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Pioneer Pride

What is a Pioneer?  At William Paterson University, a Pioneer can be one of the institution's more than 62,000 alumni.  They are found throughout New Jersey, the nation, and the world, using their William Paterson degrees and experiences as a springboard to professional accomplishment and personal growth. Their achievements reflect the University's mission and commitment to preparing graduates for success in their careers, communities, and lives.

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Jennifer Callanan, assistant professor of environmental science, investigates what fires mean to an ecosystem

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Edward Burns, professor of English, is a leading expert on 20th century author, poet, and art collector Gertrude Stein and her entourage

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Gennifer Furst, associate professor of sociology, explores how animals, especially dogs, are used in correctional facilities

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Mark Antonio Grant '77, speaks passionately about cancer prevention as a Hero for Hope award recipient

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Kevin Lenahan '90, vice president of finance and chief financial officer of Atlantic Health System, is focused on affordable health care

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Dorothea Lischick '77, is the general manager of one of the largest sports and entertainment venues in Colorado

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Lucia McMahon, associate professor of history, documents how education impacted women in the early American republic

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Emmanuel Onaivi, professor of biology, conducts research that could lead to therapeutic drugs for pain and other medical conditions

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Robb Rehberg, associate professor of kinesiology, is one of New Jersey’s foremost advocates for concussion and brain injury awareness

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Martin Becker, professor of environmental science, is one of the world’s leading experts on U.S. fossil sharks

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Ronald Berkman ’73, the president of Cleveland State University, is working to support the city’s renewal during a time of great economic challenge

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Janis Strasser, professor of elementary and early childhood education, has been honored as one of the country’s outstanding teachers

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Ben Jones ’63, is an internationally acclaimed visual artist whose works explore global issues

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Edna Cadmus ’76, clinical professor at Rutgers-Newark, helps a new generation of nurses excel and advance in leadership positions

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Joe Riccitelli ’85, promotes some of the hottest names in contemporary pop music for Jive Label Group

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Kathy Walsh ’81, serves more than 1,000 individuals with disabilities as president and CEO of ARC of Bergen and Passaic Counties

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Lisa Coates ’02, a Virginia teacher, is one of 15 U.S. Department of Education Teaching Ambassador Fellows for 2010-11

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Matthew Samra ’94, is a vascular surgeon at the Deborah Heart and Lung Center

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Richard Sponzilli ’71, president and CEO of a premier landscape design firm, serves clients from Donald Trump to Calvin Klein

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Tyshawn Sorey ’04, is a musician, performer, and composer who embraces a wide range of musical genres

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Margie Gelbwasser, M.A. ’03, turned an idea from her master’s thesis into her first young adult novel

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Linda Bowden, M.A. ’78, provides executive leadership as the northern New Jersey regional president of PNC Bank

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John DeLuca ’79, leads a team of scientists studying memory and information processing disorders at Kessler Research Center

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Rosa Alcala ’91, is a poet and professor at the University of Texas at El Paso

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Ronald Berkman, M.A. '73, is an urban planner and public affairs specialist—and the president of Cleveland State University

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Maureen Conway ’66, whose career included numerous executive positions at HP, now brings her expertise to the University’s Board of Trustees

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Brad Gooch, professor of English and Guggenheim Fellowship recipient, has gained a national reputation for his biography of Flannery O’Connor

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Norman Greene ’98, serves as director of finance for the White House

Raza Mir, professor of marketing and management, specializes in knowledge transfer in multinational corporations

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Dave O’Neill ’01, has built a reputation as a successful children’s book illustrator

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Alfred Piaget ’57, has had a distinguished fifty-year career in education

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Michael Turco ’05, magician and illusionist, has performed in Atlantic City and on America’s Got Talent

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Tina Lesher, professor of communication, is an award-winning journalist and author and a Fulbright Scholar

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Susan Ungaro ’75, president of the James Beard Foundation, promotes America’s rich culinary heritage

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Free Hess ’00, brings passion to her position as a pediatric emergency medicine physician at Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx

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Stuart Aust ’80 and Donna Giuca Aust ’81, owners of Bug Doctor Termite and Pest Control, count Yankee Stadium and the United Nations as clients