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Class Notes

The Class Notes section of Leaves includes items submitted by class secretaries and alumni, along with information gathered from press releases, news stories, and websites. Notes are edited for clarity and space. Unfortunately, we cannot verify factual content of submissions. In the interest of protecting alumni privacy, it is the policy of University Advancement not to share personal information. Please contact the office if you wish to connect with a fellow alumnus: alumni@lasell.edu.

From the centennial celebration issue of Leaves: “The Class of 1951 sings Farewell to the Crow’s Nest”

From the centennial celebration issue of Leaves: “The Class of 1951 sings Farewell to the Crow’s Nest”

1940s

1946 | Class Secretary
Joan Hanson Blake

1950s

1951

Shirley Hannafin Adams recently turned 95 and lives in New Hampshire. She is recovering from surgery that required a week-long hospital stay.

1953 | Class Secretary: Mary Ann Donahue

Lee Coronella Krueger’s daughters and their families traveled to her home in Portland, Oregon, to celebrate the holidays and her birthday.

Mary Ann Donahue still alternates between her apartment in New York City and a summer cottage at the edge of Cape Cod, where she is always happy to host visitors. She writes, “Neither location escaped the Blizzard of ’26 but the Cape really got slammed! Spring thaw couldn’t come soon enough.”

Shirley Vara Gallerani reports the addition of two more great-grandchildren in the last year; she now has eight. She writes, “It is wonderful to see new life in our family.” She lives on Cape Cod and is a member of three book clubs and enjoys lunches with friends. She is looking forward to her annual summer lunch with Mary Ann Donahue.

Elsie Knaus Klemt flew to New Hampshire last year to attend the barn wedding of her granddaughter. She saw family and friends she had not seen in years on a beautiful New England fall day.

1955 | Class Secretary: Bobbie Jennings

Lois Kuhn Hopson, who lives in Sarasota, Florida, maintains her youthfulness by exercising at a gym and volunteering at a nearby hospital. She says hello to everyone.

Ann Pierson Scott lives on the water in Salem, Massachusetts. There are five in her household; her granddaughter and her family and her grandmother-in-law, making for a convivial atmosphere. Ann stays active, going out to restaurants whenever someone is willing to take her. She doesn’t drive anymore.

Bobbie Jennings, with renewed energy after battling ovarian cancer and winning, has rejoined all the committees at her retirement community in Honolulu that she used to chair. She has also initiated a trap, neuter, and return program for the large feral cat population on the property, and, as an animal lover, always has one or two adoptees at home with her. Bobbie has connected with Alaska resident Dot Bardarson ’53, another alumna living outside the mainland United States. Turns out that they both lived in Gardner House in their senior years and became published authors. Writes Bobbie, “We are both grateful to Lasell for starting us off on our successful journeys.”

Barbara Judd Ozinga still lives in her forever home in Norman, Oklahoma. She keeps her mind active by taking senior classes at the University of Oklahoma and participating in three book clubs. Barbara comments: “Seeing a picture of the Barn in a recent Leaves brought back happy memories to this old ‘Day Hop.’”

Audrey Silver Rogers’s home state of Rhode Island was hit very hard by the Blizzard of ’26. She made sure to keep her birds and chipmunks and squirrels well fed. Her primary hobby is still knitting baby blankets, and she also keeps busy attending water aerobics classes, having lunch with friends, and reading. She still enjoys reminiscing with Bobbie Jennings about their Bragdon House second-floor parties and their River Day victory together.

1957

Joan Pethybridge Thompson keeps in touch with Millie Berg Cunningham. They enjoy reminiscing about their concert at Lasell’s father-daughter weekend in 1957, when they played a duet, “Stairway to the Stars,” on two concert grand pianos on the stage. Writes Joan, “My father, who was a great jazz pianist, was in the audience and told me how good we were. It was a fun time.”

1958

Gail Winalski Burd lives in Bonita Springs, Florida, and reports that she’s still in touch with quite a few ’58ers and they are all active and enjoying life in their late 80s. She became a great-grandmother in December when grandson Taylor and his wife, Tara, had Weston Joseph Allen in Ohio. Gail still enjoys crafting.

Mary Ann Fuller Young is planning a cruise to Alaska. She enjoys keeping up with what is happening at Lasell on social media.

1959

Carroll “Sam” Spelke Dawson retired to Laguna Beach, California, and operates “Sam’s Salons,” which she founded 17 years ago as a place for women to gather and discuss interesting topics (politics, religion, and “man bashing” are not permitted). She wrote Broad Appeal: Wit and Wisdom from Women 60 to 90. Sam has three daughters and seven grandchildren. She plans to officiate at the wedding of one of her grandsons in September and will become a great-grandmother in July.

Dot Day Bardarson '53

Lyn Lyons Vanden-Handel '53

Lyn Lyons Vanden-Handel retired from Deloitte after more than 20 years in 2009 to help operate the family-owned Springwater Bed & Breakfast in Saratoga Springs, New York, with her husband. Her grandson Matthew now runs the B&B, taking over from Lyn’s daughter Leslie. Lyn enjoys handling reservations and meeting and greeting guests from around the world. She has three great-grandchildren. Lyn remained in touch with Barbara Crossley Kelling. She writes, “I would enjoy seeing more friends from my Lasell days so come and see us!

1960s

1960

Barbara Jacoby Adelstein is proud of her grandchildren: Charlie will attend Dartmouth, Leila goes to Hamilton, Shay is a student at Skidmore, and Ellie teaches children with autism in Boston. Barbara is still in touch with Sheila Keil ’62, her cousin.

Carole Raffel Waksler and her husband continue to occupy the home in Somerset, Massachusetts, where they have lived for 53 years. Their oldest grandson works for EY in New York City and his brother is a freshman at Colgate. She writes, “I would love to hear from classmates.”

1961 | Class Secretary: Elaine Butler Ryan

Betty Hood was sorry to learn of the passing of Martha Swett Cote, a housemate at Cushing House during their second year at Lasell. Writes Betty, “She was a hot ticket and kept us laughing along with her roommate Pam Lucy Quinn P’96 (also deceased).” Betty remembers visiting Martha in rural Maine. “She taught me how to snowshoe. It was easy following her in the woods, then she made me go first!”

1962 | Class Secretary: Joan Sastavickas Curtin

1963

Pat Johnson has retired and lives in Virginia.

1964

Ruth DeWitt Ghia celebrated Joan Keefe Feloney’s 82nd birthday with her at a lovely lunch at the Manchester Country Club in Connecticut—despite two feet of snow on the ground. Writes Ruth, “We meet for lunch almost every month. We’d like to wish all our fellow Lasell classmates a healthy and happy year.”

Carol Bradley Sullivan married Paul Paddock on March 22. They are both 82 years old and their former spouses passed away many years ago. Writes Carol, “It’s never too late to find love.”

1967 | Class Secretary: Katherine McDonough Ryan P’03

Susan Carlson McDonald is a retired nurse and lives in Barrington, Rhode Island.

1968

Mary Lou Rossano-Collier has retired after teaching elementary school in Arlington, Massachusetts.

1969

Mary Anne Conboy G’15 volunteers with the Falmouth Genealogical Society, enjoys chair yoga, and meets weekly with her Yarners group. She has read or listened to more than 1,000 books since the beginning of the pandemic. Her 974th book was authored by Boston-born writer Jonathan Kozol. The Theft of Memory: Losing My Father, One Day at a Time is a memoir and description of his parents and their decline. Writes Mary Anne, “As a former elder care administration student at Lasell, it was important for me to learn more about the living and dying process.”

Nancy Alterman Walker splits her time between Charleston and Aiken, South Carolina, with visits to New York City to see friends and theater. She will always remember her first snow at Lasell. Nancy writes, “Love to everyone.”

Sally Cabral Crowe '61

Carol Brown Weed '66

Marie Fratoni '69

1970s

1971 | Class Secretary: Carol Goulian Stewart

1974 | Class Secretary: Barbara Hirschfield Henry

1975

Faith-Robin Lepow Feldman and her husband have retired and enjoy spending time with their 10 grandchildren, four of whom live a few blocks away in Naples, Florida. She has traveled recently to Denmark, Sweden, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, and England. Faith-Robin writes, “I’m sending a big hello to all of my classmates.”

1980s

1982

Kathryn Dempsey McArdle and her husband, Bob, reside in Spring, Texas (just north of Houston), with their two dogs, Brady (Patriots) and Lambert (Steelers). They anticipate moving to the Massachusetts area once she retires next year.

1985

Lee Zeytoonjian Colbert works as a senior payroll analyst at Novo.

1986

Josephine Bonilla Barayuga reports that as of her 70th birthday she and her husband of 43 years have four children and five grandchildren. She retired from her career as a registered nurse in 2017. Josephine writes, “I want to thank the Class of 1986 for the memories. God bless your nursing activities.”

1989 | Class Secretary: Michelle Forget White

Janet Lockwood Kawada '73

Michelle Forget White '89

1990s

1990

Stormy Horton Bell ’92 G’20, the chair of Lasell’s Board of Overseers, has joined Girls Spark as executive director.

1993 | Class Secretary: Tracey Provost Downs

1995 | Class Secretary: Deb Lestch Blumenthal

1996

Jessica Harrison Durand has been a baker at the University of New Hampshire for five years. She and her husband, who recently celebrated their 14th wedding anniversary, live in Lebanon, Maine, with their son, two dogs, a cat, a guinea pig, and 18 chickens. The family plans to visit Albania and Montenegro this year after recently traveling to Italy, Canada, and California.

Gayle Lucido Movalli '93, Jon Klippert '12, and Shannon Oliver '08

First-Year Seminar Speakers

Shannon Muller Dean '95 (center, Kristine Bell Smith '94 (left), and Kerry Brody Barber

Southern Hospitality

2000s

2001 | Class Secretary: Jinette Dumont-Chapman

Danielle Blais Flad, senior manager of retail visual merchandising at New Balance, and Amber King Bazdar ’04, director of visual merchandising, both worked with Lasell School of Fashion students on their Fashion Media and Merchandising capstone project, which was presented to New Balance in December. The capstone project at Lasell acts as a live case study through which fashion students work on “live” corporate challenges using all 3½ years of their coursework.

2002

Christian Dumais ran unopposed for a second two-year term as the mayor of Marlborough, Massachusetts.

2003

Jimmy Martin and Joanna McCarthy G’11 visited Lasell to participate in the First-Year Seminar and offer career advice to new students. Jimmy is a product development manager at New Balance (see following page) and Joanna is founder and president of Compass Philanthropy and a member of the Lasell Board of Overseers. Jimmy told the students, “Your career starts when you get to Lasell. Any day you arrive in a new group of people, start your networking. Think about how you present yourself and the values you share.”

Elisha Vaughn is a personnel assistant at the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs.

2004 | Class Secretary: Crista Cannata

Karen Hill is director of meetings at the Association & Conference Group.

2005 | Class Secretary: Gregory Koch

2006 | Class Secretary: Danielle Grethel Phillips

Valerie Pierre has started a new position as assistant vice president of the Bridge Counseling Center at Open Sky Community Services.

2007 | Class Secretary: Elizabeth Huston

Vanessa Wojtusiak leads the promotion services operations team at Avid Marketing Group, where she oversees promotion and sweepstakes fulfillment, consumer-facing customer service, legal compliance, and validation for a portfolio of liquor brands, including Diageo, Proximo Spirits, Campari Group, and Boston Beer Company.

2008 | Class Secretary: Kevin Lang

Krystal Ortiz DePaolo, a former lacrosse standout at Lasell, was named women’s lacrosse coach at Regis College in Weston, Massachusetts. She has served as head coach at Medway High School and Methuen High School.

2009 | Class Secretary: Rachel Craft Howard

Alyson Beaujon is a wholesale manager at Gati & Co. in Austin, Texas.

Amanda “Mills” Miller McGrath lives in Swansea, Massachusetts, with her son, Logan. She serves as the dean of undergraduate students at Suffolk University.

Nara Paz-Gain is business director at smartsims. She also works as a real estate advisor with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices in Lexington and designs clothing for her exclusive clientele in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

Jon Shilalis started a new business, nessabottles.com, and lives in Florida.

Chris Weatherhead is chief marketing officer for product and partnerships at Montecito Village Travel, his family’s travel management company in Santa Barbara, California.

Courtney Hamilton Hizey (left), Danielle Grethel Phillips ’06 (center), and Christian Dumais ’02

First-Year Seminar Speakers

Courtney Hamilton Hizey '04 (left), Danielle Grethel Phillips ’06 (center), and Christian Dumais ’02 returned to campus to share their career experiences and provide advice for new students in their First-Year Seminar. Courtney operates her own photography business, Danielle owns Washington Beach Designs, and Christian is mayor of Marlborough, Massachusetts. “These next four years at Lasell, do what you can: study abroad, join that theater group, be an orientation leader,” Christian advised. “Now is the time to do all those things. You will come into who you are. Challenge yourself. I was able to succeed through the core values I learned at Lasell.”

Robert Lefebvre Jr. '06

Lisa Feniola Daniele '07

Victoria Zaleski '09

2010s

2010 | Class Secretary: Heather Oblon

2011 | Class Secretary: Kimberly Hooper Gladman

Lauren Ennis wrote A Boy’s Best Comrade, a middle-grade historical fiction novel set in Moscow in 1938. She writes, “I was a history major and had many great experiences with Lasell’s history program as well as its literature courses.”

Dan Hatch was promoted to senior vice president of global sales at Tufin, a leader in network security posture management. In his new role, he will lead Tufin’s global sales organization, overseeing worldwide revenue execution and driving scalable growth across the company. Dan joined Tufin in 2023 after working at Gryphon.ai and Turbonomic.

2012 | Class Secretary: Kasey Looney Silva

2013 | Class Secretary: Carrie Goodwin Kenniston

Bobby Stachura was promoted to athletic trainer with the Worcester Red Sox, the Triple-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. He joined the Red Sox in 2019 and worked for the Single-A team in Greenville, South Carolina, for four years before moving up to Double-A Portland for the last three seasons.

2014 | Class Secretary: Flannagh Fitzsimmons

Kelsey Conroy was promoted to dean of residential students at The Fessenden School in Newton.

Billy Uberti was named head baseball coach at Emerson College. The former Lasell baseball standout coached the Lasers for the last six years, leading the team to a program-best 25-16 record in 2025.

2015 | Class Secretary: Shannon Pasco

Ashleigh Copeland founded the Finesse Figure Skating Club, which is based in Franklin and Marlborough, Massachusetts. The club helps kids and adults learn the art of figure skating through specialty classes, private coaching, and competitive synchronized skating teams.

Patrick Kuffour, Antonio Simmons Jr. ’16, and Ghashka St. Cyr ’16 operate Auntie’s House restaurant in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. The restaurant, which opened in April 2025, describes itself as “where Afro-Caribbean flavors meets Halal goodness.”

Matt Sammarco was named interim coach of the Lasell baseball team. The former Lasers standout spent the last five years as an assistant coach under departed coach Billy Uberti ’14. Says Matt, “I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to continue building the Lasell baseball program. This program means a great deal to me, and I’m excited to lead our student-athletes as we move forward.”

2016 | Class Secretary: Jordan Dalpe

Rebecca Douglas is a senior apparel technical designer at The Black Dog. In her free time, she enjoys metal detecting, playing the harp, mending clothing and marine upholstery, and repairing sewing machines.

Jared MacDonald was promoted to associate athletic director for strategic communications and media relations at Western Kentucky University.

Meagan Pariseau is the manager of programs and member relations at the Business & Industry Association of New Hampshire. She was featured on the Stay Work Play New Hampshire blog for making an impact in her home state. Meagan grew up in West Stewartson near the Canadian border.

Katie Stopera was promoted to head of basketball apparel and business unit concepts at PUMA Group.

2017 | Class Secretary: Yordan Villalon

Brandon Valentin, a former member of the Lasell baseball team, recently relocated to the Washington, D.C., area and works as a government trade analyst for APL Maritime. In his role, he supports secure ocean transportation, specialized logistics, and supply chain solutions for the U.S. government and military. In his spare time, he enjoys playing baseball, pickleball, and basketball, and traveling.

2018 | Class Secretary: James Rossano

Jessie Bowens began a new role as a procurement category specialist at Flynn Group, the largest franchise operator in the world. She will marry her fiancé, Seth Martin, on May 30.

Emma Cipriani was promoted to assistant director of housing and operations at the University of Hartford.

Stanley Sajous G’22 has been an investigator in the Federal Community Defender Office in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania since 2024. He had previously been a criminal defense investigator at the Committee for Public Counsel Services in the Public Defenders Division. In 2023 he received the Emerging Defender Award, which is given to those who show exemplary effort and go above and beyond to advocate on behalf of the indigent community. In his current role, he secured the release of a client serving a sentence of 62 ½ to 125 years.

2019 | Class Secretary: Rebecca Van Spall-Hood

Henry Santana won a second two-year term as an at-large city councilor in Boston.

Scott Bacon '10

Ariel Lipson Charbonneau '14

Justin Miller '14

Garbriella Giangregorio '16 and Skylar Beckerman '16

Garbriella Giangregorio '16 G'19 and Skylar Beckerman '16 G'17 G'23

Garbriella and Skylar are enjoying another busy year with their twin boys, Vin and Howie, who recently celebrated their first birthdays. The family bought a new home in Cumberland, Rhode Island, and now rent their previous home in Johnston. Skylar works at Brown University and is a member of the Lasell Board of Overseers. Garbriella serves as assistant director of alumni relations at Harvard Law School while also operating her wedding planning business, Beckerman House of Planning. She writes, “Life is busy, happy, and full of milestones. We feel so lucky to still see many Lasell friends. The group of 16+ gets together for birthdays, weddings, and vacations.”

Alyssa Nahigian '16

Yordan Villalon '17

Samuel White '19

2020s

2020 | Class Secretary: Katie Jones Kinsman

Lianne Almeida designed the custom gown that movie star Bronwyn James wore for the European premiere of Wicked: For Good in London last fall. “I feel proud. Stitching my label into that gown and then seeing it beside stars like Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, and Jeff Goldblum, it’s truly magical,” she told The Herald News, her hometown newspaper in southeastern Massachusetts. “This was one of those moments where you pause and think ‘this is exactly where I’m meant to be.’”

Ethan Ilvento is a childcare worker at Waterford Country School in Connecticut.

2021 | Class Secretary: Brianna Doody

Nicholas Shelley, who received his master’s degree in history at the University of North Carolina Wilmington this spring, presented at the Southeast Regional Graduate Student Conference at Florida State University. He is applying to doctoral programs in history.

Hunter Spencer is a senior deployment strategy analyst for Silversea, part of the Royal Caribbean Group, and lives in Florida.

2022 | Class Secretary: Courtney Sobolewski

Meghan Carroll G’23 joined Nterprisers as a marketing coordinator.

Courtney Sobolewski received her master’s degree in athletic training from the University of New England and accepted a position as an athletic training fellow for the men’s and women’s tennis teams at the University of Michigan.

2023 | Class Secretary: Emily Casella

Dalton Brown is general manager at Fitness Together in Newtonville, where he started working as a Lasell intern. He also trains clients and coaches at CrossFit Newton.

Jessie Bowens works at Genuine Foods, where she is a copywriter and content creator.

Matt Rothberg is a practice manager at Baystate Financial.

Nate Whitehead works in the neurosurgery department at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston.

Michael Woo graduated with a master’s degree in public administration from Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs in May. He’s looking forward to applying the skills he’s learned to effect change for the common good.

2024

Julia McNicol was promoted to a full-time product development specialist in kids’ costumes at TJX.

CJ Mills, a former Laser, is the new hitting coach for the Lasell baseball team.

Stephanie Perles is a sales associate at Pandemonium Boutique and lives in New York.

Kiley Pippa is an interior designer at Family Hearth & Patio in New London, Connecticut.

Taryn Roberts is a preschool special education teacher in the Revere Public Schools in Massachusetts.

Maeve Willerup has joined Boston Children’s Hospital Trust as a development assistant on the cause marketing team.

2025

Adam Marsh is pursuing his MBA at Lasell and works for the Boston Red Sox.

Cameron McDonough was named assistant soccer coach, residential life supervisor, and academic advisor at Northwest Iowa Community College. At Lasell, he played for the soccer team and earned the Scholar-Athlete Award for maintaining the highest cumulative grade-point average among male student-athletes.

Elliot Pototsky, who is pursuing a master’s degree in broadcasting and digital journalism at the SI Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, is traveling this summer to Israel to cover the 2026 Maccabiah Games. He writes, “I can’t wait to put my storytelling skills to the test and highlight what makes the intersection of sports and community so special.”

Spencer Villinski moved to Manhattan’s East Village in mid-August upon graduation from Lasell. After completing the Macy’s executive development program in assortment planning in men’s shoes in early November, he was reassigned and is now an assistant assortment analyst.

Maddie Young served as the costume designer for The Portland Players production of Little Women.

John Zaslow is an equipment and athletic operations graduate assistant at Fairfield University. The former Lasell soccer player and sport management major writes, “Lasell will forever be home to me, thanks to all the friends and people I met during my time there and, most importantly, being part of an institution and community that allowed me to grow into the person I am today.”

Sarah Kelly '20

Kaylie Gonya '23

Graduate

Christine Fisher G’12 was promoted to vice president of sales at Lily Transportation. She joined the company in 2016 as marketing director and transitioned to the sales team in 2019 as a national accounts and business development manager.

Trent Tice G’12 won a two-year term to serve as an at-large city councilor in his hometown of Salem, Massachusetts. He is an inside salesman for Tri-State Tool & Hoist, his family’s company, and is a petty officer first class in the U.S. Coast Guard Reserves.

Tracey Solomon-White G’14 is founder and volunteer-in-chief of wYnwYn (Win-Win), a platform born from her 2018 resolution to volunteer monthly. Inspired by the joy of service, Tracey created wYnwYn to bridge the “volunteer void” that exists beyond the holidays. A professional voice artist and co-host of the “Little State Big Voices” podcast, she is dedicated to year-round community impact.

Michael Feuling G’17 was named director of athletics at the University of Dubuque in Iowa. He earlier served as director of athletics at the University of Montana Western and at two schools in Oregon.

Kathleen Jenkins-Brown G’17 earned an MBA with a concentration in data analytics from Fitchburg State University. She is a senior project manager at Forhealth Consulting at UMass Chan Medical School.

Joanne Connolly Farley G’18 serves as director of the Office of International Student Services and Study Abroad at Framingham State University. She began her career in higher education 10 years ago as undergraduate admissions data and communications specialist at Lasell.

Faith Gagliardi G’18 joined the board of directors of the Flying Cloud Institute, a center designed to inspire young people and educators through dynamic science and art experiences in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. She currently serves as an account manager at Working Planet and previously was senior director of owned media at Go Fish Digital.

Yaxin Han G’20 is a runway model, production professional, and pageant judge working internationally in the fashion industry. She has appeared in multiple seasons of New York Fashion Week, collaborating with designers across diverse cultural aesthetics while supporting show production and talent development. In addition to her runway work, she mentors emerging models and pageant competitors.

Lauren LeSanto Fobes G’21 is senior talent acquisition recruiter at Washington Mills in Upton, Massachusetts.

Kathryn “Katy” Baden G’22, CEO of Olympus Aerospace, and her leadership team were awarded the 2025 Community Impact Award by the Willoughby Western Lake County Chamber of Commerce in Ohio for exemplifying their commitment to the community.