Class Notes

CAROL PARKER ’66 joined Towson alums for a volunteer day at First Fruits Farm in Freeland, Maryland. First Fruits Farm is a nonprofit organization that distributes food to food insecure people. Parker and fellow volunteers bagged potatoes.

JOSEPH BOYLE ’68 published “‘Famous for inventing Lies’ Pennsylvania Runaways, 1784-1790.”

WILLIAM OWINGS ’73 retired June 1, 2023, after 50 years in education. Owings worked for 26 years in P–12 education holding roles from English teacher to superintendent of schools, and 24 years in higher education. Owings received Old Dominion University’s Tonelson award, the highest faculty recognition for research, teaching and service. Owings also received the National Education Finance Academy’s R. Craig Wood Lifetime Achievement Award. Owings and wife, Leslie Kaplan, are finishing their 18th education textbook/academic book.

WILLIAM MACCREHAN ’73 was recently inducted into the NIST Gallery of Distinguished Alumni. MacCrehan’s induction citation reads: “For the research, development, and application of innovative analytical measurement approaches addressing a wide range of important national challenges, including those in the environmental, clinical/medical, oceanographic, water processing, forensic and homeland security domains.”

SCOTT RUSSELL ’81 retired after 20 years with Loudoun County Public Schools as a teacher of business electives. Russell is pursuing a career as a fly-fishing guide in Virginia. 

BILL HORTEN ’82 joined the Army Historical Foundation and is the special events manager for the newly opened National Museum of the United States Army in Fort Belvoir, Virginia. Horton and his canine companion, Tilly, currently reside in Alexandria, Virginia.

JILL GREENLEIGH ’89 published “Go-Go Speaks: The Heartbeat of a Culture” about D.C.’s homegrown music, which became the official music of Washington, D.C. in 2020. She has spent more than 35 years in the music industry as a journalist, in PR and as a band manager. She is also the editor of the newly released children’s book “Safety Cinnamon Saves a Friend” by Davey Shark about the dangers of children and lead poisoning.

STEPHEN ROBERT MILLER ’91 released “Over the Seawall: Tsunamis, Cyclones, Drought, and the Delusion of Controlling Nature.” The book tells the stories behind maladaptation: climate solutions that tragically backfire. From seawalls in coastal Japan to the reengineered waters in the Ganges River Delta, Miller traces the histories of engineering marvels that were once deemed too smart and too big to fail. Miller is an author and journalist whose reporting and essays on climate change, conservation and agriculture have appeared in National Geographic, The Washington Post, The New Republic and more. 

SUSAN (DOBBS) O'BRIEN ’92 is now director of state communications for the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. She is managing PR firms in state capitals across the country working on legislation to end the sale of flavored tobacco products and reduce smoking rates. When not working in Washington, D.C., she lives in Anne Arundel County and is enjoying her life as a new empty nester and volunteering with Annapolis nonprofits. 

KEITH L. EWANCIO ’94, ’07 was the recipient of the CCBC Alumni Association’s President’s Award for 2023. The CCBC Alumni Association sponsors the annual award that recognizes outstanding service and commitment to the CCBC Alumni Association and to the Community College of Baltimore County. The award is one of the college’s highest volunteer honors, and is bestowed to one CCBC alumnus annually who demonstrates outstanding volunteer service and community outreach on behalf of CCBC, through contributions of a significant amount of time, talent and resources.

KERRIE NEAL ’95 received a gift that will stand the test of time: a Towson State University class ring. Her husband, Michael Neal, is living on borrowed time after being diagnosed with atypical multiple myeloma in 2012 and he’s working to fill Kerrie’s bucket list. Understanding Kerrie’s love for TSU, Michael wanted to get her something that represents her hard work and something she will treasure forever. Balfour no longer makes Towson State rings, so Michael overcame this challenge by coordinating with their leaders and several departments at TU. 

DOUGLAS SENTZ JR. ’95 recently published his first book of fiction, “Evolution #5-Book 1: Evan and Lily.” It’s available in paperback or for Kindle. The title characters believe they are destined for one another but are pulled apart by a nefarious corporation. 

MATTHEW WITENSTEIN ’96 received tenure and promotion to associate professor at the University of Dayton, where he works in the Department of Educational Administration in the School of Education and Health Sciences. He publishes regularly about higher education in the areas of comparative and international education, global citizenship education and sustainable development and immigrant education. His upcoming co-authored textbook with Bloomsbury Publishing entitled “Comparative and international education: The fundamentals” is anticipated to publish in late 2024.

TRACY FINK ’97 was appointed vice president of the Institute Conference Center and Operations by The Institute for Advanced Learning and Research. With more than 20 years of experience in strategic event management, Fink brings a wealth of expertise to her new role. Fink is an experienced marketing, sales and event leader known for her strategic leadership and dynamic approach to event management. Her track record includes planning corporate and social events with guest counts exceeding 1,000. 

CHRIS AUGSBURGER ’00 has been named director of public affairs for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). He will lead an enterprise of more than 200 communication professionals to help engage with communities, industry partners and other military and interagency stakeholders.

ESSICA SCHIELE ’03 was included on the Shreveport Times People to Watch in Business for 2024. The annual lists were created in 2021 as an effort to highlight individuals who strive all year to make Shreveport-Bossier a better place while looking toward the future. Schiele is the executive director of Cohab and has been with it since it launched in 2010. Before Cohab, Schiele worked in broadcast journalism as a news producer in Baltimore at the Hearst-Argyle and served as a technology specialist for the AP. 

ORAY (SITKO) LIVELY ’05 was promoted to director of project management at Berry Consultants. She was married in June 2023 in Warren, Vermont, to Jason Lively. They reside in Austin, Texas.

STEPHEN R. CATANZARO ’08 advises and represents clients in real estate and business litigation matters, as well as a broad range of other commercial disputes, at Day Pitney LLP. His real estate litigation practice includes commercial real estate contract and lease disputes, prerogative writ matters and zoning appeals, construction litigation, easement disputes and commercial foreclosures. Catanzaro also represents companies in class action defense, private employers in employment matters, creditors in bankruptcy actions and executives in all aspects of marriage dissolution. Catanzaro handles cases in both state and federal courts in New Jersey and New York.

MARVIN DOUGLAS ’08, ’11 graduated from Hutch, a digital services incubator in Baltimore that strengthens minority and women entrepreneurs. Douglas’ company, Triton Technology, is a digital services company located in Baltimore delivering cloud, security, agile project management and automation services to government health care agencies and private sector.

MATTHEW BOHLE ’10 was named co-chair of Rifkin Weiner Livingston’s government relations division. It’s a legal and government relations firm based in Annapolis, Bethesda and Baltimore. 

KAITLYN LIKAS ’10 and COLLEEN KENNY ’10 were honored in New York City as part of Irish Echo's 40 under 40. The event is “a celebration of Irish and Irish Americans who have distinguished themselves in their respective fields of work before reaching the age of 40.” They were nominated by leaders in the Irish community for the award. Likas founded the Towson University Irish Dance Collective, and Kenny was one of the first dancers to sign up and perform.

MICHAEL B. TAGER ’11 is a writer and the managing editor of Mason Jar Press. His first book of poetry, “Pop Culture Poetry: The Definitive Collection,” was scheduled to be released this spring. 

LAUREN BAVIS ’12 recently joined the faculty at Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. Bavis is a faculty fellow in the magazine, news and digital journalism department.

GUY BROWN ’15 joined New York City’s 24-hour news channel, Spectrum News NY1, as a meteorologist. 

RYAN HINES ’15 published his debut novel “Moonshineland: A Tale of Haunted Appalachia.” It is a story of mystery, adventure and terror set in the Appalachian wilderness during the Prohibition era. He also has a podcast of the same name.

JAKE ARMSTRONG ’16 has received five first place awards for Best Music Video at national (Iowa) and international (Australia, Italy and Hungary) film festivals since 2021. Additionally, he received several second-place awards and honorable mentions for his music video submissions at other film festivals.

ANDREW GRAY ’19 recently passed the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) exam. He completed his first semester as an adjunct professor in TU’s Department of Geography and Environmental Planning, teaching students about urban planning.