Alumni Class Notes September 2024-January 2025

1970s

Birty Lightner ’76, ’83M graduated in May 2024 from Liberty University, earning a Doctorate in Education with an emphasis in curriculum and design.

Tim Griffin ’78, along with his current company, Hagerty Consulting, is helping support response and recovery efforts in North Carolina following Hurricane Helene.

Sara Winslow ’78 completed nine years of service on the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council representing North Carolina.

Terry Shew ’79 recently retired and is playing golf and planning to travel to every state in America.

David Small ’79 is the managing broker and career development coach for Intracoastal Realty in their Lumina Station office in Wilmington, NC.

1980s

Jim Godwin ’80 was named Volunteer of the Year at Bon Secours Memorial Regional Medical Center, where he works with the patients and nurses of the Infusion Center. He recently retired from Bon Secours Mercy Health after 40 years in healthcare as a human resources leader.

Chris Shove ’81, founder and owner of SIMWERX LLC, produced the new STEM education computer game   “Mars Bot Battle” on Steam Games to encourage youth to enter space education and careers.

Nancy Khaghani ’84 recently retired from the Department of Defense after serving as a senior financial manager for more than 40 years and working overseas for 11.

Wanda McLamb ’85 started her 40th year of teaching in Brunswick County, NC.

Kim Anderson ’86 was featured on the cover of Real Producers magazine as the highest achieving real estate sales broker in Brunswick County, NC.

Stephania Sarvis ’88 retired after 30 years of working as a juvenile court counselor with the North Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice.

1990s

Eddena McLean-Collins ’90 retired after 30 years of service with the North Carolina Department of Adult Corrections where she was a chief probation/parole officer. She was awarded the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, one of the state’s most prestigious awards.

Tracy Beal ’92 retired from teaching. Her middle son, Clay Beal, will graduate from UNCW in May 2025 with a graduate degree in business analytics.

Terry Landrigan ’93 is a mentor in the Cameron Executive Network in the UNCW Cameron School of Business.

Line Dempsey ’94 serves as a Riccobene Associates Family Dentistry board member and president for the Council on Licensure Enforcement and Regulation.

Brooke Nigro ’94 was named project director for the New Hanover Healthcare Career Partnership.

Michele Simmons ’94 is celebrating her 30th year anniversary at Duke University Health System.

Angela Ateyeh ’95 enrolled in graduate school and finished her master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling. She now works as an LCMHCA in a group practice in Asheville, NC.

Nicole Singletary ’95 was recognized with a statewide Prevention Pioneer Award from the Alcohol Drug Council of North Carolina for her dedication to the mission of preventing state residents from developing substance use disorders.

Rebecca Thiry ’96 received a Master of Project Management through the distance learning program at Western Carolina University. She has served as a project manager in the healthcare IT and clinical research space for more than 20 years.

Colin Heaton II ’97 was a historian for the series "Masters of the Air," directed by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg. After years of writing books and making documentaries, he is now a producer of films, currently working on three of his own historical film projects.

Gloria Foss ’97 retired after 21 years of teaching and started volunteering in national parks. Her experience teaching elementary students prepared her for opportunities to teach ranger programs and host campers in Zion National, Mammoth National and Acadia National Park.

April Thompson ’98 won the 2024–25 Alderman Elementary Teacher of the Year Award and was a finalist for the New Hanover County Schools Educator of the Year.

2000s

Subhan Anwari’s ’00 small business, Permanent Vacation Skate and Surf Shop, celebrated its 14th anniversary in January 2025.

Samuel Briggs ’01 received the Secretary’s Meritorious Service Silver Medal, from former United States Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, for his work dismantling a drug trafficking organization.

Todd Nifong ’01 was appointed to the North Carolina Amateur Sports Board.

Kelly Prestipino ’02 published her first book, Fuquay-Varina Ghosts, Legends and Lore, in conjunction with starting the business Fuquay-Varina Ghosts, which provides historic tours mixed with outdoor theatre.

Jennifer Daniel ’03 was chosen for the 2024 National Association for Gifted Children’s Javits-Frasier Scholars Program and was honored at the NAGC national convention.

Shawna Kenney ’07 co-wrote a new true crime memoir, Graffiti Gangster.

Duncan Hill ’09 cohosts a personal finance podcast called “Ask the Compound” with acclaimed financial writer Ben Carlson.

Cheston Saunders ’09 received the 2024 Two-Year College Biology Teaching Award from the National Association of Biology Teachers.

2010s

Annie Cormier ’11 and Joseph Latterner ’05,’13M welcomed their daughter, Eleanor Katherine Latterner, in June 2024.

Maria White ’11, ’14M received the Postdoctoral Award for Research Excellence at UNC-Chapel Hill and a Lymphoma Research Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship Grant to fund cancer research through 2028.

Katherine McFarland ’13 currently works for Universal Studios helping to open and maintain their new theme park Epic Universe. She manages a team of scenic artists, painters and maintenance technicians to ensure the park is running at its safest and highest quality.

Stephen Ruiz ’13 appeared on "Jeopardy" Dec. 3–5, winning two episodes. He returned on Jan. 14
to appear in the Champions Wild Card tournament.

Tara Baran ’17 was voted “Best Occupational Therapist” in the 2024 Shorepicks Community Choice Awards in Wilmington, NC.

Robert Foster ’17 completed the Uwharrie 100K ultramarathon in October 2024. He returned to UNCW in 2022 to serve as an assistant athletic trainer.

Megan Wordsworth ’17 worked as an associate producer on a Christmas film that premiered on the Great American Family Network in December 2024.

Mandy Watson ’18 received the 2024 Cone Health Nurse Excellence Award and was honored among 2024 NC Great 100 Nurses.

2020s

Briana Reichenberg ’20 married her boyfriend of six years in October. They met at UNCW’s library.

Milton Gore Jr. ’21 and Lashaun Noel ’21 got engaged in July 2023. Gore also recently began a new role as the assistant director for strategic enrollment initiatives within Student Engagement, Enrollment and Retention at UNCW.

Ngoziabata Hunter ’21 was selected to speak at a conference in Sydney, Australia on how the arts and culture sector can attract Gen Z.

Erin Polich ’22 worked on a horror feature after graduating and was hired at Lighthouse Films as a postproduction assistant.

Jacqueline Broadwater ’23 received the Nurse Daisy Leadership Award and is currently enrolled in graduate school for her AGAC–NP.

Yazmin Flores’ ’24 flash fiction story, The Goat Catharsis, was named a finalist for NC State University’s 2024 Fiction Contest.

Mia Keegan ’24 is pursuing a Master of Science in Accountancy at UNCW and has accepted a full-time job offer to work in public accounting following graduation.

Macie Musselwhite ’24 recently got a job as a fishery observer in Alaska for the Alaskan crab program.

Quentin Proulx ’24 filmed a feature length film called Clementine Rodeo in June 2024.

Ava Wiesler ’24 started a full-time job at Red Moon Marketing after hearing about the company at an insightful CSB Business Week seminar.

Ben Woodward ’24 was accepted to UNC-Chapel Hill’s School of Medicine. He transitioned to medical school straight from his undergraduate program, a feat achieved by less than 10% of his
UNC cohort.

Hampton Young ’24 is currently using her bachelor’s degree in psychology to pursue a job in applied behavior analysis (ABA) as a registered behavioral technician.