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Wisdom for Your Future

• “If you follow what feels right for you, no matter what anyone else says about it, it will always work out.”

• “People who are the most negative about your dreams are really speaking from a place of fear and resentment because they don’t have the courage to follow their dreams.”

• “Whatever job you’re doing, if you see something that’s missing, don’t be afraid to fill that void. It will benefit you by the experience you gain in implementing it and it will benefit your organization that would never have thought of the idea.”

Trudy Perkins ’93, acting chief of staff and communications director for U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), during her 2022 Commencement Eve Torchlight Dinner remarks

Share a little of yourself with others. Become an ASK (Alumni Sharing Knowledge) volunteer today. alumni.oswego.edu/ask

Amanda Held Mandia ’91 of New Hartford, N.Y., is a self-employed certified social worker.

Francis Slayne ’91 of Oakland, Calif., works in venture capital at Pequot Capital Management Inc.

Daniel Walker ’91 of Glen Ridge, N.J., is a lighting designer at Full Spectrum Productions. Some of his more recent productions included the Broadway revival of “Cats,” the “Christmas Spectacular” at the Radio City Music Hall, Paramour and Cirque du Soleil on Broadway and Disney’s “Tarzan” in Oberhausen, Germany. At SUNY Oswego, he was a member of the Shaun Cassidy Fan Club, Blackfriars and Alpha Psi Omega, and was the co-director of Campus Lighting.

Amy Romano Collins ’92 of Jamesville, N.Y., is the vice president and general manager of WSTM in Fayetteville, N.Y., and has worked for NBC3, WTVH, CBS5 and CW6.

In the post-pandemic world, many employers are offering “remote benefits.” What are some things to consider when making a decision about working remotely?

1. Can you work from home and be able to separate the two?

2. What are the hours and how often do you have to check-in?

3. What metrics are being tracked to justify your performance?

4. What distractions may there be by working remotely?

5. Is the work team-oriented, client facing, back office, etc. and how is the support for that?

6. Will the company cover office expenses or is it included in the compensation model?

7. What happens if there is a hardware issue?

Kurt D’Angelo ’02 M’07, vice president and financial advisor with Equitable Advisors, during his webinar “Navigating Career Change” for the university community

Share a little of yourself with others. Become an ASK (Alumni Sharing Knowledge) volunteer today. alumni.oswego.edu/ask

Heather Geschwind Copps ’92 of Minnetonka, Minn., is a special education teacher at Groves Academy. At SUNY Oswego, Heather participated in the Disney College Program and the Ontarian After graduation, she spent a year living in Holland, and later moved to Seattle, where she met her husband, with whom she has raised three children. Heather later worked at the University of Washington, where she subsequently earned a master’s in education with a concentration in language, literacy and culture. After moving to Minneapolis, Heather earned another master’s degree in special education.

Thaina Gonzalez ’92 of Colorado Springs, Colo., is the director of executive office and board relations at Sponsors for Educational Opportunity.

Elaine Putinas Howe M’92 of Manlius, N.Y., is a school psychologist at JamesvilleDeWitt (N.Y.) School District.

Susan Legler Romeo M’92 of Vernon, N.Y., is a psychologist working for Oriskany Central School District.

Jeannine Muoio Salamone ’92 of Alexandria, Va., is the director of patient education and advocacy at the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

Jennifer Sheedy Baxter ’93 of Honeoye Falls, N.Y., is a clinician II at Hillside Children’s Center.

Karen Blumer ’93 of Naples, Fla., is the manager of Global Language Management at Arthrex, a global medical device company.

Steven Compo ’93 of Quakertown, Pa., is the regional sales manager at Recreation Resource USA.

Chalet Dewey-Flint ’93 of Oswego is a clinical social worker at Peace of Mind Counseling Services.

James McShay ’93 is the assistant vice president for student affairs and the director of diversity, equity and inclusion at the University of Maryland College Park. He has served as vice chancellor for equity and inclusion at the University of Washington-Tacoma. James holds a Ph.D. in education, multicultural and international curriculum studies from Iowa State University.

Shari Hoke Whiting ’93 of Duluth, Ga., is the curriculum director of Ninth District Opportunity Inc.’s head start program. Delainie Aguilar-Hanson ’94 of Atascocita, Texas, is a kindergarten teacher at Goose Creek Consolidated Independent School District. Delainie is a member of Phi Sigma Sigma and served as a resident assistant.

Christopher Browne ’94 of East Syracuse, N.Y., is a creative director at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He is a member of Phi Kappa Tau, and was a member of the Asian Student Association. After graduating, he moved to Atlanta to break into the advertising market. Over the past 20 years, he held creative leadership positions at global advertising agencies as well as global corporations. He has worked for such brands as AT&T, Verizon, HP, The Coca-Cola Company, UPS and many other brands.

Nicole LaRock Decker ’94 of Oswego is the assistant director for user support at SUNY Oswego’s Campus Technology Services.

Mitchell Goldberg ’94 of Peoria, Ariz., is the chief operations officer of Beginners Edge Sports Training, LLC. Mitchell worked in New York City before starting his company, which currently operates in three states. During that time, he has gotten married, had a child and frequently tunes into the live cams overlooking the Oswego campus and Lake Ontario. At SUNY Oswego, he founded the Jewish Student Union, of which he was also the president. Mitchell also participated in intramural sports and ETX.

Elia Canalda Imler ’94 of Glen Allen, Va., is the director of marketing and communication for Bon Secours Richmond, where she oversees the marketing and communications functions for three health care educational institutions owned by the health system. She is active in the Public Relations Society of America Richmond and has served on the board since 2008.

Sonya Buecken Lorrain ’94 of Chincoteague Island, Va., is the owner of Thrive.

Matthew Musikar ’94 of Pomona, N.Y., is an account manager and business development specialist at Aspire-North, a data driven marketing company. He is in Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity.

Desmond Browne M’95 of Suwanee, Ga., is executive director for Kinsale Group LLC, a management consulting service.

Anne Rietschel Gordon ’95 of Saratoga Springs, N.Y., is the founder and president of Live Life Travel.

Brian Levow ’95 of Raleigh, N.C, is a senior manager for procurement processes and systems at Ortho Clinical Diagnostics in Raritan, N.J. He is in Sigma Chi fraternity and was on the Program Policy Board.

Juli Porter McCann ’95 of Elbridge, N.Y., is a lead advisor at National Grid.

William McGuirk ’95 of Denver, N.C., is an account technology strategist for Microsoft. In his position, Bill works in a sales role, supporting healthcare customers. Bill worked at Hofstra University, where he earned an MBA and met his wife, Paige, with whom he has raised three children.

David Rothstein ’96 of Middletown, N.Y, is an administrative staff analyst for the NYC Department of Environmental Protection.

Janine Pechenko Smith ’96 of Endicott, N.Y., is a consultant at Touchstone Crystal, a privately held multi-level marketing jewelry company.

Charles Wing ’96 of Largo, Fla., has worked for more than 20 years for the ION Television Network in Clearwater, Fla. Charles was an Onondaga Hall senator in the Student Association.

James Bragg ’97 of Wyoming, N.Y., is the senior planner of the Wyoming County Agriculture & Business Center. James is in Sigma Chi Omega fraternity.

Deanna Raphael Cheng ’97 of Rockville Center, N.Y., was featured on the podcast “The Animal That Changed You” during which she, a dog-bite victim, shared a story of overcoming her fear through her rescue dog, Otto. She is an actress, writer and producer, and is the co-creator of Comedy Central’s Unsend

Brian Hall ’97 formerly of Lindenhurst, N.Y., is a school librarian at Makuhari International School in Chiba, Japan. Since 1998, he has worked at various schools in Chiba through the Japan English Teachers program. A fine arts major at Oswego, he enjoys the Japanese language, learning traditional Japanese art techniques in painting and woodblock printing and practicing traditional Japanese music such as shamisen folk music and Gagaku-Imperial court music.

Katherine Loiacono Maxwell ’97 M’02 of Weatogue, Conn., is the program coordinator for Girls on the Run of Greater Hartford. She served in SUNY Oswego’s admissions office from 1999 to 2015.

Deborah Reutzel Ouckama ’97 of Rexford, N.Y., is a school psychologist for Shenendehowa Central Schools.

Maria Luisa Alonso Rice ’97 M’00 of Leander, Texas, works as a Spanish teacher at Round Rock (Texas) Independent School District. Mary Luisa is a member of Delta Mu Delta and Sigma Delta Pi.

Rachel Castellano Schurz ’97 of Phoenix, Ariz., is a grant writer at Freelance Grant Writing Services.

Jolene Steele ’97 of Waterloo, N.Y., is branch manager of the Newark Plaza Community Bank in Waterloo. She serves as president of Seneca Falls Rotary and sits on the Waterloo Town Planning Board. She and her husband, Scott, have two dogs.

Melanie Trulby ’97 of Beachwood, N.J., is a traffic manager at Press Communications LLC in Neptune Township, N.J.

Keith Washo ’97 of Raleigh, N.C., wrote Good Things Come from Hard Times, a selfhelp book about overcoming adversity. Keith also released a new song, “Follow,” a love song duet with his newly wedded wife, Chelsey Garrett, along with the music video for the song.

Vicki Pettigrass Bacheller ’98 of Natick, Mass., is the account manager of Global Client and Prospective Services at Wellington Management.

Steven Gaston ’98 is a telecommunications administrator for MONRO Inc. in Rochester, N.Y.

Allyson Myers Mooney ’98 of Cortland, N.Y., is a professional organizer who owns and operates Lifestyle Organization. Allyson volunteers in SUNY Cortland’s Career Services department, helping students make resumes and develop employment building skills. She also enjoys making and selling pillows, as well as singing.

Taryn Croot Weinstein ’99 M’04 of Plainfield, N.H., is the director of medical student affairs at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College.

2000s

Cathleen Pringle Cassidy ’00 of Nyack, N.Y., is the U.S. construction counsel at citizenM hotels.

Ann Cox-Smith M’00 of Syracuse, N.Y., works as an art teacher for the Syracuse City School District.

Christie Tribuzzi Joseph ’00 of West Seneca, N.Y., is the senior vice president of human resources at Pegula Sports and Entertainment. In this role, she leads people and culture initiatives for all the portfolio companies, including the Buffalo Bills, Buffalo Sabres, KeyBank Center, Blue Cross Arena and LECOM Harborcenter. During her time at SUNY Oswego, Christie was involved in State Singers.

Sarah Rouse ’00 of Syracuse, N.Y., is the senior review appraiser of LCS Inc., a due diligence compliance solution for lending institutions.

Jennifer Relyea Yager ’00 of Schenectady, N.Y., is the assistant director of undergraduate admissions at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. During her time at Oswego, Jennifer was involved in the Del Sarte Dance Club, Vega Honor Society and the Spanish club.

Alyssa Connelly Huizar ’01 of Richmond, Va., is the research and development grant administrator for the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Richmond, Va. She was excited when her site received funding on multiple projects for COVID research. She enjoys working with biomedical, clinical, cooperative, health services, rehabilitation research and development grants. She visited Oswego over the summer with her husband and two sons, (pictured above), who are currently in middle school.

Jill Frattallone Spadaro ’01 of Albany, N.Y., is the manager of internal communications at the Albany Medical Center. Prior to working at Albany Med, Jill spent nearly a decade working in television news and various other positions in the communications field. At SUNY Oswego, she was involved in WNYO.

Sara Vara ’01 of Austin, Texas, is the chief human resources officer of United Heritage Credit Union. At SUNY Oswego, Sara was president of Delta Phi Epsilon and was involved in the Society for Human Resource Management.

Jeremy Carrow ’02 of Brooklyn, N.Y., is the associate creative director at SportsNet New York (SNY) and was part of the four-member SNY team who won a 2021 New York Emmy Award for “Mets Pre/ Post Game Show Open.” The broadcasting and mass communication major said he and his team began the redesign of the open animation for the NY Mets right before the pandemic started and were able to collaborate via videoconferencing in time for the start of the 2020 baseball season.

Robert C. Whitaker Jr. ’02 of Camillus, N.Y., was included in “Upstate New York Super Lawyers” for 2021. A partner in the labor and employment, construction and intellectual property practices at Hancock Estabrook LLP, he is the chair of the firm’s labor and employment department and leader of the military law practice, and formerly served as chair of the firm’s hiring committee.

Kelly Wirth Friedman ’03 M’05 of Glenmont, N.Y., is a teacher. At Oswego, she was involved in women’s cross country, indoor and outdoor track, the Newman Club and Vega.

Heather Stoffel Gillenkirk ’03 M’05 of Victor, N.Y., and her husband, Todd, recently welcomed their third child, Hannah Juliette, on July 6, 2021. Heather is in Phi Sigma Sigma sorority.

Jaime Donahoe Lamberto ’03 M’05 of Utica, N.Y., works as a College Now specialist at Herkimer County Community College.

Derilda O’Connor ’03 of Auburn, N.Y., is working on a book and is a volunteer at her local library. She previously worked as a nurse, but has since retired.

Erica Dennis Walters ’03, who was in the choir at SUNY Oswego, is an instructor of vocal music/choral director at Cayuga

Community College in Fulton. Since 2012, she has had her own business, Notable Beginnings, and teaches private voice, piano and acting lessons. She became an adjunct professor in 2017. Erica completed her Master of Music in Choral Conducting at Messiah University in 2021. She lives in Moravia, N.Y., with her husband and two sons.

Daniel Dempsey ’04 M’07 of Newton Center, Mass., is an assistant professor at Boston University with a lab in the medical school. He recently had his research on the regulation of PTEN, a gene whose mutation is linked to many forms of cancer and other illnesses, published in Nature Structural and Molecular Biology, a peerreviewed scientific journal.

Amanda Graham Hawkins ’04 of Byron Center, Mich., is the manager of aseptic manufacturing at Grand River Aseptic Manufacturing.

Ira Heimowitz ’04 of South Orange, N.J., is pursuing a master’s degree in social work at Seton Hall University. Ira was a member of WTOP-10 TV and WNYO at SUNY Oswego. He is also a voiceover artist and professional actor, and is a member of the Actors Equity Association.

Kimberly Trela Irland ’04 of Morrisonville, N.Y., is associate vice president of student affairs at North Country Community College. Kimberly previously served as the college’s dean of student life, and she also serves as an adjunct instructor in regional prisons as a part of the Second Chance Pell program. At Oswego, she was involved in the Outing Club, VEGA Women’s Honor Society, Alternative Spring Break, Juggling Club, Hart Hall Living Learning Community, The Oswegonian and the Honors Program.

Catherine Almy McCloe ’04 of Binghamton, N.Y., is a customer service assistant for the Maple Vail Book Manufacturing Group.

Jennifer Shepard ’04 of Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, works as a diversity and inclusion specialist at Saudi Aramco. She facilitates leadership courses for women and diversity and inclusion workshops for her entire company. She also worked with Saudi Arabia’s first 50 driving instructors during their onboarding experience. She is in Alpha Phi Omega and was involved in the Women’s Center.

Robert Squire ’04 of Cicero, N.Y., is a technology innovator at SUNY Upstate Medical University. Robert is responsible for identifying, researching, recommending and implementing new technology and automation for use at Upstate. His work currently focuses on the use of drones and robotics. Robert is in Sigma Tau Chi and was a Sheldon Leader.

William Vogel ’04 of Bayport, N.Y., works as a technology teacher for Sayville Public Schools. At SUNY Oswego, William was president of the Oswego Technology Education Association and was a member of the Oswego State Crew Club.

Katherine Doe ’05 of Mt. Pleasant, S.C., is celebrating five years working at Equifax, where she recently became director of product marketing, risk solutions. She is in Delta Phi Epsilon and was in SIFE.

Andrew Drogo ’05 of Delmar, N.Y., is vice president of product development at Xactly Corp., a provider of cloud-based software and services.

Heather Connors McCutcheon ’05 M’06 of Frankfort, N.Y., is a K-12 art teacher at Herkimer Central School District. Heather was recognized as a finalist for NYS Teacher of the Year 2022 at the September Board of Regents meeting.

The SUNY Oswego College Council and members of the university’s leadership team honored Saleem M. Cheeks ’01 at its May 24, 2022, meeting, and recognized him for more than 15 years of distinguished service as a member of the College Council.

The College Council passed a resolution highlighting Cheeks’ initial appointment in December 2006 and his admirable service over the better part of two decades on behalf of his alma mater, SUNY Oswego. He is the vice president of communications at AngioDynamics—a leading provider of innovative, minimally invasive medical devices with global headquarters in Latham.

Lauren Sorrentino Pacelli ’05 and her husband, Tim, of Hazlet, N.J., welcomed their first child, Ella, on June 5, 2021.

Christopher Perrello ’05 of LaFayette, N.Y., is executive director of career services and experiential learning within the School of Information Studies at Syracuse University.

Eric Potts ’05 of Schenectady, N.Y, works in administration for Glenville Police Department.

Heather Wright Howard ’06 of Wiliamson, N.Y., is the senior quality manager for Keurig Dr Pepper.

Sarah Kirnie Mastrangelo ’06 of Minoa, N.Y., is the vice president of operations for Digital Hyve.

Karen Hoag Quina ’06 of Lowville, N.Y., is an adjunct writing instructor and teacher candidate supervisor at the University of Maryland Global Campus and Grand Canyon University.

Kristin Beck Sexstone ’06 of Cheektowaga, N.Y., is an academic counselor working in TRiO Student Support Services at Medaille College. Kristen was a member of the Student Association, Sheldon Leaders and Omicron Delta Kappa. She was also involved in Peer Advisement and was a resident mentor.

Christie Hale Shirk ’06 of St. Petersburg, Fla., is the owner of Local Soul, a beach inspired lifestyle brand. Christie is in Alpha Epsilon Phi.

Christopher Thuman ’06 of Council Bluffs, Iowa, is a storm chaser and multimedia journalist for Stormviewlive and SVL Media LLC, based in Harlan, Iowa. He holds a master’s degree from Rutgers University. A Presidential Scholar at Oswego, he was an RA and a Sheldon Leader and was in the Greek honor society, Omicron Delta Kappa.

Caitlin “Caito” Hankinson ’07 M’12 of Richmond, Va., proudly wore a SUNY Oswego shirt for alma mater day at her employer, St. Joseph’s Villa (Dooley School) in Richmond, only to discover one of her fellow teachers, Kristi Delperuto ’08 who was a Spanish major, not only attended Oswego, too, but also overlapped with her time on campus. Caito was an English major with a theatre minor, and then earned a master’s in adolescent education.

You are invited to the Oswego Family Reunion!

June 8 – 11, 2023

SUNY OSWEGO

All class years, Greeks and groups are welcome! Complete a Reunion News Note online at alumni.oswego.edu/reunion to update your classmates on your life after Oswego. (To request a hard copy form, please call 315-312-5559.)

Registration for all Reunion 2023 events and on-campus housing will open in April 2023.

Visit alumni.oswego.edu/reunion to stay up-to-date on plans for the biggest alumni party of the year!

alumni.oswego.edu/reunion • reunion@oswego.edu

Rachel Forman LaCoe ’07 of Wilmington, N.C., works as the senior long range planner of New Hanover County.

Jessica Landers McGiff ’07 of Oswego is the academic records coordinator at SUNY Oswego.

Samantha Morgan ’07 M’12 of Adams Center, N.Y., is a director at Adams Free Library. At Oswego, she was a part of Tau Sigma National Honor Society, the Newman Club and Vega.

Richard Shea ’07 of Albany, N.Y., is the principal of Clayton A. Bouton High School in Voorheesville, N.Y.

Peter Sterpe ’07 M’16 of East Syracuse, N.Y., is a social studies teacher at Syracuse City School District. He was a member of the Storyteller’s Guild.

Sarah Kane ’08 M’15 of Endicott, N.Y., is the assistant dean of finance and human resources at the Watson School at Binghamton University.

Danielle Poli O’Brien ’08 of Syracuse, N.Y., is the manager of St. Joseph’s Care

Coordination Network. She started her career as a mental health counselor on an Inpatient Psychiatric Unit in 2008 at St. Joseph’s.

Michael Voda ’08 of Ballston Lake, N.Y., is a senior learning program manager at Amazon.

Jeffrey Hamelinck CAS’09, principal of Kelley School in Newark, N.Y., received the 2021 George Vito Elementary Administrator of the Year Award from the School Administrators Association of New York State, Region 11. Jeff has served seven years as a principal in the Newark Central School District.

Harry Iyer ’09 of Nanuet, N.Y., has been a project control accountant for DLT Solutions since May 2021. During his time at Oswego, he was a part of the Financial Management Association, the national business organization Phi Beta Lambda and the Society for Human Resource Management, and he worked as a desk attendant.