Catch up on what fellow alumni are up to in this issue of Class Notes. Have some news? We’d love to hear from you! Submit your news online at assumption.edu/classnotes.
1963
The Very Reverend Robert A. L’Homme celebrated the 50th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood on December 20, 2019.
1964
John J. Barnosky has joined the Maurer Foundation Board of Directors. The Maurer Foundation’s mission is to save lives through breast health education that focuses on breast cancer prevention, healthy lifestyle choices, early detection, and risk reduction.
1965
Robert DeMott recently published three books – Angling Days: A Fly Fisher’s Journals (2019); Conversations with Jim Harrison, Revised and Updated (2019); and Up Late Reading Birds of America (2020).
1969
Father Dennis Gallagher, A.A., has been named to a second term as provincial superior of the North American Province of the Augustinians of the Assumption by Superior General of the Congregation Father Benoit Griere. As provincial of the North American Province, Fr. Gallagher oversees Assumptionist communities in the three geographical areas of the province: United States, Mexico, and Quebec. Fr. Dennis was appointed provincial superior in 2017.
Joseph Woitkoski has stepped down from his position as board chair of Berkshire County Arc after 36 years of service.
1975
Roger Dumas is a member of the Porsche Club of America High Performance Drivers Education Program, which is designed to improve participants’ driving abilities and their understanding of vehicle dynamics and driving safety. As part of the program, members have the opportunity to drive their sports cars at top speed on closed tracks. Roger has attained the fourth of five skill levels.
Dave Kennedy, Ph.D., met with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during her book tour of Australia. Dave led the “Hillary for America” fundraising effort in Australia during the 2016 presidential campaign. The Sydney Morning Herald called him “Clinton’s biggest cheerleader in Australia.” Dave is currently serving as Australia co-chair of the Asia-Pacifc Leadership Team for the Biden Victory Fund.
1979
Mary Anne Matys retired from teaching at West Brookfield Elementary School in June 2019 after 31 years of service. Her retirement plans include volunteering at St. John’s Food for the Poor, Veterans Inc., and Quinsigamond School in Worcester.
1980
Sarah Thomas Tracy’s book, Heavenly Peace: Daily Prayers for Advent, was recently published by Creative Communication. The book assuages the stress and hustle of the holiday season by providing solace through daily prayers, one for each day of the Advent season.
1983
Caroline (Boyle) DeWyngaert presented at the National Convention of Teachers of English in November 2019 in Baltimore, MD. She addressed the topic of “Building Empathy and Connections with a Community Celebration of Stories.”
Sandra A. Merlini, a working artist, exhibited her acrylic and watercolor paintings at the Northborough Public Library in May. Sandra is a member of the Northborough Art Guild.
1984
Jonathan Jagolta joined Association Services of Florida, located in Miramar, FL, as the new branch president.
Valarie A. Ricciardi, OD, has joined the board of trustees of the New England College of Optometry. Valarie has been providing primary eye care for all ages for more than 28 years. She practices in two locations, Spencer and Worcester, and is an administrator for Massachusetts Vision Source, for which she was recognized as Administrator of the Year. She is a member of the American Optometric Association and secretary of the Massachusetts Society of Optometrists.
Jeffrey L. Taylor, a partner with U.S. Government Relations International, LLC in Washington, DC, was appointed to the board of the International Ocean Science and Technology Industry Association.
1986 35TH REUNION
Frank Vana, Jr., won his second Lowery (Senior) Division of the Ouimet Memorial Golf Tournament by 10 strokes in August. This is Frank’s second win in three years and his seventh overall Ouimet championship, including fve in the Championship Division.
1987
Nicole DiPietro Anterni serves as the director of sponsorship and events for Worcester Polytechnic Institute’s Touch Tomorrow Festival of Science and other pre-collegiate outreach programs.
1988
Neal Keohane is serving as the vice- chairman of the board of Special Ops Survivors, an organization with which he has been volunteering since 2003. He rejoined the board in 2014, bringing an extensive business and volunteer background. Neal, whose career in the private sector has included executive-level positions with Merrill Lynch and Morgan Stanley, has spent the last 16 years working with Special Ops Survivors, as well as mentoring inner-city children and adults with special needs. He lives with his wife, Xing, in Lakeville.
1989
Michael C. O’Brien, who is stationed in Naples, Italy, as a public affairs officer with the Joint Forces Command, attended Christmas Eve Midnight Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican in December 2019.
1990
Andrew Coston, Ed.D., received his doctorate in education in community college leadership from Morgan State University in Baltimore, MD, in May. Andrew is the executive director of the Center for Career Development at Gustavus Adolphus College in Minnesota.
Tricia (Dumphy) MacIsaac is a real estate attorney in Shrewsbury.
Tom McAuliffe II, president of My FM Media, won an unprecedented ninth Radio Station of the Year Award from the Massachusetts Broadcasters Association at their annual Soundbites Awards Ceremony in December 2019.
1991 30TH REUNION
Kevin Henkin has been promoted to executive vice president of Needham Bank. In his new position, Kevin will continue to manage and oversee all aspects of credit administration.
Andy MacIsaac is the solutions marketing director for the public sector and higher education at Alteryx, a data analytics plat- form that helps organizations by improving their use of data, automating processes, and upskilling people.
1992
John Giordano, DMD, was called to active duty for the Massachusetts Army National Guard in March to help in the fight against COVID-19. While his family dental practice in Worcester was temporarily shut down, he served as a command staff member of the Army National Guard Task Force Medical, a group established to provide command over the state’s response to the pandemic.
1993
William Driscoll was appointed assistant headmaster and head of Upper School at Austin Preparatory School in Reading. He began his new role July 1.
1994
Peter Guzzo, Ph.D., was named vice president of drug discovery at SciMount Pharmatech and is an advisor to ConSynance Therapeutics in Rensselaer, NY, where he is developing innovative therapeutics to treat gastrointestinal and metabolic diseases.
1996
Jennifer (Gillis) Risi married Eric on July 6, 2019, at their home in Rutland. Jennifer and her son, Brady (16), join Eric and his children: Jocelynn (23), Eric (21), Kyle (17), and Abby (16). She has served as a speech therapy assistant with the Wachusett Regional School District for the past 15 years.
1997
Christine Carter and Justin Cecil ’96 were married on June 12. Christine works for Fidelity Investments as head of health- care implementations and migrations and is an advisory council member of the Grenon School of Business at Assumption. Justin works for the Peabody Police Department and was inducted into the Assumption Athletic Hall of Fame in 2015 for lacrosse. They live in Danvers.
Laurie A. (Lambert) Greenberg serves as one of two co-principals of Harwood Union High School in Moretown, VT. Laurie, who received her principal certifcation through Upper Valley Educators Institute, has worked in education for more than 15 years. She lives in Moretown with her husband and three children.
Casey Handfield was named the new superintendent of schools for Auburn Public Schools. Formerly principal of Auburn High School, his new position began July 1.
1999
Lauren D’Angelo, owner of Lola Yoga in Boston, was interviewed on Women Innovators Radio with host Tami Patzer about her participation in the Women Who BossUp book project, which proiles women who have broken the mold to achieve, overcome dificulties, or inspire change through relentless endeavors.
Jamie Kelley welcomed daughter Jaelyn Maria Kelley-O’Connor on December 2, 2019. She joins her two brothers, Jake and Joey.
Karen (Grote) West ’99, G’03 welcomed daughter Vivian Diane on September 20, 2019. She joins her big sister, Olivia Marie, age 6.
2000
Paul Belsito ’00, G’13 began serving as executive director for the Irene E. & George A. Davis Foundation in June. During the last several months, Paul co-led Worcester’s Emergency Operations Center in support of the city’s COVID-19 pandemic response.
2001 20TH REUNION
Janine Rock Somers was promoted to vice president of marketing and direct-to-consumer sales for Stonewall Kitchen in York, ME.
2003
Three members of the Class of 2003 were named to the Worcester Business Journal’s 40 Under Forty list for 2020. Robyn Kennedy, associate executive director of mission, pro- grams, and community impact for the YWCA of Central Massachusetts, was recognized for being an advocate for equality; Jason Muise, chief underwriting offcer for the marine department at Hanover Insurance, was honored for his accomplishments at the organization over the last 17 years; while Genie-Rae C. Richard, audit manager at O’Connor, Maloney & Company, P.C., was recognized for helping the frm become a virtually paperless and more competitive organization over the last 10 years.
2006 15TH REUNION
Jon Berthiaume, Justine (Massiello) Routhier ’08, and a group of coworkers from MassMutual spent a day volunteering at the Boys and Girls Club of Worcester in December 2019. At MassMutual, Jon manages the MassMutual brand while Justine is the content strategy manager.
Jamie Franson Moreau welcomed son James Patrick on April 20, 2019. He joins big brother Matthew.
Emily Perkins is serving as a communications specialist for Hartford HealthCare in Norwich, CT. She received a master’s degree in interactive communications from Quinnipiac University.
Kristen (Sanderson) Springer, Ph.D., G’08 recently published a book, The Big Book of Exposures: Innovative, Creative, and Effective CBT-Based Exposures for Treating Anxiety-Related Disorders, which was written for professionals in the feld who treat OCD, panic, PTSD, and other anxiety disorders through exposure to help patients face their fears. Kristen is a licensed clinical psychologist in private practice in Concord where she specializes in treating OCD and anxiety in adolescents and adults.
2008
John Edwards, a twice-elected Tiverton, RI, town councilman, is running for a seat in the Rhode Island House of Representatives. John, who graduated magna cum laude with a degree in business management, is the regional sales director in the Northeast for PCS Retirement. He resides in Tiverton with his wife, Brittany Rapoza Edwards, and daughter Amelia.
Kevin Peterssen ’08, G’12 recently started a position with JP Morgan Chase & Company in Boston as vice president of education and nonproft banking.
2009
Melissa (Nally) Harrigan and Chris Harrigan ’06 welcomed their frst child, son Augustine Joseph Harrigan, on November 25, 2019.
2011 10TH REUNION
Jacqueline (Denault) Coppa ’11 and Justin Coppa ’10 welcomed son Brooks Preston Coppa on December 2, 2019. He joins aunt Sydney Vilardi ’21 and cousin McKenzie Richards ’21 in the Hound family.
Three members of the Class of 2011 are currently serving as members of the Worcester Police Department: Shawn Frigon, Michael T. Foley, and Robert Sansoucy.
Stephen Mulligan has been promoted to ser- geant in the Marshfeld Police Department. A lifelong Marshfeld resident, Stephen became a full-time offcer with the Department in 2012.
2012
Matthew Robinson married Kaitlyn Turcotte on July 20, 2019, in Harrisville, RI. Alumni in attendance included Jon Bishop ’11, Matthew Hopkins ’07, Patrick Keeley ’12, Meredith (Deacon) Michaelson ’12, Kaitlin (Wilson) O’Brien, Dana (Wellington) Robinson ’10, Michael Robinson ’10 who served as best man, and Joseph Turcotte.
Sarah (Murdock) Skene and Ryan Skene ’12, G’19 welcomed their frst child, Madeleine Helen Skene, on May 30. Sarah is an occupational therapist at Life Care Center of Auburn, and Ryan is an insurance consultant at FM Global.
2013
Danny Dearing married Molly Dearing on September 7, 2019. Alumni in attendance included Joe Arcieri ’15, Graham Bartlett ’12, Amanda Bradley, Dan Bradley, Briana Brown, Joe Fimiani, Dave Maiocco, Keven Meehan, Nick Napoli, Kevin O’Brien, Trevor Plante ’15, Ariel Scorpio ’12, Allison Shaw ’16, Brennen Shaw ’15, Dennis White, and Kyle Zobler.
Julie Scott Lempitsky joined St. Benedict Classical Academy this fall as a floating teacher, where she works with the pre- kindergarten and kindergarten classes. She was a kindergarten teacher at Saint Joseph Elementary in Needham for the last seven years.
2014
Fouad El-Nemr was named to the Worcester Business Journal’s 40 Under Forty list for 2020. He is executive vice president at Nouria Energy Corporation in Worcester.
Megan (Flanagan) Hill welcomed son Christopher Thomas on October 28, 2019. Megan is a professor of practice at Assumption, where she teaches marketing and organizational communication.
Emmanuel Larbi opened a new restaurant inside Worcester Public Market in June. Akra Eatery and Juice Bar features natural food influenced by West African cooking traditions. Emmanuel, who is also a co-owner of another Worcester restaurant, Accra Girls, was recognized by the Worcester Business Journal and included on its 40 Under Forty list for 2020.
Stephanie (Plotkin) Murin married John Murin on August 15, at the Warren Conference Center and Inn in Ashland. Alumni in attendance included Alysa Chiarolanza, Meaghan (Kearney) Jennison ‘12, David Jennison ‘12, John McVey, Jenna (Wilson) Packard, and Katie (Reynolds) Weed ‘12. Other alumni attending the wedding in spirit due to the COVID-19 pandemic were: Lauren Johnson Batchelder ‘15, Marisa Berti ‘15, Andrea (Kolodziej) Spano ‘15, and Rick Turvey.
2015
Tracy Baldelli, associate director of development at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, was named to the Worcester Business Journal’s 40 Under Forty list for 2020. She is an Alumni Ambassador as well as a member of Assumption’s President’s Council.
2016 5TH REUNION
Sarah Baldelli has been promoted to integrated marketing manager of Advantage Truck Group (ATG) in Shrewsbury. In her new role, Sarah, who joined the company in 2015, will continue to help build the company’s marketing strategy to support initiatives across marketing and communications platforms, with a focus on driving brand awareness and customer engagement throughout its dealer network.
Rachel Duncan was recently sworn in as an assistant district attorney for Worcester County in the Domestic Violence Unit. She graduated from New England Law School in May 2019.
Kaelin Jenkins-Brown wed Andrew Gadbois in a private ceremony in Plymouth on May 30.
The Rev. Lucas LaRoche was ordained a deacon by the Most Rev. Robert McManus HD’12, Bishop of the Diocese of Worcester, at Saint Paul’s Cathedral on June 20. Also present were Assumption Prof. Geoffrey Vaughan, Jim Boulette ’18, Prof. Thomas Elbourn ’14, Marian (Murphy) Eno ’14, Rev. Richard Fortin AP’52, ’57, Julia Gilberto ’15, Michael Hoye, Rev. Stephen Lundrigan G’94, and Zachary Sullivan ’17.
Moneil Pierre has been hired as an inside sales representative for EverQuote.
2018
Marina Gigliello received the 2019 Employee of the Year award from Brooksby Village, a continuing care retirement community where she has been working as a resident services coordinator since 2018. She was chosen from a pool of 900 employees. Last fall, Marina enrolled in the Master of Social Work Degree program at Salem State University.
Connor Henry was sworn in as a Northborough police officer in January.
2019
Arthur Elbthal serves as a New England fellow with Fair Trade Campaigns, a grassroots movement that mobilizes consumers and advocates across the country to increase the availability of Fair Trade products.
2020
Rachel Berthiaume has been hired as the marketing coordinator for the New England Center for Children.
Bridget Tully was hired as a patient experience representative at Boston Children’s Hospital in August. In this position, the human services major and education minor will support two doctors and departments.
GRADUATE STUDIES
G’74
John M. Hancock was awarded the rank of emeritus professor at Fitchburg State University (FSU) in May 2019. He retired at the rank of full professor in the Behavioral Sciences Department at FSU in May 2017, where he also served as the chair of the Behavioral Sciences Department and the Graduate Counseling Program. In May 2018, he was the recipient of the Contributions to the Graduate Programs Award. He continues his involvement at FSU as an adjunct faculty member.
G’10
Gerard Morales recently began working as the deputy director of technical services for the City of Worcester.
G’12
Kat Stevens has been appointed the chief executive offcer of the Recovery Centers of America at Westminster. A Massachusetts licensed mental health counselor, Kat has been executive director of the facility since 2017.
G’16
Brittany Wong is the co-founder of the women-owned Koda Creative Group, a marketing agency established in 2019 offering brand strategy, social media growth, website development, content marketing, graphic design, and more while focusing on true partner-based relationships.
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Assumption Magazine publishes Class Notes in each issue. Submissions can be made at alumni@assumption.edu or by mailing us your information. An icon may be placed by a wedding announcement, indicating a photo is posted online. The Magazineʼs editorial staff makes every effort to accurately print announcements, but cannot always verify the accuracy of information submitted for publication.
