JWU Magazine - Winter 2015

JW

FOOD ECONOMICS Can food clusters drive economic recovery?

BOOTS TO BOOKS Veterans transition from camp to campus

Competitive EDGE Experiential learning arms JWU graduates for job hunting

WINTER

2015

CONTENTS 16

WINTER 2015 FEATURES

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FROM BOOTS TO BOOKS Student veterans face unique challenges as they transition to campus culture. The JWU community answers the call to action.

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THE COMPETITIVE EDGE It’s survival of the fittest in today’s job market: Johnson & Wales’ tradition of experiential education gets grads in fighting shape.

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THE NEW FOOD ECONOMY

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Can Providence’s food cluster lead the way to economic recovery?

DEPARTMENTS

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02 04 08 28 30 32 34 44

From the Chancellor Campus News Athletics Resource Development Alumni News Activities & Events Class Notes Career Update

www.jwu.edu

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JWU

FROM THE CHANCELLOR’S DESK

Vice President of Communications DOUG WHITING

Director of Design & Editorial Services BRIAN MURPHY

Editor

DENISE DOWLING

Art Director

ED PEREIRA

Contributors JENNIFER BROUILLARD GREGORY DISTEFANO

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OR THE PAST YEAR, we have been celebrating the university’s centennial, and as 2015 begins we are ready and excited to embark on our next 100 years focusing on our strengths: providing a professionally-focused education for which JWU is renowned.

Our founders Gertrude Johnson and Mary Wales set this standard, creating individual curriculum roadmaps for students to achieve their goals and working to place them in companies that were a right fit. The combination of industry-focused curriculum and connecting students to employment opportunities established an institutional DNA that is still thriving today. In “The Competitive Edge,” we explore the impact of JWU’s experiential education opportunities on four students whose internships helped them acquire the skills employers seek, while compensating them for their efforts and reducing their student debt.

When the two founders retired in 1947, they passed the torch to veterans Morris J.W. Gaebe and Edward Triangolo, who expanded the school with the influx of GIs seeking job skills during the post-World War II years. Today we continue that tradition. “From Boots to Books” delves into JWU’s growing veteran population (a nearly 200 percent increase in veteran and dependent enrollment in the last six years) as our core experiential education curriculum

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RACHEL DONILON JULIA S. EMLEN JORDAN FICKESS VANESSA E. GARCIA SHARU GOODWYN MELINDA HILL AMANDA HOUPT KARA JOHNSTON HOLLI KEYSER MADELINE PARMENTER DONALD PAULHUS

uniquely positions us to educate military students with vast life experience.

This spring, we will break ground on what we hope to be the Providence Campus’ fourth LEED Gold certified building, to serve as the home of JWU’s School of Engineering & Design and the College of Arts & Sciences’ new biology program. Today’s world demands that we not only provide the most technologically advanced learning environment, but one that also allows for the integration of disciplines, the freedom to create and innovate, and the kinds of collaborations that are the norm in virtually every industry. With construction of this new academic building, we will continue to address that mandate.

To enhance the university’s sense of spirit and tradition, and to recognize the importance of public art, we are in the process of installing Wildcat sculptures on all four of our campuses.

Each will feature an engraving of the four “Wildcat Way” characteristics: Pride, Courage, Character and Community. As Johnson & Wales navigates through its next century, that ethos will continue to guide our community.

May this next 100 years be as revolutionary, resilient and rewarding as our last.

LISA PELOSI ELIZABETH SCANLON ’97 M.S. STEPHEN SMITH MARY SWARD DAMARIS R. TEIXEIRA LAUREN TKACS MIRIAM S. WEINSTEIN ’08 MBA MELINDA LAW WESTMORELAND TERRENCE WILLIAMS ’89

JWU Magazine is published four times a year including a special supplement for recent graduates. Photos (black and white or color prints), high-resolution digital images and news can be sent to JWU Magazine, 8 Abbott Park Place, Providence, RI, 02903 or emailed to jwumagazine@jwu.edu.

Selection and publication of entries are at the editor’s discretion. JWU Magazine is produced

by University Communications in cooperation with Resource Development and Alumni Relations.

Chancellor JOHN J. BOWEN ’77

Providence Campus President and Chief Operating Officer MIM L. RUNEY, LP.D.

Regional Campus Presidents LARRY RICE, ED.D., ’90 INTERIM NORTH MIAMI ROBIN KRAKOWSKY ’88, ’08 ED.D., DENVER TARUN MALIK ’90, ’11 ED.D. INTERIM CHARLOTTE

Chancellor John J. Bowen ’77

Register Today Annual

All-Class Reunion April 24–26, 2015 Visit alumni.jwu.edu for a complete list of weekend activities and to register.

CAMPUS NEWS M The Pasta Flyer has landed: Hundreds of students bellied up for gluten-free pasta.

ore than 300 students lined up at the Providence Campus this fall to sample the gluten-free (and cost-free) pasta bowls served by Chef Mark Ladner ’90 at his Pasta Flyer food truck.

For Ladner, an executive chef at Del Posto Restaurant in Manhattan, entrepreneur and James Beard Award winner, creating gluten-free pasta is a passion. He describes his concept, which was funded by an $85,000 Kickstarter campaign, as a “quick service restaurant that combines the warmth of an Italian grandmother’s home-style cooking with the efficiency of a Japanese-style ramen shop.

“There’s no real precedent for this style and food concept here in the U.S.,” he adds. “We’ve come up with a patent-pending production and cooking technique that enables us to serve any combination of pasta shape, sauce and size in three minutes.”

The menu included fresh pasta, garlicky pesto, cheesy Alfredo and tomato marinara sauces with an added protein choice of truffled poached egg, smoky bacon or Nonna’s meatballs.

“The pasta was really good; the texture was the best I’ve had,” says Samantha Riley ’17, president of JWU’s Sans Gluten Club.

“This event promotes awareness about the gluten-free population and how many people are affected by it. The fact that he’s a JWU alum is also a great inspiration for other students, because it’s great to know that you can start something like this and be successful.”

— Damaris R. Teixeira

PROVIDENCE CAMPUS HOSTS ANTI-HUNGER SUMMIT COMMUNITY LEADERS, elected officials and

is higher than the national average. As a member

anti-hunger activists convened in November for

of RIFPC, I share its mission to promote a more

a forum to address Rhode Island’s hunger situ-

accessible, equitable and sustainable food sys-

ation. This event was part of No Mas Hambre,

tem in Rhode Island.”

a nationwide initiative by LATINO magazine,

According to the U.S. Department of Agricul-

the American Association of Retired Persons

ture, nearly one in four Latino households nation-

(AARP) Foundation and other organizations to

wide struggle to provide food for their families.

raise awareness of food insecurity and get more

Rhode Island’s Latino population has increased

Latinos involved in the cause.

nearly 52 percent since 2000. Panelist Hiram

Assistant Professor Douglas Stuchel, CHE,

Lopez-Landin, a program analyst for the AARP

of the School of Hospitality and board mem-

Foundation, commented, “When one person is

ber with the Rhode Island Food Policy Council

hungry, we are all hungry. When one person is

(RIFPC), gave welcoming remarks, noting, “In

oppressed, we are all oppressed.”

Rhode Island, about 15 percent of our households do not have access to enough food. That

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— Miriam S. Weinstein

WALK OF FAME LAST FALL, FIVE NEW MEMBERS of the Johnson & Wales Athletics Hall of Fame were inducted in front of a crowd of parents, friends, former teammates and alumni at Harborside Campus. Those honored include the 2007 Johnson & Wales wrestling team, the university’s first and only New England Wrestling Association champion.

Above, from left to right: Associate Head Wrestling Coach Brian Allen; Head Wrestling Coach Lonnie Morris; Matt McGilvray ’08, the 2008 ECAC Northeast Hockey Player of the Year and a four-time all-conference selection; former Wildcat baseball All-American Alex Hurley ’07; Greg Miller ’95, former head men’s soccer coach and assistant director of athletics; and volleyball standout Audra Vaccari ’08.

The inductions bring to 48 the number of past student-athletes, coaches and administrators who have been selected to the Athletics Hall of Fame. — John Parente

PASTA FLYER PHOTOS BY DAMARIS TEIXEIRA AND SAMANTHA RILEY; WALK OF FAME PHOTO BY STEPHEN SPENCER; FIRST GENERATION STUDENTS PHOTO BY REBECCA WICK;YOUNG CHEFS PHOTO COURTESY OF THE MENT’OR BKB FOUNDATION; FASHION SHOW PHOTOS BY THERESA ROBINSON

GLUTEN-FREE PASTA IS NOT AN OXYMORON

FIRST GENERATION SUPPORT MARTHA SACKS, Ph.D., director of the Center for Academic Support, and Kiona Bolton, student affairs coordinator, have launched a new group for students whose parents did not graduate from a four-year college or university.

The first generation group, or 1G as it has been named by the group’s participants, includes more than one-third of the incoming freshmen class who have self-identified as being the first in their family to attend college.

“The research shows that first generation college students who use the support offered by other first generation students, staff and faculty have much greater success than those that try to do it by themselves,” Sacks said.

Student affairs coordinator Kiona Bolton (center) with members of the 1G group (left to At the group’s kickoff event at the right) Courtney Kerr ’17, Berverlie Mitil ’17, start of the 2014–15 academic year, Luis Santiago ’17 and Sandra Alvarez ’17 several staff and faculty, including Interim Campus President Larry Rice, Ed.D., ’90, shared their stories with student participants.

“These students may not have the same support at home as students from families with multi-generations of college graduates who tend to have higher income support,” Rice said.

Students in the group are able to pair up with a student, faculty or staff mentor who most identifies with their life goals. They are also offered an opportunity to participate in special events, workshops and meet-and-greets in addition to the traditional tutoring sessions, writing workshops, and study-skills and time-management workshops offered by the Center for Academic Support.

— Sharu Goodwyn

MENT’OR BKB FOUNDATION HOSTS YOUNG CHEF COMPETITION

above :

Members of the Fahrenheit Models student group worked with IKEA to showcase five period vignettes throughout the Young At Art Museum as part of their Decades Restyled fashion show.

DECADES RESTYLED NORTH MIAMI STUDENTS were front and center in assisting the Young At Art Museum with their annual Teen Recycled Fashion Show on November 14. This year’s show focused on Decades Restyled, and teen designers were challenged to create wearable art made from recycled materials such as metallic mesh, newspaper, cardboard, egg cartons, bottle caps, recycled plastics and splatter paint.

Rhuby Cayasso ’16, who helped the budding fashion designers prepare for the show, was delighted with the outcome.

“I had a smile on my face the whole show,” she said. “They were so dedicated and it was wonderful to see their vision come to fruition.”

Michelle Garcia, Ed.D., associate dean and interim chair of the School of Business, spearheaded JWU student involvement in the event.

“This event allowed our students to apply what we teach them in the classroom to a real world event,” she said.

Students enrolled in a B2B marketing course during the fall term

Paul Qui, Dean Bruce Ozga and Gerard Craft at the ment’or BKB Foundation’s Young Chef Competition at the North Miami Campus on November 8. Guests were invited to watch as four young chefs competed for a chance to win a stage at the restaurant of their choice. Acclaimed chef and ment’or BKB Foundation Board of Directors member Jérôme Bocuse hosted the event along with judges Scott Conant (Scarpetta), Michael Mina (Mina Group), Gerard Craft (Niche Restaurant Group), Paul Qui (Qui) and Dena Marino (MC Kitchen).

helped market and promote the show; fashion merchandising and retail marketing students volunteered their time to help plan and execute the event; and the Fahrenheit Models student group worked with IKEA to showcase five different period vignettes throughout the museum.

— Sharu Goodwyn

www.jwu.edu

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CAMPUS NEWS DENVER WIN ON CUTTHROAT KITCHEN

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N THE intro of SaBOOtage, the Halloween-themed episode of “Cutthroat Kitchen,” Caulden Jackson ’14 proclaims: “I’m going to win ‘Cutthroat Kitchen’ because if I can raise two-year-old twins by myself, then I can do anything.”

Indeed, the diaper-duty dad/culinary arts and food service management student appears calm and collected throughout the Food Network’s popular show, where chef contestants sabotage each other in their attempt for the grand prize — cash and the glory of being in the winning circle of Cutthroat Kitchen’s top chefs.

Jackson was proclaimed the eventual victor, after slogging through making deviled eggs in a coffin, concocting a stew with crickets and a cow’s heart on a shovel, and making his first-ever devil’s food cake — on a shovel over a Bacardi-151 fueled open flame.

“It was a lot of fun,” recalled Jackson. “The first round was the easiest and not as stressful. By the second round, it was very stressful. The camera lights are in your face, it’s hot, and I’m all sweaty.” Before he walked away with the $16,000 cash prize, Jackson did a victory dance and surprised the show’s host, Alton Brown, with a giant hug.

Jackson was recruited to appear after producers came across his Facebook site, Modern Cuisinist, a food blog he created following an inspirational three-day JWU shadow with Chris Young, biochemist and co-author of “Modernist Cuisine,” the culinary masterwork that revolutionized science-based cooking. A month after the show aired, Jackson accomplished another milestone by graduating from JWU with a profound confidence to excel in his career.

above :

Caulden Jackson at a Denver culinary lab.

“It proved that I do have what it takes for this industry,” said Jackson. “It makes me realize that I can go a lot further than where I’m at now.”

JWU Denver Chef Kristen Cofrades witnessed Jackson’s ambition in the lab and as sous chef at the Early Bird, a restaurant she owns with her husband Daniel. “Caulden was a driven student who knows exactly what he wants and goes for it,” said Cofrades. “He carries this attitude into the world of work.”

As a single dad raising twin girls, Laney Mae and Lily Rose, Jackson will be on the Early Bird’s expansion team while pursuing his dream of opening a reality-show concept restaurant where patrons would be part of the live show.

— Holli Keyser

SERVING UP A FIRST THANKSGIVING TO YOUTH REFUGEES AFTER THREE DAYS of shopping, prepping and cook-

the youth participants to reflect on what they are most

ing during fall break, JWU Denver students volunteered

thankful for. After the feast, students joined Street Fra-

their culinary expertise to serve Thanksgiving dinner

ternity in a Thankful Circle and shared their appreciation

to 70 former youth refugees at a local nonprofit, Street

with each other.

Fraternity.

Jeff Deaton ’15 serves youth refugees at the Street Fraternity.

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Winter 2015

The event is part of an evolving relationship between

For some Street Fraternity youth, this was their first

JWU Denver and Street Fraternity. Danielle Rado, assis-

experience of a traditional Thanksgiving meal, complete

tant professor of English, and Ted Manley, faculty lead

with all the fixings: turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, sweet

for the new Urban Studies program, are engaged in an

potatoes, green bean casserole, cornbread casserole

ongoing service-learning project in which students re-

and dessert.

cord digital stories from youth participants. This Urban

More than 90 percent of Street Fraternity participants

Writing Project will yield insights on what youth think

are former refugees from Bhutan/Nepal, Burma/Thailand,

and feel, and what they do to survive urban environ-

and countries of East Central and West Africa. Beyond

ments. These stories will be archived and shared via

the meal itself, the event also provided an opportunity for

YouTube.

— Holli Keyser

GOING FOR THE GOLD IT WAS AN AWARD-WINNING menu consisting of Maple Leaf Farms duck terrine, olive oil poached Bar Harbor seafood sterling salmon and desserts with cacao berry chocolate and passionfruit. Team JWU prepared a four-course meal from scratch in five hours for 50 conference attendees at the American Culinary Federation’s International Foodservice Expo’s USA Culinary Cup Challenge Team Competition last fall in Orlando, Fla. Several instructors (pictured left to right) — Chefs Josh Rosenbaum, Ellen Duke, Paul Malcolm, James O’Hara and Brian Campbell — were awarded trophies, gold medals and Best of Show at the event and received an unprecedented perfect kitchen score.

“We preach to our students what it takes to be successful in a kitchen,” James O’Hara says. “When you put yourselves up against your peers in a competition, it validates for our students what it takes to be successful. It becomes an extension of what we are trying to teach in the classroom.”

–– Melinda Law Westmoreland

BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG AUDIENCE

THE PERSONAL LIBRARIAN

DENVER PHOTOS BY HOLLI KEYSER; CHARLOTTE PHOTOS BY MELINDA LAW WESTMORELAND

The Personal Librarian: Enhancing the Student Experience (American Library Association) Charlotte Campus faculty and staff combined forces for this timely book on how academic librarians can connect students to the information they need in an increasingly digital world. “The Personal Librarian” is a flexible concept that focuses on customizing information literacy by establishing a one-on-one relationship between librarian and student from enrollment through graduation. The idea of personalizing services for students is part of a broader nationwide movement in higher education focusing on student support and retention. Editors Richard Moniz, director of library services, and Jean Moats, collections management librarian, also authored a number of chapters. Several other Charlotte staff and faculty contributed, including David Jewell, associate dean of academic affairs, and librarians Valerie Freeman and Joe Eshleman.

ONLINE > amazon.com/The-Personal-LibrarianEnhancing-Experience/dp/0838912397

IT CAN BE NERVERACKING

presenting

plated desserts or entrées for a grade. Try doing it on live television for an audience of hundreds of thousands! On Tuesdays during the noon news on the local CBS affiliate WBTV, a student has the opportunity to join the news anchor on the set. In three incredibly fast minutes under bright lights and robotic cameras, the student explains how to prepare a favorite dessert or holiday side dish. Alex Lozano ’13 was a regular guest and calls the experience invaluable: “It was awesome to have fun on the set cooking and sharing that experience with others. Not many college students get to experience live TV. Johnson & Wales didn’t just help with my culinary skills, it also better prepared me for public speaking and public demos.” Lozano is furthering his education and is expected to earn his master’s degree in 2015.

— Melinda Law Westmoreland

www.jwu.edu

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ATHLETICS All in the Family

BY JOHN PARENTE

Usually, having siblings playing together on the same team is reserved for youth leagues or a high school squad. It’s rare to see them on the same varsity team at the same collegiate institution.

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T’S HAPPENED AT JOHNSON & WALES before.

Tory and Scott Jacob ’01, for example, are Wildcat hockey legends. Both are members of the JWU Athletic Hall of Fame.

The Scialpi twins, Desiree and Danielle ’01, were standouts in women’s volleyball. Danielle Kelly ’03 and sister Nicole ’05, played on the women’s soccer team together. In the past 20 years, that was about it — until 2014.

Seven, count ’em, SEVEN sets of brothers made the rosters of six different Wildcat teams last season, all hoping for competitive success while making the experience a family affair.

Shawn ’14 and Ryan Kennedy ’16 played men’s volleyball for a second consecutive year in 2014.

Freshman Taylor Porrier and his older brother, Alex, represented Rutland, Vt., on the 2013–14 ice hockey team. Matt ’14 and Branden Barboza ’15 of Riverside, R.I., were members of the basketball team that won the 2014 ECAC New England Division III championship. Nick and Brendan Cesino of Scituate, R.I., currently play for the Wildcat baseball team, which is coached by the three LaRose brothers: Head Coach John and assistants Jeff and Jim. Even one of the newest varsity entries, men’s lacrosse, couldn’t escape the sibling syndrome.

The 2014 inaugural team featured the Banderecks of Topsfield, Mass.: Damien, a senior attack, and Julian, a junior defender.

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Topping it off this winter, Rakeem and Raheem Malone of St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, who are triplets along with a sister who also attends JWU, are making major contributions to the men’s volleyball team.

But the runaway winners of Wildcats unofficial “Brotherly Love Award” are the Lenhardts. Colin, a 2014 graduate and now an assistant coach, and Brendan, now in his final year, are just two of four wrestling brothers who wore JWU singlets. With Ryan ’05 and Bryan ’09, the Lenhardt legacy is rooted in Johnson & Wales wrestling history. The entire family from Hayes, Va., is part of the fabric of the Wildcat athletic scene.

“Ryan’s biggest quality was his heart,” says JWU Associate Head Coach Brian Allen. “Brian had intensity. Colin had finesse. Brendan has physical size. All of them brought something different to the table, but they’re all great wrestlers.”

The start of the Lenhardt family’s affinity with Johnson & Wales began with two non-wrestlers, Patrick ’97 and Heather ’05. After both had successful experiences at JWU, parents Martin and Anita learned more about the wrestling program and explored Ryan’s potential admission. The rest is history. “ We’ve never had to address any poor behavior from a Lenhardt,” says longtime head coach Lonnie Morris. “It’s a tribute to their parents.”

Martin and Anita, incidentally, have 14 children.

Ryan’s shining moment, one of the grittiest

performances by any Johnson & Wales athlete, came in the 2005 New England Tournament, when he overcame a knee injury to defeat a ranked opponent, Peter Boyle of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. “Stretch (Ryan) wrestled that match on one leg,” says Allen. Morris called it a “Rocky Balboa” moment.

“He wasn’t typical,” says Morris. “Wrestlers aren’t usually tall. He was tall and skinny, but used his body to his advantage.”

“Brian was tough and durable,” says Morris of the second wrestling Lenhardt. “Colin had an up-and-down season in 2012–13 but put it together and placed at the NCAA (National College Athletic Association) tournament.” The next year, Colin returned to the NCAAs and became a two-time All-American.

Brenden, says Allen, was a package deal.

“After we got Ryan, Brian and Colin, his mother said, ‘You’re getting my baby, too.’ We did.”

For the volleyball Kennedys, the Wildcat experience began when Shawn decided to come to Providence and major in finance. A threesport star at West Barnstable (Mass.) High School (he also ran track and played basketball), Shawn quickly became part of the Johnson & Wales athletic scene as a starting member of the Wildcat volleyball team.

Ryan, two years the younger but also a three-sport athlete, came to see his brother’s games and befriended Shawn’s teammates. By the time Ryan finished high school, his college choice was easy. “I narrowed it down to two really good schools,” says Ryan, “but I thought it’d be great to play on my brother’s team with a group of guys I already knew. It made my transition so much easier.”

A business management major, Ryan acclimated to college life, thanks, in part, to his brother: “It was kind of cool to hang out with Shawn. I definitely looked up to him. We’re a very family-oriented team, very close-knit.”

Shawn was a positive influence, but Ryan carved his own niche. “He helped me with

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2 [1] Brendan Cesino ’16 at bat [2] Nick Cesino ’15 [3] Nikki Kelly ’05 [4] Danielle Kelly ’05 [5] Brendan Lenhardt ’15 [6] Colin Lenhardt ’14

volleyball and school stuff,” Ryan says. “He probably walked me through more stuff as a sophomore than he did when I was a freshman. I don’t want to be a clone of his, though. I want to make my own identity. I know I’m not better than anyone just because he’s my brother. ” On the court, however, it was different. “We’re both wicked competitive,” says Ryan. “I told him, ‘I’m going to take your spot, nothing personal.’ ” According to Ryan, Shawn got a little defensive.

Says Shawn, whose volleyball career was a total rewrite of the Wildcat record book, “Ryan pushed me, but I knew who’d be there in the end.” Shawn says his four years at Johnson & Wales were special. “Our team grew into a viable, contending team,” says the school’s all-time leader in kills and several other offensive categories. “But Johnson & Wales also set me up for what’s to come.” His internship with a local financial planning firm left him “well-prepared for life after college.”

Their parents seemed to like the convenience of seeing their sons in one place. “I don’t think we could have imagined it any differently,” says Shawn.

Matt and Branden Barboza found Johnson & Wales the perfect place to be after taking

circuitous routes back to Rhode Island. Matt graduated from Warwick’s Bishop Hendricken High and went to Franklin Pierce College in New Hampshire. Branden graduated from East Providence High and attended the Community College of Rhode Island. Both then transferred to JWU. Reunited with his brother last season, Matt says the biggest beneficiary of their decision was their dad, Kevin. A former All-State basketball player from nearby Pawtucket, R.I., Kevin Barboza was a familiar sight at his sons’ games at the Wildcat Center. “We fulfilled his dream to see us play together,” says Matt, who enjoyed mentoring his brother, and has now moved on to complete his degree program and his hoop career at Suffolk University in Boston.

“I had his back,” Matt says.“In his first college setting, he was getting bumps and bruises both on the court and in school, but he learned along the way. I looked out for him, but he knew he had work to do to be a better student-athlete.”

The Cesinos take this brother thing a step further — they’re twins. Nick ’15 came to JWU first, after Brendan ’16 spent his freshman year elsewhere. Both enjoyed successful baseball careers: Nick at St. Raphael Academy in

Pawtucket, and Brendan at Scituate High School in Scituate, R.I. Nick cracked the Wildcat roster as a pitcher. Brendan, a catcher, joined the team in 2014, and often caught his brother’s pitches, a mind-blowing rarity in collegiate baseball.

“I was comfortable,” says Brendan. “We had done it in the past.” “We’re pretty much in sync,” Nick agrees. “When Nick strays from his catcher’s instructions, Brendan has a remedy: “I throw it back a little harder to him.”

Though Nick became a Wildcat first, Brendan readily fit into the Johnson & Wales landscape when he arrived: “I knew a couple of people here. We have several Rhode Islanders on the team. I either played with or against them — that relaxed me a little bit.”

The Malone brothers take the scenario even further. Raheem ’16, a minute older, is a setter who joined the Wildcats in 2012. Rakeem ’16, a middle blocker, joined a year later. “Raheem is steady,” says Coach Scott Reslow. “Rakeem is lightning in a bottle, and our fastest middle …

They are the funniest two guys I’ve ever worked with; a very sharp wit and an outstanding sense of humor. But they work so hard, and I can’t imagine the growth of our program without them.”

www.jwu.edu

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ASHLEY TUTTLE ’17 in uniform

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BOOTS BOOKS FROM

TO

Student veterans face unique challenges as they transition to campus culture.

The Johnson & Wales community answers the call to action

By Holli Keyser PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOHN JOHNSTON

L

ooking at Ashley Tuttle ’17 in her neatly pressed white chef coat and checkered pants, it’s hard to fathom the petite brunette, at 5-feet 2-inches, once wore a uniform of a different kind.

“I feel like it’s shocking when people find out that I’m a veteran,” says Tuttle. “I don’t look or act like a normal veteran, so I think they are very taken aback.”

The baking and pastry arts student never deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan, yet she still served her country during a time of war, which means she brings a unique set of life experiences and perspectives.

The decision to enlist resulted from a desire to find herself.

After her mother died in a car accident when Tuttle was 14, she “got into some trouble in high school; when it came time to apply for college, I wasn’t set up for anything,” she says. “My family had no money so college wasn’t really an option.”

Tuttle, now 25, found herself in an Army recruiter’s office simply to support a friend. But then she became intrigued, thinking the military might provide direction. She was interested in becoming an MP (Military Police), but there were no jobs available then. She was selected to become an explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) technician, a job described by the military as a “warrior, properly trained,

www.jwu.edu

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equipped, and integrated to attack, defeat and exploit” explosive devices and weapons of mass destruction.

Boot camp and being only one of two females in her platoon was nothing compared to nine months of EOD tech school, where failing even one test could mean flunking out of the program. Tuttle was one of four who ultimately passed in their original group of 15 students.

As an official EOD tech, she performed security operations at the highest level — protecting the president of the United States. Tuttle worked alongside the Secret Service for three years to provide advance security detail abroad and at presidential events across America. One such assignment took Tuttle to Brazil, where President Obama met with its president, Dilma Rousseff, for the first time. He made public speeches about colonialism, freedom and the American Dream, and toured the country’s historical sites with his family.

Before the First Family visited Christ Redeemer Hill, the summit of a national park overlooking Rio de Janeiro, the area was closed to allow Tuttle, her partner and a bomb-sniff-

“The culture of the institution really determines if you are military friendly. We have such an embedded culture for serving this population, and it’s very refreshing.”

Ed Lizotte Director of Military Student Recruitment and Services

ing dog to ensure there were no security issues or bombs at the site.

Of course, there were also some not-so-glamorous aspects to the job: sweeping buildings, opening drawers and checking light switches.

During her spare time, she made cakes and cookies for her crew, who presented her with a baking mixer plaque to commemorate her service when her military time ended. Her commander suggested she look into Johnson & Wales’ College of Culinary Arts to pursue her passion. Fortuitously, Tuttle had already made plans to move to Colorado Springs, Colo., and realized that JWU had a Denver campus.

It was there that Tuttle made her first loaf of bread, which

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shifted her path in baking and pastry away from desserts. “I didn’t know I loved bread until I came here,” she says. “Bread is universal; it appeals to everyone.” She’s put her skills into practice at a local bakery. Even though she has to get up for the 2 a.m. shift, sometimes squeezing in a nap before her afternoon labs, it’s a labor of love.

THE UPTICK IN VETERAN ENROLLMENT

Now a sophomore, Tuttle represents a growing number of military veterans who have transitioned into the classroom.

Institutions across the country are seeing an influx of military veterans due to the drawdown of troops overseas. From 2009–12, the Department of Veterans Affairs has provided educational benefits to 773,000 veterans and their dependents using the Post 9/11 GI Bill.

This trend can be seen at Johnson & Wales’ four campuses, where veteran enrollment has skyrocketed. Since the Post 9/11 GI Bill was introduced in 2009, there has been a 189 percent increase in veteran and dependent enrollment universitywide.

In addition to the GI Bill, veterans can get the balance of their tuition paid through the university’s participation in the Yellow Ribbon program. In this endeavor, the university contributes up to 50 percent of the student’s remaining balance of tuition and fees and the federal government matches it dollar for dollar.

Universitywide, the Denver Campus has the highest concentration of student veterans and dependents, representing 8.6 percent of the total student body. Charlotte is second at 8.2 percent, followed by North Miami at 4.25 percent and Providence at 2.65 percent.

While Tuttle was excited to attend college, the transition wasn’t exactly a cakewalk, so to speak. The problems didn’t have anything to do with getting into the rhythm of labs or doing the homework — they were relating to her classmates.

Her predicament is reflective of the widening gap between those who served and civilians. For nearly two generations, America’s armed forces have represented a volunteer effort, and few actually do volunteer. According to the Department of Defense, since the U.S. went to war in Afghanistan in 2001 and Iraq in 2003, about 2.5 million members of the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Coast Guard and related Reserve and National Guard units have been deployed in those wars.

Tuttle in the Denver Campus culinary lab www.jwu.edu

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IMAGES THIS PAGE COURTESY OF ASHLEY TUTTLE

Yet, military personnel represent less than “It’s that life experience that these 17-to .05 percent of the U.S. population, compared 18-year-olds don’t have,” says Ware. to more than 12 percent during World War II. “When I talk to them in the kitchen, they “I’m going to school, I’m not going to colare my equals. When they don’t move with lege,” says Tuttle. “There’s that stereotype of a purpose, I want to talk as if they are one college — partying, drinking, being in the of my Marines, but I can’t. For someone dorms — but that’s not my idea of it, which coming from the tight-knit structure of creates a huge barrier. The first year, my age active duty, sometimes it’s hard to bite was definitely an issue. My social life was your tongue.” pretty much nonexistent, and it was reIn her quest to support other veterally hard to connect with people.” ans, Tuttle became involved with The During her second term, Tuttle met Student Veterans’ Organization. two classmates who were also older than When she learned the campus club the traditional first-year students — one had dissolved after the students ina civilian and the other a medically revolved had graduated, she felt almost tired Navy veteran. As the three obliged to restart it. But growing the bonded, Tuttle realized she was probabase — even with help from other vets bly not alone in feeling challenged by — was difficult. Unless people the switch from the military to college. self-identify with the club, they don’t She describes other veterans who strugknow who the population is and how to gled with loud noises in the culinary labs support them. and had to step out for a moment, only to “Veterans are generally pretty isohave the rest of class stare. lated,” says Tuttle. “Most of us are “There’s a lack of knowledge about commuters. We’re older and we veterans … I feel like some students don’t want to stay on campus longer are very uncomfortable; they don’t than we need to or return at 8 p.m. for know how to react and are scared to a social gathering.” engage us,” says Tuttle. “We don’t exHowever, that hasn’t stopped her pect everyone to understand.” recruitment efforts. “Sometimes I’ll Brian Lyninger, assistant director see someone with a camo-backpack and for Campus Safety & Security at the Denver ask if they’re a veteran. If they say yes, then Campus, is familiar with the divide between I tell them they should join the club,” says veteran and civilian students. A decorated Tuttle. “My number one goal is participaU.S. Marine who served in the Iraq invasion, tion and to support each other, even if it’s Lyninger currently serves as a staff advisor just on an emotional level.” The group can above , top : for student veterans. also help members navigate GI Bill chalTuttle with her grandmother “What’s stressful for a teenager in the mililenges, find resources on campus and at Basic Training graduation tary is completely different than what’s share knowledge about course credits in Missouri, October 2008.

Immediately above: Tuttle stressful for an 18 or 19-year-old in college,” earned from their service in the military. at Christ the Redeemer says Lyninger. “The military students have a Since the club was officially sanctioned Statue in Rio de Janeiro, hard time understanding why their classin fall 2013, its several members have ralBrazil, while on EOD assignment alongside the mates are stressed out over a simple test. And lied together, including hosting two events Secret Service. those classmates are wondering why the milto feed homeless veterans, an initiative itary student is being so bossy.” started by Prince Thomas ’15, a culinary Ellas Ware, a first-year Denver Campus culinary arts and student with 24 years in the Army. Tuttle envisions a legacy food service management student and U.S. Marine Corps that she can help grow even after graduating. reservist, describes a disconnect between the military culWhile Denver is currently the only campus to have an offiture he experienced for a decade compared to the classroom cial student veteran organization, there has been a univerenvironment. sitywide movement to create an inclusive, welcoming

environment for student veterans. As an officially designated “Military Friendly®” institution according to Victory Media, JWU ranks in the top 15 percent of military-friendly schools nationwide. An orientation session designed just for incoming veteran students is held at certain campuses.

The Providence Campus recently created a designated student veteran space at the Downcity Campus in the Larry Friedman Entrepreneurship Center and the campus has a Supporting Veterans Committee comprised of faculty and staff — most of whom have served in the military­.

AN ARMY OF SUPPORT

including reduced tuition rates and a two-year manIn 2013, the Denver Campus received a grant to fund a agement program called VIP (Veterans Introductory student veteran success coordinator. For the past year, Program) that attracted thousands of veterans. In 1971, a Floyd Brown, a retired staff sergeant who served 16 years in weekend program was created that enabled veterans to atthe U.S. Army, has supported Denver student veterans with tend but keep their full-time jobs. “Johnson & Wales has a career readiness and outreach. demonstrated history of looking at the needs of transition“Every veteran’s situation is different based on what ing veterans and tailoring itself to support their needs inthey’ve been through in the military,” says Brown. He sees stead of forcing the students to meet the needs of the instimany students struggle with less structure as they transitution,” says Ed Lizotte, JWU’s first director of military tion. “The military term is ‘Dress Right Dress’ — you know student recruitment and services. “The uniwhen you get up what your day is, Monday versity is uniquely suited for supporting vetthrough Friday,” says Brown. “Student vetFor more information about our veteran programs, visit: erans with a 100-year model for experiential erans know their class schedule, but they https://admissions.jwu.edu/ military learning. In the military, it’s what we call don’t have their section chief, squad leader performance training: See it. Learn it. Do it. or platoon sergeant telling them what to do.”

Practice it. It is directly tied to experiential learning where However, Brown adds, “Whenever a veteran is having a our students are engaged in classes and not bored by a problem, the staff and faculty are always right on it to corlecture.” rect the problem and help with the transition challenges.”

In this newly created role based at the Providence Campus, Indeed, JWU has a long history of providing a support Lizotte — a former infantry officer in the Army and National system to student veterans. Edward Triangolo and Morris Guard — oversees the recruitment of military and veteran Gaebe, who purchased Johnson & Wales Business School students for the School of Online & Continuing Education. for $25,000 in 1947, were both World War II veterans. They He also collaborates with other departments to ensure all revised the school’s curriculum to provide the skills that veterans and military students succeed, whether they are returning veterans needed to succeed in a postwar world. taking classes online or in the classroom.

According to the book, “Johnson & Wales: A Dream that “After I was hired, I got 54 emails from various faculty and Became a University,” veteran students were also instrustaff, asking how they can help with this initiative,” says mental in transforming Johnson & Wales from a secretarial Lizotte. “The culture of the institution really determines if school to a business college following the Korean War, when you are military friendly. We have such an embedded culture it began to offer career-oriented courses for those veterans. for serving this population, and it’s very refreshing.”

“While many schools did little or nothing about [new legislaTuttle also describes having a support system since day tion that provided additional educational benefits to veterone, with resources that include campus leadership, the stuans who served from 1955–66] President Morris Gaebe, dent veteran success coordinator, and VA certifying officials along with then-Vice President John Yena and Dean John in Student Financial Services. “I don’t think the responsibilMcNulty, realized the great opportunity existed because of ity is on the faculty to unite the student veterans,” she says. the bill,” the book states. “Johnson & Wales made an all-out “It’s on us as a club to provide a foundation of ongoing supeffort to make veterans aware of their potential benefits and port. It’s also important to show the regular student body to persuade them to come to college.” that we’re not this foreign group.”

As a result, programming was created to support them,

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e AMANDA CRUGNALE ’15 outside the Chanel boutique on Newbury Street in Boston

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edge competitive

It’s survival of the fittest in today’s job market: JWU’s tradition of experiential education gets grads in fighting shape

T

he Chanel boutique in downtown Boston is a pop of candy color compared to the subdued fall collections displayed in the upscale shop windows of its Newbury Street neighbors. Its window features a group of female mannequins in a weight room, wearing colorful tweed and gold sneakers and activewear patterned in an array of pop art-inspired colors, the iconic Chanel logo interspersed within the designs. It’s edgy and refreshing. I am so captivated that I barely notice Amanda Crugnale ’15 exit the boutique, just off her shift and ready to tell me about her experience on the walk to her train.

The fashion merchandising and retail marketing major is completing a part-time internship at the boutique to learn firsthand how to engage customers more fully in their shopping experience by creating striking and innovative layouts and displays. As we make our way to the station, the sounds of the city provide a glamorous metropolitan backdrop appropriate for our conversation about renowned fashion houses like Chanel and international style capitals such as Milan, Italy.

BY AMANDA HOUPT PHOTOGRAPHY BY KATHLEEN DOOHER

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s

Crugnale exudes confidence and a clear passion for the industry.

he sparks to life when she talks about Chanel’s approach to visual merchandising: “Everything that you see on the runway show is brought to each boutique. It’s not just when you look at the fashion show — it goes to every single store and is displayed exactly like the runway show. So you get to go back and get inspired again just by going shopping, which is really amazing.”

She also values the boutique’s team-oriented approach to customer service. “We’re all one,” Crugnale says. “I don’t feel like an intern; I feel like a part of the team, which makes me feel comfortable and more confident in my decisions.” This type of professional experience is exactly why she selected JWU’s fashion merchandising program over its competitors such as the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York.

Over the summer, she participated in a study abroad program in Milan and Florence. Unlike classmates whose experiences focused on taking traditional courses, Crugnale’s program immersed her in the industry. While in Italy, she and a select group of classmates attended fashion shows, visited up-and-coming designer boutiques, attended press events, and assisted staff from Fashion Times. This exposed her to dozens of new connections, who have since linked her to opportunities in the U.S. Recently, a connection from an Italian magazine invited her to help with a bridal fashion show in New York City. She was immersed in the event, working behind the scenes and watching the show in real time.

As we walk through the busy city streets discussing her career, I can’t help but imagine JWU’s founding mothers Gertrude Johnson and Mary Wales, two women who must have had similar walks on different city streets, discussing their dream of starting a business school for students like

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Crugnale. To realize their vision, they networked with employers, inquired about students’ aspirations, and tailored curricula to students’ goals. They then placed graduates within companies well-matched to their interests. These two women, ahead of their time, pioneered an industryfocused experiential approach to business education that endures today.

INTERNSHIP SUPPORT FUND

A century later, enriching academic programs with experiential and work-integrated learning is still held among JWU’s eight guiding principles. Evidence of the university’s commitment to this core value can be seen in its students, more than 4,000 of whom held internships in 2013–14 at nearly 2,000 sites in all 50 states and 35 countries across the globe. Further evidence lies in JWU’s annual investment of nearly $3 million into the Internship Support Fund, which offers students up to $3,000, ensuring that they can intern regardless of financial need.

Students like Stefany Davila ’14 appreciate this investment. The criminal justice major at the North Miami Campus recently completed a full time internship at Broward Sheriff’s Office in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., and relied on JWU’s Internship Support Fund to pay for transportation costs, groceries and other living expenses. “Since my internship was unpaid, I had no form of income,” said Davila. “So the money helped relieve some of my expenses.” The stipend made it possible for her to accept a dream opportunity that she might not have otherwise been able to take.

Davila walks me through a typical day on the job, in which she might ride along with a deputy or shadow a criminal analyst who collects data to supplement investigations. “I was

KHAKALI OLENJA ’11 at State Street Corporation in Boston www.jwu.edu

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JWU Wins Coveted Burke Award Providence Campus President Mim L. Runey and Chancellor John J. Bowen accepting the Burke Award from the National Society for Experiential Education

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so lucky to get this internship,” she says. “They don’t just put Program, would boost his confidence and define his career me in an office to do paperwork … They take the time to ex- path. He joined a cohort of 30 individuals, chosen from a competitive pool of hundreds. At the end of his internship, plain things and show me how it’s done. It’s amazing!”

She especially appreciates the mentorship of her supervi- he was invited to stay on part-time but elected to finish his sor, Lieutenant Nadine Dunn, whom she describes as “an degree. He graduated in May 2011, and within one month, amazing leader,” and who routinely gives her practical ad- State Street Corporation offered him a position.

Currently a senior associate with the treasury products vice that she will use throughout her career. She also values the level of support that she receives from her faculty advi- group, Olenja appreciates the tight-knit JWU community sor, Enid Conley, Ph.D., Ed.S., and career services staff. and the continuing mentorship he receives from his career “They’re not just going to let you go off at the beginning and coach, with whom he is still in contact. As a way of giving then call you at the end,” she said. “Here, they are constantly back, he reaches out to students. “Whatever job I take, I try trying to get in touch with you, seeing how things are going, to incorporate the Johnson & Wales community because I what you are doing, and it feels kind of like family. They are understand how hard it can be to get your foot in the door,” he says. “So I can help others grow and transition into fulltrying to see if you are doing well and if you are happy.”

North Miami Campus marketing major Barry Ingram ’15 time financial associate roles, whether that be at State Street agrees. The level of support that he has received both from or elsewhere.” his supervisor at Seminole Casino Coconut Creek and his faculty advisor has given him the freedom to reflect on his AN ANTIDOTE TO UNEMPLOYMENT career. “You don’t get thrown into the fire completely,” he In today’s cutthroat job market, graduates often face high said. “They don’t expect you to do everything, but you are still rates of unemployment. The Economic Policy Institute estiin the environment, so you see everything mates an unemployment rate of 8.5 perthat goes on. And you get to decide, ‘Do I cent for recent graduates. This prospect is For more information about JWU’s internship program, really want to do this?’ It makes it much compounded by staggering rates of stuvisit: https://www.jwu.edu/ easier to have a clear head.” This kind of dent loan debt, which surpassed $1 trillion Alumni-Sub.aspx?pageid= 62760 support ensures that students receive a in 2013. In this challenging career environbeneficial educational experience from the ment, internships give JWU graduates a internships they complete. This is critical, given a recent competitive edge. Often, as peers from other universities are surge in class action lawsuits that have been filed and won by struggling to find work, JWU grads are landing jobs due to unpaid interns for working without receiving the type of their practical experiences. Last year alone, 55 percent of educational experience that is required of internships under student interns received job offers, and 78 percent of seniors the Fair Labor Standards Act. on a paid internship received job offers.

Perhaps for this reason, the National Society for Experiential Education (NSEE) recently honored JWU A NETWORK OF MENTORS with the William M. Burke Presidential Award for By investing in and institutionalizing experiential education, JWU has created a symbiotic environment in which Excellence in Experiential Education. JWU was chosen for the college works hard for its students, advising them, culti- many of the qualities that student narratives, like those of vating employer relationships, hosting career fairs, and of- Crugnale, Davila and Olenja, illustrate. The NSEE selected fering stipends. These students intern with employers, often JWU out of a competitive pool of peer institutions in part impressing them with their performance. Those same em- because of the sheer number of students who intern or parployers then hire more undergraduate interns and full-time ticipate in study abroad experiences annually and the inalumni employees. JWU alums strengthen the network by vestment that JWU has made in offering students stipends acting as ambassadors for their companies. It’s a virtuous through its Internship Support Fund. This level of institutional commitment to experiential education is matched by circle in which everyone benefits.

This circle is exemplified by alums like Khakali Olenja ’11. few of its peer institutions.

For Maureen Dumas, vice president of Experiential He entered the Providence Campus as a marketing major at the start of the Great Recession and became fascinated by Education & Career Services, this award epitomizes the unithe financial sector. After his freshman year, he switched to versity’s century-long commitment to experiential educafinance. Realizing the value of experience in both domestic tion: “To be recognized on a national level for what we have and global markets, he enrolled in a JWU Summer Work been able to accomplish here is really inspiring.”

Fueled by this inspiration and the vision of its founding Abroad Program in Italy and Albania.

After this experience, he applied for every domestic fi- mothers, JWU will continue investing in its students, unnance internship that he could find. “Every day I would apply covering their dreams, and propelling their careers through to another corporation, maybe John Hancock or State Street internships at home and abroad. Because of these efforts, a or Liberty Mutual,” he said. “And then I got a call from State network of alumni, nearly 100,000 strong, will open doors Street.” That phone call, which offered him a place in the for generations of graduates to come.

Global Services U.S. Investment Summer Internship

Whatever job I take, I try to incorporate the Johnson & Wales community because I understand how hard it can be to get your foot in the door. – Khakali Olenja ’11

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FOOD THE NEW

ECONOMY. Can Providence’s food cluster lead the way to economic recovery?

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nside the lavish Providence Biltmore ballroom on the second day of the 2014 Taste Trekkers Food & Travel Expo, more than 200 people circle tables laden with locally grown and produced foods: wafer-thin prosciutto carefully sliced off the bone, freshly shucked oysters resting in icy beds, hand-dipped chocolate truffles, canning jars packed with pungent pickled vegetables. A young man with a handlebar moustache reaches over, grabs a cup of ceviche from a local Peruvian restaurant and takes a bite. He smiles and closes his eyes, then says to a friend, “You’ve got to try this.”

Taste Trekkers founder Seth Resler initially considered Boston or San Francisco as the host city for this culinary tourism conference. “But I was listening to a podcast where Kristen Adamo [vice president of marketing for the Providence Warwick Convention and Visitors Bureau] talked about the great food scene in Providence. And I literally had one of those moments where I slapped my forehead and thought, ‘Of course we should do this in Providence.’

I lived in Providence for six years, so I knew that many talented chefs had come through Johnson & Wales’ culinary program and were doing some amazing things in the city.”

Resler probably wouldn’t have chosen Providence 20 years ago; definitely not 30 years. But for a city once viewed as a dark smudge off Interstate 95 en route to Boston, Providence has risen from the ashes. While it was considered one of the most beautiful and prosperous American cities during the 19th century, by the 1970s Providence was struggling. Its economy was stagnant; the textile and jewelry industries that had sustained the workforce had migrated south, lured by lower

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wages. Many urbanites fled for the safety and higher-caliber schools of suburban Providence. By 1980, the city’s population had dropped to its lowest point of the century.

Fast forward and today you’ll find that Providence has been reimagined and rebranded as the Creative Capital: a city rich in culture and the arts, historical architecture and on-trend bars and restaurants. Both national and international press have taken note, with accolades flying fast and furious: “America’s Favorite City,” according to Travel + Leisure’s 2014 readers poll; “New England’s Coolest City,” per The Telegraph; “One of the best small cities in the world for dining,” says Saveur.

So how did Providence transform itself? Peel back the layers of recent history and you might be surprised to find that food has played a significant role.

IN THE BEGINNING

While it’s impossible to pinpoint the start of the “gourmet era,” the catalyst may have been the release of a 3-pound book, “Mastering the Art of French Cooking.” Written by Julia Child and French co-authors Simone Beck and Louisette Bertholle, this 1961 publication remained the bestselling cookbook for five consecutive years, turning Child into a star and igniting a wave of interest in cooking. Through her popular public television program “The French Chef,” which launched in 1963, Child convinced her audience that they, too, could learn to whisk with panache. As food historian David Leite notes, “She tottered into our lives like a marvelously eccentric aunt at the ideal moment: Jacqueline Kennedy has just installed a French chef in the White House kitchen and our collective appetite

ILLUSTRATION BY ANTHONY RUSSO

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was whetted.” In 1971, trailblazer Alice Waters opened Chez students. While executives believed the proposal was too Panisse in Berkeley, Calif., preparing food with only fresh, narrow, they liked the idea of a network focused on cooking local and seasonal ingredients – and laying the groundwork shows as well as other food-related programs, and the Food for the sustainability movement that would become a trend- Network was born. Now distributed to an estimated 100 milsetting force decades later. Many Americans looked to lion U.S. households, the network has had an enormous inWaters, Child, James Beard, Jaques Pepin, Pierre Franey fluence on our attitudes towards — and our obsession with and other celebrity chefs for inspiration and an increasing — food, in addition to spawning food programs on other number began to consider a culinary arts career. channels. It has made celebrities of several JWU alumni, Subsequently in 1973, Johnson & Wales University including trustee Emeril Lagasse ’78, ’90 Hon.; Tyler opened its College of Culinary Arts at Providence’s Florence ’94, ’04 Hon.; and Michelle Bernstein ’94, ’03 Hon., Harborside Campus. This proved to be one of the most among others. far-reaching transformations in its expansion, leading to Simultaneously in Providence, elected officials, urban additional degree programs in the hospitality and food ser- planning visionaries and business leaders were pushing to vice fields. As a result, the university has poured hundreds of revive the capital. Former mayors Vincent A. “Buddy” Cianci millions of dollars into the local economy. During the past and Joseph Paolino Jr. directed massive public works projdecade, the university has ects, including relocating rivinvested $200 million in ers, moving the city’s train staits Providence Campus. tion and creating Waterplace Over the past five years, Park, four acres of cobblestone the College of Culinary walkways and pedestrian Arts in Providence has bridges with a natural amphipurchased approximately theatre that has become a cul$24 million in primarily tural nexus. locally-grown food to run With this urban renaissance, its kitchen labs. a growing culinary interest, a Many graduates stayed hunger for sustainability in Rhode Island, shaping awareness and alumni chefs Michael Porter the economy and the local rooting in Providence, the Harvard Business School Professor and founder of food scene as chefs and seeds of a food cluster were The Initiative for a Competitive Inner City restaurateurs. Alumnus planted.

John Elkhay ’77, president and co-owner of Chow FOOD CLUSTER, Fun Food Group, owns DEFINED some the most acclaimed dining locations in Providence: 10 Harvard Business School Professor Michael Porter coined Prime Steak & Sushi, Rick’s Roadhouse, Luxe Burger Bar, the term “cluster” as “a geographic concentration of interXO Café, and Harry’s Bar & Burger, as well as Veritas connected companies and institutions in a particular field.”

Catering. Twice nominated for the James Beard Rising Star A food cluster is comprised of industries such as farms, farm award, Derek Wagner ’99, owner of Nick’s on Broadway, also markets, food tourism, food manufacturing, restaurants and in Providence, was an early proponent of sustainability who the larger hospitality industry. One example of the breadth focused on seasonally-inspired, locally-sourced ingredients. of such a system is California’s wine cluster. It consists of Champe Speidel ’01 is a five-time semifinalist for James not only the vineyards, but also the associated businesses Beard awards. His East Bay restaurant, Persimmon, regu- such as barrel makers, distributers, specialized marketing larly garners praise from local and national press; in 2010, he and advertising agencies and more. opened a charcuterie, Persimmon Provisions.

“The food cluster is an important job generator and is critIn 1990, Ken Levy, JWU’s then-director of external rela- ical to local and regional economic competitiveness,” says tions, had an idea that would spark a behemoth of modern Porter. As a critical mass, clusters promote efficiencies that media. At a meeting with executives from the Providence individual businesses or industries cannot, creating comJournal and its subsidiary, Colony Communications, Levy petitive advantages for the region. In Rhode Island, players pitched a cooking show that would feature JWU chefs and in the food cluster range from large institutions and busi-

The food cluster is an important job generator and is critical to local and regional economic competitiveness.

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nesses to smaller nonprofits.

“As a world-renowned culinary educator with a longstanding presence in Providence, Johnson & Wales has become an anchor institution of the urban core in Providence,” says Chief Operating Officer and Providence Campus President Mim L. Runey, LP.D. “It’s not an overstatement to say the university has been a significant catalyst for the city’s revival.” In 2009, the last time such measurements were taken, the university’s economic output was $327.6 million, which directly and indirectly accounted for nearly 3,800 full-time jobs statewide.

That same year, United Natural Foods Inc. — a Fortune 500 company and the leading independent national distributor of natural, organic and specialty foods in the United States and Canada — moved its headquarters to Providence.

The company has since experienced exponential growth due to recent acquisitions, coupled with an increased consumer demand for healthier eating. It has tripled its local workers while annual sales have nearly doubled — from $3.45 billion in 2009 to $6.79 billion in 2014. Its President and CEO Steven Spinner received an honorary doctorate of business administration in 2013 from Johnson & Wales.

Several food-related nonprofit organizations have also emerged. Farm Fresh Rhode Island (FFRI) began as a grassroots organization to support farmers and connect communities to fresh food through farmers’ markets. Beginning with just 11 summer farmers markets in 2004, it has become a driving force within the food cluster. It now manages 55 markets throughout the state and has created additional food-related programs that impact the local economy and cultivate sustainability awareness.

“People want to know the value chain that brought the food to their table,” says Co-director Jesse Rye. “Some people come at it from a health perspective — maybe they prioritize only eating organic foods. They want to know the inputs the farmers used so they’ll know what they’re putting into their bodies. Other people come at it from a community-building, economic sustainability angle and ask, ‘Am I supporting my neighbors?’ ‘Am I supporting small farms in the state?’ because they feel that it’s the right thing to do.”

JWU Culinary Arts Department Chair Maureen Pothier is on the FFRI board of directors and Georgina Sarpong ’11 is the farmers’ market program manager; she oversees the Pawtucket Wintertime Farmers Market as well as the eight summer markets that Farm Fresh directly manages. “Our wintertime market has become the largest in New England,” she says. “Each week we have between 2,000 and 3,000

shoppers, and the market generates an estimated one million dollars in annual sales.”

Its Market Mobile sources food from 50-plus farms in Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut, and delivers to restaurants, institutions, small grocers and co-ops throughout Rhode Island and the Boston area. The program delivered $2.1 million worth of produce and value-added products last year. (JWU’s Wellness & Sustainability labs get their produce whenever possible from Market Mobile.)

The university’s culinary students intern with FFRI’s ‘Healthy Foods, Healthy Families program, designed to empower low-income families with the tools needed to select and prepare affordable fresh foods from the farmers market.

Nonprofit food incubator Hope & Main in Warren, the first of its kind in Rhode Island, is one of approximately 150 such organizations nationwide that help culinary startups launch their businesses. Many of its entrepreneurs manned tables at the Taste Trekkers’ Expo, passing out samples such as tomato jam, gluten-free baked goods and specialty chocolates and candies. Not surprisingly, a number of Hope & Main’s first members are Johnson & Wales alumni or faculty. Founder Lisa Raiola says that these incubators can contribute to the local economy in several ways: “By providing low-cost, low-risk access to shared-use commercial kitchens we’re able to launch many more small food businesses than if the entrepreneurs had to capitalize these startups independently. The business and technical resources that we provide increase their odds of success. Many of our members are also sourcing ingredients from local farmers, fishermen or purveyors, which drives economic development and job creation for Rhode Island.”

Along with food entrepreneurs, distributors and producers, the state’s tourism board has emerged as another player in the food cluster. As culinary tourism has become a major trend — with a reported 30 percent of tourists choosing destinations because of the food-related activities they offer — promoting the local food scene stimulates the economy. The Providence Warwick Convention and Visitors Bureau has been ahead of the curve in capitalizing on this trend. “During my first week here in 2005, my boss handed me a report,” says Kristen Adamo, vice president of marketing and communications for the bureau and former director of advancement communications for JWU. “It contained a list of top culinary destinations in the northeast – and Providence was next to last,” she says. “Knowing the caliber of culinary talent at JWU, I was horrified, and that’s one of the reasons we began to really

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for investing. The Rhode Island Foundation, the largest funder of the state’s nonprofit sector, has awarded one of two 2014 Innovation Fellowship grants — $300,000 over three years — to Dadekian, who plans to create a center to draw both tourists and residents. “The Eat Drink Rhode Island THE GROWTH OF FOOD CLUSTERS Numbers generated by Rhode Island’s food cluster Central Market will be a complete business-to-business and amount to much more than a hill of beans. In the past de- business-to-consumer culinary center,” says Dadekian. “It’ll cade, industries involved in purchased meals and beverages be similar to Pike Place in Seattle; a place to focus on local have increased from $1.593 billion to just under $1.8 billion products, such as Fox Point Pickling or Yacht Club Soda.”

With an eye towards strengthening the food cluster, while industries providing accommodations have grown Johnson & Wales leadership from $286 million to $416 is working with The million.

Initiative for a Competitive “If you add up all the Inner City — Professor food-related jobs that exist Porter’s nonprofit research — everything from farming and strategy organization to small restaurants to hofocused on inner city develtels — it comes to about opment — and Next Street, a 60,000 people employed,” consulting firm specializing says David Dadekian, memin business strategy, to set ber of the Rhode Island the correct course for the Food Policy Council and anchor institution. In 2014, president of Eat Drink the university became a miRhode Island, which pronority investor in the Food motes the local food and Innovation Nexus (The beverage scene. “In a state FIX), a Providence-based with about 500,000 workproduct development group ers, that’s huge. It makes the Mim L. Runey, LP.D. Providence Campus President focused on innovation at the food industry the second intersection of food and largest employment sector, medicine. According to second only to healthcare.”

With such statistics, it’s not surprising that many Rhode Director and Cofounder Michael Allio, its product portfolio Island organizations and government officials are working is already breaking new ground. One product line “radically shifts the paradigm for colorectal cancer screening.” Others on economic plans related to the food cluster.

“Preparing and enjoying food with my family is an import- use innovatively designed food and beverages to deliver acant part of our weekly routine,” says Governor Gina tive ingredients to manage health.

“A thriving food cluster will have an enormous impact on Raimondo. “In the past few years, Rhode Island has seen our small farms and food and beverage manufacturers grow. Our the economy in Providence and the state,” says President local food and beverage entrepreneurial ventures have a big Runey. “It already is. That’s why we’re exploring innovative ripple effect on our economy, helping to attract and sustain opportunities in all business components of the cluster, injobs across our state. As governor, I will continue to support cluding marketing, entrepreneurship and new business dethis budding sector of our economy by encouraging their velopment. Along with our world renowned College of Culinary Arts that is on the cutting edge of new developinnovation and job creation.”

In RhodeMap RI, an economic development plan coordi- ments in food — and its connection to nutrition, medicine nated by the state, food and agriculture are identified as two and science — Johnson & Wales is perfectly positioned to established and emerging industries that should be targeted play a significant role in the region’s future.” promote our culinary offerings. Fast forward 10 years and we’re one of the top culinary destinations in the United States.”

A thriving food cluster will have an enormous impact on the economy in Providence and the state. It already is.

That’s why we’re exploring innovative opportunities in all business components of the cluster, including marketing, entrepreneurship and new business development.

26

Winter 2015

OFF THE SHELF Ink by University Authors were cooking for your grandmother” is his mantra — and in true Southern spirit, he wants it to be yours, too.

— Andrea Feldman

ONLINE > http://utm.io/38383

THE ADVENTURES OF GREYSON & HIS TINY GREYS (Mascot Books)

HERITAGE

(Artisan Books) SEAN BROCK ’00 has dedicated his

Charleston, S.C., and Nashville, Tenn., restaurants Husk and McCrady’s to elevating the cuisine of the South Carolina Lowcountry.

His first cookbook, “Heritage,” documents the restaurants’ most iconic dishes, from the decadent Husk cheeseburger and crispy pig’s ear lettuce wraps to a classic Hoppin’ John.

But recipes are only half the story. Part memoir and part culinary history, “Heritage” celebrates and demystifies Southern traditions, from the secrets of pickling to reviving heirloom ingredients like Sea Island red peas, benne and Jimmy Red corn. Much of the book expands on lessons that Brock learned growing up in rural Virginia, from canning and conserving (“putting up”) to making such proudly Southern sweets as Chess pie, rhubarb buckle and apple-sorghum stack cake. Given the emphasis on hard-to-find ingredients, sourcing, not technique, is often the trickiest part of a recipe (the book’s “Resources” page is essential). But Brock’s radiant enthusiasm makes even the most time-consuming preparations (like 48-hour pork rinds) sound fun. “Cook as if every day you

As an assistant professor in the Graphic Design & Digital Media department at the Providence Campus, Karyn Jimenez-Elliott’s book idea hatched from an assignment for her Advanced Print class. As she worked on the task of designing a children’s book along with her students, the graphic designer decided to publish the book for her son after a few preliminary sketches. Watching her toddler with the family’s three Italian Greyhound rescues, Jimenez-Elliott imagined chronicling son Greyson and the pups on neighborhood adventures. With rhyming help from husband Brandon, the book tracks their footsteps and pawprints as they explore Providence, visit the beach, the Newport wharfs and more. Want to tag along as Greyson grows? The author hopes to expand it into a series where the protagonists visit aquariums, zoos and maybe even venture abroad.

ONLINE > karynjimenezelliott.com

BOOTLEGGERS AND BAPTISTS:

How Economic Forces and Moral Persuasion Interact to Shape Regulatory Politics (Cato Institute) If you’re curious about how special interest groups shape politics, Charlotte Campus Assistant Professor of Economics Adam Smith has co-authored a fascinating read with his grandfather, Bruce Yandle. Yandle, dean emeritus of Clemson University’s College of Business and Behavioral Science, originally coined the catchphrase “Bootleggers and Baptists” to articulate the theory of how politicians often carefully design regulations so that two disparate interest groups will be satisfied. It maintains that for a regulation to flourish, both the “bootleggers” who seek to obtain private benefits from the regulation, and the “Baptists” who seek to serve the public interest, must support the regulation. Smith and Yandle apply the theory to contemporary issues ranging from environmental laws to the 2008 financial meltdown.

ONLINE > amazon.com/Bootleggers-BaptistsEconomic-Persuasion-Regulatory/dp/1939709369

www.jwu.edu

27

RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT COORS HONORED AS CENTENNIAL DVP

Left to right: Judges Laine Doss of Miami New Times and Dena Marino of MC Kitchen, winner Lezley Rahming, Chef Richard Ingraham and judge Todd Erickson of HaVen South Beach

GETTING CHOPPED

W

hen Richard Ingraham, personal chef to NBA superstar Dwyane Wade and owner of ChefRLI, came to the North Miami Campus as a Distinguished Visiting Chef in April 2014, he expressed an interest in doing more with the university. A recent winner of the JWU ZEST Award for Community Leadership for his consistent support for community causes, Ingraham pitched the idea of hosting a “Chopped”-style scholarship competition with JWU students.

A $1,000 scholarship was designated as the grand prize to be drawn from the Ben and Sarah Gibson Scholarship, which Ingraham has established and named in honor of his grandparents.

Ingraham noted that “this scholarship provides the nutrients needed to help our promising future culinarians grow, blossom and prosper in this ever-changing world of culinary arts.”

Ingraham joined fellow judges Todd Erickson of HaVen South Beach, Dena Marino of MC Kitchen and Laine Doss of the Miami New Times in evaluating the three students who qualified for the competition. Students were required to create an appetizer, entrée and dessert within three hours. True to the “Chopped” format, students had to use three mystery basket items for each course. Those ingredients included jellybeans, grapefruit, salmon, black beans and leeks.

28

Winter 2015

Ultimately, freshman Lezley Rahming ’18 walked away with the grand prize. “Participating in this competition was a great experience,” Rahming said. “I was nervous because this was only my second time competing, but I learned a lot.”

Rahming prepared by researching similar competitions on the Internet. Although she admits she struggled at first with her appetizer dish — a deconstructed chorizo meatball with a glaze made from the jellybeans and grapefruit — she was happy with the three courses she was able to produce. “When I was having trouble, I reminded myself not to overthink what I was doing,” Rahming said. “This competition allowed me to use my skills and the research I had done, but it really made me think on my feet in a limited amount of time.”

Rahming came to JWU this fall after earning an associate degree in culinary arts from the College of the Bahamas. She is now pursuing an associate degree in Baking & Pastry Arts and plans to complete her bachelor’s degree at JWU as well. She eventually hopes to open her own restaurant after gaining experience in the industry for several years.

“Chef Ingraham’s support means a great deal to our students,” said Dean of Culinary Education Bruce Ozga ’92. “He connects well with our students and helps inspire confidence and excellence.

We are grateful for his contributions and for sharing our mission to help our students succeed.”

— Jordan Fickess

On October 1, 2014, the Denver Campus was brewing with enthusiasm as Peter “Pete” H. Coors ’97 Hon., chairman of the board of Molson Coors Brewing Company, addressed a packed auditorium of nearly 500 faculty, staff, students and invited guests for the Centennial Distinguished Visiting Professor lecture. Coors discussed his two passions: professional success and the world of beer. Coors said that honesty, trustworthiness, a willingness to listen and sticking to one’s principles are key characteristics of a good leader. Coors credited his Peter H. Coors ’97 Hon. mother with providing a strong moral foundation, and his father with instilling a solid work ethic. He also spoke at length about the rapid changes happening in the beer industry, and the importance of learning how to thrive in changing environments. Coors has been an active supporter of JWU for nearly two decades, and championed the idea that Denver should be the western anchor for the university. Since the campus opened its doors in 2000, the Coors family and their various foundations have donated more than $7 million to capital projects, programs and scholarships. Most recently, the Adolph Coors Foundation provided a $100,000 grant to help the campus renovate and improve labs and spaces for the culinary nutrition program. “Here at Johnson & Wales you are being trained to learn,” said Coors. “A good university teaches you to think, and hopefully you will do that the rest of your life.”

— Kara Johnston

RECOGNIZING COMMUNITY LEADERS IN CHARLOTTE

F

rank Scibelli, entrepreneur, restaurateur and culinary expert, established the FS Food Group Scholarship in 2009. Scibelli is the CEO of FS Food Group, the parent company of the Bad Daddy’s Burger Bar franchise, Mama Ricotta’s, Paco’s Taco’s and Tequila, Midwood Smokewood restaurants, and Plate Perfect Catering. The FS Food Group Scholarship is awarded to talented young students with a passion for culinary arts and food service management. The students must demonstrate creativity, good citizenship and leadership potential within the Charlotte community, as well as high academic and personal achievement. Since its inception, the FS Food Group Scholarship has benefited six students at the Charlotte Campus. According to Scibelli, he

established the scholarship because “it’s the right thing to do. I want to support the industry and the individuals who are the future of our industry. By establishing the FS Food Group Scholarship, we are helping students pursue their degrees, and helping them start their careers.”

During his 2014 visit to the Charlotte Campus on Leadership Day, Scibelli spoke with students and discussed philanthropy and community leadership. “Most students want to hear about your path in the hospitality industry,” he said. “I shared my story and the different path I took to get where I am today. Students must see that they can achieve their goals because in the beginning,

it can be hard to see that your goals are attainable.” More than 100 students, faculty and staff attended the presentation. One inspired student said, “I have always wanted to go out and help people or busiFrank Scibelli nesses in the community and make myself known. I never knew how to go about it. Today has given me a better understanding of how to achieve my dreams.”

Johnson & Wales University is grateful for community friends and leaders like Frank Scibelli. He has set an example for others in the Charlotte restaurant community to give back to the future leaders of the culinary and food service industries.

— Vanessa E. Garcia

CHAINE SCHOLARS MEET THEIR BENEFACTORS

L

ast November, Confrérie de la Chaîne des Rôtisseurs representatives Paul J. Damiano, Bailli, Rhode Island Chaîne; Gabor Huszar, M.D., Bailli, Connecticut Chaine; and Michael Parmet, La Chaîne Foundation vice-chairman and Johnson & Wales University member of the corporation, visited the Providence Campus to present the university with a check for $25,000 to support culinary arts students. This year, 17 students from the four campuses were named Chaîne scholars. Since 2006, the Chaîne has supported 88 JWU students.

Three additional Providence students received a medal and a cash prize as Jeune Professionals of L’Académie de Gastronomie BrillatSavarin, in honor of their academic and culinary accomplishments.

The academy is named for Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin and is part of the Confrérie de la Chaîne des Rôtisseurs. It seeks to “encourage a technical and detailed understanding of foods, their preparation and effect on the senses.”

Anne Spada ’15, from Woodstock, Conn., majoring in Hotel & Lodging Management, would recognize Brillat-Savarin’s statement that “to receive guests is to take charge of their happiness during the entire time they are under your roof.” She appreciates the hands-on experiences and internships offered by the university and is seeking a hotel management career.

Kayleigh George ’15, from Northfield, Conn., majoring in Culinary Arts and Food Service Management, is concentrating in Wellness and Sustainability. Her interests might coincide with Brillat-Savarin’s statement that “cooking is one of the oldest arts and one that has rendered us the most important service in civic life.” She plans to open a

restaurant and open-air market to incorporate sustainable practices and local foods and products.

Matthew Kominsky ’15, from Foxborough, Mass., majoring in Culinary Nutrition, might exemplify Brillat-Savarin’s observation: “Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are.” Kominsky burnished his skills in baking and pastry while studying in London and Paris. He notes that “witnessing the high standards of European bakAnn Spada ’15

Kayleigh George’15

Matthew Kominsky’14

ers motivated me to elevate the level of my own craft. The most interesting aspect of pastry arts is the food science at the core of baking, the transformation of basic ingredients into delicious confections.”

Kominsky hopes to blend his passion for food science and human health to develop sustainable and nutritious food products to feed the world’s growing population. — Julia S. Emlen

www.jwu.edu

29

ALUMNINEWS A Web that Works LinkedIn®’s capacity to connect is now 332 million members strong and growing. Here’s how JWU alums can harness the site’s power while employing the best of last-century networking techniques.

I

By Matt Scanlon n the 12 years since Reid Hoffman recruited a small stable of colleagues from SocialNet and PayPal and founded the professional networking site LinkedIn®, the California-based company has grown to an Internet colossus and personal marketing sine qua non, with some 332 million members now registered in dozens of nations.

Founded on the age-old business principle that,“It’s not what you know, it’s who you know,” LinkedIn® aims to accomplish nothing less than connect every business professional on the planet, according to CEO Jeff Weiner, including the approximately 5,000 yearly JWU graduates and 97,000-plus alumni at work in the world.

The only other personal connection site of any reasonably competitive size is Facebook, but business networkers should be wary of combining professional and personal identities in a Facebook page. Each has its capabilities, but discrete and distinct ones, according to Maureen Dumas, vice president of JWU’s Experiential Education & Career Services.

“LinkedIn® should be your sole professional presence online — it’s an invaluable opportunity for a first introduction to a potential job recruiter, company or simply to network better,” she explains. “I think when individuals are getting ready for any job search, they have to take an audit of their online identity by starting with a basic Google self-search, with particular scrutiny of their Facebook presence. Be certain to scrub it of any material that you don’t want represented to the world.

Once that’s done, make your LinkedIn® identity as dynamic and cleverly adapted as possible.”

Even novice users of the site will be familiar with its essential function — namely inviting business associates to connect (akin to issuing a friend request on Facebook), in the process forming networks based on vocation, geography, and a variety of ancillary interests, business and otherwise. One of the most fundamental and powerful connection vectors is university affiliation, and it is within this realm that the site has applied a number of recent adaptations and efforts from which JWU alumni can benefit.

“We started off with an alumni tool that was part of your basic profile page, but that morphed into a larger product experience called University Pages,” explains

30

Winter 2015

LinkedIn® Corporate Communications Specialist Julie Inouye. “There were just too many valuable possibilities within university systems to explore within that initial tool.

University Pages (https://www.LinkedIn.com/ edu/?tab=alumni) was built so we can work specifically with universities to create alumni and student pages. You can imagine the networking potential.”

Alumni searches within LinkedIn.com can be applied to find fellow graduates in specific fields and within specific companies, and JWU affiliation can be of particular resonance with the “invitation to connect” first message.

Inouye suggests that rather than using traditional boilerplate copy (“I’d like to connect” etc.), savvy alums should customize a rollout message to include a statement such as, “I’m a business major and happen to see that you are a JWU alumna/ TM alumnus.” Such specified messages might seem de rigueur, but Inouye explains that personalized niceties are easily forgotten in the rush to connect to as many people as possible.

“Having a robust and well-populated network within the site is terrific,” she explained. “But in order to maximize its potential, you need to connect on a personal level … there’s simply no replacement for that.”

Once connected, university affiliation can help spice networking and/or job search dialog in a number of additional forms.

Users of the dedicated JWU LinkedIn® portal (www.LinkedIn.com/edu/johnson-%26-wales-university-19350) can begin a search geographically, but then burrow down to individual industries and companies, identify alumni therein, and determine whether a job seeker has any other alumni as mutual site community members. Connected users have the ability to privately email each other, and through the site’s Get Introduced feature, they can also help introduce fellow members to third-party companies or individuals — a lower-impact method of reaching out to a potential employer without cold calling or

“over the transom” emailing. Alumni are also in a unique position to recommend other users’ abilities and work product, another distinctive feature of the site.

“It’s just a tremendous abundance of information,” says Dumas. “But it has to be handled carefully. Whether you’re approaching alumni or a friend of a friend, you have to be respectful. First, put a real-time limit on what you’re looking for. If you are interested in a specific field or company and see that you have a common connection, you might ask in an e-mail, ‘As an alumnus of Johnson & Wales, I was wondering if I could have 10 minutes of your time or send you some questions via email … just some quick guidance that you could give me.’ Most people would respond to something like that.”

Social networking sometimes works best, Inouye adds, when nothing more is required of the interaction than simply interesting information.

“I’ve used LinkedIn® to search high school and college friends just to see what sort of

business ideas they either came up with or are involved in,” she adds. “And sure, that might lead to business opportunities where you can be referred or be able to use the alumni tool within your peer set, but sometimes it’s just thrilling to find out how many opportunities for enterprise are really out there. You can also use that alumni tool to do fascinating things like mentoring existing students in your field. It’s not always just about a straight-up job search.”

Terrence Williams ’89, executive director of alumni relations at JWU, not only emphasized LinkedIn®’s mentoring potential, he observes that social media has, at least in part, restructured the way his office is run.

“Of course, it serves as a great communication vehicle for peer-to-peer coaching, mentoring and networking,” he says. “The traditional role the university played in reuniting alums has changed significantly due to the popularity of social media sites like LinkedIn® and Facebook. As such, we’ve started hosting professional networking events that offer professional advice and include industry

recruiters as a way of providing additional career support. Alumni and recruiters are both responding positively to this new event format.”

However deftly handled the business networking experience might be, there is simply no substitute for old-fashioned connectivity, such as attending industry enclaves, JWU alumni events, and the nearly 40 career fairs the university currently offers to “specifically target companies you are looking for,” Dumas points out. If these networking efforts bear fruit and a job interview results, she says it’s critical to incorporate another old-school method of standing out.

“A short, handwritten thank-you note is one of the lost arts of our age,” says Dumas. “One that simply says how much you appreciate the fact that they took time out of their busy day to meet with you. Of course you can close on a lighter yet still professional note with a little additional university name or event dropping — that never hurts.”

www.jwu.edu

31

ALUMNINEWS Executive Dinner at TAO Local New York City alumni met for a special JWU update dinner at TAO Restaurant Uptown.

A toast to Johnson & Wales’ Centennial Alumni met at the at the JWU Annual Holiday Party on the Denver Campus.

Matt Schechter ’05, Frank Capasa ’90, Bernard Campbell ’89, Darnell Deans ’88, Hazen Gamal ’90, Jason Schwartzenberg ’97, Michael Levine ’12, Greg Roberts ’00, Terrence Williams ’89, executive director of alumni relations. sitting , left to right : Lori Zabatta ’95, manager of alumni relations, Northeast; Maggie Marino ’89; Kimberly Pisco ’84; Sarah Cirelli ’07; and Liza Gentile, manager of alumni relations standing , left to right :

Mylene van Zijl ’07, Nelson Gonzalez ’07, Lyndsay Robinson Gonzalez ’07, Ryan Witherspoon ’08

above , left to right :

Providence Holiday Party The JWU Providence Office of Alumni Relations held their annual holiday gathering at the Waterman Grille in December. Local alumni, with graduation years spanning from 1948 to 2014, enjoyed appetizers and cocktails while mingling with fellow alumni.

32

Winter 2015

Orlando Holiday Party

D.C. Regional 2014 Alumni gathered in the D.C. area to celebrate JWU’s Centennial. They also well-wished longtime JWU admissions representative for the D.C. region, B.J. Friedery, a happy retirement.

Local alumni and their guests attended the Alumni Holiday Party in Orlando at the Rix Lounge inside of Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort. The event was hosted by Seth Kondor ’97, executive chef of Springs Food Service at the resort. He spoke to attendees about his career and his time at the Providence Campus, and created JWU-themed appetizers for the event. Each of the four appetizers represented one of JWU’s campuses.

Trent Wilson ’00, Rachel Altidor ’09, Kimberly Bengel ’10, and guest James Bengel.

left to right :

Learn How to be an Awesome Networker Panthers Tailgate Alumni had a pre-game tailgate prior to the Carolina Panthers vs.

Atlanta Falcons NFL football game in November at Fit Bye Pharr, owned

by JWU alums Jamar Pharr ’08 (CLT) and John Bye ’08 (CLT).

Local Boston alumni joined Bryan Oglesby ’95 for a seminar entitled “Learn How to be an Awesome Networker.” The program concluded with a reception hosted by FLIK International.

Jonathan Justiniano ’12, Jordan Long ’11, Leo Liu ’12, Hong Thuy Huynh ’07 and Nancy Quizhpi ’13

left to right :

www.jwu.edu

33

CLASSNOTES Philadelphia area to work as a consultant with the Hotel Solutions Group, a global consulting group of Carlson Wagonlit Travel. He is the former innkeeper and owner of the Stone Hearth Inn in Chester, Vt.

1987 JESSE COBB PVD CHICAGO, ILL.

Jesse is chef at Brookdale Senior Living in Chicago.

1 Jim Bressi with his wife of 25 years, Karen Bressi, Michelle Obama, and Stephen Loehr, vice president of operations for Kwik Trip, together at the Partnership for a Healthier America Summit in Washington, D.C.

from left :

1988 MELISSA MCLAUGHLIN

PVD

ROCKLAND, MASS.

1985 [1] JAMES BRESSI PVD LA CROSSE, WIS.

Jim was part of the “Retail Success Panel: From Supermarkets to Convenience Stores” at the Whole Grains Council’s conference in Boston, Mass. He spoke about Kwik Trip’s EATSmart program and healthy concessions programs as well as being the first convenience store to partner with the Partnership for a Healthier America. Jim is director of food research and development for Kwik Trip Inc. in La Crosse.

DAVID POPE PVD GREENVILLE, R.I.

After completing his culinary studies, David attended law school at Quinnipiac College. He works for the Connecticut Judicial Branch as the caseflow coordinator for the state foreclosure mediation program, PVD Providence NMI North Miami DEN Denver CLT Charlotte CHS Charleston NOR Norfolk VAIL Vail International

34

Winter 2015

trying to help homeowners find solutions to their foreclosure troubles.

1986 JOSEPH CHIOVERA PVD LEWISVILLE, TEXAS

Joe appeared on the Food Network series “Guy’s Grocery Games” in January.

[2] CHRISTOPHER CLAY

PVD

BARNEGAT, N.J.

Christopher recently relocated from St. Paul, Minn., to the

2

Melissa is an instructor at the Fine Arts Café at Brockton High School.

DONNA MONTAQUILA PVD PROVIDENCE, R.I.

Donna was recognized by the Rhode Island YWCA as one of their 2014 Women of Achievement.

ELISE SHATRAW PVD NORTH SMITHFIELD, R.I.

Elise was promoted to director of catering at the Providence Biltmore Hotel.

1989 DOUGLAS PLYLER PVD NORTH PROVIDENCE, R.I.

Douglas is senior underwriter at the Home Loan Investment Bank in Warwick.

ROBERT YOUNG PVD EAST GREENWICH, R.I.

Robert is the president and owner of Young Associates in East Greenwich.

1990 SCOTT TETREAULT PVD PAWTUCKET, R.I.

Scott is the sales lead at Bass Pro Shops in Foxboro, Mass.

1992 HOLLY DION PVD FOSTER, R.I.

Holly is a local forager and concierge at Whole Foods Market in Cranston.

1993 BRIAN MANSFIELD ’94 PVD WARWICK, R.I.

Brian is now the East Central regional chef with Chartwells Higher Education, a division of Compass Group.

HEATHER MINNICH-UTTER

PVD

NEWINGTON, CONN.

Heather is a pastry chef and bakery manager at Mount Holyoke College.

KELLY MUSZYNSKI PVD MERIDEN, CONN.

Kelly is a senior director of claim business intelligence and analytics at Travelers Insurance in Hartford.

1994 MARIA CLINE PVD COVENTRY, CONN.

Maria (Giusto) Cline represented Johnson & Wales University at the

JAMES FISHER PVD

Chef Dario Stephen ’09 first tried his hand at cooking to

inauguration of Joanne Berger-Sweeney as the 22nd president of Trinity College (Conn.), on behalf of President Mim Runey.

Maria is senior IT data analytics consultant with Optum, part of United Health Group.

impress the women he dated as an alternative to outings at

CRAIG SWEENEY PVD

Hugh is co-owner of the Hopkins Family Farm, a sixth-generation farm established in 1834 and based in Simpsonville.

DARIO STEPHEN ’09

PROVING KIDS CAN COOK

expensive restaurants. “I was making pretty meals for pretty girls,” he says. “But before I knew it, it wasn’t for the girls.”

After graduating from JWU’s Garnish Your Degree program

at

the

North Miami Campus, he held a variety of chef positions in restaurants until he became a high school culinary arts instructor to devote more time

to

family.

When a Miami millionaire hired Dario for his birthday party, Dario used the money to start his own catering business. “Having winter breaks and weekends open started out as convenient, but the reward of teaching young children has taken over.”

Now catering has become a small part of Dario’s bigger picture. The Chef Stephen Companies include Dario’s catering, ServSafe certification training, and Kids Can Cook summer camp — an eight-week program that combines culinary arts with reading and geography. Children as young as age 5 read and cook, for instance reading Green Eggs and Ham and then creating the concoctions, while older children read about the foods of certain areas of the world, and make and taste these meals. “It’s amazing to see kids eating things they would not normally eat and fall in love with dishes you know before that time they’d never heard of.”

Dario’s goal is to give a culinary experience to his community. “I want to teach these children that there is something

DOYLESTOWN, PA.

Craig is vice president of finance for Pulte Group.

1995 ROBERT BLASI PVD NEW YORK, N.Y.

Robert is the vice president of human resources for FIG & OLIVE Restaurant Group based out of New York City. He also teaches graduate-level hospitality and human resource management classes for New York University this spring semester after graduating with his M.S. in Human Resources Management from Villanova University.

CARMEN “THAD” PARTON

NMI

BOLINGBROOK, ILL.

Thad is the general manager for Sodexo at the Museum of Science & Industry.

SCOTT WILLIAMS PVD MILWAUKEE, WIS.

Scott is multi-unit director for The Bartolotta Restaurants in Milwaukee.

[3] STEVE ARMSTRONG NOR MOSES LAKE, WASH.

Steve is a culinary instructor at Columbia Basin Technical Skill Center in Moses Lake.

STEFANIE DELANDPAWELCZAK NMI

around the globe to expose them to the greatest foods.”

WOODSIDE, N.Y.

above :

Chef Dario Stephen ’09 with students

James is vice president of global services for State Street Bank & Trust Company in Boston.

HUGH HOPKINS CHS CHARLOTTE, N.C.

LAWRENCE ROCK PVD BOSTON, MASS.

Lawrence is senior quality analyst at NxStage Medical in Lawrence.

MICHAEL SHAW ’99 MBA

PVD

VERONA, PA.

Michael received the 2014 Dignity & Respect Champion award in recognition of promoting an environment of inclusion and demonstrating behaviors reflective of the core value of Dignity & Respect at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

1997 ROBIN BASS PVD BROOKLYN, N.Y.

Robin founded The Hospitality Liaison (thehospitalityliasion.com), a hospitality service consulting company that assists locals and inbound travelers with fabulous experiences in New York City.

1996

more for them. I want to take them out of the inner city and — Jennifer Brouillard

NATICK, MASS.

3

Stefanie has joined Cafe Metro of New York City as the catering sales representative.

ONLINE > www.facebook.com/OverTheTopCakesCatering

www.jwu.edu

35

CLASSNOTES ALEKSANDRA TRUGLIO

PVD

ALUMNI OVERSEAS

BROOKLYN, N.Y.

CORTLANDT MANOR, N.Y.

Aleksandra is director of corporate and international sales at Castle Hotel and Spa in Tarrytown, N.Y.

1998 EDWARD SMITH PVD AUBURNDALE, MASS.

Edward is a wealth management advisor with DCU Financial in Marlborough.

1999 ERIC FOLEY PVD WESTBURY, N.Y.

Eric is the assistant general manager of Row NYC in Manhattan.

2000 JENNIFER BECHAN PVD JACKSONVILLE, FLA.

Jennifer is the special events coordinator at Florida State College at Jacksonville. She handles the planning and organizing of an array of campuswide events, including the college’s 50th anniversary celebration this year.

WILLIAM FAZIO PVD NEW BRITAIN, PA.

Bill is celebrating 10 years of working with the Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole in the Philadelphia Northwest area.

REBECCA NUNES PVD JOHNSTON, R.I.

Becky is the store director of Crewcuts at the Wrentham Village Premium Outlets in Wrentham, Mass.

JENNIFER PERKINS PVD SAN DIEGO, CALIF.

Jennifer is the director of demand generation for Motus LLC, in Boston, Mass.

36

GREGORY ROBERTS CHS

Winter 2015

Greg was featured as the Executive of the Month in a fall issue of the New York Real Estate Journal.

2000

MARIA THEMISTOCLEOUS

KYRIACOS ANDREOU PVD

LARNACA, CYPRUS

2001

LIMASSOL, CYPRUS

STEVE LEON NMI PLANTATION, FLA.

Steve is managing partner of Chili’s Grill & Bar in Pompano Beach.

2002 ANGELA THORNTON PVD GROTON, CONN.

Angela is a pastry chef and decorator at Fusion Bakery and Patisserie in Middletown.

SHANNEN TUNE NMI RICHMOND, TEXAS

Shannen was named executive chef at The Hotel Derek in Houston.

2003 MAYUKH CHATTERJEE MBA PVD MELROSE, MASS.

Mayukh is director of revenue for the Intercontinental Boston.

NATILY SANTOS PVD PHILADELPHIA, PA.

Natily is regional purchasing manager for ARAMARK. She graduated from Temple University Fox School of Business last fall, earning her MBA in Strategic Management.

2004

Kyriacos is a consulting chef with Mitsios Trading in Nicosia.

ANDREAS PARASKEVA ’02 M.A.T. PVD LIMASSOL, CYPRUS

Andreas works for the Ministry of Education & Culture in Limassol.

2002 IOANNIS VASSILIOU PVD LIMASSOL, CYPRUS

Ioannis is a culinary instructor for the Ministry of Education in Limassol.

2003 MICHAEL ANASTASIOU

PVD

LARNACA, CYPRUS

Michael works for the Ministry of Education & Culture in Nicosia.

NADIA LUCIEN NMI AL KHOBAR, SAUDI ARABIA

Nadia is a lecturer at Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University.

’06 MAT PVD

Maria is a chef-instructor for the Ministry of Education & Culture in Nicosia.

2011 SASHA FLAX PVD VIRGIN GORDA, BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS

Sasha is operations manager at The Rock Café in Virgin Gorda.

2012 JERRELL GEORGE PVD ST. THOMAS, U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS

Jerrell is an assistant front office manager at Rosewood Little Dix Bay in Spanish Town, British Virgin Islands.

2014 ARJUN MALHOTRA PVD DELHI, INDIA

Arjun was a market development associate at Admirals Bank before moving back to Delhi, India, where he now works as the director of operations for Ace Honda.

2005 ADAMOS SENEKKIS 06 MAT PVD ORMIDEIA, CYPRUS

Adamos is a chef-instructor for the Ministry of Education in Nicosia.

LINDSAY AUTRY NMI FAYETTEVILLE, N.C.

Lindsay is the executive chef at Firefly in Washington, D.C. ADRIANNE CALVO NMI MIAMI, FLA.

Adrianne has published her third book, “Maximum Flavor Social: Food-Family-Followers,” which

details her experiences with social media and includes more than 75 new recipes.

ALISSA MAYER PVD SEBASTOPOL, CALIF.

Alissa has released her first instructional DVD, “Equine Hanna Somatics Session 1”

(equinehannasomatics.org). The video helps horses and their humans improve their posture and athletic performance while relieving pain, gaining greater body awareness and finding ease in movement.

SARAH DECKERT DEN

4

ALEXANDRIA, VA.

Sarah was named the first female Armed Forces Chef of the Year for 2014.

RACHEL GOLDMAN PVD NEW YORK, N.Y.

Rachel Goldman is an e-commerce manager at L’Oreal in New York.

KATHY JAMES PVD HARMONY, R.I.

JASON PINA ’09 ED.D.

2005 [4] NATHANIEL BRETHOLD

PVD

CHICAGO, ILL.

THE ORACLE As an undergraduate economics major, Jason Pina ’09 Ed.D.,

Nathaniel is director of food and beverage at Loews Hotel in Chicago.

had his eye on a banking career — until fate intervened.

SEAN BURGO PVD

Jason. “I listened to her.” The pair married a month after

EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I.

Sean is a project engineer at Gilbane Building Company in Providence.

BRANDI DAVIS PVD WOONSOCKET, R.I.

Brandi is the store manager at Guess? in the Providence Place Mall.

RICHARD FARINA PVD CHICAGO, ILL.

Richie is executive chef of the Chicago restaurant Moto, which has received a Jean Banchet Award for Restaurant of the Year and earned a Michelin Star in the 2015 Michelin Guide for the fourth consecutive year.

2006 BRIAN ALLEN ’07 MBA PVD ABINGTON, PA. Brian is now vice principal at the suburban Philadelphia middle school where he has taught for the past six years.

Kathy is director of finance and administration at John Roccio Corporation in Smithfield.

JORGE RAMOS NMI HIALEAH, FLA.

Jorge is executive chef at the Ritz-Carlton in Bal Harbour, Fla.

“My then girlfriend, now wife, learned the hours that bankers work and said it probably wasn’t the field for me,” says

5

graduation, and Jason needed a job: “Many of my mentors in college were in residential life, so I ended up in student affairs.”

That decision has spurred a distinguished career in higher education. Since graduating from Occidental College in 1994, Jason has worked in student affairs positions at institutions that include the University of Northern Colorado, Roger Williams University (RWU), the University of Rhode Island, and, currently, at Bridgewater State University as vice president of student affairs.

While at RWU, Jason realized that colleagues were asking his opinion and listening to his advice. “My opinions at that point were largely based on my experiences, not research,” he says. “The more people started following my advice, the more I started doubting myself.”

That uncertainty led him to pursue a doctoral degree in Educational Leadership. “JWU’s track record of supporting candidates and its reputation made it the right place,” Jason says.

“I came to rely on a few classmates to help me through. They were critical to my success.”

Critical to his current success is time spent with his wife and two children, and training for marathons. “I’ve run the Boston marathon twice, and for the third time this spring,” says Jason, who has also completed the New York City, Pittsburg, Chicago and Providence marathons. “I spend a lot of my downtime running.”

— Rachel Donilon

[5] SEAN ST.CLAIR PVD CHARDON, OHIO

Sean and his wife Alison have purchased Palmer’s Bistro 44 in Concord Township.

2007 EDUARDO AMARAL ’12 MBA

PVD

EAST HAVEN, CONN.

Eduardo received his Certified Hotel Administrator designation by the American Hotel & Lodging Association last fall.

MICHAEL BATES PVD LAS VEGAS, NEV.

Michael is a guest relations specialist for Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nev.

ONLINE >jason.pina@bridgew.edu

www.jwu.edu

37

CLASSNOTES 2008

DAVID CAMPOPIANO PVD PROVIDENCE, R.I.

Dave is the director of marketing for the New England Revolution soccer team in Foxboro, Mass.

SARAH CIRELLI PVD BELMAR, N.J.

Sarah attended the Forbes 30 Under 30 Summit in Philadelphia last fall. This invite-only summit brought together the best in every major field to swap ideas, collaborate, cook up business ideas and create partnerships.

ALLISON DEVARNNE PVD PROVIDENCE, R.I.

Allison is the event manager at ATR/Treehouse in Providence.

JASON EPPICH PVD SODUS POINT, N.Y.

Jason and Jillian Heflich ’09 are the managing partners for The Warehouse 8527 Tap and Grille in Sodus Point.

HONG THUY HUYNH PVD WARWICK, R.I.

Hong is the proprietor of Classy Nails and Spa in Warwick.

EDWIN MEJIA NMI YONKERS, N.Y.

Edwin Mejia has joined the New York State Department of Financial Services as a bank examiner in New York City.

CHRISTINE NILAND

PVD

BELMAR, N.J.

JOSH MCBRIDE ’09

ANGELA BURNS PVD

THE ENTERTAINER

CRANSTON, R.I.

In a time of high unemployment, Josh McBride has the opposite problem. The 2009 marketing communications major juggles three gigs: he’s a freelance correspondent for OK TV, an offshoot of OK magazine; managing editor of the online magazine AlleyWire; and he founded and hosts a lifestyle blog called Style Confidential.

“I’ve always been entrepreneurial; in high school, I had my own DJ business,” the New York City resident says. When he graduated Johnson & Wales, Josh had six internships under his belt, including working at “Entertainment Tonight,” along with 92 PRO FM and Hot 106 radio stations. “When I did marketing for Coca-Cola, I had a team under me and I wouldn’t look at anyone who didn’t have experience,” he says.

“Internships are credible and you need to be gaining experience in your industry even if it means offering to work for free somewhere while you have another source of income. I hunted OK TV down and offered to work for free.”

His affinity for branding, marketing and entertaining led Josh to conceive of Style Confidential as an alternative to blogs that simply reposted videos from other sources rather than generating original content: “I wouldn’t have known how to do it if I hadn’t worked for other people in the industry, but I wanted something to call my own.” He capitalized on connections in the fashion business by launching a site that blends fashion and celebrities. Josh isn’t shy about approaching someone like Whoopi Goldberg during

Christine Niland is a senior catering sales executive for the Princeton Marriott at Forrestal.

New

anything negative like

Winter 2015

Carol is an event specialist for Advantage Sales & Marketing.

JANICE RINALDO PVD FRESH MEADOWS, N.Y.

Janice works as a symposia specialist with BCD M&I on behalf of Pfizer to organize travel and events in New York City.

ELIZABETH ROBBERSON M.ED. PVD NORTH KINGSTOWN, R.I.

Elizabeth is a student advisor at New England Institute of Technology’s East Greenwich Campus.

AUDRA VACCARI PVD PORT CHESTER, N.Y.

Audra Vaccari recently accepted a position as the food and beverage manager at The Polo Club of Boca Raton, Fla.

2009 CLARK BARLOWE PVD CHARLOTTE, N.C.

Clark owns Heirloom restaurant in Charlotte .

ELIZABETH BOVA ’10 M.A.T.

PVD

BRICK, N.J.

is making the other per-

TIMOTHY COFFEY ’09 MBA

son comfortable.”

— Denise Dowling

NORTH PROVIDENCE, R.I.

you can have as a host

“The biggest success

EAST GREENWICH, R.I.

CAROL BUTTRICK PVD

Elizabeth was recently featured doing a cooking demo on the tristate television show “Celebrity Taste Makers.”

some blogs,” he notes.

PVD

38

fashion

week. “We’re not doing

VIDAL PEREZ ED.D

Vidal is the social worker at Pleasant View Elementary School in Providence.

York’s

Angela is the development and events coordinator for Make-AWish Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

ONLINE > styleconfidential.com

PVD

WARWICK, R.I.

Tim is an eLearning instructional designer with Swipely in Providence.

JACLYN DOMINIANNI PVD STOUGHTON, MASS.

Jaclyn is a storage account manager with Oracle in the Greater Boston area.

SAMUEL GREENE PVD HOBOKEN, N.J.

Samuel is a salesperson at Keller Williams Realty in Hoboken.

ANGELA GUERRIERO PVD SWANSEA, MASS.

Angela opened Trixie’s Bakery & Cafe in Westerly, R.I. last year.

JILLIAN HEFLICH PVD SODUS POINT, N.Y.

Along with Jason Eppich ’07, Jillian is the managing partner for The Warehouse 8527 Tap and Grille in Sodus Point.

JILLIAN MCEWAN PVD ROCKAWAY PARK, N.Y.

Jillian is a personal chef and caterer for clients in the New York area.

6

kitchen and cooking items he received from his grandmother and great aunt. He makes an annual donation to the Johnson & Wales scholarship fund and challenges his fellow classmates to do the same. Brian is in his seventh year of working for Apple.

ANTHONY ROBERTS NMI DAYTONA BEACH, FLA.

Anthony is a social content strategist at Highwinds in Winter Park.

2010 KATHLEEN BYRNE PVD HAMPTON, N.J.

Kati is a skincare coordinator at Derm One Dermatology Center in Toms River, NJ. YESENIA FUERTE ’12 MBA

PVD

PHILADELPHIA, PA.

Brian met with Richard Gutman, director and curator of the Johnson & Wales Culinary Arts Museum, to donate 1940s era

Instructor Shane Pearson ’97 of the Charlotte Campus passed away on December 30, 2014.

Pearson began his culinary arts teaching career at the

university’s

former

Charleston Campus in 1998 and transferred to the Charlotte Campus in 2004.

Shane Pearson ’97

“Our university community is deeply saddened by the loss of Shane Pearson, a devoted and talented chef instructor in the College of Cu-

Pearson will be remembered for his constant smile and heartfelt passion for Johnson & Wales. He leaves many friends, co-workers, fam-

ALECIA RICHARDS PVD

COLCHESTER, CONN.

tor and friend, Associate

ANNAPOLIS, MD.

Renee is the teaching kitchen coordinator at Children’s Museum of Denver.

BRIAN PALMES PVD

culinary instructor, men-

KAITLIN O’CONNOR DEN

DENVER, COLO.

Heather is senior proposal coordinator with STV, a multidisciplinary engineering, architectural, planning, environmental and construction management firm in Charlotte.

Highly regarded as a chef,

linary Arts,” said Mim L. Runey LP.D., Providence Campus president

RENEE PETRILLO DEN

SANDY RIDGE, N.C.

CHEF SHANE PEARSON ’97 A Distinguished Mentor and Colleague

Yesenia is the Global Wealth & Investment Management (GWIM) Operations Team Manager for Bank of America in Philadelphia.

Kaitlin passed the Certified Meeting Professional exam last summer.

[6] HEATHER OAKLEY CLT

OBITUARY

PROVIDENCE, R.I.

Alecia is the sales manager for Top This Pizza Crust in Providence, which is owned by former associate instructor Roger Dwyer ’98 M.Ed. JAY THOMAS DEN DENVER, COLO.

Jay is the executive pastry chef at Rosenberg’s Bagels and Delicatessen, a New-York-style eatery in the Five Points Neighborhood of Denver.

and COO. “First at our Charleston Campus and then in Charlotte, Chef Pearson expressed his love and enthusiasm for teaching even in the most challenging days of declining health. A true gentleman, Chef

ily members and students. I am confident fond memories rest in the lives he touched in the classroom and beyond.”

An alumnus of JWU, Pearson earned an associate degree in Culinary Arts and a bachelor’s degree in Food Service Management from Johnson & Wales. He also received his master’s degree from South Carolina’s Southern Wesleyan University.

Beyond teaching, Pearson had an active career in the food service industry, including executive chef at Sun Fire Grill & Bistro, food and beverage director at Carolina Ice Palace, consultant to both InterTech Corporation and Mitchell’s on the Market, and owner and operator of Southern Temptations, a catering business, all in Charleston.

In Charlotte, Pearson appeared as a main stage chef during Charlotte Shout, the city’s premier food event. He was also co-owner of Savor Café, and co-owned and operated Tomrons Catering and Consulting with his wife, Lori.

In addition to his wife, Pearson is survived by his stepson, Trever Kimbro; his mother, Mavis Pearson; and his mother-in-law, Bettie Owen deTournillon. He was preceded in death by his father, Robert Thomas Pearson, and father-in-law, Jerry deTournillon.

— Melinda Hill

www.jwu.edu

39

CLASSNOTES 2012

7

CAITLYN ALBERT PVD MERRIMACK, N.H.

Caitlyn is a graphic designer at Launchpad Media in Boston.

NICOLE BEVERAGE CLT CHARLOTTE, N.C.

Nicole is a real estate professional for McAlister’s Homes at Keller Williams Realtors in Charlotte.

left to right:

Kristen King, Ndeye Fatma Seye and Sarah McJury.

LEO CARELLE GARCIA CLT CLARKSVILLE, MD.

Leo is a planning and research analyst with GEICO in Washington, D.C.

2011 LUIS ACOSTA PVD PHILADELPHIA, PA.

Luis is an electrical engineer for Lockheed Martin.

STEPHANIE ALBRECHT

DEN

MACEDONIA, OHIO

Stephanie is project manager for the Lean Cuisine brand at Nestlé in Ohio.

MILES JACOBS CLT MOORESVILLE, N.C.

Miles is the food and beverage manager at the Trump National Country Club.

MICHAEL LEVINE PVD COMMACK, N.Y.

Michael Levine attended the Forbes 30 Under 30 Summit in Philadelphia last fall. This invite-only summit brought together the best in every major field to swap ideas, collaborate, cook up business ideas and create partnerships.

JOY LIU PVD NEW YORK, N.Y.

Joy is an account executive at BBDO New York in New York City.

LAUREN LOMONACO PVD NORTH PROVIDENCE, R.I.

SARAH MCJURY ’13

KEEPING THE PEACE It takes a village, but it helps to have an alumna like Sarah McJury ’13 in that village. As a Community Economic Development Volunteer with the Peace Corps in Senegal, West Africa, the marketing major is an expert multitasker. She works with women’s groups in income generation trainings, teaching them how to make and market soap or solar-dried fruit. She also works with an organization of 300 fruit farmers and sellers, instructing them (as well as the women’s groups) in business planning. The grad also teaches small business owners simple accounting, stock management and marketing while also helping the mayor’s office establish an entrepreneurship program.

Oh, and in her spare time, McJury tutors the High School En-

Alyssa is a right-of-way agent representing Sunoco Pipeline with Percheron LLC.

Lauren is the assistant supervisor, Service Center Operations East, for Amica Mutual Insurance Company, headquartered in Lincoln.

ADAM RICE CLT

TAYLOR NUNES PVD

African chocolate industry. Lessons from Professor Erin

NEWPORT, R.I.

Wilkinson’s International Business class have proven especially

ALYSSA PORTILLO DEN LANCASTER, PA.

SUWANEE, GA.

Adam has been recognized as a Certified Executive Chef.

[7] AMANDA WATSON CLT BLYTHEWOOD, S.C.

Amanda (Millar) Watson (shown with husband Greg) is the concierge manager at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa in Orlando, Fla.

Taylor handles Hertz Rental Cars’ outside sales for Boston, Mass.

glish club. They study British English, she explains, “so sometimes they correct my English.”

McJury also studied Baking & Pastry Arts and is thinking long-term about fostering sustainable development in the West

useful: “We’d consider how you might behave in international situations, thinking about a product from [the foreign] perspec-

CHLOE PETRETTI PVD

tive, for example,” she says. “With the farmers here, we’re work-

MAYWOOD, N.J.

ing to reduce mango spoilage by selling mango juices and jams;

Chloe is a sales manager at AKA Sutton Place in New York City.

MARK SHUDA PVD DARIEN, CONN.

Mark is the front of house manager with B&B Hospitality Group at Tarry Lodge in Westport.

our meetings sometimes run five hours long and can be repetitive. But I learned from my Sengalese supervisor that it’s very important for everyone to have their opinion heard — even if it was heard the week before.” Another difference is the intersection of business and personal relationships: “A business conversation that should take five minutes never does. You talk about how they are, what they ate for breakfast and drink tea together so it can stretch to two hours.”

— Denise Dowling

40

Winter 2015

IN MEMORIAM NORMAN FUCILE ’65 Nov. 17, 2014

ANGELA MINNICK ’84 Nov. 8, 2014

SUSAN FANEUF ’95 Sept. 16, 2014

GEORGE SULLIVAN ’11 Nov. 13, 2014

DAVID V. LAWRENCE ’74 Aug. 22, 2014

LAWRENCE BAEDER ’86 Nov. 5, 2014

MATTHEW BUSICK ’96 Oct. 13, 2014

HEATH PIERSON ’12 Jan. 20, 2015

RENO SABATINI ’75 Nov. 7, 2014

JOSEPH NORTON ’87 Jan. 6, 2015

JAMES O’NEILL ’97 May 11, 2014

FACULTY, STAFF AND FRIENDS

GENE ALVES ’77 Jan. 20, 2015

TAMMY FASANO ’89 Nov. 7, 2014

RONALD JENSEN JR. ’98 Oct. 20, 2014

PAMELA STEVENS ’80 Nov. 27, 2014

ROBIN DAVIS ’90 Jan. 8, 2015

LISA ROGERS ’98 Oct. 20, 2014

JOSEPH TERRIO ’80 Nov. 28, 2014

ROBERT HUDAK ’90 Nov. 6, 2014

HANIF HILL ’00 Oct. 23, 2014

LUCILLE FRANCOEUR ’81 Nov. 15, 2014

DIANE MANNOLINIGROSSI ’90 Nov. 24, 2014

GEORGIA JIMENEZ ’00 Nov. 30, 2014

EDWARD LARKIN ’83 Nov. 30, 2014 MANUEL ODANGA ’83 Nov. 3, 2014 ALFRED BARTOLOTTA ’84 Sept. 8, 2014 DAVID LALIBERTE ’84 Oct. 21, 2014

MICHELE BASIL ’92 Nov. 8, 2014 LISA DIMAIO ’93 Oct. 13, 2014 NICHOLAS LEDUC ’93 Sept. 17, 2014 JOHN HARRINGTON ’94 Nov. 4, 2014

2013

[8] KATIE JOHNSON PVD

MICHAEL CALVERT PVD

Katie is accepting monetary and service donations for the bakery she will open in her hometown of Wolfeboro. Inspired by her older sister Kristin, who has Down

NEW YORK, N.Y.

Michael is a room operations manager at the New York Marriott Marquis in Times Square.

CARLOS DORADO SANCHEZ

NMI

MIAMI BEACH, FLA.

Carlos opened a fast-casual Miami restaurant called The Lunch Box last fall.

ANTHONY GLEICO PVD WARREN, R.I.

Anthony is now the executive chef at table, a farm-to-table restaurant in Barrington.

WOLFEBORO, N.H.

8

JASON MURRAY ’00 Oct. 17, 2014 THOMAS MEREDITH ’01 Jan. 2, 2015 ROBERT CROSSETTI ’03 Nov. 19, 2014 BRANDON BONNER ’11 Nov. 4, 2014

syndrome, her From Scratch Baking Co. will offer employment opportunities to people with developmental disabilities.

Katie Johnson and her sister Kristin Tower as young girls

from left :

WILLIAM AUSTIN Nov. 7, 2014 HELEN DANFORTH BUCHANAN Nov. 5, 2014 FRANCIS CONFORTI Oct. 31, 2014 RAYMOND DICECCO Sept. 23, 2014 STANLEY LIVINGTON JR. Jan. 1, 2015 BERNICE PARENTI Oct. 14, 2014 ROBERT RAGSDALE Sept. 28, 2014

BONNIE MACINNES PVD EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. Bonnie is operations manager at the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence.

VICTORIA MARTINELLI

PVD

SOUTH GRAFTON, MASS.

Victoria is the bookkeeper for a multimillion-dollar industrial sales/ service business in Grafton.

NANCY QUIZHPI PVD QUINCY, MASS.

Nancy is assistant manager of beverage and food operations at the Renaissance Boston Waterfront Hotel.

www.jwu.edu

41

CLASSNOTES

MARRIAGE AND UNIONS 1997 JANET TRUEX PVD and Jason Deverso August 3, 2014

SUBMISSIONS If there’s news in your life you’d like to share with fellow alumni, please send us photos and announcements about recent weddings, unions and additions to your family.

2005

Images: To submit images from your event, please provide high resolution digital files (minimum one megabyte [1 MB] in size, in jpeg format), or actual photographs.

and Jason Blounder ’05 October 19, 2014

Entries may be emailed to jwumagazine@jwu.edu or mailed to: JWU Magazine c/o Johnson & Wales University, 8 Abbott Park Place, Providence, RI 02903.

2014 BRITTANY ABBER PVD BROOKLYN, N.Y.

Brittany is an administrative assistant within the tours and events department of Columbia Records in New York City.

MARQUIS COOPER PVD

JUDITH SHAW PVD WEST KINGSTON, R.I.

Judith is an institutional research and data administration analyst at the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence.

JASMINE SPOONEMORE

DEN

LAKEWOOD, COLO.

Marquis is staff accountant of audit and client services at Grey, Grey & Grey in Canton.

Jasmine opened Waffle Up, a Belgium-style waffle restaurant that is a continuation of her very successful food truck.

ROBERT PATCHAK PVD

ALEXIA WALKER CLT

ATTLEBORO, MASS.

GLENSIDE, PA.

Robert is the CMMS operations manager (computerized maintenance management systems) at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.

DANIELLE PEREZ PVD JAMESTOWN, R.I.

Danielle is a sponsorships and partnerships coordinator at Alex and Ani in Cranston.

42

Winter 2015

[9] STEPHANIE SAMELE NMI

2007 ALLISON DEVARNNE PVD and Jeff DeVarnne June 20, 2014

[10] LISA (BOCK) FANN PVD

NAKESHA WILSON PVD NORTH PROVIDENCE, R.I.

Nakesha is an audit associate at LGC+D in Providence.

2010 SHANNA ISAAC PVD and Deshaun Ferguson ’10 March 1, 2014

[12] ELYSA LAURO PVD and Sean Lauro ’09 January 4, 2014

NICOLE (PARZUCHOWSKI) TISDALE and Steven D. Tisdale ’11 November 9, 2013

and Lee Fann ’05, ’07 MBA

2011

2008

RACHEL (RODRIGUEZ) MOJICA NMI and Paul Mojica January 25, 2014

HEIDI SULLINS DEN and Shawn Wright ’09 October 11, 2014

2009 [11] HEATHER (JESUS) BALL

NMI

and Sean J. Ball ’10 April 12, 2014

CHARLOTTE, N.C.

Alexia is a marketing assistant with the University of North Carolina-Charlotte Athletics Department.

CHRISTINA ROWE CLT and Russell Lowe June 15, 2014

11

[13] KATIE NATOLI DEN and Dan Salivar ’10 DEN September 20, 2014

2012 [14] EMILY ROTH CLT and Shaun Smith October 11, 2014

BIRTH AND ADOPTIONS

10

1992 SHAWN CARPENTER ’94 MBA

PVD

and Elizabeth Laurel and Andrew

1994 ERIC FRAUWIRTH ’97 M.ED.

PVD

and John Chapman-Frauwirth Marvin

1997 [15] ANGELA CASO PVD and Bill Milone Gianna Elizabeth

above , first row : Joe Falzone ’07; Christine Benigni ’07; Jon Pastor ’07; Lisa Bock ’07; Lee Fann ’05, ’07 MBA; Dan Zelikman ’06; Megan Andaloro Doherty ’06; Kim Perkins ’06. S econd R ow : Kevin Fogarty ’07; Neel Desai ’06; Sarah Cresta ’07; Peter DeLuca ’07; Kirsten Yeo ’07; David Hood ’07, ’08 MBA; Lauren Hackett ’08; Kip Vaughn ’06; Rikin Patel ’08 MBA; Jonathan Monroe ’06

15 9

12

2003 MICHAEL BOSCO PVD and Erin Henry

2009 ASHLEY POLANCO CLT and Norbert Polanco ’11 Nora Nicole CANDACE SALES CLT Urijah Demarii Steel

13

14

2010 [16] JANELLE (EIDSON) SCHMIDT ’10 DEN and Christopher Schmidt ’10 DEN Oliver Andrew

16 www.jwu.edu

43

CAREER UPDATE Brand Yourself with Social Media

S

ocial media has been around for decades, yet we’re still trying to understand how to make it work. Your wheels are probably already turning with reasons why it hasn’t worked for you: “I don’t have the time.” “I’m no Nike brand.” “I can’t generate more than six likes per post.” I agree that in the past few years, social media marketing has become noisy, saturated and daunting, but you don’t have to be Justin Bieber to create an online identity.

Let’s move away from seeing social media as “just another thing to do.”

It’s here to help you do what you’re already doing more efficiently. Focus on that thing being building and utilizing an online professional brand. In today’s social-focused world, there is no excuse not to take control of your online reputation. We have the opportunity and responsibility to create an online brand and to take control of our digital identity. In a world of “I’ll Google it,” if you don’t take control of the information people will find, someone else will. The choice is yours: a powerful, professional brand or that questionable fraternity photo. (Hey, I’ve been there.)

Here are some tips to help you create a LinkedIn® profile that will attract the right employer.

MAXIMIZE YOUR BASICS

The skeleton of your LinkedIn® profile should contain a handful of basics for maximum optimization. Besides your professional title, use as many of the 120 characters available in your headline to explain how you add value — and don’t be afraid of personality. I also suggest changing your public profile URL to www.linkedin.com/in/yourname.

Use as many of the 2,000 available characters in your summary to explain how a relationship can benefit your new employer or connection. The more keywords related to your expertise, the greater the likelihood that the right people will find you in their search results. And don’t be camera-shy: Photo and video are hot Internet marketing trends that you can now add to the summary of your LinkedIn® profile; consider adding a brief video introduction of yourself.

BE A SOCIAL CLIMBER

Join groups where your ideal employer, networking partners and strategic alliances may be hanging out — not just associations and interests of yours. And make sure your email, phone number, websites and any other contact information are included in the Contact Info section.

BUILD YOUR BRAND

Most brand-builders are not aware of what makes them distinct. You’ll discover your impact and influence from knowing your unique qualities, characteristics and skill-sets.

•W hat is your message?

•W hat is your primary differentiator?

44

Winter 2015

Sarah Cirelli ’07 and Mike Levine ’12 at the Forbes 30 under 30 Summit

•W hat is the unique experience that you plan to share with those around you?

• Who and what will your personal brand serve?

Creating and utilizing your personal brand means making the right decisions to strengthen your skills, capabilities and influence. Ultimately, it allows you to be more valuable to an employer, build your career path and shape your legacy. It is most important to communicate the value of having a relationship with you and the benefits you will provide. Don’t be afraid to be unique or to entertain. And, coming from someone who spends much time battling boring accountant reputations, perhaps the best news of all: If an accounting firm can figure it out, you can and you will.

— Sarah Cirelli Sarah Cirelli ’07, an interactive marketing manager at WithumSmith+Brown accounting and consulting firm, was named one of the top 100 Most Influential People in the Accounting Industry

by Accounting Today.

Give the Lifelong Gift of Education Impact the lives of more than 15,000 JWU students on our four campuses. Your support provides critical financial assistance so JWU students can complete their education and become successful, lifelong learners — like you.

Imagine how much we could raise, if every one of our more than 97,000 alumni gave to the JWU Fund.

Whether it is universitywide or campus-specific, 100

percent of your donation goes to work immediately and exactly as you designate, including

• • • •

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ARCHITECTURAL RENDERINGS COURTESY OF ARCHITECTURAL RESOURCES CAMBRIDGE

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Rendering (inset) and courtyard area detail for the new School of Engineering & Design building to be constructed on the Providence Campus in 2015