Class Notes

1960s

Robert Helgeson, Mathematics ’66, Engineering ’68 and MSE ’68, retired from the Federal Aviation Administration in Virginia, where he served as the lead safety engineer since 2008. 

1970s

Celeste Fenton,  Psychology ’79 and PhD ’05, published her debut novel, a mystery, “Lost Heart in King Manor” (Independent; 2025). She is a contributing faculty member at Walden University in Minneapolis. 

Rick Williamson, Theatre and Dance ’77, Life Member, won Best Animated Film at the Sunscreen Film Festival in St Petersburg for “The Escort,” a short, animated film he wrote and directed. He owns Black Triumph Productions.

1980s

James Carideo, History ’85, was named managing director–branch network director at RBC Wealth Management in California. Previously, he was UBS Financial Services’ market director for San Diego. 

Teri Hansen, Business Administration ’84, was named a PRNEWS 2025 Top Women in Public Relations for the third time. The 2025 honor was in the Business Entrepreneurs category. She is the founder, president and chief creative officer of Priority Marketing in Fort Myers, Florida.

Chris Leto, Mechanical Engineering ’85, was appointed to the Florida Rehabilitation Council by Gov. Ron DeSantis. He is vice president of sales and business development for Tampa Brass and Aluminum. 

Darcel Schouler, Mass Communications ’85, was named corporate affairs senior manager at the Amgen Tampa Capability Center. She was previously the employee engagement and workplace experience senior specialist for global services at Johnson & Johnson in Tampa. 

Debra “Debbie” Stenstrom, English Education ’83, retired after 43 years as an educator. She most recently taught language arts courses at Nature Coast Technical High School in Brooksville, Florida. 

1990s

Gil Acevedo, Criminology ’97, served as an adjunct professor at University of Miami’s School of Law in spring 2025. He is an attorney at Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP in Miami.

Sidney “Sid” Dobrin, PhD English ’95, served as an expert witness for the U.S. House Committee on Education and workforce regarding the importance of integrating artificial intelligence literacy in K-12 education. He chairs the Department of English at the University of Florida.

Pete Franzen, Criminology ’90, was named an Our Town Hero by Knoxville TN Today, a publication in Knoxville, Tennessee. Recognized for his dedication, years of service and the sense of humor he brings to the job, he is a Knoxville Police Department detective sergeant in the property crimes unit. 

Chandra Kambhamettu, MS Computer Science ’91 and PhD ’94, joined USF as a professor in the Bellini College of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Computing. He was previously a computer science professor at the University of Delaware. 

Brian Lamb, Accounting ’98 and MBA ’17, Life Member, was named head of specialized industries at JPMorgan Chase Commercial Banking. He was previously the company’s managing director and Northeast segment head of middle market banking and specialized industries. Lamb is chair of the Florida Board of Governors, a former USF Trustee, 2013 Donald A. Gifford Service Award recipient and 2007 USF Outstanding Young Alumnus.

David Roos, Political Science ’91, was a featured panelist at the 79th annual Workers’ Compensation Institute Educational Conference held in Orlando, Florida. He is an attorney at Henderson, Franklin, Starnes & Holt in Cape Coral, Florida. 

Honggang Yang, PhD Applied Anthropology ’91, was recognized with the 2025 Society of Professors of Education Outstanding Book Honorable Mention for “The Rise of Chinese American Leaders in U.S. Higher Education: Stories and Roadmaps,” which he co-edited. He is a retired Nova Southeastern University dean. 

2000s

Amy Artuso-Heinzen, MPH ’02, received the 2025 USF College of Public Health Outstanding Alumni Award. She is the director of mobility safety programs at the National Safety Council. 

Harshini Fernando, MS Physics ’01, was promoted to associate professor of mathematics at Purdue University North Central.

Tiffany Green, Finance ’03 and MS ’11, was named chief financial officer of Habitat for Humanity Tampa Bay Gulfside. She was previously vice president of finance for the nonprofit.

Justin Hall, Marketing ’09 and MBA ’11, Life Member, was named district secretary for Florida Department of Transportation District 7. He was previously director of transportation development for the district.

Kayon Hendersen, Communication ’05 and MPA ’22, joined Alexander Goshen, a Fort Lauderdale, Florida-based real estate development and investment firm, as chief operating officer. She was previously the manager of housing and community development for the City of Tampa.

Gregory Hyden, Political Science ’04, joined Gray Robinson Law in Boca Raton,  Florida, as partner. He was previously a partner at Nason Yeager Gerson Harris & Fumero, P.A., in Boca Raton.

Erika Myers, Communication ’06, was promoted to senior regional manager at Garrison Brothers Distillery in Texas. She was previously the company’s Florida market manager. 

Jason Neuman, Elementary Education ’01, was promoted to senior manager of professional services at Boxlight Corporation, an educational technology provider. He was previously a training and development manager at Boxlight.

Andrew Siegenthaler, Economics ’08, earned his Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter designation. He is the senior agency success manager at Openly LLC, a general agency for homeowners’ insurance, in Franklin, Tennessee.

Raena Steffens, Athletic Training ’09 and MSMS ’13, was named Clinical Athletic Trainer of the Year by the Athletic Training Association of Florida. She is the director of sports medicine at Atlanta-based PT Solutions Physical Therapy.

Tracy Tolk, Political Science ’00, joined Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck lobbying and law firm as a policy director. She was previously the senior policy director at Crowell & Moring in Washington, D.C.
 

Simon “Sammy” Veinger, Communication ’00, founder and CEO of Brandz Agency in Lutz, Florida, received recognition for the company as one of Florida’s Fastest Growing Businesses in 2025 by the Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship.

2010s

Richard Baskas, MAT Science Education ’10, Life Member, celebrated his 10th anniversary as an education specialist at the U.S. Penitentiary in Leavenworth, Kansas. 

Elle Bickford, Finance ’18 and MBA ’19, joined Raymond James as relationship manager for longevity planning. She was previously a credit implementation consultant at Fidelity National Information Services, Inc.

Danielle Clark, DBA ’19, owner of Under the Oaks Wellness and Events in Tampa, was honored as a silver award winner for wedding venues in the 2025 list of Tampa’s Best published by Inbound Marketing.
 

Amy Dawson, Applied Science ’10, was elected president of the Florida Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf. She is the team manager practitioner and sign language interpreter for Austin, Texas-based Purple Communications, Inc.

Steven Drasdis, Sociology ’10, Life Member, joined the Power Wellness New London Community Recreation Center in Willimantic, Connecticut, as center director. He was previously associate director of campus recreation at the University of New Haven.

Eric Hall, MEd Curriculum and Instruction ’17, was named interim president for Pasco-Hernando State College, based in New Port Richey, Florida. He was previously secretary of the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice.

JOrdan Harris, Music ’19 and MM ’21, released the single “A Nostalgia” and debut album, “Summer Bloom,” as a member of the Sokolowski Trombone Project. He is the band director at Seminole Middle School in Largo, Florida. 

Anna Holder, Management ’11 and MBA ’14, was selected as one of Tampa Bay Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 honorees. She is the senior vice president of client services and operations for FrankCrum in Clearwater, Florida.

Jennifer Jagdmann, English Education ’10, was named head of school at Corbett Preparatory School in Tampa, where she also serves as the middle division programs coordinator for the International Baccalaureate Program. She was previously Corbett’s middle school principal.

Ahad Khan, Accounting ’13, was promoted to vice president-cross functional at Portage Point Partners in Chicago. He was previously vice president of transaction advisory services for the company.

Zongde Li, Finance ’12, was promoted to staff financial operations account manager at CloudZero. He was previously a financial operations account manager for the company.

Brittany Grossfield Lindsay, Finance and Marketing ’10 and MBA ’17, received the Alberto Romero Making a Difference Award from The Florida Bar’s Family Law Section. She is the founding attorney at Brittany Lindsay Law Firm in Tampa. 

Amanda Maraldo, Mass Communications ’11, was promoted to vice president of public affairs at the New Jersey Restaurant and Hospitality Association. She was previously the association’s president and director of government affairs.

Armanté Marshall, Interdisciplinary Social Sciences ’10, was promoted to associate head coach for the USF Men’s Soccer Team. He was previously the team’s assistant coach and recruiting coordinator.   

Jordan McGillis, International Studies ’10, was one of seven recipients of the 2025-26 Robert Novak Journalism Fellow. He is the economics editor for City Journal national online magazine for policy analysis. 

Gloria Muñoz, MFA ’13, published her debut novel, “This is the Year” (Holiday House; 2025). She is the co-founder of Moonlit Música, a bilingual sound production company in St. Petersburg. 

James “Jim” Nichols, Biomedical Sciences ’10 and Biology ’11, Life Member, joined the University of Central Florida’s Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences as an assistant professor. He was previously a postdoctoral fellow at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. 

Anthony W. Nunnally, Criminology ’13, launched a criminal defense and personal injury firm, Nunnally Law Firm, PLLC, in Tampa. He was previously a senior associate attorney at McDermott Law Firm, PA, based in Seminole, Florida.

Raphaella Petrosino, Athletic Training ’15, was named Practice Advancement Athletic Trainer of the Year by the Athletic Training Association of Florida. She is the program manager for U18 Sports Medicine at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital in Hollywood, Florida.

Kayla Richmond, Political Science and Management ’10, presented for a joint program of the Lee County Bar Association’s Family Law and Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Sections at The Collaboratory at the Southwest Florida Community Foundation. She is an attorney at Henderson, Franklin, Starnes & Holt law firm in Fort Myers, Florida. 

Vincent Stalba, Theatre ’10, won best actor in a feature film at the 2025 GenreBlast Film Festival in Virginia for his role in “House of Ashes” (2024). He held a recurring role on CBS-TV’s long-running soap opera “The Young and the Restless” until 2025.

Paul Wagner, Health Sciences ’16 and MHA ’18, was recognized as a 2024 SRQ Magazine 35 Under 35 honoree, recognizing Florida Gulf Coast young professionals. He is the program manager in graduate medical education for Universal Health Services Inc. and an adjunct faculty member at Florida Gulf Coast University. 

Kayla Wilson, Public Health ’18 and Nursing ’20, was accepted to a doctorate of nursing practice program to become a women’s health nurse practitioner. She is a travel nurse for Travel Nurse Across America. 

2020s

Kamyl Alicea, Music Education ’21, released the single “A Nostalgia” and debut album, “Summer Bloom,” as a member of the Sokolowski Trombone Project. She is a band director at David C. Hinson Sr. Middle School in Daytona Beach, Florida.

Rod Alnord, Music ’20, released the single “A Nostalgia” and debut album, “Summer Bloom,” as a member of the Sokolowski Trombone Project. He leads the Rod Alnord Quartet and is a Tampa-area freelance musician.

Adaline Buerck, PhD Civil Engineering ’22, was named to the 40 Under 40 Recognition Program by the American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists. She is an assistant professor and director of The Cecil Day Family Center for International Groundwater Innovation Center at Mercer University.

Emma Rose Graddy, Integrated Public Relations and Advertising ’23, was named media relations manager at The James Madison Institute in Tallahassee, Florida. She was previously the communications coordinator at the Florida Department of Health. 

Lindsey Kummerer, PhD Audiology ’23, was awarded first place in the Psychological and Physiological Acoustics Best Student Poster Award competition hosted by the Acoustical Society of America. She is a clinical audiologist and member of the USF Auditory Behavioral Research Laboratory.

Jack Lyons, Management ’20, joined the Office of State Attorney’s 14th Judicial Circuit as a prosecutor. 

Bhakti Panchal,  Health Sciences ’21 and Nursing ’24, won the Tampa General Hospital and USF-Tampa General Physicians Ambulatory Innovation Challenge with ClarityConnect, a system that enhances efficiency. She is an intensive care nurse at the hospital and serves as president of her unit’s shared governance council. 

Julián Pernett, MM ’24, released the single “A Nostalgia” and debut album, “Summer Bloom,” as a member of the Sokolowski Trombone Project. He is the co-founder of the music group Sandujazz. 

Nate Petersen, Music ’22, released the single “A Nostalgia” and debut album, “Summer Bloom,” as a member of the Sokolowski Trombone Project. He is a professional bass trombonist and tenor trombone utility musician.

Leah Salciccioli, Health Sciences ’20 and MS Athletic Training ’23, was named Northern Division Athletic Trainer of the Year by the Broward County Athletic Association. She is an athletic trainer at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital in Hollywood, Florida.

Robert Schuster, Marketing ’20, MBA ’22 and MS Sport and Entertainment Management ’22, was promoted to guest and member relations account executive for the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was previously a guest and member relations associate for the team.

James Wall, Music ’21 and MM ’23, released the single “A Nostalgia” and debut album, “Summer Bloom,” as a member of the Sokolowski Trombone Project. He is a trombonist, bandleader and music educator in the Tampa Bay area.