Class Notes for May 2020

Find out which of our alums is celebrating a promotion, a new career, or their start-up business in Class Notes. See who is making news, and take a moment to remember those who have passed on.

Don’t forget to share your own news with us by emailing Irene Kim at kimi@strose.edu.

2020s

Wari Isaac ’20 has begun working on his MBA at Saint Rose.

2010s

Joshua Rasmussen ’19 has become an ambassador at Zones Nfrastructure (Menands, New York).

Courtney Bernardo ’18, MFA has posted her thesis online.

Cassandra Madsen G’18 joined United Way of the Greater Capital Region (Albany, New York) as director of strategic communications.

Rebecca Malinowski ’18 is assistant director of marketing at Marist College (Poughkeepsie, New York).

Henry Cumoletti G’17, a social studies teacher at Albany High School (Albany, New York), was featured in the “Perspectives in Learning” series of the City School District of Albany.

Molly Farrell ’17 has started working as mental health clinician at Northern Rivers Family of Services.

Jeffrey Roche ’17 has started working as Biotech Production Compliance Coordinator at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Albany area, New York).

Anna Nina Pellicone ’16, MFA has posted her thesis online.

Aaron Bochniak G’15 was named acting superintendent for Schenectady City Schools (Schenectady, New York).

Karolyn Eberhardt ’14, Olivia Faure ’17, Rukan Khondker ’16, Robert Richburg ’76 G’89 (retired), David Bulan ’91 (retired), Dianne Rieck ’77, ’97, G’87 (retired), are all current or recently retired music teachers with the Ichabod Crane Central School District, which was recognized as a Best Communities for Music Education by national music-education organization The NAMM Foundation. According to NAMM, the designation is awarded to districts that demonstrate outstanding achievement in efforts to provide music access and education all students.

Mercedes Arrillaga ’13 has begun working for MVP Health Care (Schenectady, New York) in population health management.

Justine (McGovern) Vaitas ’14 was named Teacher of the Year at River Ridge Academy (Bluffton, South Carolina). She was also in the news last June for her work with students with disabilities.

Lyssa Merle Irizarry ’13 and Timothy Irizarry ’12 were married on July 21, 2018, and counted several Saint Rose classmates in their wedding party. “We got together in March 2013, but met as friends in 2011,” they add.

Chelsea Izzo ’13, G’16, a fourth-grade teacher at Yates Elementary School (Schenectady, New York) received a Donors Choose grant to provide supplies to help her students learn at home during the COVID-19 shutdown. She slyly quizzed the students on what they most needed, and sent them packages full of books, games, and whatever else they were lacking, such as toothpaste and toothbrushes, and even a pair of sneakers.

Katelyn Maher ’13, a sixth-grade teacher at Giffen Memorial Elementary School (Albany, New York), was featured in the City School District of Albany’s Perspectives in Learning series.

Erin Kilkenny ’12 reports: My husband, Kevin Ford ’10, and I got married on 11-9-19. We both attended and met at Saint Rose in February 2009. At our wedding, we took a Saint Rose alumni photo holding a Saint Rose sign. We left Saint Rose with great educations, friendships that will last a lifetime and each other. Also, in the picture with us are two other happily married couples that also met at Saint Rose. The photo includes: Lauren Gordon (Critelli), Kayleigh Bowles (Buboltz), Kaitlin Mangone (Roth), Anthony Mangone, Kevin Ford, Erin Ford (Kilkenny), Salvatore DeTillio, Mishelle DeTillio (Stapleton), and Tim Wentz.

Caroline Adam ’11, G’13 received a $1,000 grant from Donors Choose to support her students. The second-grade teacher at Albany School of the Humanities (Albany, New York) used the money to send packages of books, sticky notes, rulers, crayons, dry-erase markers, whiteboards, and lip balm.

Benjamin Lamb G’11 was interviewed as one of Businesswest’s “40 Under Forty.” He is director of economic development at 1Berkshire (Pittsfield, Massachusetts area).

Jessa VanKleeck ’11 began working as an associate optometrist for Paul Blaze, O.D., F.A.A.O., in Huntington Beach, California.

Kerri-Ann Brown ’10 has become executive director of Food First, Inc. (Brooklyn, New York).

Rachael Mann ’10, G’11, G’12 was in the news for converting her SUV into a pop-up classroom for a student who was having a little bit of trouble keeping up with the rest of the class. Mann, who had noticed that the student was falling behind and was having difficulty with remote learning, is a special education teacher for the Colonie school district (Colonie, New York).

2000s

Leah Ascher ’09 was featured in “Perspectives in Learning,” published by the City School District of Albany (Albany, New York).

Steve D’Agostino ’08 kept his Dags Basketball training enterprise going during the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown first by posting free workouts, and then adding paid videos and live Zoom group sessions as well. He found that engagement with athletes ramped up considerably, with young players sending him back videos of their own workouts and sharing them with their own communities.

Nino Kharaishvili, MD G’07 has joined Jacobs, a multinational provider of health-security and health-system emergency preparedness and resilience. Kharaishvili has joined the organization’s federal and environmental solutions team as principal of the health-system resilience practice.

Jeff Dring G’06, English language arts teacher at Albany High School (Albany, New York), was featured in the City School District of Albany’s “Perspectives in Learning” series.

Erin (Freund Mavrides) Cassady-Dorion ’05, G’05 is partnership manager at Edmentum (New York State area).

Janice DeRito ’04 has begun working as foster care liaison at Affinity Health Plan (New York, New York).

Richard Ruberti, Jr. G’01 was appointed the superintendent of the the Greater Amsterdam School District (Amsterdam, New York).

1990s

Casey O’Connor ’98, head coach of Christian Brothers Academy (Albany, New York), was interviewed for his efforts to help his baseball players stay connected with college coaches for recruitment purposes, and his efforts to keep the Suburban Council baseball tournament going in the face of uncertainty.

Ken Trzaska G’97 was chosen as a finalist for the presidency of Lewis and Clark Community College (Godfrey, Illinois).

Shameka Brown-Johnson ’96, math teacher at Edmund J. O’Neal Middle School of Excellence, was featured in the City School District of Albany’s “Perspectives in Learning” series.

Susan Karavolas ’96 has been appointed chief human-resources officer for Union College in Schenectady, New York. She was previously vice president fo human resources at Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (Albany, New York).

Michael Murray ’96 has become chief marketing officer for the law firm Tully Rinckey PLLC (Albany, New York). He was previously director of marketing for Whiteman Osterman & Hanna.

Steven J. Scott ’94 virtually fused his rock band, Air Traffic Controller, with the wind ensemble, orchestra, and chorus musicians of his employer, Wellesley High School (Wellesley, Massachusetts) for a touching rendition of the band’s song “Blame.”

Ellen Green ’93, G’94, a guidance counselor at Stephen and Harriet Myers Middle School (Albany, New York) was featured in the City School District of Albany’s “Perspectives in Learning” series.

John Bishop ’92 has become school superintendent for Fort Plain (Fort Plain, New York).

Gary Nowick ’90, G’95, a math and science teacher at Stephen and Harriet Myers Middle School (Albany, New York) was featured in the City School District of Albany’s “Perspectives in Learning” series.

1980s

Jillmarie Murphy ’89 is a professor of English and director of gender, sexuality, and women’s studies at Union College (Schenectady, New York).

Sue Nigra ’89 has begun working for Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Capital Region (Albany, New York) as director of development.

Kelly Sterner ’81 has become finance director for the public schools of Chester, Deep River, Essex, and Region 4 in Connecticut. She was previously finance director for Essex for the past 16 years.

1960s

Ellen Keegan ’68 was mentioned in a newspaper article for her nonprofit organization, Books for Troops, in conjunction with a high-school student who began her own book drive.

In memoriam

Edward Mc Mullen ’94
Mary Ann Finnegan Harzinski G’91
Anita Teresa Riccio G’74
Francis J. Kozlowski G’72
Sister Ellen Alicia Noonan, CSJ ’70
Janet H. Cassel (Sherwin) ’71
Winifred C (Chatterton) Shubsda ’68
Robert Zentz ’68
Marian K. Sellingsloh ’67
Monica (Wojcicki) Ebels ’56
Carol Ann Kelly VanVleck ’56
Mary Lou Lamb ’55
Lois A. (Getty) Flacke ’54
Catherine Rose Alma Kennedy ’50
Mary Margaret Tierney ’49

Friends of Saint Rose
Robert V. Marini, Sr.
William J. Haganxs