Class Notes: January / February 2025

Catch up with your classmates' weddings, new jobs, publications, awards, and more.

 

1960s

Charles W. Ford ’61 Edu, ’62 MEd Edu, a multiple myeloma coach and longtime volunteer at Health Tree University, traveled to Park City, Utah, to consult with Johnson & Johnson administrators on Darzalex and Tecvayli, multiple myeloma drug options for patients and health care teams. Ford was a former dean, president, and professor with over 30 years of service at the University of New England, the largest private university in Maine. He lives in York, S.C.

Alan E. Haberbusch ’64 Eng, a retired U.S. Air Force aerospace engineer, was inducted into the Alumni Hall of Fame of Brighton High School, Rochester, N.Y. He lives in Niceville, Fla.

 

1970s

Travis Martin Tallman ’72 Edu received the New Jersey Speech-Language-Hearing Association Lifetime Achievement Award for 2024. She was recognized for her dedication to individuals with complex communication needs who require augmentative communication and assistive technology, as well as for her 40-year commitment to the field of speech language pathology. Tallman has presented widely in AAC/AT and worked at the New Jersey Institute for Disabilities for 47 years. She lives in Whitehouse Station, N.J. Her husband: Barron Tallman ’68 Lib, ’68 Lib, ’74 MS Eng.

Dean Alan Conrad ’74 Lib, a former newspaper reporter and columnist, published After Dark, the first of a vampire trilogy that is also a commentary on a society that allows for homelessness and drug abuse. He lives in Pottsville, Pa.

 

book cover of My Daddy Has a Green Thumb, courtesyGREAT GARDENER: In Gerald Roache’s first children’s book, My Daddy Has a Green Thumb, a little boy whose father is a marvel in the garden wonders why his thumb isn’t green when everyone says it is. Roache ’77 Com has worked as a creative director on Madison Avenue. His work has appeared on radio and television.

 

Gary S. Folcik ’78 Bus Hbg retired from Delta Dental on April 1, 2024, after 16 years of customer service. He lives in Carlisle, Pa.

Andrew Foyle ’79 Bus retired as president and COO of H&H Machined Products in Erie, Pa., a company he owned for 15 years. He and his wife, Deb, live in Fairview, Pa.

Dennis A. Whitaker ’79 H&HD has been appointed by the Pennsylvania Bar Association president, Nancy Conrad, to serve on the PBA’s Amicus Curiae Brief Committee, a specialized committee charged with identifying legal issues that have relevance to the bar in general. Whitaker is a partner at Hawke McKeon & Sniscak and an adjunct professor of law at Widener Commonwealth Law School. He lives in Harrisburg, Pa.

 

1980s

Steve A. Hann ’80 EMS, principal at law firm Hamburg, Rubin, Mullin, Maxwell & Lupin, spoke on a Pennsylvania Municipal Authorities Association webinar titled “EPA’s New Drinking Water Regulation for PFAS.” His environmental law practice focuses on PFAS-related issues. He lives in Jamison, Pa.

Norina Wolfe Bentzel ’81 Edu (Blue Band) published Glorious Sadness. The book is based on the aftermath of a 2001 machete attack that took place in the elementary school where she was principal. She lives with her husband, Jim Bentzel ’81 Eng, in York, Pa.

 

 

Suzy Cheely wearing hard hat posing next to roller coast track, courtesy

ENGINEERING FUN AT BUSCH GARDENS: As vice president of design and engineering for Busch Gardens Williamsburg and neighboring Water Country USA, Suzy Cheely ’81 Eng has supervised the construction of nearly half of the theme park's roller coasters, along with recent renovations to the 46-year-old Loch Ness Monster, the first roller coaster in the world to feature interlocking loops. Read the full profile.

 

 

Judith Penrose Smith ’81 H&HD retired after 37 years as a middle school counselor in the school district of Springfield Township, Pa. She lives in Glenside, Pa.

Douglas E. Matyas ’82 EMS retired on July 3, 2024, after a 41-year career with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). He retired as a supervisory energy industry analyst specializing in electric rates and tariffs. He lives in Lovettsville, Va.

William MacDonald ’84 Eng retired from a 36-year career with Lockheed Martin Corp. in Fort Worth, Texas. He worked on software development for F-16, F-22, and F-35 aircraft and other programs. He lives in Azle, Texas.

John Morgan ’86 Agr and his wife, Cathleen, celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary with a North Atlantic cruise. After stops in eastern Canada and Greenland, they ended up in Sudavik, Iceland, visiting an arctic fox rehab facility. They live in State College.

Lauri Christiansen Wegner ’86 Bus has joined construction management company Broadway National & Umbrava as the senior director of marketing. She and her family live in Kings Park, N.Y.

Paula A. Duda Holoviak ’87 MPA Lib, professor and graduate coordinator of the Master of Public Administration program at Kutztown University, published a new book, Pennsylvania Government and Politics. For 30 years, she has taught courses in state and local government, public policy, and public administration. She specializes in economic and community development in rural Pennsylvania, and she has published numerous research studies in collaboration with the Center for Rural Pennsylvania. She lives in Sugarloaf, Pa.

Eric Holland ’88 Sci (NROTC, Lion Ambassadors) was promoted to vice president of human resources for Tindall Corporation. After his naval career, he spent over 30 years working in HR and leads the HR strategies and services for over 1,200 Tindall associates. He lives with his wife, Nancy ’90 Bus, in Spartanburg, S.C.

Cornel D. Pewewardy ’89 PhD Edu was inducted into the Oklahoma Educators Hall of Fame for his contributions to education in Oklahoma. Pewewardy is Comanche and Kiowa and former Vice Chair of the Comanche Nation. He serves as an associate professor at the University of Central Oklahoma, a professor of practice at Kansas State University, and as an adjunct faculty member at numerous colleges and universities in Oklahoma and across the country. He lives in Oklahoma City.

GayMarie West Vaughan ’89 Edu (ΔΔΔ) was named the endowed Victor F. White Master Teaching Chair in English at the St. Mark’s School of Texas. She has been a member of the English faculty there since 2012. She lives in Dallas.

Michael B. Watto ’89 Sci, medical director of Health First Family Care Center, was named a New Hampshire Magazine “Top Doctor” for the third straight year. He lives in Plymouth, N.H.

 

1990s

David Knepp ’91 Lib, was promoted to director of the Substance Abuse Counseling Center for the U.S. Marine Corps at Henderson Hall in Arlington, Va. He lives in Clifton, Va.

Stacey D. Rider ’92 Edu is student affairs specialist at the Community College of Beaver County. She also worked for 16 years at the Chippewa Branch Library. She lives in Beaver Falls, Pa.

Wade A. Rider ’92 Bus earned his Master of Divinity from Trinity School for Ministry in September 2023. He is working on ordination in the Evangelical Presbyterian Church and completing CPE credits to work as a hospital chaplain. He lives in Beaver Falls, Pa.

Jose Colon-Rivas ’92 PhD Edu is vice president of external affairs and strategic partnerships for Urban College of Boston (UCB). He has over 30 years of experience in education and previously served as director of early childhood education for the college. He lives in West Hartford, Conn.

Angela L. Scott ’92 Lib has published two books: Results and The Poem I Wrote to Dr. Oz. She lives in Hartford, Conn.

Rich Tannenbaum ’92 Eng was named CEO of Pet Supermarket, a pet specialty retailer in the southeastern U.S. with over 200 stores. He lives in Sunrise, Fla.

 

book cover of The Forest of My Youth, courtesyDEEP EXPLORATION: Michael Kiel was a Penn State Altoona student in 1993 when he survived a shooting that left him paralyzed below the neck. In The Forest of My Youth: Poetry and Perspective, he probes many of the profound thoughts and questions he’s had since.

 

Tysen Kendig ’95 Com was recently appointed vice president for university communications and marketing at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pa. He lives in Sewickley, Pa.

Renee E. Scullin ’96 Bus has been named president of the Event Strategy Group. She lives in Springfield, Pa.

Ann Marie Yurish-Surovy ’99 Com is executive director of The Miracle League of the Lehigh Valley in Allentown, Pa. She spent 19 years in nonprofit leadership with several Lehigh Valley organizations including Lifepath, the DaVinci Science Center, and Easterseals Eastern Pennsylvania. She lives in Whitehall, Pa.

 

2000s

Eric Bricker ’01 Bus has been promoted to vice president of supply chain at Ecolab Inc. In this role, he is responsible for the company’s North American manufacturing. He lives in Grand Rapids, Mich.

Andrea Cobaugh ’01 Bus, director of strategy and programs for CDW Corporations’ Integrated Technology Solutions’ business, joined the board of directors of YouthBuild USA, a global nonprofit that partners with young adults aged 16 to 24 to help them build skill sets and mindsets. She worked for General Electric Co. and the ADT Corp. before joining CDW in 2008. She lives in West Palm Beach, Fla.

Daniel Lopus ’06 EMS, senior vice president of acquisitions and divestitures for Hilcorp Energy Co., became a member of the Oil and Gas Investor “Forty Under 40” Class of 2023. He lives in Houston.

Andrew J. Hirneisen ’07 Agr was promoted to distinguished educator at Penn State Extension. He lives in Reinholds, Pa.

 

2010s

Andrew Goshert ’10 H&HD was named deputy chief of 2Life Communities’ Nahanton Campus, where he will be responsible for integrating and managing affordable apartments and 174 middle-income apartments for seniors. Goshert brings extensive experience in senior living leadership to the role. He lives in Wakefield, Mass.

Kyle G. Martin ’10 IST (ΑΧΣ) married Ivelisse Nieva Feliciano, a University of Puerto Rico graduate, in Mayaguez, P.R., on June 24, 2023. His father, Greg Martin ’86 Sci, officiated. The couple lives in Collegeville, Pa.

Robert F. Hutchinson ’12 Bus, an accountant with over 10 years of experience, has joined accountancy and auditing consultancy Boyer & Ritter’s tax services and small business practice groups. He lives in Harrisburg, Pa.

Lauren M. Carroll ’14 Eng and Shane Carroll ’14 Bus welcomed Logan Francis Carroll into their family on Jan. 10, 2024. Logan joins big sister Reagan. They live in Ardmore, Pa. Grandparents: Tracy Riegel ’85 H&HD and Richard Riegel ’85 Eng.

Cory Salmon ’16 Bus has been promoted to assistant vice president of infrastructure firm Herbert, Rowland & Grubic. Salmon previously served as a group manager overseeing the water and wastewater division in southeastern Pennsylvania. He will now oversee all operations in southeastern Pennsylvania, managing the firm’s King of Prussia office. He lives in Wallingford, Pa.

 

 

head shot Julia Mahfouz, courtesy

MINDFULNESS FOR SCHOOL PRINCIPALS: Julia Mahfouz ’17 PhD Edu—an associate professor at the School of Education and Human Development at the University of Colorado–Denver—is a thought leader promoting social-emotional learning (SEL) protocols in school principal training programs with a view to reducing stress and supporting mental health for effective leadership. Read the full profile.

 

 

Joseph Niedziejko ’18 Com was hired as a senior account executive for B2 Communications, a west-central Florida public relations agency. In this role, he creates public relations plans and implements media relations and works on content development tactics for the agency and its clients. He lives in Virginia Beach, Va.

Taylor L. Gonzalez ’19 Agr joined Forchelli Deegan Terrana LLP as a land use and zoning associate. She is experienced in all aspects of real estate development, including commercial real estate transactions, zoning and land use, municipal and property law, and commercial litigation. She lives in Bay Shore, N.Y.

 

 

group photo of Suchanec Fessler wedding, courtesy

LUCKY TABLE #7: Matt Suchanec ’19 H&HD and Emily Fessler ’19 Com met over a game of pool at Champs Sports Bar & Grill during Arts Fest 2018. They tied the knot on Aug. 31, 2024, in Erie, Pa.

 

2020s

 

head shot Josh Fields, courtesy

ENSURING EVERYONE CAN MAKE THE CLIMB: In 2015, while he was still in high school, Josh Fields '20 Lib co-founded The Next Step Program, a nonprofit organization that paves a post-high school path for young adults with disabilities, helping them access college, jobs, independent living, and social networks. Read the full profile.

 

 

Dana Winthrop ’20, ’22 MA H&HD married Chris Matthias ’20 Eng in Long Island, N.Y., in July 2024. They live in Annapolis, Md.

 

 

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