1950s
Dale A. Lowry ’54, ’65 MS EMS was recently recognized for his pioneering contributions to the field of numerical weather prediction. Lowry has authored and co-authored 50 scientific manuscripts. One of his most influential contributions, the introduction of Model Output Statistics (MOS), led to the MOS prediction model, which has been used in daily operations at the National Meteorological Center for more than 50 years and has played a crucial role in transforming weather forecasting from an art into a science. He and his wife of 69 years, Charlotte, live in Gaithersburg, Md.
1960s
31st CENTURY LIFE: Richard Carson Bailey’s first novel, Panacea: The Age of Ag, imagines life in a distant AI-controlled future through the eyes of a rebellious teen. Bailey ’68 Lib has worked as a copywriter and a computer programmer.
1970s
Timothy W. Jones ’73, ’78 MS Eng, and Marian Koelbler Jones ’76 H&HD celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. They were married on March 13, 1976, in Eisenhower Chapel. They live in Lancaster, Pa.
CANCER CHRONICLE: In his recently published memoir, Beat It, Kenneth Michael DeGennaro ’74 Com writes about his experiences with prostate cancer, from diagnosis through treatment and healing. DeGennaro, who had a long career in television, is also a musician and is working on a second book, Code of the Superhuman.
Robert Elias ’74, ’81 PhD Lib has been awarded the 2025 Seymour Medal for the best baseball history or biography by the Society for American Baseball Research for his book, Dangerous Danny Gardella: Baseball’s Neglected Trailblazer for Today’s Millionaire Athletes. He lives in Mill Valley, Calif.
Mike Fergus ’77 H&HD achieved his 700th career win as a high school head basketball coach when his Dock Mennonite Academy team defeated The Christian Academy 56-45 on Feb. 2. Fergus, in his 44th year as a high school head coach and 49th overall, played at Penn State for Coach Johnny Bach. He lives in Lansdale, Pa.
Guy Junker ’78 Com has been named Distinguished Highlander and was elected to the Baldwin-Whitehall Hall of Fame in January. He is the Pittsburgh Pirates public address announcer at PNC Park. He lives with his wife, Darla, in Pittsburgh.
1980s
Laurie Lake ’80 Bus retired after a 45-year career in financial services, including 31 years as a financial adviser/investment manager with Hopper Soliday, Tucker Anthony, Gibb Financial Services, and 21 years with Raymond James Financial Services. She lives in Mechanicsburg, Pa.
Starr Rosenhand Diethorn ’82 Bus has published the fourth book in her Berkshire Hills Mystery series, Death at Dragon’s Peak. She lives in Long Valley, N.J.
Tom Pearl ’84 Bus retired from Andersen Windows in August 2025 after 40 years in the millwork distribution industry, having worked in sales, operations management, project management, and inventory control management. He also coached high school football and basketball for 22 years for the Mechanicsburg School District. He lives in Dover, Pa.
Mary Lou Harju ’86, ’87 MS Bus, executive director of the United Way of Beaver County, was recently elected to the United Way of Pennsylvania’s Board of Directors. She lives in Aliquippa, Pa.
Wayne Palmer ’86 Lib was confirmed by the U.S. Senate and sworn in as Assistant Secretary of Labor to lead the Mine Safety & Health Administration (MSHA), the federal enforcement agency responsible for promoting the day-to-day safety and long-term health of 325,000 miners across nearly 13,000 U.S. mines and quarries. Palmer previously served as acting and deputy assistant secretary at MSHA, following roles as White House senior adviser and chief of staff at the Department of Labor. He most recently served as executive vice president at the Essential Minerals Association. He also worked in Congress for 13 years, most recently as chief of staff to Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum. He lives in Alexandria, Va.
Lori Ozoroski ’87, ’90 MS Eng works on NASA’s Quesst mission, and recently achieved a mission milestone with the first flight of the X-59, the mission’s centerpiece aircraft. She manages the team that will conduct NASA’s Quesst mission’s acoustic and validation testing, as well as the community overflight tests, and has more than 30 years of experience in commercial supersonic aircraft design and design methodologies under many supersonic projects at NASA. Before joining NASA in 1994, Ozoroski worked as a research engineer for Lockheed Martin Engineering & Sciences LLC. She lives in Poquoson, Va.
Margaret (Peggy) Connolly ’88 Eng retired after working with the U.S. Navy at Naval Surface Warfare Center Philadelphia Division, formerly Naval Ship Systems Engineering Station, where she began her journey as a Penn State co-op student in 1985. Upon completing her degree, she supported the Naval Fleet in the fields of instrumentation and submarine management support before transitioning to metrology and calibration. She advanced to the position of shipboard instrumentation and systems calibration engineering agent for the NAVSEA Test and Monitoring Systems program, where she provided technical policy and procedures for implementation to the Fleet. She lives in Springfield, Pa.
1990s
Maureen C. Jones ’91, ’98 MS, ’14 PhD H&HD was selected to serve as president and CEO of the Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education, effective March 1, 2026. A nationally recognized accreditation strategist and healthcare education leader, she has played a central role in shaping CAHME’s modern standards framework and advancing its mission, and she will focus on advancing CAHME’s value as a partner in healthcare management education through strategic partnerships, use of data and technology to strengthen accreditation value, financial sustainability, and innovation, and the engagement of volunteers, programs, and stakeholders across the healthcare education ecosystem. She lives in State College.
Nathaniel C. Law ’92 Medicine founded Doctors First Staffing, a physician-founded locum tenens company focused on supporting doctors, strengthening hospital partnerships, and ensuring reliable, high-quality patient care. He has spent more than 30 years practicing hospital anesthesia in California and has had leadership roles as a medical director and regional anesthesia medical director. He lives in Campbell, Calif.
Thomas E. Strunk ’95 Lib published The Lives of Cato the Younger From Ancient Rome to Modern America with University of Michigan Press, a book that had its origins in his undergraduate honors thesis. He is an associate professor of Classics at Xavier University in Cincinnati. He lives in Cincinnati.
Joelle Dietrick ’96 A&A exhibited her video installation, “Chasing the Sun,” at the European Cultural Centre during the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale, and presented a paper on the project at the New Media Caucus Symposium at Arizona State University’s Media and Immersive eXperience Center. Dietrick is a professor at Davidson College near Charlotte, N.C. She lives in Davidson, N.C.
Kristopher Loy Simmers ’96 Lib published The Goldfish, the Castle, and the Dragon, a soulful blend of fable and practical wisdom that offers readers of all ages a powerful road map to living with purpose, courage, and heart—in every area of life. He lives in Joshua Tree, Calif.
Wendy (Rineer) Miller ’97 Agr (Blue Band) is this year’s recipient of the National Audubon Society’s Tamar Chotzen Educator of the Year Award, which recognizes extraordinary dedication, leadership, impact, and commitment demonstrated by an Audubon educator whose primary role is on-the-ground education at an Audubon center or state office. She has advanced Audubon’s mission for more than 28 years and is the education program manager at the Sharon Audubon Center in Sharon, Conn. She lives in Torrington, Conn.
2000s
Amy Doherty ’00 Abgt, ’06 MBA Bus is the chief information officer of The World Bank, where she oversees the development of high-tech tools such as blockchain-based loans and AI to keep the World Bank connected in conflict areas and underdeveloped regions. Read the full profile.
Melody Karle ’02 Com is dean of library and learning innovation at Eastern Oregon University. She lives in La Grande, Ore.
Michael J. Trettel ’02 Eng was promoted by commercial property development firm Tarlton to senior vice president. In this new role, Trettel, an experienced leader with more than 20 years of service in the construction industry, will expand his corporate responsibilities and leadership at the firm and continue to provide executive oversight of and drive growth in the energy, industrial, water/wastewater, and civil markets, as well as to Tarlton’s self-perform and special projects groups. Trettel joined Tarlton in 2022 as director of strategic markets. He lives in Fenton, Mo.
Joseph Apatov ’07 Lib joined Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP’s national consumer financial services group in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Previously at McGlinchey Stafford, he has extensive experience leading class action defense teams and handling individual litigation nationwide, particularly those involving consumer protection and privacy statutes. He regularly represents financial services clients, including fintechs, automobile finance companies, and mortgage lenders, in a wide array of consumer claims. He lives in Parkland, Fla.
Cameron Conaway ’07 Lib has joined the management and organization department in Penn State’s Smeal College of Business. A Harvard Business Review contributor, Conaway is a former investigative journalist and professional mixed martial artist with 15 years of corporate leadership experience. He blends these diverse experiences to teach courses on ethical leadership and social responsibility. He lives in State College.
Danilo Mendoza ’07 Nur has been promoted to director of inpatient nursing services at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, Md. Previously department chair of critical care at the Department of Defense’s only joint intensive care units, Mendoza now leads 14 inpatient nursing units across a workforce of Army, Navy, Air Force, and civilian professionals. In this role, he advances high-reliability, mission-ready care at the Defense Health Agency’s premier military treatment facility serving the national capital region. He lives in Arlington, Va.
John W. Volence ’07 Eng was promoted to chief operations officer at Precis Engineering + Architecture, an award-winning design firm with offices in Ambler, Pa., and Cary, N.C. He lives in Horsham, Pa.
Lynzie Nebel ’08 Sci has been appointed chair of the 2026 executive committee for the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE), a global professional organization dedicated to advancing plastics science, engineering, and professional development. She brings 18 years of experience in custom injection molding to her new role and will help guide SPE’s strategic direction and member engagement. She lives in Harborcreek, Pa.
Luis Camillo Osorio de Almeida ’08 Edu received the PRNEWS Outstanding HBCU Educator of the Year award, three Telly awards, and after multiple tenures in college and universities, is now director of the Center for Teaching Excellence at Midlands Technical College in West Columbia, S.C. He lives in Lexington, S.C.
Lauren Moison ’09 H&HD founded Nittany Candle Company, a State College-based home scents business that offers nontoxic, Happy Valley–themed candles and scents. She lives in State College.
2010s
Rosy Thachil ’10 Sci, director of the cardiac intensive care unit at NYC Health + Hospitals’ Elmhurst Hospital Center, was named to Modern Healthcare’s 40 Under 40 list for 2026. Thachil is a quadruple board-certified cardiologist and a physician leader working at the intersection of acute cardiovascular care, health equity, and innovation. As director of the Elmhurst CICU, she leads a multidisciplinary team in providing life-saving care to the most critically ill cardiac patients. She is also an assistant professor of cardiology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. She lives in New York, N.Y.
Michael R. Duffy ’11 Lib has been promoted to shareholder of Marshall Dennehey’s workers’ compensation department. His practice focuses on defending employers and insurance carriers in matters related to workers’ compensation and he represents employers across numerous industries including trucking, construction, landscaping, manufacturing, hospitality, and long-term care. Duffy is a member of the Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Coalition, Brehon Law Society, Philadelphia Bar Association, and Judge Alexander F. Barbieri Workers’ Compensation Inn of Court. He lives in Downingtown, Pa.
William S. Cossen ’12 MA, ’16 PhD Lib received the American Catholic Historical Association’s inaugural Christopher J. Kauffman Prize in U.S. Catholic History for his book Making Catholic America: Religious Nationalism in the Gilded Age and Progressive Era. The Kauffman Prize is awarded to a monograph that provides new and challenging insight into the study of U.S. Catholic history. He lives in Decatur, Ga.
Joshua B. Branch ’13 Lib has taught middle and high school and law school. He is also an advocate for youth in the juvenile justice and foster care systems and adviser to governors and the Department of Justice on criminal justice reform. He also studied artificial intelligence policy and governance and now works in AI governance, advising policymakers across the U.S. and Europe. He recently testified before Congress and lives in Washington, D.C.
Caleb Krauter ’16 Sci, ’18 Bus Hbg was named Top Young Professional by Engineering-News Record, a regional publication of the construction industry, one of 25 individuals the publication describes as “emerging leaders shaping the future of design and construction” in their region. Krauter manages the team providing water and wastewater services in the Harrisburg office of Herbert, Rowland & Grubic Inc (HRG). He began his career at HRG as an intern and in his time with the firm has helped drive key innovations such as the implementation of augmented reality and virtual reality technologies and the development of the firm’s intern development program. He is also an active member of the Water Environment Federation (WEF), Pennsylvania Water Environment Association (PWEA), and Central Pennsylvania Water Quality Association (CPWQA). He lives in Manheim, Pa.
Michael Marcantonini ’17 Com, former sports director for University Park’s student radio station, hosts a YouTube interview series called “All MIKE’d Up,” in which he interviews baseball players and other key figures in the game. Read the full profile.
2020s
Adam Barsouk ’20 Sci published Outsmarting Cancer: Risk Reduction and the Power of Prevention, which reframes cancer prevention through a sweeping examination of its true origins: biological, environmental, dietary, infectious, industrial, occupational, and behavioral. Barsouk is an oncology fellow at Johns Hopkins University and a resident physician at the University of Pennsylvania. His articles about science, medicine, and policy have been featured in Forbes, Newsweek, Fox News, and Business Insider. He lives in Pittsburgh.
At age 17, Dhruv Sringari ’21 Eng and a friend developed an app that helped streamline the traffic in high school hallways and reduce classroom interruptions. SmartPass became a successful startup whose services are now being used in more than 5,000 schools around the country and overseas. Read the full profile.
