Are you working on an exciting new project, at home or at the office? Starting a new job? Embarking on a travel adventure? Receiving an award, getting married, or welcoming a new child to your family? We (and the rest of the Saint Rose alumni network) want to hear about it. Please send your announcement to Irene Kim at kimi@strose.edu.

2010s

Casey Bergeron ’17 has been working since May 2018 as general manager at Peace, Love, and Little Donuts in Buffalo, New York.

Brandon Montanye ’17 was recently promoted into the role of office manager at Raloid Tool Company, Inc. in Mechanicville, New York, from his previous position as an executive assistant. 

Taylor Nazon ’17 started as regional online organizer at the Sierra Club in Chicago, Illinois, in July 2018. Previously, she had been assistant program manager for the Turn 2 Us Program at New York-Presbyterian Hospital in New York City.

Guadalupe Chavez ’16 has received a Fulbright research fellowship, with which she will explore two questions pertaining to immigration: How do formal and informal Mexican institutions respond to the return and deportation of Mexican migrants from the U.S. to Mexico – particularly of the formerly undocumented youth that grew up in the U.S.? What type of mobilization and organizations arise after expulsion (in other words: after deportation and return) particularly among returnees and deportees? She has secured an academic affiliation with Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas (Center for Research and Teaching in Economics) located in Mexico City. She will begin her project in September. 

Michael Grundig ’15 started in June as a conversational sales advisor at Drift in Boston.

Alexis Williams ’15 became team manager for U.S. Ski & Snowboard in Park City, Utah, in June 2018. Before that, she had been working as a contract programs coordinator for the United States Olympic Committee in Colorado.

Kali Bradford ’12 announced that one of the bands signed to her record label, Distiller, is in a competition for the best live act in the UK. They face some formidable competition, including Jack White and Jungle. The vote appears here.

2000s

Michael Hilderbrand G’09 has been named principal of Trinity Elementary School (New Rochelle, New York), where he had been serving as assistant principal for the past year. Before that, he was a house principal at New Rochelle High School. He began in the district as a Spanish teacher in 2002.

Mary Catherine Culella-Sun G’08 was named director of pupil personnel services for Seaford Schools. She will supervise special-education staff, guidance counselors, nurses, psychologists, and social workers in her new capacity. She is pursuing her doctorate in educational leadership at Concordia University.

Jesse Hoobler ’04, G’06 (and G’20) began this past July as vice president of global technical support at New York City-based Braze (formerly Appboy), a customer-engagement platform for mobile marketing. He reports that business analyst Gartner Inc. recently named Braze a leader in the mobile marketing space. “This is a huge validation of our mission,” says Hoobler, who had served in executive positions at Pitney Bowes for the past seven years, most recently as the firm’s vice president of global sales engineering.

1990s

Robin Castiglione-Santiago ’95 reports that she and Mimi Santiago-Castiglione, whom she married in June 2016, are happily living in Delmar with their 12-year-old son. She has been working at the New York State Office of Children and Family Services since 2006. Before that, she worked as a case manager for at-risk youth at the St. Anne Residential Facility for more than eight years. “I often write in my spare time and hope to self-publish in the future,” says Castiglione-Santiago, adding that her aunt, Johanne (Castiglione-Jung) Papa ’64 is a rosebud, too. “She continues to be an inspiration in my life.”

Heath Boice-Pardee ’90, G’93, has published “Elevating Customer Service in Higher Education,” which he wrote with two co-authors. According to the publisher, the book “provides an in-depth guide by three practitioners with decades of combined experience in the higher education and hospitality sectors.”

In memoriam:

2000s

Ryan Nicole Buzzo G’04

1990s

Karie Beth Hoskinson Pastore ’93

1980s

Drew Anthony Hatkoff ’88
Colleen Rafter, Esq., ’85
Phyllis Rinehart Caley ’82

1970s

Judith Mary Baer ’74

1960s

Cheryl Kresky ’69
Karen Keck Gaughan ’67, G’72
Catherine Schoen Wallace G’67, G’72
Jean Bockstahler ’64
Sister Gladys Zimmerman G‘62
Carol Roberts Wallace ’61

1950s

Mildred Ann Isabel Buono ’58
Marilyn Moehringer Birklund G’57
Sister Jane Frances Pfisterer ’53, G’61
Elizabeth Richards Hess ’51
Charlene Burke Surette ’51

1940s

Claire Thompson ’47

Winning prestigious coaching awards, releasing debut albums, stepping up to impressive new management roles, and being recognized for their ongoing leadership – Saint Rose alumni never fail to amaze us with their accomplishments. If you’ve been featured in the media lately, or know of an alumnus or alumna who has, please send us a tip at kimi@strose.edu.

Katie Hammon ‘11 and her Troy, New York-based indie rock band Bear Grass were featured in the Times Union about their first album, Left. Hammon, originally from Washington State, says the album’s title was inspired by her leaving the “left coast” to travel east and make a home in Albany, New York. The album debuts on August 10. “Bear Grass seeks maximum impact from album release” appeared in the Times Union.

Anders Rasmussen G’05, G’10 is the new principal of Wood Road Elementary School in Ballston Spa, New York. He had previously served as assistant principal at Ballston Spa High School; before joining the district in 2012, he worked in the Greenville School District and taught English at Ichabod Crane Middle School. “Wood Road Elementary names new principal” appeared on the Times Union‘s Saratoga Blog.

Julie Massry Knox G’04, Trustee of Saint Rose, was featured for her leadership at Tri-City Rentals; the same article featured Saint Rose friend Marie Keenan for her leadership at Daniel Keenan Funeral Home. “Capital Region women who run their family businesses” appeared in the Times Union.

Giovanni Virgiglio ’03, G’05, G’07, G’08, became the chancellor of the Albany, New York, diocese in July while remaining superintendent of the diocese’s Catholic schools, a post he’s held since May 2017. Virgiglio was formerly principal of St. Mary’s Institute in Amsterdam and taught at St. Casimir Regional School in Albany. “Catholic schools superintendent picked to also be chancellor of Albany diocese” ran in the Times Union.

Kevin Graber ’92 was named Diamond Sports Region 1 High School Baseball Coach of the Year for 2018 by the American Baseball Coaches Association. The region includes Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, New Hampshire, Maine, and Rhode Island. A former baseball player at Saint Rose, Graber coached Phillips Academy Andover to four Central New England Prep Championships in seven years. The notice appeared in The Boston Globe’s “Globe Local: Noteworthy performances.”

The Summer Academy is winding down, and Broadway Bootcamp was a smashing success, culminating with a performance at Proctors. Now we are gearing up for the academic year, preparing to welcome students to campus. In the meantime, here are some events going on during the month of August.

August 16:
Leading Responsibly During Challenging Times: Perspectives from Business, 6 p.m. (reception begins at 5:30 p.m.), Carondelet Symposium, Thelma P. Lally School of Education. Dr. Mario Fernando, professor of management at the University of Wollongong in Australia, examines the need for leaders to make unpopular yet responsible decisions. Register here for the free event.

August 18 to 20:
If you’re lucky enough to be in Europe, Saint Rose Professor Robert Hansbrough will be appearing with the Empire State Youth Orchestra’s Wind Ensemble in Mako, Hungary, on August 18, 19, and 20.

August 27:
The Fall semester begins, and we welcome the newest class of Saint Rose students as well as our returning students.

September 14:
Don’t forget to register now for our community golf event: Golden Knights Golf Classic, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Capital Hills at Albany golf course, 65 O’Neil Rd., Albany, New York. For more information, please contact akinsm@strose.edu. Register here.

October 12 to 14:
You’ve marked your calendar already, but now’s the time to go back and circle the dates!
HOME.COMING & Family Weekend happens October 12 to 14. Check out the “who’s coming” list, take a look at the events lineup, and please take a short survey about what you’d like to see and do that weekend.

Registration is coming soon!

Don’t miss:
Check out our Saint Rose blog – you’ll find lots of excellent tips on fulfilling your graduate school dreams (if you haven’t already); advice for undergraduates in your family or circle of friends; fun things you may not know about Albany; the greatest videos ever; and maybe a little trip down Memory Lane.

On any given day, Ebah Patrick Ngole G’07 might be working with the United Nations, with a huge international corporation such as UNILEVER, or with a local small-business owner. As electronic banking channels officer for the Transaction Services Group at Ecobank Côte d’Ivoire, he manages teams that help clients of all sizes set up, learn, and run the electronic cash-management systems that keep their operations moving.

Ngole is in his home country of Côte d’Ivoire, to which he moved back in 2008, shortly after earning his Masters in Information Technology (formerly known as Computer Information Systems) from Saint Rose. He works in Abidjan, the country’s economic hub and home to nearly 5 million people. “It’s a lot bigger than Albany, and there’s lots of traffic, but I love to be home with my family,” he says.

Read more about his journey to Saint Rose and back here.