Alumni News

CMU alum named next Griffin Endowed Chair

LaFontaine will lead university’s efforts to elevate political awareness and activity Andrea LaFontaine, executive director of the Michigan Trails and Greenways Alliance, has been named Central Michigan University’s next Griffin Endowed Chair in American Government. The Griffin Chair leads the university’s efforts to elevate political awareness and activity among students, faculty and citizens. As chair, LaFontaine will teach two university courses and host community forums on topics related to Michigan government and policies. She replaced David Rutledge, who held the position since 2017. LaFontaine has a strong connection to CMU. She earned a bachelor’s degree in political science in 2009 and a Master of Public Administration degree in 2011. In 2014, she was recognized as a CMU 10 Within 10 recipient. LaFontaine spent much of the past decade working in the state legislature, starting as an intern, then as a staffer and eventually as an elected official. She was elected to the state House of Representatives in 2010 and served three consecutive terms representing constituents in Macomb and St. Clair counties. After leaving office in 2016 due to term limits, she worked for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and in 2020 became executive director of the Michigan Trails and Greenways Alliance. She also has served as an election inspector and a parks and recreation commissioner. “All of these experiences have shaped and continue to shape my perception and understanding of our democratic process,” LaFontaine said. Established in 2000, the Griffin Endowed Chair honors CMU alumni Sen. Robert P. Griffin, who graduated in 1947, and Marjorie Griffin, who graduated in 1944. LaFontaine is the seventh person to hold the position. •

Opperman named chair of Isabella Bank Corporation

Sarah R. Opperman, ’81, retired executive of the Dow Chemical Company, has been named chair of the Isabella Bank Corporation and Isabella Bank Board of Directors. Opperman joined the boards of Isabella Bank Corporation and the bank in 2012. She worked for Dow nearly 30 years, retiring in 2009 as vice president of global government affairs and public policy. In 2018, she served as interim president and CEO of the Midland Business Alliance, an integrated business hub that includes economic development, the Chamber of Commerce and four other organizations. She received the Chairman’s Award from the Alliance in 2019 for her contributions in strategically realigning and relaunching the organization. Opperman spent eight years on the Central Michigan University Board of Trustees, twice serving as chair. CMU alumni also know her as the namesake of the Sarah R. Opperman Leadership Institute, founded in 1997 to give students an opportunity to develop their leadership qualities. The institute functions as the coordinating body for the university’s present and future leadership-related activities and programming. •

Tranquil and powerful photos earn top Audubon awards for CMU alumnus

Jessmore’s bird photography named best in the country In our summer issue, we shared an update about the Steve Jessmore’s wildlife photography receiving national attention from Sony’s Alpha Universe, a leader in state-of-the-art imaging technology. His work continues to turn heads, this time earning both the top award for professional photographers as well as honorable mention in the 2021 Audubon Photography Awards. Jessmore, ’81, was recognized by Audubon magazine for his stunning photo of a northern cardinal in flight during the winter in rural Muskegon County, the same photo that garnered national attention from Sony’s Alpha Universe. “Circle of Life,” his photo of a red-tailed hawk capturing her chipmunk prey in Milford Township’s Kensington Metropark, earned honorable mention. “I am beyond humbled and overwhelmed to learn that two of my birding images swept the professional category of the national 2021 Audubon Photography Awards,” Jessmore said in a Facebook post. The contest received 8,770 images and 261 video entries from 2,416 photographers. Entries were judged on technical quality, originality and artistic merit. This is the first time one person has swept the professional photography category. Jessmore was a staff photographer at CMU from 2013-18 and a frequent contributor to Centralight. Follow his photography on Instagram @sjessmo. •

Photos courtesy of Steve Jessmore | “Circle of Life,” Steve Jessmore’s photo of a red-tailed hawk capturing her chipmunk prey, earned honorable mention for professional photography in the 2021 Audubon Photography Awards.

Study abroad passion leads to Fulbright award

Recent grad to teach English as a second language in Thailand Swartz Creek native Katherine Pulaski, ’21, received a Fulbright grant to travel to Thailand as a teaching assistant for English as a second language. When she first arrived at CMU, Pulaski did not know which path to follow for her studies, so she registered for a wide range of classes. A Buddhism class sparked Pulaski’s passion for cultural studies and ethnographic research. She majored in anthropology and public and nonprofit administration to build upon her interests, and she took her passion for travel to the Study Abroad office, completing an internship and a study abroad trip in Thailand. “Studying abroad altered Pulaski everything. It changed the way I saw the world, what I wanted to do and how I thought about things,” Pulaski said. Pulaski is now preparing for her travels to Thailand and has dreams of pursuing a doctoral degree in anthropology. She is particularly interested in a career in the nonprofit sector working with refugee populations. The Fulbright U.S. Student Program provides grants for students for study and research projects aborad, as well as English teaching assistant programs. Fulbright recipients are able to live with and learn from people across the world in over 140 countries. •

Felicia Harris Dan Ward Julie Messing

Industry leaders join CMURC Board of Directors

Felicia Harris, Julie Messing and Dan Ward have been approved to join the Central Michigan University Research Corporation Board of Directors by the CMU Board of Trustees. Harris, ’96, graduated from CMU with a degree in HR management and established her company, EverythingHR. Ward, ’07, initially worked under Dan Gilbert after graduating from CMU, and then went on to create Detroit Labs, a custom software development company. Messing, the third appointee, is director of Isabella Bank Institute for Entrepreneurship (IBIE). She is an experienced entrepreneurship educator who works closely with entrepreneurs and business leaders to bring opportunities to CMU students as well as supporting regional entrepreneurial development. •

ALUMNI NEWS

Photos courtesy of Paulie Cohen

Paulie Cohen and his painful, beautiful magnum opus

Professor Marvel frontman and CMU alumnus channels his cancer journey into concept album, ‘The Senary’ A friend’s description of the genre-melding debut concept album crafted entirely by Michigan musician Paulie Cohen says a lot about this extraordinary project. “I asked an early supporter of the project what he thought I should put for the genre, and he said, ‘cancer,’ since it’s varied and pretty emotional,” Cohen recalled. “Sometimes it’s quiet and folky, sometimes it jams, sometimes it’s dark and intentionally dissonant, sometimes it’s rock or funk. It’s a pretty epic adventure that mirrors many of the emotions I was processing.” Diagnosed in September 2020 with aggressive B-cell lymphoma, Cohen, ’02, responded by performing and recording his “one-man-band” album. “The Senary” unfolds as a continuous piece of music told from the perspective of 10 characters from his favorite ’80s movies. He did it while enduring several rounds of chemo treatment that sapped his energy after receiving the jarring news of his condition. Speaking from his parents’ home in Traverse City, Cohen said the cancer diagnosis “just really pressed the gas on making sure I made some music, and make sure I occupied my brain with something other than fear. It was wild. It was ambitious.” Cohen, 42, grew up outside Flint, influenced by a guitar-playing father with a penchant for classic rock and Motown music. He played drums for an alt-rock band in high school, attended CMU and started playing coffee houses with his acoustic guitar, and eventually, fronted an eight-piece funk band, Professor Marvel & the 4th Quadrant, which toured Michigan’s bar circuit for several years. After spending time in Idaho, Cohen and his wife, Carrie, returned to Michigan to start a family, settling in Kalamazoo. They have a 9-year-old son, Levi, and 6-year-old daughter, Eva.

Much of his family resides in northern Michigan, including his parents and his sister. Writing songs for his first solo album — for which he’d developed the central theme years ago — and selfproducing the project presented challenges. But the pandemic and his cancer diagnosis gave him the time and impetus to push it through. “Since I already had the idea and all of the instruments and recording gear in my basement, the mechanics of recording the project weren’t terribly difficult, but the chemo added many complications to having the strength to pull it off,” he said. “I’d cut vocals on the days my voice worked, keys in the middle of the night when the prednisone kept me up and drums when everyone was awake.” The resulting collection, “The Senary,” is lush, strikingly diverse, melodically powerful and vocally impressive, although Cohen fears he may have “explored a few too many genres.” But in a way, that also reflects the concept behind the project, with each track inspired by a different movie from the 1980s. Cohen even encourages fans via his website to guess the movie and the character highlighted in each track. As for promoting the album and performing its tracks in a live setting, Cohen has scrapped some planned gigs because of additional, aggressive chemo treatments he must undergo. He’s hopeful he’ll eventually return to the stage. “It’s obviously a floor-drop-out-from-under-you experience, but I did everything in my power to find purpose in it, since I wanted to be more than just a person stuck with a scary disease,” he reasoned. Read more about Cohen’s journey and the new album online at pauliecohen.com. A longer version of this story by John Sinkevics originally appeared in LocalSpins.com. Dana Thomas, ’13, was honored with the Outstanding Lifestyle Director Award for Central Texas by the Home Builders Association of Greater Austin. Thomas is the lifestyle director for the Wolf Ranch community in Georgetown, a suburb of Austin, and is responsible for developing programs and activities that appeal to residents and future residents of the community. Her program also was honored with the Outstanding Program for a Community Award. Reyna Frost, ’19, a standout basketball player who spent the 2020-21 season working with the CMU Chippewas as the director of player development, has joined the University of Michigan women’s basketball program as a graduate manager. The 2021-22 season will be her first at Michigan. Zenovia Crier, M.A. ’05, is the new principal of LBJ Elementary School in Odessa, Texas. Previously, she spent 10 years as dean of instruction/technologist for the Houston ISD. With 17 years in the Marine Corp and more than 15 years of experience in education, Crier said one of her main goals is to increase reading and writing comprehension across all grade levels. Shari Schrader, ’91, joins UM-Flint as the next vice chancellor for university advancement. For 18 years, She worked at Purdue University/Purdue Research Foundation, most recently as the chief development officer for the Purdue Polytechnic Institute. Prior to that, Schrader held positions as the director of development for the School of Chemical Engineering and director of development for the School of Nursing and School of Health Sciences at Purdue. Following a national search, the Ohio State University School of Music announced the hire of Lara Semetko-Brooks, ’13. She will teach voice, as well as the production of music for the stage, across a range of musical genres and settings. Her expertise in a diversity of styles including opera, jazz, commercial/contemporary and musical theatre will facilitate collaborations across areas and with other units. While a student at CMU, Semetko-Brooks was the featured soloist for the university’s Women’s Chorus, which toured Europe. Jennifer Schecter, ’02, received the Big Apple Award, the most prestigious honor bestowed on teachers in New York City. She was selected this summer from more than 11,000 nominees. As part of this honor, Schecter will serve as a fellow in the Chancellor’s Teacher Advisory Council, allowing her the opportunity to influence New York Department of Education policy decisions. “Becoming a Big Apple Award recipient provides me with an amazing opportunity to be an advocate for the children of NYC,” she said. •