Alumni News—Class Notes
of Cranbrook Art Academy. …
They published my earliest work in
Cran-brook Magazine. In one issue
they had 15 of my poems! I still
have a copy of the magazine. As
a young poet, it was one of the
most inspiring places to meet writers
and editors. My gratitude goes to
Siena for presenting me such expe-
riences as a student.” His end-of-
the-year poem, “The Atlas of Eros,”
can be read at http://reflections.
sienaheights.edu/?p=12947.
1975
Margaret Noe stepped down after
13 years as a Lenawee County Pro-
bate and Circuit Court judge in Janu-
ary 2019. Judge Noe served the last
10 years in the Circuit Court. She will
join her son, Charles, in a private
law practice in Adrian. She has also
served as the chair of the SHU Board
of Trustees since 2006 and also
teaches part-time in SHU’s criminal
justice program.
1982
Jim Johnson is serving as the girls
tennis coach at Ann Arbor Huron
High School. In spring 2018, his
team won a regional title and had a
top-five finish in the state Division 1
tournament. He previously coached
tennis at Adrian High School and
currently also coaches boys tennis
at Ypsilanti Lincoln.
Lonnie Shipe MA is planning on
publishing his autobiography in the
near future.
Doug Small was elected to the U.S.
Travel Association Board of Directors
in April 2019. He is the CEO of
Experience Grand Rapids (EXGR).
He has worked in travel and tourism
his entire career in Dayton, Ohio;
Syracuse, N.Y.; Palm Springs, Calif.;
Denver and more than 10 years in
Grand Rapids. He attended his first
board meeting in April. The U.S.
Travel Association is the national,
non-profit organization representing
all components of the travel industry.
1983
John “JD” Johnson celebrated his
35th anniversary working for State
Farm Insurance in May 2018. John-
son has worked in Arizona and New
Mexico for most of those years. He
currently is employed as a State
Farm agent in Wickenburg, Ariz.
Sister Mary Miday, OP, celebrated
her 60th Jubilee as an Adrian Domin-
ican Sister in November 2018. She
spent many years in pastoral ministry
in Ohio, Mississippi, Louisiana and
New Mexico before ministering in
occupational therapy at health care
centers in Florida.
Michael Morgan has been danc-
ing with The Sunsationals, the
senior dance team of the WNBA’s
Connecticut Sun. They perform at
home games and make community
appearances throughout Connecticut
to represent the Sun.
1985
Gregg Milligan is the vice presi-
dent of Technology and Operations
for ISL Techsolutions, Inc., and is
living in Bangkok, Thailand. He is
responsible for the following divi-
sions: U.S., Southeast and South
Asia. He was also awarded the
Chancellor's Gold Medal.
1986
Dr. Kadee Anstadt is the assistant
superintendent of Perrysburg (Ohio)
Schools. In November 2018 she par-
ticipated in a panel discussion on
safety as part of an event sponsored
by the Way Public Library and the
League of Women Voters of the
Perrysburg Area. From 2008-17,
she served as the executive director
of Teaching and Learning, where
she was responsible for overseeing
curriculum, professional develop-
ment and assessment. She began
her teaching career after a career
in business.
1988
Mike Vollmar was hired as senior
associate athletic director for Foot-
ball Administration at Kansas Uni-
versity. He began his new position
in August 2018. Vollmar previously
served as director of Football at
IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla.,
and served in similar roles at the
University of Tennessee, the Uni-
versity of Michigan, the University
of Alabama and Michigan State
University. He was part of an
Alabama program that won the
national championship in 2009.
1990
Melissa (Durbin) Tsuji and SHU
faculty member Jun Tsuji were mar-
ried on Nov. 23, 2018, in a cere-
mony in Adrian. They had many
former students attend their cele-
bration. Pictured below (from left)
are: Current SHU Dean for Students
Michael Orlando, Lucas Bartz, Grant
Benschoter, Mike Lollo, Bridgid
Thompson, Jun Tsuji, Riley Smith,
Phillip Brier, Kyle Anderson, John
Lyczyk, Jim Riggs, Meg Dubois,
Courtney Walter Benschoter, Melissa
Tsuji, Lauren Baker Lollo, Ashley
Russo, Lauren Coe, and Chloe Rick.
1991
John Bruzina was recently hired
as counsel by Polsinelli, a real estate
finance business. He will work in the
Dallas area. He earned his JD from
Michigan State University’s College
of Law and has been providing
strategic counsel to clients in a
wide range of complex real estate
transactions.
odds to win this tournament,” he
said. He is employed in device
management for Sanofi Aventis.
He resides in Canton, Mich.
Dr. Timothy Slowik works as a
security consultant for SGS Security.
He resides in Sterling Heights, Mich.
2005
Jeffrey Beyer is a musician and
recently concluded the national
tour of “The Sound of Music.” He
worked on the first national tour of
“Fiddler on the Roof,” playing Reed
1 in the orchestra. He also has had
Linda (Golba) Hall is employed
two arrangements published by Alry
as the director of Operations at
Publications
that received 2018
WestRock Multi-Packaging Solutions.
Honorable Mention awards from
She resides in Jackson, Mich.
the National Flute Association.
He lives in Oak Park, Mich.
David Clark is employed with
Lowe’s Home Improvement in Battle
Creek, Mich.
1992
Anna Verhesen MA received the
Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime
Achievement Award by Marquis
Who’s Who in September 2018.
She has worked in private practice
in Sylvania, Ohio, since 1992. A
licensed spiritual healer and
master sound therapy teacher, she
integrates interactive imagery into
sound therapy. Earlier in her career,
she worked as a social worker for
Rotterdan Halfweg in the Nether-
lands. From there, she also worked
for Mount St. Ann's Home, the St.
Vincent Medical Center, St. Joseph
Hospital and Grey Nuns. For the
past 25 years, Verhesen has also
offered retreat weekends for anyone
enrolled in 12-step programs. She
also was the founder of the North-
west Ohio Detox and Rehab Unit
at St. Vincent Medical Center in
Toledo, Ohio, the co-founder of
transitional residences for the home-
less in Toledo and the Ohio Coali-
tion for the Homeless in Columbus,
Ohio. She also was an alcohol,
drug addiction and mental health
counselor of ex-inmates at Elliot
and Associates in Sylvania, Ohio.
1993
Allia Carter was appointed exec-
utive vice president and chief oper-
ating officer for Virginia Union
University.
1998
Jason Holton recently won the
Golden Arm Challenge at the Cali-
fornia Casino in Las Vegas. “Despite
what I learned in my Statistics Class
at Siena Heights I overcame the
2008
Seth Borton is currently the head
bass fishing coach at Adrian College.
His teams have had three No. 1
rankings in the competitive sport,
which conducts tournaments around
the country.
Amber (Carson) Nelson works as
the senior manager of Marketing for
Thermo Fisher Scientific. She resides
in Kalamazoo, Mich.
2006
Ben Riggleman is employed as a
system architect for Shoptelligence
in Ann Arbor, Mich.
2007
Erika (Wolcott) Henry and her
husband, Garrett, of Dunwoody Ga.,
welcomed their first child, Isabelle,
in May 2018.
Damon Sloan was named the re-
cipient of the Region IV-East Scott
Goodnight Award for Outstanding
Performance as a Dean by the
National Association of Student
Personnel Administrators (NASPA).
He is currently the vice president of
Student and Alumni Affairs at the
University of St. Francis in Joliet,
Ill. The award is for those who have
demonstrated sustained professional
achievement in student affairs work,
innovative response in meeting stu-
dents' varied and emerging needs,
effectiveness in developing staff
and leadership in community and
college or university affairs. Sloan
was honored during the NASPA IV-E
Regional Conference from Nov. 11-
13, 2019, in Milwaukee, Wis.
Andy Ham MA
was hired as the
athletics director
at Napoleon
(Ohio) Area
Schools. He will
be the AD for
grades 7-12.
2009
Nick Angel, Ed. Spec. was named
Principal of the Year by the Michigan
Elementary and Middle School Prin-
cipals Association for Region 2,
which includes Washtenaw, Living-
ston and Monroe counties. He was
honored in December 2018. Angel
is the principal at Beach Middle
School in Chelsea, Mich.
2010
Nelson Holliday was named the
Educator of the Year at Evergreen
Local School District in Metamora,
Ohio.
2011
Juan Freitez MA is a Venezuelan
filmmaker and video journalist who
is debuting his first feature length
documentary. “Salud Sin Papeles:
Undocumented Health” is about
a group of activists who organize
their community to build Phoenix
Allies for Community Health, a free
clinic for undocumented immigrants.
They are sparked by a backlash to
a neo-Nazi rally and anti-immigrant
laws. Nurse and social activist Jason
Odhner journeys to the crossroads
of a national debate over healthcare
and immigration. The documentary
also delves into the history of the
clinic, and the poignant stories of
patients illuminate the struggles of
the marginalized undocumented
community. His documentary
shorts have been featured by NPR,
Public Radio International's The
World, NBC News, the National
Journal and the Huffington Post.
April (Clark) Welch was named
the Executive Director of the Henry
County Community Improvement
Corporation in Henry County, Ohio,
in May 2019. She previously was
employed as the director of the
Downtown Development Authority
in Blissfield, Mich.
Gema (Bautista Cota) Morris is
employed as a behavioral therapist
and training interventionist with Au-
tism Spectrum Therapies. She and
her husband, Kenneth ’11, and
daughter, Isla, live in Warren, Mich.
2012
Jenny Engle ’15MA started a
new position in November 2018
as executive director of the Adrian
Schools Educational Foundation.
Reflections Summer ’19 | 37