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Click here to view a listing of all Fashion School alumni and their current occupations.
Click here to go to the Kent State Alumni Association home page.

Comments – Fashion Merchandising Alums

I got the production asst. job at Jones Apparel!!!! Thank you soo much for helping me out as a reference! I'm very excited and a lil overwhelmed with everything that I need to do because I start in 3 weeks. I know I'll do fine though. Thanks for everything, Jason Grenig

Jonalyn Abraham Romeo

It was a wonderful school. I had great professors and a great adviser. It laid the foundation for me to have a wonderful sales and public relations career in New York with Mary McFadden and Heidi Weisel.

Karen Barney Latsko

I work for a major footwear company representing the "Trotters" line. I am a key account executive & call on department stores. I was a buyer for Dillard's for nine years prior to this wholesale job. The retail buying gave me the foundation needed to be successful in a selling position. I call on Dillard’s, May Co., Proffitt's, Sears, Von Maur, Nordstrom and major catalogs. My account base changes depending on the line that I am carrying at that time. My studies at the school have really helped me gain an advantage out in the job market. I often refer back to experiences at Kent State. I would really enjoy visiting the school as a speaker. I'd like to share my experiences and convey to the students just how invaluable their education is at the School of Fashion.

Jennifer Benedict Waldron

I am recently married which is what brought me to Birmingham. I am working for Saks Inc. as a merchandise planner. I have been an assistant buyer for Saks Fifth Ave., a merchandise asstistant at Federated Merchandising Group and a store manager for the Limited since I graduated. In every one of those positions, I have felt my education at Kent State University had helped me out. Everything I studied is exactly what I do in my career. It is an excellent education with professors that have great experience. I think very highly of the fashion programs at Kent State University. I would recommend them to anyone serious about the fashion industry.

Charmel Brandt Wesel
I work part-time at my church doing a wide variety of duties, all of which are fine & worthwhile. My duties for the Marietta Area Merchants Association focuses on creating/planning/executing special events that link M.A.M.A. with the Mid-Ohio Valley. I recently purchased an embroidery/sewing machine & spend time creating custom items for clients. I also volunteer in a variety of areas. In May 2000, I married the man of my drams, Ron Wesel. We live in a Victorian-era home in downtown Marietta, and we are working on renovations. Please know that I value my education at Rodgers & Silverman School of Fashion Design & Merchandising tremendously! I have used literally every aspect of the information I learned during my time there. The faculty and staff truly prepare the students for working in the industry successfully! THANK YOU!!!

Allison Camara
I am the store manager of the Abercrombie & Fitch at Tower City. I feel that the Fashion Merchandising degree I received helped prepare me for my job in all aspects and I am constantly learning and finding amazing things in the fashion industry each day.

Lori Constabile
I am currently a manger in the planning department and have three planners reporting to me. This fall I will be attending FIT for a new masters program in professional studies with an emphasis on the beauty industry. My education at Kent was invaluable and has helped me greatly in my career. I speak highly of my experience and education that I received.

Kristy Deluigi Galatis
I found that a lot of people in the industry do not have a fashion merchandising degree. In fact, many are accounting and finance majors. It has helped me a lot in my job to have the courses that I took at Kent. I definitely felt that I was a step above the others in my training classes.

Laura Gladd Barber
I am currently working in merchandising with Abercrombie & Fitch in girl’s denim. As an associate, I am managing the production process from line sketch to store selling. I love the career path I have chosen, and find the classroom experience to have been a relative contribution to my current success in retail merchandising!

Michelle Greenlee
Currently, I'm working with Jockey International becoming very experienced in the manufacturing arena. From my past jobs and my present, I really feel that S. Rodgers & J. Silverman School of Fashion Design really prepared me to jump into this fast-paced industry on my feet and running.

Michelle K. Gustafson
I am a sales manager for Lazarus Department Stores in Columbus, Ohio. As of now, I am working in the men's dress shirt & tie area. I feel the school does a wonderful job preparing students for their future careers. The curriculum has really helped me in my job, and has helped further me in this career.

Michelle Huff Zoldak
I am proud to be a Kent State University Fashion School alumnus. Since graduated, I have gotten married and been blessed with a daughter, Madeline, who is 2 years old now. I love working for Estee Lauder - it is a wonderful company with wonderful people. It is the perfect job for me at this point in time with a child. Future plans are to get my teaching certificate and my masters and teach in a fashion school at the college level. My education from the fashion school has helped me tremendously. Many employers are impressed with all I know and have done compared to others with the same education from other schools. Thank you.

Melissa James Lyons
For the Timberland Co., I travel to different cities and visit Department stores as well as independent retailers and merchandise the Timberland areas. I also spend time with associates training them on our products and giving them the tools to sell our merchandise in their departments. I feel that the fashion school prepared me for the job I have today. All of the classes that are required for a fashion degree helped me obtain my job and educated me on everyday issues.

Joy Kinder
I handle all of our Saks Fifth Avenue accounts, some specialty stores, and all of our private clients. I do customer service (order entry, complaints & requests) and I have the opportunity to assist in production and sales. I have a great job at a great company. I am so glad I went to Kent State. I had many great professors and experiences there!

Lisa Kopp
I am currently training in the largest sales volume JCPenney store. I am training in the women's accessories department which includes lingerie, hosiery, handbags and sunglasses. Customer service, personnel management and visual merchandising are my focuses in training. I was able to develop a strong working relationship with JCPenney from the existing partnership between the school and JCPenney.

Jennifer Ksenich
Currently, I am a merchandiser for Gap, Inc. in San Francisco. I've been in California for a little over a year. Previously, I was a buyer for Richs/Lazarus/Goldsmiths in Atlanta, GA. I am confident that my education at Kent State University gave me the skills necessary for a successful career in fashion.

Nichole Labella
I have been with JCPenney for 5 years now, and I am on the lookout for a promotion soon! The fashion school was by far the best experience of my life. We could not have a better staff with as much personal experience to bring to their lessons in class!

Amy Markley
I presently work for Victoria's Secret. I spent 2 1/2 years working for Bloomingdales in New York City as an assistant buyer and I also worked for Unionbay sportswear for 2 years in New York City as a sales coordinator. I believe that my education at the fashion school helped me to be where I am today.

Jennifer Phillips-Ranieri
I am the visual merchandise manager for largest national specialty game retailer. I create monthly promotional campaign and key marketing messages for consumers. As part of my job, I also am a key partner in the buying, marketing, and daily operations. Thanks to the school, I was ready to jump into and do several different jobs.

Erica Short Fasner
I started working for Williams-Sonoma in June 2000 as a merchandise operations assistant for the Pottery Barn Kids and Chambers divisions of the company. After 8 months, I was promoted to supervisor of merchandise operations. I oversee a team of 5 assistants & am responsible for keeping the flow of work done in a fast turn around. We deal with setting up the SKU's for new product and maintaining them after they already exist such as: price changes, vendor changes, ship prompts & descriptions. I feel that my education has played such a huge role in preparing me for current job. I have such wonderful memories of Kent!

Brett Yates Jamp
Production manager for sweaters-fit, color lap dips, spec., grading, trim buyer. I source it, cost it, fit it and have it produced overseas. We are a wholesale company and we do private labels as well. I would like to hear & see more marketing from the school. I have really used a lot of my education with each job I have had and felt very prepared - I wish more people knew what a good education Kent offers.

Valentina Zinni
After graduating from KSU in 1989, I jumped directly into retail and have held area management positions and buying positions for both department stores and specialty stores. I am currently a market representative for pants and daywear which I am responsible for directing 8 major department store buyers the direction they should be taking to get more sales. I also work with vendors to negotiate returns, off-price, advertising, etc. I have always had a positive reaction when asked where I attended college. My experience thoroughly prepared me for my "real" job.

Jen Bolon (maiden name Doyle)
While I was finishing up my final year of school, I was working part time at Dots as a merchandising intern. Upon graduation I was promoted to a full time Merchandising Administrator, where I assisted the buyers in any possible way that I could. After four months in this position I was promoted to Assistant Buyer for Ready-To-Wear and Intimate apparel, which is the position I am currently in. I work with the Buyer of the department as well as with the General Merchandise Manager very closely. I also have an Merchandising Administrator that assists both my buyer and myself. I feel very fortunate to have gotten my degree from Kent State. I feel that our program offers us so many opportunities and outlets in the industries, that puts us ahead of other people. After talking to people that attended FIT and other fashion schools of the like, I feel that Kent State gives us an advantage of having a more well rounded education that gives us a better fit in general as we begin our professional careers.

Kimberly Ostendorf
Since graduating from Kent State University in December 2001 with dual majors in Fashion Merchandising and Marketing, my professional life has changed dramatically. Prior to graduation, I had envisioned myself starting off my fashion career in the Big Apple or Los Angeles. Instead of the city life, I moved to the small country town of Bentonville, Arkansas. Here I am though, 9 months later, working the world’s largest retailer, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. as a color manager for their Hardlines division in Product Development.

I began at Wal-Mart as the first color manager for Hardlines. In none months, I have helped establish standards and processes for color throughout all Hardlines departments, which vary from linens to hunting gear. I work with suppliers and the brand team in establishing color cards that are finalized throughout various color meetings then sent onto domestic and international suppliers as standards for a season. I am also heavily involved in the approval process with my brand team. When merchandise comes through for approval, I help in approving or rejecting products based on color. My mission is to ensure total indoor coordination throughout all Hardlines departments.

In addition to working with color, I am responsible for creating all visuals for major meetings. These visuals range from concept boards to PowerPoint presentations. The instructors at the Fashion School helped me build a solid foundation in creating effective presentation visuals. The high expectations the professors set have carried through with me in my professional career. My knowledge for creating effective visuals exceeds my managers’ highest expectations.

The professors I was fortunate enough to work with instilled in me a strong work ethic and the ability to critique myself. I left college with a strong foundation of the fashion industry along with the confidence to excel in all future endeavors. I am very appreciative of my education from the Shannon Rodgers and Jerry Silverman School of Fashion Design and Merchandising and the professors who taught me.

Haritina Kakoules
I graduated from KSU with a B.S. in Fashion Merchandising in 1981. I then went into the family bridal business and enjoyed a career combining the world of fashion and business. This past March I sold the business and have since accepted a job at Shiepis Chiropractic Clinic handling their marketing and advertising. I feel my degree from KSU has been an invaluable tool in helping me run my own business. The variety of different classes has also been helpful to me relative to my current public relations/marketing position.

Kelly Hoffman
I previously worked for Wal-Mart as an assistant manager. I was on a tea that opened several new stores in Michigan and Ohio. The highlight of that career was meeting Sam Walton. At the time I was at Kent, there were no Wal-Mart stores in Ohio, only down South. We learned a great deal about Sam Walton and Wal-Mart in one of Fred Stein’s classes. I just celebrated 7 years at the Olive Garden. I have been a server, hostess, bartender, wine host, trainer and culinary assistant. It has been my absolute pleasure in recent years to become a substitute teacher in the Fredericktown School District.

Memories at Kent:

• I was attending school in Atlanta in 1982, when my Grandmother sent me newspaper clippings of Kent’s new fashion school and museum. I started at Kent in 1983 and graduated in 1991. It was, and remains, the proudest moment of my life.
• Classes at Nixson Hall and the state-of-the-art Rockwell Hall opening.
• The fashion students being introduced to Dr. June Mohler as she was accompanied by her very large dog
• Fashion Show Production class was the highlight of my Kent education. Incredible experience.
• Diane Munson, working tirelessly with me on my coursework and class selections
• Jean, the secretary. She remembered me, and my name, for several years after I graduated.

I am so proud of my education at Kent. The faculty and their professional connections with the world of fashion, the speakers it brought to us, and the small class size was invaluable to me. I can’t believe I was around 20 years ago to see it get started.

Kari Miller
As the Director of Public Relations for Saks Fifth Avenue in Beverly Hills, I am responsible for all fashion shows, special events and media relations for the company’s largest flagship market outside of New York. This includes everything from in-store cocktail parties for 50 guests to gala evenings for 1000; fashion shows for designers such as Chanel, Oscar de la Renta and Michael Kors; and providing fashion information and commentary to press such as the Los Angeles Times and the Style Network. Due to the “Hollywood” angle of the Los Angeles market, our events tend to be celebrity-driven, giving us the opportunity to work with celebrities such as Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, Steven Spielberg and Kate Capshaw, Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones, Sting, Elton John, Nancy Reagan and Hillary Rodham Clinton.

The education and industry experiences I received as a student at FD&M have paved the way for my career. From the behind-the-scenes aspects of manufacturing to the day-to-day operations of a retail store, I refer almost daily to the information I learned from my fashion classes. Additionally, the close working relationships the instructors have with their students proved invaluable, even laying the groundwork for my first “real” job.

Kristen Filigenzi
After graduation, I moved to New York City, where I worked for a textile manufacturer for nearly 3 years. I moved back to Cleveland and worked for Imperial Home Décor Group and then American Greetings. I have been in the seasonal cards product management group now for 2 years. The education was great and helped prepare me for my work experiences. I am grateful and cherish my time at the fashion school.

Anna Filippone
I work for a small company, so we all wear many hats. I help get the showroom samples made and all the production involved with wovens as well as knits. We have 2 lines, studio & naturals. I assist with the design work for our private label. The school and my internship at Dana Buchman were great at preparing me in general and in comparison to other top schools; I believe we are very competitive.

Cara Foster
My job includes flat sketching, specs, lab dip approval & mostly print work (the company I work for is known to be a missy moderate print house). Last year I traveled to China to work with our print mills. I have been with this company since I graduated from Kent, and I have always felt secure and well-prepared with my education.

Todd Huston
I recently accepted the position with Galyan's as product Development Manger overseeing all Galyan's brand apparel development; this includes all development from color & concept to specifications and bulk approval. Galyans has 26 stores currently open and we will open 9 in 2002. They are typically 80,000-100,000 square feet. Please feel free to contact me in regards to any other info you would like or anything I could do for the school.

Sherry Justice
The outstanding education I received is with me every day. I was completely prepared for my first position in fashion merchandising for Federated Department. Stores. I took that education and experience and began developing my own business in the mid 80's. My expertise is in the creative aspects of marketing. I currently own two very different businesses, a salon and spa and a whole house air purification company.

Nancy Miesle
Designing all the apparel, craft fabric, quilts, home dec room shots, notions projects that are photographed for all of our advertising. Design special booklets; work with buyers to promote their businesses through advertising. Go to photo shoots and photography studios often art direct. On my own, I've opened a small business designing equestrian wear. I’m looking to go towards my master’s degree within the next year or two. I hope to teach someday and give back! My experience at KSU was fantastic, it is my hope to be able to give back someday and teach at the university level.

Lori Moes Bowman
After graduation, I worked as a quality control tech at a sewing production facility. From there I went to work for Mercantile Stores, in Cincinnati, Ohio, starting as a department manager, moving up to assistant buyer, then product development manager and finally to buyer of intimate apparel. From there, I went to Target Corp. in Minneapolis, MN, where I was the buyer for boy’s apparel for 3 years. Last March I was recruited to run a new buyer training program which is my current job. I have one child, Austin, who is 10 years old.

Amy Pickering
I've been with Victoria's Secret since my internship in August '97. I went from intern to fashion coordinator (color & concept team) to assistant designer - casual sleepwear, to associate designer. I love my job and plan to stay and watch the continued growth and success. I believe my education prepared me and gave me a well-rounded background for the fashion industry.

Pamela Snyder
I recently got my MFA in Theater Design at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. I am a self employedfreelance costume designer/stylist for off-Broadway productions and do some TV work. The KSU museum is quite a wonderful resource and students are very lucky to have such a gift at their disposal. I look forward to seeing exhibits there when I visit home.

Rebecca Spilman
I have been working for the Supreme International Division Of Perry Ellis International since graduation. I have been promoted from a textile designer to an assistant designer, to a designer, which position I have had for over 2 years. I am or have been responsible for the following menswear accts.: K-Mart, Target, WalMart, Meijers, BJ's Wholesale, Sam's Club and Costco.

Alexis Stuart
I am currently working in a merchandising/product development role. I work closely with the design and production departments to create appropriate, timely, seasonally salable merchandise. I travel seasonally to source fabrics/trims, etc. The most enjoyable part of my position allows me to run a business while being creative.

Jody Svete Gerard
I design seasonal collections for the label Jones New York Country. I am involved in all areas of development, and I oversee art dept., textiles, etc. to ensure a timely delivery of the line.

Heidi Weber
About 4 years ago, I started working for Victoria's Secret Stores headquarters. I started as an assistant design technologist and have been able to grow with the company into a design technologist position with my own assistant. I have been able to help the company with the consistency in fit of the garments we sell as well as continue to learn and develop my skills in technical design. I learned quickly after graduation that fashion is not only in New York. There are many opportunities outside of the “city.”

Tad Boetcher
Freelancing at Regent

Jill Griffith
I am currently the Director of Creative Services at Cornerstone Marketing & Advertising. We are a very small advertising agency located in Grayton Beach, Florida. Grayton Beach has been ranked as one of America’s most beautiful beaches and it is an area that is experiencing a lot of growth. Likewise, the company is growing steadily.

Cornerstone Marketing & Advertising sells itself as an advertising boutique. We are not an agency that cranks out one or two ads for a client, but rather, we are in it for the long haul. Our focus is on cultivating client relationships. The client knows that their business will get a quality service because of the special attention that we dedicate to every account.

Because we are a small company, I am afforded the opportunity to get my feet wet in all aspects of the business, which is of great advantage to me. A few areas in which I help include:

• communicating with clients
• coordinating special events
• designing and implementing displays
• developing ad campaigns
• editing copy before it goes to press
• writing radio commercials, television commercials, and press releases

I began working with Cornerstone in May of 2002. By May of 2003, I will have graduated from Florida State University with a Master of Business Administration, and Cornerstone will have closed out a very creative image campaign for a new project by a major resort developer. I look forward to having accomplished both of these goals.

My Kent State University education has undoubtedly been an asset to my career. First and foremost, I think it is very important to have ‘that piece of paper’ stating that you did, in fact, finish a degree. The college degree buys you a lot of credibility. Specifically, my degree in Fashion Design has helped me to communicate that I take my creativity seriously. However, I am grateful for the fact that Kent State University required a well-rounded education, and not just a concentrated study of the arts. I have benefited just as much from the general studies course work as I have from classes that were in my chosen field of study.

Susan Kapela
Having moved from Kent in October 1994, I went to Boca Raton, Florida to live full time. I make slipcovers and home furnishings such as pillows, cushions and other related items. I am the sole proprietor of my business, Susan Kapela Slipcovers, and do a lot of work through referrals from Calico Corners in Boca Raton. I moved from Boca to Delray Beach with my husband in June of 2001. I bought my first house there and continue the business. I use my draping skills from my fashion design classes every day. Also, I assist clients in putting fabrics and colors together to fit their decorating plans. I am VERY BUSY as of this writing and very proud to be working for MYSELF.

Darcy Brown Anders
After graduating from Kent State University’s Rodgers and Silverman School of Fashion in 1990, I worked for Counterparts Sportswear in New York. In 1991, I was hired as a Designer for Ruth of California, a children’s dress manufacturer. While working with the Ruth line, I was responsible for developing the newborn, infant, and toddler dress collections. My responsibilities included researching fabrics and trim markets, overseeing sample production, and the costing of each garment. I was awarded the Earnie award for excellence in children’s design and have had my designs featured in many industry publications. I am currently taking a sabbatical while awaiting the arrival of my first child and am taking business courses at my local college. The education and experience that I received from the Fashion School at Kent have been invaluable. The well-rounded curriculum enabled me to make an easy transition from school to a career in the fashion industry.

Leila Jalili
Currently, I’m working on technical wintersports clothing catering to young, urban-inspired snow-sports enthusiasts. My role within our design team is to take a 2-dimensional sketch of a garment, design feature or trim and translate that item into an actual 3-dimensional product. In doing so, I am responsible for creating and maintaining accurate product specification guidelines for a particular collection of garments. We refer to them as “tech-pacs” and they include everything from sketches to measurements to fabric, trim and color info to construction details. This process includes assisting the designer by creating technical illustrations; updating sketches as the garments progress through each development stage, providing overseas contractors and in-house technical developers with guidelines to create fit blocks, patterns and prototypes; traveling to Hong Kong first to initialize the development of the new collection and secondly to finalize the details and negotiate their manufacturing price; and finally, taking the garments through each development stage (about 5 per season) via fit sessions and garment critiques. All of these tasks fall into a set timeline to ensure the products reach the consumers in a timely manner. Despite all of this, the bulk of my day consists of e-mail correspondence, communicating with my sourcing merchandisers in our Hong Kong office on a daily basis. We discuss everything from sample delivery to trim development to costing issues, etc. Generally speaking, our office environment is fairly relaxed; we work flexible hours and often participate in company outings and social events during office hours. A few great perks of the job are attending movie premieres, tradeshows, global sales and design meetings, and also spending time on the mountain “wear testing” gear.

Kristin Winiasz-Nettle
I own a commercial embroidery and digitizing business called Style by Kristin Duprey which I started in 2001.

Here is a brief work background:
Senior Buyer/Merchandiser, Broder Brothers, Plymouth, MI
Buyer and Product Developer for a highly specialized reseller of active sportswear, to producers of sport screen printing, embroidery and Ad Specialty Industry. Selected as initial Product Development Manager to create an upscale product line for its catalog. Directed a support staff.
Director of Marketing/New Business Development, Global Apparel, Cleveland, OH
Representative of an apparel manufacturing firm in China. Developed and sold sportswear apparel to the wholesale industry.
Shoe Buyer, Dallas Shoes, Cleveland, OH
Assisted the Retail Director in managing all operations pertaining to shoe inventory
Sales Manager, MS Productions, Westlake, OH
Sales and Marketing for the Original Sewing & Craft Expo and Innovations in Embroidery Expo

Where I am today:
The last job opened my eyes to starting my own commercial embroidery company from my home. The machine is single head Barudan that is able to fit in most studios. Embroidery is everywhere; I have found a few niches that will hope to prove profitable in the long run. Here are some of my areas of focus:

• Irish dress Costumes: very detailed embroidery for young step dancers. Dresses often cost $1000-2000 each. I am doing the embroidery for these dresses.
• Corporate logos: using my experiences in the wholesale industry to establish a well rounded presentation to those companies looking for brand identification with embroidered logos
• Unique Gift Ideas: Always looking for creative ways for embroidery! Successful items for me have been: baby blankets, towel sets, monogrammed sheets, wedding cards, ring bearer pillows & upholstered items
• Digitizing: this is the art of setting up the logo for embroidery. Still learning this skill, but plan to focus on this as my future of embroidery. I have joined various groups with and have used my networking skills to learn as much as I can about embroidery
• Fashion Design & Embroidery: When I get the change (laugh!!) I like to design handbags and shawls. Plan to get my line together to start marketing that to local boutiques.

The education I received was wonderful because it opened the door for numerous opportunities. Even though my degree was in Fashion Design, I was able to get hired in other fields such as merchandising and buying. This has built up my resume to include a well-rounded person with experience in design, merchandising, and marketing. So when I had to present my business plan to the bank last year to get my loan for the company, I was looked upon highly because of all the professionalism I had acquired over the years. I couldn’t have done this without getting a degree from KSU. My KSU education has enabled me to look at things from “outside of the box” and to keep the creativity flowing!