Class Notes

53

LUTHER R. MANUS, JR. ’71M is being honored in one of three new public art projects commissioned by Erie Arts & Culture. A mural – located near Manus Sunoco, 26 E. 12th St. in Erie – will feature images from the life of the retired 92-year-old Erie School District counselor and military veteran.

62

JOSEPH J. GAETA is celebrating 55 years of volunteering at Gannon University with Knight Nation – formerly called the Golden Knight Booster Club – this 2020-21 season. He and his wife, Elaine, have supported all of the women's and men's teams and are very proud of all the accomplishments of Gannon's coaches and studentathletes.

64

DAVID R. FREW, PH.D. ’67M is collaborating on a fifth book with

JERRY SKRYPZAAK ’94 about the history of Presque Isle. The book is titled Accidental Paradise: A Natural, Political and Social History of Presque Isle.

66

FRANK J. CARGIOLI ’70M AND JOANNE M. (KRAUT) CARGIOLI ’70 celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on Oct. 17, 2020. They have been blessed with five terrific children and six amazing grandchildren. The couple had to cancel a celebratory Danube River cruise due to COVID-19 but hope to enjoy it next year.

69

JOSEPH R. MATTIS finished his seventh season as a volunteer assistant coach with Gannon’s Women’s Golf. The Lady Knights were outstanding during the fall portion of their most recent season, winning three of six tournaments – including the PSAC championship. Their championship win earned them an automatic berth in the NCAA Division II East Super Regional Tournament, which was unfortunately canceled due to COVID-19 closures.

78

DEBBIE A. BURBULES VMC, ’01M was named chief operating officer of the Barber National Institute. She will provide operating oversight and planning for the main campus and satellite locations in Erie, as well as facilities and services across Pennsylvania. Burbules first joined the Barber National Institute in 2018 as vice president for operations.

83

LORETTA (LEWIS) SEIGLEY, PH.D. VMC participated as a committee member for the Woman's Club of Erie Scholarship Committee, which recently awarded two scholarships to two local college students.

84

REV. WILLIE PULLIAM was appointed as the pastor of First African Methodist Episcopal Church in Lockport, N.Y.

ROSEMARIE "ROSIE" (BIRSA) SCHAAF VMC participated as a committee member for the Woman's Club of Erie Scholarship Committee, which recently awarded two scholarships to two local college students. Schaaf, a Millcreek Township resident and retired school nurse, has chaired the Woman's Club Scholarship Committee since 2012.

85

MARY THERESE “TERRI” BOHEN is drawing on her experiences as a student in Gannon’s theater and communications programs to enhance engagement in her third-grade classroom. Her roots with Gannon’s 90.5 WERG radio show is also reflected in her weekend work with LECOM’s WMCE 88.5 FM in Erie and WSRQ 106.9 FM in Sarasota. Aside from her professional career, Bohen enjoys living by the ocean in Vero Beach, Fla.

86

REV. SHAWN J. CLERKIN, AOJN is completing his 30th year of teaching at Gannon University and his 15th anniversary of ordination as an Episcopal priest. He is currently co-director of Gannon’s School of Communication and the Arts and vicar of St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Fairview, Pa.

87

MARK J. GAETA is looking forward to having his son, Matthew, attend Gannon University this fall after graduating from Cathedral Preparatory School. Gaeta’s twins, Angela and Alexa, graduated from Gannon in 2014. Gaeta is celebrating 15 years of working at the university this November.

ANTHONY C. SCHNUR was appointed senior managing director for Ankura Consulting Group LLC, a global business advisory and expert services firm. Schnur’s role will enhance Ankura's turnaround and restructuring advisory offerings in the energy sector. Schnur holds more than 30 years of experience in structured finance and commercial banking and has been active in the energy sector for more than 20 years. He has helped financially distressed oil and gas companies overcome challenges and reconstitute themselves as viable businesses for the past 15 years.

88

BRIAN G. BEMBENICK joined McDonald Hopkins LLC as Of Counsel in the firm's Cleveland office, where he will bring 30 years of experience to the firm's Intellectual Property Department.

BRIAN F. DALTON, PH.D. ’93M joined Christian Brothers University as vice president for enrollment management. He most recently served as Alfred University’s vice president for enrollment management since 2017. Dalton and his wife, Diana M. Dubik-Dalton ’88, are celebrating the graduation of their son, Ian Dalton, as part of Gannon’s Class of 2020. Ian joined the Peace Corps after completing an internship with the Peace Corps headquarters this past summer.

REV. SCOTT JABO stepped down as president of Cathedral Preparatory School, Villa Maria Academy and Mother Teresa Academy. He began a new ministry as the vice-rector of Saint Mark Seminary, associate director of Seminarians and co-chaplain to the Carmelite Sisters at Holy Family Monastery, as well as co-chaplain to the Serra Club of Erie. Jabo worked in Catholic education for 29 of his 30 years in the priesthood and first came to Erie as headmaster of Cathedral Preparatory School in 1999. He oversaw the 2009-2010 merger of Cathedral Preparatory School and Villa Maria Academy, was instrumental in the multi-phased construction of the Hagerty Family Events Center, and organized the Mother Teresa Academy to serve inner-city Erie children.

DARIN SUTTON was elected as senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers in recognition of his professional standing with the board. He currently works for Wabtec Corp. in Erie through an embedded subcontractor, Quest Global, on its Independent Test Team as a validation and verification engineer. He works specifically as the senior lead engineer and helps to automate portions of the locomotive software testing process.

90

MARK S. ZAGORSKI was named chief executive officer of DoubleVerify, a leading software platform for digital media measurement, data and analytics. He will be responsible for managing and growing the company’s worldwide operations, which includes more than 550 employees in 18 offices globally.

SHERRY A. MASOTTO-SWETZ ’97M is among those being honored as an oustanding alum at the Kennedy Catholic Gala. Masotto-Swetz is executive director of Joshua's Haven in Sharon, Pa., which she started in 2004 after being led to fulfill a vision from God. She entered the Sisters of St. Joseph, providing outreach to the Spanish speaking community and serving in the Emmaus Soup Kitchen. Masotto-Swetz worked at St. Vincent Health Center as an X-ray technologist and later at Hamot Medical Center as a clinical instructor for Gannon University. She later earned a bachelor's degree in administrative studies and a master's degree in counseling psychology from Gannon.

92

MICHAEL J. DASHNAW, PA-C, PH.D. was recognized as the 2020 Rutland Community NP/PA of the year. Dashnaw is a physician assistant at Community Health Mettowee.

JOHN R. SOMMERS, CPA and DENISE L. (LOMBARDO) SOMMERS, R.N. are celebrating the graduation of their daughter, Amanda, as part of the Gannon Class of 2020.

MARK T. SOBOLESKI ’03M was hired as the head football coach for Fairview High School.

THOMAS A. SPAGEL ’97M, co-owner of Erie’s Stanganelli’s Italian Foods, had a successful debut on QVC earlier this year. The restaurant’s popular pepperoni balls were featured during an introduction to the scheduled show and was promoted a few times during the production. Stanganelli’s Italian Foods sold 18,000 pepperoni balls before the primary QVC spot even aired.

93

SEAN M. FADALE ’93M, ’03M assumed the new role of president and CEO of Nathan Littauer Hospital and Nursing Home in Gloversville, N.Y. in October 2020. Fadale had served as president and CEO of Community Memorial Hospital in Hamilton since 2012.

94

RONALD S. HABURSKY assumed the role of senior vice president and chief investment officer for Erie Insurance. He joined Erie Insurance in 1991 and most recently managed its fixed income portfolio as vice president and senior portfolio manager.

KAREN A. SURKALA addressed the Rotary Club of Westfield-Mayville, highlighting the year in review for the Westfield Memorial Hospital. Surkala is president of WMH and holds more than 30 years of health care field experience. She most recently served as CEO of Select Specialty Hospital, a long-term acute care facility in Erie. Prior to that she spent three years as senior director of strategic agenda management at Cleveland Clinic. From 2012 to 2015 she worked as senior vice president at Saint Vincent Hospital and was an integral member of the C-suite team that oversaw the hospital's strategic, operational and business development performance. Surkala also served as vice president and administrator at WMH from 2007 to 2011, helping to lead the hospital through a multi-year restructuring process.

ERIC G. LAPRICE '99M accepted a temporary promotion to acting forest supervisor for the Gila National Forest in Solver City, N.M.

96

AHMAD SAAD AL-ADSANI coauthored a book, which is titled DC Wind Generation Systems. The book presents the design and operation of DC wind systems and their integration into power grids. Al-Adsani was an instructor with Public Authority for Applied Education and Training, or PAAET, in Kuwait City, Kuwait from 1997 to 1999. He later joined the Electrical Engineering Department as an assistant lecturer with the College of Technological Studies from 2001 to 2007. He was the head of the Electrical Unit in the College of Basic Education at PAAET from 2003 to 2007. He is currently an assistant professor with the CST, PAAET. Al-Adsani’s research interests include electro-magnetic powertrains for electric and hybridelectric vehicles, as well as design and control of multiphase electric and hybrid electric machines for renewable energy applications.

97

JONATHAN S. DEARMENT was elected as a member of the Manufacturer and Business Association in Erie. DeArment is president and chief operating officer of Meadvillebased Channellock, where he has worked for more than 20 years. As president and COO, he is proud to be part of the fifth generation helping to lead the family-owned company. He was awarded the 2016 Gannon University SBDC President’s Award and was a 2017 Pittsburgh Smart 50 Award honoree. He serves as the vice president for the Hand Tools Institute Board of Directors.

98

DEBORAH (ALLWES) LARGOZA, R.N., MBA, MPH was appointed as president for Amalgamated Medical Care Management. Largoza brings extensive clinical and business expertise to the role along with direct experience in key services including utilization management, care management and population health management. She most recently served as vice president of Clinical Operations at Agilon Health in Long Beach, Calif.

00

CHANEL MONET COOK joined the Board of Directors for The Nonprofit Partnership in Erie.

G. JONATHAN LEWIS, D.O. used his expertise as an infectious disease specialist with UPMC Hamot to join Sen. Michele Brooks (R-50th Dist.) in a virtual town hall earlier this year to answer constituents’ questions regarding COVID-19.

BRIAN S. ORRENMAA is the new principal for the Buckeye Valley West Elementary School in Ostrander, Ohio. Orrenmaa is returning to central Ohio after several years in Virginia, where he most recently served as principal of George Mason Elementary School in the Alexandria City Public School District.

01

MICHAEL J. NUNES is the senior vice president of current programming at NBC and has worked on seven shows including “This is Us,” “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” “Superstore,” and “Council of Dads.” He recently joined Gannon’s communication arts students in a virtual classroom to provide insight into the television production industry.

02

SIDNEY COUPET, D.O. joined Gannon University's National Alumni Board. Coupet is the chief medical officer and physician at Coupet Quality Clinic in Pompano Beach, Fla.

04

VASILIOS “BILL” A. NACOPOULOS ’07M joined Gannon University's National Alumni Board. He is an insurance producer for Great Lakes Insurance and a resident of Erie.

05

ASHLEY M. HORDUSKY-FISKE recently transitioned into a new role as the lease administrator for Northwest Bank after spending more than 13 years in the oil and gas industry.

ZACHARY M. FLOCK ’19M is the founding artistic director of Dramashop and says it has been his pleasure to lead Erie's contemporary theater company through its first nine seasons. Flock and his team have adapted in this challenging time to present their first livestream-only production, which was a staged reading of Lauren Gundersonn’s Silent Sky. Flock’s work at Dramashop draws on skills learned in Gannon’s undergraduate theatre and communication arts program and Master's in Public Administration program.

06

DEMONDI M. JOHNSON is the new head girls’ basketball coach for Prior Lake High School in Minnesota. Johnson was previously the head girls’ coach at 43 Hoops Basketball Academy in Hopkins, Minnesota since 2017. He was also the head coach of the Hopkins boys’ ninth-grade team from 2014 to 2016 and a varsity assistant from 2016 to 2020. He coached an American Athletic Union boys’ team at 43 Hoops from 2014 to 2017.

08

KELLY R. (FENNESSY) MEREDITH was nominated for the 2020 Community Champion of Pittsburgh award. Meredith is also the newly appointed secretary for Gannon’s National Alumni Board of Directors.

10

MEGHAN E. (HOPE) SRAJ is an intervention specialist for fourth-grade students. She is married and now has a one-year-old child and a three-year-old child.

11

ROBERT “BOB” J. BARTLEY was promoted to regional sales manager of Leeco Steel LLC’s central region. In this position, he will develop and manage a unified sales strategy for Leeco Steel's central and east regions.

DESTIN S. DEMARION is a rookie on the Bassmaster Elite Series. He shares his other athletic interests through his baseball-themed DuraEdge sponsor wrap on his boat.

CARLY E. (LYONS) BIELER was hired as an interactive communications strategist at University Hospitals in Cleveland. In her role, Bieler will develop emails and create engaging and audience-relevant web content primarily for University Hospitals donors.

JEFFREY T. SOLES ’11C was named as the new superintendent of the West Mifflin Area School District. Soles most recently served as superintendent of the Blairsville-Saltsburg School District.

AMY M. (STROKA) SWARTZFAGER, CPA ’11M was one of only 30 CPAs honored by the American Institute of CPAs as a member of the Leadership Academy’s 12th graduating class. Swartzfager is a manager at Maloney, Reed, Scarpitti, & Co. LLP in Erie.

12

JENNIFER HAYWOOD is the nurse manager at Hospice of Metropolitan Erie Inc. H.O.M.E. is the first hospice in Erie County and one of the first in Pennsylvania. H.O.M.E. is an independent, nonprofit entity that is proud to be celebrating its 40th anniversary.

13

PHILIP M. KUNKA, J.D. is a proud California litigator, who represents many government entities and others in San Diego. After graduating from Gannon University, he went on to earn his Juris Doctorate from Michigan State University School of Law in 2016. He was admitted to the California Bar in December 2016 and the Michigan Bar in August 2017.

14

ANGELA E. GAETA has continued her work as a support coordinator at Erie County Care Managament for the past five years. She recently became a new homeowner in Erie, where she grew up.

ALEXA M. GAETA has worked at Erie County Care Management as an early intervention service coordinator for five years. She recently adopted a European Doberman puppy, who is now a year old and weighs more than 100 pounds.

REV. JOSEPH A. PETRONE, JR.'14 '16 was ordained as a priest by Bishop Persico on May 29, 2020. Petrone earned bachelor’s degrees in biology from Gannon in 2014 and in philosophy from St. Mark Seminary in 2016. In May 2019, he earned his Master of Divinity from St. Vincent Seminary in Latrobe, Pa.

16

ANTHONY C. BICE is working at Mediacom Communications Corp. as a business quota representative. Mediacom is a telecommunications company based in the midwest. In his position, Bice solely assists the needs of corporate customers.

JESSICA C. (FERRIS) DIMARCO, PH.D. received her doctoral degree in pharmacy and began her residency program at the Charleston Area Medical Center in Charleston, W.Va. DiMarco and her husband, Giona DiMarco ’17, met while volunteering at Gannon during the Get Rec'd event on St. Patrick's Day in 2014.

KEVIN O. HOLLAND was ordained as a priest by Bishop Persico on May 29, 2020. Holland graduated from Gannon and St. Mark Seminary in 2016 with his bachelor’s degree in history. He recently earned his Master of Divinity from St. Mary's Seminary.

DANIELLE E. KING is a current graduate student in The Ohio State University's nutrition doctoral program and works as a graduate research associate for Carla Miller, Ph.D. King graduated from D'Youville College in Buffalo, N.Y. with combined bachelor’s and master’s degrees in dietetics in 2019. Her academic interests and research focus involve behavioral change through diet and lifestyle.

KAITLYN E. KISSELL is working as a registered nurse for First Choice Care in Queensland, Australia. She is also playing as a professional soccer player for Souths United in Australia’s National Premier League, accomplishing two of her primary career goals.

17

ASHLEY E. MANN ’18M is working as an occupational therapist for Buffalo Hearing and Speech Center. She works in different charter schools in Buffalo, N.Y.

18

HAYLEY A. NEJMAN is the head acrobatics and tumbling coach at Chowan University. Nejman was recently featured on the Today Show in New York City when her boyfriend, Anthony Piglowski, proposed to her while skating on the rink at Rockefeller Center.

JENNA D. HOFFMAN ’19M began her career in occupational therapy in October 2019, joining Sentara Leigh Hospital in Norfolk, V.A. She works primarily with patients who are 40 and older and she has found the work to be incredibly rewarding.

19

BROOKE M. CARR moved back to the Pittsburgh area to begin working for Mylan Laboratories Inc. following graduation.

SAMANTHA E. RUIZ-BUENO is in the process of completing her master’s degree in occupational therapy.

20

RYAN W. HAMILTON accepted a full-time role as a sales development representative at Torch Technology in New York City. He enjoys working for this dynamic startup as a sales professional.

JOSEPH D. WESTRICK was named a first-team CoSIDA Academic All- American. Westrick also earned the PSAC's top academic honor. Westrick graduated with a spotless 4.00 cumulative GPA as an environmental engineering major. He was named a PSAC Top 10 award winner in each of his final two seasons of eligibility.