Spring 2021
See 1950–60s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, 2020, Weddings and Engagements, Babies, or Seen on Social
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Maybe you recently got married or had a baby, celebrated a promotion or professional milestone, or had a gathering with some UHart friends. Whatever your news may be, share your UHart pride with your fellow alumni by submitting a class note, tagging us on social media, or using the hashtag #UHartAlumni. Select news and posts may be published in a future issue of H magazine.
1971 | Jeffrey Levine
Jeffrey Levine (A&S) is launching a new television show in May 2021 named Wealth Builders. Wealth Builders will be streamed on traditional social media and through iHeart Radio, Roku and Amazon prime. Levine is an independent financial strategist with JL Wealth Solutions and has over 30 years of experience in financial and tax planning.
1977 | Stephen Mulready
Stephen Mulready (M Barney) is the first Barney School alumnus to be named dean. He served as the interim dean since August 2020, and, in his multiple roles throughout his career, played an integral role in making the Barney School what it is today.
1979 | David Nord
David Nord (Barney) has been nominated to Jeld-Wen Holding, Inc.’s Board of Directors. Nord is the executive chairman of Hubbell Incorporated. From June 2019 until his retirement in October 2020, he served as the company’s chairman and chief executive officer and from May 2014 to June 2019, he served as chairman, president, and CEO.
1972 | Alan Gertner
Alan Gertner, PhD (A&S) had his new book, Auditory disorders in the classroom: A guide for speech language pathologists, audiologists, and educators, published February 2021. Gertner is a professor in the School of Communication Disorders and Deafness, Nathan Weiss Graduate College, Kean University in Union, N.J. He is also the attending audiologist at Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch, N.J. and is the team audiologist for the Monmouth Medical Center’s Regional Cleft Palate Team. Gertner was also awarded the 2020-2021 Distinguished Clinical Achievement Award from the New Jersey Speech Language and Hearing Association.
1975 | William Shapiro
William Shapiro (Barney) and his wife Iris retired after 24 successful years importing and distributing flowerpots to independent garden centers in New England and the mid-Atlantic
states.
1977 | Carol Rich
Carol Rich (Hartt) has written an autobiography on her life as a professional pianist and her brushes with famous artists. The book, Life in Miniatures: A View from the Piano Bench, also discusses issues relating to her life on the West Coast, meeting her wife, and her slow move into retirement.
Image from Peninsula Daily News
1978 | Steven Lightman
Steven Lightman (Barney) has been announced as an independent director of Grown Rogue—a multi-state cannabis company. Lightman is the group president at Gourmet Foods and Gift Baskets, 1-800-FLOWERS.com Inc. Lightman has 30 years of experience across retail and consumer products within the agriculture industry.
1984 | Pamela Winston
Pamela Winston (Barney) has joined Cresa New Jersey, a commercial real estate agency, as an advisor. Winston has more than 25 years of experience in sales, account management and procurement. In this position, Winston will help clients align strategies with long term goals, business development, and market research.
Image from Cresa New Jersey
1985 | Wallaya Chirathivat
Wallaya Chirathivat (M Barney) was featured in a Bangkok Post article that chronicles her business successes. Chirathivat is the deputy chief executive officer of Central Pattana Plc., a SET-listed retail and property under the Central Group of companies. Read more about Chirathivat in the Bangkok Post.
Image from the Bangkok Post
1980 | Margaret "Peg" Larson
Peg Larson (Barney) is the president of the Partners of Wisconsin Hospital Association, a statewide network of healthcare volunteers. In 2019, the network—made up of 8,800 people—donated 1.7 million dollars to their hospitals and communities, awarded 339 scholarships, and gave their communities over 894,000 hours of service. The group has found innovative ways to support their healthcare institutions throughout the pandemic—including sharing of strategies to continue to support healthcare workers.
1983 | Mark Boxer
Mark Boxer (A&S, CETA) is part of a brand-new Industry Advisory Board for EPAM Systems, Inc., a leading global provider of digital platform engineering and development services. On the board, Boxer will focus on areas including CPG, retail, insurance, healthcare, life sciences, and cloud software.
1985 | Alex Nakhimovsky
Alex Nakhimovsky (Hartt, M'88 Hartt) performed as part of the Hartford Public Library’s Baby Grand Jazz Series in January 2021. Nakhimovsky is a performer, recording artist, producer, composer and educator.
1986 | Don Allan
Don Allan (Barney) has been named president and CFO at Stanley Black & Decker. Allan joined the company in 1999 as the director of financial planning before being appointed senior vice president and CFO in 2008, and most recently serving as executive vice president and CFO. Allan is chairman of the board for United Way of Central and Northeastern Connecticut and also serves on the boards of several non-profits, including Junior Achievement of Southwest New England and Boy Scouts Connecticut Rivers Council.
1986 | Susan Martin
Susan Martin (M Barney) has been named to Hartford Business Journal's 2021 Class of Women in Business Honorees. Martin is the chief financial officer and treasurer at Middlesex Health, where she is responsible for the organization’s financial functions, including accounting, audits, treasury, revenue cycle, procurement and financial reporting.
Image from Hartford Business Journal
1989 | Kevin Sarney
Kevin Sarney (Barney) has joined Charles River CFO, Inc. as the lead sciences practice leader and CFO. Sarney brings over 20 years of experience in public and private life sciences companies to the position and will lead the Charles River CFO team in providing strategic CFO, accounting, and tax services.
Image from Charles River CFO, Inc.
1989 | Marcel De Rycker
Marcel De Rycker (M Barney) joins ProovStation as the director of International Business Development. In this role, De Rycker will support growth and develop international strategy of the company’s products and services. De Rycker brings over 20 years of experience in the automotive industry.
1992 | Gale Dilger
Gale Dilger (M A&S) was recently featured as the Zip06 Person of the Week. In the article, Dilger talks about the award she created in 2020 in honor of her daughter, Alexandra, who passed away in 2018. The award is designed for people between 18 and 30 who struggle against emotional and psychological challenges. Learn more about the award at alittlecompassion.org.
1992 | Linda Dotts
Linda Dotts (Barney) has been named to CRN’s 2020 Women of the Channel List, which recognizes the unique achievements of a select group of women across all areas of the IT ecosystem. Dotts is the chief partner strategy officer of Blue Prism—a global leader in robotic process automation.
Image from CRN
1993 | Edward Smith III
Edward Smith III (Barney) has been announced as the chief financial officer of LAVA Therapeutics B.V., a biotechnology company. Smith has 20 years of serving on management boards of publicly traded life science companies.
1996 | Sandra Jeknavorian
Sandra Jeknavorian (HAS) has been named Elected Artist by the Norwich Arts Center. Jeknavorian is a tenured professor at Three Rivers Community College and is the director of the art gallery at the college.
1991 | Stuart Vorcheimer
Stuart Vorcheimer (A'89 Hillyer, Barney) has been promoted to market president and head of C&I Lending at Peapack-Gladstone Bank. In this role, Vorcheimer is responsible for leading the company’s team of commercial private bankers, and providing wealth and deposit solutions for commercial businesses in northern New Jersey and the Tri-State area. Vorcheimer has 27 years of experience in the financial services industry.
Image from Peapack-Gladstone Bank
1993 | Kathleen Christensen
Kathleen Christensen (M Barney) has been named to Hartford Business Journal's 2021 Class of Women in Business Honorees. Christensen is a partner at Connecticut Wealth Management (CTWM), a registered investment advisor that provides unbiased financial planning.
Image from Hartford Business Journal
1994 | George Chatziemmanouil
George Chatziemmanouil (A&S) has been appointed as the general manager for Lindos Grand Resort & Spa and Lindos Village Resort & Spa—both located in Rhodes, Greece. Chatziemmanouil brings over 20 years of experience to the role, working in renowned multinational and Greek hotel brands such as Marriot International, Carlson Rezidor, Rotana, Danat & Grecotel and more.
1995 | Carlo Guerrera
Carlo Guerrera (Barney, M'06 Barney) has joined LL Global, Inc. as a membership relationship director for its retirement business. Previously, Guerrera was head of Workplace Strategic Relationships for MassMutual and has also held multiple roles at The Hartford.
1995 | William Fennelly
William Fennelly (Hartt) was featured in the blog, This Is Entertainment during COVID-19. In the blog, Fennelly details the way COVID-19 has impacted his projects and how he has adapted. Fennelly is an associate professor at Drexel University. Read more of his story at This Is Entertainment during COVID-19.
1996 | Alison Cerutti
Alison Cerutti (M Hartt) was featured in The Norwich Guidon—a student newspaper at Norwich University in Northfield, Vermont where Cerutti has previously taught. The article chronicles Cerutti’s musical path and how she is adapting her craft during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Image from The Norwich Guidon
1996 | Sabrina Trocchi
Sabrina Trocchi (M Barney) has been named to Hartford Business Journal's 2021 Class of Women in Business Honorees. Trocchi is president and chief executive officer of Wheeler. In this role, she is responsible for the overall operation of the $85-million organization, offering integrated primary care, behavioral health, prevention/wellness, child welfare, community justice and special education services to over 50,000 people each year.
Image from Hartford Business Journal
1997 | Latanya Farrell
The West Hartford Commission on the Arts has launched a new initiative, the Artist Job Bank, to help provide support for artist. A group that has been particularly hard hit since the start of COVID-19. Latanya Farrell (ENHP) and Javier Colon '00 (Hartt), who are on the Commission and chair the Commission’s Artist Outreach Committee, were interviewed by We-Ha.com about the project.
Image by Maurice D. Robertson
2003 | Lauren Chante
Lauren Chante (A&S) was interviewed by Authority Magazine. Chante is a health strategist and runs a wellness coaching program called Cracking the Wellness Code. Chante developed the program after struggling to diet herself. Read the full interview here.
Image from Authority Magazine
2003 | Tasha Jackson
Tasha Jackson (Barney) was recently hired as chief financial and administrative officer at STRIVE, a non-profit focused on ending chronic unemployment in New York City. Jackson has more than 10 years of experience working at non-profit organizations. She has previously held leadership roles in finance and accounting at Urban Resources Institute and Girl Scouts of Connecticut.
2007 | Eric Heveron-Smith
Eric Heveron-Smith (Hartt) was featured in The Syncopated Times. In the article, Heveron-Smith revisits memories of how his musical career got started and where it is now. Read the article on Heveron-Smith.
Image from The Syncopated Times
2008 | Ryan Speedo Green
Congratulations to Ryan Speedo Green (Hartt) who is now a Grammy Award winning artist. Green was a part of the cast of The Metropolitan Opera’s 2019/20 production of "Porgy and Bess" which won the 2021 Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording and Best Producer. You can hear more of Speedo's journey in the latest episode of UHart to Hartford Podcast.
2009 | Seren Tahiroglu
Seren Tahiroglu (Barney) has been appointed chief financial officer of Lafayette Square’s credit strategy. In this role, Tahiroglu will oversee the accounting and financial reporting functions for the firm’s credit platform. Tahiroglu has over 14 years of experience in public accounting.
2000 | Javier Colon
2000 | Marc Gosselin
Marc Gosselin (ENHP) accepted a four-year contract as the new superintendent of the Lenox Public School District. Gosselin has over 20 years of experience in education, previously serving in teacher, principal and central office administrative positions.
Image from The Berkshire Eagle
2001 | Sharon White
Sharon White (A&S) has joined Rock Creek Energy Group, LLP as a partner. Sharon is an attorney specializing in hydropower and electric regulatory issues.
2002 | Jon Gosselin
Jon Gosselin (A&S) has been promoted to the rank of lieutenant in the Dracut Police Department. Lt. Gosselin has been with the Dracut Police Department since 2007 and was promoted to sergeant in May 2017, along with being assigned as a patrol supervisor and field training officer program supervisor. In this new role, Gosselin will be the assigned shift commander for the overnight shift.
2005 | Tamara Gagon Bross
Tamara Gagnon Bross (HCW '02, A&S) has been announced as the next Boys and Girls Club president and chief executive officer in Bristol, Conn.
Image from The Bristol Press
2006 | Caitlin Eichler
Caitlin Eichler (ENHP) has been named the head coach of the Daniel Hand softball team in Madison, Conn. Eichler is an is an alum of Daniel Hand High School, where she helped bring the school to the Class L state championship in 2001. Eichler will start her role as head coach for the Spring 2021 season.
Image from Zip06
2006 | Ron Fuschillo
Ron Fuschillo (M Barney) has been announced as the senior vice president and chief information officer at Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare. He joins the healthcare system from Reno, Nev., where he served as vice president and chief information officer for Renown Health.
2007 | Tim Bayon
Tim Bayon (HAS) was identified by Graphic Design USA as a “person to watch”— 2021 GDUSA People to Watch, identifies a group of graphic designers who “embody the spirit of the creative community.” Bayon is a senior designer at the New York CBX office, where he leads all aspects of the creative process for clients like Clorox, J.M. Smucker, PepsiCo, Keurig Dr. Pepper and Procter & Gamble.
Image from GDUSA
2008 | Matthew Glaeser
Matthew Glaeser (A&S) has joined the Sacramento Republic FC as an assistant coach. Glaeser is joining the coaching staff as a goalkeeper coach and will assist in the team’s preparation for the 2021 United Soccer League Championship (USLC) season.
Image from Sacrament Republic FC
2011 | Tangie Davis McDougald
Tangie Davis McDougald (A&S) has been on a mission to close the inequality gaps in healthcare, which has culminated in the Community Matters Outpatient Psychiatric Clinic for Children. The clinic is an extension of Community Matters, LLC, which McDougald founded in 2017. Read more about the Community Matters Outpatient Psychiatric Clinic for Children.
2011 | Philip Eident
Congratulations to Philip Eident (A&S) who won a Sports Emmy for Outstanding Trans-Media Sports Coverage. Eident is one of the producers for NFL 100 Greatest and All-Time Team that received the award.
2011 | Maret Bondorew
Maret Bondorew (HAS) and her team at Toad and Frog Press found a way to be creative and make a positive impact on their community—raising more than $64,000 for the Rhode Island Foundation’s COVID-19 Response Fund with their designs. Read more of their story in the Rhode Island Monthly.
2012 | Michael Thatcher
Michael Thatcher (CETA) was interviewed by Tetra Tech on his career in sustainable civil and environmental engineering. Thatcher is a civil engineering group leader and project manager with Tetra Tech's Resilient and Sustainable Infrastructure Division. Read the interview on CSR Wire.
Image from CSR Wire
2017 | Kyle White
Kyle White (CETA) and his team at the University of Oregon won two international 2021 Solar Decathlon Design Competition awards: the First-Place Gold Trophy in the Elementary School Division and the Grand Jury Award across all divisions of the competition. White is currently working towards his master's degree in Architecture (MArch) at the University of Oregon.
Image from University of Oregon School of Architecture and Environment
2012 | Jennifer Trail
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Jennifer Trail (M HAS) realized an opportunity for a historical archive of work created during the time. Trail created Covid Pictures, where artist can submit their photos to be shared on the online photography archive. Trail is an Oregon-based artist, educator and book designer. Read more of her story at LenScratch.com.
2012 | Mason Munn
Mason Munn O.D. (ENHP) has joined the team of doctors at Clemson Eye in South Carolina. Munn has been practicing primary care in optometry for over four years and is a member of the American Optometric Association.
Image from Upstate Business Journal
2015 | Shannon Dass
Shannon Dass (ENHP) published a book titled, Charlie’s Journey. The book aims to help people understand students with special needs. Dass is a high school teacher and helps out with special education students who need help with English classes. She drew on her experiences in the classroom to write the book.
Image from LIHerald.com
2015 | Stephen Cusano
Parkville Sounds in Hartford, Conn. was featured in an article in the Hartford Courant. Within the article, Co-Founder Stephen Cusano (Hartt) was interviewed on the impact of the pandemic on the music industry and what Parkville Sounds has done to help musicians.
2016 | Chaz Davis
Chaz Davis (A&S) was quoted in a Los Angeles Times article about visually impaired marathoners. Davis is a blind U.S. Paralympic runner and works as an adjustment to vision loss counselor at the Massachusetts Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired.
2016 | Juwan Crawley
Juwan Crawley (Hartt) was highlighted in Connecticut Magazine’s 40 Under 40 Class Reunion: 2011–20. Since his first interview, part of the magazine’s 2019 40 Under 40 Class, Crawley has been focused on making music. His next project is a new song with Anna Rose and Alan Menken.
Image from Connecticut Magazine
2016 | Lindaluz Carillo
Lindaluz Carillo (HAS) was named to Connecticut Magazine’s 2021 Class of 40 Under 40 list. Carillo is an urban pop artist and graphic designer and also teaches art, computer science, and graphic arts in several Hartford-area schools. Carillo’s work can also be seen on the cover of the Summer 2020 issue of H Magazine.
Image from Connecticut Magazine
2017 | Chris Calderon
Chris Calderon (A'16 Hillyer, A&S) joined Stamford Downtown’s Ambassador and Environmental Maintenance Team as a social service outreach ambassador. In this role, Calderon will act as the primary liaison with people in the downtown Stamford area who may be in need of various forms of help.
Image from Stamford’s North Hamlet Hub
2018 | Alex Williams
Alex Williams (M HAS) explores issues of race, passing, and masculinity in America in his new book of photography, Black, Like Paul. Williams is an artist and curator and has had work exhibited globally.
2018 | Grantham Bethea
Grantham Bethea (Hillyer ’16, Barney), Brandon Burke ’19 (CETA), and Devaughn Senna launched a new app, SRVHUB, that connects customers with in-home beauty services. The idea for the app was born in a dorm room at UHart in November 2019. Read more about the trio and their app in The Herald News.
Image from in The Herald News
2019 | Brandon Burke
2020 | Christopher Linke
Christopher Linke (M A&S) had an article titled Recipe for Unity in Polarizing Times published in Forbes. Linke serves on the advisory board for the Georgia Diversity Council (GADC) and as the co-chair for the GADC communications committee as well. Linke is the regional 2nd vice president at Travelers Insurance in Alpharetta, G.A.
Allison Litera ’12 (HAS) wedded Nicholas Billeter in a small ceremony on Friday, October 30, 2020, at Hazardville United Methodist Church in Enfield, Conn. Allison is a digital content analyst at UMass Medical School-Baystate in Springfield, Mass., and Nicholas is a staff accountant at Cerrone, Graham, and Shepherd in Worcester, Mass. The two originally met as children and were reintroduced as adults in 2013.
Image from Aleksandr Verbetsky Photography
Past Weddings and Engagements
Candice DeRiso (Beckmann) '05 (Hartt) welcomed a sweet baby boy, Vincent Michael DeRiso, into the world on September 7, 2020.