Page 68 - UD Messenger Vol. 23 No. 2

CLASS NOTES
LEGACY
MICHELE HACKLEY JOHNSON, AS75
The Hackley legacy is an important part of the UD story. Michele Hackley Johnson came to UD to study chemistry in the early 1970s and “got interested in forensics before forensics was cool.”
Intrigued by the idea of unraveling mysteries, she earned her bachelor’s degree in three years and went on to Temple University School of Medicine, where she found diagnostic radiology.
Today, Johnson is professor of diagnostic radiology, neurosurgery and surgery at Yale University School of
Medicine, where her current titles also include associate professor of surgery in otolaryngology and director of interventional neuroradiology. A recent news article compared her to a detective, working tenaciously on every case to get the right diagnosis.
And she has been a trailblazer; with her promotion
to full professor in 2014, she became the first African- American woman to hold that rank at Yale’s medical school. It’s a noteworthy accolade, Johnson says, but not nearly as important as the sense of fulfillment she gets from a job
she loves: “Showing students how to work together for the benefit of their patients—there’s nothing better than that.”
Johnson isn’t the only trailblazer in her family. Both of her parents were chemists, and her father became the first African-American to earn a PhD at UD, receiving his doctorate in chemistry in 1957.
“When my dad passed, my mother and my siblings and
I really wanted to honor him.” In his memory, they created the Brennie E. Hackley Jr. Award for Excellence in Research, given annually since 2009 to a UD graduate student in chemistry.
This spring, her family marked its third generation of UD alumni, when Johnson’s son, Brandon, graduated with a master’s degree in public administration. z
—Ann Manser, AS73
Deborah Ramelmeier, AS85,
of Mount Airy, Md., has been appointed executive director of the Social Services Administration within the Maryland Department of Human Resources, where she is responsible for oversight of Child Welfare and Adult Services. She also serves on the Maryland Board of Social Work Examiners.
Paige Vinall, EG85, 89M, of Minneapolis, Minn., was hired by Allianz Life Insurance Company as their assistant vice president of application development in their IT division.
Brent Hatzis-Schoch, AS86, of Wilmington, Del., was appointed senior vice president and general counsel to Radius Health, Inc., a science-driven biopharmaceutical
company developing new therapeutics for patients with advanced osteoporosis and other endocrine diseases.
Susan McNeill, AS86, of Wilmington, Del., has developed a mobile app with her husband Donald titled, “You’ve been sentenced!” based off of the best- selling word game.
Patience Phillips, AS86M, EHD97M, of Indianapolis, Ind., taught at the University of Delaware for 10 years when she decided to teach ESL in Korea for five years.
Dr. Peter S. Kirlin, EG87PhD, of Newtown, Conn., was promoted from president to CEO of Photronics, Inc., an American semiconductor photomask manufacturer.
Barbara L’Amoreaux, AS87, of Chalfont, Pa., a seasoned health care communications executive, has been promoted to Vice President of Simon PR.
Jody Latimer, EG87, of Ellicott City, Md., has joined Barton Malow as project director. She has over 28 years experience in the construction industry and will serve higher education and K–12 clients throughout Maryland and Delaware in this new role.
Lori Salganicoff, AS87, of Bala Cynwyd, Pa., was appointed executive director of the
Chestnut Hill Historical Society, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving the historical, architectural and cultural resources and open spaces of Chestnut Hill.
Moira Sheridan, BE87, of Fayetteville, N.Y., has published numerous articles in The News Journal (Wilmington, Del.) on horticulture, including stories on winter stress in plants, Japanese gardens and New Year’s resolutions for gardeners.
Dwight Walters, EG88, of Newark, Del., has joined Duffield Associates as a senior project manager in their Civil and Municipal Engineering Practices.
Amie Drucker, EG89, of Shallotte, N.C., has joined Manhard Consulting as a project engineer.
1990s
Anthony Fulco, EG90, of Washington Township, N.J., has
66 University of Delaware Messenger
HAROLD SHAPIRO
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