Class Notes

1970s

DALE SMREKAR, Geography ’71, president and owner of Downsizing Advisory Service property appraisal, retired after 24 years to pursue a career as a fiction and nonfiction writer. He self-published a novel, “Oz, Wonderland & Other Places.” 

1980s

CALVIN HAGINS, Finance ’86, Life Member, was elected to the Delta Sigma Pi Leadership Foundation Board of Trustees. He is a principal deputy at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. 

LARS LETONOFF, Finance ’88, won a Tampa Bay Inno Award for the cybersecurity SaaS platform company he co-founded, Guardare. He was recognized in the cybersecurity category.

KEVIN McCABE, Broadcast-Program and Production ’89, is set to launch the fifth season of the Discovery travel series he produces and co-hosts, “RV There Yet?” in July. McCabe previously worked for ESPN and NBC.

PATRICK McMULLEN, Accounting ’87, was appointed CEO of Phillips Infrastructure Corp. in Knoxville, Tennessee. He has been with the company since 1989, serving in multiple executive roles.

1990s

JADE DELLINGER, Art ’91, appeared on WGCU News to share his expertise in a segment celebrating artist Robert Rauschenberg’s centenary. He is the director of exhibitions and collections at Florida SouthWestern State College in Fort Myers, Florida.

CHRISTINA GESMUNDO, Communication ’96 and MA ’03, was inducted into the Florida College System Activities Association Hall of Fame for Forensics/Speech and Debate. She launched Polk State College’s speech and debate team more than a decade ago and is its coach and director of forensics. The team has earned multiple state championship titles. 

DANIEL KLIEMAN, Finance and French ’90, and SUSAN KLIEMAN, French ’90, founded Lonesome Rock Cellars winery in Oregon’s Coast Range. The couple has worked in the wine industry for 30 years.

DOREEN KLEIN ROBINSON, Public Relations ’90, Life Member, published her debut picture book, “Golem Loves Latkes: A Tasty Hanukkah Tale” (Intergalactic Afikoman; 2025).

2000s

ROUZBEH “ROBBIE” ALIPOUR, MA Business Economics ’05, joined Fox Rothschild in Chicago as a partner in the taxation and wealth planning department. He was previously an international tax associate at Eversheds Sutherland.

LAURA BLAIR, Chemistry ’09, MS Medical Sciences ’13 and PhD ’14, was named a National Academy of Inventors Class of 2026 Senior Member. The honor recognizes active faculty, scientists and administrators at NAI member institutions who have produced, patented and commercialized technologies to benefit society and economic progress. She is an associate professor of molecular medicine in the Byrd Alzheimer’s Center and Research Institute and a research biologist at the James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital.

GINO COLLURA, English ’07, MA International Relations ’11 and PhD Neuroanthropology ’18, was reappointed to the Pasco-Hernando State College Board of Trustees. He is the founder, advisor and coach at Big Guava Management LLC based in Dade City, Florida.

JUSTIN L. EGAN, Political Science ’09, joined Ragsdale Liggett PLCC in Raleigh, North Carolina, as a civil litigation defense attorney. He previously served as defense counsel for the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps. 

TED EMERSON, Management ’06 and MBA ’08, was promoted to vice president for culture and talent at Sprinklr. He previously served as a board advisor for AI2030, an AI technology initiative, and on the board of Wevise, a technology nonprofit. He also served as a vice president at Payoneer in New York City.

 PHILIP C. HARRIS, Communication ’03, Life Member, was named one of America’s 250 Public Service Champions through the LocalGov250 initiative and the National Academy of Public Administration. The honor recognizes excellence in public service. Harris is the director of economic development for Greenacres, Florida.

COL. SAMUEL “JOE” NIRENBERG, Political Science ’03, Life Member, took command of the U.S. Army’s 1st Armored Division Artillery Brigade in Fort Bliss, Texas. 

 ZACHARY PRUITT, MHA ’08 and PhD Public Health ’13, received a 2025 Book of the Year Award from the American Journal of Nursing, earning first place in the health-care administration category for his textbook, “Health Services Management: Competencies and Careers.” He is a professor in the USF College of Public Health.

NICOLE SPIRKO, Accounting ’04, Life Member, was named corporate relations director at Carrollwood Cultural Center in Tampa. She was previously a senior solutions specialist at USAA financial services.

MICHELLE TURMAN, MA Art History ’00, Life Member, was recognized by Marquis Who’s Who for excellence in the nonprofit sector. She is the founder and CEO of Catalyst Consulting Services, Inc. in Tampa.

2010s

ENIOLA AKINRINADE, Management ’11, joined Mars Science and Diagnostics as senior counsel for labor and employment.

ASHLEY BARNETT, MPA ’16, was named to the Florida Board of Governors. She serves on the Polk State College District Board of Trustees, the Southwest Florida Water Management District and the Polk Arts Alliance Advisory Committee.

CHRISTINE CAZEAU, Marketing ’18 and MBA ’20, was promoted to customer success executive at Automox, an IT systems operations and maintenance company in Tampa. She was previously the company’s senior majors customer success manager. She is a former USF Muma College of Business 25 Under 25 Award honoree.

ALEX GREENFELDER, Finance ’10, joined Scrybe as an equity partner and strategic operations lead. He was previously the client services manager at Coverfly.

CHITRA KANAGARAJ, MBA ’15, won a Tampa Bay Inno Award for the school safety management digital tool company she founded, PikmyKid. She was recognized in the education technology category.

DR. ABHINAV MOHAN, MD ’18, joined Baptist Health Miami Neuroscience Institute in Miami as a pain management physician. He previously worked at the Center for Interdisciplinary Spine in Sacramento, California.

 AMELIA PHILLIPS, Public Health ’13, MPH ’15 and DrPH ’23, Life Member, joined the University of Tennessee System as director of systemwide wellness. She was previously director of well-being for the USF Health College of Nursing.

RALPH REID, Political Science ’10 and MEd ’12, Life Member, joined the University of Virginia’s College at Wise as vice chancellor for human resources. He previously served as an executive director at St. Petersburg College.

 LINDSEY SCHILLER, Marketing and Management ’18 and MS ’22, joined AmeriLife as a human resources generalist in Tampa. She was previously a project management specialist at evolvedMD. She is a former USF Muma College of Business 25 Under 25 honoree. 

ELIZABETH “LIZZ” STRAIGHT, English ’12, was awarded a $10,000 Artist Innovation Fellowship Grant from the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County. She is a poet, writer and performer, and the founder and creator of Poetry Is on 88.5 WMNF-FM in Tampa. 

KIMBERLY VASSELL-JACOB, Hospitality Management ’12, was appointed vice president of operations at HIA enterprise resource planning and accounting platform in Glenwood, Maryland. She was previously the company’s director of operations and analytics.

JACKIE VON SALM, Chemistry ’11 and PhD ’16, and CHRIS WITOWSKI, PhD Chemistry ’15, won a Tampa Bay Inno Award for the biotechnology company they co-founded, Psilera. They were recognized in the Deal of the Year category for a 2025 licensing agreement.

2020s

ROUZBEH BEHNIA, PhD Computer Science and Engineering ’21, was named a National Academy of Inventors Class of 2026 Senior Member. The honor recognizes faculty, scientists and administrators at NAI member institutions who have produced, patented and commercialized technologies to benefit society. He is an assistant professor in the USF Muma College of Business.

PETER BELLINI, MBA ’22, won a Tampa Bay Inno Award for ConnectSecure, an automated digital vulnerability management and compliance platform. He is CEO of the company, which was recognized in the cybersecurity category.

SIMONE DI MATTIA, Finance and Econometrics ’22, was promoted to wealth management finance product controller at Morgan Stanley in Baltimore. He was previously the company’s wealth management operations associate. 

ANDRES GARCIA, Chemical Engineering ’21, Life Member, received the Hispanic Engineer National Achievement Awards Corporation Class of 2025 award for Most Promising Engineer or Scientist – Undergraduate Degree. He is a lead process engineer in the tissue and towel division of Kimberly-Clark in Atlanta, where he started as an intern in 2019.

 MELANIE GREEN, Health Sciences ’24, earned 2025 Epson Tour Player and Gaelle Truet Rookie of the Year honors recognizing Epson Tour athletes who finish highest on the Official Points List at the end of the season. A former member of the USF women’s golf team, she is joining the Ladies Professional Golf Association 2026 Tour.

MABRY ROBINSON, Risk Management and Insurance ’21, joined Syprett Meshad PA in Sarasota as an attorney. He was previously a law clerk at the firm. 

YANIRA SÁNCHEZ-ROGERS, Sociology ’24, Life Member, joined AAA Builders LLC as a project manager. She was previously the client relationship administrator at Benchmark International in Tampa. Sánchez-Rogers was also elected to the nonprofit Hispanic Services Council Board of Directors, serving the Tampa Bay area.

AVI WOLF, Mechanical Engineering ’22, joined Hudson Ferry Capital in Stamford, Connecticut, as an associate. He previously worked at Dubin Clark & Company, based in Jacksonville Beach, Florida.

DONALD ZIMMERMAN, PhD History ’25, Life Member, was appointed assistant professor of history at Indian River State College in Fort Pierce, Florida. He previously served as an adjunct professor at the college for more than 12 years.