Homecoming 2019 Wrap Up

L a k e r p r i d e !

Green and Gold SUNY Oswego family members on campus and around the country showed their Laker pride by wearing our school colors on Green and Gold Day on Friday, Oct. 4. They shared their photos on social media using #Oswegopride.

Scholars Brunch Expressions of gratitude and stories of Oswego flowed freely between student scholarship recipients and donors during the annual Scholars Brunch on Oct. 5 in Sheldon Hall Ballroom. The 200 attendees were welcomed by Mary Gibbons Canale ’81, vice president for development and alumni engagement, who introduced the event emcee, Oswego College Foundation board member and scholarship benefactor Mark Baum ’81. Baum explained the role of the College Foundation in managing the private donations that support Oswego and provided some context for the growth of the endowment.

HOMECOMING 2019 WRAP UP

The SUNY Oswego Homecoming Weekend brought alumni together on Oct. 4 and Oct. 5 at various locations around campus and the city of Oswego. Here are a few highlights.

During the brunch, close to 100 SUNY Oswego student scholarship recipients had the opportunity to interact informally with the 82 donors. These benefactors are among the generous group of supporters who have established 500 privately funded scholarships at the college. College Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Scott Furlong and Vice President for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management Dr. Jerri Howland thanked the donors for their support of the students and higher education. Angel Tyler ’21, a music major with a concentration in vocal performance and the recipient of the Carapetyan Voice Scholarship, spoke on behalf of all the student scholarship recipients and thanked all of the donors. The Scholars Brunch was made possible through a generous gift from Bond, Schoeneck and King and a grant from SUNY Oswego’s Auxiliary Services. Communication Studies Alumni Reunion The highlight of the triennial Communication Studies Reunion was a dinner in the Marano Campus Center that brought together the alumni with current students and faculty. The event included remarks by Joshua Holfoth ’20 M’21, the general manager of WTOP-TV 10 and a broadcasting and mass communication major; Jessica Reeher, event organizer and Communication Studies Department chair; Lou Borrelli ’77, an Oswego College Foundation board member and the founder of the Dr. Lewis B. O’Donnell Media Summit; and Frank DiGioia ’78, a member of the School of Communication, Media and the Arts Advisory Board and benefactor for a new scholarship at Oswego in honor of former dean Fritz Messere ’71 M’76. Following dinner, Laura Pavlus Kelly ’09, executive director of the Oswego Alumni Association, presented three-time Emmy Award winning producer Cameron Jones ’09 with the association’s Graduates Of the Last Decade Award, which honors re-

Angel Tyler ’21 and benefactor and Professor Emeritus Leon Carapetyan.

Oswego Alumni Association’s Graduate Of the Last Decade Award winner Cameron Jones ’09 (second from left) with alumni and friends who attended the Communication Studies dinner at which Cameron was recognized.

Kirt Hall ’76 in Sarasota, Fla., shared his Green and Gold photo.

cent graduates who have achieved career success and demonstrated significant volunteer service to their community and college. Dean Dr. Julie Pretzat provided an update on all the latest happenings in the school, including renovating Hewitt Hall to be the home of the Communication Studies Department. She introduced the keynote speaker, Michelle Garcia ’06, then deputy editor of news and ideas at VICE Media. Garcia’s remarks, which she directed at the students in the room, shared some hard learned lessons from throughout her 20s and the realizations she has discovered as she enters her 30s.

The 2019 Hall of Fame inductees included: Tom McFall ’90, men’s ice hockey; Mark Howard ’84, wrestling; Erin Hanlon ’03, volleyball; and Gary Bartemus ’76, swimming and diving team. Inductee Susan McWilliams ’04 M’08, track and field and cross country, was unable to attend.

Athletic Hall of Fame Induction Five alumni officially joined the ranks of 120 other accomplished individuals who have been voted into the State University of New York at Oswego’s Athletic Hall of Fame, forever solidifying themselves in the college’s athletic history. Four of the five were recognized at the 2019 Hall of Fame dinner and induction on Oct. 5 in the Sheldon Hall ballroom.

The following alumni will be inducted as the Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2020:

• Tenkoran Agyeman ’07 (Wrestling) • Jamie Clough Driffill ’00 (Women’s Basketball) • Scott Ferguson ’06 (Men’s Lacrosse) • Jill Reimer Halpin ’97 (Women’s Diving) • John (“Jack”) Michalec ’68 (Men’s Soccer/Baseball) • Derek Popovich ’04 (Men’s Soccer) • Pat Wittekind ’85 (Wrestling)

Alumni, student and faculty attendees after the Communication Studies Reunion Dinner in the Marano Campus Center.

AIR quotes

Don’t try to take on the world all by yourself. Instead,

SURROUND YOURSELF WITH A SUPPORT SYSTEM

and collaborators. Great things can happen when

diverse groups of thinkers

come together. ”

— Dr. Todd Pagano ‘96, professor of chemistry and associate dean for teaching and scholarship excellence at Rochester Institute of Technology

Kelly Molesworth Tiscornia ’90 of Salem, Ore., is a counselor for the Salem-Keizer School District. Michael Daigle ’91 is an attorney at Crosson & Richetti Family Law firm in Allentown, Pa. He previously served as Pro Se Law Clerk for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. He has more than 20 years of state and federal court experience, having worked on a variety of criminal and civil matters. He earned a J.D. from Widener University School of Law. Emilio Dorcely ’91 is chief executive officer for Urban Edge, a community development nonprofit that aims to strengthen communities and families in the Boston neighborhoods of Jamaica Plain and Roxbury. Carla Speranza ’91 of Lockport, N.Y., is a technology incident manager for M&T Bank in Amherst, N.Y. Chuck Alford ’92 relocated to Charleston, S.C., where his wife, former SUNY Oswego School of Business Professor Dr. Susan Wright, has accepted a faculty position at The Citadel, South Carolina’s Military College. Chuck accepted the position of training and development director with the Continuing Education division of Trident Technical College. James Cormier ’92 of Portland, Ore., is senior attorney for Cosgrave Vergeer Kester LLP. Scot Gaffney ’92 of Parkland, Fla., is eastern regional manager for PlumpJack and CADE wineries and a Certified Specialist of Wine by the Society of Wine Educators. He is also an accomplished musician known for playing his saxophone at dinners. He has traveled extensively through wine country in Italy, Spain, Portugal and California. He is married with two children. Joseph McQueen ’92 of Scotia, N.Y., is director of human resources for Schenectady County. Jill Consor Beck ’93 is director at PwC Labs in Seattle, Wash. Tarshel Beards ’94 is the Black Unity Center director at San Francisco State University. Michelle Bowers ’94 is the publisher of The Auburn Citizen newspaper. Previously, she was advertising director for Downtown Digital Group at the Watertown-based Johnson Newspaper Corp. She also serves as president of the New York Newspapers Advertising and Marketing Executives. Steven Hammes ’94 of Albany, N.Y., is an automotive critic for Drive Time Productions. Jonathan N. Provoost ’94 is general counsel at Tris Pharma Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company in Monmouth Junction, N.J. He oversees all of the company’s legal functions. He earned a J.D. from Pace University School of Law and an M.B.A. from Lehigh University. He also served in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve. He is admitted to New York and New Jersey bars and registered with United States Patent and Trademark Office.

Mark Quintana ’94 (above) of Pembroke Pines, Fla., is vice president of Cognia, the world’s largest education community that currently has membership with 36,000 schools, districts and other education institutions serving 25 million students and 5 million teachers within the United States and 84 additional countries. He and his wife, Laura, married initially on June 17, 2005, in a non-denominational civil ceremony in Maui, Hawaii. On June 15, 2019, they married in their Catholic Church in the suburbs of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. They are pictured here with their daughters Maricel (age 11) and Paola (age 8), whom each performed readings at the ceremony. Jerrell Robinson ’94 of Rockville Center, N.Y., is the Educational Opportunity

Magdalena “Maggie” Rivera ’92 M’06 CAS’07, Loyal Lakers Society member and student involvement coordinator

Loyal Lakers

“I feel that I have received a great education at Oswego and benefited from tremendous support toward completing that education. As an alumna and as a professional staff member, I have been fortunate to be involved with Lakers on many projects. I love working with them; they bring a special energy that makes our environment vibrant. Supporting The Fund for Oswego helps create those opportunities that facilitate the growth of our Lakers and our campus.”

Learn more at alumni.oswego.edu/loyallakers.

Program (EOP) director for SUNY Old Westbury. In 2019, he completed his doctorate in education degree in executive leadership at St. John Fisher College in Rochester, N.Y. Alfred Tienken ’94 of Syracuse, N.Y., is a sales tax auditor for the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance. Christine Bosco ’95 of Central Square, N.Y., is director of customer and client support for Simple Admit LLC in Baldwinsville, N.Y. Phillip D. Cady ’95 of Oswego was appointed chief of police and director of homeland security for the City of Oswego. He previously served as the emergency communications manager for Syracuse University and as the Station Commander with the New York State Police – Fulton Barracks. He also served as a New York State trooper and a patrolman for both the cities of Oswego and Fulton. Chad Hoffman ’95 is the chief people officer for Juvo Autism and Behavioral Health Services, operating in California, New Jersey and Massachusetts. Chad resides in Manhattan with his husband, Greg. Donn King ’95 of Rome, N.Y., is a case planner for House of the Good Shepherd in Utica, N.Y. Andrew Miano ‘95 of Tarzana, Calif., is the producer of the award-winning film The Farewell.

Jennifer Sklar-Romano ’96 announced the birth of her son, Jack Ethan (above), on July 3, 2019. Jennifer and Jack live in Greenwich, Conn. Charles Wing ’96 of Largo, Fla., is commercial quality control operator for Ion Television Network in Clearwater, Fla. Brian Mason Hughes ’97 celebrated his 10th year as a special agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on April 26, 2019. Following his graduation from the FBI Academy in Quantico in 2009, he was assigned to the Newark, N.J., Field Office, where he worked for five years. Presently, Brian is assigned to a Joint Terrorism Task Force at the Utica Resident Agency (Albany Division), where he investigates domestic and international terrorism matters. Brian is also the weapons of mass destruction assistant coordinator and the campus liaison agent for the Utica AOR. He lives in Sauquoit, N.Y., with his two beautiful daughters, Olivia and Alexa. Melinda (Mindy) Johnson ’97 of North Brookfield, N.Y., was named manager of the Clinical Laboratory at the St. Elizabeth Campus of Mohawk Valley Health Systems (MVHS). She previously held the position of clinical laboratory educator at MVHS. She has 18 years of experience in the field of laboratory medicine and is a member of the Clinical Laboratory Managers Association. Lisa Benzing DuBois ’98 of Fulton, N.Y., is a content manager for Schneider Packaging Equipment Company Inc. in Brewerton, N.Y. Benjamin Neely ’98 of Lancaster, Pa., is the executive director of the Berks History Center in Reading, Pa. Previously, he was with the Adams County Historical Society. Benjamin has been a museum professional since 2005. He completed his graduate work at Shippensburg University, where he earned a Master of Arts in Applied History. Christy Brower Johnson ’99 of Oswego is an adjunct instructor for Cayuga Community College and a licensed mental health counselor for Integrative Counseling Services. Peter Schultz CAS’99 is principal for Christ the King School, Atlanta, Ga. Previously, he was the principal of the lower school at Holy Spirit Preparatory School in Atlanta. Steven Wheeler ’99 is creative supervisor for Mower, a Syracuse-based firm he joined in 2014. 2000s Shawn M. Bishop ’00 is vice president of revenue and reimbursement at Rochester Regional Health in Rochester, N.Y., where he has worked since 2008. He previously served there as director of reimbursement. He holds an MBA from Le Moyne College and professional certificates in healthcare leadership and financial accounting from Cornell and Harvard universities, respectively. Raina Reynolds Hinman ’00 of Mexico, N.Y., is high school assistant principal for the Red Creek (N.Y.) Central School District. She and husband, Dexter, have a daughter, Abby. Robert Score ’00 of Salisbury, Md., is a videographer for Salisbury University.

Craig Westbrook ’00 (above) of Volney, N.Y., is the chief of the Fulton (N.Y.) Police Department, where he has worked his way through the ranks since joining the department in 2001. Nicholas Bodnar ’01 of Olivebridge, N.Y., is a technology teacher for Roundout Valley Central Schools in Accord, N.Y.

There’s Still Time

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Don’t miss out on participating in The Fund for Oswego this year! Please make a gift before our fiscal year ends June 30. Help create opportunities for our current and future students. You can make your gift online at alumni. oswego.edu/givenow, or mail to 215 Sheldon Hall, Oswego, N.Y. 13126.