Beyond The Brown & Gold
Beyond the Brown & Gold will deliver a dose of nostalgia and alma mater pride by highlighting the lives and memories of Glassboro State College and Rowan University alumni. Join hosts Rob Lightfoot ’00, M’01 and Jessica Kanady ’08, M’15 as they sit down with graduates spanning the decades and learn more about their unique college experiences, career paths, life lessons and more!
Beyond the Brown & Gold will deliver a dose of nostalgia and alma mater pride by highlighting the lives and memories of Glassboro State College and Rowan University alumni. Join hosts Rob Lightfoot ’00, M’01 and Jessica Kanady ’08, M’15 as they sit down with graduates spanning the decades and learn more about their unique college experiences, career paths, life lessons and more!
Episodes
Jul 18, 2023
Jul 18, 2023
44 min
Jason Levin '97 has traveled the world and established meaningful relationships despite spending parts of his life out of the country. A new Beyond The Brown & Gold catches up with Levin, who explains how to build relationships with people; how frozen yogurt played an important part in his college experience at Rowan University; balancing a $1 million budget as a student; and how to keep up with people by using postcards.
Also, Levin discusses the writing process for his book "Relationships to Infinity: The Art and Science of Keeping in Touch" and how his wife played a motivational role in the experience.
Jul 3, 2023
Jul 3, 2023
37 min
Dr. Keisha Stephenson Taylor '98, M'00 is the Senior Director of Alumni & Postsecondary Engagement at NAF. She stays on the go but managed to stop by Beyond The Brown and Gold to talk about her time as a Rowan student, her career in education, and more. Also, find out how she managed to balance a career, family, and find time to obtain her doctorate degree. Plus, she provides parenting tips, how she met her husband, and tells us how her parents impacted her decision to attend Rowan University.
Jun 21, 2023
Jun 21, 2023
47 min
Jason Dennen '98 is an author and a thrill-seeker but most importantly, he is a survivor. A nearly fatal skydiving accident almost cost Dennen his life. However, he lived to tell the story and he does just that on a new edition of Beyond the Brown & Gold. Dennen discusses his time at Rowan University in the late 90s and how he became a triathlete. Also, he talks about how his ill-fated skydiving accident led to his own holiday; learning experiences from the injuries he suffered; and becoming the author of a book called "8 Days Till Sunrise."
Jun 6, 2023
Jun 6, 2023
38 min
Beyond the Brown & Gold welcomes its first graduate from Rowan University's School of Osteopathic Medicine, Dr. Kay Yoon-Flannery. Dr. Yoon-Flannery reveals the difficulties of balancing family and becoming a surgeon. Also, she discusses her motivation for becoming a doctor and her parents' thoughts about tackling a challenging career path. With a background in breast surgical oncology, Dr. Yoon-Flannery offers advice on when to screen for breast cancer as well.
May 23, 2023
May 23, 2023
36 min
A member of a Glassboro State College/Rowan University legacy family, Steven Calakos '08 stops by Beyond The Brown & Gold to talk about the world of theater and how his education background helped him in the arts industry. Elsewhere, Calakos covers life in Naples, Florida during the COVID pandemic, a stop in reality TV thanks to Grease, his unique proposal to his wife, making a career change, and more.
May 11, 2023
May 11, 2023
31 min
Adam Woodhull '03, M'07 spends time supporting all things brown and gold by serving as a member of the Rowan Alumni Board. Also, Woodhull cultivates his love of cars by working at Subaru. In a new episode of Beyond the Brown & Gold, Woodhull reflects on his time at Subaru so far, his time at Rowan University, meeting his wife, cars, and more.
Apr 24, 2023
Apr 24, 2023
36 min
Meet two Rowan alumni behind a new South Jersey brewery on the newest edition of Beyond the Brown & Gold. Megan Brown '02 and Mike Melniczuk '03 are two of the people behind Farmers and Bankers Brewing in Woodstown, New Jersey. Melniczuk (an owner) and Brown (the brewery's Director of Outreach & Events) talk about how Farmers and Bankers Brewing came to be including their unlikely meeting thanks to their children. Also, the duo discusses their time at Rowan, how it impacted the creation of the new brewery, challenges, and more.
Apr 10, 2023
Apr 10, 2023
36 min
Dr. Peter B. Contini '66, M'71, the longest-serving president in the 50-year history of Salem County Community College, joins Beyond the Brown & Gold to talk about his career in education. He takes us back to his days at then-Glassboro State College including how he met his wife on campus, the Boro Boys, and much more. Also, Dr. Contini discusses the difference in students during his long and storied career in education.







