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TCNJ Magazine - Summer 2015

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34 SUMMER 2015 CLASS NOTES Cara is now completing her post-doc fellowship working with co-occurring patients involved in the criminal justice system. Matthew Anesh '95 was reelected mayor of the borough of South Plainfield, New Jersey. Matthew was first elected to the South Plainfield governing body as a councilman in 2005. He was reelected to the council in 2009 and was elected to his first mayoral term in 2010. In addition, on Nov. 20, he celebrated his 19th anniversary with Bank of America Merrill Lynch. Neuman "Larry" Leverett '97 was selected for the 2015 Fellows Program of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity. Martin M. Mazin '98 has been named a tax partner at KPMG. Nicole Naviglia '98 started Shake, a firm specializing in consumer research, business development, and content creation, after a 16-year career in marketing and advertising. Todd Nichols '98 currently is conductor and artistic director for The Eastern Wind Symphony. 2000s MacDella Cooper '01 has been named the global ambassador for IMPACT Leadership 21. Marc Dral '01 is a high school social studies teacher at the Foundation Academies schools in Trenton, New Jersey. Michael Mazzola '01, John Fazzio '02, and Rick Ivins '03 all completed the Las Vegas Rock 'n' Roll Marathon in honor of Kelly Rouba-Boyd '02. Money they raised during the event went toward juvenile arthritis research. Timothy Schaffter MEd '01 and Diana Royal Schaffter MEd '01 are living in Pyongyang, North Korea, where they've been posted with UNICEF since September 2014. "Since we are the only two graduates of The College of New Jersey in the country, we have a continuous 'National TCNJ Alumni Reunion' going on in our home," they report. Christopher W. Heilig MA '02 was appointed superintendent of Rancocas Valley Regional High School. A resident of Moorestown, New Jersey, he was most recently director of programs and planning for the Lenape Regional High School District. Gregory Hunter '02 has been named Teacher of the Year for his work as a sixth-grade science teacher at Timberlane Middle School in Pennington, New Jersey. Florence Moonan '02 had her painting, Cielo, displayed in the "Small Wonders" exhibition at the Maryland Federation of Arts Circle Gallery from Nov. 28 to Dec. 28, 2014. Dana Tsivikis-Kurilew '02, MA '04 was honored in a White House ceremony hosted by First Lady Michelle Obama and actress Connie Britton. The ceremony was honoring the American School Counseling Association's School Counselor of the Year finalists and semifinalists. Jamie Cooperstein '03 founded a hospitality training business called J. Cooperstein Hospitality Consulting LLC, where she works with front-line employees at myriad businesses to coach them on the importance of service excellence. Kristy L. Chumra '03 was a featured player during Music@ MUMC's opening concert titled "A Midwinter's Daydream" on Dec. 4, 2014. Joseph Barchetto '04 opened a new wrestling club in Mount Olive, New Jersey. Jennifer Braverman MA '04 was one of 50 recipients of the 2014 New Jersey Exemplary Elementary Educator award. Melanie Decker MA '04 has been named the new director of senior services at Howell Senior Center in New Jersey. Valeen Vaccaro '04, MAT '09 is an eighth-grade math teacher at the Foundation Academies schools in Trenton, New Jersey. Rick Addante '05 became a faculty member in the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences at the University of Texas at Dallas, and a 2nd Lieutenant in the Dallas Composite Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol. Rick was the lead author on a scientific publication that used fMRI to reveal a brain state of neural activity prior to learning that predicted success of later memory performance. He joined the application review board for the American Psychological Association Minority Fellowships Program, and was recently in the news for a solo-authored publication in which he inde- pendently made a new scientific discovery that challenges one of the core pillars of neuroscience research in a Nobel Prize winner's textbook. Stacey Patton Arena '05 was named 2014–15 Teacher of the Year for the Hammonton, New Jersey, school district. She currently is teaching eighth-grade math at Hammonton Middle School. Susan J. Eckstein MA '05 took over as principal of Hillsborough Elementary School in New Jersey in January. She was previously vice principal of the township's middle school. Mike Frankel '05 has joined the broadcast team at SNJ Today as a news and sports reporter. David Harker '05 recently obtained his PhD in sociology from Boston College. In November 2014, he successfully defended his dissertation, "Service, Politics, and Identity: On Realizing the Potential of Service Learning." He recently began a position as the director of the Collaborative for Commu- nity Engagement at Colorado College in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Sarah Lindholm Brown '06 is senior account director of digital at News America Marketing. She manages the database marketing business for the company's Eastern division. Julie C. Gilbert '06, author of Ashlynn's Dreams and Heartfelt Cases, exhibited at this year's Book Expo America, held in May at the Javits Center in New York City. Inessa Shors Vaccaro '06, MA '10 is a founding college adviser/team leader at the Foundation Academies schools in Trenton, New Jersey. Drew Beal '07 started a "Kill the Cup" campaign to reduce waste from disposable coffee cups. The program is now a nationwide environmental initiative on college campuses. Audrey Levine Blumberg '07 was named one of 20 honorees for the 2015 Outstanding Women in Somerset County, New Jersey, award. She is being recognized for her work in the journalism/ media field for founding The Breeze, a monthly magazine. Joe Georgewitz '07 founded and started the Parisi Speed School at HealthQuest in Flemington, New Jersey. Kristine Sytsma Peters '07 participated In Wharton Music Center's Community Concert Series, playing in a piano trio on Feb. 8, 2015.

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