Class Notes

1976

Bernie Marois (business administration) served in the U.S. Army from 1966-1969 and was stationed in Korea and Germany before being honorably discharged as a specialist 5 (E5). He worked for several years as a cost accountant and later as an accounting manager before becoming owner and operator of the largest microfiche duplicating facility on the East Coast with revenues over $4 million per year. He now works as a realtor for ERA M. Connie Laplante Real Estate in South Hadley, Mass. 

1989

Dawn Bryden received a special surprise during a Nov. 21 alumni happy hour event at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute, where she was presented with an alumni service award in recognition of her tenure as president of the HCC Alumni Council, a position in which she served until last year. “HCC has always been a part of my life and always will be,” said Bryden, the associate dean of student development at CT State Community College Asnuntuck. “I’m really proud to serve and to continue promoting how strong an HCC education is.” Bryden was just the second ever to serve in that role, succeeding Gloria Lomax ’75, the original council president. Bryden, who remains on the council, was herself succeeded as president by Trudy Monson ’97. 

1991

Michele (Champigny) Mariani (visual art) joined the HCC President’s Office as staff assistant. Prior to HCC, Mariani was the lead coordinator for the office of Academic Affairs at Springfield College. In addition, she holds an associate degree in court reporting from Springfield Technical Community College and a bachelor’s degree in human services from Springfield College. 

1992

Former Holyoke City Councilor Todd McGee is the latest alum to take a seat on the HCC Board of Trustees. McGee, a tax attorney and director of estate and business planning for MassMutual Insurance, was appointed to the board last fall by Gov. Maura Healey. “I loved Holyoke Community College,” said McGee. “It has been part of my life for a very long time. Anything I can do to help out, I will, because Holyoke Community College is really a family to me.” McGee represented Ward 7 on the Holyoke city council for 18 years until 2023. As council president, he briefly served as acting mayor in 2021. He joins fellow alum Nayroby Rosa ’10, who was appointed to the board in 2023. Rosa is director of community engagement and resident services for OneHolyoke CDC.

1998

Erik Lesniak (business management) is the business liaison in the economic development office for the city of Manchester, New Hampshire. Before that, Lesniak worked for 23 years in professional baseball, including 18 years with the Double AA New Hampshire Fisher Cats. He has received several recognitions, including the Manchester Union Leader’s 40 Under 40 Award in 2015, Pastoral Counseling Services Good Samaritan of the Year in 2019, a Paul Harris Fellow for Queen City Rotary Club, and was named to the New Hampshire 200 List for 2025.

2001

Megan Parnell-Gregoire (arts and science) has been named vice president, credit manager at Florence Bank. Parnell has served as a chief lending officer, senior financial product manager, business lending manager, and commercial credit officer. She was previously treasurer of the Holyoke Community College Foundation and was named to the BusinessWest 40 Under Forty class of 2014.

2003

Shawn Lucas (math) completed a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a master’s degree in math education from the University of Phoenix. He is now a math teacher and department coordinator at Conant Middle High School in Jaffrey, New Hampshire.

2005

Ruth Amador (nursing) works as a registered nurse at Hartford Hospital and is a conference coordinator for the inaugural conference of the New England Minority Nurses Association. Additionally, Amador is a contributing writer to Latinas in Nursing, a compilation of firsthand stories by Latinx nurses about their experiences working in healthcare. 

2006

Rachel (Barnard) Tillman (nursing) has been named director of nursing at Pioneer Valley Health and Rehabilitation. Tillman also works as an adjunct faculty member at HCC.

2009

Susie (Callahan) Howard (graphic arts) is the nurture marketing manager at the University of Arizona Global Campus. She is also the owner of Walton Read, a creative services agency in Westfield. Howard was a recipient of Bronze and Silver Awards from the Ad Club of Western Mass, and the 2024 recipient of the Daniel J. Gallivan Award presented by the St. Patrick’s Committee of Holyoke. She showcases her passion for photography on her website, susieread.com and on Instagram: @susiereadphotography. Additionally, Howard, welcomed her first child, Gigi, in May 2022.

Aly (Sutton) Putnam (biology) recently completed her Ph.D. in organismic and evolutionary biology at UMass Amherst. She is a research assistant at DOI Northeast Climate Adaptation Science Center and a part-time instructor at Smith College. 

2010

Sergio Vicente (liberal arts) was recently hired as an early college counselor at Hope for Youth and Families in Springfield.

2012

Efrain Ramirez (criminal justice) has been hired as an educator at Veritas Prep Charter School in Springfield.

2015

Billy Fellows (retail management) is the new general manager of Amelia Park Ice Arena in Westfield. Fellows previously served as the arena’s assistant general manager.

Shelby Kreiger (liberal arts) completed a bachelor’s degree in English from Mount Holyoke College in 2018, a master’s degree in English from the University of Connecticut in 2024, and a graduate certificate in human rights from the University of Connecticut in 2024. Kreiger is an adjunct instructor of first-year English at the University of Connecticut and at HCC. She recently went to Iceland for a week. 

Carly Myers (liberal arts) is currently a senior research technician at the Carnegie Institute of Science at the California Institute of Technology. After HCC, she completed a bachelor’s degree at Mount Holyoke College in 2018 and a master’s degree in ecology and evolutionary biology from UCLA in 2022.

Brittany (Washington) Walas (liberal arts and science) has been hired as a staff assistant for the Office of People, Culture, and Equity at HCC. Walas previously worked as an office manager at Martin Luther King Jr. Charter School of Excellence in Springfield. 

2016

Denis Khamasi (criminal justice) recently graduated from the Holyoke Police Academy as part of his training to join the Amherst Police Department. He is still serving as a segreant in the U.S. Army and previously worked as a correctional officer at the Worcester County House of Corrections.

2018

Jay Eveson-Egler (psychology) received a bachelor’s degree in psychology and education from Mount Holyoke College and now works as senior manager at the Association for Autism and Neurodiversity (AANE). Eveson-Egler has given multiple speeches and trainings, including trainings that have been accepted and certified by the American Psychological Association to provide professional education credits. “I have bought a home and had a daughter, gotten married, and we will soon be one of the first polyamorous families in Massachusetts to have all four parents listed on my daughter’s birth certificate,” Everson-Egler writes. 

2020

Banen Mustafa (secondary education) works as an ESOL instructor at HCC. After graduating from HCC, Mustafa completed a bachelor’s degree from Westfield State University in English and secondary education, and a master’s degree from UMass Amherst in bilingual, multilingual, and multicultural education.

Lindsey Pare (foundations of health, liberal arts, medical assistant) was recently promoted from clerk to student engagement coordinator at HCC. Pare has been working at HCC since 2020. As a student, she was vice president and secretary of the Student Senate, a New Student Orientation leader, a founding member of the COMMitted Club, former secretary of the Military Club, an Admissions ambassador and tour guide, a peer advisor, and a member of both the Phi Theta Kappa national honor society and HCC’s Green Key Honor Society.

2021

Todd Cummings (hospitality management) is a sous chef at Miraval Berkshires in Lenox. He completed a bachelor’s degree in hospitality and tourism management from UMass Amherst and is currently enrolled at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York.

2021

Wyatt Jensen received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Kansas and is currently working as a client specialist associate for Mariner Wealth Advisors, in Overland Park, Kansas.

2024

Carissa (Batura) Raymond (elementary education) is working as a paraprofessional in the Holyoke public school
system. As a student, Raymond was a member of the Student Senate. Her proudest achievement has been getting a job in her field since “it took a lot of interviews and time,” she writes.