Alumni Updates: Winter 2018

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1958

Frank J. Karfes DEN ’58, A&S ’60 has completed 52 years as an active oral surgeon. His dental practice is in Cleveland, Ohio.

1960

Joseph Gilkey A&S ’60, EDUC ’70G presented a lecture as part of Adventures in Living, a summer course for the Institute for Learning in Retirement at the University of Florida. The topic was “Along the Monongahela … Growing Up in the Pittsburgh Area.”

1967

Howard F. Stein A&S ’67, ’72G published the second edition of his book, Listening Deeply (University of Missouri Press), which explores attentive listening through storytelling. Stein serves as a facilitator at the American Indian Diabetes Prevention Center in Oklahoma City, Okla.

1969

John W. Bisbee A&S ’69G edited Captaining the Corps d’Afrique: The Civil War Diaries and Letters of John Newton Chamberlin (McFarland Publishers), which offers an insider’s view of the wartime efforts of Black troops and their relationship with the Union Army. Bisbee, a retired college professor, resides in Fort Collins, Colo.

1971

Louis Grumet GSPIA ’71 published The Curious Case of Kiryas Joel: The Rise of a Village Theocracy and the Battle to Defend the Separation of Church and State (Chicago Review Press), the true story behind a U.S. Supreme Court case in which Grumet was the plaintiff. He is the former executive director of the New York State School Boards Association.

1975

A.J. Kreimer A&S ’75 received the Boy Scouts of America’s Distinguished Eagle Scout Award in recognition of his notable career and voluntary service to his community. He is an assistant professor of practice in accounting at Temple University’s Fox School of Business.

1976

Mark Huberman LAW ’76 retired from his position as chief magistrate of the Mahoning County Domestic Relations Court after a 30-year judicial career. He is now administrator of the Ohio Association of Magistrates and the executive director of the National Health Association. He resides in Boardman, Ohio.

1977

Richard H. Pfau EDUC ’77G published Your Behavior: Understanding and Changing the Things You Do (Paragon House), which aims to help readers better analyze and change personal behaviors. He is a human behavior researchers and consultant and has taught in seven countries. He lives in Mansfield Center, Conn.

1978

Therese Rocco CGS ’78 wrote a memoir, Therese Rocco: Pittsburgh’s First Female Assistant Police Chief (Word Association Publishers), which describes her groundbreaking career and work to solve missing child cases.

1980

Judith R. Robinson CGS ’80 published Carousel (Lummox Press), a collection of her fiction and poetry. She teaches poetry in the Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes at Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh.

1981

Larry A. Sellitto CGS ’81, EDUC ’84G, ’87G was recognized as a 2016 Top Doctor in the Eastern Region by The Leading Physicians of the World. He is a specialist in the treatment of addictive disorders and has a general practice in Monroeville, Pa.

1983

Diane Redington NURS ’83G established the GYN Carcinosarcoma Project, a nonprofit dedicated to finding a cure for the rare uterine/ovarian cancer. A nurse-practitioner in Park City, Utah, she has raised more than $230,000 in research funds since being diagnosed in 2015.

Norman A. Stahl EDUC ’83G was inducted into the Reading Hall of Fame at the annual conference of the International Literacy Association. He is a professor emeritus of literacy education at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Ill., and serves on the leadership team for the Council of Learning Assistance and Developmental Education Associations.

1987

Kim Coley PHARM ’87 received the 2017 Preceptor of the Year Award from the Pennsylvania Pharmacists Association (PPA). She is the chair of the PPA Editorial Review Board and a professor in Pitt’s School of Pharmacy.

Rose Hoover CGS ’87 was named one of Pittsburgh Business Times’ Outstanding CEOs and Top Executives. She is the president and chief administrative officer of Ampco-Pittsburgh Corp.

Brian Lynch LAW ’87 is the chief financial officer, senior vice president, general counsel, and corporate secretary of Callaway Golf Company, sporting goods company headquartered in Carlsbad, Calif.

Steven Markenson A&S ’87 oversees research at the Food Marketing Institute in Arlington, Va. He is a market research executive with expertise in quantitative and qualitative market research across a range of industries.

1988

Janis Burley Wilson A&S ’88 is the new chief executive officer and president of the August Wilson Center for African American Culture in Pittsburgh.

1989

Sheila Alexander NURS ’89, ’04G was selected as a winner in the Nursing Research category of the Nightingale Awards of Pennsylvania. The recognition honors exceptional nurses practicing in the Commonwealth. She is an associate professor of acute and tertiary care in Pitt’s School of Nursing.

1990

Constance Sayers UPG ’90 cofounded Thoughtful Dog, an online literary and lifestyle magazine, with her sister Loie Sayers. She serves as the publisher as well as the editor of the magazine’s lifestyle pieces.

1991

Loie Sayers UPG ’91, A&S ’02G cofounded Thoughtful Dog, an online literary and lifestyle magazine, with her sister Constance Sayers. She serves as the magazine’s editor in chief.

1993

Mark Geiser ENGR ’93 was promoted to associate in the Carlisle, Pa., office of Dewberry, an engineering consulting firm. He has extensive experience in the preliminary and final design of Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission highway projects.

1944

Erin Claypoole A&S ’94, a trial attorney, was recently promoted to the Violent Crimes Bureau of the Montgomery County, Ohio, Prosecuting Attorney’s Office’s Criminal Division.

1995

Barbara Edelman A&S ’95G published her debut collection of poetry, Dream of the Gone-From City (Carnegie Mellon University Press). She is a lecturer in Pitt’s Department of English.

1998

Sean-Michael Green A&S ’98 was elected president of the board of directors for Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo.

Jennifer Lingler NURS ’98G was selected as a finalist in the Nursing Research category of the Nightingale Awards of Pennsylvania. The recognition honors exceptional nurse practicing in the Commonwealth. She is an associate professor of health and community systems in Pitt’s School of Nursing.

Melissa Somma McGivney PHARM ’98G received the Pennsylvania Pharmacists Association’s NASPA Excellence in Innovation Award for creating the Pennsylvania Pharmacists Care Network. She is associate dean for community partnerships and associate professor in Pitt’s School of Pharmacy.

1999

Margaret Lehman Blake A&S ’99G published The Right Hemisphere and Disorders of Cognition and Communication: Theory and Clinical Practice (Plural Publishing, Inc.). She is an associate professor in the Department of Communications Sciences and Disorders at the University of Houston.

James Butler GSPH ’99 was promoted to the tenured position of associate professor of behavioral and community health at the University of Maryland, College Park. He is also the associate director of the Maryland Center for Health Equity.

Nilanjana (Roy) Chakraborty A&S ’99 launched ShopBooyWear.com last year. The Plymouth, Minn.-based Web site sells Bollywood-inspired fashion.

Bill Viola Jr. UPJ ’00 produced Tough Guys, a Showtime movie inspired by Godfathers of MMA, a book he coauthored with Fred Adams. Both the book and the film depict Pittsburgh as the birthplace of the sport of mixed martial arts. Viola lives in Norwin, Pa.

2003

Matt Hudson released the contemporary jazz CD Nothing for Granted with his four-man band, Scientific Map. The group hails from the southside of Chicago, where Hudson, a guitarist, also works as a jazz educator.

Randal M. Whitlatch A&S ’03, LAW ’06 has joined Duane Morris LLP’s Pittsburgh, Pa., office as a partner in the firm’s Trial Practice Group. He specialized in complex commercial litigation.

2004

Jessica Devido NURS ’04, ’08G, ’14G was selected as a finalist in the Nursing Education category of the Nightingale Awards of Pennsylvania. The recognition honors exceptional nurses practicing in the Commonwealth. She is an assistant professor in Duquesne University’s School of Nursing.

Rebecca J. Morris SIS ’04G, ’11G published School Libraries and Student Learning (Harvard Education Press), which offers strategies for collaboration among school leaders, teachers, and librarians. She is an assistant professor in the Department of Library and Information Studies at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

2007

Stephanie McGrath PHARM ’07G was recognized by the Pennsylvania Pharmacists Association as one of 2017’s top 10 pharmacists practicing for less than 10 years.

2008

Keith Gavin A&S ’08, a former Pitt wrestler, is now Pitt wrestling’s head coach. He was a member of the U.S. Olympic wrestling team for more than six years.

Hoang “Henry” L. Nguyen ENGR ’08 passed Pennsylvania’s state professional engineering exam and is now a licensed professional engineer at Buchart Horn’s Pittsburgh office.

Dorina Pena A&S ’08 published Black History Month (Finishing Line Press), a poetry anthology about racism and race relations. She lives in Philadelphia, Pa.

2009

Melinda Kozminski PHARM ’09G was recognized by the Pennsylvania Pharmacists Association as one of 2017’s top 10 pharmacists practicing for less than 10 years.

Linda Strachan SOC WK ’09G was named the executive director of the Victim Outreach Intervention Center, a provider of comprehensive services for victims of violent crimes in Butler County, Pa.

2010

Nikos Giannopoilos A&S ’10 was named Rhode Island’s 2017 Teachers of the Year. He is a special education teacher at Beacon Charter High School for the Arts in Woonsocket, R.I.

2011

Kate Lasky A&S ’11, GSPIA ’13 is founder, co-owner, and manager of Apteka, a Pittsburgh restaurant that serves European-inspired vegan food. The restaurant was named 2017 Best New Restaurant by Pittsburgh Magazine and was highlighted in GQ.

Roshni Patel PHARM ’11G was recognized by the Pennsylvania Pharmacists Association as one of 2017’s top 10 pharmacists practicing for less than 10 years.

2012

Sarah Dombrowski PHARM ’12G, Kyle McCormick PHARM ’12, ’14G, and Nicole Pezzino PHARM ’12 were each recognized by the Pennsylvania Pharmacists Association as one of 2017’s top 10 pharmacists practicing for less than 10 years.

2013

Andrea L. Shoffstall Engr ’13 is a patent attorney at Brinks, Gilson, & Lione in Chicago, Ill. Her areas of practice include patent prosecution and litigation of applications for various technology fields.

2014

Brandon Antinopoulos PHARM ’14G was recognized by the Pennsylvania Pharmacists Association as one of 2017’s top 10 pharmacists practicing for less than 10 years.

Michael Magliocca A&S ’14 is pursing professional fight choreography and acting in New York City. He is an active member of the Society of American Fight Directors.

2015

Colin Huwyler ENGR ’15 is the founder of Optimus Technologies, which won a 2017 Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence for its “City of Pittsburgh 100 Percent Biodiesel Project.”

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