GUIDE TO DEGREES I BACHELOR OF ARTS (B.A.) I BACHELOR OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION (B.B.A.) I BACHELOR OF PROFESSIONAL ACCOUNTANCY (B.P.A.) I BACHELOR OF SCIENCE (B.S.) BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING (B.S.E.E.) I BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN MECHANICAL ENGINEERING (B.S.M.E.) I BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN NURSING (B.S.N.) BACHELOR OF SOCIAL WORK (B.S.W.) I DOCTOR OF NURSING PRACTICE (D.N.P.) I EDUCATION SPECIALIST (ED.S.) I MASTER OF ARTS (M.A.) I MASTER OF ARTS IN TEACHING (M.A.T.) MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION (M.B.A.) I MASTER OF EDUCATION (M.ED.) I MASTER OF SCIENCE (M.S.) I MASTER OF SCIENCE IN HEALTH ADMINISTRATION AND LEADERSHIP (M.S.H.A.L.) MASTER OF SCIENCE IN NURSING (M.S.N.) I MASTER OF SCIENCE IN OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY (M.S.O.T.) I TEACHER CERTIFICATION (T.C.)
Anne Ritz, 1987, B.A., 1991, M.A., was recently awarded The Michigan Campus Compact 2016 Lifetime Achievement Award for her contributions to the growth of service learning and civic engagement at Alma College and in her MiCC membership. Ritz has worked for the past 19 years as Alma College’s service learning coordinator, connecting students to service opportunities on campus, in Gratiot County, and beyond. Jay Smith, 1984, B.A., accepted the men’s basketball head coaching position at Kalamazoo College. He has 31 years of experience in coaching at various Michigan universities. Keri Becker, 1995, B.A., was promoted to athletic director for Grand Valley State University. Steve Bentley, 1998, B.A., 2003, T.C., won a national championship during the USA Track and Field National Championships at GVSU. He won 15 championships at the state level and earned four records in the triple jump and 60-meter hurdles. Carrie Carlson, 1998, B.P.A., 2004, M.B.A., and Brian Carmody welcomed their son, Nash Carlson Carmody, on May 13, 2016. Shannon (Reinert) Emery, 1998, B.A., and Jason Emery, 2002, B.A., welcomed a daughter, Estee Eve, on Sept. 20, 2015. Megan Hammond, 1999, B.A., 2008, M.A.T., was awarded Birch Run Teacher of the Year for 2015-16. Karen Murphy, 1999, B.S., was one of 24 people across the nation to be recognized by McDonald’s of Michigan for their commitment to their community. Barbara Sageman, 1998, B.B.A., 2000, M.B.A., was hired as the alumni affairs director at Lynn University, located in Boca Raton, Florida. Joseph Sova, 1996, M.B.A., was promoted to the role of utilities director for the City of Midland. Rai Winzer, 1993, B.A., has been promoted to district sales manager for Cellular Plus-Verizon Wireless. He leads 11 stores and more than 80 employees in northeast Wyoming and eastern Montana. Alisha Beckrow, 2001, M.A., successfully defended her doctoral dissertation — an examination of the social bonds and engagement of young professional social media users — to earn her Ph.D. at Wayne State University in communication arts. Malikah Coleman, 2010, B.A., works as the graduate programs manager for Kaplan Test Prep in Detroit. Bryan Crainer, 2006, B.A., 2011, M.Ed., and Kelly Crainer, 2009, B.A., 2014, M.A.T., welcomed their third son, Elijah Cole, on Feb. 17, 2016. Bryan Crainer is SVSU’s associate dean of student life and leadership programs.
Justin Findlay, 2007, B.P.A., and Jenna (Zulauf) Findlay, 2007, B.A., welcomed Penelope James and Jack Michael on July 15, 2015. Katrina Friedeberg, 2007, B.S.W., and her husband, Eric, welcomed their daughter, Zaralyn Zoey Friedeberg, on Jan. 22, 2016. Nicole Glowacki, 2009, B.S., and Adam Greening welcomed their son, Abel Kristopher Greening, on February 29, 2016 in Palmer, Alaska. Tami Heilman-Adam, 2003, M.S., was a recipient of the RUBY Award, which highlights and acknowledges some of the Great Lakes Bay Region’s best and brightest professionals under the age of 40. Billi Jo Hennika, 2008, B.S.N., earned her master’s degree in healthcare administration from Kaplan University. Thomas Henthorn, 2004, B.A., was granted tenure and promoted to associate professor of U.S. History at the University of Michigan-Flint. Shaun Johnson, 2002, B.A., was named vice president and deputy general counsel for CMS Energy & Consumers Energy. Before accepting this position, he was a partner and director of the Energy Industry Group at Dykema Gossett, PLLC. Kerri LaDuke, 2006, M.A.T., was a 2016 Outstanding Teacher of the Year award recipient for Warren Consolidated Schools. Kevin Leininger, 2007, B.S., 2007, B.B.A., started a new position with the State of Michigan as a programmer/analyst with the Department of Technology, Management & Budget. Jesse Maldonado, 2007, B.B.A., was appointed vice president of Mortgage Lending for Catholic Federal Credit Union. Alexandra Miller, 2009, B.A., was hired as program director for Community Connections in Harbor Beach. Bryan Miller, 2008, B.A., married Whitney Perry, 2009, B.P.A., in Monroe on Sept. 19, 2015 after meeting at SVSU in 2007. Out of the 12 members of the wedding party, eight were SVSU alumni. Matthew Miller, 2001, B.S., was awarded the Satinder Ahuja Award for Young Investigators in Separation Sciences at Pittcon 2016 for his work as a technical leader with Dow Chemical Co. Julie Roberts, 2008, B.A., is now a fifth grade teacher at St. Charles Elementary School. Wade Slivik, 2008, B.B.A., was promoted from appraiser to city assessor for Bay City. Eric (Skibbe) Saylor, 2009, B.A., married Grant Saylor on Dec. 9, 2015 after five years of dating. Eric Saylor is attending University of Detroit Mercy to earn a teaching certificate. Kimberly (Oberski) Wagner, 2009, B.S., and Nicholas Wagner, 2004, B.A., 2007, M.A., are proud parents of Jack Michael Wagner, born on July 29, 2016. Nicholas Wagner is SVSU’s director of institutional research. Denise Wood, 2002, M.Ed., was awarded Teacher of the Year by Anchor Bay School District for her work at the Anchor Bay Junior Honors Academy. Yueqi Zhang, 2001, M.A., was awarded the Past Juror’s Innovation Award at the Northwest Watercolor Society 76th annual International Open Exhibition for his artwork.
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