes, “In my new position, I will focus
on CEO and C-level searches for consumer and consumer electronics companies
as well as industrial and operations positions across all industries.”
Previously, he worked with two regional search firms, and spent five
years as managing director in the Boston office of Korn/Ferry. E-mail
him at brian@polachi.com.
Chris Howell and Jessica Broomhead were married in December in Providence,
Rhode Island, at the Federal Reserve. Jess is a nurse practitioner
and recently graduated from Regis College. Chris is in the MBA program
at Boston College and the MPA program at Suffolk University. Many UMass
alumni were invited. From the track team (which Chris was on), Brian
Cronin ’02, Joe Gans ’02, Doug Gush ’01, and Kevin
Kacamburas ’01.
Other (non-runners) invited were: current student Alex
Broomhead, Beth Brennan, Danielle (Robertson) Cook, Nick Fisichella
’01, Duncan Miller ’02, Chris Patti, April (Jeffers ’01) and Chris
Preisler, Jess (Lee) Snyder ’99, Crystal Carlson ’01, and Mike Thompson ’02.
Danielle Skillin is a marketing manager at Berry, Dunn, McNeil & Parker,
one of the largest CPA and management consulting firms in northern
New England. A principal with the firm, Michael Jurnak ’87, was recently
appointed principal in charge of the Manchester, New Hampshire office
in the manufacturing and high technology industry groups.
01
Melanie Haslam married Robert Kolek in September in Guilford, Connecticut
with Christine Bedard in the wedding party. Melanie is a litigation
attorney for Gibson & Behman, P.C., and they live in Branford
with their yellow lab, Spencer.
Barrie Reinhold of Tenafly, New Jersey, has been promoted to associate
manager of sales and marketing operation in the Trade Group at Scholastic,
Inc.
Gary Roberts, an environmental scientist at Tighe & Bond in Westfield,
has obtained certification from the American Petroleum Institute as
an above ground storage tank inspector.
02
Matthew Bencal and Meghan Davis, former neighbors in Puffton Village,
were married in Falmouth in August 2007. In attendance were Erik
’01 and Jill (DeCisero) Price ’01, Niki (Allison) Rossi ’01, Sarah
Hall ’01, Maria (Boucher) Morgan ’01, Liza (Lucivero) Patrone ’01,
Brian Sasso ’01, Lauren Brannigan, Diana (Mockler) Gordon, Seth Rosen
’06, Zac ’01 and Alyssa (Delario) Bohlen ’03, Wendy (Hughes) Kimball
’01, Diane (Parslow) Macari ’01, Andrew Hosman ’01, Mark Vautour
’03, Matt Vautour ’96, Maurice Caprice ’01, Jon Newman ’03G, and
Jackie Wiley ’03G. Matthew is a special education teacher, Meghan
a registered nurse. They recently returned to Massachusetts after
living in San Diego for two years.
Jeff Perlman earned his JD from Boston College Law School in 2006 and
is an attorney for the New York City Office of Management and Budget.
He married Jill Starkweather in June 2007 and they live in Manhattan.
Farshad Seihoun submitted a photo of himself while he modeled for photographers
and greeted celebrities at a red carpet event in Hollywood, California.
Check him out at umassmag.com/photos.
03
Adzo (Amegayibor) Ashie (G) is dean of students and community affairs
at Ashesi University in Ghana, West Africa. She began her career
at Ashesi as associate director of career placement. She writes,
“Ashesi is five years old this year, a youngster but setting a fresh
course for Ghana’s universities. It is modeled very much in the tradition
of American liberal arts education. The students, founder, and staff
are all remarkable, winning awards and truly are examples of the
schools purpose: ‘to educate a generation of ethical leaders for
Africa.’”
Jennifer Pierce received her Juris doctor degree from New England School
of Law in May 2007.
04
Marzi Alavi has been promoted to senior account manager at Regan Communications
in New York City.
Patrick Brown recently joined Borrego Solar as an energy consultant
working with residential and commercial customers designing their customized
solar energy system. E-mail patrick.brown.j@gmail.com to reconnect
or to get more information.
Askarbek Mambetaliev (G) writes, “I’m an alumnus from the Kyrgyz Republic,
Eurasia, currently a visiting scholar to New York University. I miss
a lot the UMass campus with its golden fall and green spring.” Visit
his website at http://cie.netfirms.com.
06
Nathan Rothstein, founder of Young Urban Rebuilding Professionals (YURP)
is featured in the new book, Millennial Leaders: Success Stories
from Today’s Most Brilliant Generation Y Leaders (millennialleaders.com).
He founded New Orleans Yurp in 2007. For more information visit www.nolayurp.com.
Mike Sances has been hired as network coordinator for the Woburn-based
nonprofit, Social Capital Inc.
Danielle Jo White (G) is engaged to marry Adam Yelito in the fall of
2008 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Danielle is a music teacher in the Woburn
school district; Adam is a systems engineer for Raytheon. They live
in Somerville.
07
Gregg Allen has been hired by the NBA’s Charlotte Bobcats after completing
training at the Game Face Executive Academy in Portland, Oregon.
David Rich of Framingham was a contestant in September 2007 on the
television game show, Who Wants to be a Millionaire. According to the
TV show website, he didn’t win the million, but walked away with $16,000.
To see David in action go to www.umass.com/photos.
08
Adam Zinkievich participated in The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi’s
2007 Triennial Convention held in Orlando, Florida, in August 2007.
Visit umassmag.com/photos to see Adam with Dr. Paul Ferlazzo and
Dr. Robert Rogow, past and present presidents of the Society.


