Class Notes

Name: Sara Pilson

Class Year(s): 2017

Note: Sara Pilson ’17 (COS) joined the Garden City office of Goldberg Segalla, a national civil litigation firm. Sara focuses her practice on intellectual property, trademark registration and litigation, helping to protect her clients’ business-related ideas, inventions, imagery, and creative compositions. She has drafted and submitted claims for semiconductor and mechanical patents to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and responded to actions in trademark, copyright, and patent prosecution matters. She has also composed legal memoranda for a variety of intellectual property issues, including fair use. After obtaining her bachelor’s degree in Chemistry at RIT, Sara earned her juris doctor at the Fordham University School of Law. Her clients often benefit from her background in science, which includes experience as an advanced undergraduate research assistant at the Rochester Institute of Technology as well as a National Science Foundation fellowship at the University of Cincinnati.

Submitted on: November 10, 2021

Name: Megan Fritts

Class Year(s): 2008, 2018

Note: Megan Fritts ’08 (CIAS) MS ’18 (SOIS) and Anthony Critelli BS ’14 (GCCIS) MS ’19 (GCCIS) were married on May 29, 2021. Megan and Anthony met at RIT and started dating a few years later. They were surrounded by many RIT alums and current staff at their wedding.

Submitted on: November 5, 2021

Name: Kelly Vanderwerff

Class Year(s): 2019

Note: Kelly Vanderwerff (CIAS) has worked at Raven Industries for four years. She is a Senior Research Engineer and the company recently wrote a feature story about her career at the leading autonomous agricultural technology company. Kellys says it’s an amazing opportunity to shape the technology that farmers of the future are implementing in their operations across the country, and that Raven is developing autonomous technology faster than most companies in the field. Raven Industries is investing in recruiting engineering excellence to build the path forward. Kelly would love to see more RIT graduates join the company! The feature article is available online here: https://ravenind.com/careers/engineers/finding-connection-collaboration-through-data-at-raven Raven would be happy to share publishing permissions to reach the RIT alumni network! Feel free to email Kelly’s colleague Lisa McElrath at lisa.mcelrath@ravenind.com or (605) 336-2750 and she can send you the copy and more images.

Submitted on: November 4, 2021

Name: Chelsea Coates

Class Year(s): 2016

Note: Chelsea Coates ’16 (GCCIS) and Ryan Biederbeck ’16 (CAST) got married on September 5, 2021 in South Wales, N.Y. There were 18 tiger alumni in attendance. They are so grateful to RIT for bringing them together.

Submitted on: November 4, 2021

Name: Courtney Getman

Class Year(s): 2015

Note: Courtney Getman ’15 (KGCOE) and Steven Braeger were married in the mountains of Utah with friends and family present. Several RIT alumni made the journey to celebrate with them!

Submitted on: November 2, 2021

Name: Katherine and Michael D’Onofrio

Class Year(s): 2019

Note: Katherine McIndoe ’19 (CAD) ’22 MST (CAD) and Michael D’Onofrio ’19 9CAD) were married on October 15, 2021. Kate and Mike met during orientation for their program, Advertising Photography, and soon began dating. They were surrounded by friends, family and fellow RIT Tigers at their wedding.

Submitted on: October 16, 2021

Name: Zachary O’Neill

Class Year(s): 2021

Note: Zachary O’Neill ’21 (SCB) joined Dannible & McKee, LLP, a certified public accounting and consulting firm with offices in Syracuse, Albany and Binghamton, New York, as an audit staff accountant. Zachary previously interned at Fust Charles Chambers, LLP working under seniors in the audit department in 2020. . In his current role, he will assist engagement teams on audits, computations and reviews in the financial statement area. Zachary is a volunteer at St. Margaret’s Church in Mattydale and resides in North Syracuse, N.Y.

Submitted on: October 6, 2021

Name: Katherine Schlag

Class Year(s): 2013

Note: Katherine Schlag ’13 (CHST) and Ian Dominick ‘13 (KGCOE) met and started dating at RIT and are happy to announce they were married on May 8, 2021 surrounded by family, friends and fellow tigers.

Submitted on: September 17, 2021

Name: Renée Fleming

Class Year(s): 1995

Note: Renée Fleming ’95 (SCB) has been promoted to Vice President of 1st Source Bank in South Bend, I.N. Renée joined the Bank over 20 years ago, and recently held the position of Personal Trust Officer within the Wealth Advisory Services group at the bank. Renée manages a complex book of accounts including those related to the 1st Source Foundation, along with a variety of irrevocable trusts, agencies and IRAs. In addition to her degree at RIT, Renee holds an MBA from Indiana University South Bend. She holds Series 7, 66 and 63 licenses, has earned the Certified Trust and Fiduciary Advisory (CTFA) designation and recently completed her Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the Workplace Certification via the University of South Florida. In the community, Renée serves as a board member of the YWCA and Youth Services Bureau. She is also a member of the Notre Dame Pit Road Investment Advisory Committee and Notre Dame IDEA Center Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee. Renée is the economic and development chair for the South Bend Alumnae Chapter of Delta Theta Sigma Sorority, is part of the Notre Dame Family Philanthropy Network and is a graduate of Leadership South Bend/Mishawaka.

Submitted on: September 15, 2021

Name: Catherine Francis

Class Year(s): 2013

Note: Catherine Francis ’13 (CIAS) writes: Almost fourteen years... Fourteen years since I had my brain aneurysm occurring on Nov. 7, 2007. When I was 17, an unknown blood clot in my brain burst during preseason track practice. Because I was considered a healthy child, no one predicted that I had a brain arteriovenous malformation. I was in a coma for seven days, and when I woke up, I couldn’t feel the right half of my body. However, with the help of doctors, nurses, physical therapists, tutors, and of course, my family, I accomplished the ultimate goal and graduated with my class on time. And 14 years later, I wrote a YA fictional novel called, “The Day I Died.” Writing my book, “The Day I Died” took me around seven years, four as a screenplay and three as a novel. Cat Morgan’s story is inspired by mine. Although a portion of the social aspect has changed, Cat’s dreams of running are true as well as her mental health. She struggles with PTSD and lives with the past, having flashbacks in which she desperately searches for her friend, Adrianna. During the recovery phase of my life, I woke up every morning with one thought: to not think about Nov. 7, 2007. But now, I’ve learned to embrace all that has happened to me in the past, present, and future. You can purchase my book or eBook on Amazon.com/Day-I-Died-CMFrancis/dp/B09CKNFYFC/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=the+day+I+died+CM+francis&qid=1629722137&sr=8-1

Submitted on: September 13, 2021