Class News and Notes

In her early ministries, Sister Mary Ellen was a secondary school science educator at SNJM schools in Key West, FL., Silver Spring, MD and Albany, NY. She also did pastoral care and outreach ministry in a low-income Albany parish. She served twice in congregational leadership in Quebec as well as twice in provincial leadership in Oregon. She continues to contribute her skills and insights in consultee ways.

Sister Mary Pat’s ministry began with elementary school teaching, followed by nine years in school administration, including principal of the elementary school at AHN, Tampa. Subsequently, she used her history degree by maintaining Province archives and helping researchers access SNJM documents on topics including slavery and piracy. Her administrative skills helped her manage the Albany Convent grounds and provide technology support at AHN, Albany for over a decade.

 

Janet’s 60 years of ministry on the East Coast includes teaching music at The Arts Center and at AHN, Albany, lecturing and writing about worship and the arts at Union Theological Seminary in New York City, and consulting in U.S. synagogues. In retirement, she accompanies refugees as they settle into New York. She is filled with gratitude for family, friends and strangers who have taught her to live with openness, resilience, hope and happiness.

Stefania Bonnani '20

Paige Lewis ‘20          

Paige is attending Howard University.

 

Liz completed a 13-week boot camp in Paris Island, SC.  She then went on to graduate from Marine Core Combat Training in Camp Geiger, NC. Liz was stationed at a Navy base in Mississippi for schooling in aircraft maintenance administration and is now stationed at the Marine Corps Air Station in Iwakuni, Japan.

 

Jessica is at the US Naval Academy; she was selected for midshipman 6th battalion for next semester, one of only six in the entire brigade, and in charge of 5 companies!

 

After graduating Holy Names, Jacqueline-Ann attended Fairfield University in Connecticut on a Cross Country scholarship, where she majored in Management with a concentration in Human Resources and a Minor in Marketing. Jacqueline-Ann worked for numerous Fortune 500’s and 250’s during and after college before relocating to Sarasota, Florida and accepting an offer at a Commercial and Multi-Family Property Management Company as the Director of Marketing.

 

Since graduation from Holy Names, Kayla completed her Bachelor of Science degree at Hofstra University. Thereafter, she enrolled at The College of Malloy for and graduated with her nursing degree in May of 2021. Kayla is studying for the RN NYS board test while pursuing clinical studies at NY Presbyterian Hospital in Long Island, NY. Her plan is to work as an RN or a traveling RN for a year, then go to school part time to get her Nurse Practitioner license. Kayla’s goal is to open a Medical Spa that offers a variety of health and cosmetic services.

Anna graduated from Pepperdine University in 2019 and moved back to NY after graduation. She started in commercial real estate/development in NYC at Tishman Speyer, then moved on to receive a certificate of Interior Design from Parsons School of Design. Anna started working for Monica Fried Design, with projects in Manhattan and The Hamptons. She’s now in LA and branching out on her own with her company Ann Milton Interiors. (annamiltoninteriors.com)

 

Cate Vivian ‘14
Catie graduated from Saint Joseph’s University in 2018 and accepted a position with E&J Gallo Winery shortly thereafter. After working as a sales representative for a few years, Cate was promoted to District Manager of a sales team; after a year and a half in that role, Cate just accepted her newest role as a Market Development Manager based out of Northern Virginia. Read more of her story here: https://conta.cc/3X8MvPw

 

Alli is currently earning her master’s degree in Education.

 

Meghan went to college at Keene State in New Hampshire and graduated in 2017. When the pandemic started, Meghan was working on a COVID unit; she is now a Care Coordinator at St Peter’s Hospital.

 

Hannah is currently working full-time as a medical speech pathologist. She recently got engaged, and is in the process of planning a wedding in the midst of a pandemic with her fiancé!

After graduating from Holy Names, Morgan attended college at Cornell University in Ithaca NY. Between school years, she interned for a nonprofit in Albany supporting Public Defenders. Soon after graduating, Morgan moved to the DC area to work for a nonprofit focused on police reform and accountability. She returned to Albany in the spring of 2019 to work for a healthcare consulting firm and has been here ever since.

Meredith graduated from Cornell University in 2017 with a degree in Policy Analysis & Management. She then went on to get her Masters of Public Health at Yale University, graduating in 2019. Since then, she has moved to Boston where she’s been working for Clarion, a pharmaceutical and biotech strategy consulting firm.

 

Dominique has been working on earning her Associates degree in Business Administration, with the goal of owning her own business to balance work and personal life on her own terms.

She recently got engaged and is extremely excited to start her own family!

 

Jennifer graduated from Fairfield University in 2017 with her Bachelor of Science in Nursing. While currently working in the Cardiovascular ICU at Albany Med, she is also in the process of earning a master’s degree from SUNY Polytechnic Institute’s Family Nurse Practitioner program.

 

MiKaila has started modeling and has thankfully been able to continue working during the pandemic. She also recently got married to her amazing husband!

 

Hannah has been living in Nashville since she moved there for college and has been working in the music business since 2017 while studying for her certified financial planner license.

 

After graduation, Allison earned a bachelor’s degree in Psychology, and went on to work as an elementary Special Education teaching assistant in the City School District of Albany, while simultaneously working towards her master’s degree in Social Work at The College of Saint Rose.

 

Since graduating from Holy Names Amanda has gone on to complete her bachelor’s degree at SUNY Oneonta, where she majored in Psychology and had a double minor in Sociology and Criminal Justice. After graduation she moved back to the Albany area to begin her Master's in Education at The College of Saint Rose.  While attending graduate school Amanda had the privilege of returning to Holy Names for a year as a substitute teacher, which she loved. After graduating from Saint Rose in May 2020 she moved to the Rochester area and has been working full time as an Elementary School Counselor at a charter school in the city of Rochester and loving it!

After graduating from Holy Names, Amy pursued her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree at Mount Saint Mary College in Newburgh, NY, graduating in 2017 and going on to work as a Registered Nurse at Albany Medical Center. Amy worked in the pediatric float pool until November 2018 before transferring to the General Pediatrics Clinic and is now Lead Coordinator of the Eastern Counties of NYS. In October 2019, Amy got married at Franklin Plaza Ballroom; she and her family, including new baby Danielle, reside close to AHN in Albany. Amy began graduate school through Duke University in January 2019 and will complete her degree as a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner in May of 2021!

Catherine Maloy '13

Catherine graduated from Boston College with double majors in finance and marketing, and a minor in history. During her time at BC, she also ran Division 1 cross country and track and field and was selected as captain her senior year. Upon graduation, Catherine moved to New York City and began working as a corporate financial planner. Catherine now lives in Seattle and works for Amazon Web Services as a senior financial analyst in the Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning division.

 

Since graduating from Academy of the Holy Names Amanda has gone on to get her Bachelor of Science in Psychology at SUNY Oneonta, continuing on to The College of Saint Rose to get her master’s degree in School Counseling. Amanda lives outside of Rochester, NY and works as a full time K-2 Elementary School Counselor.

Tess graduated from American University with a Communications degree. She went on to work as a graphic designer/digital producer at the Case Foundation for 4 years, a family foundation based in Washington, DC. In February of 2020 she made the move to NYC to work at an advertising agency. In February of this year Tess made a permanent move to Denver, CO while still working remotely for the same agency. She’s enjoying the change from city life and is grateful for all the visitors she’s already had out there.

Aislyn graduated with honors from Cornell University in 2016 with a degree in biology & public health. While she was there, she competed for and was the captain / coach of the figure skating team. She is now finishing up her MD and MS at Mount Sinai in New York, where she has published a number of peer reviewed articles and presented her research nationally. Aislyn recently took advantage of some free time to visit and catch up with friends around the country before beginning her position as a resident physician at UCLA’s Department of Neurosurgery.

 

Quinn completed her undergraduate and graduate studies in Rhode Island (Bryant University), where she studied Politics and Law, Communications, and competed as a varsity athlete on Bryant’s Division I Women’s Soccer team. After completing graduate school, Quinn began her career in sustainable finance and ESG in Boston. Most recently, she relocated to Denver for a position at Janus Henderson Investors where she continues this work, focused on integrating sustainability in investment decisions.

Meghan graduated from the Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC with a degree in Fashion Merchandising. While at FIT, she completed a number of internships, including ones at Chanel, Barneys NY, and at the Women’s Wear Daily offices in Paris. She started her career on the buying team at Christian Louboutin and worked there for 5 years. She now works at Alexander McQueen as the Women’s Handbag and Accessories Buyer, traveling regularly to Europe and across the US to understand business needs, curate assortments, and maximize sales opportunities.

 
Nicole DeLucia ‘12

Nicole currently works in insurance and hosts EDM shows. She’s also performed at Imagine Festival.

Patricia obtained her MPH in Epidemiology from George Washington University in December of 2017, followed by two years working as an ORISE fellow at the Army Public Health Center. In 2019, she began her doctoral studies (in Epidemiology) at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and is now working as a pre-doctoral fellow at the National Cancer Institute.

 

Michelle was honored at the YWCA of the Greater Capital Region’s 2022 Resourceful Women of the Year event. She was recognized for her work in the arts through her organization 518 Film Network.

Paige DeSorbo ‘10 
Paige was a featured stylist on the Today show, sharing 2 trends to style 3 ways on the Style Remix segment.

Julia Swick ‘10 
Julia is being honored with the 2022 Beacon of Hope Community Spirit Award! Each year at the annual Beacon of Hope Ball, the Catholic Schools Office recognizes outstanding individuals from each Catholic school community who go above and beyond, giving the immeasurable gift of time and talent to their schools. In addition to being an amazing Middle School Science teacher at St. Thomas the Apostle School, Julia leads the Future City Team each year AND co-directs the theater productions.

Joanne Kemnitz ‘10  

Joanne received her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Niagara University and her Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling Education from the College of Saint Rose. She works as a Behavior Intervention Specialist for Arc GLOW. Joanne got married in 2016 and has two sons.

 

Holly attended the University of Richmond in Virginia and Georgetown University Law Center.  She is now a practicing corporate attorney in Richmond, Virginia.

Taylor Pettit McGrath ‘08
We’re so excited to share that Holy Names alumna Taylor Pettit ’08 McGrath has published a children’s book about her daughter Olivia!  Olivia’s Red Hair is a fun scavenger hunt book about Olivia who has beautiful red hair that is different from everyone else. Readers follow along as she learns to love her hair by searching for everything around her that is red like her hair. It’s a perfect gift for your favorite little redhead!  https://www.amazon.com/dp/1737586096/ref=cm_sw_r_em_api_glt_fabc_WBM7FCD70KTXXMBEEEXV

Grace just completed her first marathon-she ran in the New York City marathon on November 6, 2022!

 

Jacqueline recently moved back to the Capital Region to start a new position as a Glaucoma and Cataract Surgeon at Glaucoma Consultants of the Capital Region, PLLC.

 

Morgan is living and working in Washington DC as a Family Nurse Practitioner, working in Women’s Health.  She and her husband Josh have 2 children, two-year-old Gavin and Zoe, 5 months.

Andrea Riccio ‘05
She's one in a series of Holy Names alumnae invited to speak to AHN's Participatory Government classes. The goal, according to teacher Colleen Jones: expose her students to opportunities and careers in the arenas of law, government, and politics from experts in their fields. Read Andrea's story here: https://conta.cc/3j2ENrj

Helen is still doing theater. She recently starred in a local production of Fun Home alongside her daughter. Helen works for Epidemiology Bureau of Immunization as a school vaccine auditor.

 

Johanna has recently received her MSN in education. She worked as a front line worker in the Emergency Department at Albany Medical Center through the entire COVID-19 pandemic.

 

Stronger Together: Alumnae Sisters Bring Powerful Message of Hope to Students. Read more on our profile of Erin, her sisters, and their inspirational message here: https://conta.cc/3WewKag  

After teaching in Albany City Schools for 12 years, Rachel started a photography business. Her studio has been open for almost 10 years. She married her husband, Tim, in 2008 and they have three children.

 

Pattie is a pharmacist, married to Jamie Kalista with 2 boys ages 6 and 3.

 

Jennifer has coached gymnastics for 20 years and is a teacher for Questar.

 

Daisy graduated from Albany Law School in 2006 and works as a legal editor for the NYS court system. She and her husband have an 8-year-old daughter and an 11-year-old son.

 

Susan lives in Connecticut, and is married, with a 5-year-old son. She’s been working in market research /brand insights for most of her career. I have a master’s degree in Marketing Intelligence, and have been working for Oracle A.

 

Shaunna teaches 8th grade social studies in the South Colonie School District.

 

Since graduating from Holy Names Lisa went on to receive her bachelor’s degree in Biology and in Nursing. She has been working as a registered nurse at Rush University Medical center as an oncology nurse.

Aaern, who has lived with her family on a 20-acre farm for 14 years, opened Little Wings Farm School on that property this fall, the realization of a years-long dream to offer young students a chance to learn in and around nature and the day-to-day life of a working farm.  Read more about the program here and click here to see pictures.

 

Shannon Flynn ‘95     

Shannon is a mother of three amazing daughters - one will be attending the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the Fall, another that will be attending Grinnell College and my last will be a senior.

 

Danielle has been teaching at AHN for 17+ years!

 

Jennifer has a PhD in Immunology and teaches at Boston University while running a lab there as well. Her research focus is infectious diseases, and she has been studying COVID-19 throughout the pandemic.

 

Erika Anderson ‘91    
After high school, where math was admittedly not her favorite subject, Erika went on to earn a degree in Computer Programming from The College of St. Rose, which she put into practice running a global department of a Fortune 500 company.  And while not loving gym class in high school, ironically Erika went on to summit Mt. Rainier in Washington, complete the Lake Placid Ironman, and complete the Winter ADK 46. What Erika did love in High School was Art, which she has a minor in, and has also carried with her into her new career in Craft Brewing. Erika and her husband are the proud owners of Unified Beerworks in Malta, NY, and the skills she learned at AHN helped lay the base for both science and creativity, where she runs their business, brews and helps inspire other women to achieve their wildest dreams. Support Erika by visiting Unified Beerworks- https://unified-beerworks.com/

 

After graduation, Kelly attended Oneonta State and College of Saint Rose, where she studied education and played basketball. After college, Kelly worked at AHN teaching Spanish and coaching basketball before she took a teaching job as a Special Education teacher. For the past 8 years she has been at Guilderland High School, continuing to teach Special Education as well as coach Unified Basketball and Unified Bowling! Kelly is married and has three beautiful children and two dogs.

 

Dierdre recently graduated from Mildred Elley College with a Degree in Business Management. She’s been enjoying life with her wonderful man for 8 years!

 

Anne has been married for 21 years, and they have three children. Anne has been a Chemistry teacher at Albany High School for 23 years!

 

Kristen is on the Board of Yale New Haven Health as a member of the Norma Pfriem Breast Center (which provides care regardless of ability to pay) and has chaired Yale’s Pink Pledge Campaign four times.  This year the campaign reached celebrity status with the Mombies performing at our Kick-Off Pep Rally. The committee painted the town PINK-street lamps, Town Hall, Police and Fire Stations, the Town Green, and the highlight this year was painting pink stripes down the streets in town, all to increase awareness.

Michelle, who works as Director of Development at University at Albany, recently began her term as the President of the Junior League of Albany.

After a long career as a non-profit executive Maryclaire decided to return to school to pursue a Master's Degree. She got her MBA in Accounting in May of 2020 and started a new job as a federal government contract auditor not long after. Maryclaire is currently studying for the Certified Internal Auditor exam and hopefully will have that designation soon. 

 

In 2018, Kate retired as a Professor of Technology and Operations Management at Babson College. She is currently spending more time with her teenagers and is volunteering at her church and Interfaith Community Services.

 

After graduating from SUNY Albany Business School in 1989, Maria moved to the Mohawk Valley and New Hampshire. After 23 years in a successful career in broadcast sales, she decided to retire and stay home with her daughter. She returned to the workforce fulltime in 2018 as a LTA to help her husband and his cousin in growing their new franchise - Nothing Bundt Cakes. In October 2019, they opened the 2nd Nothing Bundt Cakes in New York State. Nothing Bundt Cakes has continued to stay open during the pandemic and we have learned the importance of staying connected and bringing JOY to people's lives "one bundt cake at a time!"

Maureen was recently recognized as a 2021 Woman Who Means Business by the Albany Business Review for her leadership of the NYS Industries for the Disabled (NYSID), where she serves as President and CEO.

 

Maureen Dolan ‘84  

Maureen has enjoyed a thirty-year career as an educator with the City School District of Albany. Currently, she’s a Middle School Math Enrichment Specialist. Maureen has been blessed with two sons.

Nicole’s Restaurant in Albany, NY, founded and owned by Margaret, is celebrating 35 years in business!

 

The past year and a half Patricia has been involved with the COVID pandemic. She opened Javits field hospital and Javits mass vaccination site that vaccinated 700,000 New Yorkers and supplied the vaccine to NY vaccination sites.

 

Michele Puleo O’Hare ‘78
Michele was named the Executive Director of the Foundation of St. Catherine’s in January. With more than 30 years of fundraising and business development experience, she will lead the effort to raise funds to support St. Catherine's Center for Children's comprehensive array of child, homeless, and community-based services that reach children, families, and adults throughout the Capital Region. Read the full feature here: https://www.st-cath.org/post/fundraising-expert-will-bolsters-philanthropic-effort-for-st-catherine-s-center-for-children

 

We are welcoming Susan back to the Capital Region! She just relocated to Latham after living in New Jersey for many years, and would love to connect with her classmates.

 

Kathy and her husband, Bill Cunningham (CBA '73), and were married at St. Joseph's Chapel at Holy Names in 2018. Kathy recently retired from the Diocese of Albany Catholic School Office where she raised scholarship funds for our local Catholic schools. Kathy has worked in marketing and media, and continues to be involved in local TV and radio commercials. Kathy also owns her own business, Arbonne, which is all about healthy living, vegan nutrition, skin care and makeup. Visit her at kathleenyanas.arbonne.com.

 

Kathleen has lived in Colorado, California, Arkansas, and now Texas. She has pursued two professions in her life: special education teacher, and hospice chaplain and bereavement counselor. Kathleen lost her beloved husband John to cancer in 2008, and she retired in 2016.

 

3 alumnae from the class of 1960 are being celebrated for 60 years of service as a Sister of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary. Academy of the Holy Names congratulates Mary Ellen Holohan, Mary Pat Vandercar, and Janet Walton, and is grateful to them for their service.