ALUMNI NOTES 80s/90s
Rebecca Kalagher ’92 is the director of community standards at Springfield College. Bill Savinelli ’93 is the senior director of operations at Stonington Institute. Robert Stevenson ’93 is the director of quality control at MassBiologics.
Philip Dei Dolori ’81 is president at the Middleby Corporation.
Ron Samul ’94 is the director of Thames at Mitchell College at Mitchell College.
John Mennone ’89 is the director of U.S. health economics and market access at Johnson & Johnson MedTech.
Adam Stahl ’95 is the senior vice president at Verituity.
Michael Burns ’90 is the senior vice president of sales at Active Interest Media.
Alycia Santilli ’96 is the senior director of community initiatives at the College of Health and Human Services at Southern Connecticut State University.
Mary Micoletti ’91 is the senior director of enterprise resiliency at UnitedHealth Group.
Wayne Zorger ’97 is the executive director at UBS.
Lisa Blake ’92 is a licensed acupuncturist and president of Bridging Access to Wellness, Inc.
Omar Rodriguez ’98 is the associate director of the Office of Intercultural Affairs at Stonehill College.
TALES OF TAILS By Noel Teter ’24 From a World War II love story to a medley of novels about dogs, Eastern alumna Susan Wilson ’72 has found her niche as a writer. A New York Times best-selling author of 11 novels, Wilson’s literary career blossomed when she turned to writing “dog stories.” Titles such as One Good Dog, The Dog Who Danced, and The Dog Who Saved Me marked her shift from romance to emotionally rich tales inspired by animals — a return to her childhood passion. “The primary reason I had always wanted to be a writer was because of my childhood devotion to writers of animal stories, in particular Albert Payson Terhune,” said Wilson, a graduate of Eastern’s English program. “All of the ‘dog’ books are really about the relationships people have with each other as well as the dogs.” After several romance novels, Wilson hit a creative wall. “I threw in the towel,” she said. “I’d had a good run … but maybe I was done.” Then, her agent suggested dog stories — just as the acclaimed novel The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein was gaining popularity. That was the turning point. “There are no hard and fast rules about when, where, and how to make a work of art,” said Wilson. “Some stories arrive mostly whole cloth, and many play hide and seek with me.” After two years at a community college, Wilson transferred to Eastern, where her love for literature deepened. “The faculty were consummate professionals … outstanding in their knowledge, accessibility, and desire to inspire,” she recalled. Though she once thought writers were “ordained,” she eventually realized that “regular folks like me” could make it. Pursuing her dream meant juggling day jobs. “It took almost 20 years of writing to entertain myself before I mustered up the courage to attend a writers’ conference, join a group, and seek out an agent.” To aspiring writers, Wilson offers: “Write the story you want to read. And don’t assume it’s perfect. But with practice and patience, it can become pretty darn good.” 40 • Fall 2025 • EASTERN
Elizabeth Bumgardner ’99 is the director of the Windham Early Childhood Center at the Windham Public School District. Jeff Ganley ’99 is a director and product owner at Prudential Financial. Scott Magnano ’99 is the chief financial officer at AffirmedRx, a public benefit corporation.
00s Rick Galipeau ’01 retired as CEO at World Energy Services. Denice Handwerk ’01 is the director of operations at CiDRA Concrete Systems, Inc. Jay Romano ’01 is the director of player development at Mohegan Sun.