Arts and Humanities

Applied Linguistics

Tomoko Takahashi (Ed.D., 1984)is the official translator into Japanese of the books of late civil rights activist Rosa Parks. She has received an honorary doctor of humane letters degree from Albertus Magnus College. Takahashi is also Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Soka University of America in Calabasas and Aliso Viejo, California, overseeing both the undergraduate and graduate academic programs. She also serves as Dean of the graduate school and Professor of linguistics and education.

Art and Art Education

Mary Hafeli (Ed.D., 1999; Ed.M., 1995) has received the 2006 Mary J. Rouse Award from the National Art Education Association Women's Caucus, which recognizes early professionals who have shown the potential to make great contributions in art education. Hafeli is currently a faculty member in the Center for Art Education at Maryland Institute College of Art. Hafeli's recent writings include "Strategies Used by Three Middle School Art Teachers to Foster Student Learning" with Mary Stokracki; and Studies in Art Education (2005) and Where Did You Get the Idea For That? A Case Study of Adolescents Making Art Works (SEA World Congress 2002 Research Conference Proceedings, 2003) both with Enid Zimmerman.

Language, Literature and Social Studies

Helene Alalouf (M.A., 1972) has been appointed to the U.S. Department of Education's Teacher-to-Teacher Training Corps. She was chosen from over one thousand applicants to be a part of the team. As a Corps member Alalouf will provide on-site, e-mail, and web-based professional development to individual or groups of teachers.

Music and Music Education

Michael Bitz (Ed.D., 1998; M.A., 1996) is a senior research associate and founder of the Comic Book Project and was featured in Incentivemagazine for his work. Each year, Bitz designates a theme such as leadership or creativity and challenges kids to design, plan and produce an original comic book on that topic. Started in 2001, the Comic Book Project now involves more than 40,000 kids at 75 schools in 10 cities nationwide; Dark Horse Comics is its sole corporate partner.

Anitra C. Hampton (Ed.M., 2000; M.A., 1999) is currently an instructor/coordinator of music education at Miles College, a historically black university in Fairfield, Alabama. She is also currently a doctoral student of Interdisciplinary Studies at TC.

Philosophy and Education

Roben Torosyan (Ph.D., 2000) was named Assistant Director of the Center for Academic Excellence at Fairfield University, Connecticut, where he is also an adjunct professor of education. Through workshops, consultations and university-wide initiatives, he leads faculty innovation and scholarship in teaching and learning.

Cornelia Kubler Kavanagh (M.A., 1972) is a sculptor at the Blue Mountain Gallery in New York City. In 2005 she represented the U.S. Virgin Islands at the 51^st International Art Exhibition--Venice Biennale. Tsunami, Kavanagh's newest project, involves 12 sculptures and was inspired by the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004.

Teaching of English

Sally DeLellis (M.A., 2004) has published her first book, 5,000 Reasons to Smile . . . for Chicks (Santa Monica Press, 2005). The book is a collection of inspirational tips and suggestions to highlight life's small pleasures. This compilation of aspects of daily life includes the people, places, things, experiences and feelings that encourage women to relish their femininity.

Rosetta Sirico-Codling (Ed.M., 1985) was honored by the U.S. Congress and the President of the Borough of Queens, New York, for volunteer work with high school students aspiring to attend college.

Biobehavioral Sciences

Applied Physiology

Jason Saretsky (M.A., 2001) has been named the new Director of Men's and Women's Track and Field and Cross Country at Harvard. Saretsky was previously the Associate Head Coach at Iona College, where he spent five years.

Counseling and Clinical Psychology

Counseling Psychology

Marie Louise Bernardo (Ph.D., 1993) has written the children's book Introducing Princess REB (Authorhouse, 2005). She is also a life and career coach, working with graduate students as well as professionals. In addition, Bernardo is a freelance medical writer.

Alec Cecil (Ed.D., 1991), a psychologist, is currently running for a seat on the Pelham School Board, pushing for a balance between breadth and depth in the curriculum while maintaining creativity and range of opportunities in schools. He is also President of the Pelham Guidance Council.

Jacob Jaffe (Ed.D., 1965) has worked as a teacher, a psychotherapist and a writer. He has authored two novels. The most recent, Hobgoblins (iUniverse, 2006), is a psychological thriller that was started before both the 2000 presidential election and September 11^th and deals with vital issues currently facing our nation. Land of Dreams(1^st Books, 2000) deals with the nation's immigration issues.

Leah DeSole (Ph.D., 2002) has authored Making Contact: The Therapist's Guide to Conducting a Successful First Interview (Pearson Education, 2006). She is currently a licensed psychologist in private practice and is affiliated with the NYC Eating Disorder Resource Center. DeSole was previously an adjunct professor at TC, Hunter College and the City University of New York. She has also authored several articles and book chapters on cross-cultural issues in psychology.

Herman ("Hank") Perveslin (M.A., 1952) is the author of A Grab Bag of Thoughts (iUniverse, 2004), a collection of his stories, letters, lyrics and poems.

Psychology in Education

Avianca Hansen Bouchedid (M.A., 1996) is now the Vice President of Global Corporate Citizenship for Interaqt Corporation, the industry's largest neutral business-to-business marketplace for procuring telecom infrastructure services. Since September 2005, she has lead Interaqt's efforts to reconcile their financial and societal goals including their code of conduct, geopolitics, corporate philanthropy, environmental sustainability, employee volunteerism, stakeholder engagement, governance and transparency.

Tracie Clayton-Hom (M.A., 1997) has authored her first novel, To Love and To Work (iUniverse, 2005). This is a contemporary, urban novel in which the main character confronts a stroke of bad luck at the beginning and endures a series of life-altering experiences before her luck reverses and her life gets back on track.

Curriculum and Teaching

Curriculum and Teaching

Veronica Pollard (M.A., 1968) has been appointed Vice President of External Affairs for Save the Children, the leading independent organization creating lasting change for children in need in the U.S. and around the world. She will manage Save the Children's public affairs and public policy divisions as well as serve as strategic communications advisor to the President and Board of Trustees. In addition, Pollard serves on the Boards of New York's West Side YMCA, the Museum for African Art and the Doe Fund, an organization that serves homeless people in New York.

Health and Behavior Studies

Nutrition Education

Joan Dye Gussow (Ed.D., 1975) authored This Organic Life: Confessions of a Suburban Homesteader (Chelsea Green, 2001), a look at how increasing food production decreases our capacity for future growth. Gussow's book grows out of her course on nutritional ecology, which she created and taught as the former Mary Swartz Rose Professor of Nutrition and Education at TC.

Applied Psychology and Nutrition

Reyna Franco (M.S., 2004) is the renal dietitian at New York Downtown Hospital. She has developed and manages the nutrition program at the Athletic and Swim Club in midtown Manhattan. Franco also has a nutrition and exercise private practice specializing in weight loss; medical nutrition therapy; sports nutrition; pre-natal and post-partum nutrition; and pediatrics. She provides nutrition presentations to community groups including public schools, senior centers and non-profit organizations.

Special Education

Rebecca Pepkowitz (M.A., 1974) will teach a sociology course, Introduction to Kosher and Halal Food Regulations, at the Carnegie Mellon Institute in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She is the CEO of Rebecca Pepkowitz Kosher Foods, LLC and the originator of Super Market Theatre.

Barbara Sirvis (Ed.D., 1976; Ed.M., 1974) President of Southern Vermont College, has announced her retirement at the end of the 2005--06 school year. Sirvis became President of the private, liberal arts college in 1997.

Amy Nathan (M.A., 1980) has authored Meet The Musicians (Henry Holt and Co., 2006), a collection of interviews with 15 current members of the New York Philharmonic. The musicians are featured in individual chapters, detailing why they became interested in their chosen instrument as well as the journeys that led them to the New York Philharmonic.

Nursing Education

Lucille Joel (Ed.D., 1970; Ed.M., 1967) has been elected President of the Board of Trustees of the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools. She has served on the Board of Trustees since 2000 and has also served as Vice President. At CGFNS, Joel chaired the Strategic Planning Committee and the Research and Evaluation Committee. She has authored several books, including Advanced Practice Nursing: Essentials for Role Development (FA Davis, 2004) and Kelly's Dimensions of Professional Nursing (McGraw-Hill, 2003). Her new book, The Nursing Experience (McGraw-Hill, 2006), has just been published.

Mary Ann Scoloveno (Ed.M., 1971) has received the 2005 New Jersey Governor's Nursing Merit Award for excellence as a nurse educator. She is an associate professor at Rutgers College of Nursing. Scoloveno has been awarded several other awards for outstanding teaching such as the Rutgers College of Nursing Educational Opportunity Fund Program Teacher of the Year award in 1995, 2003 and 2004.

Human Development

Developmental Psychology

J. Nina Lieberman (Ph.D., 1964) has retired as a professor from Brooklyn College of the City University of New York. She has since published articles in several newspapers and magazines including The Jewish Week,The Voice,Women's League and Jewish Star. Lieberman also authored her autobiography, The Salzburg Connection: An Adolescence Remembered (Vantage Press, 2004).

Sociology and Education

Deron P. Marvin(M.A., 2000)is currently workingin Guangzhou, China,at the American International School while completing an Ed.M. in Organizational and Educational Administration from MichiganState University.

International and Transcultural Studies

Comparative and International Education

Paul V. Griesy (Ed.D., 1973) was honored with a distinguished achievement award by Carleton College. He developed an innovative method of teaching phonics to beginning students. Griesy has spent decades training Japanese educators in this approach to learning English. He has worked as a professor of English at Tezukayama Gakuin University in Sakai Shi, Japan, since 1998.

International Educational Development

Laurie O'Connor Cigal (M.A., 2003) teaches Spanish language and culture to English-speaking high school students in Richmond, Virginia.

Mathematics, Science and Technology

Science Education

Gary Foote (M.A., 1988)has been nominated for Baltimore, Maryland's Carroll County Teacher of the Year. He teaches physics at South Carroll High School. Foote began his education career as a Peace Corps volunteer, teaching science and math in Kenya from 1982 to 1986. He then taught at a high school in the Bronx, until joining South Carroll High School in 1991.

Organization and Leadership

Adult Learning and Leadership

Virginia Thompson (Ed.D., 1985) has retired as a member from the Eugene Oregon School Board. Thompson, 73, served on the Board for 15 years. She worked in education research and led education policy efforts for former New York Mayor Ed Koch and former New York Governor Mario Cuomo before moving to Eugene to be Secretary to the State Board of Higher Education.

Education Leadership

Patrick Michel (Ed.D., 2000; Ed.M., 1999) has been named Superintendent of Schools for Monticello, New York. Michel joined the district last year. A former social studies teacher, Michel's past positions have included Principal of Haviland Middle School in Hyde Park and Principal of Pine Bush High School, both in New York. Before coming to Monticello, he was Associate Superintendent of Secondary Education for the Clarkstown Central School District in Rockland County.

Education Leadership

Linda Beyea (Ed.D., 2005) was appointed Superintendent of Schools for Ames County, Iowa. She has worked in education for 38 years including teaching positions in Iowa and New Jersey.

Higher and Postsecondary Education

Gail C. Mee(Ed.D., 1996) will assume the title of President of Henry Ford Community College, Michigan, this July. Previously, she was Vice President of Academic Affairs at Mesa Community College, Arizona, a school of about 28,000 students. Mee was also Associate Dean of Instruction for mathematics and science at Mesa and served as Director of Institutional Research and Planning for Orange County Community College, New York.

Executive Program for Nurses

Linda J. Scheetz (M.A., 1998) has been named Assistant Editor for Research by the Journal of Emergency Nursing. She is also an assistant professor at the College of Nursing at Rutgers University, New Jersey.

Nathan Walker (M.A., 2002), a current doctoral student in higher education, has conducted research leading to the National Tuition Endowment Act, a draft bill to Congress. The bill calls for returning the interest generated by federal loans to future students in the form of tuition grants. It also proposes grants for low- to middle-income students with a minimum 3.0 grade point average in high school to qualify.

Published Thursday, Sep. 28, 2006