Transitions

Arts and Sciences

1960s

Gilbert L. Sager, BA History ’69, was elected chair of the Ephrata (Pa.) Community Hospital Board of Directors.

1970s

Donald A. Miller, BA Biology ’79, graduated from St. Vincent’s Medical Center in Toledo, Ohio, in June 2005 with a DO in emergency medicine.

1980s

Cindy Crump, BA Economics and International Studies ’82, is CEO and president of AFrame Digital, a company that won second place in a Washington, D.C., regional business plan competition in March 2005.

Steve Gladis, MA English ’84 and PhD Education ’91, has a new book out: Survival Writing for Business, a style guide that advocates clear, concise business writing. All profits from the sale of this book, as with his previous 10, will go to charity.

Nancy W. Ambrosiano, BA English ’85, a public information officer and science writer for Los Alamos National Laboratory in Los Alamos, N.M., was awarded a Director’s Achievement Award. Previously, she was awarded a Los Alamos Distinguished Performance Award. Nancy is also on the Advisory Committee to the U.S. Pony Clubs Inc. Board of Governors and was inducted into that organization’s National Youth Congress Academy of Achievement in January. She lives in Los Alamos with her husband and two children.

Ayleen (Arias) Cunningham-Sherrill, BA Spanish ’86, a major in the U.S. Army Reserve, is serving with the 21st Theater Support Command in support of Operation Enduring Iraqi Freedom for 365 days. While she is gone, her husband, Jeffrey (Lance) Sherrill, BA ’85, a high school teacher in the Prince William County, Va., Public Schools, has taken on the role of dual parent to their five children.

Cindy Roberts Taylor, MPA ’87, a training consultant for Chesterfield County, Va., was named the 2005 Outstanding Chapter Member for the Virginia Chapter of International Public Management Association of Human Resources and recognized for distinguished service.

Terri Lynn Zaleski, BA English ’88, was named a finalist in the mystery category of the ninth annual Independent Publishers Book Awards 2005 for her book A Small Case of Murder, written under her pen name Lauren Carr.

George John Bitar, BA Biology ’89, a board-certified plastic surgeon, was voted one of the Top Docs in the July 2005 Washingtonian magazine.

Victor C. Mullins, BA Speech Communication ’89, associate dean of student affairs for the Undergraduate College of Business, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, will be back at Mason in October when his Mason fraternity chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi celebrates its 20th anniversary.

1990s

Nicole Livas, BA Speech Communication ’90, won a 2005 Excel Award from the Hampton Roads Black Media Professionals for her report on the popularity and dangers of hair weaves, which won in the Television News Feature category. She was also nominated in the Television Investigative News category for her story on the Down Low life. Nicole is an anchor and reporter with WAVY-TV 10 and Fox 43 “News at 10” in Norfolk, Va.

David M. Shaheen, BA History ’90 and DA Community College Education ’01, was appointed assistant professor of history at Miami-Dade College in Miami, Fla., in 2004.

Steve Amick, MFA Fiction ’91, had his debut novel, The Lake, the River & the Other Lake, published by Pantheon in May 2005. It was the May Book Sense Pick by the American Booksellers Association. Steve’s band also has a CD out. You can find out more at www.steve-amick.com.

Kent Allan Fagan, BS Biology ’91, completed his second year of law school at Denver University. He plans to be a patent attorney with a background in neuroscience.

Timothy F. Kennedy, BA Geology ’91, a physical scientist with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, worked on environmental restoration projects in California, Arizona, and Nevada, as well as a project to protect the environment during an international military training exercise.

Edward George Lengel, BA History ’91, received a PhD in history in 1998 from the University of Virginia and wrote General George Washington: A Military Life, which was published by Random House.

John Shumadine, BA International Studies ’91, MA International Transactions ’93 and MBA ’99, and his wife, Christie (Lynch) Shumadine, BS Accounting ’91, welcomed their fourth child, Caitlyn Madere, in September 2004. Caitlyn has three older brothers: Justin (6), Steven (4), and Michael (2).

Evan Oakley, MFA Poetry ’92, was pictured in the September/October Poets & Writers. Chair of the English Department at Aims College in Greeley, Colo., he received the 2004 Dana Award for poetry.

Tom Sullivan, BA Communication ’92, was named senior manager of corporate communications for Rolls-Royce in North America.

Roger E. (Ted) Arnn, BS Law Enforcement ’93, was promoted to captain and assigned to the new IT Bureau by Fairfax County Police Chief Colonel Dave Rohrer.

Eileen (Ostrom) Siegel, BA Psychology ’93, is the credentialing coordinator for the Cardiovascular Group. Married in 1998, Eileen has one child who was born in 2000. The family lives in Lake Ridge, Va.

Did You Know? Hemlock Overlook Center for Outdoor Education is celebrating its 20th anniversary. The center annually has more than 30,000 people participate in its outdoor education program—complete with a zip line, obstacle courses, and team-building exercises—and is the largest such university-based program in the country.

Sandra K. Traylor, BA Psychology ’93, Gerontology Certificate ’00, and MA Sociology ’05, is a management analyst for the Department of Defense in Alexandria, Va.

Christopher Daub, BS Psychology ’94 and MA Biopsychology ’97, graduated with a PhD in clinical psychology from Harold Abel School of Psychology, Capella University, and has accepted a position as a clinical psychologist with the California Department of Corrections in San Diego.

Deborah R. Fair, BA Philosophy ’94, earned a master of divinity from Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C., in 1997 and is now senior pastor of charity, United Methodist Church in Virginia Beach, Va.

Theodore A. Johnson, BS Law Enforcement ’94, is serving in Iraq until sometime in 2006.

Linda LaMarca, MA Clinical Psychology ’94 and PhD ’96, gave birth to her second son, Christopher Andrew, on April 7.

Danny Duncan Collum, MFA Fiction ’95, is assistant professor of English at Kentucky State University in Frankfort. His third nonfiction book, Black and Catholic in the Jim Crow South, will be published by Paulist Press in February. Danny lives in Shelby County, Ky., with his wife, Polly, and their three children, Christopher (13), Magdalena (9), and Joseph (5).

Marjorie Fargo, MA Sociology ’95, president and senior trial consultant for Jury Services Inc., was a panelist on “The Media and the Jury” at the eighth annual Conversations with Leaders in Law and Media, as part of the 2005 commemoration of Law Day.

Leslie Mitchell, BS Biology ’95 and BSN ’97, was promoted to clinical supervisor as a cardiology nurse for Virginia Cardiovascular Associates in Manassas, Va.

Melanie J. Penoyar, BA Communication ’95, was hired by the Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International to be the director of development and awards competition.

Graham Foust, MFA Poetry ’96, was interviewed in February on the Emerging Writers Network. He has written two full collections of poetry, As in Every Deafness (Flood Editions, 2003) and Leave the Room to Itself (Ahsahta Press, 2004). Graham is a professor at Drake University in Iowa.

Michal McElwain, BA International Studies ’96 and MAIS ’98, married Shrinath Malur, JD ’93, on July 9. Michal is a member of Mason’s School of Public Policy faculty, and Shrinath is a patent attorney and partner with the firm Mattingly, Stanger, Malur, and Brundidge. The couple also owns the Washington, D.C., restaurant and bar, BlueFin.

Stacey (Haines) Goldman, BA Communication ’97, and her husband, Todd, announce the birth of their daughter, Ava, on January 12.

Jennifer Newman, BS Psychology ’97, was named assistant equestrian coach at the University of Georgia.

Joe Little, BA Speech Communication ’98, is the news director and anchor for Adelphia Headline News, a CNN affiliate in Carlsbad, Calif. He started Little Productions, an original video and editing business, with his wife Stacey, BS Psychology ’99.

Marcello Rios, BA Economics ’98, married Jennifer Smith, BS Economics ’97, in May 2003. He is a senior marketing analyst in product marketing strategy for Sallie Mae and was included in the 2006–07 Who’s Who in Executives and Professionals in America.

Lance Alston, MA Economics ’99, cowrote Wealth Without Worry: The Methods of Wall Street Exposed with James Whiddon. The book was published by Brown Books in May.

Kevin Greene, BA Government and Politics ’99, and his wife, Rebecca Clemons Greene, BA Communication ’98, announce the birth of their first child, Jacob Thomas, on May 17.

Nina Prescott, BS Psychology ’99, was hired by Social & Scientific Systems Inc. in April to be its staff development and training manager. In May, she received an MS in strategic human resources and organization development from Johns Hopkins University.

Sarah E. Symonds, BA Communication ’99, earned an MA in communication in 2004 and is a full-time communication instructor at Coastal Carolina Community College in Jacksonville, N.C.

2000s

Jason Angelini, BA Communication ’00, and Lucia Angelini, BA Psychology ’00, announce the birth of their first baby, Connor, on April 4.

Brian P. Simpson, PhD Economics ’00, assistant professor in the School of Business and Management at National University in La Jolla, Calif., has a new book out titled Market Don’t Fail! published by Lexington Books.

J. Lee Hill Jr., BA Integrative Studies ’01, received a master’s of divinity from Wake Forest University and was ordained as an American Baptist minister this summer. He is the first African-American minister called to service at Knollwood Baptist Church in Winston-Salem, N.C.

Did You Know? George Mason University is one of 20 schools across the country chosen out of more than 700 that create campus cultures that foster student success. According to the new book, Student Success in College: Creating Conditions That Matter, Mason programs such as the Center for Service and Leadership and Technology Across the Curriculum add value to the Mason student’s experience.

Tiffany Marie Narowski, MS Geography and Cartography ’01, married Walter Joyner Richardson III on June 18. Both are cartographers with the Federal Aviation Administration in Silver Spring, Md.

Marvin M. Singh, BS Biology ’01, graduated from the Medical College of Virginia at Virginia Commonwealth University in May. He will begin his residency in internal medicine at the University of Michigan Hospitals in Ann Arbor.

Jen Derevjanik, BA Psychology ’04 and former Patriot athlete, played for the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun in 2004 and made the team’s 2005 roster.

Amy Vaughn, MS Telecommunications ’04, a network security engineer at Sprint, is engaged to Robert L. Gage. A spring 2006 wedding is planned.

Business

1970s

Bill Henry, MBA ’76, was elected national president of the American Society of Civil Engineers.

Kenneth C. Weiler, BS Business Administration ’77, and his wife, Sally, have taken an early retirement and moved to a rural town in south central Pennsylvania. Ken is finishing a military history manuscript, “Russia and the Normandy Invasion: The Cross Front Connection,” as well as volunteering at the Eisenhower National historic site, the Hanover Historical Society, and the Hanover Public Library.

1980s

Walter Howell, MBA ’84, was named senior vice president of global outsourcing for Computer Associates International Inc.

Karin M. Dolan, BS Business Administration ’86, is assistant director of intelligence support for the U.S. Marine Corps.

Jerry P. Rebel, BS Accounting ’86, was promoted to executive vice president for Jack in the Box Inc.

Michelle Burris, BS Marketing ’87, was named senior vice president and chief financial officer of Dendreon Corporation, a biotechnology company.

1990s

Matthew Austin, BS Decision Science ’91, was hired by Solutions Consulting Group, an award-winning Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, as director of sales for its Enterprise Services.

Michael Crisafulli, BS Management Information Systems ’92, is vice president of core services operations at America Online.

Andrew Nocella, BS Decision Science ’92, was promoted to senior vice president for planning at US Airways in January.

Kristen Cavallo, MBA ’93, is the senior vice president and director of business development at the Martin Agency, one of the largest advertising agencies in the southeast.

Mel F. Wesley, BS Accounting ’94 and MBA ’99, was promoted to chief financial officer at OPNET Technologies Inc.

Christina Garrett, BS Accounting ’95, married Michael Garrett on April 17, 2004, and gave birth to a son, Grayson James, on April 7.

Anirban Chakrabarti, BS Decision Science and Accounting ’96, was appointed to the senior management team of Intelliworks Inc. as vice president of product marketing.

Lerzan Aksoy, MBA ’97, cowrote Loyalty Myths: Hyped Strategies That Will Put You Out of Business and Proven Tactics That Really Work, published by Wiley in September.

Tomas Dundzila, MBA ’99, joined Booz Allen Hamilton as an associate in June.

2000s

Darren Miller, BS Decision Science ’02, a programmer analyst at Stanley Associates in Alexandria, Va., is engaged to Jessica Marie Ehrat.

Haojie Liu, BS Accounting ’03, an accountant at the Virginia Hospital Center, became a U.S. citizen in Arlington, Va., on July 4.

Conflict Analysis and Resolution

1990s

Rachel M. Goldberg, MS Conflict Analysis ’96, an instructor of Conflict Analysis and Dispute Resolution in the Department of Sociology at the Fulton School of Liberal Arts at Salisbury University, completed her PhD in social science at Syracuse University in May.

Education

1970s

Wendy Weiner, MEd Secondary Education ’76 and DA Education ’89, was named senior vice president of academic affairs of the Community College of Allegheny County, Va., and chief executive officer of the school’s South Campus.

1980s

Ray O’Connor, PhD Education ’88, an Allen, Texas, resident, was elected a regional vice chair of American Mensa Ltd., the high IQ society.

1990s

Sandra (Kenney) Bonilla, MA Special Education ’99, and her husband, Eduardo, moved to Maryland. Their son, Cristian Eduardo, was born on January 20, joining sister Delaney Rose (5).

2000s

Steven D. Parker, MEd Administration ’00, was promoted to principal of Cedar Lee Middle School in the Fauquier County, Va., School System.

Jennifer Chesla Moran, MEd Curriculum and Instruction ’02, and her husband, Bruce, welcomed a son, Griffin, on March 4, 2004.

Information Technology and Engineering

1980s

George Harold Waxter, MS Electronic and Computer Engineering ’89, works as a locum tenens physician and spent a year working in New Zealand on South Island near Mt. Cook. While there, he won a bronze medal at the All New Zealand Master’s Games in the 2-km open water swim.

2000s

Michael J. McFadden, BS Electrical Engineering ’00, received a PhD in electrical engineering from the University of Delaware on May 28.

Law

1970s

Joann P. DiGennaro, JD ’79, was elected chair of the U.S. Army War College Board of Trustees. President Bush named Joann to the board in 2004. She also serves as president of the Center for Excellence in Education based in McLean, Va., as well as on Mason’s Board of Visitors. She recently wrote Science Literacy: Essential for Decision Making, as a research affiliate at Harvard University.

Did You Know? The Fairfax County Public Schools and the Prince William County Public Schools are among the top five employers with the largest number of Mason alumni. Inova Fairfax Hospital, the U.S. Department of Army, and Mason itself round out that list.
1980s

Ross A. Weinstein, JD ’87, became director of the new Business Brokerage Services for Advantis Real Estate Services Company in Hampton Roads and Richmond, Va., in October 2004.

1990s

Heidi B. McCree, JD ’92, was unanimously elected Governing Board chair of the Southwest Florida Water Management District. She is the first woman to receive such an honor.

Mark Costley, JD ’94, joined the firm of Alston & Bird as counsel in the financial services and products group.

Michele Claire (Hamilton) Meiners, JD ’98, joined the law firm of King & Nordlinger LLP in Arlington, Va., where she will practice civil litigation, real estate, creditors rights, and estate planning.

Ron Robinson, JD ’99, and his wife, Maggie, are pleased to announce the July 13 birth of their third son, Jackson Fox, who was heartily welcomed into the family by his brothers, Ronnie and Michael. The family lives in Woodbridge, Va.

2000s

Matthew McCormack, JD ’00, served as the staff judge advocate of Combined Support Group-Thailand and deputy staff judge advocate for Combined Support Force 536, which was responsible for providing disaster relief to Thailand, Indonesia, and Sri Lanka after the December 26, 2004, tsunami.

William Foster Jr., JD ’02, joined the Tysons Corner, Va., office of McGuireWoods as an associate in the commercial litigation department.

Nursing and Health Science

1990s

Patty Fay Dimetres, BSN ’95, is the first teacher in Virginia to become a National Board-certified teacher in career and technical education with a specialty in health sciences. She is one of only about two dozen National Board-certified health science teachers in the country. Patty teaches medical health technologies at Falls Church (Va.) High School.

Ron Gesaman, BSN ’96, is deployed with the medical task force in Afghanistan where three U.S. combat support hospitals care for U.S. soldiers and Afghan civilians. Ron describes it as a difficult, demanding, but rewarding operation.

2000s

Andrea McCrink, BSN ’01, was named Continence Care Champion of the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN) by the National Association for Continence at a ceremony in June during the AWHONN annual conference.

Public Policy

2000s

Mark Maggio, PhD Public Policy ’04, joins the faculty of Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, as a visiting assistant professor of sociology for the 2005–06 academic year.

Visual and Performing Arts

1990s

Eric Waters, BM ’93, transcribed and edited Guitar Music from Tres libros de musica: The Oldest Surviving Music for the Guitar by Alonso Mudarra, published internationally by Mel Bay Publications.

Deaths

Scott C. Akers, MA Psychology ’01, February 25, 2004

Carter M. Forrester, BIS ’92, August 14, 2004

Rosalie D. Horvath, EMBA ’95, March 7, 2005

Jerome John “Jerry” Ingerski, MBA ’75, July 11, 2005

Catherine Kehoe, BIS ’97, March 14, 2005

Arlene Kuehnel, BSN ’84, April 17, 2002

Patrick Tiffin Long, BS Business Administration ’80, July 1, 2003

Cindy Marano, BA English ’72, April 28, 2005

David Maurer, BS Electrical Engineering ’87, June 17, 2005

Carmel Norcom, MEd ’74, January 19, 2005

Patricia R. Parks, BA Psychology ’75, February 20, 1999

Mary A. Riley, BA History ’76, January 1, 2005

R.M. (Mark) Saunders, BA History ’77, March 21, 2005