Class Notes - Winter 2021
News from Spartans around the world
1950s
LEONARD P. CAMPOS, M.A. ’59 (Agriculture and Natural Resources), was honored with the 2020 Robert and Mary Goulding Social Justice award by the International Transactional Analysis Association in recognition of his commitment to social justice and application of redecision therapy. Campos was also recognized with the Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award in December 2019 in recognition of his over 60 years of expertise in the field of clinical psychology.
1960s
MARY MEANS, ’69 (Arts and Letters), has received the Louise du Pont Crowninshield Award, the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s highest recognition. In the 1970s, Means conceived the Main Street project, with the bold mission of demonstrating economic development within the context of historic preservation. The original, three-town pilot project has evolved into Main Street America, an expansive and powerful program of the nonprofit National Main Street Center, Inc., that has helped revitalize older and historic commercial districts for 40 years. Means chronicles the project’s origins in her recently published book “Main Street’s Comeback: And How It Can Come Back Again.”
1970s
DAN PHILLIPS, ’76 (Music), recently retired from the University of Memphis after a 41-year college teaching career. Phillips is the developer and administrator of The Jury-System, a web application for scheduling, administering and evaluating college music juries.
JOHN D. RAYIS, ’77 (Social Science), was recently elected to the board of directors of Apartment Investment & Management Company (Aimco). Aimco is a publicly traded real estate investment trust and is one of the country’s largest owners and operators of apartments, with 125 communities in 17 states and the District of Columbia.
TED HALM, ’78 (Communication Arts and Sciences), has been honored as the 2019-20 recipient Ferris State University’s Pete Peterson Bulldog Pride Award for his invaluable contributions to FSU Athletics. Halm retired this summer following 40 years of service to the university.
DANIEL B. BERMAN, ’79 (Social Science), has been selected for inclusion in “Upstate New York Super Lawyers” for 2020. Berman is a partner in the litigation department of Hancock Estabrook, LLP and has more than 35 years of experience litigating cases throughout New York.
GARY HERNBROTH, ’79 (Business), was recently honored by Connect Meetings as one of the 15 over 50 Top Professionals in the Event & Meetings Industry for 2020. Hernbroth is the chief motivating officer of Training for Winners in Danville, CA.
1980s
LAURA PROBYN, ’86, M.S. ’00 (Both in Agriculture and Natural Resources), has been named executive communication specialist at Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo.
ROBERT S. ANDERSON, ’88 (Business), has been recognized by The Best Lawyers in America for his work in immigration law for 2021. Anderson is a member in the Immigration Practice at Kerr Russell in Detroit, MI.
JAMES HERING, ’88 (Business), has been hired as chief operating officer and wealth advisor at Bordeaux Wealth Advisors, LLC. Bordeaux, a boutique investment advisory and wealth management firm, has offices in Silicon Valley and Seattle. Hering is based in the firm’s Silicon Valley office and comes to Bordeaux with 30 years of experience serving large ultra-high net worth families.
LEONARD C. WOLFE, ’89 (James Madison), has been elected chairman and chief executive officer of Dykema, a leading national law firm. Wolfe will continue to emphasize innovative solutions for clients struggling with COVID-19’s fallout while reaffirming the firm’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.
1990s
JEVELYN BONNER-REED, ’93 (Engineering), has joined Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools (WS/FCS) as the chief human resources officer. WS/FCS is the 4th largest school district in North Carolina and has 55,000 students and over 7,000 employees.
WILLIAM BOWERMAN, Ph.D. ’93 (Veterinary Medicine), professor of Wildlife Ecology and Toxicology at the University of Maryland, College Park, was presented with one of the Boy Scouts of America’s rarest and most significant honors—the Distinguished Conservation Service Award. The award is by nomination only and is reserved for an adult Scouter or Venturing leader who has rendered distinguished and unusual service to natural resource conservation and environmental improvement over a sustained period of at least 20 years.
GEANEEN M. ARENDS, ’94 (Social Science), has been named practice department chair for Butzel Long’s Corporate and Real Estate Practice Departments. Arends will be responsible for the management and oversight of the firm’s corporate and real estate attorneys who will report to her, as well as for the strategic goals, budgeting, forecasting, and direction of the practice groups.
MATT NOVAK, M.A. ’95, Ph.D. ’02 (Both in Social Science), and TERESA HUPKA, ’04 (Education), were both mobilized with the 807th Medical Command, assigned to U.S. Army North, U.S. Northern Command’s Joint Force Land Component Command, at Joint Base San Antonio, TX, to provide mission command of medical teams deployed throughout the nation. They continue to work for U.S. Army North, augmenting the Office of the Command Surgeon, as the Department of Defense responds to the nation’s need for medical professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic.
MATTHEW J. MCGIVNEY, ’98 (Social Science), J.D. ‘01 (Law), has been reelected Circuit Court Judge of Livingston County. McGivney was appointed to the Livingston County bench in 2019 by Governor Gretchen Whitmer.
KEITH PHILLIPS, M.A. ’98 (Arts and Letters), has launched realLINGUA, a language-learning startup that helps people learn to speak like a native-speaker. Phillips has developed an algorithmic cognitive processor rooted in empathetic benevolence and flow state learning principles. He and his team were recently awarded a startup grant to pursue a patent for a conversational AI designed specifically for language learning.
DANIEL HODGES, ’99 (Engineering), reached the finals of a global engineering competition sponsored by Siemens to address the United Nations Sustainability development goals around clean water. Hodges’ entry utilized a wind-powered vacuum distillation system to help water-stressed coastal small families around the world.
JEFF LOBBEZOO, ’99 (Business), has joined CIBC Bank USA as managing director and group head to lead the bank’s newly formed Environmental Services Group.
MICHELLE ST. OURS, ’99 (Business), was recently announced as a partner for Plante Moran, a leading accounting, tax and consulting firm. St. Ours is based in the firm’s Chicago office. As the leader of the bank tax practice in Chicago, St. Ours works closely with the firm’s clients to understand their businesses, help them become tax efficient and assist them with their long-term goals.
ERICA WILLARD, ’99, M.A. ’07 (Both in Social Science), has earned the Certified Association Executive (CAE) designation from the American Society of Association Executives. The CAE is the highest professional credential in the association industry; applicants must have experience with nonprofit organization management and complete a minimum of 100 hours of specialized professional development. Willard is the executive director of the Michigan Association for the Education of Young Children.
2000s
ELISSA GARTENBERG, D.O. ’02 (Osteopathic Medicine), was appointed to the Arizona Valley Leadership COVID-19 task force as a frontline health care advisor. Gartenberg is the CMO and owner of Modern Family Medicine in Scottsdale, AZ.
MATTHEW HORNIK, ’04 (Lyman Briggs), D.O. ’09 (Osteopathic Medicine), has been named president of the Michigan Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. He will serve his term from 2020–2022.
BRANDON FIELDS, ’06 (Education), has received a 20 Under 40 Leadership Recognition Award from the 20 Under 40 Toledo organization. Fields is the owner of Inside the Five Brewing Company and co-founder of the Brandon and Katie Fields Youth Fitness Fund. Fields was a four-year punter for the MSU Football Team before being drafted in 2007 by the Miami Dolphins.
DREW MILLER, (Social Science), has joined Korotkin Insurance Group, Inc. as an agent. Since retiring from playing professional hockey in 2018, the former Detroit Red Wing has worked as a licensed property and casualty insurance agent offering personal and commercial products to business owners and individuals.
BRIAN FOREST, ’07 (Social Science) has launched Arboreal Communications, a communications firm specializing in messaging, writing and executive positioning. Previously, Forest was a longtime congressional leadership aide who served as chief speechwriter to Majority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell and wrote for Minority Whip Sen. Jon Kyl.
LAUREN TUCKEY, ’07 (Business), has joined BatesCarey LLP as an associate attorney. Tuckey is experienced in corporate litigation, with her practice concentrated in the litigation of product liability matters, as well as railroad liability, construction accidents and a variety of contract disputes. BatesCarey LLP is a nationally recognized insurance industry giant headquartered in Chicago, IL.
ANDREA K. STAVOE, ’08 (Natural Science, Arts and Letters, Honors College), joined the faculty of the University of Texas Health Sciences Center at Houston, McGovern Medical School as assistant professor in the Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy.
BRIAN STONE, ’09 (Business), recently joined the Southfield office of Jaffe Raitt Heuer & Weiss, P.C. as an associate attorney in the firm’s real estate group. Stone will primarily focus on commercial real estate transactions, including acquisitions, sales, financing and leasing of all types of real estate.
2010s
HUDSON PITTS, M.S. ’13 (Business), was recently named associate director of communications firm RF Binder in New York, NY.
MEGAN SIDGE, ’14, M.A. ’16 (Both in Education), was honored as the 2020 Educator of the Year by the Michigan Lottery’s Excellence in Education Program. Sidge is the first teacher that specializes in teaching children with autism to receive this award. Sidge works at Hickory Woods Elementary School in Novi, MI.
THEODORE BURYE, Ph.D. ’15 (Engineering), recently published a paper titled “Effect of PEM fuel cell exhaust water conductivity on catalyst degradation using thermal degradation resistant polymer membranes” in the peer-reviewed International Journal of Hydrogen Energy.
ANDREW ADENIYI, M.S. ’19 (Business), recently published “The Circle of Leadership: A Framework for Creating & Leveraging Culture,” a hands-on approach towards understanding the power of culture and how leaders are responsible for harnessing it.
