Alumni Updates: Summer 2020

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1948

Herbert P. Douglas Jr. EDUC ’48, ’50G received an honorary degree from Bowie State University in Bowie, Maryland. He is the oldest living African American Olympic medalist, having won the bronze medal for the United States in London’s 1948 Summer Olympic Games. He founded the International Amateur Athletic Association in 1980 and was inducted into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame in 1992.

1949

Lawrence E. Moncrief Jr. ENGR ’49 received the Emeritus Award, which will henceforth be known as the Lawrence Moncrief Emeritus Law Award, from the Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County, Florida, for his pro bono services. He’s also become a member of the Legal Aid’s Hall of Fame for dedicating more than 1,000 hours of his time to Palm Beach County’s disabled community. Before retiring, he worked for 23 years at H.K. Porter Company, Inc, where he served as vice president and general counsel.

1960

Stewart Sell MED ’60 published “Okinawa Diary: A Surgeon’s View of the Battle of Okinawa” (BookBaby), a book of letters and photos from his father, Oliver Sell (MED ’26), who served as commander of a WWII field hospital. He lives in Williamsburg, Virginia.

1961

Harry R. Albers A&S ’61 published his fourth novel, “The Mathematics of Murder” (iUniverse), a mystery that starts with the killing of a member of a school board. He lives in La Mesa, California.

Rosemarie Rizzo Parse NURS ’61G, EDUC ’69G was the keynote speaker at the Congrès Science Infirmière et Avancée des Connaissances at Webster University Geneva in Bellevue, Switzerland. A former Pitt faculty member, she was named the inaugural visiting scholar at Binghamton University’s Kresge Center for Nursing Research during the 2020-2021 academic year.

1962

Milana Bizic EDUC ’62, ’67G went to Pranjani, Serbia, to attend the 75th anniversary commemoration of Operation Halyard, an Allied air rescue mission during WWII that involved a number of Pittsburgh-area players. She is a retired, award-winning teacher and lives in Sewickley, Pennsylvania.

1965

Michael Patrick McCarthy MED ’65 published “Ten Under Par Plus a Priest” (Desert Springs Publishing), which follows the stories of 10 combat veterans (and golf lovers) from the Greatest Generation. He lives in the San Diego area, and this is his second book.

1967

Richard Lincoff A&S ’67, BUS ’80G is an adjunct professor of business strategy at Washington University in St. Louis and a throws coach for track and field at Ladue Horton Watkins High School. With an educational background in art history, he also acts as a docent for the Saint Louis Art Museum.

1972

Mark M. Schwartz EDUC ’72G was inducted to the Pennsylvania High School Track and Field Hall of Fame as a contributor. The designation is awarded annually by the Pennsylvania Track and Field Coaches Association.

1975

Debra (Matthews) Wilson A&S ’75, DEN ’79G was sworn in by Georgia Governor Brian P. Kemp to serve on the Georgia Board of Dentistry. Previously, she served as lead dentist at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, where she worked in the infectious diseases program.

1976

Francis Feld A&S ’76, EDUC ’85 completed his second medical mission to Antigua, Guatemala, with Operation Walk Pittsburgh. As part of the nonprofit’s surgical team, he assisted with 47 hip- and knee-replacement surgeries on 40 patients in four days. He is a certified registered nurse anesthetist at UPMC Passavant.

1977

Rick Perdian A&S ’77 retired from a 30-year career in law and insurance and launched Rick Perdian Travel & Music, a company that offers personally escorted, small-group tours of international destinations with an emphasis on musical traditions.

1978

Larry Merlo PHARM ’78 was named 2019 Executive of the Year by Healthcare Dive. He’s been president and chief executive officer of CVS Health since 2011 and started with the company in 1990. In addition to his leadership at CVS, he also serves on the Board of the National Association of Chain Drug Stores and on Pitt’s Board of Trustees.

1983

Martin S. Roth A&S ’83, BUS ’85G, ’90G was inducted as the University of Charleston’s 26th president. For the past 30 years, he’s helped universities excel by focusing on talent acquisition and the development needs of students and organizations, as well as other areas important to the success of an academic institution.

1987

Jeffrey Lawrence Pollock LAW ’87 was reelected to his third term as president of the Zionist Organization of America’s Pittsburgh branch. He also provides professional legal, mediation and collaborative law services at the Law & Mediation Office of Jeffrey L. Pollock, Esq. At the last annual Allegheny County Bar Association conference, he participated in the Young Lawyers Division’s Passing of the Gavel ceremony as its only twice-elected chair.

1990

Howard Scott Cunningham LAW ’90 was named chairman and chief executive officer of Security National Trust Company in Wheeling, West Virginia. He is a retired Air Force colonel who previously served as executive vice president and regional managing director at PNC Wealth Management.

Tom Danyluk ENGR ’90 published “None Yards!: 30 Years of John Madden in the Broadcast Booth” (CreateSpace), a book of quotes by John Madden. Danyluk is based in Chicago, and this is his fourth book.

1992

Kyri Jacobs A&S ’92 was named president and chief executive officer of Bonnie Heneson Communications in Columbia, Maryland. Since starting with the company in 1992, she’s served as president, executive vice president and vice president. Her specialties include communications, public relations, advertising, media and marketing.

Jean E. Snyder A&S ’92G was named the inaugural historian in residence of the Harry T. Burleigh Society of New York City in recognition of her scholarship on the African American baritone, composer and music arranger. An active member of the Burleigh Legacy Alliance of Erie, Pennsylvania, she lives in Pittsburgh.

1994

Debra Fitzsimons EDUC ’94G was named vice president for administration and finance at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. She brings more than 25 years of experience in higher education to the role, most recently having served as vice chancellor of business services and interim chancellor at South Orange County Community College District in Mission Viejo, California. She and her husband live in Hermitage, Pennsylvania.

Lane Hornfeck A&S ’94 was elected as a shareholder of Shulman Rogers in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. She has practiced commercial litigation for more than 20 years.

Ben James Laudermilch A&S ’94 was named vice president and executive director of Inglis Housing Corporation in Philadelphia. Previously, he served as executive housing director for the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services and housing director for the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections.

Lara K. Ronan MED ’94 published an opinion piece, titled “It’s Time for More Gen X Women to Step Up as Mentors,” in STAT, an online magazine covering science, health and biotechnology. She’s an associate professor of neurology and medicine in the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College and was a 2019 Public Voices Fellow with the OpEd Project, an initiative to close the op-ed byline gap between genders.

1995 

Tony Dickensheets A&S ’95G published “Dawn of Memory: Selected Poems to Encourage, Delight, and Explore Our Lives” (Path Publishing), a collection that examines travel, spirituality and human nature.

1997 

Paula M. Franetti EDUC ’97G received the 2019 Charlie Marten Memorial Award from the Delaware Senior Olympics. The award honors an athlete who has overcome great odds to return to sports and is dedicated to positively impacting the lives of others. Her recovery from a near-fatal automobile accident in 2013 was the premiere story for Ryan Shazier’s “50 Phenoms” podcast.

1998

Stacy (Doss) Harris SOC WK ’98 was named vice president of early childhood for the Private Industry Council of Westmoreland/Fayette Inc. She brings more than 20 years of experience to the role, in which she will oversee the implementation of various early childhood educational programs, as well as manage the organization’s educational technology implementation.

Aaron Smith A&S ’98G published “The Book of Daniel” (University of Pittsburgh Press), a collection of poetry and part of the Pitt Poetry Series. He’s a three-time finalist for the Lambda Literary Award and the recipient of multiple fellowships. This is his fourth collection.

1999

Nicole A. Williams A&S ’99, LAW ’02 was appointed to the Maryland House of Delegates to represent District 22, serving Prince George’s County. She was sworn in by Speaker Adrienne Jones in December 2019.

2002

Jay K. Yander A&S ’02 was named director of graduate and international admissions at Marywood University in Scranton in Pennsylvania. He’s worked at the university since 2013 and previously served as a graduate admissions counselor and associate director of graduate admissions.

2003

Charles A. Fitzpatrick IV A&S ’03 was elected partner of Blank Rome LLP’s Philadelphia office. He specializes in commercial and corporate litigation matters, is active in local and state politics, and serves on the board of trustees for the Hope Partnership for Education.

2004

Keith Paradise A&S ’04, a writer for Billiards Digest, had his article titled “High Wire Act” featured in “The Best American Sports Writing 2019” (Houghton Mifflin).

Matt Stroud A&S ’04 published “Thin Blue Lie: The Failure of High-Tech Policing” (Metropolitan Books). He’s an investigative reporter living in Pittsburgh whose work has appeared in The Associated Press, Bloomberg News, The Atlantic, Politico and others.

2006

Tyler Palko A&S ’06 was named vice president of sales and marketing at Solutions 21, a professional development firm based in Pittsburgh, where he previously held the position of director of leadership development. A former quarterback for Pitt and in the National Football League, he lives in Overland Park, Kansas.

Teri M. Sherman A&S ’06 was promoted to Of Counsel at Klehr Harrison Harvey Branzburg LLP in Philadelphia. She is a commercial litigator, and her expertise ranges from commercial contract and business torts to labor and employment disputes.

2007

Natalie M. Scala ENGR ’07G, ’11G was promoted to associate professor with tenure at Towson University in Towson, Maryland. She’s a faculty member in the College of Business and Economics, as well as director of the graduate program in supply chain management. Her first book, “Handbook of Military and Defense Operations Research” (CRC Press/Taylor & Francis Group), was published in March 2020.

2008

Brett Postal A&S ’08 was promoted to partner at Rothwell, Figg, Ernst & Manbeck, P.C., in Washington, D.C. He specializes in intellectual property law, particularly in the life sciences and pharmaceuticals sectors.

Salvatore Gandolfo BUS ’08 was featured in Forbes’ “Best-in-State Next-Gen Advisors 2019” list. He is vice president and senior financial advisor with the Hahn Scott Klein Gates Gandolfo Group at Merrill Lynch in Williamsville, New York.

2009

Adriana E. Ramírez A&S ’09G received the Carol R. Brown Creative Achievement Award for an Established Artist from The Pittsburgh Foundation and The Heinz Endowments. Her award-winning memoir, “Dead Boys” (Little A), was published in 2016, and her forthcoming book, “The Violence” (Scribner), is set to be published in 2020. She lives in Pittsburgh.

2012

Albert Ciuksza BUS ’12G was named vice president of growth and development at Solutions 21, a professional development firm based in Pittsburgh, where he previously held the position of director of leadership programs. He lives in Pittsburgh.

2014

Caitlyn Light ENGR ’14 joined the Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA) as a research associate in the company’s Cost Analysis and Research Division. IDA is a nonprofit that employs a fact-based approach to provide objective advice about national security and space policy to government sponsors.

2015

Susan Thrane NURS ’15G received the 2019 Ohio Nurse of the Year Award for Hospice and Palliative Care from March of Dimes. She is an assistant professor in The Ohio State University’s College of Nursing and specializes in complementary and integrative interventions for symptom management for children receiving palliative care.

2016

Cameron Barnett A&S ’16G received the Carol R. Brown Creative Achievement Award for an Emerging Artist from The Pittsburgh Foundation and The Heinz Endowments. His 2017 poetry collection, “The Drowning Boy’s Guide to Water” (Autumn House Press), won the Autumn House Press 2017 Rising Writer Contest and was a finalist for the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work in Poetry.

Inmaculada Hernandez GSPH ’16 received the 2019 Seema S. Sonnad Emerging Leader in Managed Care Research Award from the American Journal of Managed Care. She is an assistant professor of pharmacy and therapeutics at the University of Pittsburgh, where she is also the associate director of the Center for Pharmaceutical Policy and Prescribing.