1982

Joyce L. LaVacca (Business Administration) has been appointed vice consul to the Consulate General in Chennai, India by the U.S. Department of State.  Joyce is an attorney who has held several diplomatic roles with the Department of State.  She earned a J.D. from Rutgers Law School and a Master of Liberal Arts from the University of Pennsylvania.

1985

Charles F. Emmons (Marketing) was named vice president of sales of Sunset West, a division of Hooker Furnishings. The company manufactures outdoor furniture. Most recently, Charles was executive vice president of sales and marketing of Windward Designs Group. Prior to that role, he served 16 years as vice president and CMO of Cast Classics.

1993

Knut Sauer (Business Administration) has been promoted to vice president at Dorian Drake International Inc., an export management company based in White Plains, N.Y. He joined the company's sales team in 1995 and has served as group manager of the company's automotive group since 2003.

1994

James Blaney (Environmental Studies) joined New Jersey-based land use consultancy, Dresdner Robin, as director of construction management focusing on remediation services. He previously worked as a construction manager for the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC). He also served as construction manager on the Hudson County Chromium Cleanup Projects in Jersey City. James earned a M.S. in environmental policy and planning from NJIT.

Shane Farley (Communication Arts) has been appointed by Engine Vision Media LLC in Los Angeles as executive vice president of production and development of Los Angeles Magazine Studios, a new company division producing entertainment, lifestyle and cultural content. Shane is a four-time, Emmy-Award-winning producer with credits that include Steve Harvey, Rachael Ray, The Rosie O'Donnell Show and The Voice.

1995

Thomas Ammazzalorso (International Business) has been named president of the George Mason University College of Education and Human Development Alumni Chapter. Thomas will be working with alumni to help fundraise for the university's capital campaign and build a sense of community among the chapter's alumni.

2000

Mariella Spagnolo (Business Administration) was honored by Bergen Community College with a National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD) Excellence Award for her contributions to student success. Mariella is an adjunct faculty member. She teaches event planning and management and owns an event planning business. She holds an M.B.A. in human resource management from Fairleigh Dickinson University.

2001

Jasmine Nykole White (Communication Arts) is the new chief executive officer of Montgomery Community Media (MCM) in Rockville, Md. She previously served as executive director of Capital Community Media in Salem, Ore. Before that, Jasmine worked for Montgomery Community Media as the director of education and community engagement, and for DCTV, where she managed production services, creative services and DCTV’s Youth Training Institute. Jasmine earned an M.A. in film and video from American University as well as an M.P.A. from the University of the District of Columbia. She serves on the national Board of Directors of the Alliance for Community Media.

George Olschewski (B.S.N.) was named the 2023 Distinguished Certified Transport Registered Nurse by the Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing (BCEN). George works for Hackensack University Medical Center's Specialty Care Transport Unit as a critical care transport and mobile intensive care nurse.

2002

Nicholas A. Bernice (M.S.E.T.), superintendent of the Ringwood public school district, was selected by the New Jersey Association of School Administrators New Jersey as 2024 Superintendent of the Year. Appointed in 2016, he is in the running for the National Superintendent of the Year Award from the American Association of School Administrators (AASA). Nicholas earned a B.S. from Fordham University and also holds an M.A. in reading education from St. Peter’s University and an Ed.D. in administration and supervision from St. John’s University.  He serves in the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve as command master chief for Sector Southeastern New England.

2003

Pedro E. Hernandez (History) attorney, partner and co-leader of Hinshaw & Culbertson's global insurance services practice group, has been appointed to the firm’s management committee. Pedro has been with Hinshaw & Culbertson since 2007 and also serves on its executive committee. He earned his J.D. from Pennsylvania State University’s Dickinson School of Law.

Mark R. Schwarz (History) was named superintendent of the Ridgewood Public Schools. He served as superintendent of the Madison Public Schools since 2018 prior to which he was superintendent of the Rockaway Public Schools. He holds an M.A. in educational leadership, management and policy from Seton Hall University.

2004

Katie Arcuri (Communication Arts) has been elevated to position of director of athletics at Saint Peter’s University in Jersey City; she is the 11th person in the school’s history to hold this title. Katie was promoted from senior associate athletics director of compliance and student athlete welfare. She has been with the university for 20 years and has served in a variety of roles within the Athletics Department. While an RCNJ student, Katie was a member of the women’s basketball team and, subsequently, was inducted into the college’s Athletics Hall of Fame. She received a master’s in sport management from the United States Sports Academy.

2005

Kristin Green (Social Science) has been promoted to the position of assistant librarian at Penn State Scranton. Kristin joined the Penn State Scranton community in 2016 as a reference and instructional librarian. She is also a singer in Penn State Scranton’s chorale. Professionally, Kristin is a member of: Beta Phi Mu, the International Library and Information Studies Honor Society; the American Library Association; and the Pennsylvania Library Association where she is also vice chair/chair-elect of the College and Research Division’s Executive Board. She is member at large of the Association of College and Research Libraries' Instruction Section's executive committee and a member of its Value of Academic Libraries committee. Kristin earned an M.L.S. from SUNY Buffalo.

Ian S. Parsells (Literature) was appointed director of the Weston Public Library in Weston, Conn. Ian had served as head librarian/director of the Derby Neck Library Association since 2011 as well as a member of Bibliomation’s Board of Directors. He began his library career in 2010 as a teen reference librarian at the Glen Rock Public Library. He holds an M.L.S. from Rutgers University.

Russell J. Sommers (Accounting) has been promoted to partner at the accounting firm of Baker Tilly U.S., LLP where he leads the firm's financial services risk advisory practice in the New York metro area as well as Baker Tilly’s digital assets practice. Russell serves on the Ramapo College Foundation Board of Governors and is a member of the Anisfield School of Business Alumni Advisory Board.

2006

Sandra Jallow (Accounting) was promoted to business development manager, automotive products at Monadnock Non-Wovens LLC.  The company manufactures synthetic products for the automotive, surgical face mask and air and liquid filtration markets. She joined the company in 2016.

2007

David Vitali (Political Science) has been appointed to the Board of Trustees of the New Jersey Business and Industry Association (NJBIA). He manages state and local public policy in Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania for Amazon. Previously, he served as vice president for Optimus Partners, LLC. Prior to that, Dave worked as a policy adviser for Governor Chris Christie and deputy chief of staff to Lieutenant Governor Kim Guadagno. Dave earned a J.D. from Rutgers University Law School.

2008

Christine M. McCarthy (Spanish Language Studies) was named partner at the law firm of Einhorn, Barbarito, Frost & Botwinick in its accidents/personal injury practice. Christine joined the law firm in 2014. She is a member of the New Jersey State Bar Association, New Jersey Association for Justice and the Morris County Bar Association. She also serves as an advisory board member of the Law and Public Safety Class at Sussex County Technical School. She earned a J.D. from Seton Hall University School of Law.

2009

Steven M. Pardalis (Political Science) was promoted to partner at the law firm of Kiernan Trebach LLP. He had served as counsel in the firm's New Jersey office. Steven specializes in all aspects of litigation. He received a J.D. from Seton Hall University School of Law.

2010

Matthew B. McCullough (Business Administration) was appointed general counsel of Dominari Holdings Inc., a NASDAQ-traded biotechnology company. Prior to joining Dominari, Matthew was a corporate lawyer with Ellenoff Grossman & Schole LLP in New York. He received a J.D. from Brooklyn Law School.

2011

Katherine T. Thorn (Psychology, 2011; M.A.E.L., 2014) has been named principal of Ironia Elementary School in Randolph; she had been acting vice principal. Katherine also served the district as supervisor of elementary education and as vice principal of Shongum and Fernbrook Elementary Schools.

2013

Kyle Tafuri (M.A., Sustainability) was recently named to Becker's Hospital Review's 2023 list, "Rising Stars: 67 Healthcare Leaders under 40," which recognizes young leaders positioned to impact the future of healthcare. Kyle is vice president of sustainability at Hackensack Meridian Health where he leads the development and management of such initiatives as infrastructure upgrades for energy efficiency, green building, nutrition, purchasing and safer chemicals.

Amber Wiseburn (Psychology) has been appointed national marketing director of the non-profit organization, Community Options, which provides housing and employment support for people with disabilities. Amber holds a M.P.S. in marketing from LIM College. She has worked in recruitment and talent management across diverse sectors for nearly ten years, including, most recently, for TikTok.

2014

Louis Di Paolo (Political Science) has been promoted to vice president of New Jersey Policy Perspective, a progressive policy organization. Louis was an aide to State Senator Bob Gordon (D-Fair Lawn) before joining the organization as communications director. He also served as a Dumont councilman.

Nicole Franklin (M.A.L.S.) joined Southern Illinois University Edwardsville as director of communications for the Department of Marketing and Communications. Nicole graduated from the University of Illinois Chicago with a degree in mass communications and went on to work at NBC and CBS. She won three Daytime Emmy awards for her work on the CBS Sunday Morning news program. She has also served as an adjunct faculty member at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, Bloomfield College and Long Island University Brooklyn and as assistant professor at Hofstra University.

2016

Curtis Culvert (Business Administration) joined the legal firm of Murphy Schiller & Wilkes LLP as an associate in its commercial real estate practice. Curtis earned a law degree from the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University.

Juno Zago (Visual Arts) has been named creative director of Gallery Aferro, Newark's oldest operating artist-run gallery. Juno began working at the gallery as an intern in 2014 and eventually was hired as its registrar. He is also a multi-media painter and collage artist.

2019

Easton Lee McDonald (Social Science) was appointed assistant police chief for the City of Alexandria, Va. Easton had been a member of the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office, where he served in several capacities, including as a school resource officer and community police officer. He is a member of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE), the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) and the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP). He holds an M.S. in investigations from the University of New Haven.

2020

Nicholas A. Bucci (Mathematics) was recently sworn in as an officer in the Paramus Police Department. Nicholas graduated from the Passaic County Police Academy in 2021 and was hired and served as a police officer with the Wyckoff Police Department prior to joining the Paramus police force.

Alexis C. Losito (Law and Society) was sworn in as a Wayne police officer in July. Alexis began as a dispatcher for the Passaic County Sheriff’s Department and moved to dispatch for the Wayne Police Department. She was hired as a detective with the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office where she attended the Police Academy.

2021

Tyler M. Barth (Communication Arts) has been named editor of the Chatham Courier, a publication of New Jersey Hills Media Group.

Faith Robles (Accounting) was promoted to senior accountant at KRS CPA’s in Paramus. Faith joined the firm in 2021 upon graduation. She is studying to become a CPA.

2022

Christopher L. Hughes (Political Science) has been appointed chief of staff to New Jersey Assemblyman Christopher DePhillips who represents the 40th Legislative District. Christopher was elected to the Mahwah Board of Education in 2022 at 24 years old. He is active in the Mahwah and Bergen County Republicans and with his parish of Saint Elizabeth in Wyckoff.

Jacob A. Mangeri (Management) joined the Fairfield Township Police Department as a class II special officer. Jacob graduated from the Passaic County Police Academy in 2023. He worked as a park ranger for Pequannock Township, as a visitor service assistant for the New Jersey State Park Police, as a SLEO I officer for the Prospect Park Police Department and as a volunteer firefighter with Pequannock Engine Company 1.

Births

Bette Farber Smith (International Business, 2002) and Daniel N. Smith (Business Administration, 1999) welcomed a son, Charlie, in 2023. He joins big sister, Leliza, born in 2020.  Bette and Dan were introduced by late Professor Garry Kettlitz on campus in 1999.

In Memoriam

Thomas F. Verdicchio ‘84

Maretta J. Short ‘85

Linda K. Kearney ‘86

Marion A. Wolfel ‘89

Carolyn C. Colfax ‘96

Cynthia Minervini ‘96

John Monaghan ‘98

Kunal Malhotra ‘02

Jacqueline M. Yelland ‘03