Norbert Baschnagel, EdM ’68, celebrated his 50th wedding anniversary with his wife, Beverly, in March 2026. He also authored the book “How to Build a Sport or Life Dynasty” (2021).
Victoria Stearns, BA, BFA ’65, MLS ’68, published her third book, “Classical Music: A Listener’s Guide,” in 2025. The book offers an accessible introduction to classical music and provides readers with pathways for exploring additional works.
1970s
Anne Deming, MEd ’74, PhD ’77, currently thriving in her 80s, recently published “A History of Bear Lake,” second edition, in 2025, her third book about Bear Lake, New York. She has also revived her hypnotherapy practice and has provided sessions for more than 300 residents in her community.
Salvatore Illuzzi, BA ’68, EdM ’72, PhD ’75, received recognition from the U.S. House of Representatives upon his retirement, including a flag flown over the U.S. Capitol in honor of 34 years of service as a school district superintendent in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
1980s
Victor Stolberg, MA ’81, MAH ’83,EdM ’84, recently published “Bipolar Disorder: Your Questions Answered” (2026) and “ADHD Medications: History, Science, and Issues” (2024). His recent articles include “Stroke as a Lifestyle Disease: A Review” (2024), “Issues Between Addiction and Gender” (2024), and “Biomarkers for High Metabolic Burden in Neurologic Disease” (2024). He also has an article in press titled “Epigenetics of Neural Networks in Neurocognitive Conditions: A Review.”
1990s
Kevin McKelvey, EdM ’95, served for 22 years as the resident director of UB’s undergraduate program at the Singapore Institute of Management. He retired at the end of March 2026.
Roxana Reichman, PhD ’96, in 2023 was appointed vice president and dean of the Graduate School of Education at Gordon Academic College in Israel, where she oversees five graduate programs and is leading the launch of an online English-language master’s program in educational administration and leadership beginning in fall 2026.
Michele Pava, BA ’94, MLS ’99, recently moderated a panel discussion following a screening of the documentary film “The Librarians” that addressed censorship and book banning in the United States.
2000s
David Caban, PhD ’01, served as principal of the Herman Badillo Bilingual Academy (HBBA) for 22 years. In 2024, the auditorium at HBBA was named in his honor. He is currently a consultant with the National SAM Innovation Project, focusing on effective time management for principals.
Dianne McCarthy, EdM ’90, EdD ’01, published “Young Children and Mathematics: Teaching and Learning” (Innovative Ink Publishing, a division of Kendall Hunt, 2026).
Cynthia Tysick, BS ’99, MLS ’01, published a book, “Digital Literacy in the Age of Big Tech” (Routledge, 2025).
Casey Jakubowski, Adv. Cert. ’04, published a seventh book, “Settling Conflict in Rural New York: Case Studies of Education Reform,” which examines post–World War II community building through centralized education policy and the role of local communities and bureaucracy.
Marvel Ross-Jones, EdM ’05, EdD ’06, enrolled in a combined master’s/doctoral program in ministry through the Antioch School of Church Planting and Leadership Development in Ames, Iowa.
2010s
JJ Brice, EdM ’10, celebrated 10 years at Binghamton University and currently serves as director of student affairs for the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Science.
Rick Jetter, BA ’96, PhD ’10, is ranked 16th in the top 30 Global Gurus in Education. He is highlighted in various prominent educational journals, including Educational Leadership and Principal Magazine.
Dominique Vola Ambinintsoa, EdM ’11, is a lecturer and learning advisor at Kanda University of International Studies in Chiba, Japan. She also edited a special journal issue in the Studies in Self-Access Learning (SiSAL) Journal.
Laura Dawidowicz, BS ’10, EdM ’13, was recently promoted to senior director of client relations at the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo.
Nichole Hawkins, BA ’11, MS ’13, has served since 2023 with the Louisiana Department of Health, providing psychological services to diverse and underserved communities, including assessment, evidence-based psychotherapy and expert testimony within the Louisiana judicial system.
Xiaoshuo Gao, EdM ’16, started a new role in October 2025 as a co-op advisor at the University of Waterloo in Waterloo, Ontario.
Kristen Braunscheidel, EdM ’17, received the UB School of Public Health and Health Professions’ Outstanding Staff Award for the 2024-25 academic year. She also welcomed her second son, Quinn Brendan, on July 31.
Tommy Buttaccio, MA ’16, MS ’17, got married on Sept. 29, 2024, at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens and purchased a home in South Buffalo the following year. He recently joined Lockwood Library at UB as a user services supervisor, where he mentors student employees and supports public services. He is currently writing a paper on emotions and library workers, and has presented on local history at museums in New York City.
Lorenda Chisolm, EdD ’17, has been appointed superintendent of schools for the Greenburgh Central School District in Westchester County. Her tenure began on July 1, 2025.
Zach Basler, MLS ’18, has been appointed the first-year/second-year student success librarian and assistant librarian at the University of South Alabama.
2020s
Ayse Cobanoglu, PhD ’21, now serves as associate dean in the School of Education at Bogazici University in Istanbul. She previously served as principal investigator on a Heising-Simons Foundation grant supporting a national research-to-policy convening, and as guest editor for a special issue on early childhood workforce well-being in “Early Childhood Research Quarterly.”
Daniel Kelly, BA ’05, MA ’07, EdM ’09, PhD ’21, published two books in philosophy: “Kant in Context: The Historical Primacy of the Transcendental Dialectic” (2024) and “Kant and the Path of German Idealism: Competing Accounts of Cognition” (2025).
Christopher Spence, EdM ’13, PhD ’21, serves as superintendent of schools for the Utica City School District in Utica, New York. Under his leadership, the district was named to Forbes’ Top 100 Employers in New York State and received a Champions of Change Award from the New York State School Boards Association for its extended learning initiatives.
Linda Stricker, EdM ’21, completed her first year at Methodist Theological School in Ohio in pursuit of a career in ministry.
William Bohen, EdD ’17, EdM ’22, completed a two-year term as president of the Graduate School of Education Alumni Association, supporting expanded alumni outreach and networking initiatives. He continues to serve on the executive committee as the immediate past president.
Devon Cozad, MS ’22, co-authored the chapter “Faculty Perceptions of AI: A Case Study in Higher Education” in “Meaningful Work in a Post-Covid Age: The Impact of New Technologies,” published in November 2025 by Emerald Publishing.
Laureen Cantwell-Jurkovic, PhD ’24, won the 2025 Eugene Garfield Doctoral Dissertation Award from the Association for Library and Information Science Education. She also started a new job as a humanities and multidisciplinary librarian at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York.
Mitch Kase, EdD ’24, has been appointed executive director of the Center for Excellence in Learning, Teaching, and Assessment at Hofstra University.
Kristen Smigielski, MM ’17, PhD ’25, Adv. Cert. ’25, was named a 2026 Women in AI Fellow through the InnovateEDU EdSAFE AI Alliance. She serves as research project manager for the Center for Early Literacy and Responsible AI at UB and was recently appointed grants specialist in the GSE Office of Research.
Dima Abass, EdM ’23, EdD ’26, recently completed a doctorate in learning and instruction at GSE, marking the culmination of a decade of academic and professional engagement across student affairs, academic support and institutional research.
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