Announcements

1970s

Johanna (Metz) Coleman ’70, Business Administration, retired as Lancaster Town Supervisor. She was inducted into the Lancaster High School Distinguished Alumni Wall of Honor.

Maureen C. Kellick ’74, Art- Painting, had work featured in Niagara University’s Castellani Art Gallery Exhibit titled, 2020 VISION: Women Artists of Western New York. A painting from her new series was included in an exhibition at the Morean Arts Center in St. Petersburg, FL.

Patricia (Simon) Wilhelms ’75, Theatre Arts, is founder of the Roanoke Children’s Theatre in Roanoke, Virginia, and is director of their most recent play titled, “The Fakes,” on internet safety and addiction.

1980s

Donald P. Hogan ’80, Social Work, retired from coaching football after 31 years. He will be receiving the Service to Football in the Capital District Area award from the National Football Foundation.

Gary M. Lee ’81, Elementary Education, retired in 2019 as choral director at Lancaster High School. He was inducted into the Lancaster High School Distinguished Alumni Wall of Honor.

Suzanne M. Karaszewski ’88, Graphic Design, received an award from the University Graphic Designer Association.

Michael E. Miles ’88, ’03, History and Government, Business, has been named manager at Verizon, and is owner and operator of Chanderson’s Steak and Seafood. He is treasurer of the Delevan Food Pantry and member of the Arcade Lions Club.

1990s

Karen B. Sharp-Price ’90, Humanities, started a podcast on careers titled, SharpHR Career Corner.

Peter L. Brodie ’92, Administrative Studies, has been named deputy chief of data and informatics at Health Research, Inc.

Stephen Licata ’92, Physical Therapy, earned a DPT degree with A.T. Still University. He has been named rehabilitation supervisor with Northwell Health.

Jennifer (Cassick) Brennan ’97, Physical Therapy, celebrates ten years with the McGuire Group’s Harris Hill Nursing Facility.

Lucy (Jacox) Turnage ’98, Accounting, has been named vice president in the global financial control area of the CFO Organization for Bank of America. She was recently awarded the Outstanding Member Award by the National Association of Black Accountants NABA Chapter.

2000s

Anibal Soler Jr. ’00, Art Education, has been named superintendent of the Batavia City School District.

Adriane (Ross) Williams, ’01, Humanities, has been named the director of TRiO at Trocaire College.

Geoffrey L. Abraskin, ’02, ’05, Doctor of Physical Therapy, has been named senior vice president at Amedisys Home Health Care.

Kenneth L. Mitchell, II, ’03, ’04, Doctor of Physical Therapy, and his wife, Nicole, wrote, illustrated, and self-published a children’s book titled, “Action ABCs.”

Derek D. Bigelow ’04, Business Administration/Marketing, has been named email and digital marketing specialist at Cascade Public Media.

Amy K. Krause ’04, Nursing, has been named director of nursing at LutheranCare.

Matthew S. Pokigo ’05, ’07, Accounting, Global Business, is a certified government auditing professional and is an associate internal auditor with the New York State Unified Court System.

Kristen (Polakiewicz) Hada ’05, Elementary and Special Education, has been named assistant principal at Maryvale Senior High School.

Tara (Vogel) Schafer ’05, Executive Leadership and Change, was named a Buffalo Business First 40 Under 40 honoree for 2019.

Damon T. Carpenter ’06, Business Administration, has been named human resources coordinator at St. Ann’s Community.

Adam T. Rivers ’06, Art Education, has been named assistant principal at Buffalo Academy of Science Charter School.

Sara (Schupp) Rivers ’06, Childhood and Special Education, has been named special education coordinator at Buffalo Academy of Science Charter School.

Adam D. DeRose ’07, Art, wrote and illustrated The Day the Moose Went to School, the eleventh book in his children’s books series.

Justin M. Johnston ’08, History and Government, has been named vice president for development and external affairs at Genesee Community College.

Stephen R. Blass ’09, Childhood and Special Education, has been named a field agent with Knights of Columbus Insurance.

Andrew W. Lawrence ’09, Business Administration, has been named marketing associate of baby gear at Fisher Price.

2010s

Callie M. Johnson ’10, Business/Global Marketing, was named a Buffalo Business First 40 Under 40 honoree for 2019.

Nicole L. Knox ’11, ’18, Nursing, Nursing Executive Leadership, was named a Buffalo Business First 40 Under 40 honoree for 2019.

Josefina I. Paez ’11, Business Administration, has been named assistant vice president of the Latin America client onboarding capital markets team at CitiBank.

Alicia C. Malik ’12, Art-Painting, has been named gallery curator and manager of The Crucible Art Collective.

Amanda (Buckley) Mooney ’12, Accounting, has been named principal at Lumsden & McCormick, LLC.

Megan (Conley) Altman- Cosgrove ’13, ’16, Art Education, Executive Leadership and Change, has been named Title IX coordinator at Niagara University.

Nicholas S. Kaczmarek ’13, Graphic Design, has been named graphic and web designer at Kaleida Health.

Sarah N. Rodman ’13, Political Science, focuses on medical malpractice law at Feldman Kieffer, LLP. She was selected to Rising Stars for 2020, an exclusive list of top-rated attorneys. Rodman was selected as a Top Rated Civil Litigation Attorney.

Emily A. Stoll ’13, English, has been named as a reporter with Bee Group Newspapers.

Paul D. Whissel ’13, Doctor of Physical Therapy, is the director of performance and rehabilitation for the Boston Bruins professional hockey team.

Amanda R. Zanghi ’13, Psychology, has been named director of ticket sales and sponsorship for the Connecticut Whale National Women’s Hockey League team.

Kristy L. Redding ’14, Accounting, has been named supervisor to manager at Freed Maxick.

Thomas R. Wilkie ’14, ’17, English, Spanish, Executive Leadership and Change, has been named director of recruitment at Cardinal O’Hara High School.

Angela (Vacanti) Miles ’15, Accounting, has been named tax manager at Lumsden & McCormick, LLP.

Kevin J. Smeader ’15, Accounting, has been named tax manager at Lumsden & McCormick, LLP.

Cynetra T. Ferguson ’16, Executive Leadership and Change, was named a Buffalo Black Achievers Recipient for 2020.

Amanda (Smith) Peister ’16, Nursing, has been named clinical office supervisor (as a registered nurse) for ParaMed Home Health.

Maximilian Winterburn ’17, ’18, Business Administration, Sustainability Global and Local, has been named director of business operations at DataSure24.

Taylor M. Heald ’18, Art, has been named owner of The Crucible Art Collective in Buffalo, an art gallery and workshop featuring local and traveling tattoo artists.

Megan Myers ’18, Nursing, has been named director of quality management at Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center.

Sarah A. Saba ’18, Healthcare Studies, has been named an honorable mention selection to the D2 East Hoops All-Decade women’s basketball team for the 2010’s for scoring over 1,700 points in a career that spanned 2014–18.

Leslie A. Webster ’18, Health Promotion, has been named dental assistant at Dr. Woods Dental.

Wendy M. MacDonald ’19, Nursing Executive Leadership, has been named manager of home health clinical operations at Catholic Health.

Lucas M. Santos ’19, Animation, had the animated film he created for his senior thesis, “Fresh Air,” screened at the Glendale International Film Festival and the Buffalo International Film Festival.

2020s

Rebecca J. Zimmerman ’20, Nursing, has been named coordinator of clinical quality at HealthNow New York, Inc.

Marriages

1980s

Sherry A. (Cummings) Strayer ’86, Nursing, was married June 6, 2020.

2000s

Jerry Weatherby-Webb ’09, Art, married Robert Weatherby Jr. on Aug. 15, 2019.

2010s

Dana Green ’10, Healthcare Studies, married Michael Zillioux on Oct. 3, 2020.

Maria (Schiller) Zhu ’15, Physician Assistant Studies, married Jimmy Zhu on July 18, 2020.

Kristen (Schmidt) Clark ’17, Business Administration/Human Resources Management, married Gregg Clark on Oct. 24, 2019.

Jessica (Todd) Driscoll ’15, ’17, History, Executive Leadership and Change, married Thomas J. Driscoll on Feb. 29, 2020.

2020s

Rebecca J. Zimmerman ’20, Nursing, married Jeremy P. Long ’13 ‘15, Doctor of Physical Therapy, on Aug. 8, 2020

Births

2000s

Marcus Fong ’01, English, and wife, Stephanie, welcomed their child, Remington Carter, on June 7, 2019.

Michele (Lalayanis) Kulpit ’05, Special and Elementary Education, and husband, Matt, welcomed their child, Lukas James, on Dec. 23, 2019. Lukas joins older sibling, Jack.

Lisa (Covey) Alff ’07, Special and Elementary Education, and husband, Kevin, welcomed their child, Chaz Annalise, on Aug. 10, 2020.

Adam DeRose ’07, Art, and Shannon (Parker) DeRose ’08, Physician Assistant Studies, welcomed their child, Morgan JoAnna, on Oct. 10, 2019.

Justin Johnston ’08, History and Government, and Danielle (Corbett) Johnston ’10, Physician Assistant Studies, welcomed their child, Nora Leigh, on Nov. 11, 2019. Nora joins her older sibling, Jane.

Laura (Becker) Ryan ’09, Health Care Studies, and husband, Daryl, welcomed their child, Hannah May, on Oct. 15, 2019.

Ashley (Quong) Bertagnole ’07, ’09, Physical Therapy, welcomed her child, Klayton Russell, on Nov. 9, 2019.

Scott Emser ’07, ’15, Business Administration/Sports Management, Global Business, and wife, Ashley, welcomed their child, Everett Rhett Robert, on Sept. 3, 2019.

2010s

Brooke Heatley-Palmer, ’11, History and Government, and husband, Robbie, welcomed their child, Veronica, on Nov. 13, 2019.

Caitlin (Illig) Siefer ’12, Healthcare Studies, and, Derek, welcomed their child Jack, on Feb. 5, 2020.

Kristin (Mulligan) Sobieraj ’13, Physician Assistant Studies, and Adam Sobieraj ’10, Business Administration, welcomed their child, Lucas, on Oct. 12, 2019.

Jillian (Covert) Connor ’14, Executive Leadership and Change, and husband, Clay, welcomed their child, Bennett Michael, on Sept. 29, 2020.

Cassandra (Debien) LaShomb ’15, Physician Assistant Studies, and husband welcomed their child, Iva, on Nov., 11, 2018. Iva joins older sibling, Weston.

Kristen (Schmidt) Clark ’17, Business Administration/Human Resource Management, welcomed her child, Charlotte Ann, on June 22, 2020.

In Memoriam

1950s

Donna (King) Fritton ’52, Music, passed away on Sept. 11, 2020. She was a member of the first class.

Kathleen (Kinney) Illig ’52, Business, passed away on April 21, 2020. Kathleen loved to travel and refinish furniture. She was surrounded by her loving family.

A. Dolores (Attea) Sapienza ’53, Homemaking, passed away on May 16, 2020. Dolores played a key role in the Daemen College/ Rosary Hill Alumni Association for more than 50 years.

Annette (Sparcino) Mussachio ’58, Biology, passed away on April 7, 2020.

1960s

Ann (Rolling) Burns ’60, Medical Secretary, passed away on Sept. 24, 2019.

Charlet (Olsen) Carscallen ’62, Sociology, passed away on Oct. 15, 2019. She was married for over 51 years to her husband, Mark.

Mary (Straubinger) Vinal ’62, Social Studies Education, passed away on Dec. 4, 2019.

M. Celeste Hyzer ’63, Art, passed away on Aug. 11, 2020.

Patricia (Wendling) Coyle ’64, Business Administration, passed away on Oct. 3, 2019. She was a licensed clinical social worker.

Emma Healy ’66, Art, passed away on Oct. 28, 2019.

Kathleen S. (Rozek) Moritz ’68, Medical Technology, passed away on Feb. 16, 2020.

Sr. Eileen Barrett ’69, Elementary Education, passed away on Feb. 15, 2020.

1970s

Linda Wueller ’71, Elementary Education, passed away on Feb. 2, 2019. She taught in Buffalo at PS 53 Community School for 33 years. She retired in 2002.

Marie Ellen Hochreiter ’74, Sociology, passed away on Jan. 19, 2020.

Sr. Christine A. McManus SSMN ’76, Elementary Education, passed away on July 4, 2020.

Lawrence J. Sams, Jr. ’76, History and Government, passed away on April 25, 2020.

Susan Bennett ’77, Physical Therapy, passed away on June 4, 2020. A native of Buffalo, Dr. Bennett’s legacy is rooted in a 43-year career as a physical therapist and national leader in the field of rehabilitation of individuals with multiple sclerosis. She served as president of the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers, the preeminent organization for health care providers involved in the care of multiple sclerosis MS patients.

Patricia (Mercadante) Valiante ’77, Music, passed away on Sept. 8, 2020.

Caroline Duax ’79, Music, passed away on April 29, 2020.

David Mikula ’79, Natural Science (Chemistry), passed away on May 28, 2020.

1980s

Catherine Phillips-Russ ’86, Special and Elementary Education, passed away on April 4, 2020.

Steven L. Hain ’89, Physical Therapy, passed away on June 5, 2020 at his Manheim Township home, surrounded by close friends and family.

1990s

Ellen Fahey ’90, Travel and Transportation Management, passed away on Jan. 30, 2020.

2000s

Adam P. Desio ’03, Graphic Design, passed away on Jan. 13, 2020. He was the first student artist to appear on the Academic Festival poster.

2010s

Angela Florence ’16, Nursing, passed away on May 3, 2020.

Audre Bunis, formerly of the Daemen College Board of Trustees, and longtime supporter of the college, passed away on June 13, 2020. She was the chair of the Haberman Gacioch Arts Center building campaign.

Mary Kolodziej, former Daemen employee, passed away on May 23, 2020.

Dorothy Merrill, formerly of the Daemen College Board of Trustees, passed away on May 21, 2020. She received the Community Service Award from the college.

Joan C. Stovroff, former Advisory Board member and longtime supporter of the college, passed away on May 24, 2020. She was the 2018 recipient of the Daemen College Community Excellence Award.

Paula Witherell passed away on Dec. 29, 2020. She was the Daemen College director of institutional communications since 2013 and she was editor of the Daemen Today magazine and Daemen Voice online newsletter. She was highly respected and received numerous awards for her work as director of communications at various higher education institutions in WNY and was named the 2016 Am-Pol Eagle Citizen of the Year for Media.