50s
Sandra Schultz Newman, Esq., BS home economics ’59, HD ’01, was presented with the Fifty-Year Member Award by the Pennsylvania Bar Association, in recognition of her outstanding leadership in the legal profession and extraordinary service and long-standing membership in the association.
60s
Samuel H. Basch, MD, HMC medicine ’61, was honored by Mount Sinai Hospital for his 50 years of service to the Mount Sinai community. Upon completing his residency as chief resident with the Mount Sinai Hospital in 1965, Basch began his service and teaching career at the Mount Sinai Hospital as the assistant chief of Consultation-Liaison Service where he supervised and taught psychiatric, medical, surgical interns and residents on in-patient and outpatient services. Throughout his career at Mount Sinai, Basch served as clinical professor, attending psychiatrist, member of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (ISMMS) Admissions Committee, supervisor of the Psychiatric Residents at ISMMS, member of the Board of Directors for the Association of Attending Staff at MSH, and a recurring member of the Faculty Psychotherapy Conference.
70s
Daniel M. Yulo, BS business administration ’73, completed his first book, “Meeting SECURE: A SECURE Novel,” a story of an investigation into mysterious occurrences that may be tied to a top-secret mission from the past and a potential terrorist plot. Prior to his retirement, Yulo worked for more than 40 years in the public and corporate finance industry for both small independent and large public companies.
80s
Hugh Gallagher, BS accounting ’86, retired as the CFO of Marathon Digital Holdings Inc. on May 12, 2023. Prior to joining Marathon, Gallagher held several senior positions at UGI and AmeriGas.
Joseph J. Golden, BS accounting ’81, was recognized on the Philadelphia Business Journal 2023 list of CFOs of the Year. Golden is the chief financial officer of Primo Hoagies.
Rajiv Malik, MBA business administration ’89, performed songs from his new album, “Time of the Glowing,” at the Mt. Airy Art Garage. Malik has spent 30 years playing in music ensembles and as a solo performer, starting out in rock music but transitioning to Indian and world music.
Samuel H. Pond, Esq., BS business administration ’81, founding partner at Pond Lehocky Giordano, LLP, was named by the Philadelphia Trial Lawyers Association as the winner of the prestigious 42nd annual Justice Michael A. Musmanno Award. Pond is the first workers’ compensation attorney to receive the award. The award is a distinguished honor that recognizes outstanding contributions to the legal profession, particularly in the areas of human rights, civil liberties and social justice.
90s
Carla B. Russell, BS teacher education ’96, was among the 60 Philadelphia public school teachers to receive this year’s Lindback Award for Distinguished Teachers, from the Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Foundation. Russell is a teacher at Northeast Community Propel Academy.
00s
Diana Bharucha, MD medicine ’07, was honored by the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) with a Tribute Award for her significant contributions toward helping those with neuromuscular diseases through scientific discovery, care and fundraising. Bharucha is an associate professor who works in pediatrics and neurology at the Children’s National Hospital.
Yanatha Desouvre, BS business administration ’01, was a featured guest speaker at Let’s Talk About It: Transformative Conversations with Our Community for Our Community. Following the performance of “Create Dangerously,” an adaptation of the award-winning book by Edwidge Danticat, the discussion unpacked the Haitian immigrant experience and explored the power of creativity in the face of adversity.
Kimberly A. DiGiovanni, BS environmental engineering ’08, MS ’08, PhD ’13, associate teaching professor of civil engineering at Quinnipiac University, received the Emerging Leader Award from the American Council on Education Women’s Network in Connecticut. DiGiovanni received the award for her commitment to student learning and development as she strives to support student progress with opportunities to apply what they learn in and through their work with community organizations, municipalities, and other nonprofit organizations.
Celeste Fields, BS business administration ’00, was recognized on the Philadelphia Business Journal 2023 list of CFOs of the Year. Fields is the senior executive vice president and chief administrative and financial officer of Philadelphia Housing Authority.
David Heyduk, MS library & information science ’09, was honored by Hartwick College at the Quinquennial Awards ceremony. The award is presented to Hartwick College faculty and staff members who served for 20 years or more. In 2009, Heyduk was appointed the interim director of library and information resources. He has chaired the Library & Educational Technology Committee and overseen improvements to the interlibrary loan system and the restructuring of library instructional courses for first-year students. In 2023, Heyduk was appointed director of library and information resources.
Marlon Jones, BS industrial engineering ’01, was among the 60 Philadelphia public school teachers to receive this year’s Lindback Award for Distinguished Teachers, from the Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Foundation. Jones is a teacher at Swenson Arts & Technology High School.
Kerry Sautner, MS science of instruction ’04, EdD educational leadership & management ’17, was appointed president and CEO of Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site, effective July 10. Sautner previously worked on program development at the Franklin Institute and most recently was the chief learning officer of the National Constitution Center.
10s
Jane Cebulskie Bokunewicz, MS higher education ’14, PhD communication, culture & media ’14, faculty director of the Lloyd D. Levenson Institute of Gaming Hospitality and Tourism at Stockton University and a longtime casino executive, was honored with the Spirit of Hospitality Award at the 24th Annual Atlantic City Host and Spirit of Hospitality Awards.
Nooraldean M. Dabdoub, BS civil engineering ’17, was presented with the Community Outreach and Service Award for 2023 from the Philadelphia Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers. Dabdoub has served as a field verification manager with Lennar in Hamilton, New Jersey, for the past five years.
Assunta Daprano, BS civil engineering ’16, was presented with the Philadelphia Young Civil Engineer of the Year Award for 2023 from the Philadelphia Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers. Daprano is a certified project manager in the Goods Movement/Transit Group of AECOM in Center City, where she has worked for the past seven years.
Jimmie Foster Jr., MS higher education ’13, was named vice president of Enrollment Planning at the College of Charleston.
Melissa Giberson, CERT physicial therapy ’11, published her memoir, “Late Bloomer: Finding My Authentic Self at Midlife.” It is a story about a woman coming out and coming into her true self.
Adit Gupta, BS software engineering ’19, MS computer science ’23, is the co-founder of Lula Convenience, which received recognition by Pennsylvania Alliance for Capital and Technology (PACT) in the technology startup category during its 30th Enterprise Awards ceremony. Lula is an e-commerce platform that allows convenience stores to easily connect with delivery apps and track inventory. Additionally, Gutpa was interviewed during the Steering Startups event hosted by PHL Inno, the Philadelphia Business Journal‘s innovation vertical focused on technology and startups.
Amanda Hill-Hennie, MS special education ’12, is proud to announce her school’s recent accomplishments under her leadership. Her students made exemplary academic progress in their first post-pandemic state assessment, which was administered in the 2021–2022 school year. Additionally, the school’s Black, Hispanic, and English language learner subgroups exceeded their statewide academic growth goal by almost 20 percentage points. Finally, the number of teachers who demonstrated significant evidence that their students exceeded the growth standard increased by almost 40 percentage points from the last pre-pandemic state assessment, which was administered in the 2018–2019 school year.
Paige A. Joffe, Esq., BS legal studies-business ’15, JD ’20, joined Hyland Levin Shapiro LLP as an associate. Joffe is a member of the litigation and employment practice groups.She continues her practice in commercial litigation, with a focus on construction, employment and business divorce litigation. She also continues her transactional practice with drafting and negotiating a variety of real estate and business agreements, including employment contracts for physicians and other white-collar professionals.
Lauren Pitts-Bounds, MFT family therapy ’13, EdD educational leadership & management ’17, had her first book, “The Queen Within: Becoming the Woman God Intended,” featured at the 2023 London Book Fair. The book is about her life challenges and turning them into opportunities to move forward, focusing on getting the right help when everything else was bringing her down.
Sean Stabler, MS materials science and engineering ’12, vice president of innovation for global manufacturing company Sekisui Kydex in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, was honored with a Distinguished Alumni Award from Pennsylvania College of Technology. This award is presented to those who have made significant contributions in their chosen fields, demonstrated the importance of their education at Penn College or its predecessors, participated in leadership roles within the community, and proven a commitment to their alma mater.
Joe Stolarick, MS library & information science ’18, started a new position as archivist for Clair Global in Lititz, Pennsylvania.
20s
Shayna Davis, BS film & video ’21, a Philadelphia-based filmmaker, kicked off the Philadelphia Independent Film Festival with two of her own comedic films.
Thomas Falzani, BS graphic design ’20, is the co-founder of Lula Convenience, which received recognition by Pennsylvania Alliance for Capital and Technology (PACT) in the technology startup category during its 30th Enterprise Awards ceremony. Lula is an e-commerce platform that allows convenience stores to easily connect with delivery apps and track inventory.
Christopher G. Hytha, BA architecture ’21, was profiled in an article, “Young Photographer Captures Irreplaceable Art Deco Peaks of Buffalo and Beyond” in The Buffalo News.
Anthony J. D’Orazio, MLIS library & information science ’88, was profiled by The Philadelphia Inquirer about Carversville, a farm located in Mechanicsville, Bucks County that he created. The farm gives away 100% of what it grows and raises to nonprofits in Philadelphia, Camden, and Bucks counties.
Pamela Rothka, CPA, BS accounting ’95, was appointed chief financial officer of Empower AI (formerly NCI Information Systems), a leading provider of advanced information technology solutions and professional services to U.S. government agencies. As CFO, Rothka is responsible for all aspects of Empower AI’s financial, treasury, and corporate strategies, including financial planning and analysis, capital and cash management, accounting functions, and M&A.
Paul Bloomfield, BA architecture ’00, was profiled in the Philadelphia Business Journal. Bloomfield, who started his career as a cabinet maker and has been an architect for the last 25 years, is now building a series of homes on the Main Line that fit his description of modern — reminiscent of something found in the hills of California rather than in the Philadelphia suburbs.
Nicole Dalrymple Conahan, BS design & merchandising ’10, was featured in The Philadelphia Inquirer in an article about the general store, Dalrymple’s Card & Gift Shoppe in Sea Isle City, New Jersey, which her family founded. Conahan now manages the store and is expecting to take Dalrymple’s into the future.