MISSION
The mission of the SFA Recent Alumni Council is to advise the Dean, the SFA Advisory Board and the Advancement Team on ways to keep recent alumni connected and engaged with SFA and its departments.
Thomas Brazzle | SFA '14 - Chair
Thomas Brazzle is an actor, writer and director based in Atlanta, GA. After spending time studying abroad in London and Barcelona, Thomas returned to the U.S. to focus on creating new work and working in regional theatre and film. He has performed at The Guthrie in Minneapolis, Shakespeare and Company, Connecticut Rep, The Alley and many other regional theaters and has appeared in multiple national commercials and network shows. He is the Managing Director of Out of Hand Theater in Atlanta, GA where they combine theater and film with information and conversation to advance social justice. He also produces, writes and directs films and new works with his production company Whet Ink Productions, focusing passionately on theater/film education programs and telling stories from the perspective of marginalized individuals. Thomas graduated from Stephen F Austin State University in 2008 with a BFA in Theatre, and in 2014 from The University of Connecticut with a MFA in Acting.
Margaux Ancel | SFA '19
A French native, Margaux Ancel grew up with a love of arts and culture, inspiring a career in the arts nonprofit sector from an early age. While pursuing her BFA in Art History and BA in Journalism at UConn, she worked as a Collections Assistant at the William Benton Museum of Art and discovered a passion for nonprofit operations. She completed her Bachelors in 2016 and started a nonprofit operations consulting practice. She then joined the second graduating class of the School of Fine Art’s MFA in Arts Leadership & Cultural Management, specializing in nonprofit development. Before graduating in 2019, she worked as a Graduate Assistant at the Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry, the School of Fine Arts Foundation, and the Connecticut Repertory Theatre, and interned at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Wadsworth Atheneum.
Margaux currently lives in Brooklyn and serves as the Director of Foundation Engagement at Foundation Source. In her free time, Margaux enjoys traveling, visiting as many museums as possible, and practicing her cooking skills.
Samantha Card | SFA '19
Samantha Card is a practicing music educator in the state of Connecticut where she specializes in teaching early childhood and elementary general music. Sam is also an avid choral performer. While at UConn, she sang with the UConn Concert Choir and Collegium Musicum, featured as both an ensemble musician and a soloist. After receiving her BA in Music from the School of Fine Arts and BS in Music Education from the Neag School of Education in 2019, Sam went on to pursue Master's coursework in London, UK. There, she taught academic music lessons, music theory enrichment workshops, and directed the select Chamber Choir at the prestigious Queen Elizabeth's School.
Since receiving her Master of Arts from UConn in 2020, Sam has spent the past four years teaching Pre-K-3 general music and elementary chorus in Canton, CT. Her teaching interests revolve around equitable teaching and learning, transformative multiculturalism in the general music classroom, and creating opportunities for joyful music making in young students. Sam applies the skills she learned at UConn every day in her career as a music educator and in Project Choir One, a Manchester, CT - based semi-professional choir. Sam enjoys making beautiful choral music with her fellow SFA alums in PCO.
Justin Daly | SFA '19, Neag '19, Neag '20
Justin is an active music educator, trumpet performer, and clinician from Connecticut. He is currently the Director of Bands at East Lyme High School where he directs the marching band, concert band, and jazz band. Prior to this, he was a band director at East Lyme Middle School. In addition to teaching, he is a sought-after trumpet performer and clinician in southeastern CT. He has presented in-person sessions at the Connecticut Music Educators Conference and online webinars with the Marching Arts Education’s summer of learning series.
He earned degrees in Music Education (BS), Music (BA), and Curriculum and Instruction with a focus in Music Education (MA), from the University of Connecticut. During his undergraduate studies, he was a drum major of the UConn Marching Band and performed in the wind ensemble and symphony orchestra. As a graduate student at UConn, he assisted the band program as a Director Intern of the UConn Marching Band, as a Graduate Director of the Hockey and Basketball Pep Bands, and as a conducting assistant with the Concert Band.
Justin is also the recipient of Connect Music Educators Association Outstanding Emerging Music Educator award.
Giana DiNatale | SFA '20
Giana DiNatale, an electric and double bassist, graduated from New York University with a Master of Music degree, Focus in String Studies, studying Double Bass with Gregg August. At NYU, she was Principal Bassist of the NYU O1 Symphony Orchestra, and performed in orchestral and jazz ensembles. Originally from Connecticut, Giana graduated from the University of Connecticut in 2020 with a Bachelor of Arts in Music. At UConn, she was a Principal Bassist in the University Symphony Orchestra, as well as the UConn Jazz Ensemble.
Most notably, Giana was a frequent substitute for Broadway’s The Phantom of the Opera, performed with Barry Manilow at Radio City Music Hall, is a member of the Fort Greene Orchestra, and was the principal bassist for the Sinfonietta’s performance of "Barbie The Movie: In Concert" and “Avatar, Live in Concert.” She enjoys playing in a variety of big bands and orchestras, spanning classical, Broadway, cabaret, and chamber music.
Megan Edmondson | SFA ‘18
Megan Edmondson has worked at The Museum of Modern Art for the past four years. In her current role as Manager of Customer Service and Community for the Membership department, she oversees the daily operations and strategy of email, phone, and web customer service of the Museum's member base, as well as the implementation of community initiatives to welcome new audiences into membership programming and promote member-to-member interactivity. Prior to joining MoMA, she worked in both Membership and Visitor Services at the Wadsworth Atheneum.
Megan graduated from the University of Connecticut in 2018 with a BFA in Studio Art, with a concentration in painting. She then completed her MA in Visual Arts Administration, with a focus on not-for-profit work, from New York University in 2021.
Yanniv Frank | SFA ‘23
Yanniv Frank is an artistic creative with a focus on telling elevating stories through puppetry. He holds an MFA in Puppet Arts from the University of Connecticut and a BA in Performing and Visual Arts from CUNY Baccalaureate for Unique and Interdisciplinary Studies. Yanniv is the creator of Boyish Charms, a film that challenges and expands young audiences’ understanding of masculinity. He created the original stories and characters for Feel Your Best Self which took home the 2023 Kidscreen Award for Best Original Web/App Series. Yanniv is a Sesame Workshop trained puppeteer and an alumnus of The Eugene O’Neill Theater Center’s National Puppetry Conference. Favorite performance credits include Off-B’way: Sesame Street The Musical, Exagoge. Nat’l Tour: The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show, AJR The Maybe Man Tour. Regional: Runaway Rue, Little Shop of Horrors, Food For The Gods. Yanniv has released two albums of original music and holds a certificate in Music and Video Production from Berklee College of Music. @yannivfrank | www.yannivfrank.com
Scott Gary | SFA '15
Scott is a Product Designer based in Brooklyn, NY currently working at Meta working in AR (augmented reality). He graduated in December 2015 from the DMD program with a focus on business strategies. Over his career he's also spent time at Peloton, Stash, Fiverr, and Priceline.
Scott's hobbies include, but are not limited to: content creation, skiing, reading, taxidermy, and at least one annual trip to Japan.
Erickendy Jean Pierre | SFA ‘17
Erickendy, also known as Erick graduated from UConn Digital Media in 2017 with a focus on Game Design. Erick found his love for game design and programming through building his first computer and playing video games when he was younger. After graduating, Erick joined The Game Agency as a Front-End Developer. One of the core products the agency provides is The Training Arcade, a platform of games made for corporate training. This platform is known to be the only Sony approved place that hosts games like Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune.
When Erick is not working you can find him outside skateboarding, inside playing video games, as well as studying different topics such as the economy, drones, and different web frameworks to build sites on.
Emma Romano | SFA ‘15, '18
Emma Romano, a Connecticut native, grew up in a household brimming with the creations of her family: wooden birds whittled by her grandfather, serene watercolor seascapes painted by her mother, and blooming gardens grown by her father. When the time came to select a college major, Emma was naturally drawn to the arts, and chose to study Art History. She interned at the Wethersfield Academy for the Arts and the Wadsworth Atheneum, and also worked on campus at the William Benton Museum of Art and the Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry.
Upon graduation, Emma applied to be an inaugural member of UConn’s Master of Fine Arts in Arts Administration program, and was honored to be offered a graduate assistantship. During graduate school, Emma supplemented her studies with internships at Real Art Ways, the International Festival of Arts & Ideas, and the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). Her graduate research centered on evaluating and improving art museum experiences for adults aged 65+, specifically how the arts can be a catalyst in combating social isolation amongst this demographic.
After briefly working in the nonprofit sector, Emma pivoted her career to the tech industry. She has worked in sales and sales coaching at numerous successful tech companies, including Artsy, CreatorIQ, Toast, and currently, Pontera. Emma now lives in Queens, NY. In her spare time she enjoys exploring all the city has to offer (especially the food, art, and music scenes), cooking, reading, and spoiling her cat, Sealy.
Tyler Shuster | SFA '19
Tyler Shuster is a Designer and Animator currently working for WWE. In his day to day, he creates promos, show branding, and graphic templates for all weekly domestic and international live broadcasts.
After graduating from UConn DMD, he started his career in the entertainment industry at Disney/ABC Television. He then transitioned to sports marketing for Octagon; helping to bridge brands and sports teams through experiential events and media campaigns. His most notable work was during his time at Perception, where he has featured credits in multiple Marvel, Netflix and Paramount films.
Stephanie Treviso | SFA '22
Stephanie Treviso graduated in May 2022 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Design and Technical Production and a minor in Industrial Design. During her time at UConn, Stephanie was the President of USITT UConn as well as an active member of Connecticut Repertory Theater (CRT). In the fall of her senior year she was the Technical Director for CRT’s production of 39 Steps. During her summer’s she was a carpenter for the Nutmeg Summer Series (2019) and the Associate Technical Director at Williamstown Theater Festival (2021). While attending UConn she received the Outstanding Women in Academic Achievement Award for the School of Fine Arts (2022) and received the Krenicki Institute of Arts and Engineering Scholarship (2020, 2021) and the Dramatic Arts Talent Scholarship. She also was a presenter at the national USITT Conference (2022).
Since receiving her Bachelor’s degree, Stephanie has moved to New York City where she currently works at Inkling as an Events Producer. Previously she worked with The Drone Racing League as a Coordinator of Technical Production and Course Design as well at IMG as a Project Manager. In her free time she enjoys going to concerts, collecting vinyls, and exploring New York City.