Iona University Magazine Welcomes Class Notes Submissions From Alumni
Email: magazine@iona.edu
Address: Iona University Magazine, 715 North Avenue New Rochelle, NY 10801
1950s
1953
Dennis Wallin ’53 is presently retired CW3Army and retired detective NYPD plus others, living in Tennessee with his wife Betty, 58 years of marriage.
1956
Honorable Patrick W. McGinley ’56 was recently appointed as the chief administrative law judge for the New York Waterfront Commission.
Bob Semenza ’56 has had two careers—as a partner with KPMG and as an accounting professor at Quinnipiac University. He has authored several books, conducts presentations on caregiving and maintains a blog, timeswithpoppy.com.
William L. Holmes ’56 and Kathleen Holmes, queen of Iona senior prom in 1956, celebrated their 69th wedding anniversary in July.
1960s
1962
Joe Perrone ’62, recently published his fourth book; a second book of poems titled, Some More Poems By Joe, which can be found on Amazon or Barnes & Noble.
1963
Francisco Lugovia ’63 moved to Florida, plays softball in a senior league and enjoys teaching at Soil and Soul, Inc.
1967
Rudy Berndlmaier ’67, former vice president of Lee County Arts Center, Inc., retired to Florida.
Brother Gregory Timothy Smyth ’67 has been reassigned from the community at All Hallows in the Bronx to the community in Brownsville, Texas and will continue to work with the Brothers’ Province Office of Educational Services in New Rochelle.
Terence Winch ’67, ’14H is the guest editor for the Best American Poetry 2025 anthology.
1968
Bela Bernath ’68 retired in Southern California and spends time with his three children, seven grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.
James F. Olwell ’68, whose memoir The Art of Being Irish in Hell’s Kitchen was chosen by the New York City Department of Education’s Emerald Society Book Club as its spring selection, has also recently become a grandfather.
Daniel Gill ’68 published a children’s book, No More Chairs, in July after retiring as a middle school teacher for 53 years in Montclair, N.J. His book is an Editor’s Pick on Amazon and was selected as a book in the NEA Read Across America Program to be highlighted in the month of January.
Frank Traina ’68 is enjoying a retired life in The Villages, Fla.
Michael Novello Ed.D., OFM, ’68 is retired from The University of Phoenix as a member of the Doctoral Faculty, following his retirement as headmaster of Rivermont Collegiate in Iowa and Out-of-Door Academy in Florida.
1969
Francis G. Belardi, MD, FAAFP, ’69 was recently honored by the University of Toronto press and the Guthrie Clinic Medical Journal. He served on the editorial board of the Guthrie Medical Journal for many years and was recently appointed to emeritus editor status for his contributions. Dr. Belardi has been a member of the Dean’s Advisory Board for Iona University’s School of Arts and Sciences since 2019 and is chairman of the Board.
Kevin Cawley, CFC, Ph.D. ’69 continues his ministry as executive director of the Thomas Berry Forum for Ecological Dialogue in the Deignan Institute for Earth and Spirit at Iona University. He also serves as the permanent representative of Edmund Rice International (ERI) at the United Nations Headquarters. He has recently returned from engagements at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva where he assisted in the ERI training program for multiple participants from Christian Brothers ministries in Kenya, South Africa, Zambia, Australia, Nigeria, India and the USA.
James P. Hynes ’69, ’01H shared his inspiring career journey at the Hynes Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation’s Distinguished Speaker Series event, including stories from his Bronx roots as the child of Irish immigrants to his dynamic career spanning telecommunications, finance and entrepreneurship.
Bill Nevins ’69 published a book collection of poetry, Light Bending which includes a poem “Iona, Love”, a memory and tribute to his undergraduate years at Iona.
1970s
1970
Richard Kulbieda ’70, ’74MBA is retired and enjoyed a great career in the financial industry for over 40 years, including being the executive vice president of the corporate banking group for KeyBank in the New York metropolitan area.
1971
Bill Lessa ’71, principal of Cardinal Hayes High School, retired after spending over 50 years working at the school.
James McNiff ’71 recently self-published his 21st book on Amazon titled Sketching Memories and has a YouTube channel under his name that feature his multimedia artwork.
Joe Spallina ’71 is retired.
1972
Christopher R. Goess ’72: “I recently visited my former roommate, Daniel Graser ’72, in Virginia to ruminate on ‘old age and retirement’, during a dinner out. Dan and his lovely wife Cathy will celebrate their 52nd wedding anniversary at which I served as best man. Congratulations to them both.”
Joseph Gugliemella ’72 recently retired after a nearly 50-year career in the field of special education and relocated to North Carolina.
1975
Brian J. Cushin MD, FACS ’75 retired after a 35-year career as a general surgeon and hand surgeon at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, N.Y.
Chris Jones ’75 published his debut novel, Shadow Islands, through Moonshine Cove Publishing, LLC, available on Amazon.
1977
Dr. Gregory J. Rummo ’77, ’83MBA graduated from Knox Theological Seminary in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. with a Doctor of Ministry degree (D.Min.). His dissertation, Reaching GenZ with the Gospel in the College Classroom, has been published by Wipf & Stock.
Ted Amoruso ’77 has completed three years as team lead at the Iona University Campus Store.
1978
Anne Marie (McKenna) Allocca ’78 celebrated 15.5 years working with Apple Inc. as a retail voice sales Mac expert.
1979
James F. Schneider ’79 is the co-CEO and president of Coastal Cocktails, Inc./Modern Gourmet Foods, LLC of Newport Beach and operating partner at IVEST Consumer Partners Investors of Los Angeles & Vancouver.
Brian J. Smith ’79 retired as registrar of Votes in Norwalk, Conn. in 2025.
1980s
Joseph V. Fiumara ’80 and Pauline (Marianacci) Fiumara ’76 are happy to announce the birth of their first grandchild. Joseph is also retired after a long career as a teacher with the New York City Department of Education.
Vincent Fiumara ’80, a former teacher at Park Avenue Elementary School for 25 years, has retired from the Port Chester School District.
Michael Palma ’80, founder and CEO of The Palma Group, recently announced the release of his new book, Walk with a Humble Swagger: Lessons From the Recruiting Trail in Basketball and Advertising.
1982
Marlene Piturro, Ph.D. ’82MBA: Recipients of the inaugural Piturro Shinning Stars Scholarships proudly posed alongside benefactor Marlene Piturro, Ph.D. ’82MBA during their pinning ceremony. The scholarship, which recognizes hardworking students in Iona University’s Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing program, reflects Dr. Piturro’s commitment to supporting promising students who demonstrate a strong academic record, resilience in overcoming obstacles, and an inspiring determination to excel in the rigorous program.
1985
Major General John F. Hussey (retired) ’85 announced the release of his new book Inside the Wire, Guarding America’s Enemy Prisoners in the Global War on Terror from Abu Ghraib to Guantanamo Bay.
Lorrie Grant ’85 has expanded her professional path to include voice acting and is a SAG-AFTRA member. Learn more at lorriegrant.com.
Thomas Halloran ’87, CPA is the president and CEO of Fidelis Care, a health plan subsidiary of Centene Corporation that serves more than 2.4 million members in New York State. Reflecting on his career and tenure at Fidelis Care, Halloran values being part of a mission based organization that is helping people navigate complex healthcare environments to access quality care. Halloran recently accepted the Arthur Ashe Institute Leadership Award at the 30th annual SportsBall Gala.
1988
Adrienne Arkontaky, J.D. ’88 is the owner and founder of The Arkontaky Law Group P.C., a lawgroup dedicated to assisting families of loved ones with disabilities with the difficult aspects of navigating the special education system and special needs estate planning. Arkontaky was the keynote speaker at the Delta Epsilon Sigma Honor Society induction ceremony and shared her story of beginning her pursuit of a law degree at
39, driven by her experiences as a mother of an adult daughter with disabilities.
Thomas Davenport ’88 started at Graystone Consulting working in Biotech Mergers and Acquisitions and is chief of Plastic Surgery at NYU Langone Hospital Long Island.
1989
Christopher A. Fulco ’89 is the founder and president of Real Estate Professionals of Italian American Heritage.
1990s
1994
Lisa (Janniello) O’Connor ’94 & Loredana Gallinelli ’94: “The proof is in the people” was the slogan when I went to Iona. It definitely rang true for me, as it led me to my best friend. I started college knowing a handful of people from my high school, but was looking forward to making new friends. For me, it started with a pen. A group of students were sitting in what was then Doorley lounge, and when they left, I realized that one of the girls had left her pen. I contacted her that evening and that simple gesture blossomed into a lifelong friendship. It’s been almost 35 years since that day and our friendship has never wavered. Through good times and bad we have been there for each other, and we have Iona to thank for it.”
1995
Charles Marino ’95, expert on national homeland security matters and emerging threats, came back to campus to discuss his career advice post-graduation as a former Supervisory Special Agent with the US Secret Service and more.
1996
Dora Mendez ’96 proudly announces the launch of Coach Dora, LLC, a leadership coaching and Human Resources (HR) consulting business committed to helping professionals grow with confidence, clarity and impact. Learn more at coachdoramendez.com.
1997
Carol Harblin ’97 is the founder and president of her own editing and writing service, Human Intelligence Creative Imagination Editing.
Shenan Reed ’97, General Motors’ first global chief media officer, returned to Iona University to share her inspiring career journey and leadership insights as part of the “View from the C-Suite” speaker series.
1998
Kim Renay Anderson ’98MS published her fiction book, UR Dead2 Me!: Chronicles of Adults Raised As AnEntitled Spoiled Brat (The Schumela Series).
Noreen (O’Connor) Ford ’98, ’00MS recently graduated with an associate’s degree in Medical Billing & Coding from Keiser University and is now a certified professional coder through the AAPC.
Michael Lenahan ’98, ’00MS was recently appointed by the Archdiocese of New York as the regional superintendent to lead Catholic schools in the Manhattan school region.
F. Thomas Cornelius II, ’98, ’00MBA was recently promoted to president & CEO of Heritage Financial Credit Union.
2000s
2000
Damien SemelDeFeo, J.D., ’00 is an entrepreneur, sales leader and former attorney with a diverse career spanning law, sales leadership and clean technology innovation. As co-founder and CEO of Cool Down, he has spearheaded the development and commercialization of patented clean tech solutions in the HVAC industry, with a focus on scaling innovative technologies and expanding market access in the energy efficiency sector.
2001
Christina (Pillar) Cook ’01 recently celebrated 13 years of her private pediatric speech-language therapy practice, is a licensed wildlife rehabilitator and founder/ president of Artemis Wildlife Rescue, Inc.
Frank Dwyer ’01 has moved to the private sector as director of Strategic Communications of National Grid for New York State, after 16+ years of service to the City of New York in communications roles at the FDNY, DOC, and City Hall.
2005
Matthew Caiola ’05, CEO of 5W Public Relations, a top 10 independently owned PR firm in the U.S., shared his career journey and valuable advice to current students at the 16th annual Iona Scholars Day. Caiola was recently honored as Communications and PR Executive of the Year by the American Business Association and as one of PRDaily’s Top Communicators of the Year.
Matt Frappier ’05 recently joined Burson as EVP, US Brand Earned Media Lead. In his role, he oversees a team of Earned Media strategists and subject matter experts on clients that include, but are not limited to, The Coca-Cola Company, Colgate Palmolive, Bose, Spotify, Etsy, and more.
Mark Saracino ’05, president and CEO of Saracino Industries Inc., has transformed the business into a leading stone supplier serving the Northeast and beyond, with a specialized focus on supplying material to large-scale construction projects across the public and private sectors. In 2021, his company sourced and delivered the premium stone that defines Iona’s transformative Murphy Green project.
Crystal Howard ’05 is an inclusion program manager at Amazon and the director of Professional Development of Amazon Black Female Employee Network. Her podcast, Pave Her Way, is available on Apple, Spotify and Amazon Music.
2006
Paulo Silva ’06, ’08MBA, CPA has been appointed chief financial officer at Accion, a global nonprofit. This marks Silva’s first global C-Suite role, where he will leverage strategic financial leadership and cross-functional problem-solving to drive impactful change.
2007
Juviza Rodriguez ’07 was named a recipient of the 40 Under 40 Public Health Catalyst Awards by the Boston Congress of Public Health. With over 15 years of experience working in academic research and non-profit organizations, Rodriguez’s current role as senior director of Consumer Health at March of Dimes and recent scholarly pursuits have allowed her to lead health education initiatives and explore issues driving inequities in maternal-infant health.
Eric Traugott ’07MBA, a partner at ParkLexington, recently sold the business to Wilshire and will stay on as a managing director.
2008
Jen Ritz ’08 is the owner of Sweet Tees Custom Apparel Inc. in her hometown of Yorktown Heights. She was recently recognized with a New York State Commendation Award, recognizing her significant impact on the local community, and a New York State Empire Award, acknowledging her philanthropic efforts through her business.
Will Tower ’08 celebrated 15 years leading marketing partnerships at American Express and was recently appointed to the role of director, Marketing & Insights Partnerships for the firm’s Global Client Group.
Elizabeth Young ’08 has recently published her first children’s book, Loose Limbs: A Story of Survival, available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Learn more at looselimbs.com.
2009
Grace Ferri ’09, chief marketing officer at United Hebrew, was recognized at the 914INC. Women in Business Awards.
2010s
Victoria Bruno ’10 was selected as an honoree for 914INC. Magazine’s 2024 Women in Business.
Kathryn (Rawlick) Cohen ’11 recently launched her own private client jewelry business, Three Karets.
Kayla Kennelly ’11 was newly appointed as chief growth officer at Opal Wealth Advisors. In her new role, Kennelly leads strategic initiatives focused on brand expansion, advisor development and client experience. She credits this milestone to both Opal Wealth Advisors and Iona University, viewing this achievement as a reflection of the firm’s momentum and the strength of the network that has supported her journey.
2012
Maria (Jensen) Margarites ’12 is vice president of Public Relations at DeVries Global, leading communications for various consumer, health and wellness brands.
William May ’12, ’13MS is a senior software engineer at Beyond Identity, bringing over a decade of expertise in mobile application development. With a drive to take on the unique challenges of developing applications for an open-source platform with a diverse ecosystem of devices, May is passionate about learning new strategies to solve problems.
2013
Jay Wegimont ’13 was elected to the South Kingstown Town Council in his hometown of South Kingstown, R.I.
2014
Michael Foti, DO, CHSE ’14 is a certified healthcare simulation educator (CHSE) as of June 2025.
2016
Mathew Brownstein ’16 was promoted to senior news assistant for the Standards team at The New York Times.
Merridith Mackenzie Delinois ’16 recently became an attorney in the state of California.
2018
Allison Saffo ’18 celebrated three years at Dentsu and was promoted to senior manager of Paid Social Media.
2020s
2020
Erin Kelly ’20: ”I joined colleagues on the podium to ring the Closing Bell at the New York Stock Exchange in honor of the Autism Science Foundation. My company, the Security Traders Association, is a trade association working on behalf of equity traders and we chose the Autism Science Foundation (ASF) as our 2025 Charity of Choice. While at Iona, I coordinated the Finance Club’s very first tour of the New York Stock Exchange and have welcomed the club back since.”
2021
Josh Gurland ’21, ’23MBA started law school at Quinnipiac University School of Law.
2022
Maddy Brew ’22: Best of luck to Maddy Brew ’22 who will be running the Marine Corps Marathon this fall on behalf of the Hugh Riley Rone Scholarship Fund, founded in memory of Riley Rone.
Leila Fine ’22, is currently the News 12 morning producer, responsible for the local morning show.
2023
Juan Cadile ’23 and Danny Potocki ’06 have been awarded a prestigious grant from the Cosmos Institute’s Cosmos Ventures initiative. This accolade places them among a select group of global innovators advancing the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to promote human flourishing.
2024
Gabrielle Iarocci ’24MBA recently started a new role as a senior client services manager at Epsilon, a data management and advertising agency owned by Publicis Groupe.
Andrew Miller ’24 is a student at Columbia University Irving Medical Center.
Maria Morano ’24: As a graduate of the NewYork-Presbyterian Iona School of Health Sciences, Maria Morano ’24 is living her dream as a labor and delivery nurse at NewYork-Presbyterian Alexandra Cohen Hospital for Women and Newborns.
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