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Professional Updates and Accomplishments

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Your classmates want to know about the milestones in your life. Send your news including career changes, accomplishments, publications, weddings, births, and adoptions to the Office of Alumni Relations. Email alumwne@wne.edu or complete a short online form.

1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s| 2020s

1980s

Lee Phenner ’85 (English) wrote the book and lyrics A Pint of Understanding, a new musical featured in the New York Theatre Barn’s Choreography Lab. The show’s varied jazz-inspired score drives a fresh exploration of race, class, perspective, and hope.

Michael Skeary L’85/G’12 (JD/LLM) has been promoted to partner at Nelson Mullins within their Boston office. Skeary practices in insurance, property, and casualty coverage, as well as bad faith and extracontractual litigation.

Francis X. Wright, Jr. L’85 (JD) has been selected by the Massachusetts Municipal Lawyers Association (MMLA) to receive the President’s Award. Wright was honored for his substantial contributions to municipal law and his distinguished tenure as long-time solicitor to the city of Somerville, MA, and the MMLA. Additionally, Wright has joined the Edward J. Collins Jr. Center for Public Management at the University of Massachusetts, Boston, advising municipalities on charter and organizational structure matters.

Marc Mandel ’88 (General Business) was appointed to vice president of North American sales & account management at QuestionPro, a global provider of online surveys, research services, and customer and employee experience. In this role he will lead the company’s Customer Experience Go-to-Market teams in North America.

Debra Purrington L’88 (JD) was featured in The Top 100 in Finance Magazine for 2023 for her decades of professional accomplishment in the field of trusts and estates. Purrington serves as chief fiduciary and legal counsel at the Bank of Clarke in Winchester, VA.

Karlene Barry ’89 (Accounting) has been promoted to partner at Fiondella, Milone & LaSaracina LLP. Barry is a CPA with over 20 years of public accounting experience servicing a variety of industries.

1990s

Darcy Gruttadaro L’90 (JD) joined the leadership team as chief innovation officer at the National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI). Previously, Gruttadaro served as a leader at NAMI for 17 years before joining the American Psychiatric Association Foundation (APAF).

James Winston ’90/L’00 (Integrated Liberal Studies/JD) was named president of the Hampshire County Bar Association.

Jennifer Petrarca ’91/G’97 (Electrical Engineering/Engineering Management) is the new manager of industry standards for Mastercard in O’Fallon, MO.

Robert Rhodes L’92 (JD) was named to Connecticut Super Lawyers in 2022. Rhodes specializes in personal injury litigation.

John Lynch ’93 (Marketing) was named CEO of Kush.com, the nation’s largest business-to-cannabis marketplace, when his company TradeCraft Origin was acquired by MacDonald Ventures.

Jeffrey Fialky L’94 (JD) has been named managing partner of Bacon Wilson, P.C. Fialky has been with the firm since August 2006, following a decade in eastern Massachusetts where he held senior attorney positions within Fortune 100 telecommunications and cable television companies.

Sheryl McQuade G’94 (MBA) was announced as the regional president of TD Banks New England Metro. In this role, McQuade will lead TD Bank’s New England consumer and small business, commercial, and middle-market banking and lending services throughout a network of approximately 310 stores and nearly 2,900 employees in the greater New England region.

Julie Riggott ’94 (English) has written and published the book B.F. Skinner and the Revolutionary Science of Behavior. This biography takes young readers through Skinner’s life and work. Riggott is a writer and editor in communications in Los Angeles, CA.

Thomas Dawley ’95 (Criminal Justice) has been named interim chief of police for the Pittsfield Police Department. Dawley has served in the department since 2002 and previously acted as the Detective Bureau captain.

Matthew Wells ’95/G’99 (Biomedical Engineering/MBA) has been appointed as director of operations and continuous improvement at L.S. Starrett, a manufacturer of precision tools, gages, measuring instruments, and saw blades for industrial, professional, and consumer markets worldwide.

Kimberly Holmes L’97

Kimberly Holmes L’97 (JD) has joined Dykema as senior counsel in the firm’s data privacy and cybersecurity practice group. In this role, Holmes will focus her practice on managing and overseeing data privacy, security matters, and breach responses for Fortune 100 and 200 companies as well as midsize organizations across industry verticals.

Sarah Caggiano ’98 (Sociology) has been named the new executive director of expanded education at the New England Conservatory (NEC). Caggiano will be responsible for expanding the NEC Preparatory School’s program offerings and identifying new opportunities for NEC to reach and educate more students of all ages and backgrounds.

Juan Lopez ’99 (Computer Science) recently published the research article, “Pattern Matching for High Precision Detection of LINE-1s in Human Genomes.” Read more about Lopez’s research at https://rdcu.be/cVxgg.

2000s

James Moore G’00 (Criminal Justice Administration) has been promoted to lieutenant in the Methuen, MA, Police Department. Moore is a 28-year veteran of the Methuen Police Department.

Dr. Gianleo Duca ’01

Dr. Gianleo Duca ’01 (Education - History) was appointed to superintendent of schools for the Ballston Spa Central School District. He had previously held the interim role.

William Broneill L’02 (JD) has joined Kahan Kerensky Capossela, LLP (KCC) as head of the firm’s Real Estate Department. Broneill joins KCC with 20 years of experience in residential and commercial real estate.

Michael Collins G’02 (Criminal Justice Administration) has been appointed as director of abuse response & prevention for the Springfield Diocese’s Office of Safe Environment and Victim Assistance (OSEVA). Collins has served as a social worker for the last 26 years in the states’ foster care system.

Randy Haggar G’02 (Criminal Justice Administration) has been appointed to deputy chief of the Methuen, MA, Police Department. He previously served as commander, overseeing both field operations and administrative bureaus.

Joanne Cerrone G’03 (Criminal Justice Administration) recently became the senior securities specialist for the State of Maine’s Department of Professional and Financial Regulation. In this role, she helps to identify evidence of financial fraud or other related violations of the Maine Uniform Securities Act and other laws. Cerrone has been with the State of Maine since 2004 and began working in the Department of Professional and Financial Regulation in 2022.

Melissa Ruminot ’04 (Marketing Communication/Advertising) started her two year term as International Board president for the Themed Entertainment Association (TEA). TEA is an international non-profit association representing the world’s leading creators, developers, designers, and producers of compelling places and experiences.

Gregory Daniels L’05 (JD) was appointed by Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont as executive director of the State Contracting Standards Board. Prior to his appointment, Daniels was the director of procurement contracts and compliance for the University of Connecticut.

Jay Green L’05 (JD) was elected to the Board of Directors at 2nd Street Second Chances, an organization supporting formerly incarcerated men and women in Berkshire County. Green is currently town administrator for the town of Adams, MA.

Nicole Orluk-Goncalves ’06 (Accounting) has started a new position as controller at Elms College in Chicopee, MA.

Jessica Mueller ’07 (International Studies, Economics, and Commerce) started a new role with Prudential Financial in March, serving as vice president of strategic initiatives in the marketing organization.

Ashley (Cornelius) Allsop ’08/G’09 (Accounting/MSA) was recognized by Columbia County of New York for 40 Under Forty. Allsop is a controller at A. Colarusso and Son, Inc.

Jessica Caron ’08 (Social Work) has joined Elevance Health as provider quality manager, supporting community mental health clinics across New Hampshire in quality outcomes. Caron is a licensed independent clinical social worker (LICSW).

Sarah Shugrue ’08 (Communication) has been promoted to director of grantmaking & capacity building for the Greater Worcester Community Foundation. Shugrue has been with the foundation since 2016.

Benjamin Cadwell ’09

Benjamin Cadwell ’09 (Communication) was promoted to director of client service at Mintz + Hoke, an advertising agency in Avon, CT.

Andrew Sciarra G’09 (MBA) was elected to partner at CohnReznick, a leading advisory, assurance, and tax firm. Previously, Sciarra was a senior audit manager.

Jennifer Voyik-Morrison ’09 (Accounting) was named the 2023 recipient of the Daniel J. Gallican Award. This award is given out by the Holyoke St. Patrick’s Parade Committee and recognizes longstanding committee members and non-Holyoke residents who have contributed to the parade and associations successes. Voyik-Morrison is the 50th recipient of this award and joined the organization in 2012.

2010s

Edward Flood L’10 (JD) was named to the Eastern Suffolk County Assembly Board, representing Assembly District 4.

Michael J. Introvigne ’10 (Management Studies) has been elected to his first term as a member of the Executive Committee of the Connecticut Funeral Directors Association. Introvigne is a licensed funeral director and embalmer at Introvigne Funeral Home, Inc. in Stafford Springs, CT.

David Oliva ’10/G’11 (Sport Management/MBA) was named to Worcester Business Journals’ 40 Under Forty Class of 2022. Oliva is the general manager of Organomation, a manufacturing company that supplies laboratory instruments for evaporation and extraction.

Erin Doherty ’11/G’15 (Sport Management/MBA) has recently joined Virginia Tech Roanoke Center as an administrative, program, and marketing coordinator.

Justin Goldberg L’11 (JD) has joined The Royal Law Firm as an attorney specializing in corporate formation, commercial agreements, bankruptcy, estate planning and probate, and landlord/tenant practice matters.

Lindsey Steward ’11 (History) was recently promoted to education coordinator at the Three Village Historical Society in Setauket, New York. Her previous positions were visitor services associate and education committee volunteer.

Kathryn Crouss L’12 (JD) was elected as a new shareholder of the firm Doherty, Wallace, Pillsbury, and Murphy, P.C. (DWPM). Crouss joined the firm in May 2022 and has extensive experience in both family law and employment matters. She is currently president elect of the Hampden Country Bar Association and serves on the board of Community Legal Aid.

Alyssa Caliguri ’13 (Psychology) has been promoted to associate director of admissions and student affairs at Webb Institute.

Gustavo Mayen L’13 (JD) was selected as a Boston Top Lawyer 2022 by Boston Magazine for his work in criminal law. Mayen was invited to teach at the fall 2021 and 2022 Trial Advocacy Workshop at Harvard Law School and was selected as a Latin Amplifier by Amplify LatinX in 2022.

Emily Fitzgerald ’14 (Political Science) has recently accepted a promotion as associate director for strategic fundraising initiatives at Smith College in Northampton, MA. Fitzgerald has previously served as the assistant director for regional volunteer engagement.

Rose Colon L'15

Rose Colon L’15 (JD) was elected to be Board vice president of the Martin Luther King Jr., Family Services. Colon practices in the probate and family courts in western Massachusetts for the Massachusetts Department of Revenue.

Tasheena Davis L’15 Tasheena Davis L’15 (JD) has joined Lawyers for Civil Rights (LCR) as a litigation fellow. LCR provides free legal support to people of color, immigrants, and low-income communities. The organization’s litigation team focuses on education, employment, housing, policing, immigration, voting rights, and climate justice.

Erika Benlisa ’16 (Biomedical Engineering) is now the senior validation engineer at Defibtech.

Nathaniel Munson ’17 (Business Administration) was promoted to vice president, credit officer at bankESB. In this role, Munson manages credit analysts and portfolio managers.

Cole Magee ’18 (Mechanical Engineering - Mechatronics Concentration) has joined Conval, Inc. as a sales engineer. Conval is a premier manufacturer of high-quality, high-pressure forged steel valves.

2020s

Julia Garvey ’20 (Political Science) has started a new role as community organizer and legislative advocate at Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless.

Hunter Malone ’20 (Psychology) has recently joined Venture Community Services as an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) employment specialist.

Britaney N. Guzman-Bailey L’21 (JD) has joined Bacon Wilson, P.C. as part of their Domestic Relations and Family Law practice group.

Kevin J. Hassett, Jr. L’21

Kevin J. Hassett, Jr. L’21 (JD) joined Fitzgerald Law in January 2022 as an attorney. Hassett focuses on business law in the areas of contract drafting and negotiation, commercial loans, commercial real estate development, regulatory and government enforcement actions and investigations, and employment law.

Kyra Palumbo ’21 (Marketing Communication/Advertising) began a new position in Customer Services at Southwest Airlines.

Alexander Pattacini L’21 (JD) has joined the law firm of Bacon Wilson, P.C. as a member of the Estate Planning and Elder Law department.

Alexander Pimentel ’21 (Criminal Justice) has received his commissioning through the Army’s Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning, Georgia. Pimentel was branched into the Military Police corps and will now be serving as a second lieutenant in Vilseck, Germany.

Viktoriia Protsyk L’21 (JD) has joined the Goldberg Segalla firm’s Workers Compensation group in Hartford, CT. Protsyk specializes in defending insurers, employers, and third-party administrations in workers’ compensation matters.

Joseph Britton L’22 (JD) was appointed Board of Education counsel for the City of Waterbury Public Schools in Connecticut. Waterbury Public Schools is the third-largest district in Connecticut with over 18,000 students.

Rachel Fancy L’22

Rachel Fancy L’22 (JD) has joined Fitzgerald Law as an attorney. Fancy will advise business owners and leadership teams on the resolution of commercial disputes, litigation tactics and procedures, and land use.

Sarah Federation L’22 (JD) has joined Bacon Wilson, P.C. as a part of their Business and Corporate Law practice group.

Joshua Goldstein L’22 (JD) joined Bacon Wilson, P.C. as a member of the Business and Corporate Law practice group and the Banking and Finance practice group.

Ethan Kagno ’22 (Sport Management) started a new position with Hawk-Eye Innovations as a baseball systems operator for the 2023 Major League Baseball season in Atlanta, GA. Kagno also works at The Boston Globe as a high school sports correspondent.

William LaFosse ’22 (Marketing) accepted the position of assistant director of gift processing within the Advancement Division at Western New England University.

Jason Vereneau ’22

Jason Vereneau ’22 (Sport Management) is the new East Region assistant director for Little League International. Vereneau will assist day-to-day operations of more than 1,700 local leagues within the East Region while providing ongoing support to its volunteers and supporting the growth and development of new leagues throughout the region.