Class Notes

1983

James Brown completed the 2022 Ashley G. Ride across America. The bicycle ride started at the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, Calif., and ended 3,150 miles later at Surfside Beach, S.C. The Ashley G. Foundation raises money to educate the public about symptoms, treatment, and care of children and teens with lymphoma.

1984

Jean Ann Brakefield is the program manager at the Waccamaw Community Foundation. She previously worked for many years at her alma mater, serving as director of stewardship, development officer, and director of alumni relations.

1988

Lisa (Briggs) Rosenbaum is the division director for contract and grant awards with the Navy’s Office of Naval Research. For the past 25 years, she worked at the Naval Information Warfare Center in Charleston, S.C.

1995

David Ward was appointed Tennessee’s sixth command chief warrant officer. He serves as the principle warrant officer advisor to the adjutant general and the land component commander for the supervision, training, and well-being of all Tennessee Army National Guard warrant officers.

1998

Anita Huggins is the Charleston County School District deputy superintendent.

Jennifer Plunket was named a member of the 2022 Class of Honorary South Carolina Statewide Master Naturalists. She is the stewardship coordinator at the North Inlet-Winyah Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, where she has worked for more than 15 years. In 2007, she earned a Ph.D. in oceanography and wetlands management from Louisiana State University.

1999

James Hoff is the vice president of private equity partnerships at Granite Telecommunications, which offers a range of voice, data, and related services to multi-location businesses and governmental agencies across the U.S. and Canada.

2000

Robin (Turner) Kirby is the author of The Sparkle: How to Beat Burnout, End Exhaustion, and Find a Career That Lights You Up. For 25 years, she served across the function of human resources, working at organizations such as General Electric, Citigroup, Honda, Symantec, and Infosys.

2002

Stephen Bismarck is an associate professor of middle/secondary mathematics education and chair of the Department of Education at the University of South Carolina Upstate. He received the 2022 Exemplary Service to the Teaching Profession award from the South Carolina Association of Teacher Educators. Stephen earned a Ph.D. in mathematics education from the University of Georgia.

Anna (Shaw) Downing has been named assistant principal at Beverly Hills Elementary School in Concord, N.C.

2003

Jeffrey Embt was recently appointed the chief accounting officer at Proterra Inc., which designs and manufactures zero-emission electric transit vehicles and EV technology solutions for commercial applications

2005

Alexander Klaus was elected president of the Aligned Franchisee Association, which represents the majority of franchised units within the brand of The Joint chiropractic.

Adam Mathews is the new owner of Lapels Cleaners of Myrtle Beach and its satellite location, Lapels Cleaners of Carolina Forest.

Sarah Smith was recently named assistant director of athletics for facilities, Athletics and Events Center at Ithaca College in New York.

2006

Sandy Baldridge-Adrian and Chris Adrian ’11 announced the birth of their son, Dominic Edward Adrian, on Dec. 8, 2022. Sandy, who earned a master’s degree at CCU in 2014, is the University’s associate vice president for auxiliary enterprises. Chris is a teacher at Socastee High School in Myrtle Beach.

Mamba Chisoni is the men’s soccer head coach at the University of Saint Francis in Indiana. 

2007

Randy Akers and his wife, Jackie, announced the birth of their daughter, Adelaide, on Oct. 1, 2022. He is a multimedia technology specialist at Georgetown County (S.C.) Government.

2008

Nicholas Bratcher has been named the director of the School of Visual and Performing Arts at the University of Louisiana Monroe. Prior to his appointment at ULM, he was director of bands and coordinator for music education at California State University San Bernardino, director of bands at the University of Dubuque in Iowa, and assistant director of bands at Savannah State University in Georgia. He earned a Ph.D. in music education from the University of Georgia.

Katie Hinson Lewis has been recognized in the 2023 edition of The Best Lawyers in America as One to Watch for real estate law. She is a partner in the Charleston, S.C., office of Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick LLP.

Chris Medeiros is a financial advisor with Edward Jones, located in Murrells Inlet, S.C. He and his wife, Amy (Patrick) ’11, have three sons.

Jordan Ryan is the head golf pro at Hunting Hills Country Club in Roanoke, Va. 

2009

Patrice Brown is the assistant director of administration for the Departments of Nutrition and Molecular Metabolism at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Harold Johnson is the assistant principal at Round Top Elementary School in Blythewood, S.C.

2010

Eugene Bellamy Jr. is the academic officer for elementary and middle school curriculum and instruction for Marion County (S.C.) School District.

2011

Chris Adrian was named the 2022-2023 Rookie Teacher of the Year at Socastee High School in Myrtle Beach. (See additional note in Class of 2006)

Bryan Courtney is the founder/president of Aquaknox Marine, which has two locations in East Tennessee.

Paige Cribb has been elected as the District 10 director of the PGA of America board of directors. She is serving a three-year term, representing the Carolinas, Kentucky, and Middle Atlantic PGA Sections. Paige is the director of student support for the PGA Golf Management program at CCU.

Steve Delmar, a native of Gaithersburg, Md., has been promoted to head golf professional at Columbia Country Club in Chevy Chase, Md. He previously served as the club’s assistant golf professional for the past six years.

Amy Haggard is the assistant director in Student Conduct and Community Standards at Florida State University. She serves as the primary subject matter expert on the university’s Anti-Sexual Misconduct Policy, Title IX Policy, and other policies related to sexual misconduct.

Lauren Hammond is the founder and owner of Hammond Bell Educational Services, LLC, an online dyslexia tutoring company.

Rob Shields owns and operates the NautiFish Rum Bar in Camdenton, Mo. He and his wife, Melissa, were married on May 15, 2021.

Geneva Wright has been named the new director of resource development for the United Way of Aiken County (S.C.). She also is an active member of the Aiken County Chapter of Jack and Jill of America and the Aiken Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. Geneva and her husband, Elgin, have two children, Eva and Elias.

2012

Evon Wiestling and Andrea Sperduto ’14 were engaged on Sept. 8, 2022. They are planning to get married in Charleston, S.C., in January 2024.

Nicholas Roshkind is the program director of EAGLE Academy at Georgia Southern University.

Michelle Smith is the first-ever opioid program coordinator for the city of Myrtle Beach. She creates a bridge for nonprofit and private organizations to work together and help those who are suffering from addiction.

2013

Shelby Bates plays professionally as a member of the D.C. pickleball team. A native of Jericho, N.Y., she played women’s tennis for the Chanticleers.

Jennifer Cirillo is a life coach and host of the podcast “Pivot Into Purpose.” She earned a master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling from Georgian Court University in 2016.

Ana Maria Lavado is an academic advisor in the Academic Advising and Planning Center at the College of Charleston. She previously worked at CCU as an admissions counselor and academic advisor.

Brittany Moore is the church secretary at High Point Baptist Church in Conway, S.C. She also is the technology director at Fair Bluff (N.C.) Baptist Church and works for the Fair Bluff Chamber of Commerce. Brittany is the reigning Fair Bluff Majestic Queen. 

Josh Pierce is the football head coach at Conway High School. 

David Teixeira as a senior customer success manager with Autodesk, a Fortune 500 company based in San Francisco, Calif. He supports global companies in the design and manufacturing sector.

2014

Daniel Campbell Jr. was sworn in as a firefighter with the city of Margate (N.J.) fire department on July 6. 

Chelsea Cogliano is the watershed planner for Horry County (S.C.) Stormwater. Her work includes working with CCU’S Waccamaw Watershed Academy and ensuring safe water quality along the Grand Strand.

Mary Edwards is the public information director at Patriots Point Development Authority, where she is responsible for media relations and serving as the official point of contact for information. She earned a master’s degree in public administration from Clemson University.

Stephen Rodgers is the director of basketball operations for men’s basketball at Utah Valley University. He previously worked as an assistant coach at Newberry College in South Carolina.

Alex Rutherford is an English teacher and the head wrestling coach at Battery Creek High School in Beaufort, S.C.

Andrea Sperduto

(see Class of 2012)

Matt Zellars is the CFO of Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity, where he oversees financial reporting, budgeting, and compliance for the greater fraternity. He previously served as the real estate analyst and asset manager for Pi Kappa Phi Properties.

2015

Becca Truluck is the associate director of external relations for the Master of Public Administration program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She previously worked as a grants and contracts administrator at Duke University.

2016

Mal Banton and Rachel Eckley were married May 8, 2022, in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, Fla. They met at CCU after joining the Phi Sigma Pi honor society.

Sabreena Barboza is the founder of Barboza Law in Rock Hill, S.C., which serves North and South Carolina. She earned a Juris Doctorate from the Levin College of Law at the University of Florida.

Jeffrey Cheney is an associate attorney at Dasti & Associates P.C., in Forked River, N.J., where he focuses on civil litigation, personal injury litigation, real estate transactions, public entity law, and land use law. He graduated from the University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law in 2019. 

Mike Morrison is an assistant baseball coach and recruiting coordinator at the University of Alabama. He previously served for two years as the pitching coach at the University of Maryland. His background also includes serving his alma mater as the pitching coach (2021) and director of player development and scouting (2020).

Julia Roshkind is a special education teacher in Seymour, Conn.

2017

Zachary Byrd is commissioner of the Frederick County (Md.) District Court.

Jen Coleman was selected as the 2022-23 Emerging Leader by the S.C. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. She is a reading and math interventionist at Andrews Elementary School in the Georgetown County School District.

Monica Herman is the new senior graphic designer for the Boy Scouts of America in Charlotte, N.C. 

Samantha Justice is a realtor with eXp Realty and the Carolina Key Group.

D.J. Kelly is the new boys’ basketball coach at Marion (S.C.) High School, where he previously played guard for the Swamp Foxes.

Jena Ranzo and Noah Whitlock were married on May 21, 2022. They have a son, Emry Bleu. 

2018

Josh Conway was inducted into the Washington County (Md.) Sports Hall of Fame on July 22, 2023. A former pitcher for the Chanticleer baseball program, he was drafted by the Chicago Cubs and pitched three seasons in the minor league. In recent years, Josh worked as a minor league pitching coach for the Baltimore Orioles.

Alexa (Kissane) and James Hammond were married on July 9, 2022, in Sea Bright, N.J. They met at CCU while James was on a semester abroad from Deakin University in Melbourne, Australia. They live in Tyabb, Australia.

Emily Scheffler, a special education teacher at St. James High School in Myrtle Beach, has been awarded the Gary Bates National Memorial Award for Excellence in Career Education. The award is presented to an educator who has used Education Associates’ Project Discovery or Achieve Life Skills curricula to make a significant, positive impact in students’ lives and in the community.   

2019

Marcy Gasperson was named the 2022 Teacher of the Year at Hanahan Elementary School in Berkeley County, S.C.

Ashley Milan has joined Turner Padget, where she will work with clients to defend against personal injury claims and other general liability claims. She is a graduate of the University of South Carolina School of Law.

Amber (Rahman) Eddy earned a occupational therapy doctorate from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in May 2023. Once she completes the national board certification exam, Amber plans to return to the East Coast to be with family and friends before starting her career in school-based and/or pediatric practice.

2020

Brandon Farah is an officer with the Charleston (S.C.) Police Department. He is involved with the Explorer Program, which gives high school students an inside look at policing.

Dequan Montgomery is coach of the 57 Chiefs, who won the 2022 South Carolina 8U State Championship.

Liam Sullivan is a business development executive at Leyton in Boston, Mass.

2021

Jordin Anderson has been named the Atlantic Collegiate Academy’s first-ever girls soccer coach. Jordin is the former coach of the Coast Futbol Alliance, a youth soccer club based in the Myrtle Beach area.

Senia Chrzanowski works at the Sikorsky Credit Union in Connecticut.

Sarah Drolet is an associate writer at CNET, where she covers home energy, residential solar power, and emerging energy technology. 

2022

Carissa Church is a civil designer with Thomas & Hutton in Myrtle Beach. She prepares site development construction drawings with considerations for water, sewer, and storm drainage for residential developments in Myrtle Beach and throughout the Grand Strand.

Scott R. Gabrielson recently published his second book, The Intrepid Patriot – Captain Jacob Milligan of the South Carolina Navy: The American Revolution. He and his wife, Sherri (Cearley) Gabrielson, recently celebrated 45 years of marriage and live in Myrtle Beach. They have three children and five grandchildren. He recently donated a copy of the book to CCU’s Kimbel Library.

2023

James Rhodes has been named a designer in the Myrtle Beach office of Thomas & Hutton, which provides consulting, planning, and engineering design services related to land and infrastructure. He specializes in site development, construction drawings, and engineering design related to water, sewer, storm drainage infrastructure, and permit applications for residential projects throughout South Carolina.

Alumni Profile

Forever intertwined with CCU

by Jerry Rashid

Robin Edwards Russell ’85 and David Russell ’98

From their first days as students through their cherished years of service, Robin and David Russell have truly been the lifeblood of Coastal Carolina University. Their commitment to CCU is a testament to the power of dedication. Robin and David officially called it a career and vacated their offices – in the Edwards Building and Hampton Hall, respectively – in June 2023. 

Robin, a Myrtle Beach native, earned a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies from CCU in 1985 and an M.F.A. in acting from the University of South Carolina in 1991. She returned to her alma mater in 1997 and joined the theatre department faculty to teach and share her love for the theatre arts. For more than 25 years, Robin transcended the role of educator, transforming her students and giving them the transferrable skills needed to become productive artists and citizens of the world.

In 2018, former Chanticleer football standout Josh Norman established the Robin Edwards Russell Scholarship to show his appreciation of Robin’s ongoing support of him that began when he was one of her theatre students. 

For more than 20 years, Robin also hosted Coastal Today, CCU’s weekly TV program showcasing events on campus and interviews with students, alumni, faculty, staff, and friends of the University. She was a theatre education innovator and served as director of approximately 40 Mainstage, Second Stage, and student-led productions.

A native of Hartsville, S.C., David earned a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies – theatre. Following a successful video production career in the Myrtle Beach area, he brought his talents to CCU, where he joined the media services department full time in 2004. In 2017, he was promoted to director of video production services. During his nearly 20 years of service, the videos David produced garnered numerous awards. He also was the University’s first-ever official drone operator and credited with capturing brilliant campus aerial footage and still photography.

Their family’s lineage runs deep at CCU. Robin’s late parents were generous CCU benefactors and the namesakes of the Thomas W. and Robin W. Edwards College of Humanities and Fine Arts. Robin and David are the parents of four children: Temperance, who recently joined CCU as a development director, and triplets Foster, Miranda, and Grainger ’20, who earned a B.F.A. degree in musical theatre.

In their words

“Our journey started here as students and our hearts are intertwined with Coastal Carolina. Now, decades later, we serve in gratitude of the time we spent, of the students we encouraged, and of the colleagues who are now our friends. We are committed in helping this University continue its current trajectory of growth and success, in academics, arts, and athletics.

As phrased in the alma mater, 

“May we return in thought and care

to share your promise of enrichment,

and celebrate and sing our praise

for Coastal Carolina.”

Alumni Profile

Hungry to learn and teach

by Garnet Williams

Andrew Zwick '07, '12

A passion for teaching has taken Andrew Zwick ’07, ’12 around the world. In August, he moved to a school in Riga, Latvia, to teach history, geography, and global perspectives. He previously taught the same subjects to high school students in San Jose, Costa Rica.

Zwick earned both a bachelor’s degree in political science and a Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) at CCU.

“After earning my bachelor’s degree, I landed in Seoul, South Korea, and, though I never planned on being a teacher, I instantly fell in love with the city and the profession,” said Zwick. “After two years there, I returned to the states, where Dr. Pam Martin [professor of political science and international relations at CCU] guided me to the M.A.T. program. This was a wonderful experience. I highly recommend the M.A.T. program for any teacher who wants to not only improve themselves but open their career possibilities.”

According to Martin, Zwick was a key leader in the global studies cohort of students in the political science department.

“He is what every professor would want for their student: taking their passions and skills, experiencing the world, and giving back to students all over our planet,” said Martin. “To say I am proud of him and honored to call him a colleague is an understatement.”

Zwick credits his CCU education with giving him the opportunity to teach in South Carolina, South Korea, Kazakhstan, Egypt, Costa Rica, and now Latvia.

“CCU has made me the man I am today,” said Zwick. “My time as an undergraduate made me hungry to learn and eager to explore our planet, while the M.A.T. program gave me the skills to excel in teaching, which allows me to do both of those. I literally would not be where I am today without them, including meeting my wife, Louise (a primary school teacher from England), while teaching abroad. I will be forever grateful to CCU and my wonderful professors for giving me the knowledge and ability to get out into the world.” 

In his words

“My time as an undergraduate made me hungry to learn and eager to explore our planet, while the M.A.T. program gave me the skills to excel in teaching, which allows me to do both of those... I will be forever grateful to CCU and my wonderful professors for giving me the knowledge and ability to get out into the world.”