Fall 2020 Class notes

Photo of LaToya Hobbs

 

 

 

 

 

 

LaToya M. Hobbs

LATOYA M. HOBBS (MFA 2013, Studio Art/Printmaking-Painting), professor at the Maryland Institute College of Art, was selected in July 2020 as the winner of the 15th annual Janet & Walter Sondheim Artscape Prize. The Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts (BOPA) presents the coveted $25,000 fellowship each year to help further the career of a visual artist, or group of art collaborators, who live in the Baltimore area. LaToya’s work “deals with figurative imagery that addresses the ideas of beauty, cultural identity, and womanhood as they relate to women of the African Diaspora.” LaToya has participated in numerous national and international exhibitions and has an upcoming exhibit at the Baltimore Museum of Art that will open in spring 2021. (Photo by Ariston Jacks)

Photo of Katie Glick

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Katherine “Katie” Glick

KATIE GLICK (BA 2008, Political Science), agribusiness strategy manager at Ice Miller LLP, was appointed by Gov. Eric Holcomb to Indiana’s Judicial Nominating Commission. The Columbus resident and 2017 Emerging Voice Award honoree now sits on a seven-person panel that vets applications and submits a list of qualified applicants to the governor for vacancies on the state’s Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, and Tax Court. The commission consists of three attorneys, three non-lawyers, and the Chief Justice of the Indiana Supreme Court. Two other commission members, Chief Justice Loretta Rush (BA 1980, History) and Third District representative Dan Vinovich (BA 1987, Political Science and History), are also Purdue College of Liberal Arts graduates. Katie, who represents the state’s First District, will serve a term that expires on Dec. 31, 2022. (Photo by Trevor Mahlmann/Purdue University)

 

Class Notes

1954

NANCY LOWE KRIPLEN (BS Science/Liberal Science) is the author of a new biography, “J. Irwin Miller: The Shaping of An American Town” (IU Press, 2019). Her earlier biographies were of sportsman/statesman Dwight F. Davis, donor of tennis’ Davis Cup, and John D. MacArthur, whose money funded the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. At Purdue, Kriplen was one of the first women editors-in-chief of The Exponent. Before becoming a full-time freelancer (New York Times, Smithsonian, Discover), Kriplen worked for Time magazine and Scripps Howard’s Indianapolis Times.

1966

FRED C. “FLASH” LASH (B.A., American History) was recently named vice president of communication for Military Historical Tours, Inc. in Woodbridge, Virginia.  He is also the president of both his Marine Corps officer candidate and Basic School class (’67), and the USMC Combat Correspondents Association/Foundation.

1970

KENDALL SVENGALIS (BA, English; MA ’73, American History) published the 23rd edition of the national award-winning “Legal Information Buyer’s Guide & Reference Manual” and “A Layperson’s Guide to Legal Research and Self-Help Law Books.” He is also the author of “Gary, Indiana: A Centennial Celebration” and two SAT vocabulary-building espionage novels: “Conspiracy on the Housatonic” and “The Great Emerson Art Heist,” which is set in Gary, Indiana.  He is president of New England LawPress/Duneland Press.

1971

DOREEN SIMMONS (BURANICH) (BA, Political Science) of Skaneateles, New York, was named a 2019 Upstate New York Super Lawyer. Simmons is the leader of the environmental practice at Hancock Estabrook.

1972

JAMES “JIM” POWELL (BA, Political Science), recently retired from teaching creative writing at IUPUI, has published a collection of his short stories, “Only Witness.” The book features work originally appearing in such literary journals as Bartleby Snopes, Fiction Southeast, Storyscape, Typehouse, and Verdad. A few of the stories are set at or around Purdue.

1973

DEBORAH HANKINSON (GODICH) (BA, Education) of Dallas, Texas, was named by Texas Super Lawyers as one of the top three attorneys in Texas.

MAUREEN “MO” MERHOFF (BA, Communication; MA ’75, Communication) retired from her 20-year position as president/CEO of OneZone, Inc. OneZone serves as chamber of commerce for Carmel and Fishers, Indiana. Mo was instrumental in creating an environment in which businesses could thrive, resulting in Carmel and Fishers being nationally recognized as outstanding communities in which to live, work, and play.

1980

ANNETTE VALENTINE (HADDEN) (BA, Interior Design) has published the first novel
in a trilogy, “Eastbound From Flagstaff,” a Southern historical fiction.

1981

ANGIE KLINK (BA, Communication) is writing a book on the history of Purdue’s WBAA radio to be published in spring 2022 for the station’s 100th anniversary. WBAA is Indiana’s oldest radio station.

SARAH MARR-SCHWARTZKOPF (VOELZ) (BA, Interior Design) of Columbus, Indiana, is a principal at Rowland Design, an integrated studio of architects and graphic and interior designers that recently received the AIA Indiana Distinguished Firm Award.

1985

SHERRY A. FABINA-ABNEY (B.A., Communication), a partner and health care attorney at Ice Miller LLP in Indianapolis, was selected as a 2020 Indiana Super Lawyer. The honorees, a group of no more than 5% of attorneys in the state, are selected because of their professional achievements, peer nominations, and peer evaluations.

1988

PAULA BENTLAGE-CURRIE (BA, Communication) joined Second Life Mac, an Apple device buyback company that partners with schools and enterprises to create sustainable technology budgets.

1990

KENDA RESLER-FRIEND (BA, Communication) of Indianapolis has a new startup. KRF Public Relations was founded on three decades of public relations experience and is focused on helping organizations and people tell their profound stories.

1991

MICHELLE E. DEMARCO (BS, Economics-Liberal Arts) was named chief financial officer for enVista in Indianapolis. Michelle formerly was SVP corporate finance at Genesys, also in Indianapolis.

BRUCE A. SPRINGER (BA, Communication) has launched a new health care startup, Prolucent, to revolutionize the way the healthcare industry meets its workforce needs. Prolucent uses technology, artificial intelligence, and advanced analytics to modernize and improve the recruitment, utilization, and cost of health care labor.

KELLY A. TRUSTY (BA, Elementary Education) won the 2020 Jannen Renaissance Scholar Award by Trine University’s Humanities Institute. She serves as associate professor in the Ketner School of Business. The honor recognizes a faculty member who exhibits a breadth of interest and accomplishment consistent with Renaissance ideals and who encourages students and colleagues to aspire to such breadth.

1992

JASON CONELL (BA, History, Journalism) was appointed as president and CEO of Knorr Brake Company LLC, a manufacturer of braking, door, and HVAC systems for the mass transit rail industry.

1993

CHRISTOPHER “CHRIS” DUNLAVY (BA, Political Science) joined the board of directors of Indianapolis-based Bosma Enterprises. He currently serves as associate consultant and contracts writer within legal operations at Eli Lilly and Company.

JASON C. KRIEGER (BA, Communication) was named chief executive officer of American Welding and Gas Company of Raleigh, North Carolina. Krieger was previously the organization’s president and COO.

TRICIA TRICK-ECKERT (BA, Interior Design) is a principal at Rowland Design, an integrated studio of architects and graphic and interior designers. Rowland Design recently received the AIA Indiana Distinguished Firm Award.

BEY-LING SHA (BA, Communication) is now Dean of the College of Communications at California State University, Fullerton. The college is the only such academic unit in the 23-campus Cal State system that unites all communications-related disciplines. The college includes the departments of Communications, Human Communication Studies, Cinema and Television Arts, and Communication Sciences and Disorders.

MARILEE J. SPRINGER (B.A., Law and Society), a partner in the corporate group at Faegre Drinker in Indianapolis, was selected as a 2020 Indiana Super Lawyer. The honorees, a group of no more than 5% of attorneys in the state, are selected because of their professional achievements, peer nominations, and peer evaluations. Marilee joined Faegre Drinker in March after spending the previous 23 years at Ice Miller LLP.

1994

ANNETTE FEERST (BECK) (BA, Psychological Sciences) is a licensed marriage and family therapist, nationally certified clinical mental health counselor, and certified addictions counselor, and has recently opened a marriage and family therapy business in Fresno, California.

1995

KELLI MCCRARY (BA, Communication) was named the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women director in Indianapolis. McCrary has been with the association for five years, most recently as community impact director.

AMY MOSES (BA, Communication) is a realtor in Arizona, specializing in the Phoenix and Scottsdale areas. Based upon clients’ positive reviews, she was chosen out of West USA’s 2,300 agents to be promoted in its Nov. 2019 publication, WestWorlds.

JENNIFER PING (BA, History) accepted a position as executive director of government affairs at Krieg DeVault LLP in Indianapolis.

1997

JOSEPH M. HERBERT (BA, Fine Arts), CEO of Herbert Brothers, has a feature film streaming on Amazon. The feature, “Between Waves,” was directed by the Herbert brothers (Joe, Josh, Dave, Pete, and Matt). It was written by Bob Caso and stars Faust Checho, Andy Ahrens, Ben Cain, Amy Jo Johnson, and William Russ.

1999

TRACY LEROY (BA, Political Science), a partner with Yetter Coleman LLP in Houston, Texas, was named to the Women’s Energy Network Houston Advisory Council.

2001

CHAD R. SCHULTE (BA, Communication) has been named vice president of sales for Amobee in New York. Schulte previously worked at iNvolved Media as SVP and commercial officer in the greater New York City area.

2002

KENDRA BRACKEN-FERGUSON (BA, Communication), founder of BrainTrust and CEO of rē•spin by Halle Berry, was selected for DealmakeHers, a network of the most influential female dealmakers in the retail and consumer space.

2005

GRETCHEN WHITE (BA, Political Science) was named executive director of the Indiana Association of Beverage Retailers. The IABR represents the interests of nearly 1,000 package store owners, striving to encourage responsible retailing, develop sound public policy initiatives, and build stronger communities with local advocates.

2006

KATI PRATT (BA, Communication) accepted a position as director of brand and marketing strategy at Purdue University. She was previously director of marketing and communication in the Purdue College of Liberal Arts.

2008

JON SEALY (MFA, Creative Writing) of Richmond, VA, opened Haywire Books, a publishing house that recently published a 20th anniversary edition of Purdue professor emerita Patricia Henley’s novel, “Hummingbird House.”

GARET TURNER (BA, Political Science) accepted positions as executive director of MedEvac Foundation International and vice president of strategic engagement and member experience at the Association of Air Medical Services (AAMS) in Washington, D.C.

2009

JOSHUA “JOSH” L. MARTIN (BA, Political Science) was appointed by Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb as interim chief data officer at the Indiana Management Performance Hub and has served as the agency’s chief of staff since 2015. He formerly served as program director of government efficiency and financial planning at the Indiana Office of Management and Budget.

2011

SARA ZOU (BA, Political Science) was promoted to senior writer at United Airlines. She joined United in March after previously serving as senior global communications specialist at Adtalem Global Education.

2014

ARIA S. HALLIDAY (MA, American/United States Studies/Civilization; Ph.D. 2017, American/United States Studies/Civilization) was named a 2020 Career Enhancement Fellow by the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation. The fellowship, funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, creates career development opportunities for selected faculty fellows with promising research projects.

2016

JOHN R. ERMA (CGRAD, Communication; BS, ’18, Communication) was promoted to president of AT&T New England.

2018

DESTINY MOORE (BA, Political Science, Sociology) accepted a position as talent program operations associate at TechPoint in Indianapolis.

2020

SARA CUNNINGHAM (BA, Public Relations and Strategic Communication) was chosen as an associate in the communications leadership development program at Lockheed Martin in Fort Worth, Texas. She was an integrated communications intern at Lockheed Martin in 2019.