Alumni Contact Info

What are USM's Geo-Anthro Alumni up to?

* Morgan Atherton graduated from USM in 2002. She has been working for the past year at Geographic Data Technologies and is now in charge of a team of 10 individuals who work on updating nation-wide geographic attributes. She will be moving to Massachusetts in mid-June. Contact Info: 1-800-331-7881 ext. 3003 morgan_atherton@yahoo.com and www.geographic.com.

* Chris Blackden graduated from USM in 2003. He is currently enrolled in the Master's program in Geography at the University of Kentucky. Contact Info: rubinfarr@hotmail.com.

* Heidi Brilhante graduated from USM in 2003. She is currently working at Wright Express in South Portland as an Executive Assistant to the Finance/Legal and Facilities division. She is in charge of general administration and special project work for her division. Contact Info: (207) 523-7196 Heidi_Brilhante@wrightexpress.com.

* Jeff Brown graduated from USM in the spring of 1999. He received his MA in December of 2001. He works for Garmin International as a Cartographic Technician out of Olathe, Kansas. He has been working there since February of 2002.

* Frank Cangelosi graduated from USM in 1995. Due to a business opportunity for his wife, they relocated to the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex four years ago. He recently accepted a new position as GIS Manager for Tarrant County (Fort Worth), Texas. Prior to that, he had been the GIS Manager for a small city within Tarrant County. Contact Info: (817) 212-7482 fjcangelosi@tarrantcounty.com and www.tarrantcounty.com.

* Jeff DeRosa graduated from USM in 2002. He worked as a weather observer at the Mount Washington Observatory and he also spent time working at the Denali National Park & Preserve. Just when we thought he couldn't be in a colder spot,he has just begin a new job on the fire brigade at the South Pole. He says, "My education in Geography-Anthropology at USM has prepared me well for working and learning in the world's worst weather." Contact Info: jeffderosa@hotmail.com and follow his adventures on his blog.

* Jason Fifield graduated from USM in 2002. He is currently working as an adolescent counselor at Harbor Schools of Maine in Winterport. It is a group home where he works as a teacher, role model, and "surrogate parent" for abused and developmentally disabled teenage boys. He says, "My work is sometimes emotionally intense, often fun, and incredibly rewarding." Contact Info: (207) 223-4200 phillyphife@hotmail.com.

* Carol Gieringer graduated from USM in 2002. She just completed her Teacher Certification Program at the University of New England and is now looking for a job teaching Social Studies for grades 7-12. Contact Info: carolleeg31@hotmail.com.

* Brian J. Giles graduated from USM in the spring of 2003. He worked for a short while as a substitute teacher in Washington County and recently began work with a cultural resource management firm Earth Search, Inc, located in New Orleans, LA, as a staff archaeologist. He spent time digging many dry holes in Phase One survey. He was hoping to find the earliest man to ever say the word "Cajun", at which point he wanted to tell him the correct pronunciation is actually "Acadian". He is also still practicing as a stand-up comedian and performed in six sold-out shows in Washington D.C.and got some good feedback from the press. You can check out www.theescapists.net or www.myspace.com/sashaplusbrian for more information and some pictures. Contact Info: revbgiles@gmail.com.

* Jonathan G. Hardes graduated from USM in the spring 2001. He is currently a master's degree candidate in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Montana. He is also the exhibit coordinator at the Philip L. Wright Zoological Museum in Missoula, Montana. Contact Info: jghardes@yahoo.com

* Angie Herrick graduated from USM in 2000. She is currently working as Research Assistant at the Institute for Child and Family Policy at the Muskie School of Public Service in Portland. She states, "My job is very rewarding. I do mostly qualitative research surrounding low-income families of children with special needs. We were funded by the Child Care Bureau at the federal Department of Health and Human Services to learn more about the experiences of this sub-population of low income families and develop policy recommendations to assist these families in gaining the support they need. While our primary focus is on access to child care, we are also looking at the challenges of work and caring for a child with special needs, and the issue of coordination of early intervention services with the child care system. I constantly use the research skills and anthropological methods I learned while at USM, so I'm incredibly thankful for that!" Contact Info: (207) 780-5822 aherrick@usm.maine.edu and www.muskie.usm.maine.edu.

* Carrie Hight graduated from USM in 2003. She is currently working at Southern Maine Community College in the Maintenance Department as an Administrative Assistant. She says, "My commute to work is a walk across the beach, the guys are great, and I love my job!" Contact Info: chight@smccme.edu.

* Valarie Jernigan graduated from USM in 2000. She completed her master's degree in public health from the University of Oklahoma and works as the Director of Community Health Services for the Indian Health Center of Santa Clara Valley. She has been a National Institutes of Health Graduate Research Fellow with the Strong Heart Study and Robert Wood Johnson Health Professions Partnership Fellow. Her focus area is social epidemiology with an emphasis in American Indian and Alaska Native health issues, particularly chronic disease, cultural influences on health care access and utilization, and cultural interpretations of health. She plans to begin her PhD at Stanford University in the fall and will be studying Medical Anthropology. Her motto is "An undergraduate degree in Anthropology is ALWAYS a good thing...you can do anything you want with it!" Contact Info: (408) 445-3400 xt. 262 vjernigan@ihcscv.org.

* Carey M. Kish graduated from USM in 1998. Since graduating, he has been employed with the Greater Portland Council of Governments. He is the manager at GO MAINE, the statewide commuter services program that assists commuters and employers with economical, healthy, and environmentally friendly commuting alternatives by providing carpools and vanpool ridematching and commuter information to employers and commuters around the state in an effort to improve mobility, reduce traffic congestion, improve air quality, reduce energy consumption and save money. He writes: "My education in Geography-Anthropology at USM was critical in securing this job, especially my experience in GIS. In fact, I started here at GPCOG as a USM intern and was eventually hired full-time." Contact Info: (207) 774-9891 ckish@gpcog.org and www.gomaine.org.

* Matthew McBride graduated from USM in 2004 and is working on his M.S. at the University of New Hampshire in Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation.

* John Mosher graduated from USM in 1989. He is currently working as a Museum Technician III as an archaeologist at the Maine Historic Preservation Commission. During the field season (from mid-April to early November), he supervises archaeological projects all over the state. From November to April, he analyzes artifactual remains, conducts documentary research, and writes technical site reports from the Augusta office. Contact Info: (207) 287-2132 john.p.mosher@maine.gov.

* Christy Murray graduated from USM in 2001. She is currently working as the Project Director for WinterKids, a nonprofit organization in Portland whose mission is to help Maine children develop life-long habits of health, education, and fitness through outdoor winter activities. She also works with Ski Maine. She says, "Some days I feel like I am going to be a student forever." She is currently working on her teacher certification at UNE and taking some black and white photography courses at MECA. Contact Info: (207) 761-3774 christyannwinslow@yahoo.com and www.winterkids.org.

* Ben Ouellette graduated from USM in the spring of 1998. He is currently working at the Portland Water District as the GIS analyst. Over the past five years, Ben has helped develop PWD's GIS system for their water and waste water networks. In 2001, he was the winner of ESRI's Special Achievement in GIS Award. Contact Info: (207) 774-5961 xt 3116 ouellette@pwd.org.

* Jeremy Pooler graduated from USM in 1995. He is currently working in Indianapolis, Indiana as a GPS Technical Support Representative for Positioning Solutions Company. This is a company that sells mapping grade and survey grade GPS equipment to Land Surveyors and Mapping/GIS professionals. Contact Info: indygps@yahoo.com.

* Bob Proctor graduated from USM in 1997. He is an archaeologist working for the TRC, Inc. He is currently working on a Phase 3 excavation in Turner, doing faunal analysis on materials recovered from the Chadbourne site in Berwick, and trying desperately to complete his masters thesis. He is looking forward to going back to Shetland next summer for the third year in a row with the Geography-Anthropology department's field school. Contact Info: zooarch@megalink.net.

* Timothy J. Pulsifer graduated from USM in 2001. He just completed his M.A. in anthropology in the spring of 2004. He is currently employed as a Lecturer in the Department of Anthropology at East Carolina University. Contact Info: http://www.tjpulsifer.com/index5.html and http://www.tjpulsifer.com.

* Christina Roy graduated from USM in 2004 and immediately began work on her M.Sc. in GIS at University College, London in the fall of 2004. She writes that she has lectures, seminars, practicals, etc... Monday to Friday 9:30 am to 5:30 pm and on Wednesdays until 7:00! and it is all worth it. She is living in Peckham Rye which is an Afro-Carribean part of the city located in South East London.

* David J. Sanborn graduated from USM in 2002. He currently works as the Community Planner for Fort Monroe, Virginia. He says, "I serve as Community Planner for Fort Monroe with responsibility for preparation and maintenance of the Master Plan and its various components. I coordinate development and accomplishment of studies, plans and programs required to achieve the Master Plan objectives and the continual changes that are mandated occasioned by policy changes due to unfolding events such as mission changes, technological changes, Army directives, environmental factors and changing standards of life-style. I study, plan, and program for components such as utilities distribution, housing, transportation, land use, and Project Plans such as land development, physical site and structure layout, site analysis, and environmental analysis. My position requires a diversified knowledge of several technical fields with emphasis on installation or city planning background and experience. Also I am in charge of the Master Planning program, integrating all facility related plans and programs with the Fort Monroe Vision. I coordinate the development of the Master Plan with Headquarters, Dept. of the Army (HQDA), TRADOC and Garrison staff and subordinate commanders. Periodically, I review the Master Plan to ensure that it supports the Army and Installation's stated goals and objectives and direct changes as required. I advise the Commander and Installation staff on policies and procedures for facility programming requirements, facility design, and facility construction. I established and conduct the Installation Planning Board. I recommend plans for military construction projects, initiate and manage all Military Construction Army (MCA) and Minor Military Construction Army (MMCA) requirements for Fort Monroe, and review all MCA project submissions from subordinate organizations, obtaining approval from TRADOC for all projects within each program year. I participate in the technical and administrative design review of all MCA projects, as well as, develop, review and coordinate project justifications, cost estimates, proposed project designs. I also recommend changes to project plans and designs, as required, to eliminate conflicting factors and to implement latest concepts, ideas, and requirements. Projects include numerous community and operations type facilities, various land uses, utilities, roads and grounds. I coordinate programs with affected staff within the directorate, other directorates, tenant organizations, DA agencies, Corps of Engineers, MACOM, contract planning and architect/engineering firms, officials at state and local levels, and historic preservation offices. And finally, I prepare briefings for diverse audiences in support of assigned programs and serves as subject matter expert and chief liaison for the Dept. of Public works (DPW)." Contact Info: (757) 788-5947 sanbornd@monroe.army.mil and http://fort.monroe.army.mil.

* Shanna Underwood graduated from USM in 2002. She is currently working full time on an artistic adventure consisting of a four piece acoustic band called "Shanna and the Hawk." She is writing songs for local movie shorts. Shanna is currently living and working in Nashville. Shanna and the Hawk have just released their first c.d. travelshanna@hotmail.com and www.shannahawk.com.

* Elizabeth L. Williams graduated from USM in 2001. She is the Project Manager for the Cumberland County Soil & Water Conservation District. She manages all aspects of DEP/EPA funded watershed projects, conducts watershed surveys that document polluted runoff in and around lakes & streams, runs management plans and implementation projects where she tracks time/volunteer hours, construction costs, and on the ground fixes, and educates community residents about polluted runoff that impact water bodies that in turn affect water quality and ultimately property values. Contact Info: (207) 839-7839 xt 108 and betty-williams@me.nacdnet.org.

* Christopher A. Wright graduated from USM in the spring of 2000. After graduation, he worked full-time as a CRM traveling all over the eastern United States. He is currently enrolled in the Historic Archaeology MA Program at the University of Maine, Orono and will be analyzing faunal material recovered during the excavation of Fort Pentagoet. Contact Info: (207) 581-8823 christopher_wright@umit.maine.edu.

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