CLASS OF 1996 | 2024 | SUMMER ISSUE
1996er fam—hope all is well this spring! Weather starting to get nice down here in the DMV—wishing you all happiness, health, and gratitude this season. Now on to some great updates from folks!
Jake Ward just finished five years as NBC’s technology correspondent and is now at work on a follow-up to his 2022 book, The Loop: How AI is Creating a World without Choices and How to Fight Back. He got to join Amber Frid-Jimenez ’97 on a panel at Wes about AI, and still regularly sees Zach Lyman ’97, Koyalee Chanda and Neal Brandenburg,and Dominique Andrews on his trips to D.C., Los Angeles, and New York.
Leigh Needleman, Laura Warren ’98, and Fawn Phelps ’97 send in news of a wonderful Wesleyan meeting in Cambridge: “We caught up on all things Wesleyan, women in our respective fields, raising headstrong kids, and all other things we folks all experience together. With our classmates turning 50 this year, it has been amazing reuniting and celebrating together.” Leigh continues, “Myself, Rob Mathews, Christian Housh ’97, Tassia Thomas, and Andrew Frishman ’97 enjoyed a sushi dinner and a ridiculous night of exploration at the Rowland Institute at Harvard on the banks of the Charles. A birthday dinner with Jeremy Abramson and our respective families was a blast last month. And, in one week, my family (Andrew Frishman and kids) is traveling to St. Paul to celebrate Daniela Bell’s daughter’s quinceanera.” She sends cheers to reuniting with old friends and looking forward to great future adventures together!
With more than two decades of experience working in network newsrooms, Stacey Samuel now has a boutique production company producing conferences and summits featuring newsmakers and influencers. And still, consults and produces narrative podcasts for former news colleagues and some corporate consulting firms. Stacey also writesin that she made a lovely trip out to Los Angeles to hang with Soraya Burtnett ’95 and her kids.
Revere Greist sends us news he, along with Dan Cohen and Henry Schneider, competed in the New York City Triathlon last October. “Water quality issues” after the heavy rains and flooding resulted in a canceled swim, but they had a great time riding and running and mainly being together again. “Lazar Treschan also raced but we didn’t realize that until afterward and could only share war stories electronically.”
Tom Constabile writes that he moved up to New Rochelle in Westchester County a few years back. After running business development and distribution for the streaming sports service zone in the U.S. and Canada, he’s recently launched a consulting business focused on digital media streaming entertainment, sports, telecom, and consumer technology called UP Media, now open for business and collaborations. His wife, Elena, works in nonprofit event planning for the America India Foundation, and his son attends Webster Elementary School and plays a lot of soccer.
Tracie Broom sends news that “in February 2024, I was voted board president of a small, national association of PR agency owners, PRConsultants Group, at our annual conference in Sacramento. It seemed like a good excuse to round up some old friends to toast turning 50 out West! I traveled from Columbia, South Carolina, joined by old friends Mariah Maclachlan and Peldi Guilizzoni from Bologna, Italy, with their son; I got to catch up with Samantha Kurtzman-Counter ’95 in Healdsburg, where she’s launching an amazing artist- and farmer-in-residence program, and I got to hug Nate Prouty ’01 and Abby Hippsup in Nevada City. Meanwhile, an assortment of ’96ers got together for various 50th birthday shenanigans in Central California. Kate Baker came up from Punta de Mita, Mexico, with her daughter; Bill Macomber, his wife, Annie Weisman, and their kids came from LA; and Jason Walchli, his wife, Pamela Bock, and their kids came down from Portland, Oregon. The Wes-heavy celebrations weren’t limited to the class of 1996. Tony Schloss ’97 left the kids in Brooklyn with Juno Shaye ’98 (who was missed!); Diego Gutierrez ’97 and Kim Diaz Gutierrez ’97 came up with their kids from LA, Katie Wright ’95 and Jason Agard ’94, still wearing their newlywed glow, came up from LA, and Jason Blalock ’94 rolled down from Oakland. In general, while there are still a few elementary and middle school-aged children in the mix, many of my old friends’ kids are teenagers, some in high school and some in college, like my partner Scott’s 17-year-old kiddo (who I joyfully claim as mine too), here in South Carolina. It’s wonderful to see how my friends are navigating changes in their careers, parenthood, and leisure time as their kids are becoming young adults.”
As for me (Dacque), I am happy to report that I spent spring break in France (Paris, Caen, and Bordeaux) for my 50th birthday. Also, I ran into Shereem Herndon-Brown in Potomac, Maryland, as we both were watching our children play in sporting events. We caught up on all the happenings in our lives and talked about getting lots of folks back for Reunion weekend. Shereem is founder and president of Strategic Admissions Advice, LLC and speaks nationally on the college admission process. He is the co-author The Black Family’s Guide to College Admissions. I will catch his next speech when he gives a talk at my son’s school.