Class Notes

Yasmin Nelson MBA ’18 was promoted to senior principal at Bracewell. Prior to joining Bracewell in March 2021, she was the senior policy advisor to then-U.S. Sen. Kamala D. Harris. She earned her B.A. from Loyola University Maryland.

Ali Salhi M.S. ’18 was named to the 2022 Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list in the category of social impact. He is the CTO of Loop, which offers equitable financial services, starting with car insurance.

Karin Zeitvogel M.A. ’18 was named editor of The Pueblo Chieftan, a newspaper in Pueblo, Colo. She was most recently based in Kaiserslautern, Germany, as a reporter and editor for Stars and Stripes.

Jake Eisenberg ’17 was hired by the New York Mets as their third radio play-by-player on games this season. He was previously the lead play-by-player for the Triple-A Omaha Storm Chasers.

Jennifer Jenkins MBA ’16 was named chief sustainability officer at NCX, a carbon marketplace delivering large-scale, immediate impact. Jenkins has more than 25 years of experience in government, academia and the private sector at the intersection of forests and climate. In 2007, along with former Vice President Al Gore, she was part of the team of scientists that won the Nobel Peace Prize for their work on climate, and led the work that culminated in the “Jenkins Equations,” which are the generally accepted method for estimating tree biomass from diameter in the U.S. Jenkins holds a Ph.D. in ecosystem ecology from the University of New Hampshire, a Master of Forest Science from Yale University and a B.A. in biology and environmental studies from Dartmouth College.

Srijan Kumar M.S. ’16, Ph.D. ’17 was named to the 2022 Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list in the category of science. An assistant professor at Georgia Institute of Technology, he develops data science and machine learning solutions to combat malicious online actors like fraudsters and troll armies.

Jeron Davis ’15 was named to the 2022 Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list in the category of finance. Davis is a senior associate at RLJ Equity Partners, a middle-market private equity firm.

Allison “Allie” Fleischer ’15 recently joined DKB, a Rochester-based business advisory and CPA firm, as a senior manager in the tax practice.

Jean-Paul Littleton ’15 was promoted to chief technology officer of GeoBroadcast Solutions. He was previously the company’s head of spectrum design.

Dan Appenfeller ’14 joined The New York Times’ Washington bureau as a senior staff editor and deputy weekend editor. He was previously an editor on Insider’s copy desk.

Megan Heiman M. Jour. ’14 was named deputy mayor of Binghamton, N.Y. Heiman previously worked as an assistant to the mayor for neighborhood and youth affairs. Before that, she was a newspaper reporter for The Press & Sun-Bulletin in Binghamton and the Capital Gazette in Annapolis. Heiman has a bachelor’s degree in English, literature and rhetoric from Binghamton University and a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Maryland.

Amber Mayfield ’14 was named to the 2022 Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list in the category of media. Mayfield is the founder of To Be Hosted, a dinner series designed to highlight young Black chefs, artists and musicians.

Olivia Owens ’14 was named to the 2022 Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list in the category of social impact. She is the creator of IFundWomen of Color.

Photo by Jaymo Jaymes

Alexandra Walsh ’14 married Dr. Ben Nguyen on April 22 at Holy Family St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Brooklyn, N.Y., according to The New York Times. Walsh is a physician assistant. They met as members of the Branchville volunteer fire company in College Park.

Ryan McCarthy MBA ’13 joined the Washington, D.C., office of Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. McCarthy is former secretary of the U.S. Army. At Maxwell, he is serving as a strategic adviser, subject matter expert and mentor. He is a graduate of the Virginia Military Institute.

Alex Wu MBA ’13 was appointed vice president of digital transformation and chief information officer for Keolis North America. Most recently, he spent two decades working with the United States federal government serving as the deputy chief information officer with the National Gallery of Art.

Michele Hayes ’12 was named partner at law firm Niles, Barton & Wilmer. Hayes represents clients in state and federal trial and appellate courts, mediations and arbitrations across the country.

Photo by Victoria Campbell

Hannah Cha MPP ’11 married Anthony Elfering on April 9 in Beachwood, Ohio, according to The New York Times. Cha, who works for the State Department, graduated from Case Western Reserve.

Photo by Vik Photography

Andrew Katz ’11 married Marysa Greenawalt on Oct. 24 at the Wythe Hotel in Brooklyn, according to The New York Times. Katz is the deputy director of photography for Time magazine. He earned a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University.

John Sheff MRED ’11, MBA ’14 was appointed senior director of policy and government affairs at Turntide Technologies, developer of breakthrough sustainability technologies. He joins Turntide from Danfoss, where he served as the director of public and industry affairs for North America.

Keith Cooperman MBA ’10 joined Millennium Corporation as vice president of business development. Prior to joining Millennium, he was responsible for leading growth and business development of Guidehouse’s $50 million national security portfolio. Cooperman attended Johns Hopkins University’s undergraduate program for International Studies and Master’s program for International Relations.

Jesus Jackson ’10 joined technology firm ArdentMC as its chief technology officer. He was formerly the vice president for engineering at CollabraLink Technologies.

Tom Scazzafavo MPS ’10 joined the board of directors of the Jericho Project, a nonprofit serving homeless and housing insecure New Yorkers. Scazzafavo is a senior manager at EY. He earned a B.A. from the George Washington University and an M.A. in national security and strategic studies from the U.S. Naval War College.

Donnelly Bohan MBA ’09 was appointed chief operating officer of Nauticus Robotics, a Houston-area developer of surface and subsea robots, autonomy software and associated ocean services. Bohan was most recently at Leidos, where she served as vice president, division manager of Leidos’ maritime solutions division. Bohan received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Robert Miller ’09 joined the board of directors of the Maryland State Fair and Agricultural Society. He is a merchandiser for Perdue Agribusiness. Miller earned an MBA from the University of Delaware.

Makeda M. Okolo M.S. ’09 was named the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) director of the Office of Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs (OLIA). He previously served in senior positions in OLIA, NOAA’s National Ocean Service, NOAA’s Office of the Deputy Under Secretary for Operations, and most recently was on detail to the White House Council on Environmental Quality. Before joining NOAA, she spent 11 years on Capitol Hill in the office of U.S. Rep. Donna M. Christensen (VI).

Sarah Patton M.L.S. ’09 was chosen by the Nevada Historical Society as its new librarian and archivist. Patton comes to Reno from the Hoover Institution Library & Archives at Stanford University, where she was the research services manager. She has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of California, San Diego.

Kiandra D. Steffy ’09 was appointed to the Eastern District of Pennsylvania Merit Selection Panel to fill a federal magistrate judge vacancy. Steffy is an attorney with Saxton and Strump and a director at large on the Lancaster Bar Association’s board of directors.

Michael Levitin ’07 was promoted to portfolio manager at MidOcean Partners, a New York-based alternative asset manager. Levitin holds an MBA from New York University.

Ben Chou ’06 is now vice president of sales and business development for Forty8Fifty Labs. He was previously senior director of global alliances and business development at Contegix.

Matthew Friedson ’06 joined Risk Strategies, a leading national specialty insurance brokerage and risk management firm, as managing director, national life insurance practice leader. He spent the last nine years as a senior adviser with a mid-Atlantic-area brokerage and consulting firm.

Omar Paredes ’06 was named associate director, industry engagement at SoundExchange, a music-tech organization. Prior to joining SoundExchange, Omar was director of artist services of Latin for the Orchard, a global digital distributor, and founder of Olympus Music Group, an artist services company.

Katy Santiff ’06 was hired as the first program director of Chesapeake Therapeutic Riding, a nonprofit whose mission is to offer growth and healing through the transformative connection between people and horses.

Adam Turbowitz ’06 was named partner at law firm Boies Schiller Flexner. He represents clients in complex matrimonial and family law cases. Turbowitz also serves in leadership positions for the Council of the American Bar Association’s Family Law Section.

Luis Bitencourt-Emilio ’05 joined the board of trustees of the Wikimedia Foundation. He is based in São Paulo as the chief technology officer at Loft, leading engineering, product, data and design teams to further the goal of homeownership for Latin Americans.

Adam Gordon ’05 was hired as market executive and corporate banking team leader for BankUnited, N.A. BankUnited is one of the largest independent depository institutions headquartered in Florida.

Megan E. Kanefsky ’05 was named vice president, human capital at the private equity firm J.F. Lehman & Company. Kanefsky spent 15 years in the human resources group at Blackstone. She earned an M.A. in industrial and organizational psychology from Baruch College.

Robert D. Kelly Ph.D. ’05 was named president of the University of Portland, a Catholic university in Oregon. He was previously vice president and special assistant to the president at Loyola University Maryland in Baltimore.

Chris Sullivan ’05 was promoted to chief financial officer at Avalo Therapeutics, a leading clinical-stage precision medicine company that discovers, develops, and commercializes targeted therapeutics for patients with significant unmet clinical need in immunology and rare genetic diseases. A Certified Public Accountant, he most recently served as the company’s chief accounting officer and prior to that as interim chief financial officer.

Lorenzo Cremaschi Ph.D. ’04 was named Auburn University’s director of undergraduate research. He joined the university in 2016 as a professor in the department of mechanical engineering, following several years as a faculty member at Oklahoma State University and postdoctoral work at Purdue University. He received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering from the University of Modena in Italy.

Dan Goodwin ’04 joined GrammaTech, a provider of application security testing products and software research services, as head of its cybersecurity research division. He was previously vice president for the digital and cyber solutions business of software development and engineering firm PLEX Solutions. He has master’s degrees in electrical/computer engineering and computer science from Johns Hopkins University.

Vanessa Smith MBA ’04 joined the board of directors of Fastly, the world’s fastest global edge cloud network provider. She is senior vice president, global go-to-market at ServiceNow.

Katherine Calvin ’03 was named chief scientist and senior climate adviser at NASA. Previously, she was an Earth scientist at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory’s Joint Global Change Research Institute in College Park, Maryland, where she worked on the institute’s Global Change Analysis Model and the Department of Energy’s Energy Exascale Earth System Model. Calvin holds master’s and doctoral degrees in management, science and engineering from Stanford University.

Sam Lynn ’03 joined the San Diego office of Gomez Trial Attorneys. Lynn specializes in litigating catastrophic personal injury and wrongful death claims. He earned a J.D. from Catholic University.

Ayan Roy-Chowdhury M.S. ’03, Ph.D. ’08 was elevated to principal at law firm Fish & Richardson. He focuses on patent prosecution and counseling, opinion work, due diligence studies, patent portfolio development and management, and post-grant proceedings. He received his J.D., cum laude, from Georgetown University and his B.S. in electronics and telecommunications engineering from Jadavpur University.

Nidhi Thakar ’03 was appointed to the board of directors of Greentown Labs, the largest climate-tech startup incubator in North America. Thakar is senior director of resource and regulatory strategy and external engagement for Portland General Electric. She holds a J.D. from Lewis and Clark Law School, where she was a member of the Law Review.

Pete Casasanto ’02 was hired as chief biopharma officer at Sophia Genetics. Prior to this role, he was vice president of new commercialization initiatives at CellCarta. He holds an MBA in pharmaceutical management from Drexel University and a master’s degree in biomedical chemistry from Thomas Jefferson Medical School.

Hyowook Chiang M.A. ’02, Ph.D. ’05 was appointed vice president at Charles River Associates, which provides economic, financial and management consulting services.

Bill Fahrbach ’02 joined Facet Wealth as chief financial officer. He previously spent 10 years overseeing the growth of private equity-backed software-as-a-service firms.

Timothy Hackman MLS ’02, M.A. ’06 was named dean of university libraries at Old Dominion University. Hackman had served as associate director for public services at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County since 2019. He earned a B.A. from Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania.

Francis Shushok Jr. Ph.D. ’02 was appointed president of Roanoke College in Salem, Va. He was previously vice president for student affairs at Virginia Tech. Shushok has a bachelor’s degree from Baylor University and an M.A. in higher education and student affairs administration from Ohio State University.

Karen R. Toles ’02 was selected by the Prince George’s Democratic Central Committee to fill a vacant seat in the Maryland House of Delegates. Toles, a lawyer, fills the District 25 seat that came open when Dereck E. Davis ’89. M.P.P. ’99 was named state treasurer. She works as community affairs director for the Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s Office.

G. Maliek Ferebee ’01 was appointed chief human resources officer of DLH Corporation, a provider of technology-enabled health services and research solutions. He served most recently as chief human capital officer at Alion Science and Technology.

Karla Galva ’01 joined Essex Realty Group. Prior to joining Essex, Galva worked in marketing and transaction management for a residential real estate brokerage firm.

Philippe Gouel ’01 was promoted to vice president, vacation packages at Southwest Airlines. He was previously senior director corporate strategy. Gouel received a master’s degree in engineering and a doctoral degree from the University of Michigan in industrial and operations engineering.

V. Bram Lillard M.A. ’01, Ph.D. ’04 was appointed director of the Institute for Defense Analyses’ operational evaluation division. IDA is a nonprofit corporation that operates three federally funded research and development centers in the public interest. Lillard earned his bachelor’s degree in physics and mathematics at The State University of New York at Geneseo.

Jackie Jantos ’00 was named chief marketing officer of dating app Hinge. Prior to Hinge, Jantos served as chief marketing officer at Dashlane and vice president of global brand and creative at Spotify.

Pamir Alpay Ph.D. ’99 was appointed interim vice president for research, innovation and entrepreneurship at the University of Connecticut. He was previously executive director of the UConn Innovation Partnership Building and a Board of Trustees distinguished professor.

Cheryl Dyson M.Ed. ’99 was appointed superintendent of Frederick County Public Schools in Maryland. She is its first African American superintendent. She previously served as the area associate superintendent for Montgomery County Public Schools, and oversaw 70 schools with a combined enrollment of 53,000 students.

Madhushree Ghosh Ph.D. ’98 is the author of “Khabaar: An Immigrant Journey of Food, Memory, and Family,” published by University of Iowa Press. The book is a food memoir and personal narrative that braids the global journeys of South Asian food through immigration, migration and indenture.

James Johnson MBA ’98 was named chief information officer of James Hardie Industries, the world’s top producer and marketer of high-performance fiber cement and fiber gypsum building solutions. Most recently, Johnson held the role of CIO at Carpenter Technology. Johnson received a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from the University of Virginia.

Tom Jester M.Arch. ’99 was promoted to chief operating officer of architecture firm Quinn Evans, where he has worked since 2006. He holds a Master of Science in historic preservation from the University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor of Arts in American studies from Colby College.

Ted Simpson ’99 recently joined Deloitte Consulting as a managing director in the Government and Public Services practice. In addition to his UMD degree, he earned an MBA and M.S. from the Johns Hopkins University. He lives in Ellicott City with his wife, Tara Simpson ’94, and two children.

Julie Oberg ’98 was appointed director of the Department of Economic Development by the Calvert County Board of County Commissioners. Oberg recently served as deputy secretary, director of communications and public information officer for the Maryland Department of Agriculture and served as director of communications for the Maryland Department of the Environment.

Courtney Geduldig ’97 was named corporate vice president for public affairs at Micron Technology. Prior to Micron, Geduldig was head of government and public affairs at Chime Financial. She earned her J.D. from the University of Baltimore School of Law.

Kim LeDuff M.A. ’97 was named vice president of people and culture at the National WWII Museum in New Orleans. She was previously vice president for academic engagement and student affairs, chief diversity officer and professor of mass communication at the University of West Florida in Pensacola. LeDuff earned a Ph.D. in mass communication from Indiana University and a bachelor’s degree from Xavier University of Louisiana.

Vineet Gambhir MBA ’96 was appointed chief people officer at Enjoy Technology, a technology-powered service platform reinventing commerce at home. Gambhir has held several senior leadership roles at innovative technology companies, including Intel, HCL America, Cisco and Yahoo! Gambhir served as vice president of human resources at GlobalLogic. Gambhir received his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Delhi.

Katherine Hill Ritchie ’96 was named senior director of venture funds at TEDCO, Maryland’s economic engine for technology companies. Hill Ritchie previously founded Private Capital Investments, LLC and received her MBA from Fordham University.

Ray Estep ’88, MBA ’95 was appointed chief financial officer and chief operating officer of Transmira, a B2B software company. Estep is a veteran technology financial executive, having held leadership roles with global Fortune 50 organizations, and orchestrated several private growth-company exits. Previously, he served as chief financial officer of Ambipar Holdings.

Sachin Sankpal M.S. ’95 was appointed senior vice president, growth and transformation at Acuity, a market-leading industrial technology company. Prior to joining Acuity, Sankpal was the president of product and solutions at Resideo, a leader in smart home and IoT technologies. He earned his MBA from Dartmouth and undergraduate degree from Rutgers University.

Jason M. St. John ’94 was elected managing partner of law firm Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr, and will serve as its next CEO. St. John earned his J.D. from University of Maryland, Baltimore and an MBA from the University of Baltimore Merrick School of Business.

Michael Freeman Ph.D. ’93 was named special assistant on university strategies and chief of staff at Westfield State University in Westfield, Mass. He was previously vice president of enrollment management and student affairs at Coppin State University in Baltimore. Freeman holds a master’s degree in counselor education: student development in higher education, and a bachelor’s degree in psychology and sociology, both from the University of Iowa.

Kimberly Boulmetis ’92 joined Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group as a managing director and head of U.S. financial institutions for the debt capital markets group. Boulmetis came from BTIG, where she was a managing director handling specialty finance within the firm’s investment banking division. Boulmetis earned a J.D. from the Rutgers School of Law.

Philip Danisi ’91 co-founded New York City law firm Danisi & Gassman. The firm specializes in venture capital and corporate law.

Mike Downey ’90 joined the Galbreath Group, a provider of bank and corporate owned life insurance and executive retention benefits, as senior managing director. For the past 16 years, Downey focused on working with depository and financial institutions, helping them with strategies to retain, recruit and retire senior executives.

Li-Gang Liu ’90 was named Asia-Pacific head of economic analysis for Citi Global Wealth Management. Prior to this role, Li-Gang Liu was Citi Research’s chief economist for China from 2016. He holds master’s and doctoral degrees in economics from Johns Hopkins University.

Rodney Jones-Tyson ’90 was promoted to global chief human resources officer at Baird. He most recently served as chief risk officer and has successfully led several teams throughout his 24-year tenure at the company.

Leslie Shoemaker Ph.D. ’90 was elected to the National Academy of Engineering. She is tech president and chief sustainability officer of Tetra Tech, a provider of high-end consulting and engineering services. NAE recognized Shoemaker for developing and applying innovative technology to complex, large-scale watershed management systems and sustainable water programs.

Chris Chick ’89 was promoted to COO of Baltimore-based CFG Bank. He was previously its executive vice president and chief lending officer.

Lawrence Pullen ’89 joined Vallit Advisors as director of the firm’s Annapolis office. Previously, Pullen served as a principal and leader of Ellin & Tucker’s forensic and valuation services group.

Louis A. Schwarcz M.A. ’89 was named CEO of Family & Children’s Service, the oldest, private nonprofit social service agency in Monmouth County, N.J. Most recently, Schwarcz served as CEO of the Bridge, where he led community-based mental health and substance use services for at-risk children, adults and families. He holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Rutgers University.

Greg Tocco ’88 was named executive vice president of asset services at Metro Commercial Real Estate. Tocco joins Metro from Seritage Growth Properties, where he served as vice president of operations. Tocco holds a J.D. from Ohio Northern University’s Claude W. Pettit College of Law.

Cynthia Meyer ’87 was promoted to assistant vice president, director of human resources at Taylor Bank.

Joseph S. Michael ’87 was appointed by Gov. Larry Hogan to the Washington County, Md., Circuit Court bench. He was the county’s deputy state’s attorney. Michael received his J.D. from Washington and Lee University School of Law.

Monica Norton ’87 was named a deputy managing editor of The Washington Post. Norton was previously the deputy local editor for planning and enterprise. In previous roles at Newsday, she edited Washington news, and served as assistant and then deputy Long Island editor. Before that, she was a bureau chief and assignment editor at Gannett Suburban Newspapers and a reporter at the Evening Sun and the Baltimore Sun.

Mark Kearns ’86 was named chief financial officer of PunchListUSA, the first marketplace to digitize home inspection data for instant estimates and online ordering of home repairs and renovations. He was previously chief financial officer at Selene Finance.

Steve Connelly ’85 was named Maryland’s deputy secretary of agriculture. Connelly most recently served as assistant secretary of marketing, Animal Industries and Consumer Services, in the Maryland Department of Agriculture. He also worked in a leadership capacity for agricultural organizations including the U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency, Maryland Agricultural Education Foundation and Maryland Farm Bureau.

John “Yiannis” Antoniades Ph.D. ’83 was appointed executive vice president, head of engineering and electro-optical and infrared systems at Meta Materials, a developer of high-performance functional materials and nanocomposites. He came from Vlepsis, a company he founded in 2017 to commercialize the world’s first gigapixel camera system developed for the U.S. Department of Defense. He holds a master’s degree in plasma and high-temperature physics and a bachelor’s degree in physics from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Jose Delfin ’82 was voted superintendent of the Los Alamos school district in New Mexico. Delfin most recently served as associate superintendent for the Carson City School District where he led the Human Resources, Risk Management, and Transportation departments, and supervised principals and support staff. Delfin earned his master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Juan A. Navarro ’82 was named president and CEO of HDT Global, a manufacturer of infrastructure solutions across defense, aerospace and government markets. Prior to joining HDT, Navarro was the CEO of Domo Tactical Communications, a private equity-backed technology firm.

David Wajsgras ’82 was named CEO of communications satellite company Intelsat. He was previously a director at Pine Island Capital Partners, a private equity firm with offices in D.C. and Florida that makes investments in aerospace, defense and cyber companies.

Danita D. Nias ’81 joined the board of trustees of Salus University in Elkins Park, Pa. Nias has been president and CEO of the Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin counties in Florida since March 2021. She was previously vice president for institutional advancement and CEO of the Florida Atlantic University Foundation.

Catherine Trebnick ’81 was hired by MKM Partners as managing director, communications technology and infrastructure software analyst. Trebnick has an MBA from the University of Chicago.

Judy Giordan Ph.D. ’80 is president-elect of the American Chemical Society. She has served as vice president, research and development/corporate officer at Henkel Corporation, the North American operating arm of the Henkel Group, among other positions.

Stacey Knoppel ’80 was promoted to vice president of sales for Events DC, the official convention and sports authority of the District of Columbia. She previously served as its director of sales, services and marketing at the Baltimore Convention Center. Knoppel earned a certification from the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration Executive Leadership Program.

Liz Sara ’80 was hired as president of the SCORE Foundation, which supports startups, entrepreneurs and small businesses around the country. She was previously the first female chair of the Dingman Center of Entrepreneurship.

Deborah Lawrence ’76 joined the board of governors of the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michaels, Md. She retired as vice president of government affairs from the Williams Companies, a Tulsa-based energy company, in 2015. Lawrence received a law degree from George Mason University.

Jan (Latter) Cullinane ’75, M.Ed. ’80 is the author of “The New Retirement: The Ultimate Guide to the Rest of Your Life,” published by Wiley. She previously taught biology, microbiology and health psychology at the high school and college levels.

Charles Fefferman ’66 was awarded the BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in basic sciences. The awards recognize basic research and creative work worldwide that significantly enlarges the stock of knowledge in a discipline, opens up new fields, or builds bridges between disciplinary areas. Fefferman is Princeton’s Herbert E. Jones, Jr. ’43 university professor of mathematics. He and Jean-François Le Gall of Université Paris-Saclay were honored for opening “new perspectives in mathematical analysis and probability theory, which have had a great influence on a generation of mathematicians.”

Simon Levin Ph.D. ’64 received the BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award for ecology and conservation biology. Levin is Princeton’s James S. McDonnell distinguished university professor in ecology and evolutionary biology. He was recognized for providing the theoretical and mathematical underpinnings for the field of spatial ecology, which allows the conservation of biodiversity to be addressed at different scales, from singular habitats to global human-nature interactions.

Cassandra “Sandy” D. Wilson ’86 died on Feb. 9, 2022, in Rockville, Md. She was born in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 28, 1948. She enlisted in the U.S. Navy and worked as a corpsman E-5 until she was honorably discharged in 1977. After the Navy, Wilson became a radiologic technologist, later enrolled at UMD and worked as a federal retirement benefits specialist at the Office of Personnel Management until her retirement. She leaves behind a cousin, Priscilla Ann Lewis, and many other beloved friends.

Charles S. Dulcey Ph.D. ’82, of Washington, D.C., died Dec. 30, 2021, in Bethesda, Md. Born in Scranton, Pa., in 1953, he was the son of the late Charles S. Dulcey and Elizabeth Buglio Dulcey. He earned a B.S. in physics and applied mathematics from Stony Brook University, where he was among a group of four undergraduate research assistants to Professor Paul Lauterbur to first demonstrate the potential of magnetic resonance imaging. He worked for 25 years as a research physicist at the Center for Bio/Molecular Science and Engineering at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C. He was preceded in death by his parents and his brother, Daniel M. Dulcey. He is survived by his siblings, Shirley Márquez Dúlcey and Mary Beth Morabito; two nieces, one nephew, three aunts and many cousins.

Kenneth Tighe ’81 died on March 21, 2022, at his home in Annapolis, Md., at age 63. Tighe graduated from Severna Park High School and earned a marketing degree at UMD. He founded and executed several software companies including CareFusion. As CEO of CareFusion, Tighe helped grow the business from start-up to its acquisition by Cardinal Health in 2006. In addition, he was a director of the investment firm India Venture Partners. Most recently, as co-founder and CEO of Hybrent, he led the company to an acquisition by Serent Capital. Tighe was a lifelong supporter of University of Maryland sports. He is survived by his two children, Laura and Kevin Tighe; his brother, John Tighe; and his sister, Kathy Tighe.

Stephen Robert Prince ’77, M.A. ’80, a longtime professor of cinema studies at Virginia Tech, died Dec. 30, 2020, at his Blacksburg, Va., home. He was 65. Prince earned a Ph.D. from the Annenberg School of Communication at the University of Pennsylvania and spent 32 years in VT’s School of Performing Arts. He published 16 books that examine film; his 17th, “Apocalypse Cinema,” will appear posthumously. Prince received Virginia Tech’s Alumni Award for Excellence in Research in 2012. He served as book review editor of Film Quarterly for 11 years, and as editor of the prize-winning Projections: The Journal for Movies and Mind for six years. He was preceded in death by his mother, Jean Lummis Prince, and is survived by his father, Robert Emmett Prince; his sister, Cynthia Jean Prince Kayzak; girlfriend, Susan Mullins Sanders; and nieces and nephews.

Ralph P. Caiazzo ’76 of Avon-by-the-Sea, N.J., died on March 7, 2022, at age 67. He was born in Newark, N.J., to the late Edith and Peter Caiazzo. He graduated from Seton Hall Prep and UMD and earned his master’s degree from New York University. Calazzo worked as a teacher at Wardlaw Hartridge School, then in the English Department at West Morris Central High School in Chester, N.J., where he shared his passion for literature and film with students for 26 years and served as lead teacher before retiring in 2014. He is survived by his sisters, Anne Perrella and Jane Claussen; one niece; three nephews; and six great-nieces and -nephews.

Camilla P. Schlegel ’75 died in Silver Spring, Md., on Feb. 28, 2022, after a battle with ovarian cancer. She was 70. Schlegel was born on April 11, 1951, in Des Moines, Iowa, to the late Charles Wiliam Phillips and Elizabeth Seitner Phillips. She attended Montgomery Blair High School and completed a degree in American studies at UMD. She met her husband of 47 years, Barry, during a film class at UMD. During her career, Schlegel worked at the Library of Congress, the National Parks Service East and UMD’s McKeldin and Agricultural Libraries, retiring as program coordinator for the Department of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies. She is survived by her husband; their children, Christopher Schlegel and Louise Schlegel Wood; her brother, Todd Phillips; two grandchildren; and several nieces, nephews and in-laws.

Robert C. Cooksey Ed.D. ’73 of Anderson, Ind., died on Jan. 3, 2022, at age 86. Born in Indianapolis, he was the son of the late R. Nelson and Katherine Keller Cooksey. Cooksey received his bachelor’s degree in industrial education from Ball State University and his Ed.D in industrial technology education from the University of Maryland. He retired as a professor and program director in packaging technology from Indiana State University and was an adjunct professor in packaging science at Clemson University. Cooksey is survived by his son Charles Kenton Cooksey, daughter, D. Kay Cooksey, sister Ruth Cooksey, a sister-in-law and two grandsons. He was preceded in death by his wife, Delva Ann Cooksey; parents and sister Jane Cassel.

Elaine Kolker Horwitz ’72 died on Feb. 16, 2022, after a nearly three-year battle with glioblastoma. She was 71. Born in Washington, D.C., Horwitz grew up in Silver Spring, Md., and resided in Austin, Texas, since 1980, where she worked as a tenured professor of curriculum and instruction at the University of Texas at Austin, and director of the graduate program in foreign language education. She graduated from UMD with high honors in French and a teacher certification, then taught French, Spanish and English in public schools in Prince George’s County. She met Michael Horwitz at a College Park Hillel event, followed by a date at “The Ubiquitous Bagel.” They got married on Oct. 17, 1971. She earned a Ph.D. from the University of Illinois in second language learning and teaching and pioneered the field of foreign language learning anxiety, including creating the “Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale” and the “Beliefs About Language Learning Inventory.” Her studies resulted in seven books, 26 book chapters, and over 70 peer-reviewed publications, receiving more than 26,000 academic citations. Her work was recognized with a Distinguished Alumni Award from the College of Education at the University of Illinois and the Region 3 TexTESOLer of the year in 2013. She was predeceased by her husband in 2010, and is survived by her children, Deborah Judith Kolker and Jeremy Aaron Kolker Horwiz; brother, Allan Kolker; and two grandchildren.

Carroll W. Smith Ph.D. ’72 of Raleigh, N.C., died on April 29, 2022, after many years of Alzheimer’s disease. Smith was the son of the late Dr. Earl Smith and Aileen Watson Smith, both of long family lines from Travelers Rest, S.C., and Gap Creek. Smith and his family moved to Maryland in 1965, and he taught at UMD’s Industrial Arts Program for two years and in Prince George’s County for 20 years. After retiring, he and his wife returned to Travelers Rest, S.C. He is survived by his daughter, Cindy Smith, who cared for him full-time for the last 10 years. Smith was predeceased by his wife of 53 years, Catherine M. Smith, and his sister, Earline Smith Banic.

Jill Trawick ’72 of Pinehurst, N.C., died on Jan. 15, 2022, at age 71. She was born on Sept. 19, 1950, in Washington, D.C., to the late John and Joan Stearns. Trawick graduated from the University of Maryland with a degree in illustration and graphic design and worked as an artist for over 30 years, a fashion illustrator for five and with the CIA as a technical operations officer before she retired in 2009. She was a member of the Village Chapel. Trawick is survived by her husband, Ron; brother, Jay Stearns; children, Julia, Geoffrey and Cassie; stepson, Jonathan; stepdaughter, Sherri; and 10 grandchildren.

Bennie James Dover Ph.D. ’70 of Greenwood, S.C., died on Jan. 2, 2022, in Fayetteville, Ga. He was born in Union County, S.C., on Nov. 6, 1922, the only child of Hayden Dover Davis and Hezekiah Dawkins. He graduated from Granard High School in Gaffney, S.C., where he was the captain of the football team and received a football scholarship to attend Allen University in Columbia, S.C. Dover received a master’s degree in 1949 from South Carolina State College and in 1970, a doctorate in education from UMD. He taught at Brewer High School in Greenwood, and later became the principal of East End Elementary and Brewer High School and assistant superintendent of schools for Greenwood School District #50, breaking many racial barriers for Black people in South Carolina. Dover was predeceased by his wife of over 50 years, Alice Marie Mazyck. He is survived by two daughters, Sanquinetta Maria Dover and Benita Alicia Dover Brailsford; two granddaughters; an aunt; seven nieces and nephews; cousins; and a host of other relatives and friends.

Larry Franklin Kertcher ’70 died on Dec. 31, 2021, at his home in McGaheysville, Va., at age 74. He was born on Feb. 11, 1947, in Baltimore, the son of the late Franklin Emil and Valeska Kairis Kertcher. He earned his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Maryland and master’s degree in air pollution control from West Virginia University. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps and worked in air pollution control in Baltimore County, then at the Maryland Department of the Environment and later the Environmental Protection Agency. He is survived by his wife of 52 years, Judith Ann Kertcher; his son, Shaun Kertcher; daughter, Kimberly Ferguson; brother, Bruce Kertcher; and three grandchildren.

Nancy S. Riley ’70 of Ellicott City, Md., died on March 31, 2022. She was 74. Riley was a 1965 graduate of Catonsville High School. She attended Baldwin Wallace University in Ohio before transferring to UMD, where she earned a degree in piano performance. She is survived by her husband of 51 years, Joseph P. Riley; daughters, Lisa R. Garlick and Jennifer L. Riley; and sister Linda S. Moreau. She is preceded in death by her parents, Ernest E. and Wildred L. Scheneman.

Cheryl Ann Foster Lash M.Ed. ’69 died on March 16, 2022, in St. Augustine, Fla. She was 77. Lash grew up in Wellsville, N.Y., and became an English teacher after graduating with a B.S. from Edinboro State College in Pennsylvania in 1965. She is survived by her daughter, Susan Kuper; her sisters, Marilyn Thompson and Rebecca De Fraites; two grandchildren; two great-grandsons; two nephews; and seven nieces. She was predeceased by her husband, Len.

Charles “Mike” Mann ’69 died suddenly from cardiac complications on Jan. 11, 2022, in his home on Kent Island, Md. He was the only son of Henry and Edith Mann of West Annapolis, Md. He graduated from Severn School in 1963, and he received his bachelor’s degree in English at UMD. He was a firearms expert professionally and for years afterwards. Mann is survived by his many cousins and Sara Williams, who was like a daughter to him.

RosElaine Zetter (known as Elona Cole) ’67 died of cancer at her home in Palm Harbor, Fla., on Oct. 9, 2021. She was raised in Bismarck, N.D. While studying arts, music and painting at UMD, she was named Miss University of Maryland, and subsequently Miss Maryland in the Miss USA contest. During her career, she worked as a Wilhelmina model in New York City, and later as a fashion designer of junior wear before later creating her own line of hand-painted children’s apparel collectibles in Dallas. She devoted her life to painting and was an award-winning exhibitor with paintings in several private and corporate collections in the U.S. and Canada. She is survived by her daughter, Alicia; her husband, Curtis Small; stepdaughter, Christyn; sisters, Muriel, Mary Lee, Linnea and Linda; and nieces and a nephew.

Janice Claire White Bain-Kerr MLS ’66 died on March 1, 2022, in Frederick, Md. She was 80. Born in Philippi, W.Va., she received her B.A. from Davis & Elkins College in 1963. She served as associate dean of library sciences and university college librarian at Troy State University in Alabama, and as head of access services and coordinator of fee-based information services at the University of Central Florida. In retirement, she continued to consult on academic and distance education services. She is survived by her son, Alexander Bain; her sisters, Julia White Smail, Jane White Ferguson and Ruth White Dunleavy; eight nieces and nephews; two stepchildren; and numerous step-grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents; her sister, Lorraine Ann White; and her husband, U.S. Army Lt. Col. James Wilson Kerr III.

Henry Herman Walbesser Jr. M.A. ’60, Ph.D. ’65 of Waco., Texas., died on Jan. 1, 2022. Born in Buffalo, N.Y., he was the only child of Florence Schoenl and Henry Walbesser. He got his B.A. from Buffalo State University in 1958. He taught mathematics first at the University of Texas at Austin, then part-time at UMD and the American Association for the Advancement of Science . In 1992, he retired from the University of Maryland and worked as dean of the graduate school at Baylor University until he later retired again. He is survived by his wife, Diane; his sons, Henry and James Walbesser; his daughter, Kathleen Watkins; and six grandchildren.

Ronald W. Shurie M.Ed. ’65 died on March 5, 2022, in Chesterfield, Va., at age 95. He was born to Andrew Marcus Shurie and Lillian Lochrie Shurie in Latrobe, Pa., on July 31, 1926. After graduating from high school, he served in the Army Air Corps, then received his B.A. in music education from Indiana State Teachers College (Pa). Shurie taught instrumental music at Hurst High School in Pleasant Unity, Pa., and then at his alma mater, Latrobe High School, becoming director of music for Greater Latrobe School District. He married Betty Godish in 1953 and they relocated to Rockville, Md., where Shurie taught instrumental music at Julius West Junior High and earned his master’s degree in music education from the University of Maryland. He directed the choir of St. Raphael Catholic Church in Rockville, Md., and concluded his teaching career as the rotating music teacher at five elementary schools. He was well-known in the Washington, D.C. area for playing accordion with his music trio at weddings and other events. He is survived by his brother, Gordon; his children, Elaine Ogburn, Ronald Shurie Jr., Elise Shurie, Alison Draper, Randall Shurie and Cara Kinning; five grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his wife of 64 years, Betty.

Donald M. McKinstry ’64, M.S. ’65, Ph.D. ’71 of Erie, Pa., died on Jan. 30, 2022. McKinstry was born June 10, 1939, in Lancaster, Pa. He was the eldest son of Dr. Donald W. and Pauline Lesher McKinstry. He was a nature lover and was active in the family Presbyterian church and the Boy Scouts, becoming the first Eagle Scout in Montgomery County. McKinstry studied physiology and microbiology at UMD, where he also taught before accepting a position in the biology department at Penn State Erie, the Behrend College. He was an active researcher and the author of several scientific publications before his 2004 retirement. He leaves behind his wife of 56 years, Nancy McKinstry; his sons, Michael and Patrick; two grandchildren; his siblings, Susan Curry, Thomas A. McKinstry and William B. McKinstry; three nieces; and a nephew.

Ilva Sue Madej ’63 of Heathsville, Va., died on April 22, 2022, at age 80. Madej received her associate’s degree in nursing from Harford Community College and her Master of Science in Health Care Education and Administration from St. Joseph University. She was certified in trauma and emergency care and worked in hospitals in Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia. She was active in St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church. She is survived by her husband, Joe Madej; three daughters and their spouses; 10 grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. Madej was preceded in death by her parents, Dr. D.T. Battaglia and Ilva Tingle Battaglia Hughes; and her three brothers, Tom, Jack and Joe Battaglia.

Frank J. Berrent Jr. ’59 of Omaha., Neb., died on Jan. 17, 2022. He was born on Feb. 21, 1931, in Baltimore, the youngest of five to Frank and Katherine Berrent. He graduated from Patterson High School and served in the U.S. Army from 1950 to 1953. He started his career at Western Electric, then moved in 1983 to Omaha to work for AT&T. Berrent is survived by his wife of 63 years, Rita; three daughters, Catherine Naused, Nancy League and Ann Crouse; four grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews.

Louis “Lou” Elder McConnell ’58 died on March 8, 2022, at age 91. McConnell was born on Sept. 20, 1930, in Bronx, N.Y., but grew up in Southeast Washington, D.C. He served in the U.S. Navy and graduated from the University of Maryland with an economics degree, and continued graduate studies there. McConnell was executive director of the U.S. Minimum Wage Study Commission during the Carter administration. As such, he oversaw 156 economists, who, from 1979 to 1981, studied the minimum wage and created a seven-volume report to Congress and the president. He previously held numerous positions in the U.S. Department of Labor, including assistant administrator for the Bureau of Employment Security and deputy assistant for the Manpower Administration. After retiring in 1981, McConnell devoted his time to building single-family homes in Maryland and Great Falls, Va. He is survived by his wife, Cathy; his son, Jef; and two nieces. He was preceded in death by his first wife of 54 years, Margaret “Peg” Mattat; his mother, Mary O’Connor; his father Edward; his sister, Edna Henke; and his brother, Bob.

John F. D. Bowersox ’56 of Westminster, Md., died on March 9, 2022, at age 89. Born on Feb. 11, 1933, in Westminster, Md., he was the son of the late John C. and Jessie M. (Shaffer) Bowersox. He graduated from the University of Maryland with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. He was employed by the state of Maryland, where he worked as an administrator for the Medicaid Program for the Health Department. He was also a veteran of the U.S. Air Force and served from 1956 to 1960. He is survived by his children, David Bowersox, Leanne Whitestone, Steve Bowersox and John Bowersox; sister, Jessie Peeling; 11 grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his wife of 59 years, Phyllis Bowersox, who died in 2013, along his sister, Elizabeth Harlowe.

June B. Wrona ’56, M.A. ’62 of Rockville., Md., died on March 10, 2022, at age 87. Wrona was born on Jan. 19, 1935, to the late Hilary and Nadine Banachowski, She graduated first in her undergraduate class at UMD’s College of Arts and Sciences. Wrona taught English and began her career at Sherwood High School where she met her husband, history teacher Joseph W. Wrona. They married in 1960. She went on to teach at Paint Branch High School, Tilden Junior High, Montgomery College and the University of Maryland. After teaching, she went on to a fulfilling career with the federal government. She excelled in her writer/editor positions within the Commerce department, the Department of the Interior, Division of Wild Horses and Burros, and the Department of Justice. Wrona is survived by her children, Victoria Wrona Sanders, Valerie Wrona Atmonavage, James S. Wrona and Douglas M. Wrona; her sisters, Nadine Banachowski and Elaine Bichy; her brother, Hilary Banachowski; and 11 grandchildren. She was predeceased by her husband, Joseph W. Wrona, who died in 2001.

Gene Shue ’55, a former NBA player and two-time coach of the year. died on April 3, 2022, at his home in Marina del Rey, Calif., at age 90. He was born in Baltimore on Dec. 18, 1931 and was a star basketball player at UMD. For 10 years, he played in the NBA as a guard, most notably with the Detroit Pistons. He became coach of the Baltimore Bullets in 1966, winning four division titles and leading his team to the NBA Finals in 1971. He then became head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers and the San Diego Clippers before joining Washington, where Shue was named NBA coach of the year a second time, in 1982. His marriages to Dorothea Thistle and Sandy Delnero ended in divorce. Survivors include his longtime partner, Patti Massey; two daughters, Linda and Susan Shue; and a grandson. His son, Greg Shue, died in 2021.