1970s
Cecelia Bucki ’73 was recently appointed editor for the journal “Connecticut History.” She is Professor of History at Fairfield University where she recently ended her three-year term as department chairperson. She earned her Ph.D. in history from the University of Pittsburgh in 1991 and is the author of “Bridgeport’s Socialist New Deal, 1915-1936” (University of Illinois Press, 2001). Ruth Welti ’76 was recently honored with the title of University Distinguished Professor of Biology at Kansas State University. She is an enthusiastic student of the chemistry and biochemistry of lipids. Bruce Barth ’78 was recently named chair of the Tax-Exempt Organizations and Benefits Group at his firm, listed in The Best Lawyers in America® as Hartford Lawyer of the Year in the area of Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law for 2013 (Copyright 2012 by Woodward/White, Inc., Aiken, SC), and listed in The Best Lawyers in America® in the area of Employee Benefits Law since 1995.
1980s
Vibha Jain Miller ’83 and Gregory Miller, Ph.D. ’87 settled in the D.C. area over 20 years ago. After completing her MBA from the Stern School of Business at NYU, Vibha worked on Wall Street for Goldman Sachs before joining Greg in D.C. and serving in HR leadership positions. They have three great children, one in graduate school, one in college, and one a high school freshman! Mickey J. Wyse, M.D. ’83 graduated from UConn’s medical school in 1987, completed his internal medicine residency at St. Mary’s Hospital, and has worked in the emergency department at St. Mary’s Hospital in Waterbury, Conn., for the past 22 years. He is also the medical director for the VITAS Inpatient Hospice Unit at St. Mary’s Hospital. Nathaniel Yordon ’83 is proud to announce that his daughter, Minnie Yordon, entered UConn’s medical school in August 2012. Shortly thereafter she was admitted to the National Health Service Corps. She is very excited to join the UConn family. Carolyn Goulet Vanacore ’84 recently earned a second Sixth Year Professional Diploma from Southern Connecticut State University in Educational Leadership and has applied to the State Department of Education for an Intermediate Administrator Certification. Ms. Vanacore is a school counselor at Adams Middle School in Guilford, Conn.
1990s
Jonathan Plucker ’91 joined the faculty in the Neag School of Education this fall as a professor of education policy and educational psychology. He was one of the first hires under President Herbst’s initiative to bring 500 new faculty members to UConn in the next four years. Muriel Miller ’92 is an adjunct lecturer in art at Eastern Connecticut State University where she has taught for seventeen years. She also teaches at Paier College of Art, Inc., and has taught summer courses abroad in art at Central Connecticut State University. Muriel is an artist and has work in many collections including UConn, ECSU, and CCSU. Ryan Piurek ’94 was appointed Director of News and Media for Indiana University’s Office of the Vice President for Public Affairs and Government Relations in 2011. At IU, he leads a seven-person media relations team responsible for disseminating university-related announcements and information. He currently lives in Bloomington, Ind., with his wife, Jennifer, and two children, Xander and Veronica. Jay Livingstone ’95 started a law firm in Boston, Mass. Jay’s practice focuses on business litigation, employment matters, personal injury, and criminal defense. Jay is licensed as an attorney in Massachusetts and the Northern Mariana Islands. Attorney Howard V. Neff, III ’95 was selected by the Commission on Judicial Conduct to serve as its executive director. The CJC’s mission is to enforce standards of judicial conduct for Massachusetts state judges in a manner that, while respecting judicial independence, promotes public confidence in the judiciary and preserves the integrity of the judicial process. Nicole McKinney Lindsay ’96 recently launched DiversityMBAPrep.com, the only online community that brings together women and minorities interested in pursuing their MBA degrees. The aim of DiversityMBAPrep.com is to significantly increase the number of women and minorities that are admitted to MBA programs by providing honest, pointed insight and direction on the MBA application process. Rachel Pianka ’96 celebrated six years of running Salmon River Consulting, LLC, a successful business that provides tech solutions to a wide variety of small- and mid-sized companies across many industries, offering comprehensive, cost-effective solutions that impact a client’s bottom line. She also serves on numerous local boards because she believes in giving back to local communities! Abe Minto ’98 recently completed a 5-month sabbatical to Latin America for a self-directed language and cultural immersion program, through which he learned conversational Spanish. The sabbatical took Abe through Panama, Cuba, and Colombia where he made many new friends. Abe is currently seeking a new opportunity that leverages his international experience, technical accounting knowledge, and problem-solving and communication skills. David Cusano ’99 is an attorney with Coventry Health Care, Inc. Rachel (Taub) Miner ’99 completed her first year of teaching an inaugural online science program to homeschoolers. She is starting a second year and moving on from life sciences to physical sciences! John Waite ’99 recently set up an LLC called White Elephants Ballyhoo Ink which seeks to advance the cause of helping kids learn about business. His website, magazine (Ballyhoozoo), and full launch are slated for April 2013. He is seeking role models and entrepreneurs who are interested in contributing to the cause: “Embrace your character.” For more information, contact (401) 829-1761 or johnvwaite@gmail.com.
2000s
Christina Needham ’00, ’01 was named Head Field Hockey Coach at American International College in Springfield, Mass., in February of 2012, after two seasons as Head Field Hockey Coach at Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio. John Ramos ’99, ’00 has been a software developer for over 25 years and software process engineer for over 5 years. He made the decision to go back to college and received a B.A. in philosophy in 1999 and a B.A. in history in 2000, and considers it a wonderful decision. He has since received master’s degrees in software engineering and management in 2006 from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. David R. Agrawal ’05 received his Ph.D. in economics from the University of Michigan on Aug. 17, 2012, and began working as an assistant professor of economics in the Terry College of Business at the University of Georgia. Emily Heiden ’05 recently began a Master of Fine Arts in creative nonfiction writing at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va., and is scheduled to graduate in 2015. She is currently teaching freshmen composition classes as well as taking graduate courses. Emily returned to school after four years of teaching English at Darien High School in Darien, Conn. Jessica O’Connell ’05 is currently interning with the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Immigration Litigation (Appellate Section) in Washington, D.C. She will graduate from George Mason University School of Law in May 2013. Jess Buckley ’07 is a school social worker in Chelsea, Mass., after obtaining her MSW at Simmons College in 2009. She was recently married and loves her new job in the elementary school! Paul Millerd ’07 joined a-connect in August as a senior associate focusing on strategy consulting in the life sciences space. Ali Rossi ’07 won the Nielsen Gold Standard Analysis award for the Nestle client service team. Marshall Dougherty ’08 is living back in Connecticut and is working in the Internal Audit department of Travelers Insurance. Laura Tuttle ’08, ’10 completed her residency training in oncology pharmacy at the University of Maryland in June 2012, and is working as a clinical oncology pharmacist at Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale-New Haven. Shawnet Jones ’09, a fourth-year medical student at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine, is currently applying to family medicine residency programs. A Husky for life, she would like to attend UConn’s Family Medicine Residency Program, but she is open to programs in Massachusetts, New York, Rhode Island, Texas, and Florida. Shawnet’s goal is to practice family medicine in her Hartford community.
2010s
Andrew Tan ’10 is Senior Vice President of Innovation at TAN2000 International Holdings Corporation, an entrepreneurial company that provides support and resources to entrepreneurs no matter the stage of their business. TANHC is recruiting highly talented, motivated individuals who are passionate about entrepreneurship and want to be part of a start-up revolution in Connecticut. If interested, email Andrew.Tan@tanhc.com. Stephanie DeCesare ’11 is currently enrolled in the Master of Physician Assistant Studies Program at the University of Bridgeport. Stephanie is the secretary of the Bruce Fichandler Student Society and is a member of the University Singers at UB. Olivia Bogucki ’12 is employed as a clinical research coordinator in the Pediatric Psychopharmacology and Adult ADHD Program at Massachusetts General Hospital. She plans to apply to clinical psychology Ph.D. programs next fall. Will Kimball ’12 is a recent graduate who was selected for a paid internship at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a think tank in Washington D.C. that focuses on how policy proposals affect lower- to middle-income households. He plans on enrolling in an economics or public policy graduate program in the D.C. area. Aaron Nelson ’12 is enrolled in full-time graduate study in applied mathematics at the Air Force Institute of Technology. He will graduate in March 2014. Michael Secinaro ’12 is currently a graduate student at the University of Vermont. He is working toward a Ph.D. in cell, molecular, and biomedical science. Emily Szkudlarek ’12 is currently working at a public school in South Korea with the EPIK Program.
Return to the Fall 2012 issue of the Honors Alumni eNewsletter