Class Notes

1980s

Kevin Hinkel, JD ’80 (pictured), was selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America 2015 in the field of real estate. The Westlake resident is the managing partner of Kadish, Hinkel and Weibel law firm in Cleveland.

Robert McGee, JD ’80 (pictured), competed in the Taekwondo World Championships in Little Rock, Ark., and won five gold, one silver and two bronze medals in the 60-plus category. His latest novel, Annie and the Senator: A Story of Vigilante Justice, is an Amazon best-seller.

Noah Powers, JD ’80, received the Robert “Sonny” Hill Humanitarian Award in recognition of his community service. He is a former councilman and mayor of Middletown, Ohio, where he resides, and is currently a judge on the Butler County Common Pleas Court.

Etta Wells, BA ’80, is a mental health supervisor at the Benjamin Rose Institute. She lives in Berea.

James T. Deiotte, BBA ’80 and MBA ’84, is a senior partner with Ernst & Young. As the tax managing partner for sub-Sahara Africa, he leads 900 professional staff in more than 30 countries. He lives in Johannesburg.

Darrell Dell’Andrea, BA ’81, was promoted to assistant vice president of compliance in the retirement solutions division of Pacific Life Insurance Co. He lives in Irvine, CA and has been with the firm since 1996.

John Rusnaczyk, BBA ’81, was recognized with Crain’s Cleveland Business’ CFO of the Year Award. He is the senior vice president and chief financial officer at St. Vincent Charity Medical Center.

Keith L. Vencel, BA ’81, is a senior talent acquisition consultant with Vanderbilt University and Medical Center.

Kurt R. Fretthold, MBA ’82, is the director of budget and fiscal planning at Mount Ida College. He lives in Boston.

Jim Kranjc, BBA ’82, was appointed to the Director’s Advisory Group for the Illinois Department of Revenue. He is a principal with Ryan, a leading global tax services firm.

Glenn Morrical, MBA ’82 (pictured), was named an Ohio Super Lawyer for 2015 and was selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America for 2015. He is an attorney with Tucker Ellis LLP.

Gregory T. Holtz, MSUS ’83, was named Visiting Associate Clinical Professor at Ave Maria School of Law in Naples, Fla., and is directing the Estate Planning and General Practice Clinic. In addition, Holtz was selected as the recipient of the 2015 Florida Bar President's Pro Bono Service Award for the 20th Judicial Circuit.

Christine Kriha Kastner, BA ’83 (pictured), lives in Lyndhurst and is the author of two books, "Looking for the Maneki-Neko Love Hotel" and "Soldiering On, Finding My Homes – Memoir of an Army Brat."

Linda Lehmann Masek, MA ’83 (pictured), lives in Northfield and has written six books, including The Serpent-Sea, Kitty Tales and Horses Hooves, and Holiday Tales Anthology.

Robert Hanna, MBA ’83 and JD ’86 (pictured), was named an Ohio Super Lawyer for 2015 and was selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America for 2015. He is an attorney with Tucker Ellis LLP.

Greg Cielec, MEd ’84, authored his latest novel, A Poem on a Bar Room Wall.

Louise Demirjian, certificate ’84, lives in Bay Village and is an occupational therapist with Every Moment Counts.

Douglas Gaines, BSCE ’84, retired as a sales clerk for Harbor Freight Tools. He lives in Brook Park.

Gabrielle Love, BA ’84, is the chief foundation and government relations executive at Girl Scouts USA.

Gary Cornell, BS ’85, received the Award of Excellence from ASTM International’s Plastics Committee. He is a quality and standards manager at Q-Lab Corp. in Westlake.

Christopher Davis, MBA ’85, is a portfolio manager with the investment advisors group of 1st Source Bank in South Bend, Ind.

Duncan Maitland, BS ’85 and MS ’89, received the 2015 Innovation Award from Texas A&M System Technology Commercialization in recognition of his research on cardiovascular disease with a focus on stroke. The Stewart & Stevenson Professor in Engineering in the department of biomedical engineering at Texas A&M University, Dr. Maitland is the school’s Engineering Experiment Station’s assistant agency director for commercialization and entrepreneurship.

Jim Carnovale, BBA ’86, was recognized with Crain’s Cleveland Business’ CFO of the Year Award. He is the senior vice president of finance and chief financial officer at Judson Services, Inc.

Mark Lantz, BA ’87 and MA ’90, is founder and partner of Factory Detroit Inc., an agency specializing in advertising, marketing strategy and branding. He was one of the creators of the “Pure Michigan” tourism campaign while he was chief strategy officer at McCann Erickson in Detroit.

Ivan Cugel, BBA ’88 (pictured), joined Wells Fargo as a financial advisor after 20 years with KeyBank. He lives in University Heights.

Michele Morgan, BA ’88, lives in Dallas and is the senior instructional designer for Tektronix Communications.

Thomas S. Tyler, JD ’88, was sworn in at a ceremony at Health and Human Services headquarters in Washington, D.C. as an Administrative Law Judge for Medicare Appeals, presiding in Cleveland.

Ann Caresani, BBA ’88, MBA ’93 and JD ’94 (pictured), is an attorney with Tucker Ellis LLP.

Paula Pietch, BSEd ’89, retired from the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction as an assistant school principal. She lives in LaGrange, Ohio.

Mark Sunyak, BSCE ’89 and MPA ’94, has joined RWA, Inc. as a senior project manager. The Naples, Florida-based firm provides land use planning, civil engineering, survey and mapping services.

More class notes below.  Click the decade to read more.

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