Alumni Class Notes
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Alumni Profiles
- Chanticleers cross paths
- Elanna Rubenstein: A touch of teal at ESPN
- In Memoriam: Robert “Duke” Brown (1922-2016)
1975
Barbara J. Blain-Bellamy was elected mayor of Conway in 2015. She served on Conway City Council for 10 years, and she also served four years as deputy city administrator.
1997
Lucy A. Aplan graduated in May 2015 from Pennsylvania State University with an associate degree in medical laboratory technology. She passed the American Society for Clinical Pathology board exam in August and is now a certified medical laboratory technician.
1998
Tracy A. Erwin visited her alma mater in October with her stepson Jacob, a senior at Pee Dee Academy in Marion County. She worked in marine science before pursuing a career as a speech pathologist. Jacob plans to attend CCU and major in exercise and sport science.
2000
Guy Ackerman was recently named director of sales for Lennar Homes’ Coastal Carolina division. He helped lead the division to a record-breaking year in sales in his former role as area sales manager. He lives in Mount Pleasant with his wife Renee and two children, Cole and Caitlin.
Kelly Miles Barr, a seventh-grade math teacher at Gilmer County High School in Glenville, W.Va., has been selected as a Renaissance Learning Distinguished Educator for her work with the STAR Math program. She has submitted a presentation proposal for the National Council of Math Teachers conference.
2004
Brooke Cox, senior director of Tidelands Health Group, has been named practice administrator manager of the year by a statewide organization of her peers. The award recognizes her for outstanding leadership of the South Carolina Medical Group Managers Association chapter, for enhancing the strategic operational effectiveness of Tidelands Health and for promoting quality health care delivery to patients. She earned a master’s degree in health administration from the Medical University of South Carolina.
Leah Lubas, formerly the general manager of Dagwood’s Deli, is now a member of the CresCom Bank retail mortgage operations team. Teena Bailey Rogers, a columnist for the Florence Morning News, splits her residence between Dillon and Florence, where she lives as a newlywed with her husband Allan.
2006
Travis Dannelly has been promoted to development officer and assistant vice president with CresCom Bank.
Casey Gelvin has been named a staff accountant at Mount Pleasant-based Johnson & Lanning CPAs. She began her public accounting career soon after graduation and came to Johnson & Lanning in January 2015.
Christopher A. Halkowitz CPA, CFE, senior manager at Scott and Company LLC, one of South Carolina’s leading accounting, tax and consulting firms, has been promoted to the position of member of the firm. He is an active member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the S.C. Association of Certified Public Accountants and the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners.
2009
Samantha E. Durham earned a master’s degree in social work. For the last five years, she has been a part-time therapist at a community center in New Jersey working with young children and their families.
Angela Nordeen is obtaining a master’s degree on a dual track of school and clinical counseling at Lenoir-Rhyne University in Hickory, N.C. She plans to return to Myrtle Beach area in the summer of 2017 to complete internships in both areas.
Chelsea Trimper recently celebrated her third anniversary at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Kapalua, Hawaii, where she was hired as a naturalist with Jean-Michel Cousteau’s Ambassadors of the Environment program. A resident of Maui, Trimper earned the Ritz-Carlton “5 Star Award” as the Learning Coach/Supervisor of the Year in 2014.
2010
Kathryn Callahan was recently named the marketing coordinator for Zodiac Nautic North America, based in Summerville, S.C. She handles marketing, social media and press conferences, and she serves as the parts and accessories sales coordinator.
2011
Roosevelt Corbett and Fredricka Dillard were married on Saturday, Sept. 26, 2015, at the Millstone at Adam’s Pond in Columbia, S.C.
Jennifer K. Gracia has been accepted into the master of social work program at the University of Southern California.
2012
Rebekah Harding is a member of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Myrtle Beach Real Estate’s top producing team, The Horonzy Group. As a student, she held an internship with Berkshire Hathaway.
Nicholas J. Mazzocchi is a production assistant for The Chew on ABC.
Jesse D. Nevins is a membership coordinator and teacher with CREATE!, a Conway artist group that is building an artistically vibrant community by supporting regional artists and promoting public participation in the arts. She also teaches an after-school program for elementary school-age students at the Mary Thompson Building in Collins Park.
2013
Karen Kowalewski of Bel Air, Md., is an assistant account executive at GKV, a strategic communications firm. She oversees projects and performs day-to-day relationship management functions for clients.
Vanessa L. Suggs has worked as a travel nurse at East Texas Medical Center, the Medical University of South Carolina and Duke University Hospital. She plans to move to the Dominican Republic to serve as a full-time medical missionary through SCORE International, providing quality medical care to Dominicans and Haitians in sugar cane villages.
2014
Lillian Carroll is a special educator at Myrtle Beach Primary School. She is also earning a master’s degree in educational leadership at CCU.
Russel Kanner recently graduated from U.S. Air Force basic training as an airman first class.
Patrick S. O’Brien was named program director for the First Tee of the Grand Strand. He is the lead coach at Eagle Nest Golf Club’s after-school program and works the bag drop at Barefoot Resort’s Dye Club. He held an internship with the PGA of America’s Northern Texas Section based in Dallas from January through August 2014 and ran the section’s junior series for ages 7-17.
Justin Portillo, a third-year mid-fielder, has rejoined the Charlotte Battery soccer club for the 2016 season.
Christopher Seger joined Vanacore, DeBenedictus, DiGovanni & Weddell as an associate accountant, working in Newburgh, N.Y. He earned a master’s degree in accounting with a focus on taxes.
2015
Lauren Colombi plans to pursue a master’s degree in inpatient/outpatient psychology at Baruch College in Manhattan, N.Y.
Jennifer Cangeme is a recipient of the James E. Clyburn Fellowship sponsored by the South Carolina Democratic Party. She is one of three recipients from Horry County.
Rachel McMillan works as an operations analyst for Wells Fargo in Charlotte, N.C.
LeAna Norman is the co-owner of Contagious Cuts, an upscale barbershop in Myrtle Beach. While pursuing a degree in psychology at Coastal Carolina University, she also earned a barber license. She attributes the knowledge she gained at CCU as the impetus for starting her own business.