Class Notes—Summer 2019

Notables:

Sean Huddleston ’05 (Southfield) was named the new president at Martin University, a liberal arts college in Indianapolis, Ind. He previously served as the vice president for inclusion and equity at the University of Indianapolis. He formerly worked at Framingham State University in the Boston area, where he served as chief officer of diversity, inclusion and community engagement from 2016-17, and chief diversity and inclusion officer from 2015-16. He held similar positions at Grand Valley State University from 2011-14. Huddleston, 51, started his new position on March 25, 2019.

Kenneth DeGraaf ’16 was named the Northeast Conference Coach of the Year for the first-year Mount St. Mary’s (Md.) women’s bowling team. The NCAA Division 1 program finished second in the conference tournament in its first season and was nationally ranked despite having a lineup of all freshmen.

Col. John Detro ’85 of the U.S. Army moved to Fort Knox in August 2018 to become director of the Leader Development Branch. He will be the director for two years and has been selected for BDE Command. He supports the Talent Management of Army Medical Officers for the Army Surgeon General. He began his career at Fort Knox with basic training in November 1987.

From the Alumni Office

Kate Hamilton ’15/MA<br />Director of Alumni Relations — Kate Hamilton ’15/MA
Director of Alumni Relations

Siena Legacy

Can you believe it? Siena will celebrate our Centennial during the upcoming academic year! It has been an honor and privilege to be a part of the Centennial Committee and work with other faculty, staff, alumni, and community supporters to help plan what will be 100 events for the 100th. Our theme is ‘Legacy’ and all I can say is “WOW,” when I think of all that I have learned already and all that I will learn going forward as we meet and talk with all of YOU who share in this Siena legacy.

I am looking forward to the upcoming year because it means I will be meeting and hearing about the impact Siena has had on so many of our alums and how they have taken those lessons out into our world creating their own legacy. As part of the celebration, we are hosting ‘SHU Legacy Lectures,’ featuring many of our alums who have agreed to come back and share their Siena memories and their journey after graduation. They will spend a day on campus speaking to classes, lunching with students, and then telling their story at a TED-X style talk in the evening.

Also of note happening this year at Homecoming is our All-Alumni Art Show where more than 25 alumni artists will have their work shown at locations on our campus, at INAI (at the Motherhouse), and at the Adrian Center for the Arts (a short drive from campus). This is sure to be one of many weekend highlights. I am sure you will share in my excitement to read Jennifer Hamlin Church’s centennial coffee table book that will provide us with a look back while we look forward.

Fashionable Career

Melissa poses atop The Eiffel Tower during a recent trip to Paris.

By Doug Goodnough

Since high school, Melissa Lefere-Cobb ’95 was determined to live in New York City and work in the fashion industry.

Thanks to a unique Siena Heights degree program – along with a relentless work ethic—she said she was able to achieve both of those goals. For more than two decades, Lefere-Cobb has worked her way up to the pinnacle of the fashion industry. She is currently the division head for Herve Leger, a well-known French fashion house, in New York City.

She said Siena Heights’ fashion merchandising program started her down the “runway” of her very successful career path. She learned about the program while a student at Jackson (Mich.) Lumen Christi High School.

“It was a great program that allowed me to go to Siena for three years, and then my junior year I spent at the Fashion Institute of Technology,” Lefere-Cobb said of the fashion merchandising major, which is no longer offered. “It served me well.”