Thank You for Opening My Eyes
“The Alumni Association’s Ambassador program opened my eyes to a world outside the classroom. It made me a better, more responsible person, and prepared me for life after graduation.” Sharien Amarnani Student Ambassador, 2006
The Student Ambassador program is just one of the
important programs that your membership makes possible. The USF Ambassadors is a student organization that serves as a link between alumni and current students. Through your membership, the Alumni Association provides financial support and mentoring for students to participate in this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to serve as student representatives in welcoming visiting dignitaries to USF, assisting with events hosted by the university president, hosting prominent alumni, programming student-driven outreach activities, planning and implementing campus events for the student body, and more.
W W W. U S F A L U M N I . O R G
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OCTOBER-2007
ALUMNI
CONTENTS
a p u bl ic at ion by & f or u sf a l um ni a s s o c i at ion m e m be rs
President’s Message 2 Greetings from Jeff Spalding, `87, President of the USF Alumni Association Board.
News Roundup 3 A brief recap of the top news and research from USF.
Where’s Rocky? 5 Take Rocky on your vacation and send us your photos.
Letters to the Editor 5 Alumni Voice welcomes your comments, criticism and conjectures.
Movers & Shakers 6 USF faculty, staff and administrators are making their
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mark in the community.
Alumni Feature 8 Ed Baird, `82, is at the helm of the winning yacht in the
32nd annual America’s Cup.
Q & A 12 John Wiencek, the College of Engineering’s new dean talks about his passion for science and running marathons.
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Chapters & Societies 14 See what fun your fellow alumni are having and find out
how to get involved.
Share a Memory 15 Read excerpts of memories from USF alumni over the past 50 years. Alumni Profile 16 FedEx CIO Rob Carter, MBA `90, talks about the company’s role in the emerging electronic era.
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Blast from the Past 18 A look at USF and the world in 1990.
That Was Then; This is Now 19 Senior Natalie Shultz shares some insight on what Homecoming means to students now compared to “back in the day.”
Alumni Profile 24 Joe DiMisa, MBA ’92 talks about the College of Business
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and his book, The Fisherman’s Guide to Selling.
Class Notes 26 See who’s opened a business, written a book, had a baby and more! Athletics 32 Former Bulls football players work on their moves in the NFL Europa. Calendar 33 Events and activities coming up at USF in the next few months.
C OV E R S TO RY
Homecoming SuperBull XI Break out your lasso, cowboy hat and boots for our Southwestern-style party.
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Alumni Voice USF Alumni Association Gibbons Alumni Center University of South Florida 4202 East Fowler Avenue, ALC100 Tampa, Florida 33620 alumni@admin.usf.edu USFalumni.org Alumni Voice magazine is published four times a year in January, April, July and October by and for members of the USF Alumni Association. A $40 membership fee includes Alumni Voice magazine as a member benefit. Alumni Voice Magazine Editorial: Karla Jackson, kjackson@admin.usf.edu or Rita Kroeber rkroeber@admin.usf.edu Advertising: Rita Kroeber, 813-974-6312 or rkroeber@admin.usf.edu Design: McShane Communications Contributing Authors in this Issue: • Lorie Briggs • David Hein • Natalie Shultz Alumni Association Contact Information Executive Director: John Harper, ‘76 Membership: 813-974-2100 or 800-299-BULL Alumni & Student Programs: 813-974-2100 General Alumni Email: alumni@admin.usf.edu Giving/Scholarships: rsherman@admin.usf.edu or zcarr@admin.usf.edu USF Bulls License Plate: www.BullsPlate.org Alumni Association Web site: USFalumni.org Letters to the editor are encouraged. Please write to Karla Jackson at kjackson@admin.usf.edu or mail to the address at the top of the page. Views expressed in the Alumni Voice magazine do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the USF Alumni Association, the University of South Florida or the editorial staff. New Address? Moving? Update your official USF alumni record at myUSFbio.org or email your correction to alumni@admin.usf.edu. You also may remove the label and send it with your correct address to Alumni Voice, USF Alumni Association, 4202 East Fowler Ave. ALC100, Tampa, FL 33620.© 2007 All rights reserved.
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president’s message Hello Fellow Alumni, Homecoming… it’s that time of the year. Remember your days on campus? Fall semester represented a new school year, new opportunities to meet new friends, parking nightmares and yes, even some cooler weather. It also represented Homecoming. When was the last time you visited USF or attended a Homecoming? I remember watching the parade, playing golf and hanging out with good friends. This year we have lots of activities for you and your entire family culminating with a football game against Big East rival Cincinnati. We are expecting thousands to join us to participate in Bulls Roast, the annual Parade Watch Party and the local Golf Scramble. I’m coming down from Charlotte this year and would love to see you there. Please take a few minutes to read through this special Homecoming issue and learn what your fellow alumni are doing these days. Hear from Ed Baird, `82, about his exciting win as helmsman for the Alinghi during the 32nd America’s Cup; read what it’s like to lead the business world into the electronic age from FedEx CIO Rob Carter, MBA `90, and get the scoop on former Bulls football players who paid their dues playing for the now defunct NFL Europa. Plus, find out everything you need to know about Homecoming. Isn’t it time to come back and see for yourself how USF has grown and learn about the benefits of membership in the Alumni Association? I’m looking forward to coming back to Tampa to share my passion and pride in USF with fellow Bulls. I hope to see you there! Go Bulls! Your Friend,
Jeff Spalding, `87 Life Member Charlotte, N.C.
news
roundup
Florida’s Big 3 Win Tuition Increase The University of South Florida, FSU and UF were granted a muchneeded tuition increase in June. A new state law allows all three Level 1 research universities to raise undergraduate tuition gradually over the next several years, beginning in 2008. Gov. Charlie Crist had vowed to veto the legislation, but relented after meeting with the presidents of Florida’s 11 public universities, who unanimously supported the increase, even though most of their schools would not benefit. Florida’s Bright Futures scholarship, which covers 75 percent to 100 percent of resident tuition and fees, will not cover the increase. Additionally, all state universities are being asked to trim between 4 and 10 percent of their budgets for the 2008-09 year.
A Bold 5-Year Plan In spite of the lean budget outlook, USF plans to hire hundreds of professors and conduct more ambitious research that will call for a $1.2 billion investment over the next five years. In June, the Board of Trustees approved a long-term plan that USF’s leaders say will usher USF into the invitation-only academic corps known as the Association of American Universities. Entry to the elite association depends on the university winning millions in federal research dollars in that time, and the only way to do that is to recruit high-powered professors. The five-year plan also calls for steppedup fundraising and admitting more graduate students. Undergraduate enrollment will have to be carefully managed, with most of the growth primarily at USF’s regional campuses: St. Petersburg, Lakeland and Sarasota Manatee. Much of the investment in the five-year plan will come from the university’s foundation, which has assets now totaling more than $330 million. The university is planning a fundraising campaign to raise more than $500 million.
Moffitt Has a Banner May In the course of one week in May, the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute received nearly $30 million to advance its fight against deadly cancers. The center received its largest gift ever – a $20.4 million donation – from Texas cable, banking and construction entrepreneur Don A. Adam on May 22. The gift will be used
to create the Donald A. Adam Comprehensive Melanoma Research Center. Melanoma is the fastest-growing cancer in the U.S. and a particular threat to people in sunny states such as Florida. Five days earlier, the center was awarded an $8.95 million grant from the National Cancer Institute to research new cancer drugs. Moffitt, located on the USF campus, is one of the nation’s top three cancer centers by volume and holds two spots in U.S. News & World Report’s list of America’s Best Hospitals.
HIV Prevention Cream in Clinical Trials Physicians with USF’s Department of Pediatrics have begun a clinical trial of a topical vaginal microbicide that holds great promise for preventing the sexual transmission of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Microbicides are substances designed to reduce or prevent the sexual transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections when applied topically to the surface of the vagina. With almost half of all people infected with HIV/AIDS being women, and the alarmingly steady increase in HIV rates among women younger than 25, researchers have focused their attention on this population. The Microbicide Trials Network and the Adolescent Medicine Trials Network for HIV/AIDS Interventions will test the microbicide SPL7013 Gel (VivaGel™) in sexually active young women. VivaGel is being developed by Starpharma Pty.Ltd., of Melbourne, Australia. The study of the product’s safety, acceptability and ease of use is being conducted at USF and the University of Puerto Rico in San Juan.
Orthopedic Residency Returns After a hiatus of more than a decade, USF Health is rebuilding its orthopedic surgery program. A national accrediting agency surveyed the program and ruled that USF could begin recruiting residents this past summer. The College of Medicine has been without an orthopedic residency program since 1989, when 13 orthopedic surgeons resigned after a dispute over creating an on-campus clinic. Rebuilding the program was a top priority for medical school Dean Stephen Klasko, who was hired in 2004. Last fall, Klasko hired a prominent San Diego surgeon, Robert Pedowitz, to lead the school’s orthopedic surgery department. Orthopedic surgery residents must train for at least five years after they graduate from medical school.
OCTOBER 2007 I ALUMNIVOICE 3
news
roundup CONTINUED
Earn a Business Degree in Singapore USF’s College of Business is partnering with Broward Community College and the Center for American Education to offer a four-year business degree in Singapore.
The first classes began in August. The bachelor’s degree in business administration has concentrations in international business and marketing, allowing students in Singapore to earn an American degree without leaving the region. The partnership also allows the university’s U.S.-based business students to study abroad, paying USF tuition rates and earning credits towards a stateside USF degree.
USF Trains Bahamian Librarians The first group of graduate students from The Bahamas to earn master’s of arts degrees from USF’s School of Library and Information Science graduated in August. The accredited master’s degree program was offered to students at The College of The Bahamas. This is the first grad program of its kind offered by a USF department and the first collaborative program between USF and The College of The Bahamas. Students took two courses each semester, both online and in the classroom. The program culminated with the class coming to the Tampa campus for a 10-week summer term, during which they took their last two courses and engaged in supervised fieldwork in local libraries. The goal of the program is to provide the island nation with a core of professionally trained librarians who can lead the country in its development of an enhanced information infrastructure.
USF Lakeland Needs Double Florida Gov. Charlie Crist vetoed USF Lakeland’s $10 million request to build a new campus in the spring, but campus officials are undeterred. In fact, they plan to ask for $20 million next year. In 2004, the Williams Corp. donated about 500 acres along Interstate 4 at the Polk Parkway for the campus. The company could exercise a clause that allows it to take back the property if construction doesn’t progress.
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“We’ve lost a year now,” said Lakeland CEO Marshall Goodman. In related news, Lakeland’s Board of Trustees unanimously approved changing the name of the new 16,000-student campus to USF Polytechnic, to better reflect its focus on a polytech education and broaden its student base. The new name becomes official if the university’s main board of trustees approves it, as well as the state board of governors.
Weight loss Alzheimer’s Link New findings show unexplained weight loss that precedes dementia by more than 10 years is associated with the severity of Alzheimer’s changes in the brain. Using data from the Nun Study, a prospective study of the causes of dementia in Catholic sisters, USF researcher James Mortimer, Ph.D., reported that the most likely cause of the unexplained weight loss is the severity of the Alzheimer changes in the brain, rather than an eating disorder or other condition associated with declining cognition. Dr. Mortimer presented the findings in August at the 2007 Alzheimer’s Association International Conference on the Prevention of Dementia in Washington, D.C.
New Eggs in Older Women “Unlikely” It’s highly unlikely that older women generate new eggs, USF researchers say, countering the controversial findings of reproductive endocrinologist Jonathan Tilly, Ph.D, and his team of Harvard scientists. Tilly reported the discovery of stem cells capable of migrating from bone marrow to mouse ovaries and generating new eggs there. The research fueled hopes that a new treatment – such as bone marrow transplantation – might one day help older women regain their fertility. But USF researchers David Keefe, M.D., professor and chair of Obstetrics and Gynecology at USF, and colleague Lin Liu, who also holds a post at Sun Yat-Sen University in Guangzhou, China, say they can find no evidence to support Tilly’s hypothesis that women may generate new eggs. ”Despite using the most sensitive methods available, we found no evidence of any egg stem cells in human ovaries, demonstrating that Dr. Tilly’s findings in mice do not apply to women,” Dr. Keefe wrote in the study, published in the March 2007 issue of the journal Developmental Biology.
rocky? where’s
Rocky the Bull admires the fountains in front of the Bellagio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. Submitted by Diana Michel, ’88. (She hinted that the gambling was not so good for Rocky….) Did you spot Rocky or a Bulls logo on your vacation? Submit your photos, and perhaps you'll see them in this magazine or on our website! Email high resolution photos (300 dpi) to kjackson@admin.usf.edu.
letters to the editor Bulls in the Nude I sat down to peruse the July issue of Alumni Voice last night to discover a most shocking miscarriage of history. On Page 8 the featured article was “A Blast from the Past.” At the bottom of the page it noted that the first reported incident of streaking on campus occurred in 1974. I arrived on campus in the fall of 1970. Many things occurred throughout the 1970-1971 school year. There were the obvious war protests on campus that kept the “greenies” (campus security) busy. The Shah of Iran was also in his final days and many of the Iranian engineering students wore ski masks to hide their identity from government (theirs) picture takers. In the evenings particularly, streaking was not an uncommon occurrence. I can vividly recall more than one occasion where several hundred streakers ran across campus (me included.) By 1974 the incidents of streaking were few and far between. While I was never surprised that a hoard of
campus security could show up within minutes of the assembly of 10 war protesters, the fact that they could miss more than 100 streakers on campus still amazes me. Gerry Detty Class of 1974
You Really Like Us! I finally managed to get to some of my mail and came across my July issue of Alumni Voice. Since you asked for feedback, here you go: LOVED IT!!! I really intended to set it aside to read through later, but each page became more interesting and I managed to find the time to cruise all the way through. There must have been a great deal of research to put this together. Please commend the staff on a great job! Jim Fee USF Head Golf Coach Class of 1985
We Want to Hear from You! Alumni Voice welcomes your comments, compliments, criticisms and conjectures. You can email publications editor Karla Jackson at kjackson@admin.usf.edu or write to us at: USF Alumni Association, Attn: Karla Jackson, 4202 E. Fowler Ave. ALC100, Tampa, FL. 33620-5455. OCTOBER 2007 I ALUMNIVOICE 5
movers
shakers President Genshaft is Business Woman of the Year
The Tampa Bay Business Journal named USF President Judy Genshaft as Business Woman of the Year in August. President Genshaft is involved in several civic and economic activities. She is the 2007 chair of the Tampa Bay Partnership and the 2007 chair-elect of the Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce. USF is one of the largest employers in the Tampa Bay region and has a $3.2 billion impact on the regional economy.
New USF Alumni Association Leadership John Harper, `76, was named executive director of the USF Alumni Association in June. He served as the interim director since April 2006. Harper brings a wealth of communications and leadership experience to the job. He formerly served as chairman of the association’s board of directors and as the first chairman of the board’s communications committee. Harper retired in 2001 from Verizon where he worked for 28 years. His final position was director of commercial marketing. At the association’s June board meeting, Jeff Spalding, `87, was elected president of the board of directors. He replaces Charley Harris, who is now immediate past president and remains an active member of the board of directors. Spalding is executive vice-president of market operations at Peak 10 in Charlotte, N.C. He has served on the association’s board of directors and the awards & nominations committee, and been actively involved in several service organizations in Charlotte. His wife Sara, `88, also is a USF alumna. The board also elected Michele Norris, `79, of Lutz, as president-elect. As district sales manager for OfficeMax, Norris brings a strong focus on customer service, leadership and fiscal responsibility. She has chaired the Student and Young Alumni, Involvement and ACT committees and has served as alumni homecoming chair. She is also a founding member of USF’s Women in Leadership and Philanthropy.
Dr. Patel Receives Ellis Island Award Physician and philanthropist Dr. Kiran C. Patel was one of six Americans of Indian descent who were recipients of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor awarded on May 12, 2007 at Ellis Island. The honorees were
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selected by the National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations (NECO) to receive the award based on their dedication and leadership qualities in community service. Dr. Patel, a board certified cardiologist, and his wife, pediatrician Dr. Pallavi Patel, have been generous supporters of USF, funding a charter school and The Patel Center for Global Solutions, a non-profit organization that develops and funds a wide variety of programs in health, education and arts & culture. The Patels also funded a school and conservatory for the performing arts, a heart research hospital and numerous schools, hospitals and community projects in Patel’s home village of Mota Fofalia and throughout Gujarat.
Goforth Replaces Stavros on USF St. Petersburg Board Stephanie Goforth was appointed to the USF St. Petersburg Campus Board in July. She replaces Dr. Gus Stavros, who resigned in February to accept a gubernatorial appointment to the Florida Board of Governors. Goforth is a senior vice president and wealth strategist manager for the west coast of Florida for Northern Trust. She is based out of the downtown St. Petersburg office where she is responsible for managing all aspects of the region’s trust sales activities. Goforth earned her B.A. from USF, where she majored in business management. She holds the series 7, 6, 63 and 66 licenses and is a certified financial planner. She is a current board member and treasurer of All Children’s Hospital Foundation, the CASA Board of Trustees, the Heroes of St. Petersburg Board and the St. Petersburg YMCA. She is also past president of the Suncoaster’s Festival of States Organization.
Gullette is New Director of Media Relations Ken Gullette, formerly director of media relations for ACT, Inc. in Iowa, is now USF’s director of media relations. During his tenure, ACT testing volume rose dramatically in non-traditional areas and the company increased its annual media impressions from 120 million to over 1 billion. From 1975 to 1997, the Eastern Kentucky University graduate worked as a reporter, anchor, assignment editor and producer before rising to the position of news director, a position he held at KCAU-TV in Sioux City, WOI-TV in Des Moines and WHBF-TV in Rock Island, IL. Gullette worked in public relations at Bawden and Associates in Davenport, Iowa from 1997 to 1999 and owns a web-based media relations coaching business he started in 2006.
Dr. Goswami Wins Two Prestigious Energy Awards One of the world’s leading scientists and experts on solar energy is adding two more accolades to his resume. D. Yogi Goswami, Ph.D., the John & Naida Ramil Professor of Chemical Engineering and co-director of USF’s College of Engineering Clean Energy Research Center, has received two of the highest honors in the field of solar and sustainable energy: the American Solar Energy Society’s (ASES) 2007 Hoyt Clarke Hottel Award and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers’ (ASME) 2007 Frank Kreith Energy Award. The Hottel Award was presented at the organization’s National Solar Energy Conference held in Cleveland in July. The Kreith Award will be presented at ASME’s International Mechanical Engineering Congress in Seattle in November. Goswami is a Fellow in both organizations and holds more than 50 awards and certificates from major engineering and scientific societies.
FMHI Has New Dean Dr. Junius J. Gonzales, M.D., M.B.A. became the new dean of the Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute on Aug. 1. Dr. Gonzales brings 17 years of experience in both the public and private sectors, having worked across multiple disciplines to integrate science, practice and policy in the field of mental and behavioral health. He has held significant leadership positions at Abt Associates and the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) as well as teaching and clinical positions at George Washington University and Georgetown University. The son of Peruvian parents, Dr. Gonzales is a first-generation college graduate who has won several significant awards and has received funding from multiple agencies, including the National Institutes of Health (NIH). His area of expertise expands beyond mental health and includes issues of general health, science and technology.
Gyimah-Brempong Speaks to Africa’s Leaders Economic aid alone will not bring sustained economic improvement to the African continent. USF economics professor Kwabena Gyimah-Brempong delivered that message to leaders from
Africa’s nations at the African Institute for Economic Development and Planning conference held in June in Dakar, Senegal. His message came on the heels of a pledge by world leaders at the G8 Summit in Germany to help lift Africa out of poverty and fight disease there. Gyimah-Brempong, chair of the economics department at USF, presented the keynote address at the conference organized by the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa. Attendees included finance ministers from Africa’s 53 countries and representatives from Africa’s 14 Regional Economics Communities. He has been a consultant for a number of international advisory groups, including the African Capacity Building Foundation’s Parliament Technical Advisory Council and the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute project on “Defense Budgeting Processes in Africa.” His research focuses on economic growth, corruption, income inequality and human capital in Africa.
Lindsay is new SarasotaManatee Campus Board Member Elizabeth Lindsay, former chair of the Florida Board of Regents and USF alumna, was selected as a new member of the USF Sarasota-Manatee Campus Board in July. She also serves on the Board of Advisors of USF’s College of Business, the Florida House Board of Directors and the House Renovation & Construction Committee. Lindsay joins Lynette Edwards, Charles Baumann, Jan Smith, and Chairman Cliff Walters on the USF Sarasota-Manatee Campus Board.
Dr. Sinnott Wins Leadership Florida Award Professor John T. Sinnott, M.D., director of the Division of Infectious Disease and International Medicine at USF Health, received the 2007 Leadership Florida Distinguished Member Award. The award recognizes a Leadership Florida graduate whose activities exemplify the highest standards of the organization and have achieved results or set an example of statewide influence. Dr. Sinnott is a 2003 graduate of the 900-member Leadership Florida Institute, an organization created by the Florida Chamber of Commerce in 1982 to identify and train leaders who will collectively create a powerful resource for the state.
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Feature Story
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Team Alinghi operates like a fine Swiss watch to capitalize on every advantage against New Zealand’s Team Emirates during the 32nd America’s Cup. (Left) Ed Baird hoists the fabled America’s Cup after the Alinghi won the closest victory in the 156-year history of the race.
I
t’s odd how life's biggest moments seem to happen in slow motion. That's how it was for Ed Baird when Alinghi, the Swiss sloop on which he was helmsman, won the 32nd America's Cup held in Valencia, Spain, in July.
The best-of-nine series was the closest in the Cup's storied 156-year history. The Swiss-commissioned Team Alinghi (pronounced Ah-ling-ee) and its competitor, Team Emirates of New Zealand, were never more than a few seconds apart at the finish line – something unheard of in previous America’s Cup races, which typically last around two hours. “All the finish times were in the 30 seconds or less range,” says Baird, a USF St. Petersburg business grad, Class of 1982. “Our very last race was a 1second finish, which is the closest ever.”
Baird has sailed the waters of Tampa Bay since he was 9 years old, starting with little 8-foot skiffs and graduating to bigger, faster boats as he grew in size and skill. He was in his teens when he realized that he had a special talent for reading the wind and water after placing in the top 20 in an international youth sailing competition. “That was one of those little moments in life when I thought, ‘OK, maybe I can do something with this,’” he recalls, relaxing on the patio of the Shore Acres home he shares with his wife Lisa, a USF St. Petersburg Class of 1989 grad, and their three kids. Today, more than three decades after that youthful epiphany, Baird, 49, is an eight-time world sailing champion and three-time match racing champion. He has crafted a career for himself as a professional
yacht racer – an occupation that didn’t exist when he graduated from USF. This was his fourth time sailing in the America's Cup – his second time on a winning boat – and the first time he’d ever experienced anything like Alinghi’s fifth and final victory of the series. As helmsman, Baird’s role on the 17-member team is to strategize and anticipate the movements of both his boat and the competitor’s. In the seventh race, Team Emirates completed a penalty turn more quickly than Baird anticipated and was gaining fast on Alinghi as they approached the finish line. “It wasn’t until the last 20 seconds that I realized, “This is going to be close,’” he says. "At that point there's nothing you can do but sail." The sleek boats sliced across the finish line seemingly in tandem. Thirty-four heads swiveled to see the winning flag go up on the race committee boat. “When you finish, they put up the color of the flag of the boat that crosses the line first,” Baird explains. “If we win, it should be a blue flag. So we cross the line, hear the gun and we look over at the race committee boat.” The crew froze in anticipation. “She had a blue flag in her hand and the [Emirates] yellow flag was on the deck,” Baird says. “She started to move the blue flag and then she put her hand back down.” From his perch in the stern of Alinghi, Baird cried out: “No!”
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Feature Story
CONTINUED
After their dramatic win, Team Alinghi felt like rock stars. Fans cheered, shook their hands, clamored for autographs and photos. It was thrilling, but also a little much for a low-key guy like Baird. “It was nice to get back home and go to our favorite places and have a quiet meal with our friends,” he says. His family spent two years in Valencia while Baird prepared for the America’s Cup. It was an amazing experience for the kids – Max, 15, Ty, 11 and Nic, 10, who can now speak Spanish pretty well. Even so, they’re glad to be back in St. Petersburg.
If they won the seventh race, Alinghi would take the Cup, winning five races to Emirates’ two. If not, they’d have to race Team Emirates again. “Then she raised the blue flag,” he says. “And we knew.” The moment transpired in a flash, but it was the longest second of Baird’s life. “It was an incredible emotional roller coaster and pretty special to come out on top,” he says. “Winning this event is one of the more special things you can do on this planet.” In one of life’s little ironies, Baird’s first America’s Cup win was with New Zealand’s Team Emirates in 1995. “It didn’t have a lot to do with me,” he says of that race. “I helped, but I wasn’t eligible to be on the racing team. I was just driving the second boat.” He’s too modest to mention that he was named Rolex Yachtsman of the Year that year. Like professional athletes in America, world-class racing yachtsmen know each other and often sail together at some point in their careers. Buddies on land, when the racing begins, they’re all business Each day of the America’s Cup, more than 70,000 people poured into Valencia to watch the races – in private boats anchored along the race course, in VIP areas at the port, and in every nook and cranny along the Gulf of Valencia. The action took place only a couple of hundred yards off shore – easy viewing for spectators. Race organizers set up big-screen televisions in town. Hotels and restaurants held the sailing equivalent of football watch parties. “It’s like the Olympics and the Super Bowl all rolled into one event,” Baird says, with more than 5 million people visiting Valencia during the two months leading up to the regatta.
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“You’re uprooting the family every two years. That’s pretty tough on them,” Baird says of the 2-year race cycle that has taken the Bairds to live in New Zealand, California and Rhode Island, in addition to Valencia. “We love our house, we love St. Petersburg. We missed our friends. Sailing has taken me to some spectacular places, but this will always be home.” Baird enrolled at USF’s Bayboro campus in his early twenties, after trying out for the Olympic sailing team. As fate would have it, the U.S. boycotted the 1980 Summer Games because of Russia’s invasion of Afghanistan. A St. Petersburg native, coming home to a campus on the water in the city where he grew up was special to him. “We went to class in those old World War II barracks with the window air conditioners,” he recalls. “You had to pick your seat pretty carefully” because of the drafts. Lisa and the boys will stay in St. Pete when Baird goes back to Valencia for the next Cup, to be held in 2009. He’ll commute between the two cities for weeks at a time; his family will join him for the race. Big design changes in the yachts used in the America’s Cup will make the next race a new experience, even for veterans like Baird. The boats will be bigger and faster, with the first of the new models debuting in the summer of 2008. “Then we take them out and break them,” Baird says, only half joking. Part of testing a new boat is sailing it in extreme conditions. Jokes aside, he skippered a boat that literally broke in half during his second America’s Cup race in 2000. He was racing with Team Young America from the New York Yacht Club when their boat took a big wave at a bad angle. “It folded. It was like a V in the water,” Baird says. “It didn’t sink, but it probably should have. We all
had to jump off.” How does something like that happen to a highly designed, multi-million dollar racing yacht? “Well, the boats are fragile and we explored that fragility to its utmost,” Baird says, now able to wax philosophical about the incident seven years later. “It was not something I really enjoyed.” Fortunately, no one was hurt and the boat was eventually repaired and even sailed again. In Baird’s third America’s Cup in 2003, he sailed not as a competitor, but as a television commentator. “It was a more valuable experience than I realized because I was able to look at the race from a neutral point whereas before, it was always just from my team’s perspective. I learned a lot from it,” he says Baird has also lectured, coached and written countless articles on sailing, plus authored a how-to book, Laser Racing, about racing the popular, oneperson dinghies. He feels blessed that he has been able to turn his passion for sailing into a satisfying career, particularly when he thinks about the amazing things he has seen while at sea. “I’ve seen massive fish: whales, manta rays, big sunfish, schools of dolphin and tuna flying across the ocean like a herd of buffalo on the plains,” he says. His most vivid memory happened far out in the Atlantic Ocean, north of the equator, somewhere between Brazil and Puerto Rico. “It was the middle of the night during a full moon, and we had sailed through a rainstorm. When I turned to look back, there, in the moonlight, was the most perfect rainbow, with absolutely no color at all – all in shades of gray. It was spectacular. I’d never seen that before and probably never will again.” A ghostly rainbow – one of nature’s many gifts to the sailor. Ed Baird relaxes at home in St. Petersburg after all the fanfare has died down.
USF spotlight These are the Standing Committees of the USF Alumni Association Board of Directors: • ACT (Alumni Connections Team) • Awards • Executive • Finance • Governance • Long-Range Planning Committee • Membership Development & Benefits • Communications Council • Athletics Council • Council of 100
Committee Highlight: Awards Committee. A long-standing tradition at the USF Alumni Association is to annually recognize outstanding alumni and community leaders who have made a significant contribution to the university. The awards committee, which is composed of five members with the president-elect serving as chairman, solicits nominations for each of the four annual alumni awards: • Distinguished Alumnus • Class of 56 • Donald A. Gifford Alumni Service Award • Outstanding Young Alumnus Nominations are accepted all year but must be received by January 31st of the presentation year to be considered by the Awards Selection Committee for that year. You can download a nomination form by visiting www.USFalumni. org and clicking “Alumni Awards” under ‘Quick Links.’ Board members on the 2007-2008 Awards Committee include Michele Norris, ’79 Marketing (chair) and Mike LaPan, ’81 Management.
OCTOBER 2007 I ALUMNIVOICE 11
are critical to all forms of life. It turns out that these large molecules are “socialites” as well. They tend to link up with each other in unique ways and as these molecules “associate” they can perform different functions in the cell.
with
john wiencek
My research studies that association and helps us understand how such social molecules interact and work in the living cell. One practical application is with insulin. Insulin as formulated for injection can be tuned to yield either a prolonged minimal dosage or an instantaneous large dose, depending on the association state of the insulin. Adjusting the pH or salt concentration of the insulin can cause it to self-associate to differing levels, which directly impacts the relative activity of the insulin. Thus, my research can be utilized to formulate protein-based drugs and to understand their mode of action in the body.
Dr. Wiencek, the College of Engineering’s new dean, is an accomplished teacher and scholar with a long list of publications and presentations. The 46-year-old Cleveland native is also a family man who likes to run marathons.
Q : Your Program for Enhanced Design Experience at the University of Iowa won several awards. What is it exactly and what made you decide to create it?
Q : What do you see as the College of
A : The PEDE program provided a comprehensive
Engineering’s strengths?
A : The college’s strengths are its people and
purpose. The college has an enthusiastic community of students, alumni, staff and faculty. I’m convinced we will make great strides in the next decade and I’m eager to lead this effort.
Q : What are the college’s challenges? A : Like colleges throughout the country, our
challenge will be to distinguish ourselves in the midst of fiscally uncertain times. The USF College of Engineering must continue to pursue excellence in research and teaching, but we cannot afford to be “all things to all people.”
Q : Your biography says that your research interests
are protein biophysics and novel membrane-based water purification. What does that mean in layman’s terms? What are the practical applications of your research?
A : Proteins are pervasive in living organisms and 12 ALUMNIVOICE I OCTOBER 2007
I’ve also done work on emulsion liquid membranes that really look a lot like a vanilla milkshake. This milkshake can be formulated in such a fashion as to allow for the purification of water contaminated with heavy metals. My group has done some work on the removal of toxic mercury species from water by this technique.
design challenge for students in their senior year of the Chemical Engineering B.S. program.
A local corporation would pose a problem and it would be a “real” design that the company planned to act on. Students would spend one week before class in a “corporate boot camp” and then complete the project during the academic year. The program provided the students with an immersion into engineering practice. The program originated in Mechanical Engineering at Iowa. I was very interested in developing an analogous program in Chemical Engineering when I joined Iowa in 1995. Working with the local processing industry, we were able to launch the program shortly thereafter. It’s still running to this day.
Q : Of all the awards you’ve received, what was the most important to you? A : The Outstanding Teaching Award from the
Rutgers College Parent Association came at just the right time for me in 1994. I was honestly disillusioned with academia. At that time, I felt my hard efforts in the classroom were not appreciated by senior faculty in
my department. It was very uplifting to hear that the Associate Dean had heard good things about my teaching and nominated me for the award. I did not even know I was nominated when I received the call that I had been selected.
Q : Do you see science as an art or a skill or mixture of both? A : Both art and skill are essential to successful
scientific inquiry. Creativity is key in setting up an interesting hypothesis. In fact, I feel that my successful research projects have really worked out well whenever I have stumbled upon an interesting “out of the box” idea. The execution of the research is more skill than art, but the overall ideas typically require creative thought.
Q : Tell us a little about yourself personally. When did you realize you had a passion for science? A : I think it was around 5th grade. I had a teacher,
Mrs. Wagner, who “picked on” me a bit in our science course. She would make me go up in front of class and do the demonstration projects. I remember setting up simple battery-light bulb circuits. I was hooked. I later found out that my mom told Mrs. Wagner that I liked science books (I did.) My parents served as the invisible hand behind the scenes and helped me get to this point in my life.
Q : Are you married? Do you have any children? A : Yes – my wife Lida, was born in Saigon, Viet
Nam, and evacuated with the fall of Saigon in 1975. We have two young boys, Jack and Joe, ages 3 and 2 respectively.
Q : What do you like to do in your free time? A : Spend time with my family, run – I run one
marathon per year. I have yet to do one this year but plan to run in a Florida marathon in December. West Palm Beach and Jacksonville have marathons in early December.
OCTOBER 2007 I ALUMNIVOICE 13
chapters & societies No matter where you live, you’ll always be a Bull!
Education Alumni Freda Abercrombie Aber2@aol.com
myongue@wedu.org
The USF Alumni Association has alumni chapters all over the country. We also have college and special-interest societies for like-minded alumni.
Engineering Alumni Jan Ash jash@ashengineering.com
Jerry L. Miller jerry.miller@db.faneuil.com
It’s easy to get involved. Just email the contact person of the group you’d like to visit.
Societies Anthropology Alumni Anne Bretnall anniebret@bellsouth.net Architecture Alumni Adam Fritz adam@cgharchitects.com Black Alumni Felecia Brantley lbtdfmu18@hotmail.com Brian Campbell Bcamp10331@aol.com Business Alumni James Gossett JGossett@fadv.com
Philadelphia/South Jersey Chapter at the Ball Game
14 ALUMNIVOICE I OCTOBER 2007
Joseph Guida jguida@mustangtampa.com Geology Alumni Jon Hull jhull@qore.net Honors Alumni Lisa Provenzano Heugel lproven1@tampabay.rr.com Kauffman Alumni Allen Clary gaclary@yahoo.com Tania Ulinski tdulinski@yahoo.com Kosove Alumni Justin Geisler justingeisler@hotmail.com LGBT Alumni Marion Yongue
Lynne Carlson LCarlson@tempest.coedu.usf.edu
Florida Chapters Tampa Jim Johnson jimusfsig@yahoo.com Brevard John Carpenter j-carpenter2@ti.com Barbara Lyn barbaralyn.com Broward Sara DuCuennois ducuenno@nova.edu Charlotte Heidi Oros heidioros@yahoo.com Fort Myers Sanjay Kurian Skurian@becker-poliakoff.com
Chicago Chapter Meet & Greet Pinellas Chapter Preseason Tailgate
Hernando Belinda Nettles Scipi8@cs.com
Barbados Junior Browne junior.browne@gmail.com
Jacksonville Louis B. Richardson louinjax@comcast.net
Chicago Karla Stevenson Karla.Stevenson@gmail.com
Ellen Rosenblum ellenmarkmatt3@yahoo.com
Cincinnati Ben Fulton benjaminfulton@cinci.rr.com
Manatee-Sarasota Jay Riley jayriley@sar.usf.edu Miami Ruben Matos captram02@yahoo.com Carlos Rodriguez RODVOLL@aol.com Orlando Kevin Krause kkrause2@hotmail.com Pensacola Peter Kemp Peter.kemp@wachoviasec.com Pinellas Audrey Gilmore usf1@tampabay.rr.com Polk Randy Dotson randy.dotson@gmail.com
National & International Chapters Atlanta Denise Dimbath denisuela@hotmail.com
D.C. Regional Jody Glassman Tampajody@yahoo.com Dallas Lisa Lacy lisa.lacy@tx.rr.com Indiana Jeremy Sims Jsims@shepherdins.com New York Mike Simpson Michael.Simpson@gs.com Valerie Berrios Valerieberrios78@hotmail.com Philadelphia/South Jersey Brandon Aldridge aldridgb@toysrus.com Raleigh, N.C. Bob Cohn bob.cohn@smithbarney.com St. Louis Jennifer Bradshaw Jenbshaw@charter.net Mark Greenspahn markgstl@aol.com
S HAR Ey A Memor Excerpts of memories from members of the USF Alumni Association.
I met my wife of 29 years of marriage in an animal physiology class. I first approached her and asked her how class was going. She said, “What class?” I guess I really had made an impression on her! Well, I tried again, and she remains the love of my life! David Helsing, ‘76 Member since 1992 I had all really good professors, but Knocky Parker made his theatre-sized classes seem small. He knew we needed a class that not only taught academics, but also taught us how to enjoy the moment. So far, my life has had many ups and downs. Thank God USF is one of the ups!! Darin Fleming, ‘84 Life Member [The late] Dr. Jeff Giordano was the single most influential person responsible for my entering the gerontological course of study. He was always available as a mentor, teacher and friend. Because of him I have earned a BS and MA in Gerontology and have successfully served the elderly of our community as a nursing home administrator. Louis Maltaghati, MA ’99, ‘93 Member since 1995
Share your USF memory with us! Email alumni@admin.usf.edu and write “Memory” in the subject line. OCTOBER 2007 I ALUMNIVOICE 15
By Karla Jackson Class of 1988
profile
rob carter
&
Stand
alumni
DELIVER
As chief information officer for FedEx, Rob Carter has had a front row seat for the dawning of the electronic age. “Today we think of the Internet as something that’s always been there, but really, it’s only been around for a little more than a decade,” says Carter, who earned his MBA from USF in 1990. Back in the day, FedEx was one of the first companies to actually use the Web to do more than post a brochure online. “We created a website where you could key in the number of a package and you would get back the tracking results,” he says. Sure, everyone’s doing it now, but back in 1994, it was revolutionary. “The company won a Smithsonian Award for it because it was one of the first commercial transaction sites that people could actually use to do business,” he says. When Carter considers the evolution of FedEx’s global network during his tenure, he’s awed at how far technology has come and inspired by how far it still can go. “The CIO job is a high visibility job because people are always interested in the FedEx story with regard to technology,” Carter says. “It’s not just the IT department off taking orders somewhere. It’s a seatat-the-table job where technology is integrated into the business.”
16 ALUMNIVOICE I OCTOBER 2007
Carter had a seat at that table when terrorists attacked the U.S. on 9/11 and when Hurricane Katrina leveled the Gulf Coast. FedEx was one of the first private companies on the scene after both events. Responding to world events and natural disasters is a pivotal part of his job.
And he’s faced his share of tragedy. Carter’s first son, Philip, died suddenly from a rare congenital condition when he was 9 years old.
“Governments and businesses depend on us to be prepared,” says Carter.
“It was the most difficult thing I’ve ever had to live with,” he says.
It’s the perfect role for a logistically minded person like himself. “I’m a good puzzle and problem solver. That type of challenge engages me,” he says. A self-described “gadget guy,” Carter found his niche in technology after a brief foray into pre-med during his undergraduate studies at the University of Florida. “After bombing out of chemistry and struggling with biology and physics, I asked myself, ‘What else is interesting out there?’” “Then I got into the computer culture and it was like finding my happy place,” he says. After graduation, he went to work at GTE, now Verizon. A few years later, he decided to get his MBA from USF. “I started taking the path of getting an MBA believing that it would make a competitive difference in my career,” he says “But once I got going, I realized that it was really stretching me as a professional and adding value to my work.” The finance and marketing classes he took at USF were invaluable, but the true value of his MBA came from learning how to be a better manager, Carter says. “It’s an important skill, especially in the world of technology where people can be overly focused on the technological skills. Technology has to be coupled with sound business principles.”
Carter and his current wife, Jenny, adopted their son Nathan, now 9, when he was a baby. A few years later, they adopted three sisters: Beth is now 16, Jenna, 15 and Teresa is 13. “Yes, I have three teenage daughters,” says the proud Papa. “I’m playing zone defense on these young ladies. And Nathan, well, he’s just a little rascal.” His weekend respite is a little farm outside of Memphis that he describes as a “sportsman’s paradise,” where he bikes, gardens and does a little hunting. “I love the outdoors. I love the weather. After living in Florida, it’s nice to live some place with four distinct seasons.”
“Today we think of the Internet as something that’s always been there, but really, it’s only been around for a little more than a decade.”
Now 48, Carter is at the point in his career where he’s starting to think about his legacy. “The goal I have for my life is to have moved from success in the early part of my career to significance in the latter part of my career,” he says. “Success is fleeting; significance is lasting.”
Shortly after earning his MBA, Carter left GTE to work for FedEx. He’s had some of the best years of his professional life working at the company’s headquarters in Memphis, winning countless prestigious awards such as Information Week Chief of the Year 2000, 2001, 2005 and CIO magazine’s 100 Award six times. “Those awards are thrilling and I’m honored for every one of them, but all they represent are the unbelievable team of professionals that I have behind me,’’ he says modestly.
OCTOBER 2007 I ALUMNIVOICE 17
1990 A Blast from the Past ! U.S. PRESIDENT: George H.W. Bush VICE PRESIDENT: Dan Quayle
MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME: (current dollars): $29,943
LIFE EXPECTANCY: 75.4 years UNEMPLOYMENT: 5.6% FIRST CLASS STAMP: 25¢
IN THE NEWS: East and West Germany reunite; South Africa frees Nelson Mandela, imprisoned 27½ years; Margaret Thatcher, Great Britain’s first female prime minister and longest serving PM in the 20th century, resigns.
IN THE ARTS: Driving Miss Daisy wins Oscar for Best Picture; Octavio Paz receives Nobel Prize for Literature; L.A. Law wins the Emmy for outstanding drama; and Grammy for best record goes to “Wind Beneath My Wings,” Bette Midler.
AT USF: Francis T. Borkowski is USF president; annual economic impact of USF on Tampa Bay area is more than $330 million; David Anchin Center for the Advancement of Teaching is established; buildings on all campuses total 283; USF Bulls win the Sunbelt Conference Basketball Championship and compete in the NCAA tournament. 18 ALUMNIVOICE I OCTOBER JULY 2007 2007
IN SCIENCE: The Hubble Space Telescope is launched; Clean Air Act signed into law; FDA approves use of the surgically-implanted contraceptive Norplant.
THE FINAL GOOD NIGHT: Sammy Davis, Jr., entertainer; Greta Garbo, actor; Jim Henson of Muppet fame; B.F. Skinner, leading proponent of behavioral psychology.
; n e h T s a W ; w t a o N Th s i s i h T By Natalie Shultz Class of 2008 So it’s now officially my senior year here at USF - no time for slacking off. This long, holiday-free stretch from Labor Day until Veterans Day means more than just homework, mid-terms and all-nighters. It also means that Homecoming is on the way. For those of you who don’t remember, Homecoming Week is a crazy-busy time filled with fun stuff like the sorority/fraternity Tug-o-War and the Knowledge-aBull trivia game, as well as lots of float decorating and banner making. There are also concerts, a carnival, the parade, bull riding, Homecoming court, a dance and all kinds of other activities to satisfy just about any interest. It all leads up to the big football game, where students and alumni unite at Raymond James Stadium to cheer on our Bulls. To us “Baby Bulls,” Homecoming is a given - something familiar, something we’ve always known and something we’ve grown to expect, like rush-hour traffic on campus. To the “Bulls of Antiquity,” like my mother, Class of `75, Homecoming was something that barely registered with them and has long since been dumped from their memory banks. My mom was a sister of Alpha Delta Pi, so surely she participated in the Homecoming festivities, right? False. She informed me that there was no such thing as Homecoming when she was in school. “How could we have had a Homecoming back then? We didn’t even have a football team. There was nothing to come home to.”
18, 1997, and was named “SuperBull I.” This year we will celebrate SuperBull XI. Tri Delta alumna Bee Everett attended USF from 1976-1980. Everett remembers Homecoming corresponding with basketball season in the spring, and says it was not nearly as big as it is today. There was little sorority and fraternity involvement. “Some organizations made banners they held in the gym where the game was played. We had no Sun Dome, so games were played in what is now your fitness gym by the indoor swimming pool. I don’t remember any floats and parades,” Everett says. Everett’s daughter, junior Helena Hayes, is also a Tri Delta at USF. Hayes, a public relations major, says she can’t imagine her college experience without Homecoming. “My favorite part of Homecoming week is the parade, when other organizations on campus and Greeks participate in the floats and dress up,” Hayes says. “Greeks do a lot for USF and it’s nice to see everyone come out because it’s such a good PR promoter for student organizations and Greek councils, and it is also an excellent social tool.” “And I also like to see alums come back. A lot of them were commuters, so the fact that they still support USF is nice to know,” she added. Nearly three decades after graduation, Everett continues to support her alma mater by participating in USF’s Homecoming tradition and playing a role in Tri Delta’s alumni chapter and house corps.
But of course there was a Homecoming back then. Homecoming is one of the longest standing traditions at USF. Apparently, it was a lot more low-key back in the day when it centered around basketball.
“I think USF offers several fun events for the alums to attend during USF Homecoming,” Everett says. “It’s very exciting to see USF moving up in the ranks with the football program because I believe that will inspire more alumni, especially the Greeks, to become more involved in Homecoming, and hopefully more involved in their Greek organizations.”
According to the USF Alumni Association’s Itty Bitty Book of Bull, the first Homecoming was in 1963, the year the first class of seniors graduated from USF. The inaugural Homecoming football game was October
Since I arrived at USF in 2004 as a wide-eyed freshman, Homecoming has grown each year, evolving into an even bigger and better tradition. It’ll be nice to enjoy it next year as an alumna without having to worry about mid-terms.
OCTOBER 2007 I ALUMNIVOICE 19
Feature Story
Howdy Partner!
s, hats & lasso for the Break out your cowboy boot -style Homecoming Alumni Association’s Southwestern perfect time to on November 2nd & 3rd. It’s the friends to show reconnect with family, alumni and lf Scramble at your Bull spirit. Join us for the Go front of the The Claw, Parade Watch Party in eat buffet at Alumni Center, and an all-you-canr, the Bulls the Bulls Roast Tailgate. This yea perBull XI . battle the Cincinnati Bearcats in Su
20 ALUMNIVOICE I OCTOBER 2007
Golf le mb Scra e Alumni
golf? Then th w at Love to play ble at The Cla am cr S lf o G n Associatio perfect ber 2nd is the em v o N n o F US e . Tee time to b choice for you ontact Chris announced. C ) 632-6893. Curry at (813
ParadeWatch Party Roundup the family for the traditional Parade Watch Party at the Alumni Center on Friday afternoon, November 2nd! Enjoy the free cookout, DJ music, contests, giveaways and children’s activ ities. Don’t forget your chairs and blankets if you stay for the bonfire and fireworks after the parade.
22 ALUMNIVOICE I OCTOBER 2007
Bulls Roas t Tailgate
Celebrate the southwestern-st yle Homecoming at Bulls Roast Tailgate, the Alumni Association’s largest pre-game party of the year! It begins 3 hours before kick-off on Saturday, Novem ber 3rd. Lot 6D, Raymond James Stadium. Whether it’s a mornin g party or afternoon affair, you can count on a huge buffet, DJ music, lasso contests and FREE spirit supplies, Budweise r beer, frozen margaritas and country line dancing lessons. So giddy up to the alumni website at USFalumni.org and reg ister today!
OCTOBER 2007 I ALUMNIVOICE 23
alumni profile
joe dimisa
By Lorie Briggs Class of 1988 Joe DiMisa is a builder, but the 1992 USF MBA alumnus isn’t in the construction business. Senior vice president and practice leader with Sibson Consulting, DiMisa, 38, builds relationships and solves problems for companies across the nation. Rather than hammers, jigsaws, or drills, DiMisa considers communication and relationship building skills the tools of his trade.
Joe DiMisa, MBA `92, credits the College of Business with kick-starting his career.
A consultant, expert negotiator, author, and lecturer, Joe DiMisa develops sales teams, crafts growth plans, forms sales strategies and manages distribution channels. He credits USF’s College of Business for laying the foundation for his career. “USF really propelled me into the field,” he said recently. “Sales operations, sales management, marketing, consulting – it all began with my USF background.” DiMisa leveraged his business relationships to become an author. His book, The Fisherman’s Guide to Selling: Making the Sale, Hook, Line, and Sinker, is a primer for sales professionals who want to follow a successful and proven sales process. Using a fishing theme, the book’s metaphors show how just a little extra effort can lead to success. “I wrote the book based upon my experiences working with world-class sales organizations and salespeople,” said DiMisa. “It is meant to help those who are seeking techniques that separate the average sales performer from the extraordinary sales performer.”
24 ALUMNIVOICE I OCTOBER 2007
DiMisa was hired by Bell South right out of the MBA program, then took his telecom experience to a small start-up called Ockham Technologies. Ockham developed software to help sales managers run the sales force. They were so successful, they were eventually bought out by a larger firm. DiMisa and colleagues from Ockham later established TCert, a firm selling intelligent software for online sales training. “At the time,” he said, “this was considered cutting edge.” The intuitive software program evaluated skills and competencies, and modified questions as a result, which impressed one client so much that he purchased the company and folded that job into his organization. Now a consultant, DiMisa is still building relationships and solving problems as a part of the Sibson team, splitting his time between Tampa and Atlanta. He said he loves his work more than ever. “Every day I am learning something and building relationships with new people,” he said. “I might be in Atlanta one week with a telecom company, or Little Rock with a manufacturer. Every week is a new challenge as I help build plans to solve complex problems.”
OCTOBER 2007 I ALUMNIVOICE 17
classnotes 60s
Ron Schultz, `65 & M.A. `67,
was elected to the Florida House of Representatives. He represents District 43, covering most of Citrus County and parts of Hernando and Levy Counties. Schultz was Citrus County property appraiser for 14 years. Before that, he served in the same office for Pinellas County. His wife, Diann, also graduated from USF with a B.A in Education in 1966 and an M.S. in Management from the College of Business in 1980.
70s Debra Fulghum Bruce, `73, is an Atlantabased medical writer and author of 81 health trade books. She recently signed on to write book number 82 for Penguin Books New York, The Anti-Alzheimer’s Prescription, with neurologist Vince Fortanasce, M.D. She is also editorial consultant for WebMD, working directly with the chief medical director, Michael W. Smith, M.D. Many of her books have been featured on such shows as CBS Morning Show, FOX Morning Show and CNN as well as other national shows - and in newspapers and magazines such as Quick & Simple (June 07), the Wall Street Journal (May 07), New York Times (April 06), Martha Stewart’s Living, and more. Dr. Bruce was the Alumni Association’s 1998 Alumnus of the Year. Jan Evans, `74 & M.A.`86, published her first book for children of all ages, Repetitive Rhonda, about a raccoon suffering with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. This delightful book is an uplifting account drawn from the author’s own experiences with the disorder.
Wendy Warman, `74, is president of the Lake Wales Area Chamber of Commerce. Wendy, a certified speech pathologist, is also founder and president of SmarTalkers, a nationally known communication and public speaking training and coaching company. She has co-authored the book, Loud and Clear: How to Prepare and Deliver Effective Business and Technical Presentations, which has sold over 300,000 copies.
26 ALUMNIVOICE I OCTOBER 2007
Linda Simmons, `75, is a founding member and chair of USF Women in Leadership & Philanthropy, a new program that provides scholarships to women students and faculty. She was the first woman to be elected president of an AGC chapter (Associated General Contractors) in the state of Florida and has served on the boards of the USF Alumni Association and the United Way. She began a term on the USF Foundation Board in July. Paul Wilborn, `75, is executive director of the
Palladium Theater in St. Petersburg. Between 2003 and 2007, he was responsible for promoting art, music and theatre in Tampa as the city’s creative industries manager. He is a former Los Angeles-based Associated Press reporter and St. Petersburg Times and Tampa Tribune reporter, and won the Paul Hansell Award for the “Best Reporter in Florida” by the Florida Society of Newspaper Editors.
Bill Drennan, M.A. `76 & Ph.D. `83, authored Death in a Prairie House: Frank Lloyd Wright and the Taliesin Murders. The book is about the most pivotal and yet least understood event of Frank Lloyd Wright’s celebrated life the brutal murders in 1914 of seven adults and children dear to the architect and the destruction by fire of Taliesin, his landmark residence, near Spring Green, Wisconsin. The book was published by University of Wisconsin Madison Press.
Jim Weber, `77 & MBA `82, has formed New Century Dynamics, Inc., an executive search firm for the Food Service Industry. The company’s mission is to provide hands-on support to resolve the critical issues of executive recruiting, selection, hiring and retention. Services include confidential and interim executive searches; with particular emphasis on the placement of marketing, operations, business development, finance and accounting executives. Weber has more than 33 years experience in the specialty food retail and quick service restaurant industries. He was a former managing partner of Dick Wray Executive Search for eight years. Prior to that, he was with Allied Dome Retail USA, General Host Corporation and Little General Stores.
Jean-Robert Cadet, `78, was a guest on the Oprah Winfrey show in June. He’s a human rights activist who authored an autobiography, Restavec: From Haitian Slave Child to Middle Class American.
Sherry Powell, `79, is director of marketing and communications at The Florida Orchestra. She oversees sales, advertising, promotions, public relations, research, creative, print and broadcast production, website and ticket office operations. Powell is also vice chair of the Executive Committee of the Florida Festivals & Events Association and a member of the Marketing Committee for the Community Foundation of Tampa Bay.
80s Bernardo M. Argudin, MACC `80, is executive vice president, chief financial officer, chief operating officer and a director of Premier American Bank, a full-service community bank based in Miami.
Bruce Blackburn, `80, passed away in December 2005, but his work lives on in A Bucks County State of Mind... in his words, a compilation of his profiles of the fascinating characters who lived, along with Bruce and his wife Marie Izzo, along the Delaware River Valley – an area often referred to as the “Genius Belt.”
David E. Levitsky, `80, was recently named chief financial officer for the Olney company. Prior to being named CFO, Levitsky was vice president of finance and administration for the Freeman Companies Community Development and Homebuilding business segment. Before joining the Freeman Companies in 2000, he worked for Marriott International⁄Host Marriott Corporation as area director of finance in Walnut Creek, Calif., and then as vice president of operations finance in Bethesda. Earlier in his career, he worked for the Anheuser-Busch Companies as productivity manager for Busch Gardens in Tampa, new business analyst for the company’s Exploration Cruise Lines and then as senior business analyst for Busch Entertainment Corporation. Levitsky earned an MBA in finance from St. Louis University after earning his B.A. in marketing at USF.
Don’t be shy Alumni! We’d like to include your news and photos in Class Notes. Send in your information to: kjackson@admin.usf.edu or you can mail your information & photo to Karla Jackson: USF Alumni Association Gibbons Alumni Center ALC 100 University of South Florida 4202 E. Fowler Ave. Tampa, FL 33620-5455
Don’t be shy Alumni! We’d like to include photos of you in Class Notes. Send in your information to: alumni@admin.usf.edu or you can mail your information & photo to:
Jenette Flow, `81 & M.A.`84 earned a Doctorate in Education in May. Dr. Flow is a faculty member at Pasco Hernando Community College.
Lizz Harmon, `82, CEO and president of Harmon Tampa, Inc., was a finalist for the Tampa Bay Business Journal’s 2007 Business Woman of the Year Award. She has been the principal shareholder in Harmon Tampa, Inc. for more than a decade, and has led the firm from a home office to a client family that includes The Florida Orchestra, the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg and Feld Entertainment, Inc. She heads the agency’s day-to-day activities, which include counseling, research, media relations and publicity and is an active member of the USF Alumni Association Board of Directors.
Ann Liguori, `82, received a Golden Apple Award from the New York Chapter of American Women in Radio & Television in May. The second edition of her book, A Passion for Golf: Celebrity Musings About the Game, came out in June. She also hosts a radio show on Saturday mornings on WLIU-FM, 88.3 on the East End, Gold Coast and southern Connecticut.
Susan McMillan, Ph.D. `83 & M.S. `84, was awarded the 2007 Excellence of Scholarship and Consistency of Contribution to the Oncology Nursing Literature Award, sponsored by the Oncology Nursing Society. The award includes a $4,000 stipend. Dr. McMillan was also honored during the 2007 ONS Annual Congress in Las Vegas with a photo display of her contributions to the field of nursing. McMillan holds a Ph.D in Measurement and Evaluation and a Master of Science in Nursing from USF.
David S. Willig, `83, practices business and immigration law, specializing in cases requiring knowlege of the laws of different nations. Willig speaks and reads several foreign languages, including French, Spanish and Portuguese, and is a member of the Florida Bar, the Bar of Paris and the Bar of the District of Columbia. He has held leadership positions with the Florida Bar’s International Law Section, the National Association of Civil Law Notaries and the InterAmerican Bar Association. He has traveled world
wide to lecture and provide expert testimony on everything from procedural law to civil and commercial law to estate and family law. His office is in Miami.
Lisa Yost, M.A. ‘85, was selected as Florida’s 2007 National Distinguished Principal. She was nominated and selected by her fellow principals through a statewide search process conducted by the Florida Association of Elementary and Middle School Principals. Yost served as an elementary teacher, assistant principal and principal in several elementary schools in Hillsborough County. She has been principal of McKitrick Elementary since it opened in 2001. McKitrick was honored by former Gov. Jeb Bush as one of the top 100 performing elementary schools in the state. For the last six years, the school has also received the Five Star School Award and the Golden School Award for logging more than 20,000 volunteer hours. Grace Carlson, `86, opened her own marketing/public relations/ creative services firm, Grace Unlimited, in Sarasota. Grace Unlimited clients are primarily healthcare, social service and professional service organizations. Joan L. Spainhower, `87, was appointed as regional manager for the Florida Department of Health’s Bureau of Immunization in Tallahassee. She previously served as a communications director for the Florida Department of Elder Affairs, a public relations officer for the Marion County School Board and a health education director for the Pasco County Health Department. Gail Sideman, `88, has a public relations firm, PUBLISIDE Personal Publicity, based in Milwaukee. Most recently, she appeared on The Today Show and CNBC talking about the iPhone. Kurt Kelly, M.A. `88, was recently elected to the Florida House of Representatives. He represents District 24, which is the Ocala area. Kelly is owner and CEO of 3-D Background Screening and is active on several community boards in Marion County, including the Central Florida Symphony Orchestra, Child
Evangelism Fellowship and the Children’s Alliance.
Jeremy C. Wensinger, MBA `89, is group president of Government Communications Systems for Harris Corporation, an international communications and information technology company. He will lead the company’s civil agency, intelligence agency and technical services programs, and manage the shared engineering, operations and business development and strategic marketing resources pool for the government businesses. Previously, he was president of Harris Broadcast Communications Division. He joined Harris in 1989 and has held a number of senior management positions in Government Communications Systems.
90s Chris Arnette, MBA `90, is president and COO at AnazaoHealth. He first joined AnazaoHealth as a management consultant in 2001 and became COO in July of 2002. He was appointed president of AnazaoHealth in 2003. His previous experience includes managing principal for IBM Global Services, where he was a member of the leadership team responsible for IBM consulting services in the southeastern United States. Arnette’s industry experience includes health care, manufacturing, distribution and financial services. He was also senior vice president and CIO for Kelly Services. He was a member of the Managing Committee and Quality Council and was Chairman of the United Way Campaign. Michael A.G. Burton, `90 & MBA `03, is now a Vice President and Senior Associate at WilsonMiller, as well as Southwest Florida and Tampa Bay Regional Manager of the firm’s Ecological & Water Resources corporate business unit. Burton spent more than 15 years providing ecological consulting, permitting, and mitigation implementation for residential, commercial, institutional, and industrial development projects as co-owner of Environmental Affairs Consultants.
Tim Ducker, M.Ed `90, was chosen as Middle School Principal of the Year by the Hillsborough County Parent Teacher Student Association. He is principal of Mulrennan Middle School in Valrico.
Henry Gonzalez, `90 & MBA `93, was named to the Gulf Coast Business Review’s “40 Under 40” list. He is executive vice president of lending at the Bank of Tampa.
OCTOBER 2007 I ALUMNIVOICE 27
classnotes Nancy C. Reynolds, `90, is assistant vice president for Treasury Services Global Marketing at J.P. Morgan Chase in Tampa. David Theung, `90, joined the staff of Boyle Engineering Corporation as client services manager for the transportation group, based in the Tampa office. He has 30 years of experience in engineering, project management, and construction, including serving as the interstate program manger for Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) District 7 and resident engineer for FDOT District 1. Theung was also involved in several major projects in the Tampa Bay area, including the reconstruction of Interstate 4 in Hillsborough and Polk Counties in addition to the Suncoast Parkway. He is a registered professional engineer in the State of Florida and an active member of American Society of Highway Engineers (ASHE).
Carrie Cherveny, `91 & M.A. `96, received her juris doctorate degree from Stetson University in 2005 and is now vice president, Legal Affairs and Human Relations, for PARC Management, LLC, in Jacksonville. Craig Frank, MBA `91, joined Apogee Interactive Inc. as senior applications engineer. The company is a leader in strategic online solutions for the energy industry. Frank will advance the development of Apogee’s next generation of analysis engines behind the company’s online energy management, data presentment and demand side management applications. He has 25 years of energy industry experience, starting his career at Florida Power & Light. He later became energy services manager for the Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association and Allegheny Electric Cooperative. Following that, he founded Frank Solutions, Inc., a consulting firm for cooperatives and industrial firms, and for the past four years has served as marketing services manager for Central Georgia EMC. Frank is a graduate of Auburn University in Industrial Management and Information Systems, holds a master’s in Business Administration from USF and is a member of the Association of Energy Engineers and Association of Energy Services Professionals. Evelyn Larrubia, `91, is a metro reporter for the Los Angeles Times. She began her journalism career in 1990 as an editorial assistant for the St. Petersburg Times and then became a reporter
28 ALUMNIVOICE I OCTOBER 2007
for El Nuevo Herald in Miami after graduation. She worked as a police reporter for the Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel between 1995 and 2001, when she joined the LA Times. She won the National Journalism Award for Investigative Reporting in 2006 and was a finalist for the Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting in 2006.
Lisa Manseth Sanchez, `91, was promoted to manager of the Skills Process Center for The Boeing Company in Seattle. She joined the company in 1996 after five years of teaching in Seattle public schools. The center she manages is where all Boeing hires go to be trained. Kimberly Ross, `92, was appointed deputy chief financial officer for Ahold, a major food retailer based in The Netherlands. Ross joined Ahold in 2001 and was previously senior vice president and chief of tax and treasury. Prior to that, she worked for Ernst & Young and Joseph E. Seagram & Sons in New York.
Carla Bruning, M.Ed. `93, was named High School Principal of the Year by the Hillsborough County Parent Teacher Student Association. She is principal of King High in Tampa, which was named to Newsweek’s List of Top 100 High Schools for the third year in a row.
Ashlie Wheat `93 & M.S. `98 and Ronald Wheat `92 welcomed their new daughter Emily Nicole Wheat on May 15. Emily joined older brothers Jason, 7, and Alex, 5.
Keevin Williams, `93, was recently appointed president of the Florida Black Business Investment Board, Inc. (FBBIB). Based in Tallahassee, the FBBIB is a public-private partner of the State of Florida, contracting with the Governor’s Office of Tourism, Trade and Economic Development (OTTED) to aid in the development and expansion of black business enterprises in Florida. Williams will direct and supervise administrative affairs and the general management of the company. Williams will also preside over the company’s collaboration with OTTED to implement a statewide black business loan program and the company’s implementation of a surety bond guarantee program that will execute sureties for the benefit of black contractors as principals on contracts with the state and any political subdivision.
A native of Tampa, Florida, Williams is a 1993 graduate of the University of South Florida, and a member of the USF Alumni Association and the Council of 100.
James Wood, `93, was named vice president of sales and marketing for Summit, a leading provider of workers’ compensation insurance services in the southeastern United States. Wood has filled that position on an interim basis since May 2006. A Winter Haven native, Wood joined Summit in 1998 and has worked in claims, human resources; served as director of Florida sales and as director of underwriting; and led various special projects. Wood served as the project leader for Summit’s first comprehensive website, and developed and facilitated a companywide customer service training program. Wood, who earned his undergraduate degree from USF, holds an MBA from St. Leo College and recently earned his doctorate in organizational leadership from Nova Southeastern University.
Mike Mohn, `94 & MBA `00, is chief financial officer for Raytheon Company’s Space and Airborne Systems. Prior to joining Raytheon, Mohn was CFO for Honeywell’s Military Aircraft business in Phoenix.
Adam M. Robinson, Jr. `MBA `94, was nominated for Navy Surgeon General by President George W. Bush to become the next Navy surgeon general. Commander Rear Admiral Robinson is currently chief of the Navy Medical Corps and commander of the Navy Medicine National Capital Area Region. A native of Louisville, Ky., Robinson earned his medical degree from the Indiana University School of Medicine. He also has an MBA from USF. Over his 30-year naval career, Robinson has held assignments all over the globe, including Puerto Rico, Japan and Haiti. He has served as medical officer to the commander of Naval Surface Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet and as commanding officer of Fleet Hospital Jacksonville and U.S. Naval Hospital Yokosuka. Robinson’s personal decorations include two Legion of Merit awards, two Defense Meritorious Service Medals, three Meritorious Service Medals, a Navy/Marine Corps Commendation Medal, a Joint Service Achievement Medal, a Navy/Marine Corps Achievement Medal as well as various other service and campaign awards.
Maxine Kushner, `95, was featured on ABC
David Eichenbaum, M.D., `98 & `01,
Action News last spring when a parent of one of the students in her Chasco Middle School class nominated Kushner for a Head of the Class Award.
graduated from USF’s Medical Honors program and completed his subspecialty training in Boston. He returned to the Bay Area this summer to join the Retina-Vitreous Associates of Florida. He is a retinal care specialist, practicing mainly out of the group’s St. Petersburg office at 4344 Central Avenue.
Dawn Clark-Atkins, M.A. `96, accepted the position of managing librarian for Florida Metropolitan University’s North Orlando Campus.
Jeffrey L. Patterson, MPA `96, joined the Akron office of the Roetzel & Andress law firm as an associate in the risk management group. His practice focuses on risk management and liability defense, with an emphasis on transportation litigation. Prior to joining the firm, Patterson was an assistant prosecutor for Summit County, Ohio. He has 30 years of experience in public safety, including an extensive background in law enforcement, with over 27 years of police experience in both Ohio and Florida. He earned his juris doctorate degree from The University of Akron School of Law in 2006.
Dan Stuckart, `96, M.A. `98, & Ph.D `04, is assistant professor of secondary education at Wagner College in New York City. He’s pursuing research related to the pedagogy and practice of social studies using technology.
Chad Drummond, `97, is vice president of engineering at HSW Engineering. He is based in the firm’s DeLand office, performing work on environmental, water resources, and civil engineering projects.
Nadine Smith, `98, has been the executive director of the Tampabased Equality Florida organization since its inception in 1997. A former Tampa Tribune reporter, she has also written columns for various gay and mainstream publications. She has been recognized as a national leader by organizations such as the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, the Human Rights Task Force of Florida, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, and the National Black Lesbian and Gay Leadership Forum.
Holly P. Thomas, `98 & M.A. `07, of Independent Insights of Florida, LLC in Tampa, was accepted for membership in the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA). Membership in NAPFA is granted only to fee-only financial advisors who are paid directly by their clients. NAPFA members receive no commissions or other rewards for selling financial products and adhere to rigorous testing and ethical standards.
Clay Hildebrand, `97, was named Coweta County’s 2007 Teacher of the Year. He teaches sixth grade math at Smokey Road Middle School in Coweta County, Ga. Clay’s wife, Christy, also graduated from USF and is a Coweta County principal.
Roy Mazur, `97, is director of planning for the Southwest Florida Water Management District. Based in the district’s Brooksville office, his team helps develop long-range goals, policies and strategic plans relating to the district’s various water resource focused programs.
States Air Force. She recently returned from Afghanistan, where she tended to U.S. soldiers and Afghan nationals and their families in the area around Bagram Air Force Base, where she was stationed.
Kim Dilts, `01, premiered “War Music,” an adaptation of The Iliad that she choreographed with Aurea, an innovative ensemble of musicians and actors, in April at NYU’s First Humanities Festival. Andrea Gonzmart, `01, was named to the Gulf Coast Business Review’s “40 Under 40” list. She is part of the fifth-generation family management team at the Columbia Restaurant. April Monteith, `01 & MBA `03, was recognized for community leadership and volunteer service during the Tampa Connection’s 22nd Annual Graduation Ceremony in May. As part of the Tampa Connection program, Monteith participated in the Cancer Answers 101 Project.
00s
Dr. Frank Muller-Karger, M.S. `01, is the new dean of the School for Marine Sciences and Technology (SMAST) at the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth. Formerly a professor of marine sciences at USF, he served as a presidential-appointed commissioner on the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy from 2000-2004 and as a NASA program scientist from 19921994. He is currently a member of the National Research Council Ocean Studies Board. In 2004, he received the Gulf Guardian Award from the Environmental Protection Agency Gulf of Mexico Program and in 2005 was awarded the Julius Stratton Award for Leadership for his work on the Commission on Ocean Policy.
Troy Dunmire, `00, was promoted to senior
Mulham Shbeib, `01, is a CPA and controller
Christopher van der Kaay, `98 & M.A. `99 earned a Ph.D in Higher Education in May.
Ben Fulton, `97 and wife Jill Fulton welcomed their new son William Albert Fulton into the world on May 24.
Jennifer Young, `00 & M.S. `02, is a captain in the United
district manager for Banana Republic’s Downtown Districts 1 & 2 in Manhattan, NYC. He will lead the highest sales volume territory for the international retailer. He recently relocated from Philadelphia to an apartment in NYC’s Financial District.
P.J. Escobio, `00, is the project coordinator/artistic associate for the WordBRIDGE Playwrights Laboratory - a collaboration between Clemson University and the Generous Company, of which he is a founding member.
of the Partnership for Public Service, in Washington, D.C. The organization’s mission is to revitalize federal government by inspiring a new generation to serve and by transforming the way government works.
Tyvi Small, `01 & M.Ed `04, accepted the position of Coordinator of Diversity Initiatives at the University of Tennessee, College of Business. He worked previously as the Education Coordinator in the Mayor’s Office
OCTOBER 2007 I ALUMNIVOICE 29
classnotes for the City of West Palm Beach. Tyvi is a former student body president `00-`01 and homecoming king `99-`00. He plans to pursue his Ph.D at UT.
Tambrey Van Der Gulik Ratzer, `01, is a reporter at the CBS television affiliate serving the Quad Cities area of Iowa and Illinois. She previously was an anchor and reporter at KXMC television, the CBS affiliate in Minot, N.D. Mike Giel, `02 and Ana Maria Cosme, `00 & M.A. `03, celebrated the birth of their daughter, Cassandra, on August 4.
Todd Gingerich, `02, was promoted to senior associate at LandDesign, an urban planning, civil engineering and landscape architectural company. Gingerich joined LandDesign in 2006 after working for an engineering firm in Florida. Gingerich and wife Jennifer live near Charlotte in Mount Holly, N.C. Lauren Olipra, `02, played Lilith in “The Mysteries of the Garden of Eden” which aired on the History Channel in June. She also appears in a promo for the return of “Big Love” on HBO.
Bill Orben, `02, is associate managing editor of the Orlando Business Journal. Previously he was editor of the Osceola News-Gazette in Kissimmee.
Natalie Salmon, `02, earned an M.A. in socialorganizational psychology from Teachers College at Columbia University and is now in Global HR Rotational Leadership Program at ColgatePalmolive.
Kim Dicce, `03, won the 2006 Pinellas Realtor® Organization’s Sensational Service Award. She was selected for this honor over all the Realtors® in Pinellas and West Pasco County.
Jason Paul Good, `03, and Kristin Page Harvin were married on August 19, 2006 in East Lansing, MI. The couple resides in Dublin, OH. Amy C. Hunt, `03, was named to the Gulf Coast Business Review’s “40 Under 40” list. She is assistant vice president of commercial lending at the Bank of Commerce.
30 ALUMNIVOICE I OCTOBER 2007
Michael Innocenti, `03, is a
member of the company at the Keegan Theatre, an Irish theatre company in Washington, D.C. This summer he traveled back to Ireland for a second national tour with the company, performing David Mamet’s “Glenn Garry Glenn Ross.” He also starred in the East Coast premiere of Owen MacCafferty’s “Mojo Mickybo,” where he played nine different characters. The Washington Post called his performance a “tour de force.” Most recently, he played Algernon in Oscar Wilde’s “The Importance of Being Ernest.”
Georgiana Kurtz, `03, traveled to Alaska and the Yukon Territory last spring and stopped in Watson Lake to visit the Signpost Forest, where travelers from all over the world put up signs from their hometowns. Kurtz attached her USF Alumni plate to the post so the Bulls are now represented in the Yukon.
Adam Belvo, `04, and his fellow cast members from QED’s production of “Mad Forest” were nominated for the New York Innovative Theatre Outstanding Ensemble Award.
Chris Hansen, `04, recently completed his MFA at the University of California – Irvine and has been hired as the Art Department coordinator on the CBS show “Numb3rs.”
Leslie Jennings, `04, worked with the Orlando office of the Roetzel & Andress law firm as an associate over the summer. She will earn a juris doctorate degree from the Vanderbilt School of Law in May 2008.
Jessica Kline, `04, works for St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Baker, handling his press, public relations and appearance schedule.
Jeffrey Oliviera, `04, now serving in Baghdad with the U.S. Army’s 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment of the 1st Cavalry Division, was promoted to captain in July. Durga Ray, `04, is a corporate marketing team project manager for CareerBuilder.com in Chicago. She creates and implements sales management and sales force productivity tools. Megan Byrne, `05, is the resident lighting designer for Lions Productions in Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands. Her husband, former USF
visiting technical director Eric Haak, is the technical director for the Cayman National Cultural Foundation.
Kelli Rule Clark, `05, formed “De Young and Restless,” a networking group started by the Dunedin Fine Arts Center to attract younger people to the arts. Roberto Ferrari, `05, has had his first novel, Pierce, published by Haworth Press. The novel, set in the Tampa Bay area, is about a gay man dealing with the death of his partner and the family secrets of his former in-laws. Kevan Logan, `05, is a master control operator at WESH television in Orlando. She held the same position previously at WMOR television in Tampa.
J.B. Mayo, Jr., Ph.D `05, completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Minnesota’s College of Education and Human Development and was hired as an assistant professor for the college. During his fellowship, he taught a professional practices seminar to pre-licensure graduate students and submitted several articles for publication in various education journals. Two were accepted: “Negotiating Sexual Orientation and Classroom Practice(s) at School” appeared in the summer issue of Theory and Research in Social Education, and “Quiet Warriors: Black Teachers’ Memories of Integration in Two Virginia Localities” is in a recent issue of Multicultural Perspectives. Mayo also continued his research focusing on social justice, diversity, and GLBT issues within the Social Studies. His latest study looks at identity development among GLBT youth, grades 9-12, and the role that Gay/Straight Alliances (GSA) play in this process.
Heather McKenzie, `05, is a public relations specialist at Arcadis BBL in Tampa. Arcadis is an international firm that provides environmental, engineering, life sciences and related management services. Sudarsan Padmanabhan, Ph.D. `05, is an assistant professor in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras in Chennai, India. IIT Madras is the premier center for teaching, research and industrial consultancy in India. His appointment follows a one year of visiting
assistantship at Kenyon College, in Ohio, and a year as adjunct professor of Philosophy at USF. While a doctoral candidate here, he taught for the Philosophy Department, Religious Studies and the Honors College. He is best known at USF for his service as president of the Students of India Association (2001-2002), co-president of Graduate Assistants United (2002-2003) and GAU Bargaining Chair (2003-2004.)
largest and most representative competition.
Rebekah Mason, `06, is a production assistant with the Largo city television channel.
Maite Mugica, `06, is a public relations assistant at Paula Robertson and Associates, a Fort Myers marketing and public relations company.
Amanda Sklar, `06, was selected
Christena Pyle, `07, was selected for the Multicultural Advertising Internship Program, sponsored by the American Association of Advertising Agencies. She interned at Arnold Worldwide in New York City. Arnold’s clients include Blue Cross/Blue Shield, ESPN, McDonald’s, Royal Caribbean Int'l., Hershey, Tyson Foods and USA Today.
Social Work Student of the Year for the State of Florida by the National Association of Social Work. Sklar was also elected as the Student Social Worker of the year by the Tampa Bay Chapter of the N.A.S.W.
Teresa Scordino, M.D., `07, graduated with
Anais Sori, `07, joined the Marketing and
WWSB television, the ABC affiliate in Sarasota.
Sklar founded Chocolate Studios in Ozona, west of Tampa, to serve as a community center for children, and to give people with disabilities an opportunity to learn job skills, budgeting and life skills. She volunteers nights and weekends at the Chocolate Studio and works as an advocate for people with disabilities at the Caring & Sharing Center for Independent Living, which serves Pasco and Pinellas counties. She is currently working towards her masters in Social Work.
Chantel Buck, `06, is a media placement
Chris Smith, `06, is a production assistant at
coordinator for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals national headquarters in Norfolk, Va.
WFTX television, the Fox affiliate in Fort Myers.
Cory Parsons, `05, is an uplink facility operator for the DirectTV Castle Rock Broadcast Center in Castle Rock, Colo. He previously was a microwave control operator for WFTS television in Tampa.
Kori Skaltsas, `05, is an advertising account team member for WestWayne advertising in Tampa. Previously she was production manager assistant at Dillard’s southeast division headquarters in St. Petersburg.
Jason Adams, `06, is a microwave control operator for WFTS television in Tampa.
Cortney Akridge, `06, is a news producer at
Elizabeth Cooper, MPH `06, was awarded a
Arlene Brown, `07, was named Summer Outstanding Senior by the USF Alumni Association.
Fulbright Research Scholarship. Cooper is a Ph.D. candidate in applied anthropology in the College of Arts and Sciences. She’ll use the Fulbright to complete dissertation work within Sarawak state, non-peninsular Malaysia (Borneo) and to research nationalism, local nutritional programming, international health policy and their interrelations.
Margeaux Chavez, `07, was awarded a
Mandy Cretella, `06, is a writer at Home
Chad Cullen, `07, was awarded a National
Shopping Network. Previously she was Florida communications coordinator for the AARP in St. Petersburg.
Kendrick Hornack `06, won a Fulbright grant to conduct research in Germany on the impact of the Euro on the German economy. She is the first USF College of Business student to earn a Fulbright research grant.
Fatin Jacob, `06, won a prestigious Silver ADDY Award at the 2007 American Advertising Federation Student ADDY Awards Competition for her work on the Henckel Knives campaign. The ADDY Awards are the advertising industry’s
Fulbright Teaching Scholarship to study in Germany. Her area of expertise is German language and literature.
honors from USF’s College of Medicine in May. She joins her husband, Dr. Richard Kraus, to begin residency in the field of pathology at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. The couple were married on May 12 in St. Petersburg, Florida. Public Relations Department of Acoustiblok as a public relations associate. Sori was previously a corporate communications intern at Raymond James Financial Services in St. Petersburg. She is originally from Miami and currently lives in Temple Terrace.
Meghan Stewart, `07, is a news producer at WINK television, which is Fort Myers’s CBS network affiliate.
In Memoriam James Bishop, `71, April 10 James McNeill, `87, April 30 Manuel Mendoza, `63, May 4 Michael Williams, `05, May 5 John W. McCraney, Jr., `94 `98 & `04, May 23 Selma Brown, `79, May 30
Security Education Program Boren Scholarship. He is now enrolled in an intensive Thai course at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok through July 2008.
Jean Pearlstein, `92, June 6
Abby Dix, `07, is the new public relations and
Lynn Swilley, `81 & `95, June 16
communications specialist for Vince Vanni & Associates Inc., serving Hernando, Pasco and Citrus counties. She served as an intern for the company and also as an account executive for USF’s 2007 Advanced Public Relations Campaign Class.
Donald Thornhill, `88, June 24
Terra Hall, `07, is a student in the Graduate
Denise Libby, `04, June 9 Charles Young, `74, June 13
Cynthia Gonzalez, `98, June 25 Muriel Kocher, `72, June 27 Todd Morrison, `04, August 17
School of Journalism at Columbia University in New York City.
OCTOBER 2007 I ALUMNIVOICE 31
athletics By David Hein of heinnews
The NFL Europa is no more. After 16 years, its American bosses decided to close up shop on the old continent. Luckily for former USF Bull Craig Kobel, the end came after he got his chance to prove himself. Kobel, a defensive end, was one of more than 300 American players who fought through blood, sweat and heat, beginning with training camp in March in Tampa through the end of a 2007 campaign in June that included 10 games in six European cities. The USF Class of 2005 alumnus played for the Cologne Centurions, based in the picturesque German city on the Rhine River. In addition to busting his tail on the football field, Kobel also dealt with the struggles of living abroad for the first time. “It’s a beautiful city, but a little big for me. I’m not used to the big city,” said the Lake Worth, Florida native. Cologne is Germany’s fourth largest city, with a population of nearly 1 million. “I had a little trouble finding my way around in the beginning, but the people are really nice.” Learning the German language has been a challenge. Kobel, 25, admits he can’t say more than the basics: please (“bitte,”) thank you (“danke schön,”) along with a few phrases “I shouldn’t say in print.” Kobel’s time on the field has been one of transition, as well. Released by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2005, he went to Canada to play for Montreal in the Canadian Football League. He then moved to the Utah Blaze of the Arena Football League for 2006 – during which he impressed recruiters from the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles signed Kobel in January 2007 and allocated him to NFL Europa. Philadelphia’s management told him to use his European experience to make the move from defensive end to linebacker. “I played defensive end my whole life. But it’s really been a great opportunity for me. I’ve learned a lot from (Cologne head coach) David Duggan, who is also the linebackers coach,” Kobel said. He registered six tackles and three pass
deflections in 10 games at linebacker and on special teams. “I think I’ve done enough over here to prove myself and get on the field and make the Philadelphia team back home.” Key to Kobel’s confidence was the experience that the NFL Europa provided him. “It increased my chances a whole lot. I would have been going into training camp not knowing the position and probably would have struggled a lot. But I got all of my struggles out of the way over here,” he said. Of course it wasn’t all work and no play. Kobel said he found time to have a little fun in Germany. “I go to the movies a lot and hang out at the hotel with a bunch of guys. We’re a bunch of young guys and that’s probably my favorite part of it - going to players’ lounge and hanging out with everybody.” He also had a friend from Tampa to keep him company. His roommate from USF, fellow defensive end Jon Simmons, was also on Cologne’s practice squad. “It sure is nice having a good friend like him out here. No doubt about it, it’s been easier with Jon here,” Kobel said. Two other former Bulls also played in the NFL Europa this season. Defensive end Tim Jones, Class of 2006, collected 24 tackles and three sacks, deflected four passes and forced a fumble while playing for the Amsterdam Admirals. Wide receiver Scott McCready was one of the leading pass receivers in the league, playing for the World Bowl Champion Hamburg Sea Devils, before tearing his rotator cuff. McCready - in his sixth season in Europe - finished with 20 receptions for 242 yards and two touchdowns in six games. The World Bowl was NFL Europa’s equivalent to the Super Bowl. Playing in the NFL Europa was a life- and career-changing experience for the former Bulls, but it’s all over now. Kobel was waived by the Eagles in late August after suffering a sports hernia. Such is the life of a professional football player. He and the other players are now weighing their options. Whatever happens, they’ll never forget the time they spent trying to introduce Europeans to a different kind of football besides soccer.
calendar
your membership in action
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Graphicstudio Benefit Art Sale, noon – 10 p.m., Free. Tampa Campus. Call (813) 974-3503 for details. USF vs. UCF, Raymond James Stadium. TheaterUSF presents Richard O’Brien’s Rocky Horror Show, 8 p.m., $6 & $12. Theater 1, Tampa Campus. Visit http://events.arts.usf.edu/tickets.htm for tickets. Botanical Gardens Fall Plant Showcase, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Free. Tampa Campus. Life After College: A Young Professional’s Guide, 6 p.m. Free. Davis Hall 130, St. Petersburg Campus. Contact kgiglio@spadmin.usf.edu. USF vs. Rutgers Tailgate, 5:30 p.m., Rutgers Stadium, New Brunswick, NJ USF vs. Connecticut Tailgate, Time TBA, Rentschler Field, East Hartford, CT
NOVEMBER
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Pinellas Alumni Chapter Rocky’s Rodeo Homecoming Social, 6 p.m. Free. USF St. Petersburg waterfront. Homecoming Parade & Watch Party, Gibbons Alumni Center, Tampa Campus. Visit www.USFAlumni.org for details. Bulls Roast Tailgate Party, 3 hours prior to kick off, Raymond James Stadium. Visit www.USFAlumni.org for details. Homecoming Game: USF vs. Cincinnati, Raymond James Stadium. Business Etiquette Dinner with the USF Career Center, 5:30 p.m. Gibbons Alumni Center, Tampa Campus. For tickets, visit www. career.usf.edu. USF vs. Syracuse Tailgate, Time TBA. Carrier Dome, Syracuse, NY Big East Conference of Alumni Professionals, 6 p.m. City Tavern in Georgetown, Washington, D.C. For details, email tgray@admin.usf.edu USF vs. Louisville, Raymond James Stadium. USF vs. Pittsburgh Tailgate, Time TBA. Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, PA
DECEMBER
Christmas with the Master Chorale, 7:30 p.m., $18-$26. Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, downtown Tampa. Now Write Writers Group, 2 p.m. Free. Barnes & Noble, St. Petersburg Campus.
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Event dates and details are subject to change. Please visit the Alumni Association website at www.USFalumni.org for the latest information.
OCTOBER 2007 I ALUMNIVOICE 31
USF Alumni Association Gibbons Alumni Center University of South Florida 4202 E. Fowler Ave. ALC 100 Tampa, FL. 33620-5455 Membership Renewal Date:
PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID TAMPA FL PERMIT NO 923