Class Notes, Fall 2023

1960

Marie Carol Cohen says the exposure to the art professors at William Paterson was a most valuable factor in her art journey. She sees excitement and fulfillment in appreciating colors, shapes, lines, movement, and living forms surrounding everyday life. Her years at WP were filled with jewelry making, mosaics, printmaking, and mixed media—all fundamental academics that initiated a zest and passion for the arts.

1971

Gail Molnar Pfeifer, RN, is a contributing author for Courageous Well-Being for Nurses. Strategies for Renewal, by Donna A. Gaffney and Nicole C. Foster, published by the Johns Hopkins University Press. Pfeifer also contributed articles on her nursing career to the 2023 memoir anthology, Thursdays with Jim, now available on Amazon.

1975

Barbara Voglino, MA, at age 82, has published her first work of autobiographical-based fiction, a two-story collection titled, The Girl in the Red Dress: Sixty Years on the Rockpile, which she published under the pseudonym Barbara Blake. The first story is based on Voglino’s younger sister, who was a poet, novelist, and actress; the second chronicles her own life. Voglino, who earned a doctorate from Fordham University, has also written five plays…Marilyn Wolpin is the author of the new children’s book, Bring Back the Babka!, a heartwarming and humorous tale of community members coming together for Shabbat. Wolpin is a writer, blogger, and editor.

1976

George Castellano has published a memoir, Failure is Just a Setback, Giving Up Is Forever, available on Amazon. It is a motivational and inspirational story of his struggles to pursue his dream. He ultimately became board certified in emergency medicine and has been practicing for almost 40 years.

1978

Philip Tornetta recently retired after 16 years as a judge for the State of New Jersey. He previously served as a police officer for the City of Hackensack for 12 years, attaining the ranks of detective and patrol sergeant, and also maintained a private law practice for 15 years. He resides in California.

1985

Michael Russo, MEd ’97, has been named artistic director for Delaware Winds. The ensemble performs the finest literature available for wind ensemble and seeks to program works by under-represented voices in the wind band medium.

1987

Lou Ascione, dean of liberal arts at San Diego Miramar College, has been named a 2023-24 EPIC Community College Leader by Stanford Global Studies. The Education Partnership for Internationalizing Curriculum (EPIC) Leadership Fellowship Program brings together a cohort of mid- and senior-level administrators from community colleges and MSIs across the United States to participate in leadership training and design programs at their home institutions to support international education.

Brian Wood’s Arizona-based professional coaching company, Mars Coaching, has been recognized as Arizona’s first BBB4Good Verified Business by the Better Business Bureau. BBB4Good enables trustworthy, purpose-driven businesses to become BBB4Good Verified by vetting their activities against both BBB Standards for Trust and BBB4Good Standards of higher purpose, community engagement, authentic marketing, and social and/or environmental impact substantiation. Woods has built acts of community service into the mission of his business, which offers transition coaching for former athletes and leadership and development training. Wood serves on the board of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Arizona, as well as the William Paterson University Foundation Board and the Advisory Board for the University’s College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences.

1990

Mary Burns is the author of Saving Eric, which recently won the International Firebird Award in the Addiction and Recovery category. Her book, about her son’s struggle with mental illness and addiction, was written to help people understand how difficult it is to support an individual with these issues.

1991

Frances D’Alessio has joined PanAgora Asset Management, one of the world's leading systematic quantitative investment firms, as senior strategic relationship manager. Previously, D’Alessio served as managing director at Thornburg Investment Management and was institutional client portfolio manager at Lord Abbett Investment Management.

1992

Laura Benko, founder of the Holistic Home Company, has expanded her lifestyle brand with a flagship store and wellness center in Brooklyn, NY. Her first book, The Holistic Home: Feng Shui for Mind Body Spirt Space won a gold in the Independent Publishers Awards; a revised edition of the book will be released in January 2024…John A. Fortunato, MA ’94, is a professor at Fordham University in the Gabelli School of Business. His latest book, Miracle of Effort: Thalia's Autism Journey, is about a Livingston, New Jersey family's challenges and triumphs in dealing with autism. Fortunato teaches courses in sports media, digital media marketing, sponsorship, and crisis management. He is the author of six books and more than 60 journal articles and book chapters.

1999

Nancy Picinic-Ricca was one of four New Jersey public school teachers who won this year's Princeton Prize for Distinguished Secondary School Teaching, awarded by Princeton University. Picinic-Ricca, a teacher at Pascack Valley Regional High School, was honored for developing "rich lessons and experiences" for her students. A self-taught C++ programmer, she teaches math and coding in grades nine through 12. The school credits her for building up the computer science department from scratch while also running clubs like Girls Who Code and designing innovative ways to draw students to coding.

2001

Pamela J. Marcenaro was named by ROI-NJ to its Influencers-People of Color 2023 list. Marcenaro is assistant vice president for enrollment management for the County College of Morris. Her listing notes her as a “seasoned bilingual higher education leader in the areas of academic support services, college readiness, admissions, recruitment, advisement, financial aid and online higher education marketing”…Raymond Rokicki was nominated and received a commission as a Kentucky Colonel.

2004

Angela Fields was named one of NJBIZ’s 2023 Best 50 Women in Business. Fields is executive director of Family Promise of Hunterdon County, which advocates for families and individuals experiencing homelessness and guides them to self-sufficiency and permanent housing by mobilizing the community to provide compassionate care, services, and professional support…Jennifer Stiansen, MA, was hired as director of marketing, Americas Access Segment, for JLG Industries Inc., a leading global manufacturer of aerial work platforms and telescopic material handlers. She previously was a marketing communications manager for several manufacturers and agencies.

2005

Michelle Fenwick, director of special programs in the Ridgewood School District, was named New Jersey’s 2023 Special Education Administrator of the Year, an honor presented by the New Jersey Association of School Administrators and New Jersey Association of Pupil Services Administrators with Frontline Education. The annual award recognizes a special education administrator who has demonstrated outstanding leadership in providing services to students with disabilities and whose work reflects the highest ethical and professional standards…Catherine (Cat) Sohor Purvines started a new role as the community and partnerships senior manager for the Alliance for Decision Education…Jennifer Ringler has launched a public relations and corporate communications company, ReadHealthy Communications, specializing in healthcare and life sciences companies. Ringler was previously a healthcare reporter and editor, writing for Pharmaceutical Executive, Life Science Leader, and other trade publications. She has served in writing/editorial capacities for nonprofits, industry trade publications, consumer health magazines, and more.

2008

Jessica Hatfield is a professional skater for Disney on Ice, most recently performing as Cinderella. She has been touring with the show since 2015, and previously performed on cruise ships, at theme parks and at shows all around the country.

2011

Shannon (Shon) Baker, MM ’11, and Erica Seguine, MM ’11, co-leaders of the Erica Seguine/Shon Baker Orchestra, have released their debut recording, The New Day Bends Light. They met when they first collaborated for their graduate music department recital at WP and have since become key players in New York’s vibrant community of young jazz composers like Secret Society’s Darcy James Argue, who produced their album...Arthur Vint is artistic director/general manager of the Century Room, a jazz club and mezcal lounge in the Hotel Congress, in Tucson, Arizona.

2012

Colin Varanyak won a gold medal in the 2023 BMX X Games in Ventura, California. The X Games are an Olympics-style annual competition of "extreme sports" around the world. Varanyak, who is sponsored by Adidas, travels and competes worldwide on the BMX circuit.

2013

Victoria Tamian is a tattoo artist and owns Victory Art and Tattoo in Little Falls, New Jersey.

2014

Dana Schaeffer was a guest speaker for a Paterson Museum program, A Roadmap to the Diner Capital of the World. The presentation examined how diners have played an important role in New Jersey’s history, spirit, culture and mythology. Schaeffer discussed her efforts to rebuild and preserve the long-shuttered Little Falls Diner and provided insights on the real-world challenges of saving a vintage modular, prefabricated, factory-built diner from the 20^th century.

2015

Virginia Fasulo, MAT, a science teacher at Lodi High School, received a 2023-24 Milken Educator Award. The Milken Educator Awards, created by Lowell Milken in 1987, honor top educators around the country with $25,000 unrestricted awards; the program targets early- to mid-career education professionals for their already impressive achievements and, more significantly, for the promise of what they will accomplish in the future. Fasulo focuses on strengthening career pathways for her students with an emphasis on medicine. She also leads the school’s biology and astrophysics clubs, a pre-med club, and a HOSA-Future Health Professionals chapter.

2016

Alexander Joseph Kapit has been promoted to assistant director of academics for I Learn Schools Paterson - ASCS High School.

2017

Lynne Breitfeller was named a Best Rising Photogtapher for July 2023 by all-about-photo.com. Breitfeller explores the mundane and sometimes unexpected details of everyday life in her work; human relationships, memory and loss, object relations, and humor are recurrent themes. Her work has been exhibited in juried shows in the U.S. and abroad, such as the Griffin Museum of Photography (Massachusetts), Center for Fine Art Photography (Colorado), Los Angeles Center for Photography (California), Montclair Art Museum (New Jersey), PH 21 Gallery (Hungary), and LoosenArt (Italy).

2018

Washington Vivero was appointed assistant director of economic development for the City of Paterson. He has 30 years of experience as a business leader and entrepreneur, including roles as president and CEO of International Resources Group and former president/CEO of Vivero Construction.

2019

Sandra Foley, DNP, a William Paterson clinical nursing instructor, was one of seven honorees statewide selected in the Nurse of the Year category in the 2023 NJBIZ Healthcare Heroes Awards. The awards recognize excellence, promote innovation, and honor the efforts of individuals and organizations making a significant impact on the quality of health care in New Jersey. In addition to teaching undergraduate and graduate nursing students at William Paterson, she serves as president of the New Jersey State Nurses Association, the voice for more than 150,000 registered nurses and advanced practice nurses in the state. She has served as past president and president of Region 1 of the New Jersey State Nurses Association, as vice president of the Institute of Nursing, and a member of the American Holistic Nurses Association…Jorge Solodkin has been named director of sports performance for the University of North Carolina softball program. Solodkin previously served as the volunteer assists coach for the Christopher Newport University softball team. He also is the owner of Evolution Catching, providing lessons, camps and clinics throughout the country since 2018. Solodkin was a catcher on the WP baseball team from 2014-18.

2023

Esma Senman is an account coordinator for Violet PR, a boutique PR agency specializing in economic development; real estate, architecture, and engineering; and media, arts, and social good. She graduated summa cum laude in 2023 with a BA in communication, concentration in public relations, and completed the social sciences honors track…Nazier Wright was picked up by the XFL San Antonio Brahmas for the 2024 season. Wright played linebacker for the WP Pioneer Football Team.