Alumni Updates & Recognitions

Dover Federal Credit Union is pleased to announce that Alisha Cooper, MPA '15 has joined the Credit Union, as a Mortgage Loan Originator. Cooper brings a wealth of knowledge and 25 years of experience in the mortgage industry.

Cooper holds an MPA from Widener University and comes with a plethora of experience and passion about increasing homeownership.

Klehr Harrison Harvey Branzburg LLP is excited to announce that Corey Smith '96 has joined the law firm as Chief Operating Officer (COO). Smith comes to Klehr Harrison after nearly 16 years at Dechert LLP, where he also served as COO. Smith has over 27 years of experience in financial and operational management, performance improvement and regulatory compliance. 

In addition to his former role as COO at Dechert, he previously served as Chief Financial Officer and Director of Global Financial Operations, where he was instrumental in centralizing and consolidating the financial functions to support the firm’s growing global footprint. He is adept at successfully completing key strategic initiatives, including operational performance improvement, revenue enhancement and cost reduction initiatives.

Smith holds a degree in accounting from Widener University.

Donna Dorozinsky '89, the Founder and CEO of Just in Time GCP, was recognized by Inc. 5000 for her fourth consecutive year. Just in Time GCP focuses on optimizing the quality of clinical research, and was named to the list for consistently driving rapid revenue growth while successfully navigating inflationary pressure, the rising costs of capital, and hiring challenges. The prestigious ranking provides a data-driven look at the country's most successful independent entrepreneurial businesses. 

Dorozinsky attended Gwynedd Mercy University where she earned both an A.D. and B.S. in Nursing and later received a Master’s in Nursing from Widener University. Recognized as a leader in the industry, she was a finalist for the EY Entrepreneur of the Year Philadelphia region in 2022 and a finalist for the PACT Life Sciences CEO of the Year in 2024. The company was also named one of JP Morgan's 50 Fastest Growing Woman-Owned Companies in 2021 and 2022. 

Joseph Mancuso, DEd. '14 was recently inducted into the Connellsville Area Falcon Foundation Hall of Fame as a distinguished graduate of Connellsville Area High School. Mancuso was chosen for this honor due to his professional achievements in the field of education. He attended Edinboro University on a football scholarship and earned a history degree, later returning to teach and coach at Connellsville. Mancuso served the district in a variety of roles including as an assistant principal, high school principal and assistant superintendent.

In 2018, Mancuso accepted a position as superintendent of the Eastern York School District, which has received national recognition for its educational excellence, including being ranked as the best high school in Pennsylvania for seven consecutive years.

Mancuso also holds a master's degree from Shippensburg University and a doctorate in education from Widener University.

Michael Birdsall '97 CPA, CFE, was named the 2024 Beta Alpha Psi Distinguished Accounting Alumnus. Birdsall is Vice President of Credit Risk and Fraud Mitigation for Comcast Cable, leading all aspects of consumer risk mitigation strategies and operations. Since joining Comcast in 2002, he has been a driving force behind several significant risk-focused initiatives, such as developing and implementing the company’s whistleblower program and forming several risk management teams, including his current team. Birdsall has extensive experience in fraud risk management and was a task force member involved in developing COSO’s 2016 Fraud Risk Management Guide.

Prior to his current role, Birdsall held several senior leadership positions within Comcast’s Global Audit team, where he led CGA’s data analytics and automation programs, as well as a business integrity team, focused on investigating whistleblower complaints and conducting proactive fraud reviews. 

Before joining Comcast, Birdsall worked at KPMG LLP in their assurance and advisory practices. He holds an undergraduate degree in Accounting from Widener University. Birdsall resides in Malvern, PA with his wife and three children.

Central Bucks School District is proud to announce that Robert Freiling '08 has been appointed Director of Human Resources. Freiling comes to the district from the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania where he served as director of human resources for the hospital's food services provider. 

As the principal leader for an on-site team serving 330-plus members in a complex Ivy League healthcare environment, Freiling implemented strategies to optimize internal job posting, external recruitment, pre-employment hiring, and on-boarding processes. His responsibilities included overseeing compensation, benefits, workplace safety, labor relations, and employee recognition and engagement. Freiling has also worked at Franklin & Marshall College and the Harrisburg University of Science and Technology.

He graduated from Widener University in 2008 with a degree in government and politics and earned his Master of Business Administration from Holy Family University in 2014.

Villanova University is proud to announce that Aaron Green '19 has been named the Assistant Coach of Swimming and Diving. Green comes to Villanova after spending the last season at MIT as the men's and women's swimming and diving assistant coach. Before coaching, he logged a decorated swimming career at Widener University where he was a three-time MAC Swimmer of the Year.

Green was a part of an MIT staff that saw great success in the 2023-24 season, highlighted by a fifth-place finish at the NCAA Division III Championships by the women's team along with a pair of National Champions and a National Record performer in the 100 Back. 

Green graduated from Widener in 2019 with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies, Public Relations, Advertising and Marketing. He also earned a master's degree in Higher Education Leadership at the University of Lynchburg in Virginia.

Chris Hazel '16 will oversee the Reading Royals' ticketing department in his new role as Director of Ticketing. A Reading, Pennsylvania native, Hazel is entering his 11th season with the Royals. He started as an intern in 2014 while earning a degree in management at Widener University and became a full-time member in 2016 as a Client Development Executive. Since then, he has been promoted to Group Sales Manager, Director of Group Sales, and now Director of Ticketing.

Mark Mehok '96 has been named Senior Vice President of Sales and Business Development for MyOfficeOps, a West Chester, PA based company that specializes in accounting, bookkeeping, and business consulting services for medium-sized businesses.

Mehok, who earned a bachelor’s degree in Sports Medicine from the University of Pittsburgh and a master’s degree in Physical Therapy from Widener University, began his career as a physical therapist. He then earned an MBA from Penn State and pivoted to orthopedic medical device sales, where he grew his distributorship over the course of the next 22 years. 

Throughout his career, Mehok has routinely served on the advisory boards of several different companies, assisting them with their sales, strategic planning, and profitability.

Blessings in a Backpack, the only national organization solely dedicated to feeding kids on the weekend, has appointed Tiffany Brown '92 of Atlanta, Georgia managing director of Alvarez & Marsal’s Corporate Performance Improvement division, as the board’s newest member. 

Brown joined Alvarez & Marsal (A&M) in April 2023, where she is the managing director and the North American solution leader for the CFO Services practice within A&M’s Corporate Performance Improvement division. In her role, Brown partners with Fortune 1000 companies to architect and execute transformational initiatives that fuel growth, right-size costs and create high-performing organizations. Brown has over 25 years of experience as a trusted advisor and delivery partner to C-suite executives.

Brown earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting from Widener University and a Master of Business Administration from Penn State University. 

Cynthia Horton ’84 ’90, Professor of Nursing at Cecil College in Maryland, was awarded the Dr. Peg E. Daw Nurse Faculty Award from the Maryland Higher Education Commission for her contributions to nursing education. Horton was honored for her teaching techniques which ensure that the nursing curriculum reflects the needs of future nurses in the workforce. Horton’s work on curriculum development has been published, and she has presented at national and international conferences. She has also served as an editor for the publication, Teaching and Learning in Nursing, a peer-reviewed journal that provides information on nursing education, practice, administration, and research.  

Horton earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Widener University and a doctorate at Immaculata University.

The University of Southern Indiana is proud to announce that David Henriques, DEd. '96 '12 has been appointed the new Executive Director for Student Success. In this role, he will provide strategic leadership and vision to enhance student success, retention and graduation rates. Previously, Henriques served in a variety of faculty and administrative roles supporting student equity, transition, belonging, success, persistence and retention, and campus-wide academic advising programs. Most recently, Henriques served as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Academic Advisement and Student Development at Millersville University of Pennsylvania.

Henriques earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology and his master’s degree in clinical psychology, both from Millersville University of Pennsylvania. He also holds a master’s degree in adult education and a doctorate in higher education administration, both from Widener University.

Ernst & Young LLP is pleased to announce that Domenic Colasante '10, CEO and Co-Founder of 2X, a pioneer in B2B-focused marketing, was named an Entrepreneur Of The Year 2024 Greater Philadelphia Award winner. Entrepreneur Of The Year is the preeminent competitive awards program for entrepreneurs and leaders of high-growth companies. Candidates for this honor are evaluated based on their ability to create long-term value through entrepreneurial spirit, commitment to their purpose, and demonstrating growth and substantial impact. As a Greater Philadelphia award winner, Colasante is now eligible for consideration for the Entrepreneur Of The Year 2024 National Awards. 

Colasante earned a degree in management from Widener University and currently serves as a university trustee. 

George Williams ’84 was recently appointed the new chair of the UL Research Institutes (ULRI) Board of Trustees, having served on the board since 2008. Williams is the retired former chair and Chief Executive Officer of PMI Energy Solutions. He has over 40 years of experience in the utility industry and has held executive and senior leadership roles at El Paso Electric Company, Exelon Corporation, Entergy Corporation, and Progress Energy. 

Williams brings nuclear energy experience from prior positions at PPL Corporation and PECO Energy Company. He also serves on the board of directors of UL Solutions Inc. Williams holds a degree in electrical engineering from Widener University and an MBA from Saint Joseph’s University.

Julie Dietrich, Ed.D. ’18 was named a 2024 trailblazer in higher education by City & State Pennsylvania. Dietrich, who serves as the executive director for external relations at West Chester University, acts as the institution’s primary government relations officer, cultivating and sustaining relationships with local, state, and federal elected officials and their offices, and a liaison within the community. Through this position, Dietrich focuses on executing strategic community and economic development, as well as, facilitating communication and negotiating partnerships among key leaders to help leverage and optimize the use of institutional assets and address community needs.

Dietrich holds an Ed.D. in higher education leadership from Widener University, where she previously led government relations, and has taught philosophy and business at West Chester University. Dietrich also holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in philosophy from West Chester University.

Kevin Draeger ’24 and Meghan Rampolla ’25 are proud to announce their engagement! Draeger and Rampolla met during their first year at the University and quickly learned that they had many common interests. Both Draeger and Rampolla were involved in the Army ROTC Dauntless Battalion and realized that they both had grandfathers who attended Widener University’s predecessor institution, Pennsylvania Military College. Rampolla’s grandfather is Dr. Robert Hawley ’62 and Draeger’s grandfather is John M. Lennon ’71.

Draeger proposed to Rampolla at Longwood Gardens in April 2024 and their wedding date is set for January 2025. Since graduation, Draeger has commissioned as a second lieutenant in the medical services corps of the army and is beginning active duty at Fort Liberty in North Carolina. Rampolla will join Draeger at Fort Liberty after completing her nursing degree at Widener in May 2025. She also plans to enter active duty as a second lieutenant in the army nurse corps. 

Susan Rux, Ph.D. '04 '16 was awarded a $564,000 grant from the Department of Defense to study clinical trial enrollment of under-represented kidney cancer patients. With more than 29 years of experience in the health care field, Rux serves as associate vice president of professional nursing practice and nursing research with Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia, PA. Her previous professional roles have included dean of academic affairs, chief nursing officer and nursing education consultant.

Rux, a graduate of the Pottsville Hospital School of Nursing, continued her education and earned a bachelor's degree in nursing from Penn State University and a master's in nursing, with an emphasis in adult health clinical nurse specialist; a post master's in nursing education; and a Ph.D. in nursing science and research from Widener University. Additionally, Rux received a second doctorate from Walden University, as well as a post master's in nursing administration from Villanova University.

Niko Dinoulis had always aspired to work in sports, specifically soccer. A lifelong fan of the sport and huge Philadelphia Union fan since the club’s inaugural match in 2010, he was able to achieve this dream starting with Widener. During his senior year, the communications graduate landed an internship with the Union that blossomed into a career. Dinoulis currently works as coordinator of communications and PR at the Philadelphia Union. In this role, he is responsible for drafting club press releases, facilitating interviews for first and second teams, assisting with press conferences, and much more.

The 2024 Plankenhorn Alumni Award for Faculty Excellence was presented to Rachel Hickoff-Cresko, Ed.D. '09. Hickoff-Cresko serves as an associate professor of education at Lycoming College and has spent over 26 years in the field of education. Her research interests include the education of underserved students

Hickoff-Cresko earned a doctor of education degree with a specialization in reading and language arts from Widener University, a master’s of education specializing in teaching English from Universidad del Turabo, and a bachelor’s degree from Kutztown University. She is also a Fulbright-Hays Scholar. 

Sabrina Brooks '95 '99 was recently named to City and State Pennsylvania's 2024 list of Women Leaders in Pennsylvania. Brooks, who serves as PECO’s Director of Customer Strategy and Governance, joined the company in 1999 as an accountant. Brooks has held multiple positions at PECO and is responsible for enhancing PECO’s workforce development initiatives by collaborating with nonprofit organizations to help connect unemployed and underemployed individuals in the community with available positions at the utility company. Brooks is also a board member of the African American Museum in Philadelphia. 

Brooks holds a bachelor's degree in accounting, as well as, an MBA from Widener University.