Music Theatre Alumnus Brings Kris Kringle to Life

Photo courtesy Tom Shirilla

This holiday season, Mack Shirilla '13 stars in "Kris Kringle the Musical," written by Maria Ciampi with music and lyrics by Tim Janis. The show will be making its world premiere at Olmsted Performing Arts under the direction of Pierre Brault.

In an interview with Cleveland.com, Ciampi explains she is hoping the show, with its original book and score, will make it all the way to Broadway. "There has not been an original Christmas musical on Broadway in quite some time. The musicals of recent years have mainly been adaptations of films."

Shirilla will be playing the young Kringle, "a dreamy, unemployed toy maker living in the Big Apple whose life changes when he tangles with a ruthless toy company CEO".

"Kris Kringle" runs Dec. 5-13, with ticket prices ranging from $18-$22. Call 440-235-6722 or click here for tickets.

Alumnae Link Arts, Tech and Entrepreneurship in Web Series

Megan Poletti and Kristen Klehr on set of The Creative Technology
Web Series - Photo credit: Nick Kuhar

Conservatory professor and alumna Megan Poletti '08 has collaborated with percussion performance graduate and LA-based concert producer Kristen Klehr '10 to create a Creative Technology web series that highlights specific elements of entrepreneurship that help new musicians and artists on the road to success.

Poletti says the two teamed up due to their similar mindset. "[Klehr] is a successful entrepreneur who has created many opportunities for herself, and took her music degree beyond the “typical” boundaries. She’s an ambitious person and an inspiration, and sees a career in music as an opportunity for independence and the pursuit of her own projects, like I do."

Poletti's company, heypoletti! LLC, is focused on linking music, technology and entrepreneurship, with a mission"to inspire not only musicians, but also artists, small businesses, and creative entrepreneurs to use technology to aid in the pursuit of their artistic visions."

The web series features five videos published over a six week period beginning in mid September. "The Creative Technology Web Series is part of my goal to continue into teaching more topics involving artists and entrepreneurship, especially using new media (like video and podcasting)," Poletti explains.

Poletti plans to continue the web series, bringing in more guest speakers and introducing new topics. She is also working on a 2016 e-book that she says will act as "an introductory marketing guide for the aspiring creative entrepreneur."

BW Grad with Cleveland Roots Radiates Broadway Star Power

(photo courtesy of Broadway.com)

At 24, recent BW alumnus Chris McCarrell '13 has found his way into the bright lights of Broadway, now performing as Marius in the revival of Les Misérables. As a hot young talent on the Great White Way, McCarrell is featured in a charming, broadway.com "Broadway Buzz" feature article, video and photo shoot.

McCarrell made his Broadway debut almost immediately after his graduation from Baldwin Wallace and he's optimistic about the future, expressing his ambition, in the broadway.com interview, to have a role in the creation of a new show within the next five years. His goal for 50 years from now? Working as a director or manager of a theater company.

McCarrell's performance resume also includes a turn in the NBC TV Peter Pan Live broadcast as one of the Lost Boys. In his time at BW, McCarrell performed in Pippin, Sweeney Todd, and Next to Normal.

For the current holiday season, McCarrell will headline "Christmas Carols with Chris McCarrell" at New York's "54 Below" on Monday, Dec. 7,  and he's tracked a solo for the 2015 “Broadway’s Carols for a Cure, Volume 17”, a 2-disc, annual CD of original and traditional holiday music to benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Earlier this fall, McCarrell released, 'Now You're Here' a duet with Katie Rose Clarke, to benefit the same cause.

Although he's loving life in New York, McCarrell takes pride in his Northeast Ohio roots, telling broadway.com,  “I grew up south of Cleveland. Went to college west of Cleveland. I’m an all-around Clevelander."

Grad Launches Company to Support Homeless Veterans in LA

Justin Groza '04

"I hate veteran homelessness," Justin Groza '04, says simply. Groza's ten year military experience and desire to help others has spurred the launch of Logos, a business aiming to employ homeless veterans in a sustainable way. 

Groza was very involved  in campus activities during his time at BW as a brother of Phi Kappa Tau Fraternity, a member of the varsity soccer team and manager of the Student Activities Center. After graduating with a degree in Business Administration, Groza enlisted in the United States Army and became a commissioned officer. Following his military service, Groza continued his education at Budapesti Corvinus Egyetem in Budapest, where he earned an MBA.

Image from Groza's Logos crowd-funding campaign

After earning his master's degree, Groza developed and refined the concept for Logos and moved to Los Angeles. He recently launched a a crowd-funding campaign to support his idea and to educate the public about the prevalence of homeless veterans and the importance of long-term employment.

"I'm extremely proud of the project and have received excellent feedback from social workers at the VA and Salvation Army offices in Los Angeles," says Groza.

Alumna Reinvents Career, Creates Nonprofit for College Search

Nichelle McCall

Baldwin Wallace graduate and BOLD Guidance CEO, Nichelle McCall, has been featured in Inc Magazine as a "Woman Tech Founder to Watch," Crain's Cleveland 40 Under 40, and this fall, in a Plain Dealer article highlighting "career reinvention." But just 5 years she was wrestling with unemployment.

After a series of jobs following graduation, McCall took a fellowship in New York and Washington D.C. with the promise of a full-time post with a Cleveland nonprofit when she returned home. Instead, the organization went in a different direction at the end of her fellowship, and McCall found herself unemployed at age 27.

It was a turning point for McCall, who decided to become a consultant, rather than labeling herself unemployed. McCall noted to the Plain Dealer that, "What I learned is that a job is not secure. At any time someone can decide that they want to go in another direction or that your services are no longer needed. At least with entrepreneurship, even if something doesn't work out that I'm working on, I can always create something new."

She consulted with schools and nonprofits, forming college access programs. Within two years, she found herself making more money than ever before, and added a technology-based product in order to continue growing.

In 2012, McCall launched "Bold Guidance," a software company that not only makes the college admissions process easier and more accessible by walking parents and students step-by-step through the process, but also caters to colleges by supporting marketing strategies for enrollment.

Bold Guidance's CEO and President Nichelle McCall
-Photo Courtesy of The Plain Dealer

The Plain Dealer acknowledged the steep hill McCall climbed to make her business a success. "Women represent just 8 percent of venture-backed companies in the country, but for black women, the number shrinks dramatically to .2 percent. McCall has raised $500,000 in the last two years for her company, 'Bold Guidance.'"

In regards to her time working college admissions at Baldwin Wallace, McCall is quoted as saying, "that's when the seed was planted for wanting to make a difference for underprivileged students."

BW Grad Takes Fast Track to Financial Career

Ashley Lenzar '15 offers a lesson in the potential power of an internship to supercharge a career. Following her graduation earlier this year, Lenzar quickly landed a job as a financial services assistant at Glass Financial Advisors, the same company that mentored her in a summer internship.

In the finance profession, only one in 20 advisors is under the age of 30; so when Lenzar, 24, saw the opportunity to get in on the professional level at a young age she went for it. The story of her internship is featured in Financial Advisor magazine, as she sets out to make a name for herself in the world of finance.

Lenzar told Financial Advisor that she had the opportunity to tag along with her father to an Edward Jones advisory meeting around five years ago and was intrigued by the profession. Fast-forward to 2015, with a liberal arts education, a major in accounting and finance as well as a professional internship, she was the perfect fit for the job.

Theatre Grad Dives into Directing

Alumna Lindsey Augusta Mercer is quickly making a name for herself in the world of theatre after graduating in 2013 with a BA in theatre, music, and history, cum laude.

Photo credit: Mikki Schaffner Photography

For the past two years, Mercer has been living in the Greater Cincinnati area where her directorial life began to bloom, beginning with gigs at New Edgecliff Theatre and Diogenes Theatre Company. Mercer continued her streak of success at Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, where she started as assistant to the artistic director in 2014. She staged CSC's touring production of A Midsummer Night's Dream for their Shakespeare in the Park program.

Photo credit: Queen City Queer
Theatre Collective website

In November of 2014, Mercer co-founded the Queen City Queer Theatre Collective with Linnea Jean Bond. Their mission, as described on the QCQTC website, is "to celebrate and share queer experiences while challenging theatre convention. We embrace “queer” as a verb, and a liberating way to work free of creative prejudice." Mercer regularly works as producing artistic director here, working on staged readings.

Her most recent endeavor is at the Falcon Theatre, where she will be directing two one acts known as "The Mystery Plays". The shows open November 6th. In an interview with Cincy Magazine, Mercer says, "It’s a great atmosphere for creating plays," with directors supporting her unique directorial choices.

She will also be playing the role of Amiens in CSC's production of "As You Like It", which runs November 20-December 12.

BW Psychology Grad Awarded Master's Assistantship

Ashely Smith '10

Recent BW graduate, Ashley Smith '15, is now working as a graduate assistant for the College of Public Health at Kent State University. While at BW, Smith combined studies in behavioral sciences and public health to essentially created a customized education in "Health Psychology," although her official major was psychology.

Smith (R) with BW professor Jen Perry on graduation day

Smith's exceptional grade point average of 3.988, combined with an impressive list of activities on and off campus during her undergraduate career, helped to land the assistantship as she pursue's a master's degree in public health with a concentration in social and behavioral sciences.

As a BW undergrad, the Berea native was especially active in BW's Psychology Department, serving as Psychology Student Research Coordinator, President of Psi Chi, Treasurer of the Psychology Club, and avid researcher.

Smith received BW's William Prokasy Award for her academic achievements and contributions to the field of psychology, and also was a White Rose Ceremony participant.

As she pursues her graduate degree, she is working on two separate grant funded projects. 

Healthcare MBA Graduate Leads Summa Cardiovascular Institute

Dr. Michael Hughes, MBA '12

Dr. Michael Hughes earned his health care MBA from BW in 2012. Earlier this year, he was named president of Summa Health System's Cardiovascular Institute.

Hughes, who specializes in international cardiology and cardiovascular disease, has held a number of leadership positions at Summa Health including medical director of the Cardiac Cath Lab and founding co-chairman of Northeast Ohio Cardiovascular Specialists. In addition, he also serves on the executive board of Summa's accountable care organization, New Health Collaborative and sits on the Summa Health Board of Directors.

Summa Health is one of the largest integrated healthcare delivery systems in Ohio and encompasses a network of hospitals, community health centers, a health plan, a physician-hospital organization, a multi-specialty physician organization, research and the Summa Foundation.

Hughes was honored with the American Heart Association’s Sauvageot Volunteer Service Award in 2012 and served on the AHA’s Board of Directors as its president. He also has been named a Cleveland Magazine Top Doctor in 2012, 2013 and 2014.

MBA Alumnus Named Hub Group's President and COO

Donald G. Maltby- Courtesy of Hub Group

After 25 years at Hub Group, one of the United States' largest transportation management corporations, Donald G. Maltby, a Baldwin Wallace MBA alumnus was appointed President and Chief Operating Officer this fall.

Maltby, who most recently served as a consultant to the Hub board, had worked his way up the ladder at the top 50 publicly traded company, holding numerous management positions, serving as Chief Strategy Officer, Chief Supply Chain Officer, Executive Vice President-Logistics Services, President of Hub Online and President of Hub Cleveland.

The Chicago area-based  Hub Group has more than 2,500 employees and $3.6 billion in annual revenue.

In a Hub Group press release, company Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, David Yeager said, "I am very pleased that Don has chosen to take on the role of President and Chief Operating Officer. He is a hard worker and a strategic thinker with deep knowledge of the logistics industry as well as Hub's business and culture. I look forward to working with him to drive our company forward."

Prior to joining Hub, Maltby worked at Sherwin-Williams. He received his Masters in Business Administration from Baldwin Wallace in 1982.

BW Grad Featured on ABC-TV's "Scandal"

Seth Bellinger '10

Seth Bellinger '10, a Fairview, Ohio native who graduated from Baldwin Wallace with a Film/Broadcasting major and Psychology minor, was recently featured on ABC's season premiere of the hit drama series, Scandal.

Following graduation, Bellinger traveled to Los Angeles in pursuit of a career in film. After a few months in LA, he started getting offers for small parts in independent films, commercials and television shows.

Bellinger (left) on the Season 5 Premiere of Scandal on ABC-TV

He has acted in commercials for Spiklit and Golden Era Productions and also played the campus stalker on the television series, Dead of Night. Bellinger has also been featured in print advertising, including a appearance alongside CeeLo Green for a Fast Company Magazine ad.

A man of many talents, Bellinger, creates film, directs, acts and instructs tennis during his free time.

The Season 5 Premiere of Scandal aired on September 24 and is available on ABC.com.

Sport Management Internship Leads to Cavs Job

Another Cavs season is upon us and the Cleveland community is buzzing with excitement! Alumna Emily Thomas '12 serves as the Community Relations Coordinator for the Cavs and is equally as excited for another fantastic season.

Thomas, a Wooster, Ohio native, double majored in sport management and public relations as an undergraduate student. With the help of her sport management classes and professors, she was able to network with professionals in the industry throughout her four years at BW. Thomas held internships with the Cleveland Gladiators, Cavs and Browns, as well as with the BW Events Management Department and ProCamps Worldwide.

"I would not be where I am today without the experiences I had at, because of, and through BW" she tells us, "I had great professors who cared about my career goals and were willing to do a lot to help me achieve those goals."

Good luck this season, Emily! Go Cavs!

White House Initiative Recognizes Work of Alumnus

The work of Cleveland's nonprofit Esperanza Inc. and executive director Victor Ruiz '99 continues to gain praise, most recently winning recognition from The White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics.  Ruiz says Esperanza, which is dedicated to the educational needs of the Hispanic community, is humbled by the White House recognition. "Esperanza is honored to be included in such a prestigious list of organizations that work tirelessly to improve the academic achievements of this country’s Hispanic communities."

Victor Ruiz passes out bookbags at Esperanza's Back to School Event. 

Photo courtesy: Esperanzainc.org

Esperanza was highlighted among the White House Initiative's "Bright Spots in Hispanic Education, one of 230 nationwide programs dedicated to Hispanic education listed.

According to a Crain's Cleveland Business article, Esperanza, under Ruiz's leadership, has helped to raise the Hispanic graduation rate in Cleveland from 30% to 64.3%, more than doubling it within three years by 2014.

A Freshwater Cleveland article added, "While the numbers are still below the national average, Esperanza and Ruiz continue forward, with a mission to only improve further."

Ruiz is also a 2014 Baldwin Wallace Alumni Merit Award winner.

McKelvey Park Rededicated in BW Alumna/HIstorian's Honor

Plaque commemorating the park's rededication to McKelvey
Photo courtesy cleveland.com

The City of Berea has renovated and officially rededicated a park honoring Dorothy Marks McKelvey, the longtime historian for the city and Baldwin Wallace University. The rededication of McKelvey Park, took place on the 30th anniversary of the original dedication ceremony of the park.

Not only was McKelvey a Baldwin Wallace alumna, but from 1950 to 1993, she served as BW's full-time historian and college archivist. She became the official Historian of Berea in 1980 and was the founder, president and trustee of the Berea Area Historical Society (BAHS).

According to The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History, McKelvey "became the person newspapers called to verify facts about Berea's past."

The new lighted fountain at McKelvey Park
-Photo courtesy cleveland.com

In a Cleveland.com story on the recent park rededication, Berea Mayor Cyril Kleem commented that, "Her legacy lives on with this project."

According to the article, "McKelvey Park now sports a lighted fountain, which can double as a splash pad for children, a pergola, and more green space with seven imperial honey locust trees. A bell that originally hung in the former City Hall at the corner of East Bridge and Seminary has been reinstalled at the park."

BW to be Honored as Minds Matter "Partner of the Year"

On November 7, BW is being recognized as the Minds Matter "Partner of the Year" for the continuous support the university has provided to the program. The Minds Matter organization assists promising high school students from low-income backgrounds with things like ACT preparation and college admission counseling in order to put them on the path to a successful college career. Minds Matter says 100% of the program's students have been accepted by four-year colleges.

The national organization's Cleveland chapter was launched in 2008, with the help of several BW alumni. Michael Lagoni ‘06, along with Kristen San Marco ’06 and Meghan Pethtel ’07 all worked to bring the chapter together in it's beginning stages.

BW maintains a strong link with the chapter today through it's alumni founders, faculty board members and volunteers. The organization is also proud to partner with BW on a two-week summer enrichment program starting with the 2015-2016 year.

BW will be recognized at the Third Annual Minds Matter Gala on November 7, with tickets available online. There will also be a silent auction benefiting the non-profit organization's Cleveland chapter.

Sustainability Alumna Echoes own "Zero Waste" Life with Career

Displaying one of her few articles of clothing

(Photo Courtesy: Paris-To-Go)

After a couple of trips to Paris, France, 26-year-old Baldwin Wallace sustainability graduate Ariana Schwarz fell in love-- not only with her husband, but also with Paris. After tying the knot, she made a permanent move to the City of Light and began applying her BW major, her passions and hobbies into a self-made career as a sustainability consultant and lifestyle blogger.

Schwarz began blogging, just as a way "to show [her] friends and family what Paris is like," according to a recent feature article in The Plain Dealer, but her blog, Paris-To-Go has evolved into a lifestyle blog with enough traffic to generate a profit. Schwarz said, "I never expected blogging to go anywhere, though, so I was really surprised at how people could relate to it and support it--I'm really grateful."

Schwarz's zero-waste lifestyle extends to every aspect including the bathroom.
(Photo Courtesy: Paris-To-Go)

On her blog, Schwarz explains how to live sustainably in every aspect of life, including her own examples of ways she produces zero-waste. She touches on subjects such as: A Paris Survival Guide, Zero Waste Guide, Simplifying one's Beauty Routine, and Living Gluten-Free in Paris. Schwarz also incorporated her love for fashion into her blog, where she displays her simple, 10-item wardrobe.

Schwarz also works for companies and individuals as a sustainability consultant. In The Plain Dealer article, she said, "I do audits and go through a house and figure out how they can eliminate plastic from their life and how they can use less water and electricity. I help them be more environmentally friendly."

(Photo Courtesy of: Paris To Go Instagram)

Everything Schwarz does aligns with sustainability. "My BW education helped me apply sustainability to my life in a practical way.... Now I have a job I love in Paris, working with clients like Airbnb, Le Parisien, Hilton Paris Opera, and World Wildlife Fund Europe on sustainability-related initiatives."

Schwarz encourages other sustainability majors to travel and see how other countries approach sustainability. She said, "I feel like my professors at BW encouraged me to get out and see the world and I learned so much that way."

She added, "This is my dream job! Having the freedom to choose clients who truly align with my values, to travel, and make my own schedule was really important to me."

Nursing Alumnus Fulfills Dream of Becoming VA Nurse

Mike Twigg while deployed overseas.

Mike Twigg '14 joined the army at age 38, then used his GI benefits to fulfill his dream of becoming a VA nurse.

Twigg was deployed to Iraq in 2007 and later to Kuwait/Qatar in 2012, acting as an army medic, according to a cleveland.com feature story on his mid-life career journey. After his service, Twigg came home and earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) through BW's one-year, accelerated BSN program.

Twigg now works with 35 veterans as a medical and surgical nurse at the Louis Stokes Cleveland Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center and told cleveland.com he has forged a special connection with his patients. "I understand where they're coming from, these men and women, because I've been there with them."

Twigg also volunteers to be a mentor for the Veterans Treatment Court, a program designed to divert veterans from typical punishment for felonies by placing them in a special mentor/mentee program.

BW Mass Comm Grad Forecasting West Coast Weather

Berg visiting BW, where her broadcasting career started 

Turn on the morning news in central California, and you'll find BW alumna Tamara Berg '04 keeping viewers of KCRA-TV updated on the weather.

Berg graduated magna cum laude from BW with a BA in broadcasting and mass communication, and credits deep involvement in campus organizations with developing many of the skills that have helped her build a successful broadcast career. Berg was a member of Alpha Phi, a D.J. and board member for The STING, campus radio station, student senator, fundraising chair-member for the Dance Marathon and a part of the Model United Nations team.

"All of these organizations helped me build my confidence, set goals and achieve them, and foster relationships. All of these things gave me the confidence to land job interviews and sit on boards for various organizations across the country," she said.

(Photo Courtesy: KCRA)

Berg, a self-proclaimed ‘weather geek’, has been working in the media for more than five years now. She got her start in the business working behind the scenes and after only a year was offered her first on-air position as a reporter and weather-caster, winning a Regional Emmy as part of Toledo’s Best Weekend Forecast.

After beefing up her weather credentials with a BS in broadcast meteorology from Mississippi State University, she is now a full-time weather forecaster for KCRA's Central Coast Morning News, as well as a member of the American Meteorological Society and the National Weather Association.

Communications Grad Teaches Musical Alternative to Violence

 Adrian Brooks (left) in the recording studio with students.
Courtesy CantonRep.con/Ray Stewart

Music producer and Baldwin Wallace University mass communications graduate, Adrian Brooks, is challenging young people to "Put Down the Gun, Pick up a Mic" in an innovative program in Canton, Ohio. The free instruction in music production at the Monroe Community Family Center gives local children and teens the opportunity to find positive alternatives to violence, to experience the power of music and to learn about different careers in the music industry.

Brooks demonstrates how to use sound boards and other equipment in his "Put Down the Gun, Pick up a Mic" classes which are an extension of the center's Boyz2Men mentoring program. The program provides access to a professional recording studio at no cost, something which would normally be an expensive experience.

Personally invested in the program, Brooks teaches every class and has donated some of the equipment. Brooks commented in an interview with CantonRep.com, “They’ll be learning everything,” he said. “It’s not just making beats. They’ll get hands-on experience.”

The Canton Police Department not only supports the program, working alongside the center regularly, but also donated some of the equipment for the studio as well. Police Sgt. D.L. Garren said that, "People out here, such as... Mr. Brooks, are good role models.”

Alumnus Leads Creative Courses From Hamlet to Homelessness

Fee helped students stage a production of Hamlet in the show's
original location, Helsingør.  Above, Fee is holding the skull
celebrities like Jude Law and Kenneth Brannagh used when
performing there.

English alumnus Christopher Fee '89 has forged a reputation for leading creative, immersive experiences as a college professor and Chair of English at Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania.

Fee spent the spring semester living and teaching in Copenhagen, Denmark, where he and his students took a deep dive into Shakespeare's Hamlet: Prince of Denmark. This course gave students the opportunity to perform the show in its original setting of Kronborg Castle in Helsingør. Fee developed the experiential course with the help of BW professors Adam Heffernan, Jack Winget, and Susan Oldrieve. He also taught a second course in Copenhagen called Vikings in Britain 793-1066. Students in that  class were given the chance to ride on a replica long ship.

Back in the states, Fee has been featured in the Washington Post and other national media for creating a popular course at Gettysburg titled, Tryin’ to Find a Way Back Home: An Introduction to the Literature and Legacy of Homelessness in America. The service-learning course includes "rigorous academic content, a substantial weekly service commitment in the local community, overnight duty in a local cold-weather emergency shelter, and a five-day trip to Washington, DC to work in urban shelters and soup kitchens." The course has another BW connection; it was established in partnership with BW alumna Gretchen Carlson Natter '96, who serves as Executive Director of the Center for Public Service at Gettysburg College.