Class Notes

1960s

Donald McCrimmon, Psychology ‘64, completed his 10th year as adjunct professor at Le Moyne College in Syracuse, New York. He was previously vice president for academic affairs and dean of the faculty at Cazenovia College in Cazenovia, New York.

1970s

H.A. “Herb” Branham, History ’79, and Holly Cain, Mass Communications ’89, have published “NASCAR Mavericks: The Rebels and Racers Who Revolutionized Stock Car Racing” (Motorbooks; 2024). Branham is director of communications for NASCAR in Daytona Beach, Florida, and Cain is the senior writer for NASCAR Wire Service and IMSA Wire Service in Daytona Beach.

James H. “Jim” Davis Jr., English ’72, Life Member, was awarded the Society of Hickory Golfers’ highest honor, the Mike Brown Award, for respecting hickory golf traditions, dedication to growing the game and promoting friendships through hickory golf. He is executive director and editor of the society’s bi-annual journal, “A Wee Nip for the Hickory Golfer,” and a retired editor with Grand Rapids Press in Michigan.

Edward J. Page, Criminology ’78, Life Member, celebrated his 25th anniversary at Carlton Fields law firm in Tampa. He was previously the deputy independent counsel for Kenneth W. Starr.

1980s

Joanne Howard Freiberger, Accounting ’87 and MAcc ‘90, was promoted to senior vice president for investor relations and chief communications officer at Newell Brands. She was previously vice president for investor relations at the company.

Robert “Roby” Helm, Mass Communications ‘84, was inducted into the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame Class of 2025. Helm has announced and broadcast motorsports events for 45 years. He is the voice of the Hunt the Front Super Dirt Series and the lead announcer at Dixie Speedway in Woodstock, Georgia.

1990s

Larry Antonucci, MBA ’97, was appointed to the Florida Gulf Coast University Board of Trustees by Gov. Ron DeSantis. He is president and CEO of Lee Health.

Christopher Brown, MA Applied Anthropology ’92, received the 2024 Outstanding Leadership in Advancing Fatherhood Award from the National Partnership for Community Leadership. He is president of the National Fatherhood Initiative.

Sid Dobrin, PhD English ’95, testified before the U.S. House Committee on Education and Workforce regarding artificial intelligence and education. He is a professor and chair of University of Florida’s English department.

Lea Heberlein, Microbiology ’95 and DPH ’18, was named laboratory director at the Florida Department of Health’s Bureau of Public Health Laboratories in Tampa. She was previously a virology administrator for the Department of Health.

Andy Mayts, Political Science ’93, Life Member, was recognized by the Leadership Tampa Alumni association with the Parke Wright III Leadership Award for leadership that has made a significant impact on the Tampa Bay area. He is a partner at Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick, LLP.

Tiffany Moore Russell, Political Science ’96, was installed as the 2024-25 president of the Florida Court Clerks and Comptroller’s Association. She is the Orange County (Florida) Clerk of Courts.

Christy (Paul) Swift, English/Technical Writing ’95, published her debut rom-com novel “Celebrity Crush” (Forever; 2025). She is a freelance writer based in Lake Placid, Florida.

Louis Ursini III, Finance ’96, was elected to the executive committee of Adams and Reese LLP. He is a financial services litigation partner at the firm’s Tampa office.

Sergio Waldeck, MBA ’99, joined Citi in Tampa as senior vice president in technology. He was previously executive director-finance senior manager at Wells Fargo.

2000s

Stevonia Allen, Communication ’06, was selected for Women Leading Ed’s inaugural emerging state executives cohort. She also received the Florida Excellence in Education Award from Alpha Delta Kappa International Honorary Organization for Women Educators. She is executive director of the Transformation Network with Hillsborough County Public Schools.

Richard Tanner Arsuaga, MPH ’07, joined Arine Inc. in Redlands, California, as a pharmacist. He was previously a pharmacist at Aspen RXHealth. 

Michael Barnett, Political Science ’04, was appointed to the Palm Beach (Florida) State College District Board of Trustees by Gov. Ron DeSantis. He is a lawyer for Shiner Law Group. 

Jaison James, International Studies and History ’08, has founded and is managing partner of Jaison James Legal Services, PLLC, in Tampa. He was previously a manager at Sunshine Investment Legacy Organization, LLC, and is the former national president of Sigma Beta Rho Fraternity, Inc.

Michelle Joseph, Accounting ’03, was recognized as a Chief Financial Officer of the Year by the Tampa Bay Business Journal in 2024. She is the CFO at Boley Centers, Inc. in St Petersburg.

Alex Kim, MBA 2006-2007, joined SSOE Group architecture and engineering firm in Atlanta as program development lead in the battery and solar division.

Crystel (Dawson) Lewis, English, ’06, Life Member, was selected as one of Legacy South Florida Magazine’s 40 under 40 Black Leaders of Today and Tomorrow for 2024. She is dean of student services at Miami Dade College-North Campus.

Tiffany Love, Political Science ’06, Life Member, was elected as a partner for Adams and Reese LLP.  A member of the Corporate Services Practice Group, she practices in real estate law in the firm’s Tampa office.
 

Latoya McCormick-Hutchinson, MA Music Education ’06, joined USF as an assistant instructor of theater and voice. She previously taught musical theater and choir in Pinellas County elementary schools. 

Cedric McCray, Emotional and Behavioral Disorders ’00, was promoted to director of the Tampa Community Redevelopment Agency. He previously served as interim director of the agency, and before that, as manager of the East Tampa Community Redevelopment Agency.

Brian Stephens, MPA ’01, was elected to the board of directors of GMR, an engineering, security and lighting consulting firm based in Heath, Texas. He is a security risk advisor at Teneo Risk Advisory.

Michelle Turman, MA Art History ’00, was a finalist in the founders category at Tampa Bay Business & Wealth Magazine’s 2024 Apogee Awards. She is founder and CEO of Catalyst Consulting Services. A USF Foundation board member, she chairs the Dean’s Advisory Council for the College of Arts and Sciences. (Pictured with Jay Stroman, USF Foundation CEO, left, and Eric Eisenberg, USF senior vice president.)  

Jyotika Virmani, PhD Marine Science ’05, was included in Forbes magazine’s 2024 50 Over 50 list of groundbreaking women aged 50 and up. The executive director of the Schmidt Ocean Institute was also selected this year as a board member of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine’s Ocean Studies.

Natalie Yacoub, Marketing ’04, was promoted to division chief for the Future Strategies and Resources Division at Defense Intelligence Agency. She was previously the agency’s contracting section chief. 

2010s

Maryeli Baez, Psychology ’19, joined ACTS Adult Addiction Receiving Facility as a behavioral health technician.

Amber Boose, Public Health ’13, and MPH ’17, was promoted to senior manager of clinical research data management at the American Society of Clinical Oncology in Wesley Chapel, Florida. She was previously a clinical research data manager at the association for oncology professionals. 

Frank Cabano, Business Economics ’12, joined Kansas State University’s College of Business Administration as an assistant professor of marketing. He was previously a faculty fellow and assistant professor of marketing at the University of Texas at El Paso.

Deb Carson, MLA ’12, released the third print edition, and first ebook edition, of “Becoming FLO … A Mostly True Story” (Pure Art Press; 2024). She is the owner of Pure Art Press and CarsonCommunications in St. Petersburg.
 

Dr. Teresa Colón-Asumu, MPH ’15, joined Holy Cross Health Florida in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, as a family medicine physician. She was previously a family medicine resident at Emory University School of Medicine.

Shahnjayla Connors, MPH ’10, was named an associate professor of health and behavioral science at the University of Houston-Downtown. She was previously an assistant professor at the university.  

Patricia Dominguez-Mejia, Interdisciplinary Social Sciences ’13, was appointed regional ombudsman for long-term care at the Office of Ombudsman for Long-Term Care in Minnesota. She previously served as a senior research assistant with the Minnesota Department of Human Services. 

Tiekeyla “Lucy” Francois, Marketing ’15, was the speaker for the fall 2024 commencement ceremony at Tarleton State University, where she was also graduating with a master’s in education. She was previously a reading specialist at Journey School of Costa Rica.

Jordana Frost, MPH ’11, is the deputy director of policy and programs at the Institute for Medicaid Innovation. She was previously director of strategic partnerships for the March of Dimes.

Corey Givens Jr., Mass Communications ’14, was elected to the St. Petersburg City Council. He is an ordained minister who has served on the boards of numerous civic and nonprofit organizations.

Mike Klingshirn, MPH ’10, joined Discovery Canyon Campus High School in Colorado Springs, Colorado, as a mathematics teacher. He was previously a senior epidemiologist in the Air National Guard.

Antonyia McCray, Exceptional Child Education ’17 and MA ’20, was named the 2025 Ida S. Baker Diversity Educator of the Year by the Hillsborough Education Foundation. She is a student success coach at Freedom High School in Tampa.

Amruta “Am” Mhashilkar, MPH ’11 and PhD ’15, was named an associate director at Catalent Pharma Solutions. She was previously a senior manager at the Tampa Bay area company.

Mandzisi Mkhontfo, MSPH ’16, joined USAID as a project management specialist for health program sustainability in Eswatini. He was previously a voluntary male medical circumcision specialist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

McKenzie Nelson, Chemical Engineering ’17, published her first book, “The Pregnancy Experience” (Fulton Books; 2024). She is a process engineer III at Integrated Project Services (IPS), LLC, in Germantown, Maryland.

Anthony W. Nunnally, Criminology ’13, launched a criminal defense and personal injury firm, Nunnally Law Firm, PLLC, serving the Tampa Bay area. He was previously a senior associate attorney at McDermott Law Firm, P.A.

Olivia Park, Cell and Molecular Biology ’15, was selected for the Tennessee Bar Association’s Leadership Law’s 22nd class. Park practices general litigation at McAngus Goudelock & Courie in Nashville, Tennessee.

Juan Esteban Suarez Sandino, International Business and Marketing ’16, married Jared Armenti on Jan. 3 in Tampa. Sandino is a marketing campaign manager at Incident IQ in Atlanta. 

Cody Waldrop, Public Health ’11, Life Member, has joined PetSmart Veterinary Services in Tampa as principal veterinary business consultant for its Eastern region. He was previously a practice management officer at Associated Veterinary Partners.

2020s

Jazlynn Hirschhorn, Health Sciences ’24, was named a Muma College of Business “25 Under 25” honoree. She runs an e-commerce shop and is pursuing an MBA.

Aakif Lalani, Business Analytics and Information Systems ’23, was named a Muma College of Business “25 Under 25” honoree. He is a business analyst on the Global Data Analytics, AI & Innovation team at Ashley Furniture and is pursuing an MBA. 

William Ngo, MA Religious Studies ’23, has a role in the AppleTV+ series “Bad Monkey,” released in August 2024. Watch for him in episode 4. Ngo has worked as an actor for 16 years. 

Vittoria Patti, Political Science ’23, was promoted to head of Orizzonti Politici’s North America expertise area in media and communications. She was previously the Italian think tank’s chair of the USA Elections Task Force.

Jennifer Schenk, Psychology ‘23, Life Member, has joined Centerstone health-care system as a counselor for addiction and recovery, helping people work through requirements mandated by Manatee County Drug Court.

Veronica Soler-Torres, Public Health ’21, was named a senior knowledge analyst at The Bridgespan Group. She was previously a knowledge associate at the Boston-based nonprofit.  

Iryna Vasko, Statistics ’23, was named a Muma College of Business “25 Under 25” honoree. As a Florida Gubernatorial Fellow, she works in the Executive Office of the Governor’s Financial and Economic Analysis Unit. She is pursuing an MBA.