Class Notes
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Please note: Individuals are listed in Class Notes according to the year of their most recent School of Management degree.
1950s
Robert J. Rivard '51 retired after 35 years with the General Motors financial department.
1960s
Robert Hauenstein '68 retired last year. He has lived in Germany since being stationed there from 1968-70. He was an executive for the OBI/Lux company until 1985, worked as an executive in a temporary help company, then began his own temporary help company in 1992.
1970s
David F. Simon '74 was promoted to executive vice president and chief legal officer for Jefferson Health System (JHS) in Radnor, Pa., and also serves as president of JHS' Accountable Care Organization. In addition, he has been designated as chair of the transition team for the Pennsylvania Insurance Department and the Department of Public Welfare, and is a member of the transition team for the Department of Health.
Christopher R. Greene, MBA '75, was chosen for the 2011 edition of "Best Lawyers in America." He is a partner with Damon Morey.
Margaret King '75 was elected treasurer of the board for the Everywoman Opportunity Center in Buffalo. She is chief financial officer for Buffalo Hospital Supply Co.
Burt Zweigenhaft '76 is chief executive officer at OncoMed Pharmaceuticals. The company opened a new facility in UB's Innovation Center, which is a mix of lab and office space for life science and biotech companies in downtown Buffalo's emerging medical corridor.
Maria Miecyjak '77 is co-founder and vice president of Just Do It Dental, a Web-based information product company that creates winning formulas, strategies and blueprints designed to help dental practices achieve financial freedom.
Robert J. Kreppel '79 is founder and president of EnviroGen Marketing, which markets renewable energy in New York and New England.
Mary C. St. Mary '79 is trade commissioner at the Consulate General of Canada in Buffalo, assisting Canadian companies that wish to begin exporting to or expand their presence in the U.S.
1980s
Marc Adler, MBA '82, is director of marketing for KATZ Americas. He is an adjunct professor in the School of Management and is on the board of directors for the UB Alumni Association and the School of Management Alumni Association.
Daniel E. Cantara '82, MBA '82, was appointed vice chair of the Sisters Hospital Foundation.
Michael LaMancuso '82 earned the Chartered Merger and Acquisition Professional designation. He is a director in the Buffalo office of The McLean Group.
Ronald J. Tanski, MBA '82, was named president and chief operating officer at National Fuel.
Arthur G. Wingerter Jr. '82 was appointed to the board of directors for the Heritage Centers Foundation. He is president of Univera Healthcare.
Margaret Hempling McGlynn, MBA '83, was appointed to the board of directors for the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative.
Gerald F. Reger '83 was appointed to the executive committee of the board for the American Red Cross, Greater Buffalo Chapter. He is a partner with Dopkins & Company.
Cynthia M. Rich '82, MBA '83, was promoted to executive vice president at Evans Bank.
Deborah Acanfora '84 was appointed deputy Medicaid inspector general for audit for the New York State Office of the Medicaid Inspector General.
Nancy L. Falk, MBA '84, is an assistant professor in the School of Nursing at George Washington University.
Daniel P. Joyce, JD/MBA '84, was named partner at Hodgson Russ.
James Lienert '74, MBA '84, was named executive vice president and chief financial officer at Occidental Petroleum.
Richard A. Wiktorowski '84 was promoted to principal at Tronconi Segarra & Associates.
Patricia A. Kuchera '84, MBA '86, was appointed controller at Ciminelli Real Estate Corp.
Paul F. Ciminelli '87 was appointed to the board of directors of New York State's Empire State Development Corp. He is president and CEO of Ciminelli Development Co.
Mark F. Majewski '87 earned the chartered life underwriter designation from The American College. He is a disability specialist with Alliance Advisory Group.
Keith Stolzenburg '81, MBA '87, was re-elected to the University at Buffalo Foundation board of trustees.
Mark Balcom '88 was promoted to president at Pooley Inc., a Buffalo-headquartered industrial distributor.
Mark E. Brand, JD/MBA '88, was re-elected to the board of directors for Summit Educational Resources. He is a partner with Phillips Lytle.
Cheryl A. Carncross '88 was promoted to manager at Master, Sidlow & Associates.
Gary A. Kajtoch '88, MBA '89, was promoted to executive vice president at Evans Bank.
Mark R. Terry '89 was promoted to vice president of sales and marketing at ComputerSearch Payroll Services.
Sujata Yalamanchili '88, MBA '89, was re-elected to the board of directors for Summit Educational Resources. She is a partner with Hodgson Russ.
1990s
Joann Boehm '80, MBA '91, was promoted to director of strategic programs at Independent Health.
Shawn M. Frier '90, MBA '91, earned the certified fraud examiner designation through the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners. He is director of the accounting and auditing department at Freed Maxick and Battaglia.
William C. Bergmann Jr. '92 was named vice president, finance, at Starz, a controlled subsidiary that operates Starz Media and Starz Entertainment.
Elizabeth M. Kraus '91, MBA '93, was named senior vice president and sales leader, business banking, for KeyBank's Western New York district.
Kim Krug '93 owns Monkey See, Monkey Do.A Children's Bookstore in Clarence.
David J. Nasca, MBA '93, was elected secretary of the Independent Bankers Association of New York State. He is president and CEO of Evans Bank.
Michael J. Burns '93, MBA '94, was appointed president of AirSys Technologies.
James A. Dunlop Jr., MBA '94, was appointed to the board of trustees for Hilbert College. He is executive vice president and chief financial officer for the Catholic Health System.
Michael J. Prendergast, MBA '94, was appointed to the board of directors for the Food Bank of Western New York. He is vice president at M&T Bank.
Jennifer (Sullivan) Burstein '94, MBA '95, was promoted to vice president, finance, at Acorda Therapeutics.
Scott Bylewski '95, MBA '95, received the 2010 Bar Association of Erie County Award of Merit. He is supervisor for the Town of Clarence.
Joseph V. Saffire, MBA '95, was appointed chief operating officer for the commercial banking division of HSBC in Germany.
Thomas P. White, EMBA '96, was appointed to the board of directors for Summit Educational Resources. He is assistant professor emeritus in UB's Department of Communicative Disorders and Sciences.
Kelly E. Marks '94, MBA '97, was appointed to the board of trustees for Buffalo's Irish Classical Theatre Company. She is an associate with Phillips Lytle.
Curtis H. Bernstein '98 was appointed director in the valuation service line at Sinaiko Healthcare Consulting.
Kenneth F. Fick '98 joined The Oakleaf Group as managing director.
Thomas A. Lechner, PhD '98, was appointed assistant professor of accounting and finance at Eastern Michigan University.
2000s
Michael Barone, MBA '00, received Business First's "40 Under Forty" award, which recognizes outstanding business and community leaders in Western New York. He is director of public relations at SUNY Fredonia.
Monica M. Christopher, MBA '00, is the regional marketing manager for the state of Florida with M&I Bank in Milwaukee.
Robert E. Denning, EMBA '00, was named to the University at Buffalo Foundation's board of trustees. He is president and CEO of Perry's Ice Cream.
Catherine M. Campbell, EMBA '01, received Business First's 2010 Women of Influence Corporate Executive award. She is senior vice president for government programs at BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York.
Randy J. Irvine, MBA '01, was promoted to senior manager of market development at Ingram Micro.
Serafina M. Mitri, MBA '01, was named special counsel at Damon Morey.
Jennifer Seth-Cimini, MBA '02, is the manager of The Paint Box Project at Roswell Park Cancer Institute.
Patrick J. Mathews '03 was promoted to senior manager in the accounting and auditing department at Tronconi Segarra & Associates.
Nicholas J. Snyder '03, MBA '03, was promoted to controller and principal accounting officer at Evans Bank.
Laura Meyers, CEL '05, is CEO of Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington, D.C.
Thomas McManus, PMBA '06, received Business First's "40 Under Forty" award, which recognizes outstanding business and community leaders in Western New York. He is CEO of KegWorks Inc.
Deneb Pirrone '04, 'MBA '06, was named business manager at VWR Education.
Kevin Cavalieri, MBA '07, was elected chair of the board of trustees for the Food Bank of Western New York. He is vice president in the finance department at M&T Bank.
Caroline M. Szydlo, MBA '07, earned certification as a senior professional in human resources. She is director of human resources for Brock, Schechter & Polakoff.
Jeremy D. Blecha '08 was promoted to senior accountant at Tronconi Segarra & Associates.
Jonathan R. Davis, MBA '08, passed all four parts of the Uniform Certified Public Accounting exam. He is an analyst with Brisbane consulting, a subsidiary of Lumsden McCormick.
Kristin M. Kowalski '09 was promoted to human resources coordinator at Niagara Cerebral Palsy.
Laurie Albertsson, CEL '10, was recognized by Cambridge Who's Who for demonstrating dedication, leadership and excellence in leasing approvals. She is vice president of Fernwood Capital and serves as president of the National Association of Women Business Owners Buffalo Niagara chapter.
Chas T. Fiscella, MS '10, was named staff accountant at Amato Fox and Co.
Alumni Spotlight: Two alumni honored for academic excellence
Kendall
Kenneth E. Kendall, MBA '70, PhD '75, was honored as Educator of the Year by the Education Special Interest Group of the Association of Information Technology Professionals. The award recognizes his outstanding efforts in teaching, research and service to the field of information systems education.
A Distinguished Professor of Management at Rutgers School of Business-Camden, Kendall is one of the founders of the International Conference on Information Systems and a fellow and past president of the Decision Sciences Institute. He has published more than 90 research articles and numerous books.
Kendall was the first individual to receive a doctorate in management information systems (MIS) from the UB School of Management and says his education laid the groundwork for his future endeavors. "My professors in the School of Management had the foresight to realize that the MIS field was beginning to emerge and encouraged me to study, publish and teach MIS," he says. "It was a wonderful start to my career."
Pillai
Rajnandini "Raj" Pillai, PhD '94, professor of management at California State University San Marcos (CSUSM), received the Harry E. Brakebill Distinguished Professor Award for exemplary teaching, research and service.
Pillai is a founder and serves as the executive director of the Center for Leadership Innovation and Mentorship Building (CLIMB) at CSUSM. She also co-created the Executive Mentoring program, where students are paired with senior executives. She has published several research articles on charismatic and transformational leadership (including presidential leadership and voting behavior) and cross-cultural management in the leading journals in the field. She recently co-authored a book, Understanding Global Cultures, with Martin Gannon.
"The late Jim Meindl was a wonderful mentor to me when I was at the UB School of Management," she says. Meindl was the Donald S. Carmichael Professor of Organization and Human Resources. "He saw that I had a passion for leadership and encouraged me to study charismatic leadership in crisis situations. He also visited CSUSM to help us start CLIMB in 2004."
