Actress Jackee Harry ’75 announced that she will be continuing her role as Paulina on the cast of NBC’s Days of Our Lives, one of the longest running shows in television history. Harry first joined the cast in March, and her storied career includes roles on other NBC shows such as Another World, 227, and The Women of Brewster Place. She won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her role as Lisa Landry on the hit show Sister Sister.

Professional Physical Therapy, a leading provider of outpatient physical therapy and rehabilitation services, announced the acquisition of PRO Sports Physical Therapy of Westchester in Scarsdale, New York, founded by Tim Tyler ’93. Tyler is an established pillar within the physical therapy industry, named to the Sports Physical Therapy Hall of Fame in 2010, and he will serve as the clinical director with Professional Physical Therapy.

Community Legal Services of Philadelphia announced that Cheryl-Lyn Bentley ’08 has been named deputy director of operations and human resources. Her exceptional legal career includes serving as an attorney at the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, an associate at the Outten and Golden law firm in New York City, a judicial law clerk to Chief Judge Petrese B. Tucker in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, and a fellow and staff attorney at New York Lawyers for the Public Interest.

The Long Island University men’s and women’s track & field teams ended their 2021 season on a high note by bringing home three gold medals at the Northeast Conference Championship meet. Senior Stephanie Esogenwune won the gold medal in triple jump and was named the meet’s Most Outstanding Performer. Freshman Sherene Williams also earned the gold medal in shotput, and freshman Momodu Sey won gold in the 100-meter dash.

The Curvy Fashionista and Eloquii announced that Melissa Mercedes ’11 is the winner of the 2021 Cultivate Award, which supports the next generation of black, indigenous and people of color who are plus-size fashion designers. Mercedes, who created her own company and a line of dresses for curvy women to promote self-love, confidence and empowerment, will receive one year of professional mentorship and funding to continue her work, along with the opportunity for a capsule collection with Eloquii.

Velocity, A Managed Services Company, which provides telecommunications services and digital media solutions, announced it has hired Thomas Murphy ’85 as the director of channel and strategic relationships. Murphy will lead the company’s indirect channel sales division and the indirect channel strategy and execution to meet Velocity’s growing demand for its product offerings. Before joining Velocity, Murphy was the co-founder and managing partner at Resourcive, where he led the sales engagement team and sales consulting effort.

The Town of Ulster, New York announced that Mary Collins ’07 will serve as library director, overseeing operations of the Town of Ulster Library and working with the board of trustees to better understand the needs of the community. Collins career accomplishments include library work, research, copy-editing, archival work, and/or genealogical work for The New York Public Library, The Jacob Leister Institute for the Study of Early New York History, The Mercantile Library, and The Holland Society of New York.

City & State New York recognized Long Island University President Kimberly R. Cline in its annual Higher Education Power 100 list. City & State noted that under Dr. Cline’s leadership, LIU has developed unique partnerships and innovative initiatives such as the Roc Nation School of Music, Sports and Entertainment, the Roosevelt School and the George Polk School of Communications, and the University’s endowment has more than tripled since 2013.

President Joe Biden announced Frank Kendall ’80 as his nominee to serve as Secretary of the Air Force in the Department of Defense. Kendall previously served as Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics from 2012-2017. His award-winning career in engineering, management, defense acquisition and national security affairs includes four Defense Distinguished Public Service Awards, the highest Secretary of Defense award for civilian service.

The Long Island University men’s golf team earned the 2021 Northeast Conference Championship with a 295 team score in the final round to hold on to a two-stroke lead. It is the first conference title since 2004 for the Sharks, who finished the event at 33-over par. Freshman Jan Rybczynski led LIU with a second-place finish individually at four-over par.