Class Notes
Name: Nate Levesque
Class Year(s): 2016
Note: Nate Levesque ’16 (GCCIS) is excited to announce the release of his second book, The Thought Trap, on August 7th. The Thought Trap examines the dystopian side to the web where our attention is a commodity. The places where filter bubbles, Deepfakes, and digital propaganda are taking over our thoughts. How are we getting manipulated? To what end? What’s happening across the threshold of the massive online platforms we’re all part of? Look for Nate Levesque on your favorite bookseller’s website or get more details from http://book.natelevesque.com.
Submitted on: September 4, 2020
Name: Elena Zambito
Class Year(s): 2019
Note: After graduating from the Echocardiography program at RIT, Elena Zambito ’19 (CHST) landed her dream job at the original MAYO CLINIC in Rochester MN working in the cardiac disease department.
Submitted on: September 4, 2020
Name: Louis Loutrel
Class Year(s): 1971
Note: Lou Loutrel ’71 (GAP) and Kathy Loutrel celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with a reception at the French Lick Springs Resort in August. They were able to gather with their friends and family (24) for a celebration of how God has blessed them over the years.
Submitted on: September 4, 2020
Name: Clifford Devries
Class Year(s): 2002
Note: Cliff Devries ’02 (SCB) Head Diving Coach at RIT and Upstate NY Diving won the 2019 AAU National Diving Championship in Riverside California. His Upstate Divers Won 8 individual National Titles and the overall Team Championship. The event was held at the Riverside Aquatic Center from July 15-22.
Submitted on: September 4, 2020
Name: James Whritenor
Class Year(s): 1982
Note: "After 35 years of fun engineering work at Eastman Kodak Co and then Kodak Alaris James Whritenor ’82 (KGCOE) has decided to move on.He started his own business as a Life/Career Coach. His goal is to help people find happiness and fulfillment in the next chapter of their lives. His niche is helping people define the retirement they want. Working part time at RIT has also been in the mix. Currently, he’s working as a guide for Senior Design in the Engineering Department. The projects are engaging and the helping students is very rewarding.
Submitted on: September 4, 2020
Name: Hector Escobedo
Class Year(s): 2019
Note: Hector Escobedo BS ’19 (COS) is now employed in a full-time position as a Software Engineer at Obsidian Systems, where he previously interned. This is despite the fact that his major was not in Software Engineering or Computer Science, but Computational Mathematics. Also, he would have failed Introduction to Software Engineering because of the individual grade adjustment, if he hadn’t made a 90% on the final exam. Some of his fellow students derided him for taking a keen interest in the Haskell programming language, which, it turns out, his company uses exclusively. He is quite happy to have proven them wrong.
Submitted on: September 4, 2020
Name: Louis Luba
Class Year(s): 1989
Note: Lou Luba ’89 (CLA) was recently awarded the State of Connecticut Oliver Ellsworth Award and the recipient of a Governor’s Proclamation from Governor Ned Lamont as the 2019 Prosecutor of the Year, for his continued work with victims of sexual assault, as well as work on the case of State v. Christopher Lamb. This case involved the online harassment and & sextortion of 20 female victims over a period of 4 years, resulting in the conviction of the defendant on 49 various counts of Computer Crime, Coercion, Unlawful Dissemination of Intimate Images and Child Pornography. He will be discussing this case as part of a presentation he is giving at the National Conference for Victims of Crime National Training Institute in Denver later this year. Lou has been a prosecutor for over 25 years and one of the leading cybercrime prosecutors for Connecticut. He earned his BS in Criminal Justice from RIT in 1989 and JD/MPA from Syracuse University in 1993. Lou also holds a Master in Homeland Security from the American Military University and is a retired Commander from the United States Coast Guard, retiring in 2016 after 3 overseas deployments between 2007-2013.
Submitted on: September 4, 2020
Name: Marie Desrosiers
Class Year(s): 2000
Note: Marie Desrosiers ’00 (CLA) is working as a Lead Independent Living Specialist at DEAF, Inc. in M.A.
Submitted on: September 4, 2020
Name: Keith Cagle
Class Year(s): 1982
Note: Keith M. Cagle Ph.D., ’82 (CLA) is the current chairperson of American Sign Language and Interpreting Education Department at RIT / NTID. He received his Ph.D. in Educational Linguistics from the University of New Mexico. He earned his MA in Educational Administration from the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque in 2010, and he achieved his BS in Social Work from RIT/NTID in 1982. He has been teaching the undergraduate and graduate ASL and interpreting courses since 1986. He was the chair of the Department of Interpretation and Translation Department at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C., and the Interpreter Education program chair at Central Piedmont Community College (CPCC). He led the curriculum development and revisions on some ASL and interpreting courses and program for four interpreting education programs in North Carolina. He developed some undergraduate courses at NTID, Gardner-Webb University and CPCC, and some graduate courses for the University of Northern Colorado. Currently, he is serving as the Vice-President on Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID)’s Center on Assessment of Sign Language Interpretation (CASLI) board. He was the American Sign Language Teachers Association (ASLTA) president in 1990-1995. He was the ASLTA Evaluation chairperson in 2000-2015. He served on North Carolina interpreter licensing board, and on the national and state committees for ASL bill, standards, outcomes, and screening. On a personal side, he has three hearing CODA children.
Submitted on: September 4, 2020
Name: Mark Vedel
Class Year(s): 1984
Note: Mark Vedel ’84 (SCB) recently started a new engagement at Sharp Business Systems in Los Angeles as a Network Services Architect. Sharp Business Systems (SBS) is a direct sales division of Sharp Electronics Corporation. Our SBS branches throughout the U.S. combine the resources of a multi-billion dollar corporation and the value of local representation with local management and community relationships. Our experienced business technology specialists evaluate your current technology environment and document workflow to help improve your company’s efficiency, security and bottom-line through our best-in-class products, solutions and support. Sharp Business Systems (SBS) offers a unique and consultative approach called the Communication Continuum to help you better communicate with staff and customers to drive business success faster. We focus on a discovery process to assess four primary forms of communication: Document-Based, Image-Based and Collaborative based Communication, all supported by a strong, secure Infrastructure and Network Services backbone. Mark is focused on solving a specific set of problems for your business. If your organization utilizes plans, designs, blueprints or other critical technical documents, he has the experience and expertise to help you secure and manage that intellectual property. He also specializes in data analytics, Industrial IoT and Cyber Security.
Submitted on: September 4, 2020