1960s
Bill DeWalt ’69 stepped down as Founding President and Director of the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix, Ariz., in May. During his six years there, he presided over every aspect of building the $250 million museum. He has returned to Pittsburgh, Pa., to head the local office of the Arts Consulting Group where he serves as a senior consultant.
1970s
Anne Levy Paluck ’73 is the personal librarian to the first cohort of students in the new Honors Program at Middlesex Community College in Middletown, Conn. Barbara Hastings ’75 is Director of Development at Fraser Woods Montessori School in Newtown, Conn. Jim Oleksiw ’75 was elected to the UConn Alumni Association National Board of Directors in June. He is currently serving on The UConn Club Board of Directors and past president of The UConn Club. Mark Romanoff, M.D. ’79, ’83 was named a finalist for 2013 Physician of the Year by the Charlotte Business Journal. Cited for work in preventing misuse of prescription medications. He is a founding member of the Advisory Board for the North Carolina Prescription Medication Database and a core faculty member for Project Lazarus (grant-based state-wide program teaching primary-care physicians the rational use of narcotics).
1980s
Vibha Miller ’83 earned her M.B.A. at NYU Stern after UConn. She and her husband Gregory (UConn Ph.D. 1987) have pursued non-profit careers in our nation’s capitol. Vibha is a board member of the Potomac Conservancy, a Girl Scout troop leader, and active in the McLean community. WETA is D.C.’s public television and classical music station, where Vibha leads Human Resources. Glenn Sarno ’89 was appointed to serve a three-year term as the Chair of the Committee on Private Funds of the New York City Bar Association. The committee, comprised of leading practitioners, addresses legal and regulatory issues affecting private equity funds, hedge funds, and other facets of the alternative asset industry. Glenn is a partner at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett. Charles Wynn ’89 received an R&D100 award on Nov. 8. These awards are given by R&D Magazine to the top 100 technology products of the year. This award is for an invention using photo-acoustic technology to detect explosives. Dr. Dan Zelazny ’89 was recently named head team physician for Marist College athletics.
1990s
Jason Courtmanche ’91 was awarded a Teaching Scholar award by the Institute for Teaching and Learning last spring, and was elected President of the Nathaniel Hawthorne Society, effective June of 2014. Shawn Fisher, B.A. ’91, M.A. ’93, has been active in the process of helping physicians and hospitals make the transition from a “fee-for-service” to a “fee-for-value” environment, focusing on helping improve quality of care, reducing costs, and improving the care experience. “It’s amazing to be on the proverbial front-lines of healthcare reform. We’re really making a difference.” Seth Jaffe ’91 was recently named the Acting General Counsel for the U.S. Office of Government Ethics. The U.S. Office of Government Ethics is responsible for setting a uniform ethics policy as well as interpreting ethics laws and regulations for the executive branch of the federal government. Seth graduated cum laude from Duke University School of Law in 1998. Carmela Townsend ’91 received her Doctor of Nursing Practice degree on September 6, 2013, from the MGH Institute of Health Professions. Dr. Townsend’s capstone project, “Describing the Transition to Practice Experience of the Clinical Leadership Collaborative for Diversity in Nursing Baccalaureate Graduates,” was successfully presented to her faculty, colleagues, and friends. She looks forward to preparing a manuscript for publication. Ken Whittemore ’91 attended the University of Rochester School of Medicine and graduated with an M.D. with distinction in research followed by a surgical internship at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, then a residency in the Harvard Combined Otolaryngolgy Program, then a year pediatric otolaryngolgy fellowship at Boston Children’s Hospital. He practiced for four years in Rochester, N.Y., and now practices at Boston Children’s Hospital where has been since. He was promoted to an assistant professor this year. His current research involves hearing loss in children and has numerous publication including articles, book chapters, and national meeting presentations. Morgan Hills ’92 is currently the Director of Rehabilitation and Sports Medicine at the UConn Health Center. He has been with the Health Center since 2010. Chad Landmon ’96 was re-elected to his third term on the Board of Selectmen in the Town of Southbury on November 5, 2013. After the new Board is sworn in, he will be the longest-serving Selectman on the Board. Michael Bodakowski ’99 accepted a position in August with the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) as Program Officer for South Asia, managing a program portfolio covering Nepal and Sri Lanka. In his new role, Michael oversees electoral technical assistance programs and voter education campaigns with the Government of Nepal, and a civil society participatory governance project in Sri Lanka. Matt Rogalski ’99 has joined Obstetrics-Gynecology and Infertility Group, PC in New Haven, Conn. He will also be teaching medical students and OB-GYN residents at Yale-New Haven Hospital. He is accepting new patients and thrilled to be back in Connecticut to help improve women’s health where he grew up.
2000s
Vicki Welch ’00 is working on her second book. Dr. Karen Hook, B.S. ’01, M.D. ’05, was chosen by the UCHC medical and dental students to receive the Charles N. Loeser Award. The award is given to one faculty member in recognition of teaching excellence. Dr. Hook is the most junior faculty member in the school’s history to receive this prestigious award. Michael Vuolo ’03, Assistant Professor of Sociology at Purdue University, was the recipient of the 2013 Junior Scholar Award from the American Sociological Association Section on Alcohol, Drugs, and Tobacco. He is currently the principal investigator on a grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Sam (Shiv) Sharma ’04 founded “The Northwood Program” this year, an Experiential/Service Learning travel program for high school students and adults in which they travel and explore India and perform community service. The program has partnered with the White House by becoming an Officially Certified Organization to deliver the PVSA (Presidential Volunteer Service Award). Website: www.thenorthwoodprogram.com. David R. Agrawal ’05 and Olga Malkova were married on June 30, 2013, in Norwich, Conn. Jessica O’Connell ’05 passed the Virginia Bar Examination and will be sworn in at the Virginia Supreme Court on December 4, 2013. Carleton Coffrin ’06 received a Ph.D. in computer science from Brown University in 2012. Completing one year early from his Ph.D. made up for taking one extra year in undergrad at UConn. Carleton is currently living in Melbourne, Australia, and working as a full-time research scientists at an outstanding national laboratory for computer science called NICTA. Sarah Domoff ’06 received her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Bowling Green State University in August 2013. She is currently a post-doctoral clinical psychology fellow at the University Center for the Child and the Family at the University of Michigan. Vanessa Kafka ’06 married Doug Hills at Flag Hill Winery in Lee, N.H., on Sept. 27. She and her husband live in Boston. Gregory Bombard ’07 is an associate in the consumer/class action litigation department of Hinshaw & Culbertson, LLP in Boston. Dan Rousseau ’08 recently won his first Emmy for “Outstanding Lighting Direction and Scenic Design” for NBC news: Decision 2012 Election Night from Democracy Plaza. Eric Roy ’10 and Laura DeMaio ’09 were married on June 22 at the beach in Westbrook, Conn.
2010s
Dipayan Ghosh ’10 recently defended his Ph.D. in electrical and computer engineering at Cornell University. He was funded by the Department of Defense and Qualcomm during the course of his Ph.D. work. Michelle Farber, CNM ARNP, ’11 recently completed her Master of Science in Nursing at Seattle University, specializing in nurse-midwifery. Kelly Smith ’11 is expecting her Juris Doctor degree from the University of Connecticut School of Law in May 2014. She is currently participating in the UConn Law D.C. Program, working for the DOJ:Criminal Division: Organized Crime and Gang Section, and following graduation, Kelly has been selected as a clerk for the Connecticut Appellate Court for the 2014-2015 term. Evan Byron ’12 recently started a job at Norwalk High School in Norwalk, Conn., as a science teacher. He is a Honors CLAS (B.S. in MCB) and NEAG (M.A. in Education) graduate. Connor Bergen ’13 is working as a seventh grade ancient history teacher in Greenville, Miss., as a corps member in Teach For America. Allison Fitch ’13 was recently engaged to Ryan Molony ’11. Deanne Wallace ’13 now attends UConn Graduate School for a Master in German Studies, expected graduation May 2015.
Return to the Spring 2014 issue of the Honors Alumni eNewsletter