1960s

Ronald J. Schneider, B.B.A. ’65, became a published author with his book “Out of Our Heads: The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, and Me.”

Gregory S. Isaacs, B.M. ’69, joined Onstage NTX as a music critic.

Bradford B. Peck, B.S. ’69, completed the harmful algal bloom training at the Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences.

Robert F. Wolin, B.Ed. ’69, designed the scenery for Rotterdam’s Island City Stage and Florida’s Repertory Theater.

1970s

Michael N. Kesselman, B.Ed. ’72, M.Ed. ’75, Ed.D. ’79, was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award issued by Marquis Who’s Who. He is currently retired after 37 full-time years in education K-12, graduate school, and conflict resolution.

Robert N. Rhynearson, B.B.A. ’72, retired from Miami-Dade Fire Rescue after 30 years. He now is working as the chief financial officer of ZooWorld in Panama City Beach, Florida. Rhynearson also is developing an RV park in the Florida Panhandle.

Gill S. Freeman, M.Ed. ’73, J.D. ’77, was honored on the 30th anniversary of the ADL Miami Jurisprudence Awards. Now retired, she served as a circuit court judge for 19 years. Upon retirement, Freeman was awarded the Florida Bar’s Young Lawyer’s Division Jurist of the Year Award. She served as the president of the Florida Association for Women Lawyers.

John L. Lahey, Ph.D. ’73, was inducted into the Irish American Hall of Fame. He serves on the boards of the United Illuminating Company, the Aristotle Corporation, the Yale New Haven Hospital, and the Alliance for Gene Cancer Therapy. Lahey is also the vice chairman of the New York City St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee and has devoted much of his time to educating the public about the historic implications of Ireland’s Great Hunger. Currently a retired professor, Lahey was named Irish American of the Year by Irish America magazine.

Raymond A. Belliotti, M.A. ’76, Ph.D. ’77, SUNY distinguished teaching professor of philosophy emeritus, published his 26th book, “Italian Rebels: Mazzini, Gramsci, and Giuliano.”

Gerardo G. Pelaez, B.S.C.E. ’79, is the current president of the US-Panama Business Council.

Vickie L. Rubin, B.S.Ed. ’79, received the Reader’s Favorite Gold Medal for her memoir “Raising Jess: A Story of Hope.” In addition to the medal, the memoir previously received a five-star review from Kirkus Reviews.

1980s

Paul D. Novack, B.B.A. ’80, former mayor of Surfside and current member of the Florida Highway Patrol’s statewide advisory council, assisted state troopers with the distribution of food and supplies in Hurricane Ian’s recovery efforts.

Frederic J. Guerrier, M.D. ’81, was recognized as the 2023 Legend in African American History at the Woodson African American Museum of Florida’s Board of Directors.

Venkat Rangan, M.S. ’83, received the Series F Funding from Blackstone Growth for the company he cofounded, Clari, Inc. Rangan is the chief technology officer at Clari, Inc.

Odalis Smith, B.A. ’86, retired from Gwinnett County Public Schools after 30 years as a school psychologist.

Laird A. Lile, LL.M.E. ’87, board-certified wills, trusts, and estates attorney, was appointed to a fifth term on the Florida Supreme Court Florida Courts Technology Commission. He also was appointed to two committees of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel. Lile was recently named to Best Lawyers in America for the 26th consecutive year.

Donna J. Turetsky, B.B.A. ’88, LL.M.T. ’93, partner at Certilman Balin Adler & Hyman, LLP, was elevated to cochair of the firm’s Trusts and Estates and Elder Law Groups. She was elected to the 2023 and 2022 editions of Best Lawyers. Turetsky also has been honored as one of Nassau County’s Women of Distinction.

1990s

Wendy S. Wallberg, B.A. ’90, joined Lynn University as a professor of business law. Prior to that she was a law professor at Johnson & Wales University.

Chris Ghaemmaghami, B.S. ’91, M.D. ’93, was appointed as the executive vice president, chief physician executive, and chief clinical officer at Jackson Health System in Miami. He will lead the system’s clinical strategy, quality, and safety.

Derek W. Shoup, B.A. ’91, received the Legion of Merit upon retiring from the First Special Forces Command. He was then selected for the U.S. President’s Management Council, combating transnational organized crime for the Department of Homeland Security.

Esther F. Panitch, B.S.C. ’92, J.D. ’95, assumed office as a member of the Georgia House of Representatives, representing District 51.

Mitchel W. Berger, B.M. ’93, instituted the next-day electronic sell-through (EST) strategy that brought both subtitles and dubbed episodes of new anime shows to major EST platforms. Berger also has helped establish the Funimation Shop e-commerce business. Before joining Crunchyroll and Funimation, Berger was part of Universal Pictures Home Entertainment for 21 years.

Frederick W. Brown, B.A. ’93, was promoted to partner at Weber Gallagher’s law firm. He has decades of experience and has handled litigation cases involving serious injuries with multiple defendants that occur at construction sites and complex contractual indemnity claims amongst the defendants.

Matthew J. Hallisy, B.S.C. ’94, is attending the California Western School of Law as a second-year law student.

Afi S. Johnson-Parris, B.B.A. ’94, was elected vice chair of the American Bar Association’s Law Practice Division for the 2022-23 bar year. She will lead the Strategy and Planning Committee, which oversees the Law division’s strategic plan development and assists the council with its implementation.

Michele Drucker, J.D. ’95, the assistant chief counsel of the Department of Homeland Security, was a task force voting member for the sustainability plan to draft a 100 percent Clean Energy by 2030 resolution for Miami-DadeCounty Public Schools.

Shawn J. Maas, B.A. ’95, a media specialist, published the article “A Digital Library Spawns More Reading,” which highlights the effect e-books have on student reading habits and improving their proficiency.

Michelle D. Beauchamp, B.B.A. ’96, was appointed to the board of directors of Entertainment to Effect Change. She also was appointed as the chief marketing officer of E11EVEN Vodka.

Christopher M. Coleman, B.B.A. ’96, M.P.R.A. ’97, is the current chief accounting officer at Ferreira Construction.

Jaret L. Davis, B.A. ’96, J.D. ’99, was honored on the 30th anniversary of the ADL Miami Jurisprudence Awards. He is the co-managing shareholder of the Miami office of Greenberg Traurig, P.A. and a member of the firm’s global executive committee. Davis also served as chairman of the board of directors of Nicklaus Children’s Hospital and currently serves as co-founder and general counsel of the eMerge Americas global technology conference.

Sonesh L. Mool, B.B.A. ’96, area general manager of central at Ovolo Hotels, oversees a collection of hotels within southern California. Prior to joining the Ovolo Group, he owned his own men’s apparel and accessories company.

Jesse Acevedo, B.S. ’97, recently accepted a position with the Federal Aviation Administration as an air traffic representative servicing the Central Service Area.

Timothy S. Pantello, B.B.A. ’97, a globally experienced executive in the health care marketing industry, was named the new chief executive officer at Relevate Health. He was recently the global president of Syneos Health Communications, where he led a team of 1,300 across 13 agencies throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe.

Mario Rodriguez, B.S.C.E. ’97, executive director of the Indianapolis Airport Authority, was recognized on the ENR 2022 Top 25 Newsmakers. He is an influential member of the Biden-Harris presidential transition team and worked under both President Barack Obama and President Donald Trump on the Committee for Aviation Consumer Protection.

Sergio Fagundo, B.S.C.E. ’98, joined the newly merged design firm of Wood/O’Donnell & Naccarato as the structural engineering senior project manager. He also is actively working on various commercial and municipal projects.

Eduardo R. Lytton, B.S.C. ’99, the director and writer of the short film “Geraldine,” won Best Director at the Seattle Film Festival. His short film was also part of eight film festivals where it received many recognitions.

Danika Mendrygal, B.B.A. ’99, has expanded her boutique law firm to a team of seven lawyers, a paralegal, and administrative support. Mendrygal Law is devoted exclusively to guiding nonprofits, charities, and other tax-exempt organizations.

Alex Merchan, B.B.A. ’99, M.B.A. ’04, was promoted to chief marketing officer at ASM Global, a leading producer of entertainment experiences, venue management, and event strategies. He has reimagined the marketing support infrastructure of the firm and also has overseen strategic marketing, public relations, creative services, and digital efforts.

2000s

Shana L. Cichon, B.B.A. ’00, ran an aerospace company as a chief financial officer after graduation. She currently owns and operates True Blue Farm, a successful Hunter/Jumper horse farm in Sarasota, Florida.

Jennifer Duval Lindy, B.B.A. ’01, LL.M.T. ’08, was elevated to equity shareholder and shareholder at Chamberlain Hrdlicka. She is a member of the Tax Controversy & Litigation and International Tax Practice Groups in Atlanta.

Katreshia A. Verrett, B.S.Ed. ’01, M.S.Ed. ’17, was promoted to chief diversity officer at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Athletics.

Wagner G. Pierre, B.S.Ed. ’03, was relocated by the Department of Defense Education Activity to Germany.

Theresa M. Yong, M.B.A. ’03, published her first book “Money Moves: This is not a get-rich-quick scheme! It’s a conversation about money.”

Marc King, B.S.C. ’04, joined Buchwald Talent Agency as a director of podcasting.

Daniel Espino, B.A. ’05, was appointed by Governor Ron DeSantis to join the Miami-Dade County School Board as the representative for District 5. He is currently a partner in the law firm of Bercow Radell Fernandez Larkin & Tapanes. Espino was elected to two terms to the city council for Miami Springs and served for more than a decade as city attorney in and for several Miami-Dade County municipalities.

Peter A. Groverman, B.B.A. ’05, became the entrepreneur in residence at Villanova School of Law. He also is working with the former host of Double Dare, Marc Summers, on a new television series called “Behind the Wrapper.”

Julia L. Jennison, J.D. ’05, was elected as a shareholder for the Florida law firm Lewis, Longman & Walker, P.A. She is the vice chair of the firm’s Land Use & Real Estate Law Practice Group and assists clients in getting permits for their land development projects and in all aspects of complex real estate transactions.

Ryan J. Pezdirc, B.S.C. ’05, collaborated on six films—including 15 Marvel productions—that have grossed large profits.

Emily Sanders, M.A.L.S. ’05, received a Group Life Coaching certification from the Transformation Academy.

Douglas A. Wolfe, J.D. ’06, expanded his modern boutique law firm with a growing health care practice. The Wolfe Pincavage firm serves major health care systems, hospitals, private practice groups, and other ancillary enterprises.

Vanessa L. Alonso, B.S.C. ’08, joined The Weather Channel in Atlanta, Georgia. She works as the meteorologist and senior weather producer for the national television network’s Local Now digital streaming product.

Rachel A. Beck, B.A. ’08, was promoted to partner at the full-service law firm Faegre Drinker. She practices commercial litigation; in addition, Beck represents individuals and corporate entities responding to government investigations. She also maintains an active pro-bono practice representing detained immigrant children.

Tiffany W. Vickers, B.S.N. ’08, received a Doctor of Nursing Practice from the University of Central Florida. She also became a published author with her children’s book “Special in Their Own Way, Not Everyone Can Fly Upside Down.”

Matthew S. Bunch, B.S.C. ’09, was one of the 54 recipients of the competitive James Madison Graduate Fellowship.

Stephen C. Heymann, B.A. ’09, J.D. ’12, LL.M.E. ’13, was elevated to equity shareholder and shareholder at Chamberlain Hrdlicka. He is a member of the Trusts & Estates Practice Group in Atlanta.

Amaka E. Ubaka, B.S.C. ’09, award-winner journalist and anchor at 7News Today in New England, will receive an honorary degree and deliver the commencement address at Regis College’s Class of 2023 Commencement Exercises. She was named one of Boston magazine’s most influential people in 2022 and has been honored with two Emmy awards for Outstanding Morning Newscast.

2010s

Rebecca F. Greenfield, B.B.A. ’10, M.P.H. ’15, J.D. ’15, expanded her modern boutique law firm with a growing health care practice. The Wolfe Pincavage firm serves major health care systems, hospitals, private practice groups, and other ancillary enterprises.

Otha Richardson, M.B.A. ’11, completed a certificate in fintech at the University.

Christina K. Singh, B.A. ’11, currently owns a financial advising firm, where she focuses on wealth accumulation and preservation strategies.

Jeffrey A. Epps, M.A.L.S. ’12, became a world-traveling digital nomad. He owns Outcast Vagabond, a travel business that specializes in social media marketing.

Alexandra McLaughlin, LL.M. ’12, was recognized by the Legal500 in the GC Powerlist.

Angie Capo, B.M. ’13, the creative director at El Dorado Furniture, has increased community engagement through the business with multiple events and sponsorships. Capo developed “Furnished,” which is a cultural art exhibit presented during Art Basel.

Julian D. Glover, B.S.C. ’13, Edward R. Murrow, Emmy, and AP award-winner, produced the documentary “Our America: Lowballed.” He is also an adjunct professor at Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism.

Kenneth T. Haner, D.N.P. ’13, was named chief nursing officer at Blake Hospital. Previously, he was CNO at HCA Florida Sarasota Doctors Hospital and served as CNO at Lower Keys Medical Center.

Raul I. Socorro Herrera, M.B.A. ’15, won the bidding process to take control of the Refinery Di Korsou.

Rolando J. Machado, M.B.A. ’15, was elected national vice president of the Association of Naval Services Officers, the Hispanic/Latino Leader Resource Group for all ranks and civilians of the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and Merchant Marines.

Whitney P. O’Regan, M.S.Ed.’15, joined the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators as the director of prevention and safety initiatives. She is responsible for consulting nationally on evidencebased practices around alcohol and other drug prevention.

Evan J. Sawan, B.A.M.A. ’15, relocated to Georgia to pursue a Georgia real estate license.

Amir Eid, M.S.Ed. ’16, founded the SPS Program to develop strength and conditioning at Asia’s International Basketball Federation for 44 countries.

Guilian D. DiLeonardo, B.B.A. ’17, left Merrill Lynch and launched his own wealth management firm, Liberty One Wealth Advisors.

Darik Hoff, M.S.F. ’17, joined the Seattle office of RBC Wealth Management.

Andrea C. Jennings, M.M. ’17, a sought-after keynote speaker, moderator, and panelist, is part of numerous diversity, equity, and inclusion panels. She actively is advocating for social justice through the lens of disability culture, film, music, and art.

Madeline R. Mahoney, B.S. ’17, joined Apple’s team as an employee.

David G. Ortiz-Suslow, Ph.D. ’17, a research assistant professor at the Naval Postgraduate School Department of Meteorology, was awarded a grant for the Office of Naval Research’s highly competitive Young Investigator Program. Ortiz-Suslow has continued to grow as a leader in the community of the National Science Foundation.

Oscar F. Ramos, B.S.M.AS. ’17, graduated from the University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez Campus Department of Marine Sciences Master Program.

Robert H. Eddy, B.F.A. ’18, writer, director, and actor, debuted at the GableStage in the play “We Will Not Be Silent!” He wrote, directed, and starred in the short film “JEW(ISH),” which won the seventh Annual Stage 32 Comedy Feature Screenwriting Contest.

Hande McGinty, Ph.D. ’18, joined Kansas State University as an assistant professor. McGinty is a pioneer in food informatics research.

Jordyn J. Quinn, B.B.A. ’18, J.D. ’21, joined the law firm of Bressler, Amery & Ross, P.C.

Carleigh B. Romano, B.A. ’18, joined the law office of Roberts, Carroll, Feldstein & Peirce, Inc. Prior to joining the firm, she worked in the in-house legal department for a local corporation, where she gained experience in admiralty and maritime law.

Johna E. Rudzin, Ph.D. ’18, an assistant professor at Mississippi State University Department of Geosciences, was awarded a grant for the Office of Naval Research’s highly competitive Young Investigator Program.

Nicholas Shadowen, J.D. ’18, a nationally recognized attorney, was the lead attorney for the Mexican government in a lawsuit against more than half a dozen U.S. gunmakers. Shadowen’s work has made such an impact that his firm has received inquiries from a dozen lawyers who are looking to pitch in on what could be a landmark case. Shadowen also is committed to international human rights litigation.

Lauren Swanson, J.D. ’18, joined the Fort Lauderdale office of U.S.-based law firm Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP as an associate.

Adriana M. Bolanos, B.S. ’19, assisted Puerto Rico in Hurricane Fiona’s recovery efforts. Her foundation, Color To Life Children’s Foundation, helped the island with the distribution of food and supplies.

Alissa R. Musto, M.M. ’19, was one of the winners of season one of USA Network’s “Snake in the Grass.”

Grace L. Rapp, B.S.C. ’19, a professional soccer player, won the Icelandic cup with Selfoss in Iceland.

Edgar Sirenord, J.D. ’19, joined the Fort Lauderdale office of U.S.-based law firm Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP as an associate.

Justin J. Tubis, B.B.A. ’19, launched his own anxiety relief loungewear brand, “Free the Sheep.”

Jillian Weiss, B.S. ’19, was promoted to the role of an identity and access management business analyst in the cyber security organization at NBCUniversal.

2020s

Javier I. Busto, M.S.Ed. ’21, the account executive at Florida Everblades Professional Hockey Club, accomplished his revenue goal at the Kelly Cup.

Alfonso L. Diaz, B.B.A ’21, joined Cambridge Associates as an investment analyst. Diaz builds and manages investment portfolios of nonprofit institutions to maximize their impact on the world.

Joshua A. Hark, J.D. ’21, joined the Fort Lauderdale office of U.S.-based law firm Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP as an associate.

Samantha Lawson, B.S. ’21, joined Citrix as a technical analyst. She is part of the technical consulting/sales engineering leadership development program.

Mechack K. Ngoie, M.S.F. ’21, joined Regiment Securities as a financial analyst and manager of Kap Connect.

Fiona S. Aronson, B.A. ’22, became a wardrobe celebrity stylist. She has worked with celebrities such as Katy Perry, Hailee Steinfeld, and Josh Richards.

Connor P. Bradley, B.B.A. ’22, a former marketing intern, became a yacht broker with Denison Yachting.

Sarah E. Coleman, J.D. ’22, joined the Fort Lauderdale office of the U.S.-based law firm of Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP as an associate.

Enric Ripoll Gonzalez, J.D. ’22, LL.M.I.A. ’22, was appointed chair of the Integrity Board of the International Table Tennis Federation. He also was included in the Sports Industry Thought Leaders for a third year in a row.

Eleanor E. Perrigo, B.S.C. ’22, coordinated the 2022 Chiefs Training Camp and participated in the Super Bowl LVII in Arizona with ESPN.

Cole C. Plominski, B.A. ’22, was accepted to the Florida State University Urban and Regional Planning master’s degree program.

Sergio A. Reyes, M.B.A. ’22, relaunched and rebranded his company Dink to make apparel for businesses and startups in Miami.

Christina D. Smiley, B.S.C. ’22, began her Ph.D. degree in musicology at Washington University.

Sydney L. Thorne, B.B.A. ’22, became a certified paralegal from the University of Miami’s paralegal program and graduated from the Miami Herbert Business School.

Yichu Yu, B.A. ’22, built a proof-of-concept prototype for Vision Infinity Cooktop that is a precursor to a fully autonomous home kitchen.