alumni profiles

alumni notes

Editor’s Note: The more than 125 alumni whose names follow are persons who returned coupons from the Fall 2001 issue and others with whom faculty have had communications. Alumni are identified by major (degree) and year of graduation. Broadcasting degrees are listed as TEL. Unless a major metropolitan area or otherwise noted, the cities are in Florida. E-mail addresses are published with the individual’s permission.

advertising

David Flagg, ADV 1959, recently became executive vice president of 3 Sigma Inc., an export financing company headquartered in Gainesville. He had spent 11 years as a lobbyist for Shands HealthCare.

Henry A. Rissier, ADV 1968, is president/CEO of BST PRO MARK in Wheaton, Ill.

Carla A. Tucker, ADV 1974, is a rural USPS mail carrier in Umatilla.

Matthew Bell, ADV 1975, is general sales manager of Beasley Broadcast Company (Station WPOW-FM, Power 96) in Aventura.

Debra Firtel-Cahn, ADV 1977, has returned to the work force at Pulitzer Promotions in Lafayette, Colo., after 15 years as a full-time mom. Her son Matthew is 15, and daughter Erica is 12.

Thomas Sheridan, ADV 1977, owns Sheridan’s Lodge, including a restaurant and pub in Newton, N.J.

Angela Buonocore, ADV 1978, is vice president for internal communications for the Pepsi Bottling Co. in Purchase, N.Y.

Harald Stone, ADV 1978, is vice president of HGK Asset Management Inc. in Tampa. He provides marketing and client services in the Southeast. His daughter, Natalie, will graduate at UF in May, and his son, Michael, is studying to be a music technician.

Kenneth W. Mobley, ADV 1981, is an automotive sales rep for The Tampa Tribune.

Phil Kessler, ADV 1982, is ad sales manager for Texas for the CFO Magazine/The Economist Publishing Group in Irving, Texas.

Jill Ippolito Betz, ADV 1984, is vice president for marketing/sales and owner of Duck Tours of Tampa Bay.

Olmayra Mosher-Van Putten, ADV 1984, is president of MVP Advertising Inc. and vice president of marketing and sales at Sales Training Consultants in Miami Lakes.

Michael Dahmer, ADV 1985, manages the real estate expansion for several national retail accounts in Georgia, including Mail Boxes Etc., Willy’s and Great Clips. He also oversees leasing for Underground Atlanta. He is married, with two future Florida Gator girls—Addison and Reid.

Michael Bruccoliere, ADV 1992, is print media manager for The Newspaper Network Inc. in Greenville, S.C.

Teresa Kostick Nyros, ADV 1994, is a freelance copywriter for Atlanta ad agencies and marketing companies.

Erik Egle, ADV 1995, is event marketing manager for Hawaiian Tropic Suncare. He oversees production and post-production of nationally syndicated telecasts for Miss Hawaiian Tropic International Pageant System.

Amy Engler, ADV 1998, is an electronic advertising designer for the Naples Daily News and the 2001 recipient of the FNAME (Florida Newspaper Advertising/Marketing Executives) Silver Award for excellence in automotive/boating design.

Brian Larsen, ADV 1999, is director of business development for Recourse Communications Inc. (RCI) in Jupiter. They are business partners with Forbes magazine, USA TODAY, Investor’s Business Daily and U.S. News & World Report. He manages and publishes an advertising section in Forbes called “Employment Review.”

Hilary Quirk Van Winkle, ADV 1999, and her husband have moved from Gainesville to the Washington, D.C. area where she is now territory manager for Preferred Nurses, a nurse placement firm. He is in the physician assistant program at Howard University. She worked for Naylor Publications previously.

Lara Mann, ADV 2001, is a copywriter for Fry Hammond Barr advertising agency in Orlando.

journalism

Norman J. Pinardi, JM 1958, is vice chairman of First Bradenton Bank, after retiring as president and CEO.

Michael W. Delaney, JM 1962, was recently promoted to director of media relations for Constellation Energy Group in Baltimore, the nation’s fifth largest merchant energy company in North America. The holding company owns Baltimore Gas and Electric Company. Delaney has managed institutional and corporate public relations for the past 30 years.

Bob Menaker, JM 1967, is the new editor of the Atlanta Jewish Times. He has been social policy editor of the Congressional Quarterly.

Charles Trentelman, JM 1971, is a staff columnist and news reporter for the Standard-Examiner in Ogden, Utah. He received three awards recently—a first place award (for general interest column) from the National Society of Newspaper Columnists; first place for best column from the Utah-Idaho-Spokane AP Press Association; and first place from the Utah Press Association.

Nada Jill Butler, JM 1974, is principal member of the technical staff at Northrop Grumman Corp., TASC, in Chantilly, Va.

Patty Morris Chambers, JM 1978, is public relations manager for Healthlink in Houston.

Renita Coleman, JM 1979, is an assistant professor in the School of Mass Communication at Louisiana State University. She earned a Ph.D. degree at the University of Missouri in 2001.

Amy Genet, JM 1980, is an attorney ad item for infants and children in foster care for Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County.

Larry Luxner, JM 1983, has launched an international stock photography website at www.luxner.com with over 12,000 images of Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, Europe and the Middle East.

Pete Muckley, JM 1984, is creative director for INVESCO Funds in Denver. He and his wife, Sue, have two sons—Jason, 17, and Daniel, 14.

Deborah Schmidt Bennick, JM 1986, is a night news editor at the Mobile Register, where she has worked since 1994. She and her husband, Brendan, have two sons—Brice, 3, and Joe, six months.

Bill Schreiber, JM 1986, is a partner in iQ Media Group Ltd. (formerly The Production Group) which focuses on development of new media products for CD, DVD and the Web in Fort Myers.

John Lester, JM 1988, is director of public relations at Columbus (Ga.) State University. He and his wife have a daughter who is 2.

Rob Marino, JM 1988, is completing his master’s in sports communication in the College and teaching two labs in Writing for Mass Communication.

Tony Katsulos, JM 1989, is senior vice president and a partner at Fleishman Hillard Inc., an international public relations firm in Dallas. He and his wife, Teresa Rodriguez Katsulos, JM 1989, have two children—Maria, 3; and newborn Theo.

Mike Dame, JM 1990, is executive producer for Orlando Sentinel Communications’ three Web sites—OrlandoSentinel.com (a bilingual site serving the Hispanic community) and Go2orlando.com (a travel destination site). In 2001 the first web site was judged one of the top three finalists in the Best News Site category of the NAA’s Digital Edge Awards. He is pursuing an MBA at Rollins College.

Kellie L. Anderson-Picallo, JM 1991, is on a career sabbatical to take care of her two children. She and her husband have moved from Atlanta to New York City.

Wendi Sherman, JM 1991, is senior vice president/management supervisor at Cline, Davis & Mann Inc., a healthcare advertising/communications agency in New York City.

Hollie S. Allender, JM 1992, is managing editor MOON Magazine in Gainesville, a position she has held since May 2001. Her husband, Mark, is also a UF graduate.

Susan Taslimi Pompiean, JM 1992, and her husband, Joe, have a second child, Auden Augustus, born Aug. 1, 2001. She is director of publications and public relations for Pine Crest Preparatory School in Fort Lauderdale.

Florida Bridgewater-Alford, JM 1993, has been named community relations coordinator in the UF Office of Public Relations. She worked for The Gainesville Sun for 6 1/2 years.

Kelly Layman, JM 1993, has moved her public relations, strategic marketing and special events firm, In Layman’s Terms Inc., to Palm Beach County. She spent the last eight years in Tallahassee, where she was an editor at the Tallahassee Democrat, legislative liaison at the Florida Supreme Court and a lobbyist.

Teree N. Caruthers, JM 1995, has joined Journal Communications Inc. in Franklin, Tenn., as editor for community magazines. The company publishes more than 90 custom magazines for chambers of commerce, travel associations and corporations in 19 states. She was previously assistant editor at Parenthood.com and assistant features editor for the Southern Progress Corp, publishers of Southern Living magazine. She holds a master’s degree in communications from the University of Tennessee.

Arthur F. Tait III, JM 1995, is an attorney with a criminal defense practice in San Diego. He and a colleague won a major consolidated criminal case against the City of San Diego and Lockheed Martin relating to the Red Light Camera program. The program was aimed at drivers who ran red lights. Their litigation, calling the practice an invasion of privacy, resulted in closure of the illegal program. It was featured on NPR’s “Talk of the Nation” and NBC’s “Today” programs.

Kristi Caravella, JM 1997, is adjunct professor of speech communication at Barry University and Broward Community College.

Courtney Harris, JM 2001, has accepted a position as photographer with Sport the Library, a sport photo agency, in Australia (as a result of her work at the Sydney Olympics).

public relations

Jeff Davis, PR 1975, is a certified financial planner and president of Falcon Financial Management Inc. in Gainesville. He was recently featured in The Gainesville Sun with a story titled “Jeff’s Ark: Jeff Davis likes to see his clients regularly and they must be willing to stick around for awhile.” His wife, Donna Zimmerman Davis, PR 1980, is an adjunct lecturer in the College.

Bob Warren, PR 1976, works for Agri-Technologies in Valdosta, Ga., as an agriculture consultant, advising growers from Florida to Virginia.

Katrina “Tina” Rose-Freeman, PR 1977, is an adjunct professor of communications at Missouri Southern State College in Joplin. She earned a master’s degree in communications from Southwest Missouri State in 2001. She and her husband, Eric, have two sons, ages 11 and 6. She said, “I never thought I’d be living in the Ozarks, but I love it.”

Amy Monday McNabb, PR 1978, is director of donor communications at the University of North Texas in Denton. She and her husband, Steve, have three children—Stephanie, 16; Matthew, 11; and Andrew, 9.

Tom Heineken, PR 1979, is a colonel in the U.S. Army, serving in the Middle East since September.

J. Michael Lenninger, PR 1979, is advertising sales manager for St. Augustine Catholic Magazine in Jacksonville.

Kenet Adamson, PR 1980, has become a full-time instructor of English and humanities at Asheville (N.C.) Buncombe Technology College.

Brian M. Clark, PR 1981, has joined Bodine Inc., the largest Steelcase dealer in Alabama after 12 years with the corporation. He is the father of two future Gators—Augusta, 10, and Chase, 7.

Lauri-Ellen Smith, PR 1981, has been promoted to the position of corporate public affairs officer for Jacksonville-based Brooks Health System, the nation’s largest not for profit rehabilitation provider. She also owns a consulting firm, Winning Strategies, specializing in issues and relationship management consulting and political campaigns.

Patricia Thorp, PR 1982, is president and founder of Miami-based Thorp & Co., a 25-member strategic public relations firm of 25 professionals. She was featured in PRWEEK magazine.

Carole Coverston Savage, PR 1985, owns The Write Results in Ocala and was named the Florida Public Relations Association’s “member of the year” in 2000.

Kris Boserup Jutz, PR 1986, is a marketing assistant at United Methodist Family Services in Richmond, Va. She coordinates a televised adoption program called “A Child Waiting.” The program airs weekly on WRIC-TV, the ABC affiliate, and features children who are waiting to be adopted. The program received national recognition in 2000 when U.S. Rep. Tom Bliley nominated the program as an angel in the “Angels in Adoption Campaign.” The award was presented by the Congressional Coalition on Adoption at a ceremony in Washington, D.C.

Tim Feeley, PR 1988, is information technologies manager for PGA Golf Properties in Port St. Lucie.

Alyssa Ziegler Apple, PR 1990, works in media relations for ABC News, with responsibility for 20/20, Primetime Thursday and Barbara Walters Specials. She and her husband, Gary, WCBS-TV sports anchor, have a daughter, Dani Ivy, born May 3, 2001.

Karlie Stanton, PR 1991, is news editor for Business Wire Atlanta, a news wire distribution service in Alpharetta.

Laura B. Lazarus, PR 1992, is associate marketing director for ROSIE magazine. Previously she was senior promotion manager at more magazine.

Jason S. Lobo, PR 1993, has left his post as an account supervisor at Ketchum Communications to become media relations manager, financial communications, at Fannie Mae in Washington, D.C.

Mike Muschinsky, PR 1993, is Florida regional manager for Hanson Medical Systems Inc. in Winter Park.

Allison Bass, PR 1996, is director of public relations for Bloomingdale’s Miami store. She is recently engaged to Steve Waserstein, also a UF grad.

Jeff Washburn, PR 1996, is general manager of College Square Mall in Knoxville. He earned the Certified Shopping Center Manager (CSM) designation last fall.

Tom Wiggins, PR 1996, works for Miami-based X-ray Equipment Co. in Gainesville. The firm sells the Con Pass body scanning device.

Alison Leigh Reilly, PR 1997, is program director for Hillel at Arizona State University in Tempe.

Rosa Herrera, PR 1998, is a senior account executive at Fleishman Hillard in Washington, D.C.

Shawna Seldon, PR 1998, was recently named director of media relations at The Rosen Group in New York City. The firm specializes in magazines and publishing. Her most recent project involved the launch of Organic Style magazine. She has also managed programs including People’s local market tour for the “100 Most Eligible Bachelors” issue and a 10-city media tour for Cooking Light’s Trends for 2000.

Lacey Southerland, PR 1999, is account manager for DRK Advertising and Marketing in Boston.

Chad Darwin, PR 2000, is research manager at Hill and Knowlton Inc. in Los Angeles and the new president of the Young Professionals PRSA chapter there.

Meisha Werley, PR 2000, is event materials coordinator at Software Quality Engineering in Orange Park.

Erin Biada, PR 2001, is completing her master’s in management at UF this spring.

Tisha Christie, PR 2001, is public relations and volunteer coordinator for the Ruth Cooper Center for Behavioral Health Care in Fort Myers.

Christine Polito, PR 2001, is public relations associate for Priority Marketing in Fort Myers.

Karlie Stanton, PR 2001, is news editor for Business Wire, a news wire distribution service in Atlanta.

telecommunication

Jon Walker, TEL 1980, is online editor for Pastors.com, a website designed to mentor pastors worldwide, with about 185,000 regular readers. He also freelances for Christian magazines and is writing two books -- a mystery novel and a non-fiction book on fatherhood. He and his wife, Sherry, have two sons--Christopher, 6, and Nathan, 16 months.

Donald E. Mariutto, TEL 1983, is manager of multimedia operations for the South Florida Sun-Sentinel in Plantation.

Wm. James “Jimmy” Cromwell, TEL 1984, is general sales manager for WBMA+ (ABC 33/40), the Albritton-owned ABC affiliate in Birmingham.

Virginia Buchanan, TEL 1985, is a partner in the Levin & Papantonio law firm and head of the malpractice department. She and her husband, Sam, a physician, have two children—Sam, 6, and Emma, 2—and live in Mary Esther.

Pam Kassner, TEL 1985, is senior director of marketing and communications at the Milwaukee Art Museum. She wrote, “The Museum’s recently completed Santiago Calatrava-designed addition has been called ‘Winged Victory’ by architectural critics at The Washington Post and The Chicago Tribune. Little did Pam know that her ‘A’ in UF’s ‘Museum Without Walls’ class would matter someday.” When she is not spending time trying to pronounce artists’ names correctly, she enjoys ski and bike racing with her husband, Bill.

Kevin Daniels, TEL 1986, is the assistant news director at FOX8 WGHP-TV in Greensboro, N.C. He and his wife have two children—Chase, 5, and Maddy, 2.

Patricia Slavik Wilhelm, TEL 1986, is public relations director for the Jacksonville Tomcats, an arena football franchise. Earlier she was a producer/reporter at WCJB-TV in Gainesville and director of advertising and public relations for Church Street Station in Orlando. She and her husband, Chris, a real estate developer have two children, Bronte, 7, and Colden, 5.

Ryan Banfill, TEL 1987, and Claire Sand, TEL 1988, live in Tallahassee where Ryan is communications director for the Florida Democratic Party and she is a full-time mother. They have two children—Grant, 7, and Julia, 3—and a third expected in April. Earlier he was press secretary to Gov. Lawton Chiles and she was host for the local edition of NPR’s “Morning Edition.”

Jill Barrett Bittner, TEL 1987, is executive director for Ronald McDonald House Charities in Columbus, Ohio.

Jason A. Showen, TEL 1987, practices family and criminal law with the firm of Rittgers & Rittgers in Lebanon, Ohio. He graduated from the University of Denver Law School in 1999.

Kelly McGee Erickson, TEL 1988, writes that she is “no longer a high-powered business woman. I have opted to be a full-time mom to daughters Kimberly, 5; Abby, 1, and a third child expected this spring. She and her husband, Doug, a pilot for Delta Air Lines, live in Trinity (Fla.).

Ed Scales, TEL 1988, was elected a city commissioner in Key West in October. He heads his own law firm and hosts “The Ed Scales Show” on Sundays on 104.1 US-1 Radio.

Keith Aaron, TEL 1989, is vice president of a mortgage company in Cincinnati. He and his wife have a son, Blake, who is 1.

Leigh Davidson Seaman, TEL 1989, is supervising producer at Ross Television, where she produced the series Trading Spaces for TLC and a new HGTV/DIY Network series called Warehouse Warriors. She lives with her husband, Matt, and their son, TJ, in Knoxville.

James Russell Dishman, TEL 1990, is an entertainment producer for live shows for Paramount Parks Inc., which owns theme parks such as Kings Island (Cincinnati) and Kings Dominion (Richmond, Va.). He’s also the executive producer of the annual Halloween event in all of the parks. He and his wife, Lisa, have a son, Ethan, who is 17 months old.

Kevin Micklo, TEL 1990, is associate media director at Cramer-Krasselt Advertising in Chicago. He and his wife have two children—Maggie, 3; and Emmett, three months.

Maureen “Mo Kelly” Donaghy, TEL 1991, is director of Alliance Implementations for tradeCard, a New York-based software ASP providing financial supply chain systems for international trading companies.

Chuck Johnson, TEL 1991, was recently promoted to Tampa/Hillsborough bureau chief for Bay news 9, AOL/Time Warner’s 24-hour newschannel, serving eight Bay area counties. He lives in Tampa.

Alura Condo Gambino, TEL 1992, is an account manager with BlueArc Corp., a new Silicon Valleycmpany selling NAS hardware. She lives in San Francisco.

Raemarie Kauder, TEL 1994, is a licensor account executive for Action Performance Companies Inc., a Concord, N.C., company that markets and distributes licensed motorsports related apparel, souvenirs, diecast replica collectibles and other memorabilia.

Brett Opdyke, TEL 1995, is production manager for Fox Sports Net Florida in Sunrise.

John A. Sulser, TEL 1995, is a freelance producer, videographer, writer, fixer and graphics coordinator with Prometheus Productions in Coral Springs.

Michelle Boudin, TEL 1996, is a reporter for WLOS in Asheville, N.C. She also won a regional Edward R. Murrow Award for her work.

Rich Preuss, TEL 1996, is a freelance creative services manager for the “Hollywood Fute” while starting a career as a model for children’s undergarments.

Marilyn Schunk Truong, TEL 1996, is an online sales planner/international sales rep at NATIONALGEOGRAPHIC.COM. She completed her master’s degree at Emerson College in 1998 and was married to David Truong in June 2000. They live in Annandale, Va.

Ashley Armitage, TEL 1997, worked in post-production on the Britney Spears movie, Crossroads, released this spring. She is now working on a screenplay in Los Angeles.

Rachel Ruff Bayus, TEL 1997, has relocated to Washington, D.C., where she recently graduated with honors as a pastry chef from L’Academie de Cuisine. She recently starred on a HGTV segment called “Going Home” which will air this spring. She is featured making a 50th anniversary wedding cake. She spent four years as a food/health reporter/producer at CNN in Atlanta.

Damien Rodriguez, TEL 1997, is a reporter for WFOR-TV, the CBS affiliate in Miami.

Stacy Rosenberg, TEL 1997, is the new program coordinator for New York University’s School of Continuing and Professional Education in the marketing and management division.

Marlee Ginter, TEL 1999, is a weekday reporter for WSPA-TV in Greenville-Spartanburg, S.C.

Jamie Rowand, TEL 1999, is a network supervisor for Turner South (a niche network with a Southern flair started last year) and Turner Classic Movies in Atlanta.

John Spano, TEL 2000, is network manager for BellSouth Telecommunications in Fort Lauderdale. He was “Spano” on Rock 104 in his College days and worked on-air for active rock WZTA in Miami.

Ana Beatriz Diaz, TEL 2001, is a research analyst with the Univision Network programming research department in Miami.

Cherie Marcus, TEL 2001, is a production coordinator for a freelance production company in New York City that does mostly VH1/MTV, A&E and History Channel productions.

Amy Wellman, TEL 2001, is an educational services representative for Charlotte Area Health Care Education, part of the Carolinas Healthcare System.

master’s

Bob Tarren, MA 1975, is president of TarrenMarketing Inc. (“marketing and promotion strategies that work”) in Midlothian, Va.

Mary Ann Baker DeMuth, PR 1974, MA 1979, continues as a freelance writer/editor, specializing in annual reports, in the Atlanta area. She and her husband, Dameon, have two children.

Judy DeRango Wicks, MA 1984, is vice president for media strategy at CheckFree in Norcross, Ga. She was recently married.

Maria Wainer-Jaffe, MA 1986, is Hillel director at Purdue University, where she teaches a graduate course in “Student Organiztion Administration.”

Dr. Patrick J. Sutherland, MA 1989, is associate professor of communication and general manager of WVBC-FM at Bethany College, W.Va.

Joseph Schramm, MA 1990, has been named account manager for the Spanish edition at SNOMED International, a division of the College of American Pathologists (CAP) in Northfield, Ill. He spent the last eight years at CAP, a not-for-profit medical society, as publications manager in the division of member services.

Jackie Erney, PR 1972, MA 1995, is an assistant professor at Georgia Southern University in Statesboro. She took a three-week jaunt to England and Scotland last summer.

Andy Windham, ADV 1993, MA 1995, is vice president for marketing and development at the Walker & Associates advertising agency in Memphis.

Jeff Jacobs, JM 1993, MA/JD 1997, is an associate with the law firm of White & Case in their Miami office.

Christine Janowsky Gajda, PR 1997, MA 1999, and Mark Gajda, JM 1996, MA 1999, have returned to Gainesville after two years in Winter Park. Christine is the director of external affairs for Planned Parenthood of North Central Florida, and Mark is student ticket office supervisor for the UF Athletic Association. ppncfpa@mindspring.com and

Brad Love, MA 2001, works for Paris for The Wall Street Journal’s newswire.

Kate Lynn, MA 2001, works for Hill and Knowlton Public Relations in New York City.

Diane Karol Nagy, MA 2001, is an adjunct lecturer in the Dial Center for Written and Oral Communication at the University of Florida. She presented a paper on “The Framing of the Medicare Prescription Drug Issue During Campaign 2000” at the Florida Communication Association conference in Fort Lauderdale last November.

ph.d.

Patricia Darlington, MA 1988, PhD 1993, is an associate professor at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton.

Charles N. Davis, PhD 1995, is the author of a column, “How to Find out What Uncle Sam Knows About You,” which appeared in the “Bottom Line” newsletter. He is an assistant professor and executive director of the Freedom of Information Center at the University of Missouri-Columbia.

Martin Halstuk, MA 1997, PhD 1999, teaches media law at Penn State University.