November 03, 2022
Class Notes: Fall 2022
1970s
Nicholas DiGiovanni ’70 of Newburyport, Mass., was ranked as a leading practitioner by Chambers and Partners, which ranks the nation’s leading lawyers and law firms based on market analysis and independent research. DiGiovanni, a partner in the Boston law firm Morgan, Brown & Joy, was ranked based on his success in representing universities and advising clients on labor relations and collective bargaining.
Deacon Paul St. Laurent, D.Min. ’73, ’13G of Portsmouth, R.I., was awarded a doctor of ministry degree from Fordham University in May 2022. His dissertation was titled “Homiletic Training in a Diocesan Program of Formation for Permanent Deacons: Making It the Best It Can Be.” Ordained to the permanent diaconate in 2013, Deacon Paul serves at St. Anthony of Padua parish in Portsmouth. He previously had a career in engineering with Hughes Aircraft Company in California.
1980s
Stephen J. Caldeira ’81 of Potomac, Md., is chair of The Fund for Providence College, PC’s annual fund. Donations to the fund can be designated to support areas of greatest need, financial aid, emergency student support, varsity athletics, and diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. Caldeira, who is president and chief executive officer of the Household & Commercial Products Association in Washington, D.C., and a member of PC’s National Board of Overseers, grew up watching Friar basketball games with his grandfather, Nicholas A. Pannoni ’29. He believes in giving to PC “because our collective investment has never been more important, as it will further position the college to innovate and thrive in the years ahead.”
James Whittaker ’82 of North Kingstown, R.I., retired on Sept. 1, 2022, after 40 years as an electronics and software engineer at the Naval Undersea Warfare Center and its predecessor, the Naval Underwater Systems Center, in Newport, R.I. He is enjoying spending time with his family, traveling with his wife, and pursuing hobbies, including gardening, woodworking, photography, and reading.
Carol Taylor ’84 of Hull, Mass., is moving to Ambergris Caye, Belize’s largest island, in November 2022. She will continue to work remotely as a consultant, scuba dive, and volunteer with local animal-rescue and sustainability nonprofits.
Sandra (Miska) Funk ’89 of Fairfield, Conn., is senior vice president, diversified investments for the Ashforth Company, a diversified commercial real estate firm in Stamford. She also is a member of Impact Fairfield County, a collective giving circle that engages women of Fairfield County in local philanthropy.
1990s
Thomas J. Fay, Esq. ’90 of Somerset, Mass., accepted the position of partner at Donovan Hatem LLP in Boston. Thomas previously was general counsel for a private corporation in Cranston, R.I. He works out of both the Boston and Providence offices. ’
Cammi Granato ’93, ’12Hon. of North Vancouver is assistant general manager of the Vancouver Canucks in the National Hockey League — the third woman to be an assistant general manager in NHL history. She became the first female pro scout in the NHL when she was hired by the Seattle Kraken in 2019. Granato, a forward, was captain of the U.S. women’s hockey team when it won the gold medal at the 1998 Nagano Olympics. She is a member of the Friar Athletics Hall of Fame. Her husband, Ray Ferraro, played 18 NHL seasons.
Kristin Negoshian Hutcheson, D.C. ’97 of Trophy Club, Texas, graduated from Parker University in Dallas with a doctor of chiropractic degree in August 2022. She is certified in applied kinesiology and looks forward to opening her own wholistic wellness clinic.
Rev. Lisa Zambarano Morrison ’98 of Cleveland, Ohio, was appointed senior director of the Center for Spiritual Care for the Cleveland Clinic Health System.
Ganiel elected to Royal Irish Academy
Gladys Ganiel, Ph.D. ’99, a professor and researcher at Queen’s University Belfast, has been elected to the Royal Irish Academy, Ireland’s leading body of experts in the sciences and humanities.
Academy members are chosen because they have attained the highest distinction in their unique contributions to education and research. Ganiel was selected for her international reputation and the originality and quality of her work on religion and peacebuilding and on contemporary religious practices.
“It is such an honor to be elected to the Royal Irish Academy, with its long tradition of public engagement informed by world-class research in the humanities and sciences,” Ganiel said. “I am grateful for the opportunity to work with other academy members to promote researchled public debate across the island.”
Ganiel also has begun work on a new, funded three-year project on the role of religion in societies emerging from COVID-19, working with partners in Montreal, Bremen, and Warsaw.
A native of Maine, Ganiel was a political science major at PC and a member of the 1995 NCAA Championship cross country team. In 1999, she was the recipient of the Walter Byers Award, which is presented to the top female student-athlete in the United States. She is married with a 7-year-old son and continues to run competitively, setting the Irish national record for women ages 45-54 with a 2:41.44 finish in the Manchester Marathon in April 2022.
2000s
Fort Knox tower honors Sgt. Maj. Fortunato
When Sgt. Maj. Gary P. Fortunato ’00SCE died unexpectedly in April 2020, the loss was felt beyond Providence College, where he was an instructor in the Patriot Battalion ROTC Program for more than 20 years.
Sgt. Maj. Fortunato also spent five weeks every summer at Fort Knox, Ky., overseeing the Confidence Course at Advanced Camp, the five-week training camp that cadets attend before their senior year of college. Many consider the 64-foot rappel tower to be the most challenging part of camp and remember Sgt. Maj. Fortunato’s encouragement helping them master it.
In June, the Army dedicated the Fort Knox rappel tower in his memory. The SGM Gary Fortunato Memorial Rappel Tower at Training Area Facility 5947 was dedicated in a ceremony attended by Sgt. Major Fortunato’s wife, Carol, and daughter, Judy.
“It was here where he encouraged, coached and boosted the confidence and morale of all cadets who trained at the tower and mastered the confidence course,” a plaque reads. “SGM Fortunato trained over 30,000 future Army officers here from 2014-2019.”
Sgt. Maj. Fortunato, a New Jersey native, was drafted into the Army in 1967. He saw duty in Vietnam, Operation Desert Storm, and Operation Desert Shield, retiring in 1997 with more than a dozen awards and citations. For another 23 years, he served as a military science instructor for Patriot Battalion at PC. He was inducted into the Army ROTC Hall of Fame in 2021.
Terza Lima-Neves, Ph.D. ’00 of Charlotte, N.C., was promoted to professor of political science at Johnson C. Smith University in May 2022.
Angela L. Carr ’01 of Providence, R.I., was named co-managing partner of Barton Gilman LLP, where she oversees business operations in the Providence office. She is an accomplished trial attorney in Massachusetts and Rhode Island who focuses her practice on medical professional liability defense and the representation of clients in licensure investigations by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and the Rhode Island Department of Health. She also represents students involved in Title IX investigations at colleges and handles pro bono matters in the areas of Title IX, domestic violence, and sexual assault representation.
Jayme (Fitzgerald) Moore ’01 of Marshfield, Mass., was named vice president and shareholder at G.T. Reilly & Company, an accounting and consulting firm she joined in 2003. She has developed industry expertise as a member of the financial institutions and nonprofit service teams and was named accounting and auditing director in 2018. A finance major at PC, Moore earned a master of science degree in accounting from Bentley University in 2003 and worked for Investors Bank & Trust (now State Street Bank) for one year before joining G.T. Reilly & Company. She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Massachusetts Society of Certified Public Accountants (MassCPAs), as well as South Shore Young Professionals and the Providence College National Alumni Association. She was inducted into the Marshfield High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2011 and resides in the community with her husband and two sons.
Daniel Burgoyne ’03 of Lincoln, R.I., received the Silver Beaver Award from Narragansett Council, Boy Scouts of America, at its annual Volunteer Recognition Dinner in April 2022. The Silver Beaver Award is presented by the Boy Scouts of America to volunteers who demonstrate significant leadership and commitment to the Boy Scouts and the community. Daniel attained the rank of Eagle Scout in 1998 as a member of the Nashua Valley Council in Massachusetts. After attending PC, he graduated from Boston College Law School in 2006, then began volunteering with Narragansett Council, serving in various roles, including Order of the Arrow Advisor and District Chair. He enjoys running and hiking and has hiked all 48 peaks on the AMC New Hampshire 4,000-footer list.
Christopher Gorgone ’03 of New York, N.Y., joined the private equity firm Quantum as a managing director. He married Elizabeth Moore on Sept. 17, 2022.
Kathleen Stankiewicz ’03, ’05G of Fairfax, Va., was one of seven teachers to win the Virginia History Day District Teacher of the Year Award. Teachers receiving the award demonstrate an understanding of history and enthusiasm for the subject, foster a spirit of inquiry and the development of critical thinking skills among students, use and promote innovative and creative teaching techniques and materials, and provide leadership in the field of history education. Kathleen received the honor for the Fairfax School District. She completed her 19th year of teaching in June and has two degrees from PC, a bachelor’s degree in history and a master’s degree in secondary education through the Providence Alliance for Catholic Teachers (PACT) program.
Emil Carlos Chaparro ’06 of Socorro, Texas, was recognized as the Fabens Independent School District Secondary Teacher of the Year. He also serves on the El Paso County Historical Commission and the City of Socorro Community Initiative. He credits his approach to teaching and preserving history to PC art professors Deborah Johnson, Ph.D., and Joan Branham, Ph.D.
Mallary Tenore Tarpley ’07 of Pflugerville, Texas, graduated from Goucher College in May 2022 with a master of fine arts degree in nonfiction writing. Her graduate thesis constituted the first half of a book she is writing — a literary memoir about her childhood experiences with anorexia and her present-day reality as a mother who is in recovery but still lives with the disorder’s imprints.
Michelle DePlante Carr ’08 of Smithfield, R.I., has been named executive director of Leadership Rhode Island. Carr became director of programs just before she completed the core Leadership Rhode Island program in 2014. She also serves as a community faculty member in PC’s Department of Global Studies. In August, she began teaching a yearlong capstone course with Nicholas V. Longo, Ph.D. ’96, professor of global studies and of public and community service studies, and Samantha Bergbauer ’12, ’15G, leadership development coordinator at Leadership Rhode Island.
2010s
Cassandra L. Santoro ’13 of Attleboro, Mass., an attorney with Morgan, Brown & Joy of Boston, was recognized by 2023 Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in the category of labor and employment law – management, and litigation – labor and employment. The category recognizes lawyers who are earlier in their careers for outstanding professional excellence in private practice in the United States. Recipients typically have been in practice for five to nine years. Santoro graduated from Suffolk University Law School in 2016. ’
Lauryn (Picknelly) DuBois ’18 of Hampden, Mass., was promoted to controller at Peter Pan Bus Lines.
2020s
Abby Mansolillo ’21 of Smithfield, R.I., was crowned Miss Rhode Island by the Miss Rhode Island Scholarship Organization in May 2022. She will compete in the Miss America Pageant at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn., in December. She majored in English and women’s and gender studies at PC and is a second-year student at Roger Williams University School of Law.
Jillian Forrester ’22 of Cohasset, Mass., is a park ranger at Blackstone River Valley National Historic Park in Pawtucket, R.I. The history and global studies major is pursuing a master’s degree in history at Providence College. As an intern during the spring semester, she created an exhibit with park staff on the first wage earners strike in Pawtucket.
