Notes, Marriages, Births and Memoriam

Message from Brian Kurtz '08, Alumni Association President

The Alumni Association and Alumni Services Office welcomed a record number of alumni back to Gannon’s campus in October for Homecoming Reunion Weekend. At the center of activity was the dedicated, modernized Recreation and Wellness Center. Not your everyday gym, this facility and its staff encourage the development of a fit mind, body and spirit for students, faculty and staff, and this facility puts this holistic approach to wellness at the forefront of activity.

On the theme of wellness, the National Alumni Board is nearly one year into a four-year strategic plan that has placed the health and effectiveness of the board as one of the leading tactics to create a more engaging and connected Alumni Association. We are working through revisions of roles and procedures as we implement new programs to create a healthy and effective board representation of the 35,000 alumni around the world.

We need your help to develop engagement opportunities for our alumni and I encourage you to email me at kurtz004@gannon.edu with your ideas to grow alumni networks in your city and around the globe.  

I wish you well and hope that you will keep us informed of the new activities in your personal and professional lives. Be sure to log onto gannonalumni.org to share your news with your Gannon community.

1959

RICHARD P. HOGAN and Judy Biancosino Hogan celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary on Oct. 16, 2014.

1962

RICHARD D. DIBACCO, D.P.M. was inducted into Kent State University College of Podiatric Medicine's Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame recognizes distinguished alumni who display dedication to the college and contribute to achievements within the podiatric medical community. DiBacco currently serves as the director of Podiatry Associates' Foot & Ankle Centers with offices located in Erie and Meadville, Pa. and Conneaut, Ohio. He is a founding director of the Podiatric Surgical Residency at Millcreek Community Hospital in Erie, and has served as chief of podiatric surgery at multiple hospitals in northwest Pennsylvania. DiBacco previously received a "Pioneer of Podiatry” award by the Pennsylvania Podiatric Medical Association. He also holds a governor's appointment to the Pennsylvania State Board of Podiatric Medicine. DiBacco has served on the board of directors of Ohio College of Podiatric Medicine (OCPM) since 2007 and is currently the president of the newly formed KSU Foot and Ankle Clinic board.

1969

J. “DAVE” DAVID SERFOZO retired from the United States Postal Service on Nov. 30, 2014. He graduated from Triangle Tech in 1994 and is now returning to school to update his computer skills in AUTOCAD.

MICHAEL J. VISNOSKY, ESQ. has joined Millcreek Health System as director of governmental affairs, a new position. He will remain Of Counsel to Knox McLaughlin Gornall & Sennett, P.C., where he has been a shareholder specializing in family and tax assessment law. Visnosky is chairman of the board of trustees of Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM), a position he has held since its founding in 1993. He also serves as chairman of the board of Millcreek Health System. The Health System is the parent organization of LECOM, which is the nation's largest medical school in terms of enrollment, with campuses in Erie; Greensburg, Pa. and Bradenton, Fla.

1970

JUDGE ERNEST J. DISANTIS, JR. retired at the end of January, just 11 months shy of the end of his second 10-year term. 

1980

SUSAN M. NEDZA LASTRES, M.D., MBA has been named senior vice president of Clinical Outcomes Management for MPA, Inc., an analytic healthcare consultancy in Chicago, Ill. specializing in improving outcomes for patients, physicians, providers and payers.

1981

JOHN X. GARRED, ESQ. has joined Ulmer & Berne LLP in Cleveland, Ohio as partner in the firm's growing Intellectual Property (IP) & Technology practice. Garred joins the firm from Tucker Ellis LLP, where he was a founding member.

1982

ERNEST L. HEYMANN has been appointed chief investment officer for CAPREIT, a national real estate development and investment company in Rockville, Md. responsible for the ownership and management of more than $5 billion of multi-family assets. Heymann has served as a senior vice president at the company since its establishment, and has led the acquisition of dozens of multi-family residential communities. In his new role, he will leverage his extensive experience and expertise in multi-family investment to lead the company's growth.

1983

WANDA (PRICE) FILER, M.D., MBA was elected president elect of the American Academy of Family Physicians. Filer and her husband, Dr. Robert Filer, live in York, Pa. She has a clinical practice at Family First Health, a federally qualified health center with offices in York and Adams counties. She previously served as the physician general of Pennsylvania under Governor Tom Ridge.

DEBRA L. MESZAROS is an associate director of graduate admissions for Wilkes University in Wilkes-Barre, Pa.

1985

GREGORY F. REED, PH.D. has been appointed director for the University of Pittsburgh's Center for Energy in the Swanson School. Reed is a professor of electrical and computer engineering. The Center for Energy's goals include attracting world-class faculty to Pitt; training the next generation of high-level engineers, scientists and leaders to work in key areas of energy research; facilitating technology transfer related to energy for economic development; increasing energy support and raising the stature of the region as a leader in energy.

1986

KATHLEEN A. GETZ, PH.D. '86M has been named dean of the Rev. Joseph A. Sellinger, S.J., School of Business and Management at Loyola University in Maryland, effective July 1, 2015.

1987

LISA (SMITH) NEAL VMC was chosen by the Punxsutawney Career Women's Club as one of the Career Women of the Week. Neal is currently employed part-time in the healthcare field for Quest Diagnostics.

LEONARD P. WALNOHA has been named vice president for Heyl & Patterson, Inc., a worldwide leader in bulk-materials handling and thermal processing systems based in Carnegie, Pa. He will be responsible for overseeing equipment design and drafting of manufactured products, the technical development of new products, the direction of field service personnel, as well as project management and procurement.

1988

JEFFREY A. “WIZARD” WISNIEWSKI has been named to the tournament organizing committee for the VisitMyrtleBeach.com Big South Conference Basketball Championships, hosted by Coastal Carolina University.

1989

MARGARET (ROTHGERY) VANDERLAAN was Gannon’s winter Commencement keynote speaker. VanderLaan is a member of the Gannon University Board of Trustees and the chief communications officer of MWH Global, an engineering firm headquartered in Broomfield, Colo. VanderLaan was awarded a Doctor of Humane Letters degree, honoris causa, at the ceremony.

1990

WILLIAM R. ESCHRICH, PA-C joined the Banner Medical Group of Greeley (Col.) as a physician assistant.

CHRIS W. HUFFMAN has announced his candidacy this year to serve as judge on Westmoreland County's Court of Common Pleas. He serves as a part-time public defender and is a private lawyer, as well as serves as township solicitor for South Huntingdon, Pa.

KIMBERLY (WASHOK) JONES has been promoted to director of engineering and public works for the town of Bluffton, S.C. She will supervise three divisions: engineering, stormwater management and public works. She most recently served as the director of the stormwater management division for the town.

BRADLEY T. ROAE was the incumbent Republican and won re-election to a fifth term as the state representative from the Sixth District of Pennsylvania in the most recent election.

1991

ANNE (WEISER) COONEY was named to the list of 100 Diverse Corporate Leaders in STEM by STEMconnector. Cooney is the president of Siemens Corporation's United States Process Industries and Drivers division in Norcross, Ga.

1992

GREGORY A. CALDWELL, O.D. was elected to the American Optometric Association Board of Trustees at the 116th Annual AOA Congress and 43rd Annual AOSA Conference: Optometry's Meeting in June 2013. As a member of the AOA Board, Caldwell serves as liaison to the communications and marketing group and the contact lens and cornea section. His board liaison assignments also include affiliate associations in the District of Columbia, Kentucky, Maryland, Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia, as well as the American Optometric Student Association (AOSA) and Ohio State University’s College of Optometry.

1994

ERIC G. LAPRICE, M.S. '97C, '99M has accepted an offer to complete a 120-day detail assignment as the acting district ranger of the Hat Creek Ranger District of the Lassen National Forest in California from mid-March 2015 to mid-July 2015. This will be his second detail as an acting district ranger.

1996

TAMI (FRIEDMAN) NETKOWICZ has been named executive director of the ACMC Foundation at Ashtabula County (Ohio) Medical Center, an affiliate of the Cleveland Clinic.

SHAWN G. SAMPSON '96M has been awarded the Certified Administrator of School Finance and Operations certification by the Association for School Business Officials International. Sampson is the business manager with the Titusville Area School District in Pennsylvania.

1999

PATRICK J. FABIAN has announced his candidacy for Armstrong County Commissioner. Fabian has worked as a counselor at the Family Counseling Center in Kittanning, Pa. for the past 15 years, and also currently serves as Manor Township supervisor.

TIMOTHY S. WACHTER, ESQ. has been elected a shareholder of Knox McLaughlin Gornall & Sennett, P.C., where he focuses his practice on representing government entities, borrowers and lenders in public finance transactions.

2000

JACLYN M. KORNICK is an admissions representative for Triangle Tech at its main school in Pittsburgh.

2003

BRIAN C. COOPER '03M has been appointed as the new superintendent for the North Star School District in Boswell, Pa.

MATTHEW T. RINK has been named editorial page editor of “The Repository” newspaper in Canton, Ohio. He will be responsible for the editorial pages, managing columnists and letters to the editor, as well as helping to shape the paper's editorial opinions.

2004

KATRINA (VINCENT) SMITH '04M has been named the new chief executive of DevelopErie. Smith had served as interim chief executive and had previously served as senior vice president after joining the organization in 2006.

2005

JANELL K. KRIDER is a registered nurse at Saint Vincent Hospital in Erie. 

2007

AMY L. GRANDE recently graduated from California University of Pennsylvania with a Masters of Science in sport management studies. She is currently working in Erie as the youth and teen director at the Eastside YMCA.

LUNA LANA REES '07M, '07C has been named as the permanent director of the Erie County (Pa.) Office of Children and Youth. She had served as interim director since July.

STEVEN M. SRNKA works as an in-house legal counsel at Logistics Plus, Inc. in Erie.

2008

ZACHARY A. BERNAZZOLI has been awarded the Physician Assistant of The Year Award from the Dana Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. Bernazzoli’s colleagues honored him for his compassion, enthusiasm, positive attitude, caring ways and "a smile that makes everything okay for his patients and their families." Bernazzoli has been working at the Institute since January 2011, where he specializes in the treatment of lymphoma and outpatient procedures, including bone marrow biopsies, lumbar punctures, paracentesis and bone marrow harvesting.

KATHARINE R. MCCLELLAND '08M has been named as the new assistant principal for instruction and student affairs at West Allegheny High School in North Fayette, Pa. She began the school year as the assistant high school principal. Her new role will encompass coordination of student services and provide leadership in mathematics and institutional technology.

JESSICA (MURRAY) VOYTKO has accepted the role of manager of diversity and executive recruitment for Giant Eagle, Inc. based in Pittsburgh.

WILLIAM E. SCHOLZ was named communications and operations lead for the Innovation Collaborative, an Erie-based organization dedicated to assisting entrepreneurship in the region.

2009

DIANE M. COREY is an adjunct professor in Gannon University's physician assistant program.

AMANDA (FLICK) KOCHIRKA is currently enrolled in the master of public administration program at Gannon University and is a business and technology commercialization consultant at Gannon’s Small Business Development Center.

LARRY W. MATTOCKS, JR. '09M is the clinical director at Penn Ohio Rehabilitation Center in New Wilmington, Pa.

COLLEEN M. SCHWARZ is a physician's assistant at Medicore Associates, a member of UB|MD Physician's Group in Buffalo, N.Y.

JOSEPH M. WAGNER is currently working toward his doctorate degree from the Pennsylvania College of Optometry at Salus University.

2010

ROBERT R. ANDERSON '09 is a registered respiratory therapist at York Hospital in York, Pa. 

ANN M. BADACH '10M has been named executive director of Catholic Charities for the Diocese of Erie. She will serve as the official liaison between all Catholic charities, agencies and programs, and the Bishop of Erie, and will serve on the social concern committee of the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference.

ALISON M. BATTAGLIA is a physical therapist at Monongahela Valley Hospital in Pennsylvania.

JORDAN R. BURKE, PHARM.D., '10C is a pharmacist at Northwest Pharmacy Solutions in Meadville, Pa.

JOSEPH R. KOLANO is a wellness coach and exercise physiologist at Highmark Blue Cross Blue
Shield in Pittsburgh, Pa.

BRIAN J. REYNOLDS '10M is a math instructor at Central Cambria High School in Ebensburg, Pa.

2011

BRIDGET A. COLE is currently employed at Provider Resources, Inc. in Erie. 

ELIZABETH L. MCCORMICK is the import and specialty brand manager at Erie Beer Company. 

MACK N. OCHS has joined BBVA Compass as a commercial relationship associate in the bank’s Raleigh, North Carolina commercial office.

LISA R. PERETICH is currently a physical therapist at Frederick Primary Care Associates Physical Therapy in Frederick, Md.

JENNIFER L. TAYLOR-WATENPOOL '11M was inducted into the inaugural "Fuel Up to Play 60" Hall of Fame. Watenpool is a physical education teacher at Aiken Elementary School in the Keystone Oaks School District and was the only Pennsylvania teacher to be inducted.

2012

SHEILA M. GROSS '12M is a teaching associate of English at Indiana University of Pennsylvania and a doctoral student in the literature and criticism program.

KATHRYN A. WAWRZYNIAK has joined Niagara Therapy LLC in Erie, Pa. as an occupational therapist.

2013

DANIELLE R. BETZ has joined Memorial Primary Care in Urbana, Ohio as a physician assistant. She will provide patient care services that include conducting patient histories and exams, ordering and interpreting lab tests, writing orders and prescribing medication.

2014

NIKKI M. MCGAUGHEY participated in a short internship working with primates and doing research at the Alouatta Sanctuary near David, Panama.

JENNIFER R. PAPICH has begun her coaching career as an assistant girls varsity basketball coach at Plum Senior High School in Pittsburgh. She also works as a clinical researcher at the UPMC Eye and Ear Institute.

NICHOLAS R. SCHULTZ '14M is an engineer at GE Transportation in Erie.

Births

a daughter, Alice Noelle Carlisle (born Dec. 5, 2014) to Ryan R. Carlisle '08, '10M and his wife, Amy

a son, Jack Connor (born Nov. 10, 2014) to Catherine A. Cipriani '09

a son, Preston Michael Grom (born Oct. 12, 2014) to Michael J. '06 and Miranda (Hall) Grom '09

a daughter, Madeline Mae Kurtz (born Dec. 30, 2014) to Brian M. '08 and Rebecca (Fresch) Kurtz '08