2014 Fall – Alumni News and Notes: 1970s, 1980s

1970s Alan Taffel ’71 (CLAS) is the author of Heaven, Inc.: A Helluva Novel, published in April by Blairmont Publishing. Tony Abbott ’74 (CLAS) is the author of The Copernicus Legacy: The Serpent’s Curse, published in October by HarperCollins. He has written more than 95 books for children ages 6 to 14 as well as […]

1970s

Alan Taffel ’71 (CLAS) is the author of Heaven, Inc.: A Helluva Novel, published in April by Blairmont Publishing.

Tony Abbott ’74 (CLAS) is the author of The Copernicus Legacy: The Serpent’s Curse, published in October by HarperCollins. He has written more than 95 books for children ages 6 to 14 as well as novels and series for older readers, with more than 12 million copies sold worldwide.

Robert J. Genise ’75 MBA is an independent board member at Frontier Airlines, chairman of the board at PCA Aerospace, and CEO of the consulting company Aergen, LLC.

Rose H. Jung-Gaggero ’75 SFA retired from the Lee County School System in Fort Myers, Fla., and plans to continue her world travels. Last summer, she traveled to Peru and climbed the steps of Machu Picchu. This fall, she plans to travel to Thailand and teach  ESOL to the local population. She spent several years teaching ESOL and theater in  Micronesia.

Mark Swerdloff ’75 JD, attorney at the law firm Swerdloff & Swerdloff in West Hartford, Conn., has been practicing law with his wife, Ileen, for more than 35 years. Together, they have also traveled to more than 50 countries.

Joan Seliger Sidney ’77 Ph.D., writer-in-residence for UConn’s Center for Judaic Studies and Contemporary Jewish Life, is the author of Bereft and Blessed, a poetry volume published by Antrim House in April 2014.

David E. Sturgess ’78 (BUS) is senior vice president, secretary, and general counsel of the motor industry company Affinia Group Inc., in Gastonia, N.C. He previously led all legal activities at ReCommunity Recycling.

Christopher Barreca ’79 (SFA) won the 2014 Tony Award for Best Scenic Design of a Musical for “Rocky.” His past scenic design work on Broadway includes “Search and Destroy,” “Marie Christine,” and “The Violet Hour.”

Robert E. Schneider ’79 MBA is second vice president of compensation at the Phoenix Companies in Hartford, Conn.

1980s

Steven C. Snelgrove ’80 (BUS) is president of Howard County General Hospital, a Johns Hopkins Medicine member institution in Columbia, Md. He brings 25 years of experience at Wake Forest Baptist Health to his current position.

Lisa Begin-Kruysman ’81 (CLAS) is the author of Dog’s Best Friend: Will Judy, Founder of National Dog Week and Dog World Publisher, released in September by McFarland, and Around the World in 1909: Harriet White Fisher and Her Locomobile, to be released in November by American History Press. She lives in New Jersey and writes a blog found at nationaldogweekbook.wordpress.com.

William H. Morgan ’81 (BUS) is co-head of healthcare financial services at Wells Fargo in Charlotte, N.C. Previously, he led health care financial services Mid-Atlantic and Southeast Regions for Wells Fargo.

Scott Trenholm ’82 (BUS) is leader of the New England audit practice for audit, tax, and advisory firm Grant Thornton in Glastonbury, Conn. He has more than 30 years of experience in auditing and financial consulting.

Karl F. Frey ’83 (ENG), P.E. is president at BVH Integrated Services, a consulting engineering firm in Bloomfield, Conn. He joined the company in 1997 and has more than 30 years of engineering design and management experience.

Gregory J. Trudel ’83 (BUS) is president and CEO of the medical device company Encision, Inc., in Boulder, Colo. He previously was global director of marketing within a division of Surgical Solutions Group at Covidien.

David Schejbal ’84 MA,’91 Ph.D., dean of continuing education, outreach, and e-Learning at University of Wisconsin-Extension in Madison, Wis., received the Julius M. Nolte Award for Extraordinary Leadership from the University Professional and Continuing Education Association in March. The award recognizes unusual and extraordinary contributions to the cause of continuing education on the regional, national, and/or international level.

Lori Smith-Lalla ’84 (CLAS), an attorney with the international law firm Greenberg Traurig in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., has been recognized in the 2014 Chambers USA Guide.

Allen Gary Palmer ’85 (CLAS) is a partner at the law firm Halloran & Sage LLP in Connecticut. He also is the Region 1 representative for the American Bar Association Family Law Section Council and the vice chair of the Connecticut Bar Association Family Law Section.

Thomas Prete ’85 (ENG), engineering vice president at Pratt & Whitney in East Hartford, Conn., was inducted in June into the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering in recognition of his technical leadership in the design, manufacture, and service of Pratt & Whitney’s aircraft engines.

Emeka Nwadiora ’86 MSW, associate professor in the College of Health Professions and Social Work at Temple University in Philadelphia, recently earned an LLM degree from Temple. He also has numerous other advanced academic degrees, including a DSW degree from Howard University, a JD from Hofstra University, and a Ph.D. from Temple University.

Walter “Skip” Rescorla ’86 (CLAS) is senior director of financial and HPEM operations at MTA New York City Transit, where he manages the encoding and distribution of all Metrocards in the city, as well as the processing and deposit of all collected currency from the entire New York City Transit System. He recently completed 25 years of service with the agency.

John Y. Kim ’87 (BUS) is vice chairman of New York Life in New York, N.Y. He oversees the company’s technology function.

John C. Lent ’87 MBA is executive vice president and chief financial officer of Atlantic  Coast Financial Corporation in Jacksonville, Fla., and its subsidiary Atlantic Coast Bank. Previously, he served as president of Temenos Advisory.

Laurie A. Pearlman ’87 Ph.D., a clinical psychologist and independent trauma consultant, is co-author of the book Treating Traumatic Bereavement: A Practitioner’s Guide, published in January by Guilford Press.

Rita J. Ugianskis-Fishman ’88 (CLAS), ’95 MBA is vice president and general manager of The ASI Show in Trevose, Pa. She previously served as managing director of Penton’s Waste Industry Group.

Anne M. Wilkins ’88 (BUS), founder and managing director of the health care consulting firm Wilkins Advisors, is an advisory board member for health care analytics firm AllazoHealth.