Portraits magazine Summer 2021

PORTRAITS SUMMER 2021

Telling the Stories of the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford

It’s easy to want change.

These six alumni make it happen every day creating opportunities for others to give, grow, vote, work and pursue justice.

Julian Joyner ’16, Leader at The Thinkubator

GAME CHANGERS Russ Myer ’75-’77 breaks trail for Paralympians

Irene Taurins ’67 retires after decades in art world

Softball team shines on mound and in dugout

Commencement hits the road for ceremony

president’s letter

PORTRAITS Telling the Stories of the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford

A Time to be Grateful What a year it has been. With the warm summer days upon us, like many others I am taking time to reflect, rest and rejuvenate.

During my reflections about our campus community, I find myself continually amazed and moved by the compassion and grace we have extended to each other.

And, it’s so evident that all of this leaves an indelible imprint upon our students and alumni.

This care, which has been an important and valued part of Pitt-Bradford’s culture, was even more evident this year. Throughout this undeniably tough year, we excelled at taking care of our students and one another. When some of us were down, others lifted us up. When some of us stumbled, others helped to keep us steady. When some of us were filled with worry, others listened patiently and offered kind words to help ease our fear.

In this issue, you will read many examples of how the members of our campus community have and continue to support and care for one another: Our amazing creative approach to commencement this year that helped to elevate the jubilation our graduates and their families felt on that momentous day; our successes on the softball field and of endurance athlete Russ Myer who is supporting other athletes and leaving an amazing legacy; and six of our alumni who are having a profound impact locally, nationally and globally.

As you enjoy this issue of Portraits I hope you, too, will take pride in who Pitt-Bradford is and the tremendous impact we are making, both individually and collectively.

Wishing you and yours a wonderful summer!

Catherine Koverola, Ph.D., president

“Throughout this undeniably tough year, we excelled at taking care of our students and one another. When some of us were down, others lifted us up. When some of us stumbled, others helped to keep us steady.”

SENIOR EDITOR

Pat Frantz Cercone EDITOR

Kimberly Marcott Weinberg COPY EDITORS

Laurie Dufford Judy Hopkins ’71-’73 Joelle Warner ART DIRECTOR

John Sizing www.jspublicationdesign.com PHOTOGRAPHERS

Sydney Herdle Alan Hancock ’07, ’19 Glenn Melvin ‘04 PRINTER

Canfield & Tack Inc. Published by the Office of Communications and Marketing University of Pittsburgh at Bradford © 2021 www.upb.pitt.edu *Some photographs in this publication were taken before the COVID-19 pandemic and do not reflect the current health and safety guidelines.

NONDISCRIMINATION POLICY STATEMENT The University of Pittsburgh, as an educational institution and as an employer, values equality of opportunity, human dignity, and racial/ethnic and cultural diversity. Accordingly, as fully explained in Policy 07-01-03, the University prohibits and will not engage in discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sex, age, marital status, familial status, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, genetic information, disability, or status as a veteran. The University also prohibits and will not engage in retaliation against any person who makes a claim of discrimination or harassment or who provides information in such an investigation. Further, the University will continue to take affirmative steps to support and advance these values consistent with the University’s mission. This policy applies to admissions, employment, access to and treatment in University programs and activities.

This is a commitment made by the University and is in accordance with federal, state and/or local laws and regulations.

For information on University equal opportunity and affirmative action programs, please contact: University of Pittsburgh, Office of Affirmative Action, Diversity and Inclusion, Carol W. Mohamed, Director (and Title IX, 504 and ADA Coordinator), 412 Bellefield Hall, Pittsburgh, Pa., 15260 (412) 648-7860.

In compliance with the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, the University guarantees that students have the right to inspect all personally identifiable records maintained by the institution and may challenge the content and accuracy of those records through appropriate institutional procedures. It is further guaranteed by the University that student records containing personally identifiable information will not be released except as permitted by the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act. Eddie Buggie Title IX Equity Investigator (814)362-7513 ebuggie@pitt.edu

BEYOND EXPECTATIONS Have a story, comment or suggestion for us? Write to us at Portraits@pitt.edu.

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contents ON

Julia THE C O n Jo yner VER: pro ‘1 Thin grams f 6 leads or T kub base ator, a B he dw ron deve lopm orkforc xe ent b cons ultan usiness cy.

The woods of McKean County were full of barred owls during the late winter and early spring this year. Head softball coach Tina Phillips was among those who caught owl fever and managed to find this one sunning itself on a March afternoon.

features

departments

10 Endurance Athlete

2 First Shot

Russ Myer ’75-’77 is always thinking about the long game. As a middle schooler, he started to think about being a physical therapist, researched the best schools and decided on Pitt and started his college career at Pitt-Bradford. As a physical therapist and executive director of an athletic nonprofit, he is always thinking of ways to provide more opportunities for athletes with disabilities to enjoy Nordic sports. As a donor, he is thinking about what happens when he’s gone.

14 Game Changers Confidence can make the difference between those who dream and those who accomplish. In this issue, we showcased alumni with the talent and confidence to change – maybe not the world, but a little part of it. They’re from little towns in rural Pennsylvania as well as the Bronx and Dallas. They’re people of color.

They’re men and women. Each gained the confidence at Pitt-Bradford to overcome their doubts and improve the worlds of others.

Cover photograph by Kyle Jackson ’16

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Pandemic safety meant an outdoor, drive-through commencement.

4 The Commons Head softball coach Tina Phillips earns 300th win while senior Jordan Uhing tosses two no-hitters in a stellar season; Dr. Tasha Alston fills new role focusing on diversity and inclusion; Dr. Larry “Rock ‘n’ Roll” Schardt ’72-’74 remembers his first summer at PittBradford; Student nurses educate and vaccinate the public in COVID-19 mitigation effort; Student standout Ezoza Ismailova ’21 pursues career as a diplomat; and more.

28 Panther Pack Irene Taurins ’67 retires after more than 40 years at the Philadelphia Museum of Art; We remember Howard Fesenmyer, namesake of Fesenmyer House.

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first shot A Tribute Ride Alyssa Sedgwick of Wampum, Pa., used May’s drive-through Commencement to pay tribute to her father, who died in November in a traffic accident while riding his motorcycle. “He was my hero and a very large part of my world,” Sedgwick said. “He was a selfless single father who worked incredibly hard to support my dreams as well as my three siblings’. He was my biggest supporter when it came to my career and education. He did everything he could so that I could graduate and become a teacher.

It was a really hard loss. I wanted more than anything for him to see me graduate. So in tribute to him and to carry on his spirit, I rode the motorcycle with my brother in the commencement line.”

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SYDNEY HERDLE

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News from Around the Quad

Rebecca Janelli, a biology graduate from Wellsboro, Pa., pauses for photos during outdoor Commencement in May. Her next stop is medical school at the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Commencement ’21 not so different Outdoor drive-through, socially distanced ceremony still held joy for grads

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was held outside, was unlike any other in Pitt-Bradford’s history. For several months, a group of faculty and staff worked together to redesign commencement so graduates and their families could have an on-campus ceremony that also followed COVID-19 protocols.

On Commencement Day, a wellorganized line of vehicles with families and their graduates processed around

the campus loop to an outdoor stage in the parking lot by the Harriett B. Wick Chapel. As vehicles approached the stage, the graduates exited and walked across the stage to receive their diploma while the families followed alongside, picking them up as they exited the stage.

While the event was well planned and orchestrated, it was also incredibly festive. summer 2021

ALAN HANCOCK ’07, ’19

Commencement 2021 was perfect despite being held during a once-in-alifetime pandemic.

Graduates were happy to have an on-campus celebration instead of a virtual one. Parents were jubilant.

Faculty and staff were excited to see the graduates and each other. Even the weather was lovely: sunny, low 70s with a slight breeze.

This year’s ceremony, which

ALAN HANCOCK ‘07, ‘19 (LEFT); GLENN MELVIN ’04 (RIGHT)

Angie Wolfe, associate dean of student affairs and experiential learning, was a cross between an overly caffeinated crossing guard and a cheerleader. Flashing blue and gold pompoms and wearing matching Mardi Gras beads and Pitt-Bradford socks, she directed each car to the perfect spot across from the stage so proud parents could take photos.

As graduates walked across the stage, families honked horns and shot confetti cannons while others screamed at impressive decibel levels.

With diplomas in hand, many new graduates got into vehicles that were decorated with balloons, streamers and posters, most in Pitt blue and gold.

Throughout the ceremony, faculty and staff – lined up and appropriately spaced along the route – waved, cheered and applauded as graduates and their families drove by. Some fistor elbow-bumped graduates through open windows. In a few instances, graduates hopped out of their cars to get a quick picture with a favorite professor.

After getting her diploma, Alyssa Marie Sedgwick from Wampum, Pa., who received her degree in biology education K-12, hopped on the back of a Harley-Davidson CVO and rode off into the proverbial sunset. – PFC

Angie Wolfe, associate dean of student affairs and experiential learning, enthusiastically addresses graduates across the stage summer 2021

Nursing student Shaniah Hudson of Clifton Heights, Pa., gives a COVID-19 vaccine to a member of the Bradford community at a mass vaccination clinic.

Nurses educate, vaccinate community BSN students spend semester studying COVID-19 best practices Bachelor of Science in Nursing students helped educate the Bradford community this spring about the coronavirus and its vaccines, including administering them to residents.

“I love seeing the expressions on people’s faces,” said Michelle Garlitz, who was one of the six student nurses giving shots at one of several mass vaccination clinics held in April at the university’s new facility on West Washington Street, formerly St. Bernard School. “I’ve never seen anyone so happy to get a shot from me.”

Giving the vaccines at clinics made her more committed to her chosen profession as a nurse, she said.

In addition to administering vaccines, the BSN students researched COVID-19, how it’s spread and best practices for reducing transmission. Students evaluated the ever-changing literature about best practices for mitigating the spread of the virus. Then they worked with Bradford Regional Medical Center employees to understand some of the choices medical personnel had to make in distributing the vaccine and how it was being regulated due to availability shortages early in the year.

As already-certified registered nurses, the students found themselves being a go-to source for family and friends with questions. “It’s nice being able to explain things to them,” said Ashley Campbell, a BSN student from Woodbury, N.J. Although there were still many unknowns about the virus and vaccines, the nurses said they felt confident in what they knew about both and their ability to answer questions and study future public health issues. – KMW

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BOOKSHELF

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Four members of the faculty and staff retired this spring.

Library Director Marietta Frank retired in June after 32 years at PittBradford and 11 years as director of Hanley Library.

During her time at Hanley, she developed a Curriculum Resource Center for education students after the library had received a donation of textbooks from the Intermediate Unit 9. She also developed curriculum plans to integrate library instruction and skills into the composition and education programs.

In her retirement, she plans to learn Turkish, keep a journal, unbox her sewing machine and use it, try painting and, not surprisingly, read all of the books that she has been waiting to read, including re-reading all of Jane Austen.

Don Lewicki retired as associate professor of computer information systems and technology after 21 years at

Pitt-Bradford, where, for many years, he had a unique position serving both as a staff member overseeing computing, telecommunications and media services and teaching management.

He came to Pitt-Bradford after 17 years at IBM, working in both technical and management positions. In 2007-08, he developed the computer information systems and technology major, which has grown to be one of the most popular on campus. He led that program as its director until 2017.

He was a recipient of both the Chair’s Teaching Award and the PittBradford Alumni Association Teaching Excellence Award. He lives with his wife, Judy, in his hometown of Olean, N.Y. Also retiring were two senior members of the facilities management crew, Dave Vecellio, who retired with nearly 24 years of service, and Dave Clark, who had 13 years of service.

Frank

ALAN HANCOCK ’07, ’19

Dr. Adam Cilli, assistant professor of history, has published his first book, which is an exploration of members of Pittsburgh’s Black middle class from 1915 until 1945.

Cilli’s book, “Canaan, Dim and Far: Black Reformers and the Pursuit of Citizenship in Pittsburgh, 1915-1945” and published by the University of Georgia Press, is based on work he began for his doctoral thesis in history at the University of Maine.

“I grew up in Beaver County, Pa., and when it came time to pick a topic for my dissertation, I knew I wanted to do something about Pittsburgh,” he said. He also wanted to look at how African Americans experienced life in the city during the first half of the 20th century.

Beginning with journalists at the Pittsburgh Courier, a leading Black newspaper, and moving on to social workers with the Urban League and activists with the NAACP, he studied the larger network of middle-class Black activists who formed a lesser-known aspect of the Great Migration.

Cilli followed how these reformers formed a bridge between Black steelworkers and the growing steelworkers’ union in Pittsburgh, forced Pittsburgh schools to employ Black teachers, expanded Black political power and reshaped racial discourse.

Four retire from staff, faculty after decades

Lewicki

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A friend indeed

Pitt-Bradford Arts fills theater seats with food

GLENN MELVIN ’04 (LEFT), SYDNEY HERDLE

Pitt-Bradford staff member Jody Randolph, left, sorts food for The Friendship Table at the Foodraiser event.

Pitt-Bradford Arts raised more than $10,000 in money and food this spring for Bradford’s soup kitchen, The Friendship Table, when it filled the Bromeley Family Theater with food.

Unable to bring audiences to campus for arts events during the pandemic, Director of Arts Programming Patty Colosimo planned a “Foodraiser” event to reconnect with audience and community members while supporting those hardest hit by the coronavirus. For each $10 worth of food or a donation, she placed a grocery bag in one of the theater’s 500 seats.

She had a goal of filling the theater with food. By the end of the event, it was filled twice over. summer 2021

Local businesses gathered food and funds in advance, and on a clear Saturday morning in April, donors pulled up to the front of Blaisdell Hall for a contactless drop-off.

Donors rolled down their windows for brief but enthusiastic conversations with volunteers as they popped their trunk or hatchback for the quick removal of groceries.

“It’s so good to see our patrons and friends,” said Courtney Mealy, assistant director of arts programming.

Monetary donations went to The Friendship Table’s Howard L. Fesenmyer Endowment fund.

Take action: Donate at www. upbartsvirtual.com/foodraiser.html

ST New graduate Ezoza UD EN Ismailova has her eyes T set on a career as a diplomat. The first stop for the international affairs and history-political science major is pursuing a Master of Arts in public diplomacy and global communications at Syracuse (N.Y.) University.

“I consider myself a global citizen because I wasn’t born in the U.S.,” said the native of Uzbekistan, which was part of the former Soviet Union. “I always want to advocate for those who are different

ST A OU ND T

nationalities and identities.”

Her family left Uzbekistan when she was 7 and came to the United States without a single member of the family speaking English.

Without a translator for Uzbek or Russian available in her school, she taught herself English by reading.

Her family settled in Towanda, Pa. She said it wasn’t until she came to Pitt-Bradford that she met others passionate about foreign affairs and had a chance to collaborate with them.

During past collegiate summers, she was an intern with a law firm, shadowed her state legislator and took part last summer in the Fund for American Studies program held by George Mason University.

She completed a capstone project for her dual majors that compared the different experiences of Ukraine and Estonia as they made the transition from Soviet states to democratic countries.

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Alston to deepen understanding Campus names inaugural diversity and inclusion officer Dr. Tasha Alston has been named PittBradford’s inaugural chief diversity and inclusion officer.

“Dr. Alston is an advocate, scholar, practitioner and interdisciplinary thinker who will build on the critical diversity, equity and inclusion work that we have already begun as a campus community,” said Dr. Catherine Koverola, president.

As Pitt-Bradford’s inaugural chief diversity officer, Dr. Tasha Alston will oversee Title IX and advance equity and success for all members of the campus community.

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Alston began her position in January and is a senior campus leader, serving on the President’s Cabinet. Additionally, she oversees the university’s Title IX office and will implement programs, partnerships and activities to advance equity and success for all members of the PittBradford community.

Alston is a social worker and

educational psychologist with more than 20 years’ experience. She specializes in research and community work that focuses on advancing equity and social justice for all, with a particular emphasis on children and families.

She completed her doctorate in educational psychology from the University of Georgia and earned her master’s degree in social work from Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in social work from Siena College in Loudonville, N.Y. Alston comes to Pitt-Bradford from Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, N.C., where she was an assistant professor in the department of social work. Prior to that, her positions included program coordinator for the Smart and Secure Children Parent Leadership Program at Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta; a mental health specialist for the Metro Atlanta and Lamar County Carrera Pregnancy Prevention Program; and research and programming to support African American fathers and strengthening culturally diverse families and communities nationally.

“I am excited to join the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford,” Alston said, “and to be an active member of the Wuersig surrounding Bradford community.”

This new position is part of the University of Pittsburgh’s efforts to advance equity and access throughout the university.

Alston, who loves the intimacy of small towns, recently moved to Bradford. She is eager to explore nature in the region, including the local trails and the neighboring Allegany (N.Y.) State Park and Allegheny National Forest. summer 2021

Dr. Larry Schardt ’72-’74 Flashback ... summer session of 1972!

My first summer in college rocked.

Just a couple of weeks out of high school and there I was, one of only 24 students at Pitt-Bradford.

It didn’t take long for us to grow into being a family. A close family.

There were no secrets. We opened up our hearts, souls and feelings to our tight-knit group.

My best friends were Gino and Greek. We were inseparable, like the Three Stooges. We hung around, went to parties, listened to music and enjoyed the first summer on our own.

We were like bros.

If you saw one of us, you knew the other two were nearby.

On Sunday afternoons, I’d make my weekly call home.

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AL U E M MN I O RY

Above, Schardt, left, goofs around with Tom “Greek” Moskos. At left, Schardt tops off a tower for a photo in front of the campus’s original town houses.

On my first call, Mom said, “Larry, a friend of a friend’s son is going to school there. His name is Tom Moskos.”

“Tom who? There are only 24 of us here, Mom . . . There’s no Tom.” Every time we’d talk, she’d ask me about this Tom guy. “You must have the summer 2021

wrong school.”

Mom persisted.

“I know there’s no Tom, but if it’ll make you happy, I’ll ask around.” I pulled out a matchbook from my pocket. I opened the inside flap . . . “How do you spell that?”

Mom spelled it out as I scribbled the name.

That evening, a group of us were hanging around, sitting in a circle on the grass, listening to the Rolling Stones. I lit up a cigarette and the match book flap reminded me to ask.

“My mom keeps insisting her friend’s friend’s son goes here,” I rolled my eyes. “His name is Tom Moskos.”

Greek looked at me and laughed, “That’s me, man!”

How great was that? No matter what the name, friends are friends!

And, no matter what you think you know . . . Never doubt Mom!

It didn’t take long for us to grow into being a family.

A close family. There were no secrets. We opened up our hearts, souls, and feelings to our tight-knit group.

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Enabling others to reach their goals Gift from Russ Myer ’75-’77 will help students help others Creating opportunities for others is a passion for Dr. Russ Myer ’75-’77.

A retired clinical physical therapist and a former elite bi-athlete (that’s the sport of cross-country skiing and rifle combined), he has been introducing Nordic sports to Paralympic athletes in a number of ways for decades.

As executive director of the Capital Region Nordic Alliance located in the Albany, N.Y., area, Myer introduces athletes with disabilities, many of whom are veterans, to the Nordic sports of biathlon, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, trail orienteering, Parabobsled and paraskeleton. That last sport is akin to the childhood practice of going down a hill headfirst on your father’s sled, except the sled is no Flexible Flyer and the hill is the bobsled/skeleton sliding track at Lake Placid or elsewhere in the world.

A new sport offered is riding fattire bikes over hard-packed snow.

“You just kind of float,” Myer said

of the fat-tire biking, which uses large air-filled tires for extra traction and stability on snow.

In the sport of trail orienteering, athletes use a map and a compass to select the right orienteering control on a course.

“It is one of a very few sports where both the able bodied and those with disabilities compete on equal terms.

Accessibility and inclusion at its very best!” he said. Recently, Myer’s organization has introduced those who are blind or low-vision to orienteering using an auditory application, such as Microsoft Soundscape.

“My gears are always burning, turning and looking to innovate, to include and to increase accessibility,” he said.

In May, the Capital Region Nordic Alliance was the host organization for the USA Trail Orienteering Championship held at the Philadelphia Naval Yard, where Myer insisted awards be

made in Paralympic categories as well as open categories with both sets of athletes competing alongside one another. He knows well the capabilities of orienteers with disabilities after serving as a coach for the U.S. Paralympic team in trail orienteering and champions Paralympians competing alongside athletes without disabilities. “Equity, inclusion, acceptance and respect are at the core of every initiative CRNA involves itself in,” Myer said.

Myer has also traveled all over the world with the International Paralympics Committee to classify athletes for national and international competition in XC Skiing and Biathlon.

In Paralympic sports, he explained, athletes with similar disabilities compete together. However, one athlete might still have more advantage or ability than another. Classification determines in which group an athlete should compete. It also measures the impact of an athletes’ impairments on

INVESTING BEYOND A LIFETIME Those who remember the university in their estates are inducted into the Founders’ Society, members of which are listed below.

Caroline C. Alleman* Dr. Carol A. Baker Richard T. Barnaby* Deborah G. Berliner Wesleah D. Blair * Marian G. Bromeley* Dr. Robert B. Bromeley* Thomas R. & Jean H.* Bromeley Margaret T. Bryner Jack Jr. ’67-’69 and Martha Mackowski ’70-’72 Campbell Naomi G. Carlson ’06 * Edwin Clemens* Berdena R. Coit* Dorothy L. Currie*

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Catherine B. Daggett* Sara Bryner Delo Eva C. Erickson* Drs. K. James Evans and Lisa M. Fiorentino Dr. George P. and Susan I. Evans Anne C. Fesh ’87 * Donald J. and Pamela B. Fredeen Anonymous Ward L. Garner ’89 James S. and Karen R. Gelston Harvey L. Golubock * Anna M. Gray* Tullah Hanley* Jeanette E. Holden* Joan L. Jeffers ’63-’74 * Richard S. Johnson ’88-’90 Susan Griffith Johnson Mary Ann Kautz* KOA Speer Electronics, Inc. William J. Krieg ’64-’66*

Dr. Robert C. Laing Jr.* Anonymous* Anonymous* Mary Ann Lyons* William H. Mallinson Bryce L. Marks* Isaac E. McCommon* Daniel P. and Amy B. McCune Dr. Richard E. and Ruth M. McDowell Alice M. Meisel* Madeline Miles Virginia L. Miles* Adam Dean Moser* Dr. Russ W. ’75-’77 and Rebecca S. ’76-’78 Myer Connie Newcome ’93 * Elaine F. Northrup ’68-’69 Elizabeth C. Osborne* Anonymous Estate of Jean M. Parmigiani

Bruce and Beverly Perry Dorothy H. Reed* Lester and Barbara Rice * Margaret E. Rich* Louise S. Richmond* Fred W. Roemer* Gene P. and Louise C. Salvucci* Terry L. Schager ’84 Dr. Larry Schardt ’72-’74 Gregory E. ’73-’75 and Susan H. ’72-’74 Silvestri Elaine Summerday Dr. Mary G. Swarts* Estate of Agnes L. Thomas George O. Tiffany* Jere A. Troka Doris Van de Bogart* Dr. Kimberly S. Young* Timothy F. Ziaukas and Dr. Christopher J. McCarrick * Deceased

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their performances. Those with greater impairment are assigned an advantage through a scoring or time compensation, which enhances both fairness and quality of competition.

Classification involves a detailed examination by a medical professional, and it is required for Paralympic athletes to compete. For that reason, Myer finds classifying an especially rewarding activity.

“Many of these athletes have been shunned or ostracized by their communities,” he said, “and once they are classified, they can return to their home wearing their countries’ uniforms and compete internationally. It’s a tremendous source of pride.”

Now Myer is creating new opportunities for others through his estate. He has included in his will Pitt-Bradford, the University of Pittsburgh School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences and the Tug Hill Tomorrow Land Trust, which protects wild land, working forests and farms in the area of northern New York state known as Tug Hill.

Myer said that after talking with his wife Rebecca, he set aside 6% to 8% of his estate to give to each of his three choices.

Why did he include Pitt-Bradford?

“As the director of a non-profit and my work with specific Paralympic sports, my objective every day is to provide the optimal environment in which identity can be developed and affirmed,” he said. “That’s what Pitt-Bradford did. Even at that time – in the ‘70s. It was through the faculty and activities.

The faculty just created that inclusive, inspiring classroom environment.”

Indeed, as a student at PittBradford and Pitt, Myer knew he wanted to study physical therapy, but was also able to pursue his passion for music, playing the lead role in “Stop the World, I Want to Get Off” with Toby Beckwith as director at Pitt-Bradford and playing in a jazz summer 2021

Russ Myer, left, and Paralympian and retired U.S. Army Sgt. Julius Schram stopped for a photo in San Jose International Airport on their way home from the U.S. Trail Orienteering Championships at Cabrillo College in Aptos, Calif., in 2019. ensemble at the Pittsburgh campus.

He would twice win the Dr. Robert C. Laing Creative Arts Award in theater and dance and names the longtime English professor among those who helped him develop his character, along with Beckwith, Alan Slovenkay in music and Dr. June Pfister-Gray in chemistry.

At Pitt-Bradford, he would also meet his wife, Rebecca S. Finlan ’76-’78, and when she took a class in cross-country skiing, he accompanied her in an outing and fell in love with the sport.

“There are certain things that guide my behavior,” he said. “Those come from people that I still internalize, remember and reflect on, such as those I met at Pitt–Bradford. They don’t know it, but they are with me each and every day. I use them as my beacon and standard bearer.” —Kimberly Weinberg For more information about including Pitt-Bradford in your will, contact the Office of Philanthropic and Alumni Engagement at 814-362-5091 or upb.pitt.edu/giving.

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SPORTS WIRE

Senior Jordan Uhing pitched two no-hitters this spring that were the third and fourth no-hitters in PittBradford softball history.

Softball shines in unique season Standout senior pitcher Uhing throws not one, but two, no-hitters

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they truly deserve this honor.”

The honors went beyond the team accomplishment of a regular-season title. Seven Panthers were named AllAMCC after the season, the most since 2008.

Senior pitcher Jordan Uhing of Aliquippa, Pa., had one of the most dominant seasons in program history.

She was named conference Pitcher of the Year after leading the conference in nearly all statistical categories. She was the first Pitt-Bradford player to earn a post-season individual award since Sydney Mosby won the same award in 2013.

Uhing also made her mark in the program history books. She threw two no-hitters in a two-week span, quickly doubling the number of no-hitters thrown during Phillips’ 18 years leading the program. Uhing’s first nohitter came in a six-inning victory

over Medaille, and the second came in five innings over LaRoche on graduation day.

While the players receive many of the accolades, they weren’t the only team members to reach milestones. In the season opening sweep of Alfred State, Phillips became the second PittBradford coach to win 300 games with one program.

“Three hundred wins means I have had a lot of really good players and teams,” Phillips said. “I feel as if we have built something pretty special here that the past, present and future players want to be a part of.”

Unfortunately for the Panthers, their season came to an end in the first round of the AMCC Tournament.

Even without a fairy-tale ending, the 2021 season is one that will live on in the program’s history books.

— Matt Lovell summer 2021

SYDNEY HERDLE

The 2021 Pitt-Bradford softball season was unlike any before it. The Panthers battled through unprecedented circumstances to win a shared Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference regular season title for the first time in 11 years, while reaching career milestones and logging historic performances in the process.

“It’s always special to win a conference title,” said head coach Tina Phillips after her team won a share of its first regularseason crown since 2010, “but this year seems extra special. For our team to come together after losing last season, not having fall ball, and an early break in our season due to COVID shows an amazing amount of perseverance and togetherness, and

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Dan Robinson ’14

Dedicated to the care of his community HIS DAY JOB: Robinson is a clinical education analyst with Olean (N.Y.) General Hospital, making sure everyone in the hospital who is not licensed has proper training.

HIS VOLUNTEER JOB: After working hours, Robinson is often at the Bradford Township Volunteer Fire Department, where he has been an emergency medical technician for

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five years, training, answering calls or helping to raise money for the department to buy equipment and pay for more training. “You train until you can’t get it wrong,” he said.

WHY HE DOES IT: Robinson realizes how important volunteer departments are in rural communities.

“If we weren’t doing it, who would?

There may be no one. We’re the

ones keeping people safe. It’s important to me that I’m taking care of the people that I know and that I love and that I’m close to and that we’re giving them their best odds.”

HOW YOU CAN HELP: “Find out more about your local volunteer fire department to see if volunteering is right for you or support a firefighting fundraiser.”

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B Y K I M B E R LY W E I N B E R G

It is not an easy thing to create an opportunity for someone where none existed before.

It takes confidence and courage to overcome obstacles.

There are large systems full of inertia that seem too big to overcome.

There are personal challenges to face, too, like burnout, fatigue, skepticism and selfdoubt. Once created, each opportunity has to be nurtured and guarded.

The challenges are great, but six PittBradford alumni are investing in the future to do what they can to create ways for others to grow and succeed.

Their daily work creates opportunities for others to give, grow, vote, work and pursue justice.

GAME CHANGERS 14 PORTRAITS

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OPPORTUNITY TO TRAVEL

Steven Bennett ’96-’98 U.S. Department of State

S

“When I get up every morning, even though I’m counting dollars, I’m advancing U.S. government policy wherever I’m working, every day. That’s what motivates me to do a good job.”

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teven Bennett has worked at the U.S. Department of State for nine years, but the Eldred, Pa., native always longed to see the world and serve his country. He’s been doing those things since he graduated from the Pittsburgh campus in 2000 as an accountant.

Pitt-Bradford did not yet offer accounting as a major, but he got his start with Betsy Matz, who taught accounting at the Bradford campus for many years, then transferred to the Pittsburgh campus.

He met his wife, a foreign service officer, while stationed in Frankfurt, Germany, with the U.S. Agency for International Development, an agency that distributes aid and expertise to advance development abroad.

Together, they served in Frankfurt and Dakar, Senegal, before Bennett also joined the U.S. State Department. At first, he was a financial manager for the department’s embassies in Moscow and Sri Lanka. Now the couple is stationed in Washington, D.C., where he oversees budgets and resources for European embassies.

“I’m a problem solver,” he says. “I have a lot of face time with people who come to me and want to do something, and I try to figure out how they can do it.”

While not directly involved with the department’s frontline consular or diplomatic work, Bennett’s role is an important one.

“We have all of these people who have all these amazing skills,” he said. “I can provide the resources for the people who are really good at the diplomatic or consular aspect and make sure they can focus on their jobs.”

That can involve having to figure out how to provide legal support for Americans abroad or help return Americans to the United States during a crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

One aspect of the State Department that Bennett is active in is opening foreign countries to American business.

“It’s benefiting American jobs and bringing money back to the United States,” he said. U.S. embassies also work closely with other nations’ governments to advance workers’ rights, particularly in the developing world, by drafting and finding support for international trade and worker treaties.

“We’re looking for mutually beneficial relationships,” he said.

“When I get up every morning, even though I’m counting dollars, I’m advancing U.S. government policy wherever I’m working, every day. That’s what motivates me to do a good job.

“In these times, I think government workers get a really bad rap. We’re patriotic and dedicated to the success of the country, politics aside. We’re here to provide our abilities the best we can for the benefit of all citizens.”

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GAME CHANGERS OPPORTUNITY TO GIVE

Brandolon Barnett ’07 Salesforce, GoArtful, Democratize Ventures

“It just takes one opportunity. For me, that one opportunity was a job here in D.C. when I was almost homeless.”

T

o see Brandolon Barnett’s Instagram (@bbrand0), life has been good to him: evening fires on the rooftop patio of his airy Washington, D.C., loft; selfies with his fiancée in chic hipster settings; friends gathered for the launch of his book. Even his cat has an impressive scratch-andplay structure from which to survey the city. Clearly he has it made.

But, it wasn’t always that

18 PORTRAITS

way, and he’s very open about sharing that in the book he wrote about his experience as a new college grad during the nation’s last recession caused by the 2008 housing crisis. He was working with a nonprofit organization, struggling to pay student loans from undergraduate and graduate school, and help his mom back in Dallas pay rent.

One night in San Francisco, he hit rock bottom. He had

no money for subway fare to get back to the friend’s couch where he slept. His mother had died, and he had been powerless to help her. He had no health insurance.

He writes about that scene in the opening of his book, “Dreams Deferred: Recession, Struggle and the Quest for a Better World.” The rest of the story traces how his life changed with one opportunity and how he has turned that chance into helping others.

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“It just takes one opportunity,” he says in most of the interviews about his book, encouraging others not to give up. “For me, that one opportunity was a job here in D.C., when I was almost homeless. I still had to wear shoes with holes in them for a few years.”

His understanding of communications from his time at Pitt-Bradford helped him. So did analytical and data skills he gained in graduate school and a natural knack for speaking and presenting.

“Ordinary people don’t know about donor-advised funds because they have typically only been marketed to people with $10,000 to start one,” he said. With donor-advised funds, he explained, people can use as little as a dollar to create a fund and make their own grants to favorite nonprofits, democratizing philanthropy through the use of technology. Barnett himself uses the platform to manage a fund in the name of his late mother.

Barnett pioneered work matching the donor-advised funds with giving circles, groups of private citizens who pool contributions in order to have a greater impact.

After giving a presentation on behalf of Growfund, he was offered a job by Salesforce, a software platform that improves how companies handle data, communications and relationships with clients.

Salesforce wanted Barnett to work as a product management leader on a new team designing Salesforce. org’s Philanthropy Cloud, which aimed to be a Netflix or Spotify for social good,

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using artificial intelligence to make it easier for anyone to give, volunteer or learn about causes in their communities.

He’s since designed other products for the company, including Work.com Wellness and the recently announced Shop Circulate platform, for which he got to meet rapper P. Diddy and work closely with Combs Enterprises.

Along the way, he’s been able to go beyond just surviving to investing in others’ ideas. He is the co-founder of a subscription service called goARTful that allows companies in the Washington, D.C., area to borrow art from local artists.

With the publication of his book, Barnett launched Democratize Ventures, offering angel investing for businesses founded by people of color, pro-bono or paid business advice and career assistance. His next venture is creating a digital showroom to help small fashion designers. He hopes the effort will grow into a venture fund.

In each project, Barnett said, he looks for the same thing – how can technology bring new opportunities for business growth to those who need them? Then he builds it.

OPPORTUNITY TO GROW

Dr. Chelsea Marcho ’10* American Association for the Advancement of Science Science and Technology Policy Fellow, U.S. Agency for International Development

C

helsea Marcho’s real passion is science communication, and she’s made it an informal study. It’s at the heart of what she does as an American Association for the Advancement of Science Science and Technology Fellow at the U.S. Agency for International Development.

USAID is the federal government agency that delivers most foreign aid and development assistance. The aid it delivers, however, is not just food and money. It is also advice from experts like Marcho, a biologist who studies the development of mammals.

One of the first things she did with USAID was work with a team to come up with high-level talking points about the agency’s agricultural research portfolio. Months later, she heard the agency’s newly appointed administrator, Samantha Power, use the research in her first speech before government colleagues.

“My team and I wrote that line a few weeks earlier,” she said. “I have given a number of talks at conferences and meetings and that felt centered on me. But to see the agency administrator read a line that you helped craft? It feels very cool. That message is much more important to me because the administrator can reach a broader audience.”

However, she finds the opposite is true as well. Marcho grew up working in her parents’ auto parts store in rural PORTRAITS 19

GAME CHANGERS

Marcho’s first trip with USAID took her to Ethiopia to study sorghum farming. northeastern Pennsylvania. Like many young professionals during the pandemic, she moved out of her expensive urban apartment and returned home.

Just like when she was younger she sometimes waited on customers in the family store, and they started bringing her all of their science questions. And they have a lot – about COVID-19 and vaccines, whether tomatoes have genes, is global warming real?

“I get to be the community scientist,” she said. “I meet people where they’re at. They watched me grow up, and they trust me not to belittle them.”

She said the pandemic has raised the profile of scientists. “When I thought about science growing up, I only thought about a white man in a dusty tweed jacket,” she said, trying to picture herself in a tweed jacket.

“Now I see a lot of scientists who are dancers and athletes. They’re artists. They’re mothers. I was fortunate to have Mary Mulcahy as my advisor at Pitt-Bradford and learn from Lauren Yaich.”

It’s one of the reasons that, as a graduate student, she made time in her busy schedule to coach girls’ basketball.

She wanted to show the girls that “there are ways to be scientists in your community that don’t mean putting on a lab coat.” At the end of the season, she invited her team to her lab for a pizza party and then had them extract DNA from strawberries.

“In that way, they saw me as a basketball coach, but then they got to see me as a scientist, too.”

Her interest in communicating combined with her new role at USAID has increased her interest in the role of science diplomacy. As part of her fellowship, she took advantage of educational opportunities and earned a graduate certificate in international relations from Harvard.

“Science diplomacy is a really important mechanism for international relations,” she said. “We’ve seen this with the COVID pandemic, but it’s true with climate change and food insecurity. These scientific issues don’t respect international boundaries.”

20 PORTRAITS

OPPORTUNITY TO GOVERN

Victor Robertazza ’15, International Republican Institute

I

*THE VIEWS AND OPINIONS EXPRESSED IN THIS ARTICLE ARE THOSE OF THE INTERVIEWEE AND DO NOT REFLECT THE OFFICIAL POLICY OR POSITION OF USAID, THE U.S. GOVERNMENT, OR THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE.

t was playing the world’s most popular game – soccer – that got Victor Robertazza interested in international affairs.

As an environmental studies and political science major, he had taken courses around domestic policy and climate change and even an international relations class, but it was playing intramural soccer that introduced him to the real effects of policy on people.

“I played with other students from Russia, Uzbekistan, Germany, Ghana and Ethiopia,” he said. “That’s when I started having a particular interest in the field.”

As a graduate student at

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“I can supply context from the U.S. perspective, most importantly, I can learn from Gambians or South Africans about what it means to be a citizen of their countries.”

the University of Maine, where he earned a master’s degree in global policy, he made his first trip to sub-Saharan Africa with the water, sanitation and health team of the global nongovernmental organization World Vision International.

He worked with World Vision in Mozambique in southern Africa, promoting best practices for sanitation and providing clean water.

Robertazza also conducted qualitative research and studied whether groups that had received water supply interventions through World Vision programming had greater access to water than those that had not.

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He continued his research with other communities in Zambia, where some of the communities’ water committees were more successful. He looked at why some were effective and not others. Sometimes the committee charged unpopular usage fees and those paying the fees did not know where the money went.

Often, local governments did not know about the pumps, and he recommended that local governments meet with water committees and that the NGOs drilling the wells for communities make sure that the meeting takes place.

After graduating with his master’s degree, Robertazza

went to work for the International Republican Institute, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization funded by grants from the U.S. State Department, the U.S. Agency for International Development and the National Endowment for Democracies.

Now he is helping young democracies build and protect their new systems.

Currently, most of his work is with civil society organizations in The Gambia, a sliver of a country founded in 1965 along the footprint of the Gambia River and existing entirely within the nation of Senegal. It has a population a little bit more than that of Houston.

Robertazza and other members of the institute work with local citizens to promote fiscal transparency in the legislature. He said he likes being in the field best. “I’m a teacher and a student,” he said. “I can supply context from the U.S. perspective, but, most importantly, I can learn about Gambians or South Africans, about what it means to be a citizen of their countries.

We can give citizens more of a voice. I’m a believer that democracy is the best governing system that humanity has come up with, and I really believe that it is founded in strong political leaders and citizen participation.”

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“I get to see a child come in, tell their story and feel like the weight of the world is off of their shoulders.”

SYDNEY HERDLE

22 PORTRAITS

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GAME CHANGERS

OPPORTUNITY TO PURSUE JUSTICE

Mikele Bay ’08, Children’s Advocacy Center of McKean County

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ikele Bay supports abused children and their families on a journey to wholeness.

To do that, she co-founded the Children’s Advocacy Center of McKean County in 2012.

Since then, the center has helped more than 1,000 children and their families.

At the heart of what the center does is coordinating care and services. Seven agencies work together, and it all begins at the center, which provides specially trained forensic interviewers as well as a child-friendly space for medical examinations at Bradford Regional Medical Center First Step Clinic.

In addition to being the center’s director, Bay is a forensic interviewer.

The center, located in Smethport, Pa., has child-friendly rooms where an interviewer can meet one-on-one with the child in a non-threatening setting while investigators can observe through a closed-circuit monitor, seeing and hearing everything the child says. Interviews are recorded so that ideally children will only have to tell their stories once.

Bay explained that her training as a forensic interviewer covered child linguistics and development. “In a forensic interview you allow the children to tell stories in their own words.”

Bay said she focuses on using non-leading questions.

“You don’t lead them,” she said of the children.

“You just give them a chance to talk.” Although it sounds difficult, it’s one of her favorite parts of the job.

“I get to see a child come in, tell their story and feel like the weight of the world is off of their shoulders,” she said. “That is a privilege. I get to see them transform and heal.”

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She said she is often asked about children being coached or lying about abuse.

“There’s so much working against a child to disclose that when they do, they really need us to hear them and support them. Kids don’t think about consequences of disclosing abuse. They don’t realize that they might be removed from their home. And the abuser is often someone the child knows and loves. Most children still want to see that person. They just want the abuse to stop.”

The center also endeavors to support the entire family.

“There are so many factors at play,” Bay said.

“How can a family move forward when they can’t put food on their table?” she asked. The team coordinated by the center, which includes Children and Youth Services and advocates, considers complex issues such as poverty, connecting the family with rental assistance, coordinating transportation help and assessing other needs so that the entire family is better able to concentrate on supporting their child.

A third way the center helps abused children is by providing them with a dedicated advocate.

Advocates help children and families negotiate a complicated system of courts and explain to them what is going on and what next steps will take place.

If a child is required to testify in court, the advocate supports the child and can serve as someone for the child to look to during testimony.

“I get to help children and families that are in a huge crisis and overwhelmed by not understanding the system and what is happening to them,” Bay said. “We get to play an important role in supporting a child down a path of healing.”

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GAME CHANGERS

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OPPORTUNITY TO WORK

Julian Joyner ’16 The Thinkubator

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ulian Joyner left a job with investment banking giant Goldman Sachs to concentrate on a different investment — the young people of The Bronx where he grew up and took advantage of programs that helped him explore professional opportunities.

Now he is the one introducing such opportunities at The Thinkubator, a Bronxbased workforce development program that also consults for local businesses and considers solutions for larger social problems.

Joyner serves as leader of two of The Thinkubator’s programs, working with students aged 14 to 24 to develop critical thinking and work successfully in groups.

He leads classes that use eight to 10 weeks to develop solutions to a given challenge. Along the way, students also explore career options and learn about mental wellness.

In Thinkubator’s Solve program, Joyner and the students consult for businesses. One challenge came from a company called Great Performances Catering, which had been located in Manhattan, but recently moved to the Bronx for more affordable rent.

Great Performances wanted to become part of the Bronx community and asked Thinkubator Solves to come up with some ways to marry its brand to the Bronx. Solves students suggested offering a food truck and adding new

menu items reflecting the Hispanic and West Indian cultures prevalent in the Bronx.

Other clients have included a barber who wanted ways to improve his social media presence and increase foot traffic and Imperfect Foods, which sells imperfect, but still perfectly usable, food.

Imperfect Foods asked the Thinkubator to rework its process to distribute money from its grant-making program.

In his second role, Joyner directs Thinkubator Leads, which guides students to think of possible solutions to social problems in the Bronx or larger society. Students choose the challenge they work on, such as pollution and environmental racism, LGBTQ rights, and food insecurity.

“It’s about possibilities and folks not knowing what possibilities are open to them,” he said.

During the pandemic, Joyner could only meet with his students virtually, but the Thinkubator worked with community leaders to serve hot meals. It was unlike anything they had done before.

Many people in the Bronx were displaced during the pandemic, he said. Job losses, illness and quarantines exacerbated the problems that already existed for residents living in a food desert – places where access to food can be difficult.

The Thinkubator, working with World Central Kitchen, a nonprofit that feeds

people during disasters such as earthquakes, and local partners provided more than 1.8 million prepared meals to the Bronx community, where unemployment reached 25% last summer. The effort also included food being made by local restaurants, providing some income for those who worked in them.

“It was great to work on

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Julian Joyner, center, and student consultants for Great Performance Catering prepare food on a field trip to Katchkie Farm, a 60-acre organic farm in upstate New York. and, during COVID, I felt like I could do something, but it was really exhausting,” Joyner said.

He is looking forward to meeting with his next group of students in person.

“This work is everyone’s work,” he said about how the Thinkubator creates opportunities for students to explore roles in business

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and gain confidence. “It’s not just about service to underserved communities.

It’s about us being able to level the playing field and right some of the wrongs that still plague our society that we see played out today in social demonstrations. This is part of it – making sure that everyone’s included.”

“It’s about possibilities and folks not knowing what possibilities are open to them.”

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PA N T H E R PA C K 1960s Joe Young ’64-’66 is still a practicing lawyer in Norfolk, Va., and practicing his favorite sport, golf. Last year, he was the winner of the Suffolk (Va.) City Amateur Super Senior golf tournament and also the winner of the Portsmouth (Va.) City Amateur Virginia Super Senior golf tournament. He is married, has four children and 10 grandchildren and reminded us that he never lost a golf match

during his two years playing golf on Pitt-Bradford’s first athletic team.

day factory operations.” He works from his home in North Charleston, S.C.

James Tamsen ’88 has a new job as a technical engineer with M&T Bank. He lives in Grand Island, N.Y.

1970s

1980s

Alexander Neary ’88 has a new job with Raytheon Technologies.

“I love what I do,” he wrote.

“There is never a dull day. I provide business intelligence solutions to our executive leadership along with helping with day-to-

The shared-universe comic series created by Alton Simpson ’88, “Vampires of New Jersey,” “Were-wolves of Brooklyn,” “Blackjack” and “Witches of Westchester,” has sold out at 25 stores and is looking to go

Guardian of the Gallery

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Edward G. Robinson ’88-’89 earned his doctorate in educational leadership and published a book, “Genesis of a Blessing.” He lives in Plainfield, Ill.

AL U FO MN CU I

S

Irene Taurins ’65-’67 retires after 42 years at Philadelphia museum n the day that Irene Taurins ’67 retired last August after 42 years as registrar of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, she could have told you where any of 240,000 objects owned by the museum was located.

It was her ability to keep track of things that helped her get the job in the first place.

She started her college career at PittBradford then graduated from the Pittsburgh campus. After satisfying some wanderlust with a year hitchhiking in Europe, where she supported herself working on an archaeological dig in England, and as a film extra on the set of “The Great White Hope” in Barcelona (a job she literally got walking down the street because the casting director wanted blondes), she ended up at Sotheby’s in New York, the famed auction house.

national in the next year. Simpson lives in Mount Laurel, N.J.

As decorative arts administrator, she kept track of decorative arts – small objects that are easy to misplace, such as silverware, vases and ornate tchotchkes. “My claim to fame,” she said, “was finding items that had been lost. I would track them down.”

After six years at Sotheby’s, which included promotions to oversee the painting departments as registrar, she moved to the Philadelphia Museum, where, in a time before computerization, she became responsible for the organization and storage of the museum’s collection as well as loaning items to other museums, crating and shipping, securing insurance and anything else that had to be considered.

Items on loan to other museums needed a courier from the museum to travel with them, and in this role, she traveled to Japan, India, all through Europe and to many U.S. cities.

She also was responsible for arranging for items to come to the museum for exhibitions, which provided her with another favorite part of the job – uncrating.

In 1992, the museum borrowed DaVinci drawings from Queen Elizabeth’s collection. “I got to see them up close in our lab before they were framed,” she said.

Borrowing items also provided some of her biggest challenges, such as arranging for the shipping of giant Anselm Kiefer works from Germany for an exhibition in 1988. The paintings of post-World War II destruction were both large (11 feet by 18 feet) and delicate, with barbed wire and other three-dimensional items attached. To get them into the museum, she had to modify the existing doors.

“I loved the details,” she said. “I liked solving the problems and the logistics.”

1990s

Mike Kozminski ’91 was promoted to vice president of research and development at American Refining Group in Bradford. He and his wife, Dawn, live in Lewis Run, Pa., and are active in Bradford’s Catholic community. Mike is a lector and member of St. Francis of Assisi’s finance committee.

An endowed scholarship in honor of Pete Buchheit ’92, former director of facilities at PittBradford, has been established by his friends.

Steve Green ’87-’92 retired from the Bradford Police Department after 26 years of service. Most recently, he served as school resource officer at Fretz Middle and George G. Blaisdell Elementary schools in Bradford.

Staci Renaud Frantz ’94 is the new general manager at Allegheny Surface Technology in Lewis Run, Pa. AST is a leader in metal surface finishing, such as electropolishing and mechanical polishing for application in the pharmaceutical, chemical, food and beverage, electronic, architectural and automotive industries.

Rainie Smith ’96 was promoted to laboratory manager at Allegheny Health Network Grove City. She lives in Franklin, Pa. Dr. Michael Hoffman ’99, associate provost and chief information officer at St. Bonaventure

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PA N T H E R PA C K University, has been named dean of graduate studies there as well.

Since 1999, he has held numerous roles in the Office of Technology Services at SBU.

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Fundraising Giant

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Derek Trone ’98 has a new job with Trone’s Tag Title & Notary.

He lives in York, Pa. Emily Parana ’99 has a new job as the information technology director at InTandem of Olean (N.Y.) and Niagara Falls (N.Y). She lives in Kane, Pa.

2000s Raymond Douglass ’01 was promoted from sergeant to lieutenant with the Bradford City Police.

Divia Thani ’01 has been named the global editorial director of Condé Nast Traveler as part of their new global content strategy.

She is the editor-in-chief of Condé Nast Traveller India, a role she’s had since its launch in 2010.

John Schlimm ’99-’01 published an article in the spring issue of Harvard Ed. Magazine, the alumni magazine of the Harvard Graduate School of Education, about a Gen Z Time Capsule he’s creating in collaboration with the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh.

The time capsule was inspired by those created by Warhol to preserve bits of pop culture.

Schlimm’s students at PittBradford, where he teaches in the Division of Communication and the Arts, were among the first to contribute to the online capsule.

Jesse Goode ’02 celebrated 25 years of working at Cutco Corp. in Olean, N.Y., where he is senior software engineer. He has three children and lives in Kill Buck, N.Y. Brian Hobbs ’05 is the sales manager of B&T Contractors Inc. in Bradford.

Jennifer Lewke-Tortora ’05 earned the 2021 Regional Edward

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Howard Fesenmyer and his wife, Dorothea, with their family at the dedication of Fesenmyer House.

Master salesman HOWARD FESENMYER died in February at the age of 94.

Two of his favorite things to sell were Zippo lighters (he was the executive vice president of sales and marketing at the time of his retirement from the company in 1991) and good causes.

We are fortunate that one of his good causes was Pitt-Bradford. In his many years on the Pitt-Bradford Advisory Board in various fundraising capacities, he helped to raise $28 million that transformed the campus, leaving behind not only millions of dollars in scholarships, but also Blaisdell Hall, his beloved Harriett B. Wick Chapel (behind which he was the driving force) and, of course, Howard L. Fesenmyer House, which was named in his honor.

“He was undeniably one of Pitt-Bradford’s

R. Murrow Award for her investigative coverage of the New York State Department of Labor last fall. She is a reporter with News10NBC in Rochester, N.Y. Christina Burkhouse ’06 was promoted to vice president credit administrator at Northwest Bank.

She lives in Kane, Pa. After receiving the State University of New York Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2020, Jessica Kubiak ’06

most passionate – and persuasive – fundraisers and advocates in the campus’s 57-year history,” said Dr. Catherine Koverola, president. “His passion for and commitment to Pitt-Bradford was infectious.

“He held a special place in his heart for our campus, particularly for our students.”

Two student scholarships are associated with Howard and his family: The Howard L. and Dorothea C. Fesenmyer Scholarship and the Basil and Harriett Gildersleeve Memorial Scholarship, which honors Dorothea Fesenmyer’s parents. Howard Fesenmyer and his son-in-law R. Michael Carlson established the scholarship as a 60th wedding present for Dorothea. To make a contribution, visit www.givetoupb.org.

received the national Conference on College Composition and Communication’s inaugural Outstanding Teaching Award.

Kubiak is an assistant professor of reading and composition at Jamestown (N.Y.) Community College’s Cattaraugus County Campus, where she teaches developmental and college-level courses on reading, writing and area studies, and is a doctoral candidate at Old Dominion University, where her research concerns providing feedback to first-year

college students. She lives in Allegany, N.Y. Alan Hancock ’07, ’19 has a new job at Pitt-Bradford as a technical analyst in computing, telecommunications and media services.

Ryan Race ’07 was promoted to vice president and Bradford office manager for Northwest Bank.

Stephanie McPherson ’09 was promoted to reading specialist at the School District of Lancaster,

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PA N T H E R PA C K Pa. She lives in Coatesville, Pa.

2010s Jennifer Forney ’10 received her Doctor of Philosophy degree in hospitality with a concentration in leadership from Iowa State University. In her dissertation, she studied whether leaders’ behaviors and organizational culture influence how employees perceive their workplace.

Aaron Stang ’10 was promoted to the associate athletic director for academic affairs at the University of Buffalo, which is a Division I member of the NCAA. In his new role, he is responsible for all aspects of academic support for UB’s student-athletes through its office of academic affairs.

Chad Saltsman ’11 is an elementary school physical education teacher, assistant varsity wrestling coach and football defensive coordinator for the Port Allegany (Pa.) School District.

Keenan Heyward ’10-’12 earned a Master of Business Administration from the University of Rochester, N.Y., this spring. He has a new job, too, as senior specialist on Merck

Pharmaceutical’s global vaccine strategy team, helping Merck identify and develop solutions to future illnesses.

Yadhu Dhital ’11-’13 earned his Doctor of Medicine from Georgetown University in May. He begins his residency in internal medicine this summer at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh. He also received a 2021 Excellence in Public Health Award from the U.S. Public Health Service Physician Professional Advisory Committee for his extracurricular work while in medical school.

Robert Merkel ’13 has a new job as a service desk engineer with Eastern Data. He lives in Virginia Beach, Va. Mohammad Asad ’13-’14 is an associate consultant at Brandwood CKC, a regulatory and quality systems consulting firm in Australia.

Dr. Kelcey Schaum ’14 passed her licensure exam and is on her way to becoming a Licensed Psychologist.

Taylor McMillen ’15 is working toward a doctoral degree in

counseling psychology at Carlow University. During a fourth-year internship, she will work with the Veterans Administration in St. Cloud, Minn. She is also an adjunct instructor at Carlow and Penn State Greater Allegheny while working as a mental health therapist at an outpatient facility in Pittsburgh. She lives in New Bethlehem, Pa. Alana Stewart ’15 is a senior analyst for online merchandising concepts at The Home Depot.

Rachel Dennis ’16 was awarded Bradford Regional Medical Center’s Outstanding Staff Nurse Award.

Olyver Gardner ’16 is a caseworker with Allegheny County Children, Youth and Families. He is married with a 1-year-old son and serves in the U.S. Army Reserves. He lives with his family in Plum, Pa. Jonathan Josephs-Spalding ’16 is a doctoral student in medical systems biology at the University of Kiel in Germany. In February, he published his eighth academic paper – his second as first author – in the journal Frontiers in

Medical Technology. The second author of the paper was Dr. Om Singh, former associate professor of biology at Pitt-Bradford. The article examines the risks of improper sterilization of medical devices in the era of multidrugresistant bacteria and makes regulatory recommendations.

Kamron Khodjaev ’16 is the cofounder and chief commercial officer of Koop Technologies, a techenabled insurance broker for autonomous mobility and robotics.

Cyrus Patell ’16 began a new position as information security analyst with Sovos, a financial software company. He lives in Fort Washington, Pa. Ashley Young-Waters ’16 began a new position as the marketing and communications manager at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater San Diego.

Zachary Hadfield ’17 earned his Doctor of Nursing Practice this spring from Robert Morris University. He works as a nurse in the UPMC Mercy Emergency Department.

Dahmir Noel ’17 is the new

In Memoriam George Barron, founding chief of Pitt-Bradford’s police force, died in December. After serving 27 years with the Pennsylvania State Police, Barron came to Pitt-Bradford in 1979 to supervise the campus’s Pinkerton security guards while establishing the police department. He served as the first chief of police and director of public safety from 1980 until 1996. He also established Law Enforcement Awareness and Familiarization Day, an annual event in which law enforcement and regulatory agencies visit campus with infor-

26 PORTRAITS

mation about their organizations and career opportunities. A scholarship has been created at Pitt-Bradford in his memory.

John D. Crowley ’78 died May 5. A Vietnam War veteran, he served in the U.S. Air Force as a Chinese Mandarin linguist operating out of Okinawa, Thailand and Vietnam. He worked for several years in planning and economic development in McKean County before becoming an industrial mechanic and production supervisor at several facilities in the Bradford area.

Joe DeMott, a pharmacist and business owner in McKean and Potter counties who served on the Pitt-Bradford Advisory Board, died in December in DuBois, Pa., due to COVID-19.

George Barron

Stanley Heckathorn, vice president of business affairs and chief financial officer from 1974 until 1996, died in February in Pittsburgh.

He was actively involved in developing the campus master plan in

summer 2021

PA N T H E R PA C K If you have an update for Portraits magazine, visit www.upbalumni.org and click on “How to update your info” or email us at Portraits@pitt.edu.

assistant athletic director at Alma College in Alma, Mich.

Rosemary Nwabuogu ’17 is a medical student at Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta.

Lanessa Hickman ’18 will be attending the doctoral program in theater and performance studies at the University of California, Los Angeles, on a Cota-Robles Fellowship.

Alexa Holleran ’18 is a group therapist at Forbes Regional Hospital in Monroeville, Pa. She lives in New Stanton, Pa. Courtney Holzwarth ’18 earned her Doctor of Occupational Therapy degree from the University of Pittsburgh.

Rocco Pompa ’18 has opened The Magic Bean Café in downtown Bradford for friendly bites and board games. His sister, Theresa Pompa Pfeil ’09, helped him open the venue, which is open to all ages. Pompa also owns an adjoining card shop with a Dungeons and Dragons room and tournament room.

Scott Pattison ’19 has a new job as a licensing coordinator for Zippo Manufacturing Co. in Bradford.

2020s Kelsey Anderson ’20 began working on a Master of Science in reproductive science and medicine at Northwestern University.

She is conducting thesis research on developing methods to detect depression in pregnant women by using the placenta.

Robert Brown ’21 has an internship with Baker Tilly, an advisory, tax and assurance firm, and is studying to take the Certified Public Accountant exam.

Several history-political science graduates are headed to graduate

ALAN HANCOCK ‘07, ’19

the early 1990s. Along with late Advisory Board members Bob Bromeley and Sam Gregg, he helped establish the Bradford Educational Foundation, which supports scholarships and other initiatives on the Bradford campus.

Dr. Richard Melka, professor emeritus of mathematics, died in April.

For 40 years at Pitt-Bradford, he taught Mathematic Modeling, Differential Equations, Advanced Differential Equations and Writing in the History of Mathematics. When not teaching, he wrote articles with Biblical themes and taught Bible

summer 2021

school this fall. Miles DavisMatthews ’21 received a graduate assistantship and full funding to pursue a doctorate in sociology at Kent State University.

Elizabeth Johnson ’21 is pursuing a Master of Arts in public policy at Georgetown University. Haley Madl ’21 will begin working toward a doctorate in history this fall at George Mason University on a Presidential Fellowship.

Bethany Fratercangelo ’21 is a fourth grade teacher at Olean (N.Y.) Intermediate Middle School.

Joshua Hile ’21 will teach grades 9-12 this fall at the Summit Academy in Butler, Pa. Ben Koss ’21 works with the applications team in the information technology department at Zippo Manufacturing Co. Several exercise science students plan to further their education in health fields. Those pursuing a Doctor of Physical Therapy include Alexandra Paniagua ’21, who looks forward to expanding her knowledge of physical therapy at Drexel University and to someday treating underserved communities and those with

chronic illness. Other Doctor of Physical Therapy students are Katie Keller ’21, Thomas Jefferson University; Jessica Milliron ’21, Chatham University; and Kamryn Piscitelli ’21, D’Youville College.

Elizabeth Harvey ’21 will pursue a Doctor of Occupational Therapy at the University of Pittsburgh and work as a rehabilitation technologist at Johns Hopkins Medical Center. Laura Hildebrand ’21 will attend Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine to study medicine.

Haley Tuller ’21 will attend Lincoln Memorial University College of Veterinary Medicine this fall to pursue a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine.

Ellery Signor ’21 is working as a microbiologist at Envera, a small biotech company in West Chester, Pa., that works on environmental problems.

Tricia Wilt ’21 and her husband bought Tasta Pizza in Bradford.

Doris Zuchowski ’21 is a day shift supervisor in the emergency room at Penn Highlands DuBois (Pa.)

study at the Federal Correctional Institution, McKean. He enjoyed the outdoors and spent summers boating on Lake Chautauqua.

Charity Lynne Nolan ’05 died in February in St. Louis. She was a nurse practitioner and worked with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and other facilities in the St. Louis area.

Daniel V. Palmer ’08, died in February due to COVID-19. He was a member of Bradford City Council, had served in the U.S. Navy as a nuclear chemist and was an ordained minister. He had worked at American Refining Group in Bradford since 2010.

Dr. Richard Melka

Hilton L. “Woody” Woodruff, a member of the Advisory Board for more than 25 years, died in February from COVID-19. He and his wife, Pat, established the Woody’s “Goodys” – The Woody and Pat Woodruff Scholarship, which has supported Pitt-Bradford students for nearly 20 years.

PORTRAITS 27

Do you know a student who would make a great Panther?

ALUMNI REFERRALS ARE ONE OF OUR STRONGEST SOURCES OF STUDENT RECRUITMENT. The Refer a Future Panther Program provides alumni the opportunity to connect prospective students with Pitt-Bradford.

Referred students will be sent a package that includes exciting information about the many opportunities available on campus as well as some Pitt-Bradford swag!

As a token of our appreciation, alumni who refer students will receive a gift.

Encourage these Future Panthers and their families to register and visit campus for one of our upcoming Open House events.

TO REGISTER FOR AN OPEN HOUSE, VISIT: www.upb.pitt.edu/visit-campus.

www.upb.pitt.edu/visit-campus

PLAN TO JOIN US

Alumni and Family Weekend September 24 – 26, 2021

The weekend will include activities and events that will entertain and enlighten.

And while we hope that the events will take place in person, we are also planning virtual activities that can be enjoyed from anywhere and give alumni from around the world opportunities to connect with one another.

Please check back often on the Alumni & Family Weekend website as we update and post the schedule of events.

www.upb.pitt.edu/afw

Office of Philanthropic and Alumni Engagement 300 Campus Drive Bradford, PA 16701 ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

One advantage to drive-through Commencement is bringing your pets. Hailee Weader’s cat, Salem, had been with her all of her senior year as an emotional support animal, so it was only natural that he ride in the car with her for Commencement and pose for pictures in his custom cap and gown afterward.