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CLASS NOTES

Marriages and Unions

 
  • Steven Margulies ’91 to Eileen Blum
  • Jill Shuck ’94 to Joseph W. Brown III
  • Jesse Hendrix ’99 to Prescy Marie
    Danko
  • Jean Radjabali ’99 to Teodora Dimitrova
  • Erica Susanne Davis ’00 to John Edward
    Donoghue
  • Steven William Kuiken ’00 to Jessica
    Courtney Melk
  • Jenny LaPlaca ’01 to Ryan Darlington
  • Brian Riback ’01 to Lauren Berliner ’05
  • David Chang ’02 to Lisa Marie Ceccacci
  • Kate Ali Higgins ’02 to John Robert
    Crumpacker
  • Allison Mueller ’03 to Joseph Mascis
  • Tiffany L. Webb ’03 to Dudley M. North
  • Lauren Wiener ’03 to Eric Carlinsky
  • Christina Hoch ’04 to Brett Santowasso
  • Erin Hogan ’04 to Shawn Curcio
  • Josh Lipsky ’04 to Christina Medina ’05
  • Tina Muller ’04 to Craig Wohlrab
  • Annelise Tversland ’05 to Craig Scott
    Zimmerli
  • Derrick William Lieb ’07 to Janet
    Gressler

1970's 1980's 1990's 2000's Submit Class Notes

1970's

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Susan Lisbin '75 recently had an exhibition of her paintings and sculptures at the Ben Shahn Galleries at William Paterson University. Her art style is abstract and she uses many mediums such as paint, graphite and wire to portray different emotions. Her works have been exhibited in many solo and group exhibitions throughout New Jersey and New York. Susan has been an art teacher in the Millburn School District for 10 years and is a resident of Orange.

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Vincent T. Marchese '75 of Paterson has had his photograph, “The Great Falls of the Passaic, Flood Stage”, accepted into the Paterson Museum's juried fine art exhibition. The theme of the exhibition involves works that convey the beauty of the Great Falls. Vincent is a professional photographer and a Social Studies Educator for the Paterson School District. He was a former President of the Ramapo College Alumni Association.

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Andre Lijoi, MD '76 was named the 2008 PAFP Family Physician of the Year. Dr. Lijoi is a physician at the Thomas M. Hart Family Practice Center and the associate program director of the York Hospital Family Practice Residency Program; both are located in York, PA. He also lectures about his practice in south Eastern Kentucky. His lectures are titled: “More Than Moonshine: Reflections on Medical Practice in Remote Rural America and Christian Virtue in Medical Practice and Domestic Violence Prevention: Raising our Boys Differently.”

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Brian Bass '79 has co-authored his first book, “The Accidental Medical Writer”, which chronicles the unique professional paths that Brian and his co-author took to become successful freelance medical writers. It provides helpful strategies, lessons, and tips from their nearly 40 years of combined freelance medical writing experience.

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Roger Muller '79 has been captain and general manager of the New Jersey Rockets since 1992. He is a Professional Association of Diving Instructors certified scuba instructor whose teaching schedule brings him to a variety of exotic locations. He also sells insurance for family owned Muller Insurance in Hoboken and is the proud father of daughters Kelsey, 16 and Taylor, 12.

Dennis Tartaglia '79 has recently formed his own company Tartaglia Communications. He has over 20 years of experience working in public relations. The company specializes in creating communications solutions for health, science, nonprofit and government organizations. Some of the areas of work that Tartaglia's company focuses on are media relations, health and science writing/editing, event management and other aspects of communications strategies.

1980's

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Theresa Cecylija Leszczynski '81 traveled to Los Alcarrizos II in the Dominican Republic to teach parents and guardians how to care for their babies and infant massage. Theresa joined 13 other members of Our Lady of Good Council Church, Pompton Plains in February for a week-long stay. Theresa is state certified in various modalities and IGM acupressure. She currently works with all ages, focusing on the elderly and those with Alzheimer's disease. In 2006, she began working independently as a somatic therapist and owns a business Hands with Heart.

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Dr. Mary J. (Finnegan) McDonough '81 was honored by Berkeley College with the Online Faculty of the Year Award for Outstanding Teaching. Mary joined Berkeley College in 2000 as a Professor of Management. She has also taught on-site classes and served as Campus Operating Officer of the Westchester Campus in White Plains. Dr. McDonough also holds a Master of Science degree in Human Resource Management from Upsala College, East Orange and a doctorate in Human Resource Development from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE.

Joyce Cohen '82 has been a campaign aide for Senator Mark Warner (D-VA). She has also worked for President Barack Obama as a Protect the Vote attorney during the general election in November 2008.

Bryan D. Daly '82 joined the Los Angeles office of Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP as partner in the firm's Business Trial and Government Contracts practice groups specializing in white collar criminal defense and complex civil litigation. Daly is a former Assistant United States Attorney for the Central District of California, Criminal Division, Public Corruption and Government Fraud Section. Daly received a Juris Doctor from Rutgers University School of Law in 1985.

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Steven J DeFrank '82 is a partner at Levy, Leff & De- Frank where he practices personal injury and liability law. He is a member of the New Haven County Bar Association, the Connecticut Trial Lawyers Association and the Association of Trial Lawyers of America. He has also served on the North Branford zoning board of appeals.

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Meryl Gitter Michon '82 produced the biography, Sarah Palin, for the Biography Channel. Meryl is a freelance television producer, director and writer who produces shows for network and cable television including ABC, NBC, Discovery, A&E, Nickelodeon, TLC and CNN.

Dr. Barbara Klemt Boxleitner '83 will be included in the Biltmore “Who's Who Among Executives and Professional Women and its 2008 Honors Edition.” The Biltmore publishing committee selected her to represent the professional and business community of North Fort Myers, Florida. She is a full-time mother to her daughter, Denver Bree Boxleitner, and a part-time journalist

Dr. Barbara Klemt Boxleitner '83 is a contributing writer for eight newspapers and magazines, most recently Florida Weekly and the Hendersonville, North Carolina, Times-News. Her work has appeared in 24 publications throughout the country. She is a fulltime mother to her daughter, Denver Bree, who is in preschool.

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Sarah Brelvi '83 President & CEO, United Way of Warren County was recently recognized by Governor Jon Corzine as a NJ Woman Leader at a reception held on March 27 at Drumthwacket, the Governor's residence. She is recognized as a change agent and has been developing and leading women for more than 10 years by creating women's leadership programs during her tenure at AT&T, the United Way of Essex, West Hudson and Warren counties. She is the co-founder and chair of the state-wide United Way of New Jersey Women's Leadership Council. Sarah serves on the Executive Women of New Jersey program committee, the 2009 NJ Governor's Conference on Women host committees, a Board of Trustees for Northwest New Jersey Regional Women's Center, Centenary Stage Company and Warren County Community College Foundation. Sarah has also served on the Warren County Human Service Advisory and Project Homeless Connect Council, Warren County Coalition for Prevention of Sexual Assault and panelist for the Warren County NAACP Diversity Roundtable.

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A group of alumni from graduating years 1982 through 1985 met up at the Doubletree Hotel in Mahwah on October 18. Attending were Dianne (Byron) Boras '83, Judy (Katz) Hoffman '84, Cathy (Fowler) Scangarella '85,Karen Connelly, Maria Caputo, Gary Smith '84, Frank Scangarella '85, Al Connelly, Steve Jones and Kenny Newbauer '85.

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Kathy Schulz '83 accepted the position of Associate General Counsel at Yale University in New Haven, CT.

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Ken Manna ’84 inducted into the 2009 Athletic Hall of Fame for ice hockey. He currently resides in Hamilton, and has been employed for the past 16 years at Lawrenceville Prep School. He has two boys, Ryan, 12 and Kenneth, 8 and has been married to his wife, Robin, for 19 years.

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Dorothy Dwyer Szefc '85 is the Cultural Affairs coordinator at SUNY Orange and a longtime advocate for the arts throughout the Hudson Valley. She received the 2008 Seligmann Award on September 10, presented by the Orange County Citizens Foundation in recognition of her outstanding commitment to arts and culture in Orange County. An individual who she recognized in her remarks was Professor Shalom Gorewitz - he challenged her and made her think “out of the box.” She was also honoree at the Tribute to Women of Achievement Awards, in the category of Arts & Communications in 2002.

Jeff LeRoy '85 acquired a position with the county government in South Florida as a Substance Abuse Specialist. After 20 years of clinical experience, Jeff continues to work towards licensure and certification as a psychotherapist. In this capacity he will work with clients with substance abuse problems to varying degrees of severity. In addition, he will treat co-occurring disorders.

Christopher Stevenson '85 has been named Member of the firm, Norris McLaughlin &Marcus, P.A. He focuses his practice on all aspects of environmental, land use and real estate law and as a trained mediator has substantial experience in negotiating environmental, land use and commercial matters. Christopher holds a Juris Doctor from Rutgers University School of Law-Newark and masters degrees in Business Administration and Environmental Management from Montclair State University. He is also a member of the New Jersey State Bar Association and a member of the Board of Trustees of The Raptor Trust in Millington.

Christophe G. Zifchak '87 returns as Business Development Manager at Advantage Sales and Marketing for the Johnson & Johnson business.

Todd Brown '88 is Vice President-Director of Technical Services of Pinnacle Wireless. He has held various executive level operational and customer oriented leadership positions with Motorola, McCaw Cellular/Cellular One, AT&T Wireless and Nextel Communications. He is widely respected as one of the industries top strategists and considered to be a thought leader in field service delivery models. Todd resides inWarwick, NY with his wife Jennifer and children Sam, Emma and Avery.

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A group of alumni from the class of '89 attend annual golf outings at various golf courses, take road trips and keep in touch. The picture on the top is from a surprise celebration for Robert Jarmolinski's promotion to Captain of the Jersey City Fire Department. Picture on the top: (L-R) John Roy '89, Joseph Strohmenger '90, Eric Jeanette '89, Bob Jarmonlinski, Sean Quinn, Kenneth Ward '89, Thomas Daly '89. The picture on the bottom is from a golf outing in Ocean City, MD. In the picture are: (L-R) Dave Furman, Eric Becher, Kenneth Ward '89, Eric Jeanette '89, Sean Quinn, Anthony Stratton '89, James F. Farley '90, Steven Ney '90, Jeffrey Buesing '90, Thomas Daly '89, John Roy '89.

Linda Muroski '89 was recently appointed to the advisory board of Penn State University's MBA program.

1990's

Gina Hernandez '90 announces her engagement to Joseph Gerard from Point Pleasant. Gina currently works as a purchasing agent in Fairfield. The wedding will be held on April 24, 2010.

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Andrew Khan '90, a certified professional yoga instructor and licensed massage therapist, was recently written about on health-earth.com. This article was about his free yoga sessions in Cedarhurst Park that ran from July 15 through September 23. He is the owner of Peaceful Presence yoga and massage studio in Cedarhurst. Khan has been practicing yoga since 1981 and teaching since 1986.

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John Brown '91 has been selected Shore Coach of the Year for the second year in a row. Brown is the girls basketball coach at Neptune High School. He led the girls to victory after beating Freehold Borough High School March 7 making them the Central New Jersey Group 3 sectional title champions. Brown was the former boys basketball coach at Henry Hudson Regional High School as well as at the Admiral Farragat Academy.

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Andrew Herrmann '91 received his doctorate in Organizational Communication from the University of South Florida in August 2008. At the same time he was also appointed as a Visiting Assistant Professor at the University of Missouri-Columbia. His publications can be found in Communication Theory, the Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, the Journal of Business Communication and Qualitative Inquiry.

Steven Margulies '91 got married on December 21, 2008 to Eileen Blum. Steven currently works at the JCC on the Palisades in the Accounting Department. He also creates word searches as a hobby.

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Lt. Michael Schulman '91 GA. police department was instrumental in the apprehension of one of the U.S. Marshal's 15 Most Wanted criminals. Schulman, formerly of River Vale, has been a police officer since 2001.

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Amar Singh '92, '02 and wife Lily are pleased to announce the birth of their beautiful daughter, Elizabeth. Amar is a teacher in Valhalla, NY. The family resides in Yonkers, NY.

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Jill Steel '92 was engaged to Michael Dobson on Nov. 6, 2008. The couple resides in Bellingham, WA. The wedding will take place in NJ on Sept. 26, 2009.

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Jonathan Marcus '93 Tammy and Jonathan Marcus, Esquire of Mahwah are proud to announce the birth of their daughter, Gianna Lee, on February 11, 2009, at Hackensack University Medical Center. She weighed 7 pounds and was 20 ¼ inches. Gianna joins her big sister, Johnna May, age 2 ½.

Jill Shuck '94 and Joseph W. Brown III were married on June 15, 2007 at the family's favorite destination, the Mid-Ocean Club in Tuckerstown, Bermuda. Jill is Director of Broadcast Media Operations at Medco Health Solutions. They reside in Northern NJ with pets Mac and Bo.

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Thomas Ammazzalorso '95, an economics teacher at McKinley Technology High School in Washington DC, was recently written about in The Washington Post. In the article titled: 'Getting Schooled in Economics: Class Learns from Crisis' of the American Observer. The article is about the importance of teaching economics to high school students in today's world. The picture is taken with the DC Public Schools Chancellor.

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Deena Bishop Brennan ’97 inducted into the 2009 Athletic Hall of Fame for softball. Deena now resides in Staten Island, NY, with her husband Michael; a New York City firefighter, their daughter Devin, and son Matthew. She currently works as an Executive Assistant to the Chief Accounting Officer of The Medicines Company, a pharmaceutical company based in Parsippany.

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Nancy Galasso Remias ’97 inducted into the 2009 Athletic Hall of Fame for softball. Nancy is currently a co-owner and CFO of a flooring company in Manhattan. In addition to meeting two of her dearest friends (Deena Brennan and Stacy Weeks) at Ramapo, she was lucky enough to meet her husband of nine years, Andrew Remias, who was a member of the baseball and soccer teams. Nancy and Andy now reside in Rutherford, NJ with their two sons, Andrew, 2 and Matthew, 1.

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Daniel Jean '97 and Aneesha Jean '00 announced the birth of their son, Isaiah Daniel Jean, on July 3, 2008.

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Jeffrey LaViano '97 Jeffrey La Viano is a fifth generation jeweler in his family’s very successful jewelry store La- Viano. The first store was opened in 1942 in Westwood and second store in Englewood in 2006. The company has recently published their own magazine titled La Viano.

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Eric Melniczek '97 has joined S.R. Clarke, an executive search/recruiting firm in Blacksburg, VA., as Regional Recruiting Manager.

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Marcella Runell-Hall '97 Associate Director in The Center for Multicultural Education and Programs in the NYU Student Affairs Division was awarded the Association of American Colleges and Universities 2009 K. Patricia Cross Future Leaders Award. While a full-time administrator at NYU, Marcella is completing her doctorate in Social Justice Education at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Marcella married David Hall aka DJ Trends on May 5, 2007, they currently reside in Brooklyn, NY.

Simone Healey '98 was recently written about in The Glen Rock Gazette regarding her plans to make Glen Rock a more "green" borough if elected to the borough council. Healey works as a realtor specializing in residential real estate in Bergen County. She was the first broker in the county to be certified as an "Ecobroker" and also holds special knowledge in the field of Green Building.

James Kiernan '98 of Lake Hopatcong was promoted to senior manager of J.H. Cohn LLP, the largest independent accounting and consulting firm in the Northeast on August 7, 2008.

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Heather Frederick '99 and her husband Matt Frederick had a baby girl on August 29th, 2008. Her name is Hope Angeline.

Jesse Hendrix '99 and Prescy Marie Danko were married on September 22, 2007 at St. Luke's Chapel in Ringwood with a reception following at the Skyland Manor. Jesse is an employee at The Bank of America in Livingston. The couple resides in Bayonne.

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Jean Radjabali '99 and Teodora Dimitrova were married on August 10, 2008. Jean is currently employed at Medidata Inc. as a Project Support Lead.

2000's

Erica Susanne Davis '00 and John Edward Donoghue were married on June 28. Erica is a social worker. The couple resides in Richmond, VA.

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Steven William Kuiken '00 and Courtney Meik were married on September 7, 2008. Steven currently works in Manhattan for Bank of America as a business analyst. The couple resides in Forest Hills, Queens.

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Martin L. Murphy '00 is the owner and acupuncturist of The Center for Classical Five-Element Acupuncture in Ramsey. He received certification of acupuncture from the Institute of Classical Five-Element Acupuncture in Santa Monica, CA. Martin is certified as an acupuncturist in Oregon and New Jersey.

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Virginia Newton '00 and Ted Schenck were married in February 2009. Ginny is currently a fourth-grade teacher at the Ridgeway School in Manchester.

Laura Ward Tarte '00 had a baby, Nathaniel Warren Tarte, born January 29, 2009, 7 pounds 14 ounces and 21 inches long.

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Lisa (Price) Elkins '01, was married on October 8, 2005 at The Ocean Acres Country Club in Manahawkin. Michael Joseph Jr. was born on April 4, 2006. Lisa is an account executive at Glotel, Inc.

Amy Fiorillo, '01 is a math teacher at Wayne Valley High School for the last seven years teaching Advanced Placement Calculus AB, AP Calculus BC and Algebra 2. She also organizes and scores the New Jersey Math League contests. Amy received the 2006-2007 Governor's Teacher Recognition award and is also a co-author of an article published in the February 2008 issue of "Mathematical BioSciences."

Sarah Frumkin '01 announced her engagement to Matthew Benson. The wedding is planned for July 26, 2009 in California where they currently reside. Sarah is a product development manager for Global Icons and Matthew is a production executive for Gold Circle Films.

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Jenny LaPlaca '01 married Ryan Darlington on August 31, 2008 at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Boonton. A number of Ramapo alumni were in attendance. They honeymooned in Disney World and Antigua. In the picture are Marianne Picinic '98 and Lisa Ryan '84.

Brian Riback '01 and Lauren Berliner '05 were married on July 3rd, 2008. Lauren received an Master of Arts in general/theoretical psychology and a certification in school psychology from Fairleigh Dickinson University. She is currently a School Psychologist in New Jersey. Brian is working in interactive marketing in NY, NY.

Jessica Westcott '01 is engaged to Ryan Estok with a wedding planed for May 2, 2009. Jessica works as a clinician at Corner House Counseling Center in Princeton.

David Chang '02 and Lisa Marie Ceccacci were married on April 18 at The Tides Estate in North Haledon. David works at Mercedes Benz, USA. The couple resides in Parsippany.

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Angela Cuzzo '02 announced her engagement to Matthew Tuzzo. The wedding is planned for some time in 2010. Angela is employed by MRB Public Relations in Tinton Falls as an account executive.

Kate Ali Higgins '02 and John Robert Crumpacker were married on July 16 at their home in San Diego. Kate is employed with Project Wildlife in San Diego.

Kevin Holm' 02 graduated from Fairleigh Dickinson University with an Executive MBA in Management. Kevin is Sr. Production Editor of Finance and Investments at John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Kevin completed a professional degree in Book Publishing from New York University and studied International Business in Prague, Czech Republic and Budapest, Hungary.

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Daniel Kotkin '02 and Beth Shilane '04 announced their engagement. Beth is currently working as a unit leader/case manager with Community Care Behavioral Health in Piscataway. Daniel is an ease access specialist with Bergen County Division of Disability Services. The wedding will be held June 28, 2009

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Tara Larkin Wuorinen ’02 inducted into the 2009 Athletic Hall of Fame for women’s basketball. Tara currently serves as the Academic Athletic Coordinator at St. Peter’s College in Jersey City.

Kristen Tamke '02 married Evan T. Swirky in April 2009. Kristen is presently employed as a school counselor at Hardyston Middle School.

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Katherine (Fennell) Whartnaby '02 and Daniel Whartnaby '04 announce the birth of their son, Tyler James on May 12, 2008. Katherine and Daniel were married in July of 2005 and currently reside in Pompton Lakes. Daniel is a Special Operations Police Officer with New Jersey Transit Police Department and Katherine is an Operations Assistant for United Water New Jersey.

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Jennifer Williams '02 gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, Ava Camille, on August 16.

Sami Asaad '03 has joined Brody and Associates, LLC, a law firm that represents employers in labor and employment law matters. He was previously an associate at a Hamden law firm where he practiced general civil litigation. He is also a magna cum laude graduate of Quinnipiac University School of Law, where he was a member of the Moot Court Honor Society. He is currently a member of the Connecticut and New Jersey bars.

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Garrett Dancik '03 has his Masters in Statistics and a doctorate. in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology. His doctorate. research involved computer modeling of HIV interactions with human immune cells. Garrett was the first Ramapo bioinformatics graduate. He has accepted a tenure track position in Northwestern State University and will be developing a curriculum in Bioinformatics.

Olga Dayts '03 has worked at Englewood Hospital Medical Center on the orthopedic/surgical floor and at Neurological Intensive care Unit at New York Presbyterian Hospital since graduation. She graduated from Columbia University with Master of Science in Nursing and Acute Care Nurse Practitioner. She recently moved to Nashville, TN where she works as a Nurse Practitioner at Saint Thomas Hospital. She belongs to the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society and American Association of Critical Care Nurses.

Dragoslav Grbovic '03 and wife Jelena Pjesivac-Grbovic '03 announce the birth of their son, Milan on May 7, 2007. Jelena received her doctorate in computer science in December 2007 and Dragoslav received a doctorate in physics in May 2008 both from the University of Tennessee.

Syndy Kevitz '03 and Nathan "Kit" Furderer announced their engagement with a September wedding planned. Syndy is currently enrolled in a master's program at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. She is a teacher in the North Carolina public school system.

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Kenneth C. Lehmann '03 and his wife, Caitlin (O'Neill) '02, welcomed the birth of their second son, Connor William Lehmann, on May 6, 2008.

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Allison Mueller '03 and Joseph Mascis were married December 24, 2008 at her parents' home in Valley Cottage, NY. Allison is currently employed by Linda'sWine

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Tiffany L.Webb '03 is married to Dudley M. North; the couple resides in Morris Plains. Tiffany is a fourth grade teacher at Stephen J. Gerace School in Pequannock.

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Lauren Wiener '03 and Eric Carlinsky were married on June 22. Lauren is director of the Sylvan Learning Center in Cupertino, CA. The couple honeymooned in Hawaii and reside in Sunnyvale, CA.

Christine Bazaz '04 and Luigi Rizzo announce their engagement with a September 2009 wedding planned. Christine is currently employed by Medco Health Solutions as an analyst.

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Nicole Del Vecchio '04 is engaged to marry CJ Turro with a wedding planned for April 2010. Nicole is a middle school teacher.

Frank Di Pentima '04 ran for borough council of Oakland. He is the Vice President of accounting at Pearson Education. He is very involved locally; he is completing his third year on council and serves as the chairman of the Finance Committee. He is also the chancellor and fourth degree member of the Knights of Columbus, Ramapo Valley Council 5846, as well as a parishioner and Eucharistic Minister of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. He is also a member and treasurer of the Oakland Father's Club and a member of the Oakland Republican Club. He also coaches recreation soccer.

Tiffany Freud '04 currently works at Accolo, Inc. as a Business Development Executive where she develops strategic partnerships with small to mid-size businesses to provide them with a comprehensive recruiting solution.

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Christina Hoch '04 married Brett Santowasso on November 17, 2007.

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Erin Hogan '04 and Shawn Curcio were married at Davis Johnson Park in Tenafly on May 31, 2008.

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Susan Keitel '04 received the 2007 state Teacher of the Year award for her district. She is a seventh and eighth grade teacher at River Dell Middle School where she teaches computer literacy classes, as well as seventh and eighth grade gifted and talented classes.

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Josh Lipsky '04 and Christina Medina '05 were married June 14, 2008. The couple honeymooned in Costa Rica and live happily in Lawrenceville with their puppy, Finn. Matthew Villano '06 was their engagement and wedding photographer. They became friends through the Ramapo News. You can check out the rest of the wedding pictures on his portfolio site: http://mattvillano.zenfolio.com/ p745275316. Josh is theWeb-based Training Coordinator at the Oxford Princeton Programme in Princeton and Christina works as Academic Support in the Electrical Engineering department at Princeton University.

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Gavin Millard '04 traveled to Ireland to propose to Margaret Kelleher. The wedding is planned for December. Gavin is the financial associate and property manager at Mauro, Savo, Camerino, & Grant Law Offices in Somerville. He recently got his paralegal certificate.

Tina Muller '04 married Craig Wohlrab on June 20. The couple honeymooned in St. Lucia. They are residing in Little Ferry.

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Kevin Sebastian Pertusiello '04 performed in August 2008 at the Cortland Repertory Theater in Cortland, NY in a production of “A Few Good Men” by Aaron Sorkin.

Michelle Albrizio'05 and Michael Safoschnik announced their engagement. Michelle is an administrator with Atlantic Environment Solutions, Inc. A May wedding was planned.

Aimee Barilla '05 married Daniel Kronmiller in May 2009 Aimee is a third grade teacher at St. Christopher School in Parsippany.

Riccardo M. DeBari '05 has recently joined the Patton Boggs law firm.

Brian De Vogel '05 is enrolled in a master's program in Human Resources Management and Development at New York University.

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Yosayra F. Eusebio '05 is working at Seton Hall University as a Residence Hall Director for an upper-class residence hall.

Ryan Pizanie '05 married Pamela Braccini on March 15, 2008. They reside in Wyckoff, New Jersey. Ryan is a sales representative for Winebow. Pamela is a schoolteacher in Wayne, New Jersey.

Amanda J. Rosiello '05 married Nicholas J. Leach in February 2009. Amanda is a social studies teacher at Matawan Regional High School. Nicholas is a physical educator at PS 7 in Brooklyn New York.

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Todd Santonacita '05 announces his engagement to Casey Stinneford. A summer 2010 wedding is planned. Todd is currently working as a graphic designer.

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Erin Gayle Thatcher '05 and Robert Andrew Amaty Jr. announce their engagement with a May 2010 wedding planned. Erin is pursuing a Master of Arts degree in corporate communications at Baruch College. She is a public affairs administrator with Sony Corporation of America.

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Annelise Tversland '05 married Craig Scott Zimmerli on September 27. They spent their honeymoon in Antigua and reside in Warwick, NY. Annelise works as a buyer's assistant at Dress Barn in Suffern, NY.

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Cynthia Chasse '06 and Artie Foose '05 have announced their engagement with a fall 2009 wedding planned. Cynthia is pursuing her MBA and is a Business Analyst at PSE&G. Artie is a Laboratory Assistant at Flavor & Fragrance Specialties.

Marco Chung ’06 inducted into the 2009 Athletic Hall of Fame for men’s soccer .Marco currently works as a Spanish teacher at St. Joseph Regional, where he has served as the head varsity soccer coach for the past two years.

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Josephine M. Ciocle '06 was recently selected as Teacher of the Week at Memorial Middle School in Little Ferry where she teaches Language Arts and Basic Skills instruction to seventh and eighth grade students. She has been teaching since 1979 and began teaching in Little Ferry in 1989. She is also an active member of Hasbrouck Heights' high school PTSA and also sits on the borough's Board of Education Committee as a chairperson and Key Communications chair.

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Lauren Dalessio '06 married John Vacca in May 2009. Lauren is employed by the Ridgefield Park Board of Education as a special education teacher.

Lauren Mosko '06 has recently become the executive director of the East Brunswick Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Kristen Petela '06 recently graduated with a Master's in Social Work from New York University's School of Social Work. She is licensed in both New Jersey and New York and is currently working at Women Helping Women providing psychotherapeutic counseling to women.

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Teddy Rodriguez '06 and wife Loyda had their second baby daughter, Isela in the spring of 2008. She joins her older sister Amarylis.

Hillary Zaer '06 married Howard Goldberg in October 2008.

Virginia Clerkin '07 has recently been given the position of full-time instructor of nursing at Dominican College. She has been a part-time lecturer at Dominican College since 2006.

Vanessa E. Faxas '07 Upon graduation from Columbia University School of Social Work in May of '08, Vanessa was hired by Girl Scouts of the USA in January as an Implementation Consultant for Multicultural Initiatives in their department of Membership and Volunteerism. Vanessa is responsible for carrying out a Hispanic Marketing Initiative campaign to increase and retain Hispanic members and volunteers amongst councils throughout the nation.

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Ensign Peter S. Kowalcyk '07 graduated US Navy Officer Candidate School and will begin flight school in Pensacola, Florida.

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Derrick William Lieb '07 married Janet Gressler on June 7. They honeymooned in St. Maarten. Derrick is currently working as an orthopedic RN for the Valley Hospital in Ridgewood.

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LaQuana Peterson '07 is employed by Central Casting New York as a Casting Assistant. She is responsible for casting background talent (aka extras) for various television, film, and commercial projects. Her notable projects include "Law & Order", "Gossip Girls", "She's Got the Look", "Cupid" and "Fringe."

Vlado Pjesivac '07 is enrolled in Master's of Computer Science Program at University of Tennessee. He is working for Hewlett-Packard as Software Developer during Summer, in Lexington, KY.

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Jenna Romatowski '07 is employed by the U.S. Department of Defense, working in supply chain management for the United States Army.

Kwasi Sarfo '07 has graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio. During his six weeks of training Kwasi studied the Air Force mission, organization, and military customs and courtesies. He also performed drill and ceremonial marches, rifle marksmanship, field training exercises, and special training in human relations. In addition he earned credits toward an Associate in Applied Science degree through the Community College of the Air Force.

Arielle Shnider '07 received a Master’s of Education degree in higher and postsecondary education from Arizona State University. Arielle works as an enrollment coordinator at The University of Advancing Technology in Tempe, Arizona.

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Kaitlyn D. Corizzi '08 and Thomas J. (TJ) Grassi '08, high school sweethearts got engaged on a significant day in their lives -March 14th, Pi Day, at the Ramapo Reservation. TJ is employed at Unilever as a financial analyst and Kaitlyn is a math teacher at Hackensack high school. A wedding is planned for June 2009.

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Danielle (Babyak) Grippo '08 and Nicholas Grippo were married on December 27, 2008.

Kaitlyn Hoever '08 was recently hired as a Publicity Assistant at Susan Bond Inc., in New York City. Susan Bond Inc. is a celebrity and lifestyle public relations firm. Kaitlyn works on accounts such as Sean Paul, Damien

Photo: Class Notes

Patrick J. Stickles '08 formed his band Titus Andronicus, in 2005, with a few friends while studying at Ramapo. The band has performed at the Pitchfork Music Festival in Union Park last summer. Most of his songs collected on a 2008 album, “The Airing of Grievances,” were written on Ramapo's campus. The album was re-released in January 2009 on XL Recordings, and the band is touring with another indie rock upstart band, Los Campesinos.

Adam R. Toth '08 was recently named in the 2008 edition of “Who's Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges”.

Photo: Class Notes

Jordana Waliszewski '08 was recently written about in The Record. She was one of the first students to graduate from Ramapo with a minor in Judaic Studies. She was selected for a prestigious internship at the Museum of Jewish Heritage - A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, a program in which she met with Jewish survivors and listened to their searing stories. Now that she has graduated she hopes to return to Poland and become a Holocaust educator for children.


The President's Award of Merit

Photo: Jonathan N. Marcus

Initiated in 1994, The President's Award of Merit recognizes distinguished accomplishments by Ramapo College alumni. Nominations are suggested by members of the Ramapo community and reviewed by the presidents of the Alumni Association, the Student Government Association, the Faculty Assembly, and the Professional Staff Association. The final selection is made by the President of the College. The Award is made of crystal and is inscribed.

The Award serves as an inspiration to students and alumni. Recognition of Ramapo College alumni in this manner serves as a reminder of the College's commitment to excellence in teaching and learning as well as to its continuing attention to raising the aspirations of students.

Jonathan N. Marcus, '93, Esq., is the 2009 Recipient of the President's Award of Merit. He lives with his wife, Tammy, and two daughters in Mahwah and graduated summa cum laude from Ramapo College with a B.A. in Law and Society in 1993. He continued his education at Seton Hall University School of Law where he was a member of the Law Review and was awarded a Juris Doctorate degree, magna cum laude, in 1996. He is admitted to practice before the New Jersey Bar. Marcus currently serves as the Assistant General Counsel at KPMG LLP in New York. Prior to that position, he provided representation and counseling to clients in connection with corporate transactional matters, specializing in mergers and acquisitions, having served as a Senior Associate in the Corporate Department of Weil, Gotshal & Manges, L.L.P. and as an Associate in the Corporate Department of Sills Cummis & Gross, P.C.

Since graduation from Ramapo, he has remained committed to the College and is extremely active with the Alumni Association. Marcus serves as a director on the Ramapo College's Alumni Association's Board of Directors, as chairman of the KPMG Ramapo Alumni Chapter and is a founding member of the Alumni Advisory Board of the College's School of American and International Studies. Marcus and his wife are active in their church supporting youth activities and community service projects including a soup kitchen, food pantry and services for less fortunate families.


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