News from Alumni
Patrick Pollino (B.A. 1964) received an award from the Public Relation Society of America's Boston Chapter for Lifetime Achievement in Public Relations.
Patrick has had a distinguished career in public relations since having graduated from the University of Pittsburgh 42 years ago. He has held public relations management positions with Bell System companies (Western Electric and Southwestern Bell Telephone Company), an investor-owned electric utility (Pennsylvania Electric Company), and several management consulting firms (Arthur D. Little, Temple, Barker & Sloane, and Mercer Management Consulting) before starting his own public relations and editorial services business a year ago.
As a member of the Public Relations Society of America since the early 1970s, Pollino has accepted many leadership roles, including Boston Chapter president, assembly delegate for the local chapter, member of the PRSA national board of directors, member of the Society’s honors and awards committee, and chairman of PRSA’s 1998 international conference, which was held in Boston. He is an accredited member of PRSA as well as a member of its College of Fellows.
PRSA’s Boston Chapter consists of nearly 400 members. The chapter’s Beacon Award was established in 2004 to recognize individuals for their exemplary contributions to the public relations profession. Previous award recipients were Boston University Professor Otto Lerbinger and non-profit PR counselor Barry Wanger of Wanger and Associates.
Lisa A. Phillips (MFA 1998) is the author of Public Radio: Behind the Voices, nonfiction profiles of public radio hosts, published by CDS Books/Perseus in 2006. She teaches journalism at the State University of New York at New Paltz and freelances for The New York Times and other publications.
Dave Griffith (MFA 2002) has accepted a position as an Assistant Professor of English at Sweet Briar College. Previously, Dave was the chair of the Creative Writing Department at the Pennsylvania Governor's School for the Arts. He also teaches writing and literature at the University of Notre Dame and Saint Mary's College. He is the author of the book A Good War is Hard to Find: The Art of Violence in America (Soft Skull Press, October 2006). His fiction and nonfiction have appeared in Collision, Godspy, Killing the Buddha, Image and the Utne Review. He has been nominated for a Puschcart Prize. (submitted January 2007)
J. D. Stahl (MA, English 1976) has just published a critical anthology of Children's Literature with Tina L. Hanlon and Elizabeth Keyser (Oxford University Press). It is a college textbook for the study and teaching of Children's Literature. The volume features two essays by his former professor Elizabeth Segel, now retired from the University of Pittsburgh's English Department. To learn more click here.
J.D. is currently a Professor of English at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia. He also teaches in the M.A. program in Children's Literature at Hollins University. (submitted December 2006)
Jennifer Fickley (BA 2001) is a writer for The Walt Disney Company,
based in Orlando, Fla. She will begin work on her PhD at the University
of Central Florida in fall 2006.
Kirsta Bleyle Albert (BA English Writing in Journalism, 1993) is the Corporate Development Director for the American Cancer Society of Greater Salt Lake City, Utah. She is a former staff writer for The Park Record newspaper is Park City, Utah, and freelances for area publications. Kirsta lives in Salt Lake with her husband, Scott, and their daughter, Dylan.
Lori Jakiela ( MFA 1992) wrote a memoir, Miss New York Has Everything (Warner Books/5 Spot) in January 2006. She also has a poetry chapbook, The Regulars, which was published by Liquid Paper Press in 2001. She is an Associate Professor of English and Director of the Writing Program at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg. You can contact her at loj+@pitt.edu or visit her web site at: www.lorijakiela.com.
Robert L. Byer became a partner in
Duane Morris LLP on April 24, 2006. where I will be practicing in both the Pittsburgh and
Philadelphia offices. Duane Morris is among the 100 largest law firms
in the United States and is a full-service firm of more than 600 lawyers
located throughout the United States and in London. In addition to legal
services, Duane Morris has independent affiliates employing
approximately 100 professionals engaged in other disciplines. With
offices in major markets, and as part of an international network of
independent law firms, Duane Morris represents clients across the nation
and around the world.
Dr. Rane Arroyo ( PhD 1994) is a full professor at the University of Toledo. The news is that I have two new books out at the same time. I won the 2004-5 John Ciardi Poetry Prize for a new book of poems, The PortableFamine; this is a major national prize and is published by BkMk books. A book of gay Latino short stories from University of Arizona Press on their Camino de Sol series; it's called How to Name a Hurricane. I've also been included in the latest version of the Heath Anthology of Contemporary American Poetry, a major ccomplishment.
Dilruba Ahmed (B.Phil 1996) is a project coordinator at the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching in Stanford, CA. Her poems appear in recent or forthcoming issues of Blackbird, North American Review, and Hayden’s Ferry Review. Her work is also forthcoming in “Writing the Lines of Our Hands,” an anthology of South Asian American poetry. One of her poems recently received an honorable mention for the James Hearst Poetry Prize.
Bianca M. Falbo is an associate professor of english (with tenure), and assistant director of the college writing program at Lafayette College. Her works have appeared in Reader, Composition Studies, and Romantic Textualities: Literature and Print Culture, 1780-1840.
Lisa Alzo (MFA 1997) had her first book, Three Slovak Women, published in soft cover by Gateway Press, Baltimore, MD in August, 2001. In addition, she gave a talk on her book at the Genealogical Society International Conference.
Rane Arroyo is an Associate Professor of English at the University of Toledo where he teaches creative writing and American literature. His third book of poems, Pale Ramon, was recently published by Zolan Books.
Miriam Batami (PhD 1989) is an Associate Professor of English at Western Michigan University. She has published four books, three for children and one for young adults. Two Suns in the Sky (Cricket 1999) is a historical romance from two points of view: a young Catholic girl from Oswego, NY and a Jewish refugee from Yugoslavia both staying at a safe haven during WWII, the Emergency Refugee Center, Fort Ontario.
Jess Brailler (BA 1975) is publisher of Planet Dexter, a children's book imprint of Penguin Putnam. Jess also writes books for Adults and children, the 22nd one out in fall of 1999.
Robert L. Byer (BA 1973, JD 1977) is currently practicing law in Pittsburgh, PA, where he is a Partner and coordinator of the Appellate Practice Group in the national law firm Kirkpatrick & Lockhart LLP. He is an inductee in the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers. He has served as a judge of the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court and the Pennsylvania Court of Judicial Discipline, and as an Adjunct Professor of Law at Duquesne University School of Law and on the faculty of the National Judicial College at the University of Nevada at Reno. He co-authored (with Pitt Chancellor Mark Nordenberg) a treatise on Pennsylvania Civil Procedure.
Michael
Chabon (BA 1984) won the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
for The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay. Chabon
also wrote the book, Wonder Boys, which was then adapted
for the screen in a movie starring Michael Douglas and Frances
McDormand.
Lisa Chewning (MFA 1994) is a writer and writing instructor at the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, CCAC, Touchtone and Pitt's Informal Program as well as Write It Right workshops.
Jeffrey Durosko (BA Writing 1981) is Vice President of Public Relations for Eductation Management Corporation in Pittsburgh. Previously, Jeffrey worked as director of public relations for Robert Morris College in Pittsburgh.
April Fallon (MFA 1991) attended the University of Louisiana, where she received a PhD in American Literature and Creative Writing in 1995. She is currently an Associate Professor of American Literature and Creative Writing at Kentucky State University, where she is also the Coordinator of the Composition Program.
Evan Gallahou (MFA 1997, BA 1994) has been living in NYC for the last five years, where he has written and performed stand-up comedy at top clubs. He has performed on shows with Jerry Seinfeld, Kevin Nealon, Gilbert Gottfried, Jim Gaffigan, and Judy Gold. He also performed at the first annual Las Vegas Comedy Festival in September 2002. evan@laughpastfive.com
Joan Morse Gordon (MFA 1999) recently published a book called The Road Taken: A Journey in Time Down Pennsylvania Route 45.
Tonya Hurley (BA 1992) is a writer/director whose credits span film, television, live performance and interactive media. She has written and directed five short films including Solo-Me-O and Baptism of Solitude: A Tributed to Paul Bowles. For more information please visit www.tonyahurleyproductions.com.
Bob Hudock got his Masters of Architecture degree from University of Miami, Florida in 1996 and is currently creating affordable housing in the Bronx.
Stephanie Huszar (BA 1999) worked for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review after graduation. She is currently Beauty Writer at Glamour magazine in New York City. She has previously written for publications including the New York Times, the New York Post, and Maxim magazine. Previously she worked as associate beauty editor at CosmoGIRL! magazine, and prior to that was a fashion/style writer at the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
Lisa Kelly (BA 1979) is Professor of Law at West Virginia University teaching family and civil rights law. She won the Association of American Law School's national prize for young scholars for a narrative about civil rights activists.
