JWU Magazine Spring 2018

SPRING

2018

SUCCESS!

CHRIS HENRY ’10 CEO, Chairman and Co-founder, Majestic Hospitality Group

the annual success issue

A truck from Torchy’s Tacos, founded by

MIKE RYPKA ’96

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JWU MAGAZINE SPRING 2018 CONTENTS

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FOOD SCIENCE

The Charlotte Campus launches an Applied Food Science, Innovation & Technology degree program.

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IN THE LEAGUE

The Denver Campus joins the big leagues as it prepares to host its first NCAA games.

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SUCCESS STORIES

From the founder of a taco truck turned restaurant empire to a once homeless high school student who completed his Ed.D., alumni share the bumps along their career climbs.

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PLAYING WITH FOOD

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Big-time clients from Google to the Museum of Modern Art clamor for a taste of food furniture created by Bob Spiegel ’82.

02 From the Chancellor 03 2018 Honorary Degree Recipients

04 JWU Views 28 Resource Development 30 Alumni News 34 Class Notes 44 Meet the new Director of Alumni Relations

photos: front cover, Evan Hurd opposite page, Andrew Bennett Denver athletics, Chris Schneider www.jwu.edu

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FROM THE CHANCELLOR

Senior Vice President of Communications DOUG WHITING

Director of Design & Editorial Services BRIAN MURPHY

Editor

DENISE DOWLING

Designer

GAIL SOLOMON

Contributors

ANDREW BENNETT JENNIFER BROUILLARD MIKE COHEA RYAN CROWLEY

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JENNIFER DEMETER SAM EIFLING ANDREA FELDMAN JORDAN FICKESS MATT FURMAN ROBYN HANKERSON MELINDA HILL EVAN HURD TAYLOR CLARK JOHNSON SIAN KENNEDY BILL KOCH RACHEL LACAILLE MELINDA LAW JOE MAGENNIS NICOLE MARANHAS

OR MORE THAN 100 YEARS, Johnson & Wales University has been a leader in experience-

based learning. In our annual spring alumni success issue, we spotlight key experiences of our alumni — and how these experiences coupled with a JWU education have helped them achieve their dreams.

Sometimes these experiences occur in class. Katelyn Tyrrell ’08 spent her senior year putting her skills into practice in JWU’s full-service advertising agency with real clients. Tod Nissle ’17 MBA helped develop Microsoft’s True North, a workplace culture initiative that focuses on growth, openness and caring, which relates to the two-factor theory Nissle learned about in his MBA classes.

Sometimes these experiences occur out of class. Mike Rypka ’96, rode around Austin, Texas, on his red Vespa, handing out free chips and salsa to promote his Torchy’s Tacos, now a restaurant empire with 50 locations throughout Texas, Oklahoma and Colorado.

Sometimes these experiences make us who we are. Javier Montañez ’11 Ed.D., a secondlanguage learner with dyslexia, grew up in a Brooklyn home filled with drug abuse, escaped to Rhode Island to live with his older sister, and slept on park benches as a homeless teenager.

The challenges he faced help him to be a better principal and relate to his students at Leviton Dual Language Elementary School.

And sometimes the experiences of others are what truly set us on our path. Chris Henry ’10, CEO, chairman and co-founder of Majestic Hospitality Group, treats his guests like family as he welcomes them home. D.J. Rama ’90, president and CEO of Auro Hotels, invests in an employee innovation hub and sends a food truck when his staff earns TripAdvisor accolades — because happier employees deliver better customer service.

What have your experiences been before, during and after JWU? I encourage you to contribute to our understanding by sending your stories to jwumagazine@jwu.edu.

LISA PELOSI ED PEREIRA CHRIS SCHNEIDER STEVEN SHIPLEY STEPHEN SMITH MARY SWARD JOHN TAVARES DAMARIS R. TEIXEIRA LAUREN TKACS MIRIAM S. WEINSTEIN ’08 MBA LORI ZABATTA

JWU Magazine is published three 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, NORTH MIAMI

Chancellor John J. Bowen ’77

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RICHARD WISCOTT, PH.D., DENVER TARUN MALIK, ’ 90 M.S., ED.D., CHARLOTTE

JWU HONORARY CLASS OF 2018 Providence Campus

AS JOHNSON & WALES UNIVERSITY CELEBRATES the graduation of its accomplished students during commencement, the university also inducts an august group of leaders as honorary members of the Class of 2018.

These accomplished individuals are recognized for their notable careers Laura Freid, Ed.D.* President, Maine College of Art

Doctor of Business Administration

Joseph R. Beretta

President and CFO, Robinson Green Beretta Corp.

and their positive influence on their industries, organizations and communities. Each has demonstrated support of the JWU mission in his or her own unique way, and serves as a role model for our students

Doctor of Business Administration

and graduates.

Thomas L. Dwyer

Maribeth N. Bisienere*

Paul F. O’Reilly

Doctor of Business Administration

Doctor of Business Administration

Providence Campus

John E. Taylor Jr.*

Executive Chairman of the Board, Twin River Worldwide Holdings Inc. Doctor of Business Administration

Executive Vice Chancellor and Former Vice President, Johnson & Wales University

North Miami Campus

Denver Campus

Doctor of Business Administration

Senior Vice President, Parks and Security, Walt Disney World

President and CEO, Newport Harbor Corporation

Charlotte Campus *Commencement Speaker Providence Campus Speakers Laura Freid Graduate Studies John Taylor John Hazen White College of Arts & Sciences, College of Business, College of Engineering & Design and College of Hospitality Management

Marie A. Sastre*

Marco Antonio Abarca*

Dennis L. Thompson*

Doctor of Business Administration

Doctor of Business Administration

Doctor of Business Administration

President and COO, Signature Flight Support

President and Owner, Ready Foods Inc.

Founder and Co-chairman of the Board, Firebirds International LLC

Maribeth Bisienere College of Culinary Arts and College of Hospitality Management — Food Service Management

www.jwu.edu

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JWUVIEWS

PROVIDENCE / NORTH MIAMI / DENVER / CHARLOTTE

Rachel Wyman, owner of Montclair Bread Company, and 2014 winner of Cooking Channel’s “Donut Showdown,” focuses during the all-day lab. She taught Doughnuts, Crullers, & Churros.

WHEAT STALK 2018 SPRINGS UP IN PROVIDENCE IT WAS A GATHERING of bread industry

rock stars: WheatStalk 2018. The only way to get one of the 200 tickets was through a lottery publicized six months in advance. Organized by the Bread Bakers Guild of America (BBGA), this three-day immersion into the art, science, craft and technology of bread arrived for the first time at the Providence Campus during its typically hushed spring break.

Culinary educators, artisan bakers, chefs and food professionals gained front-row access to James Beard Award winners, internationally decorated chefs and bakers, old and new school — trailblazers, bakers, millers, and growers.

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Joining them were 25 JWU Providence students and more than a baker’s dozen faculty, some from the branch campuses, who opted to volunteer during their break.

The purpose of WheatStalk, which was launched by the guild in 2012, is to provide its members with an opportunity to deepen their collective expertise, improve techniques and share ideas while building community. Johnson & Wales International Baking & Pastry Arts Department Chair Richard Miscovich, a past BBGA board member, was instrumental in bringing this event, which occurs once every three years, to Providence.

Attendees participated from morning until evening in dozens of hands-on classes and lectures presented by such luminaries as Hubert Chiron, a fourth-generation French baker, master baker and head of the experimental bakery at the INRA, Europe’s top agricultural research institute; Joanne Chang, chef and co-owner of Boston’s Flour Bakery + Café and the 2016 James Beard Outstanding Baker; and JWU faculty chefs Lauren V. Haas, Mitch Stamm, Richard Miscovich and Harry Peemoeller.

~ Miriam S. Weinstein MBA ’08

NEW RESORT SOLICITS DENVER STUDENTS

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ENVER CAMPUS faculty, staff and

students will soon have a new resort at which to hone their hospitality skills. Earlier this year they toured the newest Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center in Aurora, Colorado, for a taste of what’s to come. According to General Manager Rick Medwedeff, this project is currently the largest active construction project in the United States.

The property, with more than 1,500 rooms and 485,000 square feet of convention space, will be the sixth Gaylord property in the country.

The Marriott International-owned Gaylord overlooks the Rocky Mountains and is a short drive from the Denver Campus. The resort and

convention center will open this December and Medwedeff is already working with JWU on future needs for staff and interns. He visited the campus in February to meet with senior leadership and was treated to a delicious meal prepared by Chef Max Ariza’s class.

“Johnson & Wales is one of our primary focus universities due to the incredible reputation of their culinary and hospitality programs, with the added bonus of its proximity to our convention resort,” says Medwedeff. “Our goal is to be able to provide jobs and training opportunities during the school year and after graduation from this outstanding institution.”

~ VA Hayman Barber

www.jwu.edu

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PROVIDENCE / NORTH MIAMI / DENVER / CHARLOTTE

JWU to Offer Two New Online Doctoral Programs JOHNSON & WALES UNIVERSITY is expanding its academic

offerings with its first two fully online doctoral programs: Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) and Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD). These additions comprise a total of 21 new online programs that begin this fall. The College of Online Education will then offer 56 degree programs.

The DBA is a 54-credit program that is part of the College of Business. It will prepare senior-level business practitioners to become executive-level organizational leaders, industry innovators, consultants and policymakers. Through the study of business theory, core business functions and applied research, DBA graduates are prepared to improve evidence-based business practices in any industry. The director of the DBA is Robin Krakowsky ’88, ’08 Ed.D., who has been with the university since 1980 and most recently served as the Denver Campus president.

Expanding the College of Health & Wellness is the Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD), a 36-credit program for occupational therapists with a master’s degree in Occupational Therapy (OT) who wish to advance their clinical practice knowledge and skills or become OT educators. Ann Burkhardt, OTD, OTR/L, FAOTA, joins the JWU faculty as OTD program director. She was the founding director and a tenured professor of the Occupational Therapy Doctorate program at Drake University.

To learn more visit online.jwu.edu. ~ Lauren Tkacs

Students Bring Home 10 Awards from Collegiate DECA State Conference

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he North Miami Campus Collegiate DECA (now known as “DECA: An Association of Marketing Students”) team continued its track record of success, bringing home 10 awards from the 2018 State Conference held at the University of Central Florida and Full Sail University in Florida. Students presented in case competitions focused on advertising campaigns, fashion merchandising and marketing, and hotel and lodging management. While the competitors did well in each of these categories, they excelled in the restaurant and food service management competition, claiming first, second and third prizes.

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“Our students represented JWU North Miami with dignity, pride and respect,” said Oren Hertz, DECA advisor and assistant professor in the College of Hospitality Management. “They worked hard to accomplish these achievements and I am immensely proud of them.”

DECA prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs in marketing, finance, hospitality and

management. The North Miami team welcomes students from all majors in an effort to prepare them for the business world upon graduation.

“I enjoyed traveling, networking and getting to compete on a collegiate level,” said Palesa Dawanyi ’20, DECA social media coordinator and Criminal Justice major.

~ Robyn Hankerson

L– R: Dean of Culinary Education Bruce Ozga ’92, Dean of Students Ismare Monreal, Dean of Academic Affairs Michelle Garcia, Ed.D., North Miami Campus President Larry Rice, Ed.D., ’90, Executive Director of Operations Jordan Fickess, and Controller Shawn Ray ’97

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

North Miami Campus Celebrates its 25th Anniversary IN HONOR OF the North Miami Campus’ 25th anni-

versary, students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends of JWU gathered to commemorate the major milestone.

To showcase the campus’s growth since it opened on November 30, 1992, College of Culinary Arts Chefs Michael Angnardo and Mika Kochi worked with baking and pastry students to create a signature anniversary cake. The cake was unveiled at a celebration that welcomed the campus and surrounding community.

As part of the festivities, the North Miami Campus was also presented with a special recognition from the city of North Miami for its commitment to the community over the past quarter century.

Students also had the opportunity to view images of the campus, faculty and staff over the years to better learn the history of JWU and strengthen their Wildcat pride.

“As an alumnus of Johnson & Wales University and longtime member of the North Miami Campus, it has been amazing to witness the growth of this campus over the years,” said President Larry Rice, Ed.D., ’90. “I take great pride in the work our students, faculty, staff, alumni and supporters have done to solidify our position as one of the most diverse universities in the nation and the role they have played in fostering our reputation for producing some of the most talented graduates in the Miami market and beyond.”

The branch campus, which started with 82 culinary students housed in the University Center, has grown to become a bustling institution with nearly 1,500 students pursuing degrees in culinary arts, baking & pastry arts, hospitality, criminal justice, fashion and business, to name a few. The campus is home to seven residence halls and several other buildings, including the Wildcat Center, which opened in 2011.

~ Robyn Hankerson

Charlotte SGA President Chosen for Select Competition STUDENT GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATION President Kayla Greene ’18 was chosen by faculty

to represent JWU at the 2017 KeyBank Leadership & Creativity Undergraduate Minority Symposium, a three-day intensive camp at Ohio State University on leadership, creativity and entrepreneurial thinking. Assistant Professor Eric Gamble, Ph.D., met with Greene weekly to prepare her for the competition, which featured eight teams of five students. Greene and her team focused on Nestlé Global for their case study. They developed a solution that will decrease the amount of water discharged by Nestlé, which will help alleviate water scarcity. “It was stressful,” says Greene.“I had to identify my strengths and use my major (Business Administration) to work effectively with the team. Because of my business major, my studies touched on every subject of our case study.” Greene’s team won first place in the case study competition, with each teammate taking home $500 and another $400 just for being selected for the symposium. ~ Melinda Law

www.jwu.edu

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PROVIDENCE / NORTH MIAMI / DENVER / CHARLOTTE

COMBINING CREATIVITY and the SCIENCE OF FOOD A WORLD WITHOUT FOOD SCIENCE would mean empty shelves

at your favorite grocery store. Food science has a hand in every food product we consume. Without it, food safety and nutrition would be a guessing game. For the first time, JWU Charlotte is combining creativity and the science of food. In fall 2018, culinary students who are interested in chemistry and the science behind food can enroll in Applied Food Science, Innovation & Technology, a new bachelor’s degree program.

“Having a food scientist with a culinary background is very important,” according to College of Hospitality Management Professor Robert Lothrop, Ph.D. “They help meet the needs of the company by knowing how to make products taste better. Our food choices at the market will only improve with these types of degree programs.”

Lothrop, who earned his doctorate in food science, created the degree program and says JWU will provide nine courses unique to food science that include food chemistry, fermentation science and principles of food microbiology. During summer 2018, two class-

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rooms will be renovated and equipped as research labs; one will resemble a microbiology lab. Students will study the nature of foods, the principles underlying food processing and the improvement of foods for consumers. Armed with this degree, graduates can work in technical brewing, product testing, production management, and research and development; there are thousands of opportunities around the globe.

“We can do research in the labs, including shelf-life testing, texture and color analysis, and food manufacturing,” adds Lothrop.

“It’s endless. We expect that this program will impact enrollment and increase the conversion rate from culinary arts to the College of Hospitality Management.”

JWU Charlotte is the only campus offering this degree program.

“It sets us apart,” he adds. “We are training the next generation of leaders on the innovation and development part of food science.”

From concept to consumer, Johnson & Wales University is Changing the Way the World Eats®. ~ Melinda Law

Learning About Social Justice

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ssociate Professor Lisa Kendall expanded the horizons of students in “City As Text: An Exploration of the Queen City,” the Integrated Learning course she created. Students enjoy subjects and field trips related to art and architecture, politics, history and business. Students attended social justice programs offered by the community in response to the civil unrest. “These proved to be an amazing and eye-opening experience for everyone involved,” says Kendall. “When I discovered that Queens University was putting together a similar schedule of programs, I immediately knew that I wanted to take my students.” One of the programs they attended was “How We Got Where We Are with Race: Jim Crow, Civil Rights, and the Queen City.” The Racial Justice Advocacy Program is sponsored by the Queens University Stan Greenspon Center for Peace and Social Justice. ~ Melinda Law

Student Forums Offer Discussion on First and Second Amendments

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his academic year, Providence Campus students from the John Hazen White College of Arts & Sciences had the opportunity to attend two discussion forums that addressed the legal, cultural, social and political issues related to the First and Second amendments of the United States Constitution. Students were able to ask questions of and interface with panelists, which included elected officials, advocates and JWU faculty. Faculty members Sheila Austin, Kevin DeJesus, Colleen Less and Kenneth Schneyer examined the First Amendment at the college’s first forum, concentrating on freedom of speech in general and its relationship to hate speech. The protection of hate speech under the First Amendment was a point of concern for students, who were interested to know how it could be legally addressed.

The Second Amendment forum, held during winter term, focused on the amendment in the context of a 21st century U.S. society.

Rhode Island State Representative Michael Chippendale and Linda Finn, president of the Rhode Island Coalition Against Gun Violence and former state representative, dissected the language of the Second Amendment in a lively back and forth. They explored legislative efforts pursued in Rhode Island and the United States to both increase or reduce the gun restrictions.

The John Hazen White College of Arts & Sciences also continues to host its Media & Politics Café each term. Topics this year have included how the media and society define the Millennial generation and Generation Z; race, politics and the media; and the relationships between police, the media and elected officials.

~ Ryan Crowley

www.jwu.edu

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ATHLETICS Welcome to the Big Leagues

BY BILL KOCH

The Denver Campus will host its first National Collegiate Athletic Association games in school history.

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ONSIDER FOR A MOMENT, if you will, how present the NCAA is in your life.

If you’ve filled out an office basketball bracket for March Madness, you’ve been touched by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).

If you or your family members have enrolled in or attended a sporting event at one of its hundreds of member schools like Harvard University, Florida State University or the University of Southern California, you’ve been influenced by it.

You might not recognize the power of that coast-to-coast brand until taking a breath to stop and think. It’s a traditional draw for schools from Rhode Island to California, something not lost on Tom Byrnes. Still in the beginning stages of his role as director of athletics at Johnson & Wales’ Denver Campus, Byrnes was attracted to the position more than a year ago with an eye on a transition. The Wildcats were already in the process of moving from the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), securing provisional membership in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC), which is part of the NCAA. The Denver Campus targeted the Division III ranks specifically, motivated by the thought of joining Colorado College as the only two athletic programs at that level in the state.

“People recognize the blue dot of the NCAA logo,” Byrnes says. “Our recognition factor as a member of that organization — certainly the bigger of the two national organizations — will go a long way toward helping the school, its recruits and all those factors. The blue dot is a big thing.”

And that’s how we’ve arrived at this point ahead of the 2018–19 academic year. The Wildcats will host their first NCAA games in school history just after Labor Day, with individual celebrations planned for each sport. Byrnes and his department are hoping to emulate the success of a peer campus like Providence, a longtime member of the NCAA ranks thanks to readily available opponents spread throughout New England.

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“What attracted us to Johnson & Wales was that it was transitioning, and that’s a really cool thing to have on your résumé,” says Alicia Roth, head women’s volleyball coach. “I think all of us were in the mood to take on a project; it’s going to be extremely beneficial for everyone.” Roth is also the university’s senior woman administrator (SWA). In her SWA role, Roth is charged with enhancing the representation of female experience and perspective at the institutional, conference and national levels, as well as supporting women’s interests.

Byrnes headed west after nearly a decade as the commissioner of the Capital Athletic Conference, overseeing schools in Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania and Delaware. Roth was a four-year student-athlete as a volleyball player at Samford University in Alabama and continued into coaching, coming to Colorado from Northwestern State in Louisiana. The Denver Campus had already filed the necessary paperwork with the NCAA and was in the early stages of making a move that would reshape its athletic department. “I thought it would be a great challenge and that I could help the school achieve its goals,” Byrnes says. “I’m very excited about the whole process.”

“I think our student-athletes are going to get a lot out of it,” adds Roth.

“It’s an actual model that we can emulate.” Roth’s team played just six of its 28 matches on campus in 2017, four of those coming in a tournament to start the season. That was typical of most Denver Campus programs, with the men’s basketball team playing its first 16 games on the road and the women’s basketball team hosting just one home game before Christmas. The routine of the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference schedule guarantees opportunities to play games home and away against the eight league foes. “There was very little chance for the parents and community to see them play because of the current scheduling model,” Byrnes says.

It was something of a weekend ritual for Roth and her players to pack their bags, bound for destinations like Arizona, California, Missouri and Nebraska for extended periods. It wasn’t the most conducive environment for comfort or coursework, with the end of each week spent outside the classroom. Those difficulties will be somewhat reduced in the coming seasons, a significant factor in the decision to make a change.

“These kids want to focus on maintaining really good grades,” Roth says. “They’re not looking to play professionally after college; they’re looking to go into their careers. But while they’re here and at school, they want to play the sport they love. I think that’s the best thing about this D-III model that I sell a lot of kids on: It creates balance. We will actually be able to give that to them.”

Six members of the SCAC call Texas home, something that will also help in recruiting. Roth will be able to target athletes throughout Colorado who might not want to continue their respective careers at the Division I level, and the deep talent pools available in the Dallas, Houston and San photos: Chris Schneider

Antonio metropolitan areas are now open. “It is so much nicer to say to a Texas kid, ‘We’re going to be playing over half of our games in Texas so your parents are going to be able to see you.’ Denver is not truly driving distance for a Houston kid,” says Roth.

The Wildcats inherit an in-state rival in the Tigers, and Roth says they’ve been helpful throughout the process. Those good feelings could eventually change if both programs are challenging for SCAC titles, something that would give Byrnes additional chances to market and sell his product to local fans. “We’ve missed out on that,” Byrnes says. “We end the season so early because the current model we’re in doesn’t drive that enthusiasm.

It doesn’t drive home games for us.”

A fresh start is within sight at the Denver Campus, with Byrnes, Roth and their colleagues eager to welcome their new reality. Putting themselves on the map, they hope, will be a bit easier with some help from the blue dot.

Byrnes is optimistic and excited about about the future: “I think we’re going to surprise people with how well we do with a year or two of recruiting and another year or two of building,”

[1] Denver Women’s Volleyball team practice [2] L–R: Alyssa Christiansen ’20, Ashlee Ruehs ’20, Denver Campus Women’s Volleyball Coach Alicia Roth, Madi Fox ’19, Teagan Gutka ’21

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A dozen alumni discuss how they’ve found success — and the ways Johnson & Wales contributed to their ascent.

“ Seeing people regularly after surgery, you get to hear about their lives, their successes, their failures. You get to see their thought process change,” she says. “You get to see the development of them as a person.”

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KIMBERLY MALOOMIAN ’07 B.S. Culinary Nutrition Lead Dietitian, Center for Bariatric Surgery, The Miriam Hospital Providence, Rhode Island

urn on your TV, head to a website or open a magazine and you’ll see story after story of people struggling with their weight — and often overcoming that struggle with the help of diet, exercise, and a tool called bariatric surgery (gastric bypass, gastric sleeve, and adjustable gastric banding [think LapBand]).

It’s a tool Kimberly Maloomian ’07 knows well, and one she helps people use every day. As lead dietitian for the award-winning Center for Bariatric Surgery at The Miriam Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island, Maloomian sees patients (15 to 20 a day) at all stages of their weight loss journey. And while many might think her job is telling people what to eat, Maloomian says that’s not the case. “Mainstream media has put a lot of emphasis on ‘eat this, not that,’ ” the Massachusetts native says. “What we teach here is that in order to be successful after surgery, it’s about changing behaviors and awareness surrounding food.”

After graduating from the Denver Campus’s Culinary Nutrition program, Maloomian’s internship at the corporate offices of Flying J, a chain of truck stops throughout the U.S. and Canada, turned into a full-time job on their culinary field management team. “That job had such an impact on what I do now. It gave me a chance to really see how people live and the kind of food choices they make day to day,” says Maloomian. A year later, she headed to the University of Wisconsin on a dietetic internship, and a year after that she began working at The Miriam Hospital. She hasn’t looked back. “Seeing people regularly after surgery, you get to hear about their lives, their successes, their failures.

You get to see their thought process change,” she says.

“You get to see the development of them as a person.”

An accomplished equestrian, Maloomian is also in the process of writing a book on — you guessed it — lifestyle and nutrition. Having a balance between work and personal life is important to her. “Success needs to be ‘whole life,’ ” Maloomian says. “You want to leave work and feel like you’ve accomplished something or have goals you’re working toward. And you still want to be happy when you get home. It’s about finding that balance.”

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photo: Mike Cohea

~ Rachel Lacaille

TOM CONDRON ’87, ’88 A.S. Culinary Arts; B.S. Food Service Management Owner and Chef: The Liberty, The Liberty Blakeney and Lumiere Charlotte, North Carolina

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ome success stories start off with a bang.

Chef and restaurateur Tom Condron’s story had a more tender start. The scene? The Dorchester Hotel in London. The characters? A 14-year-old Tom Condron ’87, ’88 and an unnamed girl.

“I liked a girl who worked at the front desk of The Dorchester, so I applied there,” says Condron. “A position opened at the hotel for a commis. I didn’t even know what that was. I took it just to get into the hotel.

And I found out that I loved being in the kitchen more than I liked her.”

He completed a European apprenticeship program at The Dorchester and worked for legendary chef Anton Mosimann. With his apprenticeship completed, he went on to earn a degree in economics from the University of Florida, a Culinary Arts degree from Johnson & Wales in Charleston, then headed to the Providence Campus to earn a degree in Food Service Management.

Those degrees and his experience led to positions at Le Cirque in New York City, Jean-Louis at the Watergate Hotel in Washington, D.C., and Aqua in San Francisco, among others. He worked with eight Michelin-starred chefs including Jean-Louis Palladin and Joël Robuchon, honing his skills while learning from the best.

Fast forward to present day and you’ll find him in Charlotte, North Carolina, a location he chose because it’s “a little smaller, a little more subdued” than the large metropolitan cities he’s lived and worked in. There he lives with his wife and four children, and works as chef and owner of three successful restaurants in the Queen City: The Liberty, The Liberty Blakeney and Lumiere.

He’s learned along the way that life-work balance is very important. “I won’t allow my chefs to work more than five days a week,” he says. “You need to have passion for more than just your job. You have to have it for your life as well. And you can’t do it when you’re behind the stove or in a kitchen 24 hours a day. Work is an important part of life, but not the most important, that’s for sure.

“Being a dad, husband and restaurateur is my life,” Condron says. “That’s pretty much how I order it, too.”

photo: Taylor Clark Johnson

“ I won’t allow my chefs to work more than five days a week.

You need to have passion for more than just your job.”

~ Mary Sward

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“ I believe that if you do the right things, no matter what business you’re in, you’re going to succeed.

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MICHAEL LEVINE ’12 B.S. Food Service Entrepreneurship CEO, Global Food Solutions Hauppauge, New York

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photo: Mike Cohea

ig ideas can start simply. When he was still a JWU student, Michael Levine ’12 decided to engineer a better muffin, replacing corn syrup and trans fats with whole grains, real fruit and zero artificial flavors.

Fast-forward to 2018: As CEO of Global Food Solutions, Levine oversees a growing line of wholesome, sustainable food products served in more than 5,000 schools.

And that humble muffin served as a major catalyst, he explains: “When I left school, there were lots of changes happening in the food industry.” The Department of Agriculture was working on sweeping upgrades to school lunch program nutrition standards that, if enacted, would “wipe the slate clean” and force new buying decisions — “it wouldn’t matter if you were General Mills, or if you were me.” So Levine and his team made a calculated decision to align their product formulations to the new standards, incorporating at least 51 percent whole grains.

To go after New York City schools, they also needed to be cost-competitive. “That’s when it all started to piece together,” says Levine. “We sourced a New York-based manufacturer and a company to print the packaging.

We found a trucking company. And when we did that, we presented the program to [the school board]. And we were able to do it at a more competitive price point than other people in the industry.”

Not only did the muffin become a bestseller, “it built our credibility, and we started focusing on building our brands,” says Levine.

Today, Global Food Solutions has 24 manufacturing plants around the country packing specific goods for various markets. Levine now spends as much time vetting production facilities and conducting food safety audits as he does developing products: “The number one thing we focus on is quality control.”

In 2017, Global Food Solutions was listed as one of “America’s Fastest Growing Private Companies” by Inc., and Levine was inducted into Forbes’ “30 under 30” in the Food & Drink category. Despite the accolades, he’s not one to rest on his laurels: “I believe that if you do the right things, no matter what business you’re in, you’re going to succeed. Good things are going to happen because you’re planting more seeds — and more potential is more opportunity.” ~ Andrea Feldman

JEAN FOGARTY ’93 B.S. Hospitality Management Vice President of Client Services, CrunchTime Boston, Massachusetts

photo: Mike Cohea

“ I’ve had the same title for 15 years but it hasn’t been the same job.”

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n avocado almost cut short Jean Fogarty’s hospitality career. A managerial position at Chili’s came with a training course. First week: food prep. But Fogarty ’93 could barely klutz her way through the guacamole. “It took me so long to cut the avocados and remove the pit that they were concerned I wasn’t the brightest bulb,” she recalls.

“All I needed was someone to tell me what to do.”

She muddled through, eventually moving to the supply-chain side with Metromedia Restaurant Group and then being recruited to Boston by restaurant software company CrunchTime. That was during the first dot-com boom, when the company was so small she shared an office with the chief technology officer. There, she got much of her software training by osmosis and watched the field evolve. “I’ve had the same title for 15 years but it hasn’t been the same job.”

The technology has changed — and with it, the entire industry — but the core of what Fogarty does as vice president of client services still centers on helping restaurant chains track the food they order: what it costs, when it arrives and how much gets to customers. Her experience knowing the back and front of the house has helped Fogarty discern where clients have been losing money, whether that’s decreasing spoilage, waste, over-portioning or plain ol’ skimming.

She credits Johnson & Wales for helping her learn within industry context. “For example, we spoke about inventory in accounting class and it was all about lettuce and such, not widgets.” Working with the biggest players in food hospitality — the likes of Five Guys, KFC, Denny’s, Applebee’s and Royal Caribbean — has made a former avocado-fumbler an efficiency maven. “The same people who love the industry are still around, and then a bunch of other interesting cats from different backgrounds,” she says. “A nice mix of people embracing technology.

It’s like, hallelujah.” ~ Sam Eifling

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“ My approach is more, ‘You’re family and you’re coming home.’ ”

ince the age of six, Chris Henry ’10 has been enraptured with hotels. Two family friends in the industry became early mentors, so when his family stayed at a property, he would shadow the staff.

Now 30, Henry and his Majestic Hotel Group design properties from the ground up, outfit older buildings to become hotels and consult with existing hotels to get them up to speed with 21st-century tastes. He may have fallen for the romance of hotels in an earlier era, but he wants to push the industry’s culture in a different direction. Recalling the old Ritz-Carlton motto — “We are ladies and gentlemen serving ladies and gentlemen” — he bristles at the “Downton Abbey” tone.

“My approach is more, ‘You’re family and you’re coming home,’ ” he says. “When we work on a project, we ask, ‘What’s the storyline, the arc, the experience you’re trying to create?’ Without a story, it’s just a box.”

He pushes hoteliers to evolve beyond the heads-inbeds view of hotels to become authentic, local and unique, whether those clients are in Bali, Brazil, or

CHRIS HENRY ’10 B.S. Hotel & Lodging Management with a concentration in Entrepreneurship CEO, Chairman and Co-founder, Majestic Hospitality Group Los Angeles, California

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around the corner in San Bernardino. Retrofitting existing buildings in particular gives him a chance to integrate those elements. His long-burning Coleburn Distillery project in Scotland — transforming a 150-year-old Highlands Scotch distillery into a hotel and microdistillery to capture a modern Scottish aesthetic — epitomizes the possibilities of such a project. He also has a soft spot for old bank buildings, with their marble floors, hidden elevators, ornate interior flourishes and sub-basements ripe to become an Instagram-ready speakeasy. “The industry is finally realizing we’ve got to change or we’re going to die out,” he says. “It’s gone from, ‘You’re kids — what the hell do you know?’ to ‘You’re Millennials — what do we need to do to get you to stay at our property?’ ” Among the first things Henry looks for when walking into a hotel? A “wow factor” at the entrance, something to astonish him — could be an architectural feature, could be design. The lobby bathroom is next — its cleanliness, its technology, whether it was ignored during any recent updates — because that points to service, and ultimately a service culture is what makes a property special for Henry. “There’s nothing better than being remembered at a hotel,” he says. “When you’re greeted or when you get that welcome back.

That’s where that story starts.” ~ Sam Eifling

photo: Evan Hurd

TOD NISSLE ’17 Online MBA, Business Administration and Management Senior Vice President, Compass Group North America Redmond, Washington

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hile classmates carried Paddington Bear, Tod Nissle ’17 toted his dad’s old briefcase to first grade. So, it was not surprising that he graduated JWU’s online MBA program with a 4.0 GPA while juggling a full-time job based at Microsoft as senior vice president at Compass Group North America.

Nissle oversees nearly 3,000 employees and contractors. (He jokes that the best way to focus is to “multi-ignore” rather than multi-task.) His management practices in particular were deepened by his JWU courses. “We looked at a lot of peer-reviewed case studies — the educational truisms that validate why we do what we do,” says Nissle. “In an organizational behavior class we learned about the two-factor theory and that pay does not lead to long-term employee satisfaction. It can remove dissatisfaction; however, it’s elements such as recognition, status, challenge, growth, etc. that can lead to higher employee satisfaction.

“That principle applies to our initiatives: We have been hard at work redefining what it means to work for

photo: Sian Kennedy

Compass, supporting Microsoft. We developed True North, a workplace culture initiative that focuses on growth, openness and caring, which relates to that two–factor theory. In economics class, we learned about political reasons for the balance of trade, so that’s something we think about as Microsoft scales internationally. It was helpful for when we work through cultural practices at our campus in India, where employees tend to say yes to everything, but they don’t always mean it in the same context.”

At Microsoft’s three-square-mile campus, which its 50–60,000 employees call a city, one Compass initiative was ensuring a variety of restaurants on campus, some of which rotate pop-up style. “Building a place where people stay on campus builds productivity, so we have autonomous 24-hour markets that don’t require staffing.

According to Nissle, for every 1 percent of participation growth, there is a productivity output of nearly $4 million.

“Microsoft is really a growth company disguised as a $90–billion behemoth. It’s a growth mindset attainable to all: There are such inspiring leaders and the cultural diversity is greater than you’d see in New York City.

I really feel like I’m part of something.” It’s where the motto of “fail fast” drives innovation at light speed: “We call it disruptive innovation.” ~ Denise Dowling

He jokes that the best way to focus is to “multiignore” rather than multi-task.

www.jwu.edu

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MIKE RYPKA ’96 A.S. Culinary Arts Founder, Board Chairman and Vice President of Culinary Marketing, Torchy’s Tacos Austin, Texas

In the sluggish first weeks, he rode a red Vespa around town, handing out free chips and salsa just to spread the word.

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hen Mike Rypka ’96 talks about the early days of Torchy’s Tacos — his burgeoning restaurant empire with more than 50 locations throughout Texas, Oklahoma and Colorado — the word “trailer” comes up a lot. In 2006, when Rypka was an Austin chef looking to launch a street food project, his friend had an old barbecue trailer.

Rypka, then 31, took out a loan on his home, maxed out his credit cards and started slinging tacos, with the idea of taking the flavor innovation that was happening at upscale restaurants and serving it to the masses. In the sluggish first weeks, he rode a red Vespa around town, handing out free chips and salsa just to spread the word.

“Those first six months were pretty horrendous,” he says. “Trailers were not the cool thing back then. Even my friends said, ‘You’re a chef and you’re doing what?

You’re opening a trailer and parking down the street there?’ I’m even surprised some days at how big the company is now. We’ve got over 4,000 employees in three different states. It’s been a huge learning curve.”

If you walk into a Torchy’s today, you’ll find something between fast-casual and quick-serve, stocked with $4 and $5 tacos such as the Brushfire (Jamaican jerk chicken and mango) or the Alabama Shake (catfish, a poblano slaw and cotija cheese). The plot twist on that fish taco is the addition of peppadew peppers from South Africa, to add some sweet kick. “That’s what’s been so fun,” Rypka says. “We’ve got these tacos with these little things that we add, like the Southern-style taco with South African chili peppers, that no one would expect.”

Two significant influences gave Rypka the background to playfully tinker with world flavors. One was a stint running food service at the World Bank as a green 21-year-old in his native Washington, D.C., a job that forced him to develop a wide-ranging menu catered to specific international tastes. (“I talked to a lot of grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins,” to develop recipes, he says.) The other was enrolling at Johnson & Wales’ North Miami Campus. He’d always held an affinity for Latin food, which he could explore in South Florida. “JWU gave me the chance to work in some really cool restaurants,” he says. “It opened my eyes to what’s possible in the industry.” And, in hindsight, the university prepared him to push those boundaries into places not even he expected. ~ Sam Eifling

photo: Andrew Bennett

KRISTIN WAIT ’87 B.S. Hospitality Management Partner, Spencer Stuart New York, New York

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ho do you call when you need a CEO, CIO, or that elusive, perfect board member?

Kristin Wait ’87 should be at the top of your list. A key player in the recruitment field, Wait’s prowess became evident when she was a young 30-something and became a partner at Korn Ferry, one of the “big four” global executive search firms. Wait’s upward trajectory continued when Spencer Stuart, another “big four” firm, recruited her as a partner in 2002.

Wait has been in the search industry since 1989.

“That’s a long time,” she says with a chuckle. While earning her MBA at the University of Hartford, Wait began her career with Deane, Howard and Simon, a top firm for recruiting technology leaders who “could make a broad impact in computing.” It was the late ’80s, when

photo: Matt Furman

the technology industry was moving quickly but had miles to go. “Companies were going from the age of data processing to management information systems.

We had VPs of data processing and VPs of management information systems. We didn’t even have the title CIO at the time,” said Wait.

“I’ve had a front seat for 28 years watching the evolution and impact that technology has had on an industry, and it’s like a roller coaster that keeps gaining speed,” she adds. Two game-changing impacts that technology had on the search industry, according to Wait, were making it easier to find the right candidates worldwide, regardless of location, and recruiting executives across industries. These shifts were powerful changes from the regional, industry-specific recruitment of years past.

Although her bachelor’s degree from Johnson & Wales is in hospitality management, it wasn’t a huge leap for Wait to transition into business: “What made it easy then was that hospitality teaches broad-based business skills.” ~ Melinda Hill

“ I’ve had a front seat for 28 years watching the evolution and impact that technology has had on an industry, and it’s like a roller coaster that keeps gaining speed.”

www.jwu.edu

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“ When you think with your heart rather than your mind,” says Rama, “you come up with the right long-term solution.”

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t’s rare to hear a corporate president wax philosophical about employee happiness. But Dharmendra (D.J.) Rama ’90, president and CEO of Auro Hotels, is somewhat of a maverick.

The family-owned operation, formerly known as JHM Hotels, was founded by D.J.’s uncle, H.P. Rama, who left India for America with $2 in his pocket. In 1973, when Asian Americans couldn’t get business loans, he bought a 40-room motel with a down payment of his own funds and loans from family and friends. “Fast-forward to now,” says Rama, “and we’re the 15th largest hotel owner/ operator in the country with 7,000-plus rooms.”

The family has created what Rama calls “a culture of giving. Every business we are involved with has to have a purpose for positively impacting humanity: Why are we doing this and for whom? We channel a percentage of our profit, room inventory and volunteer hours to give back for poverty relief and education in our communities.” In the region of India where Rama’s father and uncles were raised, they have established homes and public services to benefit hundreds of families in one village.

The hotel business runs in his blood, but JWU schooled Rama: “Waking at 5 a.m. for my shift at the Seekonk Inn and all the transactions there helped me master the basics of hospitality. The job helped me relate to my associates and treat them a certain way.” For example, Rama will send a food truck their way for earning Trip Advisor accolades. “Random acts of kindness and engagement go a long way to building a culture and people knowing someone is there for them.”

The company even opened an innovation hub geared toward a white paper approach to its business practices.

They will launch a beta test at select hotels — adapting shift schedules, for example, to simplify employees’ lives and because happier employees deliver better guest service. “When you think with your heart rather than your mind,” says Rama, “you come up with the right long-term solution.”

Today, 65 percent of the company’s rooms are branded Marriott. “In 1990, when I was working at the Marriott Providence front desk, if you had told me that one day I’d be on its board and helping to approve brand standards, I would have said, ‘No way!’ I’m grateful to JWU for opening that door. So when J.W. “Bill” Marriott Jr. gives out their highest award — the partnership circle award — which we have received several times, I have that full-circle movie in my head.” ~ Denise Dowling

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DHARMENDERA (D.J.) RAMA ’90 B.S. Hospitality Management President and CEO, Auro Hotels Greenville, South Carolina

photo: Taylor Clark Johnson

“ Make sure you’re having fun when you go to work,” she says. “ If you’re not, then what are you doing?”

KATELYN TYRRELL ’08

K

atelyn Tyrrell ’08 had her heart set on a photography class in high school, but it was full.

“The only other elective was marketing,” she says. “I figured, ‘Let’s give it a try.’ ” It was proof that you fall in love when you least expect it. Now as vice president, group partner of integrated investments at J3/Universal McCann in New York City, Tyrrell has built a career on her high school elective.

After graduating JWU with a degree in Marketing Communications, she landed her first job as an assistant at a media agency, steadily building her experience in digital media with clients in industries from pharmaceuticals to automobiles. She now works with Johnson & Johnson to strategize their media spending — and keep the internet happy in the process.

“Advertising spend helps keep content free, so we try to find unique methods to engage with consumers in a way that doesn’t feel intrusive,” she says. “If you’re stuck with a 30-second ad you can’t skip, you want to back out of the experience. Everything we do is through the lens of the consumer. We don’t want to ruin the internet.”

She keeps in touch with her consumer audience by staying ever-flexible (“What worked yesterday is constantly changing,” she says) and tuning into future tastemakers. “I find it fascinating when young kids have phones,” she says. “What apps are they using? What do they do on Snapchat? I always try to find out why something is important to people and what value they get out of it.”

In a famously competitive field, Tyrrell credits her time at JWU for giving her the foundation to thrive in challenging situations. “Senior year, our classes ran like a full-service agency, with real clients,” she says.

“Everyone thinks of it as a culinary school, but the advertising and marketing communications programs are really pushing the envelope.”

She also knows that even when you don’t get the business, you can still win. “Make sure you’re having fun when you go to work,” she says. “If you’re not, then what are you doing?” ~ Nicole Maranhas

photo: Matt Furman

B.S. Marketing Communications Vice President and Group Partner, Integrated Investments J3/Universal McCann New York, New York

www.jwu.edu

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A

“ Some people choose a career, but I was born for this.”

well-worn copy of “The Adventures of Curious George” is tucked in a corner of Javier Montañez’s office at Leviton Dual Language Elementary School in Providence. For Montañez ’11 Ed.D., the school’s principal, the book is a reminder of the day he made the choice to let someone in — the day he opened himself up to the idea of “what if.”

“I really wasn’t very successful in school; there were a lot of barriers,” says Montañez. “I think it was because of my dyslexia and being a second-language learner.

Once, when I was in second grade, I tried to read out loud and the other students laughed at me — even the teacher giggled.” From then on, Montañez would try to read on his own, but was afraid of reading in public.

Montañez was raised in a Brooklyn home where there was drug abuse. Hoping for a better future, he moved to Rhode Island to live with an older sister, but became homeless as a high school student, sleeping in parks some nights.

JAVIER MONTAÑEZ ’11 Ed.D. Educational Leadership Principal, Leviton Dual Language Elementary School Providence, Rhode Island

photo: 24Mike Spring Cohea 2018

While working as a stagehand in high school, he memorized the actors’ lines. When the drama teacher asked him to read the lines aloud to stand in for someone else, Montañez refused because he couldn’t read them. The teacher then offered to teach him how to read. “I learned to read with “Curious George” and I still use that book today to teach life lessons to my students and grandchildren,” he says.

By age 18, Montañez had dropped out of high school and become a father, working a factory job for $98 a week. It was a turning point: In the next few years, he focused on earning his GED, then an associate and ultimately a bachelor’s degree. “I said, ‘What if I just go for it?’ ” When a position opened up in the Providence school system for a second-grade bilingual education teacher, he got the job. “Some people choose a career, but I was born for this.” Eventually Montañez would earn a master’s degree from Rhode Island College and his doctorate from JWU. “It’s all about the dedication, the strive, the resilience we have to fall down, get back up again and keep trying.” ~ Damaris R. Teixeira

TIFFANY BRODERSON ’98 B.S. Hospitality Management Vice President, Starbucks Global Supply Chain Seattle, Washington

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his coffee thing seems sort of cool, Tiffany Broderson ’98 remembers thinking. She had just returned from two months in Europe after leaving a high-pressure job as a restaurant manager for a four-star Oregon resort when she came across the opening for a store manager at a local Starbucks. “I wanted a break from the long nights,” she says. “I wasn’t thinking about a long-term career.”

Eighteen years later, Broderson is vice president of Starbucks global supply chain, overseeing 7,000 deliveries a day across 32 fulfillment centers. “I fell in love with the company,” she says. Having worked her way up through a series of roles in retail operations, the former Culinary Arts and Food Service Management major embraced the chance to learn the supply-chain world when she took on her current position two years ago. Reflecting on her rise from that first job as store manager, Broderson cites two keys to her success: “Be curious about whatever you’re doing, and do your job with as much passion as you would if it were your own

photo: Sian Kennedy

company.” Like most Maine natives, she is also a firm believer in grit. “In the restaurant industry, you must have a thick skin,” she says. “You need to have that grit in order to move through challenges regardless of the atmosphere. Grit is about the long game, not just today.”

She counts several notable moments among her career highlights, such as the 2014 opening of the 15,600-square-foot Starbucks Reserve Roastery and Tasting Room in Seattle. (“We were building a new brand and concept, and we had to iron out the kinks in real time, but it was highly rewarding.”) She also helped coordinate the delivery of water and packaged foods to Houston as part of the company’s disaster relief efforts after Hurricane Harvey. However, Broderson takes the greatest pride in seeing others grow, perhaps a callback to the mentorship skills she honed early on as a teaching assistant at JWU. “I love seeing people thrive and being part of their journey,” she says. “One of the most special things about the restaurant industry is that it unites people from many different backgrounds.

It taught me the value of not just moving forward with your own objective, but having other perspectives. The collective point of view is far superior to just your own.”

“ I love seeing people thrive and being part of their journey.”

~ Nicole Maranhas

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Pinch Co-founder Bob Spiegel ’82

Pastry Chef Tori Fusaro ’10

Chef de Cuisine Liana Rivera ’10

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avarian everything pretzels on a copper pipe where partygoers do the limbo; three-foot helium balloons that serve as floating trays for Pavlovas; a doughnut umbrella; a self-serve cocktail wall with booze dispensed via turkey baster. It sounds like a party Alice in Wonderland might throw, but these are the whimsical creations of Pinch Food Design, co-founded by Bob Speigel ’82. Spiegel, along with his Chef de Cuisine Liana Rivera ’10 and Pastry Chef Victoria Fusaro ’10, have garnered accolades from Food + Wine to New York’s glitterati for the catering company’s fairytale “food furniture.” Their corporate client list includes Google, Christie’s Auction House, Viacom, Nike and the Museum of Modern Art. Plus, they have a gorgeous cookbook: “Inspired Bites: Unexpected Ideas for Entertaining from Pinch Food Design.”

, s e Y

y a m u o y

play w ith you r f oo d !

The company’s name has three meanings, Spiegel explains. “We [Spiegel and Co-founder and Creative Director TJ Girard, who worked in the art department for shows such as “Friends” and “Two and a Half Men”] wanted people to leave these events where the client would get a great return on their investment.

People would think, ‘That was amazing!’ as in, ‘Pinch me, am I dreaming?’ Also, a pinch is provocative, and the third meaning was that we weren’t taking the limelight, as in a pinch is a small something that makes something larger better, like a pinch of saffron.”

Rivera appreciates how Johnson & Wales pushed her for “the reality of the culinary field and not the fantasy. They trained me as a manager and leader.”

Fusaro’s pastry education at JWU — especially the sugar and chocolate sculptures — prepped her for the amazing hanging desserts she does for Pinch, among other inventions.

The interactive presentations are first “auditioned,” says Spiegel. “We have extensive food and design collaborations with samples, mockups and tests.”

Next up in their bag of tricks? A food photo booth. Say cheese! ~ Denise Dowling

www.jwu.edu

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GIVING IN ACTION Why I Give An interview with John Serock ’95, who studied Food Service Management in the College of Hospitality

John Serock ’95

Why do you give to JWU? I firmly believe that my time at Johnson & Wales prepared me for the success that I have achieved since graduating. The hands-on experience I received gave me the confidence to start my own business. My donations will assist current students in continuing their education and empower them with the confidence to succeed in any path they choose.

Why do you make an annual gift to JWU? Not living in the Providence area, I am unable to give my time to current students, so I feel a financial donation is the next best thing.

“ I feel that it is important to give back to an institution that gave so much to me.”

Why do you support the fund of your choice (scholarships)?

My junior year I was a teaching assistant and a scholarship recipient. In addition to the real-world experience I received, I was also able to assist my parents in contributing to the costs of my education. My donation could make the difference for someone who may not be able to continue his or her education due to financial concerns.

What is your fondest memory of your time at JWU? Making lifelong friends whom I still speak to and see regularly. When you are 18 and living away from your parents for the first time, you don’t realize how much the people you associate with will shape the person you become. I am very fortunate to have developed a network of people I still count on today, just as I did as a shy freshman 25 years ago.

Which extracurricular activities did you participate in?

I was a founding father of Phi Kappa Sigma fraternity and played intramural basketball.

Why We Established a Scholarship JWU’s number one priority is our students: Our mission is to provide an exceptional education that inspires professional success and lifelong personal and intellectual growth. The role that parents and families have in the student experience and their overall success at JWU can often be enhanced through the generosity of our philanthropic parent community.

The Eckerts share why they continue to support JWU: “As a family, we connected with JWU the moment our daughter Cenzia arrived on campus. There is inclusivity with JWU due to its worldliness, as well as parental inclusion. Plus, JWU is aware of the individual learning styles of each student and approaches this comprehensively, with realistic positive support. We are also impressed by the diversity in the fields of study offered and that students take courses in their major the first year, which encourages interest and enthusiasm from the very start of their programs.

Recently, Daria and Blaise Eckert (parents of Cenzia Eckert ’12 who received a B.S. in Fashion Merchandising and Retail Marketing from the Providence Campus, and her husband, Joshua Willard ’13, who received a B.S. in Engineering Design & Configuration Management from the Providence Campus), pledged to continue supporting The Eckert Family Scholarship Fund they established in 2012. They also pledged to create The Eckert Family Endowed Scholarship benefiting students enrolled in any degree program on any campus.

“Our family gained a son-in-law, Joshua Willard, who also had a positive learning experience at JWU. As alumni parents, we want to give to the students and university that has given so much to our family!”

Daria and Blaise Eckert with Chef Elizabeth Falkner at JWU

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“ As alumni parents, we want to give to the students and university that has given so much to our family!”

Giving isn’t just for billionaires like Bill Gates.

It’s for people of all income levels who want to give back — whether that means time or money.

Please consider what you can do to pay it forward to our next generation of students.

You have more power than you think.

Call 401-598-2185 or visit giving.jwu.edu to learn how you can make a difference.

ALUMNINEWS Alumni Leaders on Campus

This year, Alumni Relations hosted 35 alumni on the Providence Campus for the Alumni Leaders on Campus program in the College of Business, College of Culinary Arts, College of Engineering & Design and College of Hospitality Management. Additionally, the program was hosted on the North Miami Campus, where 12 alumni from the College of Business, College of Culinary Arts and College of Hospitality Management participated over the course of two days. Graduates had the chance to speak to students about their career paths and advise them on how to succeed in the “real world.�

North Miami Homecoming

Alumni from near and far converged on the North Miami Campus during homecoming weekend in February. Attendees participated in a variety of programs, including a faculty nutrition demo and tasting; an opening reception with administration, faculty and coaches; alumni basketball games, and tailgate on the Catwalk. They were also on hand to cheer on our varsity basketball teams. The weekend provided alumni with an opportunity to reminisce and enjoy time with their classmates, faculty and current students.

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We want to hear from you for our upcoming alumni survey!

As JWU embarks on FOCUS 2022, a bold and ambitious strategic initiative that charts the university’s future, we’re asking for your help.

So that we can continue to assist students as they build their lives, and continue the university’s remarkable transformation into a leading national university, we need to know what our alumni are up to, how they remember their JWU experience, and how their JWU education has served them. We hope you’ll participate in this important survey.

Here are some interesting results from our last alumni survey, which was conducted five years ago.

93%

38%

Working full time

Gained entrepreneurial experience

60%

Changed career paths, taking advantage of JWU’s commitment to prepare them for long-term successful careers that offer job satisfaction and higher earnings, rather than simply preparing them for their first job post-graduation

2

Of the most valuable components of the JWU experience: coursework and internships

80%

Would attend JWU again and would choose the same major

We also learned that the median earnings of JWU alumni with a bachelor’s degree EXCEED what their counterparts earn nationwide.

Be a Legacy at JWU Deepen your connection with your alma mater by having your child or sibling consider JWU in their college search. Through the Legacy program, students receive a number of priority benefits during the admissions process: • priority enrollment consideration — specific Admissions team members work directly with Legacy applicants and their families • $4,000 renewable tuition scholarship • unique Legacy phone and email access to admissions assistance through 844-JWU-4YOU or jwu4you@admissions.jwu.edu • specialized Legacy tour Additional benefits currently being piloted at the Providence Campus include • opportunities to connect with other Legacy students on campus • Legacy family gathering at homecoming Discover what’s new at JWU, including academic programs, campuses, student opportunities and more. You will be amazed! If you haven’t been to campus in a while, we strongly encourage you to visit and see the exciting opportunities available to your student.

For more information about the Legacy program visit alumni.jwu.edu/netcommunity/legacy

Soon we’ll be launching our 2018 JWU Career Progression online survey to alumni from the 1986­–2016 classes. If you are among those selected to participate, the survey should take about 15 minutes to complete and all responses will be held in strict confidence. We hope you’ll help us out.

Thanks for your Wildcat Spirit! www.jwu.edu

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ALUMNINEWS

Providence Campus Reunion

The fifth annual reunion weekend was held at the Providence Campus April 27­–29. More than 400 alumni were welcomed back to campus and reconnected with faculty and fellow alumni. Graduates began by celebrating our Distinguished Alumni Awards at a private ceremony for honorees; they were also recognized at the opening reception that followed. The perennial favorite, Taste of JWU, delighted everyone’s senses with delicious bites from 14 alumni-owned and operated restaurants. This year, alumni were also treated to a Cat Chat (TED-style talk) where alumni spoke about trending topics in industry, which faculty related to academic offerings at JWU. We also celebrated affinity groups such as Orientation Leaders and OTEAM members, Physician Assistant cohorts, Greeks, and the 25th reunion of the Class of 1993! As the weekend wound down, alumni were already asking about the next reunion — so save the date for April 26­–28, 2019!

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www.jwu.edu

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CLASS NOTES 1981 PAMELA LAMPITT PVD CHERRY HILL, NEW JERSEY

Pamela has been named to chair the New Jersey Legislature’s Assembly Education Committee.

1982 KEVIN CUSHING PVD MARLTON, NEW JERSEY

LINDA MUSCH PVD NARRAGANSETT, RHODE ISLAND

Linda is a food safety consultant at Linda Musch Consulting.

1985 MICHAEL BROWN PVD HARRISON, NEW YORK

Michael is a partner at A.T. Kearney in New York.

1987 KEITH DOUGLAS PVD NEW YORK, NEW YORK

Keith has been named managing director of One World Observatory in New York City.

KYMBERLY HARDIN PVD LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY

Kymberly is the owner and operator of Black Belt Cheese, a provider of wine and beer cheese spreads to local wineries in and around Louisville.

1988 MATTHEW BIBEAULT PVD WOONSOCKET, RHODE ISLAND

Matthew is a sales manager at Rhode Island Solar Solutions in Swansea, Massachusetts.

ELIZABETH BLANCO PVD BRIELLE, NEW JERSEY

Elizabeth is a design coordinator and sales representative for Premier Development in Somerset.

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BOCA RATON, FLORIDA

Adam is director of business development for Production Power & Air in Fort Lauderdale.

LAURA ECKSTEIN PVD BOCA RATON, FLORIDA

Laura is the owner of Laura London Fitness in Miami.

JOHN GERSBECK PVD SOUTHINGTON, CONNECTICUT

John is senior vice president of operations at Whitsons Culinary Group.

1990 ARNIS ROBEZNIEKS PVD NEW YORK, NEW YORK

Arnis is senior pastry chef at the New York Marriott Marquis Times Square.

1991

L– R: Lauren Pozega ’11 Fedah Itayem ’06 Mario Rodriguez ’01 Susie Marsh ’04 Jeff Fowler ’93 Nick Velardo ’89 Virginia Philip ’89,’15 Hon. Gleister Thomson Rudy Cox ’03 Kayleigh George ’15 Seated: Amanda McLaughlin ’16 Marisa Walker ’17

© Lila Photo

Kevin has been appointed director of sales and marketing at The Claridge, a Radisson Hotel in Atlantic City.

ADAM ECKSTEIN PVD

JWU ALUMNI currently employed by The Breakers in Palm Beach, Florida, pose for a group photo.

[1] AIMÉE RIVERA PVD ORLANDO, FLORIDA

Aimée, chef de cuisine at Victoria & Albert’s Restaurant at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort, was recently celebrated as one of the Disney Women of Food & Beverage.

KEVIN CROKE PVD

1

COCONUT GROVE, FLORIDA

Kevin is general manager at The Mayfair in Coconut Grove.

1992 STEPHANIE IRBY PVD

1993 DIANE CAINE PVD CHEPACHET, RHODE ISLAND

DIANA SHAPIRO PVD HACKENSACK, NEW JERSEY

Diana is a senior catering sales executive at the New York Marriott East Side.

1994

LOLETA NICHOLSON PVD

Lina is national sales director for Denihan Hospitality Group in New York City.

Loleta is assistant director of special events at Hunter College in New York.

SWAMPSCOTT, MASSACHUSETTS

Gregg is the chef and owner of G Bar and Kitchen in Swampscott.

MARIE-LOUISE BURKLE

PVD

NORTH BRANFORD, CONNECTICUT

Marie-Louise was honored as Professional of the Year by Strathmore’s Who’s Who Worldwide. She is CEO of Autac Inc., a manufacturer of retractile cords in Branford.

EAST BRUNSWICK, NEW JERSEY

Diane is an executive director at John Maxwell Team in Chepachet.

LAURELTON, NEW YORK

GREGG BRACKMAN PVD

ANTOINETTE MCDALE PVD

UPPR MARLBORO, MARYLAND

Stephanie is a director in the public sector practice of Morgan Franklin Consulting in the Washington, D.C., area.

1995

LINA CANTILLO PVD DAVIE, FLORIDA

WILLIAM ROSS PVD SANBORNVILLE, NEW HAMPSHIRE

William is a mortgage loan officer at Northway Bank in West Ossipee.

Antoinette is a senior account manager at Chairs to You in Piscataway.

BRYAN OGLESBY PVD ASHLAND, MASSACHUSETTS

Bryan is vice president of people at PR Management Corporation in Newton Lower Falls.

1996 CLEOPHUS CLARKE PVD NEW YORK, NEW YORK

Cleo has accepted the position of vice president of human resources strategy and development at Harri, a provider of end-to-end workforce management solutions for the hospitality and services industries.

1997

1999

JUAN KELLY NMI

[2] JOSEPH LEONARDI ’99 M.A.T. PVD

MICHAEL COGLIANDRO

PLAINVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS

CUMBERLAND, RHODE ISLAND

Juan is service manager at TGI Fridays in Plantation.

Joe received a Certified Master Chef® designation from the American Culinary Federation after completing a rigorous eight-day exam.The ACF Certified Master Chef designation is the highest level of professional certification that a chef can receive in the United States.

Joe is director of culinary operations at The Country Club in Chestnut Hill.

Michael is senior area general manager for Sodexo at Boston Children’s Hospital.

RICHARD SILVIA ’99 M.A.T.

2000

WARWICK, RHODE ISLAND

[3] HEATHER BERRY PVD

Richard was named Chef of the Year by the Rhode Island Hospitality Association.

MINOA, NEW YORK

PVD

1998 DENNIS DRISCOLL PVD PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND

Dennis is senior manager of digital marketing at (add)ventures in Providence.

NORTH MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA

PVD

BENJAMIN SIMPKINS NOR PARKVILLE, MARYLAND

Ben won the Northeast Regional Chef of the Year competition this winter at Erie College in Buffalo, New York. He will compete for the National Chef of the Year in New Orleans this July.

Heather has joined Key Private Bank as assistant vice president and trust officer; she works with clients in a fiduciary capacity to develop and implement estate plans. She is an active volunteer with the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Central New York and was named its Volunteer of the Year in 2017.

RYAN FURIO PVD

3

TINTON FALLS, NEW JERSEY

Ryan is senior catering sales manager for 3 West Club in New York.

JOSEPH KRENN PVD CHARLOTTESVILLE, VIRGINIA

Joe received an Excellence in Club Management award from Club & Resort Business magazine.

2001 JACKIE DANIEL NMI

MICHAEL FUKO-RIZZO PVD GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA

Michael recently purchased the historic Julian Price House in Greensboro. The home is now a designer showhouse that opened to the public in April.

CARLA GILBERT PVD PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND

Carla is the owner of I Want A Pony, which features jewelry, scarves, wedding décor and vintage pieces for the home.

MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA

TANYA LANDOLFI PVD

Jackie is the program manager of social media at Office Depot in Boca Raton.

Tanya is a territory manager for Kulzer North America.

DENISE EDMOND NMI MIAMI, FLORIDA

Denise is the lead operations teller supervisor at Chase Bank in Aventura.

CHARLESTOWN, RHODE ISLAND

HORASETTA WYRE NMI MIDWAY, FLORIDA

Horasetta is a senior proposal consultant with MetLife.

WEDDINGS

2007 [4] ALLISON MARCONI PVD and Ross Bourdon July 14th, 2017

KEVIN MILLONZI PVD JOHNSTON, RHODE ISLAND

Kevin has been appointed to the board of directors of Meals on Wheels of Rhode Island.

2014

4

[5] KENDALL (ESKEY) AYRES CLT and Schuyler Ayres October 7, 2017

Joseph Leonardi ’99 M.A.T. at left

2

2016

PVD Providence NMI North Miami DEN Denver CLT Charlotte CHS Charleston NOR Norfolk VAIL Vail International ONL Online

KELSEY (REMICK) PRICE MBA ONL and Tanner Price October 7, 2017

5 www.jwu.edu

35

CLASS NOTES 2002

JASON LADD PVD

SHARON ANDRE PVD

Jason is co-owner and chef of Ferry Street Food & Drink in Malden.

PAWTUCKET, RHODE ISLAND

Sharon is a customer service representative for Citizens Bank in Cranston.

MATTHEW BREHM PVD STANHOPE, NEW JERSEY

Matthew is a sous chef and hiring manager at St. Moritz Grill and Bar in Sparta.

BRIAN FERREIRA PVD EAST PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND

Brian is a teacher with the Newport public school system.

JOSEPH LOPES MBA PVD NEW BEDFORD, MASSACHUSETTS

SHANNON LADD PVD WOBURN, MASSACHUSETTS

Thomas is a corporate security analyst with Avis Rent-A-Car System LLC in Parsippany.

2003 AARON DAVIS ’05 MBA PVD PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND

Aaron is a master of ceremonies and DJ at Platinum Entertainment LLC in Providence.

CHRISTINE GARRETT NMI WHITE PLAINS, NEW YORK

Christine is CEO of the Kisco Ice Cream Company (DBA Ben & Jerry’s) in Mount Kisco.

SCHULYVIA HEAD NMI GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA

Schulyvia is a cook at the Diplomat Resort & Spa in Hollywood.

Spring 2018

6

TESHANNE PHILLIP NMI CORAL SPRINGS, FLORIDA

Teshanne is founder and CEO of the I Am Hope Foundation.

PVD

EAST PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND

JAMIE SUDDOTH PVD CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA

Jamie teamed up with Charlotte Campus Instructor Megan Lambert to host an EmpowHERment Inc. program, where they worked with women and their mentors on “How to be a Boss in the Kitchen!” The event was held in conjunction with the Junior League of Charlotte.

2004 KEVIN BOYES PVD CRANSTON, RHODE ISLAND

Kevin is kitchen manager at Warwick Senior Services.

ADRIANNE CALVO NMI MIAMI, FLORIDA

Adrianne has opened a new restaurant, Cracked, at The Wharf in Miami.

SEAN PHELAN DEN KATY, TEXAS

Sean is an account manager for the Corpus Christi Hooks baseball team.

EMILIA POLANCO NMI LIGHTHOUSE POINT, FLORIDA

Emilia is the CEO of EP Events & Destination Management in Lighthouse Point.

BRYAN SAWYER PVD

Calvin is the supervisory principal at GWN Securities Inc. in Palm Beach Gardens.

Richard is compliance manager at Clean Slate in New Bedford, Massachusetts.

GARFIELD, NEW JERSEY

Eric is director of the King’s County office at Ripco Real Estate in Brooklyn.

LAKE WORTH, FLORIDA

MARCELLO NICOLETTI NMI

THOMAS NOWAK PVD

NEW ROCHELLE, NEW YORK

CALVIN PERSAUD NMI

Joe is now vice president, commercial loan officer, at BayCoast Bank in New Bedford.

Marcello is general sales manager at Sunshine Kia of Miami.

[6] ERIC FISHER DEN

Shannon is co-owner of Ferry Street Food & Drink in Malden.

RICHARD RAPHAEL MBA

HOMESTEAD, FLORIDA

36

WOBURN, MASSACHUSETTS

BRISTOL, RHODE ISLAND

Bryan is the COO at The Gloria Gemma Breast Cancer Resource Foundation in Pawtucket.

JOSHUA GORRA PVD CRANSTON, RHODE ISLAND

Joshua is managing director at Guardian Life Strategies for Wealth in Providence.

FANNY JOHNSON NMI PASSAIC, NEW JERSEY

Fanny is in charge of logistiscs at Stone Source, a tile store in Carlstadt.

DANIELLE MAY PVD ALPINE, NEW JERSEY

Danielle is the founder and CEO of Charlie & Co. Mobile Phone Booth in Alpine.

2005 THEODORE BENNETT PVD WAYLAND, MASSACHUSETTS

Ted is an electrical engineer with Bose in Framingham.

JOSEPH BLAKE PVD NARRAGANSETT, RHODE ISLAND

Joseph is the director of sales at White Horse Vapor.

MELISSA BRIGUCCIA PVD

2006 LAUREN CHRISTINA PVD BRISTOL, RHODE ISLAND

Lauren is an account executive at Caster Communications Inc. in Wakefield.

MATHIEW MEDEIROS ’14 MBA PVD RUMFORD, RHODE ISLAND

Matthew is the digital marketing specialist at Igus Inc., a Rumford-based company that sells high-performance plastic solutions for energy engineered applications. He handles customer acquisition through audience analysis and funnel optimization with digital media.

JIM PASTOR NMI MIAMI, FLORIDA

Jim is the eastern regional chef for the Specialty Restaurants Corporation in Key Biscayne.

KATHLEEN WIGGINS PVD NEWARK, NEW JERSEY

Kathleen is a private chef.

RICHMOND, VIRGINIA

Melissa is director of event management at White Lodging in Richmond.

JESSE FRIEDMAN PVD WARWICK, RHODE ISLAND

Jesse is in growth marketing with Automattic Inc., which is based in San Francisco, California.

PVD Providence NMI North Miami DEN Denver CLT Charlotte CHS Charleston NOR Norfolk Vail VAIL International ONL Online

2007

LONIELLE FREEMAN NMI

SHERLINE AURELUS NMI

Lonielle is a clinical dietitian for Morrison Management Specialists at North Shores Medical Center in Miami.

PEMBROKE PINES, FLORIDA

Sherline is the human resources manager at Loews Hotel & Resorts in Miami Beach.

BRENTON BLANCHARD PVD

MIAMI, FLORIDA

Kelly is the front office manager at Hampton Inn & Suites in Smithfield.

KRISTIN CANTO PVD

JILL LAZAR ’09 MBA PVD

FREEHOLD, NEW JERSEY

Kristin is senior sales manager at the New York Marriott Marquis.

ANTHONY D’AMICO PVD BAYONNE, NEW JERSEY

Anthony is the superintendent at Petretti & Associates in New York.

MICHELLE DAVIS PVD PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND

Michelle is a master of ceremonies and DJ at Platinum Entertainment LLC in Providence.

ANN DWYER ’08 MBA PVD CUMBERLAND, RHODE ISLAND

Ann is assistant director of athletics, facilities and operations at Brown University in Providence.

JOHN EVANS PVD CHARLESTON, WEST VIRGINIA

John is the sous chef at The Market Place in Asheville, North Carolina.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK

Jill has been promoted to assistant director of events for Dow Jones at The Wall Street Journal.

SHAWNTAY MOORE NMI MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA

Shawntay is the reservations manager at the Carillon Miami Wellness Resort in Miami Beach.

VANNY NHEM-RAPHAEL MBA PVD EAST PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND

Vanny is a registered nurse with Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island.

[7] KYLE PAFFORD PVD VIRGINIA BEACH, VIRGINIA

Kyle has been named executive chef at Atlantic Shores Retirement Community in Virginia Beach.

ANGELA PANDOLFI PVD MALDEN, MASSACHUSETTS

Angela is associate director of catering at Le Meridien Cambridge.

ALLISON PUZYCKI PVD WALLINGFORD, CONNECTICUT

Allison is director of marketing for Consulting Engineering Services in Middletown.

THEODORE SMITH PVD BURIEN, WASHINGTON

2008 PATRICIA ALVARADO PVD PAWTUCKET, RHODE ISLAND

Patricia is the human resources manager at Lowe’s in North Attleborough, Massachusetts.

RYAN BARRY PVD NORTHBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS

Ryan is the chief revenue officer for Zappistore in Boston.

Theodore was recently featured in The Seattle Times for his “cool job” as a run concierge for the Westin Seattle. He is also the lead guest service manager.

RYAN BURNS PVD

BRYAN SUPPLE PVD

DEBBI-JO HORTON MBA

CRANSTON, RHODE ISLAND

Bryan is a territory sales associate for SRS Medical in Feeding Hills, Massachusetts.

LEVI TANKSLEY ’14 MBA

PVD

PAWTUCKET, RHODE ISLAND

7

9

PAWTUCKET, RHODE ISLAND

Brenton is the business director of ABCK Corp. in New York.

STAMFORD, CONNECTICUT

8

KELLY GIL PVD

BOSTON, MA

Ryan is director of front-of-house operations at The Colonnade Hotel in Boston.

PVD

RIVERSIDE, RHODE ISLAND

Debbi-Jo is a senior director and brand partner at Nerium International in Riverside.

[8] NICHOLAS HUNTER CLT CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA

Xavier is the executive chef at the Drunken Dragon in Miami Beach.

Nick was on a team that won during season eight of the Food Network’s “The Great Food Truck Race.” The group returned home and soon purchased two trucks and a catering company that is outgrowing itself and the space.

CHRISTINE VAN DAM PVD

[9] DAVID LIEBERMAN CLT

Levi is a realtor with Keller Williams in Cumberland.

XAVIER TORRES NMI MIAMI, FLORIDA

CANTON, MASSACHUSETTS

Christine is the food and beverage operations director at Freshbox Farms in Millis.

ORLANDO, FLORIDA

David is assistant restaurant manager at the Marriott World Center in Orlando.

CHRISTOPHER WELLS PVD LAKE HIAWATHA, NEW JERSEY

Christopher is a physical education teacher in the Parsippany-Troy Hills school district.

www.jwu.edu

37

CLASS NOTES

10

NORTH CAROLINA RESTAURANT & LODGING ASSOCIATION AWARD RECIPIENTS L–R: Myles Scaglione ’15, Suzette Ramsey ’16, Ann Stefaney ’15, Gracelyn Cruden, Clark Barlowe ’09

BRANDON DRUCH PVD

CATHERINE SMITH PVD

JAMAICA PLAIN, MASSACHUSETTS

HILLSDALE, NEW JERSEY

Brandon is a travel manager at Corporate Traveler in Boston.

Catherine is the manager of talent acquisiton at Toys R Us in Wayne.

KATIE HERNANDEZ NMI

CANDACE VINSON NMI

NORTH BERGEN, NEW JERSEY

LYNCHBURG, VIRGINIA

Katie is the front desk manager at the New York Marriott Marquis Times Square.

Candace is a chef and manager for Culinart (Compass Group), working at Pacific Life Insurance Company in Lynchburg.

BRITTANY JANDOLI ’10 MBA PVD HAWTHORNE, NEW JERSEY

Brittany is the business manager at Toys R Us in Wayne.

LAQUEDA LEWIS NMI

RYANE WATKINS PVD

MIAMI, FLORIDA

SEEKONK, MASSACHUSETTS

Maria is an executive assistant at the Miami Shores Recreation Complex.

Ryane is a senior sales manager at Wyndham Boston Beacon Hill.

LaQueda is a prevention specialist at the Hanley Foundation in West Palm Beach.

TALISHA WILSON NMI

JOHN MAIELI PVD

LUISA MARANDO PVD HASTINGS ON HUDSON, NEW YORK

Luisa is marketing coordinator for Marriott Hotels.

TRAVIS MORROW PVD WALTHAM, MASSACHUSETTS

Travis is a retail operations manager with Sodexo in Boston, Massachusetts.

VERONICA OLSEN PVD SOMERVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS

Veronica is the coordinator of alumni communications and events at the continuing education division of Harvard University in Cambridge.

BARRY PHILLIPS PVD NEW YORK, NEW YORK

Barry is the director of operation systems for Loews Hotels in New York.

PETER REILLY PVD BELMAR, NEW JERSEY

Peter is a mortgage broker at Patriot Mortgage LLC in Manasquan.

BRIAN SOUSA PVD ATTLEBORO, MASSACHUSETTS

Brian owns the food truck O’Crepe LLC in Providence, Rhode Island.

38

SUNRISE, FLORIDA

MARIA LUIS NMI

Spring 2018

PLANTATION, FLORIDA

Talisha is manager of the Olive Garden restaurant in Plantation.

2009

MIAMI, FLORIDA

John is the pastry chef for Beaker & Gray in Miami.

KRISTINA McDONALD PVD CRANSTON, RHODE ISLAND

SHEERI YARDENI PVD SOMERVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS

Sheeri is the catering sales manager at the Wyndham Boston Beacon Hill.

2010 MICHAEL AULETTA PVD MASSAPEQUA, NEW YORK

Michael is the manager of fleet services for Summit Security Services in Uniondale.

JONATHAN DESROSIERS

PVD

NEW BEDFORD, MASSACHUSETTS

Kristina is a consultant at Pop Uprise in Cranston.

Jonathan is a web developer at Boston University.

Clark was named Restaurateur of the Year at the North Carolina Restaurant & Lodging Association awards ceremony. Clark is the owner and executive chef of Heirloom Restaurant in Charlotte.

STEVEN MONTEFORTE PVD

[12] BRADLEY FEICHTER

COREY CANTRELL PVD

Heather is a proposal specialist with Schnabel Engineering in Greensboro.

[10] CLARK BARLOWE PVD CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA

WARWICK, RHODE ISLAND

Corey is the web and e-commerce manager at Focal Upright in East Greenwich.

KRYSTAL CLYNE NMI

GREAT MEADOWS, NEW JERSEY

Steven is a sous chef at Stone Water in Lake Hopatcong.

[11] HEATHER OAKLEY CLT SANDY RIDGE, NORTH CAROLINA

11

MIAMI, FLORIDA

Krystal is the front office manager at DoubleTree by Hilton in Miami.

PVD

NEW YORK, NEW YORK

GREGORY DIAMOND PVD HOLLISTON, MASSACHUSETTS

Gregory is a key account manager at OMG Roofing Products in Agawam.

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA

Brad is now event manager at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center (MCCNO), the sixth largest convention center in the nation. He manages all aspects of the event planning process. As a liaison between the center and its clients, he guides them through event preparation and show set-up, monitors in-house events and oversees all related activities.

12

ELIZABETH CRAIGHEAD

Elizabeth is the hospitality event producer at Live Nation Inc. in New York.

CLT

JAMES O’DONNELL PVD BRADLEY BEACH, NEW JERSEY

James is the New Jersey sales manager at Verizon in Livingston.

BIRTHS

2002 YESENIA FUERTE ’12 MBA

PVD

LINDENWOLD, NEW JERSEY

Yesenia is the finance manager for Mastery Charter Schools in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

LAURA GOMEZ PVD BERGENFIELD, NEW JERSEY

Laura is assistant to the chief diversity and inclusion officer at Amherst College.

REBECCA LEUMANN CLT MYRTLE BEACH, SOUTH CAROLINA

Rebecca, who participated in the sommelier study abroad in Germany as well as the WSET level 2 while at JWU, has become a sales executive representing some Argentinian wineries in London.

AMORETTE MANGUM PVD CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA

Amorette is the regional business development specialist for Foodbuy in Charlotte.

MICHAEL TOUZE PVD PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND

Michael owns MTOUZEGraphics in Providence.

ANNAMARIE TUSH PVD NORTH PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND

Annamarie is the digital marketing coordinator at Collette in Pawtucket.

DAVID WILSON PVD

JACK HAMILTON PVD NEWTON, NEW HAMPSHIRE

Jack is a flight services specialist with the New Hampshire Air National Guard.

Tationa is a pastry chef at the Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina Hotel.

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS

Joseph is the business transient sales manager at Wyndham Boston Beacon Hill.

SOMERVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS

Stephanie is a travel manager at Corporate Travel in Boston.

RICHARD MALDONADO PVD NYACK, NEW YORK

Richard is the manager at Red Lobster in Nanuet.

JILLIAN MENOCHE PVD GLENDALE, RHODE ISLAND

Jillian is senior digital project manager with Intrepid Pursuits, a division of Accenture located in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

TAMARA RICHARD NMI EAST TAUNTON, MASSACHUSETTS

Tamara is a business development manager for the Unique Vacations division of Sandals Resorts.

David is a cloud engineer with IPG Media Brands in New York.

BOWIE, MARYLAND

JOHNSTON, RHODE ISLAND

Emmanuel is a network administrator for Falvey Insurance Group in North Kingstown.

CRISTEN FAHERTY PVD NORTH ATTLEBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS

Cristen is the owner and creative director of Cristen & Co in Cohasset.

2012 14

KRISTA SARASIN PVD and Christopher Carissa

STEPHANIE LOWELL CLT

D’NEATRA RICHMOND CLT

EMMANUEL CASSION PVD

[14] ELYSA LAURO PVD SEAN LAURO ’09 PVD Rylee Aria

SUNRISE, FLORIDA

JOSEPH LINCOLN PVD

[13] WILLIAM HYATT NMI Ramsay Jewell

2010

TATIONA INNOCENT NMI

NEW YORK, NEW YORK

2011

13

D’Neatra is a recruiting manager for Marriott Hotels at their corporate headquarters in Bethesda.

CHELSEA ROSEN PVD SOUTH BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS

Chelsea is a manager at Corporate Traveler in Boston.

ELIZABETH SMITH MBA

2012

SEEKONK, MASSACHUSETTS

ROBERT ERSKINE PVD

PVD

Elizabeth has been named assistant director of the Primary Care-Population Medicine Program (PC-PM) at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. PC-PM is the dual-degree M.D.-Sc.M. program that prepares students for a career in medicine while providing comprehensive longitudinal training in population medicine.

MICHELLE TULLOCH ’13 MBA PVD JOHNSTON, RHODE ISLAND

Michelle owns Eden’s Bowls in Johnston.

ASHLEY VUTECH PVD BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS

Ashley is the senior analyst, media technology, at DigitasLBi in Boston.

DANIEL WEIDMAN PVD NEW YORK, NEW YORK

Daniel is an account manager with Amazon.com.

ANDREW ZNIDARSIC CLT BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS

Andrew is general manager at Our Father’s Delicatessen (part of the Franklin Restaurant Group) in Allston.

SOMERS POINT, NEW JERSEY

Rob is the lead creative technologist with Hill Holliday.

BROOKE FEIGHTNER PVD BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS

Brooke is a travel manager at Corporate Travel in Boston.

DEBRONYA HODGES NMI MIAMI, FLORIDA

Debronya is the owner and chef at The Empty Plates Restaurant in Miami.

MICHAEL LAMEY NMI FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA

Michael has been appointed director of food and beverage services at the Fort Lauderdale Marriott Harbor Beach Resort & Spa. DAPHNIE MONTOYA NMI NORTH MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA

Daphnie is an assistant general manager with First Service Residential in Miami.

DANILO QUINONEZ MBA

PVD

CRANSTON, RHODE ISLAND

Danilo is a business unit finance manager at FGX International in Smithfield.

www.jwu.edu

39

CLASS NOTES MARI RUBIO NMI

CARLOS DE LA FUENTE NMI

MIAMI, FLORIDA

MIAMI, FLORIDA

Mari is owner and founder of Casa Gioi in Coral Gables.

Carlos is a hospitality operations consultant at Casa Florida in Miami.

JUSTIN SITZER ’14 MBA PVD NEW YORK, NEW YORK

Justin is part of the financial services staff for Ernst & Young in New York.

ERLINE ST. GEORGES NMI OPA LOCKA, FLORIDA

Erline co-owns Proud Tshirts Company in Miami.

NICHOLAS WIMETT NMI MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA

Nicholas is a merchandise specialist and handles store operations for Gucci in Bal Harbour.

2013 ALEXA ABBANANTO PVD ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA

Alexa was recently named to Hotel Management’s 30 Under 30 Top Rising Stars list.

VINNY ASWANI NMI BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS

Vinny is a tax associate with Deloitte in Boston.

HANNAH BARNARD ’14 MBA

PVD

PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND

Hannah is the manager at Red Beam Garage C, a shuttle service for T. F. Green Airport in Warwick.

JULIAN BOVASSO ’15 MBA

NMI

SUNNY ISLES BEACH, FLORIDA

Julian is the assistant retail manager for La Centrale Miami.

ANDREW CALIPA PVD RYE BROOK, NEW YORK

Andrew is a graphic designer with Conair in Stamford, Connecticut.

[15] DAMONT COMBS PVD PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND

Damont recently published his second volume of poetry, titled “A Touch of Orange.”

40

15

Spring 2018

ERIC DOUNN NMI PEMBROKE PINES, FLORIDA

Eric is the president of Miami Sports 77 Inc. in Davie.

JENNIFER ERNEY PVD HAYMARKET, VIRGINIA

Jennifer has been appointed regional vice president for Associated Luxury Hotels International in Washington, D.C. LINDSAY FORNACIARI PVD CRANSTON, RHODE ISLAND

Lindsay is a merchant at Gennaro Inc. in Cranston.

TAMATRI GALE NMI MIAMI, FLORIDA

Tamatri is a program manager for PEAR Programs.

COURTNEY MARAGET PVD DEDHAM, MASSACHUSETTS

Courtney is a staff accountant at Cognition Financial in Boston.

CARLOS MONTILLA NMI COCOA, FLORIDA

Carlos is the service director at the Boys and Girls Club of Central Florida in Melbourne.

PATRICK NALLY PVD BALLSTON SPA, NEW YORK

Patrick is a commercial account manager at Grainger Industrial Supply in Albany.

WILLIAM NUNERY PVD SMYRNA, DELAWARE

William is the marketing coordinator for AAA in Wilmington.

MICHAEL OLIVER PVD HOPE, RHODE ISLAND

Michael is CIO of The Claflin Company in Warwick.

KRISTEN SARCONE ’14 MBA PVD

2014

SHOREHAM, NEW YORK

KENDALL AYRES CLT

Kristen is an event coordinator with Starfish Junction Productions in Bay Shore.

DIANDRA SARNO PVD BROOKLYN, NEW YORK

Diandra is the graphic design coordinator at Central Park Conservancy in New York.

ROBERT SEMAR PVD NEW YORK, NEW YORK

Robert is a funding advisor at BFS Capital, a private equity firm distributing capital to small-tomidsize businesses. The company is based in New York City.

CASIE ST. GELAIS NMI DAVIE, FLORIDA

Casie is the senior membership service representative for the Miami Dolphins.

HUMPHREY SWIFT ’14 M.S. PVD RIVERSIDE, RHODE ISLAND

Humphrey is a case worker for the Massachusetts Department of Youth Services in New Bedford.

LYDIA THERRIEN PVD PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND

Lydia is a copywriter at Hasbro in Providence.

KELLIE VEHLIES NMI BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS

JOSEPH PRONK PVD

Kellie is a program associate at Historic Boston Inc.

EAST PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND

DANTE WILSON PVD

Joseph is a trooper with the Rhode Island State Police.

PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND

Dante is the marketing cordinator for the Carroll House for the Blind in Newton, Massachusetts.

STAFFORD, VIRGINIA

Kendall is the special events assistant at the National Museum of the Marine Corps.

LAURENANN BARBARINO

PVD

STATEN ISLAND, NEW YORK

LaurenAnn is a sales and marketing associate for The Manhattan Center in New York.

JENNA BARONE PVD HARRISON, NEW JERSEY

Jenna is the showroom manager at Rachel Roy. BETHANY BARRAR PVD PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND

Bethany is a catering sales manager at the Renaissance Hotel in Providence.

SAMUEL COOLEY NMI MIAMI, FLORIDA

Samuel is logistics manager at LVMH in Naples.

MARQUIS COOPER PVD ATTLEBORO, MASSACHUSETTS

Marquis is an audit associate at Gray, Gray & Gray LLP in Canton.

MEAGAN GREENE PVD WARREN, MASSACHUSETTS

Meagan is the operations manager for Snapchef in Springfield.

SAMANTHA HENDRICK

PVD

RIVERSIDE, RHODE ISLAND

Samantha is an event marketing coordinator at Community Connections Inc. in Wareham, Massachusetts.

ELIZABETH MADZIN PVD TINTON FALLS, NEW JERSEY

Elizabeth is campaign manager at the Leukemia Lymphoma Society in Cranford.

ADAM MAIN PVD PLAINFIELD, CONNECTICUT

Adam owns Adam Main Design in Plainfield.

RYAN McCABE PVD MILLVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS

Ryan is a graphic and web designer for United Way in Framingham.

KERI-ANNE OBASARE CLT CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA

Keri-Anne is executive chef at Avalon Catering in Atlanta, Georgia.

BRANDON O’ROURKE PVD NORTH MYRTLE BEACH, SOUTH CAROLINA

Brandon is a police officer with the Myrtle Beach Police Department.

MYLES SMITH NMI DANIA BEACH, FLORIDA

Myles is a legal assistant with Greenspoon Marder LLP in Fort Lauderdale.

CHRISTOPHER STEWART ’15 MBA PVD ROBBINSVILLE, NEW JERSEY

Christopher is the assistant operations manager at the Towson University Marriott Conference Hotel.

ANDREW STOCK ’16 MBA

PVD

SHIRLEY, NEW YORK

Andrew is the area sales manager for Vita Coco in Shirley.

HEATHER VEGA PVD SMYRNA, DELAWARE

Heather is the art director for Today Media in Wilmington.

2015

JACLYN LYONS PVD

MAUREEN CLEMENTS PVD

Jaclyn is an associate scientist at Chromocell in New Brunswick Township.

CRANSTON, RHODE ISLAND

Maureen is a substitute teacher with the Pawtucket School Department.

LAUREN CROTEAU PVD WHITMAN, MASSACHUSETTS

Lauren is the production manager at Dessert Works in Westwood.

MICHELLE DEMAYO PVD ATTLEBORO, MASSACHUSETTS

Michelle is a sales account manager for Hub Promotional Group in Braintree.

MICHAEL FERINDE PVD NUTLEY, NEW JERSEY

Michael is an assistant graphic designer at Aeropostale in New York.

JESSICA DANIELL FUNA

PVD

ATHOL, MASSACHUSETTS

Jessica is the corporate operations officer at Perpetual Health Clinic in Athol.

MOLLY GOZLAN PVD NEW YORK, NEW YORK

Molly is a housekeeping manager at the New York Marriott Marquis Times Square.

LAUREN HASSAN PVD CHESHIRE, CONNECTICUT

HILLSBOROUGH, NEW JERSEY

MICHAEL MARTIN PVD EAST PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND

HENRY MCKENNA PVD

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA

SAINT JAMES, NEW YORK

Henry is an account executive at Intralinks in New York.

COURTNEY MCTAGUE PVD SAUGUS, MASSACHUSETTS

Courtney is the dietetic technician at Winchester Hospital.

KRISTEN MUSZYNSKI PVD SOUTH HADLEY, MASSACHUSETTS

Kristen is the annual giving officer at the Sisters of Providence Health System in Springfield.

CONNOR O’NEIL PVD VERONA, NEW JERSEY

Connor is an executive recruiter for JP Morgan in New York.

KATELYN PALOMBO PVD OCEAN, NEW JERSEY

Katelyn is an assistant buyer for Ralph Lauren in Lyndhurst.

DANIKQWA RAMBERT PVD PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND

SOMPETCH KATISOMSAKUL PVD

WENDY RIORDAN PVD

SAVANNAH KRESGE PVD ELLINGTON, CONNECTICUT

Savannah is an associate auditor for PriceWaterhouseCoopers in Hartford.

MONIKA KUCAL PVD COVENTRY, RHODE ISLAND

Monika is an assistant account executive at Uncas International in West Warwick.

Myles was named Restaurant Employee of the Year at the North Carolina Restaurant & Lodging Association awards. Myles is chef de cuisine at Heirloom Restaurant in Charlotte.

[10] ANN MARIE STEFANEY

Danikqwa is a web designer at Sarah Rainwater Design in Providence.

Sompetch is the business development manager at Rootastes in Boston.

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA

Mike is the lead software engineer at EveryBill in East Providence.

Lauren is a registered dietitian with Shoprite in Waterbury.

PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND

[10] MYLES SCAGLIONE CLT

NARRAGANSETT, RHODE ISLAND

Wendy is a food and beverage manager at the Sheraton Providence Airport Hotel in Warwick.

LUIS RIVERA PVD CRANSTON, RHODE ISLAND

Luis is a product developer at Food Innovation Nexus in Providence.

EDZER ROUKEMA PVD BROOKLYN, NEW YORK

Edzer is a digital designer with Ralph in New York.

CLT

Ann Marie was named Pastry Chef of the Year at the North Carolina Restaurant & Lodging Association awards. Ann Marie works at Heirloom Restaurant in Charlotte.

CHLOE STEIN PVD SEVILLA, SPAIN

Chloe works in Sevilla for a start-up company called Glamping Hub. JOANNE TRAN NMI CORAL SPRINGS, FLORIDA

Joanne is the business administrator at Bommarito Performance Systems in Davie.

EMILY WILLIAMS PVD PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND

Emily is the sponsorship coordinator at Amica Mutual Insurance Company in Lincoln.

KAYLA WINGERT PVD PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND

Kayla is executive director of The Center for Sexual Pleasure and Health in Pawtucket.

2016 REBECCA ALEXANDER PVD DENVILLE, NEW JERSEY

Rebecca is a wedding specialist at The Mansion on Main Street in Vorhees.

CASSANDRA COLLINS PVD CHANTILLY, VIRGINIA

Cassie is the bakery team leader at Wegmans in Chantilly.

JOSEPH CONNOR PVD WALL, NEW JERSEY

Joseph is an assistant manager at Taylor Hardware in Belmar.

www.jwu.edu

41

CLASS NOTES JASON DEFALCO ED.D PVD

NMI

Jason has been selected as superintendent of BlackstoneMillville Public Schools.

PALMETTO BAY, FLORIDA

GENEVIEVE DUGAN PVD

CASANDRA SPILLANE ’17 MBA PVD

SOUTH WINDSOR, CONNECTICUT

Shelby is the culinary coordinator at Areas in Miami.

Genevieve is a creative design specialist at Converse in Boston, Massachusetts

RIVERVALE, NEW JERSEY

MICHELE FIGLIUOLO PVD

KELLEN TENSEN ’17 MBA PVD

WALDWICK, NEW JERSEY

Michele is a food stylist on the ABC cooking show “The Chew.”

CAROLINE GAUGHANPVD ATTLEBORO, MASSACHUSETTS

Casey is a travel manager at Corporate Traveler in Boston.

NEW CANAAN, CONNECTICUT

Kellen is a hospitality and events traineee at MKTG in Westport.

JASMINE TURNER PVD

a degree in Culinary Arts from Johnson & Wales University and plans on starting a private chef business. Stephanie also received a 2016 Hormel Heroes Scholarship, which enabled her to complete her final requirement for graduation: an internship at Walt Disney World Swan & Dolphin Resort.

SPENCER DESROSIERS PVD NEW BEDFORD, MASSACHUSETTS

Spencer is a visual designer and owner of SPD Media Co. ANTHONY FARIA PVD WEST HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT

Jasmine is an assistant platform media strategist for Trilia, a media agency of Hill Holliday in Boston.

Anthony is a soccer academy coach with the New England Revolution in Foxboro, Massachusetts.

NORTH MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA

STEFEN VONDASSEL PVD OLD SAYBROOK, CONNECTICUT

DANIELLA FISHBEIN PVD

Shannon is the operations manager for Yardbird Southern Table & Bar restaurant in Miami Beach.

Stefen is a systems engineer with the Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics in Groton.

KYLE KRAUSE NMI

HASSAN ABUABDALLAH

Caroline is a customer service representative with the New England Revolution in Foxboro.

SHANNON KIELY NMI

MIAMI, FLORIDA

Kyle is the catering and events coordinator for Hotel Colonnade in Coral Gables.

TRAVIS LINEHAN PVD BRIDGTON, MAINE

Travis is an inside sales representative for R. S. Hughes Co. Inc. YAN LIU MBA PVD PAWTUCKET, RHODE ISLAND

Yan is a leap associate at Plainridge Park Casino in Plainville, Massachusetts.

JACQUELINE OGONOWSKY

PVD

WINCHESTER, MASSACHUSETTS

Jacqueline is an events coordinator at Xconomy Inc., in Cambridge.

DAMIAN ORELLANA PVD GREENWICH, CONNECTICUT

Damian is the graphic designer at D’Addario in Brooklyn, New York.

42

SHELBY SAPAH-GULIAN

PORTSMOUTH, RHODE ISLAND

Spring 2018

MEDFORD, MASSACHUSETTS

PVD

PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND

Hassan Abuabdallah is the owner of Hassan Graphics.

KATHERINE BEERS NMI LARGO, FLORIDA

Katherine is a pastry chef with William Dean Chocolates in Belleair Bluffs.

STEPHANIE BROWN CLT KISSIMMEE, FLORIDA

Stephanie has been awarded The Hormel Heroes Scholarship.

The program was created by Hormel Foods to support female students with military backgrounds pursuing careers in culinary arts or a food service management related program, and is administered by the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF).

Stephanie is a former U.S. Air Force communications-computer systems operations officer who separated honorably after 10.5 years on active duty. She graduated summa cum laude with

WESTWOOD, NEW JERSEY

Daniella is a food and beverage voyager at the New York Marriott Marquis Times Square.

2017 MARIA KANELLIS PVD

DANIEL McBRINN PVD SUFFERN, NEW YORK

Daniel is the manager’s assistant at Enterprise Rent-a-Car in Harriman.

KHIYANDRA McCALLAM

NMI

MIAMI, FLORIDA

Khiyandra is a family support specialist with AMIKids Greater Fort Lauderdale.

BERVELIE MITIL NMI BRADENTON, FLORIDA

Bervelie served as a graduate assistant at Florida International University’s Panther Camp.

RAMON NUÑEZ PVD PAWTUCKET, RHODE ISLAND

Ray is the program coordinator at Leadership Rhode Island in Providence.

PRESTON PERRIOTT PVD PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND

Preston is an iOS developer at Johnson & Johnson in Providence.

AMANDA SANDOVAL PVD NANTUCKET, MASSACHUSETTS

Maria is a professional wrestler in the WWE.

Amanda is operations manager at The Roberts Collection, a series of inns on Nantucket.

ZOE KIM PVD

TYLER SAVOIE PVD

OTTAWA, ILLINOIS

LEONIA, NEW JERSEY

PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND

Zoe is a rooms voyager at the Westin New York Hotel at Times Square.

Tyler is a staff accountant and auditor at Grey, Grey & Grey LLP in Canton, Massachusetts.

JORDAN LACEY PVD

ANNA TRENT NMI

MATAWAN, NEW JERSEY

Jordan is an events voyager at the New York Marriott Marquis Times Square.

HOMESTEAD, FLORIDA

Anna is catering coordinator at The Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables.

TAYLA MANSON PVD HOBOKEN, NEW JERSEY

Tayla is the food and beverage manager for Legends Hospitality at the World Trade Center in New York.

AMY MARTIN PVD SPARKS, NEVADA

Amy is an event coordinator at Red Carpet Events & Design in Sparks.

PVD Providence NMI North Miami DEN Denver CLT Charlotte CHS Charleston NOR Norfolk VAIL Vail International ONL Online

IN MEMORIAM ALUMNI

FACULTY, STAFF AND FRIENDS

FRANCES P. GLEASON ’69 September 26, 2016

KEITH YOUNG ’84 March 17, 2018

RYAN M. WATSON ’02 December 12, 2017

IRWIN BELK February 24, 2018

CLIFFORD E. BROWN ’75 October 11, 2017

MICHAEL F. PENTLAND ’85 September 7, 2017

ALDRICH B. DY ’04 September 21, 2014

CLAUDIA M. BERUBE January 24, 2018

EVERETT L. VANASSE ’75 September 18, 2017

TERRY VINCE ’88 HON. May 20, 2016

JENNIFER DELPECHE ’06 December 12, 2017

PAUL BOCUSE January 20, 2018

RAYMOND A. BARBERY ’76 September 14, 2017

CHRISTOPHE K. KARAGEORGE ’89 January 27, 2018

JONATHAN T. PARTINGTON ’13 December 23, 2017

WILLIAM ELDER November 12, 2014

RAYMOND J. MCVEIGH ’76 September 26, 2017 MICHAEL L. NICOLAN ’77 November 25, 2017 JAMIE BALDINO ’79 December 22, 2017 KENNETH ROSA ’79 February 19, 2018 DONALD E. ARDUINO ’80 February 9, 2018 CONRAD T. JOHNSON ’80 November 4, 2017 HORACE R. SANSOUCI ’80 December 19, 2017 NORBERT L. SAVARD JR. ’80 January 19, 2018 RHONDA L. ZAMMARELLI ’80 July 22, 2016 MARGARET O. BERGH ’81 November 17, 2017 DONNA M. DUDICH ’81 October 8, 2015 QUINTIN CARAGAN ’82 October 17, 2017 ROBERT SAVAGE ’82 January 27, 2014 JONATHAN E. BRIMMER ’83 November 30, 2017 BARRY L. NEIMAN ’83 September 19, 2017

DANIEL P. KELLY ’89 May 29, 2017 WILLIAM T. O’HARA ’89 HON. January 16, 2018 DAVID RICCARDI ’89 October 9, 2017

EMILY C. FREDRICKS ’14 November 28, 2017 ERIC A. JONES ’14 February 7, 2018

ALBERT KUMIN September 9, 2016 ERIN LEIGHTON October 15, 2017

PATRICK R. WILLIAMS ’14 November 7, 2017

LEANDRO P. RIZZUTO December 3, 2017

LEON C. OUELLETTE ’90 October 2, 2017 FRED J. PICKERING ’90 September 8, 2017 JOLEA E. JONES ’91 January 29, 2018 DENISE T. JOP ’92 January 30, 2018 JAMIE COLLINS ’93 December 4, 2017 RAYMOND PEABODY ’95 February 2, 2018 JOHN HARLER JR. ’96 December 18, 2017 SCOT A. DANIEL ’97 September 11, 2017 PAMELA BACKHAUS ’00 January 23, 2018 BREEHA R. MACK ’00 January 27, 2018 JENNIFER GRANVILLE ’02 January 29, 2016 KATE PARKER ’02 January 11, 2018 STEVEN J. POTVIN ’02 March 6, 2018

DOMENIC A. VAVALA ’93 HON. February 13, 2018

The Johnson & Wales community mourns the loss of Domenic Anthony Vavala, Ph.D, who passed away February 13. The former College of Culinary Arts professor was considered a founding father of Johnson & Wales’ current nutrition programs. College of Hospitality Management Dean Paul McVety, Ed.D, has fond memories of being Vavala’s student in the late 1970s. “He was charismatic in his teaching style,” recalls McVety. “He always began each class by telling a joke and had a great sense of humor.

He was a very intelligent person; there wasn’t any question about nutrition he could not address. He was also a kind, caring teacher who challenged his students to be better.”

According to McVety, he also had more degrees than a thermometer: Vavala earned certificates or degrees from Tufts, Yale, and Brown universities, four military schools and a number of other institutions. He was enlisted to teach anatomy and physiology at Johnson & Wales in 1973.

He signed on as an adjunct faculty member and within a short time, was elevated to instructor of humanities as a permanent faculty member.

He was then promoted to associate dean of the adjunct faculty and then dean of faculty; in that role, he was responsible for more than 450 adjunct and nonadjunct faculty members. He was later made chairman of the culinary arts division, where he initiated a culinary nutrition program. He taught in eight disciplines during his JWU tenure. He also added a noble touch to commencement ceremonies by introducing honorary candidates in a singing booming tenor voice.

www.jwu.edu

43

HELLO! Scenes from Lori Zabatta’s JWU Days:

I

Dear Alumni and Friends,

1

2 [1] orientation leader [2] with friends at commencement [3] Fashion Club model

am honored and elated to pen my first letter to you as director of alumni relations. While I have met many of you over my years at Johnson & Wales University, I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself to those whom I haven’t, and to share my plans for the future of alumni relations.

A proud 1995 graduate, I came to JWU as a young woman from Queens, New York, dreaming of a career in the hospitality industry.

After completing my first trimester, I knew I had made the right choice.

I immersed myself in the JWU community and joined the Fashion Club, which included taking my first walk down the runway at Providence’s historic Performing Arts Center (PPAC). With a desire to do more and earn scholarship dollars, I became an orientation leader and resident assistant — positions I would hold for the rest of my academic years. These roles shaped the professional I would become and kick-started my career. With positions in a variety of areas at a handful of companies, my career came full circle when I returned to work at my alma mater, first in the Career Development Office and later in Alumni Relations. I was as proud then as I am now to contribute to the place that gave me so much.

JWU pride runs deep at home; my husband, son and brother are also graduates, and my youngest son will begin his JWU journey this fall, making us a Legacy family. So, as you see, my responsibility to myself, my family, my classmates and the alumni community is not taken lightly. I take it seriously because it is personal.

The future is bright. With JWU Connects, our newest network-based program that is fully launched and growing, as well as robust in-person, digital and virtual opportunities to connect with your classmates, alumni will have even more ways to engage with each other and their university. The expansion of volunteer opportunities in our campus cities and beyond is being identified so you can participate with JWU wherever you are, in a way that is meaningful to you. Advisory committees are being utilized to help inform our programmatic growth with an emphasis on what matters most: our personal and professional relationships.

This is an exciting time! I encourage you to participate in all things JWU. Let’s work together to build a strong alumni community.

Lori Vuolo Zabatta ’95 Director of Alumni Relations

3 44

Spring 2018

WHY

DO YOU LOVE JWU?

We want to know! Fill in the note, snap a pic and post on your favorite social media with hashtags

#JWUALUMNI #ILOVEJWU

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Denver Campus in bloom