Pace Magazine Fall 2019

M A G A Z I N E

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WILSON TANG ’00 OWNER NOM WAH TEA PARLOR

PACE MEANS BUSINESS FEATURING 15 ALUMNI-OWNED BUSINESSES

Welcome Home!

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More than 2,300 new undergraduate students kicked off their college years this fall. From Albania to Zimbabwe, these new Pace Setters hail from 51 different Pace Magaz in 47 e states. countries and

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Conten Features

14 20

Fighting for Freedom

Pace Means Business

30

A Woman’s Place

Departments

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Letter from the President and Chairman

Research/ Faculty Success

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38

News

Class Notes

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Athletics Cover photo: Natalie Chitwood Inside front cover photo: Connor Morgan ’21 Contents photo: Carlisle Stockton

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Big Numbers

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Flashback

nts

PACE MAGAZINE Volume XXXV

| No. 1 Fall 2019

President Marvin Krislov

Interim Vice President, University Relations Leila Franchi

Director, Content Tiffany Lopes

Director, Marketing/ Account Management Wendy Metzger

Designer Michael Wilson

Assistant Director, Production Maria De La Cruz

Director, Communications and Digital Engagement Alyssa Cressotti ’08, ’18

Associate Art Director Cicero Clamor

Contributing Writers Kendra Free Lance Pauker

Associate Director, Budget/Administrative Operations Ivy Riddick

Pace Magazine is a publication of the Department of Marketing and Communications, Office of University Relations, published twice a year, and distributed free to alumni and friends of Pace University.

The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent those of its staff or of Pace University.

Copyright © 2019 Pace University

Send address changes to: Office of Alumni Relations Pace University One Pace Plaza New York, NY 10038 Phone: (212) 346-1489 Email: pacealum@pace.edu Pace University is an equal opportunity, affirmative action university.

Visit us online at: www.pace.edu/magazine

Picture Perfect Talk about squad goals. The Pace women’s soccer team kicked off the season with their best start in history (7-0), ranked as high as #19 in the country, and Coach Mike Winn, who founded the program in 1998, earned his 150th win.

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Pace University’s Alumni-Student Mentoring Program brings students and alumni closer together.

Sign up today to become a member of our fast-growing online mentoring community.

As an alumni mentor, you can: • Motivate a young professional to pursue a new level of success • Share expertise and insights on navigating the workplace • Participate remotely

Please visit www.pace.edu/mentoring to get started or email us at mentoring@pace.edu.

Letter

P

ace’s greatest strength is our people.

That’s always been true.

Our students, faculty, staff, and alumni come from a vast range of backgrounds—culturally, ethnically, socioeconomically. Since our founding as a fully co-educational institution in 1906, what has always mattered at Pace is that you work hard, have ambition, want to get ahead. As long as you’re driven to succeed, you’re Pace material.

That’s what makes people want to be at Pace— whether students or faculty or administrators or alumni who want to keep giving back.

This summer, we hired Tiffany Hamilton as our first-ever chief diversity officer and associate vice president for diversity and inclusion. It’ll be her job to make sure we prioritize and live up to our longstanding commitment to serving and valuing everyone who is— and wants to be—part of our community.

And as this issue of Pace Magazine shows, our diverse students and alumni are charting new territory as they accomplish great things.

In “Pace Means Business,” we look at more than a dozen alumni who have founded and led thriving businesses. These entrepreneurial Pace grads are building their companies in a wide range of fields— from restaurants to nonprofits to online retail—and they come from an even wider range of backgrounds.

But what unites them all is what unites everyone in the Pace family and what makes for a great founder: a burning ambition to succeed.

Elsewhere in the magazine, we profile Maral Javadifar ’12. She broke a barrier last spring when she started as assistant strength and conditioning coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers—one of the first two full-

time coaches who are women in the team’s history, and one of the few in the NFL. And finally you’ll meet Jeffrey Deskovic, a 2019 graduate of the Elisabeth Haub School of Law. He was an adult learner—as is a growing and important portion of our student body—but for a remarkable reason: He spent 16 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit.

Jeffrey is now using his legal skills to help others, and his vision and tenacity are what make us most proud to call him a Pace grad.

This is what Pace alumni do. This is what Pace students do. That’s the Pace Path we set them on. No matter where they come from or who they are, Pace students succeed.

Sincerely,

Marvin Krislov President

Mark M. Besca ’81 Chairman of the Board of Trustees

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Save the Date DECEMBER 3, 2019

Pace will once again be participating in #GivingTuesday, a global day of philanthropy.

Become part of the movement and invest in Pace students!

Sign up to be a social media ambassador and transform your social and professional circles into powerful philanthropic networks.

Tweet, follow, like, share—it’s that easy!

Visit alumni.pace.edu/givingtuesday for more details.

It’s easy to stay connected: @PaceAlumni @PaceUAlumni

flickr.com/PaceAlumni @PaceUniversity

@PaceUAlumni www.pace.edu/AlumniCommunity

News

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The True Spirit of Aloha Last summer, hundreds of earthquakes shook the summit of Kīlauea, Hawaii, sparking the volcano’s largest eruption in 200 years. To some, it was a disaster. To the people of Hawaii, it was the goddess Pele’s way of creating new ‘āina (land).

Kīlauea will erupt again, and student filmmakers from Pace’s Producing the Documentary travel course led by Professor Maria Luskay, EdD, spent six days living in its shadow and gathering stories of faith, resilience, and unification.

Their film, Hawaii: Living on the Edge in Paradise?, premiered at the Jacob Burns Film Center and has won awards at the 2019 Williamsburg International Film Festival and Best Shorts Competition.

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News | 10 Things to Inspire You

2

Fancy PANCE The results are in! The College of Health Professions Class of 2018

scored an outstanding 100% pass rate on the Physician Assistant National Certifying Exam (PANCE) and 95.27% on the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN), much higher than the state and national averages.

Making Dreams Come True Pace is “an American Dream machine” according to MarketWatch, which featured the University in an article about the top 10 US colleges for upward mobility, proving you don’t need to go to an Ivy League school to make your dreams come true.

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Coming Home The Pace Immigration Justice Clinic (IJC) scored a huge victory when New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo granted a full and

unconditional pardon to IJC client Reginald Castel. Professor

One Team, One Dream

Vanessa Merton, JD, and students from the IJC, one of Haub Law’s flagship clinical programs that enables student attorneys to provide free representation to immigrants, have been fighting Castel’s deportation for a dozen years.

“This pardon changes the world for this man, for his unshakably devoted wife, his five children, and his hometown of Rochester,” says

Pace Football welcomed a new teammate whose

Merton. “Now we can pursue the necessary applications to bring him

hustle and heart will serve the Setters well this

home and restore his lawful permanent resident status, acquired as

season. Through a partnership with the Friends of

a young boy when he lawfully emigrated to the USA, so that he can

Jaclyn Foundation, a nonprofit aimed at improving

regain his health, care for his family, and resume a peaceful life in the

the quality of life for children battling brain tumors

only country he has ever known as an adult.”

and other cancers, Riley Manning-Burns was named an honorary member of the team and presented with a jersey and game ball at a celebration at Ianniello Field House with the team.

“There is no chemotherapy, radiation treatment, or clinical trial drug more powerful than the love, support, and friendship Riley will receive from Pace Football,” says Denis Murphy, founder of the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation.

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<Title>Kids Who Code</Title> Robots and coding and drones, oh my! Pace students introduced fourth graders at the Alice E. Grady school in Elmsford, NY, to coding skills via a five-week program. The students, which included a class with special needs, presented their work to the Elmsford schools superintendent, principal, mayor, and Board of Education.

Running Breast Cancer Out of Town

BROADWAY BOUND

Pace students, faculty, staff,

Pace School of Performing

and alumni stepped out to

Arts student Samantha

put an end to breast cancer

Williams ’21 made her

at the annual Susan G.

Broadway debut in the Tony

Komen Race for the Cure,

Award-winning best musical

winning the largest college/

Dear Evan Hansen. Williams,

university team for the 28th

who stars as similarly-

time in program history.

ambitious student Alana Beck, is balancing classes

10

and eight performances per week, even making it through five finals the week of her big debut. The show—

Lifelong Learning

A new crop of students

and studying—must go on.

arrived on campus this fall and we’re not talking

7 $9,412,829

about the Class of 2023.

Residents from Kendal on Hudson, a Life Care retirement community in

9

Westchester County, now have access to take one

Superheroes Wear Scrubs

class per semester as well

Pace was one of six schools in the country selected by the

University and Kendal,

Science Foundation, National

American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) to

which also gives students

Institutes of Health, National

receive funding to educate diverse communities about the All

access to mentoring

Security Agency, and more

of Us Research Program, a collaboration between AACN and

from residents and staff,

to conduct groundbreaking

the National Institutes of Health aimed at accelerating health

career exploration, and

research.

research and advancing precision medicine.

internship opportunities.

total research grant funding

received by Pace during the 2019 fiscal year, including funding from the National

as attend athletic events, through a reciprocal partnership between the

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News | Around the University

TELLING OUR OWN STORIES D

iversity, equity, and inclusion in media and

communities to break into writers’ rooms and

the performing arts is something that’s been

sustain careers in the industry, enabling diverse

talked about for years, and while we’ve seen an

and inclusive voices to depict and reflect their

increase in diversity in the arts more recently

own experiences, rather than having their

with blockbusters like Black Panther, Crazy Rich

experiences interpreted and presented by other

Asians, and Broadway’s Hamilton beginning to

people.

change the landscape, there’s still a long way to go and a whole lot more work to do.

This summer, Pace University announced the

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“In my own career, I have seen a lack of diversity in the sciences, and in the media and entertainment industries,” said Vanya Quiñones,

launch of a new program, “Writing for Diversity

PhD, Pace’s provost. “With the support of

and Equity in Theater and Media Arts Fellows

the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, this new

Program,” supported by a three-year $585,000

program will help develop diverse voices by

grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

providing students with the necessary training

The program will create opportunities for

to tell their own stories on our country’s screens

students from historically underrepresented

and stages.”

Photograph: Mark Wyville

E

ach year, millions of tons of salt are poured onto our roadways to clear

ice and snow. And while that salt is ensuring our safety, it’s washing directly into streams and lakes, harming plants and wildlife, and contaminating our drinking water.

Enter Pace’s Environmental Policy Clinic, a course offered by the Dyson College Institute for Sustainability and the Environment (DCISE). Clinic students have come up with a strategy for tackling the dilemma of how to maintain wintertime public safety in an environmentally responsible way.

Their proposal—to develop specialized training for anyone responsible for applying road salt—was introduced in both houses of the New York State Legislature earlier this year. If both bills pass and the governor signs the legislation, New York will become the first state to require the creation of such training, which would be offered voluntarily.

“The training program would teach the applicators about the environmental and health risks associated with road salt usage,” said Brennan Boudreaux ’21, one of seven students who developed the legislation language and met with lawmakers to advocate for support. “Furthermore, these training programs can enhance efficiency since the road salt often remains on the ground for weeks with no snow, and it is sometimes applied when weather is too cold for it to have

A LESSON IN LEGISLATIVE ACTION Working with New York State lawmakers, Pace environmental clinic students have initiated new legislation to reduce pollution from road salt.

any effect.”

The legislation, Assembly Bill A8067 and Senate Bill S6519, was formally introduced respectively by Representative Thomas J. Abinanti and Senator Peter Harckham, and the next class of students will continue their lobbying and advocacy efforts.

Previous Environmental Policy Clinic projects have included New York State’s Elephant Protection Act, prohibiting the use of elephants in entertainment acts, which was ultimately signed into law by Governor Andrew Cuomo in 2017.

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News | Athletics

A Major Year

r.

Just weeks after walking the stage at graduation, Pace baseball pitcher DAN WIRCHANSKY ’19 got the call of a lifetime: he had been selected by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 2019 Major League Baseball Draft. Wirchansky, who graduated in May, becomes the 12th player under head coach Hank Manning to be selected in the draft.

“This is well-deserved for Danny,”

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said Manning. “He had a great career here at Pace, and his numbers prove that. He can not only pitch at an extremely high level, but he is also an excellent competitor—both good attributes when you get into professional baseball.”

Wirchansky shattered several records while at Pace, including the single season record for strikeouts in a

season with 102 this year, and set a new career record with 230 in just three seasons. He also finished his career as the all-time program leader with a 1.89 earned run average, the only pitcher in program history to finish under a 2.00 with a minimum of 75 innings pitched.

As a junior, he led the nation in ERA with 0.71 and this year ranked third in the nation with a WHIP of 0.86.

Report Card On the field, court, and in the pool, the Pace Setters sports teams knocked it out of the park/ slam-dunked it/made a splash. But what about the classroom? Let’s just say our Pace Setters are brains and brawn.

combined GPA for all 2018–2019 studentathletes; 16 teams scored a 3.0 or higher

Northeast-10 Academic Honor Roll awards for the 2018–2019 academic year

Academic

Also earning calls were Pace football players PRINCE UNAEGBU ’19 and JAH’SHEEM MARTIN ’19, who were invited to NFL rookie mini-camps with the San Francisco 49ers and New York Giants, respectively.

All-Conference Awards

Academic All-Americans

teams received the NE-10 Team Excellence Award for highest GPA in the conference

And men’s basketball stand-out GREG POLEON ’19 signed on to play professionally for the National Basketball League Division 1’s Hemel Storm in the United Kingdom.

student-athletes achieved a perfect 4.0 GPA in the spring and fall

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FI HTING FIGHTING FOR FREEDOM After serving 16 years in prison for a murder he didn’t commit, Jeffrey Deskovic ’19 is free and fighting for others.

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photographs by NATALIE CHITWOOD

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YOU OU

gotta fight. For your right. To party. It’s karaoke night at a local bar and Jeffrey Deskovic is belting out the popular Beastie Boys song alongside some of his closest friends. To the twentysomethings at the bar, they may look like a group of guys who stopped in for a quick beer before heading to a baseball game, but what the audience doesn’t hear is that what sounds like a crowd-pleasing party hit is actually an anthem and this group of men, who all spent years in prison for crimes they didn’t commit, are singing about celebrating their freedom. And Deskovic is the MCA, the glue that holds them together, because without the Deskovic Foundation for Justice, they wouldn’t be there, free from prison, knowing that their lives were just beginning.

This spring, Deskovic graduated from the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University, nearly 30 years after his life was turned upside down.

Deskovic was 16 years old when he was arrested for the rape and murder of his 15-year-old Peekskill High School classmate. Though DNA results indicated he was not the source of semen in the victim’s rape kit, on January 18, 1991, Deskovic was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison. “I didn’t do anything. I’ve already had a year of my life taken from me for something I didn’t do, and I’m about to lose more time and I didn’t do anything,” he pled to the court. “I will be back on appeal. Justice will yet be served. I will be set free.”

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He started the appeal process the same day he was sentenced and, though at times despondent, he never gave up. Filing appeal after appeal, Deskovic was turned down seven times and denied parole.

Even when his appeals were over in 2001, he wrote letters for four years, looking for legal assistance to help him find new evidence to overturn the conviction.

Even the Innocence Project initially didn’t want to take on his case. After several failed attempts, it was Maggie Taylor, an intake worker, who read Deskovic’s letter and believed him. Within nine short months, DNA evidence confirmed the real killer: a man who was already in prison for committing a murder a few years later. His conviction was overturned and he was released on September 22, 2006, and on November 2, his case was dismissed on grounds of innocence.

Having been incarcerated half of his life, Deskovic walked out of prison a free man with a mission: to do everything in his power to prevent what happened to him from happening to others.

Using $1.5 million he was awarded from a settlement, he founded the Jeffrey Deskovic Foundation for Justice, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the exoneration of the wrongfully convicted.

But Deskovic, who had earned his GED, associate degree, and completed a year towards his bachelor’s degree while in prison, knew he needed to further his education and gain the knowledge

Below, Deskovic, 16, the day he was arrested. To the left, 45, at Haub Law, weeks after he graduated with a juris doctor.

and credentials to help others. He went on to complete his bachelor’s degree from Mercy College and a master’s degree from John Jay College of Criminal Justice, before turning his focus to law school to pursue his goal of exonerating others as an attorney.

But, much like Deskovic’s life, his road to law school didn’t come without a few obstacles.

“It was a long road to get to and through law school,” says Deskovic, who had applied to Pace and 10 other law schools more than a decade ago. Not one of the schools had accepted him. But he refused to take no for an answer.

At that time, he met Bennett Gershman, JD, a professor at Pace’s Elisabeth Haub School of Law

and one of the country’s leading experts on prosecutorial misconduct, through a mutual acquaintance and would speak with him at various events.

“He fought for me,” says Deskovic. “If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t have gone to Pace. I wouldn’t have graduated.”

As a law student, Deskovic was also an educator, standing up in front of his classmates to give lectures on false confessions. He has shared his harrowing story at least a hundred times: speaking in front of judges, lawyers, police officers, and district attorneys; creating a continuing legal education (CLE) course entitled Tips for Trial Lawyers from an Exonerated Man; and even a TEDx talk. Today,

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Deskovic hugs attorney John Miras outside the Westchester County Court after he was released from prison on September 20, 2006.

“I don’t just think I know what I’m doing. There are laws that we’ve helped change and there are seven people who are home because of our work,” says Deskovic. “This is what I’m in the world to do.

This is why I went through what I went through.

It’s my mission, my purpose.”

Even while he was in law school, Deskovic’s foundation continued to take on cases to exonerate people who had been wrongfully convicted. Since opening its doors in 2011, they’ve helped free seven people, who, like Deskovic, wrote letters in hopes that someone would listen. Deskovic listened and believed in them, and he’s committed to freeing even more people. Currently operating with 22 volunteers (and a goal to hire in-house employees), the foundation is working with 11 clients, with about 600 cases and counting waiting to be read.

And for Deskovic, freedom isn’t the end of his work with his clients. He knows the pain and difficulty that comes with entering back into “a world that you don’t belong to,” and his commitment goes beyond that of attorney-client.

They’re family.

William Lopez was the first person Deskovic’s foundation exonerated. Convicted in 1989 for killing a drug dealer, Lopez spent nearly 23 years in prison.

“He would call the foundation every two weeks, first to talk to the staff for updates on his case, and then he’d call me right away. He wanted to know what life was like outside and live through me. I was a lifeline,” says Deskovic.

The day he was released in his prison clothes, Deskovic was there to pick him up, took him shopping, threw him a celebratory lunch, and

“There are seven people who are home because of our work. This is what I’m in the world to do. This is why I went through what I went through. It’s my mission, my purpose.”

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GETTY IMAGES/NEW YORK DAILY NEWS ARCHIVE

he’s a sought-after speaker, he serves on several advisory boards including as a global advisory committee member for Restorative Justice International, and his advocacy has contributed to changes in the law to require videotaping of interrogations and better identification procedures, and he along with other advocates lobbied New York State legislators to pass a bill that would create the nation’s first State Commission on Prosecutorial Conduct, which Governor Cuomo recently signed.

provided him with housing and counseling.

Lopez would still show up a few times a week unannounced, sometimes with packed suitcases to stay the weekend. They did advocacy work together and they shared their stories. They celebrated milestones and holidays together. He wasn’t just a client, they were brothers.

“We’re tied together through the common experience of being wrongfully convicted, surviving, and making it on the other side,” he says.

A year and a half after he was released, Lopez died suddenly from an asthma attack. “He died as a free man with the world knowing he was innocent,” says Deskovic.

When Jeffrey Deskovic was released from prison at 33, he had lost half of his life. He didn’t go to prom or finish high school. He didn’t get his driver’s license. He didn’t celebrate his 18th or 21st birthday. He had never voted or lived on his own. He never married or had children.

He missed 16 years of holidays with his family.

And while he will never get those milestones back, he will fight as hard as he can to make sure others do.

As another karaoke night comes to a close, Deskovic and his friends have one more song to sing. With their arms stretched around each other, celebrating their freedom and their friendship, two of the most important things they’ve gained in their lifetime, the words come from a place no one in the room could truly understand. You just call on me brother, when you need a hand. We all need somebody to lean on. I just might have a problem that you’ll understand. We all need somebody to lean on.

22,094 YEARS LOST...

AND COUNTING According to the National Registry of Exonerations, which provides comprehensive data on exonerations since 1989, 2,501 people have been exonerated in the United States. In total, these individuals lost more than 22,094 years of their lives. On average, that’s 8.8 Deskovic with Professor Bennett L. Gershman at graduation

years per person. And those are just the ones who have been exonerated. The number of wrongful convictions in America is staggering. Of

the nearly 2.3 million people currently incarcerated in the US, approximately 120,000 are wrongfully convicted, according to the Jeffrey Deskovic Foundation for Justice, and organizations like the Deskovic Foundation and the Innocence Project aren’t just changing (and in some cases even saving) lives, they’re bringing about criminal justice reform.

Among the most common reasons for wrongful convictions are false confessions, eyewitness misidentification, misleading forensic evidence, and inadequate legal defense. The leading culprit, according to the National Registry of Exonerations?

Official misconduct, which was present in 1,347 of the 2,501 exonerations.

Haub Law Professor Bennett L. Gershman, one of the most sought-after experts on prosecutorial misconduct, served as a prosecutor with the Manhattan District Attorney’s office for six years and has authored several books on the topic including Prosecutorial Misconduct, Prosecution Stories, and Criminal Trial Error and Misconduct.

“Virtually every important decision in a criminal case is made by the prosecutor: who to investigate, who to charge, what to charge, who to reward, who to punish, and how much to punish. These decisions are momentous,” writes Gershman in Prosecution Stories. “While they help protect citizens and provide the safety of communities, these decisions also destroy people’s lives, break up families, ruin reputations, and imprison people with more substantial punishments than any other country in the world.”

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F RO M D I M S U M TO M ACA R O N S , M E E T 1 5 B U S I N E S S E S OW N E D

BY PAC E A LU M N I

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NATALIE CHITWOOD

PACE MEANS BUSINESS BUSINESS

Woops!

GAL DANAY ’09 AND POOJA CHANDNANI DANAY ’09 bywoops.com When Pace friends-turnedmarried power couple Gal Danay and Pooja Chandnani Danay decided to open up a macaron booth with their friends at the Bryant Park holiday market, they didn’t anticipate lines out the door.

“We literally said ‘Woops! We have a business,’” says Gal. And the rest is history. Today, Woops! is the largest macaron company in the country, with more than 50 kiosks and bakeshops across the United States, filling more than 25,000 delicious macarons each day in their Bronx bakery.

The booming brand has been featured on Good Morning America, NBC News, QVC, Food Network magazine, and was named a top 14 franchise in America in 2019 by Entrepreneur magazine.

PACE GLASS

Drive Change JORDYN LEXTON ’12 drivechangenyc.org brilliant, resourceful,

Change, a food truck

highest incarceration

The US has the

and resilient. They

that hires, teaches,

rate in the world, with

were thinking about

and empowers

almost 2.3 million

the same things I

formerly incarcerated

people currently in

wanted when I was 16

youth through paid

prisons. For Jordyn

or 17, but the barriers

fellowships. And

Lexton, it was while

to employment for

now, through a $2.6

teaching at a school

people processed

million grant from the

for incarcerated

in the system were

Manhattan DA’s Office

students on Rikers

incredible,” says

and partnerships with

Island that they

Lexton. Determined

15+ NYC restaurants,

realized the grave

to push social justice

Drive Change is

impact on young

and change forward,

gearing up to impact

people. “They were

they founded Drive

even more lives.

50ROOTS.COM CHRISTA GRAY PAGE ’13 50roots.com

It was during her career in fashion merchandising that Christa Gray Page had become aware of the scarcity of American-made products, but when she found that the “I heart NY” postcards she ordered as save-the-dates for her wedding weren’t printed in New York—or even the United States—she was emboldened to change that.

Her online retail store, 50ROOTS.com, sells innovative American-made and socially and environmentally conscious gifts, and tells their unique stories. “With every Made in the USA product I found, there was such a cool story about each designer, maker, and manufacturer.

It really sold the product to me and inspired me, and I wanted to share that with others,” she says.

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“Recycling is a problem that’s going to be solved by our generation,” says George Valiotis.

And as owner and CEO of Pace Glass Recycling, he’s leading the charge. A technologically-driven glass recycling company that services the entire Northeast, Pace Glass specializes in recycling common household waste often land-filled due to exorbitant levels of contamination, recovering the mixed glass present in that stream and turning it into highly-refined cullet (recycled broken or waste glass), and selling it back to the market to be remade into common household and industrial products. To date, Pace Glass has recycled 104,877 tons of glass, and that number is expected to skyrocket to up to 800,000 tons per year as Valiotis and his team recently broke ground to build the world’s biggest glass-recycling plant in Andover, New Jersey.

ANDRE LAMBERTSON (TOP LEFT), COURTESY OF PACE GLASS (BOTTOM RIGHT), ALL ILLUSTRATIONS BY K YLE HILTON

GEORGE VALIOTIS ’12 paceglass.com

Peanut Butter & Co. LEE ZALBEN ’03 ilovepeanutbutter.com

COURTESY OF PEANUT BUTTER & CO.

Like many kids, Lee Zalben loved digging his finger into a jar of peanut butter. But that’s not why he’s called “The Peanut Butter Guy.” The founder of Peanut Butter & Company, which began as a sandwich shop in NYC, Zalben runs one of the largest peanut butter brands in the world, sold in more than 15,000 supermarkets and natural food stores, and known for their all natural flavors from peanuts grown by farmers in the United States. Whether you’re team crunchy or team smooth—or fan favorite Dark Chocolatey Dreams—there’s just one thing for you to do: grab a spoon.

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NATALIE CHITWOOD

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Nom Wah Tea Parlor WILSON TANG ’00 nomwah.com

WING DAVID ARABOV ’12 wingalpha.com As a Pace student, David Arabov founded his first business Elite Daily, with the

NATALIE CHITWOOD (BOTTOM LEFT), DONNA MUELLER (BOTTOM RIGHT)

ambition of creating a publication that

Wilson Tang was working at Morgan Stanley in the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. In the days that followed, he began to question his life’s purpose and decided it was time to trade in his suit for an apron and pursue his passion: food service. So when his uncle was looking to sell Nom Wah Tea Parlor and retire, Tang was ready, and Chinatown’s oldest dim sum restaurant was about to get a new spin. By extending the restaurant’s hours and serving dim sum for dinner, Nom Wah saw even more success, and centralizing where dumplings are crafted and improving inefficiencies led to making thousands of dumplings each day. Under Tang, Nom Wah has expanded to Philadelphia and Shenzhen (China), as well as a fast-casual restaurant in Nolita, and is gearing up for its 100th birthday celebration in 2020.

“This is a journey,” says Tang.

“Entrepreneurship should last your lifetime.”

would disrupt traditional media and truly speak to the Millennial generation—and it did, with an audience of more than 74 million monthly unique visitors. After selling the website to The Daily Mail for $40–$50 million in 2015, Arabov set his sights on disrupting another industry: cell phone service. Billing itself as “a phone carrier that’s actually nice to you,” Arabov’s latest venture, Wing, offers flexible and unlimited data plans, cost savings, helpful customer support, and “the best coverage on the nation’s top network.”

Break the Hold Foundation BRIAN HALLORAN ’90 AND JOLINA HALLORAN ’89 bthbreakthehold.org January 23, 2018, is a day Brian Halloran and Jolina Halloran will never forget. They had lost their son Brian to suicide. While the days that followed were filled with grief, the Hallorans knew they had to do something. In honor of Brian, they established the Break the Hold (BTH) Foundation, which is bringing critical mental health education to school systems throughout Westchester and nearby communities. Through programming for middle and high school students, parents, educators, and the community, BTH is providing education about suicide, raising awareness of the warning signs, and empowering young people to speak up.

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RentRedi RYAN BARONE ’16 rentredi.com

Renting an apartment in New York City can be grueling. When Ryan Barone found the perfect place, it took him a few days to gather all the documents he needed to secure it. By the time he had, the apartment was gone.

Frustrated, he began developing a mobile app that would streamline the rental process and provide landlords and tenants with the power to manage the process from the palms of their hands. From mobile-submitted rental payments to listing and screening applications to maintenance requests and communications, RentRedi is changing the game for selfmanaging landlords and their tenants and making renting, dare we say it, easy.

BURASSI GREGORY MATARAZZO ’16 burassi.com Burassi is an NYC-based lifestyle brand that represents the art of creating something out of nothing. For Gregory Matarazzo, that something started when he used the $2,000 he made working at a pizzeria to print 175 screen-printed shirts

LATINO U COLLEGE ACCESS

he designed. What began as a dorm room operation in 2012 has grown to sales from all 50 states and 40+ countries in 2018.

SHIRLEY ACEVEDO BUONTEMPO ’84, ’11 latinou.org

“Realize that you don’t have to be great to start, but you have

26

everything from financial aid

admissions process can

to internships. “I firmly believe

be daunting, but for low-

that while potential is universal,

income, first-generation Latinx

opportunity is not…and that

students, the barriers may seem

often whether a child succeeds

insurmountable. Enter Latino

has more to do with parental

U College Access (LUCA),

income and zip code than

founded by Shirley Acevedo

academic ability,” she says.

Buontempo, a nonprofit

Since its founding in 2012, the

that educates, guides, and

organization has supported more

supports students and their

than 4,500 students and their

families by offering information

families in making their college

sessions and workshops on

dreams a reality.

Pace Magaz in e

become great,” he says.

JOE GOLDEN (LEFT), COURTESY OF BURASSI (RIGHT)

to start in order to someday Navigating the college

New York Streets AMY MAYES

COREY GALLOWAY ’02 nystreetsfootball.com

Growing up, Corey Galloway couldn’t afford to go to NFL games and would take buses and trains just to see Jets training camp practices. So when the opportunity to bring arena football back to New York came up through his private equity firm, Legacy Growth Partners, he picked up the

ball and brought it in for the TD. As owner of the New York Streets, the National Arena League’s newest franchise, Galloway became the first black sports owner in New York and with that legacy comes responsibility: to give young kids an affordable way to see the game they love.

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Immersion Journeys

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Anybody can go online and book a trip to an exotic destination. But if you’re looking for authenticity in your adventure and that once-in-a-lifetime experience, Rumit Mehta has created it. Mehta, who was born in Kenya, of Indian descent, and raised in Tanzania, grew up leading safaris for friends and colleagues. After working in the architecture industry for more than a decade, he traded in his floor plans for travel itineraries and founded Immersion Journeys, a leading specialist in travel to Africa and South Asia. A three-time winner of National Geographic Traveler’s 50 Tours of a Lifetime, Immersion Journeys has completed more than 8,000 tours. From encountering the majestic wildlife of the Serengeti to exploring the tea estates of Sri Lanka, Immersion Journeys is more than just “a trip,” it’s an experience.

COURTESY OF IMMERSION JOURNEYS

TO SHOOT?

RUMIT MEHTA ’03 immersionjourneys.com

ENTREPRENEURSHIP AT PACE Entrepreneurship is more than building a business—it’s about imagining new ways to solve problems and create value. It’s about opportunity. And at Pace,

Tim Morehouse Fencing Club TIM MOREHOUSE ’03 timmorehousefencing.com

we live opportunity. future Olympic fencers through

Pace Small Business

the Tim Morehouse

Development Center (SBDC):

Fencing Club, which

provides free one-on-

offers classes,

one advisement, training,

lessons, and camps

and research to help small

for competitors of

business owners and aspiring

all ages and ability

entrepreneurs grow or launch

the world’s biggest

levels in saber, épée,

their ventures. Since 1986, the

Tim Morehouse joined

sporting competition

and foil at several

Pace SBDC has worked with

his school’s fencing

as a three-time

locations: Manhattan’s

16,000+ small businesses,

team to get out of

member of the US

Upper West Side,

helping them invest more than

gym class. Little

Olympic Team and

Westchester and

$170 million in the economy, and

did he know that

2008 silver medalist.

Larchmont, NY, and

create or save 7,000+ jobs.

would lead him to

Now he’s training

Greenwich, CT.

In seventh grade,

Entrepreneurship Lab: a collaborative workspace

UNLIMITED FURNITURE LENNY KHARITONOV ’02 unlimitedfurnituregroup.com

designed to inspire business development that hosts networking events, roundtables, and the Pace Pitch Contest, which for the last 15 years has given students the opportunity to pitch their business ventures

Why settle for anything less than free white glove delivery service?

to win funding.

When Lenny Kharitonov founded luxury furniture brands Unlimited

GETTY IMAGES (TOP)

Furniture and EmmaMason, he knew superior customer service would

Center for Student Enterprise:

help set his businesses apart. And he was right.

initiates and coordinates five

The companies, which came from humble

student-run businesses on

beginnings, have each grown in their respective

the Pleasantville Campus and

areas. Unlimited Furniture is designing residences

provides business students with

for many well-known celebrities and has been

crucial managerial experience.

featured on ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and HGTV’s My Big Amazing Renovation, while EmmaMason is one of the top furniture e-commerce companies with a central warehouse in North Carolina and national distribution.

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Pace Magaz in e

PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS

A

WOM A N ’ S

PL AC E F R O M TH E BAS K ETBALL C O U RT TO TH E N F L S I D E L I N E S, MAR AL JAVAD I FAR ’S G OT GAM E.

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H Her maturity, her focus, and her determination to succeed was what originally made Maral Javadifar ’12 stand out to the Pace University Athletics Department.

Javadifar, still in high school and just a prospective student-athlete for the Pace Women’s Basketball team, was recovering from what could have been a career-ending torn ACL when she was recruited by Coach Carrie Seymour and Assistant Coach Patrina Blow. Amid her own concerns that she wouldn’t be able to play basketball at the collegiate level, Javadifar said Seymour and Blow believed in her and gave her the opportunity to earn an education and play the sport that she fell in love with as a little girl.

“I developed leadership skills that I have taken with me into the adult world,” says Javadifar. “Playing basketball for Pace University was a stepping

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Pace Magaz in e

stone for me to follow my dreams.”

Thinking back on Javadifar’s start at Pace, Seymour recounts, “Our confidence in her ability to compete at a collegiate level never changed in the slightest. Her dedication to her physical therapy and training was off the charts—she was ready to get back on the court and compete her freshman season.”

And that’s exactly what she did. Javadifar carved a place for herself as a forward on Pace’s team, even going on to compete in the NCAA tournament three times during her collegiate career. All the while committing to the field of sports medicine, an interest and passion fueled by her own injury and subsequent recovery.

After graduation, Javadifar went on to earn a doctorate in physical therapy from New York Medical College.

Fast forward to the spring of 2019 when Bruce Arians, the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, announced the addition of Maral Javadifar as assistant strength and conditioning coach and Lori Locust as assistant defensive line coach. Javadifar and Locust were officially the first full-time female coaches in franchise history, making the Buccaneers the first NFL team with two female coaches on staff.

“I know how hard it can be to get that first opportunity to coach at the highest level of professional football,” said Buccaneers Head Coach Bruce Arians. “Sometimes, all you need is the right organization to offer up the opportunity. The Glazer family and our general manager, Jason Licht, were extremely supportive of my decision, and I know Maral and Lori will be great additions to my coaching staff.”

“I take pride in being part of such an important movement happening in sports. It is a shift long overdue

PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS

and I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to embark on this path alongside many other talented female coaches.”

Drawing inspiration from her mother who fled her war-torn home of Iran after the revolution restricted women’s rights, Javadifar is determined to break down barriers and make a name for herself in a maledominated industry.

“I take pride in being part of such an important movement happening in sports,” says Javadifar. “It is a shift long overdue and I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to embark on this path alongside many other talented female coaches.”

“She’s going to open doors for other women in the field,” asserts Seymour.

For Javadifar’s new colleagues, the Bucs players and other coaching staff, there was an immediate trust and reliance on her expertise. Her background, personal experiences, and knowledgeability have already established her as a go-to staffer.

“Her wealth of experience and knowledge of the human body—guys found out quickly that she was someone to go to,” said Bucs’ tight end Cameron Brate in a recent interview with ESPN. “Every morning before meetings and after every practice, there’s a line of five or six guys waiting to have her work on them.”

For Javadifar, there is strength in the diversity of thought and experience that a diverse workforce can bring to an organization. For her, strategy is about the ability to analyze and understand information—it’s about how good of a teacher you are.

“Coaches, of all sexes, offer diversity as everyone comes from a different point of view,” she says. “It has nothing to do with your anatomy. It has only to do with your mind.”

Urging teams to consciously seek out and recruit women candidates for coaching positions, Javadifar believes there are numerous equally talented women ready for the coaching ranks, but they need the opportunity to showcase their abilities on that stage. Other sports, she says, should first recognize and acknowledge the lack of diversity in their field, and then create initiatives and programs that can address the inequity there.

“There may not be as many women with the same resume as their male counterparts, but that is because of the lack of access to those jobs and opportunities throughout their careers,” she says.

And as for the next generation of up-and-coming athletes and coaches? “The advice I would give to all kids, not just girls, is to take risks and work hard. The sacrifice is worth it.”

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Research

About one fourth of the world’s population is infected with TB bacteria.

Eradicating Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis (TB), an infectious

people in 2017, according to the

disease which often attacks the

World Health Organization.

lungs, has been wreaking havoc

MARCY KELLY, PHD, has

for thousands of years. While

dedicated much of her scientific

its mortality rate has dropped

research to better understanding

significantly in developed

tuberculosis—with the long-term

countries, TB is still endemic in

goal of eradicating it completely.

many underdeveloped countries

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Pace Magaz in e

Dyson Biology Professor

on humans and other animals

“My lab focuses on the

throughout the world and remains

interaction between the

one of the top 10 causes of death

human immune response

worldwide, killing 1.6 million

and the organism that causes

tuberculosis,” says Kelly. “The ultimate goal of our work is to provide information to understand how our body handles the disease in order to help pharmaceutical companies develop vaccines.”

While pharmaceutical companies offer tuberculosis vaccines, Kelly notes that they have low efficacy and could be significantly improved. As the research has spanned several years, she has enlisted several students to assist her. Eric Casper ’19, who worked on Kelly’s team for the majority of his undergraduate career, looked at how the

Good Trauma?

bacteria that remains in the body following a tuberculosis diagnosis could—potentially

When a person goes through

over the span of several decades—re-emerge

an acutely stressful or tragic

been published in Psychological

when the immune system is weakened.

experience, we generally assume it

Review, believes these results

“My research is figuring out how the

will have negative consequences.

indicate the human species’

bacteria remains alive within the dormant

Yet, as Dyson Associate Professor

remarkable ability to demonstrate

state,” says Casper, who won “Best

ANTHONY MANCINI, PHD, has

resiliency in even the direst of

Microbiology Platform Talk” at the 2019

uncovered, the aftermath of that

circumstances—and shows that

Eastern Colleges Science Conference.

high-stress situation can often

responses to something horrible

The duo traveled to San Francisco to

prove to be a different story. In

often can have unintended

present their work at the annual American

fact, it can even strengthen and

positive consequences. For

Society for Microbiology Microbe

positively reinforce social bonds.

example, natural disasters could

Conference. And while striving to make

“Along with my collaborators,

Mancini, whose work has

end up strengthening family

major gains in understanding one of the

I did a study on the Virginia

and community ties in the sense

world’s more devastating diseases is critical,

Tech shootings, in which

that a group might be forced to,

Kelly says one of the most satisfying aspects

students happened to have their

literally, weather a storm together.

of her research is watching students develop

depression and anxiety assessed

This group-level phenomenon, as

the skills necessary to become effective

before the shootings because of

Mancini notes, can dramatically

researchers and scientists.

another ongoing study,” he says.

affect each individual. “I think it

“My collaborators then followed

tells us something not just about

is really helping them develop their critical

those students, collecting data

the unexpected consequences of

thinking skills,” says Kelly. “Working in a

two, six, and 12 months after. In

adversity, but about the nature of

lab, that’s not the important point. The

our analyses, I was surprised to

how we respond to stressors, and

important point is thinking about what kind

find a group of students who were

that the adaptive way we respond

of questions we want to ask, evaluating what

doing quite poorly before and

is to seek out other people. And

does the data mean on a smaller scale and

remarkably better after. This also

when we fail to do that, people

then also what does the data mean in the

tracked directly with their reports

get into trouble.”

context of the entire research project.”

of social relationships. It seemed

“A lot of the work I do with the students

Kelly’s research may be dealing with tiny,

Mancini adds there is more

that the event mobilized those

research to be done—namely,

tiny organisms, but there’s no doubt that

relationships—that it stitched

because the findings are

its impact on both Casper and the general

them into a social network they

inconsistent with conventional

scientific community has been major.

were not stitched into before.”

wisdom and social norms.

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Faculty Success REEL-WORLD EXPERIENCES For the last 15 years, Dyson Professor and alumna Maria Luskay, EdD, ’85 has led the life-changing Producing the Documentary course, in which students research, travel, film, edit, and produce a documentary on environmentally and culturally relevant topics—from the resiliency of Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria to the aftermath of the Kīlauea, Hawaii, volcano eruption. For her vision, commitment, and leadership, Luskay was honored by ArtsWestchester with the Sophia Abeles Education Award.

Mobile Device Literacy in Senegal Seidenberg Professor Christelle Scharff, PhD, has been awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to conduct research in Senegal regarding mobile device literacy and the economic impact of information technology in developing countries. While abroad, Scharff will be stationed at Alioune Diop University, where she will also be teaching computer science courses. “I am so happy to be awarded such a prestigious scholarship,” says Scharff. “I cannot wait to go to Senegal and begin to work on my project.”

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Pace Magaz in e

“I remember my father who worked for the city of Yonkers for over 25 years telling me that I should love what I do. If I did, it wouldn’t be considered work at all. I am truly humbled by this honor bestowed upon me and I am grateful for each day that I spend with these rising filmmakers.”— M A R I A L U S K AY, E D D

BLAZING A BILINGUAL TRAIL Learning a new language isn’t easy, but for many children and adults, it is paramount for educational and career success. School of Education Assistant Professor Tasha Darbes, PhD, has been awarded a $549,000 grant from the New York State Education Department (NYSED) to fund Project ABELL: Advancing Bilingual and English Language Learners, which will provide up to $4,500 in tuition subsidies for teachers

to obtain additional certification in either English to speakers of other languages or bilingual education in Pace’s School of Education, as well as provide professional development to Ossining Free Union School District. “This project will improve instruction, provide support, and develop community partnerships for the growing population of children from immigrant families,” says Darbes.

Domo Arigato, Mr. Roboto Robots are headed to campus, thanks to a grant from the Office of Naval Research Defense University Research Instrumentation Program (DURIP), which will allow Seidenberg Professor and Robotics Lab Founder and Director D. Paul Benjamin, PhD, to purchase a customized humanoid robot as well as some other robots, virtual reality equipment, and computers to investigate the spatial understanding in human-robot collaboration.

Mentoring Matters

W

hen Pauline Mosley ’92, DPS ’02, arrived at her office during the first week of classes, a familiar

face was waiting for her: a student who had attended the NSA- and NSF-funded Camp Cryptobot she runs at Pace for high school students. The camp, which was recently featured in The New Yorker, inspired the student to apply to Pace. He wrote to Mosley after he was accepted to let her know that he had recently lost both his girlfriend and sister in separate tragic accidents and that, while he didn’t think he’d be able to attend Pace, he recalled her telling him that “there’s nothing you cannot do.” Inspired by her own words, Mosley, who has dedicated her life to opening doors and creating opportunities for everyone, worked with Seidenberg Dean Jonathan Hill, DPS, and they offered him a scholarship. “He came in to tell

PHOTO BY NATALIE CHITWOOD

me I changed his life,” she says.

“ My greatest joy as an educator is when a student transitions from I can’t to I can.”

— PAU L I N E M O S L E Y

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Class Notes 1960s

1970s

PETER ALPERT ’61 published three

CLAYTON MARTORELLO ’70

novels: Runaway: A Tragedy of Youth, The Vanishing Chemist, and Unexpected: A Take of Deception, all based on actual cases from his law practice.

wrote the book 628 Avenue V, which traces his family’s roots in Brooklyn, NY. RICHARD CARMICHAEL, PHD, ’72

ROSEMARY MCGOEY ’66 was

named Suffolk Times’ 2018 Educator of the Year.

has published a new book, Economics for Everyone, 9th edition. The book examines the evolution of economic

thought and the historical events that have affected the economic growth of the world’s industrialized countries.

JAMES BURKE ’79 became chief

operating officer of automotive parts manufacturer and distributor Standard Motor Products. He continues to act as the company’s chief financial officer and executive vice president, finance.

1980s Remembering Joseph Pastore Jr. ’66 Pace University mourns the loss of Professor Emeritus and former Provost and Lubin School of Business Dean Joseph Pastore Jr., PhD, ’66. After earning his MBA from the Lubin School of Business, Pastore joined Pace in 1976 as the school’s dean and later went on to serve as vice president for academic affairs, University provost, and professor, and will be remembered as an exceptional mentor who inspired generations of students.

“Joe was a beloved teacher, a visionary leader, and widely recognized expert on mediation and facilitation. Most of all, he was a gifted colleague who loved Pace and served this institution with wisdom, generosity, and a sense of humor. He moved to emeritus status in 2004, but he never stopped serving as an elder statesman and trusted advisor to professors and leaders throughout the University. I count myself lucky that I was able to know him and rely on his advice,” says President Marvin Krislov.

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MICHELLE GELLMAN APPELBAUM, PHD, ’80 was

elected president of the Nurse Practitioner Association New York State. She works at New Windsor Pediatrics, and has more than 25 years of experience as a nurse practitioner, and a special interest in developmental disabilities, autism, and ADHD. DAVID GOLDIN ’80 graduated from

the University of Michigan with a Master of Science in Information.

His goal is to take his financial reporting skills as a CPA and extend them to include data analytics and user-centered design.

BRUCE ANESI ’81 established

his own independent investment advisory firm, Open Road Wealth Services, LLC, in North Haven, CT. His goal is to help clients pursue their important life goals and build the financial resources to their own unique “open road.”

PATRICIA BAM ’81 joined the

Norwalk Hospital Association board of directors in Norwalk, CT. CHRIS O’LEARY ’81 was appointed

to the board of directors for Tupperware Brands. In this role, he will use his broad international experience and proven leadership skills to help execute their global growth strategy.

MICHELLE WILLIAMS, PHD, ’81

joined the board of directors of the Brady Corporation, a global leader in safety and identification solutions.

Award in recognition of her dedication to helping families living with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.

CHRIS KRASAS ’89 was promoted

JEANETTE GILBERT, JD, ’84

SHEILA LEARY ’89 joined

was promoted to senior counsel at Motley Rice, LLC. GRACE VANDECRUZE ’85

was appointed to Diverst’s newly-created advisory board in Montreal, Canada. She currently serves as managing director of Grace Global Capital, LLC, and is a board member of M Financial Group.

SUSAN BERINGER ’82

transitioned back from cardiology to the department of family medicine at Cheshire Medical Center in Keene, NH, which she first joined in 2009.

DONNA MURPHY ’82, global

chief executive of Havas Health & You, the largest health-andwellness communications network in the world, has been appointed to the Pace University Board of Trustees. “Education is a passport to the future, offering growth, learning, perspective, experience, and leadership that holds the keys to unlocking opportunities,” says Murphy. “As a native New Yorker, I’m honored to contribute to Pace’s vision and ultimately to the thousands of amazing students that walk its halls every day.”

CATHERINE WILSON ’82 was

presented with the Frank Carlino

GREG ZAPPAS ’85 was named

managing director and wealth manager of First Republic Bank in Newport Beach, CA. He has 23 years of wealth management experience.

VALERY HUGHES ’86, ’98

and ELLEN MATZER (NÉE SCHECHTER) ’86 co-authored Nurses on the Inside: Stories of the HIV/ AIDS Epidemic in NYC, the story of two nurses who witnessed the early years of the HIV/AIDS epidemic from the front line. The book is available for purchase on Amazon.

CARLO POCHINTESTA ’88 was

appointed chief information officer of Barnes & Noble, Inc. DIANE EVANS ’89 was appointed

vice president of human resources for TMP Worldwide, a global leader in talent acquisition technologies.

to president of Carl Stahl Sava Industries, headquartered in Riverdale, NJ.

Provident Bank as senior vice president, Bank Secrecy Act (BSA)/ anti-money laundering (AML) compliance director. She will serve as the bank’s designated BSA/AML and Office of Foreign Assets Control compliance officer.

MERRILL ROSS ’89 joined Compass

Point Research & Trading, LLC, a leading boutique investment bank, as a managing director and senior research analyst. In this role, she covers apartment, health care, industrial, and office real estate investment trusts (REITs).

1990s ROBERT BRUZIO ’90 wrote the

screenplay for the film Bottom of the 9th starring Joe Manganiello. The film, Bruzio’s first major screenplay, is about a man who returns to the Bronx after serving 17 years in prison for a violent mistake he made as a kid, ultimately robbing him of a professional baseball career and the love of his life. The screenplay is inspired by the struggles of a relative he grew up with in the Bronx after serving a long prison sentence.

KEITH DOUGLAS ’90 became the

vice president, institutional fixed

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39

Class Notes income markets for Lantern, a wealth management firm.

KEVIN FEENEY ’91 moved to

Pennsylvania after retiring from Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven, CT, as of 2019.

KAY ANN WETHERINGTON, JD, ’92 became a superior court judge

for the Rome judicial circuit in Rome, GA.

STEPHEN JAFFE ’93 was appointed

Southern Gothic for Middle Schoolers When VICTORIA PIONTEK (VENNERSTROM)

MICHELLE DUNN MARSH ’96

presented her work, Seeing Being Seen, at the Highline Heritage Museum in Burien, WA. She shared insights about her career in publishing and art photography.

RACHAEL METHAL ’96 became

senior vice president and chief financial officer of Somos, Inc., a leading registry management and data solutions company.

CARL FINGER, JD, ’97 was

to chief of police of Mahwah Township in NJ.

nominated by the Scarsdale School Board Nominating Committee to the Scarsdale Board of Education.

LAUNETTE WOOLFORDE ’93

KORY MARCHISOTTO ’98 is

was named a 2019 American Nurses Credentialing Center National Certified Nurse of the Year.

chief marketing officer at e.l.f.

Cosmetics, an affordable, cruelty-free international cosmetics brand.

’03 set out to find an agent to sell her first novel

about a 12-year-old Florida girl named Sparrow who can talk to spirits, she didn’t have to look far. Her boss, Laura Rennert of the Andrea Brown Literary Agency, found a home at Scholastic for

VINCENT AMATULLI ’94 was hired

as chief technology and operations officer for FS Investments, a leading alternative asset manager.

MARY DIPALMA, JD, ’99 was

promoted to first vice president of human resources at Ulster Savings Bank in Kingston, NY.

The Spirit of Cattail County, which Booklist praises as an “entrancing, compulsively readable mystery.”

Before working as a literary associate, Piontek taught English to middle school students in NYC and education methods to teachers at Pace, but it was a walk through a field in rural Virginia with

DON FINUCANE ’94 is the chief

product officer for AvidXchange, where he oversees strategy and development of the company’s full product suite.

her four-year-old daughter that inspired her to write the book. “She pointed into the distance and asked, ‘Do you see that over there?’ I looked in the direction she indicated, and I didn’t see what she saw. Because I was raised on superstition and ghost stories, the first fleeting thought that ran through my mind wasn’t she’s seen a rabbit or a deer. It was, she’s seen a ghost,” Piontek says. “It

DONNA VIEIRA ’94 is Sallie

Mae’s new executive vice president and chief marketing officer. She oversees product development, sales, marketing, government relations, and communications for Sallie Mae’s consumer businesses.

was from that briefest of thoughts that I started thinking what if a girl did see a ghost and what if that ghost was not scary, but her best friend. At that moment, Sparrow sprang to life in my mind.

I could see her and hear her telling me her story.

That night, I went home and started writing.”

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RICHARD AUSTIN, JD, ’95 was

promoted to head of Integrated Financial Partners’ new IFP family office. His team provides services to families of high and ultra-high net worth.

2000s CRISTINA ALESCI ’01 is a business

and politics correspondent for CNN, covering financial markets, economic policy, and political campaigns.

ANNA KRUPITSKIY ’01 was named

vice president for human resources at Hudson County Community College.

JESSE GIORDANO ’03 was

recognized by Forbes as a 2019 Best-inState Wealth Advisor.

SUMIT SINGH ’04 joined VPS

Healthcare as the global chief information officer.

BAHAR ÖZGÜR ’05 works at the

Bank of Marin in a leadership role on its commercial banking team.

LIDIANA RIOS, JD, ’05 joined

MILANA TEPERMAYSTER, JD,

JESSICA REIS ’07 celebrated the

Association of Orange and Sullivan Counties’ 2019 Outstanding New Lawyer Award.

associate at Barclay Damon law firm in Buffalo, NY.

fifth anniversary of the Reis Learning Center, which she founded and operates in New Milford, CT.

Ireland Stapleton law firm as an associate. She is a commercial litigator.

RYAN KOLB ’06 became the

KASEY BARRETT, JD, ’07 is an

marketing manager, Americas, at Sennebogen LLC, which is based out of Stanley, NC.

’08 received the Women’s Bar

BRIAN TRAGLIO ’08 married Julie

Danni on April 20 in Brooklyn, NY.

JENNIFER ECHEVARRIA, JD,

ALEXANDER TURNER, JD, ’08

’08 was named senior counsel at

joined Spilman Thomas & Battle’s litigation team in their WinstonSalem, NC, office.

Jacobowitz & Gubits, LLP in Walden, NY.

L to R: Gerrard James, Dianne Aroh, Nadia Owusu

Award Season ALUMNI PICK UP AWARDS IN LITERATURE, HEALTH CARE, THE ARTS, AND MORE Nadia Owusu ’05 was named

by Simon & Schuster and

diversifying both American

Officer at Hackensack

a winner of the 2019 Whiting

Sceptre in 2020.

theater culture and British

University Medical Center,

Award in nonfiction. One of

film culture to further unite

the largest hospital within

the most competitive awards

Two Pace alumni have won

the artistic industries in both

Hackensack Meridian Health.

in literature, the $50,000

prestigious Fulbright awards.

countries,” says James.

award is given annually to 10

Sabrina Vasques ’17 has been

emerging writers in fiction,

awarded an English teaching

Dianne Aroh ’92 was named

producer on Reversing Roe,

nonfiction, poetry, and drama.

assistantship in Ecuador and

one of Crain’s New York

which earned two Emmy

“It’s rare a writer has the

Actors Studio Drama School

Business Notable Women in

nominations. “My [Actors

language and artistry to turn

alumnus Gerrard James ’17

Healthcare 2019. Aroh, who

Studio Drama School]

the raw material of a moving

has received a 2019 Fulbright

Crain’s calls “a champion of

teachers opened my eyes to

origin story into something

John Wood LAMDA Award in

mentoring and empowering

a bigger world, one where

that transcends the subject

Classical Acting to study at

staff nurses in the decision-

I can tell stories and help

itself,” said the selection

Oxford University in London.

making process,” is Executive

audiences to reflect on their

committee. Her first book,

“I am in the fortunate position

Vice President and Chief

lives in a more meaningful

Aftershocks, will be published

to build upon my dream of

Clinical and Patient Care

way,” she says.

Kathleen Simmonds ’16 is a

Fa l l 2019

41

Class Notes Let us hear from you!

Share your news and join the conversation at www.pace.edu/alumnicommunity.

‘Dark’ Roles.” Boloña starred in the 2018 action film, Acts of Violence, with Bruce Willis, and most recently can be seen in the mystery-horror film, The Final Wish.

HASIN AHMED ’14 launched

HILARY LEAVITT ’10 signed an

overall producing deal with Hulu, where she will work with the streaming network to develop and produce new programming via her Blazer production banner.

MARLEE COLLIGAN ’12 joined

AdventHealth Medical Group Ear, Nose, and Throat Care in Hendersonville, NC, as a physician assistant. She is a part of their team of care providers.

ALLISON ENG ’12 and her bridal

salon, Ruby Bridal Boutique in New Milford, CT, were featured in the business section of Patch.com.

BRANDON PFELTZ ’12 was featured in a BroadwayWorld Los Angeles article about his role as the artistic director and playwright-in-residence of the Bardic Bastards Theatre Company, which specializes in original dark comedies.

Burdie.co, a travel startup focused on helping users discover uncommon travel destinations. Burdie.co has thousands of users from 100+ countries around the world.

Miller & Son, which won the BAFTA Student Film Award for Best Live Action Film.

LEXI RABADI ’16 starred as Laura

Wingfield in The Glass Menagerie at the Fulton Theatre. She also starred in the one-woman play Hannah Senesh: A Play with Music and Song at the Museum of Jewish Heritage.

CHASE HARNETT ’18 had his bread

his time on the Jersey Boys national tour in an article featured on Chicago.gopride.com.

and wood-fired pizza business, the Hudson Oven, featured in an article on LoHud.com. He operates in the warmer months of the year out of Fable, a farm located in Ossining, NY.

BRETT-MARCO GLAUSER ’15

CRISTINA NOLASCO ’18 is teaching

TONY CLEMENTS ’15 discussed

was featured in an article in The Intelligencer about his time on the national Broadway tour of the musical Anastasia.

English to secondary students in Zambia as a member of the Peace Corps.

JESSE JAMES KEITEL ’15 stars as

CHRISTINE SHEPARD ’19 joined

Ryan Miller in the 2019 short film

SUSIE CARROLL ’19 and

the cast of Mean Girls on Broadway.

Touchdown, Setter!

MICHAEL TAMBURINO ’12 was

named the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball and Pointstreak’s AA Pitcher of the Week for the week of July 22–28, 2019. He is in his second season with the FargoMoorhead RedHawks in Fargo, ND. MELISSA BOLOÑA ’13 was the

main subject in a feature article highlighting her acting career in People titled “Meet Melissa Bolona, the New Scream Queen: I Love

42

Pace Magaz in e

Former Pace Football player and Pace Athletics Alumni Board and Setter Gridiron Club member LOU BOTTICELLI ’00 married Stacey Stanislowski on April 27 at St. Anthony Church in Hawthorne, NJ.

A Setter Forever PACE UNIVERSITY MOURNS THE LOSS OF JOE O’DONNELL, WHO SERVED AT THE HELM OF PACE ATHLETICS FROM 1997–2011.

During his 14-year tenure as director, O’Donnell oversaw one of the most successful eras in Pace Athletics history, which included 27 NCAA tournament appearances. He played an instrumental role in the opening of the Ann and Alfred Goldstein Health, Fitness, and Recreation Center, home to the women’s volleyball, men’s and women’s swimming and diving, and men’s and women’s basketball teams, and was a key figure in Pace’s transition from the New York Collegiate Athletic Conference to the Northeast-10 Conference, one of the most prestigious NCAA Division II conferences. O’Donnell also established the Setters Club fundraising organization and the Pace Athletics Hall of Fame, to which he was inducted in 2016.

“Joe worked tirelessly to provide the best experience possible for Pace student-athletes, coaches, and staff. He touched the lives of so many during his career,” says Director of Athletics Mark Brown.

In Memoriam Edward H. Acosta ’69 Elizabeth M. Ambrose Bourdillon Apreala ’78 Eugene Aron ’77 Karly N. Bacci ’10 Joseph Basile ’98 Anne Demay Becker ’85 Marian J. Bowens ’85 Christine Maria Brew ’12 John Bullingham ’89 Michael L. Buonocore ’56 Douglas P. Burns ’58 William S. Callion Jr. ’81 James F. Cassidy ’73 Joseph J. Causa ’03 Robert F. Christman ’59 Michael Ciorra ’89 Domenick P. Colangelo ’49 Joseph D. Conley ’77 John A. Dasilva Donna M. Davino ’85 Robert D. Davis ’95 Norman S. De Carteret ’87 John DeAngelis ’76 Ovid J. Di Fiore ’51 Lillian V. Dixon ’96 Dennis G. Dolan ’75 Mary Theresa Dymond ’97 Agnes Egan ’72 Joan Fastiggi ’92 Casper T. Faughnan ’75 George F. Fay ’50 Joseph R. Ferrise ’65 Patricia A. Fingerhut ’74

Charles E. Fischer ’52 Harold R. Flecker ’62 Linda Fromm-Bucci ’74 Marc Thomas Fusillo ’83 Robert D. Gadigian ’82 Anthony J. Gentile ’73 Eugene W. Gessler ’79 Helen B. Ginty ’70 Karen F. Glatter ’68 Steven W. Gordon ’63 Stephan M. Gospodinoff ’58 Fred F. Hoffman ’54 Richard G. Johnson ’73 Scott M. Johnson ’81 Diane K. Kanca-Dwyer ’82 Frank S. Kohuth ’63 Joseph R. Kubikowski ’89 Carolyn L. Lageman ’82 Daniel Lagonigro ’84 George H.C. Lawrence ’76 Howard V. Lee ’55 Robert M. Leff ’93 Bertram L. Lenz ’65 James H. Lissemore ’57 Denise A. Loforte Bartone ’91 Richard S. Lopilato ’74 John S. Maduras ’80 Denis J. Malone Jr. ’67 Eric J. Mandelbaum ’85 Frank S. Mannuzza ’49 Paul L. Markstein ’81 Robert L. Marose ’99 Salvatore A. Mazzasita ’75 Barbara McAdorey-Morreale ’59

Michael F. McAleer ’09 Jolene C. McGregor ’03 Marcia G. Medford ’85 William H. Mehrtens ’57 Patricia E. Mellitt ’58 Janet Menti ’90 Arne G. Michelson ’72 Robert J. Mildrum ’87 Robert S. Miles ’68 Barbara A. Millar ’76 Thomas E. Mongero ’84 Vincent S. Morano ’73 Olivia L. Morgan ’76 Patrice L. Morini ’77 Joseph G. Moroney ’70 Jennie M. Morreale ’42 Sean Thomas Mulhall ’74 Donald G. Nameth ’88 Joseph T. Newman ’79 Herman Noa ’12 Kim J. O’Brien ’84 Donald J. O’Connor ’84 Merrill N. Outslay ’64 Ralph L. Panella ’59 Stuart D. Parsons ’88 Michael Pasquale ’84 Joseph M. Pastore Jr. ’66 Matthew R. Peterson ’09 Joseph E. Pisani ’74 Harold S. Pomeranz ’66 Abraham Ringelheim ’80 Rochelle P. Ripple ’74 Beth A. Ripston ’87 Alan T. Rizzi ’67

Michael Rozmyslowicz ’59 Walter J. Scherr ’49 Mildred Maltz Schumacher ’48 Emily A. Scinto ’90 Albert C. Seremet ’67 William Shapiro ’76 Theodore J. Siebert ’56 Joseph P. Siminsky ’76 Barbra Casbar Siperstein ’75 Archie T. Smith ’79 Frederick W. Smolen ’72 Bartow Solenthaler ’61 Frank C. Spies ’71 Jesse Sprecher ’73 Sol Stern ’59 Lena B. Stewart ’78 Robert Tesori ’49 Anthony Tesoriero ’70 Rudolph J. Torello ’52 Edward Valis ’68 Dean G. Van Nest ’85 Marie T. Wager ’73 Alan R. Weisman ’72 Laura A. Weyant ’85 William C. Wiebe ’77 Patricia P. Williams ’75 Clifford E. Wilson ’67 George B. Wilson ’69 Ruth A. Wittmer ’79 Joseph H. Wortman ’72 Wesley M. Wszolek ’89 Shuyi Xiao ’98

Fa l l 2019

43

Class Notes | In Memoriam

A Beloved Educator, An Inspiring Heart Remembering Sister Mary St. John Delany, PhD

I

t is with great sadness that we mourn the

Delany has been honored throughout her career,

passing of Sister Mary St. John Delany, PhD.

including several times by the city of White Plains

Sister Delany was an associate professor in

when she was presented with a proclamation by

the School of Education and founded the Delany

Mayor Tom Roach declaring October 24, 2013,

Center for Educational Enrichment in 1972 to

Sister St. John Delany Day in White Plains, and

help improve the developmental reading skills of

when she was awarded the keys to the city.

children in White Plains, New York.

“Her passion for literacy in teaching reading, writing, and language skills to children, teens,

Roach has said. “Her tireless dedication and

and adults from all walks of life and cultures has

seemingly boundless energy has helped steer so

impacted many lives,” said Harriet R. Feldman,

many students toward success. She has truly made

PhD, RN, FAAN, interim dean of the School of

a lasting impact on this city and its residents.”

Education. “Sister Delany was also an inspirational

“We encourage students in their efforts with

educator and a mentor to so many of our School

their studies,” said Sister Delany at a ceremony.

of Education students. Her influence will forever

“We tell the students, ‘You can do it. You can do

continue to generate creative classrooms for

better.’ And they do.”

lifetimes to come.”

A leader in the field of literacy instruction, Sister

44

“Sister St. John has been an inspiration to generations of students in White Plains,” Mayor

Pace Magaz in e

Thank you, Sister Delany, for helping us do and be better.

Calendar INTRODUCING THE 2019–2020 PACE PROUD TOUR Let the good times roll! Join us as we share our Pace pride across the country on our new Pace Proud Tour. Connect with fellow alumni at one of our upcoming stops, including Fort Lauderdale, Los Angeles, Miami, and New York City. We hope to see you there!

To stay up to date on our Pace Proud Tour and vote for where you’d like to see us next, visit www.alumni.pace.edu/paceproudtour.

NEW YORK, NY December 4 Alumni Holiday Party RSVP today at www.alumni.pace.edu/holiday-party MIAMI, FL January 23 Alumni Reception FORT LAUDERDALE, FL January 26 Alumni Brunch LOS ANGELES, CA February 11 Alumni Reception NEW YORK, NY May 28 Alumni Reunion

Fa l l 2019

45

Class Notes | Event Photos

College of White Plains Alumni Reunion

Alumni Reunion NYC

Scholarship Dinner

Spirit of Pace Awards Dinner

46

Pace Magaz in e

Big Numbers Pace’s Billion Dollar Economic and Community Impact

$485 million

5 0 ,0 0 0

invested in revitalizing our campuses, adding 5,500 jobs to the New York metropolitan area

$1 billion+ total economic impact to the New York metropolitan area

volunteer hours contributed to local organizations each year

25%

reduction in Pace’s carbon footprint in 2018

$128 million spent by Pace students off-campus annually

10%

reduction in Pace’s water usage as part of the NYC Water Challenge to Universities

91,000

178,000

visitors Pace brings to Westchester County where they spend $9.7 million each year

visitors Pace brings to Lower Manhattan where they spend $24 million each year

Fa l l 2019

47

Flashback

A far cry from Paceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 2019 incoming NYC class on the inside front cover, hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a look at an NYC class of first-year students in 1953, pictured on the steps of City Hall.

48

Pace Magaz in e

Give!

Want to empower Pace students? Go to www.pace.edu/givetopace to make a gift today.

Volunteer!

Get involved and join Paceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s network of alumni volunteers by visiting www.pace.edu/aspire/alumni.

Attend

an event!

Reconnect with fellow alumni and engage with the Pace Community at one of our exciting events.

Visit www.pace.edu/events and click on Alumni Events to find one near you.

To learn more about ways to stay involved, please contact us at 1 (877) 825-8664 or pacealum@pace.edu.

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PA I D PA C E U N I V E R S I T Y

Pace Magazine Marketing and Communications One Pace Plaza New York, NY 10038

www.pace.edu

www.pace.edu/pacemagazine

Celebrate the

HOLIDAY SEASON

ALUMNI HOLIDAY PARTY

with your fellow alumni!

Wednesday, December 4, 2019 6:00 p.m.â&#x20AC;&#x201C;9:00 p.m.

Naples 45

200 Park Avenue (MetLife Building) New York City Buffet Dinner | Libations

RSVP online at alumni.pace.edu/holiday-party.