As always, there are a variety of people who retired from the University in the first half of 2026, including some faculty who have had long, impactful careers at Pitt.

Michael Klausner, associate professor of sociology, retired in May after 50 years at Pitt-Bradford. He came to the campus in the summer of 1976, the same year as K. James Evans, retired vice president of student affairs.

“From the beginning of that first year, Michael made his presence known in a positive way with students, faculty and staff alike,” Evans said in an announcement by the campus. “He took a keen interest in the welfare of his students, and early on, he became a dedicated supporter of the athletics program. To get the attention of the students in his class, he was known to sometimes stand on his desk and lecture from there!”

In 2005, Klausner was inducted into the Pitt-Bradford Athletic Hall of Fame for his support of student athletes. The Pitt-Bradford Alumni Association presented him with its Teaching Excellence Award in 2023. A native of the Bronx, he returned to New York City each summer, where he tutored homeless children. 

Kathleen George, now professor emeritus of theatre arts, retired in April after 49 years in the Dietrich School of Arts & Sciences.

She has directed several plays at Pitt and other locations — including “Much Ado About Nothing,” “Hamlet,” “King Lear,” “She Stoops to Conquer” and “The Rehearsal” — during her career at Pitt.

George, who has four degrees from Pitt, also is the author of a series of mystery books set in Pittsburgh — including “Taken” and “The Odds.” Her stand-along novels are “The Johnstown Girls,” about a survivor of the Johnstown Flood; “The Blues Walked In,” about Pittsburgh native Lena Horne and jazz, and “Mirth,” about the struggles of a writer.

Other retirees

Business, Hospitality and Auxiliary Services

Heidi Fonzi (43 years): Senior manager of Fleet Services

Callista “Callie” Phillip-Krysinski (25 years): Billing coordinator for Mail Services

Center for Teaching and Learning

Joe Nolfi (13 years): Media producer

Dietrich School of Arts & Sciences

Katherine Bruce (38 years): Academic advisor, Undergraduate Studies

Nancy Hood (34 years): Research specialist, Psychology

Eric H. Moe (36 years): A.W. Mellon professor emeritus, Music

Kirk Savage (35 years): Professor emeritus, History of Art & Architecture

Barbara Ann Weissberger (21 years): Teaching professor emeritus, Studio Arts

Xiao-Lun Wu (35 years): Professor emeritus, Physics & Astronomy

Facilities Management

David Pallof (41 years): Operating engineer foreman

Timothy McShane (25 years): Electrician

Pitt–Bradford

Gary Tessmer, 37 years, assistant professor of composition

Stephen Robar, 27 years, associate professor of political science

Alexander Nazemetz, 26 years, associate vice president of enrollment management and director of admissions

Denise Perkins, 21 years, office manager for the Office of Residential Life and Housing

Pitt Digital

Nanju Besagarahalli (20 years): Business systems

Frank Puchalski (27 years): IT endpoint consultant

Pitt–Johnstown

Michael Kemock (38 years): Technical services coordinator in Information Technology

Robert Rukavina (37 years): Head men’s basketball coach 

Loretta Zerby (20 years): Accounts payable coordinator in General Administration–Business Office

Pitt Research

Christina Hay (40 years): Financial analyst, Office of Research Protections, Administration 

Terri Kennelly-Cook (19 years): Small Business Development Center coordinator and administrative supervisor, Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Institute for Entrepreneurial Excellence

Kelly Dornin Koss (34 years): Director of education and compliance support for human subject research, Office of Research Protections, Education and Compliance Support

Planning, Design and Construction

Daniel Marcinko (39 years): Assistant vice chancellor–administration

School of Computing and Information

Charles Michael Lewis (39 years): Professor, Department of Informatics & Networked Systems

School of Medicine

Lynne Bauer (26 years): Laboratory Manager II, Department of Surgery, Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute

Charlotte Brown (31 years): Emeritus associate professor of psychiatry

Dana Bovbjerg (18 years): Emeritus professor of psychiatry, Behavioral and Community Health Sciences, Clinical and Translational Science, Health and Community Systems (Nursing), and Psychology

School of Nursing

Becky Faett (20 years): Assistant Professor

School of Public and International Affairs

Sabina Deitrick (35 years): Associate professor emeritus of urban affairs and planning. Read more on the SPIA website.

School of Social Work

Katie Greeno (27 years): Professor

Helen Petracchi (26 years): Associate Professor

Swanson School of Engineering

Karen Bursic (30+ years): Professor emeritus and the former undergraduate program director in Industrial Engineering.

Badie Morsi (44 years): Professor, chemical and petroleum engineering

Steven Jacobs (30 years): Professor, electrical engineering 

— Susan Jones

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