CLASS NOTES
Alice’s Circle Celebrates 10 YEARS OF MENTORSHIP
The idea of networking with strangers once intimidated Holly Liebenberg, a fourth-year WCU marketing major. Now she can reach out to strangers confidently, thanks to a mentorship through Alice’s Circle, a subgroup of the Women in Leadership and Service (WILS) chapter of the WCU Alumni Association.
“People are way more willing to help you than you might think they would be,” she said.
As Alice’s Circle enters its 10th year, its impact on young women like Liebenberg highlights the group’s dedication to empowering Golden Rams. The group’s founder, Linda Hoffman Casotti ’86, believes in the transformative power of mentorship, which inspired her to start the program.
“I thought, ‘Can we create a small, impactful mentoring program matching high-achieving college women leaders at WCU with women in the real world?’ Academia is one aspect of the real world. I wanted to match them with women who can focus on growing their leadership and empowering them to feel more confident.”
So, Alice’s Circle pairs students with experienced professionals to work on resume writing, interviewing, and effective communication, while also building confidence and a sense of community. The program has mentored 86 students, including several who participated for two consecutive years.
People are way more willing to help you than you might think they would be.
“We don’t focus on their majors,” Casotti said. “We focus on ‘How do we grow these women, professionally, for their future careers?’”
At a recent group workshop, several mentees said their mentorships have helped them become more confident and connected to resources both on and off campus. They encourage those considering mentoring to go for it.
“You can change lives for the better,” Liebenberg said.
(Top L to R) Mentors Amanda Tingle Oline ’09, Linda Casotti ’86, Courtney Lloyd ’10, M’18, Kristen Loughlin ’21, Alicia Long ’15, M’16, Edwena Lanier ’23, with (Bottom, L to R) students Corey Lane, Holly Liebenberg, Damaris Silva, Sophia Shaloka, Jessica Aniloff.
A Message from the
Alumni Association President
This winter, I was privileged to attend a few West Chester University commencement ceremonies — it was an honor to welcome these new graduates into our Alumni Association (WCUAA).
As the number of WCU graduates continues to increase (now more than 127,000), so too does the reputation of WCU as an academic institution. I was struck by how many degrees were being awarded in majors that did not exist when I was a student. Clearly, our beloved University is not standing still and continues to adapt to meet the constantly changing requirements of the modern world.
Congratulations are also in order for the Incomparable Golden Rams Marching Band! Our 336-member band made the trip to Pasadena, CA, to march in the 135th Rose Parade on New Year’s Day. The band was able to make this trip in large part due to the generous donations of more than 1,400 donors, many of these whom are Alumni Association members. On behalf of the Association, I’d like to thank all those who donated. It was an event the marching band and those who watched them will never forget!
Looking forward, we’re continuing to plan a wide variety of events for this spring, summer, and next fall, so I encourage you to go to www.wcualumni.org and learn more.
On behalf of the Alumni Association, I would also like to thank President Chris Fiorentino and Sue Fiorentino for their decades of support to the WCUAA. As I stated earlier, many things have evolved over the years, but one thing that has not changed is their support of this University, its students, faculty, alumni, and the wider West Chester community. I wish President Fiorentino good luck over the next few months as he transitions into the next phase of his life.
Rams Up!
Patrick O’Connor M’93
President, WCU Alumni Association
Class Notes
1950s
Class of 1954 health and physical education majors met for a weekend. (L-R): Doris Whitelock Woerth, Barbara Cressman, Joan Gentzler Jones, Hazel Hendren Rectanus, and Karlene F. Attick. A class letter has been sent to every female member (originally 25) annually since graduation.
Valkyrie Sisters from the Class of 1959 got together in September 2023 in Sea Isle City, N.J. Top (L-R): Carolyn Helbig Hatt, Gail Y. Brown; Middle (L-R): Betty Papale Fitzgerald, Sally Hollinger Dunkle; Bottom (L-R): Ellie Crowley Pileggi, Betty Haws Slaveski, Audrey Berger Smoyer. The Valkyrie banner was made by Rachael Trimpey Tracey.
1960s
Eileen Reider Glenn ’69, M’99 was honored with the President’s Medallion for Service at WCU’s 2023 winter commencement ceremony.
1970s
Joseph F. Kienle, III ’72, M’74 was honored with the President's Medallion for Service at WCU’s 2023 winter commencement ceremony.
John H. Baker ’74 was honored with the President’s Medallion for Service at WCU’s 2023 winter commencement ceremony.
Richard Bonnette ’75, founder of Bonnette Wealth Management Group, and his team were named Forbes 2024 Best-In-State Wealth Management Teams.
Thomas R. McCabe ’76 has had an article published in SeaPower in October 2023.
Kathleen Brewer-Smyth ’79 wrote the book Adverse Childhood Experiences: The Neuroscience of Trauma, Resilience, and Healing throughout the Life Course, which won four American Journal of Nursing (AJN) Book of the Year Awards. It was awarded first place in three categories (Community/ Home Health, Creative Works & Psych/ Mental Health) and third place in the Consumer Health category. No book has ever won this many AJN awards since AJN first began acknowledging high-quality publications on nursing and healthcare topics in 1969. Any publisher may submit books for this recognition; authors are not required to be nurses, making it very competitive.
1980s
Robert C. McDowell ’80 retired on December 31, 2023, after a 43-year full-time professional career with the YMCA. His YMCA career began with the YMCA of Philadelphia & Vicinity in Hatboro, PA. In 2006, he moved to Wilton, CT, to become the CEO of the Riverbrook Regional YMCA, where he completed his career. He and his wife Karen relocated to Doylestown, PA.
Annmarie Kelly Davis ’81 appeared as the midwife, ensemble, and Madame Morrible in the second national tour of Wicked in 2023.
Roger B. Ware ’82 was honored with the President's Medallion for Service at WCU’s 2023 winter commencement ceremony.
Dennis Kays ’82, M’85 recently celebrated Marketplace Chaplains 40th Anniversary at the Meyerson Symphony Center in Dallas, TX, with an acoustic performance by Chris Tomlin. Kays is now retired after 35 years in education.
Susan M. (Roberts) Fiorentino ’86 received the Gladys Black Woman of Distinction Award from the Fund for Women and Girls.
Janet Winkler ’88 has retired after 33 years in public education. She taught elementary and middle school students for 17 years in Ridley School District, Wissahickon School District, and Upper Merion Area School District. Winkler moved into administration as a supervisor of special education in Upper Merion Area School District and then became the director of student services in Quakertown Community School District, finishing out 16 years as an administrator.
The Sports Legends of Delaware County Museum has commissioned sculptor Jennifer Frudakis Petry to create a 24-inch bronze sculpture of Gertrude A. “Gertie” Dunn ’60 (deceased, 2004), playing for the South Bend Blue Sox of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, made famous by the 1992 film A League of Their Own. The photo shows a work-in-progress clay model. Once completed, it will be sent to the foundry, where a bronze statue will be constructed. One of Delaware County’s greatest athletes of all 0time, Gertie graduated from Sharon Hill High School in 1952. Later, she attended West Chester State College and graduated with the class of 1960. At the conclusion of her first season with the Blue Sox in 1952, Gertie was named Rookie of the Year after leading her team to the championship. She went on to play and coach field hockey and lacrosse and was eventually named to the U.S. Field Hockey Hall of Fame in 1988 and posthumously inducted into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2007. For more information on her athletic achievements, visit www.delcosportsmuseum.org and click on the Gertie Dunn page in the upper right-hand corner.
1990s
Cynthia Freed Mailahn ’90 retired in June after 31 years as a physical education and health teacher for the Haddon Heights School District.
Patricia K. Allan ’92 with her two children: Edward G. Dodson ’24 and Julia A. Dodson ’19.
Christina M. Christie ’93 recently finished serving ten years on the board of directors for the Lewy Body Dementia Association, including serving as president of the board for the last five years. She now serves as president emeritus. In addition, she oversees the Lewy Body Dementia Walk, held annually in Jamison, PA, which has raised over $200,000 to support patients and their caregivers.
Angela D. Mazza ’97 attended medical school and became an endocrinologist. She founded and currently runs the Metabolic Center for Wellness, a thriving endocrinology practice in Oviedo, FL, just outside Orlando. She has had the opportunity to teach and lecture all over the world and has a regularly streamed podcast. Her new book Thyroid Talk: An Integrative Guide to Optimal Thyroid Health, was listed as Number 1 New Release.
Christina Boyce Cortese ’99 spoke at the New Jersey State Bar Association annual convention in Atlantic City regarding New Jersey inheritance tax, estate administration, real estate, and estate planning. Cortese works at KingBarnes Law Offices in Atlantic and Cape May Counties, NJ.
2000s
Barbara A. Beaucar M’01 published the essay “Education and Empowerment: Albert C. Barnes and His Visionary Scholarship Program for African Americans,” which was included in the 2023 publication The Barnes Then and Now. She retired as the Barnes Foundation archivist and historian in 2020, and currently resides in Cape May, NJ.
Katherine Gilmore Richardson ’04, M’06 was sworn in to a second term as a member of Philadelphia City Council. She was elected by her colleagues to serve as majority leader.
Kristin D. (Akers) Nye M’05 was named one of five national finalists for School Counselor of the Year. It was announced on November 28, 2023, that Dr. Diana Virgil from Alabama was selected as the 2024 School Counselor of the Year. For Nye, it was an honor and privilege to make it to the finalist stage. As one of the five finalists, she was part of the celebration event held in Washington, D.C., in February 2024, representing Anna P. Mote Elementary School, the Red Clay Consolidated School District, and West Chester University on this national stage.
David M. Walker ’06 was unanimously elected as partner of Stock and Leader, LLP. Walker’s decade-long experience representing public school entities, intermediate units, and career and technology centers has been a tremendous asset in serving the firm’s education clients in central Pennsylvania. His significant experience handling complex school business and labor matters adds to the firm’s unparalleled breadth and depth of services supporting their public education clients. With a degree in special education and previous teaching experience, Walker has a unique understanding of student issues, labor and employment obstacles, and the day-to-day challenges facing administrators and boards of school directors. An integral part of the school group, Walker advises clients on labor and employment issues, school business, construction, contracts, and pupil services matters. He shares the firm’s commitment to community service by serving on the board of directors of Leadership Lancaster and Court Appointed Special Advocates of Lancaster and Lebanon counties. He earned his undergraduate degree from West Chester University and J.D. from Widener University School of Law.
Eric H. Meisner ’07 was awarded Volunteer of the Year from Union Township, NJ, after serving as the township’s recreation chairman, introducing a series of new events benefiting local youth and adults and running numerous large community events.
Tiera Kerr Reinert ’10 is now a fifth-grade math teacher at Milton Hershey School. She was named the 2023 Catherine Hershey Educator of the Year by the Coalition for Residential Excellence (CORE). She also coaches the middle school cheer squad and mentors high school students.
Erin Haley M’14, M’22 recently obtained a book deal with Clarion Books, a division of HarperCollins. Publication for her middle grade novel Miss Liberty is planned for summer of 2025.
Keegan Maguigan, CPA ’15 is a senior auditor with the Financial Management and Assurance (FMA) team of the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), the audit, evaluation, and investigative arm of Congress. GAO’s FMA team is responsible for the financial statement audit of the U.S. government and leads work to maintain and improve federal auditing and internal control standards.
Erica Maholmes ’16 is making her debut on Broadway. She completed her MFA in lighting at Illinois State University after graduating with a bachelor of arts degree in theatre from WCU.
Marissa Berry ’17 was crowned the 2023 Philadelphia Rose of Tralee and represented Philadelphia in the Rose of Tralee International Festival in Ireland in August 2023.
JulieAnn Hatala ’19, M’23 made the ABC Nightly News on January 26, 2024, with a viral video showing one of Hatala’s students supporting another. It gained more than 3.7 million views. She earned early grades preparation and special education dual major and minors in autism education and youth empowerment and urban studies; she then earned an M.Ed. in literacy and Reading Specialist Certification. During her M.Ed. program, she served as a graduate assistant, collaborating with Professor Claire Verden and receiving a grant from the 1619 Project Education Network in conjunction with the Pulitzer Center. The grant monies were used at Mastery Mann Elementary School, where Hatala is a second-grade teacher, to purchase curricula materials and to develop units of instruction to work with second graders utilizing age-appropriate picture books from the 1619 Project. The second cohort of second graders are now receiving these units of instruction at Mann, including the children from the recent national news story segment.
Sophya Alamudun M’23 was chosen by the Knowles Teacher Initiative as a member of its 2023 cohort of Teaching Fellows. She is one of 37 promising high school mathematics and science teachers just beginning their careers who were awarded Knowles Teaching Fellowships for 2023. She teaches chemistry at Olney High School in Philadelphia.
Amelia J. Reilly M’23 was also chosen by the Knowles Teacher Initiative as a member of its 2023 cohort of Teaching Fellows. She teaches mathematics at Olney High School in Philadelphia.
First Annual Mather Scholar Lecture
A new lecture series at WCU is named for long-time supporter of the University and its students Sandra “Sandie” F. Pritchard Mather ’64, M’68. The inaugural speaker on February 29 was Dorothy Merritts, professor of geosciences at Franklin & Marshall College and an elected National Academy of Sciences Member. Merritts spoke on “Unearthing Earth’s past, envisioning its future: Rewilding landscapes to improve ecosystems and waterways.”
In Memoriam
1949 Anna “Carol" Mensch
1952 Louis J. Di Massa
1964 Robert Brubaker
1964 Richard H. Schnaars
1965 Charles R. Cattell
1970 David R. Heller
1983 Tammy Jo Donnelly
Engagements
Ryan Zarzatian ’19 to Rachel Peters ’16, M’19 on December 12, 2023.
Michael D’Angelo ’18 to Lindsay Lick ’19 on December 29, 2023.
Marriages
Thomas Hamilton ’15 to Erin Price ’14 on July 1, 2023.
Alex Wilfong to Mary Meyer ’17 in July 2023.
John Lavoie ’18 to Leah Reed ’17 on August 25, 2023.
Andrew Berger ’12 to Elizabeth Bishop ’15 on December 1, 2023.
William Parra ’13 to Ann Kelsey on December 9, 2023.
Future Alumni
Luke Winter ’12 and Olivia Winter welcomed Cameron Theodore Winter in January 2023.
Erik Hackman ’12 and Jaclyn (Hiester) Hackman ’15 welcomed Zoey Lynn Hackman in September 2023.
William Scanlan, Jr. ’13 and Brittany (Watts) Scanlan ’15 welcomed Cameron Maeve Scanlan on October 11, 2023 along with Patrick Durning ’13 and Mary Kate (Nolan) Durning ’13, M’20 who welcomed Maisie Lou Durning on October 10, 2023 at the same hospital. William and Patrick were roommates all four years while they attended WCU.
Nicholas Klein ’13 and Vienna (Kester) Klein ’12 welcomed Nico Klein a year ago.
Evan Marabella ’17 and Lauren (McDade) Marabella ’17, M’22 welcomed Colin Marabella in January 2024.
DEATH NOTIFICATION PROCEDURE
Contact the Office of Alumni Engagement with a copy of the decedent’s obituary from
a newspaper or the internet, or a copy of a letter or email from a family member of
the deceased. Please note: Death notifications will not be accepted via telephone.
PHOTO SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
Photos should be no less than 300 DPI and in JPG format.
If you are scanning a printed photo, please set the scanning resolution to at least 300 dpi.
Digital camera and/or cell phone shots should be taken on the highest resolution setting available.
Photos should be emailed as an attachment, not pasted into the email or document.
We reserve the right to not publish a photo of low quality, and not all photos can be published.
Please send your photos as email attachments to the attention of the Office of Alumni Engagement at alumni@wcufoundation.org.
SUBMIT your class notes to the Office of Alumni Engagement at alumni@wcufoundation.org.
CONNECT WITH US
www.wcualumni.org
610-436-2813
More from the Spring 2024 Issue
News
Alumni Honored at Commencement
Invests in the University’s future
Profiles
Donor:
Tahany Naggar
Unwavering Support for WCU
Alumni:
Lisa ’88 & Paul Emrick ’88
Continue Their WCU Connection
Student:
Julie Ward
Trustee Role is Transformative