Class Notes

William H. Horton, CAS ’76

was named as a 2017 Best Lawyer in America in the area of Commercial Litigation.

Alisa Clapp-Itnyre, Ph.D., CAS ’89

is a professor of English at Indiana University East in Richmond, Indiana. She teaches Victorian and children’s literature, and has been director of the Honors Program there since 2010. Clapp-Itnyre had her third book published, “British Hymn Books for Children 1800-1900: Re-Tuning the History of Childhood” (Ashgate/Routledge, 2016) in the Studies in Childhood, 1700-Present series. She took inspiration for research from Dr. Jane and Robert Eberwein, her professors while at OU in the 1980s.

John M. Cowan, CAS ’82

recently celebrated his 30th anniversary with his wife, Maggie. He's been working at Ragan Communications for more than 25 years, writing and editing articles on employee communications, management, speechwriting, and other pieces. He also writes a fiction blog.

Peter Edmund Millet, Ph.D., CAS ’85

has been named as Executive Vice President for Institutional Advancement at Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee.

Robin Murray, CAS ’83

recently published “Monstrous Nature: Environment” and Horror on the Big Screen (U Nebraska Press 2016), with Joseph K. Heumann. This book demonstrates how the horror film and its offshoots can often be understood in relation to a monstrous nature that has evolved either deliberately or by accident and that generates fear in humanity as both character and audience.

Mildred Pivoz, SEHS ’92, ’76

was recognized by Continental Who's Who as a Pinnacle Professional in the field of Non-Profit Organization. She recently retired from her position of 12 years as assistant manager and counselor at Oakland County Michigan Works.

Shawn Ward, SECS ’98

announced the launching of Williamson Goods, a luxury sports manufacturer in Detroit.

Gregory Zub, SBA ’99

received recognition from Northwestern Mutual for the company's Top Producer 2016 award for an outstanding year of helping clients achieve financial security.

Esther Fleece, CAS ’05

released her first book “No More Faking Fine”, published by Zondervan. “No More Faking Fine” is an invitation to get gut-level honest with God through the life-giving language of lament. Lament, a practice woven throughout Scripture, is a prayer that God never ignores, never silences, and never wastes. Fleece says, “Lament is the unexpected pathway to true intimacy with God, and with those around us.” Drawing from careful biblical study and hard-won insight, Fleece reveals how to use God’s own language to draw closer to Him.

Hassane El-Khoury, SECS ’07

has been named CEO and board member of Cypress Semiconductor Corporation. Prior to joining Cypress in 2007, he was employed with Continental Automotive Systems in the U.S., Germany and Japan.

Mike Lerchenfeldt, SEHS ’08

presented at the Michigan Digital Learning Conference. He received an education grant for his science classroom from the Michigan Association of Environmental Professionals. Lerchenfeldt's article, “The Toxic Environment of Standardized Testing,” was published in the The Detroit News.

Matthew Loria, SBA ’00

was listed among dBusiness magazine’s 30 in Their Thirties. He is a partner of Auxiom, based in Madison Heights, Michigan. Auxiom supplies small-to mid-sized business with IT services.

Judy Steele, SEHS ’02, ’98

wrote “Erupted and Evolved,” a collection of poetry that was published by Christian Faith Publishing.

Julia Libcke, SON ’00

has been awarded with the 2016 Nurse Executive Role Award presented by the Association of Rehabilitation Nurses. This award recognizes a nurse in an executive role who has made a significant impact to the advancement of rehabilitation nursing care.

Nicole Tabin, CAS ’05

was named the 2016 Distinguished Service Award recipient by the Oakland County Bar Association.

Mali Walton, CAS ’01

has recently been inducted into the Greater Flint Area Sports Hall of Fame. Mali played professional soccer in 1995 and retired in 2003, but came back for a season in 2008 in St. Louis, Missouri. Some of his records at OU still stand today.

Joseph Jaksa, Ph.D., SEHS ’10

recently released the textbook “Security 101 – An Introduction to the Private Security Industry” published by Carolina Academic Press.

Casey Kandow, SBA ’13

has been appointed COO of McLaren Greater Lansing. Prior to this appointment, Kandow served in a number of roles with the McLaren Heath Care system.

Sara Singer, MD, OUWB ’15

was recognized with The Excellence in Teaching Award 2016 from the Department of Internal Medicine at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.