Miami Magazine | Spring 2017

Dear World | Exchange of Hope | Election Reflection | ‘Moonlight’ Special

MIAMI THE UNIVE RSITY OF MIAMI MAGAZINE | SPRING 2017

Architects survey informal settlements in South America with the aid of drone and X-ray technology, giving oftenoverlooked residents the voice and visibility their governments can’t ignore.

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Contents miami.edu/magazine

Volume 23 Number 2 | Spring 2017

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D E P A R T M E N T S

F E A T U R E S

University Journal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

16

R+D Update . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

UM students were asked to reveal the one thing they want to tell the world, and

Eye on Athletics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

20

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Bottom Lines

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11

Faculty Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Student Spotlight

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Alumni Digest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Class Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 In Memoriam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Alumni Leaders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 Big Picture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Wearing Their Stories the results are eye opening.

Pushing the Needle Battling strong resistance for years, UM physician Hansel Tookes, M.P.H. ’09, M.D. ’14, is now leading Florida’s first syringe exchange program.

26

Hurricanes Take Election by Storm A look at the alumni who made the national stage, the students who got all fired up, and the issues that hit close to home during Election 2016.

30

‘Moonlight’ Becomes Him Tarell Alvin McCraney came back to Miami—and joined UM as a professor—to give back to the community that raised him. Then the film he co-wrote came out.

34

Off the Charts Architects venture off the grid in Colombia to get a struggling community back on the map.

ANDREW INNERARITY

Inbox

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miami.edu/magazine Spring 2017 MIAMI 1

Inbox

COMMENTS AND OPINIONS FROM UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI ALUMNI AND FRIENDS

I commend the artist who came up with the design of the cover for the Fall 2016 magazine. What a bright idea to have the Earth encapsulated by a light bulb to illustrate the warming of our planet. The light bulb, combined with the warm colors, “illuminates” the fact that the Earth is warming up and symbolizes the “bright ideas” that could prepare our planet for the impending consequences from climate change.

Keep up the good work.

Sharon Fowler, M.A. ’89 Delray Beach, Florida

Climate Costs In regard to your climate change issue (Fall 2016), I believe in climate change.

We’ve always had it and always will have it. When the next ice age comes, I wonder how much money we can spend to cure that?

Dick Rowe, B.B.A. ’50 Melbourne, Florida

Small World It was indeed a pleasant surprise to receive in my mail

Palaka Vayalil J. Thomas, Ph.D. ’65 Bombay, India

needs dog, Nikko was quite involved at the U. I applaud Dr. Beverly for bringing this activity to a new and wonderful level. The efforts of this program are admirable.

Paula (Tiscio) Burkhardt, B.Ed. ’76 Pennsylvania

I thoroughly enjoyed reading the Fall 2016 edition of your publication. It certainly gives me lots of pride and joy to see the amazing progress that my beloved alma mater has made over the past decade and particularly under the leadership of President Frenk.

Editor’s Note: Yes, we’ve gone global. We’ll send your magazine pretty much Sami A. Garabedian, M.S.Ed. ’83 wherever you live in the Beirut, Lebanon world. Email inquiries and address updates to alumni@miami.

Big Picture edu.

A SNAPSHOT OF THE U TODAY

Big Canine on Campus I am pleased to read in Miami magazine (“Ruff Life,” Fall 2015) that Professor Joy Beverly launched a wonderful and useful program at the University of Miami with Trenton and Canine Companions for Independence.

My companion, Nikko, was a Siberian husky that accompanied me everywhere on campus, attending classes, going to the student union, and even attending baseball games at the University. This concept of dogs on campus doing a good thing is not new. Though not training to become a special

2 MIAMI Spring 2017 miami.edu/magazine

to 1996. I have been looking for the right picture to add to the several items of memorabilia from my playing days that are already displayed in my office at Franklin Junior High School, where I am principal.

J Ina, A.B. ’97 Franklin, Louisiana

From Beirut, with Pride

SCOTT FRICKER

Art Smarts

a copy of the University of Miami magazine Fall 2016 issue for the first time in more than half a century after I left the University! I enjoyed reading it and would be pleased to read future copies of the magazine to learn about the tremendous changes taking place in the University. I thank you and your colleagues who put in effort to find my address in Bombay and send me the magazine.

Football Flashback I came across a photo on p. 40 in my Fall 2016 Miami magazine of the Greentree Practice Fields. It’s an outstanding photo that captures a place I spent five years practicing as a member of the UM football team from 1992

Got a ’Cane Over Here I am not an alumnus—wish I was. But like millions of us out there, I bleed orange and green. Truly. I donate to the U (I don’t even donate money to my real alma mater). I cry and cheer and scream and argue when it comes to Miami. I get defensive when anyone talks badly about the ’Canes. Yes, it’s a love affair, a 40-year-old love affair.

When UM President Julio Frenk spoke at the introductory press conference for UM Head Football Coach Mark Richt, B.B.A. ’82 (“The Richt Stuff,” Spring 2016), I was deeply touched by his words.

I mean I shed a tear or two.

“Football is not part of what we do here,” he said. “It is part of who we are.” Yes, I, a 52-year-old, sort-of-manly guy, cried at those words.

The ’Canes are part of the unifying DNA and fabric of Miami-Dade-Broward-Palm Beach. It’s the team of the people. It transcends cultures, colors, races, and religions.

The U is us. Not just the students of that magnificent university, but also the regular guy or girl in Liberty City, Lauderdale, Clewiston, or Immokalee. We wear that U proudly amongst thousands of

Gators, Seminoles, Buckeyes, and others. On a recent trip to California, while at breakfast with my U hat on, I was approached by an older gentleman. “What class did you graduate from?” he asked.

“I didn’t, but I am a huge fan, and I always have been.” To that, he threw up the U. “Go ’Canes!” we said in unison.

Congratulations for being students and alumni of such a beautiful, prestigious, cosmopolitan, and diverse university. But don’t forget about us.

MIAMI

We’re “over here” too—and we love the U just as much.

Jaime Alvarez Fort Myers, Florida (via Lauderdale Lakes) CORRECTIONS Owing to a database error, Edward W. McSwiggan, B.B.A. ’65, was incorrectly included in our Fall 2016 “In Memoriam” list. Apologies to Mr. McSwiggan. Send alumni news and report In Memoriam updates to alumni@miami.edu.

The University of Miami Magazine

WRITE TO US Letters should be fewer than 300 words and may be edited for style, length, and clarity. Please include contact information.

ADDRESS LETTERS TO: Inbox, Miami P.O. Box 248105 Coral Gables, FL 33124

­ Assistant Vice President for Communications and Marketing

Todd Ellenberg

Executive Director for Communications and Marketing

Meredith Camel, M.F.A. ’12 Editor

Robin Shear Creative Director and Art Director

Scott Fricker

Associate Editor

Robert C. Jones Jr. Graphic Designer

EMAIL: miami.editor@miami.edu.

Nicole Andujar Production Manager

Angie Villanueva, A.B. ’12 Editorial Contributors

From the Editor Making Our Way

Amid a wave of bloody pogroms in Poland, my grandfather was born a Jew. Repeatedly denied a visa to reunite with his mother in the United States, he fled alone at 13 from Eastern Europe, landing in Mexico, where he made his way for four years by selling saints and crucifixes to locals, riding horseback through the town, and learning to speak Spanish with a Polish accent.

He always said he felt more at home there than in Poland. From Mexico he crossed the Rio Grande into Texas to reconnect with his U.S. relatives. Decades later, government officials came calling, but they didn’t lock him up or deport him. They told him how to leave and re-enter with the proper papers. They gave him a chance to resume the productive life he’d built as an otherwise law-abiding citizen. His is just one of this proud nation’s countless immigrant stories, one with a very happy ending.

Many of the stories in this issue are about bringing invisible struggles to the surface and truly seeing the stranger in our midst—whether in an off-the-grid community in Colombia (p. 34) or on the streets of Miami (p. 20). And within our own University. As the writer James Baldwin said, “Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.”

Dear World gave UM the opportunity to explore that notion directly, inviting students, faculty, and administrators to share the one thing they want the world to know about them. A sampling from that brave and revelatory photo project is on page 16.

Creating change is the sphere of politics, another area where ’Canes are deeply engaged (p. 26)­—just as this issue went to press, yet another ’Cane, Jovita Carranza, M.B.A. ’03, was tapped for a national post: treasurer of the United States.

Associate professor of political science Joseph Uscinski, who studies the impact of fake news and conspiracy theory on politics, recently presented a ’Cane Talk (online at miami.edu/magazine) in which he urged his audience to look for facts and follow science. Equally important, he said, is to keep talking. “I want to encourage you to open dialogues with people who you might disagree with,” he said. “Disagreement leads to learning, and learning leads to growth.”

As the University of Miami continues to forge bridges and roads into the future, it also aims through initiatives like the Culture of Belonging to tear down the kind of invisible walls we erect to block people we perceive as different, as threatening to our way of life or ideology. During a recent Q&A with UM President Julio Frenk, Academy Award winner Tarell Alvin McCraney (p. 30) praised UM’s Culture of Belonging as “a powerful tenet,” adding, “We have work to do here, but that’s where it all starts.” I’m certain my grandfather would agree.

—Robin Shear, editor

Julia Berg Amy Driscoll Barbara Gutierrez Nosa James, ’20 Jennifer Palma Wendy Rees Alex Rodriguez Andres Tamayo Karina Valdes, M.A. ’13

­ President

Julio Frenk Vice President for University Communications

Jacqueline R. Menendez, A.B. ’83 Senior Vice President for University Advancement and External Affairs

Sergio M. Gonzalez

Associate Vice President of Alumni Relations and Individual Giving

Donna A. Arbide, M.B.A. ’95

­ Miami is published by the University of Miami Division of University Communications.

Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited.

Distributed free of charge to alumni and friends of the University.

Postmaster and others, please send change of address notification to Miami, Office of Alumni Relations, P.O. Box 248053, Coral Gables, Florida 33124-3410; telephone 305-284-2872.

Contributions of articles, photographs, and artwork are welcome; however, Miami accepts no responsibility for unsolicited items.

The comments and opinions expressed in this magazine do not necessarily reflect those of the University of Miami or the staff of Miami.

Copyright ©2017, University of Miami.

An Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.

miami.edu/magazine Spring 2017 MIAMI 3

UniversityJournal

NEWS, PEOPLE, CULTURE, AND RESEARCH FROM CAMPUS AND BEYOND

Redefining Campus Living in a Big Way Lakeside village will be the first step toward realizing a whole new era in student housing The University of Miami has embarked on an ambitious 10-year strategic plan to transform student housing for the 21st century. The three-phase initiative is expected to kick off in November with construction of a nearly 640,000-square-foot Student Housing Village on eight acres along the southeast corner of Lake Osceola.

The Arquitectonica-designed village, projected to open by Fall 2019, will be a series of 25 interconnected buildings and a multitude of outdoor spaces intended to integrate academic and student services, while serving as a gathering place for the greater UM community.

“This new facility is being designed to meet the needs and expectations of the next generation of University of Miami students,” says James Smart, executive director of the Department of Housing and Residential Life. “It will be an outstanding housing facility for the students of the future.”

The village will give more than 1,100 sophomores, juniors, and seniors a more autonomous, but still programmed and supervised, option for on-campus living, with apartments and full suites that have private kitchen facilities and single or double bedrooms.

Two floors of common space— including music, study, and recreation/ game rooms—will be topped by five residential floors, complete with meditation and additional study spaces.

The ground floor will offer retail, dining, and event space, plus a LaunchPad office for student entrepreneurs. A boldly futuristic sculptural staircase will spiral up through a series of study lounges.

The project’s construction cost is $153 million, with an additional $40 million fundraising goal.

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Renderings show Arquitectonica’s vision for new student housing on the Gables campus.

“The project offers a great opportunity for the University community to philanthropically support and transform the student experience,” says Sergio Gonzalez, senior vice president for University Advancement and External Affairs.

The plans are the result of multiple stakeholder meetings and extensive market research with students and their parents, who indicated a strong desire to stay engaged as learners and live closer to the library and labs while maintaining a more independent residential lifestyle.

The project was designed with the goal of achieving LEED Gold certification for environmentally friendly features and the WELL Building Standard, which addresses lighting, noise, and air quality.

After phase one is complete, phase two will begin by replacing both Stanford and Hecht Residential Colleges with a four-building residential village

for up to 2,000 first-year students.

The initiative’s final phase will involve renovating the historically significant Mahoney, Eaton, and Pearson buildings as apartment housing for upper-class students.

The multiphase project—branded as a way to “inspire, innovate, activate, educate, and differentiate” UM’s campus environment—will increase UM’s on-campus housing offering from 4,300 to approximately 5,400 beds.

UM’s last new housing project was the University Village apartments, completed in 2006.

“Nothing impacts the quality of life for students who live on campus more than their on-campus housing,” says Patricia Whitely, Ed.D. ’94, vice president for student affairs. “As the University continues to rise as a top-tier research institution, so do students’ expectations for a comfortable, secure, and supportive living and learning environment.”

Follow this transformative project at miami.edu/newstudenthousing.

New Medical School Dean Renowned in Critical Care Wake Forest’s Edward Abraham tapped to set future course for education, research, and patient care Edward Abraham, an internationally renowned pulmonary medicine and critical care physician, is scheduled to begin his tenure as dean of the Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine July 1.

During six years as dean of the Wake Forest School of Medicine in WinstonSalem, North Carolina, Abraham has overseen the academic enterprise and led a number of key initiatives, including development of a new faculty compensation plan and a strategic vision for research in the medical school. He opened a new medical education facility and built a powerhouse of clinical and basic science chairs, senior associate deans, and center directors. At the Miller School, he will have significant input on the business of medicine.

In addition to his role as chief

academic officer for the Miller School, he will serve as physician executive of the University of Miami Medical Group, playing a leading role in advancing education, research, and patient care as well as steering the medical enterprise through the rapid and profound changes reshaping health care delivery.

For more than 25 years, Abraham has received extensive National Institutes of Health funding.

He also has a record of breaking down silos and building teams.

“He has the strategic vision and financial expertise to navigate the complex challenges and opportunities we face,” says Steven Altschuler, senior

vice president for health affairs and chief executive officer of the University of Miami Health System.

The Stanford-educated physician trained in internal and critical care medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles. He has published more than 350 original research articles, reviews, editorials, and book chapters.

His research has focused on inflammation, neutrophil biology, acute lung injury, and sepsis.

Prior to Wake Forest, he chaired the Department of Medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and held lead positions at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center.

Praise for The Lennar Foundation Medical Center Full spectrum of health care being provided in one world-class, community-based setting Victoria Bassil jokes that, at 86, she’s just five years younger than the University of Miami. Her connections to UM date back to the 1970s, when she was a volunteer fundraiser. But the long-time Westchester resident has never been a patient of UM doctors.

“They were too far away,” she says. “It just wasn’t convenient.”

No more. When The Lennar Foundation Medical Center opened a 206,000-square-foot building on the Coral Gables campus December 5, 2016,

Bassil was one of the first patients accessing the world-class care being provided there by UHealth–the University of Miami Health System.

“I don’t think I’ve ever had such thorough checkups,” says Bassil.

In this one facility, made possible by a $50 million gift from The Lennar Foundation, patients have access to the health experts of Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, the University of Miami Health System Sports Medicine Institute, and other UHealth specialty areas, such as women’s and men’s centers, the comprehensive diabetes center, cardiology, primary care, urology,

physical therapy, neurology, otolaryngology, and more.

“Better accessibility to our academicbased health care services is one of our goals, and we are clearly achieving this at The Lennar Center,” says Ben Riestra, chief administrative officer. “It’s great to hear, directly from our patients, that their experience at The Lennar Center is very positive.”

The center’s open house celebration on January 29 drew more than 2,500 area residents and UM faculty, staff, and students.

“The University of Miami Health System is all about you,” Thinh H. Tran, chief clinical officer and chief operating officer of UHealth, told the crowd during a brief speech. “This building is about you. It’s about caring for each other. It’s about our wellness and health as a community.”

It’s a community Bassil is glad she joined. “Everybody was so warm and welcoming,” she recounts, “and I was very impressed with the facility. It’s so new and clean—everything just sparkled. It’s a very pleasant place to go to.” miami.edu/magazine Spring 2017 MIAMI 5

UniversityJournal

Frost Institutes for Science and Engineering Take Off Speaking to over 250 of the world’s leading scientists, researchers, and physicians at the 50th annual Miami Winter Symposium, University of Miami President Julio Frenk announced the creation of the Frost Institutes for Science and Engineering to elevate science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) across the University.

The Frost Institutes are being created from a transformational $100 million lead gift from Phillip and Patricia Frost to support basic and applied sciences and engineering in a University-wide initiative being called STEM@UM. The gift was originally announced by Frenk during his inauguration last year.

“The University of Miami is already known for excellence in biomedicine, marine sciences, and other fields,” Frenk said. “But continued excellence cannot be sustained without critical investments in basic and applied science, mathematics, and engineering. These disciplines, which form the building blocks for innovation, must be strengthened to maintain our leading edge as a research university.”

Inspired by the National Institutes of Health, the Frost Institutes name allows

ANDREW INNERARITY

Philanthropists’ $100 million gift will advance Miami’s role as a leader in scientific inquiry and innovation

UM President Julio Frenk, left, joins Patricia and Phillip Frost for the momentous announcement.

work at the molecular level, including promising developments in the life sciences, nanotechnology, and new materials. Through approaches relying on molecular design, discovery, and development, research outcomes will be translated into solutions to significant real-life problems.

The first individual institute will be the Frost Institute of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences. for a strategic, coordinated investment in the sciences using an umbrella structure that has not previously existed within the University.

The first individual institute will be the Frost Institute of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences. Anchored in the fundamental discipline of chemistry, it will bring together other fields that 6 MIAMI Spring 2017 miami.edu/magazine

“Patricia and I are committed to making Miami a hub for technological and scientific innovation, which is the main reason for our support of basic and applied sciences and engineering at the University of Miami,” said Frost, the CEO of the biopharmaceutical company Opko Health and a former professor of dermatology at the medical school. “If

we build the framework from which to provide the education and resources, we will be successful in attracting top scientists across various science disciplines, including chemistry and molecular biology.”

The creation of the Frost Institutes solidifies the University’s initiatives and endeavor to propel UM toward its greatest aspirations by its centennial in 2025, allowing for STEM growth, a stimulation of interdisciplinary research collaboration, and engagement with Greater Miami as a hemispheric innovation hub.

The University will launch a national search for an individual to lead the Frost Institutes, with additional institutes to be created over the next several years.

Using the Miami Winter Symposium as the venue for announcing the ways in which the Frost gift will be put to work is especially appropriate because of the Frosts’ long-term support of the event, which was founded 50 years ago

by William J. Whelan, professor and chairman emeritus of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, as “a window on the world for the centers of excellence at the Miller School of Medicine.”

R+ D Update

From Dab2 to Flab More than 20 years ago, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center researcher Xiang-Xi Michael Xu, who is also a professor of cell biology at the Miller School of Medicine, discovered Dab2, a protein long linked to cancer. He has studied its relationship to the disease ever since.

Now he’s found that Dab2 also could have implications for fighting obesity.

In a paper published in the journal Scientific Reports, the Xu lab showed that young mice without Dab2 don’t gain weight when given excessive food. In normal mice, Dab2 suppresses Ras-MAPK, which in turn elevates a protein called PPAR, which helps fat stem cells make the leap to mature fat cells, causing them to pack on weight. Eliminating Dab2 short-circuits that process, keeping Dab2deficient mice lean. But as the mice mature, the metabolic effect dissipates, and the loss of Dab2 has virtually no effect. Xu believes this is because mice (and humans) lose their fat stem cells as they reach maturity. “Dab2 controls a population of fat stem cells that slowly

disappears,” said Xu. “It seems that children are especially affected by diet.

They can both increase fat cell number and fat cell size when they are young.

Later in life, they can still make fat, but that’s existing fat cells getting bigger.

Habits of childhood could be affecting adults, making them more susceptible to obesity.” These findings may reinforce the importance of steering children away from high-fat diets.

Identifying this role for Dab2 could also lead to new pharmaceutical strategies to combat childhood obesity.

Stem Cell Progress The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, a Center of Excellence at the Miller School of Medicine, published findings of its first FDA-approved Phase I clinical trial involving the use of human nerve cells, known as Schwann cells, to repair a damaged spinal cord. “Safety of Autologous Human Schwann Cell Transplantation in Subacute Thoracic Spinal Cord Injury” was published in the February issue of the Journal of Neurotrauma, with Kim D. Anderson, research associate professor in the Department of Neurological Surgery and The Miami Project, as lead author. Six subjects were transplanted for the trial, which was performed at University of Miami/ Jackson Memorial Hospital.

Participants were followed for one year after the

transplantation surgery.

Their neurologic and medical status, pain symptoms, and muscle spasticity were evaluated. They will be monitored for five years post-transplantation.

Leading Zika Trial The Miller School of Medicine is leading one

of the nation’s first fullscale Zika vaccine clinical trials of the National Institutes of Health’s experimental DNA-based vaccine. Infectious disease physician Margaret Fischl, B.S. ’72, M.D. ’76, a professor of medicine, director of the HIV/AIDS Clinical Research Unit, and codirector of the Miami Center for AIDS Research, who was also instrumental in testing the first influenza vaccine, will lead the Miami arm of the NIH study. Researchers will recruit individuals from Miami-Dade County, where the nation’s first cases of locally acquired Zika were seen. Participants will be given the vaccine in varying dosages to test safety. The second part of the study, part B, is a double-blind study that aims to determine if the vaccine can effectively prevent disease caused by Zika infection. Residents

who weren’t previously infected with Zika from the “Zika zone” neighborhoods where local transmission occurred will be enrolled, with half receiving the vaccine and half receiving a placebo. Initial findings indicate the vaccine is safe and can induce a neutralizing antibody response against Zika virus. The vaccine does not contain infectious material, so it cannot cause Zika infection. The study is expected to be completed by 2019.

Bearish on Brexit?

Indraneel Chakraborty, assistant professor of finance, and Rong Hai, assistant professor of economics, from the School of Business Administration examined data across the European Union with colleagues from Norway and Switzerland to understand the impact of reduced cross-border lending in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. They found those efforts to reduce risk led to a loss of $90 billion Euro ($97 billion USD) for the continental European economies. According to the study, published in the Journal of Monetary Economics, that kind of pullback in the wake of Britain’s exit from the European Union could also slow gross domestic product growth.

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UniversityJournal

Landmark Kislak Collection Comes to UM Columbus letter from 1493 is among donation of valuable artifacts and other historic materials

PHOTOS COURTESY UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Assembled over the course of many decades, the Jay I. Kislak Foundation collection includes some of the most important original source materials related to the history of the early Americas.

Now some of the collection’s rare books, maps, manuscripts, and other historic items have a permanent new home in Special Collections at the University of Miami’s Otto G. Richter Library.

From top: Rare books like a first edition of The Atlantic Pilot (1772) and The Earliest Major Treatise on the Globe and Its Manufacture (1515) are among the valuable items in the Kislak Collection of the Early Americas, Exploration and Navigation. Select items will be displayed in the Kislak Gallery (rendering shown).

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Jay Kislak, prominent collector, philanthropist, and Miami resident for more than 60 years, and the Jay I. Kislak Foundation previously donated more than 3,000 rare books, maps, manuscripts and objects to the Library of Congress, whose Kislak Collection now forms the basis of a major exhibition and extensive scholarly and public programs in Washington, D.C. In UM and Miami Dade College, Kislak identified local partners with the ability and desire to create similarly extensive educational and cultural programming in South Florida. The KislakUM-MDC partnership will encompass exhibitions, research, education and public outreach, all designed to serve students and faculty, community residents, and a global scholarly network.

The overarching theme is exploration and cultural encounters, with particular emphasis on Florida, early American history, the cultures of the Caribbean and Latin America, and Polar exploration.

“The University of Miami is among the nation’s top 50 research institutions, with a library that draws scholars from around the world. With the recent inauguration of Dr. Julio Frenk, this is an ideal time to establish the permanent repository in South Florida to conserve our collections and make them available to scholars and students for generations to come,” said Kislak.

The Kislak gift represents a combined valuation of approximately $30 million. The collection includes over 2,300 books, maps, manuscripts, preColumbian artifacts, and other historic materials. UM and MDC have each received a selection of important items.

Highlights among the items coming to UM are a first edition of Christopher Columbus’s famous 1493 letter to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain, in which the explorer described his momentous discovery of a new route to the Indies; a 1486 edition of Ptolemy’s Cosmographia; a 1521 volume describing Cuba, by Italian historian Peter Martyr d’Anghiera; a 1589 volume, The Principal Navigations, Voiages and Discoveries of the English Nation, by English writer Richard Hakluyt; a twovolume account of the 1804-1806 Lewis and Clark Expedition, commissioned

by President Thomas Jefferson after the Louisiana Purchase; and a manuscript map created for the 10-year-old Louis XV of France with a presentation inscription by Guillaume Delisle, royal geographer and personal geographer to the king.

“We are grateful to Jay Kislak for his extraordinary vision and lifelong devotion to creating a scholarly and culturally significant collection that showcases the rich history of Florida and the Caribbean,” UM President Frenk said.

The University is renovating its special collections center, to be renamed the Jay I. Kislak Center, envisioned as a hub of educational and cultural programming. It will include a new gallery for displaying a broad range of materials from the Kislak collection.

“For 500 years, Florida has been a focal point of global exploration and cultural exchange,” Kislak said. “I’m thrilled that Miami’s top two institutions of higher education, along with the Library of Congress and the University of Pennsylvania, will now be using our collections to reveal the fascinating and important role of our community in world history.”

Eye on Athletics ‘The Profit’ Star Marcus Lemonis to Mentor Miami Hurricanes Marcus Lemonis wasn’t always an entrepreneurial savior, investing in struggling businesses and mentoring them on the national stage as star of CNBC’s The Profit. The Beirut-born, Miami-raised Lemonis says his childhood was rough, but his hometown team gave him hope.

“I grew up on the University of Miami,” Lemonis recalled in an on-air interview with Joe Zagacki and Don Bailey Jr., B.S.Ed. ’85, at the 2016 Russell Athletic Bowl. “I really suffered as a child and had a tough childhood, and I really used the University of Miami as a way to get stronger as an individual—and I know a lot of people my age, in their 40s, used the University of Miami as a way to build up their spirit and build up their confidence. You talk about the swagger—look, it definitely mattered to me, and it made a difference and it gave me a confidence about myself that I couldn’t find anywhere else.”

Now Lemonis, CEO of Camping World and Good Sam Enterprises, is giving back to the U in a big way.

He and University of Miami Athletics announced the Match Marcus fundraising campaign for StudentAthlete Excellence just before Miami’s convincing win over West Virginia in the Russell Athletic Bowl.

Jumpstarting the campaign with a $250,000 check, Lemonis pledged to match half of every donation dollar up to a total gift of $1 million for a potential $3 million initiative.

“On behalf of our 400plus talented student-athletes, we truly appreciate Marcus’s commitment and leadership to give and inspire others to get involved with our program and supporting studentathlete excellence,” Director of Athletics Blake James said.

As Lemonis watched the Hurricanes dominate West Virginia 31-14 in Miami’s first bowl win since 2006, he discussed his motivation behind the initiative.

“We love going to football games, basketball games—all the University

of Miami events,” he said.

“But I want the University and the community to be focused on what really matters ultimately to all of us, which is, they are student-athletes. ... We need to transition these young men and women into the right sort of professional environment.

“It isn’t even about the money,” he continued.

“I’m committed to spend a lot of time and develop a mentor program with the University for really talking to these kids about what’s next. … We want them to be focused, and I want to have some discipline around it. I know that when the parents give their kids permission to attend the University of Miami, they expect them to get a 360-degree experience. ...

They want to know that their kids can transition into the workforce in a positive way.”

The Department of Athletics already has a strong reputation of graduating its scholarship athletes, as evidenced by the most recent NCAA Graduation Success Rate (GSR) of 90 percent.

That figure is well above the national average of 84 percent and ties UM for 15th among Football Bowl Subdivision institutions. In addition, UM’s black student-athletes recorded an overall GSR of 90 percent—the fourth best in the nation, behind only Stanford, Duke, and Northwestern, and tied with Notre Dame and South Carolina. UM has been in the top 10 in this category for the past five years.

The goal of Match Marcus is to provide the resources needed to ensure the U continues to build champions in the classroom, in competition, and in life.

“For me it really is about finding the talent in people,” Lemonis said. “I want to see our UM studentathletes not only compete at the highest level, but, more importantly, excel in the classroom and transition into being successful in their personal and professional lives.”

As of press time, #MatchMarcus had raised over $2.1 million. For more information, visit MatchMarcus.com or call the Hurricane Club at 305-284-6699.

miami.edu/magazine Spring 2017 MIAMI 9

UniversityJournal

Sir James Galway Joins Frost School Faculty With a twinkle in his eye and a bounce in his step, the Belfast-born and worldrevered flutist Sir James Galway conducted a master class at the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music in March, entertaining the audience with musical stories from his vast solo and orchestral career, sharing his practice routines, and coaxing student performers to the top of their artistry with a laser-sharp focus on intonation, intent, and interpretation.

A household name with over 30 million recordings sold worldwide, and over five decades of touring and teaching, Galway, who was knighted by Queen Elizabeth in 2001, coached four flutists from the Frost School in the Weeks Center for Recording and Performance.

They are all students of Trudy Kane, an associate professor who was principal flutist with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra for 32 years before joining the Frost School’s faculty.

“The bad news about flute playing is it requires time to be good,” Galway joked at the start of the class. “I think about Arnold Schwarzenegger in his body-building days. When he posed for a photo, he had all these muscles showing everywhere. He didn’t get them from just doing bench presses! He worked all of his muscles. So, we have to do the same, and practice the nitty-gritty bits.”

The master class students, Mackenzie Miller, Maria Vallejo, Trey Bradshaw, and doctoral candidate Emilio Rutllant, M.M. ’14, performed repertoire for solo flute and piano by French composers Philippe Gaubert, Jules Mouquet, and Charles-Marie Widor, accompanied by Frost faculty pianist Oleksii Ivanchenko, D.M.A. ’15.

At first Galway coached each on technical matters such as breathing and fingering, but soon moved on to tone and timbre. “We have to train the embouchure, not the fingers,” he said, referring to the use of facial muscles and mouth on an instrument.

He praised the quality of Frost’s rising young talent and encouraged them to shoot high. He suggested Bradshaw 10 MIAMI Spring 2017 miami.edu/magazine

PHOTOS: VERSATILE LIGHT STUDIOS

Famed flutist kicks off new UM connection with a lively master class

Virtuoso flutist Sir James Galway shares his love of learning with UM student Maria Eugenia Vallejo.

perform a line again without taking a breath, even though most flutists breathe in the passage. “As a teacher, I like my students to strive to be better than me,” he shared. “You don’t want to be the same as the guys before; you want to be outstandingly better.”

When asked about his legacy, Galway, 77, humbly reflected, “I would like to leave behind a number of committed flute players. That is, committed to playing music, not just a dexterous reading of the score… really committed to showing their soul. I’d like to think I’ve shown a few people how to play a phrase from within, to play a good line, to devote themselves to really making music on another level.”

Galway trained with famed French flutist Marcel Moyse and performed with several opera orchestras in London, the Royal Philharmonic

Orchestra, and the Berlin Philharmonic before launching a solo career.

As one of the University’s first Presidential Distinguished Scholars, the highly decorated Galway will return in the fall from his home in Switzerland to work and perform with orchestras in the Frost School, and continue his lessons with the flute studio.

“James Galway reveals his soul to the audience every time he performs, and that inspires everyone who performs with him to do the same,” said Shelton Berg, dean of the Frost School.

“Students who were in his presence today will never forget it.”

Other recent Distinguished Presidential appointments have included the Cuban journalist Yoani Sánchez, photographer Susan Meiselas, and population geneticist Carlos Bustamante.

t

Bottom Lines

“Don’t go to bed yet and call the fire department!

The block is on fire!”

Mark Richt, B.B.A. ’82, Hurricanes football head coach, tweeting at 9:41 p.m.

March 27, after adding commitments from All-Americans Gurvan Hall and Mark Pope to the U’s No.1-rated recruiting class for 2018.

#1

In the NCAA Community Service Top 25 among Atlantic Coast Conference institutions, and third overall; Miami student-athletes participated in 75 events with 16 nonprofit organizations, tallying 1,531 service hours during the community service contest, which ran from January to March.

9,968 Yards thrown by Brad Kaaya in his three-year Hurricanes career. Picked by the Detroit Lions, he is among UM’s nine former players selected in the 2017 NFL draft­—the most since 2006.

4.71

“When it comes to Facebook Live as a product specifically, I don’t think it’s a solvable problem.”

Mary Anne Franks, UM law professor, in an April 17 Washington Post article on backlash from users of the popular technology posting shocking live broadcasts of their violent acts.

“My Plan A is school, and my Plan B is football, really. And I gotta have a Plan C and D.” Chad Thomas, UM senior and Miami Hurricanes defensive end, on his growing success as a hip-hop producer (The Washington Post, March 20)

Meters cleared by pole-vaulter Alysha Newman, B.S.Ed. ’16, of Ontario. Newman’s 15.5-foothigh vault at the Hurricane Alumni Invitational March 18 broke her own mark and set a Canadian women’s indoor pole-vault record

22

Diving championships in 28 years under ACC Coach of the Year Randy Ableman. Redshirt freshman David Dinsmore’s recent win puts UM’s total for NCAA platform diving titles at eight, the most of any school.

10

Top awards—9 of them first place, including best student publication and best newspaper website—for The Miami Hurricane newspaper from the Society of Professional Journalists’ Florida Sunshine State Awards in the college newspaper high frequency category.

miami.edu/magazine Spring 2017 MIAMI 11

UniversityJournal

Sue Miller Made Philanthropy an Art Form Widow of the late UM Board of Trustees chair gave millions to UM and other causes Ten thousand dollars wasn’t enough.

Susan “Sue” Miller wanted million-dollar gifts. So, using the remarkable talent she possessed for convincing others to open their wallets and purses, she led the charge to make sure those six-figure donations started rolling in. It was a Herculean effort that helped the United Way of Miami-Dade secure nearly 70 million-dollar contributors for its Million Dollar Roundtable program.

While Miller, who passed away at the age of 81 last November, was the quintessential fundraiser, raising millions not only for the United Way but for a multitude of other causes, she was an even greater benefactor—the matriarch of a family whose philanthropy has left an indelible mark on South Florida and, in particular, the University of Miami.

All told, she and her family have given more than $200 million to the University.

The widow of the late Leonard M. Miller, former chair of the UM Board of Trustees who built a prominent homebuilding company with an investment of his own capital, Sue Miller became the

torchbearer of her family’s boundless generosity after her husband died in 2002.

At the 2004 ceremony where the Millers announced their landmark $100 million gift to UM’s medical school, Sue Miller, in a moving speech, paid tribute to her husband, recognized the many physicians, caretakers, and researchers for their commitment to humanity and the value they place on life, and urged the youngest members of her family to continue its tradition of philanthropy.

Among her family’s other notable

gifts to UM: $5 million to establish the Sue and Leonard Miller Center for Contemporary Judaic Studies; $50 million to name The Lennar Foundation Medical Center on UM’s Coral Gables campus; a $55 million gift, the bulk of which—$50 million—is being used to build the new Miller School of Medicine Center for Medical Education with the rest going to the Frost School of Music; a naming gift for the Braman Miller Center for Jewish Student Life for UM Hillel; and generous donations to the School of Law and Athletics.

UM Trustee Stuart Miller, J.D. ’82, said at a ceremonial groundbreaking for the medical education center held in January 2016: “Both my mother and my father were extraordinary examples of how important it is to give so a community can build.”

Miller is also survived by daughter Leslie Miller Saiontz and son-in-law Steven Saiontz, M.B.A. ’83, M.P.S. ’13, a UM trustee; son Jeffrey Miller, A.B. ’84; 11 grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; and her sister.

PATRICK FARRELL, A.B. ’81

Remembering David Kraslow Senior trustee, publisher, author was a ‘giant’ in his community It all began at The Miami News, long ago when David Kraslow, A.B. ’48, was a sportswriter for the venerable evening paper his senior year at the University of Miami. He went on to a brilliant journalism career that included positions at the Miami Herald, the Los Angeles Times, the Washington Star, and Cox Media. After many years as the latter’s Washington bureau chief, he returned to Miami as publisher of The Miami News from 1977 to 1988, the year it ceased publication.

But Kraslow, who died on January 9 at age 90, was more than a respected editor, investigative reporter, and author. In 1978 he joined UM’s Board of Trustees, serving on numerous committees over the decades. He was elected a senior trustee in 2009. He was “a highly respected community leader,” said UM President Julio Frenk. “He was deeply 12 MIAMI Spring 2017 miami.edu/magazine

involved in the life of his alma mater and provided sage counsel to several of my predecessors as a member of the Board of Trustees.”

UM Senior Trustee Charles E. Cobb grew close with Kraslow during their time on the board. He was never afraid “to take on tough issues, whether in a boardroom or in a publisher’s column,” recalls Cobb. “He was a giant in the Miami community because of his international perspective as a White House correspondent, as well as his national and local perspective.”

An Iron Arrow Honor Society member, former UM Citizens Board member, and former trustee of the Jackson Health System Public Health Trust, the Bronx-born Kraslow was an ardent Hurricanes fan whose generosity helped establish The Bernice Kraslow Ovarian

Cancer Research Fund at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, named for his beloved late wife.

He was a Nieman Fellow of Harvard University and served in the U.S. Army Air Corps from 1944 to 1946 and in Miami on the Orange Bowl Committee and Greater Miami Jewish Federation.

He is survived by three daughters, including Susan Dandes, Ph.D. ’90; six grandchildren, including Ryan, B.B.A. ’12, Spencer, B.S.C. ’15, and UM student Erin Dandes; and two great-grandchildren.

DONNA VICTOR

Faculty Files

Wielding Math’s Power around the Globe There’s a lot more to mathematics than crunching numbers. Just ask Shigui Ruan, who sees beauty in a discipline that frustrates many and wields its power to show how transmission rates of certain infectious diseases can be slowed.

Last year, when the mosquito-borne Zika virus spread rapidly through Latin America and the Caribbean (and much more slowly in parts of the U.S.), Ruan, a professor of mathematics in the College of Arts and Sciences, created a model with his team to determine how much of a role sex plays in the spread of the virus.

“Zika is complicated,” he says. “It’s not as simple as passing a cold back and forth.”

Combining the two modes of transmission (vector and

sexual contact) into a set of equations, adjusting their model to Zika epidemic rates in Brazil, Colombia, and El Salvador, and factoring in the biting and mortality rates of the Aedes aegypti mosquito as well as the ways in which partners protect themselves during a sexual encounter, they calculated what’s called a “basic reproduction number,” essentially the number of infections resulting from one initial infection in a population. The number of new infections that can be traced directly back to a single case of Zika was estimated to be two, with sexual transmission accounting for about three percent of new cases.

“Our analyses indicate that the basic reproduction number of Zika is most sensitive to the biting

rate and mortality rate of mosquitoes,” says Ruan, “while sexual transmission increases the risk of infection and epidemic size and prolongs the outbreak.”

His study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, gives epidemiologists and others a good idea of where to target management efforts. In this case, notes Ruan, mosquito-control measures should remain the most important mitigation strategy for the virus.

The inspiration for his model was an article in the journal Science, “Sex After a Field Trip Yields Scientific First,” about a U.S. vector biologist who, following a research trip to Senegal, passed the Zika virus to his wife in what is considered the first documented case of sexual transmission of

an insect-borne disease. “It really piqued my curiosity,” he says of the 2011 report.

A soccer player in his spare time, Ruan joined UM in 2002 by way of Canada and China. He’s been part of a multidisciplinary consortium at UM for years whose investigations of vector-borne illnesses run the gamut—from the distribution of Aedes aegypti breeding sites (the primary vector for Zika) in Honduras to a mosquito-control project in Ecuador targeting the Aedes aegypti’s sugarfeeding habits.

“Math is a powerful tool, one that can be used to study and help solve all sorts of problems, while real-world applications are also sources of inspiration in new math,” says Ruan. “That’s why I love it so.” —Robert C. Jones Jr.

miami.edu/magazine Spring 2017 MIAMI 13

UniversityJournal

A Bold New Hub for Hemispheric Initiatives The University of Miami Institute for Advanced Study of the Americas is quickly ramping up its capacity to tackle a wide range of hemispheric issues through a collaborative approach that draws experts from across multiple disciplines.

With a focus on using evidence to promote positive social change, the institute is forming research groups populated by scholars knowledgeable in the institute’s areas of strength.

“An interdisciplinary, hemispheric approach to collaboration is the way to advance innovative research that offers solutions to the most pressing challenges facing the Americas,” says Felicia Marie Knaul, director of the institute and professor in the Miller School of Medicine.

Building on the legacy and work of both the University of Miami’s Center for Hemispheric Policy and the Center for Latin American Studies, the institute is being honed as a hemispheric hub for scholarship and public policy, along with building academic partnerships across the Americas.

Key areas of research and focus include health disparities and health systems in the Americas.

ANDREW INNERARITY

UM Institute for Advanced Study of the Americas energizes Latin American and Caribbean scholarship

Institute Director Felicia Marie Knaul, right, speaks with health care CEO Belén Garijo at the inaugural Women’s Leadership Forum.

“We understand that we have an opportunity to build on the University’s trajectory and leadership, and dedicate an important portion of our incubating efforts to advance health research in the Americas,” says Knaul.

In recent months, the institute’s home at Albert Pick Hall has hosted a number of forums, lectures, and lunch series covering established and trending topics on Caribbean literature, the media, undocumented young adults, and health care.

The inaugural Women’s Leadership Forum, presented in conjunction with the School of Business Administration’s Center for Health Sector Management

and Policy and Women in Business Group, took place there in March.

In January, the institute announced the recipients of its 2017 Faculty Grants Program, who will focus on a diverse range of issues, from building a clearinghouse of intimate partner violence services to a study on Argentina and globalization from 1860-1910. Nine proposals from 25 UM professors received grants to fund multidisciplinary research groups and individual projects.

In addition, each year numerous students receive grant support through the Graduate Grants Program, focusing on field research support and an award for the best dissertation at UM focused on Latin American and the Caribbean.

Last year 70 percent of the grants went to support field research in the Caribbean. Through its Distinguished Fellows Program in collaboration with the College of Arts and Sciences, the institute also offers graduate students an opportunity to acquire comprehensive knowledge relevant to their studies.

“What better place for collaborative scholarship to bear fruit?” Knaul says of the institute and its budding programs. “What better place to convene scholars, faculty, and students?”

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14 MIAMI Spring 2017 miami.edu/magazine

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SCOTT FRICKER

Student Spotlight Kristi Brownlee lights up when she talks about her younger sisters, ages 16, 12, and 3.

“They are the apples of my eye, the loves of my life,” she says. “It’s always been in my heart to try to be a role model for them.

It’s hard enough being an African-American and being a woman, so if I can do just one thing to make my sisters’ paths a little bit smoother, then everything I do is worth it.”

Her own path from public high school in Memphis, Tennessee, to the University of Miami had some boulders.

“During the day, I would fill out college applications and draft personal statements,” she said during her address to attendees of this year’s UM Scholarship Donor Recognition Luncheon. “At night, I would secretly flush the Percocet tablets my mother abused down the drain and assure my sisters that our current circumstances were temporary.”

At her guidance counselor’s insistence, Brownlee applied for the Gates Millennium Scholarship. She got it, and others.

“Despite not knowing anyone upon my arrival, this University—its faculty, its staff, its culture of excellence, and its pride— made me feel like I was a part of the winning team,” recalled Brownlee.

At UM, she also found a sense of belonging. She joined the Yellow Rose Society, a service group focused on women’s empowerment and unity; the InterVarsity Christian

Sharing Her Strength Meet public health powerhouse Kristi Brownlee

Fellowship organization; and President Julio Frenk’s Presidential Task Force to Address Black Students’ Concerns, ultimately helping to develop diversity and implicit biases recognition trainings for students, faculty, and staff.

Now in the graduate phase of her public health dual-degree program at the School of Nursing and Health Studies, Brownlee is researching prevention interventions for adolescent substance abuse.

For her, the connections are critical. “I wouldn’t have been equipped to pursue addiction research if it weren’t for the time I spent helping my mother overcome hers,” she says. “If it weren’t for my exposure to racial and health disparities, being from an underserved neighborhood, I wouldn’t have been compelled to promote cultural competency and strengthen the inclusive nature of UM as a member of the Black Students’ Concerns Working Group.”

She has also come to see why people and organizations invested in her future—the way she is invested in the future of her sisters.

“I was chosen to be here because each and every twist and turn, each and every experience, each and every opportunity—it led to where I am today,” she explains. “It’s the reason my story resonates with people.

I didn’t know it at first. My story? Me? I’m not important. But I get it now. All of that, it was for a reason.”

—Robin Shear

miami.edu/magazine Spring 2017 MIAMI 15

“ The Hawaiian saying ‘Kanu i ka Honua, Ulu i ka lani,’ which loosely means, stay planted in the Earth to grow toward the heavens, was an important reminder for me to stay rooted in my Hawaiian culture during my transition to UM.” Megan Pimentel is a fifthyear architecture major

Wearing Their Stories A globally recognized portrait project gives students a powerful way to share their personal messages of inspiration with the UM community.

BY A N D R E S TA M AYO

16 MIAMI Spring 2017 miami.edu/magazine

“ I chose this statement for my mother. She is Nicaraguan by birth, and I’m American by birth. When people say someone is ‘American,’ the likeness of people like us does not come to mind.

‘The New American’ seeks to change that, to incorporate us into the culture.”

Kevin Bustamante is a junior studying political science and creative writing

“ A person is truly most open to the world when laughing with others. Laughter is one of the most vulnerable expressions of love.”

Tyler Felts is a senior

studying motion pictures, theatre arts, and psychology

“ Growing up I was always treated differently for being Hispanic. It took me a long time to realize that being different wasn’t bad—it’s what made me who I am. At UM, being different is one of my greatest values, not one of my weaknesses.”

Velaria Velasco is a

sophomore studying business law

PHOTOS COURTESY

SUNNY ODOGWU, AN IMPOSING FIGURE AT 6 FEET 8 INCHES and 325 pounds, steps to the podium at the University of Miami’s Shalala Student Center ballroom.

The microphone disappears into his hand as the Hurricanes football player tilts it upward before addressing the crowd of students, faculty, and staff attending the Dear World storytelling presentation on campus, the culmination of a photo shoot that drew almost 200 members of the UM community.

“No matter how bad of a day I am having,” says Odogwu, one of five UM students selected to share the story behind his photo, “I always try to remind myself of where I have been. I grew up in a 10-footby-10-foot room with my six siblings, my mom, and my dad.”

In keeping with Nigerian tradition, his parents and youngest siblings shared the room’s lone twin bed. The eldest took the couch (more “like a little chair,” he says), while the rest of the family slept on the floor. But Odogwu, fast outgrowing the small space, opted to sleep outside.

His parents helped get him to the United States, where he eventually played basketball and attended high school in Maryland. During his senior year, his friends convinced him to try football.

Projected onto the screen behind Odogwu is his recent Dear World Portrait. In it, his massive palms are spread to reveal in black marker his chosen message of truth: “Came from a dungeon. Now I’m here.” miami.edu/magazine Spring 2017 MIAMI 17

Since its 2009 launch in post-Hurricane Katrina New Orleans, the Dear World organization has collected nearly 50,000 distinct message-on-body portraits of individuals around the globe—from wartorn South Sudan to Boston in the wake of the marathon bombing. Participants are encouraged to share on their skin one thing they want to tell the world.

Colleges and universities also bring Dear World to campus to encourage students, faculty, and staff to open up as a community.

“This program, like the many programs hosted and supported by the Division of Student Affairs, asks students to be a bit vulnerable, to step outside their comfort zone and to exhibit resiliency,” explains Michael Baumhardt, associate director of Student Activities and Student Organizations, who, along with Patricia A. Whitely, Ed.D. ’94, vice president for Student Affairs, and Gail Cole-Avent, executive director of Student Life, was instrumental in bringing Dear World to the U this past September.

When the photographer arrived, nearly 200 subjects, most of them students, elected to face the camera, words of hope and loss, strength and longing, pain and inspiration inked bravely across their faces, forearms, and chests.

UM President Julio Frenk was among the participants, writing the message “Fall down seven, get up eight” on his hands.

Initiatives like this, notes Baumhardt, serve to reinforce Frenk’s vision for the University as a global and hemispheric institution that promotes a “culture of belonging” in which all members of the community feel important and believe they have an opportunity to add value.

“Dear World gave our students the opportunity to express themselves and share their stories with fellow students,” Baumhardt says. “Our campus community learned many life-changing and impactful stories about our peers and colleagues— stories that would not have been shared if this open and engaging environment had not been provided.”

The Division of Student Affairs and University Athletics sponsored the event.

View more photos from Dear World at UM and video from the storytelling presentation at miami.edu/magazine. On Twitter, #DearUM. 18 MIAMI Spring 2017 miami.edu/magazine

“ My mom saved my leg by care and love. I was diagnosed with myxoid liposarcoma and had a cancerous tumor removed last April. My mom was my superhero throughout my run-in with cancer.”

Michael Burns is a

Hurricanes baseball player studying political science

“ When I was 5, I had open heart surgery. There were times I experienced bullying due to the visible scar, so I have always tried to keep it hidden. This photo was a way to bring the scar into the open and show that my heart is healthy now.”

Tyler Katz is a senior studying music theory and composition and applied physics

“ Hairstyles originating from the African Diaspora are constantly demonized and degraded when worn by black women but praised and adored when worn by other women. Our braids, our kinks, and our Afros are our way of honoring our heritage and taking pride in the struggle that comes with our blackness, so when you appropriate our hair, you’re disrespecting our personhood.”

Alexis McDonald is a senior studying electronic media

“ As a student from India, it surprised me every time someone (including professors and colleagues) asked me why my English is so good. It made me feel awkward and small, and I always felt like I had to explain that my Englishspeaking ability stems from my education—and not because of where I’m from.”

“ I came home from Great Start, a pre-orientation program for commuters, and told my parents all about my weekend for three hours—the thought of being a student here made my stomach bubble. Four years later, I hope I’ve made them proud.”

Alina Zerpa is a senior studying journalism and psychology

Avisha Gopalakrishna is a senior studying public relations

“ At 13, I fell in love with the gratification that came from seeing an audience smile in response to one of my videos. Ten years later, I still can’t imagine spending my life doing anything other than evoking smiles through my art.”

Victoria Kohl is a senior studying motion pictures

“ My father always told me to be the best I could be, and it’s the only thing he ever asked for. It makes me think I could do anything because of all the things I have been able to learn.”

Jake McCallister is a

junior studying industrial engineering

“ It’s always been easy to say I didn’t measure up to anything and that I wasn’t good enough with a disability, but I realized that while I’m very different, I can still leave my mark and do as much as anyone.”

Diego Patrimonio, A.B. ’16, anthropology and geological sciences

miami.edu/magazine Spring 2017 MIAMI 19

Thanks to the persistence of UM physician Hansel Tookes and an unlikely ally, Florida’s first syringe exchange program is fighting the spread of HIV one hypodermic at a time.

BY AMY DRISCOLL

Courtesy of the Miami Herald

I L L U ST R AT I O N S BY B R I A N STAU F F E R

20 MIAMI Spring 2017 miami.edu/magazine

THE DOCTOR ON A MISSION met the homeless heroin addict who lived under a tree last year at Jackson Health System’s special immunology clinic when both men were struggling to overcome the odds.

Jose De Lemos, infected with HIV and hepatitis C from a shared needle, had gone without treatment for almost a year. He’d dropped 80 pounds, suffered from night sweats and a rash on his leg and chest. Even walking hurt.

He was in no mood for conversation with a well-meaning doc.

But Hansel Tookes, a University of Miami doctor with a degree in public health and a calling to public service, isn’t the kind of doctor who is easily put off. He talked to De Lemos anyway. Sent him to dermatology, started him on meds for HIV and hepatitis C, worked to find him a bed in rehab, and talked — about his own uphill battle to create a syringe exchange program in South Florida, the kind of program that might have prevented De Lemos’ infection.

miami.edu/magazine Spring 2017 MIAMI 21

A public health advocate in Miami, where new HIV infection rates consistently top the state and national charts, Tookes [M.P.H. ’09, M.D. ’14] had been struggling for years to get a bill passed in the Florida Legislature to create a program in Miami-Dade County to help end that terrible distinction.

In that time, he had gone from medical student to doctor. Testified before legislative committees over and over.

And learned just how hard he would have to fight to get what he considered a very modest proposal to save lives and improve public health through a conservative, Republican-dominated Legislature.

For De Lemos, his doctor’s commitment to the cause — an unpopular one, at that — was a revelation: “I’m hard-headed. And he’s persistent. He’s like, ‘If you get clean, you can talk about this. You’ll be great … You can help me.’

I admire him because he went through a lot but he kept going.”

Tookes recalled a different moment with his patient: “He started crying because he said he didn’t know people cared.”

For the next eight months, as De Lemos kicked heroin, endured a skin condition that caused blisters across his entire torso and finally saw his sky-high viral count drop, Tookes started seeing hope, too. His proposal, which had been stalled for years, started gaining traction. The nationwide heroin epidemic had changed the dialogue about bloodborne diseases. De Lemos’ appointments with Tookes now usually included an update on the needle exchange bill in Tallahassee. Sometimes, when there was a big vote, Tookes played video recordings of the committee meetings on his phone for De Lemos to see.

“The reception in the ER isn’t great. I had to prop the door open,” Tookes said, with a laugh. “But we watched.”

In March, a full five years after Tookes published a study in a medical journal when he was still a student that documented the harsh reality of illicit needle use in Miami, Governor Rick Scott signed the Miami-Dade Infectious Disease Elimination Act, making Miami-Dade’s program the first legal needle exchange in the American South.

22 MIAMI Spring 2017 miami.edu/magazine

The victory didn’t mean his fight was over. Legislators weren’t unanimous when they approved the bill, and the IDEA act reflects that: It creates a five-year test program, only in MiamiDade and without any public financing.

Tookes and UM, which will run the program, must raise all the money for the program privately, through grants and donations. Tookes — doctor, public health advocate and needle exchange

health of tens of thousands of people,” Tookes said. “And that was an amazing feeling. And that’s an amazing truth.

And that’s where we are.”

crusader — must now also become a fundraiser.

He’s undaunted. His determination has carried him this far, and he is already envisioning the rest.

“When I flew back to Miami after the bill had passed, I looked at the city as we were landing at MIA and I thought, what we just did is going to change the

system like De Lemos, with advanced cases of HIV in an era when the virus that causes AIDS is generally treated as a disease you live with, not one that kills you. Injection drug overdoses were rising, too.

The doctor knew getting people into treatment earlier could make a huge difference in their lives and reduce

Advanced HIV cases

Tookes, a 35-year-old internist, took on the against-the-odds fight for a needle exchange because he felt he had to. Too many people were coming through the doors of Miami-Dade’s public health

infections of others. (“I’m trained to look for public health solutions,” he said.) A needle exchange was a step toward that goal. Florida had never allowed a needle exchange program before. But why couldn’t that change?

His grandmother, Gracie Wyche, had set the bar high in his family. She was a pioneering black nurse in Miami who started out in the then-segregated wards of Jackson Memorial and eventually became a head nurse, concentrating on a mysterious illness in the 1980s that later became known as AIDS. Tookes became even more interested in public service during his undergraduate work at Yale University and a stint as an investigator for Project Aware, an HIV testing/counseling clinical trial at UM. He got a public health degree at UM, and then his medical degree.

Now a third-year resident who does his research through UM’s division of infectious diseases at the Miller School of Medicine, Tookes said his grandmother’s work set him on this path.

“She inspired me,” he said. “There’s

often associated with AIDS — who didn’t know he’d probably had HIV for years. An impoverished woman from Liberty City with a debilitating bacterial infection from a severely compromised immune system, who had never before been tested for HIV. Or a young man diagnosed with HIV a few months ago who revealed to Tookes during a clinic visit that he uses intravenous methamphetamine.

“Everything with this issue — all of the advocacy that we did for this policy — was to fix an issue that we were seeing in everyday clinical practice …

I think as physicians, we had a duty to intervene,” Tookes said. “We knew there was something we could do for these people to help them from getting so sick, and so we decided to fight for it.”

He faced deep suspicion about the idea going back to the just-sayno 1980s. Although needle exchange programs have become increasingly common even in GOP-controlled states — Indiana’s [then] governor, Mike Pence, changed his position [in 2015]

over — because of the high rates of HIV and hepatitis C in his district. He said he saw opposition flag after Florida shut down its “pill mills” starting in 2011, sending opioid users to the needle.

“The first thing people hear is that you’re trying to empower drug users to use drugs,” Braynon said. “But the narrative changed over time ... What started to happen is that drug use picked up. First it was people in the ’hood. But now it’s some of the wealthier people.”

And so the Legislature’s attitude changed. Injection drug use — and the blood-borne diseases that can go with it — were no longer just “a Miami problem,” Tookes said.

“In the context of a nationwide heroin epidemic and in the context of what I believe were many more constituents across the state going to see their senators and representatives and telling them that this was something that was ravaging their communities, we had a lot more of a sympathetic ear from the Legislature this year,” he said.

A needle exchange program won’t

just a long history of service on both sides of the family.”

The HIV numbers drove him, too.

In 2014, the Miami-Fort Lauderdale region ranked No. 1 in the nation by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for the rate of new HIV infections in areas with more than 1 million people. That year, Miami-Dade County had 1,324 new HIV cases, the CDC said, while Broward had 836 cases. Statewide, in 2014, the Florida Department of Health said 110,000 people were diagnosed and living with HIV. People are still dying of the virus: In the United States, 6,955 people died from HIV and AIDS in 2013, according to the CDC. Tookes saw the toll up close, in the examining room. A man in his 40s who had sex with men, no body fat and pneumocystis pneumonia, a disease

after an outbreak of HIV and hepatitis C — Florida remained a holdout. Some lawmakers continued to believe that giving addicts clean needles amounted to government-endorsed drug use.

Starting in 2012, Tookes — backed by a coalition including the Florida Medical Association, the Florida Hospital Association and the MiamiDade State Attorney’s Office — tried to make headway with lawmakers. When he hit the wall of opposition, he didn’t give up. He didn’t get disillusioned or cynical. He tried again. And again. In the legislative sessions of 2013, ’14, ’15.

Then 2016 came along. The heroin epidemic created a whole new conversation around the issue of injectiondrug use.

State Senator Oscar Braynon, a Miami Gardens Democrat, sponsored the syringe exchange bill — over and

fix Miami-Dade’s problem with HIV and hepatitis C. But Tookes says it will help. And though a small percentage of HIV infections can be traced directly to needle use and the biggest risk factor is still sex, reducing the number of shared needles reduces the community’s risk overall. People who share needles don’t always tell their sexual partners that they are at risk.

A needle exchange also brings the hard-core, drug-injecting population into the public health system to be tested and treated. That reduces the risk to everyone else and cuts costs of treating their illnesses.

This is not just theory. In Washington, D.C., the number of new HIV infections dropped from an average of 19 a month to six a month after a needle exchange program was introduced in 2008, according to a study released last year by miami.edu/magazine Spring 2017 MIAMI 23

Hansel Tookes, M.P.H. ’09, M.D. ’14

“ This pilot program is going to make a big dent in the infection rate in Miami.

All eyes are on us. We have to make this a success.”

Jose De Lemos died on February 23, 2017, but not before seeing IDEA Exchange open its doors in December. Hansel Tookes continues to advocate for public health solutions.

George Washington University’s public health school. The reduction in cases saved taxpayers an estimated $45.6 million, using CDC estimates that the average lifetime of care for AIDS patients costs about $380,000.

Miami-Dade stands to save money, too, if addicts stop reusing needles. A study co-authored last year by Tookes showed that the cost of treating patients who had bacterial infections as a result of dirty needles ran about $11.4 million a year at taxpayer-funded Jackson Memorial Hospital.

For Tookes, all of these public health arguments start with what he learned on the streets of Miami interviewing intravenous drug users when he was still a medical student at UM. The study he published in 2011 showed that drug users in Miami were 34 times more likely to dispose of their needles in public than drug users in San Francisco, which has had a needle exchange program since 1988.

Tookes still sees the bits and pieces of drug equipment in bushes and along streets, even in upscale places like 24 MIAMI Spring 2017 miami.edu/magazine

Brickell Avenue, lined with highrise condos and financial companies from all over the world.

“I still have syringe radar,” he said. “I spot them everywhere.”

‘People are still dying’

No one knows exactly why Miami-Dade’s HIV infection rate remains higher than other metropolitan areas, even as medicines are better than ever, statewide rates have declined and mother-to-child transmissions — AIDS babies — are rare.

Public health officials rattle off a variety of contributing factors: Thirtyfive years into this epidemic, younger people think of HIV as a treatable, chronic disease.

Drugs like Truvada, which can prevent HIV infection if taken as a precaution, have added to that perception. HIV is largely an urban disease.

Immigration brings people to Florida from places without much access to health care or health education. Miami is an international party town, and the highest risk for HIV is unprotected sex, especially for men having sex with

men. Testing and medication in South Florida can be difficult to find.

Also, HIV has fallen out of the headlines for the most part, added AIDS Healthcare Foundation’s advocacy and legislative affairs manager Jason King.

“People are still dying. But you don’t get the press coverage ... So it’s not at the forefront of people’s minds.”

Stigma is part of the problem, too. If you can’t admit you have HIV, your sexual partners are probably at higher risk.

“It’s not a death sentence like before but the stigma still exists,” said King, who is HIV positive. “And then they have to be conscientious about disclosing it to their next partner and they fear rejection.”

That’s definitely true in MiamiDade, said Dr. Cheryl Holder, a general internist who works at Jessie Trice Community Health Center and is an associate professor at Florida International University.

Holder says stigma, especially in the African-American community, is one of the toughest issues she combats when she sees patients with HIV.

PHOTOS: JASMIN SHAH/COMER FAMILY FOUNDATION

BY THE NUMBERS IDEA Exchange has already enrolled 240 participants, testing roughly half of them for HIV; traded 23,111 dirty needles for 21,523 clean ones; and raised about $700,000 in contributions.

To donate to Florida’s only needle exchange program, based in Miami, go to https://advancement.miami.edu/netcommunity/sslpage.aspx?pid=1634.

“We’re seeing changes in communities, but it’s still labeled as wrong and there’s something wrong with you ... I still have patients who hide their medicine.”

Walking out of the health center at the end of a day not long ago, she saw one of her patients, a young man in a hoodie, waiting for a ride from a family member. “If it weren’t for his diagnosis, I would have waited with him for his family. But as I walked by, he didn’t look at me and I didn’t look at him.

And that’s when I know it’s stigma. He couldn’t just pull me over and say, this is my doctor. We need to normalize health care so I don’t have to walk past my patient and not meet his mom.”

Raising money

In some ways, Tookes’ work starts again now. Though Congress lifted a ban on federal funding for needle exchanges in late 2015, no federal money can be used on needles themselves. And Florida’s bill specifies that no public money can be used for the program.

That leaves Tookes, working with UM, raising it all — about $500,000

a year. And the pressure is on: Other counties in Florida are watching to see how well the program works.

“This pilot program is going to make a big dent in the infection rate in Miami. All eyes are on us. We have to make this a success.”

He has raised $100,000 from private donors locally — including Joy Fishman, the widow of the inventor of Narcan, the “save shot” for people who are overdosing — and another $100,000 from the MAC AIDS Fund.

Nancy Mahon, global executive director of the fund, said that syringe exchanges are key to fighting HIV/AIDS. “Needle exchange programs like this halt new infections, period. There is still work to do, but providing sterile syringes and supportive services to IV drug users is a solid step in order to begin saving lives.”

Miami-Dade’s health department is joining the effort.

“Definitely, we will be helping in any way we can,” administrator Lillian Rivera said. “We can’t buy the syringes, but we definitely will be providing

wrap-around services. As the patients come in, we will be ensuring that they will be tested for HIV and hepatitis ...

All of the services that we have will be available to the patients that come through the door.”

The IDEA Exchange, which will be run through UM, comes too late to prevent De Lemos’ infections. But it’ll help others as the 35-year war on the epidemic continues — as many as 2,000 in the first year, Tookes said. A project manager will start work in August, and other staff members are next. The AIDS Healthcare Foundation is donating the HIV and hepatitis C test kits with the agreement that those identified with one of the diseases will be linked with medical care. Tookes is hoping that other groups will follow.

And De Lemos — at 53, homeless no longer — will do his part, inspired by the fight of his doctor to pass the law.

His viral load is so low it’s considered undetectable, and he is looking at life with new eyes. Service is part of his personal plan now. “I really want to be a part of this needle exchange program. If he can do that, I can do anything.”

Tookes says he will measure success with each HIV test, each syringe handed out.

“This has been a long journey ... It’s a very exciting time for Miami. We’re going to save a lot of lives. We’re going to save a lot of money. We’re going to give people a lot of clean needles. We’re going to provide HIV tests. We’re going to get people into treatment ... We’re going to change the world.”

Reprinted with permission from the Miami Herald. A longer version of this article originally appeared in the Herald on July 29, 2016. Since then, UM’s groundbreaking IDEA Exchange opened its doors, with Tookes, an infectious disease resident at Jackson Health System and the University of Miami, as its medical director. His team has already exchanged more than 21,000 syringes. Unfortunately, Jose De Lemos passed away not long after its opening.

On April 27, IDEA Exchange announced a new program to distribute the antioverdose drug naloxone (Narcan) to local substance users. miami.edu/magazine Spring 2017 MIAMI 25

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BY ROBIN SHEAR I L L U ST R AT I O N BY T O M N I C K CO CO T O S

Hurricanes Take Election

by Storm ELECTION 2016 IS LONG OVER. A NEW U.S. PRESIDENT HAS BEEN SWORN IN, and the work of governing the country continues amid a maelstrom of political debates and policy changes. But this wasn’t just any campaign cycle, and University of Miami faculty, students, and alumni have been—and continue to be—involved at just about every level. n From former presidential hopeful Marco Rubio, J.D. ’96, to current White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, J.D. ’98, Republican pundit Ana Navarro, A.B. ’93, and Univision journalist Jorge Ramos, M.A. ’96, alumni figured prominently in one of the most deeply divided, unpredictable presidential races in U.S. history. Earlier this year, Helen Aguirre Ferré, M.A. ’83, was named a special assistant to the president and White House director of media affairs, making her one of the administration’s highest-ranking Hispanics. n And while overall voter turnout was up only slightly from 2012, civic participation among students at UM hit new highs.

From White House insiders and voter turnout to student “dreamers” and the American Dream— representing orange and green has never looked so red, white, and blue.

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Monica Bustinza, a political science major, helped revive the U’s dormant chapter of the nonpartisan voter registration group Get Out The Vote (GOTV).

With help from other student organizations, fraternities, and sororities, GOTV added a record 2,500 UM students to the voter rolls.

Likely thanks to GOTV’s outreach and educational efforts, the Watsco Center (formerly BankUnited)—one of three precincts where UM students could vote locally—reported 85 percent turnout among its 1,965 registered voters, putting it in the top 20 for voter turnout among Miami-Dade County’s nearly 785 precincts.

First-year student Courtney Kloepper chose to register in Florida instead of her home state of Kansas because, she noted, “I know my vote matters in a swing state.”

Further fueling student involvement was the comprehensive political science course offered every four years by the College of Arts and Sciences. A record number of students, nearly 300, enrolled in Election 2016 to learn about a range of issues, including voter fraud, the 26th Amendment on voter rights, Interstate-4 corridor demographics in Central Florida, how the Electoral College works, and the role journalism and social media play in today’s political arena.

“UM has a rich tradition of engagement with presidential elections,” said Casey Klofstad, an associate professor of political science, who helped inaugurate UM’s POL 408 election course during the Obama/McCain race in 2008.

Joseph Uscinski, an associate professor of political science who co-taught Election 2016 with Klofstad and two other colleagues, isn’t surprised by the enthusiasm they encountered for the subject matter. “Students watch what is going on in the news, and all they hear is a lot of nastiness,” said Uscinski.

“They are millennials who want to understand fully what is going on.”

As a conspiracy theory expert, Uscinski is particularly focused on the influence our rapidly changing information environment is having on an 28 MIAMI Spring 2017 miami.edu/magazine

electorate of all ages and affiliations.

“In an American democracy, people are called upon to go out and vote, and the hope is that they have good information,” Uscinski said in his ’Cane Talk on the topic. “Now we have fake news and conspiracy theories—and people listen to that instead of authoritative information. And that is going to impact not only our democracy but our personal decision-making.”

polling exercises and critically analyzed debates before watching history unfold before their eyes at an Election Night viewing party November 8 in the UM Fieldhouse at the Watsco Center.

Another big Election Night Watch Party on campus, this one hosted by GOTV, the College Republicans, the College Democrats, and the Division of Student Affairs, took place at the Rathskeller. With ABC News and

DONNA VICTOR

‘A Celebration of Democracy’

The UM College Democrats, led by sophomore Angelica Duque, and the UM College Republicans, led by senior Christopher Dalton, share office space at the Shalala Student Center.

The Election 2016 course, however, enabled students to glean insights directly from The Beltway and beyond, from over a dozen guest lecturers, including Carlos Curbelo, B.B.A. ’02, M.P.A. ’12, who co-chairs the 36-member bipartisan Climate Solutions Caucus, and fellow member Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Ed.D. ’04, both Republican U.S. representatives from Miami; former U.S. Representatives Allen West (R-FL) and Patrick Murphy (D-FL), B.B.A. ’06; local filmmaker and activist Billy Corben, B.S.C. ’04; Donald Trump advisor Roger Stone; and White House political director David Simas, who was Skyped in from the West Wing on December 6.

The students took part in instant

Telemundo broadcasting live, chants of “I Believe SHE Will Win!” and “Make America Great Again!” intermingled late into the night.

“Regardless of whom you voted for, this is a celebration of democracy,” UM President Julio Frenk told students as he visited both election night events in the hours before Donald Trump was named the nation’s 45th president.

Applauding the “peaceful enthusiasm” he had witnessed, Frenk said later that listening to and learning from each other would guide the way forward in these times of change. “We will stay focused on being an exemplary university—one that fosters respectful dialogue on challenging topics in the quest to find truth and understand each other better.”

‘Moving Forward’ For many UM students, 2016 was their first chance to choose a president. Their efforts did not end on voting day.

Within a couple of weeks of the election, one group of first-year students had organized “Moving Forward,” a rally on the Coral Gables campus to address what they described as “the politics of division.”

“Across both parties we could work toward policies, work towards change that benefits everyone,” Moving Forward co-organizer Josh Kleinman told NBC 6 South Florida.

“We just want to make sure everyone on campus and in our country feels like they’re loved and they know people out

the Student Advisory Board of the Fair Elections Legal Network’s bipartisan Campus Vote Project, Rodriguez will continue to help student voices rise above the din.

Noting low numbers of women entering Congress, political science major Angelica Duque, who is president of the UM College Democrats, spearheaded a nonpartisan training session attended by over 40 undergraduates. Elect Her, headlined by local female lawmakers, was aimed at helping students develop their campaigns for leadership positions on and off campus.

UM schools and colleges are exploring post-election issues as well, from a forum on health care presented by the School of Business Administration

employment. He cited academic, legal, and personal resources available to the campus community, such as the four-year U Dreamers Grant for eligible DACA students.

In an official statement, Frenk encouraged members of the U community to “express to your fellow ’Canes that they are welcome at our shared home, the University of Miami.”

Reinforcing the University’s mission of building bridges, the University’s College Republicans and College Democrats demonstrated unity during what has been called one of the most divisive periods in U.S. memory. For the first time in UM history, they are working literally side by side in shared office space—at least until 2020—a decision

“ Regardless of whom you voted for, this is a celebration of democracy.” here care for them and their rights,” added co-organizer Calvin Chappell, referring to Trump’s campaign promises of erecting a wall between the U.S. and Mexico and other proposed measures affecting immigrants.

At UM, recently named a Voter Friendly Campus by the Campus Vote Project, Get Out The Vote has remained active. It has followed its successful voter registration campaign with continuing nonpartisan educational programming, such as a forum titled “What Now?” as well as “Evolving Awareness” discussions on gender and politics, state and local government, the environment, and refugees and migration.

Citizen U, a new program of the Butler Center for Service and Leadership, devoted its spring presentation to addressing how students can become politically engaged in the Miami community.

“I am extremely proud of our students for making their voices heard in this election,” said GOTV member Stefanie Rodriguez, a junior political science major whose parents fled Cuba during the Castro dictatorship. As one of nine students selected to serve on

to a panel discussion organized by the Department of Political Science titled 100 Days of Trump.

In the wake of executive orders from the White House, the School of Law’s Immigration Clinic has been offering free and confidential legal aid to students who are undocumented or in DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) status. The clinic has also held a teach-in to examine the “scope and legality of President Trump’s executive order barring people from [six] predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States for 90 days, and shutting down the Syrian refugee program indefinitely.”

This past January, Frenk joined with more than 600 college and university presidents from public and private U.S. institutions to sign a statement in support of the DACA program and undocumented immigrant students, also known as “dreamers,” emphasizing that these students “represent what is best about America, and as scholars and leaders they are essential to the future.”

He added that the University will do all it can within the law to enable them to continue their education and

they made back in September.

“I think it’s a great thing because it’s symbolic of the real world,” Madolyn Guillard, a junior who served as secretary for the UM College Republicans, told The Miami Hurricane. “Conservatives and liberals should not be separated, but rather should be able to exist together.

They should be able to communicate effectively and listen to each other’s perspectives, even if they do not align.”

Though an outspoken critic of Trump, alumna Navarro, a frequent contributor to CNN, ABC News, and The View, also sees common ground for the kind of democracy and American Dream her family fled decades ago in war-torn Nicaragua to find in the United States.

“There is nothing more American than acknowledging that even if we don’t agree politically, even if we don’t agree with the president, even if we don’t like each other, all of us have the same rights,” she has said. “If we remember that one thing, we will be OK.” —Reporting by Barbara Gutierrez, Andres Tamayo, and Nosa James, ’20.

View added content and photos online at miami.edu/magazine.

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The playwright behind this year’s Oscar winner for Best Picture illuminates the pain, power, and promise of his hometown.

‘Moonlight’ Becomes Him B Y M E R E D I T H C A M E L , M . F. A . ’ 1 2 PHOTOS BY ANDREW INNERARITY

THE FIRST TIME TARELL ALVIN MCCRANEY, WHOSE LARGELY autobiographical work inspired this year’s Best Picture Academy Award winner, realized he could provoke the senses through theater, he was just 14, acting in plays about substance abuse at Miami rehab centers. Audience reactions ranged from gratitude for “helping us understand what our children go through while we’re on drugs” to a demand that the show be stopped because of its emotional intensity.

Then there was the deep regret expressed by the man who used to sell drugs to McCraney’s mother.

From age 9 through his high school years at Miami’s New World School of the Arts, McCraney turned to theater as an after-school guardian, a shelter from his turbulent Liberty City neighborhood, and a place where the kid who always felt like an outsider discovered a sense of belonging. Now McCraney, 36, is a globally acclaimed playwright and recent professor of theater and civic engagement at UM who still finds comfort under the stage lights, their protective glow shielding him from the intimacy of meeting new people who have not yet revealed whether they are “friend or foe.”

Identity, intimacy, and trust are topics McCraney was wrestling with in the summer of 2003, when he wrote In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue, the gritty but tender coming-of-age story about a bullied gay black boy in the projects whose mother is a drug addict, whose unlikely father figure is a notorious drug dealer, and who struggles to understand his sexuality and his place in the world. It is McCraney’s story.

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“ Black women understand, perhaps more than anyone, what it means to try to make their way in a place that is constantly saying ‘no way.’”

32 MIAMI Spring 2017 miami.edu/magazine

A

recent graduate of DePaul University in Chicago at the time, McCraney was headed to grad school at Yale when he got the news his mother had died from AIDSrelated complications. The play was an outlet to “figure out my life now that I was missing the one person who could tell me who I was, beyond my memory,” he recalled.

Subsequent works—The Brother/ Sister Plays, Head of Passes, Choir Boy, and Wig Out!—plus two years in London as the Royal Shakespeare Company’s International Playwright in Residence catapulted McCraney into the theatrical limelight, but lately the MacArthur Fellow is captivating moviegoers with Moonlight, the film adaptation of his never-produced autobiographical script. After landing the Golden Globe for Best Picture in 2017, Moonlight went on to earn eight Oscar nominations. It took home three wins— Best Supporting Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay, and, in a Hollywood-worthy showstopper after La La Land was incorrectly announced, Best Picture.

But McCraney’s story might never have been so widely known. During a screening and Q&A at UM’s Cosford Cinema in January, McCraney credited School of Communication lecturer Rafael Lima, who had been McCraney’s high school playwriting teacher, with planting seeds of advice that ultimately helped this poignant and intimate piece take root in a way that had previously eluded him. “He said, ‘If a story keeps coming to you visually, then it’s a film. If you hear it, then it’s a play,’” recounted McCraney.

Almost a decade after he finished the work, a mutual connection forwarded it to filmmaker Barry Jenkins, who had grown up three blocks from McCraney and whose mother also struggled with crack cocaine addiction, though the two had never met as boys. Moonlight captures Jenkins and McCraney’s collective experience of survival in a reality that left them bruised yet aching to make sense of it through art.

The character of Juan, played in an Oscar-winning turn by Mahershala Ali, was based on Blue, a boyfriend of McCraney’s mother. “He was a drug dealer, and he was every bit of a hero to me,” said McCraney. “He taught me how to ride a bike. He taught me how to swim. He told me that I was good enough. He often stemmed my mother’s abuse from affecting me in many ways. I was the best-dressed kid in Liberty City for a long time. I always wanted to honor that memory—but not expunge it of any of the things that, actually, he did.”

Moonlight, which The New York Times describes as “so richly evocative of South Florida that it raises the humidity in the theatre,” places its lens on Liberty City in a way few films have.

For McCraney, who has “story by” and “executive producer” credits on the film, that authentic exposure is key to preserving the neighborhood and nourishing the voices that emerge from it.

The chance to help cultivate Miami’s “homegrown talent” drew him back from arts epicenters like New York and London. In 2015 McCraney joined UM’s College of Arts and Sciences as a professor of theater and civic engagement, and launched a unique educational initiative at Liberty City’s African Heritage Cultural Arts Center (AHCAC), his childhood safe haven.

Last summer, he led the inaugural Youth Artist Leadership Summer Program at the AHCAC, a partnership that united the center, the University of Miami, Miami-Dade County Cultural Affairs, and Arts for Learning.

McCraney guided 14 young black women, ages 13 to 17, as they wrote and performed an adaptation of Antigone, the Greek tragedy by Sophocles about the daughter/sister of Oedipus. Though the story is nearly 1,600 years old, the teens made it their own, infusing the final burial scene with music and lyrics that were a catharsis for the burdens they carry: “Let the rain from these tears wash these seeds of hate and malice and watch them grow into something new, something better. I’m going to cry my last for my sister, for Antigone, for all the sisters. I’m going

to cry my last tears for government violence visited on my body, on her body, on our bodies.” The chorus follows with a litany of modern-day evils they pledge to bury: hate, rage, homophobia, wickedness, body shaming, misogyny, addiction.

“Black women understand, perhaps more than anyone, what it means to try to make their way in a place that is constantly saying ‘no way,’” McCraney said.

“That’s what this program is about— getting young citizens to feel they have a voice.”

He maintains that nurturing young voices through the arts awakens imagination, which then leads to empathy.

“If you can’t imagine what other people’s lives are like, and if you can’t walk in someone else’s shoes, even in your own mind for a second, how are you a good doctor, a good lawyer, a good scientist?” asked McCraney. “We often think of the arts as something we can do in our spare time. But if they don’t have access to it early, no matter what life they were born into, all students suffer in some way.”

A shining example of the potential for homegrown talent to give back, McCraney insists communities also benefit from investing in arts education for youth.

“It goes right back to empathy,” he continued. “If you have people who can say, ‘I was raised, nurtured, and educated by my community,’ then they will do better by the community.”

Though McCraney will bring his considerable talents to Yale School of Drama full time in July as chair of the playwriting department and playwright in residence, his legacy will continue to impact his hometown.

“This is a stunning example of how artists can move us to new understandings of our world,” UM President Julio Frenk said after watching Moonlight.

“Tarell is a son of Miami. He is an artist of Miami. And he is an advocate for Miami. The film we just saw is such a beautiful, poetic, loving portrait of our incredible city in all its dimensions.”

Watch McCraney’s ’Cane Talk at canetalks. miami.edu/cane-talkers/tarell-alvin-mccraney.

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34 MIAMI Spring 2017 miami.edu/magazine

OFFTHE CHARTS

BY ROBERT C. JONES JR.

Mixing activism with architecture, two University of Miami professors use drones to map informal cities in Latin America in the hopes of improving conditions there.

miami.edu/magazine Spring 2017 MIAMI 35

T

HE CHILDREN PLAY SOCCER BAREFOOT ON A DIRT FIELD, AND WHEN THEY AREN’T IMITATING THE FLAMBOYANT STRIKING AND PASSING SKILLS OF THEIR COUNTRY’S GREATEST FOOTBALLERS, THEY ROAM NEIGHBORHOOD STREETS, PLAYING OTHER GAMES OR SOMETIMES JUST LOOKING FOR SOMETHING TO EAT.

If not for the efforts of a woman named Julia, many of them would go hungry. A 50-something community elder with an energetic spirit, Julia helps keep their bellies full, working with a group of other women to prepare meals that feed as many as 100 kids a day.

Life in some parts of Las Flores, a five-square-mile shantytown near Barranquilla, Colombia, often presents a multitude of challenges. Food can be hard to come by; sewage, water, and electrical systems are nonexistent in most areas; and residents build shotgun-style homes with whatever materials they can find—in this case, mostly wood.

Many local governments consider slums like Las Flores eyesores, electing to leave them off of official maps.

But two University of Miami School of Architecture professors, Carie Penabad, B.Arch. ’95, and Adib Cure, B.Arch. ’97, believe slums should not only be recognized but also given the assistance they need.

So with tools as simple and archaic as pencil and paper, and as advanced and high-tech as camera-equipped drones, the husband-and-wife team

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have made it their mission to map some of the poorest and most vulnerable places in the world.

They started in 2006, using traditional surveying techniques to map the slum of Shakha near Mumbai, India.

The following year, they traveled to the Cape Town, South African township of Langa to map the informal settlement of Joe Slovo, one of the largest slums in that country. “Then we realized something,” recalls Penabad. “We’re based in Miami, and we’re traveling to the other side of the world to study these informal settlements, when, in fact, we have at our doorstep Latin America and the Caribbean, where an urban, informal population is growing. So why not turn our focus closer to home?”

And they did, beginning with Las Flores. Every spring semester between 2008 and 2015, Penabad and Cure have taken architecture students from their upper-level design studio and, starting two years ago, software engineers from UM’s Center for Computational Science, to this 60-year-old settlement to map its 75 neighborhood blocks and seven barrios. While CCS engineers operated the drones that produced highly

detailed aerial maps of Las Flores, Penabad, Cure, and their students walked the streets, studying the slum’s building and construction patterns, peering into its simple wood and clay brick homes, observing neighborhood social interactions, and talking with some of the 10,000 residents who live there—all as part of an extensive effort to help cure what ails it.

“When these cities that are literally off the map are documented and studied, you begin to not only understand them but get a much bigger picture of their problems,” says Penabad. “Where would it make the most sense to bring in water and sewer lines? Where are they disconnected in terms of transportation? Where would it make the most sense to build a medical clinic? The potential for progress becomes more tangible and possible when you can see everything mapped out.”

X-RAY OF THE CITY

Penabad compares the maps to “X-rays that allow us to diagnose a settlement’s condition.”

Here’s what their “X-ray” of Las Flores shows: Newer barrios where

Using the same drone technology employed by the Obama administration to hunt terrorists, University of Miami architects Carie Penabad and Adibe Cure are mapping informal cities in amazing detail.

LOOKING LIKE A GIANT INSECT WITH ITS FOUR LEGS EXTENDED OUTWARD,

An aerial view of Santa Cruz del Islote, the most densely populated island on the planet, taken from a drone operated by CCS software engineers.

the quadcopter sits in the center of the dirt road, its propellers beginning to spin faster and faster.

In Las Flores, a small group of curious youngsters gathers around, while just a few feet away Chris Mader, director of the software engineering core in the University of Miami’s Center for Computational Science (CCS), flips the switch to a remote-control device, sending the cameraequipped drone skyward with the speed of a rocket blasting off from its launchpad.

The aerial mapping of this shantytown near Barranquilla, Colombia, has begun.

“Robots that fly” is how Mader describes the drones he and CCS colleague Amin Sarafraz have been using to help two University of Miami School of Architecture professors, Carie Penabad, B.Arch. ’95, and Adib Cure, B.Arch. ’97, map informal settlements in Latin America.

Initially Penabad and Cure mapped the settlements on foot with pencil and paper, using traditional surveying techniques and satellite images that were not always clear.

After they learned about CCS’s flying robots, though, their methods for mapping slums literally took flight.

Flying a programmed grid pattern at 15-to20-minute intervals, with a GoPro camera attached to its underbelly, a single drone can map a five-square-mile shantytown like Las Flores in about two days, according to Mader, who has traveled to Colombia with Penabad and Cure as a member of their mapping team.

The 600 to 800 high-resolution digital images captured by the drone are used to produce a highly detailed composite photo showing an aerial layout of the entire city— from rooftops and foliage to streets and even trash piled up in backyards.

“For mapping small areas like informal settlements, drones are ideal,” says Mader. “They can fly closer to the ground [the drones Mader uses typically fly at an altitude of about 130 feet], they’re inexpensive, and it’s technology anyone can use.”

The drones have significantly reduced the time it takes to map a settlement. That doesn’t mean Penabad and Curie have abandoned the personal side of their research. They still walk shantytown streets, but only to gather the information drones can’t, such as the stories told by the inhabitants of some of the poorest and most vulnerable places on Earth.

“There may be 200 children under the age of 10 living in an informal city that’s not being serviced by any medical facility,” says Penabad. “The maps can show us where a medical clinic or school can be built.” Among the other questions that can be answered: Are there boundaries within slum neighborhoods? Where does the slum stop and the formal city begin?

Penabad and Cure’s goal is to make UM a center for the collection of data on informal settlements throughout Latin America. “We’ve found a way to map these in a pretty distinct way,” Penabad explains. “We’d like to acquire enough funding to deploy this toolkit more systematically and make it entirely open-sourced mapping.”

miami.edu/magazine Spring 2017 MIAMI 37

small houses with sheet-metal roofs are built so close together that hardly any light and fresh air penetrate; older districts where, over time, wooden houses have been replaced by concrete homes; a scarcity of public gathering spaces; and unpaved streets.

Las Flores is compact, mirroring onthe-grid Barranquilla only in having a clearly delineated pattern of streets and blocks. “Houses come up to the edges of streets,” explains Penabad, “and there aren’t many automobiles, so people walk or bike to get to where they need to go.”

And usually where they need to go is to the larger metropolis to work in factories and hotels. Some of the women toil as housemaids. “Grandparents and children are most prevalent during the day, when the men and women are at work,” says Penabad, adding that Las Flores and many other such slums are surprisingly sustainable.

“There’s a well-structured network of families,” says Cure. “Older, more established families usually become the leaders, creating day care centers and micro businesses that help the community.” One woman, he notes, even started a mobile clothes-washing service, wheeling a portable manual washing machine door to door.

“Everyone living in an urban slum isn’t necessarily worse off,” says Justin 38 MIAMI Spring 2017 miami.edu/magazine

Stoler, an assistant professor of geography and regional studies in UM’s College of Arts and Sciences, whose own research on informal settlements has taken him to Accra, Ghana, to explore links between neighborhoods, the environment, and human health. “Living in a slum has been shown to hinder growth but also sometimes to aid it via tight-knit communities that offer better resilience for overcoming stressors and communities where residents take care of one another and provide buffers from all the problems they’re dealing with on a daily basis.”

But media stories don’t often report on the resilience of these communities.

Usually it’s the bad news—like crime or residents’ poor health and educational outcomes—that grabs the headlines, Penabad laments.

“Some people feel these settlements should be cleared out and bulldozed and the inhabitants relocated, but that’s the wrong thing to do,” she says. “Once these individuals are displaced, not only is their rich community life fractured, but they’re banished to the outskirts, usually far from the city center, which is where they make their livelihood.”

Improving the infrastructure within—from installing water and sewer lines to providing electricity and introducing public transportation routes— would do more to help slum dwellers

than any relocation effort would, says Cure. But such public works-style projects require funding, not to mention the even greater task of convincing local governments to pour money into areas they don’t even include on formal maps.

Residents of Las Flores have been lucky in that the private sector has funded electrical and water projects in isolated areas of their settlement. But more improvements are needed, such as an urgent care clinic and a large banquet-style hall where community elder Julia and the other women with whom she works can feed the scores of children they cook for.

And that just scratches the surface.

To that end, Penabad and Cure’s students have taken to the drawing board to propose projects that could help ramp up Las Flores’ infrastructure.

BIKE TAXI STOPS AND STREETLAMPS

Residents taking bike taxis to work and neighborhoods with no street lights were among student Nicki Gitlin’s first observations of this Colombian shantytown when she helped map it over a year ago as part of the Informal Cities studio, which requires students to conceive of and design a project that fills a critical need in the community.

“Lots of bike taxis, but no bike taxi stops,” says Gitlin, B.Arch. ’15. “And

Nicki Gitlin, B.Arch. ’15, documented the streets of Las Flores, Colombia, as a student in the Informal Cities studio.

See more at miami.edu/magazine

without streetlamps, some of the neighborhoods aren’t safe.”

So Gitlin, who has since graduated from UM and is now working for an architectural firm in New York, designed a single apparatus to solve both problems—a bike taxi stop that converts into a streetlamp at night. She also came up with a way residents could take an active role in improving their city, developing a GPS system that would operate through bike taxis.

Another student, once he arrived in Las Flores, saw opportunity in the settlement’s proximity to the Magdalena River.

Already an income and food source for local kite fishermen, Colombia’s principal river could, with the implementation of a local water taxi system, become an important transportation route, taking residents from the water’s edge to the center of Barranquilla, where many of them work in the service industry.

The extension of Barranquilla bus routes into Las Flores, homes built with better ventilation, and a local fishery are among the other ideas UM students proposed.

“Small projects,” says Penabad, “large implications.” But only if their maps fall into the right hands.

TOOLS OF EMPOWERMENT

That is why, after the completion of every mapping exercise, Penabad and Cure

give copies of the maps, accompanied by data and statistics, to government officials in the hope that the settlements will be incorporated into the larger formal city.

“Informal settlements aren’t going to disappear,” says Penabad. In fact, more than 800 million people live in slums worldwide, according to the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat). In Latin America and the Caribbean alone, at least 24 percent of the region’s urban population reside in slums.

Maps of these informal settlements, Penabad, Cure, and Stoler agree, can provide a powerful case for inclusion.

“Great things can happen when you put communities on a map,” says Stoler.

“It legitimizes them. Many slums are typified by informality. People are doing work that’s not on the books, that’s informal in nature, and often the government doesn’t recognize these areas and doesn’t even count the people. When suddenly you put boundaries around them and create maps, you’re further legitimizing their existence. You’re saying, ‘Hey, this community is now on the map just like all the other communities the government acknowledges, and these people matter too.’

“By mapping these communities in increasingly better detail,” continues Stoler, “you create a digital infrastructure that becomes the cornerstone

for deploying actual infrastructure.

Decision makers are less likely to consider putting in new electrical lines or extending the pipe water network into a neighborhood unless there are clear boundaries and a defined constituency.”

The maps also can make governments aware of potential new economic markets and the enterprising spirit of the people who live in slums, like the community elder on Santa Cruz del Islote, the most densely populated island on Earth. During a 2015 mapping exercise of that islet, where more than 1,200 people inhabit a piece of land off the coast of Colombia that’s roughly the size of a baseball field, Penabad and Cure learned of a woman’s efforts to raise donations for solar panels that were eventually installed on some homes.

Stoler, who for the past 12 years has been studying slums in West Africa with a team of researchers from universities across the nation, also encountered his fair share of enterprising shantytown residents during the considerable amount of time he spent in Ghana’s urban slums. While conducting research on drinking water needs in Accra, he met a young man who was starting his own business as a baggedwater supplier.

“He was living in a slum in a little shack with a couple of machines,” Stoler recalls.

Five years later, the UM researcher returned to Accra and tracked down the young entrepreneur, discovering that he had become a successful businessman with a modern factory and dozens of machines.

“People living in slum communities are as smart and resourceful as anybody anywhere else, and they are often forced to be creative to make ends meet,” says Stoler. “Their ability to adapt is amazing. So why wouldn’t local governments want to harness that work ethic, that creativity, that resiliency? And that’s why we should keep mapping.” miami.edu/magazine Spring 2017 MIAMI 39

Alumni Digest

Alumni Digest

NEWS AND EVENTS OF INTEREST TO UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI ALUMNI

Building on the Dream, from the 1960s to the Present UTrailblazers weekend honors UM’s first black graduates and champions of integration

40 MIAMI Spring 2017 miami.edu/magazine

afternoon, the University of Miami’s Board of Trustees—24 members in attendance—23 men, one woman, all white—unanimously voted to, and I quote, ‘accept any qualified student… regardless of race, creed, or color.’ In that moment, this University became a great institution.”

The Opening Ceremony continued with an alumni-student forum that Bellamy moderated, student dance and spoken word performances, and a keynote address by Harold Long Jr., A.B. ’68, J.D. ’71, the founder of United Black Students who orchestrated a 1968 sit-in at then-President Henry King Stanford’s office to demand more resources for AfricanAmerican students, faculty, and curriculum. Also in attendance were former Vice President for Student Affairs William Butler, former administrator Anna Price, and Whittington Johnson, the first black faculty member at

alma mater. Among them was Patricia (Barnes) Roberts, B.S.Ed. ’72, M.S.Ed. ’73, who lives in Miami but hadn’t visited since earning her master’s degree in 1973. “Oh, I’ll be back,” she said, marveling at the beauty of the campus that has changed so much.

Roberts’ reflections about her student experiences and as the University’s first black cheerleader are living, along with the oral histories of 45 other UTrailblazers, in video testimonies captured by the UM Alumni Association on Friday and Saturday.

The videos are part of the University’s continuing effort to bring to light this

PHOTOS: JENNY ABREU

President’s Council member Denise Mincey-Mills, B.B.A. ’79, and her cochairs of the Black Alumni Society’s First Black Graduates Project Committee, Antonio Junior, A.B. ’79, and Phyllis Tyler, B.B.A. ’79, devoted four years to sifting through Ibis yearbooks and the University of Miami Libraries’ Archives to learn more about the struggles and successes of UM’s black graduates of the 1960s and 1970s.

The history they discovered there sprang to life February 24 and 25, during UTrailblazers, a celebration hosted by the UM Alumni Association, that brought hundreds of people to campus to honor those who blazed a trail of diversity and inclusion during this institution’s first two decades of racial integration.

The event kicked off Friday with a campus bus tour and visit to the Otto G. Richter Library to view February’s We Were Pioneers exhibition, which showcased archival materials detailing the early years of black life on campus.

In a lecture at the library, Donald Spivey, UM history professor, discussed key elements of Miami’s civil rights movement and urged the audience to “take the baton” the UTrailblazers handed to the UM community, “accept the responsibility, and run with it.”

Adding their thoughts were some of the UTrailblazers recognized in the exhibit and throughout the weekend, such as Ray Bellamy, B.S.Ed. ’72, M.S.Ed. ’97, UM’s first black football scholarship recipient, and Kim Sands, B.Ed. ’78, the first black woman to receive a tennis scholarship to the U. “January 31, 1961, was a day of immense historic importance,” UM President Julio Frenk said at the Opening Ceremony in the Newman Alumni Center. “That

UM—three of the 16 faculty members and administrators recognized for their trailblazing efforts.

On Saturday, more than 400 people attended the UTrailblazers Gala at the Shalala Student Center, including some alumni who had not been back to campus in decades but are now eager to reconnect with their

Whittington Johnson and Donald Spivey, above left, and former Whitten UC associate director Joyce Knox, at top, were among those who experienced the We Were Pioneers exhibit at the Richter Library.

PHOTOS: JENNY ABREU

Top row: George Knox, J.D. ’73, left, and Finesse Mitchell, B.S.C. ’95; middle row, from left: Burgess Owens, B.S. ’75, Congresswoman Frederica Wilson, M.Ed. ’73, Knox, and Ray Bellamy, B.S.Ed. ’72, M.S.Ed. ’97, with artist C.J. Latimore, B.F.A. ’76, at podium, presenting his commemorative print; Phyllis Tyler, B.B.A. ’79, President Frenk, Denise Mincey-Mills, B.B.A. ’79, and Antonio Junior, A.B. ’79. Bottom row: Johnny Taylor, B.S.C. ’89, honoring a UM student at the Trailblazers gala.

history while cultivating additional insight on it.

“Some of you went here when you were afraid to walk to class,” said actor and comedian Finesse Mitchell, B.S.C. ’95, who was the gala’s master of ceremonies. “Look at us now; we’ve taken over the ballroom of the best building on campus!”

Executive Vice President and Provost Thomas J. LeBlanc welcomed the gala crowd and assisted the First Black Graduates Project cochairs in an on-stage recognition of 13 “Top of the Class” honorees, including artist C.J. Latimore, B.F.A. ’76, who donated a commemorative collage print he created of his fellow honorees. UM Trustee H.T.

Smith, J.D. ’73, introduced keynote speaker George F. Knox, J.D. ’73, a fellow Top of the Class honoree and School of Law classmate, with a memory of how Knox typically responded to any negativity he encountered on campus.

“George would tell them, ‘Affirmative action didn’t pass those law school exams; that was us... Affirmative action didn’t have a 100 percent passing rate on the Florida Bar the first time; that was us,’” Smith said.

In an effort to continue blazing trails of opportunity and inclusion at the University, donors to the First Black Graduates Projects Endowed Scholarship are building a fund that will, in perpetuity, award $2,500 to two black students per year. President’s Council member Johnny C. Taylor Jr., B.S.C. ’89,

announced at the gala that the fund has reached more than $91,000, in addition to his own $25,000 pledge.

The scholarship is a bridge to the mission of the early UTrailblazers, who sought to build permanent pathways to a UM education for qualified black students, regardless of their financial abilities. It is the essence of the phrase invoked throughout the festivities: “Blazing the trail, building the dream.”

And as Knox acknowledged, the dream has become an ever-widening, two-way street.

“The University of Miami helped to educate us and mold us,” Knox said.

“We and the University were enriched by the experience. Now we are free to say, ‘We love you, University of Miami,’ and we know you love us back.”

—Meredith Camel, M.F.A. ’12 See more at miami.edu/magazine.

miami.edu/magazine Spring 2017 MIAMI 41

Alumni Digest

New Interactive Media Center Sends Strong Signal A new digital domain takes hold at the School of Communication naming gifts and rallied other parents to get involved in the $2.7 million endeavor.

The adjacent broadcast center, which received its own makeover, now boasts top-notch equipment, such as two HDTV studios, a sound stage, control rooms, editing suites, and more. It was named, said Shepherd, to honor three decades

Industry leaders Bill Koenigsberg, B.B.A. ’77, far left with Jessica Koenigsberg; Bob Mann, A.B. ’70, top right with Lauren Mann; and Miles Nadal collaborated on UM’s new Interactive Media Center.

of invaluable support from UM Trustee and School of Communication Visiting Committee Chair Robert “Bob” Mann, A.B. ’70, who cofounded and managed UM’s student-run radio station, WVUM, as a student and has since made significant contributions to the University, including two endowed scholarships.

“We have to keep on improving,” said Mann, “and we have to stay up with our

Putting the ‘U’ in URL Check out the new alumni.miami.edu The University of Miami Alumni Association has transitioned to a new website, alumni.miami.edu, creating a more engaging and interactive environment for alumni to stay connected to the U. With a focus on more visual elements, the website is a platform for connecting with fellow alumni, staying engaged with the University, and finding stories that enhance the reputation of the U while exhibiting Hurricane pride.

42 MIAMI Spring 2017 miami.edu/magazine

peer schools and make sure we offer students the best equipment and the best facilities to learn in.”

Videoconferenced in from Canada, Nadal, chair and CEO of Peerage Capital Inc., said, “What excited me about this

PHOTOS: JENNY ABREU

The School of Communication took another leap into the interactive age with the dedication of two new centers in December: the Koenigsberg & Nadal Interactive Media Center and the Robert & Lauren Mann Broadcast Center.

Gregory J. Shepherd, dean of the School of Communication, explained how the space at the school’s front entrance has been transformed from a quiet, dark library “full of dusty journals and hardly any students” into a 2,500-square-foot bright and modern multifaceted facility fully loaded with the latest digital media resources.

Shepherd said the goal was to create a project-based learning environment that would encourage student interaction across disciplines.

“We will not only be learning about communication,” said student Oliver Redsten, an anchor for UMTV NewsVision and an on-camera host for the opening ceremony, “but also how to implement communication plans and tactics, making us more confident when we enter the workforce.”

Media industry leaders Bill Koenigsberg, B.B.A. ’77, a President’s Council member, and Miles Nadal, both parents of School of Communication students, spearheaded the Interactive Media Center’s development with

opportunity was that the University of Miami was taking a leadership role in the interactive media center of the future as part of its integrated communications program.”

Digital currency is the currency of the future, explained Koenigsberg, founder, president, and CEO of Horizon Media, noting that the majority of his nearly 2,000 employees are 20-somethings.

UM students will end up “richer than students from other schools” and at the forefront of their industry upon graduation because they will have the opportunity to work with their peers in this kind of professional and collaborative atmosphere to deliver a multitude of digital and traditional creative services to clients, Koenigsberg said.

“I want the best and the brightest out of communication schools. That’s what motivated me to do this,” he continued. “It’s a bit self-serving, but we’re going to create the best students in the world through this interactive media center.”

Hurricane Power Couple Honored in New York With angels framed in gold gazing over the ballroom stage, New York City’s The Metropolitan Club set the scene April 26 for the 45th Alumni Awards Ceremony of the University of Miami, which recognized two of the U’s own angels, Maurice “Hank” Greenberg, ’49, the former CEO of American International Group (AIG), and his wife, philanthropist Corinne Zuckerman Greenberg, B.B.A. ’49, president and director of the Maurice R. and Corinne P. Greenberg Foundation and director of The Starr Foundation.

A voice major in high school, Corinne was among UM’s first female business school graduates and went on to a successful career in management information systems. But she never stopped using her powerful voice­to advocate for the arts, science, and social and cultural institutions.

Her husband of 67 years is chair and CEO of the global insurance and investment organization C.V. Starr & Co. Inc. and chair of The Starr Foundation, one of the largest private foundations in the United States. A decorated war veteran, he grew AIG into a $180 billion insurance giant during nearly 40 years at its helm.

The Greenbergs received the Edward T. Foote Alumni of Distinction Award for their “accomplishments and dedication to the University,” UM President Julio Frenk told the more than 170 admirers in attendance. “By creating endowed scholarship funds they have ensured the dreams of generations.”

The Greenbergs have contributed more than $16 million to UM. “Beyond their impressive professional and civic careers, the Greenbergs have been steadfast champions and major supporters of the University of Miami,” UM President Emerita Donna E. Shalala, Hon. ’02, said during her

PHOTOS: NATURAL EXPRESSIONS

Philanthropists Hank and Corinne Greenberg tapped for 2017 Alumni Award

Honorees Corinne and Hank Greenberg with, from left, President Julio Frenk, President Emerita Donna Shalala, and Donna Arbide, associate vice president for alumni relations and individual giving.

introduction.

“Their financial support has impacted several areas at UM, including the Interdisciplinary Stem Cell Institute, President’s Initiatives, School of Law, Diabetes Research Institute Foundation, and student scholarships through the establishment of the Greenberg Endowed Scholars and C.V. Starr Endowed Scholarship Funds.”

A number of scholarship recipients expressed their gratitude via video.

“The Greenberg Scholarship has made a huge difference for me,” said Gabrielle Tilton, ’20, business administration major. “I have been able to grow so much as a student and a person at UM. There is incredible support offered here, and I am learning to use that to my full advantage.”

Jayden Pace Gallagher, ’20, said the scholarship “showed me that hard work can make a huge difference in my future.

I plan to dedicate my career to ecosystem and population conservation. Thank you so much for providing for so many!”

Several Frost School of Music alumni, including Trent Saunders, B.M. ’13, and Ken Clark, B.M. ’10­—both currently appearing on Broadway—performed with Frost School Dean Shelton Berg in tribute to Corinne’s work as chair of the National Board of Young Audiences/Arts for Learning. She is also on volunteer committees at Rockefeller University, New York-Weill Cornell Medical Center, and the Iris Cantor Women’s Health Center.

Among his many distinctions, Hank is a World War II and Korean War veteran whose role on Omaha Beach earned him the French Ordre National de la Légion d’Honneur—a commendation later upgraded to Commandeur de l’Ordre National de la Légion d’Honneur for his leadership at AIG. Accepting their award, an original Murano glass Ibis, the Greenbergs said they enjoyed their student days at the U, where Hank earned a pre-law certificate, and are impressed by their alma mater’s progress.

Frenk concluded his remarks by thanking the dynamic couple for being pioneers at UM and for their ongoing generous support. miami.edu/magazine Spring 2017 MIAMI 43

Alumni Digest

Legacy Program Rejoices in Raising ’Canes

It’s a ’Canes thing: Jerry Goldstein, B.B.A. ’89, with kids Leah and Jared, B.M. ’16, and wife Eileen.

Alumni Center. Then in May, there’s the Graduating Legacy Reception, at which seniors receive their official UM legacy stole to wear during commencement.

Additional legacy perks include early move-in for freshman and first-year transfer students and a complimentary professional headshot to help legacy seniors launch their post-graduation

Reconnecting in Asia ’Cane spirit returns to region during June multicity tour With more than 1,100 students from Asia attending the University of Miami, plus thousands of recent graduates, the UM Alumni Association is making its fourth official visit to the continent this June.

Stops include Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, and China’s Henan Province, where Henan and UM launched Miami College of Henan University last year, with majors in environmental science, civil engineering, electronic information science, and technology and automation.

In January officials met at UM to sign an agreement that would bring 44 MIAMI Spring 2017 miami.edu/magazine

LinkedIn profiles. And though much has changed at the U over the past few generations, for alumni parents like Jerry Goldstein, who graduated more than 25 years ago, there’s one phrase that still sums up the legacy connection: “It’s a ’Canes thing!”

Visit alumni.miami.edu for more information. On Twitter, go to #UMLegacy.

JENNY ABREU

Jerry D. Goldstein, B.B.A. ’89, is proud that both of his children chose to make his alma mater part of their family tradition.

“I want my children and grandchildren to know that my legacy is one of education, kindness, acceptance, and being open to others,” reflects Goldstein, an attorney who lives in New Jersey. “It started at the University of Miami, where I was urged to achieve great things and to inspire the world to be better.”

His daughter, Leah Goldstein, is following in his orange and green footsteps to the U this fall. His son, Jared Goldstein, B.M. ’16, is a recent graduate of the Frost School of Music.

And the Goldsteins are just the tip of the Ibis. Each year more than 200 “legacy” students—the child or grandchild of a Hurricane—choose the U as their new home away from home. To celebrate their dedication to continuity, the UM Alumni Association hosts a series of legacy activities throughout the year.

In April there’s the welcome breakfast to congratulate newly accepted legacy students and their families. Each August, during new student orientation week, an official greeting and welcome to campus event for legacy families takes place at the Newman

GIULIANNA MARIE STUDIOS

Families find lasting bond in sharing the UM experience from generation to generation

10 students selected by Henan University to UM’s College of Engineering.

“Both universities will benefit from shared engineering knowledge through this partnership,” said UM College Henan Vice Chancellor Guoxiang Zhao, second from left, visited of Engineering Dean in January to sign an agreement with Engineering Dean JeanJean-Pierre Bardet, who Pierre Bardet, far right, and other University officials. is scheduled to speak at June’s events in Asia. “It also presents real-world projects.” a tremendous opportunity for students An Asia Pacific Parent Network is beand faculty from both institutions to ing piloted to help families in the region explore and develop new solutions stay connected to the U and engaged in to global issues and collaborate on causes they care about.

Class Notes 1950s

Martin Rosen, B.B.A. ’54, a retired U.S. Army colonel, received the Lifetime Achievement Award from Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, a Department of Defense agency. A financial advisor, he is vice president at Ameriprise Financial Services in Miami.

Deborah (Debi) Hoffman, A.B. ’56, J.D. ’83, was a 2017 Breaking the Glass Ceiling awardee at the Jewish Museum of FloridaFIU and Philanthropy Miami’s 2016 Community Champion for her advocacy of the arts and programs for women and girls. A longtime supporter of the U, she notes that she’s been a student at UM under each of its six presidents—from a junior high program during President Ashe’s tenure, to her degree programs and the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, to a recent class at the law school.

E. Leonard Rubin, A.B. ’56, J.D. ’59, published a piece in the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin about a current lawsuit in which Paramount Pictures is claiming it owns the rights to all of the words of the Klingon language invented for the Star Trek franchise.

Abbott Wainright, A.B. ’57, M.B.A. ’68, and Ronnie Wainwright, A.B. ’62, M.A. ’66, who first met at the Otto G. Richter Library, recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. They live in the foothills of Scottsdale, Arizona, where they hike and where Ronnie paints landscapes. They would enjoy hearing from classmates.

1960s

Allan Rosenbaum, A.B. ’62, was elected vice chair of the United Nations Committee of Experts on

Public Administration. He is the first American elected to be chair or vice chair of the committee, which was established in 2000.

Rosenbaum joined FIU 27 years ago as dean of its then School of Public Affairs and Services and has written extensively on good governance and democratic institution building. He has worked in local, state, and national government and directed major U.S. government democratic institution building projects in Africa, Central and Eastern Europe, and Latin America. He belongs to the National Academy of Public Administration and is a past president of both the American Society for Public Administration in Washington, D.C., and the International Association of Schools and Institutes of Administration in Brussels, Belgium. He has received awards from universities, professional associations, and governments worldwide and was a Visiting Distinguished Professor at the University of Potsdam, Germany.

Sandra (Dycus) Kirkpatrick, A.B. ’64, published her first non-fiction book, Tales for Cats: Felines Extraordinaire, about heroic cats through history, and is donating some of the proceeds to humane societies. She is at work on a script for a TV series and a novel set in Southeast Asia, where she previously served as executive director of a nonprofit focused on ending human trafficking.

Barry Richard, A.B. ’64, J.D. ’67, attorney with Greenberg Traurig, LLP in Tallahassee, Florida, was recognized as a “senior statesman” in the 2016 Chambers USA Guide.

Leonard Ray Teel, A.B. ’64, M.A. ’74, professor emeritus of communication at Georgia State University in Atlanta and recipient of the Sidney Kobre Lifetime Achievement Award from the

Citizen ’Cane Black Beauty Afrobella.com blogger Patrice Grell Yursik, B.S.C. ’02, M.F.A. ’04, says her years at the University of Miami helped shape her into one of Women’s Wear Daily’s 50 Most Influential People in the Multicultural Beauty Market, alongside Beyoncé and Jennifer Lopez.

Though writing was a passion, upon graduation from the School of Communication, Yursik didn’t necessarily know where that passion would lead her. It wasn’t until she was presented with a teaching assistantship that she decided to pursue her Master of Fine Arts from the Creative Writing Program in the College of Arts and Sciences’ English Department.

“During my teaching assistantship, I was confronted with the task of creating content and lessons that would keep my students engaged and interested,” recalls Yursik, a native of Trinidad now based in Chicago. While she rose to the challenge, she never thought her content and ideas would be on constant display.

Her career path started at Books & Books then moved on to Miami New Times newspaper. She credits UM’s Creative Writing Program with inspiring her to continue her education outside of the classroom.

“I was shown that I could write anything, from a novel to film script,” she recalls. “I learned the basics and was encouraged by faculty to follow my passions.”

In 2009, while working full time, Yursik dedicated late nights and free time to her craft, sharing her voice on her blog. She used her education and writing skills to develop engaging content that would become the award-winning Afrobella.com.

Today her site is known around the world, and Yursik is often referred to as the “godmother of brown beauty blogging.” She has been featured in Essence, Ebony, and Glamour magazines, and on NPR for her expertise in blogging and business. As one of Ebony Magazine’s Power 100, Yursik continues to fill a void in the media and aims to empower women to try new things and rise to the occasion when opportunities present themselves.

“I started writing for Afrobella to tell my own stories,” she explains. “While I liked my career at the time, I noticed a void in the media in terms of representing the voice of women of color.

I wanted to see more of a reflection of black beauty in a holistic way. I wanted to see and hear from more women like myself; women with natural hair, women of different sizes, a variety of skin tones and textures that were interested in beauty from the inside out. I created the magazine I couldn’t find.”

—Jennifer Palma miami.edu/magazine Spring 2017 MIAMI 45

Class Notes American Journalism Historians Association, spoke to UM School of Communication students about his fifth book, Reporting the Cuban Revolution: How Castro Manipulated American Journalists (LSU Press, December 2015).

Carol Wright, A.B. ’64, launched SteppingOutToRetirement. blogspot.com after retiring last year as public information officer for the Palm Beach County Property Appraiser’s Office. Previously she was a political columnist for the Daily Business Review.

James Weinsier, B.B.A. ’68, is the vice president of the board of directors for the Amelia Island Book Festival. He is also the author of several children’s books.

His most recent is Where Do We Go? (Forever).

Robert “Bob” Butterworth Jr., J.D. ’69, an attorney in Fort Lauderdale, was appointed to the board of The Florida Bar Foundation.

Aida T. Levitan, A.B. ’69, and Fausto H. Sanchez, A.B. ’79, former owners of the Sanchez & Levitan advertising agency,

had a campaign they created for the 2000 election included in the Smithsonian Museum of American History’s advertising collection. It was a bilingual recruitment campaign to increase the Hispanic vote in the U.S. and is credited with registering more than one million U.S. Hispanics.

1970s

Walter Kyle, B.S.M.E. ’71, served on the faculty of and spoke at the 10th International Congress on Autoimmunity in Leipzig,

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46 MIAMI Spring 2017 miami.edu/magazine

Germany, last April, on institutional review board censorship of scientific investigation into and publications about vaccine adverse events.

Bruce P. McMoran, B.B.A. ’71, J.D. ’76, was selected by his peers as one of three finalists for the New Jersey 2016 Attorney of the Year Award for successfully arguing before the New Jersey Supreme Court in Lippman v. Ethicon, Inc. that the state law protecting whistle-blowers applies to an employee whose essential function is to act as one.

Arva Moore Parks, M.A. ’71, historian and University of Miami trustee, has been a featured guest at bookstores and other venues to discuss her latest book, George Merrick, Son of the South Wind: Visionary Creator of Coral Gables (University Press of Florida, 2015).

Francisco R. “Frank” Angones, A.B. ’72, J.D. ’76, partner with Angones McClure & Garcia P.A., is part of the Task Force of the Hispanic National Bar Association, formed to assist with legal analysis and policy recommendations related to improving U.S.-Cuba relations. He was also recognized by the Daily Business Review for outstanding service to and lifetime achievements in the Florida legal community.

Thomas F. Cecich, B.S.I.E. ’72, of North Carolina, was installed as the 102nd president of the American Society of Safety Engineers.

Tim Chapman, A.B. ’72, one of the first journalists to arrive in Guyana and get photos out after the Jonestown Massacre, had his iconic images and related materials from 40 years of adventurefilled coverage as a Miami Herald photojournalist featured in the HistoryMiami Museum exhibit Newsman: The Photojournalism of Tim Chapman. Chapman, now retired and living on Big Torch Key, donated his collected works of more than 300,000 images to the museum.

David M. Goulet, A.B. ’72, published his first novel, Desert Snow, dedicating it to a fellow ’Cane from the Class of 1972.

Audrey Ross, Ph.D. ’72, of EWM Realty International, received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Who’s Who in Luxury Real Estate organization for her work in Miami.

Brenda B. Shapiro, A.B. ’72, J.D. ’90, received an honorary law degree from Pine Manor College in Newton Center, Massachusetts.

Stanford “Stan” Blake, J.D. ’73, a Miami-Dade Circuit Court judge from 1995 to 2016 and founder of Stanford Blake Mediation, received the Florida Supreme Court award for judicial excellence and was recognized as “the best of the best” among circuit court judges in Florida.

George A. Maul, Ph.D. ’74, Florida Institute of Technology’s distinguished professor of oceanography and the longtime head of the Department of Marine and Environmental Systems, was named 2016 Medalist by the Florida Academy of Sciences.

Howard M. Talenfeld, B.B.A. ’74, J.D. ’79, was honored for his work on children’s rights as a leading Florida foster care abuse attorney and founding president of the nonprofit organization Florida’s Children First with an Alumni Achievement Award from the UM Law Alumni Association.

He has also received The Florida Bar’s President’s Award of Merit, the Florida Bar’s President’s Pro Bono Service Award for the 17th Judicial Circuit, and a Professional Excellence Award from the Daily Business Review.

Stephen Maher, J.D. ’75, a Miami partner with Shutts & Bowen, received the Florida Commendation Medal, one of the only military awards available to civilians, from the Florida Army National Guard for his pro bono legal service, which “helped to clarify and strengthen the protections provided to soldiers under the

Florida Code of Military Justice and helped to ensure the integrity and respect of the overall Military Justice System.”

Van Mayros, B.B.A. ’75, M.B.A. ’77, is cofounder and president of IgniteD2K, a big data technological platform that promises to “seamlessly evolve electronic consumer footprints into actionable social surveillance with advanced predictive machine learning analytics and algorithms.”

Raymond A. Belliotti, M.A. ’76, Ph.D. ’77, published Power: Oppression, Subservience, and Resistance (Albany: SUNY Press, 2016) and Dostoevsky’s Legal and Moral Philosophy: The Trial of Dmitri Karamazov (Brill Publishers, 2016), his 18th and 19th books, respectively.

Nanette Lampl Avery, B.F.A.’76, has published her novel The Curious Host, about a dog that wanders through the lives of a town’s residents.

Marcia K. Cypen, J.D. ’76, executive director of Legal Services of Greater Miami, Inc. since 1983, was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award by Legal Services of Greater Miami.

Carl “C.J.” Latimore, B.F.A. ’76, is an accomplished artist and a member of the Black Alumni Society, First Black Graduates Project Committee that is working to reconnect black graduates from the 1960s and ’70s.

Marilyn C. Durant, B.Ed. ’77, received an HR Lifetime Achievement Award from the Human Resources Association of Palm Beach County, a chapter of the Society of Human Resource Management after devoting over 25 years to the profession. She is a certified senior human resources professional who heads Durant Resources Group.

Frank Pyle Jr., LL.M.E. ’77, a probate attorney in Orlando, was called to Los Angeles to testify in the penalty phase of the trial of Lonnie Franklin Jr., known as

Citizen ’Cane A Knight’s Tale In recognition of the decades he’s spent pursuing noble quests, Sir Paul Altman, B.B.A. ’69, was added to the Queen’s New Year Honours List and bestowed the title of Knight Bachelor in 2016.

The well-known Barbadian real estate developer has earned accolades for his devotion to philanthropy, historic preservation, and education. He’s been lauded for improving tourism in Barbados, launching luxury projects such as Limegrove Lifestyle Centre, the island’s first mixed-use development.

Altman is also known for leading the rescue of one of the oldest Jewish synagogues in the Western Hemisphere, the Nidhe Israel synagogue. It was built in the 1650s in the capital city of Bridgetown by Barbados’s first Jewish settlers, who fled the horrors of the Inquisition in Brazil. Though destroyed by a hurricane in 1831, it was rebuilt and fortified, and remained in use for nearly another century. But by 1929 the island’s original Jewish population was in decline and its historic synagogue property was decommissioned and sold to a private business.

Altman’s grandfather, Moses Altman, a successful businessman from Poland, led the next wave of Jewish immigrants to Barbados in the 1930s to escape anti-Semitic persecution at home. The Altman family grew prominent on the island.

In 1983, Paul Altman, managing director of the Altman Real Estate Group, learned the Barbados government had taken ownership of the dilapidated property on which the Nidhe Israel synagogue once thrived with plans to raze it and clear part of its neighboring Jewish cemetery, where patriarch Moses Altman and scores of other Barbadian Jews had been buried for centuries. He led the family’s successful petition of the American Jewish Congress, the Commonwealth Jewish Trust, the Canadian Jewish Congress, and private donors to back their cause. In the end, the government turned the site over to the Barbados National Trust, of which Altman was then treasurer and, later, president.

For five years he oversaw the synagogue’s painstaking restoration. He also headed the delicate repair of the badly damaged cemetery and funded an archaeological dig that unearthed a 350-year-old Jewish ritual bathhouse, or mikvah, beneath the property’s parking lot. Rededicated in 1989, the synagogue remains in use today, and a museum added on site by Altman documents the centuries-long story of the Jews of Barbados.

“We have preserved our heritage here in perpetuity,” Altman has said. A father of two, he lives in Barbados with his wife, the painter Rachelle Altman.

—Robin Shear miami.edu/magazine Spring 2017 MIAMI 47

Class Notes the Grim Sleeper serial killer, 41 years after Pyle, an Army JAG officer at the time, was assigned to monitor Franklin’s 1974 trial in Germany in which Franklin and two other men were convicted of kidnapping and raping a 17-yearold German girl.

James “Jim” L. Ferraro, B.B.A. ’79, M.S. ’80, J.D. ’83, was named the Plaintiff’s Attorney of 2015

by CVN Florida for the asbestosrelated mesothelioma case Taylor v. Georgia Pacific.

David Hinkes, A.B. ’79, a professor of marketing and management at the Sullivan University Graduate School of Business and CEO of Hink, Inc., is coauthor of Selling By Objectives: The Handbook for More Profitability in the 21st Century.

William C. MacLeod, J.D. ’79, a partner in Kelley Drye’s Washington, D.C., and Chicago offices, serves as chair of the American Bar Association’s Antitrust Section.

1980s

Hilarie Bass, J.D. ’81, copresident of Greenberg Traurig Law firm, is president-elect of the American Bar Association. She also was recognized by the Daily Business Review for outstanding service to and lifetime achievements in the Florida legal community. Bass has successfully represented high-profile corporate clients in jury and non-jury trials and has been actively involved with the ABA for more than 30 years in several roles. She is best known for leading the effort to eliminate Florida’s 20-year-old ban on gay adoption, which led to the state removing questions on sexual orientation from adoption applications.

Rolv Heggenhougen, B.B.A. ’81, founder of Next Minute Inc., released nextminuteapp, a free app that helps consumers connect with service providers in

hundreds of categories.

Diana Santa Maria, A.B. ’81, J.D. ’84, was re-elected to serve on The Florida Bar Board of Governors for the 17th Circuit. She is listed in Best Lawyers in America and Super Lawyers of Florida and is an AV-rated Martindale Hubble Pre-Eminent Attorney.

The Law Offices of Diana Santa Maria, P.A. is celebrating its 26th year serving clients, focusing on plaintiff’s personal injury, wrongful death, and medical malpractice.

Dorian Denberg, J.D. ’82, executive director-senior legal counsel with AT&T in Atlanta, was named a Diversity Champion by the Atlanta Business Chronicle and Association of Corporate Counsel-Georgia Chapter.

Robin Gerofsky Kaptzan, B.B.A. ’82, J.D. ’85, a senior foreign counsel for Duan and Duan, a Chinese law firm based in Shanghai, was appointed a division chair of the American Bar Association’s Section of International Law. Vicente Medina, M.A. ’82, Ph.D. ’88, associate professor of philosophy at Seton Hall University, is the author of Terrorism Unjustified: The Use and Misuse of Political Violence (Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2015).

Norman Waas, A.B. ’82, J.D. ’86, is the international president of Zeta Beta Tau (ZBT) fraternity, founded in 1898 as the first Jewish fraternity. Waas is an alumnus of the University of Miami’s Alpha Omega chapter of ZBT. Andrew Glantz, M.Ed. ’83, recently semi-retired as a trauma surgeon at Boston Medical Center but remains active within the Department of Surgery at Boston University School of Medicine, where he teaches medical students and is involved in departmental quality improvement projects.

Jeffrey I. Shulman, M.B.A. ’84, South Florida executive vice president of real estate banking

48 MIAMI Spring 2017 miami.edu/magazine

Mixed Media Hair to the Queen!

When financial expert Tamara Beliard Rodriguez, B.B.A. ’01, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2014, she struggled to find a way to speak about it with her young daughters. She published Hair to the Queen!, an illustrated children’s book, in 2016 to help other families begin the conversation in a lighthearted but fearless way.

Before I Do In her first book, Before I Do: A Legal Guide to Marriage, Gay and Otherwise (The New Press, 2016), gay rights attorney Elizabeth F. Schwartz, J.D. ’97, covers practical considerations as well as rights and implications all couples should address before tying the knot, such as name changes, getting a license, taxes, insurance, Social Security, and more.

By Silent Majority Robert Buschel, A.B. ’91, practices criminal litigation and flies compassion missions as a private pilot in real life. In his first novel, By Silent Majority (Post Hill Press, 2016), he takes on the emerging scandals of a popular and effective U.S. president in the wake of a domestic terrorist attack.

The Impossible Fortress In his debut novel, The Impossible Fortress (Simon & Schuster, 2017), Jason Rekulak, M.F.A. ’95, publisher at Quirk Books by day, has conjured a love letter to the 1980s through teenage nerd Billy Marvin, who falls in love at the dawn of the computer revolution.

Snowbirds Writer Crissa-Jean Chappell, B.S.C. ’97, M.F.A. ’99, Ph.D. ’03, set her fourth young adult novel, Snowbirds (Merit Press, 2017), in Florida during the “Rumspringa” rite of passage of Amish teens Lucy and Alice. As they explore the temptations briefly allowed them, Alice disappears, and Lucy’s search for her begins amid a veil of secrets.

at Regions Bank, is president of the board of trustees of the Arthur I. Meyer Jewish Academy in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.

Glenn C. Chin, B.S.M.E. ’85, of Melbourne, Florida, received the prestigious NASA Silver Achievement Medal for stellar achievement with the successful completion of Orion’s Exploration Flight Test-1.

Meredith Colby, B.M. ’85, a singer and vocal coach based in Illinois, has published the guide book Money Notes: How to Sing High, Loud, Healthy, and Forever.

Mark Anthony DiBello, A.B. ’85, runs markanthonydibello.com and NCAA-ESP.com. His autobiography, Lots of Promise, is about his time in UM’s film and football programs.

Douglas K. W. Landau, J.D. ’85, an attorney based in Herndon, Virginia, has been helping coach students for the past three years from Rachel Carson Middle School in Virginia to compete in the national We the People competition. Their team has won for the past two years.

Roberto R. Pardo, J.D. ’86, a criminal law and personal injury attorney, was reappointed to the board of The Florida Bar Foundation.

Bruce McGuire, A.B. ’87, managing partner of Global Alpha Research, is president of the 3,000-member Connecticut Hedge Fund Association. He recently traveled to Ningbo, China, to speak at the Zhejiang Investment & Trade Symposium.

Laird Lile, LL.M.E. ’87, formed the Naples, Florida-based practice Lile & Hayes, PLLC. He was named a Top 100 Florida Super Lawyer for the sixth consecutive year and recognized for the 22nd year in a row in The Best Lawyers in America. He was appointed to the Florida Supreme Court’s Judicial Management Council and named to its Guardianship Work Group. He is serving his sixth successive term on The Florida

Bar Board of Governors and was recently re-elected to the The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel Board of Regents.

L. Edgar Moxey, M.B.A. ’87, was appointed chair and CEO of FamGuard Corporation Limited and its major subsidiary, Family Guardian Insurance Company Limited. He is director of the Central Bank of The Bahamas and chairs the bank’s audit committee.

Rafael “Ralph” Ribas, A.B. ’87, B.S. ’88, was promoted from colonel to brigadier general at the Mark Lance Armory in St. Augustine, Florida. He serves as the Florida National Guard’s Director of Joint Staff and has served 28 years with the organization. Ribas, a longtime South Florida native, earned his commission as a second lieutenant through the Army ROTC program at the University of Miami in 1987. Since commissioning, he has spent nearly all of his years of service as a member of the 53rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, deploying with them in 2003 and 2009. As a traditional Guardsman, Ribas is employed full-time at U.S. Southern Command as a Joint Training Systems Specialist.

Charles “Chuck” R. Willenborg, B.S.Ed. ’87, head coach of The Johns Hopkins University men’s tennis team, was inducted into the Archbishop Curley Notre Dame Prep High School Hall of Fame. He lives in Fork, Maryland, with his wife and three children.

Donna Turetsky, B.B.A. ’88, LL.M.T. ’93, was named to the Top 10 Legal Eagles List for 2016

by Long Island Pulse Magazine and was honored among the inaugural Long Island Outstanding Women in the Law, chosen by Hofstra University School of Law Center for Children, Families, and The Law. Roy Weinfeld, A.B. ’89, J.D. ’95, is a senior associate with Coldwell Banker Commercial Alliance

Citizen ’Cane Fighting Poverty with Microfinance Armed with an entrepreneurship degree and a goal of doing good in the world, Zain Ashraf, B.B.A. ’11, returned to his native Lahore, Pakistan, in 2011.

“Charity is a main part of my religion,” Ashraf, 26, says of Islam.

Business is in his blood too. The washing machine manufacturing company his grandfather started in 1975 is now a family-run, multimillion-dollar conglomerate, the Super Asia Group, of which Ashraf is a director.

Combining his start-up spirit and moral imperative with an aptitude for new technology, Ashraf launched the online crowd-funding platform Seed Out, which connects donors with potential “micro” entrepreneurs in Pakistan.

His novel concept, developed during his time at the University of Miami School of Business Administration, won the Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Programme Award.

“The goal is to make the poor self-sufficient,” explains Ashraf, the nonprofit’s president and CEO. Instead of providing cash, Seed Out establishes a business profile on its Internet platform for potential entrepreneurs, allowing donors anywhere (currently most hail from England, the U.S., and Pakistan) to support the ventures of their choice. The platform also tracks their money’s impact. “Too often you give, and you don’t really know where your money’s going,” notes Ashraf.

Once a Seed Out-funded business begins profiting, its interest-free loan—anywhere from 30,000 to 200,000 rupees (up to a few thousand U.S. dollars)—must be repaid to Seed Out in installments. Those funds support new Seed Out startups, continuing the cycle of empowering the self-employed.

So far Seed Out, with its staff of 10, has helped launch and mentor over 250 small-scale businesses—from artisans and fruit vendors to rickshaw drivers, shop owners, and entrepreneurs with disabilities. Thanks to an education requirement in its agreement, more than 800 children have started school as a result of Seed Out helping their parents establish businesses, says Ashraf. Corporate support has come from Coca-Cola, and Uber recently helped 50 individuals earn extra income by launching Uber rickshaw businesses in Punjab.

Ashraf’s other start-ups include the digital agency iVoke and a cloud accounting app called Eccountant, but Seed Out remains his passion, one he plans to expand through Asia, as well as to India and Africa.

“It gives me goose bumps when I see Seed Out rickshaws on roads,” tweeted Ashraf, who gives credit to his alma mater for fueling his dreams. “UM was the complete package of everything I was looking for in a school,” he recalls. “This place made me who I am.” He currently serves on UM’s Young Alumni Leadership Council.

—Alex Rodriguez miami.edu/magazine Spring 2017 MIAMI 49

Class Notes Miami, focusing on tenant representation for small- to mid-size businesses.

1990s

Brian Itzkowitz, B.B.A. ’90, a member of the UM Alumni Association Executive Committee, serves as president and CEO of Goodwill Industries of Arkansas.

His wife, Dawn, heads Autism Speaks. Their sons are Braeden, 16, and Bryce, 14.

Russell Maryland, A.B. ’90, legendary Hurricanes defensive lineman, was one of the NCAA’s 2016 Silver Anniversary Award winners in honor of being a distinguished former student-athlete 25 years removed from the end of his college playing career.

Jeffrey J. Tufano, B.F.A. ’90, has

worked as a camera operator on a number of recent Hollywood productions, including the movies The Whole Truth, Misconduct, and Lee Daniels’ The Butler and the AMC series Into the Badlands.

Debbie Reed Fischer, B.S.C. ’91, is the author of This Is Not the Abby Show (Delacorte Press, 2016), about a 12-year old with ADHD navigating life. It is her third published work of fiction for tween and teen readers.

Dany Garcia-Rienzi, B.B.A. ’92, UMAA past president, is making her mark in Hollywood as head of the multibillion-dollar The Garcia Companies, which is developing over 50 major projects, including HBO’s Ballers and the Baywatch remake, and is one of America’s top female bodybuilders, accord-

ing to a feature in Forbes.

Celeste Sadler, M.S.Ed. ’92, a member of Delta Epsilon Iota honor society, earned a Doctorate in Special Education from Nova Southeastern University, receiving the Dr. Charles L. Faires Dissertation of Distinction award for “Self-Determination: A Case Study of the Needs, Preferences, Goals, and Feelings of Secondary Students with Significant Disabilities in Their Transition to Adulthood.” She was nominated for the Phi Gamma Sigma 2016 Outstanding Doctoral Graduate Award and for Teacher of the Year at Southwest Miami Senior High School, where she taught special education for over two decades.

Patrick Dwyer, M.B.A. ’93, ranked number five in the Forbes “America’s Top Wealth

JOLIE J LANG/ULTIPHOTOS

’C A N E I N T H E AC T

It was a classic tale of love at first flight. Chris Mazur, B.M. ’08, first set foot on an ultimate Frisbee field as a UM student. Just over a decade later he was crowned Ultiworld’s Offensive Player of 2016, and last June helped Team USA take mixed-division gold at the World Ultimate Guts Championships in London (pictured playing Slovakia). The Frost School graduate has managed to balance an award-winning career as a commercial music producer (often working with fellow ’Cane Andy Lykens, M.M. ’05) with the life of a pro athlete since 2012. Mazur, 31, relocated last year from New York City to Dallas after being traded to the undefeated Dallas Roughnecks, winning a professional title with the team in the American Ultimate Disc League. He is now team captain. Read the full story at miami.edu/magazine.

50 MIAMI Spring 2017 miami.edu/magazine

Advisors 2016” list.

Gregory Herman-Giddens, LL.M.E. ’93, is president of TrustCounsel, which opened a new office in downtown Miami.

His firm, which already has offices in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and New York City, is in its 21st year.

Marlene Quintana, B.S.C. ’93, J.D. ’96, a shareholder in Gray Robinson’s Miami office, is serving as president of the board of directors of Miami Bridge Youth + Family Services, Inc. Brian H. Bieber, J.D. ’94, a partner at GrayRobinson, P.A. in Miami, received the President’s Commendation from the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers for his seven years of service on its board of directors.

Cymonie S. Rowe Hinkel, B.S.C. ’94, was appointed by Florida Governor Rick Scott to serve in the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit Court, located in West Palm Beach. Prior to her judicial appointment, Rowe was a senior trial attorney with Liberty Mutual.

Alex Sevilla, B.B.A. ’94, M.B.A. ’97, was named associate dean and director of the business school at the University of Florida.

Carlos I. Cardelle, A.B. ’95, J.D. ’98, ADP’s managing senior counsel, is president-elect of the Association of Corporate Counsel–South Florida Chapter.

His term as president begins in September.

Stuart Debowsky, B.Arch. ’95, runs Debowsky Design Group and resides in Pinecrest. He is a Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist.

Frank Gonzalez, M.B.A. ’95, was promoted to managing principal at Morrison, Brown, Argiz & Farra, LLC’s Miami headquarters.

Jason Mizrachi, B.S.C. ’95, voice of UM’s Frost Band of the Hour, was an honoree at The Education Fund’s 2016 Public School Alumni Achievement Awards.

David W. Schropfer, E.M.B.A. ’95, CEO of the cybersecurity company AnchorID in New York,

Ilana Rosen, B.B.A. ’96, is the chief operating officer of EleVen

by Venus Williams, a fitness and “athleisure” clothing line.

Danielle N. Garno, A.B. ’97, a Miami litigation shareholder with Greenberg Traurig, was named the Children’s Home Society of Florida’s 2016 Woman of Valor. She chaired the organization’s southeastern board of directors. She focuses her law practice on issues faced by the fashion community.

Michael J. Howard, Ph.D. ’98, left the biology faculty at the University of Missouri—St. Louis to become vice president for education and research at Baptist Health in his hometown of Madisonville, Kentucky, and received a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Culture of Health Leaders program.

Kendra Leonard, M.M. ’98, won the Society for American Music’s 2016 Sight and Sound Subvention for her collaboration with the Silent Film Sound and Music Archive and pianist Ethan Uslan, a 2016 GRAMMY Foundation Preservation grant for her Silent Film Sound and Music Archive, a 2016 American Music Research Center Fellowship, and a 2016-17 Harry Ransom Center Research Fellowship in the Humanities.

Her latest book is Music for Silent Film: A Guide to North American Resources (2016).

Joel Rose, J.D. ’98, is an educator, and cofounder and CEO of the nonprofit New Classrooms, which launched the Teach To One personalized approach to math learning in 2012.

Soren Triff, M.A. ’98, associate professor of Spanish at Bristol Community College, celebrated five years as director of the Spanish/ English Community Interpreting Program. His paper “Internet portrayals of Cuban progressive intellectuals and the emerging cultural industry” was published in the 2016 proceedings of the Association for the

Citizen ’Cane The Nu Sound of Music Fusing a traditional art form with pop and electronic music, Sam Hyken, M.M. ’12, is creating a hybrid genre that’s reinvigorating classical music for a new generation. “I pride myself on being able to speak multiple musical languages,” says the trumpeter, composer, entrepreneur, and Frost School of Music lecturer.

A few years ago Hyken paired up with conductor Jacomo Bairos and integrated some of Miami’s best musicians, composers, DJs, and dancers, plus visual and media artists, to form Nu Deco Ensemble, a groundbreaking chamber orchestra that Huffington Post has called “a risk-taking, powerful, experimental high-speed train heading into the future with a sound inviting us aboard.”

Nu Deco debuted in Miami’s Wynwood Art District after receiving a $75,000 grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, plus other funding. Since then, they’ve launched two seasons, premiering Hyken’s orchestral arrangements of music by Daft Punk and LCD Sound System, new works by composers Paul Dooley, Jorge Martín, and Adam Schoenberg, and collaborations with Miami-based musicians Spam Allstars, Afrobeta, and Brika, among others.

“We wanted to create an ensemble local musicians could call their own,” says Hyken, whose assembly of top professionals included Frost School faculty Gabriel Beavers (bassoon), Craig Morris (trumpet), Karen Lord-Powell (violin), M.M. ’14, Brian Powell (double bass), and Svet Stoyanov (percussion), among others. They often perform at The Lightbox at Goldman Warehouse, a cooperative art space.

“Sam and Jacomo were really determined to build a hip, contemporary chamber orchestra playing music that not only has broad appeal, but also opens the ears of the audience to other musical tastes,” says Beavers. “Sam’s arrangements draw people in, tapping into the aesthetic of Miami’s art scene.”

Hyken says he enrolled as a master’s student in the Frost School’s Media Writing and Production Program for its “buffet of skill offerings, from creating new music to managing the business side of things” and because he “craved more diversity and wanted to make a bigger impact on the musical world.”

Before Frost, he was a fellow in the New World Symphony, performed with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, and graduated from Juilliard. “Being a complete artist in the 21st century means more than knowing your instrument,” he explains. “It’s also about how to do basic video editing, website development, composing, arranging, producing, and more.”

Now Hyken’s multi-genre aesthetic is contributing to a vibrant new music culture in Miami, where young people are cheering for the sounds of the classics, reinvented.

—Wendy Rees miami.edu/magazine Spring 2017 MIAMI 51

TAYLA ELK

published the book Digital Habits: 5 Simple Tips to Help Keep You and Your Information Safe Online Everyday.

Leslie José Zigel, J.D. ’95, chair of Greenspoon Marder’s entertainment law group in Miami, made Billboard’s list of “The Music Industry’s Top Lawyers 2016” for his role as a key player in Latin music, representing acts such as Pitbull, Carlos Vives, and reggaeton artist Wisin as well as rising companies like Joox music-streaming service.

Also a bass player, he performs in his Grateful Dead cover band, Los Muertos.

Andrew Cogar, B.Arch. ’96, was named president of the award-winning firm Historical Concepts. He splits his time between Atlanta and New York, and teaches studio classes at the UM School of Architecture. He began his architectural career with Historical Concepts in 1999, after three years of active duty as a combat engineer officer with the U.S. Army. Cogar belongs to the American Institute of Architects and Design Leadership Network, and is a national board member and Southeast chapter trustee emeritus of the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art. Jaret L. Davis, A.B. ’96, J.D. ’99, comanaging shareholder of Greenberg Traurig’s Miami office, was named a JM Family Enterprises African-American Achiever for 2016.

Rick De La Guardia, B.S.A.E. ’96, is the author of Engineer to Entrepreneur: Success Strategies to Manage Your Career and Start Your Own Firm (American Society of Civil Engineers, 2016).

Jorge Mejía, B.M. ’96, is president of Sony/ATV Music Publishing for Latin America and U.S. Latin, overseeing offices in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Miami, where he’s based.

With his latest album, Preludes, he remains active as a composer and pianist.

Class Notes Study of the Cuban Economy.

Alberto J.F. Cardelle, Ph.D. ’99, is provost and vice president for Academic Affairs at Fitchburg State University in Fitchburg, Massachusetts.

Danika H. Mendrygal, B.B.A. ’99, established Mendrygal Law PLLC after 12 years representing nonprofit and tax exempt clients at an international AmLaw Top 100 firm in Dallas, Texas.

2000s

Katie S. Phang, J.D. ’00, begins her term as president of the Miami-Dade Chapter of the Florida Association for Women Lawyers in June.

Robert Rodriguez, B.M. ’00, and brother Michael J. Rodriguez, ’99, received a 2016 Grammy Award nomination in the Best Latin Jazz Album category for their album Impromptu (Criss Cross Jazz).

Dale J. Diener, M.Arch. ’01, a project architect with 20 years

of experience, joined WRNS as an associate project architect in their San Francisco office.

Patrick Montoya, J.D. ’01, was elected to the board of directors for the Dade County Bar Association.

Esther M. Santos, B.B.A. ’01, cofounded Palaroundapp.com and is chief strategy officer for the California-based technology company Noribachi, which she helped launch.

Jose Felix Diaz, A.B. ’02, Florida State Representative, received the Florida Dental Association’s Legislator of 2016 recognition, the United Way of Miami-Dade’s 2016 Public Service Leadership Award, and The Children’s Trust’s 2016 Champion for Children Award.

Jason L. Mills, B.B.A. ’02, was promoted to shareholder at the accounting firm Lanigan, Ryan, Malcolm & Doyle, P.C. in Gaithersburg, Maryland.

Gerald Ratigan, B.B.A. ’02, was promoted to senior vice

president of finance and Chief Accounting Officer for MoneyOnMobile, Inc.

Kourtney Ratliff Gibson, B.B.A. ’03, President’s Council member, was named president of Chicago-based investment bank, brokerage, and advisory firm Loop Capital Markets, L.L.C. John Kozyak, D.L.W. ’03, was recognized by the Daily Business Review for outstanding service to and lifetime achievements in the Florida legal community.

Katrina M. Llanes, B.S. ’03, who graduated from the Washington College of Law at American University in 2007, was promoted to Counsel at Hunton & Williams, L.L.P. in New York City. Her practice focuses on corporate finance transactions.

Craig C. Glorioso, J.D. ’04, a shareholder at Greenberg Traurig in Irvine, California, was recognized as a “Pink Tie Guy” for his support as a board member of Susan G. Komen Orange

County at the group’s 10th Annual Pink Tie Ball.

Andrew Post, A.B. ’04, a former assistant superintendent for Duval County Public Schools, is the president and superintendent of Catapult Academy, the high school dropout recovery program of parent company Catapult Learning. He reports that under his leadership during the past two years, 450 students in seven programs throughout Florida and Georgia have graduated.

Lauryn Williams, B.B.A. ’04, winner of three Olympic Medals and the first American woman to medal in both the Summer and Winter Olympics, has launched Worth Winning, a financial coaching service for professional athletes and professionals younger than 40.

Vance Aloupis, B.B.A. ’05, J.D. ’08, received the 2016 Ruth Shack Leadership Award from Philanthropy Miami and The Miami Foundation.

Get ready for Alumni Weekend November 2-4, 2017 Join fellow Hurricanes for Alumni Weekend! It’s the one time each year that all ’Canes come together to celebrate Homecoming traditions, as well as treasured friendships, school and college connections, meaningful history, and a future full of possibilities.

For information, visit alumniweekend.miami.edu or contact the UM Alumni Association at 866-UMALUMS (862-5867), 305-284-2872, or alumni@miami.edu.

Follow us on social media with #AWH17.

52 MIAMI Spring 2017 miami.edu/magazine

was named president and CEO of the Miami-based National YoungArts Foundation, which recognizes emerging artists 15-18 from the United States with financial awards of up to $10,000, plus professional development, opportunities to learn from renowned mentors, and performance and exhibition experiences.

Scott Knapp, J.D. ’05, a partner with Broad and Cassel in Fort Lauderdale, won the 2016 Sigmund Steinberg Award for Alumni Service from Alpha Epsilon Pi (AEPi) and was recognized as a “Top Up and Comer” by South Florida Legal Guide.

Brandon Okpalobi, B.B.A. ’05, received a $10,000 grant at the BMe Community Awards 2016 in support of his nonprofit Dibia Athletic Development, which provides training in athletic and life skills for clients of all ages.

He was also selected as a Miami Fellow by the Miami Foundation leadership program.

Nkosi Ife Bandele, M.A. ’06, is the author of The Ape Is Dead!

(Crimson Cloak Publishing, 2016), about a black student’s journey towards true love on a politically charged campus in the 1980s. His other novel is Scott Free, and he is at work on The Beast. His screenplay Love Is Crazy won a Writer’s Digest award. He lives in New York City with his wife and two children.

Deborah E. (Gilbert) Luis, B.S. ’06, is a dentist who developed FreshTips, a disposable toothbrush and mouth freshener, with her husband, Rene Luis. She has donated a number of products to causes around the globe.

Leo Oliva, B.S.N. ’06, wrote and stars in the film The Shift, coproduced with Melanie DiPietro, B.S.C. ’11, and featuring actor Danny Glover. It takes place over one night in the emergency department as two nurses face

life-or-death situations that raise the question of mercy or murder.

A recent screening at UM’s Cosford Cinema was hosted by the UM Alumni Association and the School of Nursing and Health Studies and cosponsored by the Arsht Ethics Initiatives and the UM Ethics Programs.

Kate (Tryforos) Dobbins, A.B. ’07, and, Patrick Dobbins, ’07, are married with two young “future ’Canes,” Theo and Grant.

Ryan Plotkin, B.S. ’07, is chief operating officer for M-D Building Products, Inc., headquartered in Oklahoma City.

Kimberly Argüello, M.B.A. ’08, is an investment advisory manager with FitzRoy Investment Advisors in Miami.

Michael A. Bosner, B.B.A. ’08, is one of the youngest Broadway producers and best known for the Tony Award-winning Beautiful: The Carole King Musical.

Thomas G. Coleman, B.B.A. ’08, J.D. ’11, joined Roetzel & Andress, L.P.A., as an associate in the firm’s Fort Myers office, focusing on business litigation.

Karina Castillo, B.S. ’09, M.P.S. ’11, was one of 20 women selected nationally by Ford Motor Company and Ford en Español for its 2016 Mujer Legendarias.

A science educator and policy advocate, she was recognized for her work addressing climate change.

Robert Diznoff, J.D. ’09, is the legislative director at the office of U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen.

Chris Ferriter, B.B.A. ’09, Spencer Kramer, B.B.A. ’09, and Scott Latimer, B.B.A. ’09, launched their promotional products company, SoBe Promos, after graduation and landed at spot number 448 on the 2016 Inc. 5000 list of fastest growing private companies in America, demonstrating a three-year growth of 852 percent and a revenue of $2.2 million for 2015, according to Inc. Freddy Funes, J.D. ’09, was named a partner at Gelber

Citizen ’Cane Putting a New Spin on an Old Racket Since serving as a walk-on tennis player his junior year,

Santiago García Mateo-Sagasta, A.B. ’10, has parlayed his love of racket sports into a role as advocate for a tennis-derived game called padel that has already swept Spain, Argentina, and a number of other Spanish-speaking nations.

As U.S.A. managing director for Vibor-A, a one-stop shop for everything padel, Mateo-Sagasta is working to bring excitement for the game to the U.S.—particularly South Florida. In April, Vibor-A was involved as the official racket of the South Beach stop on the pro World Padel Tour, notes Mateo-Sagasta, who manages to play the game himself two or three times per week.

“Seeing the massive boom the sport has had in Spain, it was always hard to imagine it not picking up in other parts of the world where racket sports are popular,” he says. “A sport like tennis requires extensive number of hours of lessons and practice for it to be truly enjoyable. That learning curve is much, much lower in padel. If you understand the basics, it’s instantly fun, and gets more and more so the better you get at it.”

Padel can be played indoors or outdoors, and involves four players, a tennis ball, smaller paddle-like rackets (hence the name), and a slightly smaller wall-enclosed court with a center net. Serves are underhand, and the ball can bounce off of any of the walls but can only hit the court turf once before being returned. The scoring format is the same as in tennis.

But how did an economics major become a professional in the world of padel? “I decided I wanted to work in the business side of the sports world,” says Mateo-Sagasta. After two years at a large management consulting firm and a few more years at a corporate bank, he enrolled in a sports management master’s program in Madrid. Meanwhile he and a friend launched their own sports consulting firm. After Mateo-Sagasta’s father introduced him to the head of Vibor-A, the company hired him to help them globalize the sport.

According to the U.S. Padel Association, there are padel clubs in Texas, Florida, and California. Mateo-Sagasta now commutes between Madrid and Miami to make inroads in the South Florida market. “We chose Miami as the landing spot because of the level of Latin population that is already familiar with the sport, the climate factor (you can play outside all year round), relative proximity to Spain as a potential hub for all American territories, and of course the fact that I went to college here and know people in the racket sport world,” he notes. Game on.

—Robin Shear miami.edu/magazine Spring 2017 MIAMI 53

ALEX RODRIGUEZ

Carolina García Jayaram, J.D. ’05,

Class Notes Schacter & Greenberg. He joined the firm in 2013.

Bradley J. “Brad” Gage, B.S.C. ’09, and Mark D. Ramos, M.F.A. ’08, appeared in the comedy Me Him Her (Big Beach Films, 2016), the directorial debut of Max Landis, ’08.

Brandon “BJ” Golnick, B.S.C. ’09, won the 2016 Audience Choice Award for Best Short Film—Drama for his film Almost Home at the Sedona International Film Festival.

Christopher K. Kitterman, B.S.B.E. ’09, is a pediatrician at the Florida-based Community Health Centers of Pinellas.

He completed his residency at Palms West Hospital.

Richard A. Lavina, B.B.A. ’09, whose parents and sister are also UM alumni, is the chair and CEO of Tickmark, Inc. He calls his flagship app, Taxfyle, the world’s first on-demand CPA marketplace—an “Uber for taxes where the drivers are CPAs.” John Leinicke, J.D. ’09, an associate with the Roig Lawyers, is president of the Dade County Defense Bar Association.

Brent Vicino, A.B. ’09, M.S.Ed. ’12, is Temple University’s associate athletic director for Development, Annual, and Premium Seating Programs.

Chris Rackliffe, B.S.C. ’09, was promoted to director of social media and brand partnerships at Entertainment Weekly.

named 2016 National Principal of the Year by Magnet Schools of America. He heads the Arthur & Polly Mays Conservatory of the Arts in Miami, which he was instrumental in establishing.

Under his leadership, the conservatory has earned several national awards, including three consecutive National Merit Awards.

Angelica Sogor, A.B. ’10, M.S. ’11, an instructional design coordinator at Maritime Institute of Technology and Graduate Studies—Pacific Maritime Institute in Linthicum Heights, Maryland, was named “One to Watch” by the Association for Talent Development.

Amanda M. Harding, M.B.A. ’11, recently published Moochie Moochie Moo Moo, a children’s book. She is president of The Vak Shack.

Alexa R. Leone, A.B. ’11, received a doctor of osteopathic medicine degree from Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic.

Eric Reissi, A.B. ’11, of Boca Raton, Florida, rose to the rank of captain in the U.S. Marine Corps and is currently in law school at the University of Virginia.

Cristian Robiou, A.B. ’11, and Luis Solis, B.S.B.A. ’11, are the

2010s

Adriana Moreno-Kostencki, J.D. ’10, a dual Venezuelan-U.S. attorney, is a partner at Berger Singerman on the government and regulatory team to lead a new business immigration law practice, serving clients throughout Florida, the United States, Latin America, and Europe. She is also president of the Venezuelan American National Bar Association.

Martin T. Reid, Ed.S. ’10, was

54 MIAMI Spring 2017 miami.edu/magazine

Dominican-born founders of Caribe, a Miami start-up that makes and sells four flavors of cold-pressed juices made from exotic fruits imported from the Dominican Republic.

Dale Noll, J.D. ’12, a trusts and estates lawyer at Akerman LLP in Miami, is president of the National LGBT Bar Association and will preside over the LGBT Bar’s 28th annual Lavendar Law conference this summer.

Christopher A. Perez, B.S.H.S. ’12, recently published the book Cuba: 50 Years of Playing American Football, an account of how the sport arrived and thrived on the island and how Cuban teams were matched against some of U.S. college football’s powerhouses, including the University of Miami.

Rachel Silverstein, Ph.D. ’12, executive director of Miami Waterkeeper, received the 2016 University of Miami Abess Center for Ecosystem and Science Policy’s ReitmeisterAbess Center Environmental Stewardship Award for her work conserving water resources. She also received the Miami Herald Visionary Award and was named one of South Florida’s 20 best environmentalists by the New

Times newspaper.

Pedro Ast, B.B.A. ’13, has raised $2.5 million in funding for his start-up app, Bvddy, which lets people search for sports partners and sporting events, as well as organize their own athletic activities.

Selena (Samios) Smith, M.B.A. ’13, is serving a two-year term on the Royal Palm Beach Village Council.

Luke Hamilton, B.F.A. ’15, and Amandina Altomare, B.F.A. ’14, starred as the romantic leads in Gypsy and Xanadu at the Connecticut Repertory Theatre (where Hamilton also played Tony in West Side Story). They were first paired together in romantic roles onstage at UM. They were married in Huntington, New York, December 2016.

Joseph Picozzi, B.S.C. ’15, along with co-producers Laura Falcone, B.S.C., B.B.A. ’15, and Jerome Compton, a UM student, won second place in comedy at the Television Academy Foundation’s 2016 College Television Awards for his short film I Want to Beat Up Clark Peters.

Email Class Notes to alumni@ miami.edu. For more information call 1-866-UMALUMS (862-5867).

In Memoriam* Nell Hawkins, B.Ed. ’40 Charles E. Schwartz, A.B. ’41, M.Ed. ’47 Ruth P. Sveum, A.B. ’43 Jeanne (Baker) Stoltz, B.B.A. ’44 Edgar E. Mickler, B.S. ’46 John E. Thompson, B.B.A. ’46 Albert Barouh, A.B. ’47 Herbert I. Brody, B.S.E.S. ’47 Sydney I. Josepher, B.B.A. ’47 John H. Kenhart, B.S. ’47, M.S. ’49 Marie (Flauman) Kowitz, A.B. ’47 Dorothea Skinner, A.B. ’47 Ruby (Stripling) Swezy, B.Ed. ’47 James C. Upshaw, A.B. ’47 Leonard G. Wright, B.B.A. ’47 Donald Atherton, B.B.A. ’48 Ardys (Magner) Barretta, B.S. ’48 George G. Berman, B.B.A. ’48 Pauline K. Borodkin, B.Ed. ’48 Gordon N. Craig, B.B.A. ’48 Florence (Ayers) Kearney, B.B.A. ’48 Edmund J. Milberg, A.B. ’48, M.A. ’50 Rita S. Orenstein, B.B.A. ’48 Steffanos N. Stefanou, B.B.A. ’48 Miriam C. Zatinsky, B.S. ’48 Francis L. Alsobrook, B.S. ’49 Ruth (Duperrieu) Ashe, B.B.A. ’49 Seymour H. Becker, B.B.A. ’49 Henry Brandon, B.S.M.E. ’49 Peter D. Chapdelaine, B.B.A. ’49 Marjorie (Protiva) Collar, A.B. ’49 Thomas Deemer, B.S.C.E. ’49 Douglas W. Dupuch, B.B.A. ’49 James, B. Henshall, B.S. ’49 Roland P. Lampe, B.B.A. ’49 Arnold Largever, A.B. ’49 Gerald Laub, B.B.A. ’49 Michael C. Nappa, B.B.A. ’49 Leonard Pearl, B.S.I.E. ’49 Milton S. Polansky, A.B. ’49 Bernard I. Shenkman, B.B.A. ’49 Clayton S. Bachman, B.S.E.E. ’50 Norris S. Biron, A.B. ’50 Philip Cook, B.S. ’50, J.D. ’52 Betty F. Dangerfield, B.M. ’50 Edward C. Daniels, J.D. ’50 Girard H. Dodge, B.B.A. ’50 Helen M. Fine, A.B. ’50 Stanley S. Geller, A.B. ’50 Irving Goldberg, B.B.A. ’50 Bruce A. Johnson, B.B.A. ’50

First Woman Dean at Miami Law Summiting the Matterhorn was just one of many pioneering achievements in the life of M. Minnette Massey, B.B.A. ’48, J.D. ’51, M.A. ’52. After earning three degrees from UM and an LL.M. from New York University, Massey became one of the first women appointed to a faculty position at any U.S. law school.

She was also UM’s first woman dean, serving as assistant dean of the law school in 1961 and acting dean from 1962-65. In more than 50 years at UM, she inspired generations of young lawyers, drafted over 27 articles and five books, and won many awards, including Outstanding Law Teacher Woman of the Year and the Law Alumni Association’s Thomas Davison III Memorial Service Award. In 1997 a chair and scholarship were established in her name at the law school. She died November 13, 2016, at age 89. Donations may be sent to the M. Minnette Massey Scholarship Fund at the University of Miami School of Law, P.O. Box 248087, Coral Gables, Florida 33124.

Charles G. Karanian, B.B.A. ’50 Viviane (Hodash) Klein, B.Ed. ’50 Doris (Brenwasser) Krassen, B.Ed. ’50 Grover L. Larkins, B.S.E.E. ’50, B.S.M.E. ’50 Richard Leben, J.D. ’50 Myroslava O. Maksymowich, A.B. ’50 Frederick C. Matthews, B.B.A. ’50 James F. Murray, B.Ed. ’50 Robert H. Newman, B.B.A. ’50, J.D. ’52 Lloyd G. Olsen, B.B.A. ’50 Bernard Plotkin, J.D. ’50 Melba S. Prack, B.M. ’50 Eugene H. Rasp, B.B.A. ’50 Michael Rompilla, B.B.A. ’50 George K. Salt, B.B.A. ’50 Milton M. Steinberg, B.B.A. ’50 Shirlee (Wills) Stradley, B.Ed. ’50, M.Ed. ’73 Leonard E. Treister, J.D. ’50 Alvin N. Weinstein, A.B. ’50, J.D. ’53 Henry Weiss, B.B.A. ’50 Anthony W. Angelini, B.B.A. ’51 Joseph R. Armao, B.B.A. ’51 Edward W. Benjamin, B.B.A. ’51 Marcel V. Carrara, B.S.M.E. ’51, B.S.E.E. ’51 Darlene I. Ford, B.B.A. ’51 Elliot Z. Fox, B.S. ’51 John H. Gebhart, B.S.E.E. ’51 Evans J. Herman, A.B. ’51

Barbara (Parrott) Jacobs, B.B.A. ’51 Bernard R. Jaffe, A.B. ’51, J.D. ’53 Virginia A. Jeffers, A.B. ’51 Ellen B. Kreindler, A.B. ’51 Howard E. Lange, B.B.A. ’51 Salvator J. Marasciullo, B.B.A. ’51 John L. McCarthy, B.S. ’51 Josephine P. McGarry, A.B. ’51 Henry C. Obenauf B.S.C.E. ’51 Clifford S. Perlman, J.D. ’51 Ann (Porter) Rooks, B.M. ’51 Natalie (Friedman) Ross, A.B. ’51 Frederick E. Schiess, A.B. ’51, J.D. ’52 Stanley A. Spring, J.D. ’51 Richard C. Talton, B.B.A. ’51 Charles W. Wells, B.B.A. ’51 Richard A. Wertheim, B.B.A. ’51 William A. Whelan, B.B.A. ’51 William J. Wylie, B.S.M.E. ’51 Frank A. Barretta, B.S.M.E. ’52 Frank E. Batho, B.S. ’52 Herbert Beerman, A.B. ’52 Chester M. Brandt, B.B.A. ’52 Maurice M. Castellano, B.B.A. ’52 Dominique R. De Lerma, B.M. ’52 Robert H. Faig, B.B.A. ’52 William J. Flynn, A.B. ’52, J.D. ’55 Chrystal J. Gammage-Lebovitz, A.B. ’52 Vivian B. Giller, A.B. ’52 John H. Hancock, B.Ed. ’52 Peter A. Mastellone, B.Ed. ’52 Robert G. Maxwell, J.D. ’52 Elaine (Gordon) Mills, B.Ed. ’52

Winfield J. Morgan, B.B.A. ’52, B.Ed. ’58 Elizabeth (Boulton) Parkinson, B.S. ’52 Elaine Ross, B.S. ’52, M.D. ’56 Sidney S. Schwartz, B.B.A. ’52 Lee C. Travelstead, J.D. ’52 Billie (Stathes) Wills, A.B. ’52 Florence F. Campbell, B.S.N. ’53 Charles E. Fry, J.D. ’53 Margaret (Schabacker) Funk, A.B. ’53 Joyce (Sussman) Goldberg, A.B. ’53 Edwin L. Harshman, B.Ed. ’53 Anna L. Hobson, A.B. ’53 Jack M. Longfellow, B.S.E.E. ’53 Daniel J. Malango, B.Ed. ’53 William Mihalko, B.S.C.E. ’53 James G. Moore, B.B.A. ’53 Vera (Fascell) Porfiri, B.Ed. ’53 Donald M. Prenowitz, B.B.A. ’53 Arthur E. Rodriguez, B.B.A. ’53 Arthur H. Seltzer, J.D. ’53 Robert J. Simkins, B.B.A. ’53 Robert H. Slavin, B.B.A. ’53 Gardiner W. Snyder, B.Ed. ’53 Dorothy N. Straight, A.B. ’53 Louis J. Wessel, B.M. ’53 C. I. Camber, M.S. ’54 Paul F. Cristal, B.B.A. ’54 Joseph A. Crowley, A.B. ’54 Robert C. Dawson J.D. ’54 Louis J. Galante, A.B. ’54 Richard C. Haag, B.B.A. ’54 Roger R. Kobzina, A.B. ’54

miami.edu/magazine Spring 2017 MIAMI 55

Howard Lefkowitz, B.S.E.E. ’54 Edward D. Lutes, B.B.A. ’54 Edward C. Miller, B.S.I.E. ’54 Charles, B. Mutter, B.S. ’54, M.D. ’59 George M. Nony, A.B. ’54 Nick Novak, B.Ed. ’54 Henry R. Paytas, B.B.A. ’54 Rono A. Prince, B.M. ’54 Lee G. Richmond, B.B.A. ’54 Jack S. Ring, B.B.A. ’54, J.D. ’57 Nelson H. Smith, B.Ed. ’54 Ronald L. Thaw, B.B.A. ’54 William R. Watts, B.B.A. ’54 Beverlye (Keusch) Weinberger, A.B. ’54 R. E. Welbaum, B.B.A. ’54, J.D. ’59 Howard E. Barwick, J.D. ’55 Nancy E. Colton, B.S. ’55 Dorothy (Alonzo) Cox, B.Ed. ’55 Anthony D’Attilo, B.Ed. ’55 Dewey L. Emmett, B.B.A. ’55 Peter Guarisco, J.D. ’55 Charles J. King, J.D. ’55 Jean (Friedman) Lasday, B.B.A. ’55 John A. Lewis, B.B.A. ’55 Hillelene S. Lustig, B.B.A. ’55 David MacDonna, A.B. ’55 Helen H. Miller, B.Ed. ’55, M.Ed. ’61 William H. Pruitt, J.D. ’55 William S. Raithel, B.B.A. ’55 Eugene G. Raybuck, B.S. ’55 John Sosin, A.B. ’55 Alan P. Waldschmidt, B.B.A. ’55 James L. Wood, B.B.A. ’55 Harold R. Arterburn, B.Ed. ’55, M.Ed. ’62 Richard S. Banick, J.D. ’56 Morris N. Broad, B.B.A. ’56 Herbert A. Cote, B.B.A. ’56 Robert H. Grimm, A.B. ’56 Elizabeth (Binney) Hartley, A.B. ’56 Joseph A. Hubert, J.D. ’56 Joseph B. Johnston, B.B.A. ’56 William M. Leach, B.B.A. ’56 David F. Light, B.M. ’56 John E. McMullan, J.D. ’56 Laurence W. Schoch, B.B.A. ’56, J.D. ’57 Virginia (Deegan) Sharpe, B.Ed. ’56 Edmund M. Sheppard, B.S.E.E. ’56 Thomas H. Shilson, J.D. ’56 Marvin H. Siegel, B.B.A. ’56, J.D. ’62 Mary S. Smith, B.Ed. ’56

Tennis Legend Launched UM Team His life was so full it took him two memoirs to recount. He quipped with queens, moved among movie stars, and practiced as a lawyer, but it was his prowess on the court that earned him 129 national tennis championships and 25 international titles, including at Wimbledon in 1957. Gardnar Mulloy, J.D. ’38, former No. 1-ranked tennis player in the world and five-time Grand Slam doubles title winner, died November 14, 2016, at 102. He was 43 when he won a Wimbledon doubles title, receiving the silver trophy Center Court from Queen Elizabeth II. As a UM student, he launched and coached a men’s tennis team that won matches from Havana to Harvard and recruited future greats like Francisco “Pancho” Segura, ’45. Mulloy is enshrined in nine halls of fame, including the International Tennis Hall of Fame, which founded the Gardnar Mulloy Cup for players 80 and over. In 2013, a section of road in the Miami neighborhood where he lived his entire life was renamed Gardnar Mulloy Way. In 2015, at 101, he became the oldest person awarded the French Legion of Honor, for his World War II naval service. A celebration of his life was held at UM’s Newman Alumni Center in March.

John E. Starling, B.Ed. ’56 Jean C. (Werner) Washburn, B.Ed. ’56 Morris J. Watsky, J.D. ’56 John J. Zito, B.B.A. ’56 Annette (Glick) Annis, B.Ed. ’57 Charles Appel, B.Ed. ’57, J.D. ’64 Robert D. Aronfeld, J.D. ’57 David I. Burger, B.S.I.E. ’57, B.S.C.E. ’63 Curtis W. Haley, B.Ed. ’57 Marvin A. Hoss, J.D. ’57, Ed.D. ’77 Robert P. Kaye, J.D. ’57 Joseph E. Krebs, B.B.A. ’57, M.B.A. ’68 Joanne (Frohbose) Malo, B.Ed. ’57 John F. McMurtrie, B.Ed. ’57 Jerry T. Meece, B.B.A. ’57 Walter A. Parnell, A.B. ’57 Richard G. Roy, B.B.A. ’57 Charles R. Slaughter, B.B.A. ’57 David Small, M.D. ’57 Joan (Glasser) Stillman, B.Ed. ’57 Karl E. Sturge, B.S. ’57 Kendell W. Wherry, J.D. ’57 Jack H. Brenner, B.S. ’58 Michael H. Collins, B.B.A. ’58 John L. Conroy, A.B. ’58 J A. Cross, M.S. ’58 Michael R. Day, B.S. ’58 Hugo L. Dieterle, B.Ed. ’58 Jay W. Dull, A.B. ’58 Donald A. Fliehs, B.B.A. ’58 Richard Hecker, B.B.A. ’58 Charlene (Jeffers) Houghton, M.Ed. ’58

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Loren T. Keller, B.S.C.E. ’58 Walter Palevoda, A.B. ’58 Carolyn E. Picot, A.B. ’58 Stanley R. Rosenberg, B.B.A. ’58 Stephen J. Sawyer, B.B.A. ’58 Ronald E. Scherer, B.B.A. ’58 Jacqueline L. Smith, B.Ed. ’58 Attila Soltesz, B.S.E.E. ’58 Holmes R. Troutman, J.D. ’58 Kenneth C. Wittich, A.B. ’58 Donald B. Banaszak, B.B.A. ’59 Joseph D. Ceglio, B.Ed. ’59 John T. Evans, B.B.A. ’59 Edward C. Fox, B.B.A. ’59 George S. Giourgas, J.D. ’59 Robert H. Jenkins, M.D. ’59 Ramon A. Kitzman, B.S.A.E. ’59 Christina Lamare-Mills, A.B. ’59 Melvin L. Opper, B.B.A. ’59 William T. Penrod, M.S. ’59 Leonard S. Rabin, B.B.A. ’59 Carole A. Rabinowitz, B.Ed. ’59 John A. Relish, B.B.A. ’59 Jeffrey C. Reynolds, A.B. ’59 Robert B. Steiner, B.S. ’59, M.D. ’64 George W. Totoiu, A.B. ’59 Mary S. Tyson, A.B. ’59 Sheldon Zane, M.D. ’59 Emma (Bobo) Breslaw, B.Ed. ’60 Charles T. Bunting, A.B. ’60 John C. Connelly, B.S.A.E. ’60 Louis D. Dolan, B.B.A. ’60 Herbert Friesner, B.B.A. ’60, J.D. ’63 Richard C. Fye, B.B.A. ’60

Marcia Harshbarger, B.M. ’60 Mohammad S. Jaghory, B.S.C.E. ’60 Joel I. Kaswan, B.B.A. ’60 George P. Khouri, M.A. ’60 Patrick J. Marcinko, A.B. ’60 Stephen E. McCoy, B.S. ’60 Roland W. Miville, M.Ed. ’60 George L. Moxon, J.D. ’60 Richard R. Mulholland, J.D. ’60 S R. Rand, J.D. ’60 Martin W. Taplin, B.B.A. ’60 Anthony M. Vespole, A.B. ’60 Robert E. Wilton, B.S. ’60 John B. Blount, M.B.A. ’61 Kenneth Cook, B.Ed. ’61 Morley T. England, A.B. ’61 George A. Flynn, A.B. ’61 Edward J. Fornes, B.B.A. ’61 Kenneth L. Gray, B.B.A. ’61 Leonard R. Harrington, A.B. ’61 Robert N. Isquith, A.B. ’61 Frederick P. Levy, B.B.A. ’61 George W. MacIntyre, B.Ed. ’61 Edward A. Powers, A.B. ’61 Barbara L. Slate, M.M. ’61 Carl W. Stern, B.Ed. ’61 Patricia (Carpenter) Thompson, B.Ed. ’61 Frederick O. Allamby, B.S.E.E. ’62 Mark Auerbach, B.S.I.E. ’62 Gilbert Bogis, B.B.A. ’62 Robert E. Cupp, A.B. ’62 Patricia A. D’Asaro, B.S. ’62 James E. Davis, M.D. ’62 Annelee (Jarvinen) Desjarlais, B.S. ’62

PHOTO: ART SEITZ

Class Notes

Arthur V. Guerrera, B.B.A. ’59, J.D. ’62 James J. Hogan, J.D. ’62 Robert D. Pell, B.B.A. ’62 Philip N. Smith, J.D. ’62 Martin S. Wales, A.B. ’62 Frank E. Thieme, B.B.A. ’62, M.B.A. ’70 Lawrence A. Coulton, B.B.A. ’63 William C. Davis, B.B.A. ’63, J.D. ’65 Audrey R. Hosmer, B.Ed. ’63 Ann L. Long, A.B. ’63, M.A. ’74 Marilyn (Kroll) Minzer, A.B. ’63 Frank Mitchell, B.S. ’63 Thomas I. Morris, B.Ed. ’63 Sandra (Seemann) Reschenberg, B.B.A. ’63 Richard E. Rhoads, B.B.A. ’63 Robert H. Sauerteig, B.S.A.E. ’63 Carollynne Schaffer, A.B. ’63 Stewart E. Winner, A.B. ’63 Walter H. Donavan, A.B. ’64 Robert A. Feigenbaum, A.B. ’64 Daniel D. Greenwald, B.B.A. ’64 Bradley K. Hanafourde, B.S.C.E. ’64, J.D. ’71 Ronald L. Haney, M.D. ’64 Jerry L. Hudson, B.S. ’64, Ph.D. ’74 Jeffrey S. Kaufman, J.D. ’64 Susan (Hay) Manlapaz, B.S.N. ’64 Paul I. Mittentag, B.B.A. ’64 Myron H. Pollack, M.Ed. ’64 Mark M. Rael, B.B.A. ’64 Lawrence B. Rodgers, B.Ed. ’64, J.D. ’67 Richard H. Roughen, B.S.I.E. ’64, M.S.I.E. ’82

Robert A. Semonian, B.B.A. ’64 Peter S. Van Culin, B.Ed. ’64 Don W. Young, B.S. ’64 Mariano Arranz, B.B.A. ’65 Fred D. Dahlmeyer, J.D. ’65 Susan B. Dombrowsky, B.Ed. ’65, M.D. ’75 Pauline J. Fried, B.Ed. ’65 Barbara R. Goldstein, B.B.A. ’65 Linda (Bateman) Heard, A.B. ’65 Kenneth R. Kent, B.B.A. ’65 Domingo Lopez, B.S.E.E. ’65 William A. Priestley, M.A. ’65 William A. Retskin, A.B. ’65, B.S. ’66 Mary L. Segal, A.B. ’65 George P. Telepas, J.D. ’65 Walter C. Young, Ed.D. ’65 William B. Armstrong, B.B.A. ’66 Larry D. Baker, B.B.A. ’66 Joseph P. Barack, B.B.A. ’66 William N. Batty, B.S. ’66 Geoffrey H. Bobroff, B.B.A. ’66, J.D. ’69 George S. Brockway, B.S.C.E. ’66 Harvey R. Don, A.B. ’66 Martin J. Finerty, M.S. ’66 Joseph L. Jenkins, M.Ed. ’66 Marwin Kwint, B.S. ’66 Elizabeth I. Smith-Gammel, B.Ed. ’66, M.Ed. ’68 Frank D. Tagliarini, M.D. ’66 George W. Talbot, M.Ed. ’66 James K. Tantum, B.B.A. ’66 Donna (Briggs) Teed, B.Ed. ’66 David C. Weaver, B.S.C.E. ’66 Gerald J. Weiner, B.B.A. ’66 Richard W. Aschenbrenner, B.B.A. ’67, J.D. ’70

Jeffrey S. Bennett, M.D. ’67 Richard A. Chopyak, B.B.A. ’67 Robert S. Fingerhut, A.B. ’67 Paul F. Flanagan, B.S. ’67 Irma (Chandler) Langfahl, B.Ed. ’67 Vincent M. Maury, A.B. ’67 William E. O’Brien, A.B. ’67 Terry L. Patterson, B.B.A. ’67 David O. Phelps, B.B.A. ’67 John L. Ramsey, A.B. ’67 Estrella M. Rodriguez, C.T.P. ’67, M.A. ’74 Robert A. Silver, B.Ed. ’67 James W. Thompson, B.B.A. ’67 Robert G. Bush, B.B.A. ’68 Donald L. Coleman, A.B. ’68 Marvin H. Erbesfeld, M.S. ’68, M.D. ’70 Robert E. Jednak, A.B. ’68 Barbara Knighton, B.Ed. ’68 Betty Lou L. Loyer, B.Ed. ’68, M.Ed. ’75 Paul R. Marcus, J.D. ’68 Charles R. Mayer, B.B.A. ’68 Daniel A. McGaffigan, A.B. ’68 Linda K. Miller, B.B.A. ’68 Kenneth H. Seitzman, B.Ed. ’68 Robert J. Sims, B.B.A. ’68 Bruce E. Sites, M.A. ’68 Sylvia C. Williams, B.Ed. ’68 Mary R. (Crane) Grossholz, B.Ed. ’69 Robert M. Koch, A.B. ’69 Laura L. Morgan, A.B. ’69 Mark E. Polen J.D. ’69 Kenneth R. Schurke, B.B.A. ’69 James W. Whatley, B.B.A. ’69, J.D. ’72

Award-Winning Daytime Drama Star Joseph Mascolo, A.B. ’56, named one of the greatest soap opera villains of all times, died December 8, 2016, at 81. He suffered from Alzheimer’s disease. Mascolo originated the role of crime boss Stefano DiMera on the NBC soap opera Days of Our Lives in 1982 and was featured in the role through January of last year, when DiMera was apparently shot to death. The actor won three Soap Opera Digest awards for “Outstanding Villain.” Born and raised in Connecticut, Mascolo intended to study classical music at UM and dreamed of becoming a conductor, according to his website, but got into acting after a drama coach overheard his booming voice and encouraged him to take classes. His career began in an off-Broadway production of The Threepenny Opera. Before moving to daytime drama, he appeared in a range of TV shows, including All in the Family and The Gangster Chronicles. He also made appearances on General Hospital and The Bold and the Beautiful.

Margo (Smith) Booher, B.B.A. ’70 Blanche D. Brass, M.Ed. ’70, J.D. ’79 Ronald L. Buschbom, M.B.A. ’70, J.D. ’77 William A. Ditkowsky, B.S. ’70, M.D. ’74 Caroline (Good) Everingham, B.Ed. ’70 David W. Gibson, M.S.C.E. ’70 Edith P. Irwin, A.B. ’70 Kay P. Jones, J.D. ’70 Jan J. Kalas, B.Arch. ’70 Frederick B. Kieckhefer, B.B.A. ’70 Donald E. Kubit, M.Ed. ’70, J.D. ’74 Charles G. Lancaster, A.B. ’70 Michael H. Mann, A.B. ’70 Michael R. McDonald, B.B.A. ’70 William C. Miesch, M.B.A. ’70 Albert W. Morris, A.B. ’70 Cynthia K. Palmrose, B.Ed. ’70 Jeffrey Reisman, B.B.A. ’70 Joan B. Rosen, A.B. ’70, M.Ed. ’72 Louis K. Rothbard, B.B.A. ’70 Patricia R. Wallace, A.B. ’70 Clare E. Beguiristain, B.Ed. ’71 Robert Belitsky, B.B.A. ’71 Thomas R. Diffley, M.A. ’71 Ray T. Freuden, A.B. ’71 Douglas A. Gegen, B.S. ’71 Don A. Hyman, A.B. ’71, J.D. ’77 Wilbur C. Keeney, M.M. ’71 Tamara (Abrew) Miskewitz, B.Ed. ’71 Susan Streeter, M.S.Ed. ’71 Oneida M. Walters, A.B. ’71 William B. Canterbury, M.Ed. ’72 Melvin F. Copeland, M.S. ’72 Harry D. Dennis, J.D. ’72 Karen (Stevens) Douglas, A.B. ’72 C. R. Drake, B.B.A. ’72 Felipe W. Fleites, F.M.D. ’72 Barbara J. Wilson Gomez, A.B. ’72 Richard H. Hinds, Ed.D. ’72 James, B. Hovanec, B.S. ’72 Gloria (Ewolski) McDonald, M.Ed. ’72 Elvis W. Paschal, B.M. ’72, M.M. ’82 Dorothy (Sholin) Scherker, M.Ed. ’72 Clyde L. Skene, M.D. ’72 Nicholas P. Tragakes, B.S.C.E. ’72 Samuel J. Vizzini, A.B. ’72 Gloria K. Warrick, M.A. ’72 Juan F. Wong, B.S.C.E. ’72 William H. Yeck, B.B.A. ’72

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Class Notes

Important American Abstract Painter A leading figure in the development of Color Field painting in the late 1950s, Walter Darby Bannard, professor and head of the painting program in the College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Art and Art History, died October 2 in Miami due to complications from liver cancer, according to his wife, Kathleen Staples, M.F.A. ’93.

He was 82. “Darby’s contributions to the art world will be remembered by his peers, collectors, and critics, and most importantly, by the hundreds of students whom he inspired by his work, his teaching, and his mentoring,” said Department Chair Perri Lee Roberts. Bannard came to UM in 1989 as chair of the art department, teaching for over 25 years. A graduate of Princeton, he continually embraced new mediums in his work. In the ’80s he began his “brush and cut” series, using commercial floor brooms and squeegees for applying tinted gels and polymers to large canvases. Also a prolific art critic and commentator, he served as an editor for Artforum and a contributor to Art International and Art in America. In addition to UM, he taught at many art schools, including the School of Visual Art, New York, and had nearly 100 solo exhibitions. He is represented in public collections across the country and abroad, including Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris; Museum of Modern Art, New York; National Gallery of Victoria, Australia; and the University’s own Lowe Art Museum.

Jack L. Arnold, B.B.A. ’73 Irene B. Brohn, M.S. ’73 James C. Burke, J.D. ’73 Vernard G. Gordon, A.B. ’73 William P. Jacobs, B.F.A. ’73 John M. Leavengood, M.D. ’73 Sally L. Linn, B.Ed. ’73 John M. Mitchell, M.A. ’73 Mark B. Slavin, J.D. ’73 Deborah (Liscomb) Sunshine, B.Ed. ’73 Jeffrey B. Werner, B.Ed. ’73 Elfriede M. Zundell, B.F.A. ’73 Marcelo M. Agudo, J.D. ’74 Laurel (Kelly) Bartlett, B.Ed. ’74 Marc I. Feig, J.D. ’74 David Kayton, J.D. ’74 Cheryll H. Nachman, A.B. ’74 James R. Rich, A.B. ’74 Steward C. Tomkins, B.S. ’74 J. D. Turner, LL.M. ’74 Harold Barr, J.D. ’75, LL.M. ’76 Anthony J. Janicek, B.S.C.E. ’75 Matthew L. Leibowitz, J.D. ’75 Steven S. McGilvra, A.B. ’75 Joyce B. Rosenberg, B.Ed. ’75 Kenneth J. Sherwin, B.B.A. ’75 Patricia (Feldman) Silver, J.D. ’75 Daniel D. Tinney, B.Arch. ’75 Jeffrey P. Weigant, B.B.A. ’75 Steven A. Berger, J.D. ’76 Katharine Burten, M.D. ’76 Anne Dunston, Ed.S. ’76

John R. Gillespie, J.D. ’76 Norman S. Lichtenfeld, M.S. ’76 Philip T. McCusker, B.M. ’76 Roberta R. Panetti-Gordon, A.B. ’76 Stephen R. Primoff, B.S. ’76 Myron Szwed, B.S.E.E. ’76 Jane L. (Cancelliere) Whitehead, A.B. ’76, M.A. ’83 Robert C. Andrews, M.D. ’77 Stephen A. Avellone, A.B. ’77 Richard J. Caron, B.B.A. ’77 George A. Chipouras, M.B.A. ’77 David P. Fitzgibbon, A.B. ’77 Adrienne Maidenbaum, J.D. ’77 Robert L. McKinney, J.D. ’77 Richard J. Clark, B.B.A. ’78 Patrick J. Flynn, M.M. ’78 Mitchell S. Fuerst, J.D. ’78 Mary Hasencamp, A.B. ’78 Daisy J. Tunstall, M.B.A. ’78 Raphaele C. Chiappetta, B.Arch. ’79 John J. Malloy, B.B.A. ’79, J.D. ’90 Christopher D. Tyson, B.S.E.E. ’79 Mark S. Wallisa, B.B.A. ’79 Debra L. Gorad, A.B. ’80 Lana M. Jones, B.S.Ed. ’80 Kenneth Nolde, Ph.D. ’80 Kimberly H. Stuhlmann, A.B. ’80 Warren M. Weber, M.D. ’80 Fidel R. Ferradas, B.S. ’81, M.D. ’85 Jill Stone Rice, A.B. ’81

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Bradley R. Cantrell, B.S.Ed. ’82 Aquiles R. Riveron, M.B.A. ’82 Kenneth J. Schindler, A.B. ’82 A.B. ’82 Wan-Chang Chiang, M.B.A. ’83 James L. Doten, B.B.A. ’83, M.B.A. ’88 Kenneth W. Fields, M.D. ’83 Stephanie (Freedman) Koretzky, A.B. ’83 Patricia A. Yontz, B.S.Ed. ’83 Scott B. Freedman, M.S.Ed. ’84 Michael Schrom, M.D. ’84 Abraham J. Gittelson, Ed.D. ’85 Michael L. Haas, B.B.A. ’85 Martin S. Hoffmann, B.Arch. ’85 Hugh F. Mahon, B.S.E.E. ’85 Bobby L. Scurlock, Ed.D. ’85 Mario J. Solares, B.S.E.E. ’85 Gary W. Thompson, B.B.A. ’85 Mamoru Yoshida, Ph.D. ’85 Vivien (Toomey) Montz, J.D. ’86 David B. Pechman, M.D. ’86 Paul A. Relich, J.D. ’86 Bruce C. Swaffield, M.A. ’86, Ph.D. ’88 Leslie F. Hecker, J.D. ’87 Manuel E. Madruga, A.B. ’87, J.D. ’90 Sheila O. Newton, B.F.A. ’87, M.F.A. ’89 Scott J. Loch, B.B.A. ’88 Eduardo Tremols, M.P.H. ’88

Clive H. Afflick, D.A. ’89 Myra S. Lefkowitz, M.S.Ed. ’89 Sharon A. McGuire, M.S.N. ’89 Oswin Sewer, M.S.Ed. ’89 Bryan J. Wiedmeier, J.D. ’89 Michael W. Attaway, B.B.A. ’90 Joseph Bugliarelli, A.B. ’90 Gregory J. Assmar, A.B. ’91 Susan A. Carlson, B.S.N. ’92 John O’Donnell-Rosales, B.G.S. ’92 Peter B. Ettlinger, A.B. ’93 Frank J. Gargiulo, M.P.H. ’93 Frank E. Mackle, M.B.A. ’93 Riccardo A. Marroquin, B.B.A. ’93 William C. Sheldon, A.B. ’93 Lygia B. Lobo, A.B. ’93, M.A. ’98, Ph.D. ’01 William R. Charbonneau, B.S. ’94 Sandra S. Jaggard, J.D. ’94 Robert A. Bruno, B.B.A. ’95 Blake L. Liebeskind, A.B. ’95 Raul G. Valdes-Fauli, M.B.A. ’96 Luis G. Arizmendi, B.S. ’97 Dietrich M. Clausell, B.L.A. ’98 Troy A. Seguin, M.B.A. ’98, M.S. ’98 Ashley D. Combs, B.S.M.E. ’99 Matthew C. Hagen, A.B. ’99 Abdul R. Murray, B.B.A. ’99 Stephanie A. Tourgeman, M.S.Tx. ’99 Hayley B. Colina, B.B.A. ’01, J.D. ’04, LL.M.P. ’05 Ronald B. Gaschler, M.B.A. ’01 Jarrett B. Lanford, LL.M.T. ’01 Charles M. Ehmann, M.B.A. ’02 Steven W. Malik, M.D. ’03 James C. Sauers, M.A. ’04 Keith A. Noad, M.B.A. ’05 Craig S. Kirsch, J.D. ’06 Toni M. Nelson, M.A. ’06 David Tilden, J.D. ’07 Jason G. Andrew, J.D. ’08 Koorosh Khashayar, LL.M.P. ’08 J. L. Johnson, LL.M.E. ’09 Joanne (Taraborrelli) Angotti, M.A.L.S. ’10 Ceaser G. Pitta, M.B.A. ’10 Sune E. Anderson Smith, M.S.Ed. ’11 Trevor K. Renner, A.B. ’14 Aaron S. Jesudason, A.B. ’15 *Names recorded as of November 30, 2016.

We diligently research each name in the “In Memoriam” section. If you see an error, please contact alumni@miami.edu or call 305-284-2872.

ALUMNI LEADERSHIP

305-284-2872 or 1-800-UMALUMS n alumni.miami.edu

Board of Directors Executive Committee

Brenda Yester Baty, B.B.A. ’90, President

John Calles, A.B. ’89, J.D. ’92, Immediate Past President

Alumni Trustees

Doyle Beneby, M.B.A. ’97 Susan Lytle Lipton, A.B. ’67, J.D. ’70 Michael “Pete” Piechoski, B.B.A. ’76

Directors

Taghreed Al-Saraj, B.F.A. ’99, M.S.Ed. ’01 Suzanne M. Block, A.B. ’81 Cristie A. Carter, B.S.C. ’95 Daniel Carvajal, B.B.A. ’08 Victoria A. Colon, M.B.A. ’98 Santiago Corrada, A.B. ’86, M.S.Ed. ’91 Charlotte Dauphin, B.S.C. ’07 Jose “Pepi” Felix Diaz, A.B. ’02 Darren Dupriest, B.B.A. ’91 Jorge Duyos, B.S.I.E. ’85, M.S.I.E. ’88 Carlota Espinosa, B.S.C. ’90 Bill J. Fisse, B.B.A. ’75, M.B.A. ’77 Lissette Gonzalez, B.A.M. ’01 Shannon K. High-Bassalik, B.S.C. ’88 Cynthia Hudson, A.B. ’84, M.A. ’97 Robert J. Munch, A.B. ’73 Katie Phang, J.D. ’00 Marc Risser, B.B.A. ’93 Johnny Taylor, B.S.C. ’89 Gulnar Vaswani, B.B.A. ’91, M.B.A. ’93 Spencer B. Weinkle, B.S.C. ’07 Doug Weiser, A.B. ’78, J.D. ’82

Young Alumni Leadership Council Representative Danielle Ferretti, B.B.A. ’07

Frank Jimenez, B.S. ’87, President-Elect

Guillermo de Aranzabal Agudo, M.B.A. ’84, Vice President

Faculty Representatives

Manuel A. Huerta, M.S. ’67, Ph.D. ’70 Christian Diez, B.S. ’00, M.D. ’04, M.B.A. ’12, Delegate, Faculty Senate

Student Representatives

Vikesh Patel, President, UM Student Government Jesi Price, President, UM Student Alumni Ambassadors

’Canes Communities

Atlanta John Fenton, B.B.A. ’80, M.B.A. ’81, jjfenton1@gmail.com Austin Jay Schutawie, B.S. ’83, jays@ austin.rr.com Boston Michaela Hennessy, B.A.M.A. ’14, mjhenny77@gmail.com Broward County Jon Malone, B.S.C. ’07, jmalone61@gmail.com Charlotte Jason Wilson, B.S.C.E. ’98, jwilson@umiami.edu Chicago Brian Kidder, B.S.E.E. ’03, b.kidder@umiami.edu Cincinnati Marc Bouche, B.Arch. ’84, marc.bouche@hotmail.com Colombia Gloria Duque, B.B.A. ’99, M.B.A. ’04, gpduque2001@yahoo. com Dallas Carolina Selvidge, B.S.C. ’98, selvidgefamily@gmail.com Denver Josh Josephson, B.B.A. ’07, j.josephson21@gmail.com Detroit Joshua Lopez, A.B. ’10, joshua.lopez@uprepschools.com

Kourtney Ratliff Gibson, B.B.A. ’03, Vice President

Brian L. Itzkowitz, B.B.A. ’90, Vice President

Houston Edward Perry, B.M. ’07, espmobile@gmail.com Indianapolis Danielle Bruno, B.S.B.A. ’09, danielleevabruno@ gmail.com Jacksonville Andrew Gall, B.B.A. ’10, gallfera531@charter.net Las Vegas Natasha Williams, B.B.A. ’05, mrsnatashadw@yahoo.com London Maria Newstrom, B.Arch. ’09, mnewstrom@gmail.com Los Angeles Chad Fisher, A.B. ’00, chad.fisher19@gmail.com Louisville Clifford “Dean” Furman, A.B. ’90, um@lawdean.com Middle East Reyadh Al-Rabeah, B.S.I.E. ’87, alrabeahr@gmail.com Nashville Ben Bruno, B.M. ’07, benbruno305@gmail.com New Jersey Jennifer Smith, B.B.A. ’94, miamicanes321@gmail.com New York Michael Gohari, B.B.A. ’11, michaelgohari@yahoo.com Orlando Adrian Burrowes, M.D. ’00, adrianmd2000@hotmail.com Palm Beach County Jordan White, A.B. ’05, jfwhite99@gmail.com Philadelphia Sean Pezzulo, B.S.C. ’14, seanpezzulo@gmail.com Phoenix Michelle Loposky, A.B. ’04, mloposky@gmail.com Richmond Karen Rosenthal, B.B.A. ’88, kaleyr@gmail.com San Francisco Fawn Perazzo, B.S. ’98, f_perazzo@yahoo.com Sarasota Chris Clayton, B.S.C. ’94, starsmiley@hotmail.com

Andrew Potter, M.B.A. ’04, Vice President

Seattle Jordan Louie, ’07, jordanklouie@gmail.com Southwest Florida Barbara Woodcock, A.B. ’08, canesgrl13@ gmail.com Spain Jaime Escalante, B.B.A. ’93, M.B.A. ’11, Escalantej@iata.org St. Louis Ethan Silverman, B.B.A. ’01, esilver47@gmail.com Tampa Stuart Bromfield, A.B. ’09, stuart.bromfield@gmail.com Washington, D.C. Rachel Highland, B.S.B.E. ’05, J.D. ’08, M.S. ’09, rachel.papeika@gmail.com

Special Interest Groups

Black Alumni Society Cynthia Cochran, B.B.A. ’01, M.P.A. ’06, cie1@umail.miami.edu Band of the Hour Debbie Baker Robinson, B.B.A. ’84, dbrstitch@ gmail.com LGBTQ Judson Dry, B.B.A. ’07, judsondry@yahoo.com Public Health Sciences Daniella Orihuela, B.S.B.E. ’11, M.P.H. ’14, dorihuela@frostscience.org UM Sports Hall of Fame Gerard Loisel, B.S. ’76, goldensounds@ hotmail.com

School and College Groups

College of Engineering Andrew Doyle, B.S.I.E. ’08, Adoyle052@ gmail.com School of Law Joshua Spector, J.D.

Winston Warrior, B.B.A. ’93, M.B.A. ’96 Vice President

Donna A. Arbide, M.B.A. ’95, Executive Director

’02, joshua@spectorlegal.com Miller School of Medicine Vicky Egusquiza, B.S. ’83, M.D. ’87, mve510@aol.com School of Nursing and Health Studies Debbie Anglade, Ph.D. ’14, d.anglade@miami.edu Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science Sandra St. Hilaire, A.B. ’08, M.A. ’11, ssthilaire1984@gmail.com

Alumni records of the University of Miami are kept strictly confidential. Directory information is released only to other members of the alumni community unless an alumnus or alumna has requested complete privacy. On a very limited occasion and only at the approval of the UM Alumni Association Board of Directors, directory information is shared with outside vendors who are in a joint relationship with the University. Should you not wish to release your name to any outside vendor and/or other members of the UM alumni community, please notify the Office of Alumni Relations in writing at P.O. Box 248053, Coral Gables, Florida 33124-1514.

We’ve got some ’Canes over here in Atlanta (pictured at right)—and in dozens of other cities around the globe! ’Canes Communities, proudly supported by the University of Miami Alumni Association, offer programming open to all alumni, parents, students, and friends of the U. To connect with your local Hurricanes family for networking, events, and fun, visit miami.edu/canescommunities.

To get involved with the ’Canes Community in your area, submit a UConnect form at www.miami.edu/uconnect.

miami.edu/magazine Spring 2017 MIAMI 59

Big Picture

RICHARD PATTERSON

A SNAPSHOT OF THE U TODAY

Blue Interlude A cloud-swept royal canvas illuminates the School of Business Administration at night.

ONE WORD: Opportunity One word can change a life.

One gift can make a difference.

One “U” can shape the world.

“I am forever indebted to the University of Miami and the thousands of alumni who have gone before me and made it possible for me to be where I am now. My accomplishments while at UM led me to gain acceptance into a top-ranked graduate program where I am currently pursuing my Master of Science in Human Resource Management, under a prestigious Graduate Enrichment Fellowship. I have also accepted a graduate internship as a Human Resource Generalist with leading semiconductor manufacturer Texas Instruments. To me, UM means opportunity.”

Vinessa Burnett, B.S. ’16 Master of Science in Human Resource Management Candidate Human Resource Generalist Intern, Texas Instruments

Your annual support will make experiences like Vinessa’s possible. Please make your gift to the University of Miami today.

One word – One gift – One

OneGiftOneU.com

Office of Annual Giving annualgiving@miami.edu 1-866-UMALUMS (862-5867)

ONE WORD: Opportunity One word can change a life.

One gift can make a difference.

One “U” can shape the world.

“I am forever indebted to the University of Miami and the thousands of alumni who have gone before me and made it possible for me to be where I am now. My accomplishments while at UM led me to gain acceptance into a top-ranked graduate program where I am currently pursuing my Master of Science in Human Resource Management, under a prestigious Graduate Enrichment Fellowship. I have also accepted a graduate internship as a Human Resource Generalist with leading semiconductor manufacturer Texas Instruments. To me, UM means opportunity.”

Vinessa Burnett, B.S. ’16 Master of Science in Human Resource Management Candidate Human Resource Generalist Intern, Texas Instruments

Your annual support will make experiences like Vinessa’s possible. Please make your gift to the University of Miami today.

One word – One gift – One

OneGiftOneU.com

Office of Annual Giving annualgiving@miami.edu 1-866-UMALUMS (862-5867)

MIAMI

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SWAG YOUR TAG

UMPL8 As you celebrate another year of style, don’t forget to renew the swag on your tag.

Not only is your UM license plate super cool, it helps to fund scholarships for UM students.

For assistance in purchasing or renewing the U license plate, go to miami.edu/licenseplate or call us at 866-862-5867.