The Omicron Delta Kappa
Fall 2013
LEADER
“To Recognize Leaders Among Leaders”
TERPS CELEBRATE HOMECOMING AND “REMEMBER THE RED!”
BASKETBALL COACHES BRENDA FRESE AND GARY WILLIAMS INDUCTED INTO ODK!
By Chris Riley n the weekend of October 25th, Terrapins of all ages returned to the College Park area to catch up with old friends, discover what has been happening on campus, and rekindle their Maryland spirit during the annual Homecoming festivities. The main attraction this year was a party and pep-rally on McKeldin Mall that ran throughout most of the afternoon and evening on Friday.
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By Noah Niederhoffer
Instead of the traditional parade, students and alumni were able to play fair games, eat carnival food, and learn more from representatives from various groups on campus. The highlight for many Terps of age was the opportunity to
ary Williams and Brenda Frese are two famous basketball coaches who each brought Maryland its first national title in their sports. In addition, they are brand new members of the Sigma Circle! In 12 years, Brenda Frese has led Maryland to two ACC titles, three Elite Eights and one National Championship (against Duke no less). Gary Williams started for the Terps as a point guard from 1965-1967 and re- Formers men’s basketball coach, Gary Williams, with members of the ODK turned to coach Executive Board. his alma mater in 1989. In 22 seasons, Williams led the Terps to seven Sweet Sixteens, two Final Fours, and the National Championship in 2002. Williams is the all-time winningest coach in Maryland Men’s Basketball history, the third-winningest coach in ACC history, and with his
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ODK members and campus leaders, past and present, enjoy the Homecoming Leadership Celebration.
IN THIS ISSUE OF THE LEADER... • • •
TERPS CELEBRATE HOMECOMING AND “REMEMBER THE RED!” BASKETBALL COACHES BRENDA FRESE AND GARY WILLIAMS INDUCTED INTO ODK! WHAT DOES LEADERSHIP LOOK LIKE IN DIFFERENT PILLARS?
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TAKE A LOOK AT THEM NOW... SIGMA CIRCLE GRADS GO ON TO CHANGE THE WORLD AFTER GRADUATION! ALUMNI UPDATES IN MEMORIAM
THE NEWSLETTER OF THE SIGMA CIRCLE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, COLLEGE PARK
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The Omicron Delta Kappa
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Message from the President By Stephanie Graf Hello to both our current ODK members and university alumni! y name is Stephanie Graf, and I am excited to serve as ODK President for the 2013-2014 school year. I am lucky to have the opportunity to collaborate and learn from some of Maryland’s best leaders, from their time as undergraduates to keeping in touch after graduation! Our fall semester is off to an in-
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The Omicron Delta Kappa
LEADER OMICRON DELTA KAPPA SIGMA CIRCLE 2013-2014 EXECUTIVE OFFICERS STEPHANIE GRAF
RYAN LEE-YOUNG
President
Public Relations Coordinator
CHRIS RILEY
VAUGHN MIDDER
Vice President
Membership Coordinator
JENNIFER KING
JULIA RUTH
Communications Coordinator
Historian and Webmaster
KIERAN MCGUIGAN
BROOKE SUPPLE
Philanthropy & Community Service Coordinator
ALEX BISTANY
Faculty Secretary
BILL FOURNEY Faculty Advisor
Calvert Cotillion Chair
SIGMA CIRCLE OF OMICRON DELTA KAPPA University of Maryland 2108 Mitchell Building College Park, MD 20742 www.odk.umd.edu Printed on recycled paper with soy ink.
credible start, and our leaders are truly working to make Maryland a better place. This semester, we selected 38 new ODK members who represent a diverse set of undergraduate and graduate student involvements, faculty, staff and honorary accomplishments. Our impressive group ranges from a Google intern who’s currently studying at the London School of Economics to a world-renowned Professor of Entomology. We are excited to hold induction on December 8th. Feel free to attend and meet all of our new initiates! For the first time in a long time, our Maryland football team started the season strong enough to be ranked. After our 4-0 beginning, even the iPhone’s Siri spoke of Maryland as her favorite underdog team. Leadership from Stefon Diggs and CJ Brown surely played a role in our success. Since announcing our move to the Big 10, our Terps have not played
many matches against our ACC rivals. Led by Sigma Circle member and National Championship Soccer Coach Sasho Cirovksi, Maryland Soccer finished off the Duke Blue Devils in their last conference game with a record-high attendance at Ludwig Field. Now that’s leadership! This summer, the ODK Fountain was engraved with our new members’ names. At the Homecoming Pre-Party and Pep Rally festival, ODKers could take a rubbing of their name off the fountain. We hosted our annual Leadership Homecoming Reception before the Homecoming game against Clemson. We had caramel apples, chili dogs, and ODKrunch – our new ice cream flavor! I loved meeting our proud ODK alumni. The Sigma Circle is lucky to have such strong alumni connections, and I hope to continue the tradition this year. Keep us posted on your accomplishments and involvements so that we can celebrate with you!
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nounced at this time, and of the 10 members competing for the Spirit of Maryland Award, five were ODK members. The Sigma Circle of ODK did its part during the festivities by offering some of our new, signature Maryland Dairy ice cream, ODKrunch, by the Fountain. Despite the chilly conditions, the line for ODKrunch remained long throughout the afternoon and over six tubs were served. In addition to the ice cream, members were able to make a rubbing of their names on the Fountain using supplies provided by ODK. The fun didn’t end on Friday, however. The Division of Student Affairs hosted their 10th Annual
drink a cold one on the Mall in the Beer Garden. As the temperatures began to drop, flocks of people congregated underneath the large tent in an effort to warm up around the constructed bar. As the evening proceeded, music began to play from a stage set up near the Main Administration building, which signaled the start of the festivities. A step show by UMD’s historically African-American Greek-letter fraternities and sororities, a performance by the winners of the Greek skit competition, and a pep rally with cheerleaders, the dance team, the Mighty Sound of Maryland marching band, and Testudo of course, all helped get people fired up. The Homecoming Court was also an-
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Message from the Faculty Secretary By Brooke Lecky Supple, Ph.D. Hello ODK! Welcome back! t has been a spectacular fall in College Park. The weather has been beautiful and the football team has won more games than it has lost! This summer, we had almost 200 names engraved on the ODK Fountain – all inductees from Fall 2011-Summer 2013. On Homecoming Weekend, we celebrated at the first Homecoming Pre-Party and Pep Rally on Friday evening, as alums came back to find their names on the Fountain, take a rubbing of their names to keep, and celebrate with ODKrunch custom-made Maryland ice cream. This marshmallow and peanut butter confection was loaded with chocolate chips and Reese’s Pieces and made especially for us by Dining Services. It was a wonderful treat for Sigma Circle members young and old! We also had a fantastic turnout at the Homecoming Student Leadership Reception on Saturday, October 26. It was a wonderful reunion. Several ODKers were showcased as Spirit of Maryland Finalists, including
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Vaughn Midder, Chris Riley, Stephanie Graf, Omer Kaufman and new member Jasmine Cruz. Prominent parent and Board of Trustee member Michael Schwab was tapped for membership and will be inducted on December 8, 2013 at this fall’s induction ceremony. Earlier this fall we had a paperless ballot, and are working to try to be greener each semester. We had the most applications ever this fall with 268 students applying. We selected 32 fabulous undergraduates, 3 outstanding graduate students, and 3 honorary and faculty/staff members. Look for a full list in next spring’s newsletter. Our 2013-2014 ODK Officers are already changing the world! They are hoping to enhance the sense of community among current ODK members through more community events and the development of a mentoring program. Stay tuned for more details as things unfold. And last year’s officers have done pretty well for themselves, too. See the article on page 6. We are especially thrilled that Andrew Cahoon ’13 has taken a job at the ODK National Office in Lexington, Virginia as the ODK Centennial Fellow. He was selected from a national pool of many recent grads! In other ODK news, we hope you will save the date for our ODK Leadership Lectures. So far, we have
two great speakers scheduled this year. Partnering with the First Year Book, we were pleased to offer the William L. Thomas, Jr. ODK Lecture on Tuesday, November 13. Nate Silver talked about this year’s First Year Book selection, “The Signal and The Noise.” And save the date for this exciting spring lecture – on February 4, the Drury G. Bagwell ODK Lecture will cosponsor Dr. Paul Farmer, as part of the Voices of Social Change lecture series. Dr. Farmer is best known for his humanitarian work providing “first world” health care for “third world” people, beginning in Haiti. Co-founder of the international social justice and health organization Partners In Health (PIH), he is “the man who would cure the world” as made famous in the award-winning book, “Mountains Beyond Mountains,” by Pulitzer-prize-winning author Tracy Kidder. As always, please keep us informed of any changes to your contact information and provide us with updates about your lives. Visit www.odk.umd.edu to update us electronically. Enjoy the remainder of the fall and we hope to see you soon!
Maryland basketball game coached by Frese or Williams, they would see passion. When they pace the sidelines, it is obvious to all that Brenda Frese and Gary Williams have the passion of Terps. They care as deeply about Maryland as we do. Both Frese and Williams took
over struggling programs and led them to national prominence. Both won national titles that cemented their statuses as some of the greatest coaches ever at Maryland and in their respective sports. ODK is a leadership honor society. Brenda
Coaches, continued from page 1 668 career wins, in the top 25 in wins in Division I history. What the wins and accolades don’t show is what they mean to us – as students, as fans, as Terps. What they share beyond their success and longevity is passion. For anyone who has ever watched a
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Homecoming, continued from page 2 Terps taking on the #9 Clemson Tigers. Kick-off was at 3:30 sharp, and the stadium was packed for most of the game. At half time, the Terps left the field down by only 9, and fans were optimistic that a comeback
Terps enjoy ODKrunch on the Mall at the Homecoming Pre-Party
Student Leadership Celebration at Cole Field House, which kicked off two hours before the game. Bringing in leaders past and present from different organizations on campus, the event was a great opportunity to reconnect, enjoy some good Newly tapped Sigma Circle member, Michael Schwab (right), receives food, and most congratulations from exec board member Vaughn Midder importantly, get pumped for our
Coaches, continued from page 3 Frese and Gary Williams are Terps through and through and they are leaders who did not shy away from a challenge. They met the challenge head on and they each had enormous success. Nothing embodies the qualities of the Sigma Circle of Omicron Delta Kappa more than that.
Coach Brenda Frese gets inducted into ODK.
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Spirit of Maryland winners, Stephanie Graf andVaughn Midder, with former winner Robbie Rosenthal ’12 and former exec board member Scott Shuffield ’12
might be in their future. It was during this time that the Spirit of Maryland Award winners were announced with the Sigma Circle’s very own Stephanie Graf and Vaughn Midder, keeping the tradition of having ODK officers win the Spirit of Maryland Award going strong for the third year in a row. Despite this stellar news, the Terrapins were unable to pull off the win in the end, falling to Clemson 40-27. Even with a tough loss, Homecoming 2013 at the University of Maryland proved to be one for the books. We would like to thank all ODK members for coming out and helping make it a memorable one!
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WHAT DOES LEADERSHIP LOOK LIKE IN DIFFERENT PILLARS? By Alex Bistany & Vaughn Midder Commander is to oversee and manage all operations, making me responsible for all that goes wrong or right. AKA, must be the first to arrive and first to leave for all training events. After the morning’s workout, we have an “Action After Review.” The other seniors and I help lead the juniors in determining what they did well in their planning and execution and what they can improve on for their next leadership rotation. When this ends, I have exactly one hour to shower, grab some breakfast if possible, and run to the ODK officer’s meeting at 9am. The meeting is filled with lots of great discussion about past events and future plans and leaves me feeling excited, especially for the upcoming ODK happy hour I am planning as Event Coordinator. After a few hours of homework time (and Facebook), it is time for my ARMY401 class. During this class we have one hour to do our command and staff and training meeting with all of the seniors. As Battalion Commander, the staff briefs me about what they have going on and looks to me for any decisions that need to be made. After class ends I head off to the Mitchell Building for a meeting I am running with my advisor for the University Student Judiciary Appellate Board at 4pm. During the meeting we discuss upcoming plans with our changing roles within USJ and how the Code of Student Conduct applies to our role in the organBattalion Commander and ODK executive officer, Alex Bistany, talks ization. to Army ROTC cadets.
DK is based on leadership in five phases of campus life – or five pillars. 1. Scholarship; 2. Athletics; 3. Campus & Community Life; 4. Journalism & the Mass Media; and 5. Creative and Performing Arts. We asked two ODK Officers to talk about leadership in different pillars. Here are their impressions. A Day in the Life of a Leader in Pillar Three The morning begins at 5:15am when my third alarm goes off and I finally get out of bed and start to get ready. Preparations and rehearsals for the junior cadet leaders Alex Bistany, ODK who are runOfficer and Leader in ning physical Pillar 3 training that morning for all of the cadets in Army ROTC starts at 6am sharp, so of course that means “be there ten minutes earlier.” My job as Battalion
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At the conclusion of the meeting, I go to 251 North for weekly staff dinner with my RA staff from Ellicott Hall at 6pm. After a nice, relaxing, and filling meal, we all head together back to Ellicott Hall for our weekly staff meeting with our Resident Advisor. During the meeting we plan out our duty schedule for the semester and go over a review of the past week and upcoming events. After the meeting ends at 9:30pm, I go back up to my room to get some last minute study time in, hang out with my residents and see how they are doing. By 11:30pm, I decide it’s time to call it a night and set my three alarms for a bright and early wake up with more Army workouts to look forward to! Leadership in Pillar Five
ODK executive officer, and Pillar 5 exemplar, Vaughn Midder
“Oh…A what?...Why?...Interesting.” These are just a few of the various responses I’ve heard from other students when sharing that I am a theatre major, and no doubt the kinds of responses other students within the arts have come across. For whatever reason, be it our society’s values or our own personal interests, many of us have a difficult time recognizing the significance of the creative and performing arts, let alone leaders within the discipline. Given that the continued on page 6
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majors raise consciousness by appealing to the heart first, and then the brain. It allows us to begin to see ourselves in a deeper way. We get to see our own stories reflected back at us. As artists, we help people see, and students creating work like this which shares the human condition are leaders within the PA.
Leaders, continued from page 5 Creative and Performing Arts is the fifth pillar with which we recognize leaders on campus, I decided to interview Professor Leigh Smiley, Director of the School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies (TDPS), to get an idea of what a leader looks like in pillar five! Q: Many people believe that majoring in the performing arts (PA) isn’t academically challenging; what do you say in response to that? A: PA students have the difficult task of not only learning the same research and course material taught within the humanities or S.T.E.M. disciplines on an intellectual level; they then have to learn the skills (vocal and physical techniques) to embody that knowledge, express it through their bodies, and transmit it in to an audience. PA students have to learn at an entirely different level…through their bodies. Embodied knowledge is what makes us unique and connects us to others on campus. Also, leadership has to do with being willing to try and fail. My favorite analogy is a skateboarder. Skateboarders are willing to try and fail at one move over and over and over again until they succeed. That’s
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Professor Leigh Smiley, Director of the School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies (TDPS)
very much how PA students become accustomed to learning, and that’s not easy! Knowing that you might walk out of your classroom having just failed at your craft makes the PA an extremely challenging field. Q: Outside of the classroom, there aren’t as many PA student groups or clubs as those founded within the other pillars. So how do PA students display leadership outside the classroom? A: Many PA students take issues on campus and create small performance pieces that speak to those issues and provoke conversation; they serve as a social catalyst. For example, years ago a student wrote a piece titled Whitewash in response to a noose being hung outside the Nyumburu Cultural Center on campus. The PA
Q: Why are the PA necessary? A: We have a heightened sensitivity, a heightened sense of listening, and we are essentially teaching our students how to convey messages effectively. We recently began a new oral course called “The Art of Communication and Presentation,” because that is essentially what we do as artists, communicate messages. For example, I consider Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. an artist, because he knew how to effectively convey his messages in a way that touched your heart and then forced you to reflect mentally on issues of race and equality. He’s truly a poet. Not a lot of people know how to do that, and we’re training our students to be able to do so. So if you ever walk past the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center at the University of Maryland, now you’ll know just what kind of learning is taking place inside, how difficult it is, and the impact the PA have on us all.
TAKE A LOOK AT THEM NOW... SIGMA CIRCLE GRADS GO ON TO CHANGE THE WORLD AFTER GRADUATION! By Andrew Cahoon ’13 & Katy Rennenkampf ’13 DKers are selected for their undergraduate leadership on campus at the University of Maryland. Often, they leave campus to continue their leadership in meaningful ways across the country and
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around the world. Here are profiles of two leaders who graduated last spring and have gone on to do great things. My name is Andrew Cahoon, ’13. I graduated from the University of Maryland this past spring with a
Bachelor of Arts in English with an emphasis in American Studies, and I am now working for the Omicron Delta Kappa Society as the Centennial Fellow on a national level. I was inducted into the Sigma Circle during my junior year at Maryland in continued on page 7
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Look At Them Now, continued from page 6 the fall of 2011, mainly for my contributions to the band program at the university and leadership experience in the performing arts (Pillar 5 all the way!). I was in the marching band, pep band, and concert band during my time at Maryland, and I was also very involved with the Honors College. After being an active member of the Sigma Circle my junior year, I decided to run for an Executive Board position for my senior year, and I served as the newly renamed Philanthropy and Community Service Chair, in charge of our major community service efforts and the awarding of our Circle scholarship to outstanding members of the incoming freshman class. In July, I started working for
Andrew Cahoon ’13 continues his leadership commitment as the ODK Centennial Fellow.
Omicron Delta Kappa as the Centennial Fellow. We are based out of Lexington, Virginia, and it is my job to provide services and support for our 280+ active circles nationwide and act as liaison between the circles and the national headquarters. I am essentially the traveling consultant for the organization. My job is two-fold: I spend a good portion of my time
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traveling around visiting our active quently asked me what on earth I was and prospective circles throughout the going to do after I graduated. It turns country (which is definitely the best out the question should have been part of the job!), and when I am in “where on earth!” Since graduating Lexington, I provide programming from the University of Maryland in support for the national office. This May, I have taken a position as a includes overseeing our Clay Grant Fulbright English Teaching Assistant and Foundation Scholarship initia(ETA) and am now living in Bogor, tives, which provide monetary support West Java, Indonesia. Fulbright has for circles and individual members reETAs all over the world, in classes spectively, and working with our ranging from kindergarten to university Director of Communications and courses, and our role is to “help teach Programming to help with the impleEnglish language while serving as culmentation of our Centennial tural ambassadors.” I applied specifiCelebration and National Convention, cally to Indonesia; I was drawn to the which is being held in Lexington in country’s recent research into matheJune 2014 to commemorate 100 years matics pedagogy and the complexity of of ODK! I am also in charge of all of its multiculturalism framed by a nathe social media activity for the societional motto of “Unity in Diversity.” ty and help with the outreach to our It still seems a bit unreal that I’ve member base. gone from “there” to “here.” My days This job is not anywhere near of rushing to 8am ODK officers’ where I would have guessed I would meetings, working at the Honors be after graduation as an underclassCollege, tutoring at Math Success, man. I was convinced for most of my telling bad jokes on campus tours, college career that I wanted to go right into graduate school after undergrad, but this job has given me so much experience and insight into the world of public relations and communications, helping me realize my interest in the field as a posKaty Rennenkampf ’13 traveled to Indonesia to teach English and be sible long-term career goal. And I a cultural ambassdor as a Fulbright ETA. wouldn’t be here without ODK at Maryland! My active cheering in the student section, studyrole on the Executive Board of the ing abroad with fellow Terps, and ocSigma Circle opened so many doors casionally reading books, writing for me in allowing me to continue on papers, and taking tests are over. They with ODK after graduation, and for have been replaced with days of that, I am beyond thankful. watching the sun rise over the mountains, teaching the grammar I forgot in high school, eating new foods and I’m Katy Rennenkampf ’13 and sometimes wishing I didn’t know I am last year’s Sigma Circle President. what they were, getting to know my With a triple major in mathematics, students and teachers, struggling to economics, and English, people fre-
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learn Bahasa Indonesia, listening to the calls to prayer, riding on the back of motorcycles, responding to constant greetings of “Hey mister!” as I walk down my street, and discovering and discussing cultural differences. It isn’t quite the daily life I was expecting to live after college (honestly, it’s better). When I finished high school I set forth with a clear plan in mind. I would go to the University of Maryland and major in math, and I would enroll in the University’s MCERT program for a 5th year teaching certification and master’s degree. I tutored students, I assisted teachers, and I generally progressed towards my goal to become an educator. I served in DC schools and became interested in broader educational issues. I studied abroad and became addicted to traveling. At the end of my senior year, I was faced with a choice between the MCERT program, Teach for America, and Fulbright. My plans grew greatly over four years, until finally they took a
Katy knows how to make a friends wherever she goes.
connection through Singapore and were stamped into my passport with a silver seal. I am lucky to have had so many options available to me, and grateful to my peers, mentors, and professors who helped me find and follow the path to Indonesia. It was the opportunities I was given at the University of Maryland that allowed me to apply to all of these programs—but it was the experiences I had in ODK that led me
LEADER to accept the position with Fulbright. Being inspired by fellow leaders and surrounded by others’ drive and dreams was a constant reminder that I should be unafraid to pursue my passions. Sometimes plans change and sometimes plans grow, and sometimes plans should just be let go! But wherever you go and whatever you do, remember your plans belong only to you. Just follow the dreams that gave you your start, be an ODK leader and a Terp in your heart! And oh, the places you’ll go... What’s next for these two? Andrew will be finishing up at ODK headquarters after the Centennial in June 2014. He will be heading to Sierra Leone as a Peace Corps Volunteer next year. Katy’s Fulbright grant in Indonesia will end in May 2014. She looks forward to returning to Maryland to serve as a secondary mathematics teacher in a high-needs school district.
GET INVOLVED TODAY BY DONATING TO ODK! Your support helps ODK provide educational and leadership development programs throughout the year. Below is some more information about programs you can support directly, and ways you can make an impact through ODK.
ODK’s Lecture Series
ODK’s Scholarship Program
ODK’s Lecture Series provides students with opportunities to hear from inspiring speakers, and learn about the qualities and achievements of leaders in our community. It exemplifies the values that ODK instills in our student body. Your support will ensure that ODK can continue to bring outstanding speakers to campus to inspire our students and help them grow.
ODK recognizes outstanding students through its scholarship fund. Annual scholarships are awarded to entering first year students who demonstrated outstanding leadership potential, and now will help students with fees when joining the society, and ensure that they can focus on leadership. Your support helps students continue to lead through ODK.
Sigma Circle’s Giving Societies
Consider a Bequest in Support of the Sigma Circle!
A donation of any amount will make an impact, but we encourage you to join Sigma Circle’s Annual Giving Societies. Your involvement in this special group ensures that you are recognized for your generosity in the ODK newsletter and the Sigma Circle’s website. For those who contribute at the Steward of the Fountain level, your name will also be engraved on a plaque by the benches encircling the ODK Fountain. $5,000 Steward of the Fountain $1,000 Founders Circle $500 Leaders Circle $100 Supporters Circle $50 Members Circle
By making a provision in your will, you may be able to make a substantial gift by designating from your collective assets. For example, you may commit a percentage of your overall estate value, a sum of cash, or otherwise described property. Working with your attorney, the preferred language is: “I give, devise, and bequeath to the University of Maryland College Park Foundation, a tax-exempt organization located at 2119 Main Administration Building, College Park, MD 20742, (insert a percentage of estate, or residue or sum of money, or otherwise describe property) to support the University of Maryland Omicron Delta Kappa Sigma Circle (or insert specifics).
You can make a gift to ODK today! Use the enclosed envelope or go to www.odk.umd.edu. 8
The Omicron Delta Kappa
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ODK Alumni Updates Thanks to all of you who keep us informed of your activities. If we haven’t heard from you recently, drop us a note. You may use the form on the back of the newsletter or send us your updates on the web at www.odk.umd.edu. Please forgive us if the information below is a little dated. It is very difficult to have up-to-date news when we only publish our newsletter twice a year. But here is what we have and we hope you enjoy reading about your friends! Bob Ritter ’71 just published a nonfiction book, “Breaking Tecumseh’s Curse.” Written with his wife, Jan Ritter (UMD 1972), it chronicles their college years at UMD and their early years together when Bob was a Secret Service agent in Washington, D.C. It highlights a dangerous period for the Secret Service--from 19721982. During that time, five assassination attempts took place against persons protected by the USSS, more than any other era. Four of the five attempts were directed against presidents, the other against a presidential candidate. Congrats Bob & Jan! Rick Inguanti ’79 also known as “Rick Adamson” is an actor, narrator and voiceover artist in the NYC area. The oldest of Rick’s three sons is heading into his sophomore year at Villanova. (Maybe one of his younger children will be a Terp!) He performed in August in a play written by and co-starring fellow UM theatre buddy Chip Bolcik - a fun reunion in NYC. Stephen Perrotta ’83 has had a varied and successful career in the New York entertainment field. He has been an actor; an instructor at New York University; a Video Editor; Managing Editor of “Total Training”, a company which does video training of a wide variety of software programs; and currently as Director of Operations for Flying Car LTD, a company that does software design, video production, animation and web design. But, his latest avocation gig is doing stand
up comedy at “The Stand” Comedy Club and Restaurant on 3rd Avenue in New York City. Dallas Kennedy ’84 reports that after graduate school at Stanford (PhD 1989) and working in academia as a research and teaching physicist (19892000), he moved to Boston to work in the software industry as a technical writer. After almost eleven years at MathWorks, he’s now at Ab Initio in Lexington. He and his wife, Michal, were married in 2010 and now have two beautiful twins! Congrats Dallas! Howard Morris ’85 recently moved to Arizona and is loving it with wife Tina and family. He is still working as an emergency physician. John Tegen ’86 is the President and founder of o2 interactive, Inc. BlackBerry Elite, which provides mobile applications to the BlackBerry BB10 and PlayBook devices. John and his wife, Shelly and their children Madison and Carter, are living in Northern Virginia. Madison is applying to UMD for next year, so John’s hoping that we will soon have a 3rd generation Terp! Laurie Cameron ’88 is back in the area and has her own Leadership Consulting Business. After living all across the United States from New York to San Francisco, she is now back in Chevy Chase, not only working as a Leadership Consultant, but as an Executive Coach as well.
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Dana Neilsen Rice ’90 has started a new career as a Sales Associate for Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Bethesda, Maryland. Marc Greenberg ’93 the CFO for Pixar Studios in California, has produced his own short film entitled “The Blue Umbrella”. He also serves on the Robert H. Smith School of Business Advisory Board. Baltimore County Councilman David Marks ’93 recently received two awards in recognition of his work to improve parks and preserve open space. Mid-Atlantic Off-Road Enthusiasts honored Marks with their “Silver Spokes” award for his advocacy of Baltimore County’s trail network. The Maryland Parks and Recreation Association presented him with their Community Volunteer Award for his successful effort to preserve more than 54 acres in Baltimore County and open new parks. Thanks for keeping Maryland green! Usheen Davar ’97 was just awarded the MIN Salesperson of the Year (Digital & Web Advertising) award. During her time at Maryland, she was in the University Honors program (and instructor), initiated into ODK (also held position of Treasurer), president of the IBA, studied abroad in London for a semester and had a leadership role in AIESEC (one of the founding members for the UMD chapter) where she was fortunate to go to Spain for the summer and work at a bank. A few years after gradua-
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Sam Blum ’13 is currently training to be a Hotdogger - Wienermobile Spokesperson for Oscar Mayer! From June 2013-June 2014 he is traveling the country in the Wienermobile as a brand ambassador, executing promotional events and participating in interviews with the media. Amanda Fitzgerald ’13 caught up with him in Ohio!
Danna Koren ’13 is working as the Deputy Finance Director for a Democratic candidate for Governor of Pennsylvania, managing the fundraising operations in the Philadelphia region.
Rachel McGrain ’13 started her two-year commitment with Teach for America this summer in Baltimore teaching secondary math. She is also pursuing a Master of Science in Education at Johns Hopkins University while teaching.
tion, Usheen was the president of the NY Chapter of the Maryland Alumni Association. Currently, Usheen is an ad sales director at Meredith Digital working across women’s websites, mobile sites & social/video platforms.
Ryan Spiegel ’00 has joined the law firm of Paley, Rothman, Goldstein, Rosenberg, Eig & Cooper, Chartered (“Paley Rothman”) as a Principal in the firm’s Litigation, Commercial Transactions, and Government Contracts practice groups. Ryan also continues his service as a member of the Gaithersburg City Council.
mer traveling around the UK before she started working and moved to Arlington, Virginia!
Christina Lee ’13 is currently studying Social Policy at the University of Maryland School of Public Policy and expects to get her MPP by May 2014. She is now the Graduate Coordinator for Human Resources for Resident Life here at UMD!
Usheen Davar wins the MIN Salesperson of the Year award.
Craig Tucci ’97 aka Michael Matucci is becoming quite a successful short film producer in Los Angeles with his own company RAD Productions. Their latest film is entitled “Candyland” of which Craig (Michael) is a producer. He also starred in “Broken”. [You can find more information and the films at their website http://realizeartistsdreams.com]
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Sam Blum ’13 and Amanda Fitzgerald ’13 catch up by the Weinermobile.
Neva Bowers ’13 is doing Teach for America in Memphis, Tennessee. Julie Brice ’13 climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania and then spent the summer relaxing at home before moving to Korea to teach English. Wow, Julie! Nancy Canales ’13 started Teach for America in Miami-Dade, Florida. Nicole Eisenberg ’13 started a Supply Chain Management Rotational Program in August at W. L. Gore & Associates! Aimee Epstein ’13 spent the sum-
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Elizabeth Moran ’13 moved to Charlotte to work full time with Wells Fargo Securities. Ruth Watkins ’13 spoke as part of the Women’s Leadership Symposium for her high school’s commencement weekend in June. She was the youngest alumna to be a part of it. She worked as an assistant stage manager at the Kennedy Center for their National Young Arts Foundation’s “A Salute to the 2013 US Presidential Scholars at the Kennedy Center.” Then she stage managed “Baby Universe” at Studio Theatre for a touring puppet company, Wakka Wakka. Boy, Ruth, you’ve been busy!
The Omicron Delta Kappa
LEADER
IN MEMORIAM his past year, the University of Maryland community lost members that are near and dear to many of us. Among them are five ODK members who contributed so much to the leadership and culture on this campus.
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Josh Burdette ’98 graduated from the Honors College with a degree in psychology and always made sure to stay connected to the University. As an undergraduate, Josh was an outstanding classmate and student leader through Student Entertainment Events (SEE). It was his experience with SEE that inspired Josh to pursue a career in the entertainment industry after graduation. That same commitment and passion kept Josh coming back to his alma mater to support and mentor current students.
Jane Henson ’55 passed away this past spring in Greenwich, Connecticut. Wife of puppeteer and visionary, Jim Henson ’60, and a puppeteer herself, she was
instrumental in the early life and success of the Muppets. She is survived by her children Lisa, Cheryl, Brian, John, and Heather.
varsity track star, active in his fraternity and SGA, and Sigma Circle President. He was active in the Sigma Circle as a voting alum for more than 70 years until just a few months before his death. He served as the Director of Alumni Affairs for the University of Maryland for 17 years. A proud veteran, Colonel Schutz served in World War II and in Korea. He is survived by his wife Louise, children and grandchildren.
Jack Pardee was an AllAmerican linebacker and former coach of the Washington Redskins and the only coach in history to be the head coach in college, the National Football League, the United States Football League, the World Football League, and the Canadian Football League. He passed away this past spring. He is survived by his wife Phyllis, five children, and 12 grandchildren. Dr. Lee Thornton was an award winning journalist and a trailblazer. She was the first African American journalist to cover the White House for a major news network and the first black host of All Things Considered on NPR. More recently she served as the Journalism school’s interim dean and Associate Provost for Equity and Diversity. Dr. Thornton passed away this past September.
Col. J. Logan Schutz ’38 passed away in June, less than a month before his 98th birthday. As an undergraduate, Colonel Schutz was a
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All of these amazing Sigma Circle members will be deeply missed by the University of Maryland community and ODK.
OMICRON DELTA KAPPA
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