October 2019 Class Notes

Jon Ryan (Barney) of Coronado, Calif., was recently recognized as the U.S.S. Midway Museum Volunteer of the Year. He has amassed over 8,000 volunteer hours the last 11 years.

The short story “Anna in the Night,” penned by John Mueter (Hartt) of Kansas City, Mo., has been published in the anthology "The Corona Book of Ghost Stories." The story is one of 16 chosen from over 850 submissions. In addition, his poetry collection, "Forgotten Voices of Anundur," was published in the online journal "The Bombay Literary Magazine."

Patch.com published a brief Q&A with Bill Kiner (M ENHP) of Enfield, Conn. He sought re-election to a town council at-large position in the town of Enfield. He taught in the Enfield School system for 35 years before retiring.

Bill McDougal (HAS) of Lebanon, Conn., was named an Arts Hero by the Connecticut Office of the Arts. He was recognized for drawing caricatures at the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center the past 22 years. He accepted the honor at a ceremony on May 1.

An exhibition titled "Obvious/Not So," by Kutztown University professor of art Dan Talley (M HAS) of Kutztown, Pa., will be featured in Albright College’s Freedman Art Gallery early in 2020. The exhibition will honor Talley’s 46 years as an artist, arts educator, curator, and critic.

Marvin Kelly (Barney) of Austin, Texas, was profiled by the CPU Society on its website in celebration of the organization’s 75th anniversary. He is executive director of the Texas Property and Casualty Insurance Guaranty Association. The CPU Society is a nonprofit membership association that supports risk management and insurance professionals.

Jeffrey Astrachan (A&S) of York, Pa., was sworn in as a police chaplain with the New York City Police Department. He is the first Jewish chaplain to serve in the department’s history.

Lauren Bernofsky (Hartt) of Bloomington, Ind., was composer in residence at the 2019 Sound Waves Festival at Texas A&M Corpus Christi. Her trumpet concerto was performed by John Rommel with the Bloomington Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Charlies Latshaw. Bernofsky’s young-audience opera, "Mooch the Magnificent" was performed more than 20 times during the 2019–20 season by Reimagining Opera for Kids.

"The Courage to Go Forward: the Power of Micro Communities," by CIGNA President and CEO David Cordani (M Barney) of Simsbury, Conn., and Achilles International Founder Dick Traum, landed on the USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestsellers lists. The book is a collection of stories that demonstrate the power and triumph of the human spirit.

Patch.com published a brief Q&A with Mike Ludwick (M Barney) of Enfield, Conn. He sought re-election to the Enfield (Conn.) Town Council as an at-large member. Ludwick has been a director of group underwriting for more than 20 years.

Genevieve Monks (D A&S), a.k.a G.M. Monks, of Fairfield, Calif., released her debut novel titled Iola O. It is a story of resilience, diversity and self-discovery—part historical, part licit/illicit love story, part family saga, part feminist and part gay. It has been nominated for the PEN Hemingway Award for Debut Novel.

Sabrina Trocchi (M Barney) of Cheshire, Conn., has been appointed president and chief executive officer of Wheeler Clinic (Plainville, Conn.). Previously, she was Wheeler’s chief operating officer, and has also served as the organization’s chief strategy officer. Wheeler is a fully integrated health-care and federally qualified community health center.

First City Monument Bank announced the appointment of Olufemi Badeji (CETA) of Lagos, Nigeria, as its new executive director. He has over 15 years of investment banking experience in the United States, Nigeria, and South Africa. He joined Rand Merchant Bank in September 2011 where he rose to the position of head, corporate finance for Nigeria.

David Campbell (M Barney) of Alexandria, Va., has been named the director of the Office of International Trade & Investment at the New Jersey Economic Authority. He will be a vice president with the organization, heading all international business development.

The Massachusetts branch of the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors recognized John Wagner (HAS) of Bellingham, Mass., as one of only four top young advisors in Massachusetts under the age of 40. He works for Robert Fine & Associates in Framingham, Mass.

Matthew Brooks (Hartt) of Omaha, Neb., was profiled in unothegateway.com in his second year as director of orchestras at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. He currently conducts the Heartland Philharmonic, the university chamber orchestra, and high school orchestra festivals.

Emily Cervone (A&S) of North Weymouth, Mass., was awarded the 2019 Saul Gilman Award (sales rep of the year) by the New England Independent Bookseller Association. The award was decided by booksellers from around the region. She currently works for Chronicle Books as the New England Indie Bookseller Rep.

The works of mixed media artist Lizzy Synalovski (HAS) of Succasunna, N.J., was a part of an all-female slate of gallery exhibits displayed at JCC MetroWest in West Orange, N.J., in fall 2019. Her pieces are pristine and evocative with subtle use of color. Synalovski’s Icelandic Sky was awarded Best in the Media at the 2019 Gaelen Juried Art Show.

PSU.edu published a Q&A featuring Molly Smallcomb (CETA) of Sioux Falls, S.D. She is in the graduate acoustics program at Penn State, the only school to offer the program at the graduate level, and she credits her undergraduate study at UHart for providing her with the foundation to earn an advanced degree.

Randy Begin (CETA) (M’20 CETA) of West Hartford, Conn., was one of two students honored by the Connecticut Green Council at its annual awards event. He was recognized in the Student Design category with an Award of Merit for his design proposal for the Greater Hartford Islamic Center.