 |
 |
|
|
Transitions
Arts and Sciences1970s Christine Fox, BS Mathematics '76 and MS Mathematics '80, is president of the Center for Naval Analyses. 1980s Jeanie Newman, BA Geography '81, finished a certificate in GIS and is working in another field. She and husband, John Newman, BA English '81 and MEd '92, have two children in college and two in high school. LeAntha A. Sumpter, MPA '84, was awarded the Presidential Rank Award, Meritorious Executive by President Bush on September 26, 2003. Sumpter is the deputy director of acquisition initiatives for the Department of Defense. Paula Kidwell, BA Communication '85, is assistant program director and mid-day announcer at WINC-FM/Mid-Atlantic Networks in Winchester, Virginia. Diana M. Cain, MA English '86, taught in Fairfax County for 21 years; spent a year teaching in Maui, Hawaii; and now teaches senior English at Plano Senior High School in Texas. Cain has received two summer fellowships: the Plano Writing Academy and the Southern Methodist University Advanced Placement/Honors Institute. She also serves as the liaison for Illuminations, the district literary magazine. Deborah Doane Manoll, BA Communication '87, and her husband, Roy Manoll, on June 10 had twins, Lillian Claire (Lilly) and Roy Edward IV (Bo). Deborah is taking a year's leave of absence from commercial real estate sales to stay home with the babies. The family resides in Athens, Georgia. J. Ellen Nunnally, MFA '88, wrote Deep Peace: Healing in Our Lives, which was published in 2003 by Cowley Publications. She was one of the first female Episcopal priests from the Diocese of Washington, D.C., ordained in 1978. Ellen graduated with honors from Virginia Theological Seminary and taught English at Mason until the mid 1990s. Juan Carlos Fierro, BA Government and Politics '89, is an associate director with the financial firm of O'Meara, Ferguson & Kearns, where he serves as an investment management consultant to domestic and international clients worldwide. 1990s Nicole Livas, BA Communication '90, married Lt. Kedric Webster, U.S. Navy physician, on May 29. Nicole is an anchor at WAVY-TV 10 at 5:30 p.m. and WVBT-Fox News at 10 p.m. in Norfolk, Virginia. Kathryn Gordon, BA Anthropology '91, earned an MSW from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a JD from Indiana University. She has joined Dykema Gossett PLLC in the firm's Corporate Practice Group in the Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, office. Laurel (Kellum) Williams, BA Government and Politics '91, is an attorney with the Florida Department of Children and Families and is commissioned in the U.S. Army through the ROTC program at Mason. She completed a yearlong deployment to Puerto Rico and received the Joint Service Commendation Medal for performance as chief of the Current Intelligence Section. Amr Abdalla, MA Sociology '92 and PhD Conflict Analysis and Resolution '01, who was a senior fellow with the Peace Operations Policy Program at Mason's School of Public Policy, was appointed professor and dean of academic programs at the United Nations' University for Peace. Ann Welch, BS Biology '92, and husband, Keven, announce the arrival of daughter Adrienne Elizabeth on June 23. Ashley Lane Piner, BA Communication '93, and Clifton Daryl Piner, BA Area Studies '93, are celebrating their 10th wedding anniversary. The couple lives in Savannah, Georgia. Cynthia (Henry) Thurlow, BA International Studies '93, was married in Alexandria, Virginia, on September 28, 2003. Many Mason alumni and Alpha Omicron Pi sorority sisters were in attendance, including bridesmaids Darby Dickens Williams, BA English '94, and Courtney Watson, BA English '99,and friends Adrienne Shultz Trout and Shannon Jenkins Van Landingham, BA Government and Politics '93. Cynthia is a cardiology nurse practitioner helping to oversee a chest pain observation unit at Fairfax Hospital. Julie Chadburn, MPA '94, was promoted to water reclamation district compliance and regulatory affairs administrator for the Clark County Water Reclamation District in Las Vegas, Nevada. Karen Weis, BA Speech Communication '94, is entering a graduate program at Catholic University in Washington, D.C., to earn a master's degree in library science. Shawn Brann, BA English and Communication '95 and MEd '99, and Julie Brann, BA Sociology '95 and MA Sociology '00, announce the birth of their baby and future Mason Patriot, Sophia Elizabeth, on June 4. Sophia is the first child for Julie and Shawn, who met at Mason and celebrated their sixth wedding anniversary on June 27. Sherell M. Fuller, BA English '95 and MEd '99, received her PhD in elementary education from the University of Virginia on May 16. She has accepted a tenure-track position as an assistant professor of education in the Reading and Elementary Education Department at the University of North Carolina in Charlotte. Dallas Hutchison, BS Administration of Justice '95, is a captain with the U.S. Army Special Operations Command and has completed a tour of duty in Iraq. He expects to return to either Iraq or Afghanistan after completing language training this fall. Mary Mooney, BA English and Communication '96 and MAIS '03, cowrote with Mason professor Janette Muir a chapter on Nancy Reagan in Inventing a Voice: The Rhetoric of American First Ladies of the Twentieth Century, a book edited by Molly Wertheimer and published this year by Rowman & Littlefield. Andrew Reaser, BA English '97, a production assistant on the TV show Charmed on the WB Network, had his first television script aired in April. He currently is working on a screenplay based on ghost stories he heard while attending Hollins University, where he completed a master's degree in creative writing. Susan (Sullivan) Saltos, BA Communication '97, is a realtor at Long and Foster in its Tysons Central office, working as an office manager and closing coordinator on the Kormann Realty Group LLC team. Susan and her husband, William, just celebrated their fifth wedding anniversary and have a son, Zachary William, born on January 5, 2001. Mya Dundzila, MS Geographic and Cartographic Sciences '98, and Tomas Dundzila, MBA '99, completed a nine-day, 106-mile backpacking trip through Shenandoah National Park in May. Matthew F. Hardin, BA Government and Politics and BA Philosophy '99, received a master of divinity degree from Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia. He also was presented the James T. and Celeste M. Boyd Book Fund Award on May 16. Brian Laurence, BA Government and Politics '99, was promoted to the rank of captain in the U.S. Marine Corps on July 1. He is a CH-53E pilot and flies missions out of Kandahar, Afghanistan. Brian expects to return home sometime this fall. 2000s Trevor Clarke, BA Communication '00, married Adrienne Paup on July 24. Trevor is an on-air personality with the Free Lance Star in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Jeanette Shin, BA Philosophy '00, received an MA in Buddhist studies from Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California. Peter Steckfus, MFA Creative Writing '00, winner of the Yale Series of Younger Poets competition, read from his winning manuscript and MFA thesis, “The Cuckoo,” on April 5 in the Concert Hall at Mason. Emily Symonds, BA English '00, of Greensboro, North Carolina, won the 2004 North Carolina State Poetry Contest, sponsored by the North Carolina State University Creative Writing Program, for her poem “Learning to Live with the River.” Nicole White, BA English '01, married Chris Ciccone, BFA Art Studio '98, on August 28. Julia Boulay, BIS '02, and her husband, Tim, announce the birth of Elizabeth Grace on February 27, their third child. Elizabeth has two older sisters, Jacqueline and Lauren. Gary Cassidy, DA Community College Education '02, was appointed director of the Phippen Museum in Prescott, Arizona, by the museum's board of trustees. Diane Coppage, BA English '02, had some of her editorial and research work published in a new edition of Jane Austen's Emma, edited by Mason English professor Kristin Flieger Samuelian and published by Broadview Press. While working on her degree, Coppage served as a research assistant to Samuelian as part of a university-sponsored faculty–student apprenticeship program. David M. Rohrer, BS Administration of Justice '02, was named chief of the Fairfax County Police Department on July 12. Rohrer oversees a police force of nearly 1,300 sworn officers and 500 civilian employees. Kathleen Jabs, MFA Creative Writing '04, received honorable mention among student writers from the Atlantic Monthly for her 2003 submission, “Acts of Contribution.” Business1970s Preston Butcher, MBA '76, was named director of the government entities division, which includes the tax-exempt bond programs, of the Internal Revenue Service. Teresa M. Klaassen, BS Business Administration '77, and her husband, Paul, received Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur of the Year Distinguished Alumni Award for 2004. 1980s Pete Enghauser, BS Decision Sciences '86 and MS Information Systems '90, has joined Intersections Inc. of Chantilly, Virginia, as vice president of Information Technology Operations. He is currently enrolled in Mason's Graduate Certificate Program in Information Systems Security, making this his third decade in which he has been a Mason student. 1990s Christopher E. Mandel, MBA '94, was named 2004 Risk Manager of the Year by the Risk and Insurance Management Society (RIMS) Inc. and Business Insurance magazine in April. A past president of RIMS and president of Enterprise Indemnity CIC Inc., he holds numerous positions on insurance industry advisory and executive boards including a directorship on the board of the American Association of Orthodontists Insurance Company. Mike Sylvester, BS Management '96, and his wife, Kathleen, had their first child, Annie Teresa, born on April 3. Christine (Underhill) Hudacko, MBA '98, and husband, Ted Hudacko, MBA '98, announce the birth of their first child, Spencer Charles, in June. The family lives in San Francisco, California. Conflict Analysis and Resolution2000s Caitlin K. Back, MS Conflict Analysis and Resolution '04, has opened her own business, Call Katie: Concierge, Personal Assistance & Errand Services, LLC, in Alexandria, Virginia. Education1980s Diane Lynne Krzemien, MEd Administration '84, a special agent with the FBI, has recently been promoted to assistant special agent in charge, counterintelligence and counterterrorism for the San Diego Field Division. 2000s Deborah A. Delare, MEd Curriculum and Instruction '00, lives in Bucharest, Romania, while her husband is posted to the U.S. embassy there. They will return to Fairfax next summer. Information Technology and Engineering1980s Lisa Jensen, BS Computer and Electronic Engineering '86 and MS Software Systems Engineering '93, was a finalist for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award for 2004. 1990s Dave Paccassi, BS Urban Systems Engineering '96, and his wife, Teresa (Seyfried), BA English '94, announce the birth of their second child, Elizabeth May (Lily) on March 4. Dave continues working for Rice Contracting, while Teresa stays home to care for Lily and two-year-old John. Frank A. Macaulay, MS Operations Research Management '97, married Kathryn Marie Pruzinsky, an obstetrician and gynecologist, on July 10 in La Jolla, California. Frank is a program manager and senior principal engineer at the Orincon Information Technology Unit of Lockheed Martin. Shankar Rao, MS Computer Science '98, graduated with an MBA from the University of Denver, Daniels College of Business, in June. Law1980s Mitchell I. Mutnick, JD '83, was sworn in as a new judge in the Fairfax County General District Court on May 21. 1990s Alex Ferrate, JD '95, and his wife Mary recently started an e-commerce venture called Casa Antigua (www.lacasaantigua.com), an online retailer of luxury gifts, folk art, and decorative accessories from Europe and Latin America. Nursing and Health Science1970s John T. Pack, BSN '77, in May retired for the third time after 40 plus years of nursing and plans to enjoy a trip to Italy as a retirement gift to himself. 1980s Marcia E. Smith, MSN '83, has retired as CEO of Evercare, a national company with offices in 13 states. She was in the United Kingdom at the government's invitation to begin the Evercare program with nine health districts. Evercare uses nurses and nurse practitioners to provide proactive primary care in the older population, thus reducing the need for hospitalization for acute illnesses. 1990s Joanne C. Langan, MSN '94, is an assistant professor at Saint Louis University School of Nursing. She has cowritten a book, Preparing Nurses for Disaster, which is due out in October by Prentice Hall. Stephen A. Forest, BS Health, Fitness, and Recreation Resources '99, received a master's of public health degree with an emphasis in community health education from the University of Northern Colorado in May. Visual and Performing Arts1980s Kathryn L. Sheppard, BA Theater '83, is trying to launch a doll design project inspired by her theater professor Darius Swann. 1990s Dara Turransky, BA Studio Art '95, is principal of Dara Turransky Design Studio in Snohomish, Washington. Her studio provides design services for such national clients as Expedia, Cluestream, and Seattle Sachet. Turransky's work has been featured in Communication Arts, 1000 Greetings, and Best of Business Card Design 6. Jennifer O'Connell, BA Dance '97, is traveling with the North American touring company of Riverdance. Deborah Jinza Thayer, MFA Dance '97, is an independent choreographer based in Minneapolis. Her work is frequently featured in the Minnesota Fringe Festival, and she was recently recognized with a McKnight Choreographer's Fellowship. She has twice been named a semifinalist in France's Renocentres Choreographies Internationales de Sein-Sait-Denis and teaches technique and composition at Zenon Dance Company. DeathsR. Bruce Borthwick, PhD Public Policy '01, passed away on December 18, 2003. Dorothy H. Hauck, MEd '72, passed away on October 7, 2003. Donna J. Henneberger, BSN '89 and MSN '93, passed away on January 27, 1999. John J. Victor, BIS '80, passed away on December 11, 2003. |
Did You KnowIn 2004, George Mason University leaped three spots to #12 on the Peace Corps' mid-Atlantic region's list of the top 20 volunteer-producing colleges and universities. Currently, 25 Mason alumni serve overseas, a 25 percent increase from the number in 2003, and four more alumni are preparing for assignments in Togo, Moldova, and Ghana. More than 134 George Mason University graduates have served or are serving worldwide since 1961. The first Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis) ever born outside the reptile's native Indonesia was hatched in George Mason's Robinson Hall on September 13, 1992, from an egg that had been laid 237 days earlier at the National Zoo. Within four weeks, a total of 13 Komodo dragons hatched at George Mason and at the zoo, comprising the largest hatching of Komodo dragons on record, in zoos or in the wild. You can visit that first dragon, named Kraken, at the National Zoo. Former George Mason track standout Maurice Wignall, BA Psychology '01, came within a hair's breadth of winning a medal at the 2004 Olympic Games. Competing for his home country of Jamaica, Wignall finished fourth on Friday, August 24, in the 110-meter hurdles, missing a bronze medal by .01 of a second. Anier Garcia of Cuba, the 2000 Olympic gold medalist, took home the bronze with a time of 13.20 seconds. Wignall crossed the line in 13.21.
|