W&J
class notes
Local entrepreneur gives career and retail advice
Jennifer Carota ’92, founder of Virtual Public Relations and The Black Pants Project, is one of Pittsburgh’s sought-after experts on shopping and gift-giving.
Jennifer Melnick Carota ’92, author of Shop Smart, Give More, has been chosen as a featured lifestyle contributor for workherway.com, a website designed to provide advice to modern working women on balancing their careers and personal lives. Carota works under the guidance of the site’s founder, Carolyn Kepcher, executive vice president of the Trump Organization. Carota is most recognized as the “gift therapist,” advising others on when, where and what to buy as well how much to spend on holidays and special occasions, with a goal of helping people reduce shopping expenses while giving more thoughtful and memorable gifts. The advice on her blogs and personal website is based on her theory of “giveology”—the idea that people should spend less while giving more to people and causes for which they are passionate. The “gift of three,” in which one main gift is paired with two related smaller ones is one fundamental technique described in her booklet, “Giveology: A Gift-Giving Survival Guide.” Carota also owns and operates Virtual Public Relations, a sole proprietorship that focuses on public relations and social media consulting. Carota’s business success landed her a January 2010
Along with her public relations and gift therapy careers, Carota is a dedicated volunteer in southwestern Pennsylvania. She is the founder and director of The Black Pants Project, a non-profit organization that supplies disadvantaged women with at least one business suit for interviews and two professional outfits upon finding a job. The organization, which is run by volunteers and funded through donations, was founded upon the idea that women will have more confidence and perform better at interviews and at work when they feel good about how they look.
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Kelly Kimberland joined UPMC Health Plan as the director of social marketing and strategic planning. Her duties include indentifying, executing and measuring strategic communication campaigns for the UPMC Health Plan and its business units.
Jennifer Palashoff opened Learning Express, an educational toy store with 140 locations across the country, in Robinson, Pa., in November 2009 with her twin sister Julie Toussaint. Their mother Cindy also works in the store. During their first month, the sisters hosted a charity night in which they donated 20 percent of the night’s sales to the local chapter of the Autism Society of America. Plans for a fundraiser to benefit a local school’s PTA are currently in discussion. Palashoff has two children, Nicholas (7) and Paige (3), who enjoy visiting their mother’s store.
Kristen Cochran Ickes, D.O., accepted a faculty position with Cleveland Clinic in Weston, Fla. Ickes recently completed an internship in internal medicine at Carillion Clinic in Roanoke, Va., where she served as chief medical resident and was named Resident of the Year. While at Carillion, Ickes also started and chaired the Resident Practice Improvement Committee and was elected by her peers to serve on the Graduate Medical Education Committee for two years.
1992 Robert Brooks, M.D., co-owner of the Wheeling Nailers (the Pittsburgh Penguins AA team), poses with his family beside the Stanley Cup. Pictured from left to right are Shelli DeCarlo Brooks ’94, Rob Brooks ’92 holding daughter Camille born Feb. 16, 2009, Sue Brooks, Karyn Brooks ’95, Bob Brooks, Jim Brooks holding son born Aug. 20, 2009, and Melissa Brooks.
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feature in Pittsburgh Magazine’s “Women in Business Spotlight.” In 2009, Carota served as a consumer advocate and contributing expert to Pittsburgh’s WTAE News, KDKA Radio and “The Jennifer Antkowiak Show.”
SUMMER 2010 MAGAZINE
1998 Clancy J. Atkinson has been named vice president and relationship manager for PNC Wealth Management Group in northwestern Pennsylvania. Prior to accepting this position, Atkinson was a financial planner for Morgan Stanley Dean Witter and Mellon/Citizens Bank. Atkinson is a certified financial planner. He and his wife Amy have three children, Liam, Sammy and Claire.
Michael Pehur has accepted a position as a development services manager with GSP Consulting in Pittsburgh. Pehur previously served as project finance coordinator at Allegheny County Economic Development.
2003 Amanda Bucher was selected as marketing/ communications manager at the Harold and Inge Marcus Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering at Pennsylvania State University. Prior to accepting this position, Bucher was an executive at Howell, Liberatore & Wickham and project coordinator at Potomac Communications Group.