Class Notes
1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s
YSU alumna overcomes obstacles, returns to Olympic Marathon Trials
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Earning a spot at the Olympic Trials is a dream for many athletes, and for one alumna, that dream has come true – not once, but twice. After six months of training, runner Laura Kaulen, 2000, BSE, Special Education, secured a spot at the Olympic Marathon Trials by running the 2019 Chicago Marathon qualifying race in 2:42:48. That means she ran approximately six-minute miles, 26.2 of them to be exact. The 2020 trials were held Feb. 29 in Atlanta, Ga., where Kaulen fell short of the time needed to qualify for the Olympics but managed to finish the race despite windy course conditions. In 2014, she ran the Erie Marathon in 2:42:12, which qualified her for the 2016 Olympic Marathon Trials in Los Angeles, Ca., but she did not finish among the top three runners, which was needed to earn a spot in the Olympics. A member of the cross country and indoor/outdoor track teams throughout her time at YSU, Kaulen continued running most years since graduation until two recent setbacks. In 2017, Chronic Fatigue and Hypothalamus Dysfunction sidelined her for 10 months, and a strained hamstring halted her training for two months in 2019. Kaulen, a high school Special Education teacher at Central Crossing High School in Grove City, Ohio, finds time to run 75 miles over a six day span each week during marathon training season. She also qualified to run the Boston Marathon this spring as part of the elite women’s start. She and husband Matt Kaulen, 1999, ran cross country and indoor/outdoor track while at YSU under Coach Brian Gorby. The couple has three children – Nicole, Erica and Ryan.’60S
Joyce Brooks of Canfield, 1963, BSE, Elementary Education, and 1970, MSEd, is the recipient of the Outstanding Senior Award for Professional Excellence from the 2019 Valley Legacy Awards. Brooks has received several awards recognizing her devotion and commitment to education, including the YSU Beeghly College of Education Outstanding Alumni Lifetime Educational Service Award in 2010.
’70s
Francis M. Curd of Bradenton, Fla., 1973, BS, Biology, was honored as the Distinguished Alumnus of the Year at Case Western Reserve University, School of Dental Medicine in Cleveland. He serves on the board of Health Legacy of Cleveland and the CWRU School of Dental Medicine Alumni Association. He also is a fellow of the International College of Dentists and American College of Dentists and is an active member of Sigma Pi Phi.
Patrick D. Scullin of Peachtree Corners, Ga., 1979, BSBA, Advertising and Public Relations, has released his debut novel, Sawdust–Love is Wilder than a Circus. When he attended YSU, Scullin wrote a humor column in The Jambar and was a recipient of the YSU Pin.
Alumnus promoted to "full-bird" colonelRalph (Mac) Crum Ralph (Mac) Crum , BA, 1991, English has been promoted to Colonel, the most senior field grade military officer rank in the Army. Currently, he serves as U.S. Army Financial Management Command finance accounting oversight and field operations chief. Competition was fierce. In total, the Army considered more than 3,000 lieutenant colonels for promotion, and Crum was among 14 percent selected. U.S. military colonels rank above a lieutenant colonel and below a brigadier general. The insignia for a colonel is a silver eagle with a U.S. shield on its chest. The eagle insignia led to the informal name “full-bird colonel.” Crum is the last commissioned graduate from the original YSU ROTC Battalion before the program joined forces with Kent State. Crum leads the Indianapolis Alumni Chapter and lives in Carmel, Indiana, with his wife, Kristine (Jakovina) Crum , BSBA,1995 and their two sons – Matthew and Evan (pictured above pinning his father). |
’80s
Guy Coviello of Youngstown, 1983, BA, English, is one of 44 people recently inducted into the Association of Ohio Commodores. He also was appointed to the Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission and was made a partner in the Ohio Chamber of Commerce Research Foundation project that created the report, "Ohio BOLD: A Blueprint for Accelerating the Innovation Economy."
Dominic Romeo of Atlanta, Ga., 1984, BSBA, Finance, has recently been hired as the new chief financial officer at CommuniCare Health Centers based in Blue Ash, Ohio.
’90s
Bob Coury of Jupiter, Fla., 1997, BSAS, is employed as a staff manufacturing engineer at Lockheed Martin Corp. in West Palm Beach, Fla. He is currently supporting the assembly and testing of dry combat submarines to deliver Navy Seals to their missions. Coury is also competing in the Southeast Division of the Sports Car Club of America, running in the Formula Continental class with the YSU logo on his car. He has recently competed in events at Palm Beach International Raceway and Daytona International Speedway.
Hasheen Wilson of Canfield, 1998, BA, Speech Communication; 2008, MCI; and 2018, MBA, has opened the Youngstown Event Center (youngstowneventcenter.com) inside a former church just south of downtown Youngstown. The event rental facility can host events ranging in size from 30 to 200 people.
Kaylyn Boca of Pittsburgh, 1999, BA, Psychology, is based in Leech Tishman’s Pittsburgh office and is chair of the firm’s Real Estate Practice Group, where she handles a variety of real estate and corporate matters for clients. Boca has been elected to serve an additional two-year term on the firm’s Management Committee, where she will oversee firm governance, strategic planning and daily operational issues for the firm.
Teachers reunited after decades apartToni De Tallo and Alice Scott (far left) spent four years as friends and classmates at YSU before both graduated in 1992 with degrees in Elementary Education. The pair headed off to Baltimore for their first teaching positions and went separate ways when early career life became busy. In fact, each thought the other had left Maryland and returned to Ohio. In reality, during the 28 years that followed, De Tallo got married, held several teaching positions, had three children, and received nominations for Baltimore County Teacher of the Year and Maryland Teacher of the Year. Meanwhile, Scott also met her husband, had a child, held various teaching positions and was nominated for Baltimore County Teacher of the Year. Fast forward to 2019 when De Tallo and Scott both accepted Title One resource positions in Baltimore County and found themselves in the same meeting together. Since that fateful reunion, the friends barely let a day go by without some form of communication. |
’00s
Kevin Hickman of New York, 2000, BA, Political Science, was recently named partner with the law firm of Stonberg Moran LLP, a Manhattan litigation firm. He focuses his practice on the defense of construction and transportation companies throughout the New York metropolitan area.
John Paul Allsopp of Poland, 2001, MS, Law Enforcement Administration, was one of 256 law enforcement officials to graduate from the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Va. The class included members of law enforcement agencies from 34 countries,five military organizations, and nine federal civilian organizations. Allsopp has served with Boardman Township Police Department since 1999. He previously worked with the Hudson Police Department and the Mahoning County Sheriff’s Office.
Katie Solvesky of Boardman, 2003, BSBA, General Business, is again being recognized by Forbes, this time in the magazine's 2019 list of "Best-in-State Next-Generation Wealth Advisors.” She was named to the list in 2018 and 2017. Solvesky also was named to the 2019 Working Mother/Shook Research"Top Wealth Advisor Moms" list.
Sheila Calko of Warren, 2004, BSE, Secondary Education, is the new assistant principal at Cardinal Mooney High School and previously taught social studies at Ursuline High School, Valley Christian and the New York City Department of Education. She earned an MA in Teaching from Columbia University in New York in 2008.
Gina Ughiovhe of Landover, Md., 2006, BSE, Early Childhood Education, has been rated a highly effective teacher in the District of Columbia Public Schools for the last three years. She has taught kindergarten for the last 13 years.
Gianni DiNello of Pittsburgh, 2007, BSBA, Finance, has opened a Waddell & Reed branch in downtown Pittsburgh. DiNello, a financial advisor, earned the Certified Financial Planner certification in July 2019.
B. Danine Fleming of Summerville, S.C., 2007, EdD, Educational Leadership, was the keynote speaker for Claflin University’s 2019 Fall Commencement. Fleming is associate professor in Academic Affairs Faculty, the director of Training and Intercultural Education in the department of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at the Medical University of South Carolina.
Tanisha Franklin of Youngstown, 2007, BA, Physical Education, was awarded the "Making a Difference Award" by City Kids Care Inc. Franklin is the head coach of the East High School Lady Golden Bears basketball team. The award recognizes her hard work and dedication on and off the court. Franklin is also an alumna of the Youngstown City Schools.
Cortney Harless of Hartsville, S.C., 2007, BSE, Early Childhood Education, has been chosen to represent Darlington County School District as District Teacher of the Year for 2019-20. Harless teaches 5K at Southside Early Childhood Center and has 11 years of early childhood teaching experience.
Shane Karas of Miami, Fla., 2008, BSE, Integrated Language Arts Education, has joined the University of Miami as director of Foundation Relations. He previously worked six years at Case Western Reserve University where he also earned an MA in Cognitive Linguistics in 2019.
Rebecca Bayley of Poland, 2009, MBA, has been named director of development by Meridian HealthCare. Bayley joins Meridian after serving as a volunteer member of its board of directors. Most recently she was the director of admissions and marketing at Cardinal Mooney High School.
John Brkic of Girard, 2009, BA, Music History and Literature, 2011, MSEd, Counseling, has been promoted to director of field service within the Great Trail Council of the Boy Scouts of America. He will cover all field operations in Mahoning, Medina, northern Wayne, Portage, Summit and Trumbull counties while managing marketing and communications for the Council.
’10s
Haley Zehentbauer of Kensington, Ohio, 2012, BA, Geography, has published “How to Grow Your GISCareer” in ESRI Magazine, the primary source for GIS-related programming and research and development. In the article, she offers career advice for those in the GIS field.
Marcy Angelo of Hubbard, 2015, BSBA, Business Administration, has been named director of client relations by White Glove Payroll. She is an active volunteer with the American Red Cross, the Alzheimer's Association, the Tony Stewart Foundation and the Youngstown Air Reserve Station Base Community Council. She was a 2019 recipient of the 25 Under 35 award presented by the Mahoning Valley Young Professionals.
Matthew Stevens of Canfield, 2016, BA, Political Science, passed the Ohio Bar and has been hired by Baker Hostetler. Stevens’ experience spans a variety of different service areas and industries, with a focus on tax-related matters. Stevens graduated from Ohio State University Moritz College of Law in2019.
Mark Blanco of Canfield, 2017, BE, and 2019, MS,both in Mechanical Engineering, is pursuing a PhD in Aerospace Engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder. Blanco’s work in computational fluiddynamics and wind tunnel experience has earned him a fully-funded graduate assistantship and an opportunity to work with some of the top engineers in the nation. “The quality of this university is mind blowing, and I am honored to be a part of it. I am here with MIT, Princeton and Stanford grads.YSU Engineering can take you places you never dreamed,” said Blanco.
Noah Cole of Hermitage, Pa., 2019, BSBA, Accounting, has been named to the position of Staff Accountant for the Boston Celtics. He works in the Finance/Administration section, located in the team's Front Offices across the street from TD Garden in downtown Boston.
Viva Las Vegas! Retired teacher heads west to perform with former studentTwo members of the Jim Frank Combo traveled cross country to perform in Las Vegas with David Perrico and the Pop Strings Orchestra last November. Jim Frank of Boardman, 1971, BM, Music Education–Percussion, and Bill Gonda of Austintown, 1975, BM, Music, performed music from the Godfather at the Smith Center. All three musicians also graduated from Youngstown Chaney High School. Gonda, a retired teacher, once taught David Perrico, 2003, BM, Music Performance, as a student in his junior high band. Perrico plays trumpet six nights a week at the Tuscany Hotel Copa Room featuring the Rat Pack show. He also plays every weekend at Caesar’s Palace in Cleopatra’s Barge. Pictured from the left at the meet and greet after the show are Gonda, drums, Perrico, trumpet, and Frank, accordion. |