2025 Committee
Meredith Gaffney, MPH, Co-Chair
Program Director, Master of Public Health program
Dr. Shannon Hashemi, CMA, Co-Chair
Associate Professor, Ernest C Trefz School of Business
Julie Demers, MA, CRA, Coordinator
Director of Instruction Based and Sponsored Research
Student Poster and Judging Subcommittee
Elizabeth Fles, PhD, Co-Chair
Assistant Professor, Psychology
Fred Ferraro, MS, Co-Chair
Biological Safety officer and Laboratory Manager for Biology and Biomedical Research
Nadine Spring, (’06), PhD
Assistant Director, Master of Public Health program
Kristy Huntley
Director, Office of Institutional Effectiveness
Deanna DiLuggo, EdD
Assistant Professor, Educational Leadership
Kevin Kelliher, PhD
Associate Professor, Chiropractic
Abhi Patel, (’24), MSM
Business Analyst
Prathyusha Jaddu
Web Services Developer
Faculty Poster and Judging Subcommittee
Vinod Dhar, PhD, Chair
Professor and Curriculum Director of Chemistry, School of Nursing and Health Professions, Goodwin University
Fredrick Dombrowski, PhD
Assistant Department Chair and Assistant Professor, Clinical Mental Health Counseling program
Marco Bonett Matiz, PhD
Assistant Professor, Physics
Dr. Shannon Hashemi, CMA
Associate Professor, Ernest C Trefz School of Business
Oral Presentations and Entrepreneurial Displays Subcommittee
Rosaura Frias, MSDH, Co-Chair
Adjunct Clinical Instructor, Fones School of Dental Hygiene
Sherri Dente, Esq, Co-Chair
Director of The Bauer Innovation Center
Lorraine Taylor (’76)
UB Alumni Board of Directors
Maria Gherasimova, PhD
Division Director, Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Chair of Physics, Professor Physics
Meredith Gaffney, MPH
Program Director, Master of Public Health Program
Publicity Subcommittee
Clifford E. Thermer, EdD
Dean, School of Business, Technology, and Advanced Manufacturing, Goodwin University
Eric Lehman, MA, Publicity Subcommittee Chair
Director of Publications, and Associate Professor, English Department
Sponsorship Subcommittee
Bill Moran (’74), Chair
UB Alumni Board of Directors, President
Elizabeth Alves, MEM
Laboratory Supervisor, Biology and CUE Coordinator
Siobhan Blaze
Administrative Coordinator
Caitlin McGuire
Executive Assistant To The Provost
Education Subcommittee
Rebecca Bruckenstein (’16), MA, Chair
Academic Advisor
Amy Nawrocki, MFA
Dean, College of Science and Society
Myia Powell-Baldwin (’16), MA
Technology Support Specialist
Stephanie Staffey, MA
Director, Center For Excellence In Learning and TeachiNG
Jennifer Weiss, LAc
Associate Professor Acupuncture Institute
Event Subcommittee
Michael Ciolfi, HBPE, DC, MBA, DBA
Dean, College of Health Sciences
Khaled Elleithy, PhD
Dean, College of Engineering, Business, and Education
Mohammed Aljamal (’21), MS
Lab Engineer
Trina Henderson
Events Manager
Please direct any questions about UB RISE to UBRISE@bridgeport.edu.