Class Notes
Share your news with UConn Nation!
Your classmates want to know about — and see — the milestones in your life. Send us news about weddings, births, new jobs, new publications, and more — along with hi-res photos — to: Alumni News & Notes, UConn Foundation, 2384 Alumni Drive, Unit 3053, Storrs, CT 06269.
Submissions may be edited for clarity or length.
Spotlight Stories
Seven friends who met as first-years in September 1970 ran into Jonathans XIV and XV in the Student Union during a campus reunion last summer. From left: Maureen (Fisk) Anderson ’74 (ED); Michele Merusi ’74 (ED); Barbara Burns ’74 (CLAS); Patricia (Brennan) Bacon ’74 (ED); Lynn Lane ’74 (CAHNR); Jamie Lang-Rodean, ’74 (ED), ’78 (MA); and Kathleen (McBrien) Insler ’74 (ED), ’76 MA.
Damon Lewis ’95 (CLAS), of Ponus Ridge STEAM Academy in Norwalk, was named 2025 Middle School Principal of the Year by the Connecticut Association of Schools and 2025–26 Middle Level National Principal of the Year by the National Association of Secondary School Principals. Lewis received the national award at a celebration in Seattle, where North American Society for Social Philosophy CEO Ronn Nozoe called Lewis an “outstanding” principal whose “visionary leadership” has transformed his school community, adding that Lewis has created “innovative approaches that directly address chronic challenges in education—from absenteeism to teacher collaboration—providing effective strategies that school leaders nationwide can implement to drive meaningful change for their students.”
Kaitlyn (Herman) Jessee ’13 (PHARM), ’15 Pharm.D., writes that she and her husband, Von Jessee ’15 MA, met at UConn and married the summer after completing their degrees. “We have been instilling the love of UConn in our two-and-a-half-year-old. Colbie is obsessed with Huskies and UConn Magazines. Her favorite is the Summer 2024 edition. I know if she made it into the Class Notes section of the magazine, she’d be over the moon.”
Scott Kluger ’05 (CLAS) has opened a made-from-scratch bakery and café that has a unique feature: a drive-through window. Kluger owns the Hartford Baking Company, with locations in West Hartford, Farmington, and Glastonbury. He says the drive-through window on his newest venture, HBC Bakery & Market in South Windsor, is the first of its kind in the country for an artisan bakery. His bread and pastries are inspired by his mother’s recipes.
Andrew Janavey ’15 (SFA) and Michelle Hawran ’16 (SFA) were married at Town Hall in Windsor, Connecticut, on Aug. 26 — 12 years to the day they met in professor John O’Donnell’s printmaking class. The two share a love of vintage UConn ephemera, such as this handmade banner, circa who knows, that they found on eBay.
1960s
Scott Cowen ’68 (CLAS), whose leadership of Tulane University during Hurricane Katrina and Case Western Reserve University during the COVID-19 pandemic saw him named one of Time magazine’s top 10 college presidents, just published “Lead and Succeed” with Simon & Schuster. For recent college graduates and early career professionals, the book is informed by Cowen’s own path, and notes his run for student government at UConn as a formative leadership experience.
1970s
Miriam Erick ’70 (CLAS), a registered dietitian and nutritionist, has written extensively on prenatal nutrition, pregnancy, and lactation, and is updating her book, “Managing Morning Sickness: A Survival Guide for Pregnant Women.” Erick, who lives in Newton, Massachusetts, is active in the International Colloquium on Hyperemesis Gravidarum and is an educational associate of The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
Congrats to Debra L. Wentz ’75 MA, ’80 Ph.D., president and CEO of the New Jersey Association of Mental Health and Addiction Agencies, on winning the Champion of Mental Health Excellence Award at ELLA 2025. The award honors her three decades of advocacy in mental health and addiction services. Wentz’s initiatives have improved policies, secured vital funding, and raised awareness about mental health and substance use disorders.
“The Collinsville Pollen Trail has become a passion, a labor of love for us,” says Holly Hambleton ’77 (SFA), above middle, of her work with fellow master gardeners Karen Berger (left) and Michele Jenks (right). They and other volunteers have converted what was a tunnel of invasive knotweed into a spectacular display of native plants along the trail in Canton, Connecticut.
Write on! Lisa C. Taylor ’79 (CLAS), ’81 MA, ’04 MFA just published her first novel, “The Shape of What Remains.” It follows her six books of poetry and short fiction. A national book tour in April included Connecticut stops at the Mansfield Public Library and the Barnes & Noble in Downtown Storrs.
1980s
Ernest F. DesRochers ’80 (BUS), ’81 MBA has been a senior real estate finance professional for more than 35 years. In February, he joined the board of trustees of the Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum in Norwalk, Connecticut.
Dr. Tris Carta ’82 DDM, a Manchester dentist and avid runner who has led the Manchester Road Race Committee since 2007, received the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce’s Community Service Award for contributions to his profession and to his community. The popular 4.7-mile race through Manchester’s central streets is held every Thanksgiving morning.
Allison Keeton ’87 (BUS) recently published her debut novel “Blaze Orange.” The mystery begins when the main character takes a break from Thanksgiving preparations to walk her dogs in the woods, only to have her Labrador stumble upon the remains of a neighbor. Keeton lives in Pemaquid, Maine, with her partner, Tom, and their dogs. She earned a master’s degree in creative writing at Lesley University.
Susan Bailey Callegari ’89 (CAHNR) and Ernesto Callegari ’90 (PHARM) shared the news that their daughter, Amanda Callegari ’20 (CLAS), graduated from Weill Cornell Medical College as a physician assistant (PA) in May 2024. She lives in New York City, where she is an inpatient OB/GYN PA at NYU Langone Hospital—Brooklyn.
Francis J. “Fran” Evon Jr. ’89 (BUS), adjutant general of the Connecticut National Guard, celebrated 40 years of service in August. It all started when he joined ROTC his sophomore year. Evon says that his UConn ROTC mates from back then helped shape him and his future, even before they commissioned as second lieutenants together. Also helping shape his future? The person who lived directly below him in Trumbull House that sophomore year and who eventually became his wife, Laura (Solano) Evon ’90 (BUS).
1990s
And all that jazz. Anthony Susi ’90 MM presented “Jazz Rhythm Section Techniques” in April for the 58th Annual National Association for Music Education Eastern Division In-Service Conference at the Hartford Convention Center.
Theresa V. Donatelli ’91 (CLAS), a senior wealth advisor at Principle Wealth, was named to the 2025 Forbes Best-In-State Top Women Wealth Advisors list for the second year in a row.
David Smail ’91 (ENG) has been named New Shepard Maintenance Training Program lead at Blue Origin. Smail started at the famous rocket company as a training engineer in 2022 after a 25-year career teaching physics and engineering at Freeport High School in Freeport, Maine, and 24 years serving in the Connecticut Air National Guard. He currently lives in Seattle and travels frequently to the Blue Origin launch site in western Texas.
Marc Russo ’91 (CLAS) was appointed CEO at Careforth, a provider of support and resources dedicated to family caregivers. He has more than 25 years of health care management experience, including his own experience caring for his mother.
Frank Milone ’92 (BUS), a founding partner of Glastonbury-based accounting and advisory firm Fiondella, Milone and LaSaracina LLP, was named to Forbes’ inaugural Best-In-State CPAs 2025 list.
Lee McChesney ’94 (BUS), a 2024 inductee in UConn’s School of Business Hall of Fame, was elected executive vice president of Church & Dwight, a consumer packaged goods company with brands like OxiClean and Waterpik. Before joining Church & Dwight, McChesney was senior vice president and chief financial officer of MSA Safety, which develops, manufactures, and supplies safety products.
When he was at UConn, Bill Siever ’95 (CLAS) says he and his friends loved exploring the nature around Storrs at places like the Nipmuck Trail and Horsebarn Hill. His continued passion for the great outdoors is evident in his newly published guidebook, “100 Hikes in the Southern Berkshires and Just Beyond,” which covers the beautiful Massachusetts/New York/Connecticut corner. “I was an English major at UConn, and I’ve been a freelance editor for about 10 years,” says Siever, who lives in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. “I mostly work on editing novels and editing children’s book reviews for Kirkus Reviews magazine.”
Jeff Roberto ’97 (CLAS), who started working in music at WHUS 91.7 FM as an undergrad, recently joined the team at Splice, a royalty-free sample library, as senior vice president of marketing.
Congratulations to Andrew Hersom ’99 MBA on becoming senior vice president, head of investor relations, at Eastern Bank. Hersom previously worked at Argo Group International Holdings as head of investor relations.
2000s
Mary Wren ’01 (BUS) started working for Mohegan Sun’s original hotel team shortly after her graduation from UConn, helping to welcome guests for their first overnight stays at Sky Tower. Since then, she has advanced her career through several promotions, most recently becoming vice president of hotel operations. Congrats!
Sue Bird ’02 (CLAS) scored yet another first on Aug. 17 when she became the first WNBA player to have a statue erected outside her home team’s stadium, Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle.
Communications and public affairs firm Intersect Public Solutions, founded in 2019 by Brian W. Durand ’03 (CLAS) and Michael Mandell, has merged with McDowell Communications Group and is operating as Intersect Public Solutions. Prior to forming Intersect, Durand served as chief of staff to former Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy.
Kudos to Christopher Nardone ’04 (BUS), ’06 MS on becoming a partner working out of the Hartford, Connecticut, office of CohnReznick — an advisory, assurance, and tax firm.
Wesley B. Renfro ’05 MA, ’09 Ph.D. was appointed dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of New England in Biddeford, Maine.
Congrats to Evagelia (Bilias) Lolis ’06 Ph.D. on being appointed the new dean of the School of Education and Human Development at Fairfield University.
Mark Zdunek ’07 (BUS), ’08 MS was promoted to senior vice president, liquidity and investment solution product sales for institutional clients, at Citibank in New York City.
Raymond Salani III ’08 MA says that while he was earning his master’s degree in economics at UConn, he would de-stress by taking photos. Since then, he has honed his photography skills and is publishing his first photography book, “The Appalachian Trail: Four Seasons Along the Trail” this November. Next spring, he plans to follow that up with a book on the Teton Range.
2010s
Alexander Hornat ’10 (BUS), ’13 JD, a litigator and trial attorney who focuses on intellectual property and business litigation, was named to a partnership at McCarter & English, LLP.
Ed Ramsdell ’10 (MBA) was honored by Orion Protective Services for 40 years of service in the security and law enforcement field. Ramsdell is also a passionate military veteran, serving on the board of the Drive On Foundation, dedicated to preventing soldier suicide.
George Philbrick ’10 (ENG) and his daughters, Charlotte and Elise, attended a UConn men’s basketball game against Georgetown.
Congrats to both Joanna M. Targonski ’11 (CLAS, BUS), ’15 JD and Patricia (Jimenez) Durelli ’12 (CLAS) on being promoted to partner at Day Pitney LLP law firm — Targonski works in Trusts and Estates, West Hartford; Durelli in Corporate, Hartford.
The Connecticut Port Authority named Michael J. O’Connor ’12 MBA as its new executive director. O’Connor recently retired as a vice president of Dominion Energy’s Millstone Power Station in Waterford. A Navy veteran, he is chair of the town of Bozrah’s board of finance, vice chair of the Mitchell College board of trustees, and a former member of the Southeastern Connecticut Water Authority executive board.
Andrew Kappel ’13 (BUS) shares that professor David Noble, who had helped support his business, invited him back to campus to participate in a brainstorming session at the Werth Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.
Deependra Bundela ’16 MS published a new book, “The Mystery of Mystics,” which explores a thought-provoking idea: What if the next evolution of AI isn’t just smarter algorithms, but deeper consciousness?
Congratulations to Miriam Hasbun ’17 JD and Victoria Ho ’16 (CLAS), who married in March at the Pavilion on Crystal Lake in Middletown, Connecticut. They first met in 2014 at the old gym’s rock climbing wall and spent the summer rock climbing, playing softball, and eating ice cream at the Dairy Bar. Hasbun is a field attorney for the National Labor Relations Board, a federal agency that protects workers’ rights, and Ho is a pediatric physician assistant in Waterbury at Pediatric Associates of Connecticut. They live in Bristol with their rescue bunny, Canela.
Best wishes to Hayden Atwater ’18 (BUS) and Courtney (Herrington) Atwater ’18 (CLAS), who were married in September 2024 in Maryland before their UConn friends and family. Both were involved in Greek life at UConn, and they first met in 2016 at a fraternity. They now live in New York City, where they both work in marketing.
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