Class Notes

By Peggy Bolstetter | Fall 2012

2012

Cheryl Booms (MNA) is a consultant for O’Meara, Ferguson, Whelan, and Conway, a firm that focuses primarily on capital fundraising and advising for Catholic Dioceses, religious orders, and institutions.


 

2011

Gerry Dohrenwend (MNA) has been named the executive director of Cerebral Palsy of Ulster County, Kingston, N.Y. Cerebral Palsy of Ulster County provides a wide variety of services to meet the individualized needs of children and adults with disabilities throughout the Hudson Valley Region.

Kirk Reich (EMBA) has been named vice president -  procurement and supply chain management, AK Steel Corp.. Reich was previously the company's vice president - specialty steel operations.

Jenny Stapf (MNA '11) recently sang the National Anthem and "Oh, Canada" at a Chicago White Sox game versus the Toronto Blue Jays.

Jason Shanks (MNA '11) says that since graduating from Notre Dame's MSA program, he has been promoted from a position in his local parish to the Secretariat Leader of Evangelization and Parish Life for the Diocese of Toledo.  Recently, Shanks was named the CEO for Catholic Charities of the Archdioces of Detroit with responsibility for a $20 million budget and 250 employees.


2010

Victor Arias (EMBA), senior client partner at Korn/Ferry International has been appointed to lead the firm's enhanced Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) initiatives. These initiatives are focused on continuing to support and evolve the firm's strong commitment to D&I both for its clients and its own workforce.

Todd Arbuckle and Jay Vincent (EMBA) are the 2012 recipients of the Mendoza College's Recent Alumnus Service Award for their efforts in forming and managing ND Conversations on Leadership and Ethics (NDCLE), a Chicago-area alumni group. Each year, the award is presented to MBA and EMBA alumni who have graduated in the past seven years and have made significant contributions to the Mendoza community.

 

 

Mark Leveck and Tyler Norrish (MBA 2010), summited Mt. Rainier on July 1. The second day of the two-day climb took 15 hours.


 

2009

Mike Compton (EMBA) is the secretary-treasurer of the St. Joseph Valley Building Trades and business manager for Electrical Workers Local 153. Compton entered the electrical workers apprenticeship program 35 years ago.

Iris Huang (MBA) is co-founder of a new Silicon Valley startup called Glogou, which stands for "global goes to you”. Glogou helps American companies talk business in Chinese and has assisted hotel chains, a luxury real estate company, state governments, higher education and investors.


 

2007

Brookes Ebetsch (MNA) recently returned to the Midwest with her husband, Drew Sandler ('99) and daughter. Ebetsch continues in her position as Managing Director of Franchising for Sunstone Yoga, a Dallas-based yoga studio franchise.

Brady Quinn (BBA Finance), a quarterback with the Kansas City Chiefs, along with his team mates and members of the management staff recently helped rebuild homes in Joplin, Mo.

Michael Girts (MBA) is the creator and producer of a new musical, One Night Only, that has been selected to appear Off-Broadway in Fall 2012.

Phillip Sklar (MSA) is pursuing an MBA at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management with anticipated concentrations in Management & Strategy and Marketing and anticipate graduating in June of 2014.


 

2006

Scott Cassidy (EMBA, MGT '87) has recently joined the leadership team of West Health, an independent initiative whose mission is to lower health care costs by creating innovative, patient-centered solutions. westhealth.org


 

2005

Jamie Paxton (MSA, ACCT) has been named controller of his family's company, Paxton Media Group LLC. Paxton will also serve as group controller for the company’s daily newspapers in Paducah, Owensboro and Madisonville, Ky., and Vincennes, Ind., and related weekly properties.


 

2003

Arthur Ciszek (MBA) Ciszek's insurance agency, Golden Dome Insurance Group, LLC, celebrated their 1 year anniversary on April 1,2012.

Alan Jolly (EMBA) was recently promoted to Senior VP and managing director with Xerox Services. In addition, Jolly was a recipient of the Outstanding Operations Executive Award.

Danny White (MARK) has recently been named the new athletic director at the University at Buffalo.

Becca McCarthy (MARK) launched Little Sweet Pea Inc., a trendy boutique on Etsy that offers unique baby gifts such as the infant car seat canopy that keeps babies from the weather elements and germs at a distance.

Dennis Joyce (MBA, '98) is the executive producer of a documentary film on the life and career of participatory journalist George Plimpton. Plimpton! Starring George Plimpton as Himself debuted in June at the Silverdocs film festival in Washington, D.C.

Mike McGinn (MBA) founded Longview Investment Properties in 2011. The company focuses on acquiring attractively priced distressed real estate and notes for ourselves and our clients. To date, the company has closed more than $4M in transactions.


 

2001

Bill Carnegie (MNA), Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona President/CEO has been named Feeding America’s Executive of the Year for 2012. Carnegie received the award at the Feeding America 2012 National Summit in Detroit, Mich.The Award honors the most outstanding Executive Director/CEO in the Feeding America network for going above and beyond their everyday responsibilities in the fight against hunger.

Xavier Helgesen (MIS), co-founder and chairman of Better World Books and of Off.Grid:Electric, was profiled in the June 18, 2012 issue of Forbes magazine article, 6 Entrepreneurs Who Turned Service Into A Career. 

Joshua Brumm (FIN) recently joined Pharmacyclics as executive vice president of finance.


1999

Nick Stanage (EMBA) was recently appointed COO of Hexcel Corp., in addition to serving as the company president.


 

1996

Capt. Tony Pottinger (MARK) is a lawyer and judge advocate in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General's Corps. Pottinger is currently serving as the chief of criminal law at the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York. Pottinger, who has been on active duty since January 2006, has served at Fort Hood, Texas; Mosul, Iraq; and Washington, D.C.


 

1995

Thomas Prame (MBA) has joined First Midwest Bank as executive vice president and director of retail banking. Prame is responsible for First Midwest's retail bank network and will oversee the enhancement, expansion and development of the bank's retail platform.

Edward Dunigan (ACCT) has been promoted to vice president for partner management by WhaleShark Media. Dunigan joined the company in 2010 and played an integral role in building out the client services team.


 

1994

Connor Murphy (ACCT) has joined Capstone Advisory Group's New York office as managing director in the Litigation, Forensic Investigations and Dispute Resolution Group. Murphy, who has experience as a practicing commercial litigator, focuses on new business development primarily in white collar litigation, forensic accounting, and e-discovery with law firms and corporations.


 

1992

Daniel Yu (MBA, MGT '90) was recently named to the board of the Rainforest Art Foundation, which promotes awareness and appreciation of the rainforest through events.

Brent Strasler (MBA) has been appointed president of DoMark International Inc., a marketing and management company. Strasler has also been appointed to the company’s board of directors.

Alex Miller (ACCT) recently founded Renaissance Retail, Lake Forest, Ill. The company develops microniche-focused consumer products websites in unique categories.


 

1988

Richard Shields (MBA) has been appointed CFO at Quiksilver Inc. Shields will be responsible for all areas of the company’s global  finance and accounting functions.


1987

Perry Dellelce (MBA) has been appointed to the board of directors of Ziplocal Inc., a company that provides local search information across the United States.


1986

Michael Smith (ACCT) has been appointed CFO and VP-Finance for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) of McCormick and Company, Inc. Smith will have responsibility for all finance activities for EMEA and will serve as a member of the EMEA board of directors.

Scott Malpass (MBA), vice president and chief investment officer of the University of Notre Dame, is the recipient of the 2012 Rodney H. Adams Endowment Management Award presented by the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO).The award recognizes outstanding individual contributions to professional development activities in the area of university endowment and investment management.

André Hutchinson (FIN), founder of Dillon Stone Corp., was appointed director of the physical plant at the University of Portland.In this position, Hutchinson is responsible for the stewardship of UP's unique waterfront campus—including all grounds, buildings, infrastructure and future construction—and manages a department of approximately 90 employees.


 

1984

Kevin Shaw (MNA) was hired as President of the century-old St. Mary's Springs Academy K-12 Catholic Educational System, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.


 

1980

Kevin Manion (ACCT) is CFO of Young's Holdings, Inc. In this role, Manion oversees the finance, treasury, accounting, planning, real estate, logistics and purchasing functions of Young's Holdings, Inc., Young's Market Company, and Wilson Daniels, Ltd. Manion's experience is in distribution and consumer products at Fortune 500 and mid-cap companies.


 

1978

Kenn Ricci (ACCT) has received the William A. Ong Memorial Award from the National Air Transportation Association. The award is given for "extraordinary achievement and extended meritorious service to the general aviation industry," and is considered one of the industry's most prestigious accolades. Ricci becomes the youngest-ever recipient of this lifetime achievement award.


 

1975

Paul Laughlin (FIN, JD '78) recently joined WTAS as a managing director in the private client services practice of the Chicago office. Prior to joining WTAS, Laughlin was a partner at Deloitte Tax LLP for 10 years and previously spent 24 years at Arthur Andersen, 10 years as a partner.

 


1971

John Arlotta (MARK), general manager of the Minnesota Swarm, was recently named the league's 2012 General Manager of the Year by the National Lacrosse League.

C. Stephen Metzler (FIN), president and CFO of Metzler Bros. Insurance, has been elected chairman of the board of trustees of the Kansas City Art Institute.

 


1969

John Moran (MARK) has joined Southwest Securities, Inc. as senior vice president and institutional sales representative for the taxable fixed income division.


 

1959

Rev. Robert Finnegan (MNA) celebrated the 60th anniversary of his ordination on June 7, 2012. He continues to serve as the Provisor Ordinis, or General Treasurer of the international Order of Canons Regular of Premontre.


 

1956

Jim Brungardt and Don Fiaush (Both BS Commerce) spent time catching up this summer when Jim and Carolyn hosted Don and his wife Judy at their home in Colorado.

John (Jack) Kegaly (BS Commerce - FIN) was recently announced as a 2012 honoree by the ND56 Endowed Scholarship Fund. While at Notre Dame, Kegaly was a member of the ND varsity football team that lost only five games from 1952-1955. He retired from the insurance industry in 2006 and spends much of his time playing tennis and a little golf, and volunteering at St. Matthew's House, a homeless shelter in Naples and Immokalee, Fla.

Jim Mense (BS Commerce), who played center/linebacker for the Irish from 1953-55, set a single-season school record with a playing time total of 531:30—a record that still stands.  He was the No. 152 pick (Green Bay) in the 1956 NFL Draft, but had no desire to play pro football.  Mense returned home to Ohio and following a stint in the Army, began a career in the insurance business.  He is a season-ticket holder to Notre Dame games and can be found in the top row of the east stands.

Juan "Johnny" Pacheco (BS Commerce) recently published, The Blue Butterfly and God's Gifts - Stories and Tales to Heal Your Heart, a book about his life's experience in easy-to-read short tales and stories.The book has been among the top 10 bestsellers in the Dominican Republic.

William Warren (BS Commerce) The University of Notre Dame's Warren Golf Course has been chosen as one of the top six courses in Indiana in the 2012 Golfweek Magazine's Best Courses - State-by-State edition. William K. Warren, Jr. is the benefactor of the course.

Robert Welch (BS Commerce - FIN) was recently announced as a 2012 honoree by the ND56 Endowed Scholarship Fund. Welsh, who is chairman and CEO of Welsh Holdings, LLC, has served the University as a member of the advisory councils for the Notre Dame Law School and the Mendoza College of Business, as well as sitting on the University’s Board of Trustees. Welsh has received Notre Dame’s Man of the Year Award and an honorary doctorate in 2000, and the Sagamore of the Wabash Award from the governor of Indiana.


Future Domers

Victor Alvarez (EMBA '10) Gabriella Alvarez was born on May 30, 2012. Sister Isabella is super excited to be a big sister.

Brookes Ebetsch (MNA '07) and her husband, Drew Sandler ('99) welcomed a daughter, Sabina  on June 16, 2011.

Robbie and Jim Fackelman (MBA '71) are pleased to announce the birth of their first grandson, James Daniel Pritchard, on May 4, 2011 in Denver Colo.

Raenelle and Edward Hamilton (EMBA 2011) welcomed a daughter, Amelia, on February 7, 2012.

Anne Hayes ( MNA '06, '99) and Pat Dowd (JD '11, '99) welcomed another girl, Isabelle Jane, May 15, 2011, joining big sister Shannon.

David (MBA '05) and Cameron Paredes (JD '06) joyfully announce the birth of their daughter, Eva Louise, born February 29, 2012.


Weddings

Jennifer Rodgers (MNA '01) and Justin Brink were married May 11, 2012, in St. Paul, Minn. The couple will reside in Rochester, Minn.

Jennifer Stapf (MNA '10) and Michael Frain were married at Old St. Patrick’s Church in Chicago on Saturday, June 9, 2012. In attendance were MNA alumni, Kimberly McInerney (MNA '10) and Eric Musum (MNA '11).


 

In Memoriam

James Tedford (BS Commerce 1956)

James M. Tedford, Jr. (Jim) passed away peacefully in his home on April 8, 2012. He is survived by his wife Cecelia, their two sons, seven grandchildren, and two sisters.

Roy Gillia (BS Commerce 1956)

Roy Edward Gillia passed away Jan. 30, 2012, in Albuquerque, N.M. Gillia is survived by his wife, Gay, four daughters, three sons, nine grandchildren, three great-grandchildren, and his brother.

William Sullivan (BS, Commerce 1954)

William Stanley Sullivan passed away June 1, 2012 in San Diego. Sullivan, who was afflicted with Alzheimer's and diabetes, is survived by his wife, Mary Margaret Sullivan and a large family. The family requests memorial donations to the University of Notre Dame Mendoza College of Business or the track and field team.

Byung T. Cho, professor emeritus of management, passed away Oct. 15, 2012 at the age of 86.  Cho taught at the business school for more than 50 years and won three teaching awards.  He is survived by his son, Eugene S. Cho of Seattle, Wash.