Class Notes: May / June 2024

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

 

1960s

Joel Myers ’61, ’63 MS, ’71 PhD EMS (ΠΚΦ, Collegian), founder, president, and chairman of AccuWeather, was accepted as a member of The Explorers Club, an international, multidisciplinary professional society dedicated to the advancement of field research, scientific exploration, and resource conservation. He lives in State College.

Stephen Engle ’62 Eng and Janice Panek Engle ’63 Edu celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary on July 6, 2023. They met at the HUB on Penn State’s University Park campus. They live in Lancaster, Pa.

Cynthia Baldwin ’66, ’74 MA Lib, a retired justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, received the Women of Excellence Legacy Award in recognition of her decades of commitment to fighting for equality and justice. She is a veteran jurist and Fulbright Scholar who taught constitutional law, legal philosophy, and trial advocacy as a faculty member of the University of Zimbabwe. She lives in White Oak, Pa.

Jay C. Glickman ’67 Bus, a partner at law firm Rubin, Glickman, Steinberg and Gifford PC, was named a 2024 Best Lawyer in America by Best Lawyers for the practice area of trusts and estates law. He lives in Lansdale, Pa.

 

1970s

Marc Robert Steinberg ’70 Lib, a former Montgomery County Assistant District Attorney, past president of the Montgomery Bar Association, and current partner at Rubin, Glickman, Steinberg and Gifford PC, was named a 2023 Best Lawyer in America by Best Lawyers for the practice area of criminal defense. He lives in Lansdale, Pa.

 

Waiting for the Monsoon book cover, courtesyDiagnosed with a brain tumor and confined to a hospital bed, Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Rod Nordland made peace with the many demons that haunted his life. Nordland ’72 Com, who is currently receiving treatment in New York, recounts that journey in his memoir, Waiting for the Monsoon. Read his feature-length essay of the same name from our Jan./Feb. 2020 issue.

 

Mary Lou Belli ’78 A&A (Thespians, Choir, Dist. Alum), a television director of 30 years for networks including CBS and BET and a two-time Los Angeles–area Emmy Award winner, was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series for the second year in a row for The Ms. Pat Show. She mentors for Penn State’s theater and communications programs, and has co-authored several books, including The NEW Sitcom Career Book, Acting for Young Actors, and Directors Tell the Story (Focal Press). She lives in Los Angeles.

 

1980s

Steven A. Hann ’80 EMS, a partner at Hamburg, Rubin, Mullin, Maxwell & Lupin and chair of the firm’s environmental law department, spoke at the Pennsylvania Municipal Authorities Association’s 81st Annual Conference & Trade Show, where he presented a seminar on chemicals and their impact on drinking water facilities. He has been involved in this field for many years and has filed comment letters to the EPA and the DEP. He lives in Lansdale, Pa.

Jane Mack ’80 H&HD, the CEO of Friends Services Alliance, won the Gold Stevie Award for female executive of the year in the government or nonprofit category during a gala event in New York. She has 30 years of experience in health care and was honored for her efforts at positioning FSA as a valuable resource for organizations in the fast-changing aging services sector. She lives in State College.

Mark Heckel ’81, ’87 MEd A&A (Blue Band, Glee Club, Phi Mu Alpha, Track) was selected by the USA Track and Field National Officials Committee as the 2021 recipient of the Horace Crow Award, given to the outstanding field event official who has given of themself officiating across the country at all levels of track and field. He lives in Hughesville, Pa.

Bob Karow ’81 A&A is a senior associate and director of technical services at architectural firm Quinn Evans, which received the American Institute of Architects’ Architecture Firm Award for 2024. He lives in Washington, D.C.

Timothy Doyle ’82 H&HD is the administrator and CEO of the New Jersey Veterans Memorial Home in Paramus, N.J. The facility was awarded a five-star rating by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. He lives in Rockaway, N.J.

Bill Bogdan ’83 Lib, partner at Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP, was named a 2023 General Litigation Trailblazer by The National Law Journal for his victory in a case tried before the California Supreme Court that invalidated the take-home COVID-19 liability theory against employers. He lives in San Francisco.

Daniel Ronca ’83 Lib was elected a judge of the Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas. He was sworn in in January. He and his wife, Heather Duncan Ronca ’85 H&HD, live in Ambler, Pa.

Mike Engiles ’84, ’93 MBA Bus, a founding member of Tourpreneur Travel Community, was named to the Visit Florida Board of Directors by the Florida Department of Commerce. On the board, he represents nature-based tourism. He lives in Crystal River, Fla.

Steve Newman ’85 Sci retired after 38 years as an actuary, most recently with Global Atlantic Financial Group. He and his wife, Renee Goldberg Newman ’88 H&HD, live in West Des Moines, Iowa.

Bill Snyder ’85 Eng retired as a test driver for BMW Manufacturing and works part time as a performance driving instructor at the BMW Performance Center. He also runs Topgun’s Tactical Training as an NRA- and SLED-certified firearms and CWP instructor. He lives in the Greenville, S.C., area.

Pete Ferry ’86 Eng is a principal software development engineer with Curtiss-Wright, where he was named a technical fellow. He lives in Pottstown, Pa.

Chuck Hartman ’86 Eng (ACACIA, AFROTC) was promoted to senior vice president of Morgan Stanley, Wealth Management, in 2022. He and his wife, Sally, live in Williamsburg, Va. His sister: Lisa ’84 EMS; Brother: Scott ’90 Bus.

Carl Jenkins ’86 Sci (Blue Band, ΦΜΑ) was elected president of the Pennsylvania Academy of General Dentistry for 2023-2024. He is a general dentist with a practice in Watsontown, Pa., where his wife, Nelia, is the office manager. They live in Muncy, Pa. Daughters: Kristin Chisholm ’14 Lib; Nichole Stubbs ’16 IST.

 

 

Jean Oelwang head shot, courtesy
Jean Oelwang '87 Bus is the founding CEO and trustee president of Virgin Unite, the Virgin Mobile group's independent nonprofit foundation that spearheads philanthropic initiatives such as Planetary Guardians, which addresses the urgency of climate change. Read the full profile.

 

 

Paula Williams rapelling off Beaver Stadium, courtesy
Paula Williams '87 Edu became executive director of Centre County United Way in 2023, and during that fiscal year, CCUW distributed $1 million to 25 partner agencies in Centre County that carry out programs in the areas of health, education, and financial stability. Read the full profile.

 

1990s

Lona Dallessandro ’91 Sci represents District III on Bloomington, Minnesota’s city council. She was a first-time elected official and the first openly gay member of the city council when she was elected in 2021; she was reelected in November 2023. She and her wife, Sarah, live in Bloomington.

Philip Mowrey ’91 PhD IDF retired in September 2021 from Quest Diagnostics, where he managed six sites as the national director of Cytogenetics and Genomics, Advanced Diagnostics Division. After 40 years of medical lab testing for academic and commercial companies, he now enjoys time with grandkids and new hobbies. He lives in Fuquay-Varina, N.C.

Live for a Living book cover, courtesyIn the new book, Live for a Living, Paula Caligiuri ’92 MS Edu, ’95 PhD Lib and co-author Andy Palmer share expertise to help readers embark on a career path that brings them autonomy and purpose. Caligiuri is a distinguished professor in the D’Amore-McKim School of Business at Northeastern University and co-founder and CEO of Skiilify.

Kevin Vrablik ’93 MD Medicine is executive director of HealthWorks and the chief of the Division of Occupational Medicine in the Department of Medicine at Lehigh Valley Health Network. Vrablik and his wife, Lia, live in Allentown, Pa.

Groundscratchers, the fifth book by Gabriel Welsch ’93, ’98 MFA Lib, was published by Tolsun Books in October 2021. The collection of short fiction followed four published collections of poetry for Welsch, who lives in Pittsburgh.

Ann Michele Blood ’96a Bus was promoted in 2021 to director of sales and marketing at Bison Metals Technologies LLC. She lives in Shillington, Pa.

Ed Ellinger ’97 Hbg was named the chief operating officer at Herbert, Rowland & Grubic Inc., an infrastructure consulting firm, where he most recently served as assistant vice president. He joined the firm in 2011 as a project manager in the waste and wastewater service group. He lives in Harrisburg, Pa.

Megan Tormey ’98 A&A, ’99 MEng Eng is a senior project architect at architectural firm Quinn Evans, which received the American Institute of Architects’ Architecture Firm Award for 2024. She lives in the Washington, D.C.–Baltimore area.

 

2000s

Sara Doell ’00 Com (Golf) published a book, Your Future Self Will Thank You, in 2021. She lives in San Francisco.

Sean Patrick Gallagher ’00 Lib was promoted to assistant chief of the U.S. Capitol Police, where he leads protection services for Congress and foreign dignitaries. He and his wife, Holly Jones Gallagher ’99 Edu, live in Crofton, Md.

Matt Bonanno ’01 Eng was named an assistant vice president of Herbert, Rowland & Grubic Inc., an infrastructure consulting firm operating in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Ohio. He lives in Harrisburg, Pa.

Robert Zakos ’02 Lib, ’02 Lib (ΔΥ, Rugby) and his wife, Lynn, welcomed their son John Robert on Nov. 18, 2021. They live in Catasauqua, Pa.

Steve Schwenk ’03 A&A is a senior associate at architectural firm Quinn Evans, which received the American Institute of Architects’ Architecture Firm Award for 2024. He lives in Baltimore.

Tom White ’03 A&A, the design director for St. Louis Magazine and adjunct professor at the Missouri School of Journalism, was named chair of the Society of Publication Designers’ 59th Annual Awards. He lives in St. Louis.

Kim Gillen ’04 Lib was appointed the first dependency hearing officer in Carbon County in 2022. She also opened her own practice, The Law Office of Kim M. Gillen, in Lehighton, Pa.

Nathan Shaffer ’06 Bus joined firm H2R CPA as an accounting and assurance partner. He lives in Leechburg, Pa.

Jonathan Swinarski ’06 Lib (AFROTC) was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel in the Utah Air National Guard in 2021. He and his wife, Emily Jungblut-Swinarski ’07 Com, live in South Jordan, Utah.

 

Aaron Tindall with tuba, courtesy
Aaron Tindall '06 A&A recently became a full professor at the University of Miami's Frost School of Music, is the principal tubist for The Naples Philharmonic, and has recorded five solo albums. Read the full profile.

 

Board-certified attorney Ryan Hetrick ’07 Lib is a partner at Antus & Patton LLP, an energy law firm in Midland, Texas. He lives in Midland.

Michael Higgins ’07 Com ran the Antarctic Ice Marathon and came in first place in the men’s race. He lives in Coppell, Texas. His mother: Annette Higgins ’81 Sci.

 

Elizabeth Shirley collaborating with colleague on jewelry making, courtesy
Elizabeth Shirley '07 Com, '07 A&A spent a decade in marketing before joining a friend to co-found Kyle Cavan Jewelry, which creates alma matter accessories that appeal to all ages. Read the full profile.

 

Harry Byrne ’08 Lib was named to the Duane Morris partnership in 2022. He is a trial attorney who practices in the areas of complex commercial, products liability, and mass tort litigation, predominantly in the life sciences and transportation sectors. He lives in Devon, Pa.

John Saunders ’08 PhD Lib is a founding member of the Alabama Communication Association, which honored him at its 2021 annual conference with the creation of the John H. Saunders Service Award to celebrate faculty, students, or practitioners who have created opportunities for others to use their voice and share their ideas. Saunders lives in Huntsville, Ala.

Katherine Fix ’09 Bus was elected partner at law firm Robinson + Cole, where she focuses her practice on bankruptcy and corporate restructuring matters. She lives in Philadelphia.

 

2010s

Michael T. Mondak ’10 Bus, an ACA home agent for InspiriTec Inc., served as a grand marshal of the 2023 City of Hermitage Holiday Light Parade. He lives in Hermitage, Pa.

 

Barbalace wedding with Lion, courtesy

SMOOTH MOVES: The Nittany Lion shook a leg at the May 20, 2023, wedding of Heather Freitag ’14 Com, ’14 A&A and Michael Barbalace ’14 Bus in Sleepy Hollow, N.Y., which was attended by many Penn Staters. Freitag was recently promoted to director of marketing for the Empire State Building and Empire State Realty Trust in New York. Courtesy.

Barbalace wedding with Lion, courtesy

 

William Saffron ’14 A&A is a staff designer at architectural firm Quinn Evans, which received the American Institute of Architects’ Architecture Firm Award for 2024. He lives in the Washington, D.C.-Baltimore area.

Katie Speicher ’16 Agr (Blue Band) published her first book, The Giant Tangerine Sunball, a poetry collection reflecting on her Peace Corps service in Senegal. She lives in Beacon, N.Y.

 

2020s

Jesse Marra ’20 Com joined Pietragallo Gordon Alfano Bosick & Raspanti LLP as an associate in the commercial litigation and employment & labor practice groups. He previously was a legal intern in the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Western District of Pennsylvania and judicial intern for the Honorable Christine Donohue of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. He lives in Pittsburgh.

Alicia Berryman ’22 Bus, ’22 MAcc Bus joined accounting, auditing, tax, and consulting services firm Boyer & Ritter as an associate. She lives in State College.

 

 

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