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Andrew Puzauskas (BA English, ’71) published his second book of poetry. He hopes Poetic States of Mind will give readers “a warm afterglow.”

Alida (Caster) Szabo (MA Urban Affairs, ’74) is the board chair of the Morrison-Shearer Foundation. On September 18, the foundation celebrated the opening of the Studio House of Dance and Music, named for former Roosevelt instructor Sybil Shearer.

James Carlini (BM Music Education ’76, BGS Computer Science, ’78) spoke at the Smart Cities International Symposium on “Smart Cities and TIF Districts.” Carlini also authored articles on grid resiliency and artificial intelligence.

Michele David (BS Biology, ’78) is a primary care clinician and public health practitioner. She is chief of clinical quality and patient safety at Massachusetts Institute of Technology Medical. Dr. David has focused her career on addressing health disparities and issues in cross-cultural medicine.

Joyce M. Shaw (MA Urban Studies, ’82) is the 2021 chair of Atmospheric Sciences Librarians International and the special libraries section of the Mississippi Library Association. She recently celebrated her 25th year as head of the Gunter Library (Gulf Coast Research Laboratory, The University of Southern Mississippi).

Mary Jamis (MA Psychology, ’83), president of M Creative, was named one of Triad Business Journal’s Outstanding Women in Business in 2021. The award recognizes businesswomen for extraordinary impact in their professions, industries and communities. M Creative serves primarily nonprofit clients in education and health care.

Gordon G. Oliver (MBA ’85) is the past president and current secretary of the Villa Therese Condominium Association. Oliver is a first stripe in Tai Chi and a four-mile jogger.

Robert Shelton (BA Data Processing, ’85) is the village president of Hebron, Illinois.

Nuria Fernandez (MBA ’90) was confirmed by the Senate as the 15th administrator of the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). She is the first Senate-confirmed woman of color to lead the FTA.

Katherine Miller (MPA ’90), director of the Nevada Department of Veterans Services, was appointed to the Veterans’ Rural Health Advisory Committee. The committee will study the health care challenges of rural veterans. Miller is a retired U.S. Army colonel who served 34 years in the Army.

Antje Gehrken (MM Music Composition, ’91) is the 2021–22 president of the Chicago Association of REALTORS®. Gehrken is the president of A.R.E. Partners and an active mentor for the Goldie B. Wolfe Miller Women Leaders in Commercial Real Estate Initiative.

Maurice Smith (BSBA Accounting, ’95) was elected as chair of the Roosevelt University Board of Trustees. Smith is the president and CEO of Health Care Service Corporation.

Sharon Bush (MPA ’02) joined the Roosevelt University Board of Trustees. Bush is the president of the Grand Victoria Foundation.

Shayne Bullen (MA Educational Leadership, ’03) is the vice chair of the Morrison-Shearer Foundation. The organization recently celebrated the opening of the Studio House of Dance and Music. The new building will give artists a space for contemplative creativity and collaboration.

Aaron Karmin (MA Clinical Psychology, ’03) published his second book, Instant Anger Management: Quick and Simple CBT Strategies to Defuse Anger on the Spot. Karmin is a licensed psychotherapist at Urban Balance.

Dr. Kathleen Plinske (MA Spanish ’04) became Valencia College’s fifth president. Dr. Plinske previously served as executive vice president, provost and campus president of the Osceola, Lake Nona and Poinciana campuses.

Brian Charest (MA Special Education, ’05) is an assistant professor at the University of Redlands. He recently published the book Civic Literacy in Schools and Communities: Teaching and Organizing for a Revitalized Democracy.

Janice M. Glenn (BA Political Science ’05) was recently appointed by Governor Pritzker to serve on the Illinois Human Rights Commission. Glenn is the campus administrator at Parkview Christian Church. Before her current role, she was the director of the Illinois Department of Human Rights.

 Zoe Heller (MPA ’06) is the deputy director for policy development and analysis at the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery.

Courtney Reed (BFA Musical Theatre, ’06) will star in the national production of Moulin Rouge. The North American tour kicks off in Chicago in early 2022.

Meg Craig (BA Journalism, ’07) was hired as a breaking news reporter for Syracuse.com. Craig previously worked as a reporter and content editor at the Chicago Tribune. Craig also teaches journalism, ethics and reporting courses at Syracuse University.

Karla Kannan (MA Training and Development, ’07) is the senior vice president of customer success at BirchStreet Systems. Kannan leads the customer success, knowledge management and e-learning departments. She also volunteers as an ambassador for TheLatinaPro, an organization empowering women.

Elisabeth Higgins (BA Journalism, ’08) has enjoyed nine years as an advertising copywriter and senior advertising graphic designer. She’s currently taking contract work while growing her family.

Alexandria N. Leak (MS Journalism, ’08) is a senior technical writer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Timothy Stoddard (MM Voice, ’08) released an EP of a new song cycle for tenor and piano, Michael Markowski’s “Mortally Wounded.”

Sergey Gutorov (Diploma Orchestral Studies, ’09) was a soloist for Mozart’s iconic Clarinet Concerto in A Major in the Chicago Philharmonic’s season-opening production. Gutorov is the principal clarinetist for Chicago Philharmonic. He has been playing clarinet with the Chicago Philharmonic for over a decade.

Lori Rader-Day (MFA ’09) published her sixth book, Death at Greenway. The mystery novel follows World War II nurses who come to Agatha Christie’s holiday estate to care for evacuated children.

Tim Corpus (BM Percussion Performance, ’10) composed his debut album, MMXX, about the turbulence of 2020. The pinnacle track, “This Is What Democracy Looks Like,” invites listeners to feel the frustration, pain and anger of protesters, but also care and community support.

Mary Williams (MA Training and Development, ’10) celebrated the anniversary of her professional genealogy business, Rooted.family. She works with clients to re-establish family ties and find out more about their ancestors.

Nicole Rhone (BS Human Resources, ’12) founded her own business as a capacity coach. She is a former human resources professional for Fortune 500 companies and tech organizations.

DeAnna L. Cummings (MA Dual Language Teacher Leadership, ’19) has published five children’s books, including the recent SOAR! She hopes to reach children of color through culturally relevant children’s literature.

Edgar Ricaud (MM Voice, ’20) released his debut album, a collection of Mexican pop songs and mariachi music that defined his youth in Sonora, Mexico.

Griselda E. Moore (MA Training and Development, ’21) accepted a new position at the University of Illinois Chicago Hospitals as a Healthcare Administrator II.