Hawk to Hawk Podcast

In this episode of Hawk to Hawk Podcast, we sit down with Dr. Robin McGuinness, a proud University of Hartford alumna whose career in nursing leadership has made a lasting impact at the highest levels of healthcare.

Join us on the Hawk to Hawk Podcast as we sit down with Howard Schnee ’92, co-founder and president of CEG Presents. With nearly 30 years of experience across music, hospitality, real estate, and venture capital, Howard shares his journey from UHart to shaping the live music industry built on vision, innovation, and giving back.

Chaz Davis ’16, who ran track and completed his degree at UHart despite his failing eyesight, now works with those who are newly blind in Massachusetts. Working the Director of Youth Services for the Colorado Center for the Blind, he is working to make sure the blind continue to receive the services they need.

Daileann Hemmings is a mastered prepared RN with over 20 years of nursing experience. She is certified in Lactation Counseling, Case management and is a Sickle Cell Disease counselor. Hemmings is currently, the Program Director of Maternal Health Equity at Hartford Hospital in Hartford, Connecticut, USA. Her role responsibilities include to: • Raise the quality of life for all individuals served t...

Mike leads Technology for the Product Incubation team at Synchrony, with responsibility for building and launching new products and capabilities into market. Focusing on trends further out on the horizon, the team takes a human-centered design approach to find product / market fit for new solutions in fintech. Prior to joining Synchrony, Mike led Digital Banking for GSB and had stints building dig...

David Cornue is the Creator/Writer/Executive Producer of TRIAGE, an ABC medical drama with director Jon M. Chu (IN THE HEIGHTS, CRAZY RICH ASIANS) and 20th Television. He is also a Writer/Consulting Producer on an upcoming series with Team Downey. Currently, he is developing a television adaptation of Stephen King's novel, INSOMNIA. He is also the Writer/Director/Composer of the horror short LET I...

Jolie draws from her total life experience when she takes the stage or works with aspiring young artists. For over 25 years, she has passionately shared the gift of song through producing concerts, developing community arts programs, as well as training and mentoring aspiring singers. While her performing career continues to soar, her dedication to training and providing opportunities for young ar...

Jennifer originally hails from a previous universe in which she was first a medical technologist, then an elementary school teacher. She spent her free time carefully planning ahead in a desperate attempt to avoid anxiety-provoking situations. Due to a twist of fate (or perhaps a cosmic conspiracy), Jen now resides in this universe with her husband and son and spends her days in anxiety-provoking...

Jecoliah Daniels graduated from the University of Hartford in 2005 where she received her Bachelor of Arts in Communications with a concentration in broadcast journalism. At UHart, she was involved with STN, Lambda Pi Eta honor society, a founding member of the Delta Zeta sorority, and was a Resident Assistant. She has lots of experience, between different volunteer experiences and working as a mo...

Mari Reisberg, MA, LPC is a therapist, performer, creativity coach, and host of the Sustaining Creativity Podcast. She holds a BFA in Acting from the Hartt School and an MA in Somatic Counseling Psychology, Dance/Movement Therapy, from Naropa University. She currently splits time between the traditional 9-5 world as the director of utilization review and internship programming for a substance abus...

Julia Winer graduated from the University of Hartford in 2005 with her bachelor’s degree in elementary education and special education with a concentration in psychology. Julia is a recent recipient of the Impact on Social Responsibility/Civic Engagement Anchor Award! This award is given to an alum whose professional success is rooted in bettering community and has made significant and notable con...

Gregg Katzman '07 is the director of marketing and publicity at Valiant Entertainment—a leading character-based entertainment company that owns the largest independent superhero universe in comics. With more than 81 million issues sold and a library of over 2,000 characters, Valiant is one of the most successful publishers in the history of the comic book medium. Since joining the company in 2018,...

Lorena Garay '98 is an award-winning guitarist from Puerto Rico who performs classical, Spanish, and Latin guitar as a soloist and as leader of the group, Surcari . The Hartt School graduate will have a chance to return to her alma matter in December to play at the Presidents' College , as she continues her career as a guitarist and band leader. Here, Lorena, who is equipped with her Yamaha guitar...

Doug Goodstein '92 has been a storyteller for 30 years. A graduate of the School of Communication and current executive producer at Dozgood Media, Goodstein's career in the media spans everything from entertainment and talk to comedy and news. He has produced, directed, wrote, edited, and everything in-between. Goodstein's credits include ABC News, Comedy Central, The Lincoln Project, Fox News Cha...

Lauren Chante '03 , is the founder and owner of Lauren Chante Media, a health strategy company. Her company is targeted at women who are looking to find out what works for their unique bodies and lives. Chante has a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences from UHart. Chante started her college education earlier than most, at the age of 13, after spending middle school not feeling challenged enoug...

Sabrina Trocchi M'96 , is the President and CEO of Wheeler, a community health center that provides healthcare, addiction treatment, behavioral health, special education, and many other services to patients across Connecticut. Born and raised in Hartford, Trocchi graduated from UHart with a master’s degree in public administration. Trocchi credits her time at the University of Hartford for giving...

Shanta Lee Gander M'07, is a multi-faceted professional and artist. Shanta Lee has experience in writing prose, poetry, investigative journalism, and photography. Her work has been featured in PRISM, Rebelle Society, Ms. Magazine Blog and The Commons— a weekly newspaper covering Windham County in Vermont. Shanta Lee graduated from the University of Hartford in 2007 with a MBA in management and mar...

Ryan Speedo Green '08 is a world-renowned opera performer sought after by international opera houses for his powerful bass-baritone voice. Graduating with a bachelor’s degree in music from The Hartt School, Green has performed at the Vienna State Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Boston Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Metropolitan Opera regularly since his debut in 20...

Anyone who watches TV or movies has likely heard the voice of Steve French ’03 . He has been the voice for National Geographic nature documentaries, NASCAR commercials, and is currently the promo voice for the Disney+ hit show, The Mandalorian . Steve had always had an appreciation for voice-over performers, such as Mel Blanc of Looney Tunes  characters, however, he didn’t realize that voice-over...

Jessica Floyd '18 has already forged an impressive career in the media, with stops at MSNBC, NBC News, and WNPR—gaining experience at these organizations while still a student at UHart. Jessica first pursued her love of writing as a writer with the campus publication, Heartbeat Magazine , and went on to become editor-in-chief. She says her work with Heartbeat Magazine elevated her writing and led...

Jeffrey Welsh '07 started playing saxophone in the fourth grade. “That was the first time in my life that I felt like I found my calling,” says Jeffrey. Welsh’s musical abilities developed quickly, which led him to the Hartt School. At UHart, he studied under Professor Carrie Koffman, “an exceptional educator and my first professional mentor.” However, Welsh’s career took a turn in 2010, when he e...