Class Notes - Winter 2025
Class Notes - Winter 2025
March 14, 20251950s
Henry O. Timnick, ’55, MBA ’58 (Both in Eli Broad College of Business), recently published the book, “Do it With Love, My Mother’s Wisdom.” In it, Timnick shares his mother’s uncommon wisdom and reflects on the ways her unique blend of hard work, humor and love shaped his life and so many others. In 2015, Timnick endowed the Timnick Chair in the Humanities within the College of Arts & Letters in honor of his mother.
1960s
Alan Offen, ’65 (College of Arts & Letters), recently published his memoir titled, “You Can’t Make This Up: The Memoir of a Matrimonial Attorney.” Available on Amazon Press, the book is the real-life story about practicing matrimonial law in a mid-sized city in Western New York. Offen is a past member of the MSU National Alumni Association Board of Directors and a founding member of the College of Arts & Letters Alumni Association Board.
Evan Meltzer, ’68 (College of Natural Science), published his memoir, “My Interesting Life: The Adventures of an Itinerant Corn Cutter,” available on Amazon. Meltzer is a retired podiatrist who tells the story of his life as a government-employed doctor.
Larry Thompson, M.A. ’69 (College of Social Science), released his memoir “Quiet Counsel: Looking Back on a Life of Service to the Law,” published by Disruption Books. Thompson is the former Deputy U.S. Attorney General under President George W. Bush.
1970s
Jimmy Raye, ’71 (College of Education), was recently named to the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame 2025 class. Raye was the South’s first Black quarterback to win a national title while playing for the Spartans’ 1965 and 1966 unbeaten Big Ten title teams. He played two seasons in the NFL before embarking on a trailblazing 37-year coaching career that saw him become just the second Black coordinator in the NFL.
Donald Viecelli, ’71 (College of Communication Arts and Sciences), was recently awarded the Alfredo Sirkis Memorial Green Ring award by former U.S. Vice President and founder and chairman of The Climate Reality Project, Al Gore, for demonstrating exceptional commitment to climate activism and education.
David A. Williams, ’71 (College of Natural Science), recently was awarded the 2024 Distinguished Member Award by the Illinois State Dental Society.
Mike Morrow, ’72 (College of Social Science), received the Distinguished Service Award from the Rubber Division of the American Chemical Society during the International Elastomer Conference in Pittsburgh, Penn. for his service to the industry. Mike is also a 2017 recipient of an MSU Alumni Grand Award for Service. At the time, fewer than 600 awards had been given out since the end of World War II.
Dale Petroskey, ’78 (College of Communication Arts and Sciences), was honored at the annual Dallas Business Hall of Fame in February. Petroskey is the President and CEO of the Dallas Regional Chamber, which plays a vital role in strengthening the region’s economy. Under his leadership, the Chamber was named National Chamber of the Year in 2022.
David Joyce, ’78, M.S. ’80 (College of Engineering), was inducted into the GE Aerospace Propulsion Hall of Fame. He joins four other inductees in this year’s class, which honors those who have made outstanding contributions to GE Aerospace and the greater aviation industry. Joyce joined GE in 1980 as an engineer and became president and CEO in 2008.
Toby Wolson, ’78 (College of Natural Science), M.S. ’86 (College of Social Science), is a contributing author and editor of the recently released “Handbook of Bloodstain Pattern Analysis,” published by CRC Press. The book is an up-to-date discussion of bloodstain pattern analysis by 35 leading experts.
1980s
Thomas Fox, ’80 (College of Social Science), published an update to his seminal work, “The Compliance Handbook: A Guide to Operationalizing Your Compliance Program.” It was the fifth update to his original book published by LexisNexis. This book is an invaluable resource in the field of anti-corruption compliance.
Kathleen Rollinger, D.O. ’86 (College of Osteopathic Medicine), was selected as the recipient of the 2024 Osteopathic Family Physician of the Year by the American College of Osteopathic Physicians, a national organization representing over 26,000 osteopathic physicians.
Bob Moesta, ’87 (College of Engineering), recently released his book, “JOB MOVES: 9 Steps For Making Progress In Your Career.” Co-authored with Ethan Bernstein and Michael Horn, the book shares the job-switching process they developed, tested and refined while researching, coaching and mentoring over a thousand professionals one-on-one and through Bernstein’s popular Harvard Business School course.
1990s
Aimee Merriman Nolan, ’91 (College of Arts & Letters, James Madison College), was recently elected to the Alzheimer’s Association National Board of Directors.
Robert Nosanchuk, ’91 (College of Arts & Letters), was named the Inaugural Senior Rabbi and appointed Will & Jan Sukenik Chair in Rabbinics of Congregation Mishkan Or in Cleveland, Ohio. Congregation Mishkan Or was formed in July 2024 as a merger of two historic Reform Jewish synagogues, Anshe Chesed and Tifereth Israel, each in existence for 18 decades.
Amber Arellano, ’92 (College of Communication Arts and Sciences), was named a 2024 Education honoree by the BFDI International Training Institute in recognition of her tireless pursuit of education equity. EdTrust-Midwest, which Arellano has led for 13-plus years, works for the high academic achievement of all Michigan students in pre-kindergarten through college.
Geaneen M. Arends, ’94 (College of Arts & Letters), recently earned a pair of notable awards. She was named to Crain’s Detroit Business’ 2024 Notable Black Business Leaders, and was honored on Michigan Lawyers Weekly’s 2024 ‘Michigan Go To Lawyers’ Power List. Arends is a vice president and attorney for Butzel in Detroit and also serves on the firm’s Board of Directors.
Julie Showers, ’98 (College of Social Science), co-authored a children's book titled “Toby Finds a Home.” Published by Blanchet House in Portland, Ore., where Showers is the Communications Director, “Toby”?is written to help children better understand the complex issue of homelessness.
Dannah Henriksen, ’99 (Eli Broad College of Business), M.A. ’03, Ph.D. ’11 (College of Education), recently completed the book "Explaining Creativity" (third edition, Oxford University Press). Co-authored with Dr. Keith Sawyer from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, the book takes an interdisciplinary approach with chapters on the psychology, sociology, history and anthropology of creativity.
2000s
Karah Street Davenport, ’03 (College of Communication Arts and Sciences), was named an equity partner in Stratacomm, a full-service integrated communications agency. It marks the first time in a decade that Stratacomm has added to its partner group. Davenport previously served as a senior vice president.
John Engle, ’05 (College of Social Science, College of Engineering, Honors College), M.S. ’07 (College of Engineering), was elected as the 2024 Section President for ITE Michigan. ITE Michigan is a community of transportation professionals, serving transportation engineers and community partners in the State of Michigan.
Meghan Collins, ’06 (College of Communication Arts and Sciences), ’08 (College of Arts & Letters), has been selected by the Michigan Art Education Association as the 2025 Museum Educator of the Year. Collins is a Museum Educator: K-12 and Family Programs at the MSU Broad Art Museum.
Lauran Simmons-Wark, ’07 (College of Agriculture and Natural Resources), executive director at Humane Ohio, received a 2024 20 Under 40 Leadership Recognition Award. The award honors individuals in northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan under the age of 40 who have distinguished themselves in their career and/or community.
Courtney Sullivan, ’08 (College of Nursing), was named a fellow by the American Academy of Nursing. This honor is one of the highest a nursing educator can receive. Sullivan is an associate professor and researcher at the MSU College of Nursing.
Leslie Anderson, ’09 (College of Arts & Letters), was recognized for her novel “The Unmothers,” published recently by Quirk Books. Anderson’s debut novel was chosen by the New York Times for its Best Horror Fiction Books of 2024 and was named one of Paste magazine’s Most Anticipated Horror Books of Summer 2024.
2010s
Shanika Owens, ’10 (College of Social Science), was named to Michigan Lawyers Weekly’s 2024 Influential Women of Law list. The award honors women attorneys and judges for their excellent work on behalf of the justice system and for their clients, commitment to their communities and service to the profession. Owens is an attorney for Butzel in Detroit.
Corean Reynolds, ’13 (College of Social Science), was appointed to the Board of Directors at the Boston Children’s Chorus. This nonprofit organization leverages the power of music to connect Boston's diverse communities, cultivate empathy, and inspire social inquiry.
Joseph Sweeny, ’13 (College of Arts & Letters), joined Fox Rothschild in New York as counsel in the Litigation Department, representing clients in commercial, corporate and white-collar criminal matters. Prior to joining Fox, Sweeny was an associate at Greenberg Traurig, LLP.
Karina Wojtas-Koszalka, ’16 (Lyman Briggs College), completed medical school at KCU-Joplin and has entered residency at the University of Kansas School of Medicine-Wichita Family Medicine Residency Program at Ascension Via Christi in Wichita, Kansas.
Marissa Beatty, ’17 (College of Engineering), founder and CEO of Turnover Labs, announced $1.4 million in pre-seed funding to expand the company’s engineering team, grow business development efforts, and accelerate R&D. Turnover Labs aims to decarbonize the chemical manufacturing industry and change the way the world produces petrochemical.
Altin Sencalar, MMUS ’19 (College of Music), was appointed as a Visiting Professor of Jazz Trombone at San Francisco Conservatory of Music as of August 2024.
2020s
Abigail (Kuplicki) Relich, ’20 (Residential College in Arts and Humanities, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Honors College), completed medical school at Wayne State University School of Medicine and has entered residency at the University of Kansas School of Medicine-Wichita Family Medicine Residency Program at Ascension Via Christi in Wichita, Kan.
Pradnya Ghorpade, ’23 (College of Engineering), was recently appointed CEO of DABBA EATS. Ghorpade co-founded the company in 2023 as a food delivery service that offers home-cooked meals prepared by local chefs.
