Weddings, Engagements and Births
[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text el_class=”cnote”]‘06
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.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text el_class=”cnote”]
‘10
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.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]
Newsmakers
[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text el_class=”cnote”]’99
Marci Landfried (Elementary Education) of Fort Myers joined Canterbury School as a third-grade teacher. She previously taught third grade at Edison Park Creative and Expressive Arts School.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text el_class=”cnote”]
’01
Dr. Allen Weiss (Master’s, Business Administration) of Naples received the Gulfshore Business Lifetime Achievement Award. He is the longtime president and CEO of NCH Healthcare System.
Jennifer Ellis (Master’s, Business Administration) of Fort Myers has been promoted at Chico’s to senior vice president of finance and marketing services.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text el_class=”cnote”]
‘02
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.
Jamie Schwinghamer (Social Sciences) of Naples has joined the law firm of Roetzel & Andress as a shareholder in the Litigation Department.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text el_class=”cnote”]
‘03
Dave Breitenstein (Master’s, Educational Leadership) of Estero has joined Priority Marketing as a media-relations manager responsible for supporting strategic media-relations services and coordination of publicity strategies, campaigns and events for clients.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text el_class=”cnote”]
‘04
Onur Haytac (Master’s, Computer Information Systems) of Naples was recognized along with his company, Benseron Hospitality, by Finances Online for his innovation of the Linga POS software. This software is also used by FGCU’s Resort & Hospitality Management program.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text el_class=”cnote”]
‘05
Ian Breusch (Finance) of Naples has been promoted to executive vice president of the Naples Trust Company. He is responsible for the overall management of the firm’s daily investment process and directs a portfolio management team.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text el_class=”cnote”]
Natasha Glynn (Health Science) of Baldwinsville, N.Y., is now the director of clinical recruitment and retention at Loretto Health.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text el_class=”cnote”]Mike Cosden (Liberal Studies) of Fort Myers has been appointed to the board of trustees at the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation. He is executive vice president of the Edison & Ford Winter Estates.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text el_class=”cnote”]
’06
Jason Garcia (Biology) of Gainesville defended his dissertation and graduated from the University of Florida with his Ph.D. in Industrial Hygiene in August.
Zachary Bouchard (Communication) of Naples has joined KTS Homes as vice president of marketing and business development.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text el_class=”cnote”]
‘08
Brad Piepenbrink (Communication) of Tallahassee was appointed by Gov. Rick Scott as his chief of staff. He previously held a number of positions in Scott’s administration.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text el_class=”cnote”]
Ryan Kowadla (Master’s, Business Administration) of Naples was honored on Forbes’ “America’s Top Next-Generation Wealth Advisors” list. He is a vice president and wealth management advisor with Merrill Lynch Wealth Management, and a member of the FGCU Alumni Association Board of Directors.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text el_class=”cnote”]
’09
Alison DeFrancesco (Criminal Forensic Studies) has joined Metro Forecasting Models LLC as a data analyst. She is responsible for studying area research, including demographics, economic characteristics, education metrics and baseline use allocation. She also assists in writing technical reports for clients.
Jessica Carter Peer (Human Performance) of Fort Myers has started a new position at Front Door Gulf Coast as a licensed real-estate agent.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text el_class=”cnote”]
Amy Stephenson (Master’s, Educational Leadership) of Franklin, Tenn., is the new Oak View Elementary principal. She was assistant principal before her promotion by the Williamson County School Board in May.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text el_class=”cnote”]
’10
Logan Wallick (Master’s, Business Administration) of Fort Myers has been named board president of the Society for Human Resource Management of Southwest Florida. He will direct the 17-member board on local philanthropic donations, awarding annual grants, SHRM certification study groups and more. He will also arrange monthly chapter meetings offering educational speakers and networking platforms.
Danita Osborn (Master’s, Business Administration) of Naples is president of the Membership Directors Association of South Florida. The MDASF represents more than 87 golf clubs, country clubs and yacht clubs.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text el_class=”cnote”]
’11
Jennah Liskin (Resort & Hospitality Management) of Naples is the new website and communications officer for the Membership Directors Association of South Florida. The MDASF represents more than 87 golf clubs, country clubs and yacht clubs.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text el_class=”cnote”]
’12
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Brett Diamond (Management) of Naples and his father, David, have expanded their Venture X company in Plano, Texas. The cooperative work-space enterprise has been recognized by Inc. as one of the best in the United States.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text el_class=”cnote”]
Juliana Metzner (Communication) of Fort Myers has joined Pushing the Envelope, Inc. as communication coordinator. She is responsible for executing public-relations services for the company’s clients. Metzner also earned a master’s degree in communication from Southern New Hampshire University.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text el_class=”cnote”]Jennifer Coomer (Marketing) of Fort Myers has joined D3 Creative Studio as business development associate. She is responsible for generating new client relationships.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text el_class=”cnote”]
Spencer Shaw (Legal Studies) of Fort Myers joined Henderson Franklin’s Workers’ Compensation Division as an attorney. She earned her J.D. at Ave Maria School of Law in 2016.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text el_class=”cnote”]Tiffany Esposito (Master’s, Business Administration) of Bonita Springs has been awarded a national fellowship to study education and workforce development through the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text el_class=”cnote”]
’13
Hannah Swope (Political Science) of Fort Myers has started a new position at Gartner as sales coordinator. She was previously a recruiting coordinator for the company.
Jacquelyn R. Lear (Environmental Studies) of Naples has joined the Naples office of Florida Lifestyle Homes as a sales associate.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text el_class=”cnote”]
’14
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Chase Fieler (Management), a former FGCU basketball standout affectionately known as “Mayor of Dunk City,” helped his Oostende team win the Belgium Cup Championship in June. Fieler lives in Muncie, Ind., when he’s in the United States.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text el_class=”cnote”]Jordan Mahan (Master’s, Physical Therapy) of Fort Myers won the men’s title at the Freedom 5K in Cape Coral with a time of 17 minutes, 37 seconds, which was 30 seconds faster than the runner-up.
Stephanie Leon (Communication) of Los Angeles began a new position as senior account manager at 50 Twenty Seven Events.
Audrey Modglin (Communication) of Gainesville has joined Frankel Media Group as a human resources manager.
Donald Crispen (Health Science) of Fort Myers has joined Pediatric Dentistry of Florida as office manager. He is responsible for daily operations and management of the Fort Myers location.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text el_class=”cnote”]
Isabela Mills McCabe (Master’s, Business Administration) of Naples was awarded Sales Representative of the Year of the International Division at NewsBank. She works as a senior manager of the International Sales & Marketing department of NewsBank and is a member of the FGCU Alumni Association Board of Directors.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text el_class=”cnote”]
Sara Qureshi (Legal Studies) of Fort Myers has joined Henderson, Franklin, Starnes & Holt, P.A. as an attorney in the Business & Tax Department. She focuses on business-organization operations and planning, mergers and acquisitions, federal and state taxation, intellectual property and healthcare law.
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’15
Jessica Curran (Resort & Hospitality Management) of Naples has started a new position with Corcentric as meetings and events manager.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text el_class=”cnote”]
Christina Charlotte (Resort & Hospitality Management) of Venice has joined J.E. Charlotte Construction Corp. as office manager. She provides project administrative support and manages the accounts payable and receivable operations.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text el_class=”cnote”]Jack Hernandez (Accounting) of Fort Myers has graduated from the Suffolk Career Start program and will be starting his permanent position in Suffolk’s preconstruction department as an estimator.
Jennifer Joyce (Master’s, Public Administration) of Jacksonville Beach has been promoted to assistant director of parent and family orientation at the University of North Florida. She began working at UNF in 2017 as an admissions coordinator.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text el_class=”cnote”]
’16
Daniel Stallings (Psychology) of Fort Myers has released two EPs this year and is working on his latest concept project, “F.E.A.R.” As a hip-hop artist, his goal is to inspire others to follow their dreams.
Chris Conrad (Criminal Justice) of Los Angeles started a new position at Muriel Siebert & Co., Inc. as an investment specialist.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text el_class=”cnote”]
Julian DeBose (Communication) of Naples has teamed up with two former basketball teammates to coach and mentor young Southwest Florida basketball players. Their training and life coaching venture, Life Learn Elite, held its first camp in June.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text el_class=”cnote”]Antoinette Biffar (Master’s, Business Administration) of Fort Myers has started a new position with FGCU as the assistant athletic director of business affairs. She was previously director of business operations for FGCU Athletics.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text el_class=”cnote”]
’17
Cory Mahosky (Accounting) of Fort Myers has joined Markham Norton Wright & Co. P.A. after working with the firm as an intern. He works in the tax division, helping to prepare individual and business tax returns and provide supportive accounting services. He is working on his Master of Science in Accounting and Taxation at FGCU.
Miranda Marts (Master’s, Clinical Mental Health Counseling) of Naples joined the board of directors of Project HELP. She is working toward her Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counseling credentials and teaches part-time at FGCU in the Department of Justice Studies. She also coordinates internships and leads a mentoring program that partners with at-risk teens in the community.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text el_class=”cnote”]
Ashley Parks (Master’s, Accounting and Taxation) was nominated for the 2018 NCAA Woman of the Year. The award, established in 1991, honors female student-athletes who have distinguished themselves in academics, athletics, service and leadership throughout their collegiate careers. Ashley is the second FGCU women’s soccer player nominated for the award.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text el_class=”cnote”]Rebecca French (Communication) of Fort Myers has joined Quadrum Global as a sales counselor.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text el_class=”cnote”]
Cassie Spara (Marketing) of Fort Myers has joined Sanibel Captiva Community Bank at the College Parkway branch. She is responsible for assisting customers with personal and business banking transactions.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text el_class=”cnote”]Dominique Miranda-Dubay (Communication) of Tampa has joined the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society as a fundraising campaign manager.
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.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text el_class=”cnote”]
’18
Daniella Lorio (Exercise Science) of Naples passed her American Society of Sports Medicine Certified Exercise Physiologist exam and began working at Moorings Park as an exercise specialist.
Kate Humphrey (Social Work) of Naples has been named victim advocate at Project HELP Inc. She works with employees of the organization to support survivors through the forensic process after a sexual assault or trauma due to violence, sexual assault or sudden death of a loved one.
Alex Brawley (Environmental Engineering) of Fort Myers has joined the Suffolk Career Start program and will be doing his first rotation at University Village Phase II until March 2019.[/vc_column_text]