1980-1989
Greg Cielec '80 published his third novel, My Rock and Roll Girl. Differing from his other books, it focuses less on sports and more on friendships, romances, music, and surprises. Read more about it at writergregcielec.com and order a copy at pinkflamingopress.myshopify.com. (06/26)
Alton Doody '80 opened a restaurant, Lola's Bistro, in Chagrin Falls, OH. The Parisian-style bistro is named after Rick's dog, Lola, which is subtly shown in the space. Rick operates Next Cool Restaurants Ventures, which owns several restaurants in Northeast OH and Florida. (06/26)
David Byrd '81 was named acting director, office of central services by the newly elected Prince George's County, MD, executive in June. It is the largest department in Prince George's County government and David is responsible for all county facilities as well as the county fleet. (06/26)
David Kaufman '81 announced his retirement from Capital University in Bexley, OH, at the end of the 2024-25 academic year. He joined Capital as interim president in July 2020 and was officially appointed president in July 2021. During his tenure, the university expanded access to its liberal arts education through scholarships, a partnership with Columbus State Community College, and a tuition-match program. (06/25)
Blanca Little '82 (second from left) has worked as director of All Nations Christian Academy, a private, Christian school she founded, for the past 17 years. She loves her job and the school's mission of preparing at-risk children with an excellent education and character formation. Blanca also recently visited Cleveland with her husband, Geoff. There, they were able to reconnect with Blanca's former OWU roommate, Sherry Vigliotti Waskowski '82, and her husband Glenn. (06/25)
Jeff Long '82 was appointed to the College Football Playoff Selection Committee for the 2025 season, after having previously served from 2014-17, including serving as the group's first chairman during the 2014-15 seasons. He has served as an athletics director or senior administrator in many of the nation's most prominent conferences, including the Big 12, Big Ten, ACC, and SEC. Before becoming a consultant, Jeff spent 22 years as the director of athletics at the University of Kansas, the University of Arkansas, the University of Pittsburgh, and Eastern Kentucky University. (06/26)
Kathryn Barger Leibrich '83 received the Community Impact Award from the Los Angeles Business Council's Architectural Awards. These awards recognize organizations helping to recover, rebuild, and celebrate in the aftermath of the wildfires. Kathryn serves as the L.A. County board of supervisors chair, which was one of the 19 organizations accepting the Community Impact Award. (06/26)
Gregory Ix '83 was promoted to executive vice president of leasing at Big V Property Group, a leader in retail real estate. Greg has more than 30 years of experience in retail real estate. (06/26)
Kenneth Nunnenkamp '83 joined Blank Rome's Washington, D.C. office as partner in the international trade practice group. His work focuses on national security matters, including extensive experience with export controls, economic sanctions, and more. (06/26)
Kara Trott '83 published the book No One Alone: Humanizing Healthcare as an Outsider. As founder and former CEO of Quantum Health, the first healthcare navigation and care coordination company, she shares how she grew the company from a start-up into a healthcare giant that supports, guides, and fights for consumers. (06/26)
Tom Shannon '84 and Don Howland '80 released new music together. Tom is a guitarist in the band Cheater Slicks and Don was mostly retired from music, but the band and Don collaborated in the garage-punk single "Endgame." The two met in 1980 at OWU, where Tom was a freshman and Don a senior. (06/26)
Steven Edelstein '85 joined MyFBAPrep, an eCommerce warehouse and logistics network, as vice president of growth and partnerships. Steven comes to this role with more than 25 years of experience in health and beauty logistics, supply chain management, copacking, and direct-toconsumer fulfillment. (06/26)
Roger Nabedian '85 joined the board of directors at DRINK, a provider of eCommerce solutions to alcohol producers, retailers, and eCommerce merchants. Roger recently retired from E&J Gallo Winery, the world's largest family-owned beverage company, after 37 years. (06/25)
Rosalie Hunter '86 was recognized among the nation's top wealth advisors on the 2025 Forbes "Best-in-State Wealth Advisors" list. She is the co-founder and managing director at her firm, The Hunter-McCormack Group. Rosalie is a member of the JVS Philadelphia Fund for Women advisory board. (06/26)
Eugene "Clay" Mowry IV '86 was named CEO at the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Clay is a globally-recognized space industry executive with experience across the international aerospace community, previously serving at companies such as Vast, Voyager Space, and Blue Origin. He also serves as president of the International Astronautical Federation, the world's largest space nonprofit. (06/25)
Darrel Gibson '87 was appointed VP of development for the Home Builders Institute, based in Washington, DC. HBI is the nation's leading nonprofit provider of trade skills training and education for the building industry, training the next generation of skilled tradespeople. (06/25)
Christopher McComish '87 was appointed chair of the board at S&T Bancorp, the holding company for S&T Bank. Christopher has been with the company since 2021, serving as CEO and a director. (06/26)
Frederick Powe '87 was named president of Phillips Theological Seminary (OK). He previously served as director of the Lewis Center for Church Leadership and the James C. Logan Chair in Evangelism at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C. (06/25)
Kenneth Young '87 was named president and CEO of United Church Homes (UCH), a nonprofit senior living organization. He has more than 20 years of progressive leadership experience at UCH, most recently as president. (06/25)
OWU Friendships
The Five Bishops: Courage and Camaraderie
By Eric Buer '88
The story of the Five Bishops illustrates how a shared journey and shared experiences can bring together the most unlikely cast of characters. It all began in the fall of 1984, when I started my college journey in Delaware, OH. Having grown up experiencing and expecting change due to frequent moves, I could hardly anticipate the profound impact this time would have on me. The friendships I forged and the lessons I learned during these years would serve me well over the next three decades.
However, how we responded when tragedy struck validated what we all knew—our OWU experience was a master class in resiliency.
My time as an athlete opened the door to a remarkable group of individuals, many of whom would become like brothers to me in our fraternity. Like any family, we encountered our fair share of challenges, conflicts, and competitive moments. Yet, through all this, we discovered the value of adaptability, empathy, trust, and loyalty. While the path wasn't always smooth, each hurdle ultimately contributed to our growth and unity, unknowingly creating a stronger bond with Ohio Wesleyan and our small band of brothers.
It would take some time, but the tale of the Five Bishops profoundly illustrates how our shared journey prepared us for adversity. It began in 2012, with the heartbreaking loss of Lou Corrao '87 to heart disease. This loss was compounded by the courageous battle fought by Paul Sclafani '90 against brain cancer and the struggles endured by Mike Warnes '90 through years of trauma. However, by 2024, we found renewed hope in the inspiring stories of Dan O'Neill '87, a Hall of Famer who bravely overcame cancer, and Bobby Betcher '87, who triumphed over heart disease.
In the face of such tragedy, we realized that our sense of invincibility is truly a privilege, not something guaranteed. These shared experiences have strengthened our bonds and illustrated our resilience, reminding us of the strength found in unity and compassion.
Please send your stories of OWU Friendships to OWU Magazine. (06/25)
Ann Osborne '88 was inducted into the OH Valley Athletic Conference (OVAC) Hall of Fame Class of 2025. Her time playing basketball had set the St. Clairsville High School record with 1,697 points, earning her a number of recognitions, including being named a four-time all-OVAC selection. (06/26)
Ingrid Williams Tucker '88 was named CEO of Madison Park Development Corporation (MA), an affordable housing developer and community development corporation. She has over 30 years of experience in education, nonprofit leadership, and community development, including her time since joining MPDC in 2021 as deputy director. (06/26)
We Want to Hear From You
Please send us your news using the Class Notes Submission Form. Or email your news to classnotes@owu.edu. Submissions may be edited for space or clarity.
You can also submit your news to:
Attn: Class Notes Editor
OWU Magazine
Ohio Wesleyan University
Mowry Alumni Center
61 S. Sandusky St.
Delaware, OH 43015
Include your name and class year as well as a daytime phone number. Photos are welcome.
The deadline for receiving Class Notes submissions for the Fall 2025 OWU Magazine is August 1, 2025.