Class Notes The ’70s Gary Bukowski, CFRE ‘73 was recently featured in Giving Tomorrow , showcasing his passion for improving the lives of others in his fundraising career. William Chiodo ‘73 was the frst recipient of the 2020 Legacy Award from the Florida Art Education Association. The award recognizes a lifelong leader and arts advocate who has signifcantly shaped visual arts education. Prior to his retirement, he had a 40-year career with Miami-Dade County Public Schools, America’s fourth-largest school system. Val Sherrange Crofoot ‘76 married Pete Zielinski at St. Hedwig Church in Erie, Pennsylvania, on March 20, 2020. They met at Mercyhurst in the frst class of the Geriatric Care Assistant Program. An editorial in The Arts in Psychotherapy marked the 40 th anniversary of the journal’s longtime cover art image, which was created by Will Ursprung ‘76 in 1980. The cover incorporated various forms of artistic expression and was inspired by Rorschach ink blots. Now legally blind, Ursprung has retired from actively practicing art therapy but continues to focus on his art, participating in artist residencies and showcasing his work. The ’80s Matthew Whelan ‘86 was named the ninth president and frst lay male president of Caldwell University in New Jersey. He most recently served as Vice President for University Enrollment Strategy and Relationship Development at Stony Brook University. Daniel P. Spizarny ‘87 received an award from the U.S. Department of Defense that recognizes supervisors who go above and beyond to support service members of the National Guard and Reserves. The ’90s Robin Gallo ‘90 married Ken Marsh on Feb. 29, 2020. Both Robin and Ken work
The ’00s Scott Koskoski ‘00 , a national philanthropy consultant and leadership coach, recently launched Carpe Diem Fundraising, a boutique consulting frm specializing in helping small- and medium-sized organizations dramatically scale their social impact and raise more money. Scott is also a member of senior leadership at Trinity School for Ministry and resides with his wife and four children in Washington, Pennsylvania. Victor Laurenza ‘02 has been named senior vice president and team leader for Key Private Bank’s Western Pennsylvania Market. Laurenza leads the market’s wealth management team and helps clients achieve their wealth building and preservation goals. JP Ratajczak ‘02 ‘04M was inducted to the Council of Competitive Intelligence Fellows at its annual meeting in October 2020. CI Fellows have been recognized by their peers for leadership in the discipline of competitive intelligence. In August, he was also awarded the Profound Impact Leader Award by the Competitive Intelligence Community of the Special Libraries Association (SLA). He leads the competitive intelligence team for Nationwide’s retirement plan business in Columbus, Ohio. Eric Schultz ‘02 was promoted to sergeant at the Monroe County Sherif Ofce in Rochester, New York, where he has worked for the past discussed their experiences with COVID-19, the efects of the pandemic on sports and athletes, specifcally the AFL, and athletes speaking out. The music in the interview was done by Mercyhurst alum Anthony Fahey ‘05 . Emilee Ballaro ‘05 (Williamsville, New York) married Matthew Despagni (Manhasset, New York) on Oct. 5, 2019, in New York City at their local parish, St. Francis de Sales Roman Catholic Church on the Upper East Side. They met in the spring of 2014 while playing softball in Central Park as members of the “Saints & Sinners” recreational softball league sponsored by the Catholic Diocese of New York. Jessica Lamb Giordano ‘05 was named to the 2020 Forty under 40 Class by Sports Business Journal. The Forty Under 40 awards annually celebrate the best young talent in sports business. Jessie is senior vice president, client consulting and services, and head of San Francisco GMR Marketing. Ted Nagorsen ‘05 and Marley McKenzie Nagorsen ‘09 had their third daughter, Piper Quinn, on Feb. 2, 2020. Edward Bolden III ‘07 and wife Heather had a son, Alexander Leo, on Aug. 25, 2020. He joins siblings Kali and Eddie. Lindsay Peters Heilman ‘07 and husband Elias had their fourth child, daughter Willow Mae, on Oct. 2, 2019. Willow joins siblings Bingham, Remington, and Easton. Ricardo A. Aguirre, Jr. ‘05 , a documentarian and online media producer, interviewed fellow Mercyhurst alum Rob Keefe ‘03 as part of his COVID-19 interview series. Rob is head coach and president of football operations for the Arena Football League’s Albany Empire. Ricardo and Rob 13 years. He is married to Julie Lindsay Schultz ‘02 . Erin Cunningham Peters ‘04 started a new role with Nordson Corporation as global leader of talent processes.
for the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services. Anthony “Tony” Prusak ‘90 has been named director of business development for FHTvirtual powered by Cadence, the frst virtual meeting platform for global medical associations to support their virtual conferences. Ken “Breeze”Walker ‘90 has retired after 25 years of service with the Pennsylvania State Police.
Kathy Ets-Hokin ‘91 received the Junior Outstanding Parent Service Award from USA Volleyball and was honored at the 2020 Hall of Fame virtual induction ceremony. Shane Krige ‘91 has been named general manager of The Abaco Club on Winding Bay in The Bahamas.
Craig Rybczynski ‘95 received the Tom Borrelli Award as the National Lacrosse League’s Media Member of the Year.
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