Alumni Community, Winter | Spring 2020
Class Notes
1953
Gilbert Bandarra, a member of Stonehill’s second graduating class, has begun a new career in painting at Marshfield Senior Center. After losing his wife of 69 years three years ago, Bandarra was encouraged by his daughter to participate in an art class. His transformation into painting was covered in a feature in the Patriot Ledger in January.
1958
Louis Silva was honored at a ceremony on Alumni Day at Stonehill in January as the recipient of the Francis X. Dillion ’70 Alumni Service Award. For over seven decades, Silva has been a dedicated advocate for the Stonehill Class of 1958 and a vital presence at numerous Reunions throughout the years. Additionally, his work with the Alumni Auction has resulted in many scholarship opportunities for Stonehill students.
1965
Brian Wallin, a trustee of East Greenwich, R.I.’s Varnum Continentals and docent of the Naval War College Museum in Newport, R.I., presented “Ocean State Women and the War” at an event hosted by the East Greenwich Historical Preservation Society in November. Wallin spent the first half of his career as a radio-television reporter and anchor throughout New England. He later shifted to a career in healthcare administration.
1966
George Milot received the inaugural Brother Patrick Carey, C.F.C., Ph.D. Award in Catholic Education from the Providence Alliance for Catholic Teachers at Providence College in R.I. The award recognized Milot’s record of service as a Catholic leader, educator and administrator. Milot is the founder and president of Catholic Education Consultants and the former superintendent of schools for the Diocese of Fall River.
1968
Thomas Keating wrote a memoir titled Yesterday’s Soldier, which was released in January. Keating spent over five years studying to be a priest but joined the U.S. Army in 1968 at the height of the Vietnam War. The book shares his experiences in the Army and his decision to become a non-combatant conscientious objector.
1975
Ferdinand “Fred” Coderre retired from the U.S. Army after serving for nearly two decades.
Leo Meehan III, the president and CEO of W.B. Mason, was honored in September at a dedication at Stonehill in which its new School of Business was named for him. The 63,450 square-foot building is home to the College’s accounting, finance, international business, management, marketing, economics and health care administration programs.
Victor Ortiz was honored at a ceremony at Brockton High School, where the school’s basketball court was named after him. Ortiz, who retired 13 years ago, was the head coach of the boys’ basketball team for 24 seasons and was inducted into the Massachusetts Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame and the New England Basketball Hall of Fame. He was also a teacher and adjustment counselor with the Brockton school system for three decades.
1976
Elaine Voci published her ninth book, a collaborative volume featuring 50 female authors titled Voices of the 21st Century. Voci’s chapter, “Your Life Can Light the Way,” describes the influence of her Italian immigrant grandparents in shaping her values and life’s work. The book has been recognized as an international bestseller in the U.S., U.K., Australia and New Zealand on Amazon.com.
1977
Kathleen (Murphy) Costonis, a third-grade teacher at Arthur T. Cummings School in Winthrop for the past 29 years, was presented with the Excellence in Education Award at the Winthrop Chamber Awards ceremony in January.
1979
Kathleen (Walsh) Riley is the associate director of admissions at the New York Institute of Technology-College of Osteopathic Medicine in Glen Head, N.Y. She previously spent 12 years at Long Island University Post in Brookville, N.Y.
1982
Timothy Kelleher III is chief commercial lending officer at Cape Cod 5. Prior to joining the bank, he served as regional vice president of TD Bank for 15 years.
1983
Craig Gruskowski retired after serving his hometown community in Littleton for 34 years at his dental practice. He also taught at Tufts Dental School, where he served as co-director of its DAU clinic.
Robert Ruggiero was named the producing artistic director for TheatreWorks Hartford in Connecticut. The first graduate of Stonehill’s Theater Arts Program, Ruggiero was awarded an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree from the College in 2011.
1984
William Martin was appointed as a district court judge in Massachusetts. He is a former U.S. Navy judge.
1985
Karen (Kaslauskas) Keane was appointed Plymouth’s public health director. She is a licensed Title V inspector and SERVSAFE food inspector. Keane holds an allergy awareness certification, is a certified pool operator, trained in the Massachusetts Virtual Epidemiologic Network for Communicable Diseases and is also a housing specialist.
1986
Gerald McGavick is the director of political advertising at Hearst’s WMUR-TV in Manchester, N.H. He will continue to work as the station’s director of sales, a position he has held since 2017.
Robert Rivers, chair and CEO of Eastern Bank and Stonehill Trustee, was awarded the 2019 Dave Tibbetts Award at the annual Lawrence Partnership meeting in December.
1987
Margaret McGill was appointed as executive vice president and chief financial officer for People’s Credit Union in Middletown, R.I. She has over 30 years of experience in financial, operational and executive management, including six years as vice president of finance and accounting for HarborOne Bank in Brockton and eight years as its vice president and controller.
1988
Michael Maddigan presented, “The Spiritualists Summer Home by the Sea,” at the Methodist Meeting House in Wareham in November about the unique origins of the town’s Onset Bay and its rapid rise and decline of Spiritualism. The author of several books on New England regional history, Maddigan is the founder of Recollecting Nemasket, a small publishing press devoted to the history of southeastern Massachusetts.
1989
Edward Flanagan was named New England regional operations leader for Risk Strategies, a national insurance brokerage and risk management firm in Boston. He previously served as a producer at Arthur J. Gallagher insurance brokerage and risk management firm based in Illinois.
1990
Gerald Donovan was recognized as a Top National Financial Advisor by Northwestern Mutual. A wealth management advisor, Donovan will celebrate his 30th year with the company this August. As part of the recognition, he was also inducted into Northwestern Mutual’s elite membership, the 2019 Forum Group.
Richard "Butch" Santosuosso, president of Healthcare Marketing & Consulting Group in Philadelphia, was inducted into the Stonehill Athletics Hall of Fame at the College’s 31st ceremony in September. A member of Stonehill’s men’s ice hockey team, Santosuosso was one of the first 100-point scorers in program history. He closed out his career with 64 goals and 67 assists for 131 points which ranks fourth in program history.
Philip Shanahan is bar counsel for The Alaska Bar Association. He is primarily responsible for the supervision of the seven-person discipline section of the Bar Association. Shanahan has been a criminal defense attorney in Alaska since 1994.
1992
Tesha (Scolaro) Ballou was appointed to Florida's 18th Circuit Court by Governor Ron DeSantis. She will serve the counties of Brevard and Seminole in the Sunshine State.
1993
Ernest Covino III was promoted to lieutenant for the Burlington Fire Department, which he has been a member of for the past 17 years as a firefighter and EMT. He has also worked as a CPR instructor for the past 16 years.
Mary (Kiernan) Puricelli retired from a career in sports marketing.
1994
Edward Cooley, head coach of the Providence College men’s basketball team, was inducted into the College's Athletic Hall of Fame at its 31st ceremony in September. He served as captain of Stonehill’s men’s basketball team for three years and finished his career with 795 points, 594 rebounds and over 100 assists.
William Duke Jr. was appointed chief financial officer of Kaleido Biosciences, a clinical-stage healthcare company based in Lexington. He joins the company from Pulmatrix, a Nasdaq-listed, clinical-stage pulmonary therapeutics company in which he served as its chief financial officer.
1995
Jamal Gomes, athletic director at Bishop Hendricken High School in Warwick, R.I., was inducted into the College's Athletic Hall of Fame at its 31st ceremony in September. He ranks 31st all-time at Stonehill with 1,082 points amassed during his four-year career on Stonehill’s men’s basketball team.
Michael Sanders, director of marketing for non-profit group NTI, led a roundtable session on the culture of remote workers at the Contact Center Ideas and Innovations Tour in Quincy. NTI focuses on placing Americans with disabilities and disabled veterans in work at-home jobs. Sanders also spoke at Stonehill’s TEDx event. His presentation was titled “Impact Basic: Transitioning from Life-Altering Adversity.”
Michael Sarro was named development officer for athletics at Northeastern University in Boston.
1996
Kerri (Riley) Ansello received the Francis X. Dillon ’70 Alumni Service Award at a ceremony on Alumni Day at Stonehill in January, where four alumni were honored. Ansello has provided two decades of volunteer leadership and guidance on Stonehill’s Alumni Council.
Joseph “Duke” Castiglione was named lead sports anchor for WCVB-TV Boston, where he has worked for the past two years. He previously was a sports anchor for New York’s Fox 5 and also worked for WHDH-TV in Boston and as a sideline analyst for baseball and college football for ESPN and its sports network affiliates.
Karen (Franko) Savage, vice president and head of the contract development and manufacturer Rentschler’s Milford location, was appointed to the board of directors of the Milford Area Chamber of Commerce.
1997
Thomas Pincince was promoted to the role of interim director of athletics at Central Connecticut State University in New Britain, Conn. He has worked for the school for the past 18 years as assistant athletic director for communication and media services.
1999
George Fowler was selected as senior project manager for the Freese and Nichols Stormwater practice. He manages the group’s water flow and river engineering projects to mitigate flooding in Texas and the southeastern United States. Fowler has managed and served as technical lead for projects involving mitigation of flood hazards, erosion hazards and water quality pollution sources for over a decade.
Melanie O’Neil was one of 10 speakers featured at Stonehill’s Office of Graduate Admission’s TEDxStonehillCollege event. The theme for the event was The Challenge of Change, and O’Neil’s presentation was titled “Breaking Free from the Way We’ve Always Done It.” She is the co-founder of Rustic Marlin, a premium home décor manufacturer.
Stefanie (Watson) Signorello has joined Transamerica as a regional director for mega/large market retirement plans in the New England area.
2000
Emilia Dahlin released her fifth album titled “Green Things to Grow.” The album is her first live release. Dahlin has received numerous awards throughout her 16-year singing career, including winning the Boston Music Conference Songwriting Competition.
Julie (Stockwell) Letourneau is the varsity girls’ basketball coach at Bishop Stang High School in Dartmouth. As a member of Stonehill’s women’s basketball team, she is a three-time All-Northeast-10 selection, a Northeast-10 Player of the Year and the College’s first female Academic All-American.
2002
Brandon Hall was named director of instructional technology for Pembroke Public Schools.
2003
Carissa Medeiros, an assistant women’s lacrosse coach at SUNY-Cortland, was inducted into the Stonehill Athletics Hall of Fame at the College’s 31st ceremony in September. An All-American for Stonehill’s women’s lacrosse team, Medeiros helped lead the team to its first NCAA Division II National Championship her senior year in 2003 as its starting goalkeeper.
Matthew Walsh is the vice president and business banking area manager for JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s New England expansion. In his role, he consults and advises business owners with banking services and access to capital for the bank’s retail banking expansion in New England.
2004
Sean Navin is the director of intergovernmental affairs at the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority. He previously worked at the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs for six years and in Congressman Jim McGovern’s office for four years.
Shannon (Rosa) Thorin is the executive assistant to the president of the college at Boston Architectural College.
2005
Kimberly Driskell has joined the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona as a chief financial officer. She previously spent 11 years as vice president/controller for the YMCA in Brockton and four years as a controller for Morgan Memorial Goodwill in Boston.
Crystal Maldonado-Goujon is a partner/shareholder at Devine, Millimet & Branch, PA, one of the largest business and litigation law firms in Manchester, N.H.
Amanda (Dalia) Hazeltine had her research on neurology clinicians’ views on palliative care communication published in the American Academy of Neurology as well as her work on coaching primary care providers with palliative care communication for the seriously ill in the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management. She is a full-time doctoral nursing student at University of Massachusetts Medical School and works part time as a patient care technician at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.
2006
Marquis Taylor was the keynote speaker at a recent event celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. at Bristol Community College in Fall River. Taylor is the founder of the school improvement initiative Coaching For Change. He also spoke at Stonehill’s TEDx event, presenting “Experiences Drive Learning” for The Challenge of Change themed event. In January, Taylor was recognized at a ceremony on Alumni Day as a recipient of Stonehill’s Graduate of the Last Decade Award.
Kimberly (Foley) Wheeler was named senior manager of donor relations at Milton Academy in Milton. She previously spent 10 years working at Stonehill, first as a program officer at the Center for Nonprofit Management and later moving to the College’s Advancement Division, where she was the special events and stewardship coordinator until 2017 when she was promoted to assistant director of donor relations and special events manager.
2007
Jennifer Nicoloro-SantaBarbara earned a Ph.D. in social and health psychology from Stony Brook University in Stony Brook, N.Y., and is a National Institute of Mental Health T32 postdoctoral research fellow in the department of psychology at UCLA in Los Angeles, C.A.
2008
Shayla Jordan rejoined Stonehill’s human resources department as an assistant director. She previously worked in the department from 2012-2018 as an assistant and later as a human resources generalist. She returns to the College from Boston University School of Law, where she was associate director of human resources.
Stephen Rollins Jr. was promoted to accounting and auditing director at G.T. Reilly & Company in Milton. Rollins joined the accounting firm in 2008 after graduating from Stonehill. He obtained his M.B.A. from the University of Massachusetts in 2011.
Nicholas SantaBarbara earned a Ph.D. in kinesiology from Columbia University in New York City and is a National Institute of Mental Health T32 postdoctoral research fellow in the department of psychiatry at UCLA in Los Angeles, C.A.
2010
Benjamin Albert was named associate director of strategic partnerships at KaBOOM, a non-profit organization that helps communities build playgrounds for children, in Washington, D.C.
2011
Matthew Gorman was recognized at a ceremony on Stonehill’s Alumni Day in January as a recipient of the Graduate of the Last Decade Award. Since graduating, Gorman has gone on to advise presidential candidates, congressional leaders and top companies on political and corporate communications. He is currently a vice president at Targeted Victory, a Republican strategy firm in Washington, D.C.
Grace Lapointe is a freelance writer for Book Riot. Her paper, “Light is the Left Hand of Darkness: Deconstructing Gender Binarisms,” was included on a syllabus for a 2019 college literature course on Ursula K. Le Guin.
2012
Zachary Tsetsos, who works at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, was a contestant on the popular game show “Family Feud” with his family. Tsetsos spent eight years working for the Massachusetts State Senate, most recently as deputy general counsel.
Jayson VanBeusichem is the operations manager for the World Resources Institute’s (WRI) Finance Center. He previously was the project specialist for the Climate Resilience Practice in the Governance Center at WRI.
2013
Hanna (Pattie) Hugel was promoted to the role of U.S. integrated marketing manager of fashion for Reebok in Boston.
Erin Kelly received the Bobby Vines Outstanding Service Award, which is presented to a Boston Celtics staff member who demonstrates exemplary client services, a willingness to lend a hand to those in need, as well as unmatched enthusiasm and team spirit. Kelly has worked for the Celtics organization for the past seven years, currently serving as a member engagement manager.
Shannon (Garland) Zayac was named industry relations manager at the Berkshire Workforce Board in Pittsfield. She previously was the STEM program manager at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts in North Adams.
2014
Michael Ritz was named to the Atlanta Hospitality Alliance Board. He serves as the director of investments for Beachtree Hotel Group.
Chelsea Shepherd participated in Miami University’s Earth Expeditions global field course in Paraguay during the summer of 2019. She studied new frontiers in community-driven education while co-developing an eco-leadership program with Para La Tierra, a local conservation organization in Paraguay. Shepherd works as a program education specialist at the New England Aquarium in Boston.
2015
Alaina Smith-Dahlquist is a government relations associate at The Pew Charitable Trusts in Washington, D.C.
2016
Daniel Johnston was named an associate at Hinckley Allen law firm in Boston, where he works in the firm’s litigation and corporate and business groups. He previously took part in Hinckley Allen’s summer associate program in 2018. Johnston holds his J.D. from Boston College.
2017
Kevin Hotaling, who was born with severe congenital hearing loss, was featured in an article by Healthy Hearing, the largest hearing aid center directory. In the article, Hotaling discusses his difficult journey in finding the right hearing aid solution. He works as a field trainer for HearingLife, a privately owned hearing healthcare provider with offices across the U.S.
2018
Katherine O’Malley, who conducts Alzheimer’s research at Boston University, had her narrative, “My cousin was 8 when his father died. After, he had three questions for me,” published in the “Inspired Life” section of the Washington Post.
Aaron Yemane was a recipient of the 2020 Roscoe Trimmier Jr. Diversity Scholarship from Ropes and Gray law firm. Yemane is in his second year at Georgetown University Law Center.
2019
Aaron Hillyer is a licensed financial professional at Equitable Advisors in Bedford, N.H.
Ashley Mason was one of 10 speakers featured at Stonehill’s Office of Graduate Admission’s TEDxStonehillCollege event. The theme for the event was The Challenge of Change, and Mason’s presentation was titled “Dodging a 9-5 and Pursuing Entrepreneurship in College.” She is a marketing consultant and the CEO of Dash of Social.
Lucia Martin is a development associate for Merrimack College.
Charlotte Potter traveled to Athens, Greece, last August to work with the Hellenic American Education Foundation at Athens College as part of her Fulbright Scholarship.