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Michigan State University

Class Notes

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1960s

Edward Deeb ‘60 has been inducted into the 2014 Michigan Journalism Hall of Fame. Deeb is the founder of the Michigan Food and Beverage Association, Michigan Business and Professional Association, Eastern Market Merchants Association, Friends of Eastern Market, Michigan Youth Appreciation Foundation and co-founder of Eastern Market Corporation. Deeb is also being honored with the Eleanor Josaitis Visionary Leadership Award from Crime Stoppers for his work in the community to eliminate crime.

 

1970s

Jeff Adler ‘72 has been added to UHY LLP’s advisory practice. Adler will be based out of the Atlanta office, and will focus on implementing and optimizing BlackLine Systems for clients nationwide.

Tim Cook ‘79 has been selected to receive the 2014 Jack F. Derrickson Award for Outstanding Course Leadership. Cook is a director of the risk and insurance studies center at Virginia Commonwealth University located in Richmond, Virginia.

Graham K. Crabtree ‘77 attorney at Fraser Trebilcock, has been included in The Best Lawyers In America 2015 in the field of appellate law. Crabtree is a member of the Appellate Practice Section Council, and serves as the chairmen of the Council’s legislative affairs committee. 

Harvey R. Heller ’73, JD ‘77 has been selected among the 2015 "Detroit Lawyers of the Year" by Best Lawyers in America. Heller, who has been continuously included and recognized since 2003, has practiced law for more than 30 years. He is the creator of the firm's Result Focused Case Management System.

Marie A. Vanerian ’76 has qualified for the Accredited Investment Fiduciary designation from Fiduciary 360. Vanerian has worked with public and private pension plans, foundations, endowments, religious organizations and private family offices in providing institutional consulting and advisory services. 

Elizabeth A. Wagar ’71, MD ‘81 has been re-elected to her second full term as a member of the College of American Pathologists Board of Governors. Currently, Dr. Wagar is a professor and chair of the Department of Laboratory Medicine and a Jose M. Trujillo endowed chair at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

Mike Zeko ‘76 is a producer and post-production supervisor for the weekly animated series “The Centsables” that focuses on youth finical literacy. The program airs on Fox Business Network. Zeko is founder and current managing partner at Bozeken Creative and Production near Philadelphia.

 

1980s

Margarete Chalker ’86 has been elected as CPA at Plant Moran. As a regional tax leader for the group, she focuses her practice on taxation of insurance companies, including property and casualty, health and captives.

Gary Dolsen ’85 has been promoted to vice president of IBM’s software group for digital experience. His team isresponsible for delivering software solutions that build portfolios of personalized sites and engagement opportunities.

Mark Hawkins‘81 has been named chief financial officer of SalesForce.com. Hawkins has more than 30 years of experience managing assets for global software and technology companies. As CFO, Hawkins will be responsible for leading the company's global finance organization.

Evan Montague ‘89 has been appointed to associate vice president of recruitment and student enrollment at Washtenaw Community College. In this position, Dr. Montague will be responsible for recruitment, admissions and registration, orientation, student records, as well as student development and activities for WCC.

Brian Morrow ’81 deputy chief of the juvenile division of the Wayne County Prosecutors Office, has received the 2014 “Champion of Justice” award fromthe State Bar of Michigan. Morrow was recognized for his work in establishing a Teen Court diversion program in Wayne County.

Dave Pahl ’86 has been elected as VP in charge of investor relations where he oversees communications with TI’s investor community. Previously serving as director of investor relations, Pahl has more than 25 years of experience with Texas Instruments.

Thomas C. Rombach ‘87 a solo practitioner who focuses his practice on representing criminal and civil litigants, has been sworn in as the 80th president of the State Bar of Michigan. In this position, Rombach will lead an organization of over 43,000 members that work to improve and promote the legal system.

Susan Scarlet ’88 has been named vice president of strategic branding at Gongos, Inc. Along with the promotion, Scarlet joins the company’s Enterprise Strategy Team. She has held marketing communications and publicity roles in both Detroit and Los Angeles.

 

1990s

Jonathan Adamsky ‘97 recently made the Top 40 Wirehouse Advisors Under 40 ranking in Registered Rep magazine. Adamsky manages a $640 million portfolio at UBS Financial Services in New York City.

Michael P. Donnelly ‘94 attorney and president at Fraser Trebilcock, has been selected as a 2014 Super Lawyer in the field of business litigation. Donnelly is currently the chair-elect of the litigation section of the State Bar of Michigan.

Jason Gutting ’95 construction manager at Michigan Department of Transportation, has received the 2014 MDOT Director’s Award. Nominated by his peers, Gutting was selected for his leadership and public service.    

Brian Hamrick ‘92 has started Hamrick Investment Group in Grand Rapids. The group focuses on commercial apartment real estate investments. Hamrick is a member of the alumni board for MSU’s College of Communication Arts and Sciences.

Christopher Mundy ‘96 has been selected as one of Chicago Agent Magazine’s 2014 Who is Who in Chicago Real Estate. In 9 years in the Chicago real estate business, he has built a $10 million annual business. 

Sarah Nutter MBA ’93, PhD ‘93 dean of George Mason University's School of Business, was recognized as one of the 2014 Woman Who Means Business in the Washington Business Journal.

Kristina Schnepf ‘91 has been named vice president of communication for Goodyear's North America business unit. Schnepf joined Goodyear from Dow Chemical Co. where she spent 22 years in communications and community relations.

Matthew H. Szalach ‘98 has joined the intellectual property department at Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn LPP as a partner. Szalach is a member of the firm’s Patient Practice Group and is located in the Bloomfield Hills office.

Katherine Ephlin, '94,has been named chief operating officer of Gongos, Inc. As COO, Ephlin will be responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations for the parent company and its business units. Additionally, she will continue to provide strategic input and direction as a member of Gongos' Enterprise Strategy Team.

 

2000s

Dana Butterfield Barton ‘03 has been named Young Professional of the Year by the Southern Colorado Women's Chamber of Commerce. Barton serves as business relations and employment development director at Pikes Peak Workforce Center in Colorado Springs.

Celeste A. Clark PhD ‘04 has been appointed to board of directors for Diamond Foods, Inc. Dr. Clark recently retired as senior executive of Kellogg Company where she led global public policy and external affairs and served as chief sustainability officer.

Kristy Daniels ‘02 has been named assistant professor in the Department of Dairy Science in the College of Agriculture and Life Science at Virginia Tech. Daniels conducts research in the areas of mammary growth and rumen biology.

Matthew Greenberg ’00 environmental lawyer, has joined Miller Canfield as an associate in the Lansing office. In this position, Greenberg will assist clients from several industries with complex environmental issues. Greenberg joins Miller Canfield from Environmental Consulting & Technology in Ann Arbor.

John W. Inhulsen ’01, JD ‘05 attorney at Foster Swift Collins & Smith, PC, has been appointed by the Michigan Supreme Court to a three-year term on the Michigan Attorney Discipline Board. Inhulsen, who sits on the MSU Alumni Club of West Michigan board of directions, is a member of the commercial litigation practice group and has been named as one of Michigan Super Lawyers for 2013 and 2014.

Ashly Jurek ‘10, has been named accountant at Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan. Prior to joining the Community Foundation, Jurek served as a paraprofessional at UHY Advisors where she developed personal, corporate and individual tax returns and drafted financial statements for reviews and compilations.

Sarah Butterfield Lang ‘01 has joined Troon Golf as vice president for global tax. Prior to joining Troon, Lang was the director of tax for Viad Corporation. Along with her husband, Sarah served as a chair of the first annual Sparty Gras, a fundraiser for the Arizona Spartans Endowed Scholarship Fund.

Erika Mahoney ‘09 has been selected as a White House Champion of Change for her work with Do 1 Thing, a non-profit where she serves as executive director. Do 1 Thing builds stronger communities, making sure neighbors are prepared for emergency.

Samantha Oudeh ‘14 has been hired by Perrigo as a continuous improvement engineer after completing two internships with the pharmaceutical supplier. In this role, Oudeh will analyze and make recommendations for improvements to the company's tablet manufacturing processes.

Brittany D. Parling ‘05 has joined Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn LLP as an attorney in the Litigation Department. Parling will assist Honigman’s Detroit office with complex commercial litigation, including consumer class actions, shareholder class actions and contract disputes.

Author: Robert Bao

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