We love to share the good news of our alumni. Please send your latest milestones and accomplishments to:
alumni@worcester.edu alumni.worcester.edu/classnote
Please include your full name, including your name at graduation, class year, home address, email address, preferred phone number and a photo of yourself.
Class Agent: Elaine F. (Curran) Cousineau, M.Ed. ’60
Tom W. Jackson lives in Whittier, Ca., with his wife Carmella. They recently celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary and have two upcoming cruises planned. Tom has three children and five grandchildren.
Adele M. (Abood) Millette is teaching a class on meditation and aging at a senior college.
Nancy (Forsberg) Comeau is happily retired and living in a retirement community.
Class Agents: Mary C. O’Connell, M.Ed. ’63, Ann M. (Holohan) O’Leary, M.Ed. ’62, Elizabeth A. (Looney) Ouellette, M.Ed. ’62
Francis P. O’Leary, M.Ed. ’65 is proud to have 11 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
Class Agents: Nancy M. (Fletcher) Bourgeois, M.Ed. ’79 and Bernardine C. (Rourke) Strom
Margaret M. (Murphy) Lemoine, M.Ed. ’70 is happily enjoying retirement after 34 years of teaching primary grades, which was, she says, “a wonderful experience with many happy memories.”
Joseph J. Monfredo, M.Ed. ’64 has six grandkids, three college graduates, and three (triplets) in their junior year at Wheaton College. His son, Mike, is a Worcester State graduate and is an environmental inspector for the state of Massachusetts, helping companies meet federal standards.
Edward C. Nelson, M.Ed. ’63 is working for the Massachusetts Teachers Association as a retirement consultant guiding educators through the retirement system.
Bob Pano, M.Ed. ’64 currently works at Highfields Golf & Country Club and volunteers at K9 First Responders, Pet Partners animal therapy, and Baypath Humane Society. He has four grandchildren.
Carol A. (Person) Robbins reports that four members of the Robbins family are graduates of Worcester State. She is also proud to have nine grandchildren and one new great-grandson.
Class Agents: Rosanne (Sullivan) Matulaitis, Margaret T. (Trainor) Sullivan, M.Ed. ’68
Gerry (Kidderis) Mahaney and her husband, Dave, celebrated their 57th wedding anniversary in June. They have three children and seven grandchildren.
David Perry wrote and self-published a book, Tales of Deception and Imagination, on questionable John Kennedy assassination theories. The book is available on Amazon.com.
Class Agents: Janice E. (Hokanson) Baronoski, M.Ed. ’75, Vincent J. Matulaitis Jr., Roberta I. (Chicoine) Stencel, M.Ed. ’73
Stephen T. Hulbert, now fully retired from his interim position with the Registry for College and University Presidents, has been named the first President Emeritus of Nicholls State University.
Louis R. Lebel Jr. retired from teaching after 38 years.
Class Agents: Jo A. (Elliott) Luikey, M.Ed. ’69, Ann M. (Gingras) Pugliese, M.Ed. ’93
Roberta J. (Biron) Kittredge and her husband, Ed, celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary on June 24. They are blessed with three children and six grandchildren.
Catherine M. (Mahoney) Kabala, M.Ed. ’73 has retired after serving on the Dudley-Charlton Regional School Committee since 1984.
Patrice Bell, M.Ed., feels blessed to be healthy and still enjoying a professional career and finding joy in two grandchildren.
Ted G. Hebert, founder and owner of Teddy Bear Pools and Spas, was recognized as a 2022 BusinessWest Difference Maker.
Patricia A. (Dorsey) Daignault retired after teaching nursery school for 31 years.
Mark A. Epstein published his second book, Jack “The Shot” Foley: A Legend for All Time, with Togo Palazzi, in October. His book chronicles the history of Central Massachusetts basketball and is available at the Worcester State Bookstore and online.
Patricia A. Haddad, M.S. ’86 retired from Worcester Public Schools and is working part-time at Worcester State University as a clinical instructor in the Communication Sciences and Disorders Department.
Class Agent: William S. Hayden
Nancy A. (Day) Curci, M.S. ’90 published a book titled Know Me, in which she interviewed veterans across the nation.
Class Agent: Robert E. Valinski
Linda A. (Confrey) Guida, M.S. ’86 retired in June after 28 years as a speech/language pathologist in West Boylston public schools. Linda also worked in Hudson and Grafton throughout her career.
Jim F. Pisegna was named the new football coach for St. Paul Diocesan Jr./Sr. High School in Worcester.
Michael J. Trainor has been a psychotherapist for many years. Michael lived in Florida for about 25 years and recently moved back to the Worcester area.
Class Agent: Lisa A. (Fazio) Leger
Patricia-Marie (Maguire) Keenan is semi-retired and just moved to Florida with her retired husband.
Ronald W. Smith retired as a senior non-commissioned officer (sergeant first class) in the U.S. Army. He worked for the Department of Defense after graduation, traveling throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia to military bases as a government contractor for the Defense Finance and Accounting Service.
Gary Smith has retired from government service for the Air Force at Hanscom Air Force Base. He previously retired from the Army with 32 years of service.
Class Agent: Kenneth J. Brissette
Kenneth J. Bates, president and chief executive officer of Open Sky Community Services, received an honorary degree and served as the keynote speaker at Assumption University.
Class Agents: Amy L. (Favreault) Benoit, Tina M. (Manoogian) Healey
Janet P. (Miskell) Grene is a product line manager with Dell Technologies, focusing on education products for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. She lives in Ireland and visits Massachusetts several times a year.
Class Agent: Ann Marie Bartlett
David J. Huffman, M.S. ’01, M.S. ’07 was named the new executive director of NESCSO (New England States Consortium Systems Organization).
Sheila M. (Moran) Jette was recently named account representative at Delta Dental of Massachusetts. She was formerly at Fallon Health in commercial sales and resides in West Dennis, Mass.
Class Agents: Jeffrey L. Busha, Lawrence “Larry” M. Sasso, M.S. ‘13
Beth T. (Tata) Posco, M.Ed., retired after nearly 30 years in the Gardner school system.
Class Agents: Paul E. Cahill, Lou E. DiMuzio, Daniel M. Harrington, Catherine R. (Foppiano) McGrath, Jeffrey T. Turgeon
Andrew L. Ells started a new job as a controller at Feedback Earth.
Sally A. Goodhile, M.Ed., has retired after 34 years as a physical therapist in Worcester Public Schools.
Donna L. O’Connor is a former selectman, former member of the Town Finance Committee, host of the local cable show Ask The Manager, member of the Police Station Building Committee, and former chair of the Democratic Town Committee and other town committees.
Class Agents: David C. Frederici, John F. Seymour
Jodi A. Loverro joined Fathering Fathers, Inc., the guiding arm of the R.E.A.L. Mentorship Program.
Bill B. Murphy released his book Thriving in the Storm: Nine Principles to Help You Overcome Any Adversity. The book is available on Amazon.
Kate C. McEvoy, vice president of corporate relations at UMass Memorial Health, was named one of Worcester Business Journal’s 2022 Outstanding Women in Business honorees.
Tara M. (Tokarz) D’Andrea was recently promoted to director of operations at Oriol Health Care.
Jennifer A. Glinos recently got engaged and purchased a condo. She works at Mount Wachusett Community College in Human Resources.
Malee Ngimruksa, M.S., is working at Plan International Thailand.
Class Agents: Brandon E. Frencic, Greg V. Nikiforow
Ann Marie (Leonardi) Budness was appointed director of admissions and clinical liaison at River Terrace Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center.
Jan C. Davini retired from teaching last June and moved to Florida. She says, “I loved my years teaching in Worcester! I may live in Florida but Worcester is always my home.”
Class Agent: Chrissy Remian-Sullivan
Teresa F. O’Neill, M.Ed., retired as North High School’s assistant principal after 35 years.
Class Agent: Shawn Gersbach
Kristina M. (Ostlund) Guberski is a working professional and mom of four kids.
Cora B. Volchok, M.Ed., is a professional actress with a broadcasting and programming license based on her Seattle heritage and areas of expertise in music, drama, and culture.
Class Agent: Nadia L. (Saleh) Dorval
Michael F. Diggins was promoted to senior director of family support and programming at Thrive Support and Advocacy.
Class Agents: Monica A. (Labbe) Davis, Carrie A. (Stewart) Piermarini
Derrick C. Kiser, former leader of the Kilby Street Posse and founder of the nonprofit organization Fresh Start 508, was featured in a recent story about mental health awareness in the Worcester Telegram. Derrick’s work focuses on mentoring at-risk kids and building community throughout Worcester.
Amy L. Peterson, senior project manager and communications specialist in the Office of the Worcester City Manager, has been elected to the Worcester State University Board of Trustees by the Alumni Association’s Advisory Board.
Class Agents: David D. Cairns, Michael P. McCarthy
Justin D. Margadonna, M.Ed., published his first book, Parallels & Facades, through Amazon.
Samantha L. Santiago, vice president and head of claims strategy and automation at Farmers Insurance, was named one of the Top 50 Women Leaders of Massachusetts of 2022 by Women We Admire. In her role at Farmers Insurance, Sam is responsible for claims digital transformation, advanced analytics, claims customer experience, centralized strategy, and competitive intelligence.
Melissa J. (O’Malley) Tuomi, Ph.D., returned to UMass Memorial Health as the senior director of quality, safety, and regulatory affairs at UMass Memorial HealthAlliance-Clinton Hospital after seven years as director of professional practice, research, and quality at Baystate Medical Center.
Class Agent: Joseph M. Corazzini, M.S. ’11
Kathlene M. (Higgins) Donahue is a volunteer with PinkHippy.org, board member with Audio Journal, Inc., justice of the peace, and notary public.
Tara B. (Gliesman) Gunduz had her first child, a baby girl, in July.
Class Agent: Brittany N. Rheault
Heather M. (Lacroix) DeFeo, M.O. ’08 welcomed her second child, a daughter in December 2021.
Alise M. (Karle) Breton, vice president and retail director of Millbury Federal Credit Union, was named one of Worcester Business Journal’s 2022 Forty under 40.
Class Agent: Brandon Huggon
Michael J. Rana graduated in August with a master’s degree in legal studies and a paralegal certificate.
Class Agents: Jacquelyn “Jacqui” F. Kasper, Sofiela “Sofie” Zhidro
Elias. A. Ayoub joined LCMC Health System as vice president of specialty pharmacy in New Orleans, La.
Steven Kladas was promoted to director of global supply chain finance at Hologic.
Class Agent: Giselle M. Ortiz-Reyes
Elizabeth A. (Bitar) Resteghini is a corporate law associate attorney at Morse and was named a Super Lawyers Rising Star in 2022, a list of top attorneys.
Class Agents: Elizabeth A. Chapman, Sean P. Dugan, Ian E. Fields, Patrick D. Hare, M.S. ’14
Manza B. Arthur was appointed supervisor of public records by Secretary of the Commonwealth William F. Galvin. An experienced public records attorney, Arthur has been with the Public Records Division since 2017, most recently serving as senior attorney and assistant director of the division.
Renee A. (King) Diaz has owned the small business The Queen’s Cups in Worcester for 10 years and has recently signed another five year lease in her Canal District location.
Meghan A. (Alarie) Telemaque started a new position in June as the brand marketing assistant manager at Dexter-Russell, Inc. in Sturbridge, Mass.
Class Agents: Mary E. Laycox, Jose C. Lewis, Joseph D. Nawn, Colleen M. (McKenna) Sansoucy, Trevor J. Sansoucy
Jordan K. Duffy works as a senior audio engineer for Earwolf/Stitcher/SiriusXM, working on several top-rated podcasts. He also released his first single and music video for the song “No Big Deal” in September. Jordan will be releasing an album in the new year.
Joseph D. Nawn began his master of accounting program at the University of Cambridge Judge Business School in the United Kingdom. Cambridge requires each student to also be a member of a residential college while attending, and Joseph is now a member of Pembroke College, Cambridge, as part of the class of 2024.
Dr. Elora E. Orazio left her position at Johns Hopkins University to become the inaugural director of assessment, evaluation, and strategic planning at Towson University in Maryland.
Daniel J. Rowland started a position as a patient support specialist at Vertex Pharmaceuticals.
James L. Campbell was selected as the ninth state command sergeant major and senior enlisted leader for the Massachusetts National Guard.
Alexander T. Curley and Ashley A. Hardenstine ’15, Ed.S. ’19 married in August at Wedgewood Pines Country Club in Stow, almost ten years after meeting during their junior year at Worcester State. Ashley works as a school psychologist at North Middlesex Regional School District in Pepperell. Alex works as a global security and resiliency intelligence analyst at Boston Scientific in Marlboro. They are currently living in Lunenburg, Mass.
Kerri A. (Coughlin) Mahota, M.E. ’18 recently accepted a position as principal at Wales Elementary School.
Tony M. McDonnell was recognized as a Paul Harris Fellow, considered the highest honor bestowed by Rotary International, by the Rotary Club of Foxboro.
Masielle Paulino, executive director of Ritmos Dance Studio in Worcester, was named one of Worcester Business Journal’s 2022 Forty Under 40.
Cynthia C. Romero started a new position as associate attorney at Monteforte Law, P.C., practicing estate-planning, probate, and elder law.
Class Agent: Brittany King
Nicole L. Cote and Rich Collins opened their business, Root and Press, just down the street from the Worcester State campus three years ago. The neighborhood is loving the winning formula of coffee, books, and fun.
Daniel F. Figueiredo was accepted to Harvard Business School.
Andro S. Hannoush started as an associate attorney at Littler.
Jeffrey A. Purslow began his postdoctoral research fellowship through the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation.
Lynn F. Blanchard started a position at Children’s Advocacy Center of Franklin County and North Quabbin, Inc., as a child and family outreach clinician.
Tatum R. (White) Coraccio started at the Worcester Art Museum as a diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion committee member.
Alexander J. MacDougall has joined the Worcester Business Journal’s newsroom to cover the health care and diversity and inclusion beats.
Jacob A. Thompson is one of eight new firefighters in Marlborough.
Tammy M. (Brideau) Wylie was a 2022 Scrubs with Style We Love Nurses Award recipient.
Katherine Aguilar, founder and CEO of Kommon Sense Co. in Worcester, was named one of Worcester Business Journal’s Forty Under 40.
Chris R. Frissore was named girls’ basketball coach at Wilmington High School.
Emily A. Walker married Aaron Pearl on July 16, 2022 at Highfields Golf and Country Club in Grafton.
Monica Bhakhri was accepted into Dartmouth University’s Tuck School of Business.
Julia M. Snow was named assistant athletic trainer for the St. Louis Blues hockey team’s AHL affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds.
Sierra R. Chauncey and Jacob Q. Lawrence ’20 were married on October 1, 2022.
Nana A. Darkwa recently took and passed the Massachusetts bar exam and became a licensed and barred attorney in mid-November. Nana would love to thank Dr. Marilyn Cleary, Dr. Roberta Kyle, Sara Grady, and all of the wonderful people who work at the DGCE; Dr. Alex Briesacher for helping her realize that a law degree was obtainable; and Dr. Mark Wagner for all the valuable volunteer experience.
Alba A. Diaz recently graduated with a master’s degree in business administration with a concentration in marketing.
Demek “Joey” Edmonds was an instructional assistant at South High Community School this past school year and recently became a building substitute at Vernon Hill Elementary School.
Manasseh A. Konadu recently passed the Massachusetts bar exam.
Haley E. Melanson started a new position as a senior staff accountant at Katz, Nannis & Solomon.
Ryan E. Robichaud started a new position as a staff accountant at American Tower.
Samantha K. Tran works for Fidelity Investments as a user experience designer.
Ashley A. Downes is enrolled in the University of Denver’s online graduate program to obtain her master’s in library and information science.
Zachary J. Grenon was named head coach of the Lancers men’s and women’s golf programs.
Maia Shalev, M.S. ’21 was accepted into UMass Chan Medical School.
Tete “Brenda” Thomas is currently a post-baccalaureate and lab technician in the Mary Munson Lab at UMass Chan Medical School.
Kelsea M. Blair started as a human resources coordinator at Devoted Health.
Charles N. Bray was honored as one of Massachusetts’ 29 Who Shine.
Robert G. Megerdichian, M.S., received a grant from the Worcester State Foundation to finance an exhibit of objects crafted by his late father, Abraham, at the Mini Time Machine Museum of Miniatures in Tucson, Ariz.
Julia Ravenelle was nominated for 2022 NCAA Woman of the Year.
Collin Turner underscored music and sound effects for magician Paul Gertner’s recent show, Miracles and Other Deceptions.
