Class Notes

'13
Cody Hinson
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Cody Hinson (Legal Studies) has been recognized as Sales Executive of the Year in 2020 by NewsBank Inc. He joined the company's sales team in 2017 and has been an award-winning top performer each year since then. Hinson previously worked in real estate in Naples.

'17
Caroline Vives-Vietri
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College of Arts & Science
Caroline Vives-Vietri (Communication) has found herself back at The Nest as an assistant director of Alumni Relations. After five years in the government sector, she decided it was time to return back to FGCU and give back to the university that helped jump-start her career in nonprofit management and public administration. She resides in Cape Coral with her family and her poodle, LuLu.
'02
Jamie B. Schwinghamer
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College of Arts & Science
Jamie B. (Turner) Schwinghamer (Liberal Studies) has been named president of the Collier County Women’s Bar Association. A Roetzel & Andress shareholder, she is an attorney in the firm’s Naples office and recently was named practice group manager of probate, trust and guardianship litigation. She counsels clients on a variety of matters including: will and trust contests; disputed estate and trust administrations; trust modification, revocation and termination; surcharge and removal proceedings; elder guardianships;, guardianship advocacy and litigation; business contracts; and shareholder and partnership disputes and appeals. A magna cum laude graduate of the University of Miami School of Law, she lives in Estero with her husband, Jeremy Schwinghamer ('01, Masters in Public Administration).
'16
Jeffrey Biederwolf
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College of Arts & Sciences
Jeffrey Biederwolf, (English), graduated from basic military training at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, in San Antonio, Texas.
'16
Skye Gonzalez
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College of Arts & Sciences
Skye Gonzalez, (Communication), transitioned to a new position within Enterprise. She was a station manager at Enterprise Rent-A-Car. She is now a sales consultant at Enterprise Car Sales. She lives in Fort Myers.
'17
Rebecca French
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College of Arts & Sciences
Rebecca French (Communication) of Fort Myers has joined Quadrum Global as a sales counselor.
'17
Dominique Miranda-Dubay
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College of Arts & Sciences
Dominique Miranda-Dubay (Communication) of Tampa has joined the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society as a fundraising campaign manager.
'17
Demetris Morant
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College of Arts & Sciences
Demetris Morant (Communication) has signed a one-year deal with Artland of the German Pro A Basketball League. The former FGCU basketball star will live in Germany.
'20
Joshua Ballin
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College of Arts & Sciences
Joshua Ballin (Integrated Studies) has promoted senior sales executive at Prudential Financial and will be relocating to Tampa.
'20
Gabriela Rivas
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College of Arts & Sciences
Gabriela Rivas (Communication) has been promoted to account manager at Wilson Creative Group, a full-service advertising and marketing agency in Naples. Rivas joined the company in June 2021 after earning a master’s degree in media and communication studies from Florida State University, where she served as a graduate teaching assistant in FSU’s College of Communication, taught a public speaking course and provided writing workshops and mentorship for first-year college students. At FGCU, she worked as a continuous improvement initiative intern for the Office of the Ombuds.

'17
Sydney Fahrenbruch
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College of Arts & Sciences
Sydney Fahrenbruch, (Marketing), recently joined Atilus as its administrative coordinator. She brings experience in customer service and digital marketing to her new position. She resides in Naples.
'17
Alexander Rivero
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College of Arts & Sciences
Alexander Rivero, (Communication), has joined Promotional Incentives Inc. as a marketing and sales associate. He will assist with sales presentations and product research, along with managing the company’s social media platforms. He lives in Cape Coral.
'17
Kristen Peterson
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College of Arts & Sciences
Kristen Peterson (Environmental Studies) joined the Florida Department of Health in May 2020 as an environmental specialist after serving as a park ranger at Lovers Key State Park since July 2019. She previously worked for Florida Park Service at Alafia River State Park in Hillsborough County. "Since graduating from FGCU, and working with the university as a student naturalist, I always wanted to work for the State of Florida," she says. "A lot of this was possible with everything I've learned from FGCU, not only in classes but outside experiences there, too."
'08
Amanda M. Grant
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College of Arts & Sciences
Amanda M. Grant (Legal Studies) works as an associate attorney at Unruh Turner Burke & Frees in West Chester, Pennsylvania.

'06
Caroline Thomas
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College of Arts & Sciences
Caroline Thomas, (Communication) and her husband, Michael, of Bonita Springs welcomed their daughter, Alana Grace, on Aug. 2. She weighed 6 pounds, 9 ounces and was 17 inches long. Caroline is the Southwest Florida territory sales representative for Zimmer Biomet Dental.

'10
Felicia Nachef
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College of Arts & Sciences
Michael Nachef (Political Science) and Felicia Nachef (’11, Finance) of Fort Myers welcomed twin girls, Charlotte Rose and Reagan Claire, on July 9. Michael is director of governmental relations at Lee Health and chair elect of the FGCU Alumni Association Board of Directors. Felicia is the student affairs budget assistant at FGCU.
'06
Joel J.C. Powless
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College of Arts & Sciences
Joel J.C. Powless, (Liberal Studies), has been appointed by the Illinois Supreme Court as a resident circuit judge in the Fourth Judicial Circuit. He served as Clay County State’s Attorney since 2016, and prior to that worked in private practice and served as a municipal hearing officer in Flora, IL.
'10
Ryan Veranich
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College of Arts & Sciences
Ryan Veranich (Communication) has accepted a new position with Weichert Realtors-Agency ONE. As a Realtor in the greater Fort Myers and Naples area, he works alongside prospective home buyers and sellers, guiding clients through the process.
'02
Jennifer James-Mesloh
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College of Arts & Sciences
Jennifer James-Mesloh (Master’s, Public Administration) has been selected by the Glades County Commission as county manager. She previously taught as a visiting instructor at FGCU and coordinator for the Department of Justice Studies. She is also the founder and president of her own company, Advanced Research Solutions, Inc. Most recently a resident of Newberry, Mich., she’ll be relocating to Glades County.
'02
Jamie Schwinghamer
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College of Arts & Sciences
Jamie Schwinghamer (Social Sciences) of Naples has joined the law firm of Roetzel & Andress as a shareholder in the Litigation Department.