Alumni notes
Advertising
1950s
Richard S. “Dick” Westbury, ADV 1958, worked for Northeast Florida Educational Consortium until May, when he retired for the second time. He sold his ad agency, Webb-Westbury, in 1998.
1960s
Robert C. Vail, ADV 1960, retired from the U.S. Navy with the rank of commander in 1980. He was economic developer for Marlboro County, S.C., until his retirement in 2004.
Bernard Metzger, ADV 1967, retired in 2004. He worked in advertising for the Courier-Herald in Washington, the Record Searchlight in California, Washington State University and Newhouse Newspapers in Michigan. He lives in Vancouver, Wash.
1970s
Stanford Blake, ADV 1970, is chairman of the Florida Conference of Circuit Judges for the 2005-2006 term. He has been a circuit judge in the criminal division for Miami-Dade County since 1995. He is the county’s administrative judge and oversees 24 criminal divisions.
Lauren Genkinger, ADV 1971, is owner and CEO of TG Madison Advertising in Atlanta.
John Mallow, ADV 1972, owns a business of promotional advertising products specializing in the marine industry and resorts.
Enrique J. Pérez, ADV 1972, is marketing director of Linda International Publishing. It publishes Casa & Estilo Internacional, a Spanish-language home design and upscale lifestyle magazine.
Carla Tucker Frey, ADV 1974, has been a rural carrier for the U.S. Postal Service in Umatilla. She has worked for USPS for 10 years. Also, she and her father own Stained Reputation, which does residential and commercial stained glass. She does the pattern design and consultation, and designs and paints custom wallpaper, faux wall finishes and faux furniture.
Andrew F. Caldwell Jr., ADV 1975, is director of sales and marketing for Ocala magazine. He previously worked in advertising management with The New York Times Regional Newspaper Group for 23 years.
Sarat Dayal, ADV 1975, is president of Dayal & Associates, an ad agency, and president of Aunt D’s Child Care Centers, a growing chain of preschools. He and wife Mohini have a 13-year-old daughter, Anita. They live in a Fort Lauderdale suburb.
Merilyn Mehornay Schenck, ADV 1975, is owner of MS Organizing.
Linda Kay Johnson, ADV 1976, has been in sales for Century 21 Mountain Lifestyles since 1985. She also collects and sells vintage bridal dresses and collectibles on her Web site.
Stacy Joel Safion, ADV 1977, is an attorney specializing in consumers’ rights and business litigation. His law practice is in Laguna Niguel, Calif.
Stuart Shlossman, ADV 1978, is senior vice president of client service for Madison Road Entertainment.
Lori L. Hays, ADV 1979, is manager of marketing programs at WellPoint, a health-benefits company. She works for the business unit dedicated to Medicaid, State Children’s Health Insurance Programs and other publicly funded health programs providing coverage for people with low-income.
John L. Pearson, ADV 1979, is working on his master’s degree in divinity studies at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis.
1980s
Ken Deptula, ADV 1980, is financial services supervisor for The Vanguard Group. He has been a retired Air Force officer since 1998.
Jan Friedman Calder, ADV 1981, owns Calder Graphics. She received her master’s degree in exercise science and health promotion from Florida Atlantic University in 2003. She is professor of health and wellness at Broward Community College and is an exercise physiologist at Holy Cross Hospital in Fort Lauderdale. She has two sons, Daniel, 17, and Kyle, 15.
Mary Jane (Anderson) Hiestand, ADV 1982, is a loan officer with Summit Mortgage. She was inducted into the Michigan Golf Hall of Fame in 2004. She and husband Jeff reside in Naples.
Jane (Musso) Harrison, ADV 1983, is owner and creative director of RIGHT, an Orlando-based advertising and design firm. She has won numerous creative awards. She has two kids, Aron, 17, and Adrienne, 15.
Amy Evans Bingham, ADV 1985, is vice president of small to mid-size business sales for Spherion Corp. She has been married to Lee for 12 years, and they have two kids, Brett, 9, and Brooke, 4. They live in Orlando.
Michael W. Dahmer, ADV 1985, is president of RetailWorks Real Estate, an Atlanta-based company that is active in leasing lifestyle and tourism-themed shopping centers. He is pursuing post-doctorate studies in tourism and real estate at Clemson University. He is married, has three young children and resides in Atlanta.
Chris Hyers, ADV 1985, is vice president of business development for Covenant Health System in northeast Iowa. Last year, he helped lead a medical mission team to the Dominican Republic that performed nearly 100 hernia surgeries on the rural poor in four days and delivered school supplies to Haitian refugees. He received his MBA from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. He was named “Most Distinguished Student” by the faculty and his peers.
Lori Midanek Haydu, ADV 1986, is client director for JWT Employment Communications. She works for a division of JWT, overseeing employment communications and recruitment advertising for several major accounts. She and husband Robert Haydu, ADV 1986, have a son, Jeffrey, 8, and a daughter, Samantha, 4.
Steve Levin, ADV 1987, is vice president of marketing of the National Institutes of Health Federal Credit Union. He lives in Rockville, Md. with his wife Gayle and their daughter Amanda.
Mary C. Peters, ADV 1987, is meeting planner for Meeting Strategies Worldwide.
Daniel Edwards, ADV 1988, is Mid-States sales manager for Scholastic Library Publishing. He represents Scholastic, Franklin Watts, Children’s Press and Grolier Publishing Houses.
Jennifer Magrath-Singer, ADV 1988, is language arts teacher in Palm Beach County. She is publisher and editor of her school’s newsletter. She received her MA from Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton and is working on her National Teaching Certification. She and husband Jay have a 2-year-old son, Joseph.
Juan C. Barrera, ADV 1989, is Miami International vice-chairman for the Association of Professional Flight Attendants. He sold his Pilates and fitness studio in Boynton Beach to concentrate on serving as a labor advocate for American Airlines flight attendants.
Ruth Pack-Adler, ADV 1989, is a stay-at-home mom to Andrew, 8, and Hannah, 5. She and her husband live in Bexley, Ohio.
1990s
Laurie Clemens Marks, ADV 1991, is vice president and co-owner of MX2 Corporation Branding Agency with husband Jason Marks. The agency specializes in cartography, branding and public relations, and real estate.
Gregory Schuckman, ADV 1991, is assistant vice president for university relations and director of federal relations and research advancement for the University of Central Florida in Orlando. He was named adjunct research fellow with the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies in Arlington, Va. He was appointed to the Northern Virginia Community College Board and served on its executive committee. He was also appointed to serve on the executive committee of the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant College’s Council on University Relations and Development.
Michael Bruccoliere, ADV 1992, is director of media operations for Vertis Media.
Kathy Valladares, ADV 1992, is senior broadcast designer for Beantown Productions in Los Angeles. She designs and animates broadcast graphics for ads for TV shows such as “The Simpsons” and “King of the Hill.” Her next big project will be to design and animate graphics for a feature-length documentary for the Discovery Channel. She lives in Hollywood, Calif. with her German Shepherd, Hoss.
Tareaz Thompson Pegues, ADV 1993, is marketing director at Higger & Associates, an insurance firm in New York City. She lives in Manhattan with her husband Jeff, a journalist at WABC-TV, and their daughter Jordyn.
Wendy Virtue, ADV 1993, is project manager with CS Creative. She works on-site for Texas Instruments handling all the artwork for their calculator packaging.
Teresa (Kostick) Benner, ADV 1994, works for UPS as managing editor of ups.com
Jenny Feldman, ADV 1994, teaches kindergarten in Jacksonville Beach and is a weekend air personality at WEJZ-FM.
Jennifer “Jena” Lynn (Debien) Glantz, ADV 1994, is director of communications for Florida Osteopathic Medical Association. She and husband Michael had their first child, Dylan Harrison, in November.
Cheryl Morrell, ADV 1995, is director of sales and marketing of The Forum Art Gallery in Atlanta. She is also part owner of The Taste Network, a wine and cheese tasting business in Atlanta.
Greg Munro, ADV 1995, is senior research analyst for Comcast Cable in Denver.
Marc Stephens, ADV 1995, is art director with T3, an advertising agency in Austin, Texas.
Jin Hui (Im) Williams, ADV 1995, is owner and creator of www.creativedifference.com, which sells hooded towels and donates the proceeds to the National MS Society. She has been married to Christopher J. Williams, also a UF grad, for 10 years. They have three kids.
Jacqueline Blake, ADV 1996, is associate director of Cushman and Wakefield Commercial Real Estate Broker in the Fort Lauderdale office. She was recognized nationally by CoStar as a top 20 power broker.
Niki Bowman, ADV 1996, is in account service at Fry Hammond Barr, an ad agency in Orlando.
Honey Deana Hurwitz, ADV 1996, is marketing manager for Rink Design Partnership in Jacksonville. She will marry Scott Ryan Campagna in April 2006.
Randall A. Metting, ADV 1996, is marketing consultant and account manager of duPont REGISTRY Fine Homes/duPont Publishing in St. Petersburg.
Lelana Kristen (Peterson) Foley, ADV 1997, is an elementary school teacher.
Kimberly Goldsworth, ADV 1997, is account supervisor with Crispin Porter & Bogusky.
Jennifer (Eidelberg) Munro, ADV 1998, is senior media planner for J. Walter Thompson, a global ad agency in Denver. She married Greg Munro, ADV 1995, in March.
Brian Chris Wilcox, ADV 1998, is advertising sales manager at USA TODAY in McLean,
Lori L’Heureux, ADV 1999, is president and owner of Creative Design Works, an advertising agency she started in 2003 in Melbourne. She married her high school sweetheart Daniel Chaffee in May.
Greg Marcus, ADV 1999, is game content creation professor of 3D Graphics and Virtual Reality and owner of Barking Cat Media, which specializes in Web design.
Brian J. Wallace, ADV 1999, is retail advertising supervisor for Florida Today. He married Michelle Martuch in 2004 and they live in Melbourne.
2000s
Erin Johnson, ADV 2000, is planning supervisor of media planning for Mindshare, one of the largest global media agency networks.
Michelle M. Llena, ADV 2002, is copy editor for Pacific Daily News in Guam.
Melissa Lochrane, ADV 2002, is loan processor at PHH Mortgage, a large mortgage company in Jacksonville.
Patricia (Sturman) Montagno, ADV 2002, is an MBA student majoring in Marketing and Finance at Fordham University in New York City. She is interning at Church & Dwight’s brand-management department, working on the Arm & Hammer Baking Soda and Carpet Deodorizer products.
Elizabeth Roper, ADV 2000, is co-owner and director of Web services for Simian Networks, an information technology and Web solutions provider in the Tampa and Brandon areas that she and her brother, David, created in 2004.
Maria Soldo, ADV 2002, is pharmaceutical sales representative with Sanofi-Aventis.
Jennifer (Gillingham) McKay, ADV 2003, is copywriter for the Denton Company. She married Glenn McKay in Tampa Bay the day Hurricane Frances hit Florida.
Kim Svarney, ADV 2003, works for AAE/Fallon New York. She is working on Virgin Mobile USA and SoBe Beverages.
Anastasia Protopapadakis, ADV 2004, is law student at UF’s Levin College of Law.
Emily Weissleder, ADV 2000, is account executive with The Day Publishing Co.
Journalism
1930s
W.F. Rehbaum III, JM 1936, retired in 1978. He has never missed the weekly meetings of the Rotarian Club since 1936. He attended the Rotary 100th Anniversary in Chicago in June.
1940s
Robert Wieland, JM 1941, is retired airline president of National Airlines. He was a World War II major with the United States Air Force and Royal Air Force.
1950s
Winton P. McMillen, JM 1950, is author and publisher of Tales of the Bayou, about the first nine years of his life spent aboard a houseboat in Big Bayou. The book was printed by Publish America in January. He started at the St. Petersburg Times in 1936 and went from copy boy to reporter and photographer, before and after he served in World War II. He got married in the early 1950s and raised five children.
Robert G. Smith, JM 1950, is retired. He taught one year at The College of William and Mary. He worked at the Greensboro Daily News, the Louisville Courier-Journal, The Baltimore Sun, and U.S. News & World Report.
Barry Horenbein, JM 1955, is president of Florida Consultants. He was named dean of lobbyists for the Florida Legislature.
Thomas L. Elliott Jr., JM 1959, retired in January as managing director of New York-based Corporate Communications of Marsh. Previously, he held senior communications positions at The Hertz Corporation, The Singer Company and American International Group. He is now doing communications consulting, principally for his church, Stanwich Congregational Church, in Greenwich, Conn.
1960s
George Solomon, JM 1963, became ESPN’s first ombudsman in July. He will continue to write a Sunday sports column for The Washington Post, where he was sports editor. As ombudsman, he will critique studio and event productions such as SportsCenter and ESPN Radio. He will write a monthly column.
Julia McClure Bonnell, JM 1966, is semi-retired and running a bed and breakfast in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada.
C.B. Daniel Jr., JM 1966, is chairman of Alarion Bank’s Community Council. He is actively involved in community projects and is a member of the Gainesville Rotary Club.
Robert B. Swan, JM 1966, is realtor with SibcyCline Realtors.
Robert K. Wilcox, JM 1966, is author, editor and screenwriter with Wilcox Productions. He has written eight books, produced 30 screenplays and written hundreds of articles.
Judith Blanton Kramer, JM 1969, teaches English as a Second Language at Cedar Hill Independent School District in Cedar Hill, Tex. She does occasional freelance writing and is founder and board member of Cedar Hill Food Pantry, a charitable organization that gives food to needy families. She has a son, Kris, and a daughter, Becky, and has three grandchildren.
Michael Vann, JM 1969, is national sales manager for Storck USA, LP.
1970s
Glenda Cohn Wolin, JM 1971, is night metro editor of the San Antonio Express-News. Her daughter, Lindsay, 21, is a student at the University of Texas.
Beth Graves Davis, JM 1973, is vice president of strategic marketing for Macy’s, Florida division.
Regina Lynche Kahoe, JM 1973, is vice president of Mercantile Bank in Baltimore. She is in charge of bank communications to affiliate banks in holding company and for training.
Mike Horn, JM 1975, is owner of Horn & Stronach Advertising & Public Relations. He is also mayor of Lewisville, N.C., and adjunct professor at Wake Forest University.
Debra (Furniss) James, JM 1975, is director of operations for the March of Dimes National Capital Area Chapter.
Leslie Golay Sheffield, JM 1975, is publicist with Seitz Advertising and PR.
Craig A. Dennis, JM 1976, is attorney with Dennis, Jackson, Martin & Fontela, P.A.
Janet Taylor Dennis, JM 1976, is bureau chief of the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.
John C. Druckenmiller, JM 1977, is owner and editor of hometownheadlines.com, a newsletter serving Greater Rome and Floyd County, Ga. He is adjunct communication professor at Berry College and is afternoon news anchor for K98 FM. He has a 5-year-old son.
Mary A. Stephens, JM 1978, is owner of The Bucking Doe Studio and Store in Orcas Island, Wash.
Beth DeMauro, JM 1979, is director of strategic communications in the Department of University Relations at Rutgers University in New Jersey.
Mark Hanigan, JM 1979, is fellow of the Society for Technical Communication, which he joined in 1980. He has served in various positions on the chapter, regional and international levels. He previously served as the president of the Suncoast chapter, manager of the International Technical Publications Competition, secretary, director-sponsor of Region 3, second vice president, first vice president and president. He has been a practicing technical communicator and trainer for more than 20 years. Today, he is an independent consultant for his own company, On the Write Track. He lives in Palm Harbor.
Robert Rivas, JM 1979, joined Palm Beach County-based law firm Sachs Sax & Klein last summer. His office is in Tallahassee. He does commercial litigation, appellate law and media law. He represents WCJB-TV 20 in Gainesville.
Melody Simmons, JM 1979, is freelance reporter for People magazine and WYPR-FM Maryland NPR station. She lives in Baltimore with her children, Susannah, 13, and Ben, 9.
1980s
Laura Kelly, JM 1980, is an overseas media trainer.
Michael T. Gaffey, JM 1982, is copy editor at Florida Today in Melbourne. He is also co-owner of a Curves for Women franchise in Suntree. He and wife Linda have a daughter, Angelina Aura, 2, and a son, Joshua Michael, 9 months.
Kyle Lamberth, JM 1982, is casualty analyst for Richard Mulholland and Associates law firm.
Alberto M. Ortez Jr., JM 1982, is assistant editor of Newsday on Long Island, N.Y. He was lead copy editor on “Genocide in Rwanda,” Newsday’s 2005 Pulitzer Prize-winning series for International Reporting.
Wayne Garcia, JM 1983, is political editor of the Weekly Planet newspaper in Tampa. He is also an adjunct professor of journalism at the University of Tampa and a master’s student in political science at the University of South Florida.
Jim Hayward, JM 1983, is senior producer of PalmBeachPost.com. He is lead producer on the paper’s storm2005.com site, which won several awards for its 2004 coverage.
Colleen Mason Logan, JM 1985, is director of marketing for Icon Health & Fitness. In early May, she was part of the delegation that lobbied in Washington, D.C. during National P.E. Day.
Whit Blanton, JM 1986, is vice president and founding principal of Renaissance Planning Group, an urban planning consulting firm based in Orlando. He was recently appointed to serve as a member of the American Planning Association’s Communications Task Force. He has been married to Cathy for 15 years, and they live in Winter Park with their two daughters, Melanie, 11, and Amelia, 8.
Lisa Cianci, JM 1986, is city editor of the Orlando Sentinel. Her husband, Roger Simmons, is deputy sports editor at the paper. They have an 8-year-old son, Christian.
Tom Farrey, JM 1986, is senior writer of ESPN the Magazine.
Lori Viola Hill, JM 1987, is district sales manager of Nextel Communications. She is responsible for southeast Florida. She and husband Tom, a real estate investor, have two kids, Kali, 3, and Colton, 2.
Nicole Hughes, JM 1987, is coordinator of special events and promotions for Palm Beach County Public Affairs Department.
Ken Booth, JM 1988, is editor-in-chief of al.com, a Web site on everything Alabama. He graduated from Auburn University in May with an MBA.
Derek Catron, JM 1989, is assistant managing editor of the Daytona Beach News-Journal.
1990s
Teri Champion, JM 1990, is executive director of the SSM Rehab Foundation in St. Louis.
Bill King, JM 1990, is senior writer of the Sports Business Journal.
Wendi Sherman, JM 1991, is senior vice president and group managing director at Cline Davis & Mann, a health-care advertising agency in New York City.
James Bilbrey, JM 1992, is videographer and editor for NASA TV.
Lisa Braswell, JM 1992, is director of public education and communications at The Children’s Home, which operates a variety of child-focused and family-centered programs throughout the Tampa Bay area.
Debra Hessler Leithauser, JM 1992, is editor of two weekly sections for The Washington Post: Sunday Source, a lifestyle and leisure entertainment section, and TV Week, the television viewing guide. She and husband Tom Leithauser, JM 1987, have a son, Luke, 2.
Scott Walker, JM 1992, is assistant managing editor of The Birmingham (Ala.) News.
Kristin M. Carter, JM 1993, is legislative aide for Florida Rep. Tim Ryan, also a UF graduate. She is the national committeewoman for the Young Democrats of America.
Lisa Magenheimer Fuss, JM 1994, is sports copy editor for the St. Petersburg Times. She and husband Mac live on St. Petersburg Beach with son Casey, 3, and daughter Caroline, 8 months.
Lisa Robinson Alessandro, JM 1995, is director of public relations for the American Culinary Federation.
Shane Blatt, JM 1995, is presentation editor of the Tallahassee Democrat.
Jennifer Musser-Metz, JM 1995, is online editor of the Philadelphia Inquirer. She and husband Tom have one son, Charles Joseph, born in March.
Lauren (Mather) Olsen, JM 1995, is news copy editor of USA Today. She was married in 2004 and now lives in Centreville, Va.
Christie L. Caliendo, JM 1997, is managing editor of 12 Fort Lauderdale-based luxury lifestyle magazines owned by Gulfstream Media Group. They include Gold Coast Magazine, Boca Life, The Palm Beacher, Delray Beach Magazine, Jupiter Magazine, Stuart Magazine, Vero Life, Miami Design, Broward Design & Architectural Review, Palm Beach Design, Boca Design & Architectural Review and Vero Home & Design.
Nik Robinson, JM 1997, is supervising story producer of “Intervention” on A&E.
Genevieve McGuire Todd, JM 1999, is bid proposal analyst at American International Group (AIG) in Houston. She married Michael Todd in 2004 in her hometown of St. Petersburg.
Heather (Rowe) Turner, JM 1997, is associate director of communications at Tilton School in New Hampshire. She and husband Jeremy will celebrate their two-year wedding anniversary in November.
2000s
Jennifer (Brown) Davis, JM 2000, is business development officer for GA REsource Capital.
Adrienne (Scarfone) Herndon, JM 2000, is Landstar Systems training facilitator at the corporate headquarters in Jacksonville. She is responsible for developing, composing and facilitating classes.
Molly Van Wagner, JM 2000, has been a staff photographer with the Tri-City Herald in Kennewick, Wash., for four years. This fall, she will marry Gary Petersen, a schoolteacher.
Catherine Seemann, JM 2001, is editor of Naylor Publications. She is engaged to Lorin Fowler, who is pursuing a master’s degree in education at UF.
Angela Maria Delgado, JM 2002, is city reporter for The Tampa Tribune’s Clearwater bureau. She has worked there since 2004.
Elise Lyne, JM 2002, is senior account manager for Weiss Ratings, a financial services firm.
Jamie McAtee, JM 2002, was recently promoted to work at The New York Times Regional Newspaper Group corporate headquarters in Tampa. She is Web product support specialist for the regional newspaper group doing product development, statistics and support for 15 papers.
Raquel Muhar, JM 2002, is associate producer of Sun-Sentinel.com.
Faiza Rahman, JM 2002, graduated from Columbia Law School in May. In the fall, she will begin as an associate at the law firm of Weil, Gotshal & Manges, LLP in New York City.
Jahmel K. Weary, JM 2002, is dean, reading instructor, and yearbook and journalism moderator at Newberry High School.
Teresa Wood, JM 2002, is a graduate student at Boston University pursuing her master’s in public health.
Barbie Barontini, JM 2003, is editor at Reed Brennan Media Associates in Orlando.
Jordan Fischer, JM 2003, is a student at the Institute of Design at Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago. He is pursuing a master’s degree in design.
Ashley Cisneros, JM 2004, is editor of Florida Trend’s NEXT, a magazine preparing Florida high school students for life after graduation.
Jeremy Serkin, JM 2004, is marketing coordinator of ASCENT Management in Alexandria, Va. He coaches the boys rowing team at St. Alban’s School, a private school in Washington. This summer, he won two gold medals, a silver and a bronze in the 17th World Maccabiah Games, an international competition in Israel.
Liza Shurik, JM 2005, starts a one-year assignment in November as English language editor and translator for the Moscow office of AIDS Foundation East-West, a non-profit organization that aims to raise awareness for the disease in the former Soviet Union.
Andrea Smiley, JM 2004, is editorial assistant of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.
Kelly-Anne Suarez, JM 2005, interned at the Sarasota Herald Tribune this past summer. She landed a two-year fellowship with the L.A. Times, starting in the fall.
Public Relations
1970s
Edward R. Albanesi, PR 1972, is associate director of public relations for the Florida Farm Bureau. He has served as editor of FloridAgriculture magazine since 1998 and was elected to PRSA’s College of Fellows in 2004.
Steve Sauls, PR 1972, is vice president of governmental relations and chief-of-staff in the office of the president of Florida International University.
Clint Johnson, PR 1975, is writer who introduced his ninth non-fiction book, 25 Best Civil War Sites, at Book Expo 2005 in June.
Susan Baltzer Bray, PR 1979, is senior manager of marketing communications for Amgen.
1980s
Dawn D. Jantsch, PR 1983, is managing director and CEO of the St. Augustine-based American Culinary Federation and its two subsidiary corporations.
Ernie Santo, PR 1983, is director of sales for Water Mania, a water theme park in Kissimmee. He and wife Marta have a son, Ricky, 22.
Jackie (Page) Casanova, PR 1984, is a veterinarian for Mobile Veterinary Care.
Peri Stump, PR 1985, is relocation coordinator of the corporate office for Illustrated Properties Real Estate in Palm Beach Gardens and is assistant to the broker for Adams Business Consultants.
Susan Collet Thresher, PR 1985, is senior associate with Merrill Lynch. She and husband Russ are foster parents; they adopted Destiny, 5, and Earl, 3, in 2004.
Rusty De La Noval, PR 1986, is senior clinical oncology specialist with Genentech. He is also account manager for Biotech Genentech in South Florida.
Kevin Neal, PR 1986, is senior media buyer with Media Edge in Clearwater.
Monica Hidalgo Stagg, PR 1986, is research associate at the University of Miami. She works for the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis.
1990s
Lee-Anne Oros, PR 1991, is vice principal and world language supervisor at Westwood Regional Junior/Senior High School in Bergen County, N.J. She is pursuing a doctoral degree in educational administration from Seton Hall University.
Nicole Brewington Smith, PR 1991, is an instructor at the College of Education at the University of Phoenix. She and husband Cedric Smith have three sons. They live in Denver.
Jason Lobo, PR 1993, is senior manager of financial communications with Fannie Mae in Washington, D.C. He manages public relations activities surrounding all Securities & Exchange Commission filings, voluntary financial disclosures, and corporate governance and media relations for CEO, CFO, treasurer, senior vice president of investor relations, executive vice president of portfolio business, controller and chief economist.
Thomas J. Keating, PR 1995, is director of sales and marketing of The Neighborhood News in West Palm Beach. He and wife Lisa Smith, also a UF grad, have a son, Jake, 3, and daughter, Brynn, 6 months.
Eleanor (Vianzon) Lanza, PR 1995, is director of member relations of the World Golf Hall of Fame in St. Augustine. She and husband Mike had their first child, Isabelle Pia, in 2004.
Sean Liphard, PR 1995, is president of Next Wave Public Relations in Atlanta, which he founded earlier this year. He also works with the March of Dimes, United Way, Earth Share of Georgia and Project Open Hand.
Allison Bass, PR 1996, is director of public relations for Bloomingdale’s Aventura and Miami stores.
Bryan Graydon, PR 1996, is dean of students at Southwest Middle School in Lakeland. He is getting a master’s degree in educational leadership from the University of South Florida in Tampa. He will graduate in summer 2006.
Amy (Coffman) Wright, PR 1997, is independent practitioner of Wright Public Relations in Jacksonville. She and husband Rob recently had their first child, Emily Victoria.
Adam F. Zink, PR 1997, is Florida district manager for Briggs Plumbing Products, a manufacturer of plumbing fixtures in Charleston, S.C.
Loren Goldrich, PR 1998, is working in the human resources department at Citigroup Global Corporate and Investment bank in New York City.
Christina M. Kitterman, PR 1998, is attorney with Rothstein Rosenfeldt Adler in Fort Lauderdale.
Amy Laubach Chamberlin, PR 1999, is marketing and public relations coordinator for The Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens in Jacksonville. She implements the museum’s strategic marketing, advertising, communications and public relations programs, including media relations, community relations and internal communications. She married Scott Chamberlin in January.
Amber LeClair Strong, PR 1999, is marketing communications program manager for the RAID Storage Adapters division of LSI Logic in Atlanta. She and husband Joseph Strong received their MBAs from Southern Polytechnic State University in the spring.
2000s
Leslie K. Horna, PR 2000, is marketing coordinator for HealthONE, the largest hospital system in Colorado. Her job includes designing and implementing marketing, doing branding and advertising campaigns, managing community partner relationships, and public relations and event planning.
Michelle (Suchy) Joyce, PR 2000, is sales representative covering auto, home and life insurance for Liberty Mutual Insurance Company. She is married to Ryan Joyce and is a member of the Executive Women’s Golf Association, Leads Club and Forsyth County Chamber of Commerce.
Jeff Mapen, PR 2000, is an attorney with Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough. He practices law and lives in Atlanta.
Amanda L. Ridenoure, PR 2001, is director of marketing and communications for Moulton Publishing, which represents Vero Beach Magazine and Tropical Home Magazine, a new magazine that will launch in January. www.verobeachmagazine.com and
Jennifer Dicks Burg, PR 2002, is senior editor of James Dicks: The Active Investor, a nationally distributed financial magazine published by PremiereTrade™ LLC, a financial software and services company. She has been with the magazine since it started almost three years ago. She married Bobby Burg, also a UF graduate, and they recently built a house in Lake Mary.
Alison Cahill, PR 2002, is senior associate at Qorvis Communications in Washington, D.C. She works on the media relations team and manages a non-profit client.
Alyson (Miller) Seligman, PR 2002, is University relations coordinator at the University of South Florida in St. Petersburg, primarily managing media relations and internal communications. She married Adam Seligman in 2004.
Lauren Furey, PR 2003, is account executive for MPB Communications in Orlando. She was selected as the MPB Communications’ Employee of the Year in 2005.
Ilene Lieber, PR 2003, is the public relations and senior marketing director as well as staff writer for Orlando Style Magazine, a luxury lifestyle magazine.
Alan Carroll Nash, PR 2003, is attending FSU law school. He worked for Nokia over the summer in their marketing department on a project called “The Nokia Experience Center.”
Nicole Passkiewicz, PR 2003, is corporate communications specialist with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida. She’s in the MBA program at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville.
Alan Abitbol, PR 2004, is public relations coordinator for Feld Entertainment, which produces Disney On Ice.
Patrick Smyth, PR 2004, is media information coordinator of the NFL’s Denver Broncos. This is his second season.
Brianne Straub, PR 2004, is marketing and public relations specialist for UCF Foundation in Orlando. She is content manager and editor for external and internal Web sites, coordinates internal communication materials, works with senior staff on communication tools and designs internal publications.
Telecommunication
1950s
Richard L. Siefferman, TEL 1959, retired in 1997 after 39 years in broadcasting. He has three children and six grandchildren. He and wife Vickie Lynn Joyner Siefferman live in Petersburg, Va. where they grow tomatoes and play lots of golf.
1960s
Gerald “Gerry” Katz, TEL 1963, runs a consulting business, Disability Income Concepts, from his home office in Weston. He is an expert witness and disability insurance claim consultant helping to protect those who file for disability insurance benefits. He was named the health insurance industry’s Person of the Year in Health Insurance in 1997.
Russ Brown, TEL 1964, is owner and registered principal of Brown Financial Advisors, a financial investment firm. He lives in Sacramento, Calif.
Rod Caborn, TEL 1965, is executive vice president of public relations for Yesawich, Pepperdine, Brown & Russell in Orlando.
Curtis Jones, TEL 1969, is president of All American Marketing, which has two direct mail programs, Valpak Direct Marketing Systems, and the Our Town new movers program. Both co-op mail franchises serve five counties in Central Georgia. He is also a life member of Sigma Chi Fraternity, UF National Alumni Association and Greater Macon Chamber of Commerce.
1970s
John D. Haviland, TEL 1971, owns South Ridge Agriculture.
Kent H. Steele, TEL 1973, is executive director of broadcasting for THIRTEEN/WNET in New York City. He is responsible for the broadcast services of WNET/WLIW New York, which includes analog broadcast channels WNET and WLIW, and digital channels THIRTEEN HD, THIRTEEN WORLD, KIDS THIRTEEN and WLIW CREATE. In addition, THIRTEEN ON DEMAND V-O-D services.
The Rev. Robert D.P. Stacy, TEL 1975, is executive director of Christ Life Ministries in Hendersonville, N.C. He retired from the Army as a lieutenant colonel in 1993.
Rhonda Victor Sibilia, TEL 1977, is senior anchor and reporter for Miami Herald Radio.
Philip Smith, TEL 1977, is owner of Phil Smith Productions in Southlake, Texas. He is the director of a documentary on the O.J. Simpson case. He traveled as director and cameraman to Baghdad, Iraq; Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Beirut, Lebanon; Amman, Jordan; Israel and the West Bank for his Middle East documentary.
Pam Saulsby, TEL 1979, is news anchor and reporter with WRAL TV in North Carolina.
1980s
Greg Katz, TEL 1984, is producer and editor of NBC News in Burbank, Calif. He recently returned from producing and shooting in Iraq and Afghanistan. He and wife Melissa have two daughters, Sadie, 10, and Sara, 6.
Mike May, TEL 1985, is director of media relations for the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association. He was part of a delegation within the sporting goods industry lobbying for more P.E. in American schools.
Jacqueline Whitmore, TEL 1986, is author of Business Class: Etiquette Essentials for Success at Work, published in July by St. Martin’s Press. She is the Cell Phone Etiquette Spokesperson for Sprint and the founder of National Cell Phone Courtesy Month in July.
Ed Scott, TEL 1987, is staff writer for the Osceola News-Gazette in Kissimmee covering education. He is also adjunct instructor at Lake-Sumter Community College teaching journalism. He is working on a doctorate in Texts and Technology in the English Department at the University of Central Florida. His dissertation topic is related to health communication on the Internet for developing countries.
Denise (Parker) Conitz, TEL 1989, is a homemaker in St. Petersburg with two sons, Parker, 3, and Michael, 1.
1990s
Thomas Eric Davis, TEL 1990, is production manager at WTVI, an independent public TV station in Charlotte, N.C.
Russell Dishman, TEL 1990, is entertainment production manager with Disney Cruise Line. He is responsible for daily technical operations for all entertainment venues onboard the Disney Magic and Disney Wonder, as well as all musicians onboard. He and wife Lisa have two sons, Ethan, 4, and Jack, who was born in July.
Sally (Swanbeck) Driscoll, TEL 1990, is owner and restaurateur of Randy’s Bar & Bistro in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The bistro specializes in fine wines, gift baskets and catering.
Andrew Garick, TEL 1990, is editor of ABC News World News Tonight in New York.
Aleen Sirgany, TEL 1990, is correspondent for CBS News in Washington, D.C.
Christy Stratton, TEL 1992, is writer and producer for the TV show “Hope & Faith” on ABC.
Rosanna Catalano, TEL 1994, is director of the Career Placement Office at Florida State University College of Law.
Cindi (Dohan) Avila, TEL 1995, is general assignment reporter for NY1, a 24-hour New York City cable station.
James-Paul Dice, TEL 1995, is morning and noon meteorologist at WHNT-TV in Huntsville, Ala.
Amy R. Trachtman, TEL 1995, is freelance production coordinator for feature films and television.
Damian Gower Cecere, TEL 1996, is an actor and co-owner of Comedy on Demand.
Maria Lynn Coppola, TEL 1996, is senior vice president for public relations at The McCormick Agency. Her husband Glenn Warkentien is a homicide detective with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.
Robyn Self Hanke, TEL 1996, is public relations representative for Busch Gardens Tampa Bay. She recently produced “Dive Live” for Busch Gardens’ Sheikra Media Day, which allowed reporters to go live while riding the new roller-coaster.
Carlos Arturo Herrera R., TEL 1996, is weather-caster for KVER-TV, Univisión, covering from the Palm Springs Market down south to Mexicali, Mexico and as far east as Yuma, Ariz. He and wife Gema (Lobo) Herrera have two kids, Brian, 6, and Julián David, 5 months.
Jennifer (Hirsch) Keefe, TEL 1996, and husband John had their daughter Leah Judith Keefe in 2004. They live in Orlando.
Kristi Revell-Powers, TEL 1996, is meteorologist and reporter at WOFL-TV in Orlando.
Andy Singer (Spatz), TEL 1996, is director of program production for HGTV. He joins HGTV from VH1 where he produced programs such as “Retrosexual: The 80s” and “Awesomely Bad Career Moves.” His work has also aired on other broadcast and cable networks including A&E, Twentieth Century FOX, FOX News Channel and MSNBC. He lives in New Jersey with wife Rebecca and their 6-month-old daughter Lila.
Stacy Rosenberg, TEL 1997, is director of events for the New York University Tisch Center, overseeing programs in New York and California.
Tim Gehret, TEL 1999, is education reporter for WFMY News 2 in Greensboro, N.C.
2000s
Jessica Ritter, TEL 2000, is development director of the 1940 Air Terminal Museum in Houston.
John J. Skorski, TEL 2000, is flight instructor with Pan Am International Flight Academy in Phoenix.
Nikisha L. Williams, TEL 2000, is account coordinator with Sonshine Communications, a public relations, marketing and advertising firm in North Miami Beach.
Daniel Dove, TEL 2001, is supervisor of the Discovery Television and Technology Center in Sterling, Va. He was recently hired to assist in the launch of Discovery Channel’s newest Origination Facility, which started serving more than 15 domestic cable networks in the summer.
Meylin Llampay, TEL 2001, is syndicator with Paramount Pictures. She received her MBA from Nova Southeastern University in 2004.
Lalita Sirisompund, TEL 2001, is producer of Bay News 9 in the Tampa area. She produces the night and primetime shows for the 24-hour cable news station.
Lindsay Ubinas, TEL 2001, is morning producer of WXII 12 News in Winston-Salem, N.C.
Brooke Davis, TEL 2002, is public affairs officer of the U.S. Air Force at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada. She has been on active duty since she graduated from UF.
Michelle Fandre, TEL 2002, works at GeoTel Communications.
1st Lt. Aaron J. Henninger, TEL 2003, is instructor and does research for the United States Air Force Public Affairs Center of Excellence. He works as a strategic communications practitioner, serving the Department of Defense senior leadership.
Jennifer Iurcovich, TEL 2003, is meteorologist for WYFF, the NBC affiliate in Greenville, Spartanburg and Asheville, S.C. Her on-air name is Jennifer Valdez.
Earl Johnson, TEL 2003, is national traffic assistant of WFTS-ABC Action News in Tampa.
Staley Prom, TEL 2003, is an actress in Los Angeles. She is represented by Lane Management.
Matthew Scafidi, TEL 2003, is programming assistant, promotions coordinator and DJ for the Clear Channel Radio in Brevard County.
Brent Solomon, TEL 2003, is reporter and anchor at WJCL-TV and WTGS-TV in Savannah, Ga.
Christine Portela, TEL 2004, is associate producer of WTVJ-NBC 6 in Miami.
Master’s
1980s
Peggy Shaw, MA 1982, is editor of Dalmation Press, which works with licensees such as Sesame Street, Disney and Warner Bros. She writes children’s books and edits manuscripts of Strawberry Shortcake, Scooby-Doo and Elmo. Dalmation Press also publishes original children’s books and faith-based books under its new Spirit Press Imprint.
Thomas (Tim) M. Henderson, MA 1986, is health-care work force consultant. He teaches, researches and consults on public health policy in the Washington, D.C. area and nationwide.
1990s
Michael D. Cohen, MA 1993, is president of Cohen Research Group, a political polling and marketing research firm in Washington, D.C. His first book on winning issue campaigns was published this summer by Rowan & Littlefield Publishers. He and wife Lisa, also a Gator, have two children, Jessica and Ryan. They live in Ashburn, Va.
Elena (Campbell) Barbre, MA 1994, and husband Blaze had a son, Noah Campbell, in January.
Kelly Gardner Olson, MA 1995, is Web content specialist for Premier Beverage Co. She is doing online writing for a wine and spirits distributor in South Florida.
2000s
Sharmila (Gokhale) Karnad, MA 2000, is assistant knowledge manager of KPMG in India. KPMG is a network of firms providing audit, tax and advisory services in 148 countries.
Katie Seay, TEL 1998, MA 2001, is director of membership and marketing of the UF Alumni Association.
Rob Marino, JM 1988, MA 2002, is instructor of communications at Central Florida Community College. He is also adviser for the Patriot Press, the CFCC student newspaper.
Gregory Hardy, JM 1995, MA 2002, is the Page 2 specialist for entertainment and sports for The State newspaper in Columbia, S.C. Wife Miriam Hardy, ADV 1996, will be returning to high school teaching.
Ivanna (Chebli) Sukkar, MA 2002, is associate editor for the Scotsman Guide, a trade magazine for the mortgage-lending industry published by Scotsman Publishing. She married in 2004 in Miami and moved to Kirkland, Wash. in January.
Leonte Landino, MA 2004, is Spanish language content producer for ESPN International. He is producer for Cronometro, the Spanish-language version of ESPN’s PTI. Cronometro is broadcast for the U.S. through ESPN Deportes and to Latin America and the Caribbean through ESPN Dos and ESPN+.
