Classnotes

Classnotes listed are those received as of....

• 1980+
  

  Karen Hutcheson McCabe '82 was named one of Allegany County's 25 Most Fascinating People by Allegany Magazine.

   

  

  Ed Herold '83 was honored as an Accountant Advocate by the Greater Severna Park & Arnold Chamber of Commerce at the Winkelmeyer Awards Luncheon. Ed is the owner of Edward F. Herold Jr., CPA, LLC.

   

  Scott Philbrook '86 moved outside of Portland, Or., nine years ago with his wife and two kids. Since then, his wife has retired and is making tie-dye t-shirts. Scott continues to work a bit and has continued small business accounting from his home office. He has memories of business classes with Dr. Day and the SAM club, skiing with the ski team and having a blast.

   

  

  Sonia Purdy Dressman '87/M'91 has retired from the Allegany County Department of Social Services. Sonia gave 35 years of dedicated service to the citizens of Maryland with a significant focus on elderly and disabled residents of Allegany County.

• 1990+
  

  Jeffery Metz '92/M'03 and Egle Nursing and Rehab Center was recognized as a 2025 Community STARS recipient.

   

  

  Jason Rush '93 has been named President, Chief Executive Officer and Director of both the Corporation and Bank at First United. Jason has been with First United since 1993 and has held several positions, most recently as Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer.

   

  

  Kirsten Ernst Brown '94 has been selected as executive director of the Maryland State's Attorney Association. She retired from the Frederick County State's Attorney's Office in December after 27 years as a prosecutor.

   

  

  Marcie Bentley Mamas '95 was named one of the local 2025-2026 Maryland Teachers of the Year. Marcie is a business teacher in the Career and Technical Education Department at Kent Island High Schol.

   

  

  Paul Edwards '97/M'05 has been elected as the 2nd Vice President for the Maryland Association of Counties. He is a Garrett County Commissioner and the director of Secondary Education, Athletics and Career and Technical Education for Garrett County Public Schools.

   

  

  CDR Thomas Jones, JAGC, USN (Retired) '97 received his Master's of Philosophy in Criminology Graduate Degree from The University of Cambridge.

   

  

  Tracee Wilkins '97 was inducted into the 2025 Prince George's County Public School Hall of Fame. Tracee is an investigative reporter for NBC4.

   

  

  Michael Manfred '99 has been named Senior Vice President of Marketing and Innovation at The Michaels Organization. Prior to this he was the Vice President of Marketing for the NRP Group.

   

  

  Bill Moon '99 was named Dean of Students for the 2025-2026 school year at Bay View Elementary School. He was previously a local support teacher at Leeds Elementary School.

• 2000+
  

  Dr. Brian McKinley '00/M'04 has been named assistant principal at Fort Hill High School. He has been with Allegany County Public Schools for over 25 years as a math teacher and pupil personnel worker.

   

  

  Dr. Travis Reyes '00 graduated from the University of Miami in Spring 2025 with a Doctorate in Education, Applied Learning Services. He is currently a spanish teacher at H-B Woodlawn Secondary Program in Arlington, Va.

   

  John Wade '00/M'08 has been appointed assistant principal of Fort Hill High School. He has over 25 years of experience with Allegany County Public Schools as a teacher and mosty recently as the assistant principal at Washington Middle School.

  Charles Moran '02/M'04 has been appointed principal of Washington Middle School. He has been with Allegany County Public Schools for over 23 years and has served as assistant principal at several schools, most recently as acting principal at Allegany High School.

   

  

  Dr. Jared Moffett '03/M'05 started a new position as Executive Director of Career and Experiential Education at Bowie State University.

   

  

  Jennifer Baker Ramsey '03/M'07 has been appointed the administrative coordinator of Community Schools for Allegany County Public Schools. Jennifer has been with ACPS for over 21 years and was most recently the supervisor of Gifted and Talented and coordinator of Teacher of the Year program.

   

  

  Ethan DeVore '06/M'13 has been appointed supervisor of Social Studies and Professional Development for Allegany County Public Schools. He has been with ACPS for over 20 years and is currently enrolled in the Ed.D. program at FSU.

   

  

  Coty Warn Forno '06 received a 2025 Positive People Award from Allegany County. Coty is the founder of Mountain City Center for the Arts in Frostburg, Md.

   

  

  Shavonne R. Shorter, Ph.D. '07 received the Dr. Gwen Hale Giving Tree Award and the Ms. Dora Whiting Spirit of Service Award. She is the Chief Diversity Officer and Associate Provost for Equity and Inclusion at The University of Mary Washington.

   

  

  Jessica Palumbo Sainz '09 has been named Contract and Grants Specialist at Frostburg State University.

• 2010+
  

  Dr. Christopher Ackerman '11 was named Worshipful Master for Potomac Lodge No. 100 AF&AM. He also received the Good Catch Award by Frederick Health, an honor that celebrates situational awareness, strong communication and the willingness to speak up in the interest of patient safety.

   

  

  Seth Loar '12 was named Favorite Realtor for 2025 by the Best of Allegany Magazine.

   

  

  Sarah Kuhn Olson '12 has been named assistant principal at Ashburton Elementary School. Prior to this appointment she was a special education teacher at Wayside Elementary.

   

  

  Nicholas Amick '15/M’22 has been appointed coordinator of Alternative Education Restart for Allegany County Public Schools.

   

  

  Sandrine Akindo '15 has accepted a new position as human resources leader for the PepsiCo Pennsylvania Market.

   

  

  Tiffany Arnett '15/M'22 was named one of Allegany County's 25 Most Fascinating People by Allegany Magazine.

   

  

  ClDr. Zachary Keeler '16 received The Texas Tech Rawls College of Business Excellence in Teaching award. Dr. Keeler is currently an assistant professor of practice at Texas Tech University.

   

  

  Joy Shindler Rafey M'16 recently co-edited The Maryland Master Naturalist's Handbook published by Johns Hopkins University Press.

   

  

  Alyssa Savage Tichinel '16 was awarded the Maurice Erly Professional Development Award from the Support Education Foundation. Alyssa is an assistant professor of biology at Garrett College.

   

  

  Dr. Sarah Kuchinsky M'17 received a double doctorate obtaining both a DVM and PhD from the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine.

   

  

  Lauren Ryder Frick M'18 has successfully completed the certification process with the Certified Financial Planner Board to earn the CFP credential. Lauren is a tax manager at SEK, CPAs & Advisors, and an integral member of the firm's Estate Administration & Compliance and Trust departments.

   

  

  Dr. James Kirk '18 began his role as a visiting assistant professor of government at Smith College in Northampton, Ma., this past July.

   

  

  Nicole Leighty Kirk '18/M'20 has been promoted to communications manager at USA Fencing.

   

  

  Amy Pyles Magruder '18 was named instructor of nursing at Frostburg State University. She was formerly with UPMC Western Maryland for over 23 years.

   

  

  Kaitlyn Wharton '18/M'19 was voted Favorite Local Artist by Allegany Magazine. She is an art teacher at Allegany High School.

   

  

  Trenton Eirich '19/M'24 has been named assistant principal at Georges Creek Elementary School.

   

   

  Melissa Shank Sindy '19 has completed the National Board Certification exam and is now a National Board Certified teacher. She is a second grade teacher at Mt. Savage Elementary-Middle School.

• 2020+
  

  Erin Michael Miller '21 was named a physical education teacher for Allegany County Public Schools.

   

  

  Dr. Alexa Sowers '21 successfully defended her dissertation in the West Virginia University School of Medicine's Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences PhD program.

   

  

  Joshua Clem '22 recently co-authored a review in the prestigious journal Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology. Joshua is currently a PhD candidate at the University of Maryland working in the Qi lab.

   

  

  Brice Simpson '22/M'23 has been named director of the Fort Hill High School band.

   

  

  Cammie Schniedwind '23 has been named head coach of women's lacrosse at Annapolis High School after serving as assistant coach for the previous two years. Cammie works as a marketing manager for Intrinsic Yacht & Ship.

   

  

  Kelly Combs M'25 has joined Meritus Health as a physician assistant.

   

  

  Braden Fochtman M'25 has been named head football coach at Somerset Senior High School in Somerset, Pa. Braden works as a school counselor at Eagle View Elementary.

   

  

  Emily Kaschenbach '25 has accepted a position in the labor and delivery unit at WVU Medicine's Ruby Memorial Hospital.

   

  

  Antonio Rainey '25 has been named community coordinator for the Department of Fraternity and Sorority Life at the University of Maryland, College Park. He is also pursuing his Masters degree in Higher Education and Student Affairs at UMCP.

   

  Jessica Shank M'25 has joined Meritus Health as a physician assistant.