6 Alumni Award winners, 32 Honor Roll recipients
recognized May 7
Leading the list of this year’s Alumni Award winners is 2009 Alumna of the Year Ronda L. Warrener ’89. She is joined by honorees Jayne Nightingale ’65, M ’86, ’05 (Alumni Staff Award), Solomon A. Solomon (Alumni Service Award), Allan W. Fung ’92 (Willard Achievement Award), Suzy Alba ’05 (Young Alumni Award) and Valerie A. Endress (Alumni Faculty Award).
These six award winners, along with 32 Honor Roll inductees, were recognized at the Alumni Awards Dinner on May 7.
We invite you to honor an Alumni Award honoree with a charitable gift to the Alumni Association. You can donate easily at www.ric.edu/givenow with a VISA or MasterCard. The honoree will be notified of your kind gift (but not the amount.) The Awards Program is partially funded by such donations.
 2009 Alumna of the YearRonda L. Warrener ’89, CFP Criteria: Graduate of the College, continuing interest in the College and Alumni Association as represented by outstanding service, and/or by impressive financial contribution A financial advisor with UBS Financial Services Inc., Ronda graduated magna cum laude with a degree in economics. She has been involved with the Rhode Island College Foundation as a trustee since 1995 and treasurer of the Foundation from 2006-present. She is past chair of the audit committee and currently chairs the investment committee. Ronda provides professional insight into the investment world as she guides the Foundation through these difficult financial times. A working mom of two young children, Ronda dedicates countless hours attending Foundation board meetings, committee meetings, college events and serving on the School of Management Advisory Committee. She has presented workshops on planned giving, long-term care insurance and other financial issues for our alumni and friends of the college. In 2000, Ronda was the finance department’s Honor Roll recipient. She is a past president of the Financial Planning Association of R.I., and is a religion education teacher in her parish. We are proud to honor Ronda as the 2009 Alumna of the Year. |  2009 Alumni Staff AwardJayne Nightingale ’65, MA ’86, MEd ’05 Criteria: Need not be a graduate of the College, but shall be employed by the College and have made a unique contribution to the College (development of a new program, wide community recognition of quality of service to the community or campus). Entering her 20th year in service to the College and in her role as a coordinator in the Office of Academic Support, Jayne provides mentoring and guidance for our students beyond her call of duty. In her work with students, many of whom are from disadvantaged and under-represented environments, Jayne is regarded as an educator, navigator, and counselor. She supports them through personal crisis and academic difficulties. Jayne has been an advisor to elementary education students at orientation, a mentor to the cross country teams and a member of the R.I. Higher Education Advisory committee on learning disabilities. For 10 years she has taught the College Course 101 for freshmen to help them adjust to college life. She has expanded the scope of the former reading and study skills center to include test preparation for national exams. Jayne has proudly earned three degrees from RIC, but also brings a wealth of world experience that is unique in her interactions with students. Traveling and living throughout Europe, Jayne exhibits deep respect and appreciation for other cultures, which is invaluable to her interactions with a diverse student body. She is tuned into the challenges our students face as they move through their college career. We are proud to honor Jayne Nightingale with the 2009 Staff Award. |
 2009 Alumni Service AwardSolomon A. Solomon, Community Leader and Volunteer Criteria: An alumnus/a or non-alumnus who has made an important contribution to the College, by giving time, talent, or resources; or an outstanding citizen who has made a contribution to the state or nation that reflects ideals of service to humanity. Solomon A. Solomon, or Sol as he is known in the community, “retired” in 2002 from CCRI, after serving in various administrative and teaching positions for 35 years. In 2003 he was appointed to the R.I. Board of Governors for Higher Education, serving on the Board’s academic and student affairs, facilities and personnel, and the government relations committees. He is also one of the board’s designees to the R.I. Higher Education Assistance Authority. Since 2001 he has been a member of the Governor’s Judicial Review Committee. He also has a long-standing relationship with St. Jude’s Research Hospital that spans more than 50 years. Sol was instrumental in establishing the Greater R.I. Chapter for the Hospital and initiating the fundraising activities throughout the state. He has served in every capacity of the Research Hospital including serving on the board of directors. Today it is the largest pediatric research center in the world. The R.I. College Alumni Association is proud to join the other numerous organizations who have honored Sol for his commitment to the college community, the state, and the nation. |  2009 Charles B. Willard Professional Achievement AwardAllan W. Fung ’92, Mayor, City of Cranston Criteria: Graduate of the College, brought honor to the College by distinguished achievement in his/her field. Allan Fung was elected Mayor of Cranston in 2008, the state’s first Asian American elected mayor of a city or town, and one of the few in the country. For four years Allan served as a councilman in the City of Cranston. He worked collaboratively to improve its bond rating, the worst in the nation. In 2006, he was named by the National Journal as a future star in politics in R.I. Twice he was named to Providence Business News’ list of ‘40 Under Forty,’ a listing of people who are on the rise. He also serves on the Alumni Association board and is a graduate of Leadership Rhode Island. A graduate of Suffolk University Law School, Allan joined MetLife in 2001 as Relations Counsel. His primary responsibility was the oversight of the legislative and regulatory affairs nationwide for MetLife’s subsidiary, MetLife Auto & Home. In addition, he handled the government affairs activities for the entire MetLife enterprise in Rhode Island, North Carolina and Oregon. Prior to these positions, he served as a Special Assistant Attorney General in the Narcotics and Organized Crime Unit of the Rhode Island Department of the Attorney General. |
 2009 Young Alumni AwardSuzy Alba ’05, Development Officer, United Way of Rhode Island Criteria: Graduated in the last 10 years from the College, and has made a contribution to the College, since graduation, by giving time, talent, or resources (e.g., mentor of current students or alumni, involvement or volunteer with a campus group or activities, or providing internship opportunities to current students or job opportunities to recent graduates). Suzy Alba has not skipped a beat since graduating from the College four years ago! As president of the Class of 2005, she served on the Alumni Board and has since then been involved with alumni events. A graduate of the College Leadership R.I. program and a recipient of the program’s Emerging Leader Award, Suzy’s commitment as a college volunteer and community volunteer is extraordinary. Suzy serves on the Young Alumni Advisory Group, is a member of the college’s committee on Use of Human Participants in Research, participates in commencement and served as a panelist in the communications department’s alumni day. Last summer she hosted and mentored a student intern for Upward Bound. In addition to her duties at the United Way, she is board chair for the East Bay Coalition for the Homeless, serves on Smithfield’s Affordable Housing Advisory Board, is a national committeewoman for R.I. Young Democrats, volunteers for WaterFire Providence, and is an AmeriCorps alumna. She is currently working towards her MPA degree. |  2009 Alumni Faculty AwardValerie A. Endress, PhD, Associate Professor of Communications Criteria: Need not be a graduate of the College but employed by the College. Wide recognition for exceptional competence in teaching, printed publication, initiative in research, development of a new program, community recognition of quality of service to the community or campus. In the nearly eight years that Val has been a member of the campus community, she has set precedents for civic engagement and community partnerships for RIC. She has spearheaded projects on campus garnering recognition for the College in the process. Val’s dedication and commitment to the College’s role in the American Democracy Project (ADP) brought us visibility as one of only 225 higher education institutions in the nation to participate in ADP. Dr. Endress was a driving force behind several campus initiatives. DebateWatch 2004 and 2008 were prime examples of her expertise in the field of civic and political engagement. The 2004 event drew an audience of over 800 people, the largest ever held for a DebateWatch. She has also been an integral part of the Open Books-Open Minds project, a common reading program where students, faculty, and members of the campus community read the same book and discuss themes and social implications and the VISTA/AMERICORPS Service Learning program which integrates community service and teaches civic responsibility. In addition, Val is a well-respected political analyst for the local news media. The students in Val’s communications’ courses gain the knowledge and value of public and professional applications through intense research related projects. She teaches them the purest form of disciplines needed to become leaders in their communities. |
2009 Honor Roll Recipients
 ACCOUNTING Renee Aloisio '89 Director of Internal Operations Lefkowitz, Garfinkel, Champi & Derienzo P.C. |  ANTHROPOLOGY Christine Kula '81 Senior Archaeologist Pennsylvania Dept. of Transportation MA, State University of New York, Binghamton |  ART Claudia Widdiss '87 Professor, Sculpture Eastern Connecticut State University MFA, Southern Illinois State University |
 BIOLOGY Paul Marangos '69 Chairman and CEO Encore Therapeutics Inc. PhD, University of Rhode Island |  COMMUNICATIONS Belinha DeAbreu '93 Assistant Teaching Professor, Drexel University PhD, University of Connecticut |  COMPUTER INFORMATION SYSTEMS Acelia Terrero '00 Vice President and Co-Founder Ada's Creations, Inc. |
 COMPUTER SCIENCE Brett Williams '94 MIS Programmer University of Dublin, Trinity College |  DANCE Kellie Ann Lynch '03 Dancer/Part-time faculty Springfield College Adele Myers and Dancers, NYC; Wire Monkey Dance, Holyoke, MA MFA, Smith College |  ECONOMICS/FINANCE Jane McGregor '97 Treasury Officer The Washington Trust Company |
 ELEMENTARY EDUCATION Ann Carol Stratton '84 Principal Warwick Public School MEd, Providence College; CAGS, Rhode Island College |  ENGLISH Ron McLarty '69 Actor/Writer HD, Rhode Island College |  FILM STUDIES Matthew Turner '00 Writer/Producer Happy Trailer HD MFA, Boston University |
 HEALTH EDUCATION/PHYSICAL EDUCATION Gayle Bagley '93 Area Director of Health Initiatives American Cancer Society, West Bridgewater, MA |  HISTORY John A. Walsh '01 Social Studies Educator and Instructor North Kingstown School Dept. and University of URI PhD, URI/RIC joint program |  JUSTICE STUDIES Gerald P. Pezzullo, Jr. '97 Sergeant Smithfield Police Department MS, Salve Regina University; ABD, Northeastern University |
 MANAGEMENT David Goldman '01 Human Resources Generalist Lifespan - The Miriam Hospital |  MARKETING Sara Hebert Wesolowski '03 Project Director Critical Mix Inc., Woonsocket, RI MBA, Providence College |  MATHEMATICS Raymond E. Morin '74 Mathematics Teacher Mount St. Charles Academy, Woonsocket, RI MA, Rhode Island College |
 MODERN LANGUAGES Laura Manchester '02 Foreign Language Teacher Bristol-Warren School District MA, Middlebury College |  MUSIC Michael J. DeQuattro '96 Resident Dance Accompanist/ Adjunct Faculty Roger Williams University/Rhode Island College MM, The Boston Conservatory |  NURSING Anita Minardi Creamer '75 Clinical Educator - VA Nursing Academy Providence Veterans Medical Center MS, Boston College |
 PHILOSOPHY Raymond F. Beland '99 Analyst - Learning & Development Textron, Inc. MSc (Research) University of Edinburgh, Scotland |  PHYSICAL EDUCATION/HEALTH EDUCATION James Williamson '03 Health, Physical Education Teacher North Smithfield School Department MS candidate, Rhode Island College |  PHYSICAL SCIENCE Karen Almeida '94 Assitant Professor of Chemistry Rhode Island College PhD, Brown University |
 POLITICAL SCIENCE Robert P. Suglia '78 Senior Vice President and General Counsel Amica Mutual Insurance Company JD, Boston University School of Law |  PSYCHOLOGY Elise M. Arruda '02 Research and Evaluation Specialist Brown University MA and PhD, Claremont Graduate University |  SECONDARY EDUCATION Claire R. Woodman Laquerre '86 High School Teacher, Biological Science Woonsocket Education Dept. MS, Rhode Island College |
 SOCIAL WORK Sheila Cardente-Capece '03 Director, Victim Support Services Institute for the Study and Practice of Nonviolence MSW, Rhode Island College |  SOCIOLOGY Kathi M. Crowe '76 Executive Director National Foster Care Coalition, Washington DC MSW, University of Connecticut |  SPECIAL EDUCATION Deborah Hoyt Abruzzini '79 Master Teacher Sherlock Center on Disabilities Rhode Island College MEd, Providence College |
 TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION Jeffery T. Macari '97 Technology Education Teacher Smithfield School Department |  THEATRE Gannon McHale '85 Actor/Writer Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Regional Theatre |