RPTM Kudos and Announcements March 27, 2007
Congratulations Alumni
Michelle Fisher ’99 (mfisher@HersheyPA.com) of Hershey Entertainment and Resorts was promoted to quality assurance manager. She will be a guest speaker at the Mentoring Brunch on March 30.
Shana Murray ’05 (shana.murray@gmail.com) outdoor recreation planner for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) presented on outdoor recreation planning process at hydroelectric dams and highlighted job opportunities at FERC in RPTM 470 class on February 8.
Andy Schell ’06 (andy@schoonerwoodwind.com) of Schooner Woodwind met with interested students about internship opportunities with his company on February 26.
Congratulations Students
The newly elected executive board of the RPTM Student Society includes:
President: Leyla Morzan (lxm933@psu.edu)
Vice President: Cara Bell (cmb5021@psu.edu)
Treasurer: Brian Parico (bpp5003@psu.edu)
Secretary: Molly Johnson (mgj5002@psu.edu)
THON Chair: JT Alderfer (jta135@psu.edu)
The newly elected executive board of the Professional Golf Management Student Society include:
President: Patrick Gunning (pag177@psu.edu)
Vice President: John Ebmeyer (jne5002@psu.edu)
Treasurer: Rick Martel (rdm5041@psu.edu)
Secretary: Ryan Cameron (rmc5048@psu.edu)
Senior Class Representative: Megan Padua (mcp5002@psu.edu)
Junior Class Representative: Mike Brown (mvb5022@psu.edu)
Sophomore Class Representative: Jack Davis (jmd5199@psu.edu)
Tournament Director: Tom Hunt (tjh5018@psu.edu)
Kortney Clemons (krc175@psu.edu) a junior in Therapeutic Recreation will compete in the 2007 Paralympics Pan American Games in Brazil. He will compete in power lifting and the 100-meter race.
Bobbi Jo Witmer (buw116@psu.edu) has been chosen as the RPTM student marshal for spring commencement and she selected Patty Kleban to accompany her as our faculty marshal.
Jacob Hoffer (jth5000@psu.edu) and Vicenzo Rallo (vsr105@psu.edu) were elected by their peers to represent RPTM as dancers at the 2007 Penn State Dance Marathon held February 16-18.
Christine Murawski (cmm438@psu.edu) was selected as the recipient of the PA Recreation and Park Society 2007 Student Honor Award.
Congratulations Faculty
Andy Mowen co-authored an article “The Role of Park Proximity and Social Support in Shaping Park Visitation, Physical Activity, and Perceived Health among Older Adults” published in the Journal of Physical Activity and Health (4)167-179, 2007 and co-authored “Recreation, Parks, and the Public Health Agenda: Developing Collaborative Surveillance Frameworks to Measure Leisure Time Activity and Active Park Use” published in the Journal of Physical Activity and Health 4 (Suppl.1) S1-S10, 2007. He also served as an expert panel member on “Healthy Outdoor Lifestyles” for the 2006 Governor’s Outdoor Conference held at the Penn Stater on March 20.
Duarte Morais was guest speaker at the seminary “Turismo e Desenvolvimento Sustentavel” in Avis, Portugal on February 28. The title of the presentation was “Interaccao entre o turismo e as comunidades locais” and addressed the concern over the touristic exploitation of the less-developed interior by Portuguese urban centers and Northern European countries.
Departmental Happenings
Sharon Houser will be retiring as budget assistant after 22 years of service to Penn State. Sharon’s last day with us will be Friday, March 30. Sharon will be greatly missed by all.
Gennifer Blesh was hired as the Department’s new budget assistant. She began working with us on March 6. Gennifer is originally from Savannah, GA. She began working at Penn State in August 1998. She came to us from Language Acquisition and the Department of Linguistics and Applied Language Studies. Welcome Gennifer!
In the News
Kevin Wiest ’99 (kwiest@cavesvalley.net) PGA head professional at Caves Valley Golf Club in Owings Mills, MD was quoted in the March issue of PGA Magazine. www.pgamagazine.com.
Leslie Wilson ’99 announced her engagement to Nathan Hosterman in the March 4 issue of the Centre Daily Times. An October 6, 2007 wedding is planned.
Monty Christensen retired alum and co-founder of The National Playground Safety Institute (NPSI) was highlighted in the January issue of Parks & Recreation.
The former Business Administration Building has been named for Donald H. Ford, founding dean of the College of Human Development by the University’s Board of Trustees. The Donald H. Ford Building, formerly home of the Smeal College of Business is undergoing renovation to house three of the nine academic units of the College of Health and Human Development. Read the full story at http://live.psu.edu/story/23091.
If you have accomplished something you would like to share with the RPTM crew, please notify me. Also, if you are aware of accomplishments or quotes by our alumni, students, or staff, please let me know so I can share the news. Thank you! – John Dattilo, Professor and Department Head jxd8@psu.edu