Class Notes

Name: Deborah Marcuccilli

Class Year(s): 1978

Note: Deb Marcuccilli BS ’78 was chosen by the United States Equestrian Federation USEF, to represent the US at the 2025 Para World Championships in Combined Driving, Sept. 5-7 in Germany. Para drivers are athletes with a disability. Combined Driving includes competition in Dressage, Marathons, and Cones. Deb graduated from RIT with a BSME degree from KGCOE.

Submitted on: July 11, 2025

Name: Christina Werth

Class Year(s): 2013,2017

Note: Echomentor, an online community for sonographers of all disciplines, founded by Christina Werth BS ’13 and Hayley Bartkus BS ’17, successfully hosted its first live, virtual event this spring, Mentor Week 2025. This premier, 4-night professional event included a speaker lineup featuring elected officials from multiple regional and national sonography professional societies, prominent sonography writers and researchers, industry leaders, and content experts from all over the country. The event, free and open to the entire sonography community, garnered international attention and received approximately 220 sonographer registrants.

Submitted on: July 10, 2025

Name: Alan Gordon

Class Year(s): 1991, 1993

Note: Asher Gordon BFA ’26, son of Christie (Bucalo) Gordon BFA ’02 and Alan Gordon BFA ’91, MFA ’93, is entering his senior year in film and animation. He had an animated film accepted into the 69th annual Finger Lakes Exhibition and was one of eight award winners of the Arthur and Ronan Christopher Louis award.

Submitted on: July 10, 2025

Name: Bruce Lovelace

Class Year(s): 1984

Note: Bruce Lovelace BS ’84 retired from shooting location portraits as the traveling photographer.

Submitted on: July 10, 2025

Name: Kelly Burns

Class Year(s): 2010

Note: Kelly Burns MBA ’10 previously served as the director of tourism for Livingston County. Kelly recently started a position as vice president of Marketing and Visitor Services at the Genesee Country Village and Museum in Mumford. The role provides leadership and management of a variety of public-facing departments and overall strategy for marketing the Museum’s many offerings. The Museum is New York State’s largest living history museum, and it will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2026.

Submitted on: July 9, 2025

Name: Shqipe Neziri Vela

Class Year(s): 2007

Note: Shqipe (Neziri) Vela BS ’07 has been named one of Reuters’ Trailblazing Women in Energy 2025, an annual recognition awarded through a global nomination process. The award celebrates ten exceptional women who are driving innovation, advancing inclusion, and shaping the future of the energy sector worldwide.

Submitted on: July 9, 2025

Name: Pranjal Sawai

Class Year(s): 2024

Note: Pranjal Sawai MFA ’25 is officially an author! Her first children’s storybook, The Clever Monkey and the Crocodile, is now published and available on popular platforms like Amazon and Barnes & Noble, making it accessible to everyone. This book is a creative retelling of a classic Panchatantra tale, following the clever monkey who outsmarts the crocodile with his wit and intelligence. It beautifully blends traditional Indian storytelling with modern design, making it a unique addition to any child’s bookshelf. This tale is more than just words on a page; it combines storytelling, typography, and design to bring the clever monkey’s adventure to life. Crafting this book has been a journey of passion and creativity, inspired by the stories that shaped Pranjal’s youth.

Submitted on: July 9, 2025

Name: Lisa Dreher

Class Year(s): 2010

Note: Only July 6, 2025, Lisa Dreher BS ’09 celebrated her 10 year anniversary at Dr. Mark Hyman’s UltraWellness Center (UWC). She is coming up on 15 years as a practicing registered dietitian. Lisa is currently the senior dietitian at UWC. She is also the director of nutrition for WeNatal, a prenatal supplement company founded to support both men and women on their fertility and preconception journeys. Lisa helps develop evidence-based fertility-supportive formulas and provides ongoing education for the WeNatal team and customers. She is continually reminded of how pivotal her education at RIT was in shaping her foundation and preparing her for her career. Lisa truly wouldn’t be where she is without it.

Submitted on: July 9, 2025

Name: Thomas Elmer

Class Year(s): 1988

Note: Thomas Elmer BS ’88 was recently promoted to distinguished engineer at ARM Ltd. in Austin, TX, where he works in R&D for computer arithmetic hardware in high performance CPU chips. Currently sole or joint inventor named on 25+ US/foreign patents. Prior work included AWS, Centaur Technology, Motorola, and National Semiconductor.

Submitted on: July 9, 2025

Name: Wayne Oliver

Class Year(s): 74,78

Note: The True Band of Brothers By Wayne Oliver BS ’78 In 1974, Wayne Oliver BS ’78 enrolled as a freshman at RIT and was assigned to the 4th floor of Sigma Pi—then known as Honor House B. At the time, their resident advisor was a senior student by the name of John Brown BS ’75. The floor was a mix of seniors and students on co-op, and though they occupied prime Greek real estate, they were not affiliated with any fraternity. Because of this, their house was facing possible elimination by the end of the third trimester. Determined to preserve their space, they advertised in the dorms for new members. And that’s when their true Band of Brothers was born. In the Spring Trimester of 1975, a new group of students joined the floor, now under Wayne’s guidance as the new resident advisor. This group remained together, strong and united, until 1978. Since then, their friendship has endured for over 50 years. They have witnessed each other’s weddings, celebrated the births of their children, and, sadly, mourned the loss of their first brother, Mark Newhouse BS ’80. This July, they will gather for their fifth reunion since graduation, another opportunity to roll back the sands of time. They will meet in Penn Yan, New York, nestled in the beautiful Finger Lakes region. Though time has caused them to lose contact with some of their former floormates, eight of them—along with their better halves—will come together once again. Those attending are: Bill Bibbens BS ’79, Jim Buckpitt BS ’79, Jerry Decausemaker BS ’80, Tony DiFlorio BS ’79, Peter Jackson BS ’79, John Tackacs, Jim Whipple BS ’79, and Wayne Oliver BS ’78. To any of their old friends reading this: they would love to reconnect. Please reach out to Wayne Oliver, wfoliver2013@gmail.com.

Submitted on: July 9, 2025