Class Notes - Fall 2024
Class Notes - Fall 2024
September 27, 20241950s
LtCol. Donald Van Eynde, ’59 (College of Agriculture and Natural Resources), has been included in the prestigious Marquis Who's Who. Leveraging more than five decades of excellence, Dr. Van Eynde earned distinction in the U.S. Army as a military leader and at Trinity University where he served as a professor of management until his retirement in 2016, whereupon he was granted emeritus status.
1960s
Elizabeth Unger, ’61 (College of Engineering), M.S. ’63 (College of Natural Science), was elected to the Hall of Fame of the Carl Ice College at Kansas State University. Two people were elected in 2024. She served Kansas State University as an administrator and professor for 44 years.
1970s
Terry Driscoll ’70, M.S. ’75 (College of Engineering), was awarded the Grand Prize for Industrial Waste Design from the American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists for an innovative remediation project in Oregon. Driscoll is practicing environmental engineering from Atlanta and the Dominican Republic. Besides remediating hazardous waste sites in the U.S., he also works in developing countries advancing water and health solutions. He is currently working in Tajikistan, Zambia and Ecuador.
Nell Kuhnmuench, ’71 (Eli Broad College of Business, Honors College), was awarded the special Dele Davies Award by The Davies Project, a mid-Michigan nonprofit that provides reliable transportation for seriously ill children and pregnant women to essential healthcare. Kuhnmuench was honored in April for her amazing contribution to the organization. She completed 132 drives totaling 3,039 miles and 166 hours.
Josef Broder, M.S. ’73, Ph.D. ’77 (College of Agriculture and Natural Resources), Associate Dean of Academic Affairs for the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at the University of Georgia, recently retired after 47 years of student advocacy.
LaRonna (Williams) Harris, ’74 (College of Social Sciences), M.Ed. ’76 (College of Education), recently retired as a U.S. Administrative Law Judge with the Social Security Administration. Prior to her judicial appointment, Judge Harris served as an attorney advisor, senior attorney and attorney adjudicator with the agency. She previously served as assistant general counsel to the Oklahoma Tax Commission, assistant attorney general for the state of Oklahoma and legal consultant to the Michigan Senate.
Jim Pruitt, MSS ’74 (College of Social Science), has been elected president of the Labor and Employment Relations Association, a position once held by two Michigan State professors: the late Charles Killingsworth and the late Einar Hardin.
Gary Hernbroth, ’79 (Eli Broad College of Business), released his new motivational business management book “Twist the Familiar: Your Playbook for Success, One Story at a Time,” published by Advanced Publishing LLC. Hernbroth is an award-winning professional speaker, business coach, and a leading voice in the hospitality industry.
Robin Schleh, ’79 (College of Arts & Letters), published the historical biography "Faxon Dean: An Uncommon Life." Set in 18th century New England and based on the life of a true individual, it tells a story of poverty, hardship and redemption through hard work and love during a time of turmoil and revolution in the Colonies.
1980s
Nora Zeagler, '81, (College of Arts & Letters), recently received her Licensed Professional Counselor designation in San Antonio, Texas.
Joelene Smith, ’86 (College of Agriculture and Natural Resources), external manufacturing quality manager within the Dow Chemical PSF&L Quality organization, retired from the company in June 2024 after more than 28 years of dedicated service.
Scott Snell, MBA ’86, Ph.D. ’89 (Eli Broad College of Business), a professor at the University of Virginia’s Darden Graduate School of Business Administration, released the book “The CEO Playbook for Strategic Transformation: Four Factors That Will Make or Break Your Organization.” Published by Stanford Business Books, it aims to help CEOs and other key leaders reduce the risks and see through the overwhelming complexity of a major change in organizational strategy.
Carla Spataro, M.A. ’86 (College of Arts & Letters), released her debut novel published by Sagging Meniscus Press. The novel, “More Strange Than True,” is a fantasy tale that collides the magical world of Midsummer’s Night Dream with the day-to-day life of contemporary Philadelphia. Spataro is director of the MFA in writing and M.A. in publishing programs at Rosemont College.
Jeffrey Schmidt, ’88 (College of Agriculture and Natural Resources), Ph.D. ’96 (Eli Broad College of Business), released his debut book from University of Oklahoma Press titled “Here Today: Oklahoma's Ghost Towns, Vanishing Towns, and Towns Persisting against the Odds.” A four-year research and travel project, the pages take readers through the unique and forgotten places that tell Oklahoma’s story. Dr. Schmidt is an associate professor of marketing and innovation at the University of Oklahoma.
1990s
M.L. Elrick, ’90 (College of Communication Arts and Sciences), Detroit Free Press "On Guard" columnist, received a 2023 Sigma Delta Chi Award for journalism for his investigative reporting of corruption.
Maria Lapinski, ’92, Ph.D. ’00 (College of Communication Arts and Sciences), a communications professor and director of the MSU Health and Risk Communication Center, has been named a fellow of the International Communications Association. ICA Fellows are honored for their distinguished scholarly contributions to the field of communication.
Lee Petro, ’92 (James Madison College), joined Dickinson Wright as a member in its Washington D.C. office to co-lead the firm's telecommunications law practice. Lee also recently joined the Board of Directors of the James Madison College Alumni Association.
Bob Hoffman, ’93 (College of Social Science), was a guest speaker and awards presenter in April at the Volunteer Appreciation Events for The Davies Project. Hoffman is a co-host for The Morning Blend on Fox 47 news, the public relations manager for The Wharton Center, the founder of ePIFanyNow and a board member for several organizations.
Christine (Frantz) Hammond, Ph.D. ’94 (College of Education), has assumed responsibilities as the interim president for the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. Dr. Hammond will serve in this registry interim role until June 30, 2025, when she and her husband, Thomas Hammond (Professor Emeritus, MSU), will return to their home in Petoskey, Mich.
2000s
Jason Drake, ’00 (Eli Broad College of Business), officially stepped into his role of managing partner at Plante Moran in Detroit, one of the nation's largest audit, tax, consulting and wealth management firms. Drake is the eighth managing partner throughout the firm’s 100 years of service.
Kellie Howard, ’01 (College of Social Science), was unanimously appointed CEO of the Southfield, Mich.-based law firm Collins Einhorn Farrell, making Howard the first minority and the youngest person to become CEO of a prominent non-minority-owned Michigan law firm.
Eun-Young Mun, Ph.D. ’02 (College of Social Science), of The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth’s School of Public Health, was recently awarded a rare academic distinction as Regents Professor. She is the second SPH professor to receive this honor in the school’s 25-year history.
Elizabeth (Chatfield) Conroy, ’04 (College of Arts & Letters), M.A. ’07 (College of Education), was recently named Michigan School Counselor of the Year by the Michigan School Counselors Association. Conroy is the school counselor at Mason High School.
Andrea Bingham, ’05 (College of Communication Arts and Sciences), published a new research methods book for graduate students and other novice researchers. "A Practical Guide to Theoretical Frameworks for Social Science Research" is out now via Routledge. Dr. Bingham is an associate professor at California State University Channel Islands.
Dr. Brooke (Pedersen) Cummings, ’05 (College of Education), recently opened a clinic, Resilient Physical Therapy, in East Lansing, Mich.
Patrick Stanard, MBA ’07 (Eli Broad College of Business), was professionally recognized in Kyndryl’s 2024 class of Fellows and Distinguished Engineers in recognition of his contributions to helping solve industry-wide challenges and enabling customer innovation and success. Stanard is vice president and mainframe architect at Kyndryl U.S.
James Looby, ’08 (College of Social Science, Honors College), has joined the law firm of Vedder Price in Chicago as a shareholder. Looby will join the firm’s Labor and Employment practice area with a focus on collective wage and other employment-related litigation matters. He will also counsel clients on complying with related laws.
2010s
Shanika Owens, ’10 (College of Social Science), received the Detroit Bar Association’s Pro Bono Service Award, which recognizes above and beyond pro bono legal service to the community. Recipients are recognized by members of the Third Circuit Court Judges and staff. Owens is an attorney for Butzel in Detroit.
Christina Doherty, J.D. ’12 (College of Law), was installed as the President of the American Academy of Attorney-Certified Public Accountants (AAA-CPA). Doherty is only the fifth woman to serve as president and one of the youngest members to assume this prestigious role.
2020s
Samantha Licwinko, ’21 (College of Natural Science), started the DO program at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine Fall 2024 to continue her pursuit of becoming a physician.
Jiaying Wei, DMA ’22 (College of Music), a student of Prof. Deborah Moriarty, recently joined the faculty at Beijing Normal University-Hong Kong Baptist University United International College, serving as assistant professor in the Music Department in Zhuhai, Guangdong Province, China.
Kaya Chakrabortty, ’24 (Lyman Briggs College), was crowned Miss Universe Japan 2024 and will represent Japan at the 73rd edition of Miss Universe in November. Chakrabortty beat out 35 other candidates during the finals and hopes to become just the third Japanese woman to win Miss Universe.
Alexander Maas, ’24 (College of Communication Arts and Sciences), will be pursuing a master's degree in international journalism at Swansea University in Swansea, Wales, UK starting in Fall 2024. Maas previously studied at Swansea as an undergraduate through the MSU study abroad program.
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Author: Ryan Loren
