CLASS OF 1986 | 2026 | FALL ISSUE

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Laura A. Rice said, “My big news is that I just retired July 1 after a 28-year career with the Commonwealth of Virginia. My last position with the state was as the lead financial reporting accountant with the Virginia Retirement System. I enjoyed working to account for, and report on, the $137 billion in investments held in trust for the employees of Virginia, but it was time to do something else. I will be getting back to, or expanding on, my interests in gardening, painting, printmaking, and music.

“I really enjoyed our Reunion. The only other Reunion that I have attended was the 25th. I was particularly delighted to reconnect with my freshman year roommate, Carlie Williams (née Masters), whom I had not seen since we graduated. Seeing others as well was also a blast! Tierney Sutton was just sublime as usual. She also performed at the 25th and was a friend and classmate from the Russian program. Hearing her sing “The Girl from Ipanema” in Russian never ceases to amaze me.”

Ethan Knowlden noted,“I had to pass on attending the reunion this year, as I was campaigning hard to win a seat on my city council. Unfortunately, after 162,000 votes were counted, I lost by 589. Ugh. Guess I need to find something else to do in my retirement.”

Daniel W. Barrett said,“[I] enjoyed returning to Wes for the 40th Reunion and catching up with some old friends, including Judy Ferber and Sarah Posner. The jazz performance by Tierney Sutton was simply amazing.”

Ellen (Limburg) Santistevan reports,“I did not make it to the reunion, but life goes on much like before. I am still practicing intuitive bodywork, teaching ethics and hands-on classes, and fixing up a couple of antique motorcycles. The drought in the West has been truly severe, and my gardening is taking a hit but, on the other hand, there are a ton of lovely birds in the yard, and the fruit trees are being so productive that all my neighbors and I are continuously swapping the harvests.”

Mike Sealander reports, “I’ve been turning my attention to no-till/cover crop farming on a small scale, and if there are others doing similar work, I’d love to connect.”

Joyce (Lewis) Polance announced that she opened “a solo exhibition, The Patient Looks Back: Portraits of My Therapist, at the James W. Palmer III Gallery at Vassar College, September 17–October 10, 2026.” The show continues a series she has built over three years of monthly sessions, painted entirely with her fingers through layering, pressing, and removal. The opening reception was September 24, and she gave an artist talk on October 3. Joyce lives and works in Catskill, New York, and has shown at the Wausau Museum of Contemporary Art and the Dubuque Museum of Art. More at joycepolance.com.

John Scilipote writes, “The latest project to which my wife, Martha Williams, and I have dedicated our energy is BreakBread World: When you shift the conversation you change the world. BreakBread is a process helping people remember and reclaim the power and joy of deeper, more meaningful conversation as we gather over food. It’s a grassroots activism pushing back against the ‘persuasion industrial complex’ to reclaim the narrative and revitalize the vast richness of experience, wisdom, and story that gathers around every table. This fall we’re launching the BreakBread Kitchen Table Series in the Hudson Valley (New York) where 10-plus homes will each host BreakBread dinners of up to six people, once a month, for three months. Each month will focus on a different conversation prompt culminating in a community-wide celebration in December. If you’re curious and maybe want to join in as a host or guest, see https://www.breakbread.world.”

Alicia Sisk reports, “I now live in Westchester with my husband and am enjoying this new chapter as empty nesters. I continue to find my work as a therapist specializing in addiction deeply meaningful and rewarding. I’ve traded the basketball court for the tennis court, which has become my favorite way to stay active. Sending my warmest regards to everyone!”

Melany Kahn writes to say she is the founder of the Brattleboro Festival of Miniatures, a 40-day celebration that transforms Brattleboro into a world of miniature installations, from November 27, 2026, to January 9, 2027. Additionally, she spearheaded the brand- new Museum of Things Tiny and Found and will curate a tour for any alums coming through town. “Stop on by.”

Judith Hill-Weld announced that “after 30 years, my husband and I sold our rural home outside Nevada City, California, to the younger generation and moved to suburbia. We’re actually enjoying having close neighbors, easy access to local activities, and a quick commute to the office. I continue to work as a psychotherapist and teaching Mindful Self-Compassion. I love my continued connection with numerous Wes friends around the globe. I’ve been especially proud lately to witness the important work of my former roommates, Jody Lewen and Tyche Hendricks, who both inspire me to be a better citizen.”

Elaine Taylor-Klaus had a great time at Reunion. She also shared that she’s launched a new initiative “to address a gap in services that has become evident after 20 years supporting families with neurodivergence at ImpactParents. The Neuro Informed Institute (neuroinformed.pro) is established to prepare professionals—helping practitioners, managers, and leaders—to establish practices that meet the needs of the workforce of the modern world.”

Erika Levy said, “It was wonderful reminiscing with many of you at the reunion and then watching our daughter walk along Foss Hill for graduation the next morning (in the monsoon). Now our empty nest seems to be happily full again for a while. I’m still enjoying my work as a professor of communication sciences and disorders at Teachers College, Columbia University. I have organized two lovely walks in Central Park for ’86 alums living in the NYC area and plan to organize more. If you’d like to join, feel free to email me!”

While some of us are retiring, shortly after Reunion, Eric Howard accepted a chief philanthropy officer job and is now serving as director of development for The Clubhouse Network. The 150-plus, STEM-oriented clubhouses in 20 countries provide a safe after-school spot for lower income teenagers to hang out and test/learn new technologies, boosting their likelihood of finishing high school and going to college. “My office is a few blocks from Northeastern University, where I got my doctorate in education in 2020. I guess I am a late bloomer.”

Eric Heinze provided a list of his recent publications and media presentations:

• “Banning Hate Speech: Are Our Debates about Liberal Values or about Democratic Values?”
• “Do Hate Speech Bans Undermine Democratic Values?”
• “Do Hate Speech Bans Undermine Liberal Values?”
• “The Multifaceted Regulation of Online Hate Speech”
• “Free Speech as a Conceptual Pre-Condition for All Other Rights”
• “Public Protest in Jeopardy: The Limits of Positive Free Speech Rights”

Media

• Katya Youssef, Britain: From Islamophobia to “Muslim Hostility”, Al Araby, 8 February 2026.
• Karla Adam and Kate Brady, ‘In Europe, hate speech isn’t free speech. Some in DC hate that,” Wall Street Journal, 16 October 2025.
• “How can the international community rally against executions in Iran?,” Iran NTV, 3 October 2025.
• “America’s Founding Fathers built a federal system, rejecting monarchy and ‘absolutism’,” 19 Sept 2025.
• Natasha Dangoor, Bertrand Benoit, and Max Colchester, “Europe’s Crackdown on Speech Goes Far and Wide,” Wall Street Journal, 7 July 2025.

As for me, Scott Michaud, I’m still speechwriting for the Space Force and assisting a new chief of space operations (CSO) as he takes the helm of this now seven-year-old military service. I just completed a book of the major speeches of the outgoing CSO, The Selected Works of General B. Chance Saltzman, covering his four years of guiding and operationalizing this newest branch of the US military as we ensure the space domain remains accessible and safe for all.