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Notre Dame Academy Career Day 2014

Participants

Ms. Maura Bell Boucher '88 P’17 graduated from Northeastern University in 1993 with a

bachelor’s degree in nursing. After graduation she moved to Houston, Texas and worked in the

Emergency Department and Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Texas Children’s Hospital. In 2000,

she moved to Connecticut and worked in the Emergency Department at Connecticut Children’s

Medical Center. Ms. Boucher has been working as a staff nurse in the Pediatric Emergency

Department at Boston Medical Center since 2003.

Ms. Jennifer Cadigan ’03 graduated from Boston College in 2007 with a B.S. in management

(concentrations in accounting and marketing). She earned her master's in accounting from

Boston College in 2009. She is a CPA in Massachusetts and is currently an audit manager at

Ernst &Young, where she has worked since graduating from college. Ms. Cadigan has worked

for seven years in the Ernst &Young audit practice. Her client focus is in technology and

biotechnology industries and she has been involved in two IPO transactions.

Ms. Nancy Losordo Clinton ’85 is involved with The Whitaker Cardiovascular Institute

(WCVI) of Boston University School of Medicine which was established in 1974 to foster

advances in research, treatment, and education in the broad areas of heart and vascular disease.

The WCVI is comprised of 50 faculty members and over 100 staff and postdoctoral positions

representing five different Medical School Departments and two Departments of the Charles

River Campus. They are involved in research, training, and education in basic, clinical, and

epidemiologic research.

Dr. Danette Colella ’87 P ’20 is one of four sisters to attend NDA and she’ll soon have a

daughter here, too! She graduated from UVM in 1991 with a degree in psychology. She also

played NCAA Division I volleyball. She went on to receive her medical degree from UVM in

1996. She completed pediatric residency at Boston Children's Hospital and Boston Medical

Center and has been a pediatrician at South Shore Medical Center since 1999. Her hobbies

include: skiing, tennis, mountain biking, hiking and spending time with her children (Jacob, 13

and Delia, 11).

Ms. Kelly Manning Collins ’95 has spent a decade in the recruiting field connecting talented

job seekers with clients. The "9-5" doesn't exist in Ms. Collins world, as she manages the firm's

day-to-day operations and works around the clock to ensure clients and candidates are receiving

the personal Manning touch. Prior to joining the family business, Ms. Collins spent the first four

years of her career with another administrative recruiting firm in Boston. Her expertise in the

administrative placement field fueled the launch of MPG's Administrative Placement Practice,

which caters to a broad spectrum of administrators, from entry-level receptionists to C-level

executive assistants.

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Ms. Collins is a Summa Cum Laude graduate of UMass Boston, where she double-majored in

psychology and sociology. Ms. Collins resides in Hingham with her wonderful husband Steve,

and is the mother to twin girls and a boy.

Ms. Catherine Costantino ’07 graduated from Sacred Heart University with a Bachelor of

Science in nursing. She belongs to the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing.

She is a travel nurse in the Boston area. She worked at Brigham and Women's Hospital on an

orthopedic floor and now works at The Home for Little Wanderers, a school and residential

program for children with behavioral issues. She will go to Spain in June to learn Spanish. She

hopes to go back to school to study public health nursing.

Ms. Heather Stevens Cronin ’87 P’17 is a pharmacist for Target in Hanover. Prior to that, Ms.

Cronin worked as a pharmacist at the CVS in Hanson. She received a bachelor’s degree in

pharmacology from Northeastern University. She currently sits on NDA’s Alumnae Association

Board and has a daughter who is a freshman here at NDA.

Ms. Jennings Crupi ’09 is a December 2012 graduate of the Newhouse School of Public

Communications at Syracuse University. She joined the Boston Athletic Association in February

2013 as the 2013 Boston Marathon Communications Intern. Currently, she works in the

Communications department providing editorial assistance for 2014 Boston Marathon

publications and is also researching and writing stories for this year’s race. During her first year

at the B.A.A., Ms. Crupi assisted with the logistics in organizing all B.A.A. events. While at

Syracuse as a TV/Radio/Film major, she interned with NBC Olympics at the London 2012

Games as a Ceremonies and Track & Field Production Runner. During her time at SU, she also

wrote and produced an independent film review program for the University’s student-run TV

network.

Ms. Kathleen Devin Dauphinais ’92 is a graduate of the Boston College School of Nursing.

She has worked as a labor and delivery nurse, a neonatal ICU nurse, an operating room nurse,

and a pediatric emergency room nurse. She is currently working in labor and delivery at Tufts

Medical Center.

Ms. Meredith Daly ’03 graduated from Bridgewater State College in 2007 with a bachelor’s

degree in psychology and sociology with a concentration in child psychology. She later attended

New York University and received a Master of Science degree in occupational therapy. She is

currently an Occupational Therapist at the Massachusetts Hospital School in Canton. MHS is a

specialty care hospital for children and young adults with severe physical disabilities.

Ms. Amanda DeGiorgi ’05 studied physics at University of Chicago. She worked for the Office

of Naval Intelligence in Washington, D.C. for two years analyzing radio frequency signatures of

foreign missile threats to the U.S. Navy. This job served as an introductory experience in the

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defense industry where Amanda hoped to eventually work on aircraft design. To pursue this, Ms.

DeGiorgi attended a mechanical and aerospace engineering Ph.D. program at Princeton.

However, she soon realized her original choice in profession conflicted with her desire to

contribute something beneficial to society in an area far less morally and politically

controversial. So she transitioned to studying clean energy and completed graduate school with a

master’s to work hands on in the industry at the Consortium for Energy Efficiency.

Ms. Alannah DiBona ’00, LMHC, is currently employed by Lexington Public Schools as an

adjustment counselor in the ALPHA program, which is dedicated to helping students transition

back into school after an extended absence due to a psychiatric or medical hospitalization. In

addition, she also serves as the school's psychiatric crisis evaluator. Ms. DiBona also works with

adolescents and adults in her holistic mental health counseling practice, Mind Body Sport

Consulting. When not working as a therapist, Ms. DiBona teaches horseback riding and trains

horses at Liberty Tree Farm in Acton, MA. In order to combine her two worlds, Ms. DiBona

will begin practicing Equine Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP) in the spring of 2014.

Ms. Marybeth O’Malley Doyle ’85 graduated from Northeastern University and has been a

Certified Public Accountant since 1993. She has previously worked for Deloitte & Touche in

Boston and Melbourne, Australia. Ms. Doyle has also worked for Cookson Electronics, EMC

Corporation, and Wyman-Gordon. She is now a self-employed CPA.

Ms. Jennifer Drain ’91 is an architect and founder of ArchiPlicity, LLC, an architecture design

firm in Plymouth, MA. She has experience in both historic and contemporary architectural styles.

Her projects have been designed for sites in Massachusetts, New Jersey, and California. The firm

also provides architectural illustrations for both developers and media companies to illustrate

conceptual ideas. Ms. Drain shares, "Our philosophy is to create architecture that is simple and

elegant. We believe design should be based on good proportion, simple, well placed details and a

thoughtful response to existing surroundings."

Ms. Deirdre Duckett ’89 began her career in education as a Teach For America Baltimore corps

member in 1993 after graduating from the College of the Holy Cross. After teaching high school

and working for a service-based non-profit in Baltimore, she moved back to the Boston area and

worked at Harvard’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences while she pursued a degree at the

Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE). She joined the HGSE staff and, over the course

of 10 years, was the administrator for two master’s programs (the School Leadership Program

and the Education Policy and Management Program) as well as the Public Education Leadership

Project (PELP), a joint program that creates and disseminates knowledge about how to manage

urban school districts. Ms. Duckett has been actively involved in our local alumni community,

and was a founding member of the TFA Massachusetts Alumni Advisory Board. She joined the

Teach For America alumni team in November and is truly excited to be a part of the collective

impact TFA alumni are having across the Commonwealth.

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Ms. Claire Duffy ’98 grew up in Dorchester, MA. After graduating from NDA, Ms. Duffy went

on to Northeastern University and later enrolled in the Boston Police Academy. She has been a

Boston Police Officer since November 1996.

Ms. Jennifer Merrigan Fay ’85 P’16, a partner in the Goodwin Procter, LLP’s Litigation

Department and a member of its Labor & Employment Practice, focuses on serving the firm’s

technology, life sciences and private equity clients. She has an extensive background in the

employment law field and is lead employment lawyer on a wide variety of matters both as a

counselor and a litigator. Ms. Fay supports the firm’s transactional practice by advising on

employment-related aspects of mergers and acquisitions and by drafting and negotiating

executive employment agreements, noncompetition agreements, separation agreements and other

employment related documents. Jennifer works with publicly traded organizations as well as

small businesses and across industry lines. She has ongoing relationships with many of the firm's

life sciences and technology clients, as well as numerous private equity and venture capital firms

and their portfolio companies. Over the years, Ms. Fay has developed special expertise in the

areas of executive employment agreements, worker classification matters, sexual and other types

of discriminatory harassment, reductions-in-force and restrictive covenants.

Ms. Nicole Fichera ’05 is the General Manager of District Hall, the world's first public

innovation center--and a building that she helped design. She works for the Venture Cafe

Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to building and strengthening connections in the innovation

economy. Prior to joining the Venture Cafe Foundation, she worked for the City of Boston as the

Innovation District Manager, leading the City's initiative to transform 1000 acres of

underdeveloped land on the South Boston waterfront into an urban environment that fosters

innovation, entrepreneurship and collaboration. Ms. Fichera studied architecture at Northeastern

University, and is fascinated by the connection between innovation and place.

Ms. Mary Gallagher ’84 knows the healthcare industry from the ground up: “I’ve had the

opportunity to work for big pharma as both a sales representative and district manager and then I

transitioned into brand management and loved it.” Her marketing career has spanned from

associate brand manager to marketing director to director of commercial development for top

pharmaceutical companies such as Merck, Elan, and Sunovian. She has worked in numerous

therapeutic areas spanning allergy, cardiovascular, eye care, neurology, respiratory and

oncology.

Ms. Gallagher found her true passion in advertising when she joined Regan Campbell Ward

McCann in NYC in 2001, where she focused on professional communications. She rounded out

that experience by joining Hill Holliday (HH) in 2006. At HH she has worked on brands in and

out of the pharma sector. In the pharma industry she has supported the entire high blood pressure

franchise for Novartis, Flector Patch (pain) for Pfizer, Arcapta (COPD) and Tasigna (Leukemia)

for Novartis. Outside of the pharma sector, she worked with Cleveland Clinic on their branding

campaign; and Harvard Pilgrim HealthCare with their branding initiatives. She helped guide

Novo Nordisk on their healthcare systems strategy/ approach in New England. With over twenty

years’ experience in healthcare and advertising combined, it’s no wonder she received the

Healthcare Business Women’s “Rising Star” award for excellence. Her personal interests are less

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clinical: “In my free time I love to spend time with my husband and my daughters; cook, run,

and head down to the Cape.”

Dr. Brittany Handschiegl ’05 is from a quaint suburb on the south shore of Massachusetts.

After transferring from Fordham University in New York City where she completed her

prerequisites with a minor in behavioral psychology, Ms. Handschiegl completed her Doctor of

Pharmacy Degree from Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in May 2011.

Ms. Handschiegl is a pharmacy manager at CVS store #1259 on Massachusetts Avenue in

Boston. She provides management to her team by coaching her staff to deliver excellent

customer service to retain and increase business. By making quality assurance and patient safety

a priority, store #1259 has become an accessible resource to the public to receive information.

Responsibilities include talent management, succession planning and HR solutions that support

the CVS Caremark business and service vision.

Prior to her role at #1259, Ms. Handschiegl was team leader at store #524 on Longwood Ave in

Boston. She started at CVS as an intern during her third professional year, during her three years

as an intern she worked at most stores in district 4 being able to experience all the eclectic

aspects of the inner city stores. Her professional interests include being actively involved with

pharmacy organizations, APhA-ASP and Phi Lambda Sigma of her college chapter. In her free

time Ms. Handschiegl loves to travel with a goal of visiting each continent in the next three

years! She would like to thank her friends, mentors and extremely close knit Italian family for

their extraordinary support, continuous guidance and encouragement throughout the years.

Ms. Lisa Skayne Herron ’97 has been in nursing for over 10 years. She began her career as a

staff nurse in hematology/oncology at Massachusetts General Hospital. She worked there while

obtaining her master's in nursing from Boston College. Her first job as a nurse practitioner was in

community health where she provided primary care in the home for severely disabled patients.

For the past six years she has been in an outpatient primary care clinic which she has enjoyed the

most. Additionally, for the last year Ms. Herron has been the nursing supervisor in her internal

medicine department. Her clinical interests are preventative medicine and women's health.

Ms. Christine Coleman Heshion ’92 attended Bentley University where she obtained her

Bachelor of Science degree in business communications. She graduated from Bentley in 1996.

Her first job was working for what was then known as Hale & Dorr in Boston, one of the

country's largest law firms. While there, she confirmed her childhood desire to attend law school.

She attended Suffolk University Law School as a night student and graduated in 2001. While in

law school, she worked full time as a paralegal for a small Boston law firm that handled the

defense of various litigation matters including medical malpractice, product liability, and

personal injury and employment cases.

Upon graduating from law school, Attorney Heshion accepted a position as an attorney with the

Boston medium sized law firm then known as Melick, Porter & Shea, LLP (now known as

Melick & Porter). She worked there for several years and then worked for some other small

firms up until last year when she achieved a longterm career goal of becoming a corporate in-

house attorney.

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Attorney Heshion now works as In House Counsel in the Corporate Legal Department of Liberty

Mutual Insurance Company in their corporate headquarters in Boston. The Legal Department

there has over 100 attorneys in it and many divisions within it. She works in the Claims

Litigation Unit, overseeing litigation against the Company in the Southwest part of the country.

Attorney Heshion is admitted to practice in the State and Federal Courts in Massachusetts and

has an extensive background handling mediations and trials for clients and advising them on risk

reduction and avoidance.

When she is not working, she enjoys traveling (for fun, not for work!), hiking, spending time

with family, friends and her dog, a yellow lab and shopping for and decorating her newly

purchased home in Abington.

Ms. Jeanne Higgins ’83 has been working as an Accounting Consultant for almost two years.

As an Accounting Consultant, Ms. Higgins works for four or five smaller clients at one time,

doing their books. Over 20 years of experience in Finance and Accounting helps her serve her

clients in a variety of industries.

Ms. Kirsten Hughes ’95 graduated from New York University with a B.F.A in theatre arts in

2003. While in New York, she performed in several NYC nightclubs and worked as a manager’s

assistant at a boutique, celebrity-client management firm. In 2005, she returned to Quincy to

attend law school full time. She earned a J.D. from New England School of Law and was

admitted to the Massachusetts Bar in 2008. Attorney Hughes has worked in the legal political

and entertainment fields in Quincy, Boston, New York, and Washington D.C. She also worked

for U.S. Senator Scott Brown’s campaign finance team. In 2011, she was elected to the Quincy

City Council and is the Chair of the Massachusetts Republican Party. She also sits on the NDA

alumnae association board.

As a professional photographer, Ms. Katherine Drain Jackson ’91 aspires to exceed your

expectations from the time of our initial meeting to the moment she delivers your images. While

she photographs a large variety of subjects and events, she specializes in children, family and

high school senior photography. Ms. Jackson absolutely loves children, and her focus is on

making their photographic experience a fun and easy one! She does a great deal of work

outdoors on-location at beaches and parks. Ms. Jackson also has an in-home studio space.

Ms. Amy Joy ’03 graduated from Pace University in 2007 and holds a bachelor’s degree in

forensic science with minors in biology and chemistry. She is a DNA chemist and forensic

scientist with the Massachusetts State Police Crime Lab. In addition to extracting and

amplifying DNA evidence for forensic samples, Ms. Joy applies statistics, generates reports, and

provides courtroom testimony when necessary. Previously, Ms. Joy served as a member of the

Crime Scene Response Unit for the Massachusetts State Police and a research lab technician in

the Neurobiology Department at Children’s Hospital in Boston.

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Ms. Sabrina Wilks Khan ’85 has spent the majority of her career at State Street Corp. in

Boston, where she is currently a vice president in the Global Treasury division. In this role, she

project manages global derivatives reform for her division. Previously, she started the project

management group for the Securities Finance division, was a senior trader on the U.S. Equities

desk, and managed the Market Risk group. She earned both her B.A. and M.B.A. from Bentley

University.

Ms. Mary Knasas ’74 is a Senior Planner for the City of Boston’s Redevelopment Authority.

Her professional experience is in city planning, housing development, and economic

development. Today her efforts are focused in Chinatown, South Boston, and along the

commuter line that travels from Hyde Park to South Station. Ms. Knasas graduated from

Williams College with a B.A. in studio design and art history with a concentration in

environmental studies. She received her master’s degree in city planning from M.I.T. From 1980

to 1982, she served in Togo as a Peace Corps Volunteer where she taught English in a small

village and organized a student arts-cooperative with a portion of the proceeds funding a local

water-delivery project for the school.

Ms. Julie Spatola Kukesh ’02 is a Senior Enterprise Inbound Marketing Consultant at HubSpot

in Cambridge. She has spent the last six years consulting with customers on their online

marketing strategy and execution. Her specialties include: online marketing strategy consulting,

lead generation, lead nurturing, content strategy, B-to-B technology marketing, sales &

marketing alignment, marketing process optimization, online marketing campaign delivery and

optimization, online marketing budgeting, and online marketing financial forecasting for publicly

traded companies. Ms. Kukesh is a graduate of Boston College’s Carroll School of

Management.

Ms. Kristen McNamara Larson ’91 is a writer, marketing, business development, and sales

guru, as well as the founder of an independent publishing company and publisher of “That

Place,” a children’s bereavement resource. Her current projects include both children’s and adult

literature. Ms. Larson attended Purdue University and later received her M.A. from Emerson

College. In 2003, she founded Monkeytoes Press where she identifies new business

opportunities and creates strategic client relationships.

Lt. Paul Letsche P ’09 ’11 ’14 has been a Massachusetts State Trooper for over 28 years. He

entered the State Police Academy in 1986 and graduated as a member of the 67th R.T.T. He

began his career as a road trooper, where he patrolled various areas of the Commonwealth

providing safety for the roadways throughout Massachusetts, while enforcing the motor vehicle

and criminal laws. He was then assigned to the Fire and Bomb Investigation Unit, where he was

tasked with investigating hundreds of suspicious fires. When Lt. Letsche was promoted to

sergeant, he was assigned to the Public Affairs Department where he was the spokesman to the

media and was the voice and face of the Massachusetts State Police. He earned the rank of

Lieutenant in 2007 and was assigned to the Narcotics Inspection Unit.

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Ms. Meg Donnelly Maher ’93 has been specializing in event planning and catered affairs for

over 13 years. With a degree in Communications from UMASS Amherst, Ms. Maher began her

career at the Milton Hoosic Club in Canton. As a catering sales professional for Custom Catering

by Domenic & Anthony, Off the Vine Catering and now Cypress Catering Company, Meg

quickly became a trusted expert in weddings. She has planned events from 2-10,000 guests!

Meg is a proud member and former board member of The Boston Wedding Group. She now

works out of Abby Park Restaurant in Milton, managing not only all of their in-house private

dining, but their growing off-premise catering division: Cypress Catering Company. Ms. Maher

is the mother of 8-year old twins and lives in Rockland, MA. She is still best friends with her

Notre Dame Academy classmates!

Ms. Christine McConville ’83 is a veteran journalist who has worked as a staff reporter for The

Boston Herald and The Boston Globe, and a freelance writer for Glamour magazine and other

nationally recognized publications. Her investigative work on the state’s controversial

affordable housing law triggered a significant overhaul of that law, while her exposes on

nonprofits that pay their board members triggered a call for reform by the Massachusetts

Attorney General. Since then, she has broken significant stories about former New England

Patriot and accused murderer Aaron Hernandez, and profiled many of the victims of last year’s

Boston Marathon bombing. Ms. McConville holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Boston

College, and a master’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University.

Dr. Ruth Ross McCormack P’15 ’18 is a gastroenterologist at Lahey Clinic. She graduated

from Boston College with a B.A. in mathematics, and earned her M.D. from the Wake Forest

Bowman Gray School of Medicine. After completing an internship and residency in internal

medicine at Boston University Hospital, she went on to a gastroenterology fellowship at the

Lahey Clinic. Dr. Ross McCormack has been employed as a Senior Staff Physician at Lahey

Clinic since the completion of her fellowship in 1995. In her career at Lahey, she has served on

the Medical Education Committee and on the Board of Governors. She has been appointed an

Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine, at Tufts University School of Medicine. As a

practicing gastroenterologist, Dr. Ross McCormack sees patients with inflammatory bowel

disease, gastroesophageal reflux disease, celiac disease, and other conditions, and performs

colorectal cancer screening. She has two daughters, one of whom is a junior at NDA, and

another who will be joining the freshman class in September.

Ms. Jeanie Torpey Metivier ’87 is a psychotherapist, speaker, researcher, and former director

and founder of the Integrative Therapy Institute, Inc. of Saint Johnsbury, Vermont. Ms.

Metivier’s focus of professional work and research centers around increasing the quality of life

for people with autism spectrum disorders. She has 20 years of experience in her field and holds

an M.A. in health arts and sciences from Goddard College, Plainfield, VT and a M.A. in Clinical

Psychology from Fielding Graduate University in, Santa Barbara, CA. Ms. Metivier is currently

working on her Ph.D. in clinical psychology with a concentrations in neuropsychology and

parent / infant mental health. She is on a mission to provide a better quality of life for children

and adults with autism.

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Ms. Katie Quinn Miller ’97 received her bachelor’s degree in political science from Providence

College. After working at the Massachusetts State House, she decided to enter the field of

fundraising which led her to Boston Medical Center and Simmons College. While at Simmons,

she completed her master’s degree in communications management. As Notre Dame Academy’s

Director of Communications she promotes the accomplishments and achievements of students,

faculty, and staff through a variety of print and electronic media. Ms. Miller considers her role at

NDA to fall somewhere between a cheerleader and a story teller.

Lynne Mulkerrin '86 graduated from Curry College with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice

and a minor in psychology. She also received her master’s degree in criminal justice from Curry,

graduating with distinction. Lynne is a State Trooper First Class with the Commonwealth of

Massachusetts and is based out of Milton.

Ms. Susan Hogan Murphy ’84 is an investigative and consumer reporter for WPRI-TV Channel

12 in Providence, RI. She has earned six Emmy nominations, and won one Emmy for her

investigative reporting. She graduated from Syracuse University with a degree in consumer

studies. Ms. Murphy began her career working at WCVB-TV in Boston. Her desire to produce

and report her own stories sent her to Bangor, Maine where she began her on-air career as an

anchor and consumer reporter. In September 1992, Ms. Murphy joined the Eyewitness News

Team as the consumer reporter. She was recently awarded the prestigious Justice Award by

Rhode Island Attorney General Patrick Lynch in honor of her dedication and commitment to

consumer protection.

Ms. Shelagh Foley O’Brien’91 is a graduate of the College of the Holy Cross. Immediately

after graduation, she joined the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, living and working in Oakland,

California. Ms. O’Brien has worked in development and alumni relations at Suffolk University,

Regis College, and Holy Cross. She also worked for a fundraising consulting firm. While

working at Suffolk, she earned her MBA. Ms. O’Brien is currently a major gift officer with

Catholic Relief Services focusing on raising money and awareness in the New England region

for CRS - the official overseas relief and development agency of the U.S. Catholic church. She

lives in Milton with her husband and three children. She is a class chair for the Class of 1995 at

Holy Cross and member of the parish council at St. Elizabeth Church.

Ms. Jenna Paone ’02 is a songwriter, musician, vocalist, touring performer, and jack-of-all-

artistic trades. Her latest solo album is due out this year. To hear music, watch videos, and learn

more, please visit www.jennapaone.com or www.facebook.com/jennapaonemusic. In addition to

her work as a musician, Ms. Paone is the Director of OW at Boston GLOW (Girls' Leadership,

Organized Women), a non-profit that fosters opportunities for women of all ages to become

empowered community leaders and active world citizens. At GLOW, she works alongside fellow

NDA Class of 2002 alumnae Leah Moschella (Founder/President), Annie Gaughen (Director of

GL), and Emily Copeman (Director of Fundraising and Marketing.) Ms. Paone is also a blogger

and freelance writer. Her latest column about working as a creative professional appears on The

Life Uncommon blog (http://www.thelifeuncommon.net/).

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Whether it was weekly post-game interviews with athletes or calling exclusive contacts on

breaking news, Ms. Colleen Manning Parnell ’99 found out early on that strong relationships

were the key to success. The former TV anchor brought her mastery in the art of creating

relationships to the family business. Before joining Manning Personnel Group, Inc., Ms. Parnell

spent five years in the television industry. In her last assignment, she was the morning anchor

and weekday sports reporter with the ABC affiliate in Springfield, MA. She covered the New

England Patriots and the Boston Red Sox, as well as reporting on the workplace and employment

issues beat, fostering relationships with local officials, employers and job candidates. Today, Ms.

Parnell thoroughly enjoys working with her candidates during one-on-one interview training

sessions, assisting them with networking tools and strategies and ensuring that their background

and experience are showcased throughout the hiring process. She earned a B.A. in

communications from the Catholic University of America, where she was a member of the Lady

Cardinals Basketball team. Ms. Parnell lives in Hingham with her husband Tom and son Liam.

What began as a career in New York City's fashion and textile industry has evolved into a

successful and creative interior design business for Ms. Robin McCarthy Pelissier ’77. Since

her studio's inception in 1994, Robin has designed homes in Boston, NYC, the Cape and Islands,

and throughout New England. Robin has worked with many high profile clients. Ms. Pelissier's

projects have been featured in many national magazines and design publications. She has

appeared as a guest designer for various local and national television programs, making multiple

appearances on HGTV, and lending her talents to Channel 5's concept home and the This Old

House designer show house and the annual Junior League Showhouse. Ms. Pelissier has also

taught interior design at Quincy College. She served on the NDA Board of Directors for three

years and was honored to deliver the commencement address in 2007. Ms. Pelissier is an allied

member of the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) with 19 years experience in

residential design.

Ms. Erin Joyce Peterson is a clinical social worker at Boston Medical Center (BMC)’s pediatric

and adolescent primary care clinics. She has worked with children, adolescents and their families

for the past four and a half years at BMC. Ms. Peterson received her B.A. in sociology with a

concentration in Social Work from Saint Anselm College (SAC) in 2003. She volunteered with

the Jesuit Volunteer Corps in Syracuse, NY the year after she graduated from SAC. Erin

graduated with a master’s degree in social work from Bridgewater State College in 2008. Ms.

Peterson has previously worked in a variety of settings including, a community center running

programs for refugee youth and families, in a group home for adults with developmental

disabilities and as an intensive family supports coordinator for families with children with

developmental disabilities. She is a licensed independent clinical social worker in Massachusetts.

She has been trained in critical incident debriefing and supports colleagues at Boston Medical

Center through difficult situations that arise at work. This can be a death of a patient or on a

larger scale such as the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombing.

Dr. Tamar Aprahamian Putiri ’94 obtained a B.S. in biology at Boston College, and a Ph.D.

from the program of Cell, Molecular and Developmental Biology at Tufts University. In her

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early research studies, she developed a novel mouse model of accelerated atherosclerosis and

lupus and observed a synergy between the two disease processes that was promoted by impaired

apoptotic cell clearance. Continued studies on this model are examining the immunomodulatory

effects of thiazolidinediones, which are currently used to treat diabetes. More recently, she has

used her cardiovascular background to explore the role of angiogenesis in adipose tissue, with

relation to systemic metabolism. These studies aim to provide new therapeutic approaches to the

treatment of autoimmunity and obesity-related inflammatory and cardiovascular disease.

Ms. Brittany Richardson ’08 is the guest services coordinator at the Massachusetts Convention

Center Authority (MCCA). The MCCA owns and oversees the operations of the Boston

Convention & Exhibition Center (BCEC) and the John B. Hynes Veterans Memorial Convention

Center. The BCEC and Hynes have earned a rare gold standard from the International

Association of Congress Centres (AIPC), making Boston only the fourth city in North America

and the 12th worldwide to have been awarded this top standard, the highest certification level a

convention facility can achieve under strict AIPC guidelines.

In 2012, the MCCA hosted 245 events at the BCEC and Hynes with 654,119 attendees,

generating 561,279 hotel room nights and $656 million in economic impact. The MCCA is

currently in the midst of its Top 5 campaign to launch Boston into the top five convention

destinations in North America.

Ms. Anne Marie Riley ’83 studied medical technology at Northeastern University which

allowed her to work both internationally and locally in a variety of clinical hospital laboratories.

She is currently at Boston Children's Hospital as the manager of the Infectious Disease

Diagnostic Laboratory (Microbiology). There the laboratory works to discover the causes of

infections -bacterial, viral, fungal or parasitic.

After graduating from NDA, Ms. Jennifer Clary Rohnstock ’85 attended Ithaca College,

earning a BS in Communications. She went on to work in the marketing and advertising

departments for ITT Sheraton Hotels and Talbots. While raising her family, she was employed as

a corporate event planner for several years, and also provided freelance marketing services.

Feeling a need to "give back" Jennifer took a job at Linden Ponds, a local retirement community.

Working with patients made her recognize she was being called to the medical field. With

encouragement from several mentors and family, she completed nursing school and is currently

employed as a nurse at an assisted living facility in Quincy and also provides private duty care.

Ms. Deirdre Rynne '97 attended Hobart & William Smith Colleges and later went on to earn

her M.A in Irish literature & history at Boston College in 2004. Ms. Rynne joined St. Sebastian's

School in 2002. She has taught 7th-12th grade art history, studio art, and 9th grade literature.

She is also the Head Varsity Alpine Ski Coach and Head Varsity Sailing Coach, serves on

National Honor Society Committee, and many student life activities. For four summers, she has

also served as Sailing Director of Edgartown Yacht Club. A lifelong student, she recently

studied at University of Cambridge, England and Harvard University. Ms. Rynne is also a

freelance photographer.

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Ms. Lauren O’Connor Savage joined State Street Corporation in 1990. She is a senior vice

president and a member of the Information Technology Executive Council. She reports to the

Global Chief Information Officer. Ms. Savage holds a Project Management Professional

(PMP®) Certification. Her areas of experience and expertise include Strategic Planning &

Execution, Mergers and Acquisitions, IT Transformation, IT Governance, Risk and

Compliance. She currently leads the IT Governance, Risk and Compliance function for

Information Technology. She is also a member of the State Street Corporate Allocation

Committee which allocates charitable contributions to the communities in which State Street

works around the globe. Prior to working at State Street Lauren worked at Shawmut National

Bank. She has worked in the financial services industry for 30 years, with a focus on

information technology leadership.

Rebecca Skomal Saff is a physician at Massachusetts General Hospital working as an allergist-

immunologist.

Trish Erwin Stravin ’89 credits NDA for her love of the sciences and her career path: “Thanks

to the passion of teachers who shared the same interests, their expertise and quest for knowledge

and inquiry, along with a community of educators who exemplified the principles of compassion,

respect and dignity for oneself and others, I decided to pursue a degree in nursing from Boston

College.” After working for four years on a medical/surgical floor in the Boston Children’s

Hospital Department of Cardiology, she realized that, in order to deliver the complexity of care

this population deserved, from a medical and surgical perspective, as well as to gain a better

understanding of their physical, social, emotional and of course, spiritual needs, she would need

to further her knowledge. She received a master’s in nursing in pediatrics from Boston College in

2000 and that same year, sat for the board exam and became a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner.

Upon graduation, she was selected, with eight nurse leaders, to re-create the role of the Clinical

Nurse Specialist (CNS) at Children's Hospital, Boston. This position was included the education

of the new staff nurses, overseeing daily management of clinical care, creating policies and

procedures, implementing best clinical practices, and evaluation of these practices. She worked

part-time for the Cardiac Surgical Department as a Pre-Op Nurse Practitioner, preparing patients

for surgery, as well as working once a week in the outpatient clinic setting with a staff

Cardiologist. Since 2004, she has focused her talents at home with her three children.

Bryan Sweeney P’16 is an engineer offering strategic advice on underground construction

projects. His role is to identify and mitigate project-related construction risks, considering the

owner’s risk tolerance. Mr. Sweeney also strategizes with his clients on the overall approach to

below grade construction, including contracting, scheduling and pricing. His focus in recent

years has included mitigating risks associated with building foundation construction, deep

excavation support systems, soil management and groundwater treatment, and tolerable

contracting approaches associated with soil disposal. Mr. Sweeney is a past chair of the ASCE

committee on Earth Retaining Structures, a recipient of the national ASCE Harry Schnabel

Award, and the author of numerous technical papers on excavations, earth retaining systems and

tunneling.

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Nora Tuite ’05 is the sales programs marketing manager for BNY Mellon Wealth Management.

In this role, she is responsible for all collateral and content in channels related to lead generation

and new business development. She supports the marketing needs of regional and national sales

teams. Prior to joining the firm in 2012, Ms. Tuite was the marketing communications

coordinator at State Street Global Advisors. She previously served on the interactive team at

SSGA as well, responsible for search, intranet and web strategy. Ms. Tuite received a bachelor’s

degree in marketing and management information systems from Northeastern University and is

currently pursuing a master of business administration from Northeastern University.

Kristina Valente ’05 is an event manager in the global marketing department at State Street

Corporation in Boston. Her primary responsibilities include planning, implementing, and

coordinating corporate meetings, events, and tradeshows in the U.S. for State Street’s executive

management team and other key corporate sponsorships (Boston Red Sox, Boston Ballet, TED to

name a few). She has previously held roles at State Street in Talent Acquisition and Corporate

Citizenship. Ms. Valente is a member of two non-profit Young Professionals Councils (BELL,

Building Educated Leaders for Life and ICSF, the Inner City Scholarship Fund). Ms. Valente

graduated from Marist College in Poughkeepsie, NY in 2009 with a degree in public relations

and communications studies.

Janine Vlassakis ’03 is the Community Outreach Manager at the Cambridge Eating Disorder

Center (CEDC) in Cambridge, MA. CEDC provides a quality continuum of care to both males

and females suffering from eating disorders. Their therapeutic approach is focused around

cognitive behavioral therapy and dialectical behavioral therapy. Their facility includes a 25 bed

residential program offering care for female adolescents (ages 12-20) and adults (ages 20 and up)

as well as a partial hospitalization (full day) and intensive outpatient program (afternoon and

evening) offering care for both males and females. They also have a Transitional Living facility

off-site which offers a supportive living environment for adult women. Ms. Vlassakis connects

with members of the eating disorder community (clinicians and other professionals) to educate

them regarding the levels of care available at CEDC, as well as presenting to groups in other

related fields regarding various eating disorder related topics.

Courtney Wahle ’02 earned her B.A. in English and Irish Studies from the University of Notre

Dame. In 2006, Ms. Wahle was appointed Academic Program Manager for Notre Dame's study

abroad program in Dublin, Ireland. She spent three years managing undergraduates' courses and

educational trips around the country. During that time, she was fortunate to collaborate with

Nobel Laureate Seamus Heaney and contribute to a book detailing the history of the ND Dublin

Programme. Prior to her role with ND, Ms. Wahle worked at the Lynch Foundation, a long-time

supporter of a national non-profit headquartered in Boston called City Year. In 2009, Ms. Wahle

became City Year’s Foundation Relations Manager—a role that enabled her to continue learning

about the nonprofit sector, the art of grant writing, and the world of fundraising. Today, as

Development Marketing Manager for Boston Catholic Development Services, Ms. Wahle uses

her marketing/communications skills to help promote Catholic causes in the Archdiocese of

Boston.

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Suzanne Jones Walmsley ’87 joined staff of the Boston Athletic Association in 2000 as a part-

time assistant coach while she was still working full-time as Associate Director of Athletics at

Wellesley College. Over her fourteen year career with the organization, she has served as an

assistant coach, manager of the running club, assistant to the Director for Athletic Programs, and

was recently promoted to Process and Program Manager/Community Outreach Coordinator. Ms.

Walmsley spent nine years at Wellesley College as assistant, then associate director of athletics.

She is a 1991 graduate of Harvard University where she was a five-time All-American in track &

field and cross country. She was awarded an NCAA Post-Graduate Scholarship and holds an

M.S. in Sport Management from UMass Amherst. She is also a former Foss camper and

counselor, and a very proud NDA Alumna!

In her senior year at NDA, Jesse Walsh ’01 took AP Bioethics – a class that had a profound

effect on the way she viewed her world. In college, her interest in ethics/bioethics developed into

a full blown passion for philosophy. Ms. Walsh has a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology

and philosophy. Inspired by her own pre-college exposure to the subject, Ms. Walsh founded a

Philosophy Outreach Program while she was an undergrad, which brought philosophy to

teenagers at the Dorchester Boys and Girls Club. After graduation, she accepted a position with

AmeriCorps volunteer teaching in New Haven, CT. She has taught math, science and philosophy

to the middle school students at St. Martin de Porres Academy. She continues to teach

philosophy there and is also currently pursuing a master’s of public health degree at Boston

University as a Health Law, Bioethics and Human Rights concentrator.

Dr. Anne Walters P’14 did her undergraduate work in English and psychology at Duke

University. She worked in the field for two years after college, then went to graduate school at

Georgia State University for her master’s and doctoral degrees. She completed internship at

UTexas Medical Center in San Antonio, and a post-doctoral fellowship at Brown University.

Dr. Walters is Clinical Director of the Children’s Partial Hospital Program at Bradley Hospital in

East Providence, RI. She also serves as Chief Psychologist at Bradley Hospital, and as Clinical

Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at Alpert Medical

School of Brown University. She works directly with children and families, conducting research

on effectiveness of treatment programs, developing new programs for children and families, and

teaching and supervision of psychologists, psychiatrists, and social workers in training.

Caitlin Webb, MS CCC-SLP ’94 attended Loyola College in Maryland and completed a

bachelor’s degree in communication sciences and disorders. She attended graduate school at

Emerson College and received her master’s degree in 2000. She completed her clinical

fellowship year at Braintree Rehabilitation Hospital where she worked on the stroke unit. She

has been in her current position at Massachusetts Hospital School since September 2001, and

can't imagine working anywhere else! She specializes in augmentative and alternative

communication and feels blessed to work with a great team of professionals and great patients

every day.

Maria Wood founded the Fashion Focus Program in 2000. The program strives to inspire

women of all ages to discover the beauty of self-confidence. Classes include poise, posture and

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confidence, skin care, manners, social etiquette, positive body image, personal grooming, public

speaking, nutrition, exercise and so much more. Modeling techniques are taught as a way to

reinforce the students’ poise and posture and students are eligible to model in fashion shows at

several area malls. Fashion Focus is so much more than modeling. Fashion Focus is a way of

life and a path to self-discovery. To learn more, please visit http://mariasfashionfocus.com.