The Mason Spirit

Transitions

Arts and Sciences

1970s
David Blount, B.A. History '71, received his master's degree in special education in August 2001 and has been teaching students with mental and learning disabilities in St. Cloud, Fla., for the past two years.

Mark Monson, B.S. Biology '74, is deputy director for administration for the Virginia Department of Health Professions and is certified as a senior professional in human resources by the Human Resources Certification Institute of the Society for Human Resource Management. His daughter, Andi, is a rising junior at George Mason.

Dahrl E. Moore, B.A. Latin American Studies '74, retired after 23 years as the university librarian at Florida Atlantic University.

Rick Fulton, B.A. History '78, is owner and senior manager of Optical Experts Manufacturing in Charlotte, N.C., and has written two books on business. Rick and his wife, Vickey, of 16 years have two children.

William J. "Billy" Sloan Jr., B.I.S. '78 and M.Ed. Special Education/Severe Disabilities '01, teaches mentally challenged children at NCC in Washington, D.C.

Lisa Siegrist, B.A. American Studies '79, and Michael Reinemer, M.A. English '81, are married and recently had their first child, Leif Reinemer Siegrist. Michael is director of the Communications Center at the National League of Cities. Lisa is a freelance fine arts editor and former editor of American Art magazine, published by the Smithsonian Institution.

1980s
Jim DeSimone, B.A. International Studies '82, has been appointed by Darden Restaurants Inc. to oversee their media and communications efforts. Prior to this appointment, Jim was the public relations executive of Red Lobster.

Gregory G. Paspatis, B.A. History '83, serves as president of the venerable Alexandria Sportsman's Club and arranged for Mason's men's basketball coach, Jim Larranaga, to be the guest speaker at the club's annual awards banquet on May 21, 2002.

Steve Gladis, M.A. English '84 and Ph.D. Education '95, became associate dean of the University of Virginia's School of Continuing and Professional Studies on June 24, 2002. He had been director of the University of Virginia's Northern Virginia Center.

Robert H. Knight III, B.A. History '86, in May 2002 graduated magna cum laude from the American University Washington College of Law with a J.D. degree.

Steven Shea, B.A. History '87, concluded his tour of duty as corps transportation officer, III (U.S.) Corps, and assumed command of the 80th Transportation Detachment on May 1, 2002, at Fort Hood, Texas.

Nancy Tabor, B.I.S. '89, worked for the federal government from 1986-94 in procurement. In 1997, she retired with her husband, Laddie, to El Dorado Springs, Mo.

1990s
Melanie D. Lewis, B.A. Sociology '90, was promoted by Capital One Financial Corporation to director of human resources for the Enterprise Services Group at its Richmond, Va., site.

Christina (Tina) Thoresen MaGuire, B.A. English '90, and her husband, Kevin, announce the birth of their daughter, Sophie Liv, on July 16, 2001. Tina left the editorial world in Washington, D.C., and is enjoying staying home with her daughter.

Sean Greer, B.A. English '91, has been at Virginia Commonwealth University for the past three years pursuing a B.S. in information systems. With a GPA of 3.70, he has received invitations to join the Golden Key National Honor Society and the National Society of Collegiate Scholars.

Stephanie Hylan, B.A. Speech Communication '91, is director of women's marketing for Reebok in Boston, Mass.

Sharilyn Dawn Jones, B.A. English Writing and Psychology '91, married Jorge Valladares in 1995. She earned her B.S. in speech-language pathology and audiology in 2000 and will earn her M.S. in speech-language pathology in January 2003.

Ann Kelly, B.S. Biology '91, married Keven Welch on November 10, 2001, at St. Mary, Mother of God Catholic Church in Washington, D.C. They now reside in Gaithersburg, Md.

Dave Lawrence, M.S. Geography and Cartography '91, recently wrote a book, Upheaval from the Abyss, chronicling a 130-year-long effort to study the oceans - an effort that fueled the scientific upheaval known as the plate tectonics revolution.

Ethan S. Rafuse, B.A. History '91 and M.A. History '93, has written a new book, A Single Grand Victory: The First Campaign and Battle of Manassas.

Christine Dunn, B.A. English '92, received an M.A. in liberal studies at Mary Washington College in May 2002.

Vincent M. Brown, B.A. International Studies '93, married Christina Williams Brown, B.S. Psychology '93 and M.Ed. Special Education '97. Vincent was sworn in as a foreign service officer with the Department of State's 105th Junior Officer Class on March 1, 2002. Their first post is New Delhi.

Barbara Knauf, B.A. Government and Politics '93, had a son, Mason Arthur Knauf, born October 23, 2001.

Marc Mentry, B.A. Communication '93, was promoted to director of marketing management in the Direct Marketing Center in Richmond, Va., for Capital One Financial Corp.

Amy Leahy Shutts, B.A. International Studies '93, is director of career services and academic support at Brenau University in Gainesville, Ga. She and husband, Steve, married in July 2000 and live in Sugar Hill, Ga.

Danyelle M. Townsend, B.S. Biology '93 and M.S. Biology '95, completed her Ph.D. in biochemistry at the University of Virginia Medical School and is a research fellow at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia. She has two daughters, Claudia (3) and Erika (5), with another on the way.

Rachel Barr, B.A. English '94, is an investigator for a consumer affairs office. In 2002, her book, Suburban Antacid: Poetry for the Soccer Mom, was published. It is available online at suburbanantacid.com or through most major online retailers.

Kami (Watson) Huyse, B.A. Communication '94, opened her own public relations consulting business, My PR Pro, of which she is the president.

Marcus A. Johnson Jr., M.P.A. '94, is a foreign service officer with the U.S. Agency for International Development and is moving to his new post in Bamako, Mali, with his wife, Natalya, and their infant son, Maxim. His last post was in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

Jill S. (Pesce) Watkins, B.A. Speech Communications '94, married John E. Watkins III on April 22, 2001. She works for the American Society of Civil Engineers and lives in Manassas, Va.

Julie Zurndorfer, B.S. Psychology '94, earned an M.S. in counseling psychology from Marymount University and is working on a Ph.D. in school psychology from Temple University. She has accepted a job at the California School for the Blind in San Francisco.

Kim Danoff, B.A. Biology '95, is a veterinarian and has opened her own practice, Veterinary Holistic and Rehabilitation Center, in Vienna, Va. The practice focuses on holistic medicine and rehabilitation for small animals.

John C. Petrolino, B.A. Economics '95 and J.D. '99, is an associate with Czura Stilwell, L.L.C. in Ringwood, N.J. The firm's practice is limited to the wireless industry and is the only firm in New Jersey to have such a specialty.

Jeanette M. Snyder, B.A. English/Creative Writing '96, is a self-employed writer. Her first novel, Operation Starseed, was published in March 2002. Her second book, Scarred, is due out soon. For more information, visit her web site at JMSNYDER.net.

James Twaddell, B.A. Public Administration '98, is the associate director for governmental affairs for the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. James earned a master's degree in government from Johns Hopkins University in 2001.

Daniel John Wharton, B.A. Government and Politics '98, and his wife, Frances, have a son named Dan Jr. Daniel is a software engineer and has completed a master's degree in information technology.

Stephen Alexander, B.A. English '99, is attending law school at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge.

Karolyn Benger, B.A. Government and Politics '99, has been admitted to Emory University's doctoral program in political science.

Daronda Combs, B.A. Integrative Studies '99, graduated from Vermont Law School on May 18, 2002, with a J.D. degree.

Ninarosa (Nina) M. Prescott, B.S. Psychology '99, announces the birth of her first child, Samantha Morgan, born on May 5, 2002.

Jane Reedy, B.A. Government and Politics '99, earned a J.D. degree from T.C. Williams School of Law at the University of Richmond in May 2002. She married FBI Special Agent Greg Leylegian in August 2002.

2000s
Erika Waxbom, B.A. Government and Politics '00, is this year's Cherry Blossom Princess representing Pennsylvania. The annual Cherry Blossom Princess Program is sponsored by the National Conference of State Societies.

Lynne Minami, B.A. Communication '01, is engaged and plans to be married in October 2002.

Business

1970s
Dorothy J. Titus, B.S. Business Administration '77 and M.B.A. '82, received an M.A. and Ed.S. in Community Counseling from James Madison University in July 2001.

1980s
Elaine Mariner, B.S. Management Information Systems '84, was named director of programs for the Massachusetts Cultural Council. She lives in Arlington, Mass., with her husband, Lloyd, and two children.

Steve Miroy, B.S. Decision Science '84, founded his own business, Steve's Speedy Permit Service, in September 1985. He was married in October 1987 and has a daughter in high school and two sons in middle school.

Clifford Rutledge, B.S. Decision Science '89, left Shell Oil Company in April 2000. He earned a master of divinity degree at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary in May 2002 and currently serves as minister of education at Williams Boulevard Baptist Church in Kenner, La.

1990s
Abdi Bile, B.S. Marketing '91, is a mortgage loan officer for Carteret Mortgage and lives in Annandale, Va. Abdi was the 1987 1,500 meters world champion, 1989 1,500 meters World Cup champion, and a four-time Olympian and Olympic head coach.

Tina Marie Auen Gates, M.A. Marketing '97, joined Bayer Properties Inc. as marketing coordinator. Tina, husband Kelly, and daughters Lauren and Alexis live in Birmingham, Ala.

Jason Hill, M.B.A. Decision Science '97, earned an M.I.S. degree in 1999 from George Washington University. He is a technical project manager at Freddie Mac.

Margarita Muzzall, B.S. Finance '98, received an M.B.A. from Georgetown University in May 2002. She works for GE Capital in the Healthcare Financial Services Division as a relationship manager in Chevy Chase, Md.

Education

1990s
Jennifer Roberts, B.S. Early Childhood Education '90, teaches first grade at St. Pius X Regional School in Bowie, Md. Jennifer is also president of the Alpha Omicron Pi sorority alumni chapter in central Maryland.

Melinda G. Lincoln, M.A. Teaching '98 and D.A. Community College Education '01, accepted an assistantship at the Graduate School of International Law at Oxford Brookes University where she will implement her program in conflict resolution communication and promote degreed and certified educational mediators.

Information Technology and Engineering

1980s
Tim Cannon, Ph.D. Information Technology '89, has an M.B.A. with a concentration in finance from the University of New Orleans and holds two degrees in engineering from the University of Florida. Cannon was recently appointed vice president of business development at Evolve, a leading provider of service delivery solutions that is headquartered in Emeryville, Calif.

George H. Waxter, M.S. Electronic and Computer Engineering '89, hiked the entire 2,167 miles of the Appalachian Trail in 2001, and in Denver, he ran the highest elevation road race in the world, a race that started at 10,000 feet up Mt. Evans. He continues his work as a locum tenens physician with assignments in Denver and Atlanta.

1990s
Donald Mark Sturgill, B.S. Electrical Engineering '91, works at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C., and has four sons, ages 10, 12, 15, and 17.

Carey E. Priebe, Ph.D. Information Technology '93, is a professor of mathematical sciences at Johns Hopkins University and was named a fellow of the American Statistical Association.

Vijay K. Rawat, B.S. Electrical Engineering '93, graduated with an M.B.A. with distinction from the University of Michigan Business School in May 2001. He joined J.P. Morgan as an investment banker in the Technology Group in New York in September 2001.

Subhash Chauhan, B.S. Electrical Engineering '98, completed an M.S. in electrical engineering at George Washington University in 2002 and plans to earn an M.B.A. in the near future.

Law

1980s
Thomas Arthur Ritchie Jr., J.D. '87, practiced law in Nevada from 1987 to 1999 and was appointed by Nevada Gov. Kenny Guinn to the Eighth Judicial District Court and retained by election in 2000. On May 20, 2002, he was retained for an additional six-year term on the district court bench beginning in January 2003. He and wife, Jody, reside in Henderson, Nev., with their three children.

1990s
Robin Holley, J.D. '92, is president of the Portsmouth Bar Association, vice chair of the Portsmouth/West Chesapeake Chapter of the American Red Cross, and member of the boards of the Portsmouth Schools Foundation, Young Audiences of Virginia, Portsmouth Community Concerts, and the Maryview Foundation. As a member of the Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta, she was instrumental in organizing voter registration drives in the city. Girls Inc. Center for Youth recognized her contributions and honored her at their annual luncheon to honor women who are active in the community.

2000s
Wayne B. Paugh, J.D. '00, works for the Honorable Jim Rogan, the under-secretary of commerce for intellectual property and director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. He fills the role of congressional affairs specialist in the Office of Legislative and International Affairs.

Angela H. France, J.D. '01, has become associated with the law firm of Albo and Oblon, L.L.P., where she practices employment and contract litigation from the firm's Arlington office.

Nursing and Health Science

1990s
Marsha Hughes-Rease, M.S.N. '90, retired after 29 years of service in the U.S. Navy Nurse Corps, serving as the deputy director of the Navy Medicine Center for Organizational Development in Bethesda, Md.

Donna M. Vandiver, B.S.N. '94, works in the emergency room at Baptist-Saint Anthony's Hospital in Amarillo, Texas. She is pursuing a master's degree at West Texas A&M University's Family Nurse Practitioner program.

Public Policy

1990s
Sean Drury, M.A. International Transactions '95, and his wife, Karine, announce the birth of their son James Ambroise. The family lives in Moorpark, Calif.

Visual and Performing Arts

1990s
David Robert Kilpatrick, B.A. Theater '91, earned an M.A. in theater at Southwest Missouri State University in May 2002. His thesis was No Strings: Contemporary Theater Technology Realizes Edward Gordon Craig's Uber-Marionette.

Tareq Mirza, B.A. Studio Art '97, works as lead modeler on Matrix 2 and 3 at ESC Entertainment after being a CG modeler in the Creature Development Division on Star Wars at Industrial Light and Magic.

Lauren Rico, M.A. Music Performance '97, received the Gracie Allen Award from the American Women in Radio and Television in the category of Best National Radio Special for a series she hosted and produced called "Instrumental Women." The show focuses on the history of women in American orchestras - a topic she began exploring during her master's work at Mason.

2000s
Erich Stem, M.A. Music '00, received the Walsum Award in composition, sponsored by the University of Maryland, for his piano trio, After Rain, and a Standard Award from ASCAP. He had a feature on a radio program, and his chamber piece, Bay Images, which he composed while at Mason, will be released on the Living Artist Recordings label.

Deaths

Noreen Cynthia Angel, M.S.N. Nurse Practitioner '01, passed away on January 28, 2002.

Earl Felix Aylor, B.S.N. '97, passed away on February 6, 2002.

Joy Carol Bayliss, B.S. Biology '85, passed away on February 4, 2002.

Mary Catherine Breslin, B.S. Biology '99, passed away on January 29, 2002.

Margaret G. Craun, M.Ed. Curriculum and Instruction '91, passed away on September 30, 2001.

Pearl M. (Warren) Dobratz, B.A. Biology '69, passed away on October 30, 2000.

Mary Helen Hassel, B.A. English '73, passed away on January 27, 2002.

James F. Kelly, B.A. Communication '84, passed away on May 11, 2002.

Howard Alan Leshin, B.S. Education '73, passed away on February 6, 2002.

Gretchen Marie Schlight Maloney, B.S.N. '91, passed away on April 6, 2002.

Orin D. Mann, B.S.N. Nursing '80, passed away on April 8, 2002.

Susan Leland McCaw, M.B.A. '84, passed away on June 2, 2002.

Elaine Salerno O'Regan, B.A. Psychology '86, passed away on March 12, 2002.

Joseph Rose, B.I.S. '79, passed away on July 2, 2002.

Patricia Signorino, B.S. Business Administration '76, passed away on June 18, 2002.