Classnotes
ClassNotes listed are those received as of May 6, 2022.
- 1960+
J. Ron Hennings ’69 has come out of retirement to become head of school for Sky Islands High School in Tucson, Ariz. He will continue as professor of educational leadership for Prescott College. This marks 53 years in public education for him.
- 1970+
The Hon. Larry D. Kump ’70, a former West Virginia delegate, is a Republican candidate for election to the new Falling Waters District No. 94 in the May primary election.
Jim D. Riggleman ’74, FSU baseball Hall of Famer, was hired to manage the minor league Billings Mustangs of the independent Pioneer League.
John E. Eckstine, Jr. ’79 has joined Monmouth College in Monmouth, Ill., as the director of Athletic and Symphonic Concert Bands. He was previously the director of Bands and instrumental music specialist at Spring-Ford Area High School in Montgomery County, Pa.
- 1990+
Dr. Graham L. Adams ’91, chief executive officer for the South Carolina Office of Rural Health, has been awarded the Order of the Palmetto. This is South Carolina’s highest civilian honor presented in recognition of a lifetime of extraordinary achievement, service and contributions on a national or statewide scale.
Tamara Elliott Lowry ’91/M’01 has joined the FSU Office of Sponsored Programs as a contracts and grants specialist. She has been with FSU for more than 20 years and was formerly with Student Support Services.
Mary Beth Johnson DeMartino ’92 has been named executive director of the National Association of Social Workers Maryland Chapter. An LCSW-C, she most recently served as program director of Pressley Ridge of Western Maryland, a therapeutic foster-care, mental health clinic and family preservation program in Cumberland. At NASW, Mary Beth has testified before the Maryland legislature and will promote the NASW mission to “support social workers and their professional development, advance social justice, promote the social work profession and advocate for professional social work standards.” She resides in Frostburg with her husband, Ty ’90, and twin sons Sam ’21 and Holden ’21.
Heather L. Hanline ’94/M’98 was named to the Daily Record’s Top 100 Women of Maryland and inducted into the Garrett County Commission for Women’s Hall of Fame. She is the executive director of the Dove Center in Oakland, Md.
Darrius G. Smith ’95 has been named the running backs coach and recruiting coordinator for the Southern Utah University Thunderbirds in Cedar City. He was formerly with Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colo.
Amy L. Twigg Rice ’96/M’02, a second-grade teacher at Cash Valley Elementary School in Cumberland, has been named the 2022-2023 Allegany County Teacher of the Year.
Cmdr. Thomas “Jason” Jones, JAGC, USN ’97 recently completed a master’s in sustainability at Harvard University. As part of his capstone thesis project, Jones assisted the Baltimore Mayor’s Office of Sustainability with developing plans for more sustainable commuting. He began the program at Harvard after retiring as a lawyer from the U.S. Navy JAG Corps in 2020. He intends to use the degree to help improve Baltimore’s urban sustainability when he returns to the city in 2023.
Jason E. VanSickle ’98 has been promoted to vice president and managing director of Consumer Services at First United Bank & Trust in Oakland, Md. He will oversee the bank’s strategic consumer sales and growth initiatives, along with all retail banking services in its 26 community offices.
- 2000+
Denise D. Phelps ’00 has been appointed the vice president and director of Diversity and Engagement at First United Bank & Trust in Oakland, Md. She has more than 24 years of banking experience and most recently served as the director of Retail for Frederick, Washington and Berkeley counties.
Dr. Stephanie L. Hutter-Thomas ’01 was named to Allegany Magazine’s “25 Most Fascinating People of the Year” for 2021. She is the research program director for the Buprenorphine Integration Research & Community Health project through West Virginia University School of Medicine. She has also formed Appalachian Recovery Concepts, LLC.
Dr. Jon S. Wickert ’03/M’06 recently co-authored a chapter in the textbook Creating Participatory Dialogue in Archaeological and Cultural Heritage Interpretation: Multinational Perspectives. The referenced visitor experience project included two additional alumni who work at Delaware state parks, Matt Ritter ’01/M’03 and Ray Bivens ’97.
Dr. Karley A. Moss Hensley ’04/M’08 earned her doctorate in counseling and human behavior sciences from Capella University in February. During this time, she was a president’s list recipient for consecutive semesters and became a member of Sigma Alpha Pi, The National Society of Leadership and Success. Hensley is working for Brook Lane in Hagerstown, Md., as the manager of Hospital Therapeutic Services, where she oversees the Inpatient Clinicians, Inpatient Aftercare, Admissions and Partial Hospitalization programs.
Glenn B. Crabtree, Jr. ’05 has retired as district court commissioner in Allegany County.
Stephanie C. Kryglik Stefanik ’06, a fifth-grade teacher at Mays Chapel Elementary School in Timonium, Md., recently earned the Outstanding Teacher as Leader in Gifted and Talented Education Award from the Maryland Gifted and Talented Advisory Council’s Excellence in Gifted and Talented Education program.
Dr. Rameen J. Shafiei ’07, UPMC Western Maryland’s director of Emergency Medicine, was named one of Allegany Magazine’s “25 Most Fascinating People of the Year” for 2021.
Ashley E. Wisner Vascik ’08/M’09 has been selected by Retro Report to serve on the inaugural Council of Educators, which will help advise this nonprofit news organization in its mission to create outstanding free resources for educators. In addition, she has been selected as a 2022 James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation Fellow.
- 2010+
Dr. Robert J. Bonser, DAT, ATC, LAT, PES ’10 recently had a publication, titled “Mobilization With Movement for the Treatment of Acute Lateral Ankle Sprains: A Critically Appraised Topic,” accepted in the International Journal of Athletic Therapy and Training.
Laura L. Chafey, Esq. ’10 has been named the legal director for Mid-Shore Pro Bono in Easton, Md. In this role she will oversee the legal assistance programs that provide free and low- cost access to legal representation in family law, consumer debt and housing, and elder law issues. She previously served as the Dorchester County’s assistant state’s attorney.
Joshua C. Fitzwater ’11 is the lead pastor at Belvoir Assembly of God Church in Marshall, Va.
Jennifer Gover Haslacker ’11 has been promoted to senior account manager at Arch RoamRight in Hunt Valley, Md., and received the 2021 Arch Achieve Award.
Jenna L. O’Malley ’11/M’12 has been awarded Best Book Editors Book of the Year for 2021 for Bound by Oath and Heart, released on Sept. 6.
Travis J. Hitchins ’12 has accepted a position with the FSU Office of Sponsored Programs as a restricted funds accountant. He has been with FSU since 2012 and has experience with University and Student Billing and Financial Aid.
Seth D. Loar ’12, sales manager at Coldwell Banker Professional Real Estate Services in Cumberland, was awarded the Coldwell Banker International President’s Premier Award for achieving more than $12 million in sales in 2021.
Louis E. Mozzano ’12 was recognized by Montgomery County for his service as a member of the Mid-County Citizens Advisory Board, where he held the position of chair.
Lauren B. Ryder Frick M’18 was recently promoted by SEK to supervisor of the firm’s Hagerstown, Md., office. Frick has been with the firm since 2014.
Canyon D. Lohnas ’18 is a program specialist for the West Virginia Public Education Collaborative and is a doctoral student in the Educational Theory and Practice Program at West Virginia University.
Shawn Magginson ’18/M’21 was recently named as the defensive ends coach at Southern Utah University in Cedar City.
- 2020+
Will B. Brunson ’20 has joined the Southern Utah University Thunderbirds football coaching staff in Cedar City as their new tight ends coach.
Zachary J. Ruppenkamp ’20/M’21 has joined Chessie Federal Credit Union in Cumberland as an accountant. He will work with the CFO to lead the Bookkeeping and Payroll Department.
Kaitlyn M. Booth ’21, nurse care manager in the Sepsis Clinic in the Center for Clinical Resources at UPMC Western Maryland, was the March 2022 DAISY Award recipient. This award honors nurses internationally in memory of J. Patrick Barnes for their extraordinary commitment to patients.
Alexandra R. Mitchell M’21 had her master’s thesis – “‘It’s Just a Lot They Are Asking From Us’: College Athlete Experiences of Division III to Division II Reclassification” – published in the Journal of Athlete Development and Experience. She is a law student at the University of Baltimore School of Law.