Alumni Notes

[2]

1975

Linda Fagan Squires has retired after 35 years of service from the Dutchess County Health Department Communicable Disease Control Division. Since her retirement in 2016, Linda has assisted Sullivan County Health Department with the 2019 measles outbreak response and 2020 COVID pandemic response. She has been a Community Health Nursing clinical instructor at the Mount since 2015. Linda has been married to her husband, Harry, for 44 years. They have six children and five grandchildren.

Joan Conway Sternitzke has retired and is living in upstate New York on Lake Schenevus. She enjoys kayaking and volunteering at her church and food pantry for her community.

Barbara Stevens is now retired and spent seven years in bedside nursing before going to a career in the pharmaceutical industry. “My years of nursing were the best,” she notes. [1] [2] [3]

1977

Michael Vega retired from teaching after 32 years (26 years with NYC Dept. of Ed. and 6 years. with International School of Stockholm, Sweden). He achieved two master’s degrees, one in Special Education and one in International Education/Administration. He now lives in the Bronx with his wife of 35 years, Gunilla. They have two daughters, Sarah and Anna.

1982

Michael J. Fraser continues to work as a sports psychology consultant with various teams and athletes throughout the country. [1]

1987

Susan Croteau Kindley has worked as an RN for 33 years, 30 of them as an Oncology nurse. Susan has been married to a wonderful man for 11 years and is soon to be a grandma again. Her oldest stepdaughter is having a baby girl in February!

1990

John DiChristina would like to give a big thank you to all the frontline workers. Thank you for keeping us safe and healthy. John gives a big shout out to the Class of 1990 nurses and the others that he knows well. Stay safe, and you are the best!

1996

Stephanie Betti Jackob has fully enjoyed the flexibility of the profession of nursing. While enjoying a career, she feels that she has also been able to enjoy motherhood and married life. Stephanie has worked in med-surg, stepdown, and critical care on the night shift for more than 20 years. For 15 years, she was a critical care float RN and has been in the Cardiac ICU for 5 years. She enjoys precepting new nurses, getting CCRN certified, and now starting her master’s degree. Thank you MSMC! Stephanie is grateful to be a nurse and cannot imagine any other profession!

2000

Joseph Polvere completed a master’s degree in History from the University of Nebraska. It is his third master’s degree. He is entering his 20th year of teaching.

2004

Lori Kasprzak is working for Round Point Mortgage Servicing Corporation and received a promotion to the triage department from customer service that began on July 20th. She has been there for three and a half years.

2009

Ashley Lombardi Carr is an adjunct clinical instructor at Mount Saint Mary College. Ashley has been an RN for 8 years and now NP for 3.5 years.

2010

Marissa (Stolz) Tamburi was one of the nurses honored as Hudson Valley Magazine’s Excellence in Nursing 2020.

2014

Gretchen Hafner’s paid summer program in the operating room between

junior and senior year at the Mount helped develop her mission to become a certified registered nurse anesthetist. After three years of working in stepdown and critical care units as a registered nurse, she was accepted into the Rutgers CRNA program. Although the program is extremely rigorous, she knows every day that it is what she is meant to do! She is thankful to the Mount for providing her with such a strong undergraduate foundation and feels that she was adequately prepared to succeed in such a difficult graduate program.

2015

Brianne Smith recently received her degree as an adult geriatric acute care nurse practitioner. She has accepted a job at Long Island Jewish Medical Center. Brianne is super excited to begin her career as an NP!

2016

Alvin Mann has been in a voluntary quarantine since mid-February. So far, so good! He is getting to appreciate his peace and quiet. [4] [5] [6]

2017

Clarissa Espinosa has worked in plastic surgery at Crystal Run for a year. She now works at Garner Health on a medical telemetry/medical surgical unit and has been there for two years. Clarissa is currently working on getting her medsurg certification.

Malaina Hynes has been working for the last three years as an elementary substitute teacher on Long Island with the determination to earn a position as a full-time teacher with her own classroom. In December 2019, Malaina graduated from Adelphi University, receiving a master’s degree in Literacy Education. In her spare time, she has been creating custom creations for her small business. [2]

2020

Jessica Koch is happy to announce that she has been offered a full-time position in a hospital.

Caitlyn Venditti passed the NCLEX in July after graduation on the first try. Caitlyn has been hired to start at Vassar Brothers Medical Center. She is very excited to begin her career as a nurse after four years of nursing school.

Marriages

1993

Dawn (Sempervive) Kiss

married Edward Kiss on Sept. 21, 2019 at Bernard’s in Ridgefield, Conn. They went to Hawaii for a two-week honeymoon. Dawn and Edward live in Ridgefield, Conn. with their two German Shepherds, Nikita and Ellie. [3]

Mary (Koutrakos)

Abbott married Rick Abbott on February 2, 2020 at The NoMad Hotel in New York City.

Christine (Batthany) Amen

'93 was a bridesmaid. Mary is the controller for ClearDATA. Rick is the COO for Circuit of the Americas and a graduate of the University of Minnesota, a first-round draft pick for the Milwaukee Brewers, and a five-time Emmy Award winner. Mary and Rick reside in Austin, Texas. [4]

2013

Brian Klose-Koehler married Allen Koehler in Disney World this past January. The two met while working in the Admissions office at the Mount. They now live in Pennsylvania and both work for Penn State. [5]

2017

Allison Sciucco married Ryan Walsh on December 29, 2019 in the Chapel of the Most Holy Rosary in the Dominican Center. Fr. Gregoire Fluet officiated, and Durward Entrekin, professor of Music, provided the music. The bridal party included several alumni, including Maid of Honor Regina Zeoli ’17, as well as bridesmaids Amanda Bocekci ’17, Jessica Daigle ’17, Marissa Catania ’18, Danielle Hughes ’18, and Samantha McGregor ’18. Ryan’s brother, Kevin Walsh ’07, was a groomsman. Jack Deragon, former assistant lacrosse coach, was also a groomsman. Ryan is serving in the United States Air Force, and the couple currently reside at Minot Air Force Base in Minot, N.D. [6]

In Memoriam

Joanne (Cashdollar)

Taylor ’72 passed away on July 24, 2020.

Michael Reeve, 46, brother of Kristi (Reeve) Larson ’00 and brother-in-law of Peter Larson ’00, passed away on October 31, 2019.

John Hennessy, father of

Karen Hennessy-

Bernsley ’93, passed away on April 9, 2020.

Nelson Manuel Franky, father of Jason Franky ’08, MBA ’11, passed away on April 14, 2020.

William Minze, father of

Ann Marie Minze

Hollywood ’01 and father-in-law to Tom Hollywood ’02, passed away on April 28, 2020.

Cheryl E. Robinson ’84

passed away on June 22, 2020.

Dennis Shannon, father of Nicholas Shannon ’03, passed away on June 24, 2020.

James T. Siddle, brother of Donna (Siddle) Borcherdt ’69, passed away on August 11, 2020.

VOLUNTEER AT THE MOUNT Why give back to your alma mater?

Aren’t your college days over? We don’t think so! As an alum, your voice is valuable in helping shape the future of the Mount. Have a say in how future generations experience the Mount and stay connected with your college family.

Social Media Ambassadors

This is the perfect opportunity for busy alumni who want to give back, but don’t have the time or ability to make it to campus to attend meetings. The Alumni Association Social Media Committee assists with keeping fellow Knights connected and in the know. Volunteers will be asked to post/share events and college news on their social media platforms. A simple and easy way to give back!

Regional Ambassadors

We’re proud to have Mount alumni all around the country! Help keep the connection between local Knights and the college by planning and hosting fun, low-key regional events and activities. Don’t worry — we’ll help you plan! Our regional ambassadors also act as liaisons between alumni and the college and are encouraged to attend a semi-annual conference call to keep informed.

Alumni Reunion Weekend Committee

Help plan the biggest alumni event of the year! Members of our Alumni Reunion Weekend Committee assist by offering feedback and helping plan events for Alumni Weekend, reaching out to classmates to encourage them to attend, and assist with fundraising efforts for their reunion class gift. Participation in conference call meetings to plan are required.

Hire a Mount intern/alum

Do you have an internship or open job position? Consider a Mount student! Join the MSMC Knight Network database and share your listing with qualified Mount candidates.

Alumni Admission Program

Share your love of the Mount with prospective students! Our Alumni Admission Program offers enthusiastic alumni the chance to connect with future Mount students to share their experiences and spread the word about this amazing hidden gem of the Hudson Valley. Volunteers assist at regional college fairs and information sessions as well as speak at admitted student events. Training is provided; just bring your passion for MSMC!