Weddings

Allison Macey ’13 M’14 and Matthew Berrigan ’13 were married on Sept. 27, 2019, at Bayshore Grove in Oswego, N.Y. They met as tour guides in the Office of Admissions in 2009. In attendance were (front row, from left): Dave Passonno ’13, Robert Sheppard ’12, Sean Sharp ’12 M’13, Allison Macey Berrigan ’13 M’14 and Matthew Berrigan ’13; (second row, from left) Joanne Webster, Morgan Macey ’15, Katherine Webster ’13, Amanda Howe ’13, Kathryn Bartlett McNitt ’12, Liz Hulchanski, Katie Maxwell ’97 M’02, Graduate Admissions Counselor Sharon Griffin and Lauren Polak Kwaczala ’11; (back row, from left) Assistant Director of Admissions Luke Nadzadi, Doug Henderson, Rich Muyle ’04, Sean Stagnari ’13, Director of Admissions Dan Griffin ’92 M’00, Senior Associate Director of Admissions Jerry Oberst ’77, Breanna Smith Griswold ’13, Zach Griswold ’09, Academic Success Advisor Jordan Perry ’14 M’19, Katie Hall ’16, Residence Hall Director Leigh Viscomi and Associate Dean of Students Dan Roberts. Chelsea Cook and David Nye ’12 were married Sept. 29, 2019, in Lake Placid, N.Y.

Michael T. Brown ’13 and Allison M. Smith ’13 married Oct. 26, 2019, at Blessed Sacrament Church in Syracuse, N.Y. Among the wedding guests were Gal DiMamabro ’11, Mikey DiMambro ’10, Cait Walker ’12, Ann Schaefer ’78, Vin Fleszar ’13, Kevin Schulrz ’17, Andrew Riley ’16, Marc Marello ’13, Alex Bruhns, Tony Lauto ’10, Maggie Brown ’13, Brooklyn Sterio ’10 M’12, Juliet Andrews ’11, Justin Andrew ’12, Danielle Saturno ’15, Josh Adems ’08, Ashley Griser, Maggie Adems ’10, Lisa Iaccarino ’18, Emily Barbay ’18, Paula Longway ’13, Justin Soule ’12, Mike Lucatuorto and Andrew J. Schuster ’11. Allison is an art teacher at Blessed Sacrament Elementary School and a freelance graphic designer, and Michael is a community habitation coordinator for Advocates Inc. The couple lives in Baldwinsville, N.Y. Kirsten Reimers ’14 M’16 and U.S. Army Capt. Lee Hilpert were married on Nov. 10, 2018. The couple lives in Fayetteville, N.C., where Lee is stationed at Fort Bragg and Kirsten is a fourth grade teacher at St. John Paul II Catholic School.

Stefanie Cornnell ’13 M’14 and Alexander Elkins ’14 were married on Oct. 12, 2019, at Whiteface Mountain in Wilmington, N.Y. Pictured from left to right is Joe Gallina ’02, Molly Doyle VanOrman ’03, Brittany Barrett ’14, Dale Winchell ’14, Christopher McMullen ’15, Stefanie Cornnell ’13 M’14, Alexander Elkins ’14, Johana Lambert ’14, Hannah Smith M’14, Carlene Benson Wager M’16, Andrew Wager ’15 M’16, Brian West ’13, Ariel Powers West ’13, Colin Nobles ’12, Justin Montois ’14, Matthew Smith M’15, Kelly Long M’14 and Cynthia Cornnell M’87. Alex is a technology education teacher at Spencerport (N.Y.) High School, and Stefanie is a 7th grade science teacher at Twelve Corners Middle School in Brighton, N.Y.

Melissa E. Vincent ’97 and April Silbar were married Sept. 9, 2019, on a sailboat, S/V Seaheart, in the middle of San Francisco Bay. Melissa works at Apple Inc.’s Technology Development Group, and April works as a registered nurse in the Emergency Department of Dignity Health Dominican Hospital. Aimee Hirsch ’14 and Ryan Deffenbaugh ’14 were married on Oct. 12, 2019, in West Point, N.Y. In attendance were (front row, from left): Aimee Hirsch Deffenbaugh ’14, Ryan Deffenbaugh ’14, Peter Hanley ’15, Kimberly Hirsch ’19; (second row, from left): Leigh Rusyn Andrzejewski ’13, Ronel Puello ’15, Amanda Bintz ’15, Gwendolyn Girsdansky Matson ’12, JoAnn DeLauter ’17, Deborah Case Deffenbaugh ’78; (third row, from left): Alain Pierre-Lys ’14, Seamus Lyman ’15, Daniel O’Connor ’14, Travis Clark ’15, George Burke ’17 M’18, Christine Santoro Hirsch ’87.

Paul Mirra ’08 and Nicole Fink ’01 were married on Aug. 18, 2018, at the Renaissance Festival in Sterling, N.Y. From left, with the bride and groom, are Brandi Lee, Abigail Hammond, Stephanie Stevenson, Shannon McCrory-Churchill, Brian Stinson ’09, Dan Shipe ’08 and John Taylor.

Alumnus Assists Others with Emergency Planning

Through his company, Emergency Preparedness Solutions LLC, Tim Riecker ‘00 helps organizations, cities, event venues and other entities create plans to respond to everything from an active shooter to the COVID-19 pandemic. He and his wife, Dr. Robin Riecker, founded the company in Utica, N.Y., in 2012, to provide assessment, planning, training and hands-on exercises to better prepare a response to emergencies and disasters.

“The work I do is absolutely my passion,” said Tim, a business administration major who served as chief of operations for Student Association Volunteer Ambulance Corps (SAVAC) during his time at SUNY Oswego. “The depth that can go into this work is endless, from high-level plans to detailed checklists for the people taking action. While there are many standards across emergency management, those standards must be applied thoughtfully to meet the unique needs and circumstances of every client.” As a small business owner, he is also responsible for day-to-day operations and calls on the business administration knowledge he gained at Oswego. “It’s an interesting and multifaceted job,” he said. “The fundamental practices and services we provide come from knowledge and experience of being an emergency manager. My degree in business administration has helped me with all the necessary areas of running my own business: accounting and book keeping, marketing, communications, project management, organizational management, contract law and more.” His clients span the whole country and multiple time zones, which affects his work schedule as does the nature of the work.

He has been drawn to this high-intensity, high-impact work since he became a volunteer firefighter and EMT even before coming to Oswego and joining SAVAC.

When the COVID-19 pandemic emerged, his company was quick to be called to assist former, current and new clients. Although each kind of emergency—whether that is an infectious disease, weather event, active shooter or nuclear disaster—is unique, he said the fundamentals of planning are the same.

“Just like planning, the fundamentals of response are the same, but then we leverage different tools and resources to the solve the problem we are faced with,” he said. Tim said that all families and individuals should also have emergency plans for themselves.

To learn more about Tim’s company, visit epsllc.biz. Check out his and other alumni-owned businesses in the Oswego Alumni Business Directory at alumni. oswego.edu/businessdirectory. Richard (RJ) DeLisle M’99, a director of technology in the Baldwinsville (N.Y.) Central School District, received the 2020 Leader in Digital Education Award by the School Administrators Association of New York State, recognizing his exceptional, creative leadership in harnessing the potential of technology to further teaching and student achievement.

2000s

Michael Collins ’00 is commissioner of the Department of Neighborhood and Business Development for the City of Syracuse, N.Y. He has been executive director at the Northeast Community Center since 2014. Prior to that he worked in property management for Interfaith Works, ran his own Syracuse construction company and worked as a teacher at Meacham Elementary. Jeff Ragovin ’00 is the chief commercial officer of Fyllo, a marketing technology company focused on the cannabis industry. Christopher Anctil ’01 of Plattsburgh, N.Y., is an immigration services officer at U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services in the Department of Homeland Security in St. Albans, Vt. Michael Kite ’02 of Liverpool, N.Y., is a senior director of business development at Digital Hyve in Syracuse, N.Y. Naomi Pominville ’02 of Stockbridge, Ga., is a business analyst advisor at Cigna. Kristen Hoyt Vinson ’02 of Elgin, S.C., is married with three children who range in age from 11 to 16. She is the assistant vice president of service operations for Selerix Systems Inc., a software company based in Dallas, Texas. Kristen has worked with the company for 12 years and opened its South Carolina office about six years ago. The office has 17 employees and is growing. Ali (Allessandra) Messore Skinner ’03 is vice president of communications strategy and leads a team of 15 people for Capital District Physicians’ Health Plan, where she has worked since 2011. She previously worked as a Capital Region journalist. Kelly Crissy Nickerson ’04 of Fulton, N.Y., is a digital coordinator for WRVO Public Media on the SUNY Oswego campus. Ryan Snyder Sullivan ’04 of Copenhagen, N.Y., is a typist for Student Records at Jefferson Community College in Watertown, N.Y.

Julie Barlow ’05 of Rome, N.Y., is a branch supervisor at Community Bank N.A. in Rome.

Tom ’06 and Ariana Cuadrado Sylvester ’06 kicked off Genesee Community College’s third annual Pitch Competition with the presentation, “Becoming a Lifestyle Builder: Your Guide to Creating an Aligned and Amazing Life.” The couple covered the first three sections of their book, Life Builders, Build Your Business, Quit Your Job and Live Your Ideal Lifestyle. Travis Smith ’05 M’06 of Baldwinsville, N.Y., was promoted to audit senior manager at Dermody, Burke & Brown. He is a member of the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants and the notfor-profit section of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

ASK Me!

Tip for Tasty (Mashed) Taters

Ingredients: 8 Russet Potatoes 1 Pint Heavy Cream 1 Stick Butter (Unsalted) 1. Peel potatoes and cut each one into 6ths. Place directly in large pot of cold water. 2. Put pot on to boil and cut butter into slices. 3. Place butter and heavy cream in a small pot and simmer until melted. 4. Gently boil potatoes until fork tender, do not over-boil. 5. Strain potatoes and return to hot pot. 6. Crush with whisk (if you have a food mill/ricer or hand mixer use that). 7. Season with salt and pepper, add small amounts of cream mixture until proper texture is achieved. Do not overmix! (It should maintain a peak when dolloped onto a plate.) Shared by Lee Candela ’08, executive sous chef of North Hempstead Country Club in Port Washington, N.Y., during his virtual cooking session on preparing a Thanksgiving-inspired meal for the SUNY Oswego community.

Share a little of yourself with others. Become an ASK (Alumni Sharing Knowledge) volunteer today.

alumni.oswego.edu/ask

Jennifer Krusch ’07 of Denver, Colo., is a senior specialist in operational communications for Comcast in Englewood, Colo.

Shelby Matthews Mancuso ’07, husband, Mike, and children, Hudson (3), Parry and Finlee (6-month-old twins) were excited to appear on the Today show in September, after making Oswego shirts as Al Roker ’76 wears. They wanted to join the Oswego party! Shelby is a learning and development associate for LIFEPlan CCO, and they live in Frankfort, N.Y. Kelly Bootier Mattice ’07 of Niskayuna, N.Y., is a Spanish teacher in North Colonie (N.Y.) Central Schools. Michele Giorlando DeRosa ’08 of Stamford, Conn., is an English teacher at Greenwich (Conn.) Public Schools. During her time at Oswego, she was a member of the Laker Women’s Tennis team.

Brian Hauser ’08 M’10 of Liverpool, N.Y., is a web developer at Dupli Envelope & Graphics in Syracuse, N.Y., where he manages all company websites and digital marketing materials. Sarah Kane ’08 M’15 of Endicott, N.Y., has been an assistant dean of finance and human resources at the Watson School at Binghamton University since July 2018. Jill Tompkins ’08 of Oswego graduated in May from Syracuse University College of Law. She was selected to join the Order of Barristers, an honorary society for law graduates excelling in oral advocacy. Edwin Acevedo M’09 of Nashville, Tenn., is a digital optimization specialist at TruStar Marketing in Nashville. Caitlin Hafner Grady ’09 of Holly Spring, N.C., is enjoying her time as a stay-athome mom.

Alexander Rufer ’09 of Niskayuna, N.Y., is a commodity market analyst at Momentive Performance Materials in Waterford, N.Y. He was a member of the Men’s Rugby team at Oswego.

2010s

Benjamin Amey ’10 of Schenectady, N.Y., is a communications and public relations manager at Proctors Collaborative. While a student at Oswego, he was involved in the student media organizations, WTOP10 and WNYO.

Austin Byrd ’10 of Lancaster, N.Y., is a senior manager of philanthropy at the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation in Staten Island, N.Y. At Oswego, Austin was involved with Phi Beta Lambda and Omicron Delta Kappa, and worked as a resident mentor and with campus recreation.

Courtney Price ’10 of Moore, Okla., is a senior geologist at Chaparral Energy in Oklahoma City, Okla.

Loyal Lakers

“I want to contribute to the opportunities the current and future students have. Scholarships, the best facilities, participation in research and the arts—all of the top tier experiences I had were opportunities made possible by donations. It’s a pleasure to now contribute to those opportunities for future Lakers.”

– Emily Cantillon ’15 has been donating to The Fund for Oswego for the past five consecutive years—every year since she graduated. An early childhood education major, she went on to earn a master’s in teaching the visually impaired at the University of Northern Colorado and now works as a co-facilitator of Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown, Mass. Learn more at alumni.oswego.edu/loyallakers.

Alumna Innovates Her Career on Her Own Terms

Shanna Fuld ’16 is carving out her own path to pursue her passion as a reporter and producer of a daily podcast in Tel Aviv, Israel, that provides a news round-up of the top stories in that country. Intended for an English-speaking audience, her Israel Daily News Podcast is an independently run, non-affiliated show written, produced, and presented by Shanna. The podcast is free and available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and in every other podcast platform. She launched the podcast in spring after being laid off from an on-camera reporting position at ILTV Everything Israel as the COVID-19 pandemic was hitting the world. In just a few months, she has already picked up listeners from across Israel, the United States, Canada, Germany, United Kingdom, Denmark, Japan and the Philippines. Learn more or subscribe at israeldaily. news. Listen to an interview with Shanna in a recent Oswego Alumni Podcast at alumni.oswego.edu/podcast.

Christina Blanchard ’12 of Philadelphia, Pa., is an integration manager at Schweiger Dermatology Group in New York, N.Y. Mayol A. Malak ’12 of Syracuse, N.Y., works as a coordinator for Syracuse Model Neighborhood Face in Syracuse. Angela Janack ’13 M’14 is an audit senior with over five years of experience providing audits, reviews and compilations for a variety of industries. She concentrates in the industry specialties of nonprofit and architecture and engineering (A/E), and she specializes in providing audits of employee benefit plans and SOC 1 audits. She is also a member of the Accounting & Financial Women’s Alliance and Beta Alpha Psi, the international honor organization for financial information students and professionals. Steven Neuhauser ’13 M’15 is an accountant at D’Arcangelo & Co. LLP, working in the Oneida office.

Brendon Phillips ’13 of Niskayuna, N.Y., is a social media specialist at the University of Albany. Brendon was a member of WTOP during his time at Oswego. Mary Yaeger Sansone ’13 of Somerville, Mass., is the associate director of alumni engagement at Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass. During her time at Oswego, she was involved in Public Relations Student Society of America, Del Sarte Dance Club, Lambda Pi Eta and Omicron Delta Kappa. Crystal Walters Braham ’14 was hired by Cayuga Counseling Services as a crime victims specialist for the Auburn Police in Auburn, N.Y. Brian Chojnacki ’14 interned with WKBW-TV. After working in several markets, he filled a position in the sports department with WIVB-TV in Buffalo, N.Y. Christianna Miller ’14 of Ballston Spa, N.Y., has embarked on two, 20,000-mile solo road trips around the county (2016 and 2018) since graduation. She is currently planning a third solo road trip to Alaska, “At-last-ka” to complete her goal of setting foot in every state. Starting off a production career on several television shows, she worked her way to being a full-time freelance production coordinator. Some of her past jobs include music videos for Drake, Ariana Grande, Maroon 5 and Dua Lipa, and on commercials for Chanel, Target, ESPN, Disney, Google Apple, Facebook and many other household names. One of her most recent jobs aired during 2020’s Super Bowl for New York Life. Amanda Millier ’14 of Albany, N.Y., was appointed as an Excelsior Service Fellow in the Governor’s Office of Employee Relations after graduating with her MBA. During the two-year appointment, she is working on a variety of projects pertaining to policy. Mohamed Rizly Noor Mohamed ’14 of Matale, Sri Lanka, is working as a recruiter. John Mongiello ’14 of Stamford, Conn., is a senior production assistant at World Wrestling Entertainment. He attributes his internship experience with Elvis Duran and the Morning Show on New York City’s Z100, and the success of his WNYO radio show 4 Guys in a Booth with helping him obtain a position as a DJ/producer at Cumulus Media’s top station in Syracuse, N.Y., 93Q. He also produced live Syracuse Chiefs baseball broadcasts on its sister station, The Score (AM 1260). In his current role, John edits WWE’s videos for YouTube and the WWE Network. He assists in the live production of a global entertainment program, Monday Night Raw, which airs live every Monday on the USA Network.

Kendra Bowman ’15 of Waterloo, N.Y., is an enrollment coordinator at Keuka College. Pranay Chapagain M’15 M’20 of Liverpool, N.Y., is a web application developer at SUNY Oswego. Molly Matott Clock ’15 of North Syracuse, N.Y., is an innovation tech high school math teacher at OCM BOCES. She and Taylor Clock ‘15 were married June 6, 2020. At Oswego, she was involved with WTOP-10, Meteorology Club and Del Sarte Dance Club, and worked as a Laker Leader for New Student Orientation.

Jonathan Krupa ’15 of Syracuse, N.Y., is a paralegal working for the City of Syracuse, handling local laws and bankruptcy cases. He is in the graduate certificate study program for paralegal studies at Duke University.

EVENTS

While planning for these events continues, please check the online events calendar for the most up-to-date information. March 1 GOLD Giving Challenge Begins** March 6 Reunion 2021 Engagement and Philanthropy Committee Meeting* April 10 Oswego Alumni Association Board of Directors Meeting* May 7 Oswego College Foundation Board of Directors Meeting** May 14 Commencement Eve Torchlight Ceremony* June Reunion Weekend 2021* June 12 Oswego Alumni Association Board of Directors Meeting*

* Alumni and Parent Relations, 315-312-2258 ** University Development, 315-312-3003

alumni.oswego.edu

Oswego Matters

Unprecedented. Challenging. Uncertain.

I would bet good money that those three words ranked near the top of many vocabularies in 2020. They certainly did in mine. Last year was not at all what anyone expected. And while there were many hardships, I still found myself using one more phrase almost as often as the three words above:

Silver lining. ... Or, perhaps in this case, I should say golden lining. This phrase particularly stood out for me during the Thanksgiving season, as I reflected back on the months prior—and I even expressed this in a note to our Alumni Association Board of Directors, whom I am grateful to work beside (albeit virtually!) each day. On a personal note, my husband and I faced the same scenario that many parents worldwide found themselves in last spring: adjusting to working from home ... with a toddler in the mix. Challenging? Frequently. Uncertain? I think the word “toddler” speaks for itself. Golden lining? Extra time we would have never been granted with our son during these precious and fleeting moments of childhood—for which we’ll be forever grateful. In the Alumni and Development Office, we joined higher education institutions across the nation in the scramble to transition longstanding traditions to a virtual realm. Unprecedented? Absolutely. Challenging? Insert audio of, “You’re on mute!” on repeat here ... enough said. Golden lining? Access to technology that allows us to continue our good work together, even while apart—and which still enables impactful connections to occur among our Laker community. As we all continue forward into this new year with refreshed hope, there is still plenty of uncertainty among our penciled-in plans. Golden lining? Knowing you’re part of a Laker family that is certain to re-write their agendas and make the time to support their alma mater, its current students or their alumni family—no matter the circumstances.

So, “un-mute” yourself, if you haven’t already—and be a golden lining for another Laker! Become an Alumni Sharing Knowledge mentor, to connect with current students; share your Oswego story as a guest on our Oswego Alumni Podcast; support need-based scholarships through the Path Forward campaign; host a virtual webinar or presentation for alumni; join the Reunion Committee to help plan our annual tradition (whatever that may look like!); or become an Admissions volunteer, to help recruit the next generation of Oz grads. And, while we’re still “distancing” for the time being, you can still be “social” with us by following our various social media channels. “Like/Follow” our Oswego Alumni communities for extra content!

Following a year when it was tough to stay positive, I hope you’re able to find joy, rest and peace in 2021. You, our Oswego alumni, are one of the reasons I find joy in my work from day to day. Perhaps you’ll find that some of your own golden linings have a hint of green, too?

Sarah Popovitch Mayrose ’15 of Saratoga Springs, N.Y., is a veterinarian at VCA Animal Hospital in Ballston Spa, N.Y. During her years at Oswego, Sarah ran with the Laker track and cross country teams. Jeremy Pietruch ’15 works as a math specialist in the Academic Support Center at Herkimer County Community College, where he provides subject-specific tutorial assistance infused with best-practice study strategies instruction, utilizing a range of available learning resources and through a variety of service-delivery modes. He earned a master’s degree in accountancy from SUNY Polytechnic Institute. Previously, he worked in the Utica City School District as a homebound instructor, providing one-on-one tutoring to students, and as a substitute teacher at the middle and high school levels. Rebekah Tanner M’15 of Syracuse, N.Y., is a proprietor at Winged Fox Enterprises. Reid Adler ’16 M’19 of Las Cruces, N.M., is a resident director at New Mexico State University. He has most recently become a university investigator for the Dean of New Students Office. His love of rugby at SUNY Oswego led him to become a D1A Rugby Referee in the Southwest Region under USA Rugby. Megan Gallagher ’16 of Bay Shore, N.Y., now working as a paralegal, comes from a long line of Oswego alumni in her family; mother, Mary Jane Madden (Holt), father, Daniel Gallagher, cousin, Rachel Jewell ‘09 M’11. Megan was involved with Alpha Sigma Chi at Oswego, and remembers swimming in the lake, reading on the lawn in front of Cayuga and free skating as some of her favorite activities and memories. Laura Pavlus Kelly ’09 Executive Director of the Oswego Alumni Association

Katherine Hartig ’16 of Northport, N.Y., is a vertical marketing specialist at Spectronics Corporation in Westbury, N.Y. At Oswego, Katherine was involved with the Newman Center.

Zoe Barnholdt ’17 is an interior designer and founder of Flowers for Zoe in Syracuse, N.Y., area. Previously, she worked as a business advisor at EarQ Group. Rachel Hartter ’17 of Henrietta, N.Y., is a tax auditor trainee at NYS Department of Tax and Finance.

Joanna McIntyre ’17 of Albany, N.Y., is a program assistant at the University of Albany. She is also pursuing a master’s in social work at SUNY Albany. Emily Nassir ’17 of Great Neck, N.Y., is an associate customer success manager at Bluecore in New York, N.Y. During Emily’s