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
Have a story idea or news to share? Share it with the University Times.
Follow the University Times on Facebook.