Dr. Ivette Guzmán-Zavala, professor of Spanish, and Giovanni “Gio” Negron-Garcia, associate director of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, were honored among the 2022 POWER 100 Who’s Who in Latino Pennsylvania. “This list of Latinas and Latinos represents diverse individuals making valuable contributions to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania… among the state’s most accomplished men and women in virtually every industry and profession.”

Dr. Guzmán-Zavala was recognized in the Education/Research/Academia category, while Negron-Garcia was acknowledged in the Emerging Leaders/10 Under 40 category. They and their fellow state leaders were honored during a live televised ceremony from the historic Miller Symphony Hall in Allentown on Sept. 30, that kicked off a convention to launch the PA Latino Convention. Dr. Guzmán-Zavala and Negron-Garcia also were invited speakers for the weekend convention. Negron-Garcia, who also serves as the Youth Leadership Coordinator for the PA Latino Convention, gave a State of Youth Address and facilitated a workshop on helping young men become effective community leaders.

Biology majors Ainsley Buia ’25 and Sara Collevechio ’25 were awarded the “Pennsylvania Academy of Sciences Undergraduate Research Project” for their project, “The molecular effects of alcohol sensitivity post traumatic brain injury in Drosophila melanogaster.” They, along with classmate and fellow researcher Raegan Laszczyk ’25, were invited to present their research at the 2023 Pennsylvania Academy of Sciences Conference. The trio are conducting their research under the faculty mentorship of Dr. Bona Hoxha, assistant professor of biology. 

Wendy Moyer-Drabick, MBA, adjunct instructor in business administration, was awarded the 2021 Entrepreneurial Excellence Award by the Greater Reading Chamber Alliance. It is the eighth year that she has received the award in part due to her success running Moyer-Drabick & Associates Ltd., a full-service accounting and IT consulting business she founded in 2002

The music faculty recently announced that Tessa Shaffer ’22, a double major in music and music education, was named the 2021–22 Presser Scholar. Shaffer, one of three students to win the most recent Concerto Aria competition, earned the College’s most prestigious music award. The Presser Scholar is “Selected by the music faculty guided solely by consideration of excellence and merit. This award is an honor award and the student, in their senior year, is known as a Presser Scholar. The award includes a generous stipend to aid in continuing musical studies.”

Jill Savini, the registered nurse who oversees the Shroyer Health Center, was recognized as a 2021 Health Care Hero by the Central Pennsylvania Business Journal (CPBJ). Savini was honored as a Nurse Hero with colleagues from Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and others by the CPBY who annually “recognizes excellence, promotes innovation, and honors the efforts of individuals and organizations making significant positive impacts on the quality of health care.

Dr. Garcia Armero Discusses Mindfulness with ABC TV27

Wendy Moyer-Drabick’s consulting firm, Moyer-Drabick & Associate Ltd., was named the Eastern Pennsylvania Woman-Owned Small Business of the Year for 2020 by the U.S. Small Business Administration. Moyer-Drabick, LVC adjunct instructor in business administration, founded the firm 19 years ago and today specializes in the selection, implementation, training, and support of various software accounting packages for all types of businesses.

Dr. Justin Mierzwicki, clinical assistant professor of physical therapy, received the Pennsylvania Physical Therapy Association (PPTA) 2020 Geriatric Award of Excellence for the Geriatric Special Interest Group. The PPTA designates 11 awards each year and LVC’s Physical Therapy Department faculty received two of them, including Dr. Tonya Miller, assistant professor of physical therapy, who received the PPTA Humanitarian Awardin September.

Professor Jeff Snyder, chair of the Music Department, director of the Music Business Program, and founder of VALE Music Group, will be honored with the “Educator of Note” award by the Central Pennsylvania Music Hall of Fame. Snyder will be recognized during the hall’s Music Awards & Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at the Whitaker Center Jan. 30, 2020, along with notable artists and acts such as Poison, Dan Hartman, The Sharks, and Robert Willie White of Motown’s Funk Brothers.

Dr. Thomas Dompier, associate professor of athletic training, recently learned that he has been recognized as a National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) Fellow, which is the highest distinction an athletic training researcher can receive, and that he was named a 2018 Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer (MDAT) by NATA, which is awarded only to the most distinguished scholars in the profession. Dompier joins recent winners from the University of Virginia, University of Michigan, and University of Connecticut. Be being named a NATA Fellow, Dompier joins an elite group of 61 NATA Fellows out of 45,000 professionals. He will receive the awards during the association’s annual meeting in Las Vegas, Nev., in June.

Simpatico Studios, founded and run by Jill Kidulic Whiskeyman ’07 and Steve Whisleyman ’09, both double majors in English and digital communications, was named a 2019 Best Branding Agency by DesignRush. Simpatico Studies, a B2B marketing agency and small business marketing agency specializing in brand identity design, web design and development, and integrated marketing communications, was also named fourth in the state among Best Logo Design Companies and fifth in Pennsylvania among Best Graphic Design and Print Design Companies. Brxton Kocher ’17 is senior account planner and producer at Simpatico.