Alumni Spotlights
Elizabeth Siematkowski, M.S.Ed.’11: Sharing Buffalo’s Stories
September 27, 2016
As a former competitive figure skater, Elizabeth Siematkowski, M.S.Ed.’11, knew the importance of self-care and personal wellbeing. She also knew that the college years were an especially important time for young men and women and wanted to help them navigate the life issues, concerns and...
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Vincent Frazzitta Jr., ’87: Following Destiny
August 31, 2016
Vincent Frazzitta Jr., ’87, believes in destiny. It’s what led him to Niagara University, he says, explaining that, when looking for information on Syracuse University, he discovered an NU admissions brochure that had been misfiled. After finding out more about the university and its programs,...
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Matthew Schelter, ’05: The Cheesecake Guy
July 28, 2016
In the back of his mind, Matthew Schelter, ’05, always knew he’d own his own business some day. But after graduation, he entered the corporate world and worked his way up the sales ladder at Verizon Wireless for nearly nine years. When the opportunity to take on a new challenge, that of business...
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Ann Sumner, ’73, M.A.’75: Teaching in Turkey
June 28, 2016
Ann Sumner had no plans to become a teacher when she enrolled as an English major at Niagara University. She aspired to be an academic, like her favorite NU professors. But to earn money for her master’s degree, she took a job as a substitute teacher in the local high school and found she had a...
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Joseph Kchodl, ’79: Steward of the Past
June 21, 2016
Joseph Kchodl, ’79, remembers watching The Wonderful World of Disney as a child. In one particular episode, Walt Disney stood in front of a forest, with two animatronic dinosaurs behind him. Their realistic movements convinced young Joe that they were alive and inspired a lifelong fascination with...
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Tony Caccomo, ’70: Leading Innovations in Food
May 12, 2016
There’s a food revolution happening, and Tony Caccomo, ’70, is at the forefront. And that’s exactly where you’d expect him to be.He’s always been somewhat of an activist, he says. As a student at Niagara, he helped to establish Niagara University’s club football team (raising more than...
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Dr. Dianne Morrison-Beedy, ’80: Transforming Healthcare and Transforming Lives
May 2, 2016
As a nurse practitioner working in a women’s health practice in Rochester, N.Y., Dr. Dianne Morrison-Beedy, ’80, frequently counseled her patients on their risk of exposure to sexually transmitted infection, HIV, and unplanned pregnancies. But sometimes her advice seemed to fall on deaf ears.So...
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Chris Viscardi, ’84: Telling Meaningful Children’s Stories
April 19, 2016
Chris Viscardi, ’84, enjoyed an “idyllic childhood” growing up in Auburn, N.Y.: summers at the lake, snowy winters, surrounded by friends and family. He drew upon these experiences to co-create the Adventures of Pete and Pete, arguably one of the best children’s shows ever made, and an...
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Jared Reichman, ’00: Offering an Escape from Everyday Life
January 4, 2016
Zombies have overrun the research facility where you work! This strange plague quickly kills and transforms its victims into mindless walking dead––and you have been bitten by one of them! Now, trapped in the bowels of the laboratory, you have one hour to find the serum that will cure you and...
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Michael Ackerman, ’80: Back at Home at NU
December 8, 2015
Dr. Michael Ackerman, ’80, is back at Niagara. And he couldn’t be happier about it. “It’s always had a place in my heart,” he says. “It’s a special place, and there’s something very special about being a Niagara nurse. You can’t describe it, but you know it. And that’s what I...
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