Class Notes
1970's 1980's 1990's 2000's 2010's
’70s
Volunteering as a clown at Naples Community Hospital’s Healing Arts program is one way that alumna Elizabeth “Betsy” Braun Andreini-Thomas of Naples, Fla., ’72 BSEd in Elementary Education, is making the most of her retirement years. She also accepted a cashier position recently at Publix Super Markets, a Fortune 100 grocery store chain that employs people into their 90s. Over the course of her career, she worked in financial services and lived in Portland, Maine, New York City, London and San Francisco. She made plans to return to Poland, Ohio, this fall for her 50th reunion at Poland Seminary High School.
Frank Mento of Bois Colombes, France, ’72 BM, recently published a 10-volume comprehensive online harpsichord method, available at: harpsichord-method.com. The course provides progressive instruction for students of the harpsichord, from beginners to advanced. Mento is organist emeritus at Saint-Jean de Montmartre Church and Professor Emeritus of Harpsichord at the Conservatory of the 18th district, both in Paris. He held both positions for several decades until his retirement in 2015. A Campbell, Ohio, native, he also holds degrees from the University of Cincinnati and Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris.
Ron Suchecki of China Spring, Texas, ’72 BSBA in Marketing, was named to the Frozen Food Hall of Fame in March at the American Frozen Food Institute Convention in San Diego. Suchecki is the retired vice president of sales for Ateeco, Inc. / Mrs. T’s Pierogies. He started his career in food as a frozen food manager at Fisher-Fazio’s supermarkets when he was a student at YSU and later worked for Lender’s Bagels before joining Ateeco/Mrs. T’s as its first national sales manager. He doubled the company’s sales in his first three years and was named VP of Sales.
Elinor S. Zedaker of Poland, ’72 AAB in Business Education, was recognized by the Ohio School Boards Association in January for her 25 years of service to the Poland Local Board of Education. She was presented an award from the state association at the local board’s reorganizational meeting. Zedaker is vice president of the board.
Gary Stevens of Bangkok, Thailand, ’74 BA in Geography, is an independent consultant and project facilitator in Thailand, South East Asia and Indo-China, where he has been living and working for 40 years. He is managing director for his company, Siam Energy Group Co., the platform for his consulting work involving projects in oil and gas, power plants, environmental and industrial equipment trading sectors worldwide.
Michael W. McBride of Youngstown, ’75 BSBA in Accounting, has retired as executive director of Youngstown Area Goodwill Industries, where he had been employed for 39 years. He joined the agency in 1979 as finance director and was named executive director in 1982. Under his guidance, Youngstown Area Goodwill Industries increased its budget from $1.8 million to $6 million and more than doubled its employee payroll. At YSU, he served on the board for the Center for Nonprofit Leadership and was presented the Outstanding Service Award in 2010 by the Williamson College of Business Administration.
Darryl S. Tukufu of Salem, Ore., ’76 BA in Social Studies, has been appointed assistant superintendent of the Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion for the Oregon Department of Education. Previously, Tukufu was an assistant professor of Sociology at Bethel University in Tennessee and, before that, served in a succession of executive and faculty positions at Victory University in Memphis. He also lived and worked in Oregon, serving as an adjunct university professor and as president and chief executive officer of the Urban League of Portland. In addition to his YSU degree, he has a doctorate in Sociology and a master’s in Urban Studies, both from the University of Akron.
Tom Humphries of Girard, Ohio, ’77 AAB in Business, has announced plans to retire Dec. 31 as president and CEO of the Youngstown Warren Regional Chamber, a position he’s held since 1997. He plans to continue at the Chamber as a consultant throughout 2018 to assist with fundraising and state/federal government relations. Humphries also owns and operates Data Voice Systems Review, located in Warren, serves on the Ohio Board of Regents, is chair of the Ohio Local Government Innovation Fund Council and is a founding member of Team NEO.
’80s
Rebecca Keck of North Jackson, Ohio, ’83 BA in Speech Communication, was presented the Governor’s Award for the Arts in Ohio this spring in the category of Arts Education. The award recognizes Keck’s work in transitioning SMARTS – Students Motivated by the Arts from a program at YSU to a nonprofit community-based arts school located in the Ohio One Building in downtown Youngstown. SMARTS provides classes in visual arts, music, dance, theater and creative writing during and after school for students in grades K-12 and recently met its $750,000 philanthropic goal for classroom renovations, equipment and programming.
Dennis and Lisa Gourley Tinkler of Blacklick, Ohio, ’82 and ’83, both BE in Civil Engineering, have been married for 35 years and worked together for 30 years as professional engineers designing wastewater facilities. Now, he is a project executive for Kokosing Industrial, part of a large general contracting company in Ohio. She owns and operates Berry Blendz, a smoothie retail business with two stores, one at Ohio State University in Columbus and one in the Macy's store at Easton.
Michael Ramos of Cincinnati, Ohio, ’83 BA in Psychology, was awarded the National Alliance on Mental Illness-Butler County, Ohio Lifetime Mental Health Service Award for outstanding career service in the field of mental health. Ramos is a Clinical Social Worker at Butler Behavioral Health Services in Hamilton, Ohio. In addition to his YSU degree, he holds an MSW in Social Work from the University of Kentucky.
After more than 50 years in the construction business, alumnus Jim Connor of Youngstown is trying his hand at something new: songwriting and recording. Connor, ’85 AB in Labor Studies, is pursuing a Master’s Certificate in Songwriting from Berklee Online School of Music in Boston and recently traveled to Nashville to produce his first musical recording, titled “Street Preacher.” The recording features Connor playing and singing four of his original songs, an Americana blend of R&B and Southern Rock. Connor owns and operates the J. J. Connor Company, Inc., a Youngstown-based structural steel erection business that most recently participated in construction of YSU’s new University Edge Apartments and the new Barnes and Noble YSU Bookstore. The company also built YSU’s Andrews Student Recreation and Wellness Center, as well as additions at Salem Community Hospital, the new Mercy Hospital in Howland and St. Elizabeth Boardman Health Center.
Sam Bahour of Al-Bireh, Palestine, ’87 BSA in Computer Technology, is a Palestinian-American business consultant and a managing partner at Applied Information Management, which specializes in business development. He is also chairman and founder of Americans for a Vibrant Palestinian Economy, and as a blogger his comments on www.epalestine.com have been widely publicized on mainstream media. Besides his YSU degree, Bahour holds an EMBA from a joint Northwestern and Tel Aviv University program.
Jeffrey Good of Salem, Ohio, ’87 BA in Speech Communications, was appointed to the Mahoning County Educational Service Center Governing Board in February, replacing a member who retired. Good is director of Education at Western Reserve Public Media/Western Reserve PBS, a PBS TV station serving more than 5.1 million viewers in the Youngstown, Akron and Cleveland markets and providing educational technology services to school districts in 10 counties.
Alec Pacella of Cleveland, Ohio, ’88 BA in Geography, ‘92 MBA, was inducted into the Midwest Real Estate Hall of Fame. He is senior vice president and managing partner of NAI Daus, the Cleveland office for NAI Global and a provider of commercial real estate brokerage and property management services across Northeastern Ohio. He was also featured in RE Journals.com, a leading commercial real estate news magazine.
Amir Hussain of Woodbridge, Va., ’89 BSBA in Marketing Management, was recently stationed at the United States Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, as part of his work for the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence. Previously, he was deployed to the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan. He is a 35-year Army veteran.
Once a victim of domestic violence herself, Carolyn Bell Murphy of Upper Marlboro, Md., ’89 BA in Religious Studies, is the founder and CEO of Women of Excellence, Not Without a Struggle, a nonprofit organization that aims to assist and encourage women facing domestic abuse. In addition to sponsoring retreats and workshops to educate and empower women, the group offers scholarships to help survivors of domestic abuse to take control of their lives. At YSU, Women of Excellence, NWAS, makes a scholarship of up to $1,000 available annually to assist a qualified student that has been affected by domestic violence. For more on the organization, visit www.womenofexcellencenwas.org; more information on the scholarship and applications is available through YSU’s Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships.
Jeffrey S. Yeager of Philadelphia, Pa., ’89 BE, recently relocated to Philly as deputy structural practice leader for Urban Engineers. Previously, he worked in the firm’s Erie, Pa., office. The move aims to enhance services to East Coast customers. Yeager is a registered Professional Engineer in seven states and has extensive design experience, from early project planning stages through construction administration.
Bob Wollet of Youngstown, ’89 BSBA, was named senior vice president and relationship manager for PNC Corporate and Institutional Banking. He is responsible for portfolio management and new business development for mid-sized and large companies. Wollet has 26 years of banking experience and most recently served as vice president and relationship manager for PNC Commercial Banking. Active in the community, he serves the boards of the Youngstown Business Incubator, YMCA of Youngstown, Mercy Health Strategic Planning, the YSU Center for Nonprofit Leadership and Difference Makers Charity.
’90s
Bob Boyer of Flower Mound, Texas, ’92 AAS, ’94 BS in Mechanical Engineering, recently won the international iF Design Award in the Product – Industry/Skilled Trades category for a heavy duty gas regulator that he designed. Boyer is principal engineer for gas equipment for ESAB Welding and Cutting Products. He joined the company in 1998. The iF Design Award competition was created by an independent design organization in Germany to highlight the best designs worldwide. Boyer also holds numerous worldwide patents and has been published in the AWS Welding Journal.
Stephanie L. Shaw of Warren, ’92 BA in Communication Studies, has been named to the Board of Directors for the Community Foundation of the Mahoning Valley. Shaw is executive director of the Eastern Ohio Education Partnership. She is affiliated with the Northeast Ohio Adoption Services and the Howland Community Scholarship committee. She also holds a master's degree from Northeastern University and is pursuing certification in Financial Management from Cornell University.
Troy Barnett of Salem, Ohio, ’93 BS in Psychology, recently completed advanced training by the American Association of Premier DUI Attorneys. Barnett earned his Juris Doctorate from the University of Akron School of Law and has a private law practice in Salem.
Shawn M. Starkey of Ferndale, Mich., ’95 BA in Professional Writing and Editing, was named vice president of communications and marketing for the Ross Initiative in Sports for Equality (RISE). He joined RISE in January and works in its Detroit and New York offices. Founded in 2015 by Miami Dolphins owner Stephen M. Ross, RISE is a nonprofit organization dedicated to harnessing the power of sports to improve race relations and drive social progress. Previously, Starkey was director of Marketing and Communications at Wayne State University Law School in Detroit. In 2016, he was inducted into the Sharon, Pa., High School Alumni Hall of Fame.
Shelly Pawcio of Warren, Ohio, ’96 BSBA in Accounting, has joined Seven Seventeen Credit Union’s executive management team after being promoted to senior vice president and chief financial officer. She joined the credit union in 2008 and has served as vice president, finance and accounting manager. She is a Certified Public Accountant and holds the Certified Credit Union Executive designation and the CU Investments Professional designation.
Jeremy Mercer of Pittsburgh, ’97 BA in Political Science, History and Geography, has joined the law firm of Blank Rome as a partner in the Energy, Environment and Mass Torts Practice Group in Pittsburgh. He earned his law degree at Ohio State University. Mercer counsels clients in the shale and hydraulic fracturing arena. He has extensive experience in state and federal courts, including trials and preliminary injunctions, as well as at the intermediate and appellate levels of the Pennsylvania courts.
John Picuri of Cortland, Ohio, ’97 BE in Civil Engineering, was recently appointed district deputy director of the Ohio Department of Transportation, District 4, which includes Ashtabula, Mahoning, Portage, Stark, Summit and Trumbull Counties. Previously, he served the district as the Planning & Engineering administrator. Picuri also holds a bachelor’s degree in Surveying and Mapping from the University of Akron and is licensed in Ohio, Pennsylvania and North Carolina as a Professional Engineer.
Trevor Graff of Friendswood, Texas, ’99 BS in Geology and BA in Earth Science, is a planetary scientist for Jacobs at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, where he spent 10 days in June working underwater as an aquanaut, conducting space mission research. A scuba enthusiast, Graff also holds an MS in Geological Sciences from Arizona State, has worked extensively with NASA’s Mars rovers and collected rock and soil samples for NASA from around the world.
’00s
Sean Jones of Newtonville, Mass., ’00 BM in Classical Trumpet Performance, along with seven other renowned jazz musicians/composers, are performing together as a touring band called the SFJAZZ Collection, celebrating the work of jazz great Miles Davis. A trumpeter, composer and bandleader, Jones has released seven albums under the Mack Avenue Records label. He is artistic director of the Pittsburgh and Cleveland Jazz Orchestras and chair of the Brass Department at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. He also holds an MM in trumpet performance from Rutgers University.
John Alexander of Pittsburgh, ’02 BSBA, is a senior sales representative for Thermo Fisher Scientific, a provider of laboratory equipment, chemicals, supplies, and services used for scientific research, safety, healthcare, and education. In 2014, he earned an MBA in Market Development from Waynesburg University of Pennsylvania.
Ryan Geilhard of Vienna, Ohio, ‘02 BSAS in Computer Information Systems, was named director of IT Infrastructure Services at YSU in December. Previously, he was virtual chief information officer for Involta, Youngstown, serving as a consultant for numerous corporate customers, and before that he held various IT roles at First Place Bank, FirstMerit Bank and Gannett Fleming Engineers. Geilhard is also pursuing an MBA at YSU and expects to complete it this fall.
Dennis M. Dlugosz of Avon, Ohio, ‘03 BSBA in Accounting, has been promoted to equity director for Corrigan Krause CPAs in Westlake. Formerly director of the company’s assurance services department, he joined the firm in 2005 and now leads its construction and real estate services niche focus groups. As a student, he played football for the YSU Penguins.
Terri Davis-Liller of Youngstown, ’06 BS in Elementary Education, '10 MS in Social Work, in March 2016 opened TD Counseling in Canfield, a mental health and substance abuse counseling practice. Since then, she has expanded the business and added to her staff of clinicians. She is also a part-time instructor in the Social Work department at YSU and a contributing editor for Youngstown Sophisticate Magazine.
Robert J. DiRienzo of Jacksonville, Fla., ’06 BS in Civil and Construction Engineering Technology, recently earned his Professional Engineer license in Florida. He is an engineer with Taylor Engineering Inc. in Jacksonville, where he started in 2007 as a staff designer. DiRienzo also earned a BS in Civil Engineering from the University of North Florida.
Ashley Anderson of Ismir, Turkey, ’07 BA Psychology, has launched a website, www.amalShop.org, to help Syrian refugees living in Turkey support themselves by selling their handmade goods online. She’s also working with other volunteers to open a school for displaced Syrian children. Anderson, who traveled to Greece in 2015 to help rescue Syrian refugees escaping to the island of Lesvos, was featured in the fall 2016 issue of YSU Magazine. She also holds a master’s degree in Public Administration and Human Rights and has worked as an independent International Labor Organization consultant for the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland.
Tyler Morton of Youngstown, ’07 BA in Communication Studies, was honored with a Distinguished Employee Award by Essilor Laboratories, an international optical laboratory company with 80,000 employees worldwide. Morton began his career in the optical industry in 2009 and is now director of operations at Central One Optical, Youngstown. His wife, Jennifer (Yazbek) Morton, is also a YSU graduate.
When an ischemic stroke in 2007 changed life for Andy Wilson, ’98 BSBA, the Boone, N.C., bank credit analyst began the long process of rehabilitation – he had to start over, relearning to walk, talk, read and carry on with his daily life. As his skills returned, he found writing therapeutic, so he spent the past eight years completing his own original screenplay, a thriller titled “Blindsight,” then raised funds to produce a movie trailer. The five-minute trailer has been chosen for screening at the Hollywood International Moving Pictures Film Festival, the Lucky Strike Film Festival, the Gold Movie Awards Goddess Nike in London, and the Boone Film Festival in North Carolina. Wilson hopes to attract investors interested in backing a full-length feature film. To see the trailer, visit blindsightflick.com.
Janet Gbur of Canfield, ‘08 BE in Materials Engineering and ’11 MSE in Mechanical Engineering, has been appointed president-elect of the newly organized Microscopy Society of America Student Council. She is a doctoral candidate in Materials Science and Engineering at Case Western Reserve University. New officers are selected annually and must be students at the time of their election but serve their terms to completion, even if they graduate in the interim.
Krystal Culler of Austintown, Ohio, ’09 BA in Gerontology and Sociology, is the inaugural director of the award-winning Center 4 Brain Health at Menorah Park, a non-pharmacological, non-hospital based brain health center in Beachwood, Ohio. The center recently received an Innovators Award from the International Council on Active Aging and was singled out as one of North America’s most innovative active-aging programs for 2016.
’10s
Andre Barboza of Bronx, N.Y., ’12 BS in General Studies, was named assistant football coach at Fordham University, responsible for the team’s wide receivers. Previously, he held assistant coaching positions at Sacred Heart University, Nauset Regional High School in Massachusetts, Stonehill College and Slippery Rock University. He began his coaching career at YSU as a student assistant. Barboza played two years for the YSU Penguins, and before that played two seasons at Erie Community College, where he earned an associate degree in Communications Studies.
Jessica L. Valsi of Columbus, ’12 BS in Political Science, has accepted a new position as program assistant in the Department of Political Science at Ohio State University. She provides administrative support for the department, advises department-sponsored student organizations and will spearhead undergraduate recruitment activities. Valsi joined the OSU staff in January after three years as a legislative aide in the Ohio House of Representatives.
Zackary B. White of Youngstown, ’13 BA in Political Science, has joined the law firm of Day Ketterer and is based in the firm’s downtown Canton office. White earned his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Minnesota Law School, where he served as ombudsman in the Student Conflict Resolution Center and as student director of the university’s Moot Court Team. Previously, he was a student attorney with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and a summer law clerk with the Air Force JAG Corps.
Gulper Yarasik of Boardman, ’13 MBA in Management, was recently promoted to senior business process lead for the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company in Akron. She joined the company in 2013 as a technology consulting analyst and was named an IT business partner before assuming her newest position. Before coming to YSU, she earned a bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Yeditepe University in Turkey.
Emily Bosela of Atlanta, Ga., ’14 BSBA in Marketing Management, ‘15 MBA in Management, with a certificate in SAP Enterprise Resource Planning, was recently promoted to process coordinator in the Waybill Processing department at Norfolk Southern. She joined the company as a revenue accounting analyst in 2015. Her new position is heavily focused on the SAP ERP systems, a specialized skill that she learned at YSU. As a grad student at YSU she was a graduate assistant in the Williamson College of Business Administration and spent one summer as a marketing research intern for the Hudson Chamber of Commerce.
Tina Cascarelli of Poland, Ohio, ’14 BFA in Graphic Design, has joined Cassidy Advertising & Consulting in Howland as a graphic designer. Her graphic art was displayed at the YSU Student Art Association art show for two consecutive years and was featured at the American Institute of Graphic Arts – Pittsburgh art show. Cascarelli also operates an online shop on Etsy, Tina’s Paper Heart Shop, where her card and invitation designs are available for sale.
Ever considered looking into employment with Disney? If so, the recruitment brochures and online materials you studied might have been designed by alumna Christy Hartman of Boardman, ’14 BFA in Graphic + Interactive Design. Hartman is a creative designer working for Disney’s Talent Acquisition Marketing Team, creating social, digital and print designs for the entertainment giant’s entire enterprise, including The Walt Disney Studios, Lucasfilm, ESPN, Disney Cruise Line and Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. She started as an intern with the same team in 2015 and then was offered a full-time position. As a student, she worked as a designer for Graphic Services in Kilcawley Center.
Rees T. Linville of Chicago, ’14 BS in Criminal Justice, has accepted a position as Education and Learning senior associate at SmithBucklin, an association management company, where he will be involved in educational development, conference planning, speaker training and overall educational operations. Previously, he was employed as director of Central Operations for the professional staff of Tau Kappa Epsilon International Fraternity.
Spc. Rachel Minto, '14, is one of the newest fifers to join the U.S. Army's Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps. A native of Pittsburgh, Minto earned her BM in Music Education at YSU's Dana School of Music and a master's in Music Performance from Arizona State University. Other new members are, Spc. Brittany Primavera of Dallas, center, and Spc. Julia Amadee of Greensburg, Pa. Founded in 1960, the Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps is one of the Army's premier musical organizations, continuing a tradition that began with the musicians of the Continental Army during the American Revolution.
A graduate school internship in Uganda gave alumna Sarah Perrine of Medina first-hand experience in the misery and discomfort that comes with a lack of clean water. Her response? She started an online campaign to provide a dependable water source for the people of Masaka, Uganda, the small rural village where she served a three-month internship last spring. Perrine, ’14 BA in Professional Writing and Editing and ’14 BS in Environmental Studies, is pursuing a master’s degree in Sustainable Management of Inland Aquatic Resources at the University of Jyväskylä in Finland – YSU has an exchange partnership with the school. She completed the volunteer internship through the MILECHILD Foundation, a nonprofit organization that provides education, water, sanitation and hygiene training for children and their families in Masaka. Her online fundraising effort raised more than $2,000 to drill a borehole that now provides clean water to the school and village; she hopes others will raise more funds in the near future to automate the project with a pump and a 5,000-liter storage tank.
Fashion designer and YSU alum Jacob McIntyre of New York, N.Y., ’15 BS in General Studies, and business partner James Chapman are co-owners of Chapman McIntyre, a New York-based design firm. They are showcasing their designs in New York, Paris and Brazil this fall after presenting their first runway show as part of New York Fashion Week earlier this year. McIntyre said the firm is focused on sustainability, all its garments are made and designed in New York, and the owners work with local farms and mills to create environmentally-friendly materials. McIntyre also holds an associate degree in Fashion Design from the Fashion Institute of Technology. He worked in theaters in Ohio and California before moving to New York.
Wilson Poffenberger of Hagerstown, Md., ’15 MM in Saxophone Performance, is spending his second year of advanced studies in Paris with renowned French teacher/performer Jean-Michel Goury. Poffenberger was awarded an H.H. Wolley Foundation Award to support his second year of study.
Jennifer Miller of McDonald, ’16 BS in Chemistry, has been awarded a prestigious, three-year Graduate Research Fellowship by the National Science Foundation. She is pursuing a PhD in Physical Chemistry at Penn State University, and the fellowship will pay her tuition plus a stipend for the next three years. Miller’s research focus is nanochemistry, the exploration of things too small to see with the naked eye, and she’s working on a collaborative research study on lasers with an optical engineering group at Penn State.
Justin Wier of New Castle, Pa., ’16 BS in Journalism and Economics, won second place for "Enterprise Reporting" in the statewide Ohio Associated Press Media Editors newspaper competition. Wier, now employed as a reporter for The Vindicator in Youngstown, won recognition for a three-day series he wrote for the newspaper on the damage being done to Youngstown neighborhoods by out-of-town property owners. As a student he was an editor, reporter, and editorial writer for The Jambar.
Hailey Cassidy of Warren, Ohio, ’17 BSBA in Marketing Management, has been named vice president of Cassidy Advertising and Consulting, Canfield. She joined the company as an office manager in 2011. As a student, Cassidy was a member of Beta Gamma Sigma, a business honor society. She completed courses abroad in Prague, Czech Republic and Dublin, Ireland through YSU’s Center of Excellence in International Business and was a member of the Williamson College of Business Administration Business
Leaders Program.
Andrew Morgan of Fowler, Ohio, ’17 BE in Electrical Engineering and BS in Computer Science, has been awarded a graduate fellowship by the Tau Beta Pi engineering honor society to pursue a PhD in robotics at Yale University. As a student at YSU, he was named a Goldwater Scholar and participated in more than a dozen student-led organizations.
Jenna Wise of Hubbard, ’17 BS in Mathematics and Computer Science, was awarded a graduate research fellowship by the National Science Foundation that will finance her PhD studies at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh starting this fall. She also completed a paid internship at the IBM Research Center in New York this summer, her fourth internship in four years.