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and magazines including American Heritage, American History and Civil War Times. He has also written three books and edited two. Emerson has spoken to groups all over the country and has been on the History Channel, Book TV and American History TV.
2000s Craig Garaas-Johnson ’00 was promoted to director of advancement for the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of North Dakota. For the past three years he served as an editor for the UND website. Army Major Joel Gleason ’00 graduated from the 10-month Command and General Staff Officers Course at the Army Command and General Staff College in Fort Leavenworth, KS. He has served in the military for 12 years. Retired U.S. Army Major Adrian Vielhauer Jr. ’00 was appointed assistant professor of military science at Clarkson University. During his 22-year military career he has deployed four times and has received numerous awards and decorations, including a Purple Heart. David Bresnahan ’01 & ’02 currently teaches middle school band and coaches varsity tennis in East Greenbush, NY, and Alexis Clements Bresnahan ’06 & ’07 teaches middle and high school choirs in Millbrook, NY. Adam Williamson ’01 is the chief musician tenor saxophonist in the U.S. Coast Guard Saxophone Quartet, one of the five premier U.S. military bands. The quartet performs regularly in countries like Taiwan and venues like Carnegie Hall. After 24 years with the agency, Ginger Hall ’02 is now the director of the Jefferson County Public Health Services. She was previously the director of
patient services since 2002. Hall expects to obtain her master’s degree in public health from the University of New England in December 2014. Andrew Mitchell ’02 has been employed with the Social Security Administration since 2003, and is the president of the Ogdensburg, NY, Kiwanis Club. Scott Bailey ’03 is a staff accompanist for Westfield State University and previously served as a staff accompanist at UMass and Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. He was also the music director at the First Congressional Church of North Adams, where he helped found the North County Music Series and the North Country Ecumenical Choir. Sandra Bosher Thornton ’03 is a recipient of the Potsdam Alumni Association 2013 Rising Star Award. Stephanie Tooke Baran ’03 and her husband, Harry, completed the 15-mile Tour de Cure bike race in June at Verona Beach State Park in Verona, NY. They joined the ride to raise money for the American Diabetes Association in honor of Harry’s late father and Stephanie’s late mother. Stephanie also participated in the Walk Out Against Diabetes 10-mile walk at Green Lakes State Park in Syracuse, NY. Stephanie recently joined Ulster Savings Bank as branch manager/officer. Lindsay Burwell ’03 is a researcher at Cornell University, and her husband, Jason LaCombe ’04 is a researcher for Nature Source Genetics, a computational genomics company dedicated to the development and application of new algorithms designed to harness natural genetic variation in the improvement of plant and animal species for agriculture and industry, located in Ithaca, NY.
Nicole Lashomb ’03 is the co-owner, co-founder and editor-in-chief of the Rainbow Times. She has been a journalist and graphic designer for over 10 years, focusing her reporting on underrepresented communities. Lashomb was also one of two co-founders of the LGBT Coalition of Western Massachusetts. She has performed in several off-Broadway shows and has won accolades from the National Association of Teachers of Singing competition. Melissa Wegner ’03 is the associate director of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. She resides in Harlem, NY, but travels extensively, scouting talent for productions. Brian Carter ’04 received his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from UNC-Greensboro. His dissertation was a critical edition of a Boccherini Quintet that has not been published since the 1800s. He and his wife, Hannah ’02, reside in Greensboro, NC, with their two children, Clark and Owen. David Cotter ’04 was appointed middle school choir director at Pine Grove Middle School in East Syracuse, NY. Jarrett Felton ’04 is a recipient of the Potsdam Alumni Association 2013 Rising Star Award. Sarah Bodner Leahy ’04 is the new youth ministry coordinator for the diocesan Department of Youth and Young
Adult Ministry. She is determined to help grow these programs with a specific plan designed for Catholic individual parishes. Christopher Lee ’04 is “extremely honored” to have been selected for the SUNY Potsdam Bears Hall of Fame. Pinckey Hugo Group hired Tracy Nhek ’04 of Liverpool, NY, as an account manager. She has previous experience in account management in NYC at Grey Worldwide and in San Francisco at Venables Bell & Partners. Farren Davis ’05 is the wellness coordinator at SUNY Canton. Matt Sorensen ’05 is in his fifth year as box office manager at the Lake Placid Center for the Arts. He has been a company member of Pendragon Theatre since 2000, appearing in and directing numerous productions. U.S. Representative Dan Maffei hired Becky Cornell ’06 as the legislative director for his new Congressional office. She has six years
of legislative experience on Capitol Hill, focusing on education and other policy areas. Cornell has also served as an aide to several members of Congress. Dan Graser ’06 was part of the winning group, the Donald Sinta Quartet, in this year’s Coleman Chamber Music Competition. He completed his master’s degree and Ph.D. at the University of Michigan. Fallon O’Neil Maroun ’06 is married and has a son. For the past few years, she has been using her teaching degree to educate students in the Malone Correctional Facility. Lexy Nistico ’06 has signed on to work with a close friend in expanding her theatre company, Unboxed Voices, which produces a variety of events, from poetry nights and “Monologue Mondays” to short play festivals. One of Nistico’s short stories will be featured in the newly released book, “Unboxed Voices Anthology.” Renee Aqulina Petitto ’06, a recent graduate of New York Chiropractic College, established her own practice, Better Health Chiropractic, in Watertown, NY.
Join the BFR – it’s the easiest gift you will ever make! It’s simple to do. Just name the Potsdam College Foundation as beneficiary in your will, trust, IRA, life insurance or other asset. For more information visit the College’s estate and gift planning website at
www.potsdam.edu/advance/giftplan or contact Jason Ladouceur ’94, director of gift planning, directly at (315) 267-2123 or giftplan@potsdam.edu As you plan your future, invest in Potsdam’s
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