Class Notes: February 2019

Our alumni continue to astound and impress us with their wonderful achievements and good news. Please send any personal or professional updates to kimi@strose.edu.

2010s

Jack Jones ’18, G’18, a former Golden Knights basketball player from Australia, is working as a marketing analyst at Ayco in Saratoga Springs.

Julian Lipinski ’18, also a former Golden Knights basketball player from Australia, is a junior equity sales associate at Redburn (USA) LLC in New York, New York.

Megan Anderson ’17 is the lead teacher in the Schenectady Community Action Program.

Autumn Ballard ‘16 is now working as art director and graphic designer at Scrum 50 in Norwalk, Connecticut. She had previously worked at TracyLocke in Wilton, Connecticut. “We had quite a few alumni from the Saint Rose graphic design program at TracyLocke, and I’ll miss having that family bond. Luckily, I am still in the Norwalk area, so I’m happy to help out if any students are looking to move to my neck of the woods!”

Denise Brodock-Nicotera G’15 is staff therapist at SouthBay Community Services in Lawrence, Massachusetts.

Juan Garzon ’15 has begun working as assistant program coordinator at the Department of Recreation in Albany, New York.

Paul Nooney G’03, G’14 is associate director of student services at George Mason University in Arlington, Virginia.

Amy Nagoda ’13 is working as creative traffic manager at Havas Sports + Entertainment in Atlanta, Georgia.

Lauren Kalbfell ’12 is a senior policy advisor for Texas Health and Human Services in Austin, Texas. “I am now working for the state of Texas on Medicaid policy,” she says.

Jaleen Sherrange ’10 married Andrew Collar on September 15 at the Saratoga Polo Association in Greenfield Center. She is employed by DSM Nutritional Products in Schenectady as a marketing manager. The couple resides in Corinth, Saratoga County, with their cats, Puffin and Roxy.

2000s

August Rosa ‘08 continues to serve thirsty patrons in his Pint Sized tap rooms in Albany and Saratoga. The story of his journey to find the perfect home for his business was profiled in “Tale of Two Cities for a Pint” in Edible Capital District.

Traci Hinton Peterson G’07 has joined the Nassau BOCES Long Island High School for the Arts as teacher in the dance department. She has more than three decades of experience in art education.
“Today’s youth are taking their rightful places as leaders in our nation,” Peterson said. The course she is currently teaching, Empowerment Through Creative Expression, is designed to help mold these future leaders. “The goal of the course is to assist students in developing their talents to express cultural awareness, build community and motivate others to promote greater understanding and positive social change.”

Gloria A. Jean G’06 received the New York State School Counselor Association’s Career Achievement Award. In addition to working as a counselor in elementary, middle, and high schools for more than 30 years, she helped developed regulations for school counseling program regulations that were adopted by the state Board of Regents.

Rosemary Bonacci G’06 was profiled in the Utica College newspaper as her role as adjunct professor of public relations. She specializes in the juncture of communications and fundraising, and currently teaches Event Planning and Campaigns, and Cases and Problems in Public Relations Management. Her students are working with a local community and childcare center to launch a fundraising campaign.

Kelly DiNatale G’05, who teaches middle-school science for the Broadalbin-Perth Central School District, was in the news for achieving prestigious National Board certification. According to NYSUT, this distinction is held by only three percent of the national teaching population.
“My overall goal for my students is to be the best teacher I can be,” DiNatale told The Record in “B-P science teacher earns national certification,” December 10, 2018. “I want to stand in front of them and tell them I am doing everything I can to be the best teacher, and now I can say that.”
Pursuing the certification, said DiNatale, has helped her tap into student insight. “Kids will tell you what they need, or how they feel about projects and requirements. As a teacher, I might find something very important, but the kids may find something more valuable in the experience. I use their feedback when designing projects and scoring rubrics.”

Kacey Sheppard-Thibault ’04, G’04, is business administrator and director of technology at the Frankfort-Schuyler City School District in Frankfort, New York.

Ryan Silva ’03 is executive director of the New York State Economic Develooment Council, which promotes economic development in communities across the state, strengthening regional and local development organizations to help them attract companies and advocating for programs that create jobs.

Elena Garuc ’01 serves as executive director of FuzeHub, which, as the statewide New York Manufacturing Extension Partnership (NY MEP) center, works with small- to mid-sized manufacturers to help them develop and implement solutions to become more competitive and grow. 

1990s

Kelly Reale G’96, vice president of strategy and performance management at Key Equipment Finance (Superior, Colorado), was recognized with the Steven R. LeBarron award for principled research from the Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation. She has participated in various Foundation Research Committee projects, including projects involving managed solutions and driverless vehicles and robotic technologies. She also led the steering committee for a fintech report recently. She has been at Key Equipment Finance since 1994, when she joined as a credit officer.

Anne LaPorta Young ’92 is director of curriculum, instruction, and assessment in the Middleburgh City School District in Middleburgh, New York.

1980s

Tim Koubek ‘89 has become chief operation officer (COO) of the merger of two marketing companies. Skyword, a content-marketing platform and services provider, recently merged with Washington, D.C.-based TrackMaven, a marketing-insights company. Koubek continues as TrackMaven’s president, and as COO of the merged organizations will be responsible for all go-to-market functions of the business.

Elisa Tinti ‘89 has been appointed city clerk and registrar for Kingston, New York. She previously worked as an adult career counselor for Ulster BOCES for the past 10 years. In addition, she was the Sixth Ward alderperson from 2012 to 2015.

In memoriam

Taylor Farnsworth ’18
Jeremy VanNostrand G‘10
Jared Adams ‘08
Helen Burns Alex ‘52
Rt. Reverend Stanley Bilinski, Jr., ‘85
Jacqueline Sweeney Swatt ‘53