Class notes by the Decade

Person to Person

1950s

Edmond Gicewicz, MD 1956 & BA 1952, was honored by the General Pulaski Association for his work in the field of health care. Gicewicz was formerly an associate professor of clinical surgery at the University at Buffalo. He lives in Amherst, N.Y.

1960s

Donald Alessi, JD 1969, was reelected chairman of the Buffalo and Erie County Naval and Military Park. An attorney, Alessi is a founder of the park and one of its original board members. He lives in Clarence, N.Y.

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1970s

Francis Szoka, PhD 1976, received the 2016 American Foundation for Pharmaceutical Education’s National Mentor of the Year Award. Szoka, a professor at the University of California, San Francisco, School of Pharmacy, is also the founder of Sequus Pharmaceuticals. He lives in San Francisco, Calif.

Kenneth Anthone, MD 1977, an ophthalmologist and founder of Anthone Eye Center, was honored by the General Pulaski Association for his work in the health care field. He lives in Getzville, N.Y.

Acadia national park logo.

Ronald Epp, PhD 1971 & MA 1968, delivered a talk on the pioneering land conservation efforts of Acadia National Park at the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site in Buffalo, N.Y. He resides in Lebanon, Pa.

1980s

Charles Swanekamp, MBA 1980 & JD 1979, an attorney at Bond, Schoeneck and King PLLC, was named to the 2016 Upstate New York Super Lawyers list for business litigation. Swanekamp is the former president of the UB Alumni Association. He lives in Getzville, N.Y.

Michael Corp, JD 1981, was named a Best Lawyer in America for 2017. Corp is a partner and chair of the tax, trusts and estates, and elder law and special needs department at Hancock Estabrook LLP. He resides in Cicero, N.Y.

Susan Ksiazek, BS 1982, was elected treasurer of the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy. Ksiazek is the director of medical staff quality and education at Erie County Medical Center. She resides in Williamsville, N.Y.

Marc Adler, MA 1983, MBA 1982 & BA 1979, completed Visit Buffalo Niagara’s Visitor Journey A2D tourism awareness training program, a course that instructs participants on how to create positive visitor experiences from the tourists’ arrival to their departure. Adler is the owner of Why Not Marketing, a marketing communications firm, and an adjunct professor at the University at Buffalo. He lives in Williamsville, N.Y.

Robert Smolinski, MD 1983, associate professor of clinical orthopaedics at the University at Buffalo, was honored by the General Pulaski Association for his work in the health care field. He lives in Orchard Park, N.Y.

Edward Bednarczyk, BS 1984, was honored by the General Pulaski Association for his work in the field of health care. Bednarczyk is a clinical associate professor and chair of the pharmacy practice department at the University at Buffalo. He lives in Lancaster, N.Y.

Lynn Trowbridge, BA 1984, was appointed senior production underwriter at The MEMIC Group. Active in the insurance community, Trowbridge also volunteers on the board of the Professional Insurance Agents of South Carolina. She resides in Waxhaw, N.C.

Claudia Fosket, MD 1985, was honored by the General Pulaski Association for her work in the health care field. Fosket is a physician at Southtowns Radiology Medical Imaging. She lives in Orchard Park, N.Y.

Cora Alsante, JD 1988, a partner at Hancock Estabrook LLP, was named a Best Lawyer in America for 2017. She was also selected as a 2017 Lawyer of the Year for Syracuse in the area of litigation–trusts and estates. Alsante lives in Jamesville, N.Y.

1990s

Tamara Fowlston, JD 1990, was hired by MJ Peterson to serve as director of affordable housing. Fowlston is a New York State licensed real estate broker and a member of the New York State Bar Association. She resides in Buffalo, N.Y.

William Sheridan, BA 1990, was named one of the 100 most influential people in accounting by Accounting Today magazine. Sheridan is the chief communications officer for the Maryland Association of Certified Public Accountants. He lives in St. Louis, Mo.

Joseph Kowalski, MD 1993, was honored by the General Pulaski Association for his work in the health care field. Kowalski is director of Erie County Medical Center’s Spine Center. He lives in Williamsville, N.Y.

Michael Prendergast, MBA 1994, vice president and senior relationship manager in the commercial banking division of M&T Bank, was elected chair of the Food Bank of Western New York’s Board of Directors. He lives in Hamburg, N.Y.

Marc Rosenthal, BA 1994, was named a member of the 2016 Chairman’s Council of New York Life. Rosenthal has been a New York Life agent since 2001 and is associated with the Buffalo-Erie General Office. He resides in Buffalo, N.Y.

Joseph Saseen, PharmD 1994 & BS 1992, was made a member of the Professionals Accelerating Clinical and Educational Redesign (PACER) Project’s steering committee. PACER is a national interprofessional primary care faculty development program. Saseen will represent pharmacy education and clinical practice perspectives. He lives in Williamsville, N.Y.

Nancy Mautone-Smith, MSW 1996, was named deputy director of the Office of Women’s Health in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). The office coordinates women’s health-related activities across HRSA to reduce sex- and gender-based disparities and to support comprehensive, culturally competent and quality health care. She resides in Washington, D.C.

Frank Robertson, BS 1997, was made an associate with the engineering consulting firm TLC Engineering for Architecture. He resides in Windermere, Fla.

Julie Szumigala, MD 1997 & BA 1992, lead physician at Kensington OB/GYN, was honored by the General Pulaski Association for her work in the field of health care. She lives in Buffalo, N.Y.

Walter Tarver III, MBA 1997, was named president of the Eastern Association of Colleges and Employers. Tarver also serves as director of the Career Center at Stockton University in Galloway, N.J. He lives in Sicklerville, N.J.

2000s

Karianne Gomez, BS 2000, joined Pampered Chef as vice president of field strategy and customer experience. She was previously vice president of strategy at the HAVI Group. Gomez lives in Chicago, Ill.

Frederick Pordum, MBA 2002, was honored by the General Pulaski Association for his work in the health care field. Pordum is director of business development and marketing for the Visiting Nursing Association of Western New York. He lives in Orchard Park, N.Y.

Kristin Crosby, BS 2004, was promoted to manager at Brock, Schechter and Polakoff LLP. Before joining the firm she worked as an internal auditor for four years. She resides in Orchard Park, N.Y.

Michael Grimaldi, BS 2004, was promoted to director of enterprise architecture at BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York. Most recently, Grimaldi served as manager, solution architecture, with responsibilities including planning, directing and overseeing the solution architecture function. He lives in Hamburg, N.Y.

Adam Dunning, BS 2006, was appointed director of health care economics at BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York. Dunning also serves on the board of directors for the Boys & Girls Club of Elma, Marilla and Wales. He resides in Lancaster, N.Y.

Diane Oyler, PhD 2006, joined the Health Foundation for Western & Central New York as program officer. Oyler is a graduate of the Health Foundation’s Health Leadership Fellows program. She lives in Buffalo, N.Y.

Richard Taczkowski, MUP 2006, was named chairman of the board emeritus by the board of trustees of the Schoolhouse #8 History Center & Museum in North Collins, N.Y. Taczkowski resides in Buffalo, N.Y.

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2010s

Natalie Connolly, BA 2011, was promoted to senior fraud investigator at Evans Bank. Connolly previously served as an assistant branch manager in the bank’s Williamsville and Lancaster financial centers. She resides in Kenmore, N.Y.

Theresa Kolodziej, PhD 2013 & MS 1994, was honored by the General Pulaski Association for her work in the health care field. Kolodziej is director of clinical education and physical therapy at Daemen College. She lives in Lancaster, N.Y.

Kevin Leary, MA 2013, was appointed managing director of Theatre of Youth, Western New York’s only professional theater company dedicated to child audiences. Previously, Leary was financial administrator at the University at Buffalo’s Technē Institute. He lives in Ellicottville, N.Y.

Gary Sczerbaniewicz, MFA 2013, an adjunct instructor in the University at Buffalo’s Department of Art, was awarded the New York Foundation for the Arts fellowship in architecture, environmental structures and design. He resides in Buffalo, N.Y.

Julia Szprygada, MSW 2013 & BA 2009, was honored by the General Pulaski Association for her work in the field of health care. Szprygada is a licensed social worker and director of education and training for the Western New York chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association. She lives in Buffalo, N.Y.

Clare Carroll, MBA 2014 & PharmD 2014, was named pharmacist, clinical and account management, for Independent Health’s Pharmacy Benefit Dimensions. She lives in Orchard Park, N.Y.

Mellissa Murphy, JD 2014, joined Lipsitz Green Scime Cambria as an associate in the estates, wills and trusts department. She resides in Lockport, N.Y.

Marissa Slevar, MPH 2014, joined the Michael J. Fox Foundation as program officer, research partnerships. Slevar provides content support for the Partners in Parkinson’s initiative and is working to develop the Parkinson’s Grassroots Network. She lives in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Kelly Barrett, JD 2015 & BA 2012, joined the Center for Elder Law and Justice as an attorney. She resides in Buffalo, N.Y.

Amy Lee, PharmD 2015, was appointed to the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists’ New Practitioners Forum Practice Advancement and Advocacy Advisory Group. Lee, a pharmacist at Wyoming State Hospital, was also elected to the board of directors for the Wyoming Pharmacists Association. She lives in Evanston, Wyo.

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