Alumni Accomplishments: Honoring our Alums for Women’s History Month

Written by: Julianna Orkin '23

At York College of Pennsylvania, we are always proud of the accomplishments of our alumni. And during Women’s History Month, we are especially pleased to celebrate the success of the many women who began their professional journeys at YCP. Some have gone on to work at Fortune 500 companies, others have started their own businesses, and many have paved the way for other women by being the “first” — serving on a board or taking on leadership roles where women have not historically had a presence. 

This month, as Women’s History Month comes to a close, we remember some of our favorite stories from notable alumnae who have served as inspiration for their fellow Spartans over the past few years.

• Judge Maria Musti Cook ‘81 - First Female President Judge of the York County Court of Common Pleas, first woman President of the York County Bar Association, first woman hired at one of the oldest law firms in York County.
• Cindy Dotzel ‘76 - First Female named Board Chair of York Water Company. Cindi started her own CPA firm; Dotzel and Company, Inc.
• Tracy Miller ‘99 - Chief Nursing Officer at UPMC Memorial.
• Kristen Dempwolf ‘13 - Chief Marketing Officer for The Pretzel Company. Has gone on to do a lot of work for the York, PA community. She created First Fridays, the York Flea, launched a craft beer sampling tour, Go Green in the City, etc.
• Kristie Macioleck Small ‘96 - Director of Diversity, Inclusion, and Talent Management for the Fortune 500 company, PPL. She’s a founding member of PPL’s REACH Business Resource Group for differently abled people. A member of the YCP Alumni Board of Directors since 2012 and also serves on the Scholarships, Awards, and Board Membership Committee.
• Carla Gray ‘04 - A former member of the Secret Service, now Uber’s Director of Global Security where her top priority is protecting the roughly 15,000 people who work within the global footprint of Uber.
• Sophia Ticer ‘98 - Assistant Deputy for the D.C. Office of the Attorney General Child Support Services Division and then promoted to Director of the Division.
• Dana (Brubaker) Cotton ‘81 - Worked in the Office of Attending Physician as one of twelve Civilian Nurses on Capitol Hill and moved to the Supreme Court’s Health Services Office.
• Sam Nicodemo ‘15 - An editor at ESPN who won the Sports Emmy Award for Outstanding Edited Sports Special.
• Stephanie Mace ‘03 - Vice President of Digital Services, Avid Core.
• Nicole Halsey ‘00 and Natalie Van Buskirk ‘00 - Launched their own marketing company; Polished Nichols Public Relations and Marketing.
• Sarah Campbell ‘14 - Oversees Marketing and Promotions Manager for Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium in Florida, named “Female Executive of the Year” for the Florida State League.