Alumni Achievements

Class Notes

1960s

  • Albert Pautler, EdD ’67, completed his EdD after a 10-year teaching career at Maryvale High School. Pautler earned an assistant professor position at Rutgers University and was promoted to associate professor in three years. He was asked to return to GSE at UB and was the head of the vocational education program. Pautler advised about 70 doctoral students in a 30-year career and retired as a full professor. He achieved his career goal of obtaining a private pilot certificate after retirement and is still flying at the age of 88.

1970s

  • Verel Salmon, PhD ‘74, served as the director of student personnel at Mentor High School in Ohio. He moved to Erie, PA and went on to become the superintendent of Millcreek Schools in 2003. He was a Fulbright Scholarship winner in 1986 and studied in China. After retiring, Salmon became a beef and field crop farmer in nearby Waterford, PA. Salmon is also a published author, with his most recent work being titled, “Common Men in the War for the Common Man.”
  • Anne Deming, EdM ‘74, PhD ‘77, currently conducts hypnotherapy sessions for residents at Maris Grove, her retirement community in Glen Mills, PA. Along with her husband Bob, Deming has published two books, “A History of Bear Lake” and “Camp in the Woods on Bear Lake.” Both books are about a lake near Fredonia where they have spent 47 summers. Deming who was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship after getting her PhD, was named a Distinguished Alumni by GSE. She has also served as an international volunteer in Dharamsala, India and Cartago, Costa Rica.
  • Sharon Green, EdM ‘78, recently retired after a long career in education. Green taught eighth grade for four years and English as a second language in Poland and at UB in the 70s and 80s. She worked in the Learning Center at D’Youville University for 12 years and retired from Niagara University’s Academic Success Center after 23 years. She also taught Women’s Studies for 11 years, through UB’s Millard Fillmore College.

1980s

1990s

  • Carl Thiel, MLS ‘90, has been working as an editor for an archaeology firm in Western New York since 1995. He has produced two books on Sherlock Holmes, both for the Battered Silicon Dispatch Box of Shelburne, Ontario. In 1996, he wrote “The Basic 100: The 100 Most Important Critical Studies and Association Items to the Sherlock Holmes Canon,” and in 2001 he edited “The Sherlock Holmes Almanac.” In 2000 and 2002, he recorded in the studio with a dozen Buffalo musicians and released two CDs of his own compositions. From 2009 to 2017, he produced a podcast called “The Burnham & Dodge Art Hour,” with co-host Kenn Morgan. He wrote and directed another podcast called “Words and Music” in 2008 and 2009. In May 2019, he produced a month-long exhibit combining poetry and art by local creatives called “The Art of Words,” with Wendy Caldwell Maloney.
  • Peter Brouwer, PhD ‘93, retired in 2021 after a 40-year career in education, which culminated in serving as dean of the School of Education at SUNY Potsdam. He also attained the rank of full professor at SUNY Potsdam.
  • Joe Tiberi, BA ‘91, EdM ‘95, is an English as a second language teacher at Niagara Falls High School. He has been in education for more than 30 years. He is on the Seal of Biliteracy Committee at NFHS and the Niagara University Teaching English as a Second Language (TESOL) Advisory Board.
  • Ian Foley, MS ‘95, has owned Foley Vocational Services, a private, for-profit contracting firm, since 2016. Foley contracts with the Social Security Ticket to Work program through the American Dream Employment Network (ADEN), and with the Buffalo region of the Veterans Administration through VR&E for Vets, LLC.
  • Wendy Everard (Rodabaugh), BA ‘94, EdM ‘96, has been working as a high school English teacher. Currently, she teaches English at Cazenovia High School in Central New York. She works closely with Colgate University, regularly hosting student teachers in her classroom. She also wrote a chapter for the book “Resisting Reform: Reclaiming Public Education through Grassroots Activism.”
  • Tamar Jacobson, BA ‘89, EdM ‘92, PhD ‘97, was featured on the podcast “The Early Childhood Nerd,” in August 2023. In 2019, she also wrote a piece for NBC News titled, “A child's bad behavior isn't 'attention-seeking.' She's seeking a relationship.” She also published a book in 2018 titled, “Everyone Needs Attention: Helping Young Children Thrive.”

2000s

  • Jennifer Murray, BS ‘99, MS ‘01, was named interim dean of the University of North Florida’s Thomas G. Carpenter Library in Jacksonville, Florida.
  • Jennifer Rosenberg, BA ‘93, EdM ‘95, PhD ‘03, serves as the associate dean for student success and engagement in the UB School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. She is a recipient of a 2017 SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Professional Service.
  • Adiam Tsegai, BA ‘98, EdM ‘00, PhD ‘08, was appointed as the president of SUNY Erie Community College.
  • Casey Jakubowski, Adv Cert ‘08, had research published in the Journal of Appalachian Studies. His article is titled “A Brief Examination of the Northernmost Appalachian Counties: Southern Tier New York.”
  • Ramona Santa Maria, PhD ‘09, is an associate professor of computer information systems, at SUNY Buffalo State. She recently gave a presentation on using artificial intelligence (AI) to support small businesses to members of the Buffalo Chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO). It was entitled “Business Uses for ChatGPT.” In addition, she accepted a volunteer recognition award from the Kenmore Village Improvement Society, at the organization’s 15-year celebration.

2010s

  • Heather Lyon, EdM ‘02, PhD ‘10, works as a consultant, speaker and blogger for LyonsLetters.com. She is also a district administrator for Lewiston-Porter Central School District. Lyon has authored books titled “Engagement Is Not a Unicorn (It’s a Narwhal)” and “The BIG Book of Engagement Strategies,” and co-authored “50 Ways to Engage Students with Google Apps.” Additionally, she was honored as a New York State Association of Women Administrators Phenomenal Woman Recipient in 2021, and was named to the Niagara Gazette’s 12 Under 40 in 2015 and Buffalo Business First’s 40 Under 40 in 2013.
  • Daniel Vélez, BA ‘99, PhD ‘12, was named associate vice president for admissions and recruitment at Grand Valley State University in March 2022 after serving as vice president for Student Affairs at Baltimore City Community College, which included leading the Office of Admissions and Recruitment. Vélez was the recipient of the UB EOP Alumni of the Year Award, the Buffalo State Higher Education and Student Affairs Administration Alumni of the Year Award, and the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Professional Service.
  • Ashley Byrd-White, BA ‘10, EdM ‘12, celebrated 10 years at the University of South Carolina and earned a newly created role as the director of Experiential Learning in the College of Arts and Sciences.
  • Mihwa Park, PhD ‘13, received tenure and was promoted to associate professor as of in September of 2023 at Texas Tech University.
  • Kari Costelloe, BA ‘03, EdM ‘14, joined Daemen University in October 2023 as the president’s chief of staff.
  • Sara Kelly, MS ‘10, PhD ‘15, was named vice president for enrollment management at SUNY Brockport in 2023.
  • Katie Goldbach-Schaller, MS ‘16, joined the learning and development team as the curriculum developer at Service Oklahoma, a new agency devoted to making Oklahoma the most customer-centric state in the United States.
  • Mary Louise Stahl, PhD ‘17, has held positions in teaching and leadership for 30 years in both public and private schools. Recently, Stahl taught full-time in the Education Department at Medaille University until last year. She is teaching full-time at Niagara University this year. This year she also had a school leadership book published by Rowman & Littlefield titled, “The Heart of School Leadership.”
  • Adam Huck, PhD ‘18, was named the dean of the School of Education and Social Work at Roberts Wesleyan University.
  • Chloe Santangelo, MS ‘19, is the director of Hilbert College’s McGrath Library and was selected to receive the Western New York Library Resources Council 2023 Library All-Star Award.

2020s

  • Deanna Roberts, MS ‘21, currently serves as the reference and outreach librarian in the Pitts Theology Library at Emory University. Roberts is also the director of the new Morgan Fellows Program.
  • Paul McAfee, PhD ‘22, has been teaching at the UB School of Management in Singapore. He is developing a planned study abroad trip to the UB Singapore campus for UB students from any degree program. The focus of the trip will be on learning about the multiple cultures and nationalities that comprise Singapore's society.
  • Laine Schrewe, PhD ‘24, started her tenure-track faculty position at Otterbein University this fall.
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