Class Notes

Name: Shannon Hogan

Class Year(s): 2016

Note: Shannon Hogan ’16 (COLA) was recently named Promotion Director for the East Coast for MCA Nashville after working as a promotion coordinator for over two years at Universal Music Group Nashville. In this role, Shannon works closely with Country Radio stations to generate superstars in the country music format. MCA artists include Jordan Davis, Sam Hunt, Kacey Musgraves, Parker McCollum, Josh Turner, Catie Offerman, Kassi Ashton, Vince Gill, Reba McEntire and The King himself - George Strait.

Submitted on: March 22, 2024

Name: James Vitalone

Class Year(s): 1974,1975

Note: James Vitalone MBA ’75 (SCB) recently joined Brown Harris Stevens in New York City as a residential real estate salesperson. During the 20 years prior to obtaining my real estate license, James was an oil and gas equity analyst and later as an investment bank raising capital for small oil and gas companies.

Submitted on: March 18, 2024

Name: Josh & Brittany Dranoff

Class Year(s): 2015,2019

Note: Brittany Mieth ’19 (CAST) and Josh Dranoff (GIS) got married in October 2022, surrounded by lot of friends and family.

Submitted on: March 17, 2024

Name: Laura Glazer

Class Year(s): 1999

Note: Laura Glazer ’99 (CIAS) recently graduated from Portland State University with an MFA in Art and Social Practice. She is the design and publications director and program manager at Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. School Museum of Contemporary Art. She was a 2022-2023 artist fellow at the New York Public Library Picture Collection and is based in Portland, Oregon.

Submitted on: March 13, 2024

Name: Reggie Clark

Class Year(s): 2011

Note: Reggie graduated from the MS - Human Resource Development program at RIT in February 2011. Reggie Clark MS ’11 recently took on the Tail of the Dragon in Tennessee, which is 318 curves in 11 miles. He made sure to wear his favorite hoodie/security blanket for the ride.

Submitted on: March 7, 2024

Name: Benjamin Boseck

Class Year(s): 2017

Note: Benjamin Boseck ‘17 (KGCOE) and Emily (Marris) Boseck ‘17 (CHST) welcomed their first born daughter, Charlotte Sue Boseck, in December of 2023, the first grandchild of James Boseck ‘01 MBA (SCB).

Submitted on: March 7, 2024

Name: Jason Rodriguez

Class Year(s): 2006, 2007

Note: Jason Rodriguez ’06, MBA ’07 (SCB) was promoted to Executive Director at Morgan Stanley Wealth Management.

Submitted on: March 4, 2024

Name: Matt Burrough

Class Year(s): 2007

Note: Matt Burrough ’07 (GCCIS) recently completed his second book. "Locksport: A Hacker’s Guide to Lockpicking, Impressioning, and Safe Cracking" is a collaboration between some of the best competitive lock pickers, safe dial manipulators, and impressioners in the world. The book aims to get more people interested in this fascinating sport. Published by No Starch Press, the book will be available in March, 2024.

Submitted on: February 21, 2024

Name: Collette Fournier

Class Year(s): 1973, 1979

Note: https://mailchi.mp/socialdocumentary/black-history-month-2024?fbclid=IwAR3QwTI1HYzWZNiuCBvEVx0RUSxzxVnFuFd0aPClXmjTpQmiJZ5t4s1SR9I RIT SPAS (School of Photographic Arts and Science) was insightful in inviting African American Photographers James VanDerZee and Gordon Parks to lecture to photography students in 1973 and 1977. Collette Fournier ’79 (GAP) and their photography work and the work of ten African American photographers was honored for Black History Month by The Social Documentary Network (SDN) and curated by their Diversity Advisor, Ms. Lisa DuBois. In observance of Black History Month, SDN recognizes the exceptional achievements of James Van Der Zee, an African American photographer who was born in 1886 in Lenox, Massachusetts. Van Der Zee defied expectations and achieved fame and acclaim as a photographer by creating a unique form of portraiture during the Harlem Renaissance in the 1920s and 1930s. Van Der Zee’s work has consistently been a source of inspiration for all photographers specializing in portraiture. Photo of James Van Der Zee by SDN member Collette Fournier Photographer. "In 1979, I had the extraordinary experience to photograph my icon James Augustus Van Der Zee who documented portraits of ordinary life of African Americans in Harlem, NY. He operated the GGG Photo Studio and was simply known as “The Picture Taking Man”. Lisa Dubois and SDN acknowledged my body of work on "Queen Mother of Progress", series that I photographed in Ghana, W. Africa in 2007, 2010, 2017 while touring with my cultural group Chiku Awali African Dance, Drum and Culture. All photography © Collette Fournier Photography 1979; 2007, 2010, 2017

Submitted on: February 20, 2024

Name: Mercedes Castro

Class Year(s): 2015

Note: For the past decade, Mercedes Castro went from graduating RIT with my BFA in Photographic Illustration, majoring in Advertising Photography, to working endless odd jobs and freelancing, just dreaming of owning her own photography business full-time one day. The past 4 years, she worked at a Florist in Orlando, Florida as a Content Coordinator turned Marketing Manager. Mercedes Castro ’15 (CIAS) is excited to announce her transition into becoming a full-time business owner starting this month. She provides product photography, portraits of team members, and interior designs of businesses to promote brands from the inside out. She is looking forward to this new chapter and hope to connect with business owners and brands to tell their story through professional photography and social media content. My work can be viewed at www.MercedesLaceCastro.com.

Submitted on: February 19, 2024