Alumni News

In each issue of Life 360 we publicize the professional achievements of HHS alumni. Please share your news with us at www.purdue.edu/hhsupdate.

 

1950s

Helen Waltman-Peasley, HE '50, retired 31 years ago from VOHMZ Corporation and is now living in a senior community in Missoula, MT

Thomas Smith, HK '53, San Jose, CA, is a retired professor of park management from West Valley College, Saratoga, CA. He recently published the book, A Ranger Pure and Simple. The book is available on amazon.com, and you can read more about Smith's career in the article, Great Outdoorsman.

 

1960s

Dr. Janet (Marsh) Johnson, HE '63, Roanoke, VA, was recently honored as a 2014–15 inductee into the Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Hall of Fame. She is dean emeritus of the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences at Virginia Tech and has been active in the Department of Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise since her retirement.

Thomas Speaker Jr., HK '63, West Lafayette, IN, published the book, Here Come the Pennsylvania Dutch. The book is available on amazon.com.

 

1970s

Dr. Kathleen (Stark) Williams, SLHS '70, recently authored Phonological and Print Awareness Scale and a companion book, Building Early Literacy Skills. She is also the author of the Expressive Vocabulary Test co-normed with the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test and the OWLS Reading Comprehension Scale.

Bob Holda, HTM '75, has authored, Respite Tourism for Family Caregivers, making him a sole contributor from the United States to an international academic population. Part of the Advances in Hospitality, Tourism, and the Services Industry book series, this publication offers a succinct discussion on the niche topic of patient mobility and new opportunities for health services across borders. Bob lives in Lafayette, IN.

Nancy Burge Alarcon, SLHS '77, has been promoted to principal lecturer and director of clinical education in speech and hearing sciences at the University of Washington. She was awarded the 2013 University of Washington David B. Thorud Leadership Award as a faculty member.

Diane (Carroll) Danchi, RD, LDN, NUTR '78, has worked as a wellness dietician at Rex Wellness Centers in the Raleigh, NC, area for more than 10 years. Her position includes one-on-one nutrition counseling, teaching classes, blogging, public speaking and the occasional TV appearance. She was appointed to the North Carolina Board of Dietetics and Nutrition by Speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives, Thom Tillis, in 2012 and is currently serving a three-year term.

 

1980s

Ann (Burford) Bilodeau, SLHS '82, MS SLHS '84, Indianapolis, IN, is now a faculty member and clinic director of the Butler University Speech and Language Clinic. She was recently appointed by Governor Mike Pence to serve on the Indiana Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Licensure Board.

Dr. J. Mark Davis, PhD HK '82, Columbia, SC, was named to the Aegis Shield Expert Panel. The panel will work with Aegis Sciences Corporation to provide insight on programs and education to protect athletes from inadvertently consuming banned substances in dietary supplements, over-the-counter drugs and prescription medications.

Kathleen (Bohm) Prechtel, NUTR '83, has been selected as a 2015-2016 co-chair for the Purdue Parent and Family Advisory Board. She has been working as a registered dietician since 1984.

Capt. Dawn Richardson, HTM '83, retired from the U.S. Navy in 2014 and opened the Mermaids' Porch Bed and Breakfast in Portsmouth, VA.

Stephen Leist, HTM '84, was named a 2015 Power Broker by Risk & Insurance magazine for his knowledge and services provided in the entertainment/hospitality industry in Louisville, KY

 

1990s

DR. Regina "Jean" Eckrich, PhD HK '90, Hopkinton, NH, was honored with the Nancy Beyer Opler '56 Award for Excellence in Advising. She is professor and chair of exercise and sport sciences at Colby-Sawyer College.

Kristina (Greer) Serra, HK '93, West Lafayette, IN, received the 2015 Greater Lafayette Commerce Golden Apple Award which recognizes the area's most outstanding teachers in grades K-12. Serra teaches physical education and computer lab at St. Mary Cathedral School.

Annette (Beck) Feerst, PSY '94, Clovis, CA, received her master's in counseling from University of California at Fresno in May.

Jennifer (Peters) LaMarca, HDFS '95, has been promoted to assistant clinical director at Little Star Center in Carmel, IN.

Christina (La Pan) Downey, PSY '99, Noblesville, IN, is an associate professor of psychology at Indiana University and is being inducted into the Faculty Colloquium on Excellence in Teaching (FACET), which has the goal of promoting and sustaining excellence in teaching among IU faculty.

 

2000s

Casey (Cox) Dexter, HTM '01, is director of donor relations and events for the College of Health and Human Sciences in West Lafayette, IN.

Amy Boardman Patten, NUR '01, is a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) and consultant at The World Bank Group in Washington, D.C.

Beth Riedeman, HDFS '02, is now the Indiana Non-Formal Child Development Associate (CDA) project coordinator for the Indiana Association for the Education of Young Children. The Non-Formal CDA project assists child care professionals across the state in obtaining their CDA credentials.

Jessica (Butcher) Eisenberg, CSR '04, is meetings and events manager at Snowsports Industries America in Washington, DC.

Abbey Harper, CSR '05, has recently been promoted to strategic account executive for CVS Health in Scottsdale, AZ.

Megan (Garrity) Mussano, SLHS '09, Hoffman Estates, IL, recently co-authored, Practical Strategies for Increasing Communication and Success for Students with Exceptional Needs in the February/March 2015 issue of Closing the Gap Solutions, a national magazine that focuses on how to incorporate assistive technology into the lives of persons with disabilities.

 

2010s

Rachael (Griffin) Shewmake, SLHS '10, Oak Lawn, IL, a Dona- certified doula, has founded Tender Loving Doula, offering doula services to pregnant women.

Victoria Loong, PSY '14, currently serves as the inaugural interim director of the Asian American and Asian Resource and Cultural Center (AAARCC) at Purdue University.

Though their conferred degrees may have come from departments named differently at the time, the alumni listed in Generations are matched with the academic units by the current names.

 

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