Stockton University alumni honored for achievements

• Awards presented at the annual homecoming
• Stockton's alumni of significant professional achievement in a specific field of endeavor
• Honorees were honor for achievement in finance, medical, education, sciences and arts
• Eight alumni were honored with Professional Achievement Awards on Oct. 11, as part of Stockton University’s homecoming weekend.

Eight Stockton University alumni were honored with Professional Achievement Awards on Oct. 11, as part of the university’s Homecoming Weekend. The award is presented to alumni of Stockton in recognition of significant professional achievement in a specific field of endeavor. 

This year’s honorees are:

James Connelly, class of 1986, senior vice president of operations and owner services for The Americas Division at Marriott International. His career with Marriott covers 25 years of finance positions, including nearly five years as vice president, finance and accounting for the Mid-Atlantic Region. Connelly received a degree in accounting from Stockton and a Master of Business Administration from Northeastern University. He and his wife Ann reside in Chevy Chase, Maryland.

L. Scott Larsen, MD, class of 1978, medical director of Emergency Medical Associates’ Site Support Team. Dr. Larsen joined Emergency Medical Associates (EMA) in 1985 as associate director and clinical physician at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset in Somerville. EMA, headquartered in Parsippany, treats more than 1.6 million patients annually while serving more than 30 hospitals. During his career with EMA, he also worked at St. Clare’s Hospital, Morristown Medical Center, eMedical Offices and Bayshore Community Hospital. Larsen received his medical degree from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Newark, and completed his emergency medicine residency at Overlook/Morristown, where he was chief resident. The Parkesburg, Pennsylvania, resident received a degree in liberal arts from Stockton.

Peter Murphy, class of 1976, taught English and creative writing at Atlantic City High School for three decades and continues to teach as an adjunct for the School of Arts and Humanities at Stockton. He is the founder of Murphy Writing of Stockton University which offers programs for poets, writers and teachers in the U.S. and abroad. The author of “Stubborn Child,” a finalist for the 2006 Paterson Poetry Prize, he also has received awards and fellowships from the New Jersey Council on the Arts; The Atlantic Center for the Arts; Yaddo; The Folger Shakespeare Library and the White House Commission on Presidential Scholars. The Ventnor resident  received a degree in literature from Stockton.

Rick Ricciardi,class of 1975,19 76, the owner and president of Marathon Engineering and Environmental Services, with offices in Atlantic City and Swedesboro. Ricciardi is a principal environmental scientist and licensed professional planner by the State of New Jersey. Since his graduation, Ricciardi has been assisting Stockton in the growth and development of the Galloway campus through various engineering and environmental related projects. He also assists the Stockton Foundation with the annual Scholarship Gala and the Golf Tournament. Ricciardi resides in Voorhees Township with his wife, Cheryl Atkinson,. He obtained degrees in sociology and environmental Studies from Stockton.

Chandra Thompson Anaya, MBA class of 2008, the Galloway Township Public Schools business administrator.  Anaya is a certified public accountant and started her career as an auditor. Anaya earned a master's degree of business administration from Stockton, a bachelor’s degree from DeVry University and an associate degree from Atlantic Cape Community College. She lives in Mays Landing with her husband, Lt. Jose Anaya of the 177th Fighter Wing.

Frank M. Gilliam Jr., class 1998, currently serving his second term as councilman at Large for the City of Atlantic City. He was elected Council President in January 2015. In addition to serving as a coach and mentor to the city’s youth for the past 20 years, Gilliam assists the lowest performing, at-risk students through the Connecting the Dots Tutoring and Mentoring Program. Gilliam holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice with a minor in African American History from Stockton and a master’s degree in Social Work from San Francisco State University.

Mary Ann Lee, class of 1998, the vice president of her family’s blueberry and cranberry farm, Lee Brothers in Chatsworth.. Lee’s professional career began in 1967 as a registered on the medical-surgical floors at Memorial Hospital in Mount Holly. After graduating with an associate degree from Burlington County College in 1996, she began caring for and teaching diabetes management to patients of an Ocean County Endocrinology practice as a staff nurse. She received her degree in nursing from Stockton in 1998. In 2003, she began caring for younger patients as a triage and treatment nurse at Medford Pediatrics, now part of Advocare Pediatrics.

Carlotta Marini, class of 2008, a fifth-grade teacher at the Paul Robeson Community School in New Brunswick. Marini’s work in her school district drew the attention of the NJTV program “Classroom Closeup,” which features innovative projects in New Jersey public schools. Last year, a special program featured Carlotta’s Zumba program for the positive impact she has had on parents, colleagues, children, her school and surrounding community of New Brunswick. She received funding from the NJEA HIPP Foundation to offer dance classes and family fitness experiences with a focus on the school’s Latino community. She has since received a continuation grant in the amount of $10,000 to continue her popular fitness program. She is invited to speak at NJEA this November as a Great Ideas Forum Presenter and was recently a Donors Choose Grant Recipient. The Jackson resident received a degree in education from Stockton.