Brady Barr Is Wild About Reptiles


rady Barr has come a long way from the Indiana cornfields where he grew up, but his love for exotic critters hasn’t changed. Instead of possums and snakes in his backyard, Barr, M.S. ’94, Ph.D. ’97, now chases crocodiles worldwide.

Barr is a resident herpetologist for National Geographic and hosts the National Geographic Channel’s Reptile Wild, a weekly television series that follows him through the marshes of places like Cambodia, Sumatra, and Papua, New Guinea, as he seeks out the toothy carnivore. The show is in its third season.

By the end of this year, Barr expects to be the first person to capture all 23 species in the wild. Why crocs? They “arguably are one of the most successful groups of animals the Earth has ever seen,” says Barr, who lives in Maryland. In 2000 he helped excavate a dinosaur-age fossil from the Sahara desert, a six-foot crocodile skull.

“For 200 million years, crocs have had the same body plan,” Barr says. “They’re really, really good at what they do.”

So is Barr. He and his assistants have to find the croc and then haul it briefly aboard their rowboat to snip the skin for later analysis. At the lab, Barr examines the animal’s DNA for toxins and environmental pollutants. Using anything from a rudimentary rod and net to cutting-edge GPS technology, Barr gets his guy, usually. In South Africa, he sent a fishing rod and dangling noose via remote-control toy car over to a croc sunbathing on a sandbar. From the remote, he tried to maneuver the noose over the animal’s head, but the croc snapped open his jaw and ate the car.

A high school science teacher in Indiana before coming to the University of Miami, Barr continues to educate people on the importance of protecting the widely persecuted reptiles. Because alligators and crocodiles keep the natural life of the marsh in check, “they’re a keystone species, analogous to a keystone in a building,” Barr says. “You remove the stone, and the building will collapse. The same with our ecosystem.”

— Laurel Kalser

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Claudia Reiff Finds Her Niche in the Ring


ecognized as one of the top five referees in the independent or “indy” wrestling circuit, Claudia Reiff, B.S.Ed. ’81, didn’t grow up dreaming of a career in professional wrestling. “I was successful in residential real estate for a while, but I needed a change of scenery.” So in 1999 Reiff moved to Ocala, Florida, where she has long participated in equestrian events, owning and showing appaloosa and quarter horses. And over lunch with wrestling legend Dory Funk, Jr., whom Reiff says “ is to the wrestling world what Muhammad Ali was to boxing,” she accepted a job as Funk’s personal assistant, handling clerical, promotional, and travel matters for the Funking Conservatory.

“But one night the referees didn’t show up and Dory asked me, ‘You think you can referee?’ and I said, ‘Sure.’ And when he saw me on camera, and how I took to it like boom, boom, boom, without any direction, that was it. I just knew how to do it from being around the school every day,” says Reiff, who grew up attending wrestling matches with her father in the Bronx and in Miami Beach.“ I went in there cold turkey and refereed ten matches in three hours.”

“The industry tried to hide it,” Reiff says of professional wrestling being scripted,“ but not any more.” She notes that the World Wrestling Federation recently changed its name to World Wrestling Entertainment. “Because that’s what it is,” Reiff says. “Sports entertainment.” Known as “The Claw” in the wrestling world, Reiff is now head referee at the Funking Conservatory, one of the country’s premiere wrestling academies. In addition to refereeing the locally televised matches, which involve both male and female wrestlers, Reiff has refereed matches in Canada, England, Japan, and elsewhere.

“We don’t take as many body slams or falls as the wrestlers do,” says Reiff, one of just several female professional wrestling referees anywhere. “I do not choose to be beaten up like that, but as a referee, I do have to take a bump or a body slam or a little push or pull here and there. It’s part of the show.”

— Leonard Nash

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JOSEPH FINLEY GOES FROM CRIME SCENE TO CLASSROOM


ou might say law enforcement is in his blood. After all, Joseph A. Finley’s father was a New York City cop, and his close-knit hometown of Staten Island boasts generations of firefighters and police officers.
 

So it might come as no surprise that Finley, B.S. ’74, has spent the past 27 years with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Still, when Finley, a geology major, graduated from the University of Miami, he “had no idea the FBI had any calling for me.” Unemployed at the height of an oil embargo, he agreed to meet two of his grandfather’s friends who worked for the bureau.

“They sold me on the FBI lab, that I’d be able to use geology in a roundabout way to make a living,” Finley says.

Of his first six years as field agent, taking part in drug raids and investigating bank robberies, Finley says he “would not trade it in for a day. Every day you go to make an arrest, every day you knock on someone’s door, there’s an element of fear. That’s what keeps you healthy.”

Finley switched to the lab from the field, giving him the chance to put his geology degree to work. He analyzed inorganic material, like soil and glass, found at crime scenes and became certified as an FBI expert witness in forensics—the application of physical science to the law.

In 1996, Finley moved back to South Florida, where he now participates in electronic surveillance operations, heads the underwater evidence recovery team and—an avid ’Canes baseball and football fan—roots for his alma mater with six fellow UM grads and FBI colleagues in the Miami office. Two are Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity brothers.

Finley will retire from the FBI at the end of this year, but not from community service. While working full-time in Miami, he earned a Ph.D. in educational leadership from Lynn University in Boca Raton. Teaching was always in his plans, Finley says, and he looks forward to passing on his passion for learning to high school and college students. “I like the idea of being able to give of yourself to others to help enhance their knowledge base.”

– Laurel Kalser

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Brian Yale Stays Close to Home Bass

usic is therapy. The arts enrich our lives in ways that you can’t even put into words,” explains Brian Yale, B.M. ’92, bassist for rock band matchbox twenty. The band’s three albums have sold more than 20 million copies worldwide, and their songs continue to top Billboard charts—major accomplishments for a band seven years old.

From the outside it may seem that matchbox twenty found success rather quickly, but the rise to fame required tremendous perseverance. Yale explains that he met up with fellow band mates (front man Rob Thomas and drummer Paul Doucette) in Florida during the early 1990s and toured regionally as a group called Tabitha’s Secret a few years before their official formation as matchbox twenty with Adam Gaynor and Kyle Cook.

“We just kind of stuck at it and kept doing it,” Yale says. “We kept writing quality songs and bringing them to the people. It’s a very difficult process. It means no pay for quite a while. Musician jobs have a vagabond quality. It’s not always amazing, but if you stay with it the rewards are unbelievable.”

The group realized success when it joined with Grammy-winning producer Matthew Serletic, B.M. ’92, M.M. ’94, and released its 1997 debut album, Yourself or Someone Like You. The band performed more than 600 shows in support of the album.

While fame and fortune are now part of Yale’s daily existence, he hasn’t forgotten the more difficult days of being a music student. Maintaining his personal ties to the University, Yale established the Brian Yale/Matchbox Twenty Foundation, an endowment at the Phillip and Patricia Frost School of Music that will create scholarship opportunities for students. According to Yale, UM professor Matthew Bonelli was fundamental in his musical growth. Yale even acknowledges Bonelli in matchbox twenty’s first album. “He was huge in developing my playing style and shaping my musical knowledge.”

Yale says he enjoys the unique offerings of his career. “I’ve been around the world many times playing for millions of people, which is pretty incredible.” He asserts that playing in jam-packed arenas doesn’t make him nervous. “It’s the weirdest feeling. But I can honestly say I was more nervous doing my private lesson juries at the end of the semester at the University.”

– Monica Cady

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Jose Abreu Is a Man in Motion

ivil engineering is a gratifying profession because what you do is tangible,” says Jose Abreu, B.S.C.E. ’78, who became Florida’s Secretary of Transportation in March. “You can see it, whether it’s highways or buildings or waterworks or drainage facilities. Civil engineering is everywhere.”

Abreu, who was born in Cuba and moved to Miami at age 13, has worked for the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) since 1984, mostly in South Florida, after six years in private practice. Today he reports directly to Governor Jeb Bush, who appointed him to direct the FDOT, which has nearly 8,000 employees and a budget that exceeds $6 billion.

“It’s like reconstructing your house while you live in it,” he says about the challenge of rebuilding urban roadways. “Nobody could have predicted the population explosion that Miami-Dade County has experienced.” He concedes that traffic congestion in South Florida (and statewide) will continue to increase, although he believes that forthcoming improvements such as the Miami Intermodal Center adjacent to Miami International Airport, expansions to Tri-Rail, Metrorail, and Metromover, and increased bicycle lanes will help. He wants to see Metrorail lines linking the airport, Florida International University’s University Park campus, and Broward County.

To accomplish his transportation goals, Abreu regularly travels from his Tallahassee office to Washington, D.C., to lobby for additional funding for Florida’s roads and public transit systems. “We need to get a better return for our dollar out of the federal government.” Abreu says that Florida receives approximately 86 cents for each dollar it collects in federal gas taxes. “We’d like to bump that up to 95 percent.”

Abreu adamantly maintains an open-door policy at work and encourages everyone to call him by his first name. “My salary is paid by the taxpayers,” he says. “How can I not have an open-door policy? Anybody who wants to come in here probably has an issue that I can influence somehow, and I am privileged to do so.”

Adds Abreu, “Personally, I don’t have any hobbies; I don’t golf or sail or fish or anything like that. I give everything I’ve got to the State of Florida.”

– Leonard Nash

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1940s
David Philip Mann, B.B.A. ’48, was an officer for the American Foreign Service Association and an economist for the federal government and various private firms from 1948 to 1990. He is retired and lives in Corpus Christi, Texas.

1950s
Edward Whittaker, B.S. ’51, has retired after 28 years as supervisor of the Miami-Dade County Crime Lab, where he examined physical evidence in civil and criminal cases. He has testified in 3,200 cases in city, county, state, and federal courts as well as in six foreign countries.
Perry D. Snavely, B.S. ’52, has opened an office in Jupiter, Florida for U.S. Power Network. He is senior vice president for the company, which installs and operates electrical co-generation plants throughout the United States.
Richard R. Ridolfi, B.S. ’57, a retired U.S. Air Force colonel, has been elected alderman of the town of South Padre Island, Texas. He resides there with his wife, Gloria.
Carita Swanson Vonk, A.B. ’57, M.S. ’79, president of the Miami Mortar Board Alumni, received the Distinguished Lifetime Alumni Award from the Mortar Board National Foundation for “her service as scholar, mentor, and active citizen for a lifetime.” Following a decade of research, in 1997 she published Theodore R. Gibson: Priest, Prophet, and Politician, which chronicles the life of the Miami Civil Rights leader.
Mike Z. Brenan, B.B.A. ’59, was elected to the Living Legacy Society for Delta Sigma Pi, an honorary business fraternity.

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1960s
Judy Feinberg Brillian, A.B. ’60, has represented the Archaeological Institute of America in St. Louis since 1986. She was recently appointed to the boards of The Mycenaean Foundation and the American Friends of the Bible Lands Museum in Jerusalem.
Edward A. Moss, J.D. ’61, is a partner in the Tort Section of the Miami office of Shook, Hardy & Bacon, L.L.P., a law firm based in Kansas City, Missouri. He was listed in a recent edition of Chambers USA—America’s Leading Lawyers as a “Leading Individual” in his field of specialty.
Robert Schneeweiss, A.B. ’64, M.Ed. ’68, director of student activities and leadership development at Central Connecticut State University, received the prestigious Butts-Whiting Award at the 83rd annual conference of the Association of College Unions International (ACUI) in Chicago. The award recognizes those who have made significant contributions to the college union and student activities movement. Schneeweiss has mentored more than 60 graduate interns into the union/activities profession.
Lois Lazarus, A.B. ’65, a former lecturer for the University of Miami’s Music Business and Entertainment program, is an instructor at New School University in New York City. Her company, Multicultural Entertainment Marketing, has developed major campaigns for Fortune 500 clients and for National Black History Month. She published two books, With These Hands They Built a Nation and Country is My Music, and is at work on a cookbook. She also is an elected Democratic committeewoman in New York City.
H. Edward “Ed” Dowling, B.B.A. ’66, founder of the Orlando-based motorcoach
company Florida Stage Lines, has retired after 40 years in the transportation industry. He plans to attend Hurricane football games and build his stagecoach model collection.
Colonel Bob Sheridan, B.Ed. ’66, an international boxing commentator, recently broadcast his 725th world title fight. He is thrice nominated for induction into the World Boxing Hall of Fame and has received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the World Boxing Council.
Catharine Guberman Schauer, B.Ed. ’67, is a professor of humanities at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida, following her retirement from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. She recently received two first-place awards from the National Federation of Press Women At-Large Communications Contest.
Michael Litow, B.B.A. ’68, has retired after 34 years of service as a teacher and counselor to the Chicago Public Schools.
Joseph V. Leone, B.B.A. ’69, has retired after a 31-year career, serving most recently as special agent in charge of the Office of Export Enforcement, U.S. Department of Commerce, in Boston. He is a recipient of the Gold Medal Award for distinguished achievement in Federal Service. He lives in Andover, Massachusetts, with wife Cheryl Ann Rurak and two sons.

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1970s
Edward P. Mara, A.B. ’70, is superintendent of schools for the Bristol Warren Regional School District in Rhode Island.
Frank Lee Sherrod, A.B. ’70, has retired after 44 years with Miami-Dade County Clerk of Courts.
Betty Kjelson, M.A. ’71, received the Lifetime Achievement Award from Florida Craftsmen, Inc., in recognition of her “accomplishments and dedicated service in the arts.” The inaugural award was presented at the organization’s 50th anniversary celebration.
Steve Solimine, B.B.A. ’72, was promoted to vice president, regional manager of Texas and Tennessee at Amerisure Mutual Insurance Company, a property and casualty insurance group.
Elaine Nancy St. George, M.F.A. ’72, is a professor of art history at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida.
Carole L. Anderson, A.B. ’74, M.S.Ed. ’77, is the fine arts chairperson at Archbishop Coleman F. Carroll High School in Miami. She was named Teacher of the Year for 2002-2003.
Ann Mannheimer, M.A. ’75, owns a housewares and gourmet products consulting firm in Mill Valley, California. She is married to Randall B. Matthews and has two daughters.
Elaine (Jolaine) King, B.Ed. ’76, is the special education chair for the Eastern Region of the Pennsylvania State Education Association/National Education Association (PSEA/NEA) teachers’ union.
Ricardo Sequeira, A.B. ’76, is the ambassador of Costa Rica in Japan. Previously he served as an advisor to the former Costa Rican president Luis Alberto Monge and as ambassador to the Republic of South Korea. He is married with two children and is pursuing a Ph.D. at Waseda University in Tokyo.
Michael Laskow, B.B.A. ’77, is CEO and cofounder of TAXI.com, an independent “Artist & Repertoire” company that helps find unsigned talent and songs for record labels, music publishers, and film and television supervisors. His business partner is Michael Lederer, a former residential assistant at the University’s Mahoney Residential College.
Christy (Castellanos) Torkildson, B.S.N. ’78, was named director of program and services of the George Mark Children’s House, a freestanding pediatric residential hospice in San Antonio, Texas.
Kenneth Fuchs, B.M. ’79, professor and director of the Stanley B. Catlett Music Center at the University of Oklahoma School of Music, has composed three works that were recorded to compact disc by The London Symphony Orchestra. The recording follows his string quartet disc, released in 2001.

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1980s
Paul D. Novack, B.B.A. ’80, former University of Miami student body president, is mayor of the Town of Surfside, Florida. He was selected by 1000 Friends of Florida to receive the 2003 Community Steward Award for Excellence in Public Service in the area of growth management and community planning.
Melody Ann Watral, B.S.N. ’80, is a pediatric nurse practitioner for the outpatient clinic and nursing coordinator for the Off-Therapy/Lake Effects Clinic at the Brain Tumor Center of Duke University Medical Center. She recently married Timothy J. Donohoe.
Frances Aronovitz, M.S.N. ’81, Ph.D. ’85, is director of the Miami-Dade College School of Nursing.
John J. DiModica, B.M. ’81, is CEO of In Focus Music in Tennessee, a consulting resource for developing musical products, performances, or seminars. DiModica has been writing, teaching, and performing with author and talk-show host Dave Ramsey.
Nan A. Markowitz, A.B. ’81, is director of government and public relations for the 11th Judicial Circuit of Florida. She serves on the board of directors for United Way of America’s National Women’s Initiative for Philanthropic Leadership.
Rick Rodriguez, A.B. ’82, was named executive vice president and general manager of the Travel Channel, a service of Discovery Networks, U.S. Rodriguez will oversee all programming, production, development, and operations for the network, which covers stories from the world’s most popular travel destinations.
Deborah Wilker, A.B. ’82, is chief of the new Miami Bureau for The Hollywood Reporter, a daily entertainment trade publication that reaches more than 140,000 readers worldwide. Wilker has been a reporter for The Fox News Channel, ABC News Internet sites, WSVN-TV in Miami, and The South Florida Sun-Sentinel, where she was the pop music critic from 1987 to 1996.
Paul Beaudoin, B.M. ’83, earned a Ph.D. in music theory from Brandeis University and received the prestigious Excellence in Teaching Award from Northeastern University, where he has been a faculty member for 12 years. A recorded clarinetist, he also was one of four American participants at the International Orpheus Institute for Music Theory in Ghent, Belgium, earlier this year.
James P. Dawson, B.B.A. ’83, J.D. ’86, LL.M. ’91, has joined the tax law firm August & Kulunas, P.A., as a shareholder. Previously, he was a trial attorney for Office of Chief Counsel at the Internal Revenue Service. He also is editor of tax procedure for the Journal of Business Entity, a national taxation publication.
Donna Burns, M.M. ’84, a vice president at J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., received the Helping Hands Award from the New York chapter of the National Football League Alumni, a nonprofit organization of former professional football players who volunteer on behalf of children and charity. She was selected for helping to improve quality of life for children.
Patrick J. DeFrancesco, B.B.A. ’84, is the practitioner and owner of Chiropractic Center of Glastonburg in Connecticut.
Michael J. Higer, J.D. ’84, of Mintz, Truppman, Clein & Higer, P.A., has been reappointed by the chief judge of the U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida, to serve on the Ad Hoc Committee on Attorney Admission, Peer Review and Judicial Grievance and on the Ad Hoc Committee on Rules and Procedure.
Jo Ann (Llera) Stephens, B.S. ’84, a clinical psychologist and pediatric neuropsychologist, is the owner of New Life Solutions, L.L.C., which has offices in Miami Lakes and Broward County, Florida. She also is an adjunct professor and practicum coordinator for the Substance Abuse Counseling and Education Master’s Program at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Michael Throne, B.S.A.E. ’84, B.S.C.E. ’84, has been appointed interim assistant city engineer for the City of Benicia, California.
Alma Vega, B.S.N. ’84, is the clinic coordinator and nurse practitioner at the University of Miami Department of Pediatric Immunology.
Lynn Gollin, J.D. ’86, a partner at Tew, Cardenas, Rebak, Kellogg, Lehman, DeMaria, Tague, Raymond & Levine, P.A., in Miami, was named a member of the 2003 Presidential Rank Award Review Board. Administered by the Office of Personnel Management, an executive branch agency, the award recognizes senior executives in the federal government who have provided great service to the American people over an extended period of time.
Jackie Gonzalez, M.S.N. ’87, chief nurse executive and vice president for patient care at Miami Children’s Hospital, was honored as the Outstanding Alumna from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill.
Judy A. Pass Deliz Redd, A.B. ’87, originally attended the University from 1957 to 1961 but completed her degree in absentia. She is now retired from a 25-year career in insurance adjusting and is enjoying spending time with her 13 grandchildren.
Aaron Duncan, B.B.A. ’88, has been promoted to senior vice president, licensing group for Playboy Enterprises, Inc.
Rolando Sanchez-Medina, Jr., B.B.A. ’88, has opened his own law practice, Sanchez-Medina and Associates, P.A., in Coral Gables Florida. The firm specializes in business transactions, including corporate, real estate, and tax services.
Chris DeRosa, B.M. ’89, a freelance drummer who lives in New York City, recently toured with singer Jenn London in the United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Bahrain as part of the Armed Forces Entertainment’s “Bringing a Little Bit of Home to the Troops.”
George Kenneth Morell, A.B. ’89, has been promoted to coordinator of academic advising and support services at Saint Augustine’s College in Raleigh, North Carolina, a historically black college founded in 1867. He also is acting director of the Americans with Disabilities Compliance Office, which provides accommodations to students with disabilities. Morell is pursuing a Ph.D. in counselor education at North Carolina State University.
Christopher L. Thatcher, J.D. ’89, has married Anne M. Babyak, a vice president at the environmental consulting firm of Blasland, Bouck & Lee, Inc. The couple reside in Pasadena, California.

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1990s
Bayardo N. Aguilar, Jr., B.B.A. ’90, owns his own public accounting practice and is president of the South Dade Chapter of the Florida Institute of C.P.A.s. He recently married Margarita G. Lisker, C.P.A.
Jodi Seitlin, J.D. ’90, was sworn in to practice law before the Supreme Court of the United States in a time-honored rite of the Hadassah National Attorneys Councils. Seitlin is the education coordinator for the Florida Central Region of Hadassah, the largest women’s Zionist Jewish organization in the United States. She lives in St. Augustine, Florida, and practices child welfare litigation with the Department of Children and Families.
Kelley Weitzel, B.S. ’90, is a senior preserve naturalist at Pelotes Island Nature Preserve in Jacksonville, Florida. An adjunct literature professor at the University of North Florida, she also is a two-time recipient of the Florida Historical Society’s Charlton Tebeau award for children’s books she published: Journeys with Florida’s Indians and The Timucua Indians—A Native-American Detective Story.
Jeff Sullivan, A.B. ’91, J.D. ’93, was made a partner at the law offices of Stidham & Stidham, P.A., where he specializes in personal injury, medical malpractice, and criminal defense cases. He and wife Michelle announce the birth of daughter Sophia.
Scott Brook, J.D. ’92, Coral Springs city commissioner and attorney, founded Premiere Networking Alliance, Inc., a network of professionals that promotes business growth and community service.
Andrea Darlow, M.B.A. ’92, is vice president of trust administration for SunTrust Bank in Miami, Florida. She and husband Phil have a newborn daughter, Alexa.
Diane Marie Doolan, B.B.A. ’92, associate director for alumni relations at the University of Miami, has been reelected Province Director of Chapters for Kappa Kappa Gamma Fraternity. She is responsible for visiting collegiate chapters and educating them about the policies and procedures of the organization.
Christian D. Furman, A.B. ’92, was named medical director at Episcopal Church Home, an adult long-term care community in Louisville, Kentucky, that includes the Memory Care Center of Excellence for people with Alzheimer’s Disease and other memory disorders. A geriatric specialist, she also is in private practice and is a faculty member at the University of Louisville School of Medicine in the internal and family medicine departments.
Juan P. Morillo, A.B. ’92, has been named partner at the Washington, D.C., branch of Sidley Austin Brown & Wood, L.L.P. He specializes in civil, criminal, and constitutional litigation.
Alisa R. Alvarez, B.B.A. ’93, M.B.A. ’94, manager of Rampelli & Rampelli, P.A., is named in the 2004 edition of National Register’s Who’s Who in Executives and Professionals.
Stacey A. Giulianti, J.D. ’93, has opened the law firm of Wasserstrom Giulianti, P.A., in Hollywood, Florida, with Hollywood vice-mayor Keith Wasserstrom.
Marybel (Roura) Baldessari, A.B. ’94, M.S. Ed. ’00, received her Professional Educator’s certification in Varying Exceptionalities (K-12) and a Pre-Kindergarten Handicapped Environment. She and husband Jon, associate director of Residence Halls at the University of Miami, also announce the birth of daughter Isabella Sophia.
Stacee Amos, B.S.C ’95, is senior account executive with primary responsibility for Fidelity Bank at T.G. Madison Advertising, a full-service agency in Atlanta, Georgia.
Kevin Carmichael, LL.M. ’95, was promoted to partner at Quarles & Brady LLC, a national law firm with more than 425 attorneys practicing in Milwaukee and Madison, Wisconsin; Chicago, Illinois; Naples and Boca Raton, Florida; and Phoenix and Tuscon, Arizona. Carmichael also is director of the Center for Orangutan and Chimpanzee Conservation, Inc., Guadalupe Center, Inc., and NAMI of Collier.
Ellen Tift Goebel, M.M. ’95, president of music production and publishing company The Groove Corporation, teaches at Belmont University School of Music in Nashville, Tennessee. Country Music Television has cast her as a songwriter in a pilot reality show called Score, in which two teams compete by writing a song in a day.
Daniel J. Mitan, B.S.C. ’95, a former walk-on quarterback for the Miami Hurricanes football team, has joined the Screen Actors Guild. He has an M.S.Ed. from the University of Southern California and an M.F.A. in acting from the University of Florida. His screenplay, The Task Manual, placed in the top 2 percent of the Matt Damon/Ben Affleck Project Greenlight screenwriting contest.
Shelly Voorhies Cross, B.S. ’96, is a pharmaceutical sales representative for Amgen USA, Inc. She and husband Brian reside in Pensacola, Florida.
Adam D. Horowitz, A.B. ’96, J.D. ’00, was named partner at the Miami law firm of Gilbride, Heller & Brown. His practice specializes in representing religious and educational institutions and nursing homes, as well as in employment litigation.
Jennifer A. Klein, A.B. ’97, received a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. She teaches sixth-grade reading at the Audubon Technology and Communications Center.
Jason P. Stein, B.S. ’96, M.D. ’99, and Ronnit Hamuy Stein, B.S. ’97, M.D. ’99, completed their residency programs—Jason in pediatrics and Ronnit in dermatology. Jason practices at Palm Beach Pediatrics in Lake Worth, Florida, and Ronnit practices at Palm Beach Dermatology in Delray, Florida.
Christopher D. Weston, B.S.C.E. ’96, is a captain in the 9th Airlift Squadron of the U.S. Air Force. Stationed at the Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, he flies the C-5 Galaxy aircraft in support of the war on terrorism.
Alan Ngim, D.M.A. ’97, has joined Miami-Dade College’s Wolfson campus as assistant professor of music. He teaches music appreciation and music theory courses and leads the chamber music ensemble.
Douglas J. Jeffrey, J.D. ’98, has been named a partner in the Miami law firm of Gilbride, Heller & Brown, P.A., where he practices in complex civil and commercial litigation.
Karen Kushkin, B.S.N. ’98, graduated cum laude from Stetson University College of Law. She and husband Robert announce the birth of son Wesley Alexander.
Evelyn M. Alvarez, A.B. ’99, earned a master’s degree in clinical psychology at the University of South Florida, where she is currently pursuing a doctorate in the same field.
Travis Carter, M.M.E. ’99, a lieutenant in the U.S. Coast Guard, has completed a three-month deployment on the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Monro. On patrol off the coast of Central America, Carter and his shipmates seized nearly 7,000 pounds of cocaine worth $60 million and detained eight suspected drug smugglers.
Reuben A. Doupe, B.B.A. ’99, an attorney at Cummings & Lockwood, L.L.C., in Naples, Florida, has married Meredith A. Nassif, A.B. ’01.
Heidy Frank, B.B.A ’99, completed a master’s degree in management at Babson College while working full-time in the Financial Leadership Development Program at telecommunications firm Lucent Technologies. She has been promoted to manager of business development for the Caribbean and Latin American regions at Lucent, and she is the founder of a real estate investment and management company, www.cdcholdings.com. She resides in Key Biscayne, Florida.
Umesh Jain, M.B.A. ’99, has launched Source Point Partners, which provides analysis and advisory services for outsourcing to the insurance and financial services sector.
Sheetal R. Patel, B.S. ’99, has graduated from Southern Illinois University School of Medicine. She is in a physical medicine and rehabilitation residency program at New York University Medical Center.
Rick Saggese, A.B. ’99, and partner Ryan Senkarik have founded Absolute Athlete, Inc., which provides individualized training programs, supplements, vitamins, equipment, and instructional videos for aspiring athletes and individuals who want to live a healthier lifestyle. Saggese and Senkarik of Naples, Florida, are both college athletes who sustained career-ending injuries.

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2000s
Esther M. Gonzalez, M.S.T. ’00, joined Northern Trust Bank in Miami as second vice president, senior tax technician in the Estate and Trust Administration Group.
Mary Ann Nolan, B.S.N. ’00, is director of the emergency department at a hospital in Harrisonburg, Virginia. She is pursuing an M.S.N. degree with a concentration in health systems management at the University of Virginia.
Nora Triola, Ph.D. ’00, is chief nursing officer at Broward General Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale.
Ronald A. Velez, M.B.A. ’00, is vice president and team leader at Deutsche Bank in Geneve, Switzerland, where he manages the Argentina/Chile/Uruguay Group.
Richard D. Kemp, M.F.A. ’01, a lecturer at the English Composition Center of the University of Miami, received the National Council Teachers of English Tribute Award for outstanding achievement in teaching.
Josephine Caminos Oría, M.A. ’02, was appointed manager of public relations and publications for The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust.
Anya Coverman, A.B. ’02, is attending law school at American University in Washington, D.C. She was one of five students selected from a class of 600 to serve on the Moot Court and the Law Review editorial board.
Arnoldo B. Lacayo, J.D. ’03, is a recipient of the Burton Awards for Legal Achievement, a national program that rewards excellence in legal writing by both lawyers and law school students.

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Have You Made the Headlines Lately?

Enjoy reading about your classmates in Class Notes? Share some news about yourself in a future issues of Miami magazine. You can email your information to us at alumni.classnotes@miami.edu. Please include your name; address (indicate if it is a new address); address (including city, state, and zip); home and work telephone numbers; email address; your place of employment and title; your degree, year graduated, and school/college; and your latest news (career changes, accomplishments, promotions, honors, etc.). We will print your news in the first available issue.