1960
Joanne (Joey) Cole Kubesch, B.A., has served as primary communicator and fundraiser for the restoration of Cole Porter's birthplace. She has written applications for two grants and been awarded one. This project will wind up costing somewhere near $150,000, as the building had descended to use as a methamphetamine lab!

1961
Harry Sharp Jr., M.S. (Ph.D. 1967), Professor and Dean Emeritus at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, has been called out of retirement to teach the persuasion course during the winter quarter. "No doubt some of the students will be surprised to have an instructor who is old enough to be their 'Grandpa.' "

1964
Roger Priest, B.A. (M.A. 1969), is Communication Program Chair and Assistant Professor of Communication at Ivy Tech Community College, Lafayette campus. He recently added to the course offerings a Mass Communication course using his "unwritten book" of 42 years in radio and television. Priest also was one of the featured Liberal Arts alums in the fall issue of the Purdue Liberal Arts Magazine.

1965

Joann DiGennaro, B.A., founder of the Center for Excellence in Education in 1983 with the late Admiral H.G. Rickover, father of the nuclear powered submarine and civilian use of nuclear power, was appointed to the 30-member National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Administrator's Advisory Council, effective February 2006. She also was elected chairperson of the board of the U.S. Army War College in 2005. Her most current book, titled Science Literacy for Decision Making, focuses on policy making in issues and science. She recently accompanied Dr. George Atkinson, Science and Technology adviser to the Secretary of State, on fact-finding missions to India and Bulgaria.

1968
Kenneth C. Paulin, M.A. (Ph.D. 1975), recently participated in a listening forum at Rockhurst University in Kansas City, Mo., that was co-sponsored by Rockhurst University and the International Listening Association. Seventy-five listening scholars from the U.S. and five other countries came together to discuss the impact of effective listening on theory, education, business, healthcare and religion.

1969
Larry Stultz, B.A., (M.A. 1972), received his Ph.D. from Georgia State University in May 2006. He now teaches creative and conceptual thinking methodologies at The Art Institute of Atlanta, where he serves as chair of the advertising department.

1971
Judy Lease, M.A., retired from the University of Utah, where she was a clinical associate professor of communication and taught for both the Department of Communication and the David Eccles School of Business. She and husband Ron moved to a cabin in Idaho and teach part-time for the German International School of Management and Administration in Hanover, Germany.

1977
Ted McDougal, B.A., is Senior Vice President and Director of Ketchum's Midwest Corporate Practice.  In this role, he is responsible for delivering strategic communications solutions, providing reliable client service and developing superior talent in pursuit of client satisfaction. McDougal has more than 25 years of experience in corporate communications, business-to-business marketing and reputation management, encompassing corporate branding, CEO counsel, internal communications and crisis public relations.

1978
Tura Roderick Cottingham, B.A., was named director of marketing and communications at North Shore Country Day School in Winnetka, Ill.

Kathleen Turner, Ph.D., won the Top Paper award from the Rhetoric and Public Address division of the Southern Communication Association for "Inviting a Relationship: Enthymemes and Advertisements." She also headed the external review team for the Department of Communication at the University of Minnesota-Duluth; she also gave a workshop on group presentations for the faculty at Randolph-Macon College and consulted with the president there.

Karen Croake Heisler, M.A. (B.A. 1976), authored the book, "Fighting Irish Legends, List and Lore," a year-by-year history of the University of Notre Dame athletics program. The book is published by Sports Publishing.

1979
William P. Olsovsky, B.A., is President of PacificOne, a mortgage banking firm in Redondo Beach, Calif., handling loans for purchases and refinances of real estate.

Amy Campbell McDowell, B.A., is Community Relations Director at Miller's Health Systems Inc. in Indianapolis.

1980
David Heckel, B.A., a Strategic Account Executive for General Electric Healthcare, was named one of 100 Customer Champions. Celebrating 23 years of marriage to Susan, with children Katie, a sophomore at Mississippi State University, and Jenny and Reid, junior and freshman at Oxford High School in Oxford, Miss.

1981
Linda McCallister, Ph.D., passed away Nov. 28.

Bill Ennis, B.A., was asked to produce the Ms. Fitness USA and Ms. Fitness World television shows for Fox Sports Net for the 5th year in a row. The shows are scheduled to air nationally beginning in January 2007. He was also asked to produce a television commercial for nationally syndicated personality Chef Jamie Gwen. Ennis owns Media Magic, a full-service video production company based in Southern California established in 1984.

1983
Betsy Wiersma, B.A., will hold the second annual CampExperience on September 26-28, 2007, at Copper Mountain Resort in Colorado. The 2006 camp was sold out and raised $20,000 for homeless women and kids. For information visit www.CampExperience.com or call 720-200-0271.

1984
John G. Dunaway, B.A., is the senior pastor at Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church in Indianapolis and has been for the past 17 1/2 years. He and his wife have 8 children, 3 grandchildren and a fourth on the way, and a daughter who will be married in March. Of their 8 children, four are adopted, and the last of those two are from Haiti.

1986
Will McDermott, B.A., announced the publication of his fourth novel, Cardinal Crimson, which comes out this June from Black Library. Cardinal Crimson is the second, novel-length adventure of Kal Jerico, the iconic bounty hunter from Games Workshop's dark and gritty Necromunda universe. McDermott is a Hamburg, N.Y., author who has now published four novels and 10 short stories in his short fiction career. More information on his current projects and his convention and signing schedule can be found at www.willmcdermott.com.

Peter J. Oleshchuk, B.A., is currently working as Imaging Director and Programming Assistant at WNTR in Indianapolis (107.9 The Track). He is also doing some radio programming consulting with his company, Prairie Radio. Through his company, he created and developed the Pop Radio format, which he is looking to get syndicated.

Kimberly Brown-Staton, B.A., got a new job as a Technical Solutions Analyst at Cordance Technologies in Chicago.

1987
Patrick Mosher, M.A., is a partner at Accenture and has global responsibility for Talent Management Solutions for Sales Transformation. His client work takes him to great places all over the world. His two daughters, Elena and Tara, are both in college. 

Wendy C. Nakamura (Wakuya), M.A., moved back to Honolulu 2 years ago with her husband, John, after living in Southern California for almost 20 years. She is Principal of FORESIGHT Leadership Development, offering leadership development consulting and coaching services to clients in the healthcare, hospitality, high-tech, retail, and financial services industries in Hawaii. Prior to launching her consulting practice, she was Director of Leadership Development & Director of Human Resources for a high-tech Fortune 500 company based in Orange County, Calif.

1988
William Evanich, B.A., is married with a 13-year-old son. He is a teacher at Kokomo High School.

1989
Liz Mari Yamamoto, B.A., and husband David Wentworth announce the birth of son Palmer Yasuo Wentworth on Oct. 30. Palmer weighed 6 lbs, 5 oz.

1990

Loundy, for Devon Bank, receives the Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Makhtoum Islamic Finance Award in the category "Vision, North America." David Loundy, B.A., corporate counsel for Devon Bank in Chicago, moderated a session on regulating Islamic finance in a non-Muslim country at the International Islamic Finance Forum in Dubai in March 2006, sponsored by Dow Jones Islamic Indexes and the Saudi Economic and Development Company.

Melissa Stephens, B.A., is the Residential Sales & Marketing Manager for Professional Garage Door Systems Inc. in Plainfield, Ind.

1991
Betsy Gadd-Hughes, B.A., is a strategic adviser for Boston Scientific Corp. She and husband Brad Hughes have two sons; a third child is expected in December 2006.

Jeffrey Courtright, Ph.D., has been promoted to Associate Professor with tenure in the School of Communication at Illinois State University. Also Hampton Press has just released his first book, "Power and Public Relations," co-edited with Peter M. Smudde of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. He and Dr. Smudde also have just signed a contract with Hampton for a second book (co-authored) on public relations genres, which should be out in 2009.

Stephen Monkewicz, B.A., recently moved to Seattle with wife Kelsie and is enjoying the Pacific Northwest immensely. "Plan to do my duty as a Boilermaker ambassador to the PNW. We seem to be few and far between out here."

Lara Martin O'Grady, B.A., welcomed Maeve Margaret on Aug. 18, 2006. She joins big brother, Matt, 7, and big sisters Colette, 5, and Bridgett, 2.

Jennifer (Dager) White, B.A., welcomed her second child, Trevor Christopher, on Oct. 17. She recently started a company, PicturePlan-it! Real Estate Marketing Strategies, with offices in Indianapolis, Columbus, Ohio, and St. Louis, Mo.

1992
Jennifer Welsh, B.A., did story editing work on "Jackass Number Two," which opened in theaters in September. She is starting work on her M.A. in English at Loyola Marymount University and also is the producing director of the Black Dahlia Theatre, named "Best Small Theatre" by Los Angeles Magazine.

Michael Seehausen, B.A., recently joined the Spherion Professional Services team as an Account Executive supplying Fortune 1000 clients with their IT consulting needs.

Marlene Cooper Vasilic, B.A., was recently promoted to Assistant Director of Audience Enrichment and Distance Learning Initiatives at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the national center for the performing arts in Washington, D.C. She runs Performance Plus, the center's adult education program, as well as the annual Multicultural Children's Book Festival, the Exploring Ballet with Suzanne Farrell program and the Women in Jazz Pianist Competition. She was married on Dec. 4, 2005, to Aleksandar Vasilic in Montego Bay, Jamaica.

D. Allen Lamberson, B.A., is still in the Navy. His new assignment is Commanding Officer, Navy Operation Support Center, Fargo, N.D.

1993
Megan Moss, B.A., and husband John started their own company, Moss Construction Cost Management, in 2001 in Auburn, Ind. Megan is in charge of marketing and Web site design. They have three sons and one daughter.

Spalding in his vineyards

Robert Spalding, M.A., owner and winemaker of Seia Wine Cellars, is proud to announce that they have received their first rating in a national wine publication. The October issue of the "Wine Enthusiast" rated his 2004 Syrah 92 points out of 100 and listed it as an "Editor's Choice." This is the second vintage for his Seattle-based winery.

Matthew Clark, B.A., is living in Ireland with his wife and two boys, running European advertising for Dell.

Majia Nadesan, Ph.D., published a book, "Constructing Autism: Unravelling the 'Truth' and Understanding the Social" (Routledge). She presented the book to faculty, students, and community members last spring (2006) at Purdue University Calumet. She is now working on another book on biopower with Routledge.

Jeff Tucker, B.A., in August 2006, was hired as the managing editor of The Nueces County Record Star newspaper located in Robstown, Texas. Immediatley prior, he was the crime reporter for two years at the Derrick and News-Herald newspapers located in Oil City, Pa. He has been a reporter for 10 years at several newspapers, predominantly in Indiana. After losing a run at a statehouse seat in his hometown of Michigan City, Ind., in 1998 by 310 votes, "I decided then to get out of politics as a participant and instead cover politics and other news as a journalist."

1994
April (Smith) Clark, B.A., recently completed a "Narrative Writing on Deadline" seminar at the Poynter Institute school for journalists in St. Petersburg, Fla. She is a reporter and columnist for the Post Independent daily newspaper in Glenwood Springs, Colo. Clark is also a contributing writer for Aspen Sojourner magazine. The Hoosier native can't get enough of life in the Rocky Mountains and the 300 average days of sunshine each year.

1995
Nellie Carlos, B.A., gave birth to daughter Sophie Marie in January 2005.

Leigh Carter Edwards, B.A., and husband John (Purdue IE class of 1993) live in Muncie, Ind. They have two sons, ages 6 and 3. She and her father run the family-owned jewelry store, Jeffrey E. Carter Jewelers.

Did you know you can now donate to the department online? Simply go to the new Purdue e-gift Web site, click on make a gift, and choose "other" from the dropdown menu. Then, type "Communication Department" in the text box and complete the transaction. It only takes a few minutes!!!

Kristin Collins Kohn, B.A., after five years in the professional advertising field, owns and operates At Home in the City, a home furnishings, decor and gifts store in Indianapolis. In October 2005, she opened a second location in Lafayette, Silver in the City. The stores were recently featured in the March 2006 Retail Ad World for advertising campaigns. She and husband Aaron have a son, Eli, 2, and daughter Maris, born in April 2006.

1996
Brian Gerstenberger, B.A., and wife, birth of third child, Emma, on March 11.

Chris Edwards, M.A., was appointed as full-time speech faculty at Portland Community College in Oregon, where he has taught for nine years and served as Teaching and Learning Center coordinator for PCC's Rock Creek Campus for two years.

Heather K. Webb, B.A., was recently named the Director of Judicial Affairs at Eastern Illinois University. She is now residing in Charleston, Ill., with husband, Brad, and three children, Tim, Zachary and Natalie.

Megan Rusk Creek, B.A., has been working in the Purdue Office of Admissions since 1997 as an Assistant Director coordinating visit programs. She is married to a Purdue alumnus, Brent Creek (AG '96), and they have 3 children, ages 4, 3, and 7 months.

Carrie A. (Grzych) Sessine, B.A., has become an independent public relations consultant after spending years with Cohn + Wolfe and GolinHarris. She has two children, Josh, 3, and Ella, 2. She is married to Jeff Sessine, who earned his M.S. in Education at Purdue in May 2000.

Sara A. Risley, B.A., was the Chair of Heartland Film Festival's Closing Event held in Indianapolis at the end of October. The sold-out event wrapped up the 15th season of the festival.

Diane Wheatley, B.A., is married to Purdue graduate Stephen Wheatley. They live in Goshen, Ind., and have three children, Drew Edward, 5; Riley Jane, 4; and Saige Magdelena, 8 months. Diane takes care of the children and runs a cleaning business that the couple started in 1999. "Our business grows every year about as much as I can handle at a time. We have been very blessed."

1997
Maria Brann, B.A., (M.A. 2000), and husband Matt welcomed son Maverick on March 26.

Christine Keane-Sharp, B.A., is now the Director of Alumni Relations and Special Events for the College of Liberal Arts at Purdue.

1998
Michelle Kuhn-Clark, B.A., accepted a promotion to senior trainer for museum operations at the J. Paul Getty Trust, responsible for the Getty Center in Brentwood and the Getty Villa in Malibu, Calif.

Nicole Thornton, B.A., was admitted to the Purdue University Calumet School of Nursing this fall. She is in the Accelerated Nursing program and will graduate with a BSN degree in the Fall of 2008.

Timothy Dernlan, B.A., is the head assistant wrestling coach at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA.

1999
Nyoka Fultz, B.A, registered representative for Charles Schwab & Co.

Aimee (Beale) Roy, B.A., lives in Peoria, Ill. She and her husband, Charlie, are the proud parents of 5-year-old twin boys. After working as a public relations associate and writing/editing for the alumni magazine at Bradley University for 6 years, she is now a graduate student at Illinois State University studying for a master's degree in speech language pathology.

Heather Carlson Prough, B.A., and husband Jim (Psychology, '96) celebrated the birth of son Nathan Ryan on July 18, 2006. Brother Benjamin James was born in March 2005.

Jeff Bailey, B.A., lives in Mission Viejo, Calif., and is a small business owner of homes that care for people with developmental disabilities. He co-owns the business with his wife, Shawn Bailey. The couple just had their first child, Grant Miles Bailey, on Aug. 31, 2006.

2000
Kris Krisciunas, B.A., and Rich Goodwin, CEM 2000, are pleased to announce the birth of their daughter, Payton Elizabeth, born 7/11/2006.

Leslie Bottorff, B.A., recently accepted a position as Assistant Store Manager at Pharmaca Integrative Pharmacy in Novato, Calif. The Pharmaca team is committed to health as a patient-practitioner partnership involving body, mind and spirit. "I call on my experience and education at Purdue daily, in communicating and directing my team, and implementing and organizing our special events." She enjoys hiking and mountain biking in beautiful Northern California, and recently went back to her hometown of Mishawaka, Ind., to celebrate her father's 60th birthday. (Purdue alumni as well!).

Leah Truitt, B.A., has been married for 5 years and has two daughters, ages 4 and 1. She currently works at the Center Desk of Read Residence Center at Indiana University.

2001

Izzy De Jesus, B.A., popped the question to his girlfriend after a six-month planning process during which he taught himself how to choose a diamond, design a ring, plan a trip to a far off land, arrange for a photographer, and make the whole thing look like it was just a trip to visit her grandfather. The big question came in front of the Taj Mahal.

Susan Allen Fetscher, B.A., is the Assistant Director of Development for Research, Publications, and Events at the University of Southern Indiana Foundation.

Reena Friedman, B.A., is getting married to William Watts on Jan.14, 2007, in Louisville, Ky. She has been working on shows such as "Nanny 911," "Motormouth" on VH1, and "Team America."

Kimberly M. Myers, B.A., is serving as a full-time Instructor of Communication Studies at Manchester College in North Manchester, Ind.

2002

Sarah Bonewits Feldner, Ph.D., an Assistant Professor of Communication Studies at Marquette University, has received, along with Dr. Michael J. Monahan, Assistant Professor of philosophy, a $20,000 Klingler Faculty Development Program award. Through the grant, Feldner and Monahan will develop an undergraduate seminar on community and identity in order to explore methods of addressing urban problems, such as violence.

Jessica E. Moore, B.A., is currently entering her fourth year working at DDB San Francisco, an ad agency that is part of one of the largest networks in the world. She was promoted to Account Executive last spring.

Lauren Mielcarz, B.A., formerly Lauren LaLiberte, celebrated a one- year wedding anniversary to Weather Channel Road Crew Host Jeff Mielcarz on 4/23/06. She also started a new job in July as a Sales Manager at Villa Christina in Atlanta, Ga., where she plans corporate events and weddings. Life is great! GO BOILERS! :)

2003
Michelle Gondek, B.A., completed her M.A. in Public Relations at Ball State University in December 2005. She is currently the Marketing Manager at Infinamic Inc., a marketing firm located in Indianapolis, and has been there for just over a year.

Casey Hurst, B.A., in fall 2006 began training as a hospital chaplain in a CPE (Clinical Pastoral Education) program at the Hershey Medical Center in Hershey, Pa. This training is part of his seminary education at the Evangelical School of Theology in Myerstown, Pa.

Daniel Koutsis, B.A., after completing a Master's degree, he recently began working as a school counselor at Nia Middle School in Chicago. "It's been a great experience so far, and look forward to the road ahead."

Allison Cole, B.A., will be graduating from Southwestern School of Law in Los Angeles, Calif., in May of 2007. She will take the bar exam in July 2007.

Vickie Aiello, B.A., and husband Daniel Aiello celebrated the birth of their son, Devin Elliot Aiello, on July 31, 2006.

Randi (McElroy) Morrison, B.A., and husband Brent welcomed their first child on Sept. 8, 2006. His name is John Elliot Morrison.

Natalie M. Moorehead, B.A., is a recruiting coordinator on the Partner/Director Acquisition Team at Deloitte & Touche LP in Chicago, Ill.

2004
Phillip Clem, B.A., is a partner of a medical equipment company called MicroMed. It specializes in GI Endoscopy equipment used for colonoscopies, gastroscopies, etc. The company is a certified partner with Fujinon Endoscopy (a scope manufacturer). He spends most of his time selling equipment and service to doctors and nurses in and out of the operating room.

Rebecca Meisenbach, Ph.D., accepted a position as an Assistant Professor at the University of Missouri in Columbia. She had previously taught at Concord College in West Virginia.

Ashley (Brandon) Goldman, B.A., recently married Grant Goldman, also a graduate of Purdue (B.S. Civil Engineering 2004). They are living in Fishers and both working in Indianapolis.

Ryan McKenna, B.A., is in the Air Force Reserve, currently deployed with the 455th Expeditionary Mission Support Group at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, as a Communication Systems specialist in charge of Helpdesk operations and infrastructure repair /development. He was recently promoted to Staff Sergeant.
Prior to his deployment, he was promoted to Quality Assurance Analyst, Software/Hardware development at DeLorme Publishing Company in Yarmouth, Maine.

Kristen Oliver, B.A., was promoted to VIP Patron Services Associate with the Nashville Symphony. She has been with the organization for almost a year and a half, and this is her second promotion.

2005
Sara Kronenberg, B.A., recently took a job as a general assignment reporter for KCAU-TV, an ABC affiliate in Sioux City, Iowa.

Megan Turner, B.A., after working for Harley-Davidson Footwear as a sales analyst for a year, in August she made the transition to National Sales Coordinator for MERRELL footwear and apparel. She also recently got engaged and is getting married June 2007.

Lisa Tirmenstein, M.S., is enjoying her first year of law school at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pa.

2006
Danielle Keast, B.A., is an account manager at CDW in Chicago. She also joined a program called Horizons for Youth, which is very similar to Big Brothers/Big Sisters in that participants work with area youth as mentors. 

Kristen Lucas, Ph.D., was named Northern Michigan's Young Alumni of the Year. Lucas is an assistant professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.