Darrell Grant Keeps the Music Alive

ne of the leading young jazz musicians in the nation, Darrell Grant (M.M. ’86) already has four hit CDs under his belt; his latest, Smokin’ Java, has received some of the most impressive critical acclaim of his career and is the first album released by his new production company, Lair Hill Records.

“When I was a boy, I always knew I wanted to perform and make records, but I had no idea that my career would become so much more than that,” says Grant, who also is a composer, band leader, author, and educator. “My role as a musician is to see that the future of music is sustained. It’s no longer enough just to play anymore. You have to look for every opportunity to see that the tradition is passed on.”

Inspired by his musical family—who performed live on radio once a week—Grant was a piano prodigy at the age of seven. He distinguished himself in several prestigious piano competitions and won a scholarship to the famed Eastman School of Music.

“But I always loved jazz; I had grown up with it. I came to the University of Miami School of Music to make it the focus of my career,” he remembers. “There, I knew I was among musicians who were making an impact professionally, and there was this great feeling of being in the center of the renaissance of jazz.” In 1997, Grant and three fellow musicians began work on a book documenting that renaissance.

“With the advent of CDs, there was a tremendous outpouring of jazz during the 1980s and 1990s, but none of it was written down,” he says. “I hope that our book, when completed, will help revitalize the repertoire for students and professionals alike.”

Grant’s commitment to passing the torch is evident through his role in developing the first bachelor’s degree program in jazz studies at Portland State University and his extensive community outreach through The Incredible Journey of Jazz—an educational multimedia performance he created for elementary school students.

“Music is a language that has to be lived and experienced,” says Grant. “I hope that I can inspire in others the interest to learn and the courage to search out their own musical voice.”

Scott Stein Writes His Own Ticket

hile other schoolchildren were on the playground during recess, Scott Stein (A.B. ’93, M.F.A. ’97) might have been found inside the classroom, adding final touches to his carefully crafted essay assignments. Ever since the third grade he has loved creative writing, cultivating his passion and talent over the years through his education and varied experiences.

While at his day job he teaches writing as an assistant professor at Drexel University, his side hobbies—careers in and of themselves—include authoring a book and founding/editing an online journal of American culture, www.wfthecoliseum, which stands for When Falls the Coliseum. The thought-provoking site publishes humor, fiction, and opinion that has earned praise from New York Magazine and features several University of Miami alumni contributors. He credits the University for giving him the necessary tools for making a career in writing a reality.

“When I was investigating colleges, I also was looking for good creative writing programs,” he says. “The University of Miami stood out because its faculty were active and published authors.” After graduating from the University with an A.B., Stein returned to his native New York to work as an advertising copywriter. With thoughts of becoming a college professor, he attended New York University to earn a master’s degree in liberal studies.

“But I also wanted to continue my creative writing, so I returned to UM for my M.F.A.,” says Stein. “Professor Lester Goran was one of the main reasons I returned; I had taken two undergraduate courses with him and read some of his work, and it was a big influence on me.”

During that time Stein wrote his first novel, Lost, which was released last year and has received critical praise.

“It’s a funny book, turning sacred cows upside down…explosive, insightful, and with language that’s sharp and crackles like the twists of Stein’s plot,” Goran writes in his review. “It is American conspiracy theory run riot in hilarious premises.”

Lost starts out as a detective spoof, “but quickly changes to something altogether different,” Stein adds. “It’s representative of humanity’s experience. Yes, it’s about New York—after all, you write about what you know—but it’s also about wherever you live.”

Silence Is Golden for Judi Garratt

riven by a great love for imagination, Judi Garratt (M.A. ’74) enjoys a vocation rich in freedom of expression. One of the nation’s leading pantomime artists, Garratt began performing professionally at the age of 13. Today she focuses her career on bringing theatre to schoolchildren, underprivileged youths, kids with disabilities, pediatric hospital patients, and young library patrons.

“I try to inspire people to think outside a narrow tunnel of ideas,” says Garratt.

She performed on the street every day during the 1984 L.A. Olympics. Once she refused to cancel a performance for a school in Los Angeles during the riots, and on one Christmas Eve, when she arrived to perform in a homeless shelter, the entrance was blocked by a pool of blood as an ambulance whirred away with a lifeless body. But Garratt paused only for a moment. “Are there children inside?” she asked the police. When they said, “Yes,” she stepped across the threshold and went inside.

“I think that we have a responsibility as artists to inspire in future generations a love of the arts. It’s an important learning tool,” says Garratt, whose innovative performances incorporate music and literature, magic, and comedy. “I want to help kids learn to think creatively and have confidence in their own ideas, to open up their imagination.”

In addition to a constant round of professional performances, she teaches in the L.A. Unified School District in a new program called Arts Prototype that helps train teachers how to teach theatre. She also serves as a consultant for the L.A. Philharmonic, coordinating events such as Symphonies for Youth and Open House at the Hollywood Bowl—a program that introduces 6,000 kids a week to music and the arts. In 1999 she received the Professional Artists in the Schools Award from the state of California.

That’s a long way from her solid Ohio roots and her national debut at the age of two as the smiling baby on the Sunbeam Bread wrapper.

“When I came to UM for my M.F.A. in theatre, I didn’t know the direction my career would take, but I couldn’t be happier,” she says. “I’m performing and teaching kids, and I love it.”

Jake Butler Fosters Love of Sport and Learning

uch like the pick-and-roll play a basketball coach sketches out for his players during a critical time-out of a close game, Jake Butler’s dream of opening his own basketball school exists only on paper today. But as sure as life imitates art when players flawlessly execute a coach’s scribbled Xs and Os, Butler’s dream, he hopes, will soon become reality.

With the dead-aim accuracy of a Larry Bird jump shot, Butler Basketball School is shooting for a 2003 start-up date in the South Florida area. But if you’re thinking this camp will focus solely on honing the jump shot and crossover dribble of the next Magic or Michael, think again. The school will stress the importance of getting an education as much as perfecting skills on the court. “Elevate your game through education,” says Butler (B.S.C. ’99). “That’s the motto of my school.”

So along with basketball clinics on passing drills, Butler’s school will teach youngsters in grades four through 12 how to master computer programs like Microsoft Word and Excel. They’ll also study math and reading, and learn resumé writing and job-interviewing techniques.

“I want to show youth that there is more to life than basketball,” says Butler.

He realizes that fact better than anyone. A former star shooting guard when he attended high school in Baltimore, Maryland, Butler was recruited by Temple University in the mid-1990s. But his lifelong battle with sickle-cell disease forced Butler to accept that a collegiate career in the sport was probably out of reach, and so he concentrated on getting an education.

Still, he wanted to remain close to a sport he’s been playing since he was eight years old. He worked as a team manager on the Hurricane men’s basketball team from 1995 to 1999. “By far the greatest lesson I learned from watching Miami coaches was perseverance and dedication, the desire to push players to improve both on and off the court,” he says.

Butler plans to use the motivational skills he learned from watching UM coaches in his own basketball school. “I want to teach youngsters that regardless of how bad things might seem, they can overcome any obstacle.”

1940s

Robert Nelson Linrothe, B.B.A. ’42, spent 1942 to 1946 in the U.S. Army. He was recalled to active duty for the Korean Conflict, where he remained until 1967. His second career was in civil management, and he is now retired and living in Burlington, Washington.

1950s

Phoebe Friedberg Rosetsky, A.B. ’50, is an interior designer for her firm, Phoebe Rosetsky Interiors. She lives in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania.

Jack R. Bohlen, B.B.A. ’52, vice president for philanthropy and communication at Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke’s Medical Center, received the Award for Excellence from the National Association of Fund Raising Executives. The award is widely recognized as the highest recognition that a fundraising professional can receive.

John R. Caruso, B.B.A. ’53, is the owner and president of J.R.C. Management Services, Inc., which owns and operates Suncoast Nutrition and Southtown Plaza on the west coast of Florida, and Kimcore Realty and Rinmark Property in New York. He resides in Long Boat Key, Florida.

Tala Engel, A.B. ’54, J.D. ’57, recently spent two months in the Ukraine and Russia, where she looked up and took pictures of the former homes of her mother and father. Engel also took an 18-day cruise down the Volga and Neva Rivers and reports having had the time of her life.

Jorge Antonio López-Ramos, B.B.A. ’58, has retired after 40 years of teaching, most recently serving as the head of the foreign language department for Brevard County public school Eaugallie Senior High. He resides in Melbourne, Florida.

Michael Z. Brenan, B.B.A. ’59, of Morgan Stanley serves as a mentor for the School of Business Administration and is a member of the University’s Heritage Society.

Irwin L. Hollander, B.B.A. ’59, has retired from the U.S. Postal Service Office of Statistical Programs and recently married his wife, Barbara, in Las Vegas, Nevada. He has four children and six grandchildren.

1960s

Paul E. Van Dine, A.B. ’60, capped a 39-year career in ministry in the Florida Conference of The United Methodist Church with his recent retirement. He has moved to the greater Columbia, South Carolina, area, together with his wife of 40 years, Carol, to enjoy a new career of grandparenting.

Robert Rosen, B.S.M.E. ’60, was elected to the grade of fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA). The associate director of Aerospace Programs at NASA Ames Research Center, Rosen was honored for outstanding leadership of technology and research programs spanning a wide spectrum of application areas.

Spiro "Pete" Sallata, B.Ed. ’60, retired from teaching after 31 years but continues to work as an entertainment technician in the theater business. He works out and still plays ice hockey for fun, having formed an ice hockey league 15 years ago for adults over 40. He resides in Ventnor, New Jersey.

Joseph Leniado-Chira, B.M. ’61, teacher of piano, voice, trumpet, and composition, along with students from his Greenwich private studio in Connecticut, performed at the Nathanial Witherall Home to honor the memory of board member Helen Wilshire Walsh and volunteer Nancy Rockefeller. For more than 50 years Leniado-Chira has enjoyed performing for the elderly and teaching the disabled in Illinois, New York, New Jersey, Florida, and Connecticut.

Vance Harper Jones, B.M. ’61, M.M. ’63, is dean of library services at Craven Community College and the organist of First Presbyterian Church in New Bern, North Carolina. He recently was elected Archon of Province Omicron (state president) of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity at its recent convention in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Robert J. Mandel, M.D. ’63, recently retired, was honored by HRMC’s medical staff and associates for his long and distinguished career as an attending radiologist. In his most recent role as director of mammography for the Health First Diagnostic Center in Melbourne, Florida, for the past five years he helped implement state-of-the-art radiological diagnostic equipment and procedures, including nonsurgical, stereotactic needle breast biopsy.

Susan Neuman, A.B. ’64, president of Miami public relations and marketing consulting firm Susan Neuman, Inc., has been named the new president of the Barry University Alumni Association. Neuman earned her M.B.A. at Barry in 1985. As president of her firm, she has worked in varying capacities with The Miami Herald, U.S. Senator Bob Graham, and the Insurance Exchange of America.

Lester D. Stephens, Ph.D. ’64, emeritus professor of history at the University of Georgia, authored Science, Race, and Religion in the American South: John Bachman and the Charleston Circle of Naturalists, 1815-1895. The book examines the scientific activities and contributions of six Charleston naturalists.

Chuck Adimaro, A.B. ’65, is regional director of Army Adult Education at Fort Dix, New Jersey. His unprecedented case study findings on the use of the Montgomery G.I. Bill by former enlisted soldiers separated from Fort Dix in 1990 was recently published in the Army Times newspaper.

Bennett Brummer, A.B. ’62, J.D. ’65, a public defender, was recognized by Miami-Dade Mayor Alex Penelas as a national leader in violence prevention during a major training conference in Miami. Brummer’s Anti-Violence Initiative promotes research into the root causes of violence and crime and the use of proven prevention and treatment programs to reduce crime.

Donald L. Walters, Ed.D. ’66, has been named the first Charles G. Erny Professor of Education of Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This annual grant for research and other academic support is in recognition of Walters’ distinguished 35 years of service to Temple.

Eugene J. Fierro, B.Ed. ’62, J.D. ’67, was appointed by the Florida Supreme Court to its Standing Committee on Pro Bono Services. A trial judge, he is the administrator of "Put Something Back," a joint pro bono project of the 11th Judicial Circuit Court and the Miami-Dade County Bar Association.

James Kushner, B.B.A. ’67, was appointed the 2000-2001 Irving D. and Florence Rosenberg Professor of Law at Southwestern University School of Law in Los Angeles, California, in recognition of his outstanding service to the legal community and his commitment to the law school. He joined Southwestern in 1975 and currently teaches constitutional law, housing and community development, juvenile law, and land use planning and control.

Frank C. Walker, A.B. ’67, has been elected president of the 2,300-member Broward County Bar Association. He founded the law firm of Stuart & Walker, P.A. in 1967, which today maintains its offices in downtown Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Eliana Suárez Rivero, A.B. ’64, Ph.D. ’68, a faculty member at the University of Arizona for more than three decades, was honored with an appointment as Phi Beta Kappa Visiting Scholar for the academic year 2000-2001. In such capacity, she is visiting eight college campuses across the United States, lecturing on the topic of U.S. Latino cultures, and interacting with students and faculty.

John Saia, B.S.C.E. ’68, is the new deputy district engineer for project management and chief of Planning, Programs, and Project Management Division for the New Orleans District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. In this role, he is overseeing the district’s wide range of planning studies and managing all ongoing and new project development.

Libby Baskin, A.B. ’69, teaches at College of the Canyons in Valencia, California, and has recently returned from a lecture tour of Romania and Bulgaria.

Mitchell Friedman, M.D. ’69, Edward G. Schlieder Education Professor of Pulmonary Diseases and Chief of the Section of Pulmonary Diseases, Critical Care, and Environmental Medicine at Tulane University Health Sciences Center, is the principal investigator of a new five-year K30 Clinical Research Curriculum Award from the National Institutes of Health. The K30 grants are designed to enhance future clinical research training by providing support to research institutions so that scientific investigators can receive didactic training in the fundamentals of clinical research.

Alan L. Shepper, B.Ed. ’69, was promoted to general manager of Climatic/Trimm A.C. after six years with Servicemaster. He has been relocated to the company’s Vero Beach location.

1970s

William D. Beatrice, B.Ed. ’70, writes he is solidly entrenched in retirement and has had two more of his novels hit the marketplace: Blue Lady and The Valley Diner Boys, with one more, Southford Falls, soon to make its debut. A photographer in his spare time, Beatrice has had his images appear in publications and on the Internet. He resides in Summerfield, Florida.

Ruth H. Sargent, A.B. ’71, has been named director of development and public relations at Growing Together Inc., a private, nonprofit adolescent substance abuse program in Lake Worth, Florida.

Robert A. Dulberg, J.D. ’72, has formed a new mediation services firm, Salmon & Dulberg Mediation Services, Inc., which mediates civil, family, and federal disputes including personal injury, commercial, employment, family, and professional malpractice and other matters.

Maurice D. Molod, A.B. ’72, has been named vice president of real estate for Uno Restaurant Corporation in Boston, Massachusetts.

Thomas E. Scott, A.B. ’69, J.D. ’72, has joined Shook, Hardy & Bacon L.L.P. as a partner in the international law firm’s tort section. He will work from the firm’s Miami office.

Robert Benjamin Stevenson III, B.S. ’72, received the 2000 Humanitarian Award of Excellence from the Ohio Dental Association. In private practice for more than 20 years, Stevenson received the award for having spent a career donating his time and efforts to public awareness and recognition of oral health risks and providing treatment and evaluation for those who could not afford or access dental care.

Ralph H. Epstein, A.B. ’73, a Great Neck, New York, general dentist/anesthesiologist, recently was installed as president of the Nassau County Dental Society. Epstein is the chief of the Division of Anesthesia and Pain Control in the Department of Dentistry at North Shore University Hospital and on the attending staff at North Shore Glen Cove, Long Island Jewish Medical Center and Montefiore Medical Center.

John Erb, A.B. ’73, has joined the firm of Deloitte & Touche as Miami’s new senior manager in the Human Capital Advisory Services practice. He will consult on employee benefit issues to clients throughout the East Coast, specializing in employee-sponsored health care programs.

Burt Compton, B.B.A. ’74, is president of Miami Gliders flight school, which offers FAA-certified flight instruction and rides to aviation enthusiasts in sailplanes soaring high over Miami.

Patrick J. Green, LL.M. ’74, is listed in The Best Lawyers in America, 2001-2002. The directory is published biennially and regarded as the legal profession’s premier referral guide.

Edward A. Dauer, B.S.E.E. ’72, M.D. ’75, is lending rare Columbian Exposition stamps from his private collection to a new exhibit at the National Postal Museum, Columbus’ Voyage of Discovery, where they will remain on display until June 1, 2001. The now legendary 1893 Columbian issues are considered among the most important and admired stamps to be issued by the Post Office. The first true U.S. commemoratives, they were nearly twice the width of previous postage stamps to accommodate the scenes in Columbus’ life they depicted.

William P. Frech, A.B. ’75, B.B.A. ’75, graduated in January 2001 from Monmouth University, in West Long Branch, New Jersey, with a Master of Business Administration. He also received a Master of Education degree in 1987 from Temple University, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Clark R. Hammond, J.D. ’75, has joined as a partner of Johnston Barton Proctor & Powell LLP, where he will chair the firm’s Bankruptcy & Creditor’s Rights Practice Group. His practice areas are bankruptcy and insolvency laws, commercial and real estate loan work-outs, creditor’s and debtor’s rights, and commercial litigation.

Carl P. Ritter, B.B.A. ’75, was selected as the Lead Contracting Officer on the Patriot Missile Program at the NATO Maintenance and Supply Agency in Capellen, Luxembourg, where he resides.

Paul Alan Wetter, M.D. ’75, serves as chairman and executive director of the Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons. This nonprofit medical society that Wetter helped found ten years ago has helped foster minimally invasive surgery and its benefits for patients needing surgery. During his 20-year career as a gynecologic surgeon in Miami and as a clinical professor at the University of Miami, Wetter, a pioneer and visionary, performed some of the first laparoscopic surgeries in Florida.

C. J. Latimore, B.F.A. ’76, president of Latimore Design Studios in Hollywood, Florida, is a nationally acclaimed visual artist whose work is recognized for themes that depict a deep commitment to spiritual values and a high social consciousness. Among his clients are basketball superstar Michael Jordan, U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno, and actress Cicely Tyson.

Benedict S. Balser, Jr., Ed.S. ’77, is a coordinator of student teachers at Florida State University. He was chosen "Big Brother of the Year" by Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Palm Beach County, Inc., for serving as an inspiration to all who know him.

David Beach, Ph.D. ’77, was the cowinner of the 23rd annual Bristol-Myers Squibb Award for Distinguished Achievement in Cancer Research. He received the award for his important contributions to the understanding of the molecular basis of cell cycle control and alterations in growth control mechanisms that cause cancer.

Richard Bischoff, J.D. ’71, LL.M. ’77, has moved his law practice, Bischoff & Associates, P.A., to Coral Gables. With more than 29 years of business law experience, Bischoff serves on the board of directors of Commercial Bank of Florida, GoCruiseDirect.com, the Marine Council of Miami, and the Volvo Ocean Race Miami, Inc.

Alicia Juarrero, Ph.D. ’77, published Dynamics in Action: Intentional Behavior as a Complex System, which is receiving critical acclaim. She is a faculty member of Prince George’s Community College in Largo, Maryland, as well as a member of the National Endowment for the Humanities Council, appointed by the President of the United States and confirmed by the Senate.

Charles Mason, B.M. ’77, music professor at Birmingham-Southern College, has been reelected to the position of vice president of the Society for Electro Acoustic Musicians in the United States (SEAMUS).

Michael G. Ornstil, A.B. ’78, left the practice of law in 1994 to become a full-time mediator and arbitrator. He is a founder/owner of JAMS, the largest for-profit provider of alternate dispute resolution services with offices across the country.

Patricia San Pedro, B.F.A. ’78, vice president of community relations for the Miami Herald Publishing Company, has taken on responsibility for Herald event marketing, which produces and manages events in South Florida.

Susan Neuberger Weller, A.B. ’78, has joined Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C. at the firm’s Reston, Virginia, office, where she will serve as of counsel in the intellectual property section. Weller focuses her practice on foreign and domestic trademark, copyright, domain name, and related areas of Internet and unfair competition law, as well as intellectual property administrative and federal civil litigation.

Ron Grassi, B.S. ’79, of Grassi Chiropractic Medicine of Jupiter, Florida, became fellow and diplomate, American Boards of Forensic Medicine and Disability Analysts.

Sara B. Herald, J.D. ’79, has been appointed executive vice president of organizational and human resource excellence for Union Planters Bank. In this new position, she will be responsible for the alignment and development of associates in order to maximize customer service excellence.

Dave Hinkes, A.B. ’79, is a sales executive for Xerox Corporation, where he has worked for 20 years. He resides in Coral Springs, Florida, with his wife, Debra, and their three children, Jenny, 17, Melissa, 14, and Steven, 11.

Howard Kusnick, LL.M. ’79, of Howard A. Kusnick, P.A., has been reelected for 2000-2001 to the board of directors of the Broward Alliance, the economic development and retention organization for Broward County, Florida.

1980s

Michael Anchors, M.D. ’80, has been practicing medicine in Maryland and achieved national recognition in 1997 as the author of Safer Than Phen-fen, a successful weight-loss program that continues to be used.

Mark Azzolina, B.S. ’80, has joined E-Business Technology Inc. as the new vice president of professional services. He is responsible for all marketing, sales, and execution of the company’s e-security service offerings, which include computer network security assessments, controlled break-ins to determine system vulnerability, and security policy development.

Thomas D. Hall, J.D. ’80, has been named by the First District Court of Appeal as its 20th Clerk of the Florida Supreme Court since its creation upon Florida’s admission to the Union in 1845.

Mark J. Witkind, A.B. ’80, recently received the Doctor of Speech-Language Pathology degree from Nova Southeastern University. He currently serves as a coordinator of continuing education services at the University of South Florida, Tampa.

William N. Bennett, B.S. ’81, is currently a forensic toxicologist at ACL Laboratories, a federally certified toxicology laboratory in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He also is a private research scientist performing research that integrates computers with plant and animal cultures in the study of ecological principles.

Nan A. Markowitz, A.B. ’81, has been appointed director of the Office of Government Liaison and Public Relations at the 11th Judicial Court. For the past 12 years, she was the director of administration at the Florida Department of Transportation. She is a member of the Leadership Miami class of 2000, sponsored by the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce.

Ernest A. Seemann, J.D. ’81, of Seemann & Schutt, P.A., Cape Coral, Florida, recently retired from the active practice of law but will be available to the firm in an of counsel capacity. He writes that he appreciates the many years of pleasant contact with clients but is looking forward now to his "golden years" of relaxation.

William Berk, J.D. ’82, a shareholder of Adorno & Zeder P.A., was elected vice president of the Florida Advisory Committee on Arson Prevention for 2001.

Rose Marie Prince, B.S.N. ’82, recently employed as a clinical project coordinator at Presbyterian Health Plan, New Mexico’s largest managed care organization, has been promoted to a program manager at Presbyterian Home Health Care. She is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives and is currently pursuing her M.B.A. in health care administration at the University of Phoenix.

Susan Riess, B.G.S. ’79, J.D. ’82, senior counsel for The Walt Disney Company, in Anaheim, California, gave birth to twin boys, Alexander and Justin, with husband, Lloyd Korn, J.D. ’83, who is director of business and legal affairs for Warner Brothers (Telepictures).

B. Wayne Blount, M.D. ’83, a professor at the University of Tennessee College of Medicine, has been appointed chair of the Department of Family Medicine.

George L. Ehringer, M.D. ’83, received recognition from the Provider Recognition Program for providing quality care to his patients with diabetes. He will hold this status for three years.

Barry P. Golob, B.C. ’83, has joined Shook, Hardy & Bacon L.L.P. as a partner in the firm’s Washington, D.C., office, where he will be practicing in the intellectual property section.

Brian Lawrence, B.S. ’83, is the application manager in charge of Internet and Intranet development for Sigma-Aldrich Corporation. His second electronic novel, a mystery titled Knyght & O’Day, was published in September by Gemini Books. He is the fiction editor for Futures Magazine and recently sold his 20th short story.

Lori R. Hartglass, J.D. ’84, served as chairperson of the Fort Lauderdale 2000 Great Strides Walk for Cystic Fibrosis. A real estate partner in the Fort Lauderdale office of Holland & Knight, Hartglass has raised funds for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation since 1989 and was the founding president of Commercial Real Estate Women of Fort Lauderdale/Palm Beach.

Nancy Krauss, M.S. ’84, is the manager of Performance Management at Ryder (Logistics and Transportation Solutions) in Miami, Florida, where she lives with her husband, Ben, and four-year-old daughter, Hannah.

Carlos Prio-Touzet, B.Arch. ’84, has been promoted to associate principal of ADD Inc, a national architecture, interiors, and planning firm in Miami, Florida. He has more than 20 years of experience and design and management of projects locally and throughout the United States, Europe, Asia, Central and South America, and has served as a member of the Miami Beach Design Review Board and as an instructor and guest critic at Florida International University and the University of Miami.

Joel M. Sehr, M.B.A. ’84, is vice president of sales at Cyber-Ark Software, Ltd., a Boston-based security software company.

Michael J. Higer, J.D. ’85, of Mintz, Truppman, Clein & Higer, in North Miami, Florida, has been elected to serve as the vice president of the Intellectual Property Law Association of Florida. A commercial litigator who devotes his practice to intellectual property and debtor/creditor matters, Higer also was reelected as a director on the board of the Miami-Dade County Trial Lawyers Association.

Desh R. Urs, M.B.A. ’85, was appointed vice president of Business Intelligence at Silicon Graphics, Inc. in Mountain View, California. He is responsible for leading the company’s initiatives to provide business intelligence solutions to the marketplace.

Eileen Tilghman, J.D. ’86, has joined the Miami office of Shook, Hardy & Bacon L.L.P., where she will work in the tort section as of counsel. She focuses her practice in the areas of complex commercial and tort liability litigation.

Linda Singer Stein, B.B.A. ’83, J.D. ’86, was reelected to her third term in office as a Miami-Dade County Court judge and serves as associate administrative judge of the North Dade Justice Center. She and her husband, Craig, have a daughter, Raisa, and two sons, Max and Ethan.

David Champouillon, B.M. ’87, is instructor of trumpet, brass methods, and jazz studies at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, and is principal trumpet of the Johnson City Symphony Orchestra. He has won two Downbeat awards for best college big band; cowritten two trumpet books; authored an article for the International Trumpet Guild on University of Miami Professor of Trumpet Gilbert Johnson; and lectured at the ITG National Conference on Johnson’s career as solo trumpet of the Philadelphia Orchestra.

Beatriz Garcia Clossick, B.B.A. ’87, has been named to the newly created position of vice president of accounting and treasurer for the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. A certified public accountant, Clossick joined the foundation in 1999 as controller.

John J. Fumero, A.B. ’83, J.D. ’87, general counsel of the South Florida Water Management District, recently published "Everglades Ecosystem Restoration: A Watershed Approach by the Florida Legislature" in the fall issue of the Florida Bar Journal magazine. He also has been lecturing extensively on several environmental and land use issues.

Linda DeMartino, B.S.C. ’88, president of Linda DeMartino Public Relations, Inc. in Coral Gables, has been named chair of the Women in Business Group of the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce. She also has been appointed to the chamber’s executive committee, a body that represents a cross section of the organization’s leadership.

Phil Langley, B.B.A. ’88, has joined Ensera, Inc. as the senior vice president of business development. Ensera is a leading provider of data exchange, information, and Web-based claims processing applications for insurance carriers, located in Silicon Valley.

Regina LeVerrier, M.D. ’88, is medical director and assistant clinical professor at the Project for Psychiatric Outreach to the Homeless at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital. She also teaches at New York State Psychiatric Institute and has a Public Psychiatry Fellowship.

George A. Pincus, J.D. ’88, senior counsel for Proskauer Rose LLP of Boca Raton, Florida, received the National Association of Industrial Office Properties (NAIOP) South Florida Chapter’s "Individual Member of the Year" award. He received the honor for his dedication and enduring contributions in carrying forward NAIOP’s legislative agenda in Washington, D.C., for the past two years.

Ben Joseph Kirbo, M.D. ’89, has opened Southeastern Plastic Surgery, in Tallahassee, Florida, providing a full range of cosmetic services.

1990s

Rafael Cruz-Alvarez, A.B. ’90, has joined the Miami, Florida, office of Shook, Hardy & Bacon L.L.P., where he will practice in the tort and business litigation sections. He is a member of the Miami-Dade County, Florida, and American Bar Associations.

Chris DeRosa, B.M. ’90, is a professional freelance drummer who has played with Deborah Harry, Chris Stein, SkinnerBox, Motorbaby, and Mark White (Spin Doctors), among others. He plays all styles of music, including rock, reggae, jazz, Latin, pop, and solo drumming, and has released many offerings as both a leader and a sideman.

Michael Foster, B.B.A. ’90, joined Shook, Hardy & Bacon, L.L.P.’s Miami office, where he will practice in the tort and business litigation sections. Specializing in insurance coverage and bad-faith litigation, he is a member of the Miami-Dade County and American Bar Associations.

Robert F. Lewis, A.B. ’90, joined as an associate of the Miami office of Holland & Knight LLP, where his practice will be focused in the beverage and alcohol licensing area. Among his previous pursuits, he served as a special agent and criminal investigator for the Florida Division of Alcoholic Beverages & Tobacco.

Katherine Sack Powell, A.B. ’90, is program manager of child psychiatry at St. Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital Center. She is married to Eric Powell, and the couple is expecting their first child in July 2001.

Steven Bongini, B.S.E.E. ’91, is a partner at the newly formed law firm of Fleit, Kain, Gibbons, Gutman & Bongini P.L. in Boca Raton, Florida. He concentrates his practice on patent prosecution and licensing, mainly in the electronics, computer, and semiconductor areas.

Karl Newyear, B.S. ’91, works for the U.S. Antarctic Program, planning, coordinating, and organizing research cruises on the RVIB Nathaniel B. Palmer and ARSV Laurence M. Gould.

Michael Snyder, M.D. ’91, has moved to Denver, Colorado, with his wife, Robin, their son, Eli, and daughter, Sage. He has joined a practice in North Denver and is doing general and advanced laparoscopic surgery.

Terrel Shaw, B.S.C.E ’91, was named manager for Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Architecture and Planning for PBS&J, Inc. and is responsible for national business development and marketing of these services. He, his wife, Krista, and daughter, Ana, reside in Tallahassee, Florida.

Zina Berthiaume Bereck, A.B. ’92, has recently launched her own site on the World Wide Web, www.fashion500.com. The site offers accessories, jewelry, and clothes for all occasions for men and women.

Scott J. Brook, J.D. ’92, and his wife, Brenda, recently had a baby girl, Samantha. Brook opened his own law practice, specializing in workers’ compensation and appeals, and recently began a mediation practice as well. He plans to run for the State House of Representatives in 2002.

John E. Calles, A.B. ’89, J.D. ’92, was promoted to manager of Union Central’s Miami agency, a financial services firm specializing in life insurance, disability insurance, group benefits, and retirement planning.

Xavier Cortada, A.B. ’87, J.D. ’92, recently traveled to Northern Ireland to create a mural with Protestant and Catholic youth from the Children’s Friendship Project for Northern Ireland. He also traveled to Cyprus to unveil the poster of a mural he created with Greek and Turkish Cypriot hearing-impaired children during June 2000 on the "Green Line," the United Nations Peace Keeping Force Buffer Zone that divides the island in two.

Kevin Kane, B.A.M. ’92, received an M.A. in music composition from Aaron Copland School of Music, Queens College. He wrote and performed music for CD-ROM, Noah’s Ark, and studied Jewish law and philosophy at Aish HaTorah College of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem, Israel.

Rachel Mathason Anderson, B.S. ’93, works as a newscast producer at the number-one ranked NBC affiliate in the state of Florida, WFLA.

Stacey A. Giulianti, J.D. ’93, has joined Gelch Taylor Giulianti & Kapelowitz, P.A. as a partner, practicing as a civil trial lawyer and handling personal injury, insurance denial claims, and business litigation in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Vivian Hernandez-Popp, B.S. ’89, M.D. ’93, is currently on staff at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation in the Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Management, where her current area of interest is acute postoperative pain control. She resides with her husband, Howard, and daughter, Victoria, in Cleveland, Ohio.

Thomas P. Leist, M.D. ’93, was named director of the Comprehensive Sclerosis Center at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, and was appointed assistant professor of neurology, Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University. In addition to his basic and clinical research in multiple sclerosis and the neurology of autoimmune disorders and infections, he has conducted research studying the neurobiology and pathology of retroviral, herpetic, and bacterial infections and the role of lymphokines at the medical schools of the University of Miami, University of California at Los Angeles, and the University of Zurich.

Raul G. Valdes-Fauli Jr., M.B.A. ’93, vice president of Colonial Bank, was elected to the board of the Miami Art Museum. His community activities include The Miami Fellows Initiative, University of Miami Citizens Board, and The Miami Coalition.

Alberto Babani, B.B.A. ’94, has his own law firm and title company, Alberto Babani, P.A. He resides in Miami Beach, Florida.

Kimberly Cornell, B.S. ’94, won an Emmy as a producer for KCAL 9 TV in Los Angeles. Her story was a three-part series titled "A Gift from a Stranger," a documentary about two transplant recipients and their donors.

Ana V. DeVilliers, B.B.A. ’94, has joined the Orlando office of the law firm Gray, Harris & Robinson, P.A. as an associate in the real estate department.

Michael Fixler, B.B.A. ’94, became general counsel and corporate secretary of DriveOff.com, Inc., a MSN CarPoint Company. He resides in Denver, Colorado.

Dorothy Hindman, B.M. ’88, D.M.A. ’94, is an assistant professor of music at Birmingham-Southern College.

Rebecca Hoffman, A.B. ’92, M.S.Ed. ’94, joined Morningstar, Inc. in Chicago, Illinois, as a marketing manager. Morningstar offers objective analysis of stocks and mutual funds through its Web site, morningstar.com.

Luis Hernandez, B.B.A. ’95, of LINQ Financial Group in Miami, Florida, represents MassMutual Financial Group and has earned his first year of membership in the prestigious Million Dollar Round Table, whose members represent the top sales professionals in the life insurance-based, financial planning business. He is an active volunteer in the School of Business Administration Mentor Program.

Jannette Ho, B.S. ’95, is a B-1B weapons system officer stationed at Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota. She flew more than 20 hours nonstop from Rapid City to South Africa and flew on demonstration flights during the two-day international air show there celebrating the South African Air Force’s 80th anniversary.

Robert M. Jamieson, B.S.I.E. ’95, is the president and owner of Robert M. Jamieson BSIE Consultant, Inc., a newly founded engineering and inspection business whose recent licensure/ certification deemed it a U.S. federal contractor. In less than eight months after incorporating in Miami, the company already is registered for business at more than 20 U.S. capitol procurement offices for contracting.

Allison Platt, B.B.A. ’95, married Glen Rosenberg, a Syracuse University graduate, in Hewlett Harbor, New York.

Antoinette Spoto-Cannons, M.D. ’95, is a general pediatric attending physician at All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida, and an assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida.

Darren Zemnick, M.B.A. ’95, has been appointed to the executive committee and head of human resources at the Biltmore Hotel and David William Hotel in Coral Gables, Florida. He concentrates his practice in the areas of employee relations, benefits, recruiting, strategic management, succession planning, and human resources law.

Ariane Zohar, A.B. ’95, completed an M.A. in general psychology at New York University in 1998. Zohar lives in New York City and is working toward a doctorate in clinical child-school psychology at Yeshiva University.

Justin B. Elegant, J.D. ’96, and his wife, Jennifer, had their first child, Luke Andrew, on July 13, 2000. He is a civil trial attorney with William L. Petros, P.A. in Coconut Grove, Florida. The family resides in Miami Beach.

William P. Freitas, B.S. ’96, received his O.D. from Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, and has opened a private group practice, Atlantic Family Eyecare Inc., in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, specializing in contact lenses and sports vision.

Hagai Gringarten, B.B.A. ’94, M.B.A. ’96, is the president of South Beach Coffee Company and an adjunct professor of marketing at St. Thomas University in Miami, Florida. He recently coauthored Over a Cup of Coffee, which tells the story of coffee, its history, its social aspect, and some romantic stories.

Stacey A. Koch, J.D. ’96, joined the Miami office of the Kansas City-based law firm of Shook, Hardy & Bacon L.L.P. She joins as an associate in the National Products Liability Litigation Division.

Lisa Lipnik, A.B. ’96, her brother, David Lipnik, B.S. ’95, and their brother, Eli Lipnik, run their own production company, Swen Entertainment, on South Beach. They produce commercials, movies, television shows, multimedia graphics, and more.

Peggy J. Prichard, A.B. ’96, is a first grade teacher at Air Base Elementary, the Center for International Education in Homestead, Florida.

Christopher M. Schulze, B.S. ’96, was awarded the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. He will begin an internship at Philadelphia College of Medicine, in Pennsylvania.

Melinda K. Young, B.B.A. ’96, is a captain in the U.S. Army, serving on the Armed Forces Inaugural Committee as the OIC, White House Social Aide Liaison.

Dominic Joseph Andreano, B.B.A. ’90, J.D. ’97, has joined the Miami office of Holland & Knight LLP as an associate. He will practice corporate law in the firm’s business law department. Andreano also is a licensed certified public accountant in Florida.

Wendell T. Locke, J.D. ’97, has joined the Fort Lauderdale office of Holland & Knight LLP as an associate in the litigation department. He also is licensed as a registered pharmacist and a consultant pharmacist in the state of Florida.

Kristine McCall, M.B.A. ’97, has been promoted to vice president, employment resources, for Right Management Consultants. Her areas of specialty include career management, recruitment, executive job development, spouse relocation assistance, and human resources counseling.

Shelly Sitton, A.B. ’97, worked with Benjamin Netanyahu as an aide in his first administration, and then for the World Health Organization in Geneva, Switzerland. She is currently working as a senior consultant at Deloitte Consulting in Health Systems in New Jersey, where she is helping developing countries reform and create new health care systems.

Randy Wehofer, B.S.C. ’97, is a play-by-play broadcaster for Burlington Bees Baseball Club and the 2000 recipient of the Midwest League Larry MacPhail Promotional Trophy. He resides in Burlington, Iowa.

Afshin M. Yazdian, J.D. ’97, is vice president of business development, mergers and acquisitions with eConception in Nashville, Tennessee.

Karla Castellanos, B.Arch. ’98, was awarded an ambassadorial scholarship by District 6990 of Rotary International. The scholarship permits the recipient to study at any college/university in any country in the world that has a Rotary Club. Castellanos has chosen Oxford Brookes University, where she plans to earn a master’s degree in architecture/urban planning.

Tiani Jones, B.S.C. ’98, was Miss Colorado USA 2000, the first African-American to hold this title. She made the top ten at Miss USA 2000 and placed sixth overall. Jones is known for her work with troubled teens and for her motivational speaking. She works as a reporter for KACT Channel Eight in Aurora, Colorado, as well as a model.

John Magee, B.B.A. ’98, and his team from Tulane University’s A.B. Freeman School of Business won the second prize and $3,000 at Rice University’s Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Management marketing case competition. Magee is a Morton A. Aldrich Fellow at Tulane’s business school, where he is pursuing his M.B.A.

Joel M. McTague, A.B. ’95, J.D. ’98, is an associate at English McCaughan O’Bryan, P.A. in their Fort Lauderdale office, practicing securities, corporate, tax, and intellectual property law. In his spare time, he is pursuing his Doctor of Business Administration degree in finance at Nova Southeastern University.

Caroline C. Villanueva, B.B.A. ’98, is seeking a Master of Science in public policy and management with a concentration in economic development at the H. John Heinz III School of Public Policy and Management at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Villanueva is a United States Department of Housing and Urban Development Fellow.

Todd L. Wallen, J.D. ’98, has joined Shook, Hardy & Bacon L.L.P.’s Miami office as an associate in the tort section.

Shauna Wuggazer, A.B. ’98, graduated from Ball State University with a Master of Science, double majoring in wellness management and applied gerontology, with minors in business administration and health science. She interned at Johnson & Johnson’s corporate wellness program at Duke University and is currently employed by The Wartburg Adult Care Community in Mount Vernon, New York, as the wellness education coordinator.

Laura E. Sebastian, M.F.A. ’98, won in the detective division of the 19th annual Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest, the international worst writing contest that rewards bad opening sentences to imaginary novels. Her entry begins "Becky Flatbush was the quintessential Girl Cop: wisecracking, shrewd, prone to PMS-inspired shooting ‘mistakes,’ yet tender." Sebastian resides in Miami, Florida.

Marc D. Brodsky, M.D. ’99, a licensed physician in Tallahassee, Florida, designed and programmed computer software for Florida State University School of Medicine. Students will be receiving education via handheld computers and the Internet, and will be documenting their educational experiences on the same. Brodsky designed and programmed the entirety of the software that runs on the handheld computer.

James J. Steffel, LL.M. ’99, joined the law firm of Warner Norcross & Judd LLP as a partner practicing primarily in the firm’s Muskegon office. He concentrates his practice in the areas of business succession planning, estate planning and administration, and related litigation.

Enjoy reading about your classmates in Class Notes? Take a moment to 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.