Class Notes

Information received prior to approx. May 1, 2024
M = Master’s Degree; D = Doctorate

Submit your own Class Notes for an upcoming issue.

1970s

M Johnson

Mark Johnson ’74 (above) was promoted to the rank of 6th Dan by The International Martial Arts Federation.

Rick Givens II ’75 retired from the Salisbury University Foundation, Inc. and was given the recognition of Board Member Emeritus in honor of his dedication and contributions to the organization and University for over 20 years.

David Saveikis ’77 was appointed to the Lower Shore Land Trust’s nonprofit Board of Directors.

G. Mike John ’79 has graduated from the University of Maryland Global Campus with a B.A. in history. He also has a J.D. from the University of Tulsa and has been accepted by Indiana University to begin studying for a B.S. in French.

1980s

Cindy McFall ’81 is the director of parks and recreation for the City of Roanoke, VA.

Daniel Phillips ’81 was appointed as the director of assessment and taxation for the State of Maryland.

Cathie Staton ’82 was appointed as the president/CEO of Eglin Federal Credit Union.

Daniel Keyser ’84 hiked Alaskan trails in May – after having his second total knee replacement – with Jim Dulling ’83, their wives and other fellow Army Alumni. When not working as regional manager for Royal Canin, he is visiting his son Logan Keyser ’12 and daughter-in-law Mackenzie Keyser ’13 who have two future SU women’s lacrosse players at home in Berlin, MD.

Gary Desjardins ’88 retired from the Salisbury University Foundation, Inc.

Karen Fisher ’88 started a nonprofit charity, The Citrus Colorectal Cancer Foundation, to help guide other colon cancer patients through diagnosis and treatment, after being diagnosed herself with colon cancer in 2020.

Troy Anderson ’89 was appointed the executive vice president and chief financial officer at Kelly Services, Inc.

1990s

John Aukward Jr. ’90 was appointed the vice president, business banker for Hebron Savings Bank.

Marilyn Searcey ’91 was named 2024’s Delmar Citizen of the Year.

Donald Cogswell ’91 published the book Descendants of John Cogswell: The Cogswell Family: 1619-2019.

Kerrie Bunting ’92 is the director of advancement for Coastal Hospice.

Carrie Lazorchak ’92 was appointed as the chief revenue officer at Qualifacts.

Karen Marx ’92 was named interim principal for the Most Blessed Sacrament School in Ocean Pines, MD.

David Allewalt ’93 has been selected for inclusion in Marquis Who’s Who. Individuals are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility and prominence in a field are all considered during the selection process.

Jennifer Morrell (Ross) ’94 was awarded a 2024 Delaware Division of the Arts (DDOA) Individual Artist Fellowship for creative nonfiction. She was also promoted to associate professor of law at Delaware Law School, where she serves as director of the Veterans Law Clinic. She was awarded the Founders Vision Award by the National Law School Veterans Clinic Consortium, which is given to a professor or staff attorney who has made significant contributions to the veterans clinic community, demonstrating dedication and impactful work in teaching students, providing legal services to veterans, and improving systems serving veterans.

Betty Whitehead ’94, owner of Johnson Farm, was honored by Maryland Governor Wes Moore with the 2022-23 Century Farm award. The award is given to farm families who have owned and operated a family farm for more than 100 years. The Johnson Farm has been owned and operated on Cedartown Road near Snow Hill, MD, since 1795 by the Johnson Family.

Roswell Encina ’95 was featured in Asian Journal News for his mission in bringing the Library of Congress’ vast collection into the public eye, making history accessible to everyone.

Michael Austin ’96 wrote the book Common Ground. The goal of this story is to help children understand that it is okay to be different and it is a good thing.

Heather Lancaster ’96 released the fourth devotional in the Amazon best-selling Make Life Better in Just 30 Days series, Embracing Your Godly Authority. She is also the host of the Christian-themed eXchanging Eternal Truthspodcast, available on all major platforms.

Dr. Ava Tasker-Mitchell ’96 was appointed superintendent of Somerset County Public Schools.

Nicole Ostrowski ’98 was awarded a Purple Dragonfly Book award
Nicole Ostrowski ’98 (above) was awarded a Purple Dragonfly Book award for her picture book on domestic violence titled Some Days He Growled.

Virginia Gretton ’99 is the new assistant principal at Leonardtown High School.

2000s

Dorian Barnes ’00 was named Baltimore County Public Schools 2024/25 Assistant Principal of the Year.

Douglass Cook ’00 was elected Atlantic General Hospital’s Board of Trustees chair.

J Hamilton
Jill Hamilton ’00 (above) started a new job at the University of Maryland, Baltimore Change Management and Advisory Services as the organizational change management analyst.

Eric Hammond ’00 is the public relations manager for PRS Guitars.

Tisha Paredes ’00 has received a Fullbright Specialist Program Award. As part of this award, she will complete a project at Lesotho Council on Higher Education that aims to exchange knowledge and establish partnerships benefiting participants, institutions and communities both in the U.S. and overseas through a variety of educational and training activities within education.

Kevin Grace ’01 recently joined the Marsh McLennan Agency as a benefits consultant for the Washington, DC, area.

Brandon Wright ’01 is opening a public affairs and government relations firm called Oak Grove Strategies.

Melissa Lingenfelder ’02 was named Baltimore County Public Schools 2024/25 Principal of the Year.

Dr. Dennis Urban ’02 (above) earned a 2024 Keizai Koho Center Teacher Fellowship to travel and study in Japan last summer. Fellows had the opportunity to learn about the Japanese economy, various businesses and contemporary Japanese society, as well as participate in roundtable discussions with educators and business leaders during an eight-day stay in Japan.

Jennifer Corron ’04 and Lindsey MacWha ’06 were featured in Ocean City Today after their business, The Science Nerds, received a $37,000 grant to continue to promote the wonder of science through hands-on activities.

Lisa Blanchet ’05 (above) and her husband Christopher Blanchet ’07 were featured in their company magazine talking about their work with the Blackwell Hall project at Salisbury University.

Tyler Patton ’05 is the director of the Communications and Community Relations Division for Fayetteville Public Works Commission.

Brian Ellis ’06 was promoted to managing director of Morgan Stanley Investment Management and a portfolio manager on the Broad Markets Fixed Income Team in Boston, MA.

Carrie Kellams ’06 has joined the TidalHealth Breast Center in Salisbury, MD.

Christopher Norman ’07 was featured in The Daily Record to talk about his efforts to create a “bipartisan civil justice majority” in the Maryland General Assembly.Stephanie Gerhold ’09 was named Baltimore County Public Schools 2024/25 Teacher of the Year.

2010s

K Fetterolf
Kristi Fetterolf ’11 (above) was a nominee for Cecil County’s Teacher of the Year.

Chloe Mohammadioun (Hackett) ’11 is the high school principal for Delmarva Christian School.

Matthew Curtis ’12 was promoted to head of school at Holly Grove Christian School.

Johnny Rodriguez ’12 (above) was invited to throw the first pitch on the Los Angeles Dodger’s Lou Gehrig Day.

Matthew Seipp ’12 has been appointed as the chief operating officer at KatzAbosch.

Timothy Brasel Jr. ’13 was named the managing director of Chesapeake Corporate Advisors.

Christina (Buzzeo) Hayden ’14 (above) received the Golden Apple Award for teaching excellence and dedication to the Catholic education for the Archdiocese of Washington. Christine shared this message: “I send a special shout out to Carvel Lacurts [mathematics faculty] who always believed in me and always challenged me and helped me work to my fullest potential. Thank you for not giving up on me. I try to show my students the same dedication as you showed me. Thank you to being an inspiration to me and my students.”

Michael Heilman ’14 has joined Atlantic General Primary Care.

Alianna Sigler ’15 was awarded 2025 Cumberland County Teacher of the Year.

Najee Bailey ’16 has joined the National Association of Realtors DC Advocacy Team as the Fair Housing Policy and Programs Analyst.

While attending the 50th anniversary reunion luncheon as part of the University’s Homecoming festivities (above), SU Chief of Staff Eli Modlin ’16 was delighted to reconnect with Patricia Abrahms ’74, his former biology teacher from Mount Saint Joseph High School, Baltimore.

Victor Morales ’16 is the director of parks and recreation for Botetourt County VA.

Lauren Rosiak ’16 got engaged to Paul LeGros on May 24, 2024!

Rylie Shewbridge ’16 is the director of government relations for The Arc Central Chesapeake Region.

Michael Webber ’16 has been appointed associate dean of student success and engagement at the Community College of Philadelphia.

Joseph Wenke ’16 is this year’s Teacher of the Year in the Laurel (DE) School District.

John (J.D) Foell ’17 has retired as the music and band director from Stephen Decatur High School after 32 years.

Aaron Leeds ’18 is the assistant coach/defensive coordinator for the Men’s Lacrosse Program at Sacred Heart University.

Caitlin Nanos ’18 was hired as a fifth grade teacher at Bishop McHugh Regional Catholic School in New Jersey.

Erin Walbert ’18 was recognized by Rho Eta Chapter at Salisbury University as a Lower Eastern Shore Teacher of Distinction after becoming Crisfield High School’s Teacher of the Year.

Riniya Countiss ’19 was selected to be a part of the SHRM Foundation’s inaugural HR Tomorrow Leadership Program.Daniel Eacho ’19 is the head basketball coach at Mary Baldwin University.

Daniel Eacho ’19 is the head basketball coach at Mary Baldwin University.

2020s

Jake Fitzsimmons ’20 was featured in Coastal Magazine for his popular Tomahawk Jim’s seasoning brand.

Aaron Jahnke ’21 is named the director of sport performance for the Catholic University of America.

Ryland Crisman ’22 has started a position as a photographer and editor for CoastTV News.

Alec Foote ’22 was promoted to senior staff accountant at UHY LLP.

Andrew McGinnity ’22 has been promoted to a senior associate at Ellin & Tucker.

William Needum ’22 graduated with a master’s degree in athletic training from Towson University. He also accepted a job at Chapelgate Christian Academy as the head athletic trainer and assistant athletic director.

Kylie Ryan ’22 has opened her new business, Anchoring Minds, LLC.

Kayla Esham ’24 has joined TidalHealth Cardiology.

Georgia Foster ’24 (above) started a position as digital media specialist for Schuman’s Cleaning Service, Inc. (See related article.)

Daisy Holder ’24 (above) completed her internship with Shore Legal Access’ Winter 2024 Sandy Brown Public Interest Interns.

Siera Johnson ’24 was selected to be a varsity assistant coach and junior varsity head mentor at Indian River High School.

Madison Mowl ’24 is a program specialist at the Lower Shore Land Trust.

River Myer ’24 (above) was recognized by the Wicomico County Public Schools New Teacher Induction Program as a Teacher Spotlight as a ninth grade history teacher at Wicomico High School.

Brooke Orr ’24 is a program specialist at the Lower Shore Land Trust.

Danielle Schuman ’24 (above) accepted the position of office administrator at Schuman’s Cleaning Service, Inc in Stevensville, MD. She is excited to work alongside her father, Heath Schuman ’92, who also graduated from Salisbury State College. (See related article.)

Kayli Shaw ’24 (above) was recognized by the Wicomico County Public Schools New Teacher Induction Program as a Teacher Spotlight as a first grade teacher at Fruitland Primary School.