Class Notes

62

ROBERT M. MURPHY, PH.D. and his wife, Kathleen, have authored the book, “Manager vs. Leader: Untying the Gordian Knot.” The book was published in 2018 under the Routledge Focus series. Throughout their years of teaching management and leadership, both nationally and internationally, and with the added experience of Murphy’s military career, the Murphys have witnessed the confusion of being a manager and a leader. Their book cuts through the clutter of books to differentiate between the two and help align one’s expectations of these individuals.

66

SISTER PHYLLIS HILBERT, S.S.J. VMC ‘72M was presented the Charles R. and Katherine L. Scalise Community Service Award by The Housing and Neighborhood Development Service (HANDS). The award honors an individual who has demonstrated exceptional leadership in the Erie community and who has exemplified HANDS’ core values. Over the years, Hilbert taught at several schools in the Catholic Diocese of Erie and coordinated religious education programs before embarking on missionary work. Hilbert served for five years as a missionary in Arusha, Tanzania and as director of religious education for that diocese. After returning to the U.S., she focused on the needs of women at Community House for Women while serving as part of the leadership team of the Sisters of St. Joseph. She also became co-director of Bethany Ministries and founded Dwellings and Advocacy for Women in Need in Erie. In 2006, Hilbert joined the Sisters of St. Joseph Neighborhood Network as a housing and family advocate.

80

THOMAS L. KIRKPATRICK is the new senior vice president and chief customer officer for American Electric Power (AEP). Kirkpatrick is responsible for Customer Services, Solutions and Business Development. He most recently served as the vice president of Distribution Asset Management and Support Services for the company. He began his career at AEP in 1980 and has worked in leadership roles for the company as vice president, Customer Services, Marketing and Distribution Services, as well as vice president, Distribution Operations.

83

MARK L. NELSON, PH.D. is vice president of Business and Science Development at Frontier Scientific and its subsidiaries. He has conducted research into neurodegeneration funded by the Department of Defense while serving as chief science officer at TerraNova Therapeutics in La Jolla, Calif. He recently invented two antibiotics (Nuzyra and Seysara) as director of chemistry at Paratek Pharmaceuticals Boston (40 patents) approved by the FDA. He currently lives in Park City, Utah, with his wife, Janice (Badger) of Millcreek, and daughter Catherine. Nelson was a Distinguished Alumni Award recipient in 2003 and a member of Gannon University’s Board of Trustees from 2003-2006.  

85

CLEOPATRA (NACOPOULOS) GOURLIAS, DDS completed her pre-med program and received a Bachelor of Science in biology from Gannon University in 1985. She then completed her dental degree at Athens University in 1991. She continued her post-graduate studies, earning master’s degrees in both oral biology and periodontology in 1998. In 2005, she earned a master certificate in lasers from SOLA Laser Academy at the Medical University of Vienna, Austria. Additionally, Gourlias earned her Ph.D. from the School of Medicine at the University of Athens, Greece in 2015 and has continued post-doctoral research. Most recently, she earned a Master of Science in aesthetic medicine from Queen Mary University in London in 2017.

86

PETER J. ZAPHIRIS recently purchased the one-time Daka Paper building in Erie and has spent a lot of time over the past year sizing up building and land potential in the downtown area. Zaphiris is preparing to begin work on a multi-million-dollar project that will create new apartments, commercial and office space through the extensive renovation of three buildings and the construction of two others in an area along West 12th Street from State to Sassafras Streets. Zaphiris is an insurance professional and owner of Erie-based Great Lakes Insurance Services Group. 

87

JULIE (SAYRE) SENITA, PH.D., RN, MSN VMC ‘94M has been named Senior Program Director for Nursing and Allied Health at Kent State University’s Ashtabula campus. Senita has served as the interim director of the nursing program since August 2017 and is a longtime nursing faculty member. 

KEVIN SULLIVAN won an Emmy for Best Writing for his work on Nickelodeon’s “The Loud House.” With more than 25 years’ experience in television and entertainment, his work includes production for “The 62nd Annual Academy Awards” and design of theme park attractions for The Walt Disney Company. Sullivan was nominated for an Emmy Award in 2010 for his work on “The Fairly Odd Parents” and in 2011 for two Annie Awards (the Animation Guild’s highest honor) for writing “The Fairly Odd Parents” and “T.U.F.F. Puppy.” Sullivan was also instrumental in securing animated and digital art for Nash library. 

90

ANTHONY J. BERDIS, PH.D. has been promoted to the rank of professor at Cleveland State University’s College of Sciences and Health Professions in the Chemistry Department. He will begin his post in August. 

DANIEL P. WILLIAMS, PT is the new clinic director at Physical Rehabilitation Services’ Franklin Park location. Williams has more than 26 years of experience as a physical therapist in outpatient orthopedic physical therapy with elite sports medicine experience. One of his passions is baseball. As a previous consultant to the Pittsburgh Pirates, he receives an annual invite to spring training and has rehabilitated numerous professional athletes.

91

BENJAMIN E. BULKLEY ‘91M has been named chief executive officer of EnvisionRxOptions, a pharmacy benefit management (PBM) company and wholly owned subsidiary of Rite Aid. Bulkley was most recently chief executive officer and co-founder of Trellis Rx, a private equity-backed company that builds specialty pharmacies for health systems. Prior to Trellis Rx, Bulkley led the specialty businesses of Aetna, including its pharmacy, behavioral health and TPA businesses. His pharmaceutical responsibilities included benefit design, clinical, compliance, pharmaceutical contracting, network management, employer sales, mail order and specialty pharmacies. Bulkley also has served as chief operating officer of Allscripts, a healthcare IT platform provider focused on connected care; senior vice president of Global Commercial Operations at Invitrogen, a provider of life sciences technologies for disease research and drug discovery; and as vice president and general manager of Global Services in the IT division of General Electric’s Healthcare business. 

93

JESSICA (RAIRIE) CARTER is a finalist for the 2018 Golden Apple Teacher of the Year for Marion County, Fla. Carter is a 22-year veteran, third-grade gifted math and science teacher at Dr. N.H. Jones Elementary School in Ocala, Fla.

TRACEY MCCANTS LEWIS, ESQ. has joined the Pittsburgh Penguins organization as its new deputy general counsel and director of Human Resources.

94

KELLY D. GOEDEL is the new executive director of the Wood County Senior Citizens Association. She previously served as the executive director of the Humane Society of the Ohio Valley in Marietta for two years. She moved to the Mid-Ohio Valley nearly five years ago from the Pittsburgh area. It was there that she was a program director for Southwestern Pennsylvania Human Services for 15 years.

ERIC G. LAPRICE, M.S. ‘97C, ‘99M is the Western Divide Ranger District of the Sequoia National Forest and Giant Sequoia National Monument. His district was awarded the Region 5’s 2018 Regional Forester’s Award for District of the Year.

96

MATTHEW J. FRIST, ED.D. is among the winners of the 2018 CFO of the Year awards presented by the Pittsburgh Business Times. Frist is vice president of Finance and Business for Duquesne University. 

97

SHELLEY (BORTZ) LIGASHESKY is being honored as the Outstanding Alumna at the 2019 Geibel Catholic Junior Senior High School Mardi Gras Auction Gala. Ligashesky is the all-time leading scorer with 1,977 points for the school’s basketball program, boys and girls. She is a reporter and sports show host for WPXI TV in Pittsburgh and was the 2008 Mrs. Pennsylvania winner and 2010 Mrs. Ohio winner in the Mrs. USA contest.

98

THOMAS L. LENOX is among more than two dozen police officers from local agencies who are involved with the Erie Police Athletic League (PAL) program. Recently, the organization provided an outing at Play Port Arcade and Family Fun Center to reward students from seven city elementary schools for their academic achievement. The outing highlights the continued growth of PAL, which was revived in Erie in 2016 after a 40-year absence. The program is designed to develop and strengthen bonds between law enforcement and the city’s youth through after-school programs and other events. 

JAMES W. ROBERTS, JR. ‘98M has completed a 50-state marathon goal. After competing in the Maui Oceanfront Marathon in Hawaii on Sunday, Jan. 20, Roberts completed 55 marathons with at least one in each state.

JESSICA (PULLER) WARD MS, RD, CD, CEDRD was a presenter at the 2019 International Association of Eating Disorders Professionals (IAEDP) Symposium in Palm Desert, Calif. Her presentation, “Navigating the Complexities of Significant Weight Restoration,” addressed the physical changes and symptoms that create discomfort and can be difficult to tolerate and reinforce. According to Ward, weight restoration also directly confronts many disordered eating patterns and behaviors, creating a minefield that treatment professionals must navigate to keep the patient engaged. She is the director of Therapeutic Services for Selah House in Anderson, Ind. and works to develop Selah House’s programs. Ward leads a team of dietitians, therapists, a chaplain, equine staff and educational staff. She also serves as faculty for the eating disorders course at Anderson University and has authored the eating disorder section of the Indiana Diet Manual in two revisions.
 

99

STEVE MOYER is among the modern-day (after 1972) inductees into the 2019 Berks County Basketball Hall of Fame. Moyer set records for three-point shooting at Wyomissing and Gannon University. He set an NCAA career record with 442 three-pointers. He scored 1,092 points for the Spartans and finished fourth all-time at Gannon with 1,684 points. He set Gannon records with 10 three-pointers in a game by converting 53.5 percent in a season. Moyer played professionally in Europe for five seasons and was inducted into the Gannon Athletics Hall of Fame in 2011.

00

JUSTIN Q. ZONA, ED.D. ‘06M, ‘08C has completed his Ed.D. in educational leadership from the University of Pittsburgh. 

01

SARAH M. HOWE ‘03M has been named new varsity volleyball coach for St. John School in Ohio. Howe has been involved with the Heralds athletic program since 2007. Her 11-year involvement includes coaching the junior high team in 2007-2008 and serving as junior varsity and assistant head coach from 2008-2018. Most recently, Howe served as the interim coach in 2018 and guided the Heralds to the Division IV Southington district final match. Howe is also the client care coordinator for Comfort Keepers. 

MICHAEL J. NUNES has been promoted to senior vice president of Current Programming for the NBC network. Nunes previously served as the vice president of Current Programming for NBC, including being involved with the nation’s hit drama, “This is Us.”

02

REBECCA A. STYN ‘02M is the executive director of the Idea Fund and is relaunching the Innovation Erie Design Competition through the nonprofit, which provides funding and services to people who turn their ideas into businesses. The Innovation Erie Design Competition asks scientists, artists, manufacturers, engineers and designers to submit original ideas for products that could be catalysts for new businesses built in the Erie area. The regional product design competition was launched in 2008 and has among its success stories a business known as ReCAP Mason Jars, created by Karen Rzepecki ’94. 
 

BRIAN K. YORKGITIS, D.O. has been awarded the Duval County Medical Society Philip H. Gilbert Young Physician Leadership Award.

03

JASON M. KROH ‘03M has joined Strados Labs as its chief technology officer. He has a wide range of experience in medical electronics development, bringing more than two decades of experience to the company. Prior to joining Strados, he served as vice president of New Product Development for Vero Biotech and vice president of Hardware and Biomedical Engineering for Sarvint Technologies. Kroh also served as vice president of R&D, Electrical Engineering for CardioMEMS where he established and managed a multidisciplinary team of engineers and technicians to design and develop the company’s proprietary electronics platform. Kroh was lead electrical engineer at Cybersonics Inc. where he developed the electronics for control and actuating mechanisms for therapeutic ultrasonic medical devices. He holds 26 issued U.S. patents and has co-authored multiple papers on sensing and actuation.

LYNEIL C. MITCHELL, DPT ‘05M, ‘07M is among the 2018 inductees into both the 54th induction class of the Butler County Sports Hall of Fame and Gannon’s Athletics Hall of Fame. Mitchell was a two-time section championship wrestler for Butler who placed second in the WPIAL his senior year. He also lettered in football and baseball. He went on to a standout wrestling career at Gannon University, where he placed second and third at the NCAA Division II championships in consecutive years.

NANCY (HEISS) MORRIS ‘15M is a 2019 “Women Making History Dynamic Dozen” award recipient from the Mercy Center for Women. Morris received the award for her work with children and the invention of her ICAN and Effortless Art Crayons, which is a line of art products designed to be inclusive and intuitive for all children.

LEAH R. SAMUELS, DC is a recipient of the 2018 Women’s Business Network Inc. “Jean Walsh Scholarship” award. Samuels will be applying the scholarship to “increase her knowledge and skills in the area of hormone management.” Samuels will attend the courses Mastering Fertility, Conception and Pregnancy and Mastering Menopause to assist women struggling with hormonal imbalances. Samuels opened Align Chiropractic Wellness Center in Greensburg, Pa. in Fall 2008.

05

MINDY V. RICHMOND landed her dream job in Summer 2018 as the head women’s lacrosse coach for Lynn University. She is excited to take on the challenge of developing a lacrosse program from scratch. During her athletic career at Gannon, she led the nation with 88 goals, the most in Gannon history and the fourth-highest single-season total in Division II history. In her senior year, Richmond was nominated for the NCAA Woman of the Year award. Richmond started her coaching career as an assistant coach at Gannon. She then became head coach at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, where she led the team to six consecutive state conference tournament appearances and earned Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Coach of the Year honors in 2013.

07

TIMOTHY R. CAPUTO ‘09M has become head coach for the Harbor Creek softball team and is an assistant coach for the boys basketball team, primarily coaching ninth-graders. Caputo is a learning support teacher at Clark Elementary School.

KRISTEN (MATLAK) GEHRLEIN ‘06 has been nominated for the Young Erie Professional’s “Young Professional of the Year” award. 

08

DANIEL J. HEBERT was named “Young Engineer of the Year” by the Peninsula Engineers Council, receiving the Doug Ensor Award. He is an engineer for Newport News Shipbuilding and has two patents pending in additive manufacturing.

09

AMANDA (FLICK) KOCHIRKA, MPA ‘17M has been promoted to Program Director at Erie Regional Chamber & Growth Partnership.

10

CLAYTON W. ACKER was featured in a 60-second advertisement by Audi (national campaign) titled “Audi A4 - The Best Man.”

LAUREN M. DEBICK recently earned professional accreditation in public relations and received the designation of Accredited in Public Relations (APR). Debick is director of Public Relations and Communications for Ocala Health.

HANNAH E. KIRBY ‘11M has been appointed by Erie Mayor Joe Schember to serve a four-year term as a member of the Erie Parking Authority. Kirby is the owner of Ember + Forge coffee shop, Gannon’s National Alumni Board president, as well as former Lord Corporation engineer.

11

REV. ERIC J. DINGA became the new administrator of St. John the Evangelist Parish and St. Rose Parish, both in Latrobe, Pa., this past February.

LISA M. RIPPER is the Community Health Research manager at the University of Pittsburgh and UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh in the Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine. Her research focuses on violence prevention program evaluation and building strong and equitable communities where all children can thrive.

12

ELIJAH E. COPPOCK starred in the murder mystery “Towards Zero,” staged by All an Act Theatre Productions in Erie, Pa. The play is based on Agatha Christie’s murder mystery by the same name. Coppock is a social worker by day, but murder mystery aficionado after hours. His first show while at Gannon was “The Poor of New York,” a period melodrama. Since that production, he has performed with several theater groups around Erie.

AMY MURDOCK was hired as new director of Government Affairs and Advocacy for the Erie Regional Chamber & Growth Partnership. Giles has served as director of the Erie County Department of Planning and Community Development for the past year. She will work with government leaders on the local and state level to analyze and advocate for public policy issues that support the local economy and local business sector. 

LANDON E. WAHL, DPT ‘16M has opened a branch of Drayer Physical Therapy, a Hummelstown-based company in Somerset Township, Pa. Wahl serves as the clinic’s director. Wahl is board-certified in orthopedics and has his doctorate in physical therapy from Gannon University. Services at the clinic will include cancer care, post-surgical conditions, orthopedic injuries and pediatrics.

KAILYN L. BENTLEY ‘17M is a physical therapist at Pine Street Physical Therapy in Lodi, Calif.

JABULANI “JABS” NEWBY has been signed by Saenz Horeca Araberri of the Liga Española de Baloncesto, also known as LEB Oro, the second division of the Spanish basketball league system. Newby began his fourth year of professional basketball with Saint John Riptide in the National Basketball League of Canada (NBL Canada). The 6-foot-3 guard then signed a professional contract with team CB Clavijo of the LEB Oro League, where he played in 10 games before moving to Saenz Horeca Araberri team. During his professional basketball career he has traveled to Canada, Mexico and Spain.

BRETT R. WILER ‘14M will leave his position within Erie Mayor Joe Schember’s office to work for the new Flagship Opportunity Zone Development Corporation. The new corporation is being launched by the Erie Regional Chamber & Growth Partnership. The company was established by the Chamber to promote the eight opportunity zones in the Erie region that have been designated by Gov. Tom Wolf’s office and certified by the U.S. Treasury Department. Wiler serves as the new business development officer in Schember’s administration. His focus will be on business attraction and rentention.

16

MARGARET M. COONEY has been promoted from law clerk to associate attorney by Pittsburgh law firm Robert Peirce & Associates after completing her Juris Doctorate at Duquesne University School of Law in May 2018 and passing the bar exam. She has been with the law firm since May 2017.

LT.JG MARK A. MALMQUIST, E.I.T. was selected as the Naval Facilities Engineering Command’s (NAVFAC Hawaii) 2019 Military Engineer of the Year. Malmquist, a mechanical engineer and construction manager in NAVFAC Hawaii’s Facilities Engineering and Acquisition Division (FEAD) in Kaneohe Bay, was selected for his expertise in managing and leading construction efforts of high-visibility and critical projects for Marine Corps Base Hawaii (MCBH), collectively valued at $39 million. His engineering acumen facilitated rapid solutions to engineering problems during project design reviews, saving the Navy and Marine Corps monetary resources during construction.

17

ANDREW R. PEIRSON played center in five consecutive games with the B.C. Lions of the Canadian Football League. He started the season on the practice roster, but was moved up to the active roster in early October. He has been given the nickname of “Little Angus” by one of the coaches who thought he resembled longtime Lions’ centre Angus Reid. 

18

ERIKA THOMAS has joined the Youth Leadership Institute of Erie where she serves as education program manager. In that role, she is responsible for the implementation and coordination of Connected in 5, a community-based education and career training program for high school students. This specialized program provides long-term support for at-risk youth, assisting them in the completion of high school and the pursuit of post-secondary education.