Gannon Magazine January 2019 by Gannon University

January 2019

from the

president

(L-R) The Most Rev. Lawrence T. Persico, J.C.L., Bishop of Diocese of Erie; Keith Taylor, Ph.D., Gannon University President; Joe Schember ’72, City of Erie Mayor, and his wife Rhonda Schember, celebrated the culmination of graduating students’ academic careers at the 2018 Winter Commencement Ceremony.

As we enjoy this holiday season and celebrate the new year, we reflect on the excitement and success of this past semester with eager eyes on the future in anticipation of what’s to come next for our University and members of the Gannon Family. Part of the magic of entering into a new year is just that– entering into the unknown of what adventures the next year may hold while choosing goals to pursue on our paths toward success.

to better serve our students, our region and the needs within the cybersecurity arena. We recognize the five-year anniversary of our T.R.A.V.E.L. program that has continued to cultivate a greater cultural understanding and worldview among our students. We also celebrated our students in the inaugural Occupational Therapy Doctorate cohort who earned their degrees and made University history as the first graduating class at our Ruskin Campus.

In this edition of the Gannon Magazine you will hear from the students personally about the paths they and their peers have chosen in pursuit of their own goals. They share their experiences along their journeys that have inspired them and transformed their lives.

We were blessed this year with many joining together to achieve our goals and meet each milestone, as we continue to provide endless opportunities for our students to explore and find their calling. The University is eager for the year to come to continue to live out our Mission and to serve and inspire our students and each other in service to our community.

Dedicated to facilitating this journey and transformation for our students, each member of our Gannon University community continues to take great strides to forge relationships and open new doors of opportunity for our students. This year we launched a groundbreaking new endeavor entering into the cyber industry with new academic degree offerings, a cutting-edge facility in design and bringing in prospective business partners

I hope you enjoy this edition of the Gannon Magazine and its stories of the many paths to possibilities that our students traveled on their journey to transformation and living out their dreams. God Bless,

Keith Taylor, Ph.D., President Keith Taylor, Ph.D. President Melanie Whaley ’95 Chief Marketing and Communications Officer

Vol. XXXII, No. 1 • January 2019 Gannon University • 109 University Square Erie, Pennsylvania 16541 • (814) 871-7000 www.gannon.edu

Mallory Hedlund ’14 Marketing and Communications Specialist

Gannon Magazine is published by University Marketing and Communications: Laura Hinsdale Andrew Lapiska ’09M Nicole Lossie ’11

photography student, staff and alumni contributors

printing Knepper Press

We value your input; please direct any comments, questions or feature ideas to magazine@gannon.edu.

Edge:

Richard Chernicky Tara Czarnecki Isaac Esterline Matt Fassnacht Allison Gladden Kate Gourley Maria Hays

Alli Hess Nick Humes ’18 Nikki Johnson Bella Kennelley Allyson Owens Evan Phoenix Lauren Zemanek

class notes and address changes Jana Hunt Coordinator of Gifts and Records hunt001@gannon.edu • (814) 871-7469

contents

Gannon Magazine January 2019

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When Two Roads Converge: Student Combines Love for Golf, Engineering Big Research on a Nano Scale Design. Integrate. Protect. A Two-Year Ride to Success Find Your FYT Community in Camouflage Five Years of T.R.A.V.E.L. Leaves a Lifetime Effect A Thank You to My Professors Giving Life to a Dream

16 18 20 21 22 24 25 26 28

Gannon’s Ruskin Campus Holds Inaugural Commencement Ceremony An Over the Top Finish Keeping it All Above Water Competitive Cheer Life As a Commuter Inspiring STEM Education Family Tradition Finding Big League Careers Class Notes

Making the Magazine

RICHARD CHERNICKY, JOURNALISM AND PUBLIC RELATIONS PROGRAMS When making a meal, you tend to mix and match different flavors to create the finest, most enjoyable dish. If someone served you a slab of meat with nothing else to complement the chow, your dish would feel bland. It’s the collaboration of various ingredients that create a well-balanced entrée; that’s why making the Magazine has been like making a meal for us at Edge. By combining various portions of personalities, experiences and ideas, we at the Edge have created what we believe to be our finest work and are proud to share with you the stories of students who’ve chosen their own paths at Gannon.

! y o j n E

Rebecca Red Horse, biomedical engineering major, discovered she could pursue both her engineering and golf passions during a life-changing internship experience at internationally recognized golf retailer, PING.

WHEN TWO ROADS CONVERGE: STUDENT COMBINES LOVE FOR GOLF, ENGINEERING NICOLE JOHNSON, ADVERTISING COMMUNICATION AND PUBLIC RELATIONS PROGRAMS Rebecca Red Horse, a native to Phoenix, Ariz., did not know that PING, a golf equipment manufacturer based out of Phoenix, would respond. She applied to an engineering internship with just a glimmer of hope that her dream position would be offered to her. She first applied her sophomore year and did not hear back. Then she sent in her application again her junior year, hoping for at

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least an interview. The position combined two of her loves– engineering and golf. Both of those loves have developed while at Gannon through the biomedical engineering program and playing on the women’s golf team. In March of 2018, she received the phone call that brought her dream into reality. She was offered an intern position for PING golf. Originally, Red Horse thought

the internship would only be for the summer, but was offered a co-op position in the fall as well. Fearful of missing her time with the Gannon women’s golf team and falling behind in her program, she went to her professors and head coach. All immediately told her they would work with her as she took the whole year off; they did not want her to miss the opportunity that was being given to her.

As her time at her internship is now coming to an end, Red Horse is reflecting on what she does and what tools she uses through her co-op experience. At PING, Red Horse helps aid the design engineering team by doing miscellaneous projects. These projects usually include researching, designing, prototyping, testing and writing write ups. The projects usually involve either improving previous designs or advancing future designs. To her, the best part of the internship has been gaining firsthand experience from such talented people. Everyone in her department is always willing to help and share their knowledge. This has been the biggest impact on why the experience has been so positive. When asked if her Gannon education has been beneficial in her position there was an enthusiastic, “Yes! Most definitely!” She listed her statics and dynamic classes as being top classes that taught her the fundamental concepts needed in the design and analysis processes. Her biomedical engineering classes aided her in better understanding the type of test data she should obtain and then how to convert those findings into coherent write ups. The medical engineering classes she took at Gannon gave her a sturdy background for Creo Parametrics, a CAD program that is used by PING.

(Above) Rebecca Red Horse learned to test new equipment with technology at PING that simulates a consistent swing for accurate results. (Left) Teammates Nicole Johnson (left) and Rebecca Red Horse (right) (Below) The 2017-18 Gannon Women’s Golf Team along with Assistant Coach Joe Mattis ’69 and Coach Scott Stano

Red Horse is enjoying her time learning and working for PING, but she cannot help but miss the friends, teammates and professors she left in Erie. “Since I traveled so far from home for college, the people at Gannon have become like my family. Gannon is my home away from home because of all of them.” Rebecca Red Horse will be returning in the fall of 2019 to play her final year on the golf team with her best friends and finish her studies.

#GUPOSSIBILITIES

big resea a Olivia Rose is a senior biomedical engineering student who worked a summer internship through West Virginia University’s NanoSAFE REU (Research Experience for Undergraduates) program. Rose was one of 12 students from across the nation who were given a project to be completed within ten weeks. Rose’s project was conducted through the Chemical and Biomedical Engineering Department at West Virginia University under the supervision of Cerasela-Zoica Dinu, Ph.D. Her main focus in the project was to evaluate the behavior of cells when exposed to metallic frameworks, using cellular tests to examine the toxicity of lab-made metallic organic frameworks when the cells were exposed to them. Rose believes the internship she took part in during the summer has allowed her to cultivate the necessary skills and techniques she needs in order to pursue her biomedical engineering career. “What I gained from this experience was valuable knowledge in the field of nanotechnology and the potential it has in many applications,” Rose said. “Also, the techniques that I learned completing my research greatly helped expand my skills in the biomedical field.”

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arch on NANO scale BELLA KENNELLEY, MARKETING PROGRAM

Rose attributes her success within the internship to the growth opportunities she has had at Gannon, which she says was the starting point of her career. As a firstyear student, Rose was able to attend a conference and take part in various post-sessions, presentations and networking. Throughout her sophomore and junior years, she conducted research for one of her professors at Gannon. Both of these opportunities, Rose said, has allowed her to develop techniques that she then incorporated into and benefited from in her recent internship.

“I will always remember where I came from and how Gannon played such a big role in getting me into this next step in my life,” Rose said. “I’ll always look back on Gannon and say, ‘That was one of the reasons I got to where I am now.’”

After graduation, Rose hopes to receive a master’s in biomedical engineering and research in the area of biomaterials. She also states how much she enjoyed her nanotechnology internship and is keeping this area an option as well.

The advice Rose has for someone looking to take part in an internship is quite simple, yet extremely helpful. “Don’t be too hard on yourself if you get rejection after rejection,” she said. “Just keep that positive mentality. I had that when I applied to every internship that I could possibly get or I qualified for. I eventually got a grab, and that is how I got my internship. You just have to keep applying because you never know what’s in store.”

Rose decided to join the Gannon family for biomedical engineering because of the healthy and lively environment that Gannon provides. However, what intrigued her most was the tour of the Center for Advanced Engineering. She praised the small class sizes, as she feels she learns better in those types of environments. Additionally, Rose was drawn to the abundance of available equipment as well as the class offerings provided by the biomedical department.

#GUPOSSIBILITIES

DESIGN. INTEGRATE. PROTECT. KATELYN GOURLEY, CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND COMPUTER AND INFORMATION SCIENCE PROGRAMS

Gannon University announced on Nov. 19, 2018 that the College of Engineering and Business is launching two new majors, cybersecurity and cyber engineering, as well as a minor in cybersecurity for criminal justice students. Accompanying these programs will also be a new facility, the Institute for Health and Cyber Knowledge (I-HACK), which will reside in the 100,000-square-foot Knight Tower on West Ninth Street.

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The decision to introduce these new programs stemmed from the faculty who wanted to seize a unique opportunity to capitalize on the universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s exceptional computer and information science and electrical, software and computer engineering majors. The programs were designed due to a popular demand and a surge in jobs in this area. According to a report by Cybersecurity Ventures, by the year 2021 it is estimated that cybersecurity damage will exceed $6 trillion in expenses annually. The report also states that roughly 3.5 million positions in this field will need to be filled globally. While regional cyber security programs exist, Gannon will be the first to meet the ABETâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s accreditation standards and

to offer cyber engineering as well, leading many to anticipate Gannon as the forthcoming lead regional institution in cybersecurity and cyber engineering. While Knight Tower previously held a temporary library, it will soon consist of a securitycontrolled hacking lab, cyber defense lab, engineering labs, secure data center and two floors of flexible space to house external industry partners, once I-HACK is established. The launching of these ventures is so near and dear to my heart, because I came in with these interests and was not sure how to pursue them. With the guidance of amazing professors and advisors, as well as family and friends who encouraged and supported me, I decided to

double major in criminal justice and information systems. I have always wanted to work in cybersecurity and am so grateful that starting next fall, Gannon University will offer this major, and I will still be around to take classes. Students who decide to pursue one of these new majors will gain knowledge and expertise in information technology and mobile security, ethical hacking, cyber information security, data security, information assurance, server and cloud security and so much more. Though we may not know what the future holds, we know that technology is not going anywhere but forward. The future is bright with these two new programs, adding to the diverse majors that Gannon University has to offer.

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R A E Y O W T A O T E D I R

T(R) .S.,B.S.,R

Nathan

.R A/RRA,M yless, RP

tudents s y n a m , y ar Universit n o n n ic two-ye a t G s i n At u t r o p on the op e z i l cess and a c t i u p s g ca n i d ffered, fin o s of those m a e r g m o o s pr r o .F potential s s e l d n u Gannonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s s bo i m a r g that pro . Initiated m a r g students, o r p l sciences a c i nurtured g s o l a o h i m rad a r rog go, this p a s r a e y mic and e 43 d a c a â&#x20AC;&#x2122; s s student gh both it u o r h t s countless e c e l experien a n o i innovativ s d s n e f a m pro u l u ive curric s n e h e r p com t. equipmen 8

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S S E C C SU

ALLYSON OWENS, BIOLOGY AND PHILOSOPHY PROGRAMS

What makes this program unique is its efforts to develop and improve itself. Twelve years ago, Gannon’s radiologic sciences program pioneered the student laptop program by going paperless itself. Students utilize laptops, preparing them for national board exams and clinical site work for which everything is completed digitally, especially electronic medical records.

graduation, he earned his M.R.S. from UNC Chapel Hill, becoming the first of Gannon’s radiologic sciences program students to complete an RRA program. “I can’t speak highly enough about how well the radiologic sciences program prepared me,” Bayless said.

Bayless wanted to share some of his knowledge and expertise with others. Returning to Gannon with alumnus Matthew Sturdivant, D.O., “I can’t speak highly the pair presented a guest lecture for enough about how well physician assistant students, during which they spoke about CT imaging, the radiology science ordering protocols, abdominal and chest radiography and cross-sectional program prepared me.” anatomy.

Since then, the radiologic sciences program has adopted new equipment. This includes a $32,000 whole body phantom, which contains a full human skeleton that provides a realistic sensory learning experience for the students. Being able to palpate all bony landmarks provides the foundations of learning positioning skills required for radiology students. Other new equipment includes the digital X-ray machines that are housed in two fully energized labs.

The program’s expansion over the recent years has provided an avenue for student success, including a 100 percent pass rate on the national certification exam for 14 out of 15 years. Nathan Bayless, RPA/RRA, M.R.S., B.S., RT(R), recognizes the potential he gained from the program. After earning his associates in radiological sciences, Bayless remained at Gannon to complete his B.S. in biology. Following

Director of the Radiology Sciences Department, Suzanne Sturdivant, grasps the potential within Gannon’s twoyear radiologic sciences program. “[This] program is a stepping stone to your future. We tell every prospective student and incoming students those very words,” she said. “Our students learn so much about themselves as they progress through this program. They gain self-confidence and develop skills in teamwork, professionalism, accountability as well as interdisciplinary interactions. The experience gained via this program is life changing.” #GUPOSSIBILITIES

T Y F GRAM

R U O Y FIND

O GLISH PR N E , S Y A ARIA H

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hat all t e z i n g o “ We r e c iduals v i d n i e r a students rent likes, e with diff hs and t g n e r t s dislikes, anted w e w d , an passions m that a r g o r p to build a hat” reflects t

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TARA CZARNECKI, DIGITAL MEDIA COMMUNICATION PROGRAM The community at Gannon is reputed for standing behind its members and supporting them in a way that propels them to success. While Gannon has many clubs, athletics and Fraternity and Sorority Life programs that serve to build that camaraderie and pave a way for professional and personal achievement, one that has really made an impact in doing so is its Army Reserve Officer Training Course (ROTC) program. ROTC has had a central role within Gannon since 1948. The program has found its success in developing physical stamina, self-discipline and poise within its participating students, as well as providing effective leadership training, management experience, career training and adventure in efforts to prepare them for potential careers in the Army. It has been hailed as one of the most demanding leadership programs in the country, but also one of the most successful. As an ROTC student myself, I have been given a unique opportunity to experience

both the demands and triumphs of this program. Although this is my first semester, the experiences I have had so far have been nothing but positive and have helped me become an allaround better person. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve had the chance to go off on a four-day training exercise where I learned more about the Army and my role as an individual member of a reputable military branch. I am also part of the color guard team here at Gannon where we present the colors at special events or sporting events. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve also had the chance to sit down and talk to two cadets in the program who are contracted and going into the Army after college. Justin Cavallaro is a third year and is a criminal justice major; Meg Lang is also a third year and is a biology major. While talking to these two they both had the same outlook on the program. They both agreed that this program helped them become a better person and sharpen their skills all around. These two

cadets are just some of the prime examples of great leaders who you can look up to in this program. Being a part of ROTC will cultivate many essential life and leadership skills that are crucial for success. Perhaps just as essential, however, is the family away from home you are given. You spend most of your time with these people, struggling through the demands but also celebrating the successes together, so it is hard not to become close with all the other students, or cadets. This program has done so much to better myself both as a professional and as an individual. I cannot be more thankful for everyone in the program who has helped me and continue to do so as I pursue this journey in ROTC. I encourage students who are looking for a group of people to call family to investigate the path to ROTC to find others who share in the values of developing stamina, overcoming personal struggles and finding professional success that is impactful to the entire country.

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Throughout the 2018-2019 academic year, more than 130 students are traveling to 14 different countries.

FIVE

Years of T.R.A.V.E.L.

Lifetime Effect Leaves a

NICOLE JOHNSON, ADVERTISING COMMUNICATION AND PUBLIC RELATIONS PROGRAMS

The Gannon University T.R.A.V.E.L. program began with a plan to increase student global experiences. There were opportunities already in place for students to study abroad, but what was left for those who couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t leave for an entire semester? The answer came with eight students, two facilitators, one trip and the birth of the T.R.A.V.E.L. program.

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Spain, Australia and Germany are some of the countries visited through the T.R.A.V.E.L. program.

The plan was for the students involved to plan the theme of the trip, where they would stay, what they would do and how to fundraise for themselves. They were going to learn the culture of their location all while getting closer to each other through the year-long process. This program began five years ago. Since then, the numbers have grown immensely, not only in number of trips but in students engaging in them, faculty and staff becoming facilitators, money being raised and countries being visited. Throughout the 2018-2019 academic year, more than 130 students will travel to 14 different countries, going to places such as Spain, Australia and Germany, thanks to the T.R.A.V.E.L. program. This year will be the first trip to South Africa for the program. Trips vary from $1,500-$3,000, but on average students only pay

around $1,390. T.R.A.V.E.L. offers students the chance to see the world, develop language skills, discover new interests, make lifelong friends, create leadership qualities and gain meaningful life experience. For me, the T.R.A.V.E.L. program has surpassed all expectations. When I first applied for the program it felt like fate. One night in August 2017, my friend and I agreed that we would apply for the Australia T.R.A.V.E.L. trip in the spring. As if the administration was listening to us right then and there, the next morning there was an email sent out saying there were extra spaces on some of the trips and Australia was the first one. We applied and got those few spots. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m happy we did, because the next year of planning the trip, fundraising and bonding with our group were some of my favorite times. I could write for days about the trip itself: the animals we saw, the food we ate,

the people we met and the Sydney Harbor Bridge that we climbed. It was all I could talk about this summer. So, when one of my golf teammates told me that there was an opening on the Spain/Portugal trip, I emailed Becky Perry (the woman in charge of the T.R.A.V.E.L. program) immediately and asked to join. Now Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m brushing up on my Spanish and getting ready to travel once again. After that, who knows where Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll go next. The T.R.A.V.E.L. program has grown so much in just five years, but there are so many other countries to explore, and the program is ready to reach more of them. Up next for the program is sending a T.R.A.V.E.L. group to South America and continuing to find ways for the program to be a possibility for all Gannon Students.

#GUPOSSIBILITIES 13

Thank

You

Professors KATELYN GOURLEY, CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND COMPUTER AND INFORMATION SCIENCE PROGRAMS

When we are little, we all go through the thoughts of “I want to be an astronaut!” or “I want to be famous!” I, like most kids, had those dreams. From a very young age, around 11- or 12-years-old, I knew what I wanted to do. I knew I wanted to work in the criminal justice field. Information systems and criminal justice are two very different majors that you may not think would have anything in common. However, within criminal justice, there is a cybersecurity track you can choose (as well as other tracks, such as forensic, law and many others).

advisors have all made it easy to have a schedule that consists of courses specific to both criminal justice and information systems while staying on track to graduate in five years. Not only am I earning degrees in two majors in a timely fashion, I also have the opportunity to learn from amazing professionals in both the criminal justice and information systems programs. I know the quality of my education is the absolute best, with criminal justice professors who have worked for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and Explosives (ATF); probation and parole. Additionally, my professors also bring professional experience in software engineering, artificial intelligence, drones, web development, system design and a plethora of coding languages.

“This experience... reaffirmed my lifelong dream of combining my love of computers with my love of criminal justice.”

My freshman year, I fell in love with my criminal justice major. I was genuinely excited to go to class and learn. But, I still felt a piece was missing from the equation, though. After talking to my advisor, Jerry Clark, Ph.D., and other professors in the criminal justice department about what I wanted to do post-graduation, it was recommended that I add on an information systems major. My overall goal was (and still is) to do intelligence analysis or cybersecurity when I graduate from college. My professors and 14

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The education I have received so far helped me land an internship with the District Attorney’s Office in Erie County. This experience gave me a new appreciation and understanding of the field and reaffirmed my lifelong dream of combining my love of computers with my love of criminal justice. To all my professors who have helped me learn, grow and succeed– thank you!

Giving Life to a

Dream NICK HUMES, MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS PROGRAM

Emily (Rose) Humes ‘17, a 23-year-old Gannon alumnae, is currently taking courses at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) to fulfill the requirements to become a doctor of pharmacy. She has a passion for helping others and is excited to graduate so she can start to do so full-time. Why does Humes dream of a career in service to others? Let’s find out. Q: Could you tell us about the program you are in? A: My program was an affiliate program between Gannon and LECOM. When I was accepted to Gannon, I also received conditional acceptance to LECOM for a 3+3 program to work toward a Doctor of Pharmacy. There were other schools I could have gone to, but both Gannon and LECOM are close to home, and knowing that I wanted to go to pharmacy school, I had to go for the affiliate program. Q: What led you down the path to pursue a career in pharmacy? A: Since taking AP chemistry in high school, I knew I wanted to do something in the chemistry field and that I wanted to help people. When I started working part-time as a pharmacy technician at a local independent pharmacy, I really knew I wanted to be a pharmacist. Seeing the difference I can make in people’s everyday lives has really inspired me. Q: How has Gannon prepared you for LECOM? A: Having only three years at Gannon meant I had to take some higher-level courses as an underclassman. This helped prepare me for the coursework at LECOM, although I’d say it’s hard to prepare for an accelerated doctoral program. Q: Where will your journey take you next? A: After I graduate in May 2020, I will have both my bachelor’s and master’s degrees. I’m hoping to get a job in ambulatory care, which is basically like your community pharmacist, but a little more hands-on and dealing with more complicated patients. I’m hoping to find a job somewhere warm like Texas. Q: Looking back, what was the best part about being at Gannon? A: One of my favorite parts about my time at Gannon was tutoring through STEM-PASS (Peer-Assisted Study Scheme). I was assigned to a specific class, which I attended, and held study sessions throughout the week where the students could come and ask questions or get help with homework and work through problems with me. I did this for general chemistry and organic chemistry I and II. I enjoyed helping other students learn. The best part of my journey so far has been meeting great people and having great professors who care about their students. Throughout this entire experience, I have felt supported, and Gannon professors have been a huge part of that.

#GUPOSSIBILITIES 15

GANNON’S

HERE WE GO!

YOU ARE HERE

(L-R) Sarah Ewing, Ph.D., Dean of Morosky College of Health Professions and Sciences; Walter Iwanenko, Ph.D., Vice President of Academic Affairs; Richard G. Orlando, M.D., F.A.C.S., keynote speaker; The Most Rev. Lawrence T. Persico, J.C.L., Bishop of Diocese of Erie; Keith Taylor, Ph.D., Gannon University President; Steve Mauro, Ph.D., Vice President for Academic Administration; and Whitney Blankenship ’18, OTD, OTR/L.

CL ASS OF

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#GANNONGRAD2018

Search on social media for more from this year’s events.

RUSKIN CAMPUS HOLDS INAUGURAL COMMENCEMENT CEREMONY

ALLISON HESS, ADVERTISING COMMUNICATION PROGRAM

On August 25, Gannon University’s Ruskin Campus held its very first commencement ceremony for the Occupational Therapy Doctorate program. Richard G. Orlando ’76, M.D., F.A.C.S., was the keynote speaker at the ceremony, taking part in making University history. The graduated students were a part of the inaugural occupational therapy doctoral cohort that was enrolled in the program when the campus first opened in 2015. President Keith Taylor, Ph.D., recognized the graduates at Prince of Peace Catholic Church, where Dr. Orlando was also awarded a Doctor of Humane Letters degree, honoris causa. Richard G. Orlando, M.D., F.A.C.S., graduated summa cum laude from Gannon in 1976 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology. He received his medical degree with honors from The Ohio State University College of Medicine in 1979. Gannon awarded doctoral degrees to 21 students from 11 different states. Being the first Ruskin class to graduate, they are a huge part of Gannon history and paved the path for future graduating students in Ruskin, where the class sizes will eventually grow larger and more programs will be added. “Our commencement was a surreal day that my cohort has dreamed of since the first day,” said Whitney Blankenship ’18, OTD, OTR/L, part of the first graduating class. “The celebration of our hard work and the Ruskin campus community that we became a part of was the perfect send-off to the future impact we will have through achieving our OTD,” she said. Being a part of the first ever commencement ceremony is a day that will go down in history for the Gannon community, and something the students- and professors- will never forget. “The celebration of our hard “It has been an amazing experience to be a part of Gannon University’s first commencement ceremony for our Occupational Therapy Doctorate Program,” said Dr. Thomas Laster, associate professor for occupational therapy in Ruskin.

work and the Ruskin campus community that we became a part of was the perfect sendoff to the future impact we will have through achieving

our OTD.” “Being able to watch these students go through such a meaningful moment in time is something that we as a department will never forget. These students are truly the pioneers of our program, and we could not be prouder of their accomplishments.”

THE BIG DAY #GUPOSSIBILITIES 17

With the fall season complete, Gannon’s athletic teams continued to excel, with seven of nine teams participating in postseason play. The women’s volleyball team following a year that saw them win the regular season conference title and NCAA Atlantic Region championship and reach the national semifinals - finished with the top regular season record and reached the conference championship match for the second consecutive season. After ripping off a pair of doubledigit win streaks this season, coach Matt Darling’s squad debuted in the NCAA regional rankings at No. 1 and reached the Atlantic Region semifinals, where Darling earned his 272nd career victory to become the program’s all-time winningest coach. As postseason awards came in, Darling was named the PSAC Coach of the Year, outside hitter Lauren Sampson was named Freshman of the Year, and Sampson, Ashley McClung, Ashley Beyers and Ashley Kerestes earned all-region honors. An extended season due to the NCAA Division II Fall Festival gave the Gannon cross country teams extra time to pull in the accolades. Junior Joseph Westrick became the first Golden Knight to qualify for NCAA nationals and was the top PSAC runner at the national championships Dec. 1, finishing 81st. Grace McGrath showed improvement throughout the season, culminating in a 14th-place finish at the Atlantic Regional to become the first Lady Knight to earn all-region honors since 2015. The Knights reached new heights as a team as well, as both the Gannon men and women are regionally ranked to close a season for the first time in program history. After a tough start against a few of the nation’s top teams, the men’s soccer team closed the regular season on a roll. The Golden Knights reeled off seven straight victories — including a shutout streak of nearly 500 minutes — and qualified for the six-team PSAC postseason with a third-place regular season finish.

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AN OVER

THE TOP

FINISH LAUREN ZEMANEK, SPORT AND EXERCISE SCIENCE PROGRAM Sam Thornton earned PSAC Athlete of the Year honors and was joined by Austin Ludwik and Srdjan Dujkovic on the all-conference first team. Conference wins were not limited to PSAC teams in the fall, as the menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s water polo team captured the first Gannon championship of the 2018-19 academic year, sweeping its way to the title at the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Division II Championships in October. Gannon earned the top seed at the Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference West Region Championship and closed the season with a record of 20-1, the best mark in the 18-year history of the program. In addition, senior goalie Brett Rehrer rewrote the Gannon record books this season, passing his own head coach, Sean Morphy, for the career saves record and finishing his career with 1,070 saves. Rehrer was named the conferenceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Most Valuable Player, and Morphy earned conference Coach of the Year honors for the third time. On the football field, Marcus Jones continued to excel after his Harlon Hill runner-up 2017 season. The running back broke the Gannon career record for rushing yards during a dominating 48-28 homecoming victory over Seton Hill in early

October and followed that up with 276 yards in a thrilling 29-15 win over California (Pa.) the next week. The senior closed his incredible career with a 410-yard, seven-touchdown effort against Lock Haven, which is the fourthmost rushing yards in a single game in Division II history. It was a fitting end to a career that saw Jones rack up 4,339 yards and 54 touchdowns rushing in just three seasons. In the nearly 70-year history of the PSAC, that places him seventh in rushing yards, fifth in rushing touchdowns and fourth in career yards per carry (7.0).

The Gannon golf teams wrapped up the fall portion of their schedule with the PSAC championships in late October in Hershey. The Lady Knights made a hard charge on the final day to challenge for the championship and finished second in the team race. Senior Julia Santo shot an 18-over 231 to take the runner-up spot in the individual standings as well. Carley Sawyer (eighth) and Cris del Diego (10th) joined her in the top 10. The Golden Knights also nabbed two top-10 finishes, as Michael Marsico was just four shots out of the lead in a tight finish to come in fifth, and Abe Holmes finished in ninth. With all of the success, Gannon came in sixth out of 17 teams in the PSAC Dixon Trophy standings after the fall season. The award annually goes to the most successful institution in the conference based on league playoffs and regular-season finishes. Sixth is the highest Gannon has placed in the fall season, besting its seventh-place standing a year ago. This article is reported as of December 2018. For a final fall season recap, visit gannonsports.com.

#GUPOSSIBILITIES 19

KEEPING IT ALL

LAUREN ZEMANEK, SPORT AND EXERCISE SCIENCE PROGRAM

A Q&A WITH BRETT REHRER, MEN’S WATER POLO Q: How did your experience as a student-athlete prepare you for your future?

A: Some of my proudest moments as a student-athlete have been beating Mercyhurst for the first time, beating a Division 1 opponent for the first time, but without a doubt the best moments have been setting the program records. Some team records include most wins in a season, longest winning streak in program history and fewest losses in a season. Some of my individual records include most saves in a single game, single season and in a career. Every time a record is broken, it is hard not to sit back and think about how far this program has come.

FAST FACTS

A: I think my experience at Gannon has prepared me to be successful in the future by giving me a leadership role that I’ve held since my freshman season. Coach Sean Morphy does a phenomenal job of giving his players leadership roles, and I believe this has been one of the keys to our program’s recent successes. My experience as a student-athlete has also allowed me to play with a wide variety of individuals over the course of my career, which will no doubt help me in the future.

Q: What are some of your proudest moments as a student-athlete?

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Q: What advice do you have for future student-athletes as they prepare to enter collegiate athletics? A: My advice to future student-athletes would be to just enjoy your time playing collegiate athletics before your time is up. These four years have been the best and most fulfilling of my life, and they have flown by faster than I could’ve ever imagined. I would just tell future student-athletes to play every game as your last and appreciate the opportunity to represent your school.

• Named PSAC Scholar-Athlete 2015-2017 • Received the NCAA Division II Athletics Directors Association (ADA) Academic Achievement Award in 2017 • Started all 44 matches in 2016-2017 • Named MAWPC MVP 2018 • Named to Division II Eastern Championship All-Tournament Team 2018 • Entered the 2018 season with 804 saves, 96 assists, and 130 steals • Holds the record for career saves in school history with 235 saves during the 2018 season • Helped conclude a very successful season with an astounding 20-1 overall record

GANNON UNIVERSITY

COMPETITIVE

CHEER ALLISON GLADDEN, HEALTHCARE

As competition season approaches, Gannon’s Competitive Cheer team is working harder than ever. Head Coach, Meghan Foran, and the coaching staff are doing everything they can to prepare their athletes for this upcoming season. Foran has been the head cheerleading coach at Gannon for nearly six years and has shaped the program into what it is now. “I love how my job is relationship-oriented, and Gannon does a great job with building relationships,” said Foran, who shared her love for the day-to-day interaction with the student-athletes. The Co-ed, All-Girl and Game Day teams make up the 64 athletes involved with the program. Ten of the 64 athletes are part of the competitive dance team as well, which will perform alongside the Game Day team.

MANAGEMENT PROGRAM

Each squad has a different practice time, which definitely makes for a busy schedule, Foran explained, with practices being a combination of both workouts in the weight room and mat practices. Mat practices consist of stunting, pyramid, baskets, tumbling and jumps. The practices during the fall semester are very skill-focused to work on improving technique before the teams compete. The competition season starts in early February, beginning with an exhibition performance on campus in the Hammermill Center. Throughout the season, the team has several competitions, including a trip to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. On March 23, a showcase will be hosted at Gannon, in which the three teams will be perform and compete against other schools. Show your school spirit by attending the showcase and supporting GUCC to wish them the best of luck as they compete!

#GUPOSSIBILITIES 21

LIFE AS A

KATELYN GOURLEY, CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND COMPUTER AND INFORMATION SCIENCE PROGRAMS

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ommuting: Commuting at Gannon University means that you are a student who is an undergraduate who does not live on Gannon’s campus. It is a simple word, one that we often do not think of when we are a college student. We think about roommates, living in dorms, being on campus 24/7. The truth is that 1,215 students on Gannon’s campus are commuters. Commuting at Gannon is what helped shaped me into who I am today.

When I was a high school senior, I visited and was accepted into every college in the Erie area, but none captured my attention the way that Gannon did – especially because of its accommodations for students commuting to campus. In the Commuter Corner lounge, upperclassmen greeted me and helped me find my classes throughout my first few days as a student. I was shy coming into college and knew very few people at Gannon. The Commuter Corner is where I met most of my best friends on campus and helped me get involved through activities like game nights and luncheons to answer questions commuters may have throughout the semester. There are a multitude of opportunities to get involved on campus outside the Commuter Corner, such as Celebrate Gannon, events hosted by Activities Programming Board and events hosted by Fraternity and Sorority Life. There are five students, known as Commuter Advisors, who help you get adjusted as a new student and are there to listen to you if you need a shoulder to cry on. Behind these five students, there is one caring, kind individual who can help a student with just about any problem he or she may have: Heidi Noyes, Gannon’s Director of Commuter Life and the Returning-to-Education Adult Program (REAP). She has been employed at Gannon for over 13 years. She cares for every student who commutes and goes out of her way to make sure everyone is taken care of, succeeding in their majors and getting involved on campus. When asked about the most rewarding part of her job, Noyes replied, “Seeing the students mature throughout their time at Gannon and then walk at graduation is my favorite part about this job.” Commuter Advisor and junior biomedical engineering major Mustafa Saracevic has worked with Noyes and commuter students for three semesters and has found the job to be just as gratifying. “The most rewarding part of working with commuter students is knowing that they are succeeding because of my help,” he said. Living on campus is not what makes you a college student, it is all about taking opportunities to get involved and grow throughout your college experience, whether you are a resident or a commuter.

Mustafa Saracevic and Erin Wise, with Director of Commuter Life, Heidi Brieger Noyes

#GUPOSSIBILITIES 23

INSPIRING EDUCATION NICK HUMES, MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS PROGRAM

Quyen Aoh, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology, was one of seven grantees who received between $10,000 and $35,000 from the American Society for Cell Biology’s (ASCB) new Public Engagement Grants to engage the community in the process of science and increasing scientific literacy.

Aoh used this grant to create the after-school program “Feeding Minds and Families” held at Strong Vincent Middle School to spark interest in S.T.E.M. (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields among students. The program was run by volunteer faculty, staff, students and community members to provide hands-on learning activities, followed by a free meal for the students and their families with local S.T.E.M. leaders. “The goal of this program is to… build up students and their families by engaging them in the cool things you can do with S.T.E.M, but also by inspiring them with their own stories of success and failure,” said Aoh. “Erie is a place with a huge number of resources, most importantly its people. There are people here at Gannon and throughout the region who are doing amazing things in S.T.E.M., and it’s this passion that we want to use to inspire the next generation.” Aoh believes that pursuing an understanding of S.T.E.M. is important as it is a permanent and integral part of our world. “…The skills that are developed through a S.T.E.M. education are transferable and relevant to so many different fields,” said Aoh. “A good S.T.E.M. education that leads to the development of critical-thinking and problem-solving skills, resiliency, grit and the ability to satisfy curiosity will help produce individuals who will be able to manage their own personal growth, and make conscientious and informed decisions for themselves and their society.”

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family tradition

HARLEE BOEHM, JOURNALISM COMMUNICATIONS PROGRAM

All Gannon students carry with According to Fulgenzio, being on them their own unique reasons for Gannon’s campus after his family attending the University. Whether had already left their mark is a very it be the various academic offerings, interesting feeling. the beautiful Erie location or the “It’s cool to be able to go somewhere unlimited opportunities that Gannon that has history in your family,” brings, every student has a personal tie he said. “My parents were both to the campus. communications majors and met while For senior journalism communications working for the radio station, and my major, Gabe Fulgenzio, the tie that sister was involved with Fraternity brought him to Gannon stemmed and Sorority Life here. It’s also great from a family tradition. Gabe is a part to have them share stories about their of the second generation of Fulgenzios time at Gannon and all the adventures to attend Gannon University. He they had while on campus.” follows in the footsteps of his mother, Due to his family ties to the campus, father, uncle and sister, all of whom Fulgenzio gets to enjoy sharing his have attended Gannon in the past. own stories with his loved ones while

According to Gabe, he hopes that future Fulgenzios will be able to have great experiences similar to the ones that Gannon has given him during his undergraduate career. It is important to find a campus that brings both joy and adventure, as well as the support needed during the transition into the future, just as the Fulgenzios found at Gannon University.

Gabe’s father, Tony V. Fulgenzio, adding his own experiences to the graduated from Gannon in 1982 with family tradition. a bachelor’s degree in communication “It’s fun to be able to share my arts before completing a master’s experiences so far with my parents degree in educational leadership in and tell them about all the things that 2010. His mother, Gloria A. Fulgenzio, I’m involved with and hear stories also received her bachelor’s degree from my mom and dad’s early years in communication arts, graduating together at Gannon and my sisters’ in 1983. His uncle, Orlando V. Fraternity and Sorority Life Fulgenzio III, graduated in 1985 with stories,” he said. “It’s great to a bachelor’s degree in accounting. be able to share something Lastly, Gabe’s sister, Gina M. Fulgenzio, cool like college life.” received her bachelor’s degree in health sciences in 2014 and her master’s degree in physician assistant in 2015.

#GUPOSSIBILITIES 25

finding big league careers MATT FASSNACHT, DIGITAL MEDIA COMMUNICATION

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Often a child’s first interest in sports comes from the dream to grow up big and strong in order to become a professional athlete. For some, the dream continues and they work tirelessly to make that dream a reality. For others, the dream turns from being the professional athlete they grew up idolizing to working next to them. For two Gannon alumni, Nick Roberts ’16 and Greg Marshall ’16, the latter was turned into a reality.

Roberts found luck through TeamWork Online, a website designed to post job alerts through any and all levels of sports. “I applied and went to a job fair at PNC Park to meet with the hiring manager,” Roberts said. “They invited me to be part of the process after that.”

Roberts and Marshall both took similar paths during their undergraduate course He got the call Greg Marshall ’16 attended the Time100 Gala as a to land their first job in professional sports, just three days member of the New York Yankees organization. but took different jobs. Roberts landed after a group interview amongst 20 other candidates. his first job out of college in sales with “Gannon has the opportunity to get your feet wet with the Pittsburgh Pirates before moving to numerous semi-professional sports teams,” Roberts said. Phoenix, Arizona to work with the Suns of “Erie is also smack-dab in the middle of three cities with the National Basketball Association. Although professional sports teams.” looking for jobs in sales and business, Marshall landed his first real-world gig with Seeking his big break in baseball or hockey, Marshall the New York Yankees eventually found it with Major “Gannon has the opportunity to get League Baseball. as a full-time intern in media relations. your feet wet with numerous semi- Marshall decided to attend the MLB

Both sports marketing professional and management majors from the spring class of 2016, they each took advantage of local professional sports teams to gain real-world experience and establish connections.

sports teams.”

Winter Meetings, an annual event in which representatives of all 30 Major League Baseball teams and their minor league affiliates meet for four days to discuss business. Marshall was pleased to find the Media Relations internship he applied for online with the Yankees was being represented at the job fair.

Roberts landed his first undergraduate job with the “As you can imagine, I couldn’t contain myself,” Marshall Erie Seawolves as a junior associate after an in-class recalled after receiving the call from the Yankees’ Baseball speaker visited Gannon as a representative of the Information Manager. team. Marshall looked back to his time at Gannon that set him up for success. “I knew that the road to success in sports public relations would be very difficult,” Marshall said. “The mentality and persistence to push for greater heights was influenced by my professors and mentors at Gannon.”

(L-R) Nick Roberts ‘16 with Phoenix Suns’ guard Devin Booker.

Marshall’s first job came with the Erie Otters of the Ontario Hockey League.

Roberts recalled a ticket sales project with the Cleveland Indians coordinated by Sports Marketing and Management Associate Professor Eric Brownlee, Ph.D. “[It] gave me real-life experience with a professional sports team.”

After graduation, like many post-graduate students, Roberts and Marshall both looked for their first big break in professional sports.

#GUPOSSIBILITIES 27

ROLF E. DAESCHNER is retiring from Cathedral Preparatory School in June. He has taught at Prep for a half century and hopes to substitute teach at Prep after retirement. Dasechner taught German throughout his career and additionally taught English and social studies. Teaching English for more than 35 years might be one of his most notable accomplishments, as he did not speak one word of English when he arrived in the U.S. from Germany at age 13.

DONALD P. SKARZENSKI has retired after careers in education and high tech. Drafted out of graduate school, he served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam era. After completing his studies at Penn State, he taught at the University of Arizona and Iowa State University. Skarzenski then had a long career in a wide range of high tech sales and marketing positions, including vice president of Internet Marketing at GE Financial.

RICHARD E. GRIFFITH is among the nine new appointees to Erie Metropolitan Transit Authority’s Board

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M ALU

A TI

RICHARD A. ALÓ, PH.D. has been named Dean of the College of Science and Technology at Florida A&M University. Since 2012, Aló has served as Dean of Jackson State University’s College of Science, Engineering and Technology.

TY ON

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classnotes

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of Directors. Griffith is president and owner of Rick Griffith Properties. ANDREA (LEFIK) LINDELL, PH.D. VMC established an endowed fund, the Villa Maria School of Nursing Social Change Impact Endowed Fund, which provides funding for students and faculty in Gannon’s nursing programs. The fund helps provide interactive, health-related programs to more than 80 preschoolers at the St. Benedict Education Center.

SUZANNE (ROHALY) RICHARD, PH.D. is a co-director of the Madaba Regional Archaeological Museum Project (MRAMP), an Italian-AmericanJordanian collaboration committed to establishing a new Regional Archaeological Museum in the city of Madaba, southwest of the Amman capital.

MARIE (SPAEDER) HAAS VMC had art on display at Glass Growers Gallery in Erie from July through September. Spaeder is an avid watercolorist who spent most of her early years near the shores of Lake Erie. Haas frequently exhibits her drawings and watercolors in solo, juried and invitational shows throughout the United States. Her work is found in private and corporate collections in the U.S., Australia, Canada and Japan. She has signature memberships in the Tennessee Watercolor Society, the Florida Suncoast Watercolor Society and the Southern Appalachia Artist Guild.

SHARE YOUR NEWS LET US KNOW WHAT YOU’VE BEEN UP TO! Submit a class note at www.gannonalumni.org

SISTER MARY H. HERBSTRITT, O.S.B. VMC was welcomed as a full member of the Olivetan Benedictine Sisters on Aug. 1. She was previously a member of a Benedictine order at St. Joseph Monastery in St. Marys, Pa., which closed in 2017. She is the liturgist and organist at Holy Angels Convent in Jonesboro, Ariz.

DONALD MCALEER, PSYD, ABPP was recently appointed by Governor Tom Wolf to the Pennsylvania State Board of Psychology. JOHN E. WROBLEWSKI ’74M received the Distinguished Faculty Award from Alliance College Alumni Association for his contributions to the betterment of the College and for having a positive impact on students during his tenure. Wroblewski joined the college as an adjunct faculty member and was later appointed to lead the College’s business department.

FRANK R. DESANTIS, ESQ. ’77M was selected as the 2018 recipient of the prestigious St. Thomas More Award by The Lawyers Guild of the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland. Desantis is a partner at the law firm of Thompson Hine LLP. He is an experienced trial lawyer who serves as chair of the firm’s Ethics Committee, sharing his commitment to equality and justice and leading others by example. This award honors the patron saint of lawyers and is presented annually to a distinguished member of the legal community for contributing to high ethical standards and spiritual growth in the practice of law.

Achievements by Gannon University faculty, staff and administration

R. RON SERTZ ’77M retired as the executive director of the Erie Sports Commission, effective July 1, 2018. He has been elected to serve a second consecutive term as the chairman of Pennsylvania Sports, the lead agency for sports tourism in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Sertz instituted the Erie Sports Commission in 2010 to attract sports tourism in northwestern Pa.

JOSEPH C. MCDONALD joined the Board of Directors for Censis Technologies, based in Franklin, Tenn. He is a leader in surgical instrument and inventory management software. McDonald has 15 years of sterile processing marketing and management experience, as well as a prior role as President and CEO of Belimed. He has served on several boards, including chairman and board member of the MUSC Foundation for Research and Development and trustee of the Zucker Institute for Applied Neuroscience. Prior to McDonald’s position at Belimed, he served as president and COO at Berchtold Corporation, as corporate vice president and group president at Steris Corporation and as vice president of Life Sciences at Amsco International.

GARY A. FRACASSI, CPA has been elected as the chair of the Florida Institute of Certified Public Accountants (FICPA) for 2018-2019. The FICPA has more than 19,000 accounting professional members in Florida. Fracassi has served on the board and council for more than 10 years and also serves on the council of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

JAMES “JIM” E. MACHEK has been appointed professor of biomedical engineering at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas.

JOHN C. STEHR is planning his retirement after a 42-year run in broadcasting. He is currently a coanchor with WTHR-13 in Zionsville, Pa. Stehr began his career at an Erie TV station while in college. He has worked in Grand Rapids, Mich. at WISH-8, then as a CBS affiliate on a late-night news show in Indianapolis. He then worked at a Salt Lake City television station before going to New York as one of CNBC’s founding anchors. He joined CBS as a correspondent and served as anchor on CBS Morning News before joining WTHR as an evening anchor in 1995.

H. JAMES CURRY, ESQ. is vying for the Broward circuit court judgeship. Attorney Curry has spent most of his legal career in the juvenile courts. Since 1996, he has worked as an attorney for the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice. Prior to that, he served as a probation officer. BRIG GEN TIMOTHY J. HILTY, USA was promoted to the rank of major general in May. Hilty will continue to act as the assistant adjutant generalArmy of the Pennsylvania National Guard. He oversees operations and administration of more than 15,600 soldiers of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard. Brig. Gen. Hilty was commissioned in 1982 through the Reserve Officer Training Corps program at Gannon University. He deployed to Bosnia and has commanded aviation units at both the battalion and brigade level.

RAYMOND LUNIEWSKI was recognized for his contributions to the drum and bugle corps competition on Aug. 6. Luniewski, the executive director of Lake Erie Fanfare, has been the show’s organizer for 35 years and co-chairman of Lake Erie Fanfare for the past 29 years. The festival brings two nights of spectacle to Erie, with large attendance at two high school stadiums. MICHAEL J. STAFFORD, an adjunct physics professor at Gannon, was guest speaker at the Martz Observatory during the Marshall Martz Memorial Astronomical Association’s special presentation in May. His presentation, “The Birth and Death of Stars,” focused on the stars, from how they form and evolve to how they die, with special emphasis on the formation of stellar black holes. The work of famed physicist Stephen Hawking was included in Stafford’s presentation. TIMOTHY G. NECASTRO, CPA was the commencement speaker for Gannon University’s Spring commencement ceremony held at Erie Insurance Arena. NeCastro is president and CEO of Erie Insurance, for which he has served in various capacities since 1996.

GARY J. SPURGEON has joined Salem Media Group as senior vice president, Special Projects, for Salem’s Broadcast Division. Spurgeon has a successful track record in managing radio stations and sales departments for many broadcasters, including Renda and Cox, and has additionally served as VP/GM for Radio One’s properties in Dallas and Houston. He was Radio Ink General Manager of the Year for three consecutive years from 2014 to 2016.

#GUPOSSIBILITIES 29

Congratulations to our Gannon U niversity & Villa Maria C ollege

2018 Distinguished Alumni

College of Humanities, Education and Social Sciences Timothy Craig '99 Bachelor of Arts, English Communications College of Engineering and Business Edward Curley '86 Bachelor of Science, Accounting Morosky College of Health Professions and Sciences Dr. Seeniann John '97 Bachelor of Science, Biology

JOSEPH G. CACCHIONE, M.D. has taken the position of CEO with Ascension Health Michigan. Cacchione began serving as the interim CEO in April and continues to lead Ascension Medical Group, the national provider organization of Ascension, as CEO. As CEO, Cacchione oversees strategy and operations of the Catholic system’s Michigan ministries in Detroit/ Southeast, Flint/Grand Blanc, the Kalamazoo region, Saginaw, Standish and Tawas. Ascension Health, the largest nonprofit health system in the U.S. is based in St. Louis. It has 153

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Young Alumni Dr. Ryan Carlisle '08, '10DPT Bachelor of Science, General Science Doctorate of Physical Therapy Monsignor Wilfrid Nash Principles of Christian Conduct Rev. Nicholas Rouch '83 Bachelor of Arts, Psychology To submit nominations for 2019 Distinguished Alumni, visit: www.gannonalumni.org

hospitals and 50 senior living facilities in 22 states and Washington, D.C. ALMITRA (CLEMENTE) CLERKIN, REV. SHAWN J. CLERKIN, AOJN ‘86 and PEGGY (SCHNEIDER) LAUGHLIN ’86 along with Jean and Michael Malthaner and other cast members of the musical “The Glorious Ones,” traveled to the Emerald Isle to perform in Dungarvan, Ireland on July 4 and 5. Also accompanying the group performance at Erie’s sister city town hall was the Clerkins’ son, Seamus, and state Sen. Dan Laughlin’s wife, Peggy. The performance at Dungarvan Town Hall Theatre was of an Italian comedy/ musical written by two well-established New York Broadway playwrights. The troupe first performed the show last year at Gannon University and at

the Erie Playhouse before embarking on a competition tour as part of the American Association of Community Theatres. The performers won the state and regional festivals and performed with the other regional winners at the national festival in Rochester, Minn. where they were named as one of the top three ensembles in the U.S. VALERIE G. DANNER has been inducted into the Mars Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2018. She played basketball each year of high school and filled a key role in helping the Mars Fightin’ Planets reach the state title game in 1977. She went on to contribute to four straight winning seasons at Gannon University, earning a letter each year.

TINA (CICCHETTI) DONIKOWSKI has been appointed to the Board of Directors for TopBuild Corp., the lead purchaser, installer and distributor of insulation products. Donikowski retired from General Electric in 2015 after serving for 38 years in a variety of leadership positions, most recently as vice president, Propulsion Business and vice president, Global Locomotive Business. ELAINE (VEY) LAYLAND VMC has been named the new patient safety officer for West Boca Medical Center. In her new role, Layland will oversee all patient safety initiatives to improve the overall quality of the patient experience.

ELIZABETH (GATESMAN) OCHS VMC has joined Allwein Carpet One in Annville, Pa. as a certified designer and flooring consultant. She recently completed the certification process to achieve her Certified Flooring and Flooring Design Consultant designations. ROBERT J. WARD, P.E. was hired as the manager of Design/Build and Business Development at McKamish, Inc. He is a LEED Green associate and is president of the Engineers Society of Western Pennsylvania. Ward worked for Astorino/Cannon Design for more than 30 years as a project engineer, project manager, HVAC department head, senior vice president and most recently, president of engineering.

NICHOLAS L. DORSCH has been named vice president of industrial products for Elliot Group. Dorsch will lead the company’s industrial steam turbine line and its power generation group. He most recently was senior director of operations for Gardner Denver’s Nash Division in Bentleyville, Pa. where he previously served as senior global director of product and

business strategy and director of global operations.

COL. ROBERT D. FORSTEN is moving on from his command of the 62nd Medical Brigade, comprised of 1,100 soldiers. Forsten, commissioned in 1990 from Gannon, served as the Army brigade commander for two years. During those two years, the brigade participated in numerous exercises, deployed several units to worldwide operations and spearheaded the Expert Field Medical Badge competitions on Joint Base LewisMcChord in Lewis, Wash. WILLIAM “BILL” G. PETIT, PE ‘90M was appointed by Governor Tom Wolf as a representative to the ErieWestern Pennsylvania Port Authority Board. Petit was a member of the Port Authority advisory board for several years. He currently serves as a vice president and office director for Urban’s Erie location. RICK S. RICE has been hired as the location manager for Catawba Brewing Company’s Palmetto Brewing Tasting Room in Charleston, S.C. Rice was managing two properties for iHeart Media and was an on-air personality in the Asheville, N.C. and Greenville, S.C. areas.

CHARLES D. BAUSCHARD has been hired as the City of New Bern, N.C.’s new director of public utilities. Bauschard oversees a utilities department that supplies electric to more than 21,400 residential and commercial customers and water to more than 35,000 customers in the areas of New Bern, Trent Woods and Hwy. 70 E. toward Havelock. ANNE (WEISER) COONEY has been appointed to Summit Materials, Inc.’s Board of Directors as an independent director. Cooney is president of the Process Industries and Drives Division of Siemens Industry, Inc., based in Alpharetta, Ga.

MARK E. MUENZER was promoted to community development director for the city of Menlo Park, Calif. He oversees the city’s Planning and Building Divisions and leads the city’s efforts to create a new mixed-use village for Facebook Inc.

TROY E. BINGHAM, M.B.A. is the new ambassador for Generation NEXT Franchise Brands’ Reis & Irvy and its expansion within the new market in Australia. The company will be licensing its robotic frozen yogurt vending technology and franchise concept to Bingham. He has extensive experience in international business development and global management, consulting across the areas of franchising, tourism, modular housing, distribution channels, sporting organizations, customer loyalty, payment and incentive programs. Bingham was an accountant with Price Waterhouse. SEAN D. DUGAN has been appointed as vice president, corporate human resources officer, with Erie Insurance. Dugan most recently served as the vice president of Talent Acquisition and Community Outreach since 2014. His leadership career at ERIE began in 2004 in the Corporate Training and Development department. In 2010, Dugan was named vice president of Corporate Training and Development before being named vice president of recruiting in 2012. In his new role he will have oversight of the Talent Acquisition, Community Outreach, Diversity & Inclusion, Human Resources Business Partners and Employee Relations, Talent Management and Strategic Workforce Planning teams. JAMES C. RODDY hosted the podcast, “October Surprise,” created for citizens in Pennsylvania’s new 16th Congressional District, focusing on the race between incumbent Mike Kelly and challenger Ron DiNicola. The podcast provided insights on #GUPOSSIBILITIES 31

topics such as education, healthcare, immigration, opioids, taxes, wages, the economy, farming and women’s issues. Roddy held interviews with elected officials, grassroots leaders and extraordinary citizens.

JODI (LECKER) REGULSKI, PA has joined Penn Highlands Healthcare as a board-certified physician assistant who sees patients at the QCare Punxsutawney.

REV. TIMOTHY R. BALLIETT has been named the first director of the Center for Character, Conscience and Public Purpose at Penn State. The Center, part of Penn State Student Affairs, offers programs and services designed to challenge students to reflect on questions of personal conscience and character while equipping them with the understanding, motivation and skills of responsible citizenship. Balliett has been with the University since 2013, serving as the University ethics officer in the Office of Ethics and Compliance. He will continue to serve in both roles at PSU.

DANIEL R. TELISKI has been promoted to associate director of athletics at Gannon University. Teliski is in his 20th year with Gannon athletics after joining the media relations office in 1999 as the sports information director. Teliski was promoted to assistant director of athletics for Media Relations in 2013 and also served as interim director of athletics in 2014.

LARISSA (SMITH) ANDERSON has been named the 10th coach in Missouri softball program history. Anderson has spent the last four seasons at Hofstra University of the

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Colonial Athletic Association where she compiled a 125-69-1 (.644) record with two CAA titles and two NCAA regional appearances, one in 2015 and one in 2018.

ROBERT R. JOHNSON, JR., ACS, ALB has been named district 13 division B director for Toastmasters International. Johnson leads Toastmasters Clubs from Erie to Pittsburgh. Toastmasters International is a world leader in communication and leadership development.

ANNA M. DIBBLE ’00M has been appointed to the WCA Hospital’s Board of Directors. Dibble is the quality director at Cummins, Inc. She has been appointed new plant manager at Cummins’ Jamestown Engine Plant. Dibble is the first female leader of a major corporate factory in Western New York and the first-ever female manager in Cummins’ engine factory. She began her career as a summer intern before being hired as a quality engineer at the Jamestown Engine Plant 26 years ago. Dibble held a variety of roles at the factory before moving into her last role as director of EBU manufacturing quality. BRIAN S. ORRENMAA is among those being honored by the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce as one of the 2018 40 Under 40 honorees. He joined George Mason Elementary School as principal in 2014. He serves on the Children, Youth and Families Collaborative Commission. While at George Mason, Orrenmaa has worked to increase student achievement and community partnerships at the school. He established a partnership with the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria to promote community service, has partnered with the library system to make sure every child has library access, and he has championed the growth of GM’s award-winning music program. ANGELA (BUSH) RINN ’00M and AIMEE M. PFLEGER are twins and realtors with Maleno Real Estate. Both were involved

in other careers before getting their real estate licenses; Rinn worked in the plastics industry, and Pfleger worked in banking.

TAMMY (JESSEN) ANDREYKO ‘05C has been hired as new superintendent of the Quaker Valley School District. Andreyko has worked for 21 years in the North Allegheny School District where she currently serves as the assistant superintendent overseeing curriculum and instruction. MATTHEW W. BENNETT ‘05C is Union City Area School District’s superintendent. Bennett was serving as director of secondary education for the Fort LeBoeuf School District where he was employed for 22 years. He has also served as a teacher, coach, athletic director, dean of students, assistant principal and principal in the district. ZACHARY M. FLOCK directed the Erie Dramashop’s performance of “The Laramie Project,” which was selected as their eighth season opener. The production included performances by Gannon alumni Kathleen Cahill, Megan Hamm and Alyssa Pelinsky. TAMI L. HYZIEWICZ ‘06M is a member of the 2018 General McLane athletic hall of fame inductees, honored on Aug. 24. Hyziewicz scored 98 goals during her McLane soccer career, and she was three times selected for the all-Erie County League. TODD R. LAPE ‘05C is principal for the Mars School District’s elementary school. Lape most recently served as principal at Mars Area Primary Center and was principal of the Mars Area Centennial School. He was also principal of Hasson Heights Elementary School in Oil City for three years, and he spent 10 years teaching fifth-grade students. JOSHUA J. LESLIE ‘06M is the winner of Point of Care Network’s 2018 America’s Top Physician Assistant (ATPA) Award in the Mental Health field. This award recognizes 10 of the top physician assistants practicing today.

marriages Joseph L. Cline ’02 married Lauren M. Delagrange on Nov. 4, 2017. Kayla Hardner ’14 married Bob Quick on June 9, 2018. 1 1

Mallory Hedlund ’14 married Jason Bottoni on Nov. 3, 2018. 3 Carly E. Lyons ’11 married Alex M. Bieler ’11 on Sept. 9, 2017. 2 Matthew Schraeder ’02, ’03 married Nurul Wahyuni on March 14, 2018. Megan Lee Stouffer ’17M married David Donahue on Aug. 4, 2018.

3 MICHAEL J. MCGRAVEY, PH.D. successfully defended his dissertation, “Jean-Luc Marion and Gianni Vattimo’s Contributions for the Postmodern Faith,” at Duquesne University on April 5. He officially graduated with his Ph.D. in systematic theology on May 11. ANDREW R. PASSINGER ’05M was among the three finalists for the 2018 Corry Federal Credit Union’s Teacher of the Year Award. Passinger began his career at Corry Area High School in August of 2000 as an English teacher and has remained in the high school for 18 years. He was promoted to the position of assistant middle-high school principal at the beginning of the 201819 school-year. Until this year, he was the head of the English Language Arts Department, gifted coordinator, junior and sophomore class adviser, career portfolio coordinator and head coach of the boy’s track and field team. AMANDA K. STEEVES ’07M won the 2018 Steamboat Classic 15K race held in Dunlap, Ill. Parker was 36th overall, winning the women’s race by more than two minutes with a finish time of 1:07:01. She is a physician assistant and mother of three.

RONALD D. BAILEY joined the Gahanna Lincoln High School coaching staff for the 2017-18 season as an assistant and has been promoted to head coach for the girls basketball program. LENA B. GAVAZZI ’06M was the instructor for the conversational/ business German class being offered through Penn State DuBois in the St. Mary’s area. This introductory course provided a language overview and taught greetings and introductions, letters and numbers, important cultural phrases and other student-requested German words. Gavazzi is currently a German teacher at the St. Mary’s Area School District. ATTY DOROTHY C. WOLBERT was awarded the 2018 Best Law Firm Mentor by the Pennsylvania law journal, The Legal Intelligencer, on June 27. Wolbert is co-chair of the Family Law practice at Burns White Attorneys at Law in Pittsburgh. She was nominated for her ability to provide valuable knowledge to younger attorneys.

LAURIE M. JONDA ’08M is a physician assistant with Mercy HealthSt. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital. ALISON N. MABERY studied avian and tropical ecology in the Amazon during the summer 2018 as part of Miami University’s Earth Expeditions global field course. Mabery is a special education teacher at Mesa Unified School District, lives in Mesa, Ariz., and is a graduate student in Miami University’s Advanced Inquiry Program. DANIEL T. MOORE ’07M has been awarded the Friend of the Campus Award, the highest honor presented annually to non-students, from Kent State University. It recognizes community members, businesses and organizations that support increasing access to higher education in Salem and surrounding communities. Moore is a certified public accountant and the founder of D.T. Moore and Co. LLC in Salem, Ohio, providing tax planning and preparation, payroll, accounting, tax and business consulting services. He is a member of the Kent State Salem Advisory Board, supporting and participating in numerous campus programs and initiatives.

#GUPOSSIBILITIES 33

ERIC D. RAGAN was selected as a 201819 Emerging Fellow by the Academic Advisory Council for Signage Research and Education (AACSRE). Each year, the AACSRE chooses four distinguished researchers to advance through leadership, science and technology impacting on-premise signage. Ragan, assistant professor of visualization at Texas A&M University, is researching the impact of infographics on signage with the help of a $20,000 AACSRE grant. He heads the Interactive Data and Immersive Environments Lab in the Department of Visualization and is faculty lead for the department’s Visualization Human-Computer Interaction Lab. His research includes the design and evaluation of interactive techniques in the areas of information visualization, data analysis systems and virtual reality. AMANDA D. SCULLY DPT ’10M was invited to the Olympic Training Center in Lake Placid, N.Y. to teach injury prevention and sports performance training to the top rhythmic gymnasts in the country. The U.S. rhythmic program is coming off a great World Championships where the National Team had one of its highest finishes. The rhythmic program plans to continue its success by teaching its younger athletes how to be healthy and improve their performance. Scully was invited to this camp based on her past work with rhythmic gymnasts and dancers. She was charged with identifying the athlete’s weaknesses and developing individual programs that would help decrease risks for injury and improve their performance. Additionally, she taught the athletes and coaches several cross training programs for athlete’s overall wellness to include yoga and pilates for rhythmic gymnasts, a high intensity interval program, ballet specific training and relaxation techniques. JAMIE C. SHADD ’09M has started Spectrum Soccer, a program that offers opportunities for positive peer and social interaction, along with the development of soccer and gross motors skills for children with sensory needs, social needs and autism spectrum disorder. Shadd is a special education teacher. 34

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ANN M. WATERS is the assistant vice president of the mechanical department with Genesee & Wyoming Railroad Services, Inc. Currently, she manages daily operating expenses and annual capital planning for track maintenanceof-way equipment and reduces costs while improving reliability. She also oversees project planning, logistics and financial analysis.

BRIAN M. KURTZ was named the executive director of the Tulsa Downtown Coordinating Council (DCC) in August. Kurtz most recently served as the director of economic development for the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, a non-profit Business Improvement District working with the public and private sectors to make downtown Pittsburgh a vibrant place for businesses, workers, residents and visitors. The Downtown Coordinating Council is an advisory board comprised of downtown property owners, government officials and business owners who provide support and advice for planning and management of improvement, maintenance and marketing of downtown Tulsa. The DCC works to actively develop downtown Tulsa as a vibrant center of commerce, arts, entertainment and education.

JORDAN P. BALENCIC, D.O. has been appointed chief compliance officer for Delta Oil & Gas, Inc. His focus is to support management to become fully compliant while also executing planned acquisitions as they expand the company’s portfolio. Dr. Balencic is an internal medicine physician and successful entrepreneur. He currently serves in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs as a primary care physician. Dr. Balencic is also on the Board of Directors of True Nature Holding, Inc., a company pursuing a roll-up of businesses in the compounding pharmacy industry. DANIELLE L. EAGLEN ’09M has joined the Corry Area School District as a secondary learning support English teacher. Eaglen previously taught for 11

years in Erie Public Schools. CHRISTOPHER W. FONNER, PH.D. is an assistant professor of Biology at Thiel College who is leading a summer research project investigating the effects of a fungal pathogen, known as kitchen fungus, on amphibian behaviors. Last summer’s work is the continuation of salamander and fungus research that Fonner has been doing for the past two summers. His research will likely be presented at the Western Pa. Graduate Biology Symposium and could also lead to publication.

LAUREN M. DEBICK has been named director of public relations and communications for Ocala Health. She will oversee all marketing, public relations and communications activities. She is president of the Ocala Chapter of the Florida Public Relations Association and is a member of the Marketing and PR Committee with United Way of Marion County and Young Professionals of Ocala Marketing Committee. She is a recent graduate of the Leadership Ocala Marion and Leadership FPRA.

births Freyalise Zephyr (born July 4, 2018) to Kelci (Martin) Munson ‘13 and her husband, Joshua. Zoey Yonley (born May 2018) to Jessica Kerr Yonley, D.O. ‘06 and her husband, Adam. Zoey joins older sister, Audrey, 7. ANNETTE (BERGSTROM) MILLER ’10C was appointed new principal of Ring Elementary School for the Jamestown Public Schools in July. Miller has worked for the Jamestown Public Schools for 27 years and is currently the district’s literacy coordinator. She began her career as a first grade teacher at S.S. Peter and Paul School in Jamestown in 1989 and began teaching first grade at Love Elementary School in 1992. She moved on to become a reading specialist at Love School and first and

second grade teacher at Bush Elementary School. In 2005, she became a reading coach at Bush School and in 2010 she was named the JPS literacy coordinator. As literacy coordinator, Miller conducted and initiated many professional trainings with staff within the district including: Guided Reading, Step Up to Writing, an early literacy team to examine research and practices; English Language Arts curriculum training and support; and Keyboarding Without Tears training and standards and data examination. Miller has received training in early childhood leadership, cognitive coaching, assessment and student success in a differentiated classroom and NWEA. ALYSSA R. PELINSKY and KATHLEEN M. CAHILL ’11 performed in the Erie Dramashop’s performance of “The Laramie Project,” selected as their eighth season opener, along with fellow Gannon alumnus, Megan Hamm ’18. RACHEL N. RZYMEK has joined DRS Architects as a business development marketing manager. Rachel is an upcoming board member of SMPS Pittsburgh and a member of the Young Professional Outreach Board

for Big Brother Big Sisters of Greater Pittsburgh. Her responsibilities include working closely with the firm’s principals, leading the marketing efforts and maintaining strong client relationships.

ANJALI SAHAY, PH.D. ’11M participated in a town hall event held on Aug. 19 for the Asian American and Pacific Islander community. The town hall was led by 16 members of Governor Tom Wolf’s Advisory Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs of which Sahay is a member. The town hall included panel discussions on the role Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders can play in economic and community development and as welcoming neighbors, in addition to helping create a “world-class” downtown and Bayfront. Sahay was also one of 50 immigrants and refugees who celebrated their new U.S. citizenship at Erie’s Naturalization Ceremony. Dr. Sahay is an associate professor at Gannon University.

SAVE THE DATE!

MEGAN CARLSON-REED ‘12M was honored as the Punxsutawney Spirit’s Elementary Teacher of the Year. She has been teaching for almost 10 years and is currently a second-grade teacher at Longview Elementary School. DREW D. DEIMEL won the 46th annual Marquette Savings Bank EDGA Match Play Tournament held at the Kahkwa Club. It was the third career EDGA major for Deimel and his second Match Play title. The victory came with a spectacular perk for Deimel, as the 2018 Match Play winner receives an exemption into the 2018 Web.com’s LECOM Health Challenge held at Peek’n Peak Resort in Findley Lake, N.Y. LESLEY (KENNEDY) S. FIDLER ’12C has been hired as the new principal for Summit Elementary School in the Butler Area School District. Fidler was assistant principal at Knock Middle School and guidance counselor at Mars High School. She also worked in therapy as a behavior specialist for Wesley Spectrum Services. AMY GILES has been promoted to director of the Erie County Department of Planning. She previously served as program administrator and interim director of the department. As program administrator, Giles oversaw the Coastal Resources Management and Greenways programs. She was the department’s interim director since January. REV. LUKE P. UEBLER, II was the featured guest speaker at the annual mass and brunch sponsored by the St. Aloysius Gonzaga Holy Name Society. Rev. Uebler is the parochial vicar at Queen of Heaven Church in West Seneca, N.Y.

ASHLEY L. FAULKNER ‘13M currently works in resource development at the United Way of Central Carolinas in Charlotte, N.C. AMANDA N. GREEN is an accountant with Habenicht Novak & Birckbichler CPAs in Butler, Pa.

#GUPOSSIBILITIES 35

in memoriam

Alumni Margaret Levis Anderson ’47VMC Raymond W. Anderson ’50 Richard C. Bainbridge ’64, ’68M Rose Hopkins Barr ’73VMC Bridget Lewis Broaddrick ’87 Mary Hook Brown ’51VMC Nino Bucarelli ’55 Mark E. Bukowski ’72 Harold C. Cable ’59 Susan Fromknecht Caldwell ’04 Susan J. Carmichael ’81, ’87M Edward F. Carter ’49 Andrew Cherpak ’61 Dorothy Mognet Christoph ’91M Thomas J. Cook, Jr. ’67 Susan Walker Davies ’92 Jay D. Dearbeck ’50 Nicholas E. Defazio, Ph.D. ’62 Robert J. DeGennaro ’76M Mildred Thomas Demyanovich ’75VMC Susan Wurst DiCara ’66VMC Gerald B. Ditz ’61 Edwin D. Dombrowski ’49 John R. Doran ’74 Richard J. Dowling ’63 Sister Mary T. Downing, S.S.J. ’59VMC James J. Durkin ’74 Paul J. Dwyer ’68

Albert J. Ferraro ’49 Edward L. Firch ’55 Richard S. Flaugh ’75M Daniel T. Francis ’89 Ernest L. Fullerton, Jr. Ph.D. ’68 Richard W. Gillespie, U.S. Navy, (Ret.) ’57 Lou Heinze Graham ’77 Claire Hanlin Gredler, R.N. ’54VMC Gretchen Greiner ’12 Ronald V. Halder ’62 Robyn C. Hanks ’00 Gordon A. Hanlin ’74, ’81M William J. Hefferan ’70 Thomas L. Hertel ’68 Francis W. Hess ’59 Edward M. Heubel ’93 Royal P. Hewitt ’74 Kimberly J. Himes ’77 Joyce M. Hyche ’80 Leslie Lewis Jackson ’75VMC Marlene Tenon Jackson ’64VMC Stephen Jakubcsik ’75 Paul J. Karg ’56 Charles T. Kennedy, Jr. ’49 Theresa M. Kifer ’88 William E. Kirk, M.D. ’55 David D. Knoll, Esq. ’65 Stephen M. Kucenski ’83

Alison Webster Lapolt ’84, ’95MG Robert W. Lea ’64 Kenneth E. Lemock ’78 Andre L. Lemoyne ’72 Susan Lewandowski Lentulay, M.A. ’77 Sidney P. Lewis ’82 Paul J. Madonia ’89 John P. Mando ’66 Ricky A. McClure ’89 Richard S. Miller ’83, ’95M Forrest C. Mischler, M.D. ’62 Jerome L. Mitchell ’56 Stephen W. Monoski, Jr. ’73 Kelly Trocki Morando ’95 Robert A. Ohmer, Jr. ’89 Sr. Joachim Onuffer, S.S.J. ’61VMC Daniel R. Palermo ’78 ’82M Clarence J. Paprocki ’59 William M. Parker ’59 Frank S. Patalon ’57 Elizabeth Dolan Pelletier ’83 Florence Riseon Persianoff ’91 Raymond E. Peterson ’74 Thomas L. Peterson ’52 John M. Pietras ’85 Bruno Pisano ’80 Michael E. Polowy ’70, ’73M James M. Proper ’60

Mary Ropski Ptak ’53VMC Rebecca S. Reed ’91 William Reynolds ’88 David E. Rinderle ’62 James W. Roach ’82 Clarissa Giron Roberts ’55VMC Donald J. Rogala, Esq. ’69 Molly Dobrzynski Rogowski ’55VMC Sara Walbridge Rose ’72 Alice Younes Ruhling ’41VMC John E. Russell, Jr. ’83, ’77M Raymond C. Rychel ’68 David L. Schaeffer ’69 Salvatore Scibetta, Esq. ’73 Eileen Geraghty Siegel ’69VMC Donald J. Smith ’70, ’77M Natalee Altemus Smouse ’91 John D. Snyder ’72 Frank O. Tassotti ’71, ’73M Abe H. Tenenbaum, Esq. ’55 Gail Stephens Welch ’80 David A. Whipple ’77M Thomas A. Whiting ’81M Janice Erickson Wildnauer ’79 Charles E. Wilt ’52 Anne Ingrao Wolf ’61VMC Bert G. Yochim ’62 Robert A. Young, USA (Ret.) ’56 Susan Belin Zirzow ’69VMC

Patricia McQuillen Drushel Mary Tague Duval Richard C. Ellis Carl G. Fetzner Frank Gerlach Dorothy J. Gilkey Beverly J. Gittrich Margaret A. Goodall Lee Petri Griffiths Joan Mozdy Grippe Maria Testi Henry Mervin E. Hetrick Shauna Grauman Hogan

Frank B. Hutchinson Myron E. Jones John J. Kozlowski Mary L. Kristiansen Morris A. Levine Edward L. Maier Marilouise Michel Robert S. Miller William E. Miller Tonia M. Nowaski Larie Pintea Anthony V. Rao Ismael L. Rivera

Amalia Salvagini Schillinger John R. Schillinger Norman W. Seip Harvey Shapiro Gail J. Shaw Robert C. Snyderwine David A. Stankiewicz Stephen P. Stull Margaret Kennedy Tronetti Hillert Vitt Norma Palandro Webb Stephen M. Zmyslinski

Parents and Friends Gustaf A. Anderson, Jr. Keriann J. Beach Karen Stout Black Dorothy Bronakowski Brzozowski Edna Carlson Canavan Aaron J. Cox James D. Cullen, Esq. Jane Cunningham Patricia Sabbatine Dailey Charles J. Daley Shawn M. Dawley Betty Bistarky Domsic

MORGAN L. (REINEKE) STRAYER is coaching the varsity and junior varsity volleyball teams for the New Knoxville Rangers in New Knoxville, Ohio. ROBERT L. WILSON was inducted into Streetsboro High School’s Hall of Fame. Wilson played varsity basketball for four years, varsity football for three years and track and field for two years. He was selected All-PTC all four years 36

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in basketball. He is a police officer for the Cary (N.C.) Police Department, and in 2015 he received the department’s Life-Saving Award.

JOSHUA J. GIBBONS ’17M is a physical therapist with Kindred at Home in Charlotte, N.C.

MEGAN A. KING has graduated from medical school at PCOM and matched into a pediatrics residency program at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio.

BRITTANY A. BATTS has been named assistant women’s basketball coach for Shepherd University. Batts comes to Shepherd after spending the 2017-18 season as an assistant at Bridgewater College and the 201516 season as a graduate assistant at Castleton University in Vermont. Batts helped lead the Lady Knights to a 102-win record and four NCAA postseason appearances, including an Elite Eight appearance in 2012-13. She was a three-time PSAC Scholar-Athlete, a second team All-PSAC West Division choice and a first team Academic AllDistrict selection at Gannon. ADAM M. BLAZEK was named Georgian Super League Most Valuable Player during his first season with BC Rustavi. The Georgian Super League is the top level of competition in Georgia, located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe. Blazek guided Rustavi to a 21-11 record and fourthplace finish during the regular season. Blazek led the Georgian Super League in assists per game (5.8) and steals per game (3.6). In addition to ranking third among all league players in points per game (17.9), he also hauled down 6.1 rebounds per game. Blazek shot 46.8 percent (146-312) from the field, 36.6 percent (97-265) from three-point range and 76.9 percent (150-195) from the free throw line. MARISSA M. CARONITI ’16M is a physician assistant in the emergency department at the Cleveland Clinic. JEZREE J. FRIEND ’15M has joined the Manufacturer and Business Association as the government relations representative. He is responsible for developing legislative priorities and strategies, encouraging membership grassroots activities and lobbying on behalf of a pro-growth, pro-business agenda. ALEXIS M. WHEELER ’15C has joined the Pittsburgh office of Strassburger, McKenna, Gutnick & Gefsky, attorneys at law. Wheeler’s primary areas of focus will be public/non-profit and litigation.

JESSICA A. ECHEMENT has happily earned her master’s degree in communications and digital journalism from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. KATLYN L. HEITZHAUS ’16M is currently employed at CTBK in Amherst as a public accountant and is also currently coaching field hockey for the WNY Whalers. STEPHEN J. KOCIENSKI ’16M is a mechanical engineer for GE Transportation. MACKENZIE M. KRANZ has been hired by the Millcreek Township Police Department as a new police officer. Kranz is also currently an officer in the National Guard. He previously worked for a security firm. ASHLEY E. LAWSON ’16M is among the nine new appointees to the Erie Metropolitan Transit Authority’s Board of Directors. Lawson is an honors program coordinator at Gannon University. RYAN C. MURPHY ’16M has joined the staff of the Knoxville Ice Bears as their new athletic trainer. The Ice Bears are a professional Ice Hockey Organization competing in the Southern Professional Hockey League. Murphy also serves as the Knoxville community outreach athletic trainer through Benchmark Physical Therapy.

EHSAN AKBARI DAHOUEI ’17M, MATTHEW R. GAWLIK, JAMES GRUSS, GREGORY D. INCARDONA and ANDREW R. PEIRSON along with Nate Carlin, are founding members of Olympia Technologies who have created an app that is making the “going out” experience in Erie a little bit easier. The app is called “Hippoh,” and the slogan is “find your watering hole.” While graduates of different majors, Dahouei, Gawlik, Gruss, Incardona and Peirson, share the same entrepreneurial vision, they each brought their skills to develop the Hippoh app.

ANDREW R. PEIRSON also recently played in five consecutive games with the B.C. Lions of the Canadian Football League. He started the season on the practice roster, but was moved up to the active roster in early October. Peirson’s nickname “Little Angus,” has been given to him by one of his coaches who thought he resembled longtime Lions center Angus Reid. KAYLA A. PITTSER ’17M is a special education teacher at Mars Area Elementary School and an afternoon kindergarten teacher at Mars Area Primary Center. Pittser previously served as a kindergarten teacher at Bradford Area School District in Bradford, Pa.

ANN (CICCHETTI) CARLIN has been promoted to vice president, First Notice of Loss, Customer Service Ops & Strategy. She has served in this role on an interim basis since March 2018 and has nearly 25 years of experience in the insurance industry. Carlin began her career at Erie Insurance Company as a part-time policy processor and first notice of loss representative. In 2000, she began working full-time as an inside claims representative, later being promoted to supervisor. In 2011, Carlin made the move to Customer Care Operations, holding several leadership roles, including her most recent role as director of Contact Center Operations. RONI L. CROWELL ’18M has joined the staff of Mount Nittany Health Fit for Play as a physical therapist. WILLIAM A. GADSON has been named new basketball head coach at Northwestern High School in Albion, Pa. MEGAN E. HAMM performed in the Erie Dramashop’s performance of “The Laramie Project,” which was selected as their eighth season opener. Hamm performed with fellow Gannon alumni Kathleen Cahill ’11 and Alyssa Pelinsky ’10. BRITTNEY D. VOETTINER has joined the staff of the North East School District as a new full-time learning support teacher at Earle C. Davis Primary School. #GUPOSSIBILITIES 37

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