Akron Magazine - Summer 2009 - (Page 26)

AlUmni news Class Notes 1940s Send your Class Notes and photographs to alumni@uakron.edu Wayne Sanders II, BA/BS ’78, BA ’79, MS ’82, was named a Jennings Scholar for 2009. The Martha Holden Jennings Foundation honors outstanding classroom teachers for improving the quality of elementary and secondary education in Ohio. Manchester Middle School sixth grade teacher, Jan Clark Dolan, BA ’49, received the Governor George W. Romney Outstanding Volunteer of the Year Award for 2009 in Farmington Hill, MI. The board of directors of the Delta Research and Educational Foundation (The Delta Foundation) in Washington, D.C. recently re-elected Dr. Alison J. Harmon, Ph.D. ’90, as president of the global, non-profit research organization. Licata & Toerek welcomes Wendy S. Kertesz, BA ’92, as marketing manager. She brings to the firm more than 16 years of marketing and public relations experience. 1970s Dr. Timothy Rasinski, BS ’72, was recently named Outstanding Alumnus at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Alan Lavine, MA ’73, had his syndicated financial columns, co-authored with his wife Gail Liberman, sited in testimony before the U.S. House of representatives House Financial Services Committee and the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs in late 2008. Mary Anne Cort, BS ’76, MS ’83, a 33-year education veteran, was named Akron Public Schools’ 2009 Teacher of the Year. Cort teaches fourth grade at Helen Arnold Community Learning Center. Stephen Abdenour, BS ’85, was named vice president, operations for Akron General Partners, an Akron General company. John Eicher, AAS ’79, BS ’85, chief financial officer and VP of ABC Fine Wine & Spirits, Orlando, was selected as the 2009 Financial Executive of the Year by the Central Florida chapter of Financial Executives International. “Today I Made A Difference,” a collaboration of collected stories from each of the twenty-eight 2004 Disney Teacher of the Year honorees, includes 2004 Disney Teacher of the Year Darrell S. Woods, MS ’85. Michael Kovack, MPA ’92, Medina County auditor, received the Excellence in Accounting award from the Government Finance Officer’s Association for the 15th year in a row. Jeffrey M. Stopar, BA ’92, was named partner at Eastman & Smith Ltd. Jeff is a litigation attorney whose practice focuses on zoning, malpractice and appellate matters. Dr. Kathleen Joyce-Grendahl, MA ’93, just released a CD for which she was the executive producer, entitled “Clear Water Reflections, Native American and World Flute Music.” It is now receiving airplay on NativeRadio.com and the National Public Radio (NPR) program called ECHOES. Judith Barnes Lancaster, JD ’94, received the community-based Diversity Partnership Award from the Northeastern Ohio Universities Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy on March 12th. Dr. Timothy Berkey, MS ’83, Ph.D. ’94, a former teacher, principal, and superintendent in Ohio and Illinois, is currently the chair of graduate programs in the School of Education and Human Development at the University of Houston-Victoria and also works as a consultant to school districts throughout the country. He recently published his book, “Improving Your Daily Practice: A Guide for Effective School Leadership.” Yvette Nicole Brown, BA ’94, will star in the 2009-2010 NBC series “Community,” a comedy dealing with higher education and lower expectations at Greendale Community College. Brown also stars as Helen on Nickelodeon’s “Drake & Josh” series. Dr. Todd A. Allen, MA ’95, recently received his Ph.D. in Communications/Rhetorical Studies from Dusquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Robert P. Reffner, BS ’73, was elected board chairman of the Northeast Ohio Council on Higher Education (NOCHE). Reffner is vice president, legal, of FirstEnergy in Akron. Joanne Schreiner, BA ’76, a partner in the Cincinnati office of Dinsmore & Shohl, was recently honored as the Leading Woman in Management by Leading Women of Greater Cincinnati. Robert Dean Sever, AAS ’72, BS ’76, retired after 26 years with Sumter Electric Cooperative as System Engineer. Dr. Lawrence D. Zavodney, BS ’74, MS ’77, was promoted to senior professor of mechanical engineering at Cedarville University (Ohio) in August 2009. James E. McCollum, JD ’87, has been promoted from executive assistant to the president to executive deputy to the president & chief of staff at Millersville University. Jeremy H. Sayers, BA ’82, MA ’87, has won the 2009 Marian Smith Short Story Prize from The University of Akron English department for his short story “Inheritance.” 1980s Kris Diaz, MS ’80, is the new director of athletics at Baldwin-Wallace College. The law firm of Buckingham, Doolittle & Burroughs, LLP is proud to announce the appointment of Richard S. Milligan, JD ’80, to the Supreme Court of Ohio Task Force on the Disciplinary Process for lawyers and judges. Milligan was appointed to the committee by Chief Justice Thomas J. Moyer. Donal Young, AAB ’82, BA ’87, received an Emmy award on June 6 from the Michigan chapter of The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in the category of Write-Program. Tamara O’Brien, BA ’89, on her election to the Ohio School Board. Roderick Linton Belfance LLP congratulates partner 1990s Benson L. Belleman, MA ’90, recently received the Cedarville University (Ohio) Faculty Innovator of the Year Award, which is based on instructional or curricular innovation that has resulted in a noteworthy improvement in student learning. Karen Mullen, BSN ’80, has been named vice president, physician practice services for Akron General Partners, an Akron General company. John Eicher ’79 James McCollum ’87 Donal Young ’82, ’87 Wendy Kertesz ’92 Judith Barnes Lancaster ’94 Yvette Nicole Brown ’94 | 26 | http://www.NativeRadio.com

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Akron Magazine - Summer 2009

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