USF Magazine Fall 2024

USF

A Bold, NEW ERA

Digging in — a major milestone for our on-campus stadium

FEATURES

26 A bold, new era

The on-campus stadium groundbreaking on Nov. 8 marks the last leg of a long journey.

32 Unraveling the mysteries of Alzheimer’s disease

From research to resources, the Byrd Alzheimer’s Center offers more than ever before to patients and their families.

40 ‘We literally saved this patient’s life’

Bulls-led businesses like Evara Health are transforming organizations — and lives — throughout the Tampa Bay region.

44 The art of collaboration

A peek at the recent performance art event “What We Keep” that brought together poets and visual artists for a valuable learning experience.

48 A place to live and learn

USF Sarasota-Manatee welcomes its first residential students to the new Campus Student Center and Atala Residence Hall.

50 Hooked

Leiza Fitzgerald, ’84, is a champion angler — and the Queen of Conservation.

4

54 5 Minutes with Bill

About the cover USF President Rhea Law and Board of Trustees Chair Will Weatherford were among the many celebrants at the Nov. 8 groundbreaking ceremony. Weatherford famously kicked off the project with a surprise announcement in September 2021 that USF would build an on-campus stadium.

Photo: ASCHLEY JOSEPH

From the President

President Law joined, from left, Sherrelle Findley, assistant dean of students; Jessica Cicalese, USF

Dining marketing and communications director; and David DiSalvo, USF

Dining director, in distributing more than 4,000 grab-and-go meal kits to resident students prior to Hurricane Helene.

Dear alumni, friends and supporters of USF

THE BACK-TO-BACK HURRICANES we experienced this fall severely impacted the Tampa Bay region and beyond, creating difficult, and in some cases devastating, situations for many of our students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends. Our hearts go out to everyone affected by these catastrophic storms.

We are extremely grateful to so many across our university, including the USF Police Department, our first responders and emergency management personnel, our health-care professionals, and our team members in facilities, housing, Student Success and USF Dining. They prepared our campuses for hurricanes Helene (Sept. 26) and Milton (Oct. 9) and assisted with recovery efforts to ensure we could reopen as quickly as possible. Many of our dedicated employees worked long hours and were pulled away from their families to serve critical roles.

I am also very proud of how quickly our students, faculty and staff responded to pressing needs in their communities. They volunteered to transport and care for individuals in special-needs shelters, helped at comfort and hygiene support stations and at a field hospital, delivered meals, assisted with cleanup efforts in neighborhoods and on beaches, and contributed to recovery efforts in many other ways. Despite their own significant challenges, including power outages and property damage, countless members of our USF community demonstrated tremendous compassion in a time of great need.

We know that some members of our community face a long and complex recovery. We continue to share resources and address individual needs. For those who wish to support students, faculty and staff still struggling to regain their footing, the USF Foundation offers two funds: the

USF United Support Fund for students and the Employee Hardship Assistance Fund. We appreciate everyone who has generously contributed to this effort.

The storms-related challenges led us to postpone our Homecoming activities, which had been scheduled for the week after Hurricane Milton made landfall. Thanks to the hard work of a large team representing all three campuses and led by the USF Alumni Association and USF Student Success, more than 60 beloved traditions took place Nov. 4-9.

Highlights included the much-anticipated groundbreaking for our on-campus stadium. Beginning on page 26, you can learn about the many ways the stadium will enhance the USF student experience and inspire Bulls fans to revisit their alma mater. As a proud USF alumna, I know how incredibly special that is because it allows us to share our Bull pride and strengthen our connection to USF.

I also want to extend my deepest sympathies to the family of Amir Abdur-Rahim, the head coach of USF’s men’s basketball team, who passed away unexpectedly in October. Together with his staff and players, Coach Amir transformed the basketball program last season, setting records along the way to winning our first-ever American Athletic Conference regular season championship. Coach Amir was humble and compassionate, and he believed strongly in developing authentic relationships and in serving the community. He was an inspiration to all of us.

We have so much to be proud of at our university, and as we look ahead to 2025, I am excited about what the future holds for USF. Thank you for your continued support of our students and our university. I wish you a new year filled with peace and good health.

Rhea F. Law, ’77, PResident LiFe MeMbeR #976

Green and Gold Points of

• CLASS OF 2028 •

68,000+

Record number of applications from firsttime-in-college (FTIC) students for summer/fall 2024, a 5% increase from last year and up 35% from three years ago

6,700

FTIC students enrolled across all three campuses, a 14% increase from last year

4.25 average GPA 28.2 average ACT

1306 average SAT

New students represent all 50 states and 73 countries

750 Joined the Judy Genshaft Honors College 54 National Merit Scholars

No. 91

Among all universities, public or private — U.S. News & World Report

“Best Value”

Among all public and private universities in Florida for second consecutive year — U.S. News & World Report

No. 22

Nationally for social mobility — U.S. News & World Report

“Best

College Athletic Departments”

— Front Office Sports

• NEW HONORS •

2

faculty,1alumna named to Florida

Inventors Hall of Fame

• Sylvia Wilson Thomas, vice president for Research & Innovation and professor of electrical engineering, College of Engineering

• Daniel Yeh, professor of environmental engineering, College of Engineering

• Rachana Vidhi, PhD Chemical Engineering ’14

4

faculty named American Association for the Advancement of Science fellows:

• Ramon Gonzalez, professor, College of Engineering

• Subhra Mohapatra, professor, USF Health Morsani College of Medicine

• George Philippidis, associate professor, Patel College of Global Sustainability

• Jeffrey Ryan, professor, College of Arts and Sciences

Among Florida’s public universities; No. 30 overall — Forbes’ “Best Employers by State” No. 45

Among public universities — U.S. News & World Report

2024 Honor Awards of Excellence, New Work

For the Judy Genshaft Honors College and USF Research Park buildings

— American Institute of Architects, Florida chapter

6

Bulls represented their home countries and USF at the Paris Olympics in August

USF magazine is published by USF Advancement and USF Communications & Marketing for alumni, friends and members of the USF community.

Senior Vice President of Advancement and Alumni Affairs, and CEO of USF Foundation Jay Stroman

University Communications & Marketing Vice President

Dan Caterinicchia

USF Alumni Association Vice President and Executive Director

Bill McCausland, MBA ’96

Editor Penny Carnathan ’82

Associate Editor Kiley Mallard

Design Editor Anne Scott

University Leadership

Rhea Law, ’77, President

Dan Caterinicchia, Vice President, University Communications & Marketing, and Chief Marketing Officer

Jennifer Condon, Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Cynthia DeLuca, Vice President, Student Success

Eric Eisenberg, Senior Vice President, University-Community

Partnerships

Sidney Fernandes, MS ’00, Vice President Digital Experiences, and Chief Information Officer

Paige Beles Geers, Chief of Staff

Christian Hardigree, Regional Chancellor of USF St. Petersburg

Karen A. Holbrook, Regional Chancellor of USF Sarasota-Manatee

Michael Kelly, Vice President, Intercollegiate Athletics

Charles Lockwood, MD, Executive Vice President of USF Health

Frank McKenzie, Executive Director, Global and National Security Institute, Florida Center for Cybersecurity Prasant Mohapatra, Provost and Executive Vice President, Academic Affairs

Angie Sklenka, Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources and Administrative Officer

Gerard D. Solis, Senior Vice President, Legal Affairs, and General Counsel

Jay Stroman, Senior Vice President of Advancement and Alumni Affairs

Sylvia Wilson Thomas, Vice President, Research & Innovation

Mark Walsh, Assistant Vice President, Government Relations

USF Board of Trustees

William Weatherford, Chair

Michael E. Griffin ’03, Vice Chair

Sandra Callahan

Michael Carrere

Suryakanth Gottipati

Oscar Horton

Lauran Monbarren

Shilen Patel

Fredrick Piccolo

Melissa Seixas, MA ’96

David Simmons

Contact USF

University Communications & Marketing

4202 E. Fowler Ave., CGS 301, Tampa, FL 33620-4301 813-974-4014 or ucm@usf.edu

Contact the USF Alumni Association

Gibbons Alumni Center

4202 E. Fowler Ave., ALC100, Tampa, Florida 33620-5455 813-974-2100 • 800-299-BULL (2855) alumni@usf.edu

Update your contact information: www.myusfbio.org

Reprint policy: USF encourages reprinting articles in their entirety. Permission may be obtained by contacting pcarnathan@usf.edu.

Disclaimer: The information in USF magazine was correct at the time of publication. USF’s fast-paced environment changes daily. Every effort is made to ensure accuracy at the time of publication.

First Look

And the No.1 Bull-led business is ...

Dave Magrisso, ’94, founder and CEO of iApartments, celebrates as his company is named the No. 1 fastest growing Bull-led business during the 12th annual USF Fast 56 Awards. USF Alumni Association board Chair Sally Dee, ’94 and MBA ’11, Life Member, right, prepares to hand him his trophy.

The Fast 56 recognizes 56 companies and their USF alumni executives based on revenues over the previous three years. The winners learn where their businesses rank in the lineup during a dramatic awards presentation that includes a countdown to No. 1.

Read more, pgs. 56-61.

Photo: JAY NOLAN

Beefed-up fandom

Students smashed their own attendance records when the Bulls took on the No. 8-ranked University of Miami Hurricanes Sept. 21 during a prime-time ESPN clash.

The crowd of 58,616 at Raymond James Stadium included 15,670 students — based on the number of student tickets claimed — the most ever for a Bulls game. The game also saw a record 127 Beef Studs, pictured, cheering from the front rows. The Beef Studs are a student-created group of Bulls fans dating back to 2002. They’re known for their body paint and exuberant spirit.

Sadly, after a highly competitive first half, the Bulls lost the game 50-15.

First Look

Photo:

Their pride runs DEEP

Students on a study abroad trip to Union Island in St. Vincent and the Grenadines last summer had more than one goal.

“We were eager to get that shot,” says Tatiana Restrepo, who is double majoring in marine biology and environmental science and policy. “We carried that Bull flag with us wherever we went, so whenever the opportunity arose, we’d be ready.”

After completing their assignment one day, they still had some air — and the flag came out.

“We all knew what to do!” Restrepo says.

The June trip led by marine biology Professor Chantal Bégin included her former field assistant, Noelle Helder, ’16. Pictured clockwise from left to right are Isabel Wroten, Restrepo, Zoe Baumeister (back), Abby Bernard, Sydney Tritschler and Kasey Rea.

The students earned their scientific diving certifications and conducted underwater coral reef research, including photogrammetry and diversity surveys.

“Life-changing experience and love this picture so, so much!” Restrepo says.

Empower future student explorers by contributing to the USF Education Abroad Scholarship Fund.

University Community

Pharmacy gets new digs in downtown Tampa

THE USF HEALTH TANEJA COLLEGE of Pharmacy PharmD program moved into its new 30,000-squarefoot home in the USF Health Downtown building over the summer. The space offers more room and includes futuristic features such as holographic technology to aid in instruction of complex concepts. Students will also get more interdisciplinary interaction with Morsani College of Medicine students and faculty, who share the building.

He captured the (cyber) flag

THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE challenged the country’s top cybersecurity minds to compete in a skills competition and USF cybersecurity master’s student and CyberHerd team captain Waseem Albaba, Cybersecurity ’23, came out on top during the spring 2024 event.

Albaba beat out around 3,000 competitors for the top prize in the DoD’s Cyber Sentinel Skills Challenge, an eight-hour capture-the-flag contest.

Proposed college answers increasing demand

THE MACHINES MAY NOT BE taking over just yet, but there has been a five-fold increase in U.S. employer demand for artificial intelligence (AI) skills since 2015. Additionally, more than 40% of organizations experiencing a shortage of cybersecurity professionals can’t find enough qualified talent.

40% More than 40%

To address those needs, USF has announced its intention to create a college focused on AI, cybersecurity and computing, with the goal of positioning the Tampa Bay region and state of Florida as a national leader. USF is the first university in Florida and among the first in the nation to announce plans to create such a college.

The college will formally launch in fall 2025.

Four named to Athletic Hall of Fame

THREE STANDOUT STUDENT-ATHLETES and a beloved head coach were inducted into the USF Athletic Hall of Fame on Nov. 8. The Class of 2024 was the 10th to be inducted. The new inductees are:

• Eddie Cardieri — winningest coach in USF baseball history, 1986-2006

• Jeff Cunningham — Major League Soccer AllStar, men’s soccer, 1994-97

• Matt Grothe — quarterback who led the Bulls to the No. 2 national ranking in football, 2004-09

• Chase Koepka — record-breaking men’s golfer, 2012-16

College of Nursing building expansion underway

CONSTRUCTION HAS BEGUN on an expanded USF Health College of Nursing building at USF Tampa, with a state-of-theart simulation center funded by Tampa General Hospital, clinical spaces, an auditorium and learning labs expected to open in spring 2026.

The new spaces will accommodate a 500-student increase in undergraduate nursing enrollment by 2028 — growth necessitated by a critical shortage of nurses. The Florida Legislature allocated $33 million to expand and renovate the building.

Navigating Affordable Care Act plans

FLORIDIANS FLUMMOXED BY the array of health insurance choices available through the federal Health Insurance Marketplace are finding more free, knowledgeable and unbiased advisors.

The College of Public Health received a nearly $14 million federal grant to grow its Covering Florida Navigator Program, which helps people sign up for plans offered through the Affordable Care Act, Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program.

Learn more: usf.to/COPHNavigator

New degree program for school psychology

THE COLLEGE OF EDUCATION has launched a new degree program to train educational specialists in school psychology and help address a national shortage of school psychologists.

The Educational Specialist in Curriculum and Instruction with a concentration in school psychology program can be completed in about three years while the older school psychology doctoral program takes about five years to finish.

Learn more: usf.to/SchoolPsychology

It’s

easier than ever to update your info

Has your email changed? Your address? It’s now easier than ever for alumni to stay connected to USF by updating their contact information. The only number you need to know is your birthdate.

Visit usf.to/update to access and make changes to your record.

University Community

New advisory council aims to strengthen USF’s global footprint

A SPECIAL GROUP OF ALUMNI FLEW IN from around the world this summer to visit USF Tampa. They toured the campus, visited USF Health Downtown, met with university leaders, faculty and students, and cooked pizzas in the new Judy Genshaft Honors College building’s Leona Genshaft Food and Culture Studio.

The 14 inaugural members of the President’s Global Leadership Council (PGLC) include Bulls who’ve achieved extraordinary success in their fields. They’ve been asked to provide strategic advice to President Rhea Law, with the goal of raising USF’s global profile, increasing the value of USF degrees and providing new philanthropic opportunities.

“My experiences at USF contributed significantly to many of my professional achievements. ... Serving as the inaugural chair of the PGLC is truly an honor and I could not be more excited to work with my fellow Bulls in service to President Law and our USF family.”

– Steve Presley

The council is chaired by Steve Presley, ’90, executive vice president of Nestle S.A. and CEO of Nestle North America. It will play a significant role in helping USF address pressing challenges and opportunities that emerge on the world stage while continuing to grow USF’s engagement globally.

“This group includes some of our university’s most accomplished alumni who are collectively making a major impact worldwide,” Law says. “I extend my sincere

appreciation to our inaugural chair, Steve Presley, and to all the council members for lending their time, talent and expertise in support of strengthening and expanding USF’s global footprint.”

Members will be encouraged to provide insights and counsel to USF leadership through roundtables, corporate partnerships, networking and events.

“My experiences at USF contributed significantly to many of my professional accomplishments,” says Presley, who received a USF Distinguished Alumni Award in 2023. “It has long been my pleasure to give back to my alma mater and support our students and our community. Serving as the inaugural chair of the PGLC is truly an honor and I could not be more excited to work with my fellow Bulls in service to President Law and our USF family.”

Joining Presley on the council are:

• Anthony D. “Tony” Giarratana, Finance ’80, president of Giarratana, LLC

• John Robert Bailey, Finance ’83, owner and CEO of Virginia Dare Jamaica Ltd.

• François Bertrand Rioux, Accounting and Chemistry ’84, president of Rioux

• Salim Bitar, Finance ’85, group chief financial officer at Abu Dhabi Capital Group

• Abdalla Hashim BaniHammad, Electrical Engineering ’87 and MS ’88, former CEO of Etisalat Services Holding, a wholly owned subsidiary of Etisalat Group

• Aris Bogdaneris, International Relations ’87, group head of Canadian Banking for Scotiabank

• Walid Abukhaled, Industrial Engineering ’89, CEO of Saudi Arabian Military Industries (SAMI)

• Mohammed bin Abdul Aziz Al-Shehhi, Electrical Engineering ’90, former undersecretary of economic affairs for United Arab Emirates and chairman and founder of Euromercato

• Kimberly Ross, Accounting ’92, Life Member, board member of Nestlé SA, KKR and Co., and Cigna Corp., among others and former CFO of WeWork

• Meshal Abdul Aziz Al-Othman, Marketing ’96, CEO and co-founder of Capital Asset Management

• Gayle Sheppard, Accounting ’00, corporate director for Nutanix, and a corporate global director for AstroScale

• Turki Al Shehri, Electrical Engineering ’02, group vice president for ENGIE’s Key Client Office

• John Fieldly, Accounting ’04, chairman and CEO of Celsius Holdings Inc.

- DAN CATERINICCHIA // University Communications and Marketing

University Community

Meet our NEW DEANS

He worked his way up — literally

David W. Blackwell, Lynn Pippenger Dean of the Muma College of Business

DAVID W. BLACKWELL BECAME DEAN of the Muma College of Business in July — the second to hold the college’s Lynn Pippenger endowed deanship. He has over two decades of university leadership, coming to USF from the University of Kentucky’s Gatton College of Business and Economics, where he served as associate dean, dean and university provost. His career also includes roles at Texas A&M University, University of Georgia, University of Houston and Emory University, as well as industry finance positions at PwC and KPMG. He earned a bachelor’s degree in economics and a doctorate in finance from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Here are four things to know about Dean Blackwell:

• He’s a first-generation college graduate and secondgeneration military veteran:

“My main challenge was financial, as my parents were of modest means. I did agricultural work during summers and worked the night shift at McDonald’s, closing at 1-2 a.m. and having to show up to class at 8 a.m. … I joined the Army for the educational benefits, and now I marvel at the positions that I’ve served in, given my background.”

• He shares a love for teaching finance with his wife:

“My lovely wife, Wendy, is also a finance professor at Vanderbilt University, so we’re spending a lot of time commuting between Nashville and Tampa.”

• In his spare time, you might find him watching shows or reading books about organized crime:

“‘Breaking Bad,’ ‘The Sopranos,’ throw in ‘Goodfellas’ as well … it’s a very creative business, able to get around a lot of regulation.”

• The trajectory of the Tampa Bay area and USF attracted him to the role:

“Florida is a dynamic and growing state with a great business climate, and the Tampa Bay area is the center of that universe in many regards with the proliferation of nationally known companies and an entrepreneurial ecosystem emerging from technologies including fintech, health tech and cybersecurity. The accolades USF and the Muma College of Business receive in terms of rankings, student success and fundraising, layered with the business community, make this a wonderful environment.”

Best advice? From ‘Hamlet’

Elizabeth Spiller, College of Arts and Sciences

ELIZABETH SPILLER BECAME DEAN of USF’s largest college in July. She brings more than 10 years of academic leadership, most recently as executive vice chancellor and chief academic officer at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and dean of the College of Letters and Science at the University of California, Davis, which, like USF, is a member of the prestigious Association of American Universities.

Spiller earned a bachelor’s in English literature from Amherst College, and master’s and doctoral degrees in English and American language and literature, respectively, from Harvard University.

Here are four things to know about Dean Spiller:

• The play “Hamlet” provided the best advice she’s ever received:

“There is a character in ‘Hamlet,’ Polonius, who is a foolish counselor. He gives terrible advice, and that bad advice has a lot to do with what happens to Hamlet. But one of the things he says, that I think Shakespeare agrees with and that I find useful, is: ‘To thine own self be true.’ Learning who you are and being authentic to yourself will take you far.”

• If she could have dinner with any historical figure, she’d invite Galileo, Shakespeare and Cervantes:

“I would like a full dinner party here: Galileo, the willingness to pursue new knowledge regardless of the risks; Shakespeare, a writer who helped us imagine what it is to be human; and Cervantes, who teaches us how much power our willingness to commit can do to change the world for others. I would love to listen to what they might say to each other.”

• She’s a twin:

“I have a twin sister. It does give me a different perspective on the world in some important ways. Having an identical twin is a bit of a ‘what if’ in that it allows me to be more open to the possibilities of otherness.”

• She’s elated to be part of the College of Arts and Sciences:

“I love the arts and sciences. It is the largest, most intellectually heterogeneous unit on campus. The difference between English, history, philosophy, Russian, physics, statistics, mathematics, biological sciences and chemistry is vast, and yet there is a strand that connects all of these. That strand is a willingness to learn things you don’t know and a willingness to ask why. We are ‘why?’ people in the College of Arts and Sciences.”

Taylor Swift course hits all the right notes

Why are three British literature scholars standing in the Chemistry 101 classroom, sporting matching block-letter T-shirts that declare “A LOT TO TEACH AT THE MOMENT”?

They’re here to introduce USF’s first-ever course on Taylor Swift, of course.

Led by professors Emily Jones, Jessica Cook, PhD ’14, and Michelle Taylor, the sold-out class maxed out at 96 students. LIT3301: Cultural Studies and Popular Art meets twice a week to explore Swift’s influence, treating her as a significant poet of our time. Drawing on their backgrounds in 16th- to 19th-century British literature, the instructors offer a historical lens through which to view Swift’s work within the literary tradition.

Why Taylor Swift, you might wonder?

“In our fractured 21st century culture, Taylor Swift cuts through the noise. She’s inescapable,” Cook says. “Yet, many don’t take her seriously because she writes about topics like boys and love. That itself makes her fascinating to study.”

Each assignment is paired with a curated Spotify playlist, and there are optional themed dress-up days on Tuesdays. This course isn’t just breaking the academic mold — it’s redefining it.

“Taylor Swift is the voice of our generation,” says Olivia Nolan, a senior double majoring in literature and biology. “The fact that she receives so much backlash proves she’s doing something important. You don’t see such strong reactions, positive or negative, to people operating within the norm. Studying a contemporary figure like this is a unique opportunity I didn’t want to miss.”

Love her or hate her, there’s no denying Swift is shaping today’s cultural conversation. And at USF, there’s a lot to learn from her.

- MELISSA WOLFE

’13, Life Member

University Community

Award-winning AIDS pioneer joins Morsani College of Medicine

THE PHYSICIAN WHO CO-DISCOVERED HIV-1 as the cause of AIDS has joined the faculty of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, along with four of his researchers, and USF is now the international headquarters of the vast coalition he co-founded, the Global Virus Network.

Dr. Robert Gallo also discovered the first human RNA tumor virus, or retrovirus, and its association with some cancers of the blood and lymphatic system. And he discovered the first cytokine, a protein that plays a crucial role in the body’s virus defense systems.

Gallo co-founded the Global Virus Network in 2011 with

Drs. William Hall of Ireland and the late Reinhard Kurth of Germany. What began years earlier as an annual retreat for a handful of collaborators has grown to virologists from more than 80 network-designated Academic Centers of Excellence for medical virology research and their affiliates in over 40 countries. They work together to advance understanding, prevention and eradication of viral diseases.

“I am thrilled that Dr. Gallo, a true pioneer in medical research and a hero in American medicine, has joined USF Health,” said Dr. Charles J. Lockwood, executive vice president of USF Health and dean of the Morsani College of Medicine. “Together with Dr. Gallo and his virology team, USF Health, as the international headquarters of the Global Virus Network, will lead new research discoveries in the battle against infectious disease threats worldwide.”

Gallo is the James P. Cullison Professor of Medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases. He will also develop and serve as director of the USF Health Virology Center. Four members of his University of Maryland team have joined him as USF faculty: Dr. Yukata Tagaya, Davide Zella, Francesca Benedetti and Hongshou Song.

In 2021, USF became the first regional headquarters for the Global Virus Network. It received the international headquarters designation earlier this year.

Gallo is the only two-time winner of the prestigious Lasker Award, for his aforementioned HIV-1 and retrovirus discoveries. He reigned as the most cited scientist in the world from 1980-1990.

“I am very excited to join USF Health and TGH Cancer Institute and to work closely with Charly Lockwood, Eduardo Sotomayor, my associates at the Global Virus Network, the team at USF Health Virology Center and my dear friend, Christian Brechot and the USF Microbiomes Institute,” Gallo said. “I look forward to when Christian and I can join forces as co-directors and bring together the USF Microbiomes Institute and the USF Health Virology Center.”

- USF HEALTH

Top: Dr. Robert Gallo, co-founder of the Global Virus Network.

Left: Davide Zellea and Francesca Benedetti are among the talented researchers who’ve joined the USF Health team with Gallo.

Working while sick — why it’s bad for business

EVER DRAG YOURSELF TO WORK when you’re feeling sick because you feel you have no other choice?

You’re not alone. Personal drive may be partly to blame, but hidden pressure from the workplace also bears responsibility, according to a new study.

Organizations unknowingly encourage employees to power through physical or mental illness, which can lead to long-term consequences for employees’ health and productivity, says Claire Smith, assistant professor of psychology. She dubbed such workplace cultures “presenteeism pressure” in her study, published in September’s Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology.

Presenteeism occurs when employees clock in but can’t operate at full capacity because of illness or injury.

“Many organizations are putting pressure on employees to show up to work no matter what, and they aren’t fully aware that presenteeism is usually more costly over the long-term compared to absenteeism,” Smith says.

Presenteeism pressure costs companies as much as $150 billion annually, according to Harvard Business Review. Productivity drops when employees come to work sick, and workers’ resentment tends to grow, which can lead to a number of negative reactions, including stealing from an employer perceived as uncaring.

To explore the phenomenon, Smith created the Presenteeism Pressure Scale, a tool developed through a multi-level study involving nearly 1,600 working adults.

It gives companies a reliable way to measure employees’ perceptions of the pressure they feel to work while sick.

The study also confirmed that presenteeism pressure significantly affects attendance, employees’ health and the organization’s success.

Employers should consider examining their attendance policies and “always there” norms using the scale, Smith says.

“We have a new workforce post-pandemic that is really aware of and interested in their health and worklife balance,” she says. “So creating healthier, more productive workplaces is going to become more and more important.”

- CASSIDY DELAMARTER // USF N ews

Watching your weight? Beware the digital menu!

AS YOU SWIPE THROUGH YOUR FAVORITE food app, sometimes those extra fries or decadent desserts seem to just jump into your cart.

A new study co-authored by marketing expert Dipayan Biswas uncovers the not-so-subtle nudge that digital ordering platforms give us, pushing our taste buds toward more indulgent choices — and our wallets to open a little wider.

Digital ordering platforms significantly influence consumer behavior, according to the study published in the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science. The research highlights the cognitive differences between ordering from digital screens and traditional methods, such as paper menus. The study involved more than 23,000 restaurant orders and found that 61% of digital orders, including those made for delivery, were unhealthy — more than 3% higher than non-digital orders. The study also suggests that digital ordering affects dinner choices more because people are more tired and rely on technology later in the day.

- CASSIDY DELAMARTER and JOHN DUDLEY // USF N ews

Quarterback Byrum Brown has already taken advantage of the new NIL policy, receiving an automobile through an endorsement deal with Toyota of Tampa Bay and launching his own line of Killer-B merchandise.

Name, Image Likeness

By JOEY JOHNSTON, ’81

AS COLLEGE ATHLETICS ENTER an unprecedented financial era — where student-athletes can be compensated for the use of their name, image and likeness (NIL) or potentially even paid directly by the athletic department if proposed new rules come to pass — USF aims to be at this revolution’s forefront.

Familiar faces represent all that’s right with this brave new world, including USF football’s Byrum Brown and USF lacrosse’s Sofia Chepenik. An administrative staff and plan supports Bulls pursuing their brand-building opportunities.

“We’re in a unique, dynamic time, a truly permissive era of benefits and opportunities for student-athletes,’’ says Michael Kelly, Life Member, vice president for athletics.

“We’re in a great place at USF. We have the Nault Center for Entrepreneurship, we’re an Association of American Universities school, and Tampa Bay is a desirable place to live and work.

Athletics

Through an endorsement deal with Toyota of Tampa Bay, Brown received an automobile. He also has his own line of Killer-B merchandise and is studying potential relationships with favorite products. Ideally, he’d like to negotiate a deal where he can share a product (maybe shoes or electronics) with each of his teammates. Additionally, Brown used his NIL muscle to stage a free youth football camp in Wesley Chapel. More than 200 kids attended.

“It’s truly a blessing,’’ says Brown, a quarterback who was named to the preseason Maxwell Award watch list. He’s majoring in health sciences with plans to become an orthodontist. “NIL allows you to earn income and start your future. I think it also reflects how you treat other people, your personality and what you do in the community. That’s what attracts the brands.

““What I feel really great about is, with every adaptation in the last few years, USF Athletics has met or exceeded those opportunities, whether it was the cost of attendance, increased nutrition opportunities or academic benefits. We intend to continue that through the NIL and direct-compensation era.’’

Kelly elevated Andrew Warsaw, USF football’s chief of staff, to become the department’s first NIL general manager. Warsaw heads an NIL strategy unit designed to maximize opportunities, marketing, fundraising and education initiatives for USF’s nearly 500 student-athletes across 21 sports.

What does it all mean? How will it actually work? Kelly and Warsaw say this revolution will constantly evolve.

NIL dates to 2021, when a Supreme Court ruling allowed for earned income beyond scholarship awards. It stated that the “revenue-drivers’’ (student-athletes) could be compensated. Student-athletes began setting up their own businesses and seeking NIL endorsement deals, usually through third-party intermediaries, such as USF’s Fowler Avenue Collective.

A pending settlement from the House v. NCAA lawsuit would allow schools to distribute an annual shared-revenue pool of $22 million per university to its athletes, among other provisions, beginning in 2025. The details of that plan, though, have not been finalized.

USF’s NIL strategy unit will continually monitor the landscape so Bulls can maximize all opportunities, Warsaw says.

“There were moments when athletic departments created a marketing department or a video department for the first time,’’ he says. “Modern athletic departments now have full creative units, recruiting specialists, nutritionists, mental-health professionals … and these are all relatively new.

“Now we have a unit that specializes in revenue sharing and athlete compensation. We’re part of a modern era where things are shifting.’’

Brown and Chepenik are taking full advantage of that.

NIL allows you to earn income and start your future. I think it also reflects how you treat other people, your personality and what you do in the community. ... If your name is connected to it, it’s important to make sure it’s done correctly and it reflects your values.” – Byrum Brown

“And it teaches you about deliverables. You make a commitment to a company and you need to deliver on what they ask of you. If your name is connected to it, it’s important to make sure it’s done correctly and it reflects your values.’’

Meanwhile, Chepenik signed a lifetime deal with LootMogul, a Web3 gaming and e-commerce platform that granted her an equity stake and made her the face of its ventures. Between NIL and her social media accounts — with more than 200,000 followers on TikTok and Instagram — Chepenik hopes to maximize her exposure and spread the message of women’s sports empowerment.

“I’d like to help bridge the gap between male and female athletics,’’ says Chepenik, who’s majoring in mass communications and wants to become a sports broadcaster. “If that could be part of my legacy, it would be awesome. It’s wonderful that the value of women’s athletics is being appreciated like never before and companies are recognizing that.

“I don’t want to pick something just because of the money. It’s my name, so it needs to have my values and morals. I want them to believe in me as much as I believe in them. This is about personal relationships, networking and representing yourself in the best way. Because of NIL, I think young athletes are learning these lessons earlier than they would have previously.’’

Warsaw says Brown and Chepenik are great examples of how NIL/athlete compensation can work in the right ways. Education will continue to be the priority for them and their families.

“I think the perception is that it’s just an arms race, where schools are paying millions of dollars to attract kids

to come and play football,’’ Warsaw says. “But when you actually sit down with a kid and ask what’s important in their decision-making process, you get similarities. Who’s going to develop and coach me? Who are my teammates and do I fit in with them? And then, what does the money look like?

“Doing it the right way, you institute a system that takes care of the students who are already here who have earned it, then having a starting point where the new kids can be comfortable. For the most part, they’re looking to take care of their families and have the amenities that maybe nine out of 10 of the other students can get covered by their parents. The bottom line for most football players is finding a program that can develop them to play on Sundays (in the NFL).’’

Through NIL, Warsaw says USF hopes to match student-athletes with their interests and marketability potential. For example, if a basketball player wants to work with animals, a deal could be struck with Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, ZooTampa at Lowry Park or The Florida Aquarium.

“For all the athletes, it’s a chance to learn more about taxes, savings, investing and the strategies used by financially successful adults,’’ Warsaw says. “It’s ever-evolving and ever-changing, but at USF we are positioning ourselves to grow with the changes and be the resource that our athletes need.’’ n

NIL 101 – for students, parents and coaches

USF’S FOUNDATIONS OF NIL CERTIFICATE PROGRAM offers information for student-athletes, parents, administrators and coaches interested in maximizing opportunities for athletes to profit from their names, images and likenesses.

Just ask Pro Football Hall of Famer Derrick Brooks, the perennial All-Pro linebacker from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during his storied NFL career from 1995 to 2008. Brooks’ daughter, DaNia, is a USF softball player.

“I took the course because the world of NIL has taken athletics in a new direction, and I wanted to know more,’’ Brooks says. “I learned a lot. It gave me an understanding not only of what NIL really is, but what it can be.

“I would encourage any parent of an athlete to take it. It helps you understand and manage expectations of what the NIL process is. It shows you that it’s just part of your decision to pursue an education, not the main thing.’’

An all-inclusive fee of $149 covers the fully online program, produced by USF’s Corporate Training and Professional Education unit in partnership with USF Innovative Education and Total NIL.

The course is composed of four modules — NIL 101, Defining Your Brand, Maximizing Social Media and The Anatomy of an NIL Deal. Each can be completed in about an hour, and they’re available at any time. They include real-world case studies, illustrative examples and insights from industry experts.

For more information, go to usf.to/nilcertificate. USF alumni who register before Feb. 15, 2025, can get a 10% discount on the course by using the code NILBoost.

With more than 200,000 followers on TikTok and Instagram, and a lifetime deal with LootMogul, lacrosse player Sofia Chepenik hopes to raise the profile of women’s athletics.

– JOEY JOHNSTON , ’81

Welcome to two new coaches

Baseball coach Mitch Hannahs has a winning formula

WHEN BASEBALL COACH

MITCH HANNAHS outlined his program-building plans after being introduced in June, a pattern quickly took shape. Everything he does has a purpose. And that purpose revolves around winning — on and off the field.

“If you don’t have the expectation of getting to Omaha (for the College World Series) and playing well in Omaha, you probably shouldn’t be coaching Division I baseball,’’ he says.

With USF’s location in a premier baseball state, Hannahs expects to recruit prime talent — “confident, independent, stubborn players.’’

“There are a lot of good players all over the country, but there aren’t a lot of players who are just tough, who want to win, who want to fight and (will do anything) to be successful,” he says.

That formula worked well at Hannahs’ previous stop, Indiana State University, his alma mater. He led the Sycamores to five NCAA Regionals, including four in the past five seasons, and six Missouri Valley Conference titles. His 2024 team reached No. 10 in the NCAA rating percentage index while being ranked in the top 25 for six straight weeks in all five national baseball polls. The Sycamores hosted an NCAA Regional and reached a Super Regional in 2023.

Overall, he has 620 wins as a head coach (with a .608 winning percentage), including a 355-214-1 (.624) mark in 11 seasons at Indiana State.

USF Athletics’ Student-Athlete Enhancement Coordinator

Mercedes Sapp records a segment for NIL 101. Sapp has personal NIL experience as an award-winning collegiate soccer player who grew up with a Pro Football Hall of Famer dad, Warren Sapp.

Women’s golf coach A.J. Newell

TAMPA NATIVE A.J. NEWELL HAS COME HOME, and that enhances everything she loves about her job as a golf coach: her enthusiasm for the game, her passion for developing and teaching young players, and the competitiveness she displays while building something meaningful.

“Being home means everything to me,” says Newell, who grew up in Tampa and largely taught herself how to play at the par-3 Countryway Golf Club near Town ‘n’ Country.

“I have a tremendous source of pride being from the Tampa Bay area and I look forward to sharing that with our up-and-coming recruits,” she says. “We’ll be recruiting heavily, hopefully from the state of Florida, to keep our top talent here at home.”

Newell comes to USF after three years as assistant coach at the University of Michigan, where she helped lead the Wolverines to the program’s first Big Ten Conference championship, three consecutive NCAA Regional appearances and the 2022 NCAA Championship Finals.

Newell was an All-State performer at St. Petersburg Northside Christian, an All-American at the University of Tennessee and played professionally for five seasons until a back injury that required surgery. Before entering collegiate coaching, Newell served as a golf professional at Pelican Golf Club in Belleair Beach, Florida, where she also ran a kids’ golf camp.

Donors set new records for giving in fiscal year 2024

PHILANTHROPIC SUPPORT FOR USF is at an all-time high, with the university setting records for dollars raised and total donors in the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2024.

The university received over $168 million in philanthropic support, exceeding $100 million for the sixth year in a row and breaking the previous record for the third straight year. Total donors to the university increased 44%, with a record-setting 54,000-plus donors making gifts.

“The University of South Florida is an excellent investment in the future of the Tampa Bay region, our state and the many lives we impact through world-class education and research,” says USF President Rhea Law. “At USF, we say, ‘You have to be bold to be at the top.’ Our

{The University of South Florida is an excellent investment in the future of the Tampa Bay region, our state and the many lives we impact through world-class education and research.”

– USF President Rhea Law

alumni and friends are both bold and visionary, and we are incredibly grateful for their generosity.”

Law cites USF’s invitation to join the Association of American Universities last year as a boost to the university’s fundraising efforts. Fiscal year 2024 marked USF’s first as a member of the prestigious organization, composed of just 3% of research institutions in the U.S. and Canada.

“USF continues to experience an amazing upward trajectory, and it is fantastic to see our community celebrate that,” says USF Foundation CEO Jay Stroman. “We benefit from an exceptionally supportive and growing family of alumni and friends, and we are truly thankful for each one.”

Gifts make a difference every day on all three USF campuses, Stroman notes, supporting students, facilitating life-changing research, engineering solutions to the world’s most troubling issues and empowering health-care workers to make life better in Tampa Bay and beyond.

}

In addition to a historic gift from Tampa General Hospital, which named USF’s athletic district and its new Center for Athletic Excellence, the impact of philanthropic giving can be seen in many individual stories from fiscal year 2024:

• USF Federal Credit Union’s $6 million contribution to the new on-campus stadium will name the walkway by which student-athletes and fans make their grand entrance: USF Federal Credit Union Champions Way.

• Alumna Honey Rand’s $3 million gift to the College of Arts and Sciences will bolster creative writing resources for students through an annual retreat, support for a student literary magazine and an endowed fellowship.

• The late Tom Tiedemann’s $2.7 million gift will provide scholarships to students in the College of Engineering, USF Health College of Nursing and the School of Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Sciences.

• Johnnie Giffin’s $1 million legacy gift will support students, particularly single parents, through the USF Women in Leadership & Philanthropy Fay S. Baynard Class of 1988 Memorial Scholarship.

• A $1 million estate gift from longtime professor and Vice Provost Steven Tauber and his wife, Meghan, established the Steven and Meghan Tauber Endowed Scholarship in the College of Arts and Sciences.

The university also set records this year for its annual Giving Week celebration, a weeklong community fundraising initiative. An all-time high of 9,259 donors contributed — 1,408 for the first time (a 70% increase from 2023). The $7 million raised was also a new university record.

Rachel Bryan, ’24, Life Member, who received two USF Alumni Association scholarships as a student, says she knows firsthand how philanthropy changes lives. She earned numerous honors on her way to graduation this year and now works full time at USF.

“None of my accomplishments would have been possible without USF and its supporters,” she says. “I have directly benefited from their philanthropy, and I have seen firsthand the impact it has on the university and our students. I am sincerely thankful and plan to give back whatever I can moving forward.”

- USF Advancement

$168

54,000+ 11,000 MILLION in philanthropic support Donors $168 54,000+ 11,000

NEW donors

{“None

of my accomplishments would have been possible without USF and its supporters. I have directly benefited from their philanthropy, and I have seen firsthand the impact it has on the university and our students.”

– Rachel Bryan, ’24}

A Bold, NEW

ERA

On-campus stadium groundbreaking marks the last leg in a long journey

Photo: JOHN TIPTON / USF Advancement

By DAVE SCHEIBER

ON A SUNNY AFTERNOON beneath a cloudstreaked blue sky, a future of boundless possibilities shined brightly over Sycamore Fields and a jubilant crowd on hand to witness history: the start of the last leg in a long journey — the ceremonial groundbreaking for USF’s on-campus stadium.

Amid chants from cheerleaders, rousing pep tunes from the Herd of Thunder Marching Band and speeches full of pride and promise, a new era officially dawned — for the university as well as the greater Tampa Bay community. The Bulls’ state-of-the-art, 35,000seat facility is scheduled to open in 2027, providing a home for football, lacrosse and myriad events. Students, alumni, university leadership and staff, donors, elected officials and past USF Presidents Betty Castor and Judy Genshaft joined in the Nov. 8 celebration.

“This is the day that we finally see what a stadium on our campus looks like,” USF President Rhea Law proclaimed to the applause of hundreds of spectators seated inside a large tent, with loudspeakers and video screens projecting her remarks throughout the grounds. “A project of this scale takes an entire team. We have had so many people who have just linked arms and believed in the vision.”

Many of those individuals were in attendance, including philanthropists Carol and Frank Morsani. They and Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinik made $5 million gifts that helped kick off the fundraising effort two years ago.

Also on hand were John Couris, president and CEO of Tampa General Hospital, which gave a transformative $25 million gift in 2023 to create the Tampa General Hospital Center for Athletic Excellence; Richard Skaggs, chair of USF Federal Credit Union, which gave $6 million to name Champions Way, the promenade that will lead student-athletes and fans into the stadium; and members of the Richard Gonzmart and Oscar Horton families, who each contributed $1 million through their family foundations.

They were just a handful of the numerous people credited by Law during her opening remarks. She also expressed appreciation to others who toiled behind the scenes. “I must tell you, we have a tremendous stadium steering committee and an incredible number of staff members who have spent countless hours bringing this project to fruition,” she said. “From the bottom of my heart, thank you.”

In closing, Law directed special gratitude to USF Board of Trustees Chair Will Weatherford, a longtime

“

When I was at USF much earlier in my career as associate athletic director, there was always the dream and the hope — and the discussion — about an on-campus stadium. But we were just getting the program started and transitioning to Division I. That needed to be the focus. We also needed to do some other things first in our evolution as an athletic department — such as renovations to the Selmon Center and building the Porter Family Indoor Performance Facility. It was just so fitting at the IPF groundbreaking some three years ago for Board of Trustees Chair Will Weatherford and President Rhea Law to boldly state that we’re going to build the stadium. Getting that full alignment of the university administration to get behind it is precisely what we needed to make the vision a reality.

– Michael Kelly, Life Member Vice President for Athletics

“The stadium will be transformational for our teams in terms of recruiting, because you’re getting a worldclass, state-of-the-art facility and it will have all the amenities that your modern-day student-athlete would want. It’s everything from the entrance to walking into the club area and out onto the field and all the cutting-edge technology that we can use for our video production. It will be a site that can host top national events. It puts lacrosse on a playing field to create so many amazing experiences for our student-athletes, as well as for national attention and recognition.

– Mindy McCord Head Women’s Lacrosse Coach

“““I do picture myself scoring touchdowns and looking up at the crowd with everybody cheering. We’re going to be part of history, and I can’t wait. Every time we go to an event, they bring up the stadium and we get excited in the moment.”

– Alvon Isaac USF Bulls Running Back, Class of ’28

I guarantee the stadium is going to be filled every game. It’s going to be insane. Obviously, I’m not going to be able to play in it but I’ll definitely be back to watch games and cheer the team on.

– Gunnar Greenwald USF Bulls Tight End, Class of ’24

USF has become an AAU (Association of American Universities) school. It’s become one of the top schools in the country in terms of size, and we’re working very hard to build the football program to match all of that. But all of those other schools have on-campus stadiums, essentially a homecoming forum for alumni and a place for the community and students to come together. It’s awesome to play at Raymond James Stadium — but you meet so many alumni who have had season tickets for a long time, even since 1997, and they haven’t been on campus in 15 or 20 years.

We have already used the stadium for recruiting prospects, but we’ve also used it in the sense of “Look at the commitment that this university is making.”

– Alex Golesh, Head Football Coach

Photo: VANESSA WENZL

Photo: JAY NOLAN

proponent of the stadium: “Thank you for your steadfast vision, thank you for inspiring us, thank you for being instrumental in making all of these things happen. Because of your leadership and support, we are here today.”

Weatherford shared a little-known story about the stadium that elicited laughter from the audience. Three years ago, he said, he spoke at the groundbreaking for the Porter Family Indoor Performance Facility and announced that the process would begin to design and build an on-campus stadium.

“That caught everybody in the audience by surprise, including our most rabid Bulls fans,” he said with a smile. “And rightfully so, because it probably felt like it came out of nowhere. But I’m going to let everybody in on a little bit of a secret. In that moment when we made that announcement, we had zero plans to actually build a football stadium.”

It was a bold move, but ultimately paid off. “I just have to say that sometimes in life, you just have to speak things into existence,” he added. “And I’m proud of this university for speaking this into existence, because we

knew if we said we would do it — if the Bulls put their name on it — we knew we would stand up and deliver. And we have.”

USF Vice President for Athletics Michael Kelly was quick to join Law in acknowledging Weatherford’s efforts:

“There’s a saying that ‘Where there’s a will there’s a way’ — where there’s a Will Weatherford there’s a way,” he said.

Kelly shared his own deep connection to the stadium concept. As a graduate student at St. Thomas University in 1993, though he had never even been to Tampa, he completed an assignment proposing that USF start a football program and build a stadium. He recalled that during his first stint at USF as associate athletic director (2001-2002), he talked about a possible stadium with his boss, Paul Griffin, later discussing it with inaugural football coach, Jim Leavitt, and the late Lee Roy Selmon, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers legend who eventually served as USF’s athletic director.

“(They) knew we were going to have this day someday, but it just wasn’t time yet,” Kelly said.

That time is now — and USF’s new women’s lacrosse team, which will play in the stadium, was there to share

Space reserved for students

The west side of the stadium, left, will be exclusively for students, with more than 8,000 seats, a dedicated entrance, restrooms and concessions. The iconic Bull U logo will be illuminated at night, fostering an electric atmosphere under the stadium lights, and a DJ deck will allow for entertainment during games. Student feedback resulted in many of the planned amenities.

Designed to energize

Input from students, alumni and the greater Tampa Bay community contributed to the design of the stadium, which will include amenities that cater to the community, enhance comfort and prioritize an excellent fan experience.

Left: The north lawn will offer a vibrant, walkable area adjacent to a lush tree canopy and scenic trails. The space can be used for a range of activities, from tailgating to live music.

Below: The stadium’s concourse will be located 10 rows up from the field and allow fans to follow the action below while providing easy access to refreshments.

in the celebration.

“We’re all so excited to be here,” said sophomore Claire Nottoli of Doylestown, Pennsylvania, surrounded by teammates and head coach Mindy McCord. “And honestly, you don’t get an opportunity like this at any other school. I think that really speaks to our leadership. It’s very empowering as a female athlete — this is our stadium, and we’re going to go out there and build a foundation for our program.”

Recent graduate Will Livesay, who ran track for USF, noted the magnitude of the moment. “As a student, I’ve always been passionate about sports,” he said. “And I just wanted to be here to be part of USF history. I really love this university.”

That love and pride is shared by USF Foundation CEO Jay Stroman, who helped lead the effort to bring a dream to fruition.

“The USF community deserves a state-of-the-art, on-campus stadium where we can welcome alumni and friends,” he said. “This will be so much more than a building. It will energize our community and showcase USF’s culture of achieving excellence in all forms.”

“I was 100% a commuter student. There was not a lot tying me to USF, but when we got football, it was a different story. I paid 25 bucks and bought my tickets, and over time, I moved up to sitting on the 50-yard line. When a job brought me out here to Oregon, I wasn’t giving up my 50-yard-line tickets! I’ve been to all of the games since the beginning — home and away. I also flew in twice from Singapore!

Having an on-campus stadium is going to be an incredible addition. When you go to an on-campus stadium, you see multi-generational families going to the games. This stadium is going to be something for generations of graduates coming back for home games and for the entire community as well. That’s what I think has been missing.

– Suzanne Ward, ’86, Life Member Bulls football fan who has attended every game

Unraveling the mysteries of Alzheimer’s disease

From research to resources, the Byrd Alzheimer’s Center offers more than ever before to patients and their families.

Stories by TOM WOOLF // University Communications and Marketing

AS A DISTINGUISHED

PROFESSOR in the USF Health College of Public Health, Karen Liller’s days are filled with research, teaching and administrative responsibilities. But on the first Thursday of each month, she makes it a priority to participate in a virtual caregivers support group offered by the USF Health Byrd Alzheimer’s Center and Research Institute.

Her reasons are personal, not professional: Liller, MA ’82, EdS ’86 and PhD ’88, is one of the caregivers for a family member with Alzheimer’s disease. Through the support group, she learns about helpful resources and techniques that fellow caregivers have discovered. She extends, and receives, empathy as group members compare notes on their frustrations and those of their loved ones, who suffer both memory loss and the progressive loss of cognitive abilities. Perhaps most importantly, the sessions remind the group members that they are not alone. For Liller, the discussions are cathartic.

That’s important, because as Liller says, “Alzheimer’s is the most demonic disease I can think of.”

According to the Alzheimer’s Association, nearly 7 million Americans are living with the incurable disease – a number that could double by 2060 as the nation’s population ages. The lifetime risk for Alzheimer’s at age 45 is one in five for women and one in 10 for men. One in three older adults dies with Alzheimer’s or another dementia.

Established in 2002, the Byrd Institute is on the front lines of assessments and medical care, clinical trials of new medications and research to understand the changes in the brain that cause Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia, and to develop approaches to prevent and treat Alzheimer’s disease and memory loss.

There’s not a singular cause of Alzheimer’s, according to Dr. Amanda Smith, director of clinical research for the institute.

“There are a number of risk factors, with age being the biggest,” she says. “There are some people who have a genetic propensity toward it, either because of specific mutations that cause early onset Alzheimer’s or because they carry a gene that infers risk. People who have had head injuries at any point in their life are at higher risk. People with lower levels of education and people who have cardiovascular risk factors have a higher risk.”

Alzheimer’s results from a buildup of amyloid protein, which causes plaque, and tau protein, which causes tangles, in the brain.

“As to why it happens to some people and not others, why some people get it at age 55 and some people at 90, that’s all still blurry,” Smith says.

A major focus at the institute is on clinical trials of new medications, such as lecanemab, which was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration last year. While the drug has been shown to slow the progression of Alzheimer’s, it can only be prescribed to patients showing mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia. Risks include brain swelling and bleeding, so patients on certain blood thinners cannot take it.

“There is sometimes an expectation that these medications will make people better and it’s important to temper those expectations,” Smith says. “Although these drugs are removing amyloid, they’re not stopping it completely or reversing it. You are slowing the progression. It’s important that we are very realistic about this.”

“There is a huge body of data showing that physical activity, a healthy diet, all of these lifestyle interventions that people can do have a dramatic effect on risk.”

– Dr. Amanda Smith

From a prevention standpoint, Smith emphasizes the impact lifestyle changes can have on reducing risk factors.

“There is a huge body of data showing that physical activity, a healthy diet, all of these lifestyle interventions that people can do have a dramatic effect on risk,” she says. “Those interventions can actually slow cognitive decline.”

A 2023 study conducted by the University of Sao Paulo Medical School in Brazil found that consuming more than 20% of daily calories from ultraprocessed foods — filled with additives such as fats, sugars, artificial flavors and stabilizers — affected cognition. The study found that, in general, people who consume the most ultraprocessed foods have a 28% faster decline in cognitive scores.

A separate study found that eating about two servings per week of processed red meat — such as bacon, bologna and hot dogs — raises the risk of dementia by 14% compared to those who eat less than three servings a month. The study included more than 130,000 people who were followed for up to 43 years.

“The brain is not as privileged an organ as we thought a few years ago,” says Gopal Thinakaran, CEO of the Byrd Institute, Eric Pfeiffer Endowed Chair in Alzheimer’s Research and professor of molecular medicine in the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. “What you eat gets to your brain, whether you exercise or not makes a huge difference through blood circulation and the metabolites that are carried to the brain.”

Sleep also plays a role.

“There was a landmark study that measured how much amyloid is coming through during the day and during the night,” Thinakaran says. “What they found was remarkable: That when we sleep our brain is actually

Dr. Amanda Smith

actively clearing out amyloid and when we are awake, our brain is active and the neural activity increases amyloid plaque production.”

Much of Thinakaran’s research over the past decade has focused on a gene known as BIN1.

“People who have certain variations in this gene are at higher risk for Alzheimer’s disease,” he says. “If you are carrying these variations, if you are not taking care of what you eat or how much you exercise, that adds up to pushing you toward being more susceptible to Alzheimer’s disease.”

About 50 genes exhibit the variations.

“One person may have variants in genes 1, 5 and 10, and another person may have variants in genes 7, 12 and 20,” he says. “How that elevates one’s lifetime risk really depends on the lifestyle choices we make.”

Like Thinakaran, many researchers are working to understand the genes’ biology so they they can identify the most effective preventative measures affected individuals can take.

They’re also exploring other biological factors, including the connection between vascular health and Alzheimer’s.

“I’ve been doing this for 22 years and the progress we’ve made in the last few years has been incredible,” Smith says. “For the longest time, it was the same thing — no new drugs, lots of failures in the clinical trial realm. Now, we have blood tests, we have imaging tests, we have more ways to accurately diagnose the disease and then provide effective treatment.”

Though no cure exists, “We’re closer than we were when I started this work,” she says, “and that’s what brings me here every day.” n

“The brain is not as privileged an organ as we thought a few years ago.”

– Gopal Thinakaran

Gopal Thinakaran

Eileen Poiley records an episode of the “Alzheimer’s Caregiver Podcast.”

Podcast and virtual support group offer

HELP FOR CAREGIVERS

EILEEN POILEY STUDIES HER NOTES for her next episode of “Alzheimer’s Caregiver Podcast.” With an audience spanning 22 countries, the weekly podcast and monthly virtual support group she moderates aim to flatten the learning curve for family members caring for people with Alzheimer’s disease.

Poiley shares expertise developed over 37 years as director of education for the Byrd Institute.

“Until you are a caregiver for someone with Alzheimer’s or another dementia, you have no idea how difficult it is,” Poiley says. “Most people think ‘Oh, that’s the disease when they’re forgetful, a little confused.’ But it’s so much more than that. Once caregivers start on the learning curve and begin to understand the reality of how this disease affects their loved one, it’s just overwhelming.”

Alzheimer’s patients can easily become angry, agitated, depressed. Though they may recognize that something is wrong, they can’t understand it. They’re scared.

Caregivers experience frustration, uncertainty about where to turn for support and isolation. They are under tremendous stress.

Scott Huetteman understands the challenges. When his mother began showing signs of the disease four years ago — sharing false memories, forgetfulness — he started researching.

but it was so complex and all over the place,” he says. “There was no easy button, which is what a lot of us who are caregivers are looking for — someone or something that can just explain what’s going on.”

That “someone” turned out to be Poiley, who was among the speakers at an AARP-sponsored event in Tampa that Huetteman attended.

At the time, Huetteman, whose expertise is in marketing communications, was producing two podcasts. He thought that platform would be a great way to reach other caregivers who, like him, were searching for answers.

“Many caregivers are in a place that’s very scary, because they don’t know what’s going on,” Huetteman says. “They’re dealing with issues that would make just about anybody’s head spin. They’re not looking for long, drawn-out medical explanations. They’re looking for ‘What the heck do I do? What’s my first step?’”

“Until you are a caregiver for someone with Alzheimer’s or another dementia, you have no idea how difficult it is.”

– Eileen Poiley

He shared his idea with Poiley and, three years later, remains the producer of her podcast.

Poiley advises caregivers to focus on three priorities: maintaining their loved one’s safety, their health and their quality of life.

“Quality of life means giving them respect, maintaining their dignity and enjoying the moment,” she says. “Whatever enjoyment they can get from their reality is quality of life.”

“Their reality” is entirely different from that of the caregiver, who needs to learn to live in the reality of dementia.

“There was a tremendous amount of information available,

“The person with Alzheimer’s not only loses their shortterm memory, they also lose cognitive abilities,” Poiley says.

The caregivers see that; the Alzheimer’s patients do not.

“I’ve talked to couples and I’ll ask the individual with Alzheimer’s why they don’t bring people in to help around the house and they’ll say, ‘Well, I cook and clean every day so I don’t need help,’’’ Poiley says. “The caregiver will say the individual hasn’t cooked or cleaned in two years.”

The caregiver’s learning journey has to start right away.

“By learning how to effectively communicate with your loved one, you not only are able to put out brush fires, you can prevent them,” Poiley says. “Agitation and anger often are part of the disease. They can be caused by the environment, by over-stimulation and by how people are interacting with them. Caregivers can learn very good strategies early on to reduce and prevent some of the behaviors.”

LIVING IN THEIR REALITY

Tips for helping loved ones with Alzheimer’s

KAREN LILLER WAS MYSTIFIED.

“I’d like to go upstairs,” her family member repeatedly requested as the two sat in a secondfloor bedroom.

“Look around,” Liller responded, again and again. “We’re on the second floor.”

Those strategies include being patient and adaptable, as well as developing the capacity to make decisions quickly — such as when a caregiver realizes their loved one is hiding kitchen knives under the sofa cushions.

“Caregivers always say that each day is different,” Poiley says. “It could be a completely good day or it could be an absolute, even overwhelming, disaster. And then they feel bad because they didn’t see it coming. You just can’t predict what’s going to happen. There’s not a specific road map because everyone goes through it differently.”

Find links to the Alzheimer’s Caregiver Podcast, the Caregiver Support Group and patient services at health.usf.edu/ medicine/byrd. n

truthful answer. That may confuse them; it could make them very upset.”

The point, Poiley emphasizes, is that caregivers need to live in their loved one’s reality.

“Validate them, don’t agitate them,” she says.

Liller’s family member, who is not being identified to protect her privacy, enjoyed a very successful career. Around 2016, she began showing signs of difficulty remembering events and details.

Her family’s fears were confirmed through an assessment conducted at the Byrd Institute.

While medication slowed the disease’s progression for a time, Liller says, “It just got progressively worse. When I look at pictures from Christmas a few years ago, she looks fine. It’s

“As the back-and-forth continued, Liller’s family member, who has Alzheimer’s disease, grew increasingly anxious. And Liller felt guilty for upsetting her.

It was through a conversation during a monthly virtual support group offered by the Byrd Institute, which Liller regularly attends, that she later learned about therapeutic fibbing.

“It’s very hard to do,” says Liller, a distinguished professor in the USF Health College of Public Health. “The next time my loved one said she wanted to go upstairs, I used therapeutic fibbing and just said, ‘That’s a good idea. We’ll go up to the second floor soon.’ It resolved her anxiety.”

Eileen Poiley, the Byrd Institute’s director of education, leads the virtual support group. She defines therapeutic fibbing this way: “It’s giving your loved one an answer or an explanation to their question or to their request that they can understand.”

Many caregivers object to the concept of therapeutic fibbing, telling Poiley that their relationship with their loved one has been based on honesty.

“I don’t want them to feel as if they are lying,” Poiley says. “Lying means giving a false statement with the deliberate intent to deceive. Lying suggests bad intention. While therapeutic fibbing does mean you’re not giving your loved one the actual answer, you’re doing it in your loved one’s best interest. Alzheimer’s causes a lot of different cognitive losses and the loved one may not be able to understand or accept a

The next time my loved one said she wanted to go upstairs, I used therapeutic fibbing and just said, ‘That’s a good idea. We’ll go up to the second floor soon.’ It resolved her anxiety.”

– Karen Liller

hard to see changes because I’m so close to the situation. But when I compare those pictures to more recent pictures, there has definitely been a change.”

Liller communicates often with other family members and certified nurse assistants who help care for her loved one. Cameras installed in the home allow Liller to see how her loved one is interacting with caregivers.

“The cameras also allow family members to work together with the caregivers to come up with strategies to make this journey more helpful for everyone — especially the person suffering from the disease,” she says.

Liller devotes every Sunday to spending time with her family member. To keep her mind active, they work on puzzles together or play games.

“My biggest challenge has been the emotional journey,” Liller says. “After I get home from those visits, it hits me. This disease has robbed me of years with her. And that drives me crazy. I’m a fixer. And we can’t fix this.”

There is a broader loss as well.

“I think not only of what’s been taken from us, but also society,” Liller says. “Seven million people in this country have Alzheimer’s. Families lose a loved one and as a society, we lose their contributions.” n

BRAINTRAINING STUDY:

Sign up to help yourself and others

ELYCE TURBA IS ALL TOO FAMILIAR with the heartbreak of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.

Her mother passed away in May after enduring the debilitating effects of dementia for six years. She’d lived in a long-term care facility for the past four years, and Turba recalls how she felt when seeing her mom, and other patients, during visits.

“Anything we can do to try to understand more about dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, I want to be a part of it,” says Turba, a clinical research nurse at Moffitt Cancer Center. “The worst part was when I would visit her and she was having a good day, she would ask, ‘Am I going home today?’ I would tell her that would happen very soon, just as soon as her legs got stronger. But with the dementia and other physical ailments, there was no way that was going to happen.”

“Anything we can do to try to understand more about dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, I want to be part of it.”

– Elyce Turba

Her personal and professional experiences prompted Turba to participate in the landmark Preventing Alzheimer’s with Cognitive Training (PACT) study through USF. Funded by the National Institute on Aging, part of the National Institutes of Health, the study examines whether computerized brain-training exercises can reduce the risk of cognitive impairment and dementia. Additional funding was awarded last year to study blood markers for early detection of Alzheimer’s disease.

This is the largest study of its kind to date. It builds upon a long history of research examining the effectiveness of speed-of-processing training.

“There already is too much information for our brains to process, meaning we have to prioritize information, but our ability to do that lessens over time,” says principal investigator Jennifer O’Brien, associate professor and USF St. Petersburg chair of psychology. “This relates to what we call executive functioning, and that gets harder as we age. Speed-of-processing training is a visual-based computer program that asks us to pay attention to some information and ignore distractions to help us get quicker at handling information.”

Similar studies showed strong evidence that this training has a positive impact on such things as balance and mobility, driving and perceived quality of life, she says.

“On the surface, it may seem strange that you’re sitting at a computer, you’re pressing buttons on a keyboard, why would that then impact how you navigate the world around you?” she says. “To navigate the world around you, you’re taking in visual inputs that affect how quickly you walk, how you navigate barriers and impediments. Being able to process that information faster allows you to compensate better with your decision-making and your actions. If you’re driving and you see a person crossing the street in front of you, but your brain can’t tell your foot to press on the brake quickly enough, there will be problems.”

USF is recruiting healthy, older adult volunteers from the Tampa Bay area through December for the study. Participants must be 65 or older with no signs of cognitive impairment or dementia. The study especially needs African American/Black and Hispanic participants — populations at the highest risk for Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.

Study centers are located at USF Tampa, USF St. Petersburg and Parkway University Center in Lakeland. Participation requires two in-person visits, then computerized training exercises in-home or at a study site. Participants will be asked to return about three years later for a third study visit.

More information is available at the PACT study website, www.pactstudy.org, or by calling 352-405-0342 in Tampa, 727-873-4090 in St. Petersburg and 863-8000835 in Lakeland.

Turba, who is in her third year of participating in the study, hopes to make a contribution to science.

“It may not help me, but it may help someone else,” she says. “Hopefully we learn some clues that we didn’t know before.” n

Elyce Turba gives her mother a hug.

From a dedicated BENEFACTOR, a final gift

ANTICIPATION AND GRATITUDE filled the air in the downstairs conference room of the Byrd Institute. It’s leaders were gathered for a gift presentation on behalf of a man who, in life, had regularly donated in $10,000 increments. Always anonymously.

When the generous benefactor passed away, he left one more gift as part of his estate. Another $10,000 would have been greatly appreciated and go a long way toward the institute’s research, and support for patients and their caregivers.

“We were just finished saying hello when we heard the amount of the gift, and our jaws dropped,” recalls Dr. Gopal Thinakaran, CEO of the Byrd Alzheimer’s Center. “My first reaction was, ‘He is going to create a legacy to support Alzheimer’s research for a long time to come.’”

The gift? $6.5 million.

He designated no restrictions on how the money could be spent. “We can structure it in a way that best serves our needs in priority areas,” says Thinakaran. “One immediate need is to establish professorships to recognize individuals who have contributed to Alzheimer’s research. This will allow us to recruit renowned Alzheimer’s disease researchers.”

A friend of the donor, who also requested anonymity, joined the presentation and got chills from seeing the overjoyed response. “It would make him so happy to know he was making such a difference,” they said.

A successful businessman, the donor had witnessed family and friends succumb to Alzheimer’s. His gift will help more than those with the disease, says Eileen Poiley, director of education for the Byrd institute.

“We’ll be able to increase community education,” she says. “We’ll be able to expand our caregiver programs.”

– DAVE SCHEIBER

Help for a tough talk

TAKING THE CAR KEYS away from a loved one suffering from Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias can be a significant challenge.

USF offers driving evaluations through the Functional Assessment & Rehabilitation Center at the USF Health Psychiatry Center. The clinical driving assessment and on-theroad test include: driver history interview, physical assessment, cognitive assessment, rules of the road and road signs, brake reaction time test and a 60-minute drive with a therapist in a safety-equipped car.

Evaluations, which are self-pay, are conducted by a staff member who is a licensed registered occupational therapist and certified driver rehabilitation specialist.

To schedule an appointment, call 813-821-8437.

ALZHEIMER’S

at the University of South Florida

n One couple’s experience: Nancy Niles had just retired when her husband was diagnosed. usf.to/AWifesStory

n

Participate in research: Numerous USF studies aim to learn more about prediction and prevention. You can help! usf.to/BrainStudies

‘We

literally saved this patient’s life’ Bulls-led businesses like Evara

Health are transforming Tampa Bay’s commercial landscape.

By KILEY MALLARD // USF Advancement

ALONGTIME EVARA HEALTH PATIENT, one of many who cannot afford medical insurance, recently agreed to help test a new program designed to remotely monitor a person’s vital signs 24/7. Soon after, an Evara Health nurse saw changes in his heart rate and blood pressure and told him to get to an emergency room. Immediately.

He was having a heart attack.

“We literally saved this patient’s life,” says Elodie Dorso, CEO and president of Evara Health, a not-for-profit health-care organization serving low-income and underserved Pinellas County residents. “This was an uninsured patient who would not otherwise have been able to afford remote monitoring. He was grateful to us, and we’re grateful to him for allowing us to pilot it with him. I hope to save more patients.”

Each year, nearly 70,000 people visit Evara Health’s 16 physical and three mobile health centers. Dorso, a St. Petersburg native and 2001 USF graduate, leads a team that includes numerous Bulls; about 30% of the company’s leaders are composed of USF alumni. It’s a business profile becoming increasingly prevalent throughout the Tampa Bay area.

“USF produces very innovative, fast-moving, ambitious leaders. I think that’s what attracts them here at Evara,” Dorso says. “They see we’re supporting the community, much like USF does, so they are drawn to us for the same reason they were drawn to USF.”

So many fellow Bulls in the workplace creates a familiar, encouraging environment that feels like coming home, says Assistant Vice President of People and Culture Stephen Lytle, ’04, Life Member.

“We, as USF graduates, share a unique bond and a collective commitment to innovation and community service, which are central to the ethos at Evara,” he says. “The leadership under Elodie exemplifies these values and

is a major reason many choose to start and continue their careers at Evara.”

With the dramatic growth in USF alumni, Bulls have become a powerful influence in the Tampa Bay business community. USF has more than 386,000 former students — up nearly 100,000 in the past 10 years — with about 165,000 choosing to remain in the 10-county region. Corporate partnerships put new grads on the path to become industry leaders, and strong bonds fostered by student groups and Alumni Association programs have created a robust Bulls network.

They’re making an impact. Social enterprises like Evara Health, where the primary mission addresses a societal issue — with profit secondary — have become increasingly common. These Bulls-led businesses also tend to make philanthropy part of the company culture.

“USF prepares graduates with an entrepreneurial spirit who are ready to innovate and serve our community,” says

“USF produces very innovative, fastmoving, ambitious leaders. I think that’s what attracts them here. They see we’re supporting the community, much like USF does, so they are drawn to us for the same reason they were drawn to USF.”

– Elodie Dorso CEO and President, Evara Health

Almost 30% of Evara Health’s leadership are Bulls, including (from left) Chief Regulatory Officer Ben Gilbert, ’01; Facilities and Construction Director Glenn Harwood, ’97, Life Member; CEO Elodie Dorso; Chief Regulatory Officer Edward Kucher, ’99 and MAcc ’01; and Assistant Vice President of People and Culture Stephen Lytle.

Opposite page: Dorso and USF Foundation CEO Jay Stroman throw up their Bull horns by the Evara Health banner created for the annual Bulls Block Party.

Top three: At their annual Back-to-School Care Fair in July, the Evara Health team provided care to 349 school-aged children and handed out 1,128 backpacks filled with school supplies.

Bottom: The Evara Health team gathers for one of several free sports physical events, held in partnership with youth football associations throughout Pinellas County.

Opposite page: Dorso and other Evara Health employees enjoy the USF Greater Tampa Alumni Chapter’s Bulls Block Party, which they sponsored in 2024.

David Blackwell, Lynn Pippenger Dean of the Muma College of Business. “Our alumni are transforming business to create a positive impact on our world, and Evara Health is a wonderful example of that.”

Three years ago, Dorso established the Evara Health Foundation, which has raised more than $7.5 million to support health-care workforce development and community outreach programs. It also sponsors community events, such as the USF Greater Tampa Alumni Chapter’s Bulls Block Party, which raises money for student scholarships.

Evara Health — then called Community Health Centers of Pinellas — first drew Dorso’s interest 25 years ago when she was still a USF student. Its mission appealed to her.

As a teenager, she’d lost both of her parents to cancer. While her mother had medical insurance, her father did not, so she witnessed at a young age the differences in the health care they could afford.

The people who took care of her parents left an indelible memory and inspired her to work in health care.

“The way they made my parents feel, and the way they made me feel as well. The compassion, the sympathy — and the understanding that I literally was just a teenager who was losing both her parents at the same time,” she says.

She knew she was not built to become a doctor or nurse, but health-care administration seemed a good fit. In 1999, she took a job in human resources at Community Health Centers of Pinellas. Founded in 1980 by Dr. Johnnie Ruth Clarke, the not-for-profit organization aimed to provide affordable medical services for St. Petersburg’s underserved residents.

Two years later, she was chief operating officer.

In 2020, Community Health Centers became Evara Health. Its quality of care is ranked in the top 20 nationally of U.S. Federally Qualified Health Center providers and in the top 5% for cost efficiency.

Evara tailors services to the needs of each community. That might include providing transportation to appointments or offering Wi-Fi access for telehealth.

“Our tagline is, ‘One patient. One family. One community at a time,’” says Dorso, who stepped into the role of CEO in 2018. “When you touch one patient, their family is also

educated, and they see the impact of health care and primary care and chronic disease management. Then that flows throughout the community.”

Evara offers dental, chiropractic, podiatry, behavioral health and nutrition services and plans to add physical therapy, occupational therapy and dermatology — specialties that account for many referrals out of Evara Health and can be difficult for Medicaid patients to access.

In her tenure as CEO, Dorso has fostered several initiatives, including the Evara Health Foundation, which supports new programs like remote patient monitoring.

One of her most ambitious projects is the Evara Health Institute, which provides state-of-the art training for health-care technicians and assistants. It’s the largest workforce apprenticeship program in the state; programs planned for 2025 will make it the largest in the nation.

Dorso also serves on a number of boards for industry and community organizations, including the USF Foundation Board of Directors.

“I have been very blessed in my life, despite my challenges with the health of my parents. I have a huge responsibility to give back,” she says. “But I also get so much from it as well. I fill my cup from seeing the impact I can make, not only in this organization, but on the boards that I serve.”

When she was named a 2024 BusinessWoman of the Year by the Tampa Bay Business Journal, among other accolades over the past year, a flattered Dorso pushed the credit to her team, who she describes as mission-driven, ambitious, innovative and caring.

“Until you step into the role of CEO, you have no idea what it is. The amount of responsibility, the amount of pressure,” she says. “But also the pride you feel for what your entire team is capable of, because I can see it at a different level. It fills me, honestly, with joy. It’s why I’ve stayed for so long.”

the ART of COLLABORATION

The recent performance art event “What We Keep” brought together poets and visual artists for a valuable learning experience.

By PENNY CARNATHAN, ’82, Life Member // USF Advancement

THE 15 CREATIVE WRITING students in Assistant Professor Julia Koets’ Graduate Poetry Workshop got an unusual assignment: Visit and interview nine master’s-level visual arts students who are creating sculptures, paintings and other artwork for their thesis projects.

“Ask about their pieces, the materials they use, their process,” Koets instructed. “Find art that inspires you and write two ekphrastic poems” — poetry that responds to visual art.

Koets’ students are in the Master of Fine Arts program in the English department at the College of Arts and Sciences. She teamed up with Associate Professor Noelle Mason in the newly renamed College of Design, Art and Performance, a short walk away at USF Tampa. Mason’s students were about to graduate with MFA degrees from the School of Art and Art History.

But that’s just the beginning of this multidisciplinary collaboration, which resulted in “What We Keep,” a performance art event designed to appeal to a broad range of students while providing the poets and visual artists with valuable learning experiences.

It worked.

“There was a great crowd including many people I didn’t recognize, which was my hope,” Koets says. “An undergraduate engineering major came up to me after the

reading and asked, ‘Can you tell me about creative writing classes?’”

The collaboration included the USF Contemporary Art Museum, which hosted the event earlier this year, with then-curator of education Leslie Elsasser, MFA ’07, coordinating and publicizing it throughout the USF community. WUSF Public Media’s Warren Buchholz, ’14, created a series of videos spotlighting the poetry readings for Arts Axis Florida.

The spectators browsed the MFA thesis exhibition, “I Keep the Ladders Clean;” attended the outdoor poetry readings; and participated in a Q&A session. The poets also created a zine of their work.

“I’ve been to poetry and fiction readings at other universities, and I’ve never seen anything like this,” says Bob Varghese, ’13, a graduate student in the poetry class. “I don’t know of any other university where they have a collaboration with so many areas to get the artwork out there. It’s one of the things that makes USF special.”

It was the second year for the project, which aligns well with the museum’s mission, says Elsasser.

“We’re a contemporary art museum and contemporary artists deal with contemporary issues,” she says. “Climate change, political situations, democracy, equality, sexuality — these things affect all of us. And art speaks about all of those things. It opens the doors to really big ideas and big conversations.”

To view WUSF’s videos from “What We Keep,” visit usf.to/WhatWeKeep, or scan the QR code.

“the flaxen rope in your weathered hands”

~ From “Whoever wishes to fish in oceans chartreuse,” by Thomas Page

“

What I was drawn to most in this project was figuring out how to translate the creation process from visual art to poetry.”

– Thomas Page Graduate Poetry Workshop student

Photo credits: Don Fuller / USF Contemporary Art Museum

Above: “Yellow Grouper,” a painting by Tanner Simon

“

Writing ekphrastic poems made me realize on a broader level that my writing is always a response to something.”

–

Alex Rivera Graduate Poetry Workshop student

Above: “/mo~ASerat/,” textile sculpture by Ainaz Alipour

“Time has already stolen so much from us, mother. I’ll see your shadow waiting by the glass window: your love was always sewn in sacrifice, and the prayers for your children, borderless.”

~ From “Twisted Insides,” by Shadine Fyne

Left: “Untitled,” part of a collection of multimedia paintings by Mason Dowling

The net opens without catching, with only a space for you to curl inside.

~ From “The Net,” by Daniel Dykiel

Above: “As the cause of coming into being,” photograph on glass by Amber Toplisek

“no one had to tell the shore how to grieve the wave”

~ From “11 weeks,” by Alye Prentice

“You see a girl with pretty ribbons warming up wet firecrackers near the old kitchen furnace waiting to burn her childhood.”

~ From “I See More Lives Than I Ever Lived,” by Jeevitha Kannan

Left: “Cultural Concept She Does Not Expect @USF to Understand,” a photograph by Manantial Clyburn

“When I tell you your eyes look cloudy I am saying the sky still exists in your eyes.”

~ From “There are no birds,” by Alex Rivera

Above: “Dhobi ka Kutta,” a sculpture by Harsh Kumar Sharma

A place to LEARN and LIVE

By MARC MASFERRER // University Communications and Marketing

THERE HAVE BEEN TWO DEFINING MOMENTS in the history of USF Sarasota-Manatee since it opened in 1975.

The first came in 2006, when USF moved out of the space it shared with New College of Florida to its own campus anchored by the Crosley Campus Center and its iconic three-story rotunda.

Even as enrollment and academic offerings grew over the next 18 years, there remained something missing: The 24/7 presence of college students living, learning and making lifelong memories in a residence hall.

That all changed on Aug. 23, USF Sarasota-Manatee’s second big moment, when 200 students moved into their on-campus homes in the new Campus Student Center and Atala Residence Hall.

“Those of us who chose the Sarasota-Manatee campus embraced the natural beauty of the grounds, the unique architecture of the buildings, smaller class sizes, great sense of community and collaborative opportunities,” says Spence Gerber, campus student governor. “Our new student center checks off one box that has been empty for too long. Living on campus!”

Something for everyone

The six-story, 100,000-square-foot building on the south side of the campus courtyard has something for commuters and residential students alike.

You enter the building through a spacious two-story atrium that branches off into a ballroom, a bookstore, a dining area and a hallway that leads through a lounge area to a game room and offices for USF World. The atrium also features an open staircase

USF Sarasota-Manatee welcomes first residential students

to the second floor and offices for student organizations and university administration. A large lounge opens up to a porched terrace overlooking the campus courtyard.

The top four floors of the building — known as Atala Residence Hall, after a rare tropical butterfly that has found a home in the campus’s landscaping — is composed of suites and apartments.

On the campus’s first move-in day, volunteers helped new residents haul their belongings into their on-campus homes, many of which feature spectacular vistas of Sarasota Bay, Sarasota Bradenton International Airport and surrounding environs.

Tom Pellegrino, a 1989 graduate of USF Sarasota-Manatee, never had a moment like move-in day when he was a student. But 35 years later, he helped his daughter Lauren settle into a sixth-floor, two-bedroom apartment she is sharing with her friend Isabelle Sorensen.

“When I went here, we were on New College’s campus and there were no dorms for USF, so everything was commuter,” Pellegrino says.

The buzz of that historic first day has continued well into the fall semester.

“Campus life is much different now that students are here 24/7,” says Sorensen, a junior biomedical sciences major from Sarasota. “I love how bustling it is.”

Lauren Pellegrino, a senior biomedical sciences major also from Sarasota, loves comparing her experiences as a student with those of her father.

“My favorite part of being one of the first people to live on campus is the legacy we’re all leaving behind,” she says. “This is such a monumental year for the Sarasota-Manatee campus and it is so cool to be a part of it.”

Building offers students new options

The new building offers many new options for students as they shape their college experience.

For instance, more than three dozen residents of Atala Hall are also members of an interdisciplinary learning living community, or LLC, that provides a cohort experience with peers who share similar academic, career and co-curricular interests. The new LLC, which has already hosted events for students, is unique at USF in that it’s sponsored by multiple academic units: the Muma College of Business, the College of Education and the Judy Genshaft Honors College.

USF President Rhea Law said during the ribbon-cutting ceremony Aug. 19 that she is eager to see what students are able to do with the new building, which she described as a powerful reminder of how far we have come as an institution.

“The students who have moved into the new Campus Student

Center and Atala Residence Hall will create history together as the first USF Bulls to live, learn and grow in this transformational facility,” she said.

The new building has physically remade the campus. It also raises the profile of the school and of higher education in the Sarasota-Manatee region.

“We opened the door for a new profile of students,” Gerber says. “High school students from anywhere in the state — and country, for that matter — can now add the USF SarasotaManatee campus to their wish list.”

The facilities promise to transform the student experience, which is what many students envisioned when they were brought into the planning process — their activity and service fees partially paid for construction.

“Where before you were simply a USF student commuting to Sarasota-Manatee campus for your classes, we’ll now see students who identify much more closely with the physical campus for their core USF experience,” says Evan Fruehauf, ’20 and MA ‘23, the student body vice president from 2018-2019.

A new era for USF Sarasota-Manatee

Ask students what they like best about the new building and they’ll talk about the many ways it has changed campus life, from the bookstore to the expanded dining options to the opportunities created by being part of an LLC. The pool table in the first-floor lounge has also proved popular.

Opening the Campus Student Center and Atala Residence Hall made history for USF, the perfect start for the Sarasota-Manatee campus’s next 50 years.

“The new building marks a new era for this campus, but it is not about changing our culture,” says Regional Chancellor Karen Holbrook. “Rather, we have added to the fabric of our personalized approach to learning and creating deeper connections with all students.”

HOOKED

Champion angler is also the Queen of Conservation

By DAVE SCHEIBER

ON A RECENT AFTERNOON in Wimauma, Florida, Leiza Fitzgerald is reeling them in like the fishing legend she is, hooking one after the next in rapid-fire succession. But on this day, she isn’t landing redfish, the pursuit that helped propel her into the Florida Sports Hall of Fame — the only angler ever to receive that recognition.

She is not standing aboard her boat, the Screaming Reels & High Heels, but on the linoleum floor of the Balm Recreation Center. Without missing a beat, the 1984 USF marketing and public relations graduate tackles a flurry of questions from some 80 children attending a Hillsborough County summer program.

What’s the biggest fish you’ve ever caught?

“It was a 900-pound marlin.”

How many fish have you caught?

“Well, I’m an old person, so I bet I’ve caught over 75,000 fish!”

WOOOO!

For 30 minutes, small hands fly up and children call out to the Sarasota resident, who speaks to youth groups as part of her mission to raise awareness about fishing and promote a humane, environmentally sensitive approach to the sport. That, and her storied career with longtime fishing partner Capt. Merrily Dunn, has made Fitzgerald one of the 30 most influential female anglers in North America, according to Wildlife Enthusiast magazine.

How many species of fish have you caught?

“Well, I participate in the International Women’s Fishing Association competition, and last year they said I caught 56 different species!”

WOOOO!

Fitzgerald’s resumé includes numerous Top 10 fishing titles, such as the ESPN Redfish Cup and the Fishing League Worldwide Redfish Tour, and honors such as Top Angler for Redfish, Snook and Sheepshead from the International Women’s Fishing Association. She is a champion who has helped attract more women than ever before to the male-dominated sport — females now comprise 37% of U.S. anglers, up more than 26% in just over a decade.

Are any fish endangered?

“A very important question,” Fitzgerald responds. “There are many fish that are in peril, which means we’re wiping them out by keeping them. So, the more fish we protect, and the better we are about the way we catch our

fish, the more fish we will have.”

Eventually, Fitzgerald makes her way to the door amid applause and cheers and with a cluster of new fans in tow.

For today, her work is done. One more step in a career that almost never happened.

When Fitzgerald was inducted into the Florida Sports Hall of Fame in 2022, Brian Gorski, executive director of Coastal Conservation Association Florida, put her accomplishments in context. Fitzgerald runs the association’s Statewide Tournament and Angler’s Rodeo (STAR), Florida’s largest, family-friendly saltwater fishing competition.

“From leading the STAR competition to restocking fish and hooking grand slams in between, Leiza’s love for sportfishing and Florida’s fisheries is unmatched,” he said. “Leiza is more deserving of this award than anyone I know.”

She got hooked as a kid. She and her little brother grew up in a military household, with their father, U.S. Navy Lt. Cmdr. Washburn Wear, often based in seaside locales like Jacksonville and Key West, Florida. An avid outdoorsman, he brought Leiza along to fish or hunt.

“My mother, Elizabeth, also loved the outdoors,” she says, “but my dad’s true passion was saltwater fishing, and it rubbed off on me.”

While other children manned lemonade stands, 9-yearold Leiza and her brother caught pinfish to sell as bait. When they eventually moved to Central Florida, Fitzgerald turned to bass fishing in the lakes. She graduated from Lake Weir High School in 1979, excelling in tennis and softball but with her heart set on the water.

“After I’d get home from school, the first thing I did was run down to the lake, push the boat out and go fishing,” she recalls. “Fishing with my dad became a Friday night ritual, even when I went off to college.”

At USF, Fitzgerald planned to major in marine biology and minor in music, secretly dreaming of becoming a country singer. But a heart-to-heart with her dad changed her direction. “He said, ‘Honey, you’ll love being a marine biologist, but you might want to think about a field that pays better,’ and so I took his advice,” she says. She switched to marketing and public relations and made a good living for 17 years.

But something was missing.

In 1999, she attended a boat show and spotted two women standing by a fishing boat and wearing jerseys touting the Cabela’s outdoor gear brand. She asked what they did. “They told me, ‘Well, we fish redfish professionally for Cabela’s,’ and I about fell over,” Fitzgerald says. “I thought, ‘If these two gals can do this, I can do this, too.’”

“

I

thought, ‘If these two gals can do this, I can do this, too.”

– Leiza Fitzgerald

Fitzgerald found creative ways to put conservation front and center in her career. After competing in some big-money tarpon tournaments, she and her team refused to drag the fish ashore for weigh-ins.

She took a job with a sports marketing company, working on baseball and soccer accounts. When the opportunity arose, she pitched the idea of sponsoring a charity sailfish tournament.

Enlisting the help of the late Gulf War hero Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf, a philanthropist whose charitable work was largely devoted to children, she boldly dubbed the event the World Sailfish Tournament. With Schwarzkopf’s foundation as the beneficiary, the tournament was a smashing success, raising more than $300,000. It continues today.

Next, she persuaded Merrily Dunn, a seasoned Sarasota fishing guide, to team up, dubbing them Screaming Reels & High Heels. They entered their first redfish competition in 2001.

“We heard a lot of ‘Look out! Here come the girls,’” Fitzgerald says. “None of them believed that we could stick with it.”

By 2003, they were the first women to qualify for the national Inshore Fishing Association’s redfish championship.

“We chose just to compete for the most ‘leader’ releases,” she says, meaning the angler can score a catch by simply touching a 15-foot leader attached to the line, after which the fish is released.

“Eventually, through our efforts and other angler pressure, we got the Professional Tarpon Tournament Series to change to that system,” she says

Her many fish-tagging initiatives include tagging the one-millionth redfish in Tampa Bay alongside former Gov. Jeb Bush to prove that vital restocking efforts were successful.

“When they called to let me know I was being inducted into the Hall of Fame, I said, ‘Oh my gosh, you have the wrong person, there are so many other anglers who have won more out there,’” Fitzgerald says.

“And they said, ‘It’s not what you’ve won, it’s what you’ve done. This is also about what you give back.’”

And what Fitzgerald gives back — from the fish she hooks to the conservation message she imparts — is a legacy that runs deep, like the Florida waters she loves so much.

Above: Leiza Fitzgerald, ’84, tackles a flurry of questions from some 80 children attending a Hillsborough County summer program.

Annette Gutierrez ’18

Weekday Evening Reporter, Action News Jax in Jacksonville, FL

Annette is a first-generation Cuban American, born and raised in Tampa. She was a WUSF intern from 2015 to 2017 and graduated Summa Cum Laude from USF with a degree in Mass Communications focused on Broadcast-Production, and minors in Theater and Communication. Annette was a multimedia journalist and fill-in anchor in Sarasota at the Suncoast News Network. When Annette’s not winning awards for her reporting, you can find her dancing salsa, hanging out at the beach, spending time with family and friends, exploring a new restaurant, or traveling the world!

Dreams Empower

5minutes with Bill Bill

Bill and Anne McCausland and granddaughter Coral

My fellow Bulls,

OUR USF FAMILY DREW CLOSER these past few months — to celebrate unprecedented highs and support one another through unexpected and sometimes heartbreaking losses. Hurricanes Helene and Milton damaged Bulls’ homes and businesses throughout the South, creating ripple effects that spawned other unforeseen hardships for some. If you were among those affected, I hope you’ve recovered, or at least found your path to recovery.

As always, countless Bulls and USF friends reached out to help. From the alumni groups that assisted with cleanups and feeding families to the individuals and organizations that continue to give to the Feed-A-Bull food pantry and USF United Support Fund for students, you once again demonstrated your tremendous capacity for compassion and generosity.

We also came together in shared mourning following the sudden passing of our beloved men’s basketball coach, Amir Abdur-Rahim. More than an outstanding coach, Amir was a great person. He brought deeply held personal convictions and a big-hearted enthusiasm to work and life, becoming a cherished mentor to so many young people and a dear friend to staff, faculty and alumni. USF will never forget Coach Amir.

Amidst the challenges, we found reasons to rejoice.

The groundbreaking for our first on-campus stadium marks the beginning of a dream come true for generations of Bulls. When the stadium opens, our campus will thrum with energy on game days, alumni will develop an even stronger emotional attachment to their alma mater, and our students’ college experience will level up. I know; I’ve seen it. This game-changer comes to us courtesy of tenacious university leaders and generous donors. We thank you!

Also in recent weeks (drumroll here) your Alumni Association welcomed its 10,000th Life Member! Our Life Members represent some of USF’s most dedicated alumni and friends — a large portion of their one-time dues goes to an endowment that supports the association’s programming for both students and alumni in perpetuity. To think we started just 34 years ago with Florida Sen. John Grant, ’64, and his wife, Beverley Grant, ’66, Life Members #1 and #2! Watch your email and social media for more on #10,000!

This month, we host a 50-year reunion for the Class of ’74 and their induction into the Golden Guard Society. Gratitude to our host committee, class members Cindy Harper, Arthur Bullard Jr., Mark Levine, Ron Sherman and Mimi Talcott. Class members should receive a link to our digital yearbook, open only to ’74 grads. If you did not receive it, email alumni@usf.edu.

Finally, and with great fanfare, I’m thrilled to announce that the 2025 Green & Gold Gala is scheduled 5-9 p.m., March 8 at The Motor Enclave, a high-octane venue located near USF Tampa. We promise all you’ve come to expect from this very popular event, and some new surprises. Learn more about Gala sponsorships and tickets at usf.to/G3.

This year has provided shining examples of our unique character as USF alumni. We come together, always. We support one another. We lead by example.

Thank you for always inspiring pride.

Go Bulls!

biLL MccausLand,

Mba ’96

Vice President

and executiVe director, usF alumni association liFe member no. 2331

FOREVER BULLS

Your 2024-25 Alumni Association board

The USF Alumni Association’s board of directors includes Bulls who’ve demonstrated a firm commitment to USF’s success and are association Life Members and Circle of Excellence donors. It also includes a USF presidential designee, a USF Board of Trustees representative, a USF Foundation representative, a faculty/ staff representative, a USF Athletics Bulls Club representative, and two students —

Directors:

Misty Akers, ’01

Kerine Black, ’00 and ’01

Maya Brown, ’15

Ashley Butler, ’12

Joanna Cheshire, ’06

Emily Colón, ’10 and MPA ’14

Jennifer Condon

Erica Daley, ’96

Sara DuCuennois, ’99

the student government vice president and a USF Ambassadors campus president. Ex-officio directors are the senior vice president for USF Advancement and the association executive director.

The board sets policy and guides the direction of the association as it connects and engages alumni for their lifelong involvement with the university.

Ram Kancharla, ’85 and MBA ’87

Allison Madden, ’03 and MBA ’15

Diana Michel, ’88

Spencer Montgomery, ’11

Will Perez, ’14

Luz Randolph, ’06 and MEd ’08

Todd St. John-Fulton, ’19

Verlon Salley, 1994-97

Andy Taylor, ’09

Officers

Chair: Sally Dee, ’94 and MBA ’11

Vice chair: Juan Soltero, ’10

Past chair: Christine Turner, ’97

Treasurer: Mark Giddarie, MS ’17 and DBA ’21

Secretary: Balaji Ramadoss, MSEE ’03 and PhD ’14

Student representatives: Patricia Brutus, USF Ambassador, Tampa campus president

Sumit Jadhav, Student Government vice president

Ex-officio directors:

Jay Stroman, senior vice president for USF Advancement and Alumni Affairs; CEO USF Foundation

Bill McCausland, MBA ’96, vice president and USF Alumni Association executive director

These BULL-LED businesses are CRUSHING IT!

THE TEMPO IN THE School of Music Concert Hall alternated between raw suspense and raucous cheers during September’s countdown to the No. 1 fastest growing Bullled business.

“And here we are, just two companies left!” announced Bill McCausland, Alumni Association executive director and co-emcee of the 12th annual USF Fast 56 Awards. “iApartments and PBB Enterprises are both newcomers to the Fast 56, which just might be a historic event.”

In the end, smart technology company iApartments — or rather, its founder and CEO, Dave Magrisso, Finance ’94 — was the last Bull business standing.

“Being No. 1 is very prideful because that means we’ve been able to accomplish some very tough growth goals we’ve set for ourselves,” Magrisso says. “It’s also a testament to our extraordinarily gifted and talented team.”

While the win was a first for iApartments, it was Magrisso’s second. In 2018, he was CEO of Onicx Energy real estate development company when it, too, ranked No. 1.

The awards celebrate the 56 fastest growing businesses led by alumni, based on revenues over the previous three years. Two are singled out for special honors.

The Accelerator Award recognizes the company with the highest annual revenue of all Fast 56 companies earning more than $20 million a year. That was Hydra Engineering and Construction, LLC, and its founder and president Leslie Weiss, Civil Engineering ’93, Life Member.

The Apex Award goes to the business with the highest annual revenue overall. For the third consecutive year, the honor went to The Baldwin Group (formerly Baldwin Risk Partners) and its Bull leaders, founding partner Elizabeth Krystyn, Finance ’87, Life Member, and chief accounting officer Corbyn Lichon, Accounting ’13, Life Member.

A total of 75 alumni leaders were recognized. This year’s event was co-emceed by Steve Fessler, Music ’77, Life Member and USF Foundation board member.

Nominations for the 2025 Fast 56 will open in the spring. Watch usfalumni.org/fast56 for updates.

View the 2024 Fast 56 photo gallery at usf.to/2024Fast56photos or scan the QR code:

– FAST 56 TOP TEN –

1

iApartments Inc.

Dave Magrisso, Finance ’94 Founder and CEO

IAPARTMENTS transforms multi-family residences into intelligent communities, using smart-home technology to elevate the living experience, streamline operations and generate income for owners.

2

PBB Enterprises

Matt Brookens, Marketing ’12 CEO

Jeff Bartilucci, Criminology ’02 Chief Sales Officer

PBB ENTERPRISES offers comprehensive real estate services, including brokerage (Agile Group Realty), title and escrow (Digital Title Solutions), mortgage (Hyde Park Mortgage) and insurance (MDRN Insurance).

Presenting Sponsor

3

One Day Came Inc.

David C. Delancy, Sociology ’98 Owner and CEO

ONE DAY CAME is a commercial general contractor and construction manager specializing in new building construction and renovations.

Pioneer Innovation

Shari Clemente, Biochemistry ’11 Founder and CEO

PIONEER INNOVATION

is a premier cosmetic formulation lab and manufacturing company specializing in fractional product development, and formulation, creative and manufacturing services.

5

Wey Engineering, PLLC

Matthew Wey, Civil Engineering ’97 and MSCE ’00 President

Don Skelton Jr., Civil Engineering ’17

Associate Vice President and Private Development Lead

WEY ENGINEERING is a traffic and transportation planning, engineering and design consulting firm that specializes in the development, delivery and support of transportation projects in the Tampa Bay area.

6

Traumatic Brain Diagnostics

Dr. Edward Leonard, Biology ’02, Life Member CEO

TRAUMATIC BRAIN

DIAGNOSTICS offers neurologic diagnostics and treatment for concussions and brain injuries, focusing on underdiagnosed headaches and dizziness, especially for car accident victims.

FOREVER BULLS

7

Sky Limit Crane & Rigging

Samuel Barrington, Interdisciplinary Social Sciences ’12 and MBA ’21, Life Member President

Michael Lanaris, MBA ’13, Life Member Vice President of Sales

Kedine Johns, Psychology ’05 and MSW ’08 Controller

8

My Organic Turf

Eric McCarthy, Psychology ’13 Co-Owner

MY ORGANIC TURF is the industry leader in providing safe lawn fertilization and pest control that is better for people, pets and the planet. The Tampa-based company was founded in 2013.

9

Veith Engineering & Business Solutions

Bryan Veith, MCE ’99, Life Member CEO and Principal Consultant

VEITH ENGINEERING & BUSINESS SOLUTIONS, founded in 2019, is a consulting firm that provides professional engineering, utility management and business solutions to public and private clients in Florida.

Black Digital

Mike Utaegbulam, Criminology ’16, Life Member CEO

BLACK DIGITAL is an award-winning digital creative agency that works to empower social impact organizations. It helps clients solve problems and explore opportunities that can positively impact their communities.

The 2024 USF Fast 56

AKA Integrated Marketing

ALLMAG Auto Parts

Applied Sciences Consulting, Inc.

Aprio, LLP

Atlas Professional Services, Inc.

ATX Promos

Barrett School of Music

Belleair Market

BFrank Studio LLC

Black Digital ComplianceQuest

Control Logics

Dark Moss

DART Tech

David J Reali, CPA

DCE Live, Inc.

Drummond Carpenter, PLLC

Elite Source, LLC

Everett Financial Group, LLC

Excite Medical

Fizen Technology

Florida Berry Wines DBA Keel and Curley Winery

Habitat for Humanity of Pinellas & West Pasco Counties

Hydra Engineering & Construction, LLC

iApartments Inc.

ImageLift

In Home Senior Fitness

Intex Builders, LLC

Lee’s Ice of Central Florida Inc

Lukos

Majestic Restaurant Group

Matrix Hormones

McKay Advertising + Activation

My Organic Turf

One Day Came Inc.

Patel, Greene & Associates, LLC

PBB Enterprises

Pioneer Innovation

Pipas Law Group

Priority Marketing

Pritchett Steinbeck Group Inc.

Reach St. Pete

Renynold Gosselin and Karen

Tillman-Gosselin Berkshire Hathaway

HomeServices FLPG

RSA Consulting LLC

RTW Photography

Sky Limit Crane & Rigging

Stokes Financial GroupNorthwestern Mutual

Strategic Tax Consulting Inc.

Swor Women’s Care

The Baldwin Group FKA Baldwin Risk Partners

The Candle Pour Traumatic Brain Diagnostics

Veith Engineering & Business Solutions

Watermelon Swim

Wey Engineering, PLLC

William S. Foley, PA | Foley Family Law

NextGen ICONS

Meet USF’s six Outstanding YOUNG ALUMNI

THEY ARE VISIONARIES AND INNOVATORS, trailblazers who dream big and execute with excellence. The six 2024 Outstanding Young Alumni Award recipients, all aged 35 and younger, have contributed to their respective fields in remarkable ways, shaping our world as they become leaders in their professions. Their accomplishments — and their stories — can inform and inspire everyone forging a path toward their own professional goals.

The Alumni Association celebrated these exceptional Bulls in April with a public reception, awards ceremony and panel discussion facilitated by Eric Eisenberg, senior vice president of universitycommunity partnerships. Edited excerpts from that conversation are published here.

Jonathan Davila, Biomedical Sciences ’11, is the president and co-founder of Vū, a creative technology company at the forefront of transforming content creation with its software platform powered by artificial intelligence. Under Davila’s leadership, Vū has enabled creators to make content at the speed of thought.

Q. Why have you been successful and what about your journey has been most surprising?

A. For success, my faith in God and my parents, who taught me to work hard and that you can control your destiny with the effort you put forth. You have to believe in yourself and put in that work. My hard right? I intended to become a doctor and in my final year at USF, I instead partnered with my business partner — my roommate. Sometimes when you see opportunity, you have to just take it.

Q. What are your thoughts about artificial intelligence and the impacts it may have on your business?

A. AI is both exciting and potentially risky. When combined with video production and creative technologies, it’s like peanut butter and jelly. Generative AI helps create scenes and backgrounds that would be impossible to capture on camera. It will enhance our industry and open up new opportunities for filmmakers.

Corbyn Lichon, Accounting ’13, Life Member, is chief accounting officer for one of the 20 largest insurance brokerage firms in the nation, The Baldwin Group.

Q. What has led to your success?

The 2025 Outstanding Young Alumni Award recipients will be announced in January.

A. I said “Yes” to many challenging opportunities presented throughout my career, knowing that each challenge would build my skill set. Saying “Yes” brought me to The Baldwin Group, where I played an integral part in taking the company through an initial public offering in five months.

Q. You’re an enthusiastic scuba diver. What’s the appeal?

A. I can’t do my job underwater! Scuba diving is one of the few hobbies I have where I can completely disconnect. It’s amazing seeing sharks swim right in front of you and seeing marine life that you wouldn’t otherwise see on land.

Shane McClanahan, Political Science 2015-18, is a star pitcher for the Tampa Bay Rays, a two-time Major League Baseball All-Star and the Rays’ 2023 nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award, MLB’s most prestigious individual honor.

Q. You have a longstanding relationship with Buddy Baseball, a league for children with special needs. What drew you to that program?

A. My mother was a special-needs schoolteacher, so I was always helping out in the classroom. USF offered the Buddy Baseball program, and I took full advantage. It blossomed into this partnership where they come to Tropicana Field every Monday and I get to go out there and see all my friends. It’s the most fulfilling thing in the world — the smiles and the joy those kids have, you can’t beat it. It’s way better than anything I do baseball-wise.

Jonathan Corbyn

FOREVER BULLS

Q. As a college athlete moving to the big leagues, you go through a process of self-realization — and suddenly see yourself as the world sees you. What was your experience?

A. When I saw the first person, a kid, wearing my jersey. I thought that was pretty cool. I made it a point to say, “Hey, thanks.” And then I thought, “He sees a lot in me, and I better pull myself to a high standard and not let people down.”

“

“I always said yes to challenging opportunities, and please, can I have another?”

– Corbyn Lichon

“ The secret is, we’re just a bunch of kids who get to live our dream, to go play baseball.”

– Shane McClanahan

Shane

Outstanding Young Alumni

“I’m forever indebted to USF for teaching me how to learn and where to look for the answers.”

– Janae Thomas

“

I’ve had a hundred different plans for where my life was going to go just in the last 10 or 15 years. Most of them did not work out.”

– Kyle McIntyre

George

Janae

Kyle

FOREVER BULLS

Kyle L. McIntyre, Political Science ’15, is deputy director of congressional affairs at Headquarters U.S. Space Force, where he provides strategic planning and synchronization support for Space Force activities with Congress.

Q. What is the Space Force, and what does it do?

A. Space Force was a bipartisan idea that had been bubbling for a long time. We took space assets from around the Department of Defense and other areas and put them under one roof within the Department of the Air Force. … Space is ingrained in everything we do. The GPS on your phone, electronic banking, the stock market, just about everything has some tie to space. The mission is to protect those systems.

Q. Do you think you’ll go into space?

A. No! I’m not a fan of rollercoasters!

George Papadeas, Marketing ’13, Life Member, is chief operating officer of Next Net Media, a $40 millionplus digital marketing portfolio company, comprising seven brands.

Q. How would your life be different without USF?

A. There would be no NextNet Media. We hired 18 fabulous part-time team members from USF St. Pete back in 2016 to open up our call center and most of them are now full time and still with the company. Without USF, there’s no wife for me. There’s no best friendship — the best man at my wedding was my best friend at college. USF has shaped my current life, my past and my future.

Q. How do you stay ahead in a rapidly changing field like digital marketing?

A. Being able to acquire startup companies to teach us what we just don’t know is very important. I credit our CEO for making sure that we bring on those strategic acquisitions so that we can stay at the forefront.

Janae Thomas, MPA ’18 and PhD ’23, is an associate at Quintairos, Prieto, Wood & Boyer, P.A., focusing her practice on defending long-term care matters. She’s also a member of the U.S. Air Force Reserve Judge Advocate General Corps.

Q. You have a wide range of education and interests, from science to business to law, children and vulnerable adults. How do you set priorities?

A. I do what pays the bills first, then I focus on everything else. I have a “Little Sister,” Tenaya, who I’ve been with since she was 7. She’s going to be 16 this year. On Saturdays, I’ve made time to go get her and spend time with her. She’s part of the family now. … Volunteering in general makes me feel good. We try to do things that make us feel good — after the bills get paid.

Q. To what do you attribute your success?

A. I am standing on the shoulders of giants. Like my mom told me today, “Failure’s not an option in my household.” ... USF taught me to be a scholar, to look deeper into issues, to understand that life isn’t always as black and white as it seems.

From left: USF President Rhea Law, Janae Thomas, George Papadeas, Kyle McIntyre, OYAA Presenting Sponsor Phil Amuso, Shane McClanahan, Corbyn Lichon, Jonathan Davila, 2023-2024 Alumni Association

Board Chair Christine Turner and Alumni Association Executive Director Bill McCausland.

Class Notes

1970s

ZITA AROCHA, English and Spanish ’74 and MA ’76, published a memoir, “Guajira, the Cuba Girl” (Inlandia Books; 2024). She is a project consultant for immigration at The Poynter Institute for Media Studies Inc. in St. Petersburg and professor emerita at the University of Texas at El Paso.

EDWARD J. PAGE, Criminology ’78, Life Member, received the 2023 Professionalism Award from the Hillsborough County Bar Association’s Professionalism Committee. He is a shareholder with Carlton Fields Tampa office.

1980s

RODNEY L. ARROYO, Political Science ’80, was selected as an American Institute of Certified Planners Fellow. He is a partner emeritus with planning firm Giffels Webster and owner of Rod Arroyo Photography.

BOB CLARK, MBA ’80, Life Member, was inducted into the Florida Transportation Builders Association Inc. Hall of Fame. He is president of Tampa Steel Erecting Co.

PETER F. ESTRADA, History ’83, was selected to serve on Florida’s statewide Judicial Ethics Advisory Committee. Estrada is a judge for the 10th Judicial Circuit Court, which includes Polk, Hard-

ee and Highlands (Florida) counties.

ANN DUNCAN INMAN, Finance ‘87, was promoted to chief operating officer at Savills North America in Arlington, Virginia, a subsidiary of Savills commercial real estate brokerage firm. She was previously chief strategy officer and chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer at the company.

DIANE (GRAHAM) LEWIS, Marketing ’85, joined AVI-SPL as a buyer. She was previously an assistant buyer for BMR Holdings LLC.

DR. GAIL MCDONALD-CHANG, Biology ’89 and MPH ’00, Life Member, was made a fellow in the Pierre Fauchard Academy. She is a dentist at Tomlinson Dental in Tampa and a dentist volunteer with the Homeless Empowerment Program.

90s

EVAN P. BENNETT, History ’95 and MA ’98, published “Tampa Bay: The Story of an Estuary and Its People,” (University Press of Florida; 2024). He is an associate professor of history at Florida Atlantic University.

HOLLY DONALDSON, MBA ’98 and MA Economics ’07, was recognized by the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors as one of 16 Women to Know in the financial advisory profession. She is a Certified Financial Planner with Holly Donaldson Financial Planning LLC in Seminole, Florida.

LISA HESS, Accounting ’96 and MBA ’02, joined HFA Architecture + Engineering as chief financial officer. She was previously CFO at Mackie Wolf Zientz & Mann, PC, in Dallas.

CRAIG LANE, MBA ’91, was appointed president of Dynamaxx Health Inc., a subsidiary of Full Alliance Group Inc. He was previously managing partner for SurgCap Funding in Tampa.

TROY POWELL, Accounting ’94, was promoted to vice president, project director and shareholder at Creative Contractors Inc., where he leads the company’s new Lakeland, Florida, office. Powell has been with the Clearwater, Florida-based company for 18 years.

TIFFANY MOORE RUSSELL, Political Science ’96, was installed as the 2024-25 president of the Florida Court Clerks and Comptroller’s Association. She is the Orange County (Florida) Clerk of Courts.

CHARLES “CHUCK” VILARDI, Elementary Education ’93 and MEd ’97, received the 2024 Dean’s Lifetime Achievement Award from the USF College of Education. He is the principal of Diplomat Elementary School in Cape Coral, Florida, where he has worked for the school district for more than 30 years.

Send us your class notes!

Visit usf.to/ClassNotes to submit Class Notes and high-resolution (at least 300 ppi) photos or mail to Penny Carnathan, USF Advancement Communications and Marketing, 4202 E. Fowler Ave., ALC100, Tampa, FL 336205455

Bulls and bull

Ten-year-old birthday girls Logan Lindstrom, left, and Hailey Raad were thrilled to see a familiar face while on a recent celebratory trip to New York City with their moms, Merritt Martin, ’04 and MPA ’06, Life Member and former Alumni Association board chair, and Candace Raad, ’04 and ’14, Life Member, (right rear), and pal Aly Sobo, ’08 and MA ’15.

FOREVER BULLS

Snapshots

2000s

VEON (WATSON) BREWSTER, Mass Communications ’08, appeared on ABC-TV’s “Shark Tank” to pitch “the world’s first smart baby bottle monitor,” Veba. She is the CEO and company’s co-founder, with husband Sean.

HEATHER DUNCAN, PhD Curriculum and Instruction ’09, was named dean of the College of Education at St. Petersburg College. She was previously the college’s associate dean.

KERI FOGLE, MA Exceptional Student Education ’08 and PhD ’14, received the 2024 Spirit of Partnership Alumni Award from the USF College of Education. An associate professor of special education at the University of West Florida, she is a former journalist who switched careers after her son was diagnosed with a learning disability.

PAUL GARGAGLIANO, Accounting ’04, joined Revolent Capital Solutions in Tampa as chief financial officer. He was previously enterprise chief financial officer for The Facilities Group.

Class Notes

GLEN GILZEAN, Biomedical Sciences ’05 and MS Entrepreneurship in Applied Technology ’09, Life Member, was appointed Orange County Supervisor of Elections. He was previously president and CEO of the Central Florida Urban League.

BRET MCCABE, Psychology ’00, Life Member, received the 2024 Emerging Leaders Award from New York’s Subcontractors Trade Association. He is a partner at Forchelli Deegan Terrana LLP construction law firm in Uniondale, New York.

JILLAINA MENTH, Biology ’04 and MBA ’12, joined Kerecis regenerative therapy specialists in Las Vegas as a territory sales representative. She was previously a director at Healogics Inc.

SALEEM MUSALLAM, Marketing ’04, Life Member, joined the Florida Medical Manufacturers Consortium board of directors. He is the founder and CEO of Excite Medical, which brings new medical devices to market.

DR. RACHEL PYNGOLIL, Biomedical Sciences ’08, MSMS ’09, MPH ’14 and MD ’14, has joined Holy Cross Medical Group in Broward County, Florida. Board-certified in internal medicine, she previously worked with Citrus Health Network Inc. in West Kendall, Florida.

BROOKE SARGEANT, Biology ’00, has joined Fox Rothschild as a partner in the intellectual property department. She was previously a partner at Seed IP Law Group.

CRAIG SIMON, Marketing ’06 and MBA ’08, joined First Internet Bank as a vice president and senior business development officer on the bank’s Small Business Administration team. He was previously a vice president at Pilot Bank.

ANDY TAYLOR, Political Science ’09, Life Member, received the 2024 Tourism Ambassador of the Year award from Experience Florida’s Sports Coast. He is the regional affairs manager for Tampa Electric.

JYOTIKA VIRMANI, PhD Marine Science ’05, was included in Forbes magazine’s 2024 50 Over 50 list of groundbreaking women aged 50 and up. The executive director of the Schmidt Ocean Institute was also selected this year as a member of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine’s Ocean Studies Board.

2010s

MICHAEL CALZADILLA, Physics ’15, was selected for the NASA Hubble Fellowship Program. He will research “A Multiwavelength View of the Evolving Baryon Cycle in Galaxy Clusters” at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. He is an astrophysics doctoral candidate at MIT.

MANOUCHKA CASTOR, Management, ’17 and MBA ’18, joined Cintas as a key account manager in Tampa. She was previously a branch manager for Enterprise Holdings.

DARRELL CLARK, Sociology ’10, Life Member, has joined the University of Louisville in Kentucky as vice president for human resources. He previously served as the associate vice president for people and culture at Ball State University.

ANTHONY GAENZLE, Marketing ’10 and MS ’12, joined Synapse in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, as vice president of strategy and content. He was previously CEO of Gaenzle Marketing.

MARIA GARZON, Finance and Management ’19, has joined Goldman Sachs in Miami as a private wealth management associate. She was previously a private wealth management senior analyst for the company in London.

SIMONE KING, MS Marketing ’15, joined Wells Fargo as a bank teller in Dallas. She was previously an advisor at Warby Parker.

PETE KIRTLAND, DBA ’19, joined PCS Retirement LLC as head of corporate business development. He was previously CEO of Aspire Financial Services.

DAKOTA (WHALEY) KISS, Accounting ’17 and MBA ’20, was promoted to senior project management office (PMO) analyst and administrator at FCCI Insurance Group in the Tampa Bay area, where she was previously a PMO analyst.

MEGAN KRIEGER, MBA ’17, was promoted to principal customer success manager at Rapid7 in Jacksonville, Florida, where she was previously an enterprise customer success manager.

JESSIE LEITE, Global Business ’18 and MBA ’19, was promoted to vice president for financial planning and analysis at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

JOSÉ MARTINEZ, Management Information Systems ’12, was promoted to lead software engineer at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. He was previously a senior software engineer.

SPENCER MONTGOMERY, Communication ’11, Life Member, has been appointed managing director of the Northwestern Mutual Clearwater (Florida) office. Montgomery has been with Northwestern Mutual since 2018 and is an Alumni Association board member.

DIEGO ORTIZ, Finance ’13, was promoted to controller for liquid strategies at DigitalBridge in Boca Raton, Florida, where he was previously an accounting manager.

MAITHILEE PAGAY, Finance ’18, was promoted to associate at Santander Corporate & Investment Banking in London. She was previously an analyst at the firm.

DAVID J. REDMAN, PhD Music Education ’16, Life Member, was invited to conduct a 150-voice chorus accompanied by the New England Philharmonic orchestra at Carnegie Hall in New York City in May 2025. He is the artistic director/ conductor for Bel Canto Singers of Daytona Beach, Florida, and retired director of choral activities at Spruce Creek High School in Port Orange, Florida.

For our region

From Tampa’s first electric streetlight to more than 200,000 energy-saving LEDs across West Central Florida, many with smart city capabilities, our advancements have laid the groundwork for our growing communitites since 1899.

For our neighbors

We brought electricity to the masses - with street lamps, streetcars and a regional electrical grid. Today we offer our customers more than 30 money-saving programs, and our team members volunteer more than 30,000 hours each year to brighten our communities.

Lighting the way...

For the future

From our company’s early pioneers to our team members today, we are forward thinkers committed to developing sustainable energy alternatives, enhancing reliability, and lighting the way - for the next 125 years.

Given today’s market challenges, working with a local dedicated team driven by a shared vision can make all the di erence. Regions Commercial Relationship Managers know that developing a strong understanding of your business and its unique operations helps us provide highly responsive, personalized solutions. Let us leverage our capabilities and create a comprehensive financial strategy to help guide and strengthen your business. Commercial Banking | Treasury Management Capital Markets | Specialized Industries April Grajales | april.grajales@regions.com regions.com/commercial-banking

ALVARO RUIZ, Finance ’13, joined Eyzenberg & Company in Austin, Texas, as a real estate capital advisor. He was previously a project finance analyst at Citi.

LINDSAY (BERSTLING) SHULTZ, International Business ’14, Life Member, joined Holmes Murphy in Muscatine, Iowa, as the growth and development business partner. She was previously a learning and development manager at HNI Workplace Furnishings

CISCO MALPARTIDA SMITH, MBA ’17, has joined Mbanq digital banking solutions in Seattle as the head of credit union partnerships. He is an adjunct professor at Seattle University.

LENNY STEINBERG, Management ’10, has joined Oregon Hillel at the University of Oregon as executive director and CEO. He was previously a regional director for Alpha Epsilon Pi.

MOSHEH VANN, Marketing ’19, was promoted to senior director of business development at Gartner emerging technology in Fort Myers, Florida, where he was previously a business development director.

RACHANA VIDHI, PhD Chemical Engineering, ’14, has been inducted into the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame. She is director of technical sales at NextEra Analytics.

YAN WANG, PhD Curriculum and Instruction ’18, received the 2024 Young Educator Alumni Award from the USF College of Education. She is an associate professor in the Department of Psychology, University of Massachusetts Lowell, where her research focuses on developing and applying statistical modeling to analyze large-scale data.

EMMA WOLGAST, Marketing ’19 and MBA ’21, was promoted to growth marketing manager at Thuma bedroom furniture company, where she was previously a performance marketing specialist.

ALEKSANDRA YAKHKIND, MD ’15, has published “The Perfect Doctor — forty voices on the imperfect pursuit of an ideal,” (Pager Publications Inc.; 2024), a collection of essays by medical professionals. Yakhkind is an assistant

professor of neurology and neurosurgery at Tufts University School of Medicine.

2020s

NANDINI AGARWAL, Accounting and Finance ’20, was promoted to principal at ff Venture Capital in New York City. She was previously a senior associate at the firm.

BRANDON JAIJAIRAM, Health Sciences ’20 and MA Physical Education ’22, has joined the University of Miami Women’s Basketball program as video coordinator. He was previously video coordinator and coordinator of basketball operations at USF.

DANIEL JONES, MLIS ’23, was named the 2024 Outstanding New Librarian by the Florida Library Association. He works for the MiamiDade Public Library System.

ISABELLA NICODEME, Criminology ’24, was selected for the inaugural class of Florida Council of 100’s Robert L. Ward 2024 fellowship. Participants are proven researchers, analysts, communicators and leaders. She plans to pursue a law degree.

EMMA REBMAN, Management ’23, was promoted to assistant branch manager at Enterprise Mobility in Tampa, where she was previously a management assistant. She is also the founder and CEO of Tiny’s Truffles.

ALEXIS ROBERSON, Mass Communications ’22, was elected president of the Young People Department, 11th Episcopal District of the

African Methodist Episcopal Church, where she will lead AME church youth in Florida and the Bahamas. She serves as a Florida House legislative aide.

SEAN SCHRADER, Management ’22 and MBA ’24, was selected for the inaugural class of Florida Council of 100’s Robert L. Ward fellowship. Participants are proven researchers, analysts, communicators and leaders.

ASHLEY TORMEY, Finance ’22, has joined Fisher Investments as an investment counselor. She was previously a client relationship manager at E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley.

MADISON VAIL, Accounting and Finance ’22, was promoted to senior accountant at Crete United in Tampa, where she was previously a staff accountant.

SHELBY WEININGER, Public Relations and Advertising ’21, was promoted to brand manager and account executive at ChappellRoberts public relations in Tampa, where she was previously a brand coordinator.

In Memoriam

GLENN RICHARD ANDERSON, Geography ’96, March 11, 2024

SHIRLEY ARROYO, Sociology ’14, July 22, 2024

JACQUELINE M. BLANK, MA Reading Education ’68, Aug. 8, 2024

MICHAEL G. CANTWELL, MFA ’81, May 7, 2024

BETTY JEAN CHARNELL, Social Work ’80, March 13, 2024

PHYLLIS SEGER CHISHOLM, Sociology ’75 and MA ’85, April 2, 2024

JEFFREY PAUL CLARKE, Biology ’96 and MD ’00, April 3, 2024

RENEE NANETTE COBB, Elementary Education ’70, May 20, 2024

DORIS COLLINS, MA Technical Education ’83, May 18, 2024

MARK CONDA, Psychology ’94, March 22, 2024

DOROTHY COWDEN, MA Art Education ’73, March 15, 2024

JAMES ALLEN CURRY, Physics ’91, May 17, 2024

MARYANN DAMONTE, MA Reading Education ’79, Nov. 16, 2023

PATRICIA DIANNE DORAN, Interdisciplinary Social Sciences ’03, April 27, 2024

KATHY DORT, MLIS ’81, July 17, 2024

SUSAN J. FERNANDEZ, Political Science ’69 and MA ’75; Professor Emerita, History; July 8, 2024

DIANE LOUISE FERRIS, MA Education ’89, March 12, 2024

NICHOLAS GAMMAL III, Criminology ’78, June 23, 2024

JAMES ALAN GILES, Mathematics ’77, April 1, 2024

MARILYN “LYNN” ALDEN CONNOR GLANDORF, English ’85, March 15, 2024

SANDRA SCHAE GRANT, Elementary Education ’72 and MA ’76, June 16, 2024

CATHY GREER, History ’96, Life Member, June 24, 2024

EDWARD STEWART HANSEN, Sociology ’75, April 10, 2024

JAMES HARVEY, Management ’90, May 16, 2024

GERALD L. (JERRY) HEFLEY, Mathematics ’63, Life Member, June 28, 2024

RANDALL JAMES HOCHBERG, MS Marine Science ’88, March 29, 2024

NANCY HOWE, English 1970-72, May 19, 2024

VIRGINIA FARMER HOWIE, Psychology ’69, June 23, 2024

DAVID WAYNE INGLEY, MS Medical Sciences ’16, March 11, 2024

JULIA E. JONES, BFA Dance ’88, March 16, 2024

FRANKLIN LARUE KNICKERBOCKER, Secondary Education ’90 and Geography ’93, April 9, 2024

THOMAS JAY KOSHARSKY, Accounting ’77, March 30, 2024

SUE ELLEN KRICK, Criminology ’81, June 4, 2024

PHYLLIS E. (BUTLER) LONG, Education ’71, Sept. 4, 2024

TIMOTHY ARNEL MARTIN, Elementary Education ’79, Aug. 17, 2024

PATRICIA MACK MARTIN, MA Political Science ’77, Oct. 13, 2023

ROBERT DALE “BOB” MASTEN, Management ’72, April 2, 2024

SUSANNA BUIE MATTHEWS, Political Science ’63, May 1, 2024

DAVID CECIL MILCHAN, Interdisciplinary Studies ’73, July 22, 2024

PAUL THADDEUS MULLER, Mechanical Engineering ’00, Feb. 19, 2024

BENJAMIN RALPH NICOLL, MBA ’71, Aug. 6, 2024

BENNIE KAY O’BRIEN, MS Speech-Language Pathology ’81, June 24, 2024

NANCY BASS BAKER PARKER, Management ’82, March 24, 2024

MARI PARSONS, Criminology ’82, March 31, 2024

JOSEPH MARION PATTON III, Physical Education ’66, July 17, 2024

NATHANIEL POWELL, MA Distributive/Marketing Education ’75 and EdS ’84, April 13, 2024

NADINE PRIESTER, Philosophy ’73; Administrative Assistant; July 8, 2024

DR. LINDA MINNOCK SCHWARZ, Chemistry ’76, MD ’79 and MPH ’93, April 4, 2024

AUDREY SHAFER, MA Reading Education ’77, May 21, 2024

ELTON GREENWELL SMITH, Electrical Engineering ’73, July 12, 2024

JOSEPH SPATAFORA, Political Science and Sociology ’71, Feb. 21, 2024

JUDY HUDSON STARLING, Marketing and Sociology ’96, Sept. 15, 2024

EDWARD “JEFF” STEEL, Geography ’77, April 7, 2024

COL. LARRY A. TAYLOR, Management ’71, March 24, 2024

BERNARD G. TSCHIDERER, MEd ’90, Life Member, July 17, 2024

CAROL BEAVEN TWIDDY, MA Rehabilitation Counseling ’95, March 22, 2024

STEVEN VINCENT, Interdisciplinary Natural Sciences ’75, April 23, 2024

MARJORIE WALTERS, MA Reading Education ’71, May 15, 2024

ROBERT L. “BOB” WARREN, Finance ’82, March 30, 2024

JOHN LEAVITT WATSON, Electrical Engineering ’71, May 12, 2024

ROGER A. WEHLING, Education ’69, June 25, 2024

ROWENA G. WILKINSON, Psychology ’75, June 5, 2024

BONNIE LOU OUTTEN WILLIAMS, Physical Education ’68, May 16, 2024

DARYLE LEE WOHLLEBER, Management ’82 and MBA ’85, May 4, 2024

SHARON WURSTER, MS Speech-Language Pathology ’96, May 8, 2024

Faculty and Staff

AMIR ABDUR-RAHIM, Men’s Basketball Coach, Oct. 24, 2024

WENDY LOUISE BABCOX, Professor, College of The Arts, March 23, 2024

MICHELLE BOURGEOIS, Professor, Communication Sciences and Disorders, July 10, 2024

ROBERT D. BROOKS, Chair, Department of Communication, March 25, 2024

JOY MOORE CLINGMAN, Professor, Psychology, March 1, 2024

MARY “PEGGY” CORNETT, Administrator, History Department, April 2, 2024

SUSAN LAWRENCE FUMEA, Project Manager, Engineer, Aug. 16, 2024

WILLIAM GARRETT, Professor Emeritus, English, July 12, 2024

MAURICE GOLDSMITH, Data Analyst, Nov. 16, 2023

• Tampa/Orlando I-4 Corridor: Over 550 million square feet of distribution center space

• E-commerce, consumer goods, perishables, and building materials

• The fastest growing region in the fastest growing state

• Expanded terminal capacity with plenty of room for growth

• Multiple round-trip truck deliveries per day from Port to distribution centers

• New and expanded container services with Central America, Mexico, and Asia

DR. STANLEY GRAVEN, Founding Faculty Member, College of Public Health, July 8, 2024

DANNY LEE HOLCOMB, Men’s Soccer Coach, USF Athletics Hall of Fame, Aug. 25, 2024

CAROLYN LAVELY, Professor Emerita, Education, April 9, 2024

GARY L. LEMONS, Assistant Professor, English, May 8, 2024

JACQUES LINDER, Director of Community Music, April 30, 2024

RUTH R. MARTIN, Professor, Social Work, March 24, 2024

DR. GERMAN RAMIREZ, Professor, Internal Medicine, March 19, 2024

DOUGLAS EDWARD STONE, Professor Emeritus, Education, March 7, 2024

KAREN A. WHITE, Regional Chancellor, USF St. Petersburg, April 11, 2024

ALVIN WOLFE, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Anthropology, June 25, 2024

Friends

RAFAEL MARTINEZ-YBOR, USF Latin Community Advisory Council, Aug. 22, 2024

PATRICIA BYNUM RIGGS, Benefactor, April 20, 2024

ROBERT THEODORE WILHITE, Benefactor, July 8, 2024

E. WAYNE WILLIAMS, Benefactor, Sept. 19, 2024

Remembering two beloved USF family members

E. W ayn E W illiams

~ M ay 10, 1940 - S ept . 19, 2024 ~

Wayne Williams and Amir Abdur-Rahim never attended USF as students, but both were Bulls through and through — 100% committed to the success of our students and university. Both passed away this fall, leaving our community to mourn and to miss these two very special men. a mir a bdur - r ahim ~ M arch 18, 1981 - O ct . 24, 2024 ~

Wayne Williams served in the U.S. Army before earning a degree in electronic engineering from the University of Florida. He went on to help lead GTE Lenkurt, the manufacturing arm of the GTE Corporation, as the international director of marketing and sales, and U.S. Comm-sults, a telecommunications consulting firm, as president.

His life took an unexpected turn in 1978 when he met Rhea Law — via citizens band radio — as she commuted to classes at Stetson University College of Law. They married in 1985 and enjoyed 39 years of shared passions, including racing … and USF.

Their philanthropy goes back decades, including a significant contribution to the Judy Genshaft Honors College, where they funded the grand staircase as a

symbol of student success. When Law became USF’s interim president in 2021, and the university’s eighth president in 2022, Williams enthusiastically attended countless USF events, from fundraising to sports.

Read more: usf.to/Williams

Amir Abdur-Rahim joined USF as the men’s head basketball coach on March 29, 2023, and led the Bulls to their first regular-season conference championship with a 25-8 record, the most wins in the history of USF’s basketball program.

While others called him “Coach,” he called himself a molder of young men. His heartfelt approach to leading student-athletes on and off the court quickly won the respect of his team, colleagues, fans and the broader community.

He died at age 43 due to complications from a medical procedure.

The American Athletic Conference made Abdur-Rahim its unanimous choice as coach of the year following his first season at USF.

Abdur-Rahim came to USF from

Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw, Georgia, which he led to its first Division I NCAA Tournament berth in 2022-2023. He earned multiple coach of the year honors.

Abdur-Rahim’s survivors include his wife, Arianne Buchanan, and children Laila, Lana and Aydin.

Read more: usf.to/Abdur-Rahim

Chapters & Societies

No matter where you live, you’ll always be

a Bull !

The USF Alumni Association’s chapters and societies connect Bulls with one another — across the country and around the world. Through social events, professional networking, fundraising and community service, among other activities, alumni groups help USF grads and friends support one another, our university and current students. They play an important part in the Alumni Association’s mission to provide meaningful ways for Bulls to make an impact; protect USF through advocacy; share pride in our great university; and stick together.

It’s easy to get involved! Just email the contact person of the group you’d like to visit. For alumni group events, visit usfalumni.org/events.

Connecting to learn

To shrinkthehomeworkgapandensureFlorida's students have theconnectionstheyneed to succeed, AT&T isexpandingitsfiber-opticbroadbandservice to betterserveFloridians. We have investednearly $3.4 billioninthelast3-yearsandexpanded AT&T Fiber to morethan2.2millionhomes&smallbusinesses.

Interest-Based Groups

Black Alumni

Tina James LaShante Keys blackalumnisociety@usfalumnigroup.org

Bulls of the Last Decade

William Dailey wdailey@usf.edu

Dance Alumni Society

Sadie Lehmker slehmker@usf.edu

DBA Alumni Network

Andy Hafer USFDBAAlumni@gmail.com

Education Alumni

Jennifer Warren usfedusociety@gmail.com

Engineering Alumni

Carissa Gudenkauf usfeaschair@gmail.com

Entrepreneur Alumni

Katie Davis katiedavis@usf.edu

Geology Alumni

Gregory O’Neal usfgas@gmail.com

Kosove Scholarship Alumni Justin Geisler justingeisler@hotmail.com

Latino Alumni

Delia Jourde latinoalumni@usfalumnigroup.org

LGBTQ+ Alumni

Robert Wallace Dr. Ron Kennedy LGBTQalumni@usfalumnigroup.org

Medicine Alumni

Valerie Riddle valerie25@usf.edu

Music Alumni

Arupa Gopal

Tanya Bruce usfmusicalumni@gmail.com

Patel College of Global Sustainability

Arnel Garcesa patelnetwork@usfalumnigroup.org

Psychology Alumni

Katie Davis katiedavis@usf.edu

Public Health Alumni

Liz Bannon COPHalumni@usf.edu

Rugby Alumni

James Callihan Sean Masse usfbullsrugbyalumni@gmail.com

Veteran Alumni Todd Post Veteran@usfalumnigroup.org

Geographical Groups

Atlanta Austin Kelly austin.kelly27@gmail.com

Austin, Texas

Mike Pettengill michael.j.pettengill@outlook.com

Broward County

Ruth Rogge ruthrogge@gmail.com

Alan Steinberg usfbrowardalumni@gmail.com

Charlotte, North Carolina

Raphael Bennett rdbennet85028@gmail.com

Chicago Brian Cziraky cziraky@usf.edu

Dallas

Brian Cziraky cziraky@usf.edu

D.C. Regional

Monica Turner

Olivia Scheuer usfbullsdc@gmail.com

Denver

Jennifer Funkhouser funkiepurr@gmail.com

Houston

Ken Lettre kjlettre@gmail.com

Jacksonville-St. Augustine

Jodi Dodge jadodge.usf@gmail.com

Los Angeles Garin Flowers garin.flowers@gmail.com

Mary Chang marychang@usf.edu

Miami-Dade County

Henry Silva henry.silva@apollowealth.com

New York City

Brian Cziraky cziraky@usf.edu

Orlando Brenda Cardenas usfbullsorlando@gmail.com

Palm Beach County Jeamson Simeus jeamson.simeus@nm.com

Andrea Hurtado ahurtado@primetimepbc.org

Pasco County Andy Taylor AndyTaylor6@gmail.com

Philadelphia Adam Feinberg Mike Waterhouse usf.tri.state.alumni@gmail.com

Pinellas County Pam Haber pinellas@usfalumnigroup.org

Polk County

Ashley C. Troutman ashleytroutman@hotmail.com

Portland, Oregon

Suzanne Ward

John Warner usfpdxchapter@gmail.com

Raleigh, North Carolina

Benjamin Wadsworth bwadswor@mail.usf.edu

FOREVER BULLS

Jim Johnson jim@stateofsunshine.com

San Diego

David Townsend david.j.townsend14@gmail.com

Jonathan Belk belkjonathan@gmail.com

Sarasota-Manatee

Josh Baker Kristen Truong sarasotamanatee@usfalumnigroup.org

Tallahassee Derick Tabertshofer dericktabertshofer@gmail.com

Tampa (Greater Tampa) Lauren Pickel usftampaalumni@gmail.com

Global Networks

Brazil

usf.to/USF-Brazil

Canada

usf.to/USF-Canada

Caribbean usf.to/USF-Caribbean

Colombia usf.to/USF-Colombia

France usf.to/USF-France

India usf.to/USF-India

Saudi Arabia

usf.to/USF-SaudiArabia

United Kingdom

usf.to/USF-UnitedKingdom