Class Notes
Places Everyone!
Michael Gardiner
Actor, writer and co-managing director of the Black Box Rep Company Michael Gardiner, BA’16 (Flor), had a role in Eric Bogosian’s recent play “1 + 1” in an intimate workshop that ran November 4–December 5, 2021, at the Black Box Performing Arts Center in Englewood, N.J. Gardiner has a long list of credits with the company including Hamlet, Iago in “Othello,” Macbeth, George in “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?,” Higgins in “Pygmalion” and RP McMurphy in “One Flew Over the Cookoo’s Nest,” among others. He has acted off-off Broadway and regionally. He has also directed several productions at Black Box, including Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet,” “Twelfth Night,” “The Tempest” and “As You Like It.”
Running the Show
Brant Sennett
Brant Sennett, BA’18 (Flor), worked as an assistant stage manager for “Chicken & Biscuits,” a Broadway comedy that played at the Circle in the Square Theatre. His duty was to support the production stage manager and to ensure that every sound, light and cue ran smoothly. This was his first Broadway gig, and he worked with Broadway veterans. Sennett also cowrote an original play with Jordan Rubio, BA’19 (Flor), “POST LIKE SHARE.”
A Beloved Character
Jenna Cormey
In “Friends! The Musical Parody,” a stage show touring North America, actress and singer Jenna Cormey, BA’16 (Flor), plays lovably offbeat musician and masseuse Phoebe Buffay. “I’m so happy to be playing Phoebe, especially in these particular times. She came out of a life of trauma to radiate positivity and hope,” Cormey told The Patriot Ledger of Plymouth, Mass.
1960s
1961
Alan Priggé, BA (Ruth), writes that in his junior year, he was renting a room on Ridge Road, across the street from the Sammartinos. A member of the Student Council, Priggé received a phone call one night from Dr. Sammartino asking for a favor. One of his dinner guests needed a ride back to Manhattan, since her limo driver failed to show up. He agreed. The dinner guest turned out to be former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, then a representative to the United Nations. He remembers Mrs. Roosevelt as charming and delightful and writes that when they walked out to his red, convertible MG sportscar, he offered to put the top up. But Mrs. Roosevelt said: “Oh no dear boy, this looks like fun!” They drove to her townhouse in the East 60s of Manhattan. She invited him in for tea and cookies, and he says they talked about everything from John F. Kennedy to her favorite singer Frank Sinatra.
1967
Judith DelGrande McGarry, wife of Everett “Red” McGarry, BS (Ruth), who died on November 5, 2021, writes that their family would appreciate donations in his name to the FDU Adopt-a-Player program, which they have supported for many years. The McGarrys championed multiple players through the program.Visit support.fdu.edu/giving/knightsathletics and select “Baseball (Diamond Club)” from the pull-down menu. Or, checks can be made out to Fairleigh Dickinson University with Diamond Club in the memo line. Mail to the University’s Office of Annual Giving, 1000 River Road, H-DH3-12, Teaneck, NJ 07666. Red McGarry was a member of the Knights baseball team from 1965 to 1967 and earned a spot on FDU baseball’s 1960s All-Decade team. A 2020 recipient of the Dennis O’Brien Alumni Service award, he advocated for the program long after graduation. See “Remembering Red McGarry.”
1968
Mark Meyer, BA (Metro), recipient of an honorary doctor of humane letters in 2011, has been named chair of the New York City Bar Association’s Council on International Affairs, which coordinates the activities of the 16 association committees addressing international affairs.
1970s
1973
A portion of Grayson Place in Teaneck, N.J., was renamed Paul S. Ostrow Boulevard, after Paul Ostrow, BS (Metro), former mayor and longtime resident of the town. He and his wife, Ricki, live on Grayson Place, and it is where they raised their children. A member of the Teaneck Municipal Council, Ostrow also served as deputy mayor. He has been working in the PR/marketing community affairs office of Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck since 2007.
1976
Richard Kosofsky, DMD (Metro), retired in October 2020 from his private dental practice after 44 years. In May 2021, he retired from teaching at the New York University College of Dentistry. Kosofsky was a faculty member for 20 years, a clinical assistant professor and assistant group practice director.
Vito Perillo, MBA (Ruth), was reelected to his second four-year term as mayor of Tinton Falls, N.J. Believed to be the nation’s oldest mayor at 97, he is a retired civilian purchasing officer for the U.S. Army. During his first term, Perillo reduced property taxes and managed $8 million in local road projects and $4 million in parkland expansion and improvements.
Glenn Rothenberg, BS (Flor), is a dentist with The Rothenberg Dental Group in Florham Park, N.J. He specializes in restorative dentistry, periodontics, endodontics, oral surgery and cosmetic dentistry.
1977
Maureen Conlan, BS (Metro), joined Elevar Therapeutics, Salt Lake City, Utah, as chief medical officer and a member of the executive leadership team. She oversees clinical development, data management and biostatistics, clinical operations, regulatory affairs, drug safety and pharmacovigilance, clinical pharmacology and medical-monitoring activities. She was previously senior vice president and head of oncology at Radius Health, Inc., Boston, Mass.
1978
Lawrence Gelber, BS (Metro), is president and managing partner at Richmond Allergy & Asthma Specialists in Richmond, Va. An allergist and immunologist, he is a member of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology; the American College of Asthma, Allergy and Immunology; and the American Medical Association. Gelber has received numerous awards including Richmond Magazine’s “Top Docs” for allergy and immunology for several years.
John “Jay” Jorgensen, BS (Metro), spoke about the “Top 10 Turning Points of the War” at the Brunswick Civil War Round Table in November 2021. A New Jersey Superior Court judge, he also is an award-winning author and expert on the Civil War, and editor and coauthor of Top Ten at Gettysburg.
1980s
1981
Marla Gold, BS (Metro), has been appointed senior vice provost for community health and chief wellness officer at Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pa. She was previously the university’s vice provost for community health. Gold will advise Drexel’s president and its executive council on community health and wellness, disease management, critical public-health issues, health equity, safety and emergency preparedness.
Nine years ago, Scott Russell, EdD (Metro), had to give up his career due to a diagnosis of early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. Russell contacted his local Alzheimer’s Society, which recognized his lasting literacy abilities and asked him to volunteer as a motivational speaker. He teaches children at local schools about the disease and how to interact with people they know who have Alzheimer’s. He has received numerous recognitions for his volunteerism.
1982
Anthony Caniglia, BS (Metro), discussed “Salary Negotiations” in a presentation sponsored by the Professional Development Program of FDU’s Silberman College of Business. He is the associate director, accounting/ finance, at Clark Davis Associates, Parsippany, N.J.
Gary McEldowney, BS (Ruth), joined United Roosevelt Savings Bank (URSB) in Carteret, N.J., as senior vice president — lending. He has more than 35 years’ experience in the banking sector, specifically in the areas of real estate-related loan originations, underwriting, servicing, commercial and residential development and credit management.
Mike Sperduto, MBA (Ruth), received the 2021 Mackie Award for his service to Immaculata High School in Somerville, N.J. Since retiring from Engelhard Corp., Iselin, N.J., in 2006 after 23 years of service, he has volunteered and extended financial support to many of Immaculata’s programs and initiatives.
1983
Elizabeth Ramsey Clark, BA (Metro), a student-education teacher at Rawlings Elementary Center for Fine Arts in Gainsville, Fla., has been named communications chair for the Florida Council for Exceptional Children (FCEC). She also serves as president of the FCEC Gatorland Chapter #1024.
1984
Yusuf Ugras, MBA (Metro), was appointed interim dean of the School of Business at La Salle University, Philadelphia, Pa. The associate professor of accounting joined the university in 1987.
1985
Maria Underwood, BA (Ruth), is a bilingual senior educational consultant and director of equity, diversity and inclusion (DEI) for Teaching Matters, a national professional learning organization in New York City dedicated to increasing teacher effectiveness. She focuses on DEI issues within the organization and also serves school districts including the New York City Board of Education and the Newark (N.J.) School District. Underwood is also the primary designer of Elevating Voices, a supplemental literacy program that amplifies the lived experiences of children of color. The program goes beyond the technical aspects of reading and writing instruction through the study of text by authors of color. It enables teachers and students in grades K–12 to engage about race and social justice while developing literacy skills as well as critical consciousness and empathy.
1986
Don Balfour, MBA (Flor), is a former state senator (Senate District 9) of Snellville, Ga., and chair of the Rules Committee. The longest-serving Republican in the State Senate, he chaired the Reappointment and Redistricting Committee and served on the Appropriations, Health and Human Services and Banking and Financial Institutions committees. Balfour retired after 24 years in the senate and is now a soccer referee for the Georgia High School Association.
Marlene Caride, BA (Metro), Department of Banking and Insurance commissioner since 2018, has been named to the Wealth Disparity Task Force by New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy. The task force will advise the Murphy administration on strategies to address the various causes and effects of wealth disparity in New Jersey. She is the first Hispanic woman to head the Department of Banking and Insurance.
Richard Champagne, DMD (Metro), has had a private dental practice, Champagne Smiles, Morganville, N.J., since 1987. He received the title of Master in the Academy of General Dentistry and received an associate fellowship in the American Academy of Implant Dentistry for his advanced dental-implant experience. He was granted two patents for dental devices.
1989
Mark Skesavage, MBA (Flor), was elected to the board of trustees of Monmouth University, West Long Branch, N.J., for a four-year term. He is CEO of JMS Plastics Supply, Inc., a national distributor of orthopedic and prosthetic materials in Neptune, N.J. He previously served as treasurer of Americas for Lucas Industries, Inc., in Reston, Va., and Buffalo, N.Y.
1990s
1992
Christina Van Woert, MAT (Metro), superintendent of the Chester (N.J.) School District, was chosen as the 2021 Morris County Superintendent of the Year by the Morris County Association of School Administrators. She has worked in education for more than 31 years. Her district “is widely regarded as a leader in educational technology; and one of the few public schools with a dedicated K–8 STEM program.”
1993
Alice Wendel Funk, MA (Flor), joined the TriCounty Area Chamber of Commerce, Pottstown, Pa., as programs and member-engagement director. She will plan, manage and facilitate awards dinners, training and leadership programs, networking events and ribbon-cutting ceremonies. She has owned a scrapbooking business for 22 years.
Catalina Murillo, BA, MA’99 (Flor), joined AM LLC, Leesburg, Va., as chief human resources officer. She was previously senior VP, global human resources, with Maximus, Inc., Reston, Va.
1994
Richard Cohen, BA, MA’96 (Flor), is the author of Forever Silenced, a cozy mystery and his debut novel, and the nonfiction The Love Drug: Marching to the Beat of Ecstasy. A psychotherapist, he has published extensively on MDMA (ecstasy). Cohen has been cited in journals including Explorations in Criminal Psychopathology, Progress in Neuropsychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry.
Bill McColl, MAT (Metro), is a newsletter contributor to Investopedia, a leading source of financial content. He has more than 25 years’ experience as a senior producer and writer for television, radio and digital media. He has helped launch more than 10 new radio and TV networks and shows.
1996
Sandy Bolton, MBA (Flor), joined FS Investments®, an alternative asset manager in Philadelphia, Pa., as chief integration officer and managing director. She leads the integration of acquisitions; collaborates on partnership opportunities, new-product creation and fund launches; and sponsors diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. Bolton was previously managing director and head of managed investments at Bank of America.
Frederic Buonocore, MBA (Metro), joined LSB Industries, Inc., Oklahoma City, Okla., as vice president of investor relations. He was previously senior vice president with The Equity Group. He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation.
1997
Charles Vannoy, BSN (Metro), was named vice president for patient-care services and chief nursing officer at The Valley Hospital in Ridgewood, N.J. He joined the hospital as a staff nurse in 1997 and was previously assistant vice president of women’s, children’s and emergency services. He helped to introduce a patient- and family-centered care model and to launch the Getwell Network, a hospital-wide, interactive patient-educational system. More recently, he managed COVID-19 patient care and safety challenges and administered the vaccine. He is the recipient of the Organization of Nurse Leaders NJ Divisional Leader Award and is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives.
1999
Paul Donnelly, BS, MBA’11 (Flor), was named senior vice president of enterprise strategy at Curebase, San Francisco, Calif. He was previously director of strategic alliances and executive director at Datacubed Health, Brooklyn, N.Y.
2000s
2001
Michael Jarmolowich, MBA (Metro), joined PACE Loan Group, Minneapolis, Minn., a leading provider of commercial property assessed clean energy (C-PACE), as managing director. He has more than 20 years of experience in finance and was previously managing director at Stifel Financial Corp.
2002
Diana Niemierowski McElroy, BA (Flor), CEO/founder, Higher High LLC, Boonton, N.J., discussed “Cannabis: Today, Tomorrow and Yesterday,” for the FDU Alumni and Friends Webinar Series in July 2021.
The latest album by singer-songwriter Evan Toth, BA (Metro), “The Show,” debuted on November 12, 2021. The album includes 10 original compositions and features members of Billy Joel’s 1970s band. Toth produced, sang and did some of the musical accompaniment. Visit www.evantoth.com. He hosts “The Evan Toth Show: Weekend Edition” on WFDU, 89.1 FM.
2003
Chris Caponigro, MBA (Flor), was appointed global head of AXIS ILS and will oversee the company’s activities related to third-party capital. He has 30 years in the reinsurance industry.
Gino Pascarella, BS (Flor), co-owner of Pascarella Brothers Delicatessen, has closed the deli’s Morristown location. They are expanding the Chatham, N.J., location to include a private party area. The Italian-American establishment serves breakfast and lunch and specializes in gluten-free dishes.
Robert Warren, BS (Metro), head coach of the men’s and women’s golf teams at the Metropolitan Campus, was promoted to director of golf. It’s his 14th season at the helm of Knights golf. Warren is a four-time NEC Coach of the Year and has led the women’s team to eight NEC championships and the men’s team to seven top-three finishes.
2005
Joseph Jacobs, BA (Metro), a doctor of physical therapy, advanced clinical nutritionist and functional medicine practitioner and instructor, developed the Advanced Soft Tissue Release (ASTR) pain-treatment program, which treats pain at its source. He has received approval for eight patents. Jacobs’ experience as a two-time cancer survivor inspired him to help patients overcome disability and pain.
2006
Arkady Smolyansky, BS (Flor), senior vice president, advisory/transaction services, CBRE, N.Y.C.; and Sarah Hof, BS’19, MBA’20 (Flor), marketing coordinator, ONE Sotheby’s International Realty, Miami, Fla., did a virtual presentation on “High-end Real Estate Markets in New York City and Miami” in December 2021. The presentation was sponsored by FDU’s Silberman College of Business.
2007
Adalberto Fleitas, MA (Metro), was appointed senior applications chemist at P2 Science, Inc., Woodbridge, Conn. He has extensive experience in cosmetics care and fragrances and was previously a senior cosmetics chemist at COSMAX USA, Ridgefield Park, N.J.
2008
Elisheba Haqq-Stevens, MFA (Flor), is the author of Mamaji, a memoir published by Serving House Books, South Orange, N.J., in 2020. A National Indie Excellence® Awards finalist, Mamaji is about a daughter longing to connect with her mother, whom she lost to cancer. In November 2021, Haqq-Stevens read an excerpt from her memoir and spoke at an online event sponsored by the Alison Storipan Fund and FDU. An adjunct faculty member at Rutgers University, she is also a registered nurse at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, New Brunswick, N.J.
Abhinav “Avi” Upreti, BS (Metro), joined Guggenheim Securities in New York City as managing director, where he will focus on advising payments, software, insurance, data and security companies on the sector. He was previously executive director in the FinTech Investment Banking Group of Moelis & Co., N.Y.C.
2010s
2010
Ryan Jones, MAS (Metro), former New York Giants scout, has joined the scouting staff of the Reese’s Senior Bowl team, one of the top college sporting events. He has 16 years of NFL experience as a scout for the Giants. Before joining the Giants, Jones was a graduate assistant coach at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, and coached defensive backs at the University of New Hampshire in Durham and College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass.
2011
Katlyn Chookagian, BS (Metro), a mixed-martial arts fighter who competes in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, posted a 16-4 record after winning her May 2021 match. Before turning pro, she was a two-division titleholder in the Cage Fury Fighting Championships, winning gold at 125 and 135 pounds.
Robert Ferragina, MAS (Metro), was appointed borough administrator of Atlantic Highlands, N.J. Previously, he served as vice director of community and economic development in Long Branch, N.J.
Keyana Jones, MA (Flor), a probation officer for the Superior Court of New Jersey in Newark, is the founder of HIKEOLUTION, a company that promotes the joys of walking through hiking adventures. She is a mindful hike leader with the Newark Center for Meditative Culture (NCMC). In November 2021, she co-led NCMC’s urban hike for beginners.
James Owen Weatherall, MFA (Flor), is professor of logic and philosophy of science at University of California, Irvine. He most recently coauthored The Misinformation Age: How False Beliefs Spread, published by Yale University Press in 2020.
2012
Zacharia Ahmed, BS, MSA’14 (Metro), joined the FDU Knights as assistant athletic director for academics and student-athlete support services. Previously, he was a graduate academic adviser at New York University and was an assistant director of Holy Family University’s academic advising center. As a student at FDU, Ahmed was a member of the Knights track and field team, a two-year team captain, a two-year Student-Athlete Advisory Committee representative and an eight-time Northeast Conference finalist in throwing events.
Pamela Harris, MFA (Flor), participated in the virtual author series, “Dive Into YA: It’s Not Just for Teens,” held in November 2021 at the Ocean County (N.J.) Library. Harris is the author of When You Look Like Us, published by Quill Tree Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
Richard O’Brien, MFA (Flor), is the author of Rejoice for the Dead, released in November 2021 by Between the Lines Publishing. The story follows a young infantry soldier who loses his father yet is forced to put off his mourning in favor of his service. O’Brien has written several fantasy and horror novels and a book of poetry. More about him can be seen at obrienwriter.com.
2013
Vincent Caruso, MAS (Metro), has been named city manager of Hackensack, N.J. He was previously municipal administrator of Lodi, N.J., where he served as police chief from 2003 to 2014. Caruso is an adjunct professor of criminal justice at Felician University, Rutherford, N.J.
Terrance Mulligan, BA, MAS’15 (Metro), was promoted to captain of the Sparta (N.J.) Police Department. He began his career with the department in 1997, and has been a patrol officer, a detective, a detective sergeant and a lieutenant.
2014
Freddie Bourne, BA (Flor), is a reporter for the McLean County News, Owensboro, Ky. He discovered his love for journalism during his college days. Bourne previously worked in higher education at the University of Southern Indiana, Evansville; was a special-education teacher in Henderson County, Ky.; and was a specialist in applied behavioral analysis.
Nicholas Ciresi, MBA (Flor), was named the head men’s basketball coach at Hartwick College, in Oneonta, N.Y. He was previously associate coach at his alma mater, Union College, Schenectady, N.Y.
Heather Lang-Cassera, MFA (Flor), is the author of Gathering Broken Light, published by Unsolicited Press. She is a poet, editor, literary critic, fiction writer and essayist. She served as the 2019–2021 Clark County, Nev., Poet Laureate and was named Las Vegas’ 2017 “Best Local Writer or Poet” by the readers of Nevada Public Radio’s Desert Companion. She is the world literature editor for FDU’s The Literary Review and was a founder and editor of Tolsun Books. She is a Nevada State College lecturer teaching college success and creative writing.
2015
Kayla Chirip, BA (Flor), made her Centenary Stage Company (CSC) debut as Louise Seger in the summer musical theater series’ production of “Always … Patsy Cline,” which was held at the Sitnik Theatre of the Lackland Performing Arts Center, Hackettstown, N.J. She is CSC’s theatre office manager.
Kenneth Jenks, MAS (Metro), was promoted to battalion chief of the Summit (N.J.) Fire Department. A volunteer firefighter in the department’s Hook and Ladder Co. #1 since 1997, he became a career firefighter in 2004. Along with other members of his crew, Jenks was recognized with the Chief’s Award for Meritorious Service in 2012, when he assisted a patient in cardiac arrest. He is an adjunct professor of fire science at New Jersey City University, Jersey City, N.J.; IFSAC (International Fire Service Accreditation Congress)/Pro-Board Level II fire instructor; and secretary for the Summit Firemen’s Relief Association.
2017
Jeffery McCarrick, BA, MAS’17 (Metro), was promoted to lieutenant in the Sparta (N.J.) Police Department. He began as a patrolman and as a certified accident reconstructionist. McCarrick moved to the detective bureau in 2013 and was promoted to detective sergeant. He is trained in certified arson investigation, crisis and hostage negotiations, crisis intervention, crime-scene investigation and interview and interrogation.
John Zimmerman, Jr., BA, MAS’17 (Metro), retired Kenilworth, N.J., chief of police, was elected to the Kenilworth Town Council in November 2021.
John Chalupa, BS (Metro), joined the University of Virginia’s College at Wise (UVA Wise) baseball team as pitching instructor. He will also assist in team recruitment. Prior to joining UVA Wise, he was a pitching coach at Lake Erie College in Painseville, Ohio. He also worked at the Kings Baseball Academy in Airmont, N.Y., and at Max Velocity Pitching in Haverstraw, N.Y.
Ernest Jubilee, BA (Metro), retired police chief of the Atlantic City (N.J.) Police Department, was honored for his outstanding efforts in the community at the Atlantic City Police Foundation Hero Luncheon held in December 2021. He joined the department in 1973 at age 19 as an undercover narcotics detective. Jubilee went on to various assignments — from uniform patrol in 1976 to the Atlantic City Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit as a homicide detective. He also was supervisor of narcotics and homicide units and served as the department’s public information officer. In 2010, he was promoted to chief of police and served in that role until his retirement in 2013.
Otto Vinicio “Vin” Montes, MS (Metro), is chief executive officer and cofounder of PROFIT, an online bank for minority business owners that does bookkeeping and accounting for free and provides members with a zero-percent interest revolving line of credit.
Reynaldo Pella, MSN (Metro), is a cardiovascular nurse practitioner at Mulkay Cardiology Consultants, Hackensack, N.J. He is emergency-certified by the New Jersey Board of Nursing and has more than 26 years of nursing experience, with a special interest in cardiology and emergency medicine.
Darius Stokes, MSA (Metro), joined the University of Richmond, Virginia, as video coordinator for its men’s basketball team. He was previously assistant coach of the FDU Knights men’s basketball team and was director of basketball operations.
2018
Alia Luria, MFA (Flor), has been signed by Something Or Other Publishing (SOOP). She released her first book, Compendium, under the Willowslip Press imprint in 2015. It marked the start of her series, The Artifacts of Lumin, which chronicles the story of a far-off world struggling after technological collapse. Compendium has won several awards, including Readers’ Favorite Silver Medal in Fantasy category and the National Indie Excellence Award in Fantasy. The Artifacts of Lumin was acquired by SOOP and will be re-released.
2019
James Hawkins, BA, MAS’21 (Metro), was appointed police chief of Little Egg Harbor (N.J.) Township Police Department. He began his career with the department in 1998 and has served as patrol sergeant, school resource officer, lieutenant in charge of the patrol and administrative divisions, and was a on the Ocean County Regional SWAT team. Hawkins was most recently captain of police operations.
Evan McDonald, BA, MA (Metro), was named the baseball coach at Ohio Christian University (OCU), Circleville, Ohio. He previously taught psychology at OCU and managed the Bridge Tutoring Center. At FDU, McDonald was a catcher for the Knights baseball team.
Caroline Pape, BA (Flor), joined Ithaca College in New York as assistant women’s lacrosse coach. She was previously assistant coach and defensive coordinator at FDU’s Florham Campus. As a player on the Devils women’s lacrosse team, Pape was named the MAC Freedom Offensive Player of the Year. She is the third person in program history to record more than 100 points in a season, with 53 goals and 50 assists. She broke the single-season record for most points in a game with 13 (eight goals and five assists) in 2019.
Azly Rahman, MFA (Flor) and an FDU creative writing faculty member, is the author of Grandma’s Gangsta Chicken Curry & Stories from My Hippie Sixties, his first book published with a major publisher, Penguin Random House. He was encouraged to write this memoir by the late Thomas Kennedy, a creative writing faculty member.
2020s
2020
Amanda Moroz, MSN (Metro), is among the first cohort of Hackensack Meridian Health’s Nurse Practitioner Residency Program, a one-year program designed to provide new nurse practitioners with clinical experience in outpatient primary care, specialty medical practices, psychiatry and urgent-care centers.
Lise Olsen, MFA (Flor), is the author of Code of Silence: Sexual Misconduct by Federal Judges, the Secret System that Protects Them, and the Women Who Blew the Whistle. “Olsen is tenacious in her pursuit of judicial wrongdoing,” says creative writing faculty member Donna Frietas. Olsen’s work has appeared in the Houston Chronicle, the Texas Observer and Inside Climate News, and in documentaries airing on CNN and A&E.
Anthony “AJ” Yurista, BA, MSM’21 (Flor), made his professional baseball debut with the New York Bulldozers, a member of the Frontier League, a professional independent baseball league. It is a partner league of Major League Baseball.
2021
Pamela Boskovski, BA (Metro), joined the Fair Lawn (N.J.) Police Department’s patrol division. She was previously a police officer with the Essex (N.J.) County College Police Department.
Tajaun Bush, BS (Flor), joined Master Plan Investment Group in Pennington, N.J., as paraplanner, where he will assist with financial planning, investment research, insurance and marketing. He holds a certification in financial markets from Yale University, New Haven, Conn.
Thomas Snyder, BA (Metro), was promoted to detective sergeant of the Sparta (N.J.) Police Department. He served in the Army as a military police officer and began his career with the department in 2007. Snyder was a patrol officer for 11 years and has received the MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) Award.
Stacey Williams, BA (Metro), was promoted to chief of police of the Roselle (N.J.) Police Department. A 28-year veteran of the department, he began his career as part of the safe-streets program. Williams also served as patrolman in the Roselle/ Linden Joint Patrol Unit for 19 years and as a detective in the narcotics division, then sergeant, lieutenant and captain.
Pen Names
 Code of Silence |
 Gathering |
 Rejoice for the Dead |
 Forever Silenced |
 Grandma’s Gangsta |
 The Misinformation |
In Memoriam
Elizabeth “Betty” Feeley, MS’80 (Flor), retired associate dean for student services, Maxwell Becton College of Arts and Sciences on the Florham Campus; retired chair of physical education; and a member of the 2004 Class of the Division III Hall of Fame, died August 6, 2021, at the age of 94.
She was a pioneer for women’s equality in sports well before Title IX existed, playing on the men’s tennis team at Panzer College of Physical Education (which later merged with Montclair State Teachers College) for a year, until the college president learned she was competing against men and not in a mixed-doubles event.
In 1964, Fairleigh Dickinson University hired her to start women’s varsity teams in tennis, field hockey and swimming, and as a physical education teacher in 1965. In 1968, she was promoted to instructor of liberal arts and gained tenure in 1973 as an assistant professor.
Feeley retired from coaching in the early 1980s to become the director of academic advising. Later that decade, she retired from teaching as an associate professor and served as director of the Madison Success program and director of academic advising. In 1993, she was promoted to associate dean for student services in Becton College, a position she held until her 2018 retirement at the age of 91.
Feeley is predeceased by her husband, Richard, who died in 2008. She is survived by her daughters: Collen Bauer and Claudia Feeley and her husband Brent Knudson; grandchildren Alex, and his wife Kim, and Alison Bauer; and great-grandchildren Andrew, Daniel, Katelyn and Olivia.
Richard Panicucci, BS’64, MBA’66 (Metro), professor emeritus of quantitative analysis and retired assistant provost for campus life, died on November 26, 2021, at age 78. He joined the University in 1966 and had a 45-year career at FDU, rising to the rank of full professor, serving as chairman of the accounting and quantitative analysis department and later the decision sciences department. He also became director of the Academic Advisement Center; NCAA faculty athletics representative; and associate dean for student services before becoming assistant provost for campus life. The recipient of multiple University awards, including the Distinguished Faculty Award for Teaching, he mentored and touched the lives of countless students, alumni, faculty and staff. He is survived by his wife, Carol; a brother, Ronald; his son, Richard, and his wife, Michele; a daughter, Lisa Johnson, and her partner, John Sciarra; and grandchildren John, Sarah, Ryan and Aaron.
John Bullough, retired professor of music, passed away in April 2021. He joined FDU in 1964 as assistant professor of music, serving for 22 years at FDU until his retirement in 1990. He was an accomplished singer, organist, composer and conductor. In 1969, he was appointed deputy of the fine arts department at the Florham Campus. He was predeceased by his wife, Dorothy, after 57 years of marriage. He is survived by his children: John Jr. and his wife, Barbara; Lynn Bullough Lazar and her husband, David; and Patricia Bullough; and granddaughters Morgan and Alexandra Lazar.
Gertrude “Trudy” Levine, retired professor of computer science, died on June 22, 2021, at the age of 84. Levine began her time at FDU with a fellowship in 1974. In 1976, she became a part-time faculty member in math and computer science on the Metropolitan Campus. She rose to assistant professor in 1980, associate professor in 1989 and full professor in 1995. Levine retired in 2017, after 43 years of service at FDU.
ALUMNI IN MEMORIAM
1950s
Robert Moderelli, BS’56 (Ruth)
Michael Francis “Frank” Feeley, BS’58 (Metro)
James Kenney, BS’58 (Metro)
Ernest Tarof, Jr., BS’58 (Ruth)
Joan Zimmerman Majtenyi, BS’59 (Metro)
Russell Murray, BS’59 (Ruth)
James Young, BS’59 (Ruth)
1960s
Kenneth Catandella, DMD’62 (Metro)
Robert Cieszynski, BS’63 (Ruth)
John “Jack” Coneys, BS’63 (Metro)
Joseph Frampton, BS’63 (Metro)
John Hipple, BS’63 (Metro)
Margaret Nostrame, BA’63 (Ruth)
Harold Wehner, BS’63 (Metro)
Philip Farbaniec, BS’64 (Metro)
Robert Hoffman, BS’66 (Ruth)
Genevieve Streichenewin LaRobardier, MAT’66 (Metro)
Ernani “Ernie” Vergano, MBA’66 (Metro)
William Hingston Jr., BA’67 (Flor)
Everett “Red” McGarry, BS’67 (Ruth)
Mary Davidson, BS’68 (Metro)
Arlene Dunn, BA’68 (Metro)
Paul Skurkiss, BS’68 (Ruth); MBA’89 (Flor)
1970s
Raymond Baehr, BS’70 (Metro)
David Brinley, BS’70 (Metro)
Frank DeMaio, Jr., BS’72 (Ruth)
Leo Heiden, MSEE’72 (Metro)
Dale Means, MBA’73 (Metro)
Leonard Montione, MBA’73 (Flor)
Michael Nealis, Jr., DMD’73 (Metro)
Edward Varney, MBA’73 (Metro)
Robert Anderson Jr., DMD’74 (Metro)
Jeffrey Feingold, DMD’75 (Metro)
Edward “Duke” Kafafian, BS’75 (Metro)
William Pitts, BS’75 (Ruth)
John Patterson, MBA’77 (Ruth)
Richard Tucci, BS’77 (Metro)
Jeffrey Baker, MBA’78 (Metro)
Nicholas Felice, BS’78 (Metro)
Elaine Rendall, MA’78 (Ruth)
William Balzereit, BS’79 (Metro)
Edward Kropinack, Jr., MA’79 (Metro)
Courtney Springmeyer, MBA’79 (Metro)
1980s
Kenneth Coutts, MA’80 (Metro)
Charligne Gaines Marinos, MBA’81 (Flor)
Daniel Bucci, BS’83 (Flor)
William Payton, BS’84 (Metro)
Michael “Pops” Sullivan, MBA’84 (Ruth)
John Sumislaski, Jr., MBA’86 (Metro)
Shirley Gills Scott, MBA’87 (Flor)
1990s
Gregory Frank, BS’91 (Metro)
Owen Dinneny, MBA’96 (Metro)
Frederick Steinkopf, BA’99 (Flor)
2000s
Lorraine Atherton Privitera, MA’04 (Flor)
John Slattery, MS’11 (Flor)
Alexis Rodriguez, BA’17 (Metro)