Alumni Class Notes

Alyx Pedraza ‘21 is currently in her first year of law school at Western Michigan University Cooley Law School.  

Jenelle Zito '20 landed her dream job with Racine Unified School District! She will be filling a new role as Director of Continuous Improvement & Program Evaluation. 

Jake Macaluso ‘21 has been promoted to Account Executive, Premium Sales at Charlotte Hornets.  

Assan Jallow ‘21 has accepted an offer from Catalent Pharma Solutions as a Senior Associate - QA Operations Excellence.   

Adam Mulheron ‘22 accepted a position as a Business Education teacher for the Racine Unified School District. 

Harpreet Rooprai ‘21 is enrolled in UW-Parkside’s MBA program. He also tried out for and made the Parkside Athletics Track and Field team. He recently earned an internship with Snap-on Incorporated in Kenosha.

Kelly Keel ‘21 was accepted to the University of Chicago in their Master of Arts Program in the Social Sciences and starts this fall. She was given a $30,000 research scholarship.  

Sneha Mehta ‘22 started a new position as a Finance Associate at Ample Inc. 

Olivia Patrizzi ‘22 started a new position with the NA HR Delivery Center team at SC Johnson.  

William Vargas ’20 was recently hired as the Marketing Manager for Care Animal Hospital of Pleasant Prairie. William graduated in May 2020 and majored in Communication, minored in Public Relations, and received a certificate in Digital Media and Production. 

Tamryn Schwab ‘22 will be joining the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Athletics department as the Assistant Athletic Director of Marketing and Ticket Operations. 

Uniqua J. Adams '16 serves as the Development Operations and Communications Director for City Year Milwaukee, and recently joined the YWCA Southeast Wisconsin board. She is also pursuing her Ph.D. at UW-Milwaukee. 

Tanzanique Cage '13 Psychotherapist LPC, SAC-IT, and owner of Empowering Transformations Counseling LLC booked her first speaking engagement with the city of Wauwatosa to discuss the impact the pandemic has had on mental health.

Scarlette Kinderman ‘18 started a new job with Planned Parenthood as their Regional Community Partnership Coordinator for Racine and Kenosha.  

Amanda (Sailors) Messerlie ’15 graduated with her Bachelor of Science in Psychology in 2015 from UW-Parkside and is currently working towards a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology with a specialty in Clinical Neuropsychology.

Uniqua Adams ‘16 was promoted to Senior Manager of Marketing and Communications at City Year Milwaukee.

Yamini Kumar ‘19 started a new position as Senior Executive Public Affairs and Communications at Consocia Advisory.   

Officer Kelly Andrichik ‘16 helped implement the award winning You Have Options Program (YHOP). Parkside’s Police Department is the first in Wisconsin to add this specialized approach for working with survivors of sexual assault. 

Shani Parker ‘09 became a published author in summer 2022. Her book is from her experiences of being a therapist to help guide people in their mental health journey. Pre-order, available now

Andy Fitzgerald ‘10 started a new position as Head Varsity Basketball Coach and Assistant Athletic Director at University School of Milwaukee.

Meagan (Scherer) Bella ‘14 started a new position as a Statewide Licensing Program Manager at Children’s Home and Aid.

Kyle Koenen ‘11 has a new role as Policy Director at the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL). Kyle brings extensive legislative experience to WILL and most recently served as Chief of Staff for State Senator Chris Kapenga.

Jalina Wilhelmi ‘16 received her MS in Forensic Psychology from Southern New Hampshire University in June 2021. 

Stephanie Yankunas ‘19 began working at Amston Supply, Inc. in January 2020, and was just promoted from accountant to senior accountant, while actively working towards her CPA. 

Meagan (Scherer) Bella ‘14 started a new position as a Statewide Licensing Program Manager at Children’s Home and Aid.  

Abbie McMillan '15 accepted a new position as the Dean of Students at Hiawatha Academies in South Minneapolis. 

Dan Argueta ’16 competed on the 29th season of ESPN+’s The Ultimate Fighter. On UW-Parkside’s Wrestling team, Dan competed for the Rangers from 2012-2016 in the 149/157 pound weight classes. He currently holds an MMA Professional Record of 5-0 with an additional two wins on his amateur ledger. Dan, who is nicknamed "The Determined", trains at Jackson Wink Academy in Albuquerque, New Mexico under the tutelage of UFC superstar Cub Swanson.

Tracy Hoida ’11 received a MFA in Dramatic Writing from Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Drama in May 2021. 

Eric Snodgrass ‘10, the General Manager (GM) of the Lakeshore Chinooks of the Northwoods League, and Ryne Goralski ‘16, the GM of the Kenosha Kingfish, started a special Fishbowl contest this season where the winner gets a trophy, and the loser must keep a fish alive until the next time the teams play. Both teams and GMs had a lot of fun with the promotion. The Chinooks won the series 3 games to 1.

Stacy Santiago ‘19 was promoted to Executive Director of a local non-profit and land trust, Seno K/RLT Conservancy.   

Le’erin Voss ‘10 has joined the dental practice at Rock River Community Clinic in Fort Atkinson. She loves helping the underserved and gets to use her Spanish. It’s a good fit for her DDS and public health background. She also gets to teach Marquette Dental students one day a week and has always loved teaching. Working at Children’s Hospital, she did a lot of public health education, in her college days, she was a chemistry tutor and in her younger years, she taught swim lessons.

Joseph Mitchell IV '11 Dr. Mitchell is a fellowship-trained orthopedic surgeon specializing in adult reconstruction of the hip and knee at the UW-School of Medicine and Public Health. He has expertise in both primary and revision hip and knee replacement surgery. Read More.

Abbie McMillan '15 accepted a new position as the Dean of Students at Hiawatha Academies in South Minneapolis.

Giovanna “Gia” Gutierrez ’13 is the outreach program manager and assistant to the dean of UW-Parkside’s College of Social Science & Professional Studies. She was one of 14 recipients of the University of Wisconsin System’s 2021 Outstanding Women of Color in Education Award, an annual honor given to faculty, staff, students, or community members to recognize their achievements in advancing equity and inclusion for people of color within the UW System as well as communities across the state. Gia was also recognized with the spring 2021 UW-Parkside Academic Staff Distinguished Service Award. 

Debbie Hickey ‘13 accepted a position at ReBelle Realty as a Real Estate Agent. 

Sabrina Morgan ‘03, President of the UW- Parkside Alumni Association, was honored with the Women of Influence Award at the 31st annual Susan B. Anthony Awards in Kenosha. 

Sergio Correa ’00 received UW-Parkside’s spring 2021 Excellence in Advising Award. Sergio is an Academic Advisor in UW-Parkside’s College of Business, Economics, and Computing and has served the university in a number of roles in admissions and advising since 2000. He and his wife Carla (Gomez) Correa ’03 live in Kenosha with their two children. 

Shani Parker ‘09 became a published author in summer 2022. Her book is from her experiences of being a therapist to help guide people in their mental health journey. Pre-order, available now

Christopher Smith ‘06 is an Associate Branch Buyer for Uline and will celebrate his 10th anniversary with the company in August 2022. 

Jasmine Johnson ‘03 Vice President of Sales at iHeart radio, received the Peak Performer Award from the Wisconsin Business Hall of Fame. Read More.

Kathlyn Dibble '05 is now serving the City of Sevierville, TN as their Risk Manager. As a specialized member of the administration team holding advanced certifications in safety and human resources, she works to control the probability or impact of unfortunate events for her organization.  

Heather Spencer ‘00 is a library resources support technician for the UW-Parkside Library and received the university’s spring 2021 University Staff Distinguished Service Award. During the pandemic, when most of the library personnel were working remotely, Spencer was usually on campus working, making sure the other staff could do their jobs. She developed contactless curbside delivery of library materials, and is also the onsite library contact for construction and facilities staff during the Wyllie remodel project. 

Peter Pioli ’06 The Pioli lab moved to the University of Saskatchewan in Canada where the group will continue to explore the developmental and functional heterogeneity of antibody-secreting cells (a.k.a, plasma cells).

Andrea "Drea" Higgins ‘04 shifted careers from 15 years in Higher Education at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse to Associate Director of The Children's Museum of La Crosse. If you're ever in the area, come be silly, smart, and play!

Mary Ibrahim '05 currently serves as an Associate Attorney for the Law Office of Corey I. Cohen & Associates in Florida. Recently it was announced that she can now represent clients in Federal Law Cases out of the Middle District of Florida.

Terra Wendricks '01 was promoted to the leadership position of Assistant Regional Chief at the State of Wisconsin Department of Corrections, where she has administrative responsibility for the development and implementation of regional programs and policies; supervising and directing field units; and maintaining working relationships with public and elected officials and community agencies. Terra also teaches courses in UW-Parkside’s Criminal Justice program as an associate lecturer. 

Sheila Egerson ‘98 recently joined Associated Bank as their new Assistant Vice President Senior Residential Mortgage Loan Officer serving Racine, Kenosha & Milwaukee Counties. She seeks to help the community achieve their vision of Homeownership one borrower at a time.  

Dawn (Mead) Hukai ‘91, Accounting Systems and Managerial Accounting Professor, began serving as Acting Dean of the College of Business and Economics at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls in January 2022. 

Lisa Nalbandian '99 was promoted from southeast regional manager of Wisconsin Public Radio (WPR) to the role of senior regional manager. Lisa helped found WIPZ, Parkside's radio station, during her time on campus.

Michelle Borleske ’91 was recently appointed Dean of Upper School Student Affairs at The Gregory School in Tucson, Arizona where she also serves as the Director of College Counseling.

Vincent Borleske '91 works at the University of Arizona as the Director of Engineering Research Administrative Services for the College of Engineering. 

James Heller '97 serves as UW-Parkside’s Chief of Police and helped implement the You Have Options Program (YHOP). YHOP received the University of Wisconsin System’s inaugural University Staff Excellence Award for 2021. UW-Parkside’s Police Department is the first in Wisconsin to add this specialized approach for working with survivors of sexual assault. 

Barry Tait ’90 is the owner of Tait Media, a video and media production company based in the Racine area since 1993. Barry recently expanded Tait Media’s offices to include more studio space and a podcast room. 

Bruce Johns ‘97 started a new position at Allspring Global Investments as a Municipal Fixed Income Portfolio Manager. His role includes managing national mutual funds (Ultra Short Term, Short Term, Intermediate Municipal Bond Funds) as well as managing State Mutual funds (Minnesota Tax Free Fund, Pennsylvania Tax Free Fund and the Wisconsin Tax Free Fund). 

Aaron Kapellusch '98 recently became the General Manager for a National Commercial Disaster Restoration Company. Five months into the job, he was diagnosed with a brain tumor. After two surgeries and radiation treatments, he is now back to leading his team in Wisconsin, while taking experimental chemotherapy. Aaron is moving in the right direction with the support of colleagues from around the country. 

Marshall Reese ‘97, Franklin Middle School Library Media Center's Innovation Specialist, was awarded a $2,500 grant from the Janesville Education Foundation to assist in the purchase of a Glowforge 3D laser printer in May 2022. The Glowforge will be a part of the new STEAM area that Marshall is developing in the Franklin LMC. He took over the Innovation Specialist position in September 2021 after 5 years at Franklin and in his 21st year in education.  

Karen Scarfone ‘93 is a cybersecurity writer and editor and has had her own business for over 10 years. Recently, she co-authored the Secure Software Development Framework (SSDF) for the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The White House is currently planning how federal agencies will adopt the SSDF, and she is excited to see her work being put into action to improve software security throughout our government. 

Ramona Seabaugh ‘96 is fulfilling her goal of serving as a public CFO, after numerous escalating successful leadership positions within finance. She credits the quality education and flexibility of Parkside, where she attended night school while working full-time during the day and part-time on weekends, as an important part of her career success. ”Forever grateful!” 

La Shawn R. Stanton ‘97 has been named Chief People Officer at The Place for Children with Autism, a leading provider of applied behavior analysis (ABA) therapy services for children with autism in Illinois. 

Marshall Reese '97 The Janesville Education Foundation awarded Marshall Reese, Franklin LMC's Innovation Specialist, a $2,500 grant to assist in the purchase of a Glowforge 3D laser printer in May 2022. The Glowforge will be a part of the new STEAM area that Marshall is developing in the Franklin LMC. He took over the Innovation Specialist position in September 2021 after 5 years at Franklin and in his 21st year in education.

Carol Jenkins-Espinosa ‘85 retired from University of Wisconsin Colleges in April 2021. 

Jennie Tunkieicz ‘87 was honored with the Women of Influence Award at the 31st annual Susan B. Anthony Awards in Kenosha. 

Dr. Daryl R. Sauer '84 has joined the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in the role of Senior Research Medicinal Chemist in the Exploration Medical Capabilities Element.

Ralph Harms '83 & '89, has recently retired after many years of experience in various product marketing and supply chain management positions. "I credit the education and experiences I received at UW-Parkside as a leading contributor to my successful career." 

Francesco Salituro ’80 and his band Almost the Cure won the 8th annual Battle of the Biotech Bands in Boston and raised $100,000 for the Joseph's Hope Scholarship Fund at Epilepsy Foundation of New England. All while sporting his UW-Parkside shirt! Francesco is the founder and sole proprietor of Salituro MedChem Solutions and has been a scientific leader in pharmaceutical industry for over 34

Steven Rogstad ’81’s book “Lincoln Among the Badgers: Re-discovering Sites Associated with Abraham and Mary Lincoln in Wisconsin” was published last October. It was named a “top 40 book to buy for the holidays” by the Milwaukee Journal, and Wisconsin Public Radio broadcasted a portion of it on the “chapter a day” program. The book is enjoying healthy sales and reviews nationwide. 

Jeffery Cassity ‘86 is the founding Director of Special Education for Spectrum Center/Chance Light Charter Schools in Redding, California.

Robert L. Turner ’76, a former student senator, served as an alderman on the Racine City Council for 28 years and was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly for 22 years representing the city of Racine. Robert is currently the president of the Racine Police and Fire Commission.