Lakeland inducts 7 into alumni hall of fame

The Lakeland Community College Alumni and Friends Network recently inducted seven new members into the 2018 Lakeland Alumni Hall of Fame at a ceremony held Oct. 2.

This year’s Lakeland Alumni Hall of Fame inductees are: Melissa Amspaugh, class of 1989; Linda Cappelli-O’Brien, class of 1969; Linda M. Erdei, class of 1977; John Paganini, class of 1981; Louise R. Sullivan, class of 1990; Christine M. Weber-Bresky, class of 1987; and Mary Wynne-Peaspanen, class of 1978 .

The award honors Lakeland graduates who have made a difference in their careers, in the community and at Lakeland.

Previously inducted members of the Lakeland Hall of Fame established the Alumni Hall of Fame Scholarship. To date, more than $14,000 has been raised to help Lakeland students achieve their academic goals. The inductees are: • Melissa Amspaugh graduated from Lakeland in 1989 with an Associate of Arts degree. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Capital University. Amspaugh began her employment with Lakeland in 1987 as a student worker and since then, she has held every position in financial aid office where she currently serves as the director for financial aid and student enrollment. Amspaugh’s community involvement includes End 68 Hours of Hunger, Dare 2 Care, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Lake County Back to School Bash, numerous Mentor athletic teams, and Citizens for Lakeland. Amspaugh is also a proud graduate of Leadership Lake County’s class of 2012. She lives in Mentor with her husband, Jim, and their children Jessica and Joshua.

• Linda Cappelli-O’Brien graduated from Lakeland in 1969 with an Associate of Arts degree in communications. She then transferred to John Carroll University and earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education. She and her husband, Billy, have been co-owners of American Fire & Sprinklers, which has been in their family for 30 years. They are also owners of L&B Properties One, Billy’s A Cappelli Martini Bar, and Cappelli’s Platinum Affairs. Through the years, Cappelli-O’Brien has remained involved with her high school alma mater Notre Dame (now Notre Dame Cathedral Latin). She has been recognized by the district of the county rotary, and serves on the board of the Andy Nowacki Foundation.

• Linda M. Erdei earned her Associate of Applied Science degree in medical laboratory technology in 1977. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Lake Erie College, and later a Master of Science degree in forensic science from Florida International University. Erdei began working at the Lake County Crime Lab (LCCL) in 1992 and retired as its director this past August. Under her leadership, the forensic laboratory obtained national accreditation for the first time in 2000 and international accreditation for the first time in 2009. Erdei has been involved with the Western Reserve Junior Service League and Birthright of Lake County. She lives in Mentor and is an ongoing student at Lakeland, taking classes in jewelry and metals. Her jewelry has been exhibited in the Gallery at Lakeland where has been awarded for her body of work.

• John Paganini graduated from Lakeland in 1981 with an associate degree in data processing. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Lake Erie College and later a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Phoenix. He has over 35 years of experience in health care information system and is a respected authority in the health care informatics industry. Paganini is the founder of IoT Directions and he co-founded RIS Logic, Inc. He is also CEO and co-founder at DinkerBop. Previously, he managed operations and logistics at the HIMSS Innovation Center in the Global Center for Health Innovation in Cleveland. Currently, he is president of Paguar Informatics Inc., a health care IT consulting firm. Paganini is a member of the board of directors for The Lakeland Foundation, Lake Erie College and the Northern Ohio Health Care Information Management Systems Society. He lives in Kirtland with his wife, Karen and their son, Colin.

• Louise R. Sullivan graduated from Lakeland in 1990 with an Associate of Applied Business degree in marketing. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree from Lake Erie College (LEC) and later, earned a Master of Business Administration (MBA) through LEC offered at Lakeland’s Holden University Center, where she is now an adjunct instructor for their Parker MBA Program. Sullivan has worked at Avery Dennison since 1999, where she is currently the organizational change management director for the Label and Graphic Materials Group. She is also a graduate of Leadership Lake County’s class of 2008. Sullivan is a member of the board of directors for The Lakeland Foundation, a member of the Women’s Leadership Council of United Way Lake County, and also serves as a mentor for Future Business Leaders of America at Harvey High School. She and her husband, Ken, live in Painesville Township.

• Christine M. WeberBresky graduated from Lakeland in 1987 with an Associate of Applied Business degree in management. She is the president and CEO of the Mentor Area Chamber of Commerce (MACC) where she has been for over 20 years. She also managed finances for the Lake County Safety Council and the MACC Foundation. Weber-Bresky has been a member of the Chamber of Commerce Executives of Ohio since 1995 and is a graduate of Leadership Lake County’s class of 2000. She is a past president the Alumni & Friends of Mentor High School as well as the school’s Parent Teacher Association. Weber-Bresky is also a past member of the Mentor High School Business Advisory Council and Mentor Schools Foundation. She is also involved with United Way of Lake County’s Evaluation & Investments Committee and AWT RoboBots, which holds its annual competition at Lakeland. She lives in Mentor with her husband David.

• Mary Wynne-Peaspanen graduated from Lakeland in 1978 with an Associate of Arts degree in business. She earned both Bachelor of Science and Master of Education degrees in community health education from Kent State University. Wynne-Peaspanen has been with the Family Planning Association of Northeast Ohio for 32 years. As its executive director, she notably facilitated a merger with Signature Health, Inc. She is the fundraising chair for the Friends of Lake Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services (ADAMHS), is a member of the Painesville Kiwanis Club/ Painesville Area Service Society, has been a volunteer with the Lake County Backto-School Bash, and sings with the Lakeland Civic Chorus. She is a past chair of the Lake County Family & Children First Council and the Lake County AIDS advisory board. WynnePeaspanen graduated from Leadership Lake County in 2005 and has remained an active alumni member.

For more information about the Lakeland Alumni Hall of Fame, call 440.525.7724 or visit lakelandcc.edu/alumni.

COURTESY OF DEMETER PHOTOGRAPHY Lakeland Alumni Hall of Fame members, from left, Mary Wynne-Peaspanen, Louise Sullivan, Christine Weber-Bresky, Linda Erdei, Melissa Amspaugh, Linda Cappelli-O’Brien and John Paganini.