ALUMNI NEWS

Sports career moves for a pair of alumni

Former voice of CMU baseball earns first professional lead broadcaster job

BY JASON FIELDER

Riley Edwards, ’21, the former voice of CMU baseball, will soon begin his first season as the play-by-play broadcaster/media relations and broadcasting manager for the Bowling Green Hot Rods, the High-A minor league affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays.

“I think everything I did since I arrived at CMU set me up to take advantage of opportunities like this,” Edwards said. “I know there’s a lot more work to do after this, but it feels good.”

As a freshman, Edwards got involved with the student radio station and began broadcasting local high school football games. He then worked on broadcasts for the CMU women’s basketball, baseball, and softball teams, adding even more sports to his resume as his time at CMU wore on.

“It didn’t matter what sport it was,” Edwards says. “I just did as many things as possible that would become available.”

Edwards eventually became the sports director at the radio station and spent summers interning with minor league baseball teams across the Midwest and East Coast. One team he worked with was the Hot Rods, and when the main broadcaster took another job, he got the call to move up to the No. 1 role.

“Where I’m starting now, I think, is perfect,” Edwards said. “I’d really like to end up in the major leagues somewhere. That’s a goal I don’t have a timetable for because it’s not easy to move up in this business. But it doesn’t really matter which team. I’ll go anywhere.”

Helping international students returning home

Doctoral graduate completed her dissertation on the re-acculturation of students

BY ELLIE HERON

Sport management grad involved in Super Bowl LVII

BY KATE HODGKINS AND EMILY WEBSTER

CMU alum Quintin Hunsinger, ’21, had the opportunity to be part of Super Bowl LVII in Glendale, Arizona. Hunsinger is the event coordinator with S.A.F.E Management of Arizona which handles security for athletic facilities and events. He attributes much of his success to CMU.

From the moment he visited CMU, Hunsinger said he felt at home. Sports played a significant role in his life, so he knew the sport management program would be a good fit. During his time at CMU, Hunsinger took advantage of new opportunities and experiences including being involved in the Sport Management Association and in the athletics department. He completed two internships with the football program, assisting in recruitment and facilities and event operations.

His success in CMU’s sport management program led him to his position in Arizona. Hunsinger’s advice for any student interested in a sports industry career is to ”work hard, strive to learn as much as you can, and focus on developing yourself and your skill set.” •

Tara Braun, Ph.D. ’22, a doctoral graduate in Educational Leadership, completed her dissertation on re-acculturation of international students as they return to their home countries. Re-acculturation is the adjustment people experience returning to their home culture after being immersed in a different culture for a time. It can involve adapting to changes in the home country as well as changes in the individual’s perception of themselves and their culture.

Braun’s research focused specifically on Ghanaian students, as she has the most experience working with them.

While interviewing Ghanaian alumni, Braun found students felt disconnected from their friends and culture upon their return. Many had difficulty finding support and faced changes in the way they were treated.

To help facilitate the adjustment, Braun proposes a pre-departure program to provide a networking system with alumni from their home country and prepare them for a career back home. Maintaining communication with the students throughout their transition would also help make the switch feel less abrupt. Braun said she hopes these methods will allow for a quicker and more positive adjustment experience.

Braun has been working in international education for many years and noticed there are many studies done for students transitioning onto campus, but very few for students returning to their home countries. She hopes to develop active alumni networks for transitioning international students and help students with adjustment methods.

Braun’s research is available on her website, www.drtarabraun.com •

Honors for CMU Chippewas

Tamika P. La Salle, M.A. ’07, was appointed associate professor in the department of counseling and psychological services at Georgia State University. She is also the director of the Center for Research on School Safety, School Climate and Classroom Management. Previously, she was an assistant professor of school psychology at the University of Connecticut.

Cathy George, M.S. ’89, signed a multiyear deal to be the head coach and director of operations for the West Michigan Pro Volleyball team. George was the winningest coach in the history of Michigan State University’s volleyball program where she spent 17 seasons. She began her coaching career as a graduate assistant at CMU in 1986.

Rebecca Bray, ’00, has been appointed president of Epitec, one of the largest women-owned IT, engineering and professional staffing companies in the U.S. Previously, Bray was the company’s chief sales officer. She also serves on the board for the Michigan Council of Women in Technology.

George Velez, D.H.A., is the new director of the Veterans Health Care System of the Ozarks in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Previously, he was the deputy medical director for the VA Caribbean Healthcare System and spent 20 years in the U.S. Air Force.

Jamie Stuck, ’99, has been elected president of the United Tribes of Michigan. As a sovereign nation, the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi’s Tribal Council is responsible for providing leadership for the tribal government, including enacting tribal law and overseeing implementation of all programs and services provided to tribal members. NHBP’s Tribal Council also provides oversight to FireKeepers Casino Hotel and Waséyabek Development Company, LLC.

Nancy Wilson, ’74, and her husband, Brent, earned the honor of 2023 Dairy Farm of the Year from the Michigan State University Department of Animal Science for outstanding management of their dairy farm business and leadership in the Michigan dairy industry and their community. Established in 1851, Wilson Centennial Farm is a seventh-generation family farm outside of Carson City.

Dave LewAllen, ’79, retired from anchoring the weekday evening news for WXYZ-TV (Channel 7) after 35 years with the Detroit station. In his tenure with WXYZ, he also served as a sports reporter, weekend sports anchor and weekend news anchor. Dave played football at CMU as a walk-on during his freshman year before focusing on his career goals.

Sarah Bakken, ’05, has been hired for the newly created position of talent development manager for the Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce. She will provide overall departmental support to specific talent programs through board collaboration, internal and external communication, project management and more.

Jim Holton, ’95, earned the Distinguished Service Award from the Michigan Restaurant and Lodging Association, the organization’s highest honor recognizing people who provide exceptional and continuing leadership, vision and commitment to the Michigan hospitality industry. Holton began brewing beer as a student at CMU and eventually transformed an old train depot into Mountain Town Station. Later, he established Mount Pleasant Brewing to increase production and offer his beer statewide. He has since added locations in Alma and St. Johns, and he purchased The Green Spot Pub in Mount Pleasant in 2021.

Johnny Collins III, ’07, M.S. ’10, has been named the assistant plant manager for Bridgewater Interiors. He joined the organization in 2021 as a supply chain manager. Prior to that, he worked extensively in production control and logistics operations within just-in-time environments in the world of automotive seating and vehicle assembly.

Dominique Hamman, ’19, led the inaugural women’s lacrosse season for Daemen University in Amherst, N.Y., this spring. She played on the inaugural lacrosse teams at her high school and at CMU. She was hired in 2021 and has put almost two years of work in behind the scenes before launching the program.

Jill May, ’15, has been appointed to oversee the sales operation as director of sales and events for Crain Communications’ Grand Rapids business team which will lead Crain’s Grand Rapids Business. Previously, she led the sales team for the Grand Rapids Business Journal.

John Savona, M.S.A. ’02, retired from Ford Motor Co. as vice president, Americas Manufacturing and Labor Affairs, after spending more than three decades with the automaker. The Detroit Free Press reports Savona began at Ford in 1989 as a factory security officer while his father worked on the assembly line.

Carol Surface, M.A. ’91, Ph.D. ’95, has been named to the new role of chief people officer for Apple Inc. Surface “brings an incredible depth of experience, which will be invaluable in supporting our teams around the world and building on everything that makes Apple so special,” the company said in a statement.

Carrie Sue Shaver, D.H.A. ’20, an assistant professor of public health at New Mexico State University, has been selected for the prestigious National Rural Health Association Fellowship for 2023. The competitive fellowship is awarded to a promising educator, scholar or practitioner who has proven their dedication to improving the health of rural Americans. •