Alumni Class Notes Archive

Jay Aubrey Jones (BS ’76) recently played Ezekiel Foster and Mr. Snoring Man in Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas” at Bucks County Playhouse in New Hope, Pennsylvania. On January 25 he will be featured in an encore presentation of “Jerry Orbach’s Broadway” with Anita Gillette, Lee Roy Reams, William Michals, Nikita Burshteyn, and Chris and Tony Orbach at 54 Below in New York. Jay can also still be seen in Episode 302 of “Only Murders in the Building” with Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez on Hulu.

Jessica Whitley (BFA ’18), who received an M.P.A. from Syracuse University’s Maxwell School this summer, designed a colorful asphalt mural painted on the pavement in front of Syracuse’s city hall. The winning submission in a contest offered by Adapt CNY and the city last year, the image shows a skyline bordering a vibrant tree supported by several hands. This project was funded by a $25,000 grant from the Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Asphalt Art Initiative, which sponsors community art projects. The grant supported materials, technical support, volunteers and furniture to engage the public.

Adlai Hurt (BS ’04) earned a Ph.D. in learning and leadership with a concentration in higher education administration from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. His dissertation is titled “The human capital campaign: the relationships of burnout and investment in employee development on intent to leave.”

Joanie Leeds (BFA ’00), a Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter, released her latest children’s album “FREADOM: Songs Inspired by Banned Children’s Books” on September 15. “FREADOM” illustrates the melodic power of solidarity, resistance and diversity. Joanie and her all-star Book Band celebrate many of the banned children’s books with a new collection of eight original songs that joyously amplify messages of love and inclusion.

Phillip Gregory Burke's (BFA ’07) play, “He’s the First,” was a top 13 finalist out of 850 submissions at this year’s 48th Annual Samuel French Off-Off Broadway Festival.

Jeanne Finkelstein Goodman's (BFA ’73) work is included in numerous corporate collections in the United States, as well several university and college gallery collections, including Atlantic Shores Corporation, Capital One, Central Fidelity Bank, Charles H. Taylor Arts Center (Hampton, Virginia), Chowan University (North Carolina), Contemporary Art Center of Virginia and many more. View a full list on her website.

This past year Kieran J. Murphy (BFA ’06) had the opportunity to direct a TV series with his brother Brendan titled “History’s Greatest Heists” hosted by Pierce Brosnan. Debuting on the History Channel, it is currently on demand and also on KLM flights. For the series, they used new volume LED technology to put Brosnan into the actual heist. Kieran also just finished his 10th anniversary of helming “Shark Week” as a director of photography for Discovery Channel. Recently, he finished a film starring Tyrese Gibson (“Fast & Furious” franchise), which will come out at the beginning of 2024.

Carole Saccone (MFA ’00) is president of The Reel Film Foundation, Inc., a 501(c)3 dedicated to promoting independent film exhibition and education. She is also creative director of the Reel Deal Film Festival, an international festival in Central Florida’s East Coast. The festival raises funds for the foundation’s outreach, which includes filmmaking clubs for at-risk teens, free comprehensive college counseling for students seeking film-related education paths and scholarships to declared film majors. Syracuse filmmakers can reach out for a discount code for submission.

Kathryn Ferentchak (BFA ’17) was recently named 2023 Filmmaker of the Year/Visual Effects by Pro Moviemaker Magazine for artist JWalks’ music video “White Wine.” Ferentchak served as director and producer of the video, which was the first shoot at Cinepacks’ brand-new LED virtual production studio in Hollywood, combining mixed media, aerial dancing and in-camera visual effects.

Sara Moore (BFA ’03) recently launched Silver Lining Stuffies, a line of children’s book and companion stuffed animals helping kids understand and manage their emotions through playful, engaging stories. The first three books, “Andie & the Worries,” “Frankie & Gloob” and “Slow Down, Alfie!” address feelings of worry, sadness and over-activity. They foster imagination and play so that children can see themselves in stories, know they are never alone and discover their own methods for achieving mental wellness. Sara’s vision is that every child has the tools, skills and community needed to develop a healthy mindset.

Adair (Wilson) Heitmann (BFA ’75) is a national first-place winner (website) and honorable mention (essay) awards recipient in the 2023 National Federation of Press Women Professional Communications contest. She is a four-time winner in the Connecticut Press Club’s 2022 Professional Communications Contest, including two first place awards, second place (speeches) and third place (speeches) in the state. She is a story artist creating personal narratives and performing them live and online in storytelling venues, theaters, libraries, churches and schools. She is also active in the international visual storytelling platform PechaKucha. Her essays and poems are published in books and anthologies. She is a poet-in-residence teaching artist in schools with Silvermine Art Partners in Norwalk and Bridgeport, Connecticut.

Released in December 2022 by J.Gordon Shillingford Publishing, Linda Lori Burgess's (MA ’80) “Five Minutes to Curtain” was launched in March 2023. Replete with invaluable information, humorous anecdotes and encouraging tips, this little book serves as an excellent resource for teachers of theater arts as well as for anyone who wishes to create and stage original plays.

Cheryl Patton Wu (BFA ’75) was recently named a Grand Jury Award finalist for Manifest Gallery’s (Cincinnati) 17th exhibition season (2020-2021) for her fiber piece “Strata.” Cheryl also is pleased to announce that she will be exhibiting her fiber and fabric art at Gallery 50, Bridgeton, New Jersey, for the month of June, and at Perkins Center for the Arts, Collingswood, New Jersey, for the month of October. You can view Cheryl’s fiber art on her website, and you can follow her on Instagram (cherylpattonwu).

Jay Aubrey Jones (BS ’76) spent April and May in Hilton Head, South Carolina, playing Larry in “Company” at the Art Center of Coastal Carolina. On July 24, Jay will be featured in “Jerry Orbach’s Broadway” with Jill O’Hara, Lee Roy Reams, William Michals, and Chris and Tony Orbach (Jerry Orbach’s sons) at 54 Below in New York City. Later this year, Jay can be seen as an imperious usher at a celebrity funeral on “Only Murders in the Building” on Hulu with Steve Martin, Martini Short and Selena Gomez.

Dusty Rhodes (BS ’61) retired in March after serving 32 years as Hamilton County (Ohio) auditor. The county commissioners declared March 9 “Dusty Rhodes Day” in Hamilton County.

Michael Ambrosino (BS ’52, MS ’55) is a retired series creator and executive producer at WGBH-TV and Public Broadcasting Associates whose credits include “Nova” (1974, PBS, creator and executive producer); ”Odyssey” (1982, PBS, creator and executive producer); “The Ring of Truth” (1987, PBS, executive producer); and “Journey to the Occupied Lands” on “Frontline” (1993, PBS, producer-correspondent).

After careers designing and teaching, Sue Howard Youngblood (MFA ’86) recently was awarded the AIGA Fellow from the Atlanta chapter. The award recognizes designers who have made a significant contribution to raising the standards of excellence in practice and conduct within their local design community as well as in their local AIGA (the professional association for design). Learning about AIGA while at Syracuse University, Sue has been an active member ever since. She currently guides Type Walks in historic areas of Atlanta to raise education scholarship funds. The walks weave the stories behind letterforms, plaques, graffiti and signs with Atlanta’s history.

Linda Lori Burgess (MA ’80) has published the book “Five Minutes to Curtain – A Teacher’s Guide for Creating and Staging Original Plays” (J. Gordon Shillingford Publishing, 2022).

Gabriel Eng-Goetz (BFA ’08) was featured in the Walter Magazine article “The Runaway: Muralist and Graphic Designer Gabe Eng-Goetz.”

Bettina Jones (BFA ’75) was recently accepted into the west edition no. 162 of New American Paintings. The competition is juried by a museum curator; the west division is composed of 14 states, and 40 painters are selected for the issue.

Maria Nicholas (MA ’00) has published a bilingual (Greek and English) visual monograph of her father, Apostolos Nikolaidis (1938–1999), a Greek music singer who lived and worked in the United States and Canada for over 25 years (Marilou Press, 2022). A comprehensive history of her father’s artistic contribution to Greek music, the book combines first-hand accounts with original research, rare artifacts and historical detail to highlight unknown facets of Greek nightlife and music entertainment in North America during the back half of the 20th century. Popular Greek culture website LiFO.gr called the book “a unique, even insurmountable measure of comparison in terms of how a popular Greek music artist can be presented in printed literature.”

Cyrille Phipps (BFA ’87) made a short film, “Mama Duke,” that was completed in 2022 and has screened at several film festivals, including the Pan African Film Festival and the Coney Island Film Festival. More recently, Cyrille’s work as a young media activist and a member of the film collective, Black Planet Productions, is included in the exhibition “Signals: How Video Transformed the World” at MoMa through July 8.

Nancy Ring's (BFA ’78) poem “These Almost Lost Pieces” is now published on Grey Sparrow Press. She will be an artist-in-residence at Millay Arts, New York, in March 2023. For more information about her work, visit nanringstudio.com.

After graduating cum laude with a B.F.A. in illustration, Grant Dinsmore (BFA ’63, MFA ’67) worked at an ad agency on Connecticut Avenue in Washington, D.C., and went through the U.S. Marine Corps basic training (1964, non-com officer 1968). He received a graduate assistant scholarship to Syracuse University and graduated in 1967. He married Barbara Ullmann (B.F.A. advertising design ’67) and worked as an instructor at Penn State University (1967-1974) and a professor at La Roche University (1974-2007). He is now a professor emeritus and is retired and residing in Wexford, Pennsylvania.

Dale Lawrence (BFA ’79) is currently living in Soddy Daisy, Tennessee, near Chattanooga. His pre-retirement job is with Home Depot at the ProDesk. He notes that after almost 18 years at The Alliance Theatre in Atlanta as a stage manager and later house manager of three performance spaces, it was time to move to the country and slow down. Find him on Facebook.

Phillip Gregory Burke's (BFA ’07) play, “He’s The First,” will run in rep at The Fire This Time Festival at the Kraine Theater in New York City from January 16-29, 2023 and will be broadcast on PBS at a later date.

Ken Milch (BM ’91) serves as principal at Parcells Middle School in the Grosse Pointe Public School System (Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan). He is in his 30th year in public education, having previously served as a high school principal and assistant principal and as a classroom teacher for 14 years. He and his wife Carla reside in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, with their four children.

In 2022, Margaret Sáraco (BFA ’81) published her first poetry book “If There Is No Wind” (Human Error Publishing), received a Pushcart Nomination from Lips Magazine for her poem “Cookies” and was a semi-finalist in the Laura Boss Narrative Book Contest. Her book is available online including at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Bookshop.org, and in store at I Am Books in Boston and Watchung Booksellers in Montclair, New Jersey. More information.

Aenea Kanaan (BS ’21) recently published “Gold,” her first poetry book. It is available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and the publisher’s website (Wipf and Stock). Visit Aenea’s website to learn more.

Jay Aubrey Jones (BS ’76) recently performed in “Bernstein on Broadway: A Celebration” with Chita Rivera at 54 Below in New York. He was also featured in Dylan Thomas’ “A Child’s Christmas in Wales” for Irish Repertory Theatre, also in New York.

Michael Ambrosino (BS ’52, MS ’55) has retired after spending 40 years in public broadcasting, mostly creating TV series for PBS. Credits include: creator and executive producer, “Nova” and “Odyssey”; executive producer, “The Ring of Truth”; and consulting executive producer, “Eyes On the Prize.”

Emily Wells (BM ’10) is now the senior assistant dean of the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University. She was previously the director of administration of the vocal arts department at The Juilliard School.

Windsor Gallery, in Colts Neck, New Jersey, owned by Daniel Fenski (BFA ’81) and Barbara Battles (BFA ’80), will celebrate 20 years in business in October 2022. The gallery represents the work of local and nationally acclaimed artists. Daniel, former retail design director at R.H. Macy’s, does fine custom framing for discerning clientele. He is a member of the Society of Gilders; trained in gilding and frame restoration at West Dean College, Chichester, U.K.; and works as curatorial consultant for Monmouth Museum in Lincroft, New Jersey, having served on the board of trustees for 16 years. His wife Barbara recently retired as head of outreach services at South Brunswick Library, where she facilitated several library renovations and the design and acquisition of a new mobile library.

Giuliana Augello (BFA ’21) is in the ensemble of the “Jesus Christ Superstar” 50th Anniversary First National Tour. Catch her touring around North America.

Debra (Rosenthal) Russell (BFA ’92) has moved to Las Vegas and is an executive MBA candidate at CU-Boulder Leeds School of Business. She has expanded her coaching practice, which has been focused on arts and entertainment and professional sport, to include small and medium business seeking a higher level of employee engagement, culture change, and professional development for their rising stars.

Nancy Danahy (BFA ’73) retired from Pearson Education several years ago. She is doing occasional freelance design work but mostly just enjoying her grandchildren.

Holly Brown (BFA ’98) showed work in the three-person exhibition “Exquisite Blue Towers” with Juan Manuel Gomez and Mauricio Arroyave at gallery@AGI Denim in New York City this summer. Holly is the founder and CEO of Clockworks Press.

Barbara (Long) Jones (MA ’94) was named curator emerita upon retirement in April 2022 after 26 1/2 years as curator/chief curator at The Westmoreland Museum of American Art, Greensburg, Pennsylvania. Her final exhibition for the museum, “Simple Pleasures: The Art of Doris Lee,” with co-curator Melissa Wolfe is currently on view at the Vero Beach Museum of Art, Florida, and will travel to the Dixon Gallery and Gardens, Memphis, opening October 30.

Kathleen (Reilly) Beausoleil (BFA ’96) received a 2022 Fellowship from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts and has a solo show at the Monmouth Museum August 20 – September 18. Visit Kathleen’s website.

Nora Carrol (BFA ’71), who is principal of CarrolCreative, LLC in Bethesda, Maryland, has joined the communications faculty, advanced academic programs, Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, Johns Hopkins University.

W. Emerson (Dusty) Rhodes (BS ’61) will retire in March 2023 after 32 years as county auditor in Hamilton County, Ohio, elected and re-elected eight times. He was the first Democrat to win a county administrative office in the county in 20 years. In 2019, the County Auditors Association of Ohio named him “Outstanding County Auditor in Ohio,” and in 2020, he was honored with Greater Cincinnati Right to Life’s annual Life Award. In 1965, he was named “Cincinnati’s Most Popular Disc Jockey” by Billboard magazine. In 2001, he was inducted into the Ohio Radio & TV Broadcasters Hall of Fame.

Jay Aubrey Jones (BS’ 76) recently played Colonel Randolph and Captain Whitaker in “A Few Good Men” at Bristol Riverside Theatre in Bristol, Pennsylvania.

A studio potter since graduating, Mindy (Mermelstein) Moore (BFA ’76) lived in New York City until 1987, when she immigrated to Canada with her family. She has lived in Halifax, Nova Scotia, ever since with her husband/photographer Marvin Moore and their two sons. Mindy developed and taught a full art program at an independent school in Halifax, and she retired this June. She will return to the studio to her claywork; no doubt she will continue to offer classes from there as well as get back to being up to her elbows in clay.

Jason Cicci's (BFA ’93) work was recently nominated for 16 Indie Series Awards for two independent series that he created/wrote/produced. “Cady Did” starring Tony Award-winner Cady Huffman was nominated for 12 awards, winning five, the most of any show this year, including Best Comedy Series. “Searching for Sylvie” was nominated for four awards, winning Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy.

Sally Gladden Luczyski (MA ’72) presently works with the Sullivan County Dramatic Workshop (South Fallsburg, New York) and is involved in all aspects. She initiated Catskill Readers’ Theatre.

Nancy Danahy (BFA ’73) “retired” from Pearson Education in 2012, well before she was expecting to retire, so she started her own small graphic design firm, Nancy Danahy Design. She has a life beyond her work that includes her children, grandchildren and friends, as well as two Mahjong groups. She is looking forward to some traveling later this year, with potential trips to Hilton Head, South Carolina and Disney World in Florida with family. Her personal quote is “Life is good. It may not be perfect, but it is good.”

Terri Ginsberg (BFA ’85) has published the short-form monograph “Films of Arab Loutfi and Heiny Srour: Studies in Palestine Solidarity Cinema” (Palgrave Pivot, 2021). She is presently assistant professor of film and media at Concordia University in Montréal.

Barbara (Zuckerman) Chotiner (BFA ’95) recently illustrated a new children’s book “Moving Words About a Flower” about the lifecycle of a dandelion for Charlesbridge Publishing. She had a book signing in her town of Narberth, Pennsylvania. Visit her website.

After 15 years of building brands, concepting ad campaigns and developing marketing platforms at various design and advertising agencies, John Rudolph (BFA ’05) launched Map Agency, a brand design studio, in 2021. Based in Sandy Hook, Connecticut, Map Agency provides print and digital brand and design services for people and businesses ranging from start-up to Fortune 500. Visit map-agency.com to learn more and see the latest work.

After singing for two seasons with the Metropolitan Opera company in New York City and having a successful performing career as an ingenue leading lady in Broadway musical touring shows and performing internationally on cruise ships, Deborah (Walker) Miller (BM ’71) transitioned to producing radio shows and lent her talent as an on-air radio personality for “The Dick Miller Show” in New York City, New Jersey, Aruba and St. Maarten/St. Martin. Today, Deborah is an award-winning realtor in Venice/Sarasota, Florida. She was inducted into the RE/MAX Hall of Fame in 2013 and in March 2021 was awarded the RE/MAX Lifetime Achievement Award at the annual International RE/MAX convention in Orlando at the Orlando World Center Marriott. Deborah has access to RE/MAX offices in 110 countries around the world.

Helen Zughaib (BFA ’81) was nominated for and received a three-year Social Impact Residency at the Kennedy Center/REACH in Washington, D.C., to work on issues surrounding displacement, refugee crisis and migration, especially around women and children. She received the Evelyn Shakir Book Award for non-fiction from the Arab American National Museum in Detroit for the book “Stories My Father Told Me” (Cune Press), co-authored by Elia Zughaib.

Nora Carrol's (BFA ’71) most recent article critiquing the worrisome move of online university programs to third-party platforms was published by Times Higher Education (UK) in July 2021. Nora is also teaching entrepreneurship for both graduate and undergraduate programs at the School of Business and Public Administration, University of the District of Columbia.

Adair (Wilson) Heitmann (BFA ’75) is active in the international visual storytelling community, PechaKucha, most recently with her story “Creativity is the Mother of Reinvention.” She is a contributing author in the book “Animals: Personal Tales of Encounters with Spirit Animals” featuring Dr. Steven Farmer. She is currently writing unique stories that she presents and shares with diverse audiences. She is also working in book arts, photography, printmaking and video essays.

Richard Huntington (BFA ’60) will have a comprehensive exhibition of his paintings and work in other media, both mixed and pure, in 2023 at the internationally known alternative space Hallwalls Contemporary Art Center in Buffalo, New York. Visit his website.

Ferne Arfin's (BS ’67) debut novel, “Tunnel of Mirrors,” was published in London in February 2022. The novel, a literary love story, is set in New York City and Ireland in the early part of the 20th century. After graduation from Syracuse University, Ferne studied with Malcolm Bradbury, founder of the UK’s first creative writing program, at the University of East Anglia. Her short stories have appeared in the Arkansas Review, The Literary Review and several anthologies. Visit her website.

Jim Charmatz (BFA ’88) works in character concept and digital design. His team at Legacy Effects is Oscar nominated and multiple Emmy-winning for many films and TV shows, including the “Terminator” franchise, the “Jurassic Park” franchise, “Avatar,” “Iron Man” (and most of the other Marvel Cinematic Universe films and TV shows), and now for “The Mandalorian” and other “Star Wars” TV on Disney+. View his portfolio and his credits on IMDB.

Maya Stern (MFA ’21) was awarded the graduate fellowship from the Southern Graphics Council International (SGCI). Her award culminates in a solo exhibition at the University of Wisconsin-Madison during the annual SGCI conference. The exhibition runs March 8-20 with an opening reception on March 18 from 3-4 p.m.

Jewelry by Harriete Estel Berman (BFA ’74) was recently featured in “Jewelry” on PBS produced by Craft In America. Visit her website.

The acclaimed picture book duo have published “Why? A Conversation about Race” (Macmillan Publishing, 2022). Written by Taye Diggs (BFA ’93) with illustrations by Shane W. Evans (BFA ’93), the book distills the conversations many children and adults are having about race, injustice and anger in communities throughout the U.S. It gives them context that young readers can connect with.

James Little (MFA ’76) was one of the artists selected to be part of the Whitney Biennial 2022: Quiet as It’s Kept, which will be on view April 6-September 5. The Whitney Biennial is the longest-running survey of American art.

Lisa (Simons) Brissette (BS ’85) received a master of arts in elementary education in 1986 from Fordham University and says that her speech communication degree was instrumental in helping her get her first teaching job in 1987. She taught grades 3-6 during her seven years in the South Brunswick school department in New Jersey. In 1994, she earned a master of science in education administration at Rider University; that same year, she was hired as an elementary school principal for the Woonsocket school department in Rhode Island. She was named the Rhode Island Elementary School Principal of the Year in 2003 and also had the honor of representing the state of Rhode Island at a conference in Washington, D.C., where she had the opportunity to talk with Congressman Patrick Kennedy about improvements needed in education.

Kirsten (Weidemier) Panachyda's (BM ’92) first book, “Among Lions: Fighting for Faith and Finding your Rest while Parenting a Child with Mental Illness,” was published in May 2021.

After a long career with such renowned design and innovation consultancies—Continuum Innovation, Frog Design and Accenture/Altitude—Craig LaRosa (BID ’95) has joined Boar’s Head to support the premium CPG company as they continue their meteoric rise as the number one brand in grocery stores. Craig and his family (wife Valerie, son Dylan and daughter Amelia) made the move to Sarasota, Florida, this summer and do not miss the winters of the Northeast.

After a career managing performing arts centers and freelance theater and event design, Nick Purdy (BFA ’01) returned to school for a master’s in architecture and is now licensed and practicing in North Carolina.

Jay Aubrey Jones (BS ’76) recently made two appearances at Feinstein’s 54 Below in “Even If It Only Runs a Minute” and “The Boys from Syracuse.” He will be featured as Hemlut Heimlich in the world premiere of “MacGyver:The Musical” at Stages Houston. He will also be seen as an eccentric cat lover on “Bull” on CBS in February.

Karl Weld (BFA ’92) is entering his sixth year at SharkNinja, first as studio manager, then director of creative services and now as director of Asset Innovation Group. His team is responsible for all image assets for a $5 billion global consumer products company (CGI and traditional image retouching, as well as video animation). He is also an exhibiting member of the 100-year-old Rockport Art Association and Museum, painting in watercolor. Visit karlweld.com to see his work.

Michael Croiter (BM ’98) received his second Grammy Award nomination for Best Musical Theater Album for “Burt Bacharach and Steven Sater’s Some Lovers” (Burt Bacharach, Michael Croiter, Ben Hartman & Steven Sater, producers; Burt Bacharach, composer; Steven Sater, lyricist). Michael was nominated in this category in 2013 for “Matilda: The Musical.”

Joe Blank (BFA ’18) had his debut feature film “Roman Candle” screened at the Syracuse International Film Festival in October. He wrote, directed, co-produced and self-financed the film, working alongside Joshua Curley ’18, Collin Hotchkiss ’18, Connor Burns ’18, Matt Kerr ’18, Derrick Owens ’18, Noah Schindler ’19, Sarah Hubner ’19 and Melissa Lawson ’18. “Roman candle” has also been accepted to the Tallahassee Film Festival and the New York Long Island Film Festival. Learn more about the film.

Arlene F. Roth (Knecht) (BS ’69) recently received an award for her painting “Dancing Spanish Skirt Mandala” from the Sarasota, Florida-based Ringling College of Art & Design, Englewood Art Center. She has excelled in her new career as an acrylic artist painting impasto impressionist and abstract styles. Her creations in bright colors sculpted with both brush and palette knife literally rise off the canvas. To see her collection, visit her online art gallery.

Harriete Estel Berman (BFA ’70) is featured in the Craft in America episode “JEWELRY” on PBS. The program highlights Tom Herman’s use of precious materials, which is a phenomenal contrast to Harriete’s use of recycled materials of tin cans and post-consumer plastic. Also in the episode, Gabrielle Gould is inspired by nature, Jesse Monongya is a Navajo/Hopi jeweler, and Art Smith reflects an innovative mid-20th century aesthetic. The episode is streaming now on the PBS video app and will have its broadcast premiere on December 10. Watch a preview.

Julia Pitcher (BM ’02) recently moved from PhRMA over to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF) as the newly created head of state government relations. She will be responsible for driving the public policy agenda in states across the nation and deepening its advocacy relationships with stakeholders. She’ll represent MJFF before legislators, regulators and other state government policymakers on policy issues related to access to care for Parkinson’s patients and caretakers. She currently resides outside Annapolis, Maryland, with her two sons, Colt (age 6) and Oliver (age 4).

After more than a decade working with internationally recognized artists at several commercial contemporary art galleries in New York City, Kinsey Robb (BFA ’04) has made the move to the nonprofit arts sector to take the helm of Sarasota’s oldest visual arts nonprofit, Art Center Sarasota. As a newbie to the city of Sarasota, she is looking forward to forging new partnerships, collaborations and building a culture of philanthropy to help sustain the center’s mission and elevate the many exhibitions, art classes and cultural programming it brings to the community. If you are in town and want to connect, please reach out to her. Read an article about Kinsey’s new position.

Daniel Anderson's (BFA ’01) XO WORLD Project unveiled two monumental sculptures in New York City on September 21 to celebrate World Peace Day: the “XO World” sculpture in front of One World Trade Center and its companion sculpture, “XO Play,” at The Oculus. “XO World,” at 285 Fulton Street, is inspired by the game of jacks, while “XO Play,” installed at Church Street/WTC/Westfield Mall, is a sculpture of children playing jacks. Both aim to promote the universal messages of equality, unity, peace and love. The XO WORLD project will install monumental sculptures in major cities around the world to call attention to the need for peace, love and inclusion. Learn more about the project at www.xoworldproject.com.

Taylor Freitas (BM ’12) was recently hired as a new music teacher at Victor Senior High School in Victor, New York. He directs the symphonic band and teaches brass lessons at the senior high school and intermediate school.

Michael Koslov (BFA ’18) is currently in pre-production for “Month to Month,” a feature film that is scheduled to shoot later this year. He co-wrote and will co-direct the film with a close college friend (Newhouse ’18). “Month to Month” is a comedy about an aimless young man wandering around Los Angeles in search of his stolen car. He launched a crowdfunding campaign for the principal photography of the project and raised more than $10,000. Learn more about the film and the story behind it.

Rachel Elizabeth Zavertnik (BFA ’94) created iREZonate Joy, LLC, which specializes in therapy, coaching and mentoring with a focus on “what brings us joy.” They empower youth and adults to reach their full potential as they discover the joy of happiness. Rachel is a natural leader with nearly 20 years experience in educational and clinical settings. A passionate and skilled clinician, REZ collaborates with and empowers clients to reach their full potential. They are known for their highly empathic heart and deeply rooted belief in self-care with a specialty in creating joy.

Adam J. Gaffey (MA ’08) was recently promoted (with tenure) to associate professor of communication studies at Winona State University, Minnesota.

Karie Jo Barwind (BFA ’95) has been based in Europe for the past 16 years, working on the cutting-edge of ethics and compliance in both tech and healthcare. She currently works for Google as regional ethics & compliance counsel for Europe, Middle East and Africa, focusing on anti-bribery compliance across all product areas. She was recently listed in Business Insider’s “POWER PLAYERS: 35 of Google’s top decision-makers in Europe, covering everything from cloud computing to AI and Android” (July) and “Meet 12 of Google’s politicos in Europe—influencing the debate on everything from algorithms to antitrust” (February). She lives in London with her husband and their two adorable four-leggeds.

Mary Pat Hyland (BFA ’77) has published her eighth novel, “The Water Mystic of Woodland Springs.” Learn more about her at marypathyland.com.

Noah Hudson (BFA ’21) is creating engaging content for social media as well as capturing and editing photo and video of school events at the Science Academies of New York, a family of public charter schools serving students from K-12 in Syracuse, Utica, and coming soon to Rochester and Buffalo.

Greg Guma (BS ’68) has been a writer, editor, historian and manager for half a century, leading businesses and campaigns in Vermont, New Mexico, and California. Work with Bernie Sanders led to “The People’s Republic: Vermont and the Sanders Revolution.” Other books include the novels “Spirits of Desire” and “Dons of Time” and such non-fiction as “Fake News” and the forthcoming “Restless Spirits & Popular Movements: A Vermont History” in October 2021. View his Amazon page.

Robin Brailsford (BFA ’75) has a new website, www.robinbrailsford.com. Taking a break from LithoMosaics, she and Marsha Pels (MFA ’74) are traveling through Arizona in September. Arcosanti and Taliesin are in her professional sights, as well as back-country chilling with Navajo friends and Beaver College artists. Both artists will have work at Art Basil, Miami. Brailsford is publishing a book of photographs and will have a four-month jewelry show with painter partner Wick Alexander and pal Fritz Liebhardt in the largest state park in the country, Anza Borrego, starting in September. Pels was the toast of New York City with her 2021 show at Lubov last spring; see her website for New YorkTimes and Artforum raves.

Stephanie (Gruskin) Scalise (BFA ’94) is a five-year breast cancer survivor. After her first surgery, her three daughters started the 501c3 nonprofit Strides for Survivors to give the gift of rehabilitation to other survivors. She invites those in Atlanta to support their annual walk each February; the sixth annual walk will be on February 5, 2022, with in-person and virtual opportunities.

Semaj Miller (BFA ’09) is writing and producing “More Life, ” a short film that chronicles Makai Thomas’ journey towards healing. Makai, like many of us, suffered a number of devastating losses last year, and as the world rushes to return to “normal,” he’s not ready. He struggles with how to re-engage society and literally finds himself in a place where he must choose “More Life.” Follow on Instagram @MoreLife_Film.

Aviva Gold's (BFA ’62) book, “Painting from the Source: Awakening the Artist’s Soul In Everyone” was published by Harper Collins in 1998. Aviva now resides in Oracle, Arizona, where she facilitates healing painting retreats and she also teaches nationally and internationally. Visit her website.

Reid Watson (BFA ’15) recently earned an M.F.A. in theatre-directing at the University of Alabama.

After careers in direct response marketing/development and adult education, Nora Carrol (BFA ’71, MS ’91) is beginning a third…retirement is neither interesting nor profitable. Interests focus around digital communications, specifically their impact on knowledge diffusion and business incubation in emerging markets. She earned a second degree at Syracuse University (M.S. adult education, 1991) and just completed a certificate in public policy analysis via the London School of Economics. She is president of Educative, LLC.

Jonathan Hoefer (BFA ’91) shares a timeless story of love, loss, friendship and finding true colors, inspired by two children and the connection they forever share, in his children’s book “Avery’s Gift.” (Mascot Books, June 2021). This book is reminiscent of fables told long ago, with rhyming prose written by Hoefer and watercolored imagery illustrated by Milana Samarskaya. “Avery’s Gift” is inspired by Hoefer’s Syracuse fraternity brother (SAE, NY Delta) Mike Toole and the health complications of his daughter, Avery, who ultimately required a heart transplant at the age of five. While “Avery’s Gift” does not talk specifically about organ donation, it illustrates how two lives are interconnected and can spark a conversation with readers of all ages.

Marty Wimmer (BM ’86) recently retired from a 34-year career as a public school music teacher, band director and choral director. He is also a veteran classical music radio host on WNED Classical Buffalo/Toronto and an anchorman on WNED-PBS working on both local and national broadcasts. A gifted writer, he frequently blogs at www.wned.org/classical. He is also a published composer of music for school bands and choruses. His recent work titled “Through Music” is included as a competition piece in the new NYSSMA Manual. Currently he serves on the board of directors of Buffalo Opera Unlimited.

Harriete Estel Berman (BFA ’74) recently had an eight-page article and images about her jewelry from recycled materials in Ornament Magazine. (Jewelry from tin cans as social and political commentary.) Look for the 26-foot-long necklace from black plastic as a commentary about plastic in our oceans.

Leslie Bruning (MFA ’72), a sculptor, has been working professionally since his first sculpture commission in 1968. Not only is he continuing to be a creative artist, he also runs a bronze foundry and fabrication studio that produces work for sculptors across the country. He still goes to his studio and works every weekday. “It is still the most fun thing I do,” he says. Visit www.bruningsculpture.com.

In January 2021, David Greenham (BFA ’83) was appointed executive director of the Maine Arts Commission. At the time of the appointment, Maine Governor Janet Mills said, “David knows how to work with a variety of personalities and how to get things done. He’s a consensus builder. He will lead in a good direction.” The initial appointment was made for “at least two years” by the Commission’s Board and started in March 2021. The Maine Arts Commission is the state agency that is charged with supporting artists, arts organizations, educators, policy makers and community developers in advancing the arts in Maine.

Taye Diggs (BFA ’93) and Shane W. Evans (BFA ’93) are the writer and illustrator, respectively, of the new children’s book “My Friend!” (Feiwel & Friends), a real and rhythmic look at friendship. Diggs and Evans also teamed up to write and illustrate the children’s books “I Love You More Than….,” “Mixed Me!” and “Chocolate Me!”

Wendy Goldstein Tulman (BS ’95) makes clean-burning soy wax candles with custom wording. The elegantly scented candles are sold in boutiques in three states (featuring local zip codes and either “Home Sweet Home” or “Our Happy Place”) and online at www.jeanrosscandles.com. A portion of the proceeds is donated to mental health research at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. Please follow and say hello @jeanrosscandles.

Ken Rush (BFA ’71) is showing “Poolside,” a new collection of work, through March 10 at Court Street Collective. Over the decades, Ken has periodically returned to pool imagery, but it took the isolation of last summer for him to embrace the work he had started in 1970.

Evan Weinstein (BFA ’84) had a busy 2020, despite the pandemic. He oversaw hidden camera production for the Quarantine House Segment of the hit movie “Borat Subsequent Movie Film” and was showrunner for “Disney Holiday Magic Quest,” a celebrity reality competition special airing throughout the month of December on Disney Channel and Disney+ Streaming.

Robin Slavin (BS ’85) currently serves as a career counselor at Harvard Graduate School of Design.

Lauren Braun (BFA ’99) was the featured February artist for Buffalo Obscura’s Record Theatre Window Project in Buffalo, New York. The project makes art accessible to the public during the COVID-19 pandemic while maintaining social distancing guidelines.

Patricia Cain Beyle (BM ’56) made her silver screen debut in the short documentary “Show Must Go On!” (SMGO). Pat, Mary Crabill, Karen Cooper and Jane Hauser are a part of Hot Stuff, a group of 80-year-olds who perform in a comedy variety group. “SMGO” follows them as they prepare for their final performance in their retirement community. Performing in front of sold-out audiences, the ladies embrace life, discover themselves along the way and encourage others to do the same.

Becki Davis (Bradford) (BS ’69) has been working in the film industry in New Orleans, appearing in featured roles in “True Detective” with Mahershala Ali (her scene was on the Emmys), AMC’s “Preacher,” TNT’s “Claws,” Hulu’s “Looking for Alaska” and Showtime’s “Your Honor” with Bryan Cranston as well as the films “Rightful,” “Gothic Harvest,” “Abbatoir” and “Walkway Joe” with Jeffrey Dean Morgan.

Charley Thompson (BFA ’76) has worked as a fundraiser in higher education at both the University of Vermont and Northeastern University, where he currently serves as a regional director of advancement. After years of leaving artwork behind, he rediscovered the joy of being behind the lens and took up photography again. He also took up woodworking and music, playing the bass and ukulele. He merged these two passions and now builds ukuleles from scratch. He has been happily married for 26 years to his second wife, LaVerne, and has a wonderful daughter, Ashley.

Lisa Kyler Winkler (BFA ’97) has been selected as a board member of the Art Educators of New Jersey (AENJ). She is in her 20th year of teaching art and photography at Collingswood High School in Collingswood, New Jersey. As a board member for AENJ, she co-chairs the Advisory Council, which is responsible for providing professional development opportunities for members. She lives in Audubon, New Jersey, with her husband, Jeremiah Winkler (BM ’97), and their two children.

Kimberly Archer (MM ’00) is a professor of composition at Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville who was selected by the “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band to compose a new fanfare for the Inaugural Prelude that proceeded the swearing-in of President Joseph R. Biden (L’68) on January 20. The work is titled “Fanfare Politeia.”

Eli Hariton (BID ’09) will appear as a contestant on HGTV’s “Design Star: Next Gen” premiering February 22. View the trailer.

Jennifer Liebeskind (BFA ’00) was recently promoted to vice president, film & TV soundtrack marketing for Sony Music Masterworks, which includes Masterworks, Sony Classical, Milan Records and Masterworks Broadway imprints. Jennifer has adeptly overseen the music label’s soundtracks marketing division working with teams from L.A, New York, London and Berlin. Boasting more than 85 releases last year, highlights include soundtracks from “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” “The Prom,” “The Crown” season 4, “Da 5 Bloods,” “The Witcher,” “We Are Who We Are,” “Outlander” season 5 and “Euphoria.”

Joanie Leeds (BFA ’00) received a 2020 Grammy nomination for Best Children’s Music Album for “All the Ladies.” According to Joanie’s website, the album is “focused on gender equality, female empowerment & breaking glass ceilings” and “produced, recorded, and performed entirely by women.” The Grammy Awards will be presented on March 14.

Steve Woo (BFA ’99) has directed and produced numerous films, television and commercials. Currently he is the head of studio in China for Digital Domain, a world class VFX company founded by James Cameron.

Jay Aubrey Jones (BS ‘76) was featured as Grandpa Prophater in the Irish Repertory Theatre’s streamed online production of “Meet Me in St. Louis.”

Xiaowen Zhu (MFA ’12) has published a new artist book “Oriental Silk” with the renowned German art publisher Hatje Cantz. This English and Chinese bilingual book links the people, places and stories that make up the phenomenon of Oriental Silk, the first Chinese American silk importing shop in Los Angeles. Having once risen within the Hollywood movie industry, the shop, established more than four decades ago, reflects a fascinating family legacy in which the past and present, home and diaspora, personal memories and cultural values, are closely interwoven. Xiaowen encountered her subject during a yearlong post-M.F.A. engagement fellowship in San Pedro, California, funded through a gift by VPA alumna Marylyn Turner ’56, G’57 and her husband, Charles Klaus G’05.

After a successful 10-year career in high-end hospitality interior design in Chicago and New York at reputable firms like Pierre Yves-Rochon, Roman and Williams, and most recently Related Companies, Kathryn Hoefler (BFA ’11) has decided to launch her passion project and started her own business, Dear Assembly. Dear Assembly makes what was old new again by turning a carefully curated assembly of fabrics into beloved hair accessories. Dear Assembly’s first collection of hair accessories launched in October; they will be highlighting vintage accessories and objects as well as custom garments in 2021.

Colette M. Hebert (BM ’05, MS ‘07) is the Colette founder and president of the 501(c)(3) non-profit organization the DAR Project, which empowers and educates orphans in East Africa. Her non-profit is currently in its 10th year and has partnered with companies such as Swiss Air, Brooklyn Brewery, Google and Ironman. She is a 14th-year teacher in New York City. This year, she also published her second book and presented her advocacy work at multiple national conferences for educators and U.S. senators.

Anthony Bollotta (BFA ’84) recently produced the third Annual L’ATTITUDE (Virtual) Conference featuring Pitbull, Eva Longoria, Chef José Andrés, Gloria Estefan, Gerard Butler, Kenny Ortega and the cast of Netflix’s “Julie and the Phantoms.” The annual conference includes Emilio Estefan among its three equity partners. Additionally this year, Bollotta was invited to join the board of trustees at San Diego REP, as well as teach event design and production for San Diego State University’s Global Campus. He has also released a new podcast, “Bollotta-Fide,” devoted to the discipline of event planning with an emphasis on virtual and live entertainment and engagement. It is currently available on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher and Android.

Pop, country artist, and SAMMY winner Lisa Gentile is paying tribute to her late father, Motown producer and songwriter Mickey Gentile (BM ’76) with her new single “Just When I Thought the Rain Would End.” Lisa first recorded the song in 1988 with Mickey producing; it makes a comeback as the lead single of her fourth studio album “Start Flying” (winter 2021).

Karen Guancione (BFA ’81) is the artistic director of the New Jersey Book Arts Symposium. She recently moderated this year’s virtual symposium, “Tumultuous Absence,” which featured speakers, panels, exhibits and artists in residence.

Erin Toy (BFA ’20) is an interior designer at Holland Basham Architects and was recently featured on the firm’s website.

Sijia Hong (MFA ’18) received a Silver Book Award at Spectrum, the prestigious showcase for fantasy art.

Sammy Lopez (BFA ’13) was featured in an American Theatre article for being one of eight Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) producers who are launching the new company The Industry Standard Group (TISG), the first completely BIPOC commercial theater investment and producing organization in the country.

William H. Harris (BM ’65, MM ’78) recently became president of Local 78, the American Federation of Musicians (“The Professional Musicians of Central New York”), and celebrated 50 years of serving on the faculty of VPA’s Setnor School of Music.

Karen Kuracina Harris (BFA ’65) had work included in the following juried shows: the Philadelphia Water Color Society’s “120th Anniversary International Exhibition of Works on Paper”; “Essential Art: the 29th Annual Regional Juried Art Show” at the Cooperstown Art Association Galleries; the “2020 CNY Watercolor Society Online Juried Members Only Show” (winner, Artistic Merit Award); and the Onondaga Art Guild show.

Jane Dubin (BS ’57) is a producer of the film “Radium Girls,” which is now streaming. The Broadway musical “The Prom,” for which she serves as a producer, is coming to Netflix on December 11 as a new movie.

The industrial and interaction design (IID) program in the School of Design reports that several IID alumni presented at the Industrial Designers Society of America’s (IDSA) virtual International Design Conference this month: Basak Altan (BID ’97), Chris Hosmer (BID ’00), Ayana Patterson (BID ’06), and James Rudolph (BID ’06).

Daina Mattis (MFA ’11) had her solo show, Family Style, featured in Design Milk by David Behringer of The Two Percent. The show was on view at High Noon Gallery in New York City August 6-September 20. View the exhibition catalog.

Last summer, Carlton Daniel (MFA ’17) wrote and directed a short film in Syracuse titled Homegoing. The film stars Malik Shakur (nephew of the late Tupac Shakur) and Khalil Kain (Juice). Homegoing touches upon themes of racialized policing, gun violence, the racial wealth gap, and toxic masculinity. The film has screened at Outfest Fusion, Palm Springs, and the Atlanta Film Festival. Earlier this month, Light Work’s Urban Video Project screened the film in Syracuse at the Everson Museum Plaza. Learn more and view the trailer.

Dani Pendergast (BFA ’17, MFA ’20) is the featured artist in Communication Arts, one of the industry's premiere publications.

Jordyn White (BS ’17) has worked at the National Football League (NFL) as a public affairs coordinator (public relations for off-field/social responsibility) for the past year and a half.

Widline Cadet (MFA ’20) is one of four artists who have been named 2020-21 artists-in-residence at The Studio Museum in Harlem. The artist-in-residence program advances the work of visual artists of African and Latino descent and has supported more than 100 graduates who have gone on to highly regarded careers.

Marion Behr (BFA ’61, MFA ’62), who is owner/principal of WWH Press LLC, was selected as Top Professional of the Year in Writing and the Arts by the International Association of Top Professionals for her outstanding leadership, dedication and commitment to the profession.

Darren Sanefski (BFA ’85), associate professor of multiple platform journalism and associate director of the Magazine Innovation Center at the School of Journalism and New Media at the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss), recently co-authored the textbook "Effective Graphic Design,” which introduces projects first and covers design concepts and tools as they are needed. He is also a Society for News Design board member (education director). 

LaToya Ruby Frazier (MFA ’07) presented “What Is the Human Cost of Toxic Water and Environmental Racism?” as part of the TED Radio Hour episode “Our Relationship with Water.”

As a student, Mitchel C. Resnick (BFA ’76) spent two and half years painting murals onsite in Jabberwocky, the on-campus night club at Kimmel Hall that hosted such artists as James Taylor, Bonnie Raitt, Cyndi Lauper, Jackson Browne, James Brown, and Talking Heads. After Jabberwocky closed in 1985, the murals were stored in a small office in New York’s Hudson Valley, where they survived a fire, and then moved to a private residence. Recently Mitchel gifted the panels back to the University, with plans for both temporary and permanent exhibitions in the works. He is “honored and humbled” to have been able to make this gift. View examples of his fine art.

Tracy (Skinner) Williams (BFA ’82, MFA ’91) had her two-page paper doll "Iryna" appear in the Spring 2020 issue of Doll Castle News.

Terri Ginsberg (BFA ’85) has co-edited a new scholarly collection, “Cinema of the Arab World: Contemporary Directions of Theory of Practice” (Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan, 2020). Among her other publications over the past several years is the monograph “Visualizing the Palestinian Struggle: Towards a Critical Analytic of Palestine Solidarity Film” (Palgrave Macmillan, 2016), and an edited special issue on film and video of the International Journal of Contemporary Iraqi Studies (2016). Ginsberg received a Ph.D. in cinema studies from NYU and is presently assistant professor of film and former director of the film program at The American University in Cairo.

Jerome Harris Parmet (BFA ’57) is a former interior design major who retired in 1997 and now practices creating and fabricating steel sculpture as the further expression of his artistic capabilities. In December his painted steel sculpture Coming Together was selected by the city of Alpharetta, Georgia, for inclusion in its Omnium Gatherum Outdoor Sculpture Project, which is on view through April 2021 in Wills Park. View his work at www.sculpture.org/parmet.

Becki Davis (Bradford) (BS '69) recently appeared in AMC's The Preacher (second season), HBO’s True Detectives (third season), TNT's Claws (second season), and Hulu's Looking for Alaska. She is filming Showtime's Your Honor.

James Little (MFA ’76) was featured in the New York Times in the “Show Us Your Wall” feature “Color and Design Matter. So Does Optimism.”

Multidisciplinary artist Lisa Levy (BFA ’78) revisited one of her first projects upon arriving in New York City in 1978 when she sold “Studio 54 Reject” t-shirts outside the famous nightclub. In early March she sold a limited edition of the t-shirts outside the opening of the Brooklyn Museum’s Studio 54: Night Magic exhibition. Read more about the performance.

Megan C. Austin (MA ’12) has joined Montclair State as the new director of the University Galleries. Her significant experience in academic museums includes serving as the director and curator of the Barrett Art Gallery at Utica College and as the associate director of the Wellin Museum of Art at Hamilton College.

Grant C. Dinsmore (BFA '63, MFA '67), an illustration major, retired from La Roche University, in Pittsburgh with the rank of professor emeritus following 33 years of service. He also served as an

NCO in the Marine Corps Reserve from 1963 to 1969. His late wife Barbara was a 1967 graduate of VPA.

Debra (Rusenthal) Russell (BFA ’92) has been named to the professional advisory board for the National Basketball Wives Association. She is a business coach and speaker for artist and athlete entrepreneurs pursuing their passion as a business.

Jason Cicci (BFA ’93) co-created and wrote the original series Cady Did for Tony Award-winner Cady Huffman. Inspired by her turn on Curb Your Enthusiasm, Cady plays a fictional version of herself, facing an uncertain future. Jason is also the co-founder of Make Your Show, a business that creates content for actors.

Elaine de la Mata (BFA ’93) started a new position as design manager of preschool at leading toy company Spin Master in Los Angeles.

Lauren O’Brien (BFA ’01) is the writer and performer of Jaxx & Lolo – A Friendship Show, inspired by her real-life outsider friendship with punk-poet Jackie Sheeler. Jaxx & Lolo brings the audience along on a surreal and harrowing journey as Lolo battles the threat of Jaxx's suicide. Directed by Christine Renee Miller, the show will run at the Kraine Theater in New York City February 22-March 7 as part of FRIGID New York. Learn more.

Salehe Bembury (BID ’10), who is vice president of sneakers and men’s footwear at Versace, was featured on Hypebeast’s “Business of Hype” weekly series. He credits the School of Design’s industrial and interaction design program with helping him become “a ‘design Renaissance man.’”

Paul Weiner (BFA ’15) was named by the Daily Collector as one of “20 Painters Who Are Shaping the New Decade.”

Peter Hartsock (BFA ’19) and Daniel Simoni (BFA ’19), who founded 410 Pictures, a midnight movie production house, while studying film at VPA, had the award-winning short film Optic Nerve, directed by Peter, premiere in Hollywood at the IndieX Film Fest February screening.

Marisa Sage (BFA ’01) was profiled by Hyperallergic in its series of interviews spotlighting creative community members in the U.S. Southwest. Marisa is the director and head curator of the New Mexico State University Art Museum in Las Cruces.

Colin Bannon (BFA ’07) had his script First Ascent purchased by Netflix for six figures. Jake Scott will direct the script, which is set in the world of mountain climbing.

Leah Testa (BFA ’11) was promoted to associate director of merchandise and retail operations for USA Track and Field (USATF). Leah oversees the merchandise department and is responsible for forecasting and buying the merchandise sold in the Team USATF Store and at events throughout the country.

James Martin (BS ’19) is press secretary for New Jersey Congressman Josh Gottheimer. James is responsible for interacting with press on a daily basis, managing the congressman’s social media, organizing press events, and writing speeches.

Karen (Kuracina) Harris (BFA ’65) is having the the solo show Mixed Media Mélange through December 2 at Le Moyne College’s Wilson Art Gallery in the Noreen Reale Falcone Library. Work from the exhibition was featured in the Syracuse Post-Standard. Harris creates abstract works of art that evoke the viewers’ senses and imaginations.

Eric Leeb (BFA ‘88) is co-starring in season 3, episode 6, of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel on Amazon Prime.

Julia (Pitcher) Worcester (BM ’02) graduated with a juris doctorate from University of Baltimore School of Law in 2014 then had her son, Colt, in 2015 and second son, Oliver, in 2017. In July 2019 she joined the Pharmaceutical Research & Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) in their D.C. headquarters as the director of state policy & advocacy. Julia and her husband, Key, live outside of Annapolis, Maryland, with their two boys. While once an avid singer and political campaign operative, she now lists her hobbies as chasing toddlers around the house and drinking wine after chasing toddlers around the house, and sometimes singing in the car on her daily commute.

Leslie Noble (MFA ’09) recently worked with Syracuse Stage associate artistic director Kyle Bass to produce and direct his play Possessing Harriet at Franklin Stage Company in Franklin, New York, where she serves as the co-artistic director. This was only the second professional production of this play, which premiered at Syracuse Stage last fall. The cast included Erin Christine Walsh (BFA ’16). Leslie also reports that Zabelle, Nancy Kricorian’s award-winning novel about one woman’s survival of the Armenian Genocide, was produced by Egg & Spoon as part of its 2019-2020 Season at Access Theater. The piece was originally created and produced at VPA’s Department of Drama in 2015. It was directed and adapted by Noble, then a faculty member in the department, and devised by the ensemble of Sarineh Garapetian (BFA ’16), Julián Garnik, Catherine Giddings (BFA ’17), and Lindsey Newton (BFA ’17). Those four artists returned to the piece almost five years later to launch Egg & Spoon’s third season with Adam Coy (BFA’ 17) directing. Read more about the production.

Olivia Accardo (BFA ’15) is a Fall 2019 Future of Film is Female fund recipient. She received a post-production grant for her documentary Finding Beast.

Grant Dinsmore (BFA ’63, MFA ’67) retired in 2007 from La Roche University in Pittsburgh and was awarded faculty emeritus status after 33 years of service there. He had previously been employed at Penn State.

Fred B. Hershey (BFA ’63) of Burlingame Interiors, LTD, shares that his firm now has a new website that showcases many examples of their work, including their latest projects: www.burlingameinteriorsltd.com.

Lisa Levy (BFA ’78) had the exhibition “But What Do You Think of My Work?” at the Satellite Art Fair in Brooklyn earlier this month. She collaborated on paintings with artist Sharilyn Neidhardt.

Jane R. Snyder (MFA ’78) had her story Mr. Kops published in issue #23 of the Toronto-based English-language journal jewishfiction.net , which showcases the finest contemporary writing on Jewish themes and is read in more than 140 countries. The tale introduces Abby, a perceptive eight-year-old who makes an unusual offer to her Hebrew School teacher.

Kinsey Robb (BFA ’04) recently joined Galerie Perrotin as the artists and exhibitions liaison for their New York space. Prior to joining she held artist liaison positions at Lehmann Maupin and Gagosian Gallery. This fall she will be working on forthcoming exhibitions for artists Chen Fei and Lee Bae. Learn more.

Mark Blane (BS ’11) wrote, directed, and stars in the feature film “Cubby,” a coming-of-age comedy that will be released in theaters in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles on November 1. The film premiered in international competition at Torino LGBTQ International Festival and has played festivals in Barcelona, Spain; Toronto; Los Angeles (Outfest); San Francisco (Frameline); Dublin, Ireland; Stockholm, Sweden; Chicago; Fort Lauderdale, Florida; and others. The film is the New York Centerpiece screening at the 31st Annual NewFest LGBTQ Film Festival in New York City on October 25. After showing at the TCL Chinese Theaters at Outfest in July, Mark was signed by Frontline Management's Craig Dorfman for future acting/directing/writing and is currently shooting as a recurring character on a new J.J. Abrams television series due out in 2020.

Two VPA alumni were among the winners at the 71st Emmy Awards: Tony Zajkowski (BFA ’88) was part of the “Queer Eye” editing team that won the Emmy for Outstanding Picture Editing for a Structured Reality or Competition Program. Joshua Guillaume (BFA ’14) was the compositing supervisor among a team at Framestore who completed “Free Solo: 360,” which won an Emmy for Outstanding Creative Achievement in Interactive Media Within an Unscripted Program. In addition, seven VPA alumni received nominations: Ellen Burke (BFA ’11), production manager, “HQ Trivia”; Vera Farmiga (BFA ’95), actress, “When They See Us”; David Hyman (BS ’75), nominated twice in in his roles as producer of “The Good Place” and co-executive producer of “Veep”; Kevin M. Richardson (BS ’88), voice actor, “The Stinger”; Kent Sublette (BFA ’91), head writer, “Saturday Night Live”; Briana Vowels (BFA ’05), supervising producer, “American Ninja Warrior”; and Christopher White (BFA ’94), visual effects supervisor, “Umbrella Academy.”

Robert L. Kasprzycki (BID ’74, MS ’96, MBA ’99) , owner/artist of Kasprzycki Artistry in Fayetteville, New York, will have an  art exhibition  Nov. 5 through Dec. 7 at the Adirondack Lakes Center for the Arts in Blue Mountain Lake, New York. He also recently published the novel  The Talisman , available Sept. 30 at most major book retailers.

Renee Cox (BFA ’78)  was recently appointed an assistant professor of visual arts at Columbia University. This fall she will be exhibiting work in group shows at the African American Museum in Philadelphia, Maccarone Gallery LA (Los Angeles), and Pen + Brush in New York City. She will also have a solo show at Cathouse Proper in Brooklyn, New York, and her  Baby Back  (2001) will tour America through 2024 as part of  Posing Beauty in African American Culture . She also photographed Nick Cave for the cover of  The New York Times Magazine , which will be released this October.

Helen Zughaib (BFA ’81)   and her father,  Elia Zughaib (BA ’51, MA ’52, PhD ‘57) , have published the book  Stories My Father Told Me  (Cune Press), a collection of 25 stories of Elia’s growing up in Damascus, Syria, under the French Mandate and his young adulthood in Lebanon before he immigrated to America in 1946. Helen painted each story included in the book.

Anthony J. “Tony” Zajkowski (BFA ’88)   is part of the editing team for the reality television show  Queer Eye , which won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Picture Editing for a Structured Reality or Competition Program.

Cheryl Powell (MA ’98)  is having a show of oil and watercolor paintings based on the town of Maysville, Kentucky, Oct. 4-28 at the Cox Gallery in Maysville. An opening reception will be held on Friday, Oct. 4, from 5-7 p.m. Visit Cheryl’s  website  for more information.

Wesley Clark (BFA ’01)   is having the solo exhibition  Reparations: Some are Just Owed and Some More than Others  through Oct. 31 at Galerie Myrtis in Baltimore.

Writer/director  J.D. Dillard (VPA ’10)  had “ An Open Letter To the Man Who Yelled “Go Back To Africa” At Me ” published in McSweeney’s.

Ozan Atalan (MFA ’16)  is showing the installation  Monochrome  (concrete, soil, water buffalo skeleton, video, 2019) at the 16th Istanbul Biennial. He also held the conversation “Anthropocentrism and Animal Breeding,” a discussion of the water buffalos of Istanbul, with Prof. Dr. Serhat Alkan of Istanbul University.