CLASS OF 1996 | 2016 | ISSUE 2

So great to see so many of you at Reunion! A huge thank you goes out to Reunion Committee Chairs Topher Bellavia, Koyalee Chanda, and Sam Effron, and the rest of the committee: Mark Davis, Kate Treveloni Fencl, Sam Fiske, Daphne Frydman, Tracey Gardner, Dana Holahan, Chung Ma, Ann Camp Mason, Pritha Mittal, and Camellia Noriega.

The class of ’96 smashed the 20th Reunion record with 150 alumni in attendance! We were able to catch up and reminisce beginning on Friday afternoon on Foss Hill. The festivities continued: receptions, WESeminars, department gatherings, a class dinner, and of course, an epic dance party.

Shola Olatoye and Jed Hoyer each received Distinguished Alumnus Awards. Shola was honored for her current work as the chair and CEO of the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), the largest public housing authority in the country, and her earlier work in nonprofits furthering affordable housing. Jed was honored for his current work as executive vice president and general manager of the Chicago Cubs, as well as his previous work for the San Diego Padres and the Boston Red Sox. Koyalee Chanda and Dara Federman received University Service Awards.

There were WESeminars given by Topher Bellavia, Mark Jacobs, Javaid Khan, and Jake Sussman. Steve Collins screened his film, and Javaid (aka DJ Van Vader) spun an all-campus dance party under a tent on Saturday night.

All in all, it was a huge success. For those of you who weren’t able to come, we hope you make the next one! And in other news:

Jake Ward writes: “I was the editor-in-chief of Popular Science until 2013, when I left to start a new career as a television correspondent covering science and technology for Al Jazeera America from the San Francisco bureau. In April 2016 the channel shut down, and I’ve now begun work as the host of a four-hour series for public television about human irrationality, which is due to air in 2018.”

Maria Lourdes Chen Quinn announced that her fifth child, Maria Caridad, was born in May. She lives with her family in Wisconsin.

Kelly Bird Pierre lives in Philadelphia with her two children, Oona (14) and Jacques (10). She is the lower school principal at Friends’ Central School.

Berry Brosi just earned tenure at Emory. He writes: “I’m in the department of environmental sciences and am continuing to conduct research on pollinator declines, including summer field work in Colorado. My wife, Karen, is also a professor at Emory in public health, and we have two daughters, Aviva (5) and Zuria (3).”

It was great to catch up in person, but the 25th is a long way off, so keep sending in your updates!

DARA FEDERMAN | darasf@yahoo.com

DACQUE TIRADO | dacquetirado@yahoo.com