Notes, Marriages, Births and Memoriam

Achievements by Gannon University faculty, staff and administration

64

COL. DENNIS D. MCSWEENEY, USA (RET.) recently commemorated his 75th birthday. Col. McSweeney, now retired from the Army, has worked for the Department of Defense for 33 years, currently in the Office of the Inspector General.

66

DAVID C. KOZAK, PH.D. gave his 14th and final Presidential election analysis on Nov. 2, 2016, before retiring in December, capping a distinguished 44-year career in the political science field. .

68

CHARLES A. PORA is in his 48th consecutive season as Gannon basketball statistician. During that time, he has kept Gannon’s statistics for approximately 1,500 men’s and women‘s basketball games.

MELVIN WITHERSPOON was among the nominees for the Youth Leadership Institute of Erie’s three volunteer awards, The Charles Faulkerson Humanitarian Award, named after the late community advocate, the Luther Manus Trendsetter Award and the Antonio Del Rio Academic Impact Award, which were presented at the annual Gala to Salute Volunteerism and Service event held on Nov. 10, 2016.

72

LEONARD I. JEFFERSON ‘79M is a member of the Erie Times Old Newsies who collected donations for Erie’s Second Harvest Food Bank this year. Leonard was invited to join the Old Newsies by the late publisher of the Times, Ed Mead, and the late Vic Rotunda, and was one of the first African-American members of the Times Old Newsies. He is a retired outside plant superintendent for GTE.

74

ROBERT “BOB” J. DOBIESZ enjoys acting and filmmaking, performing in local productions and even had the opportunity to be an extra in “The Dark Knight Rises”, which was filmed in Pittsburgh. He has been cast in several films that were produced by fellow alumnus, Len Kabasinski ’97, including, “Warriors of the Apocalypse,” “Ninja: Prophecy of Death,” and “Wendigo: Bound by Blood,” and is currently preparing for his role in the film “Blood Prism.” He is Gannon University’s Archivist.

77

CARL M. CARLOTTI, ESQ. was the featured speaker at the Manufacturer & Business Association’s November 2016 Eggs ‘n Issues briefing in Erie. During his presentation, “Energy: The Increasing Importance of Natural Gas,” Carlotti provided a detailed view of National Fuel and the benefits and challenges facing the natural gas industry and his thoughts on what the future holds for one of North America’s most abundant energy resources. Carlotti is president of National Fuel Gas Distribution Corporation, Buffalo.

78

JON K. MILES has been named Chairman of the Board of Engle-Hambright & Davies, Inc. (EHD). Miles joined EHD in 1997 and previously served the company as branch manager, vice president/shareholder, regional vice president, president and chief operating officer, president and CEO. He is now chairman, president and CEO. 

79

DENNIS J. DONOHUE ’79M is working with the Western Growers Association to further develop the Western Growers’ Center for Innovation & Technology (WGCIT) into a premier agricultural technology startup incubator. In this role, Donohue will drive agricultural technology initiatives, bolster innovation programming, further facilitate relationships between startup companies and growers and spearhead business development at the WGCIT in Salinas, California.

80

FRANCO R. REA, M.D. F.A.C.S. was featured in the Gannon Knight’s “Today in History” section in November 2016. As a senior biology major, Franco presented a cadaver in the Zurn Science Center during Tri-Beta’s annual Biology Day. Rea went on to become a thoracic surgeon. Gannon’s chapter of Tri-Beta, a national biology honors society with more than 670 chapters, was founded in 1966. Since then, the chapter has won the society’s annual Lloyd M. Bertholf award for outstanding chapter in the country four times. Rea, has joined the Thoracic Surgery team at Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center. 

81

CYNTHIA (RENO) BALKSTRA VMC has nearly completed a year of coursework for death and dying counseling through the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. She is working on her Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project with an expected graduation date of June 2017. Following the DNP, she will focus on conducting a qualitative study with hospice nurses and caregivers as her dissertation for her Ph.D.

82

MARY ELLEN “MEG” ANDERSEN ‘88M retired as the Diocese of Youngstown, Ohio’s director of social services and president/chief executive officer of the diocesan Catholic Charities Corp., effective Feb. 1, 2017. She began her career with Catholic Charities, serving as executive director of Catholic Service League of Ashtabula County (1986-1990) and Family and Community Services of Catholic Charities of Portage County (1990-1993). In 1993, she was hired as diocesan director of social services, responsible for coordinating the delivery of Catholic social services throughout the six-county diocese. After a restructuring of Catholic Charities in 1999, Andersen assumed the role of president/CEO of Catholic Charities Corp. in addition to director of social services.

WILLIAM J. DOAN, PH.D. has been appointed director of the School of Theatre at Pennsylvania State University University Park for a three-year term, effective July 1, 2017. Doan joined the College of Arts and Architecture as an associate dean in 2008. In 2013, he returned to teaching full time. A playwright, author and solo performer, his most recent play, “Drifting,” received a production at Dixon Place Theatre in New York City in March 2014 and has since been performed under a sponsorship from the Doctors Kienle Center for the Study of Humanistic Medicine with new productions scheduled for 2017. His newest solo performance work, "A Brief Anatomy of My Anxiety," was presented as part of the Dixon Place Theatres Lounge series in October 

83

RALPH J. PONTILLO retired as president and chief executive officer of the Manufacturer & Business Association (MBA) in Erie, effective April 1, 2017. The MBA is a professional employers’ organization that represents more than 3,000 member companies in the tri-state region. Pontillo joined the Association in 1987 as manager of member services and was responsible for marketing and communications. He was appointed president on April 1, 1990. 

84

ELISA M. KONIECZKO, PH.D was nominated by the American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB) public information committee, also known as Celldance Studios, to consult on the production of one of the research films presented at this year’s annual meeting. The film dramatized research on how cell membranes change their shape to move through the different pathways between tissues of the body. The research is being done in the lab of Roberto Weigert, Ph.D., in Bethesda, Maryland.

85

JOSEPH G. CACCHIONE, M.D. has been named as the president of Ascension Medical Group, the national provider organization for St. Louis-based Ascension. Cacchione joins Ascension from the Cleveland Clinic, where he served as chairman of operations and strategy for the Heart and Vascular Institute beginning in 2011. Prior to the Cleveland Clinic, he was executive vice president and chief of quality and operations at Saint Vincent Health System in Erie. 

87

DOUGLAS M. TUTTLE, FLMI, FICF, ALHC has been named the chair of the 2017 Life Insurers Council Board of Directors. Douglas is the president and chief executive officer of the Loyal Christian Benefit Association (LCBA) in Erie. Tuttle’s career spans 27 years in the industry, beginning at LCBA in 1992 as a programmer/analyst. During his tenure at LCBA he has been in charge of underwriting, claims, member service, fraternal department, sales, marketing, product development and information systems.

88

BRIAN F. DALTON, PH.D. '93M has been appointed vice president for enrollment management at Alfred University.

KENNETH J. GAMBLE, ESQ. has announced he will seek a full four-year term as the Erie County Clerk of Records. Gamble was appointed to the post in January 2015 when Clerk of Records Pat Fetzner retired in the middle of his term. Gamble had served as deputy for about 22 years. Gamble will seek the Democratic nomination for the position in the May 16 municipal primary.

89

DAVID J. FRANCIS, USA was promoted from colonel to brigadier general in a November 22, 2016 ceremony in South Korea. Francis currently serves as deputy commanding general of support for the 2nd Infantry Division/Republic of Korea-U.S. Combined Division. He most recently served as deputy commander of the U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence.

90

V. JAMES FIORENZO ‘90M has announced his retirement as president of UPMC Hamot in Erie effective June 30, 2017. Fiorenzo has worked at Hamot for 42 years.

91

LORIANNE FELTZ-UPPERMAN was the keynote speaker at the 2016 Youth Leadership Institute of Erie's annual Gala to Salute Volunteerism and Service event held on November 10. She is vice president of the customer service division of Erie Indemnity Company. 

LYNN M. RUPP '03M vice president of operations of UPMC Hamot in Erie. Rupp will continue to serve as president of Regional Health Services, a position she‘s held since 2013. As vice president of operations, Rupp will oversee of the majority of Hamot‘s clinical service lines. 

As president of RHS, she will continue to direct the physician network for the northern region of UPMC and work directly with the orthopedic, trauma, radiology and neuroscience service lines. She also serves on the board of directors for the UPMC Hamot Surgery Center.

92

LORETTA (WUNCH) BRANDON '92M is the author of “Lightkeeper’s Legacy: A Personal History of Presque Isle,” which details some of the park’s history and her memories of living in the Presque Isle Lighthouse as a child (1955-1964). She now lives near Savannah, Georgia, but regularly travels to Erie in the summer to serve as a volunteer for tours at the lighthouse. This past summer she worked on the republication of her book, which was originally published in 1997 by the Erie County Historical Society. The book is now in its second printing and available for purchase. Brandon served as assistant director of public information at Penn State Behrend from 1996 to 2005. She recently retired from Georgia Southern University, where she taught writing from 2005 to 2015.

94

SAM ASHBAUGH has been appointed by Mayor Bill Peduto to the role of chief financial officer for the City of Pittsburgh. He will serve on the mayor’s executive team and oversee the Office of Management and Budget, the Department of Finance, and the Department of Innovation and Performance. 

ERIC G. LAPRICE, M.S. '97C, '99M received the Book Publishers of Southern California Industry Recognition of Writers in the News Award for the Most Innovative Photo Book of 2016 for his coffee table photo book, “Best Foot Forward.” This is the second award his book has received.

95

BETH K. KNIGHT '95M recently joined the physical therapy staff at Tri-State Pain Institute in Erie. Knight, who is certified in both the McKenzie method and the Graston technique, has experience in manual physical therapy and the treatment of shoulder, knee and hip problems. She also has specialized training in golf rehabilitation. Knight has more than 20 years of experience and works closely with physicians in pain management, orthopedics and sports medicine.

97

BROOKE (CATOB) KICHURCHAK was the winner of the Addams Family Episode of the Food Network’s “Cake Wars” series. She is the proprietor of the Bees Knees Custom Cakes in Medina, Ohio. 

AMY (NIEMEYER) ROE, PA-C has been nationally recognized for earning the specialty credential Certificate of Added Qualifications (CAQ) from the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants. The CAQ is a distinction earned by meeting licensure, education and experience requirements and then passing a national exam in the specialty. Roe, who earned a CAQ in Orthopedic Surgery, is employed at Upstate Orthopedics and the Syracuse, New York Veterans Administration Medical Center.

98

BRADLEY A. KUCH, MHA, RRT-NPS, FAARC was recently elected as the neonatal pediatrics section chair-elect of the American Association for Respiratory Care. Kuch is director, respiratory care services and transport for the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh unit of UPMC in Lawrenceville.

00

NATALIE NAPOLITANO, MPH, RRT-NPS, AE-C, CTTS, FAARC was recently elected as the vice-president of internal affairs of the American Association for Respiratory Care. Napolitano is a research clinical specialist and director, tobacco dependence program in the respiratory therapy department at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

01

DENISE L. KOLIVOSKI ‘08M recently participated in a presentation by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) of Erie County as part of Gannon University’s Greek Series 200 at the Zurn Science Center. The presentation discussed mental health and the resources that are available for Gannon students. She also recently attended the second annual Gannon Greek Ball, which benefited NAMI.

02

REBECCA A. STYN '02M is the director of community investment with the Erie Management Group, LLC. In this role she will be overseeing all requests for funding and donations and working with other nonprofit organizations in the community.

BRIAN K. YORKGITIS, D.O. was appointed to the editorial board of the Journal of American Academy of Physician Assistants. Yorkgitis is assistant professor of surgery in the division of acute care surgery at the University of Florida College of Medicine - Jacksonville.

03

ALEXANDER OPIELA, III has been appointed Chief Operations Officer for Malvern Federal Savings Bank in Chester County Pennsylvania. Prior to joining Malvern, Opiela served as senior vice president, chief risk and compliance officer for Royal Bank America.

04

JOSHUA M. LAYHUE ‘04M is co-founder of 3sixty5 Health Innovations, a health technology startup company at Gannon University’s Erie Technology Incubator. The first product the company hopes to launch is a smartphone application that will track nutrition and help people eat correctly, monitor their weight and track goals. 

DARA M. ANDREWS is now counsel at the law firm Knox McLaughlin Gornall & Sennett, P.C. in Erie. Andrews will focus her practice on estate planning, business succession planning, and guardianship matters. Prior to joining Knox Law, she practiced in Illinois and also spent three summers as an intern for a U.S. trade office in Taiwan.

ERIN Q. SEKERAK is the northwest region’s executive director of Junior Achievement of Western Pennsylvania. Sekerak spent more than five years as the associate director of alumni services at Gannon. She serves on the boards of Young Erie Professionals, Catholic Charities and Adoption Services and as an advisory panel member for the Athena PowerLink program. She has also served on numerous committees, such as TEDxErie and Friends of the Erie Community Foundation. She also serves as an Erie Ambassador.

06

MARK PETERSON earned his Ph.D. in fish, wildlife and conservation biology from Colorado State University. Peterson is a wildlife biologist for the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks in Rapid City.

07

TIMOTHY J. LESNIEWSKI was hired as the general manager at Movement Forever Fitness in Erie serving the baby boomer demographic. 

09

JORDAN P. BALENCIC, D.O. has been appointed to the advisory board of Turner Valley Oil and Gas, Inc., Houston. Balencic’s primary focus in an advisory capacity will be to assist management in executing planned acquisitions already under letter of intent and researching and vetting innovative businesses, products and opportunities that align with the company’s philosophies and long-term goals. He has founded numerous companies in the healthcare marketing, social enterprise, and medical product development areas and currently specializes in new medical technology and regulatory shifts in areas such as hemp and alternative medical products.

AMANDA (FLICK) KOCHIRKA was a presenter at the Greenville (Pennsylvania) Area Chamber of Commerce’s Small Business Growth interactive workshop series. The chamber hosts the series to help small businesses get insight on how to improve their businesses. Kochirka’s presentation helped businesses develop a web strategy. The seminar covered website best practices; when to use Facebook as a website; why a business may need both and some additional features available on Facebook. She is a business consultant with the Gannon University Small Business Development Center.

MARK E. NEEL works at PNC Bank and owns his own company Slick 6 Studios, a sports photography studio in Pittsburgh. 

JAIMIE A. PIERCE HEDRICK joined Carroll Health Group General Surgery as a physician assistant. She is seeing patients with general surgeon Sarah Lentz, M.D. in Westminster, Maryland.

10

ANTHONY B. DIPASQUA recently participated in a presentation by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) of Erie County as part of Gannon University‘s Greek Series 200 at the Zurn Science Center. The presentation discussed mental health and the resources that are available for Gannon students. DiPasqua is assistant director of Greek life and campus engagement at Gannon University.

HANNAH E. KIRBY was among five women featured in a Women’s History Month article published by the Erie Times-News regarding their careers. Hannah is a senior quality engineer at LORD Corp.

KELLY M. MIELE ‘14M was the winner of the Golden Apple Award given by Erie television stations WJET and WFXP and YourErie.com. Miele is an English teacher at Fairview High School near Erie.

11

ANNLYN M. HARVEY '13M has joined Stetson University in Deland, Florida as residential life coordinator.

CASEY P. STROYNE is a high school teacher at Ambridge Area School District near Pittsburgh. 

AMY (STROKA) SWARTZFAGER, CPA ‘11M joined the accounting firm of Schaffner, Knight, Minnaugh & Co. P.C. in Erie as a tax associate. In May of 2016, she became a Certified Public Accountant.

12

MICHAEL P. GHILANI ‘12C has been appointed as superintendent for the West Jefferson Hills School District, effective April 1, 2017. Since July 2015, he has served as superintendent of the Montour School District. Prior to that, he was an assistant principal and principal of Upper St. Clair High School for 14 years, during which he was named Pennsylvania Association of Elementary and Secondary School Principals Secondary Principal of the Year in 2013. He is also an adjunct professor at California University of Pennsylvania, where he teaches in the counselor education and administrative studies programs.

13

ANDREW M. MCGUIRE will be attending Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, in the fall to study nurse anesthesia.

14

LIAM L. NADLER will enter his first season in arena football with the Colorado Crush. Prior to joining the Crush, Nadler was a highly considered NFL prospect at quarterback, entering the 2016 season as an unsigned free agent. NFL.com scouting reports listed him as “a highly intelligent QB and is the desired size of an NFL pocket passer.” The 6-foot, 6-inch, 232-pound quarterback was on the radar for multiple NFL teams before accepting an invitation to the New York Jets rookie mini-camp where he auditioned for the quarterback position under head coach Todd Bowles. Before signing with the Sharks, he was also invited to work out with the New England Patriots during quarterback Tom Brady’s four-game suspension to begin the 2016 season.

JOSEPH A. PETRONE, JR. will be attending St. Vincent Seminary, Latrobe, Pennsylvania, for the 2016-17 academic year.

15

ROBERT A. AEPPLI ‘15M was named an environmental compliance scientist for Skelly and Loy, Inc., an engineering and environmental consulting firm based in Swatara Township near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

HEATHER M. CASPAR ‘15M has been appointed executive director of the Sisters of St. Joseph Neighborhood Network in Erie.

EMILY CLARE ‘14C has been hired as the principal and director of curriculum for the West Middlesex Area School District in Pennsylvania.

LAURA L. LONG ‘15M is employed as a physical therapist for the Visiting Nurses Association of Northwest Pennsylvania. 

ALEK T. MICHALI joined the accounting firm of Schaffner, Knight, Minnaugh & Co. P.C. in Erie as an accounting and auditing associate. He is working to earn his CPA designation.

KATE L. WIGGERS has joined Family Health Medical Services in Chautauqua County, New York, as a certified physician’s assistant.

16

JOHN A. HEPINGER will be attending St. Vincent Seminary, Latrobe, Pennsylvania, for the 2016-17 academic year.

BENJAMIN A. HYMAN was the organizer behind the pop-up artists bazaar held on February 4 at Basement Transmissions in Erie. Hyman is an Erie musician and is aiming to coordinate other pop-up shops to bring in as many people as possible, giving local artists a venue to share their creations.

MARK A. MALMQUIST is an officer in the U.S. Navy, stationed in Hawaii.

ARMAGHAN T. RAEOUF was honored with a national award for excellence in research at the Beta Beta Beta national biology honor society national convention in St. Paul, Minnesota, this past summer. Raeouf, currently doing post-baccalaureate study at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) in Erie, received a third-place award, the Frank G. Brooks Award for Excellence in Student Research for his research, titled “Effects of Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers on the Heat Shock Protein Profile of Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells.” The research was conducted with biology professor Mary Vagula, Ph.D.

KRISTEN M. SILBAUGH, PH.D. ‘16M, ‘11C was hired as the assistant superintendent of elementary education and curriculum at Pine-Richland School District in Pennsylvania.