2000s

2000

Jennifer Wedding Mitchell ’00 (COS) and Jonathan Mitchell are happy to announce their marriage on Sept. 24, 2010, at St. Thomas More, Narragansett, R.I. They currently reside in Rhode Island.

2001

Andrew Warycka ’01 (CIAS) started his own freelance photography business, Slideways Media, located in Gilbert, Ariz.

2003

Dominic Vera ’03 (NTID) was recently promoted to administrative technician at NIH-Division of Logistics Services located in Rockville, Md.

Daniel Urban ’03 (KGCOE) was awarded Company Grade Officer of the Year for the 350th Electronic Systems Wing. The award ceremony took place at Hanscom Air Force Base in Massachusetts. He was also awarded Junior Military Engineer of the Year by the Air Force Materiel Command. He received the award at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio. Urban is currently pursuing a master’s degree in aerospace engineering at the Air Force Institute of Technology.

Keith Tabakman ’03 (KGCOE) and wife, Alexandra, are proud to announce the birth of a baby boy, Cooper. Cooper was born on May 9, 2010.

2004

Christopher Hsu ’04 (GCCIS) and Jennifer Tate are happy to announce their marriage on Oct. 2, 2010. They currently reside in Hamilton, N.J.

Andrea Green Pogorek ’04 (NTID) and Brian Pogorek SVP ’97, ’01 (NTID) were happily married on Aug. 7, 2010.

Andrea Hanke White ’04 (KGCOE) and Tyler White ’03 (SCB) are proud to announce the birth of a baby girl, Julia Roslyn. She was born on March 8, 2010, in Newport News, Va.

Korrie Kamp Tosh ’04 (CAST) and Joe Tosh are happy to announce their marriage on Sept. 4, 2010, in Arlington, Va. They currently reside in Fairfax, Va. Alumni attendees were Valerie Sirianni ’04 (CAST), Katie Nagel Shepard ’04 (CAST), Joel Shepard ’04 (CAST), Tim Bonarski ’04 (CAST) and Kim Hemmer Bonarski ’03 (CLA).

Jaime Tardy ’04 (GCCIS) was featured on Yahoo’s homepage, CNNMoney.com and CNN Newsroom with Tony Harris. Tardy was featured because of her blog regarding her story of paying off $70,000 in debt so she could quit a job she didn’t like. Tardy now works from home as a business coach and financial advisor. She lives near Auburn, Maine. Her blog can be found at EventualMillionaire.com.

Gustav Weibull ’04 (SCB) accepted a position at Palm Beach County Convention and Visitors Bureau in West Palm Beach, Fla., as manager of business intelligence and research. Gustav recently was employed at Aflac as a market research analyst II.

Robert Hochstetler ’04 (KGCOE) writes, “I’m currently working for Hoosier Energy as vice-president of power production in Bloomington, Ind. Since graduating from RIT, I have used my statistics degree to move from power plant manager, to risk management on a Fortune 500 Energy Trading Floor in Cincinnati, Ohio, to now working in senior management at a generation and transmission company. Neither of my moves since graduating from RIT would have been possible without the skills and knowledge I acquired in class working with my peers and professors.”

2005

Ashley Waltz Walker ’05 (CIAS), ’07 (SCB) and Joseph Walker are proud to announce the birth of a baby boy, Joseph William II. He was born on Sept. 15, 2010, at Highland Hospital in Rochester.

Jane Lee ’02 (NTID), ’05 (CAST) and John Lee are proud to announce the birth of a baby girl, Jennifer Rae Lee. She was born on Sept. 26, 2010, in Virginia.

Sarah Smith Connors ’05 (SCB) and Shaun Connors are happy to announce their marriage on Sept. 18, 2010, at the New England Aquarium in Boston, Mass. RIT alumni in attendance included Audrey Lallier ’05 (SCB), maid of honor; Amy Kennicut ’05 (SCB), bridesmaid; Kyle Bechtel ’05 (GCCIS); Ben McMahon ’04, ’06 (GCCIS); Clark Burris ’05 (COS); Michael Martin ’06 (SCB); Leila Madresehee ’05 (CAST); Winson Shuen ’04 (CIAS); and Christian Davies. After honeymooning in Cancun, the couple now resides in Haverhill, Mass.

Ian Bennett ’05 (SCB) appears on the front page of The Salem News business directory as “Grape Expectations!” Wine making is fermenting on the North Shore, and the latest addition is Isaaks of Salem, a micro-winery housed in a nondescript industrial space in Beverly, Mass. Husband-and-wife owners, Ian and Brittany, who live in Salem, Mass., shipped their first batch of Dry Honey wine and Sweet Tooth Honey wine in December 2010. Their business formula relies heavily on local products and local appeal. “We thought people in Massachusetts and New England should not be forced to drink wines from California, Australia and France,” Ian said. “They should be able to drink something else. Everything we do is local.” www.salemnews.com/business/x982165720/GRAPE-EXPECTATIONS

2006

Kelly Wolf Craig ’06 (CLA) and Gavin Craig ’07 (CLA) are happy to announce their marriage on June 12, 2009, in Connecticut. They honeymooned in Mexico and currently reside in Washington, D.C. Gavin is a school psychologist with the Prince George’s County Public Schools and Kelly is a doctoral student of clinical psychology at Gallaudet University. Fellow RIT alumni Sasha Ponappa ’05 (CLA); Sarah Hurd ’06 (NTID), ’07 (SCB); and Michelle Gerson ’08 (CLA) were bridesmaids; Andrew Cheshire ’06 (COS) was a groomsman.

Russell Smith ’06 (CAST), creator of ZCORR Products, makes a gun storage bag that prevents rust and corrosion on all metals for up to 20 years. This Rochester-based company was just featured in American Rifleman, the nationally circulated magazine of the NRA. They’ve also recently appeared in Gun Digest, Tactical Gear and Concealed Carry. The ZCORR Products line is the first time this kind of technology has been offered for civilian shooters. The ZCORR bag was originally made by Heritage Packaging exclusively for the long-term storage of the U.S. Marine Corps’ M16-A2 rifle. It was good enough for the Marines, so Heritage Packaging decided to make it available to all shooters to safely store and preserve their valued firearms.

Scott Janis ’06 (CIAS) and the design team at Hiemstra Product Development recently collaborated with Engineering World Health to develop an electrosurgery unit tester for developing countries. The ESU Tester received a 2010 Gold International Design Excellence Award (IDEA) and a 2010 Bronze Spark Design Award. Scott is currently a senior industrial designer at Hiemstra Product Development, a medical device design and engineering consultancy in San Francisco.

Christina Gullo-Paulus ’06 (SCB) began her new role as president and chief operating officer of St. Joseph’s Villa in Rochester. Christina brings her strong passion for working with at-risk children and families, as well as more than two decades of strategic leadership experience in the human services field. Christina most recently served as executive vice president and chief operating officer of Catholic Family Center in Rochester, where she held several leadership roles.

Erin Richards Zarosinski ’06 (CIAS) and Riley Zarosinski ’05 (CIAS) are happy to announce their marriage on Sept. 4, 2010, at the John Joseph Inn in Ithaca, N.Y. They currently reside in Oakland, Calf. Rory Scranton ’05 (CIAS) served as a groomsman and Michael Marmora ’06 (CIAS) was the photographer.

2007

Kevin Pazirandeh ’07 (GCCIS) independently released his first iPhone game, Zombie Highway on Aug. 27, 2010, after leaving Google in Mountain View, Calif., in early 2010. The game was soon featured on the Apple App Store under “New and Noteworthy” and quickly moved to number six overall, receiving glowing reviews. Kevin worked with RIT alumnus Paul Martini ’07 (CIAS) to produce artwork and marketing materials for the game. Kevin is grateful to RIT where he was encouraged to develop his computer graphics skills through regular coursework and independent studies. He is also most grateful for the building of lifelong friendships.

Kara Slezak Hodecker ’07 (CIAS) and Eric Hodecker ’08 (KGCOE) are happy to announce their marriage on Sept. 24, 2010, in upstate New York. They currently reside outside of San Francisco.

Beth Karbowski Noworatzky ’07 (CIAS), ’08 (NTID) and Erik Noworatzky ’05 (SCB), ’08 (CAST) are happy to announce their marriage on July 2, 2010, in Wailea, Hawaii. They had a small wedding of immediate family members on the island of Maui. After the ceremony, the couple honeymooned on the big island. They currently reside in Pittsburgh, Pa.

2008

Kristin Brown ’08 (CIAS) received a master’s of art degree in teaching from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. She is now teaching animation, painting and drawing at the Ethical Culture Fieldstone School located in the Bronx, N.Y.

Ankit Katyal ’08 (COS) accepted a position at Jubilant Biosys Ltd. in Bangalore, India, as an executive in project management. “The key challenges will be to monitor day-to-day operational aspects of ongoing projects and scope, to identify resources and full-time equivalents needed for specific projects and suggest efficient utilization structures, and to review deliverables before passing onto clients.” Ankit received a master of science degree in biotechnology from the University of Pennsylvania on Dec. 22, 2009, and graduated summa cum laude.

Kevin Jesse ’08 (GCCIS) launched his own company, KJ’s Design Studio, in Macedon, N.Y., where he is employed as a designer, engineer and president. Previously, Kevin was employed at BlueTie Inc. as a software engineer.

Deborah Anderson ’08 (CAST) accepted a position at Digital eMation, in Seoul, South Korea, as a modeler and texture artist. Previously, Deborah was employed at Gwangju Office of Education as a native English teacher. “I have finally entered the animation industry and am putting my degree to use. I’m creating backgrounds, props and vehicles for Family Guy, The Cleveland Show, Scooby Doo, Batman and other shows. The most challenging thing is communication as I am not fluent in Korean, but my co-workers are great.”

Marisa Bennett ’08 (CAST) accepted a position at the University of Rochester’s Simon School as director of recruitment and marketing. Before that, Marisa was employed at Paychex as a marketing manager. “Getting my master’s at RIT was a huge factor in getting this new position.”

Jessica Stalker Pharr ’08 (KGCOE) and Devin Pharr are happy to announce their marriage on Oct. 2, 2010, in Windham, N.Y. RIT alumna Megan Dingler ’07 (CLA) was a bridesmaid. They currently reside in central New York.

Kaci Hampton ’08 (CAST), ’08 (CIAS) accepted a position at Whole Foods Market, in Austin, Texas, as an associate web designer. Previously, Kaci was employed at Jolly Design as a designer and office manager.

2009

Cassie Miller-Hains ’08, ’09 (CIAS) and Joshua Hains are happy to announce their marriage on May 8, 2010, in Lebanon, Pa. Cassie is employed as a point-of-purchase designer for RockTenn Merchandising Displays in Hershey, Pa.

Amber Gulley Flaherty ’09 (COS) and Brendan Flaherty ’08 (GCCIS) are happy to announce their marriage on Sept. 4, 2010, in Austin, Texas, where they currently reside.

Arricka Nowland ’07, ’09 (NTID) recently received national interpreting certification at the master level.

Tara Thorn ’09 (NTID) left her Rochester home in August 2010, to establish a new school for the deaf in earthquake-ravaged Haiti. “My heart’s there and everything I want to do is there,” said Thorn, who had been working as an interpreter at RIT. Thorn’s short-term goal is to make contact with the directors of those schools and restart the education program for the deaf.

Monique McCabe ’09 (CIAS) and Sean McCabe are happy to announce their marriage on Sept. 18, 2010, at Sacred Heart Church in Milford, Mass. Alumni attendees were: Erin McFadden ’07 (CIAS); Michael Zaccaria ’09 (SCB); Katherine Robert ’07, ’08 (CLA); Alisha Gianakakis ’08 (CLA). The couple celebrated their honeymoon on the island of St. Lucia, but were happy to return home to their daughter, Kaydence.

2010

Rebecca Waxer ’10 (CLA) is new media coordinator for Flynn & Friends Inc. She will help coordinate search engine optimization, search engine marketing, viral campaigning, and social media marketing.


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