Alumni Accomplishments
Vermont Governor Jim Douglas has announced the appointment of Tayt Brooks ’97 as commissioner of the Department of Housing, Economic and Community Development. Brooks joined the Douglas Administration late in 2008 as deputy commissioner of Housing and Community Affairs. When that department merged with the Department of Economic Development, Brooks served as deputy commissioner for the new Department of Housing, Economic and Community Development. He previously was the government affairs director for the Home Builders’ & Remodelers’ Association of Northern Vermont.
Jim Powers 'l0 (center) and Andrew Spahr '09 (right) co-directed and produced Killing Saul, a comedy that won "Best Student Feature Film" at the New York International Independent Film Festival last October. Music was composed by Hakiem Greenhut ’09 (left). Laurentian actors the film in addition to Powers and Spahr were Caroline Rosato '09, McLean Beyor '10, Mike Barry 'l1, Ryan Cooney '09, Charlie Haydock Jr. ’09 and Jon Thomas '10.
Trustee Sharee Freeman '76 recently received a Leroy Collins Preserver of the Vision Award from the United States Department of Justice for her commitment to conflict resolution, reduction of racial tensions and restoration of good will in diverse communities. U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder was at the ceremony. Freeman is director of the Office of Self-Governance, in the Department of the Interior, and a former director of the Justice Department's Community Relations Service. A member of the University's Board of Trustees since 2003 and the holder of a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center, Freeman has worked as a public servant for the federal government in various capacities since the early 1980s and has received numerous awards for her work.
When Grace Potter ’06n and her band, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals (including drummer Matt Burr ’03) performed on campus in January, her parents, Richard “Sparky” Potter ’70 and Margaret “Peggy” Sparks Potter ’73, center, drove to Canton from their home in Waitsfield, Vt., where they make wooden signs and furnishings, respectively, for their daughter’s show. At left is Macreena Doyle, St. Lawrence’s coordinator of news services and a fan of the band. For a related picture, see On Campus.
The Workers Injury Law & Advocacy Group (WILG) announces that Andrew J. Reinhardt ’75 is its 2009-2010 president-elect. He has his law degree from Syracuse University Law School and has been practicing law for 21 years, specializing in personal injury, workers’ compensation and Social Security disability law. A member of the D.C., Maryland and Virginia Bar Associations and several professional organizations, he is a personal injury attorney in Richmond, Va.
John O’Shea ’74 is the recipient of the Irish Society for Immunology’s 2009 Public Lecture Award given at the Royal Dublin Society and sponsored by the Irish Times; see http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2009/0430/1224245683776.html, or http://nihrecord.od.nih.gov/newsletters/2009/08_07_2009/milestones.htm or http://www.rds.ie/index.jsp?p=104&n=229.
According to the nihrecord site, “The society annually honors an outstanding immunologist in recognition of his/her contribution to the understanding of immunology and health improvement.” As part of the award, O’Shea was invited to deliver a talk about his research. The lecture was titled “Learning from Patients: How Rare Diseases Inform Immunology.” John discussed two rare immunodeficiency diseases and how studying the molecular basis of these diseases has offered new insights into immunoregulation. He also explained how one of these disorders led to the generation of a new class of immunosuppressant drugs.” The Irish Times article added, “Prof. O’Shea…speaks with considerable authority as the scientific director of the Molecular Immunology and Inflammation Branch in the U.S. National Institutes of Health. This centre looks at the underlying biochemical causes of common, debilitating autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis.”
Theodore P. “Ted” Augustinos ’82, partner in the law firm Edward, Angell Palmer & Dodge in Hartford, Conn., has been elected to serve on the American Bankers Insurance Association’s board of directors. He specializes in insurance and reinsurance and also represents public and private business organizations in “corporate issues, privacy and data security matters and mergers and acquisitions,” according to a press release from the firm. Outside of his profession, Ted serves on the board of directors and the executive committee of South Park Inn, a shelter for the homeless, and is a member of the board of The Connecticut Forum, a non-profit organization offering four issue-focused programs per season on political, social, educational and cultural topics.
Matt Seiler ’84, CEO of Universal McCann worldwide, has been named a 2009 "Media Superstar" by Adweek magazine and featured as its executive of the year. The publication's annual listing includes an extensive feature story (www.adweek.com/aw/content_display/special-reports/other-reports/) about Matt, who's been in his current position since September of 2008. He’s “has mastered the art of the extreme makeover” of big media companies, the story says. He joined Universal McCann in 2008; prior to that, he was president and CEO of PHD USA.
Learfield Sports recently appointed industry veteran Molly Mullady Arbogast ’91 to its national sales team. She will serve as national accounts manager for the Northeast Region and work in Learfield Sports’ Penn State Sports Properties office in Philadelphia, near where Molly lives. “Arbogast has served in the sports business arena more than 15 years and will work closely with Learfield Sports’ national sales team across the country to market its portfolio of more than 50 collegiate institutions and associations,” says a company announcement. She has worked for the WNBA, the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles, Palace Sports & Entertainment and IMG and is an active member of the Board of Directors for Special Olympics Pennsylvania. Learfield’s senior VP for national sales described Molly as “a class act, and very well respected in this industry.”
