Class Notes
Name: Mireya Salinas
Class Year(s): 2019
Note: Mireya Salinas MFA ’19 (CAD) recently accepted a position as a collections photographer at the Hoover Institution Library and Archives at Stanford University.
Submitted on: January 9, 2022
Name: Katelyn Whitburn
Class Year(s): 2019
Note: Katelyn Whitburn MS ’19 (COS) and Anush Reddy MS ’18 (GCCIS) were married on March 26, 2020, in Santa Cruz, C.A. They live in the San Francisco Bay Area. They met at RIT through mutual friends and started dating in 2016.
Submitted on: January 9, 2022
Name: Lisa BENNETT
Class Year(s): 2001
Note: Lisa M. Bennett MS ’01 (CAST) and former RIT staff member has officially announced the release of her first book, Just Keep Living: Conversations With Granny. In her new book, she recounts some of the most life-changing conversations and wisdom-filled anecdotes that her grandmother shared with her. Everyone knows that with age comes wisdom, and her grandmother was not only wise, but had a sense of humor to match. When difficult situations present themselves, she remembers what her wise grandmother always told her, “Just Keep Living!” Lisa M. Bennett is a coach, speaker, author and Youtube personality. Formerly an executive with a multinational Global Fortune 500 consulting firm, Lisa now uses her gifts to help people gain the confidence to turn their faith into action and ideas into income. She is passionate about purpose and manifestation. She runs a mindset coaching practice called Fearless Coaching: “I am, I have, I can…” Angela Ahrendts DBE, a prominent businesswoman best known for her position as CEO of Burberry and then as a retail executive at Apple, recently had this to say about Lisa Bennett’s new book, “I love Lisa’s authentic stories of the impact her Granny had on her life. She shares firsthand the importance and impact family has in shaping us all. A great gift for all generations.” Now appointed to the board of WPP as a non-executive director, Angela understands the importance of workplace diversity. She has spent her career working to add diversity to the boards of many prominent companies. During a recent interview, Lisa was quoted as saying, “When my mother passed away, it was a shock to our family. I have always lived in a multigenerational household and our bloodline is strong. When she passed away out of succession, I desperately needed to find a way to cope with it, and became much closer to my grandmother. We sat and talked often. She was very wise, and had an amazing sense of humor. She spoke without a filter. I was able to soak up so much of her life lessons and we shared great laughs together.” She went on to say, “I wrote this book in hopes of inspiring and uplifting others like she was able to do for me. I hope this small collection of short anecdotes and conversations with Granny will inspire you to laugh out loud.” Lisa has been with her love, Rasheida, for 20 years. They have 4 children, 12 godchildren, and 9 grandchildren who are her world. Family is very important to her and this book is her way of inviting the reader in. To learn more about Lisa Bennett and her new book, “Just Keep Living: Conversations With Granny,” visit her official website at https://justkeeplivingthebook.com.
Submitted on: January 8, 2022
Name: Michael Lambert
Class Year(s): 1983
Note: Michael Lambert ’83 (SCB) was recently promoted to Senior Director/Head of Solution Design for Sabre Travel Solutions. Working with more than 60 airlines worldwide, he leads a team of cross-functional process and technical experts providing end-to-end technology solutions that address complex business needs for airlines and travel distribution marketplace customers. Sabre is a leading software and technology company that powers the global travel industry.
Submitted on: January 3, 2022
Name: Sarmad Al Lawati
Class Year(s): 2018
Note: Sarmad Al Lawati ’18 (COLA) had photographs featured with several different major news outlets, including CNN: https://arabic.cnn.com/travel/article/2021/07/27/big-island-hawaii-volcano-lava-series. He can be followed via Instagram: @sarmadallawati.
Submitted on: December 31, 2021
Name: Rebecca Henry (White)
Class Year(s): 1987
Note: Becca Henry ’87 (FAA) was hired as Regional Marketing Director for Colorado Spirit, a FEMA-funded, state led, emotional outreach program in response to COVID-19.
Submitted on: December 30, 2021
Name: Robert J Jackson
Class Year(s): 1999
Note: Robert J. Jackson ’99 (CAST) for the second half of 2021 was a featured self-published author with his three book titles: 1. Looking Out from Within; A journey into a poetic landscape (genre: Inspirational) 2. A Family Like Me (genre: Children) 3. I Like the Me You See (genre: Children) At the Urban Reader Bookstore in Charlotte, N.C. Robert self-published through his company, Bobby James & Co. Media. He continues to work on additional children book titles that offer valuable and teachable life lessons. All of Robert’s current books are available at https://www.bjamesandco.com/. Additionally, one of Robert’s poems, “Enduring the Journey” was selected as an artistic installation in the “Of Earth and Sky Poetry Anthology 2021” project in Charlotte, N.C.
Submitted on: December 29, 2021
Name: Kholod Alsahali
Class Year(s): 2016
Note: Kholod Alsahali ’15 (SCB) MS ’16 (SCB) recently obtained her Ph.D degree from University of East Anglia. Her thesis title was "The Evolution and the Determinants of the Choice of Assurers for Sustainability Report." Kholod also published her first paper: Alsahali, K. F., & Malagueño, R. "An Empirical Study of Sustainability Reporting Assurance: Current Trrends and New Insights. " Journal of Accounting & Organizational Change. 2021.
Submitted on: December 26, 2021
Name: Matthew Reed
Class Year(s): 2011, 2012
Note: Matthew Reed ’11 (GCCIS) MBA ’12 (SCB) married Florencia Yannuzzi in Montevideo, Uruguay on November 19, 2021. In attendance were fellow RIT alumni Alexander Shick ’11 (GCCIS) and Anthony Pecorino.
Submitted on: December 20, 2021
Name: JoAnne Ryan
Class Year(s): 2004
Note: JoAnne M. Ryan RN, MHA MS ’04 (CAST) President & CEO Ronald McDonald House Charities Rochester JoAnne has held leadership positions in Healthcare, Nonprofit and as a Corporate Executive with a proven track record of impacting multi-metric performance in both corporate and nonprofit sector across multiple and diverse service venues. She has effectively initiated and managed collaborative community partnerships across educational, governmental, judicial and community sectors as well. As a former CEO of a local nonprofit, she and her team were able to expand agency footprint from regional, to include all Upstate New York. JoAnne is recognized for her expertise in strategy, operations, and community engagement for corporate, nonprofit and community sectors and has acted as an advisor on policy development and standards of performance. Currently, JoAnne is the President and CEO for the Rochester Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHCR). For over three decades, RMHCR has provided supportive programs and services to families that come to this region for state-of-the-art pediatric care. The RMHCR mission is to provide a “home-away-from-home” for all families under their care while their children receive the medical care they need. Whether it’s lodging, transportation, meals, or companionship, RMHCR meets the primary needs of food, lodging and transportation so families can be at the bed side and fully focus on their child. RMHCR has served families locally and across the globe and provides over 66,000 service encounters annually through the Ronald McDonald Family Rooms, Family Lounges as well as overnight stays at Unity sleep rooms, Westmoreland House or the URMC House Within the Hospital. Under JoAnne’s leadership, RMHCR continually collaborates with key community healthcare partners to provide supportive programs and services that impact children’s recoveries in profoundly positive ways. JoAnne and her team share a passion for excellence in quality supportive care, utilizing a family centered approach to ensure that all children can have the support system they need to ensure the best possible outcomes in medical and mental health care. JoAnne’s previous role was Co-Founder and Chief Community Engagement Officer for Continual Care Solutions. Continual Care Solutions, CCS is a cloud-based start-up software company which has developed an enterprise workflow software solution. CCS partners with innovative community-based organizations serving vulnerable and at-risk populations, including: economically disadvantaged, intellectually and developmentally disabled, chronic and rare disease, seniors, and other specialized populations. The powerful and affordable tool improves workflow, cost capture and data integration; helping organizations as they transition from a “volume to value” reimbursement environment. She holds an Associate degree in Applied Science in Nursing from Monroe Community College; a Bachelor of Arts degree in Gerontology from St. John Fisher College and a Master of Science degree in Health Systems Administration from Rochester Institute of Technology. JoAnne is a member of the Bishop Kearney Board of Trustees, a member of the RIT MHA Advisory Board and the Board Chair of Webster Comfort Care Home. JoAnne is a native of Rochester and she currently resides in Pittsford with her husband, Dr. Stephen Ryan, their 4 adult children and three grandchildren.
Submitted on: December 20, 2021