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Alumni Newsmakers

The 1950s

Cloyd William Wagner, AA '56, BA '57, the mayor of Beavertown, Pa., was named the Reader's Digest Mayor of the Week in February.

The 1960s

The Rev. Dr. William E. Olewiler, BA '66, came out of retirement in 2011 to serve as interim pastor at Community United Methodist in Lake Como, Fla. He is now the interim pastor at Asbury United Methodist Church, in Orange Park, Fla. Rev. Olewiler is also a member of the National Board of Industrial and Commercial Ministries.

Michael Leeds, BA '68, joined the Boca Raton, Fla., office of Duane Morris LLP as a partner in the firm's wealth management practice group.

Barbara Ladon, BA '69, helped launch Newpoint Healthcare Advisors LLC, an advisory firm focused on the health care industry. The firm, of which Ms. Ladon will serve as managing director, will offer a suite of services to help health care organizations improve quality and performance.

The 1970s

Warren Bell, MBA '73, released his debut novel, Fall Eagle One, on Amazon Kindle. The book is about a fictional mission by the German air force.

Mark Brown, BA '73, was elected to the town commission in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, Fla. Mr. Brown is the former chief of staff to Congressmen William Hughes and Tim Roemer and served as executive editor of By-the-Sea-Future newspaper prior to his election.

Ellen M. Zane, BA '73, received the Lifetime Achievement Award from Working Wonders in Boston. Ms. Zane is CEO emeritus and vice chairman of the board of trustees of Tufts Medical Center.

Jeffrey A. Goldshine, BA '74, was appointed president of Finlay Management Inc. Mr. Goldshine is a 35-year expert in the field of multifamily property management, having most recently served as president of Mission Residential Management in Oakton, Va.

John Klinedinst, MBA '75, CEO and shareholder of Klinedinst PC, was honored by the San Diego Business Journal at its Fifth Annual Most Admired CEO Awards. Mr. Klinedinst won the award in the publication's "Private Company/Medium" category, marking the first time that a law firm's chief executive won the top honor.

Michael R. Leighton, BA '77, joined the Newark office of Sills Cummis & Gross as a member in the firm's real estate practice group.

Jeffrey Libman, BBA '77, was designated a premier adviser for Wells Fargo Advisors for the second year in a row. The distinction reflects professional success through commitment to client service.

The 1980s

Cynthia E. Boyd, MD '80, was appointed assistant dean for admissions and recruitment at Rush Medical College, where she is an associate professor in the department of medicine as well as vice president and chief compliance officer for Rush University Medical Center. Dr. Boyd has served as director of medical staff operations for 15 years.

Anthony Alexis, BA '81, was initiated into Beta Nu Boulé of Sigma Phi Fraternity, the northern Virginia-based chapter of the professional fraternity that honors the achievements and success of African-American men nationwide. Mr. Alexis is a partner in the law firm Mayer Brown.

John L. Cox, BA '84, MPA '86, was confirmed as the next president of Cape Cod Community College in Framingham, Mass., a leadership post he will officially assume on July 1.

Toya L. Evans, BBA '85, was named director of prospective advantage at MedAssurant. She will oversee product development, business operations, financial and quantitative analysis, and provider relations for the company's prospective risk adjustment settings.

Mark Weaver, MA '86, is vice president of international sales and marketing at Jet Mall LLC, an all-services facility for aircraft repairs.

Joseph J. Yanish, BA '86, was inducted as president-elect for the Rhode Island chapter of the American College of Healthcare Executives. He recently received the ACHE Service Award for his volunteer efforts with the community. Mr. Yanish is an adjunct faculty member in the health care administration program of Rhode Island College.

David P. DeVito, BA '89, MPA '06, and Daniel S. Michalski were married on Dec. 2, 2011, in Sharon Springs, N.Y. They are both employed by the American Psychological Association and reside in Arlington, Va.

Gary Lesser, BA '89, received the University of Miami School of Law Alumni Leadership Award at the annual judicial reception of the university's law alumni association.

The 1990s

Andrew Menachem, BA '91, a wealth adviser in Morgan Stanley Smith Barney's Aventura, Fla., office, was named to Barrons' annual list of America's top 100 financial advisers.

Jerry Archer, MS '92, received the Information Security Executive North America Award 2011, which recognizes achievements in risk management, data asset protection, and security. Mr. Archer is chief security officer of Sallie Mae.

Ron Imbach, MBA '95, was appointed the new executive director of FightSMA, an international nonprofit organization focused on eliminating spinal muscular atrophy, the leading inherited cause of death among children under two.

Chad W. Goerner, BA '97, was sworn in as mayor of Princeton Township by former New Jersey Governor Jim Florio.

Jennie Josephson, BA '98, is the recipient of a Gracie award from the Alliance for Women in Media for her Yahoo! Series, "Power Your Future."

Jason L. Kropp, BA '98, was promoted to partner at WilmerHale.

The 2000s

Carol Capece, BA '00, MBA '02, was married in Telluride, Colo., on Oct. 1, 2011. Attendees included GW Dean of Students Peter Konwerski and alumni Leah Rosen, BBA '96, MS '02; Adam Csillag, BA '00; Rochelle Reyes, BA '00; Armstrong Robinson, BA '00; Alex Sagol, BA '00; William Little, BA '00; Debra Nachmann, BA '00; Amanda Josepth-Little, BA '00; Todd Rouse, BA '00; Marisa Kurland Guarino, BA '00; Beth Taylor, BA '00; Christopher Capece, BA '95; and Joseph Guarino, BA '00.

Gregory H. Lantier, BA '00, and Joel S. Green, BA '00, were promoted to partner at law firm WilmerHale.

Jennifer P. Wisdom, MPhil '00, PhD '01, has been appointed assistant dean for research resources at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health. She is also starting an appointment as associate professor of clinical psychology in the department of health and policy management, and continues her appointment in Columbia's College of Physicians and Surgeons as an associate professor of clinical psychology.

Miles K. Davis, PhD '02, was named dean of Shenandoah University's Harry F. Byrd Jr. School of Business. Dr. Davis, a founding director of the School of Business Institute for Entrepreneurship, worked as an associate professor of management at the university.

Andrew P. Bakaj, BA '03, was a member of the team recognized by the 2011 Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals, an award presented annually by the nonprofit Partnership for Public Service to honor federal civil service.

Sigita O. Bielkus, BBA '03, is the studio director of Health Yoga Life in Boston, a yoga studio founded by Ms. Bielkus along with her mother and three sisters.

Lt. Col. John Edwards, MA '03, was selected as a National Defense Fellow to serve at the Stimson Center in Washington, D.C., a nonprofit institution devoted to enhancing international peace and security. Lt. Col. Edwards will be specializing in nuclear issues pertaining to national security.

Benjamin Pascal, BA '03, was named by the Philadelphia Business Journal as one of the Rising Stars of 2012.

Eliot Bassin, BBA '04, was made partner at Bregman & Company, P.C., a family-owned and run accounting firm in Stamford, Conn.

Nathan Gonzales, MA '05, launched PoliticsinStereo.com, a website featuring political news from a variety of perspectives. Mr. Gonzales is also deputy editor of the Rothenberg Political Report, a contributing writer for Roll Call, and an off-air consultant for ABC News election coverage.

Folake Oyegbola, BA '05, has been a Peace Corps volunteer in the Mbeya region of Tanzania since 2009. Most recently, she instituted a program to teach villagers to prevent malaria infections.

Lindsay Randall, BA '06, joined the legal team of Skadden Arps after graduating as a Dean's Fellow from American University Law School.

Jen Richer, BA '06, was named on-air talent and executive producer for the Tommy Morning Show on 94.7 Fresh FM, a new radio station in Washington, D.C., after working for four years at AM 630 WMAL.

Daniel Tropp, BBA '06, joined Ariel Property Advisors, a real estate investment brokerage focused on the New York metropolitan area.

Alexis K. Burke, BBA '07, and Scott Lehtonen, BA '08, were married on Oct. 1, 2011, in the mountains outside Las Vegas.

Amanda Strasik, BA '07, was recognized at the American Society of Eighteenth Century Studies Conference in San Antonio for her dissertation on art history, which was published by ASECS.

Richard A. Fowler, BA '08, launched the Richard Fowler Show, a weekly political talk show on We Act Radio (1480AM DC). Fowler is a political strategist who has been featured on Fox News, MSNBC, and Al-Jazeera English.

The 2010s

Da'Shaun Joseph, MS '10, was featured in the Feb. 21 issue of USA Today as one of the "New Faces of Engineering." She was nominated for the honor by the National Society of Black Engineers, which also selected her as its female alumni member of the year.

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