classnotes Amy Reckdenwald, M.A. Criminology `04, is an assistant professor at Florida Atlantic University in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Carnegie Mellon University in 2001 and her Ph.D. in Criminology from the University of Florida in 2008. Dr. Reckdenwald’s research interests include intimate partner homicide, domestic violence, race and gender issues, and capital punishment and sentencing. At FAU she teaches Research Methods, Criminological Theory, and Domestic Violence. Daniella Gordic-Ronderos, French `07, teaches French and Spanish at Bishop John J. Snyder High School in Jacksonville. Lisa E. (Tarras) Rower, Accounting `04, was
named controller for the Girl Scouts of North Carolina Coastal Pines. She is responsible for developing and maintaining financial accounting systems, policies and procedures, as well as ensuring compliance with accounting and corporate regulations. Rower previously served as audit manager for Cherry, Bekaert & Holland, LLP, in Raleigh. She is a licensed CPA and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the North Carolina Association of Certified Public Accountants.
Urrikka Woods-Scott, Gerontology `05, has
joined the National Council on Aging (NCOA) as a special projects coordinator for the Economic Security Initiative and Workforce Development team. In her role, Woods-Scott will assist in the development of NCOA’s EconomicCheckUp tool (an online screening tool to help older adults struggling during this economic downturn), manage online community campaigns, and conduct research and analysis on labor and industry trends for older workers. Prior to joining NCOA, Woods-Scott was a program associate for the National Academy of Sciences and an intern with AARP’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion. The NCOA is a nonprofit service and advocacy organization headquartered in Washington, D.C.
Mulham Shbeib, CPA, Accounting `01, recently graduated from George Mason University with a Masters in Accounting. He also welcomed his third daughter, Jenna Shbeib, who was born in March 2010. He is the controller for the Partnership for Public Service in Washington, D.C. Melissa Slawsky, M.M. `06, is a Ph.D. candidate in Music Education. She was featured in the fall as a presenter at the 2010 GP3 Group Piano and Piano Edagogy Forum in Austin, TX. She presented research on the pianist’s transition into the teaching role including challenges, solutions, reflections, and suggestions for the future of piano pedagogy, the results of two pilot studies in preparation for her dissertation. 34
ALUMNIVOICE | JANUARY 2011
Xigrid Soto, Communication Science and Disorders `09, is a graduate clinician in the USF College of Behavioral & Community Sciences’ Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders. She was selected as a participant in the American SpeechLanguage-Hearing Association’s Minority Student Leadership Program, Class of 2010. The Minority Student Leadership Program was developed by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association to provide students from underrepresented groups an opportunity to develop leadership skills in the profession of communication disorders. Tim Stamps, M.A. Jazz Performance `05, and Jennifer Ford Stamps, M.A. Mass Communications `08, welcomed their daughter, Lula Claire, on July 30 at 4:47 a.m. She weighed 7lbs. 12oz. and was 19.5 inches long. Lula Claire watched her first football game, USF vs. Florida, in her Future Bulls onesie that her parents bought at the USF bookstore on their “babymoon” to Tampa/St. Pete Beach in the spring. Tim currently works as a dealer relations representative for Jim’s Formal Wear and Jennifer is a senior marketing associate for Capital One. The family lives in Richmond, VA. Kenneth R. Statsick, Biology `04, received a
most comprehensive battery test and assembly laboratory in North America.
10s
Melissa Anduiza, Dance `10, began her professional career after graduation last summer as one of the primary dancers with the North Carolina Dance Theatre in Charlotte. Prior to joining the company, she performed at the National College Dance Festival, sponsored by the American College Dance Festival Association at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. Shahnjayla K. Connors, MPH `10, is currently a Postdoctoral Fellow in Health Outcomes & Behavior at H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center. Dr. Connors’ research focuses on prostate cancer clinical trials and interventions for cancer disparities in minority populations. Michelle (Upshaw) Ghidinelli, MPH `10, is a microbiologist for the California Department of Public Health. She works in the Microbial Diseases Laboratory in Richmond, CA. Olabode Oyekoya, MPH `10, is a disease
intervention specialist for DACCO Inc. in Tampa.
Doctor of Optometry degree from Nova Southeastern University, Sarasota.
Caitlin Stowe, MPH `10, is an infection control professional at Lakeland Regional Medical Center.
Kali Thomas, M.A. Gerontology, `07, is a Ph.D.
Julie F. Troum, Ph.D. Music Education `10, presented her dissertation paper on self-regulation and music study at the 4th International Conference on Self-Determination Theory in Ghent, Belgium, last May. Her spoken paper, titled “The Relationship Between Perceived Autonomy Support and Perceived Competence on Task Persistence of Undergraduate Applied Music Students,” was the first-known study to apply self-determination theory to music.
candidate in the USF College of Behavioral & Community Sciences’ School of Aging Studies. She was awarded a grant last fall through the Grants for Health Services Research Dissertation Program, funded by the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality. The grant, entitled “Understanding Processes of Care and Patient Safety Outcomes in Nursing Homes: An Examination of Patient Safety Culture,” will be used to fund Thomas for a year as she works on her dissertation. It will also cover the costs of tuition, data, a computer and travel for dissemination of research findings.
Chelsea Kuhl Watson, MSPH `00, is deputy
director of the Grants and Per Diem Program for the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs in Tampa.
Jessica Weber, Mechanical Engineering `03, M.S. `05 and Ph.D. `10, was the recipient of a prestigious American Society of Engineering Education/National Science Foundation postdoctoral fellowship at the General Motors Global Research and Development Center in Warren, MI. Weber’s research centers on battery chemistry and testing of anode/cathode materials, including those at the nanoscale. At the General Motors Global Research and Development Center, she is collaborating with individual researchers as well as with teams from diverse backgrounds and disciplines. GM has the largest,
In Memoriam Bernadette Alkhatib, `80, 11/4/2010 Joanne Cogar, M.A. `68, 9/1/2010 Andrew A. Crawford, `06, 10/4/2010 Doug Gardner, `76, 5/23/2010 Richard Gasink, M.A. `07, 8/31/2010 Charity Kisser, `04, 10/19/2010 Kate Kohlier, `10, 10/30/2010 Judith Moody, `73, 11/12/2010 Kay Nash, `78 & M.Ed `82, 9/26/2010 Pat Richardson, `65, 11/16/2010 Margaret Steward, `80, 3/30/2010