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Class Notes
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Check out our February 2022 edition of Class Notes! Please submit your own Class Note via our online form. We’ll feature you in the next email edition, online, in College of Charleston Magazine, and possibly even on our social media channels on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
February 2022
1979
Scott Blazer founded BalzerWilkinson, LP, in 1996 with his partner and has been in the business of distributing strawberries for nearly two decades, along with growing, packing, and shipping from its own California strawberry farms since 2003. Recently, Mr. Blazer and his team have added hundreds of acres to their strawberry production in California, Mexico, and Florida, putting them in the top five grower/distributors of full line berries in the US. He resides in California with his children, Zach and Tara.
1984
Shelley Benson Bronaugh has been a top leader and professional seller with Tupperware since 1994. Ms. Bronaugh resides in Lawrenceville, GA, with her husband, Jim. She has three daughters and three grandchildren.
1985
Ernest Andrade was selected as a member of the 2021 Charleston Business Magazine’s 50 Most Influential and Hall of Fame. Mr. Andrade founded the public-private Charleston Digital Corridor, and as Executive Director, has successfully grown the organization from 17 companies in 2001 to over 500 businesses today. Mr. Andrade is also the Principal of Andrade Economics, an economic development practice. He resides in Mount Pleasant, SC.
1989
Patricia Duane is the Owner of BrandAbout Wine in Chile. Ms. Duane earned her Master of International Business from the University of South Carolina in 1996 and her certificate of completion in business negotiations from Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile in 2015. She resides in Santiago, Chile, with her daughter, Carmen.
Craig Hewitt has been named President and CEO of Yamaha Motor Finance, effective this month. Mr. Hewitt joined Yamaha in 2020 as Chief Operating Officer. He has over 25 years of experience in consumer finance. Mr. Hewitt resides in Acworth, GA.
1992
Ernie Blevins started a new position as an Architectural Historian for Weller & Associates based in Columbus, OH. Mr. Blevins is running for the West Virginia House of Delegates District 57. He is halfway through the PhD in history program at Liberty University. He earned his MFA in historic preservation from the Savannah College of Art & Design in 2001 and his Certificate in Public History from the University of West Georgia in 2009. Mr. Blevins and his wife, Lisa, reside in Charleston, WV, and have five children.
1997
Rob Emory is the owner of Rob Emory CPA, LLC, in Charleston, SC.
1998
Gabriela Atha is the General Manager for Tactic Digital. Ms. Atha resides in Managua, Nicaragua, with her husband, Juan Schutze, and their two children, Juan and Martina.
Abraham Mathew is an Insurance Agent for PIA-Insurance. Mr. Mathew earned his CPCU in insurance from American University. He and his wife reside in Orlando, FL, and have two sons.
1999
John Douglass is the new Chief Credit Officer of First Capital Bank, headquartered in Charleston, SC. Mr. Douglass and his wife, Kelly, have three children, and reside in Charleston.
2000
KK Sutherland Chadwick earned a doctorate of nursing practice in April 2021 from Delta State University after achieving a master of science in nursing from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 2016. Dr. Chadwick works as a Family Nurse Practitioner and resides in Jackson, MS, with her husband, Price, and son, Kael.
L. Travis McIntosh is the Senior Vice President and Director, Advisor Select, of Raymond James in Sumter, SC.
2001
Mike Smith is the Founder and CEO of CustomDonations.com. Mr. Smith is a U.S. Navy Veteran and was one of the winners in the 2021 Bob Evans Farms Heroes to CEOs competition. In 2016, he founded the Pee Dee CofC Club and was instrumental in establishing the first ever alumni club scholarship, the Pee Dee Alumni Scholarship, to support future leaders from the Pee Dee region attending CofC. Mr. Smith resides in Florence, SC, with his wife Shannon Toney Smith ’02, and their two daughters.
2003
Jesse Beasley has been named Chief Operating Officer for National Equipment Dealers (NED), a heavy equipment rental and sales company based in Lexington, NC. Prior to his current role, Mr. Beasley was Vice President of East Coast Operations for NED. He has worked in the heavy equipment rental business for 23 years. Mr. Beasley works out of the company’s Charlotte, NC, office and resides in Clover, SC.
2004
Rachel Lowder Boyd resides in Altus, OK, with her husband, Adam, and their two daughters, Eloise and Maisy.
Tory Price Brubaker is a Real Estate Advisor for APT212, a tech-based real estate firm in NYC, and is licensed as a New York State Real Estate Salesperson. Ms. Brubaker is also a Marketing Strategy Consultant for Virago Works. She earned her master’s in urban and regional planning from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2010. Ms. Brubaker resides in New York City with her rescue dog, Maeve.
2009
Erica Dean is an ITSM Administrator for Pernod Ricard USA and resides in Greenville, SC.
Jessica Roberts welcomed her first son, Desmond Roberts Wertsch, in January this year. The family resides in Houston.
2011
Hanna Watt and her husband, Jamie Durkin, just welcomed their first child, Frederic Jude Gray Durkin, in January. The family resides in Charleston, SC.
2012
Candice Ulmer is a Clinical Research Chemist for the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention based in Atlanta. Dr. Ulmer was added to the Analytical Scientist’s Top 100 Power List, which is an annual celebration of the world’s most influential analytical scientists. She earned her PhD in Chemistry from the University of Florida in 2016. Dr. Ulmer and her fiancé, Denzell Holland, reside in Atlanta.
2013
Alyssa Pirolla Fella is an Underwriter for PURE Insurance. Ms. Fella and her husband, Luca, reside in Jersey City, NJ.
Fernando Gallego is the Branch Manager for PNC in Mount Pleasant, SC. Mr. Gallego will earn his MBA from Queen’s University of Charlotte this year. He and his wife reside in Charleston, SC, and have two children, Olivia and Luca.
2014
Hannah Harris is a Business Immigration Attorney for Hammond Neal Moore, LLC. Ms. Harris earned her JD from Capital University in 2020 and she resides in Cincinnati.
Thuc Bui Moore is the new Owner of Aldridge Eye Institute. Ms. Moore earned her Doctor of Optometry from the Southern College of Optometry in 2019. She is a member of the Beta Sigma Kappa Honor Society and the American Optometric Association. Dr. Moore resides in Burnsville, NC, with her husband, Chris, and their two dogs.
Jackie Payne is studying social health and psychology at Stony Brook University with plans to graduate with her PhD in 2023. Ms. Payne earned her MPH in behavioral sciences and health education from Emory University in 2016. She resides in Lake Grove, NY.
2015
Grayson Stoneman and Madeleine Dellinger ’14 were married in October 2018 and the couple welcomed their first child, Kennedy Parker Stoneman, this past October. Mr. Stoneman is the Assistant Project Manager for Dargan Construction Company. The Stoneman family resides in Myrtle Beach, SC.
2016
Luanne Scoville DesJardins is a VPI Teacher for the Woodlawn Learning Center in Hopewell, VA. She resides in Williamsburg, VA, with her husband, Kim, and their son, Samuel.
Josh Lorenzetti married Mary Louise Jones in January at First Presbyterian Church in Columbia, SC. Mr. Lorenzetti earned his BS in finance from the University of South Carolina. He is employed by Morgan Stanley The Rast McFadden Wealth Management Group and the couple resides in Columbia, SC.
2018
Riley Finch married Tommy Holliday in September at Lowndes Grove in Charleston, SC.
2019
Misty Antonacci has been promoted to Consultant at Knowledge Capital Group (KCG). Ms. Antonacci joined the KCG team in 2019. She resides in Charleston, SC.
Xander Mallett resides in South Jordan, UT, and is studying mental health counseling at Westminster College with plans to graduate with his MS in 2024.
Gabriella Natali is a Publicist for Big Picture Media and resides in Brooklyn, NY.
Carly Semack relocated to New York City this month to accept a job with ShopBAZAAR, the e-commerce site run by editors of Harper’s BAZAAR. Ms. Semack is the company’s Brand Partnerships Assistant.
Lauren Vega is a Marketing and Communications Director for Jen Gaddy and resides on Kiawah Island, SC.
2020
Katie Stagliano is the Owner and CEG of Katie’s Krops in Summerville, SC.
2021
Annamarie Bell is an Events and Sponsorship Manager for the Meyer Center for Special Children in Greenville, SC.
Sabrina Imbrogno is a Business Development Associate for 360 Media Direct and resides in Norwalk, CT.
Eliza Quillen is studying accountancy at the College with plans to graduate with her MS this spring.
Sarah Ryan is the Director of Marketing, Digital and Social, for Ocean’s Halo based in Burlingame, CA.
Featured Class Notes
- Patricia Duane ’89 is the Owner of BrandAbout Wine in Chile. Ms. Duane earned her Master of International Business from the University of South Carolina in 1996 and her certificate of completion in business negotiations from Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile in 2015. She resides in Santiago, Chile, with her daughter, Carmen.
- John Douglass ’99 is the new Chief Credit Officer of First Capital Bank, headquartered in Charleston, SC. Mr. Douglass and his wife, Kelly, have three children, and reside in Charleston.
- KK Sutherland Chadwick ’00 earned a doctorate of nursing practice in April 2021 from Delta State University after achieving a master of science in nursing from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 2016. Dr. Chadwick works as a Family Nurse Practitioner and resides in Jackson, MS, with her husband, Price, and son, Kael.
- Jesse Beasley ’03 has been named Chief Operating Officer for National Equipment Dealers (NED), a heavy equipment rental and sales company based in Lexington, NC. Prior to his current role, Mr. Beasley was Vice President of East Coast Operations for NED. He has worked in the heavy equipment rental business for 23 years. Mr. Beasley works out of the company’s Charlotte, NC, office and resides in Clover, SC.
- Hannah Harris ’14 is a Business Immigration Attorney for Hammond Neal Moore, LLC. Ms. Harris earned her JD from Capital University in 2020 and she resides in Cincinnati.